Chapter 869: Carnage Under the Red Moon
by xennovelOn the wasteland, a monstrous meatball, over a hundred meters in diameter, was charging ahead with a wild fury.
Trailing behind it, scattered like stray sparks, were people with bloodshot eyes, utterly deranged.
They chased after the meatball like a horde of frenzied zombies, their bodies grotesquely contorting as they flung out vivid red tongues, surging toward Happy Town like expanding, ashen patches across the earth.
In front of Happy Town stood a group of villagers armed with hoes and scythes. Most looked dull and lifeless, while some seemed as if they had just crawled out of the ground, reeking of decay with chunks of flesh dangling from them. Originally, the town’s residents were mostly the living, with the dead only emerging from the earth during emergencies.
However, after the recent Technology Church attack on Happy Town, the dead now far outnumbered the living.
After all, having signed a contract with Qinggang, even the Queen had to be wary; she couldn’t continue polluting the living as recklessly as before.
The two sides clashed like colliding tides, triggering a maelstrom of flying limbs and incessant, ferocious biting.
It was utter chaos on the battlefield.
Everyone fought with a madness beyond normal human limits.
Behind the frenzied residents, the Happy Town Queen, over thirty meters long, dragged her massive belly. Her indifferent eyes rarely revealed a chilling blend of cold and fury as layers of psychic power swept toward the frontline.
Yet, regardless of the number of the polluted or the inherent core of the mental monster, it seemed she was being suppressed by the opposition.
Wave after wave of mental impact slashed at the bizarre meatball’s flesh, carving out deep wounds.
But from each wound, new grotesque mouths emerged, each lined with jagged fangs, while the meatball itself appeared entirely unaffected.
A massive field of distorted force radiated from its body, engulfing the entire battlefield.
The red-eyed army of polluted bodies relentlessly pressed forward, inching closer to Happy Town.
……
……
“Doo doo doo…”
After sending a support report, the Drunkard rode a brand-new electric tricycle into Happy Town. In the tricycle’s rear basket, a pair of little hands from a Red Hat Undercover Unit clutched the side, swaying wildly, while two Black Hat Undercover Units, one on each side, pushed with all their might, propelling the tricycle at an astonishing speed.
“I wonder when the Little Soldiers will show up.”
Observing the situation along the way, the Drunkard’s face grew grim: “Even as a ‘Knight’ who shouldn’t need to risk my life, you’re still Qinggang’s ally. If we can’t even protect our own, how can we claim to safeguard the world?”
“Besides, the folks at the Observation Post…”
“…”
Her gaze turned sullen. Surrounding Happy Town were Qinggang’s Observation Post and a defensive armed force.
But now, all had met a tragic fate in this sudden upheaval.
The Drunkard’s thoughts churned—if they were Qinggang’s people, how could he let them die without explanation?
With that determination, he resolved to take matters into his own hands.
“Stop pushing, or I’ll shove your ass straight into the enemy’s maw.”
He scolded the two overzealous Undercover Units pushing the tricycle before turning toward the meatball and exhaling deeply.
That mental monster, so real under the Red Moon that it blurred the line between fantasy and reality, wielded an unimaginable terror. Normally, any Ability User below the fourth stage would have their mental power snatched away with just a glance. Yet, protected by the power of the Doll, the Drunkard remained untouched by the meatball’s psychic pollution.
This allowed her to calmly formulate a plan.
“Do you have any idea how serious it is to harm our Qinggang people?”
“For every life taken, a debt must be repaid. That’s the rule—no matter what you are, you must abide by Qinggang’s law!”
“…”
Speaking, the Drunkard pulled a silver handcase from his basket, aimed it at the meatball that was wildly charging at the Happy Town Queen, and suddenly, his eyes glittered with kaleidoscopic light as he flung open the case.
In an instant, the case seemed to emit a mysterious glow.
Viewed from the side, the case contained nothing but a few bottles of Erguotou.
Yet anyone facing the case head-on would be overwhelmed by a desperate longing.
Each onlooker saw in the case what they desired most in life, an irresistible urge to claim it all for themselves.
“Swish” “Swish…”
The meatball, now uncontrollable, sprouted multiple mouths. From each emerged a vivid red tongue, studded with nail-like barbs, flicking out like thick, ferocious tentacles straight toward the case.
But as these tongues neared the Drunkard, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Surrounded by an inexhaustible concentration of psychic power, a semi-transparent figure in the form of a Doll began to materialize.
It stepped in front of the Drunkard, unfurling an umbrella that transformed into a nearly tangible psychic shield.
No matter how violently the red tentacles struck, not a single bit of damage reached the Drunkard sheltered underneath…
This was the assurance that Qinggang’s “Knights” carried as they navigated the world amid endless strangeness.
Each one of them bore the power of the Doll.
……
……
“Ssshhh…”
The bizarre meatball seethed with a furious anger, its body convulsing as gaping, tooth-lined maws erupted from its flesh.
An overwhelming number of high-level aberrant creatures descended into reality at once, each driven by its primal urge; emerging from the abyss, they were as unstable as trees stripped of their roots.
Thus, almost simultaneously, two distinct needs arose from their instincts.
First, to infect more people and bolster themselves—a necessity for growth and to latch onto reality’s ‘anchor’.
Second, a faster method: directly pollute Forbidden Zone creatures to snatch their unique traits.
This, too, could help them secure an anchor—even more stably.
This very bizarre meatball, after swiftly polluting a portion of the people, concentrated its strength to assault Happy Town.
By instinct, infecting the Happy Town Queen as quickly as possible to seize her forbidden zone status was paramount. Yet, an unspecified old man possessed a twisted ability to divide his attention by altering his own desires.
In doing so, it inadvertently slowed its own pollution rate of the Forbidden Zone creatures.
Its instinct fueled its anger.
Through the Drunkard, it could even sense the source of his psychic power—the Doll.
It couldn’t fathom how an existence that barely reached the level of the Fantasy King dared to be so brazen in provoking it.
How amusing.
Now occupying this lair, it didn’t mind following that psychic link to come calling.
The aberrance from the abyss was purer, often accompanied by a superiority far stronger than that of typical mental creatures in reality.
It was like a higher being looking down upon the lesser.
Treating its prey as mere quarry, it naturally found it intolerable to be challenged.
……
“Wah wah wah…”
Just as the thought emerged, the meatball began to contract its focus, and its psychic energy burst out in an instant.
Its longing for the silver case immediately dispersed into the seemingly endless bodies of the polluted, diluting its own desire as it refocused its attention.
Then, one after another, the polluted individuals, overwhelmed by this desire, charged toward the Drunkard like an unruly mob.
As if a sea of people had amassed.
Meanwhile, the meatball itself trembled violently, its flesh tearing off in chunks to form horrific mouths, each emitting an eerie sound reminiscent of toads laughing desperately after a rainstorm.
Soon, layer upon layer of laughter unfolded, as countless vivid red tongues surged forward like a deluge of crimson ribbons.
Even the Red Moon in the sky seemed to have lost its luster at that moment.
The Happy Town Queen, facing the overwhelming, aggressive force of pollution, shuddered as her chest vibrated with panicked, insect-like sounds.
The Drunkard, too, furrowed his brow.
He wasn’t afraid of the masses of polluted bodies charging at him.
But he was at a loss when it came to aiding the Queen.
As the Doll’s messenger, he now faced such a dilemma.
Her defensive strength exceeded her offensive capability.
If the monster attacked her, she could hold out for a long duration.
But when the monster diluted its influence on her and went all out against the Queen, there was nothing she could do…
“Gurgle… gurgle…”
At that precise moment, a distant train whistle suddenly sounded.
Whether it was the Drunkard, the Happy Town Queen, or the meatball itself, all were momentarily shaken as their attention shifted.
Then, they saw a train approaching from afar under the Red Moon.
An immense concentration of psychic power clung to the train, endowing it with an almost terrifying speed.
It barreled forward like a ground-skimming missile.
At the front of the locomotive, a limitless mass of psychic energy coalesced into two rail-like forms that continuously extended ahead of the train.
The train, accelerating every moment along these tracks, surged forward with unstoppable force.
Its speed was beyond description.
At first, it seemed distant, but in the blink of an eye, it had reached them.
“Screeeech…”
The train, laden with tremendous kinetic energy, barreled between the Happy Town Queen and the meatball, shattering the sprawling, vivid red tongues and the meticulously aligned farm fields into disarray, followed by a dull hydraulic release of pressure.
Across the surface of the bizarre meatball, countless mouths split open simultaneously, emitting furious hisses.
The Happy Town Queen recoiled slightly, as if gripped by fear.
Countless red-eyed, polluted beings charging toward the Drunkard were stunned into a puppet-like stillness by the psychic impact.
For a brief moment, the Drunkard stood dumbfounded before his face broke into a satisfied smile:
“The Little Soldiers are even stronger now. They arrived so quickly, huh?”
……
……
Clang, clang, clang, clang…
After the train finally halted, every window transformed into a door and flung open in unison.
Then, from each door stepped out a lone figure.
One was a little girl armed with a Bright Dining Knife and marked by numerous suture scars.
Another was a little girl lying prone on the ground, her eyes alight with excitement as she stared at the meatball.
Yet another door yielded no one at all.
From one door emerged a kindly woman dressed in a red skirt, and from another, a little boy carrying a laptop bag.
Following them was a handsome man with his hands tucked into his pockets, his expression unreadable.
Then came a man who set a Black Suitcase before him, its contents bristling with various knives and torture devices.
Next was a thin woman whose body merged with that of a stooped burly man.
Another, wearing round glasses and exuding warmth, bore the visage of a youthful face.
Lastly, a man in a Tuxedo, clutching a cane and sporting sunglasses, stepped forward.
Alongside him, a young man whose calm demeanor radiated an inexplicable allure.
They disembarked from the train, surveyed the surroundings, and then simultaneously offered warm smiles toward the meatball.
……
……
Suddenly, the bizarre meatball shuddered.
It had been cold and menacing when it spotted the two little girls; as it observed the others, it began concocting its most potent method of pollution, and upon seeing the expressionless man with rolled-up sleeves and a twenty-thousand-won wristwatch, it sensed a direct threat. Moments later, it also observed the pair of women and the refined man.
At that moment, a subtle fear took root within it.
Isn’t it natural in reality for the strong to have far more prey than the mighty?
Even if there are a few high-level figures one might fear, shouldn’t they be few and far between?
Had it just won the lottery?
Yet, right then, it finally saw the last three individuals disembarking.
The young man with round glasses bore an expression that hinted at a deep, unfathomable terror within him.
The final person to step off exuded a calmness that conveyed a profound, overwhelming despair.
…The second-to-last wasn’t much at all. One couldn’t fathom why someone so weak would wear such a brazen expression.
……
……
“Hello, sir…”
Among those disembarking from the train, three or four immediately greeted the girl on the electric tricycle.
Then, under the Drunkard’s satisfied gaze,
they all eyed the first target for cleanup, drawing deep breaths in preparation.
The terrifying meatball suddenly began to tremble, its numerous fissures deepening.
Each fissure transformed into a mouth-like opening, from which vivid red tongues spewed forth.
Countless psychic ripples erupted across its surface, straining layer upon layer, as they coalesced into a formidable force that would soon surge toward the intruders.
“Parasitic Type…”
Number Five’s head emerged from atop the burly man’s shoulder. He coldly observed the meatball and gave a slight shake of his head before saying:
“Judging by its psychic magnitude, it should be at the level of the Illusory Land. These monsters in the abyss are second only to the Ultimate, even qualifying as ultimate candidates. But as it has just descended, with few people polluted, its strength hasn’t fully recovered yet.”
“Its mental core is incredibly strong, so attacking it physically is like hurling cannonballs into water.”
“The number of polluted individuals is roughly between eight hundred and a thousand.”
“Of those, about 30% are deeply contaminated—beyond saving—although the others might still be rescued.”
“……”
Lu Xin nodded, “Rescue everyone possible. Even those deeply polluted must be salvaged if we can.”
Number Five smiled faintly and replied, “Hearing you speak so matter-of-factly brings me comfort, Number Nine.”
Glancing around with a smile, he said, “Shall we begin?”
The figures standing before the train exchanged subtle, respectful glances.
In the next moment, Number Two, wearing round glasses, stepped forward. The young man with a refined face let out a long sigh, raised his hands to cross over his chest, and then slowly released his intrinsic psychic power.
Thump, thump, thump…
When his ability activated, there were no dramatic signs, just occasional flickers of multicolored light in his eyes.
But across the entire wasteland, it was as if a massive immobilizing spell had been cast.
One by one, people—initially those clustered around polluted gathering spots—fell onto the soft, tilled farmland.
They dropped silently without a trace of struggle.
At first, only the groups contaminated by the meatball collapsed.
Regardless of light or heavy pollution, they all crumpled instantly, resembling bundles of straw.
Eventually, as the effect spread faster, even the living residents of Happy Town succumbed, falling indiscriminately.
The dead, reanimated by the Happy Town Queen, also collapsed into uncontrollable, eternal slumber.
“Don’t waste anything.”
“I haven’t changed clothes in ages, and besides, its ability seems quite useful.”
“……”
Number Three, the one with the twenty-thousand-won wristwatch, shook his head slightly before removing his suit and taking off the watch.
He meant to hand it over to Lu Xin, but after a moment’s hesitation, he passed it to Number Eight beside him.
Then, his body suddenly crouched and he darted forward, accelerating rapidly while hunched like a wild beast.
Chunks of flesh flew off his body, transforming into dark, withered meat scraps.
His body grew increasingly emaciated until, under the Red Moon, he transformed into a gaunt, bizarre creature.
With a surge of dark light, he lunged directly at the meatball monster, and then…
…he was swallowed whole by the monster.
The monster’s countless mouths, each two to three meters in diameter, effortlessly engulfed Number Three.
But in the next moment, the monster’s body began to shudder and struggle, as faces—Number Three’s own features—started emerging all over its flesh.
They appeared with a chilling smile, writhing as they fought to break free from the meatball.
This monster had no face, yet Number Three provided it with many.
In a swift transformation, the faces on its surface converged into one massive visage, and the monster, seemingly bereft of any resistance, began shedding large chunks of flesh.
Each piece of flesh formed a smaller meatball that quickly scattered across the wasteland.
The largest chunk gradually took on a humanoid shape, slowly contracting and morphing into a semblance of Number Three.
“I shall go forth and execute justice.”
Number Eight held Number Three’s wristwatch in his hand, and just as he was about to hand it to Lu Xin, he hesitated and instead gave it to Number Five nearby.
Then, he picked up his suitcase, stepped lightly, and walked out.
One body split into two, two into four—fragments scattered endlessly across the wasteland.
Before every division from the bizarre meatball, an image of Number Eight appeared.
Smiling benignly, he opened his Black Suitcase in front of the meatball remains, donned White Gloves, and took out a saw.
“Are you ready?”
“……”
Everything proceeded with a silky smoothness, as if brushed with the finest conditioner.
Number Two promptly retracted the Forced Sleep ability from his ‘Nightmare’, lest the Happy Town Queen begin to yawn.
Number Three, parasitically merged with the meatball monster’s main body, painstakingly reconstructed a complete body piece by piece.
In terms of height, appearance, and even the mole on his skin, not a detail was amiss.
Handsome and naked, he stepped forward to Lu Xin and the others, his sculpted muscles rippling as he accepted a new suit from a disembarking Undercover Unit, methodically donning it.
Number Eight tended meticulously to the scattered flesh of the meatball, performing a delicate surgery.
Only once he was confident that no remnants would escape did he stow away his suitcase, then use a white handkerchief to wipe the blood off his face.
Yet, he had inadvertently left one small piece behind—a piece that his Sister had sneakily slipped into his backpack.
“Pat pat pat pat…”
The Vice-Captain Gecko stared blankly for a long moment before suddenly clapping vigorously.
Awakened by his applause, Red Serpent, Xionghai, and Little Nineteen began clapping along.
……
……
“Mission Complete.”
Lu Xin scanned his surroundings, solemnly took a Black Notebook from a Black Bag, turned away, and quickly recorded:
“Bizarre Meatball – Ultimate Candidate, equivalent to SSS rank; one counts as three.”
“Wear and tear: None…”
“……”
After a satisfied glance, he tucked away the notebook and signaled the Drunkard from afar before boarding his vehicle.
……
……
The train arrived, and in less than three minutes, it chugged away with a prolonged wheeze.
Only the Drunkard and the Happy Town Queen remained, amidst a field of deeply sleeping polluted bodies.
The Drunkard sat contentedly on his electric tricycle, took a sip from his Thermos Cup, and nodded with satisfaction, “This really…”
“Has stirred even an old man’s heart…”
“……”
At the same time, the Happy Town Queen suddenly jolted awake from her drowsiness.
She barely had time to register what was happening before retreating into her Villa; the exposed half of her face struggled to remain composed while her massive belly trembled uncontrollably inside.
Before her lay scene after scene of people collapsing into sleep, a bizarre meatball disappearing as quickly as it had appeared, and the receding image of the train…
A fearful thought took root in her mind:
“What kind of monsters are these?”