Chapter 127: Little Yang Yi's Death

A convoy sped along the highway, rapidly distancing itself from Losi City.

Of course, many others wished to flee as they did, and the highway was choked with vehicles.

After another traffic jam, Thomas ordered an awakened bodyguard to clear the road; two giant bats were seen swooping in the distance, each clutching two screaming figures in their claws.

It was a bat monster.

The bodyguard returned to report: "Mr., because bat monsters suddenly appeared and snatched two people, a car accident occurred ahead."

"Move the vehicles and people blocking the road; do not obstruct traffic!" Thomas said calmly.

"Yes." The bodyguard left.

Thomas wrapped the blanket around the girl beside him, letting her lean on his shoulder; though his expression was impatient, his movements were gentle.

Miranda sat in the passenger seat, saw this scene in the rearview mirror, and smiled silently.

After a moment, the convoy moved again; passing the accident scene, they saw a black sedan overturned by the roadside, a patch of blood on the ground, and a woman weeping over a man lying there.

Clearly, the sedan had been moved to the roadside by the awakened bodyguard's ability.

"Have you called the police?" Thomas asked.

The bodyguard's reply came through the walkie-talkie: "Mr., we have already called the police; they said they are urgently dealing with the Void-Eaters in the city center and cannot dispatch officers for now."

Thomas frowned; the situation had worsened to such an extent that even traffic police had been deployed to the city center.

"Turn on the news," Thomas ordered.

A square panel opened on the car roof, a folding screen extended, and automatically displayed the latest trending news.

Thomas switched to a live broadcast from Losi City; in the shaking, trembling footage, two monsters nearly twenty meters long floated in the air defying Earth's gravity; their gray-white whiskers and hair stretched very long, and any creature touched by these whiskers instantly turned to ash.

Thomas switched to several other news broadcasts: Adelaide City and Newcastle City in Australia, Johannesburg in Heizhou, Tunisia, Atlanta City in the Ark Country, Faks in the Ga Country, Haiphong City in the Yue Country, Jeddah City in Saudi Arabia, Volga City in the Ru Country, Zhongyuan City in the Xia Country... nearly everywhere across the globe was under attack by the Void-Eaters.

They were hunting; if provoked, like during the attack on the White House in the Ark Country, the openings on their heads would emit crimson beams, and everything would be annihilated into nothingness within those beams.

Compared to letting them hunt at will, the casualties caused by these crimson beams were greater, so it was better to let them hunt to their heart's content, hoping they would eat their fill and leave on their own.

SS-level hazard, the highest-level warning since the onset of dark matter.

Facing low-level alien creatures, people still had the strength to fight, but facing such terrifying monsters, and in such great numbers, it seemed the only thing people could do was pray, pray that these monsters would eat their fill and leave quickly.

The chaos and screams in the news filled the car cabin, and everyone's hearts grew heavy.

The monsters' shadows piled thick upon everyone's hearts; had humanity's end truly come? Would anyone this time step forward, like that "God of Men," to stop everything?

The girl leaning on Thomas's shoulder seemed disturbed by the chaotic background noise and frowned slightly.

Thomas immediately turned the volume down.

In the distant sky where they paid no attention, a corroded crack slowly appeared in the heavens, and a giant leg covered in gray-white long hair slowly extended from the fissure...

—

Yang Yi was trapped in a black thorn forest.

A figure had been chasing her from behind; before, that figure was only in the form of a little girl, but over these days, it had grown like a balloon being blown up, and now It stood taller than the forest, its massive shadow cast on the ground like darkness drawing back a curtain.

Yang Yi ran while looking back; the giant's figure also lowered its head to look at her, revealing a strange smile on a face somewhat similar to hers, and with a slight lift of its foot, it stepped toward her.

Little Yang Yi rushed over and pulled her out of the giant foot's range.

"Idiot! Think of a solution quickly! I know you have already received a revelation!" Little Yang Yi slapped her on the head, furious.

The giant foot stepped down again; the giant seemed to be toying with two little insects, always following behind them, making them run themselves ragged.

Yang Yi remained silent, following Little Yang Yi's footsteps and continuing to flee.

Her mind was in disarray; one moment it was news of the long-haired monster attacks in Luzhou City, the next it was Thomas's painting.

In that painting, the sky was full of oppression, occupying two-thirds of the image; a seemingly gloomy and terrifying forest, yet encircling a huddled child in a protective posture, a cluster of dim yellow campfire light illuminated that small area, giving warmth to the lonely child.

"Little Yang Yi... huff... I seem... to have a clue..." she suddenly said, panting heavily.

The entire forest erupted in clamor, as if countless ghostly figures were cheering.

The giant realized something was wrong, stopped toying with them, and its massive shadow swept over as its foot slammed down hard.

"Get lost!" Little Yang Yi kicked her away, and the mountain-sized giant foot landed heavily on Little Yang Yi.

The giant sneered and twisted its foot hard on the ground, squeezing a pool of fresh blood and minced flesh from the gap between the giant foot and the ground.

Black muddy ground, bright red blood, red enough to sting the eyes.

In that painting, the dim yet warm campfire suddenly went out.

"Idiot!"

"Coward!"

"Maggots in a cesspit!"

"Hmph, don't be so self-important; you are you, I am I. I don't care for your look of mud that won't stick to the wall..."

"... Oh~ our T-Rex is going to don a sheepskin to pretend to be a little lamb again~ baa baa baa~ look how weak I am, I won't eat you guys~... truly the height of hypocrisy..."

"Give me your body... I want absolute freedom, absolute doing whatever I please! I want to do whatever I want!"

No one would ever curse her viciously again—but wasn't that cursing a form of hating iron for not becoming steel?

No one would ever seize her body again, but wasn't that seizing a way for her to vent those suppressed and depressed emotions?

Yang Yi stared at that pool of blood, stunned into numbness.

She looked up at the sky above; the giant's eyes were cold and mocking, and that blood-stained giant foot stepped down toward her once more.

But this time the giant did not step down; the black forest, which had always been ignorant and insensate like a lifeless object, suddenly came alive; black trees suddenly grew tall, holding up the giant's falling foot, and black vines grew rapidly like snakes, wrapping around the giant's legs.

Even the shrubs and thorns extended their sharp spines, stabbing at the giant like swords.

In that painting, the black forest protecting the child—this entire scene of forest, thorns, and swamp, this dark, terrifying, mysterious world—was originally her subconscious projection...