Chapter Thirty-Six: Morbid

When monsters reach the third tier, they experience their first evolution, regardless of whether they are monsters sealed in cards or those roaming the wild. Upon reaching this stage, all of them unlock their initial evolution. Once all the conditions for evolution are met, the process begins. After evolving, a monster’s strength ascends an entire level; even when facing monsters of the same tier but higher quality, as long as the opponent has not evolved, there is still a chance to win.

If Yan Dao’s life-bound card were to evolve, his power would surge dramatically. Fei Liuhuo’s own life-bound card hadn’t evolved yet either; otherwise, their strength would not be so evenly matched. The requirements for monster evolution are often extremely harsh, and the stronger and higher the quality of the monster, the more demanding the conditions become.

...

In Celestial Beetle City, Fei Liuhuo led his men to encircle the Celestial Blade Gang, only to discover that it was completely deserted. Not a single soul remained, not even the lowest servants. In the gang’s prison, he found Cai Ming, tortured beyond recognition.

“Yan Dao! I will never forgive you!”

Upon witnessing the horrific state of Cai Ming’s corpse, Fei Liuhuo could no longer suppress the fury burning within him.

“Search for Yan Dao and his men with everything you’ve got—I want them dead!”

“Remember! Spare no effort, no matter the cost! Find them for me!”

Fei Liuhuo’s eyes were bloodshot. Those around him had fought and bled alongside him for years; their bonds ran deep.

In the apocalypse, whether there is any humanity left depends entirely on one’s choices. Ruthlessness is simply the most common path, which is why it has become synonymous with doomsday.

...

Meanwhile, as soon as Lei Yan returned to the settlement, he learned that his men had been bullied. He had been out the previous day, so upon returning, he was left to guess what had happened. Listening to his subordinates’ exaggerated complaints, Lei Yan scoffed.

“Don’t I know what you’re like? Tell me the truth. If I end up embarrassed because of your lies, you’ll regret it.”

He knew all too well the kind of people he led; as the saying goes, a cowardly general leads a cowardly army. He knew exactly what his men were capable of.

With some embarrassment, his men recounted the events truthfully.

“See? You were in the wrong—if I stormed over to confront them, wouldn’t I just be making a fool of myself?”

“These are the kinds of things you get even for. Letting it slide? Impossible. Only our Sixth Squad has the right to rob them, not the other way around.”

“All right, that’s enough. Go on.”

Although Lei Yan was a bandit at heart, he understood boundaries. If he made a scene over something where he was clearly in the wrong, he would only end up suffering for it. It was just like two groups of students fighting at school—a little bickering back and forth was fine, but if things escalated, the parents would get involved. He had no desire to be pummeled by Li Kuang, especially now that Li had broken through to the third tier. Lei Yan was even less willing to provoke him.

...

The day passed quickly. Lu Sheng, waking from his restorative rest, found his position quite comfortable—if only he had a beautiful companion, it would be perfect.

Unbidden, he thought of that woman in a red dress, her face veiled. She had a fine figure, flawless skin—even though he hadn’t seen her face, Lu Sheng was sure she would be beautiful.

Indeed, after food and drink, a man’s thoughts turn to lust, and Lu Sheng coveted her body. He didn’t care whether others were interested in women or not, but he certainly was. However, he wasn’t strong enough yet; for now, it was only a fantasy. He’d wait until he was powerful before acting on such desires.

Night had fallen, and it was time to eat. He had the spacetime ant, which rested on his shoulder, hide itself or return to its card form. Choosing between hiding in Lu Sheng’s hair and reverting to a card, the ant chose the latter.

During the meal, Shi Jiu announced that they would head to the main city tomorrow. This was a decision made by their own squad, meaning only the ten of them would go. Lu Sheng still had a large stockpile of red pouches and wanted to find some new species to breed, so he had no objections. The others all wanted to visit the main city as well, so no one disagreed. Wei Liang, being the newcomer, had no say—and even if he did, it wouldn’t matter.

The next morning, everyone packed up and set out. On the surface, it looked like an ordinary outing; no one knew they were heading for the main city. But even if they did, it wouldn’t matter—there were no restrictions on such things.

At that moment, on the road to the main city, a group stood amidst a settlement strewn with corpses. The bodies of the old, the young, men, women—everyone in the settlement had perished; not a single survivor remained. Perhaps there was one: a little girl, seven or eight years old, with a doll-like face—adorable, but now drained of all color. She trembled from head to toe, for the man before her was a true demon.

He had killed her mother, her father, everyone here.

“Little one, don’t be afraid. Close your eyes. This will be over quickly,” Yan Dao said, gently stroking her head. A glint of black, icy malice flickered in his eyes—the coldest, most merciless aura in the world.

The men of the Celestial Blade Gang looked on, their hearts heavy, unsure how to intervene. Even in this apocalyptic world, even as they hardened themselves against compassion, the things they’d done under Yan Dao in the past two days had far exceeded their limits.

They were not born evildoers, nor did they kill for pleasure. They obeyed Yan Dao only in hopes of a better life.

The little girl’s trembling ceased. Yan Dao carefully laid her body flat on the ground, placing her head gently in place.

“What an adorable little girl...”

Yan Dao’s twisted demeanor finally broke some of the gang.

“Boss! Isn’t this too much?”

“I can’t keep following you down this path! I only joined you for a better life, not to become a monster who kills the old, the weak, women, and children!”

“That’s right! I have a family in Celestial Beetle City—I have a daughter! I can’t watch you kill even children!”

“Boss, please stop!”

“Boss, please stop!”

“Boss, please stop!”

One by one, the entire Celestial Blade Gang dropped to one knee, pleading with Yan Dao to cease.

Yan Dao let out a chilling laugh. “You want to stop me? You want to stop me from avenging the fifty brothers who died?”

The men frowned. “Boss, revenge is one thing, but these people are innocent. Your methods are wrong.”

Yan Dao shook his head. “No, I’m not wrong. These people might become my enemies in the future. Just look at the settlement that helped the Liuhuo Gang—I never had any dealings with them, yet they aided our enemies in killing us.

So I’m simply eliminating future threats ahead of time. As for children, haven’t you heard of eliminating the roots as well as the weeds?”

His warped logic left everyone speechless, unsure how to respond.

“Get up. I don’t blame you for not understanding me.”

They had no choice but to rise, exchanging glances that carried a silent message.

On the road to their next destination, one person quietly slipped away from the group, heading back toward Celestial Beetle City.