Chapter 357: Big Monster, Little Monsters

What does it feel like to have a building smashed into your face?

Lu Xin felt he’d just gained a bit more life experience.

When the monster ripped down the buildings on both sides, bringing them crashing down on him, everything went black. Layer upon layer of shattered architecture folded in front of him, completely blocking out all light and crushing every bit of space.

Rumble! Rumble!

The violent noise continued. The monster was piling more buildings onto him.

Was it playing with building blocks?

When the buildings first came down, Lu Xin had tried to resist.

But the force generated by that kind of weight simply wasn’t something a mental impact or distorted force field could withstand.

With a deafening crash, they came down completely.

Even borrowing his Sister’s power, he couldn’t dodge. He was trapped squarely in the middle of the street.

As the subsequent buildings rained down, he had even less room to fight back.

Besides, at this moment, he didn’t really want to resist anyway.

He just held Little Nineteen.

Both the realness of the embrace and the dining knife Little Nineteen had plunged into his chest…

They gave him a sensation that could fill the void within.

Those who can use physical pain to distract from the emptiness in their hearts are undoubtedly fortunate.

“Brother…”

Sister seemed hesitant, or perhaps unwilling, to disturb Lu Xin right now.

She gently hugged Lu Xin’s arm, rested her little head on his shoulder, and looked at Little Nineteen in his arms.

“She’s not scared anymore.”

She whispered.

Lu Xin could feel it too. Little Nineteen was no longer struggling so fiercely.

He could even sense a faint urge from her, a desire to pull the dining knife out of his body.

But in this tightly packed, constricting space, such movement was impossible for her.

This must be because the monster had stopped trying to pollute her, instead focusing on smashing building after building onto Lu Xin. So, while Lu Xin was buried under the street, he had actually gained the upper hand in the contest over Little Nineteen’s pollution.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it…”

In the darkness, Father was cursing furiously. Since nothing could be seen, Lu Xin could only rely on his senses.

It felt like he could perceive a tall shadow.

It stood beside him, using its broad shoulders to bear the weight of the collapsing buildings, propping up a small pocket of space.

It was this act that had saved Lu Xin, Sister, and Little Nineteen.

However, the weight of the buildings was steadily increasing, and his temper had been thoroughly provoked.

He hadn’t wanted to interfere in the matter between Lu Xin and Little Nineteen, even remaining silent when she attacked Lu Xin. But now, his fury surged, and he grew agitated, muttering darkly with various complaints:

“Are you just going to sit here crying while holding a little girl?”

“Are you just going to let that piece of trash outside drop a whole city on you?”

“Don’t you think everything you’re showing is just too hypocritical?”

…

Father’s curses brought Lu Xin back to his senses somewhat.

What was he afraid of?

Compared to Little Nineteen, this monster was obviously not important.

But no matter how unimportant, it still needed to be cleaned up. Firstly, it was his job. Secondly, he had to consider setting an example for his family.

So, is this the monster’s true power?

He recalled what was taught in the special pollution training course: cleaning up special pollution isn’t child’s play.

The emphasis was on the ‘fighting’ aspect.

The characteristic of pollution is its ability to spread. Therefore, cutting off the spread and cleaning the source are paramount.

Beating up the pollution source solves nothing.

Zhao Shiming had undoubtedly grasped the essence of this problem too. Initially, using the body of this ‘god’, he had felt the suppression of power levels and pursued the joint team’s Ability Users—a pleasant sensation.

But that was just the ‘strength’ one instinctively understood.

No matter how mad he was, he was still a formidable researcher. He quickly realized the ‘god’s’ power wasn’t meant to be used that way.

So, he had now made the most correct choice.

Pollution!

First, by polluting the flesh monsters hidden in the dark corners of Water Buffalo City to strengthen the ‘god’ itself.

Second, by polluting the over one hundred thousand drifters in Water Buffalo City to increase its psychic power.

An increase in psychic power would allow for better self-control.

…

And for a special pollution cleaner, stopping this pollution and eliminating the source was the job…

But how to solve it?

He could clearly feel that even Father was being suppressed now.

Unless… he granted him even greater trust?

The highest trust level he had ever given Father was 70%, but that was unintentional.

The level of trust he currently gave Father was at most around 50%, but that clearly wasn’t enough to solve the problem.

So, this time, did he need to give him over 70% trust?

Lu Xin seriously pondered this question.

He wasn’t sure what Father would do with over 70% freedom.

He couldn’t control him at all…

…

“Useless, useless…”

Father’s curses grew louder.

The surrounding structures emitted teeth-grinding creaks.

Massive vibrations came from all around. It seemed even larger buildings were crashing down on top.

Father, supporting the debris with his shoulders, visibly swayed. He wasn’t suited for this kind of protection to begin with and was only doing it out of necessity. Yet, he couldn’t hold it, and his anger finally boiled over, completely uncontrollable.

“Big… big monster…”

Suddenly, a tiny voice sounded from within his embrace.

Lu Xin’s body trembled slightly as those blood-soaked memories flashed through his mind again.

He really had killed Little Nineteen.

Little Nineteen’s small body was still in his arms.

The longer he held her, the more real and profound the feeling of emptiness in his heart became.

He clearly remembered her blood-stained face when he killed her back then. Many other bloody faces also popped into his mind from time to time, staring at him with terrified eyes. Were those… all people he killed when he turned into a monster?

Lu Xin was genuinely scared now.

He was afraid he would once again become… a real monster!

There were still many friends of his in this city.

If he turned into a monster, would Chen Jing, Gecko, and that short little girl from Central City he just met, the Doctor whose aura he liked so much… would they also be killed by him, just like the others?

Would they too, one day, become just blood-stained faces in his memories?

A deep confusion once again enveloped Lu Xin.

He felt he could defeat the ‘god’ outside, but hesitation gnawed at his heart.

It was like picking up a knife, ready to kill the enemy.

But he didn’t know if, after picking up the knife, he would open his eyes to find he had killed many more people…

…

Rumble!

Above Water Buffalo City, the crimson tentacles once again coiled around a broken building and smashed it down in front.

Gazing at the mountain of building debris before it, all six of its eyes turned cold, its surrounding tentacles rising unconsciously.

Like a true ‘god’ declaring its might.

And in the empty streets and dark shadows of the city,

The eerie substance composed of blood vessels and nerves had already spread towards the outer city, towards the places where the drifters gathered.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

They made the sound of slithering snakes as they extended towards buildings and houses.

Outside the city, the people at the forward outpost were still watching.

In front of a building that had miraculously survived, the Ability Users from Central City and Qinggang stood stunned, staring up at the ‘god’!

…

Beneath the endless ruins, Lu Xin’s heart was filled with exhaustion.

Hatred, anger, sorrow, fear—all sorts of emotions intertwined within him simultaneously.

Chaos!

He felt exceptionally chaotic, so much so that the feeling of dejection returned, making him want to forget everything.

“Big monster…”

Just as this tangle of emotions in Lu Xin reached its peak, a small head rested on his shoulder.

Little Nineteen seemed to have finally adjusted to Lu Xin’s embrace. She stayed quietly within his arms.

As if talking in her sleep, she whispered softly:

“The big monster promised the little monsters… he would lead the little monsters out of here…”

…

“Buzz…”

Lu Xin suddenly felt as if a bomb had exploded in his mind.

That sentence was like a key, instantly unlocking more of his memories.

Sitting separately in the pale, cold laboratory, they passed messages through small windows.

“Monsters, this is just a group of little monsters…”

Voices often sounded outside the door, laced with fear and disdain.

These words seemed to alleviate some people’s guilt, so they often spoke this way. As if by branding these children as monsters, everything done on the operating table gained a righteous justification, absolving themselves of blame. The most terrifying part was, not only did they call them monsters themselves, sometimes they even forced the children to admit it.

“Say it, aren’t you monsters?”

“You’re crazier than the madmen outside the city, you’ve become even more detestable monsters…”

…

The children accepted this narrative. After all, adults were never wrong.

But sometimes, doubts would sprout in their little minds.

The timidest Little Nineteen, huddled in a corner, didn’t even dare to cry loudly, but Lu Xin remembered her tiny voice:

“But… little monsters feel pain too…”

…

In an instant, Lu Xin completely lost control of his expression.

The muscles on his face writhed and crawled like earthworms.

Those fragmented memories finally formed a complete circle at this moment.

He still couldn’t recall all the details, but one thing emerged fully formed in his mind.

He remembered the faces of Little Nineteen and many others. They saw him as their hope. They were all a group of little monsters, and he was the big monster. So the little monsters looked at him with pleading eyes, hoping the big monster could lead them away from that place.

The big monster had once promised the little monsters that he would definitely lead them out of that terrifying place.

…

So, I really am a monster.

We are all monsters.

It turns out Little Nineteen wasn’t afraid of me.

She just remembered me…

From the moment she remembered me, she was already asking me for help…

…

Tears suddenly streamed down Lu Xin’s contorted face.

He hugged Little Nineteen tightly, trembling as he spoke: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m truly sorry…”

“How could I forget something so important…”