Chapter 97: Scorched Earth
That helicopter gradually became a beacon of hope for what remained of human society.
On blood-soaked battlefields, at the epicenter of monstrous outbreaks, no matter the location, no matter how powerful the enemy, as long as that mysterious helicopter appeared…
A miracle would follow.
A miracle, embodied by the girl in the white dress inside the helicopter.
She was so frail, her slender body seemingly about to collapse in the downdraft of the helicopter blades.
Yet, before the monsters, she was invincible. Wind, fire, lightning, even the unnatural distortions of space, all were useless against her.
The helicopter was protected by the most elite investigators, and even if it crashed, they would ensure the girl in white reached the monster.
And the monsters, no matter how they struggled, how they attacked, how ferocious they were… the moment they touched her…
They would vanish, like smoke, absorbed into her body.
Countless people had witnessed this, their SAN values plummeting as they trembled and knelt, their eyes wide, their voices raised in prayer.
She was the Evil God’s sole emissary on Earth!
The sole bearer of the god’s power!
Humanity’s last, best hope!
As the black slime swirled and pulsed on her pale skin, as the stars and the oceans trembled, as the dawn faded… only the girl in white remained.
Only the girl in white, risking her life, fighting for humanity’s survival!
Within a week, the girl in white, her power and her image, became known throughout the world, and the number of Class S and Class S+ monsters, the level of pollution, rapidly decreased.
Humanity had found hope! They composed songs in her honor, praising her, loving her, adoring her, blessing her, praying for her continued strength and power!
The girl in white, of course, was Xiang Er.
For an entire week, she had barely slept, having absorbed countless powerful monsters, destroyed dozens of state-of-the-art helicopters, and even lost a few of the investigators protecting her.
But… her heart was a stone, her resolve unwavering, always searching for the next monster, always rushing towards the greatest danger.
She had wanted to be alone, but An Yue and the higher-ups had refused.
An Yue, her expression grim, had looked at her and said:
“If you go alone, and something happens to you, when she returns, she’ll devour the entire planet.”
Xiang Er, taking a bite of her emergency rations, a meat bun, had smiled faintly:
“You’re right, then we’ll do it your way. When she returns, I’ll put in a good word for you.”
An Yue had nodded, her heart heavy. Those who knew the truth understood that this was a gamble, with only two possible outcomes: either humanity, clinging to this sliver of hope, would witness the planet’s destruction, or… as Xiang Er had suggested, a new Evil God would be born from the remaining black slime.
But even the second outcome… it would take time. And time was what humanity needed most.
Xiang Er, flying around, absorbing monsters, was like trying to extinguish a volcanic eruption with buckets of water, it might have a temporary effect, but… it couldn’t stop the inevitable.
But for now, this sliver of hope, this fragile hope, was enough. An Yue thought, her gaze resting on Xiang Er.
Xiang Er insisted on wearing light clothing, to facilitate the absorption of the monsters. She ate constantly, forcing down the most nutritious food, even when her stomach couldn’t handle it. She often touched her neck, her arm, her wrist, her gaze lingering, as if she could see the black slime beneath her skin.
She even whispered to the slime sometimes, her words a mystery.
An Yue often wondered, if they measured Xiang Er’s SAN value now, would it break the scale, a negative number?
What would a negative SAN value even mean?
And… was Xiang Er even human anymore?
Perhaps, she had already become the most powerful, the most terrifying monster, that’s why she could devour the others.
But if Akhe only loved the human Xiang Er, if she returned and saw this monstrous Xiang Er… would she, in her rage, destroy the entire planet?
Who knew… the more An Yue thought about it, the more bleak the future seemed.
A new recruit, his voice hesitant, asked:
“Um… Miss Xiang, are you sure this will… bring back the Evil God?”
The moment he spoke, another investigator’s hand clamped over his mouth, everyone holding their breath, their gazes fixed on Xiang Er.
Didn’t he know! This kind of question… it was taboo!
This newbie, his days were numbered… would Xiang Er devour him?
But Xiang Er, hearing this, smiled, a slow, almost cruel smile.
She caressed the smooth skin of her wrist. Although exhausted, she had been eating well, and her skin had regained some of its healthy glow.
Her gaze fixed on her wrist, not looking at anyone, she suddenly spoke, her voice soft:
“Of course. And if it doesn’t, I won’t live either.”
Silence fell upon the helicopter cabin, no one daring to speak, they all carefully avoided her gaze, giving her space.
Soon, the helicopter, its rotors whirring, arrived at a large city. This city, the nation’s economic heart, was now in ruins, ravaged by three Class S+ monsters.
The once bustling shopping malls and residential areas were now a jumbled mess.
People screamed and ran, the military and police forces overwhelmed, even the specialized anti-monster weapons useless against these powerful creatures.
An investigator in the helicopter, her face grim, said:
“According to our intel, these three Class S+ monsters have developed… unprecedented intelligence. They’ve organized hundreds of lower-level monsters and are attacking the less defended areas of the city, their goal seems to be… taking over the entire city!”
Looking down, they saw swarms of small monsters roaming the streets, picking off fleeing humans, the monsters’ growls, the humans’ screams, the sounds of gunfire and explosions, a scene of utter chaos.
An Yue said:
“It’s a complicated situation here, you should wait…”
But Xiang Er had already leaned forward, a faint smile on her lips:
“Just… drop me into the middle of them.”
An Yue grabbed her clothes:
“No!!! Absolutely not!!!”
But the helicopter door was open, and Xiang Er, with a soft click, unfastened her safety harness.
She glanced back at the investigators, her colleagues, a faint smile on her lips, and said softly:
“It’s okay.”
Her voice, light and airy, was barely audible amidst the chaos.
Then, she stepped out, her body falling.
The others, caught off guard, An Yue screaming, lunged towards the open door, but all she saw was a piece of white fabric, Xiang Er’s dress, fluttering in the wind.
And Xiang Er, like a beautiful, defiant butterfly…
Fell.
A flicker of light, the black slime shimmering, a fleeting glimpse.
Then she landed, swallowed by the swarm of monsters, disappearing from sight.
Xiang Er hadn’t gone mad, she knew what others thought of her, she knew what she thought of herself.
She told herself, over and over again, that she would return. But in her dreams, she saw herself dead, gone, completely consumed. She searched high and low, but she couldn’t find her, anywhere.
And yet, Xiang Er couldn’t die.
Akhe was gone, but she couldn’t die.
It was a fate worse than the most terrifying nightmare, and a new thought took root in her mind: What if I die?
What if I die, will it all be over?
To die. It became her new mission.
So she had jumped, without hesitation, without a thought for the consequences, only the roar of the wind in her ears, the sight of the snarling monsters below.
She landed amidst the swarm, the black slime on her body erupting, spreading… and just then…
The sky suddenly brightened.
Countless fiery meteors streaked across the sky, their burning trails illuminating the world, a blinding light, day and night.
Like a volcano erupting in the upper atmosphere, a giant, fiery object, trailing a long tail of flames, plummeted towards earth.
Xiang Er, standing amongst the monsters, suddenly realized… the black slime was gone.
Yes, all of it, in an instant, as if sensing something, had vanished.
And she, in her white dress, unarmed, defenseless, surrounded by monsters, their jaws open, their attacks imminent…
Xiang Er thought, is this it? Is this how I die?
Will I see Akhe after I die? In the gentle embrace of death, will I finally see her again?
Xiang Er smiled faintly, the stench of the monsters, their hot breath against her skin, a stinging sensation, and she looked up, wanting to see the sky one last time, the sky Akhe had protected…
But she didn’t die.
A thick tentacle wrapped around her, shielding her.
And suddenly, a giant, mountain-like, black monster appeared before her.
The other monsters, with howls and shrieks of terror, scattered, then vanished completely.
The thick tentacle, trailing endless black slime, rose into the sky, wildly absorbing the other monsters, silently and efficiently cleaning up the mess.
And Xiang Er, still dazed, looked at the tentacle that held her.
She stared at the thick, black and red tentacle, its suckers, its spines, its grainy surface, everything exactly as she remembered.
Was this… a dream? Or the afterlife?
And then, a voice, clear and distinct, echoed in her mind, sending shivers down her spine:
“It’s me, I’m back… Little Ears, you’ve suffered.”
And the thick tentacle, its movements swift yet gentle, lifted her and carried her to the helicopter still hovering above, carefully placing her inside, closing the door.
Xiang Er looked down through the window.
The giant, expanding, all-consuming, silent, and powerful black tentacle monster. It was her, the one she knew so well, that presence, that voice.
“Akhe… is back?”
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