Chapter 382 - 2: A World on the Verge of Destruction

Otherwise, the vast majority of people could only live underground, constantly digging deeper into the earth, surviving on the heat of the still-scorching magma deep below.

Originally, the people of this world had gradually adapted to this gloomy, nearly lightless world and a life almost devoid of hope. Life is always resilient. Even in a world like this, humanity still maintained its civilization and order. Perhaps this was the only thing they could be proud of.

However, as the Demon Tide gradually returned to the world, the once-stalled apocalypse began to advance again.

The small boat by the cliff wouldn’t be so lucky as to stop a second time. The precipice was close at hand.

This time, not even a dim sliver of hope’s light would have a chance to remain.

The end was near.

Naisel. It was once the capital city of the Southwest Thousand Lakes Country, one of the former Four Great Kingdoms, and the domain of Duke Naisel. The Naisel family, which shared its name, was bound to the city for life and death. In the centuries following the kingdom’s collapse, they gradually developed it into one of the world’s few Shelter Cities. Under the rule of successive Dukes of Naisel, the city and its surrounding territories had maintained stability, even in the gloomy, pre-apocalyptic era.

But one year ago—or to be precise, eight months and twenty-one days ago—the reigning Duke Naisel died unexpectedly while trying to break through to the realm of a Great Scholar, a new stage of power that emerged after the Demon Tide’s resurgence. Although the other family members kept his death a secret, the fact that the frequently traveling Duke had not been seen in public for months was a signal in itself.

Soon, the direct heirs of the Naisel family were killed one after another in a series of mysterious attacks, and the news of Duke Naisel’s death finally spread. In an instant, the Extraordinary Clan that had once protected the entire region went from being the lion of the plains to a lamb for the slaughter. The enormous wealth accumulated from ruling a Shelter City for hundreds of years, the Extraordinary Materials, the inherited Magic, and the research data regarding the end of the world—all of it was a feast of flesh and blood laid out to attract jackals.

When it came to resources, every extra bit represented another sliver of hope for surviving the end. The Naisel family’s research data on the apocalypse was a treasure beyond measure, and everyone wanted to get their hands on it.

However, the Naisel family was, after all, an ancient Extraordinary Clan with a heritage spanning over a thousand years. Both their family’s secret caches and control over the Sheltering Array required the bloodline of a core family member to unlock. But unfortunately, before the "accidental deaths" of the last few core members, the first thing each of them did was destroy their own bloodline. It was a curse seal hidden within their bodies; with a single thought, they could ensure all their enemies’ efforts would be in vain.

So, was there a member who possessed the core Naisel family bloodline, but lacked the curse seal, whom the jackals could exploit?

Of course there was.

And he was now secretly departing from a neighboring Shelter City, intending to avoid all detection, inherit the Duke’s position as quickly as possible, and use the power of the Great Array to restore order... But the Hunters pursuing him were already on their way.

—In this world on the verge of its End, humanity was still slaughtering its own.

Or perhaps, it was precisely because the End was nigh that the madness lurking in the very marrow of their bones was gradually being unleashed.

And the story begins in this world of Silent Extinction, where all things are about to meet their End.

CRACK!

The crisp sound of a bone shattering rang out.

As the thick stench of blood spread, a small creek of blood formed in the vast, gray wasteland. Its source was a pile of several dozen horribly mangled corpses.

"So, you scum took money from who-knows-who to ambush people out here in the wilderness, hoping to find this ’heir’ you’re all talking about, is that right?"

In the center of the dozens of corpses sat Su Zhou. Dressed in a black, hooded robe, he had a cold demeanor, and a rare look of anger was on his face. He sat atop a pile of bodies—charred black, whether by fire or electricity, it was hard to tell—with one foot pinning the head of a burly, rugged man whose face was covered in blood.

He asked coolly, "If you got lucky and found your target, you’d capture him and take him for a reward. If not, you’d just rob any travelers or merchants who happened to pass by. Either way, someone’s paying you. One job, two paychecks."

Su Zhou was speaking Chinese, of course. When he was first attacked, he’d thought it was an accident or a misunderstanding and had tried communicating in English and French. But this world’s languages were clearly different from those on Earth, so he resorted to direct Soul Communication, using whatever language came most naturally to him.

"Y-Yes, my lord! We wouldn’t have dared to attack you! If you had shown your power earlier, how could we possibly have attacked you?"

The bandit, pinned under Su Zhou’s foot with his forehead pressed into the dirt, felt enough force on the back of his head to crush his skull. He cried out in terror, his reply echoing in Su Zhou’s mind via Soul Communication, "You seem to be from out of town, sir! I’m one of the Naisel people, I can be your guide—I’m still useful, I can—"

CRUNCH.

Having gotten all the information he needed, Su Zhou brought his foot down and crushed the man’s head, more easily than smashing a watermelon.

’So much scum in an apocalyptic world.’

To be honest, if they had been ordinary bandits, Su Zhou still wouldn’t have spared them. But given that they had so readily spilled everything they knew, he wouldn’t have minded giving them a quick death. After all, it wasn’t as if they could have ever hurt him.

But these bandits had also attacked another group before. The violated corpses of women and children were lying right next to the camp.

Seeing that, even though the victims were complete strangers, Su Zhou was thoroughly pissed off. Since these bandits pissed him off, he would grant each of them a miserable death.

’The Celestial God Seal really does lead me right to the heart of conflict... I’ve been here for less than ten minutes, and I’ve already been ambushed by a band of robbers.’

Glancing around the devastated camp, filled inside and out with corpses, blood, and the smell of roasting flesh, Su Zhou sighed softly. "A world on the brink of destruction. Such chaotic times."

His thoughts drifted back to the moment he had first arrived in this world.

At that time, Su Zhou had briefly observed the direction of the wind and the state of the land. Just as he was preparing to perceive the state of this world’s Spiritual Qi, a group of burly men in armor had come charging over. They didn’t look like bandits; they looked more like the private soldiers of some noble.

Without any attempt at communication, the burly men moved to snatch Su Zhou’s pack. In the midst of this, Su Zhou the polyglot (thanks, Wisdom Fruit) tried to communicate using various languages like English, French, Russian, and German. He even tried the Inuit language, but to no avail.

Seeing Su Zhou just babbling on, seemingly not understanding them and unwilling to hand over his luggage, his attackers drew their swords, preparing to let their weapons do the talking.

In that instant, Su Zhou’s eyes sharpened.

’Communicate with force? Are you sure you want to go that route?’ At that moment, he issued a final warning in Chinese. "I may be timid and hold back on Earth, but in an Otherworld, I strike with a heavy fist... all while being gentle and easy-going—"

"What the hell is this guy babbling about? We were just going to take his luggage and spare his pathetic life. Kill him!"

Obviously, no one in the Otherworld understood a word Su Zhou was saying. And naturally, no one was around to mock the idea that Su Zhou was "timid" on Earth. Far from it.

The result of this "communication" was the field of corpses. Regrettably, most of them never got the chance to speak or express their own opinions before they died.

’This world is too chaotic. And it’s the apocalypse... could it be because the Silent Lord has awakened? The return of the Lord of the Netherworld, causing the world to fall into a dead silence and the Undead to rise? But that doesn’t seem right, either.’

He pondered for a moment, then shook his head and picked up a nearby shovel. Su Zhou decided to first dig graves and bury the innocent people who had been tragically killed before making any other plans. One of those plans was to continue the test he’d been about to perform: perceiving the state of the world’s Spiritual Power. ’No, I don’t have enough information for a proper Deduction yet.’

’These bandits knew too little. I’ll go into the city first and see what the hell is going on in this place.’