Wasteland Echoer.

"So, what's the difference between these 'explosive fishmen' and 'explosive heartless people'?" Dak carefully looked at the bluish-white body that was becoming more and more comfortable to the eye. A strong magnet seemed to be placed in his grey eyes, causing his sight to move further forward, closer to the "explosive fishmen", and unable to deviate to the side.

"Remember the 'Five-Colored Angel' I mentioned just now?" Anthony did not notice that Dark was abnormal. He used a pencil to record the information of this "perfect body" and explained with a smile:
"He can make people 'degenerate', just like a male devil with extreme charm. Usually, in order to maintain their superficial brilliance and the high moral standards they claim to have, the nobles of Crusad and Chitanris always show their selflessness, greatness, honesty, loyalty, courtesy, integrity and sense of shame in front of the public. But privately, they also want to use some magical means to pull their souls into a dreamland where no one can find their traces, and satisfy those evil desires that can only remain in their brains."

"Desire? Yes, desire. Everyone likes it." Dark murmured in a low voice, as if responding to Anthony, or as if speaking to some invisible charming force floating in the air.

The "explosive fishman" in front of him gradually lost its monster attributes in his eyes, and even the deep hatred towards the enemy seemed to disappear into thin air at this moment.

He only felt a slight heat all over his body, and his hands wanted to tremble, but he couldn't move at all in his mental confusion. Only the muscles that symbolized sin were tensing up desperately, trying to rely on the strength of the body to break through the short and dangerous shackles brought by the spirit.

"Paulus, although he is the most powerful patriarch of the Patriarchate, all funds related to the church are controlled by him. His authority can influence Ivan XXIII's decision. After all, it was he who baptized this mediocre emperor." Anthony raised the corners of his mouth, obviously grinning.

This kind of power struggle and palace secrets about the royal family always arouse the curiosity of middle-aged men in the next era.

"You know, huh, cough cough." Anthony coughed twice to cover up his embarrassment, half covering his mouth and continued:
"It was because of the exhaustion of magic after the 'First Steel Incident' that the alien beast races that were originally tributed to the court to vent their impure wishes began to decline and die. In addition, the Aventlai region gained independence, and the old empire lost control of the ice demons, causing the nobles in the court to begin to pursue the revival of magic power.

"With magical power, all desires have a perfect place to vent. When human consciousness escapes into an illusory plane, space construction, cognitive modification, character shaping, and even 'summoning' dangerous creatures to do the most bizarre things will not be criticized."

Anthony said, opening the last few pages of his notebook and pointing to the rectangular black object drawn with a pen:

"Even if you have a camera, unless it is a rank monster, no one can get the picture in your mind or dream. Even if you draw it based on the description, it cannot be used as evidence to accuse you. Therefore, the creation of the 'Five-Colored Angel' can not only fill the magic source power, but also meet special needs.

"After the balance was destroyed and magic collapsed, under the influence of the 'Ivanov virus', the 'explosive fishmen' naturally inherited part of the 'five-color angels' mission. They will continue to release unique pheromones to humans with water sources and dark magic power, enchanting lost travelers, leading them to the center of the lake, and eating them up in extreme joy."

"So, it's dangerous, right? But, it's also fascinating, right?" Dak's voice trembled with a slight distortion, his breathing gradually became rapid, his cheeks flushed, and his mind was full of thoughts, filled with one of the seven deadly sins that the owner could not tolerate.

Fortunately, Anthony noticed his abnormality.

When he saw Dark's intoxicated expression, he was stunned at first, slightly surprised, and then he covered his mouth and laughed for a long time. Before Dark pounced on the "explosive fishman", he slapped him hard.

boom!
A crisp sound, no less than that of a bullet hitting a steel plate, came from Dark's fairly handsome face and echoed from time to time in an environment filled with the rumble of a train.

Like a resentful devil howling maliciously to the world, Dak woke up with a buzzing sound like an electric current.

"I, this is...what happened?" Dak covered his left cheek awkwardly, wiped the blood from his nose, and looked at Anthony.

Anthony waved his hand and replied helplessly:
"You have been affected by the 'Explosive Fishman'. You know, I just said that it can interfere with your thinking and make you escape into sinful illusions. I... can't let you destroy this hard-earned body. I have to hand it over to the Federation."

……

The "Xintuo" train, which had lost half of its carriages, finally stopped at the military station in Hoptov.

As soon as he got off the train, the train conductor Hakka, wearing a military coat covered with scratches and bloodstains from the "heartless man", followed the local guards to the temporary administrative group station to report the battle situation. There were only 35 adventurers left on the train. Fifteen of them died in the initial explosion of the "explosive fishman", and twenty did not have time to get on the train and were abandoned in the rear carriage, becoming food for the "heartless man".

More than 50 people were stabbed in the chest by the "heartless man" during the battle and died on the spot. Several others, because they had antibodies to the "Federal Agent No. 0", had to detonate the "termination core" under the threat of their companions pointing guns at their heads, exploding their hearts and committing suicide.

It can be said that the strength of this group of adventurers is far inferior to the previous ones. Before reaching the destination, less than one third of them are left.

"How miserable." Dark sighed, as if he was not a middle-level officer of the Federation who had experienced hundreds of battles, going in and out of the "Kushen Ruins" and the "Honghuan Ruins", fighting monsters, gods, "heartless people", the Lost and other enemies.

Instead, she is like a princess who has never left her pink bedroom and has a natural "Madonna" sentiment towards all cruel things.

Anthony was very calm. He just gently blew away the dust on the white cloth wrapped around "Federal Eagle - New" and pulled Dark past the group of dusty adventurers to the innermost part of the simple camp temporarily vacated for them by the Hoptov Strategic Group.

After entering the room and locking the door, Anthony patted Duck on the shoulder and warned in a low voice:

"An occasional kindness may help you maintain your humanity and prevent your mind from being eroded by the 'Heartless Virus'. This is also the reason why many superpowers can stay awake. However, in a dangerous area, any bit of Madonna complex will make you miss the opportunity to fight and lose your life."

"Are you saying that adventurers don't deserve sympathy?" Dark was a little annoyed and deliberately retorted.

"Of course." Anthony's answer was very straightforward. He seemed to be standing in a neutral perspective like the Creator, looking down at these greedy people and said:
"Adventures bring benefits as well as risks. Since you have chosen the most difficult mission, you should be prepared to die. As long as you step out of the stronghold controlled by humans, everyone is your enemy.

"That group of 'heartless people' are just obsessed with your 'flesh' to fill their empty stomachs; those lost ones are obsessed with your body to satisfy their empty hearts. And only adventurers like you will covet your wealth and supplies. As long as you show a little weakness, they will swarm over you like hounds and 'eat you up'.

"At any time and in any place, the most dangerous are humans, pure humans with flesh and blood like you. Sympathy is only useful when you need to be promoted to a demigod. Otherwise, at any time, it is a bomb that can turn you into dust."

"Okay." Dak nodded slightly to show his approval.

Then he turned his head and saw a circular emblem half an arm's length hanging on the wall.

The emblem was pitch black, but had a variety of patterns carved on its surface. With the help of reflected light, one could see a terrifying scene of a giant dragon kneeling in front of a human, splashing blood on him. At the top of the emblem was a giant hand stretched out from the void, as if trying to grab the dragon or stop it from moving.

"What is this?" Dak pointed at the black emblem and asked curiously.

"The 'Magic Emblem' of the Devotion Group, this was originally their camp. After Hoptov's Fifth Legion drove them away, they requisitioned this camp in accordance with the Regulations on the Handling of Enemy Materials. Even though these houses were once the private property of local residents, they have been used in turn by the Midnight Guards, the Spear of Odyssey, the Blood Clan, and the Devotion Group... Now, whoever occupies it owns it."

"Ownership, yes, everything in the wasteland world is like this, including humans." Dak teased in his heart, but he did not say it out loud. Instead, he stared at the black "Demon Emblem of the Sacrificial Clan".

Some strange ritual scenes began to flash through his mind: countless Lost Ones in white robes, under the blood-red moonlight shrouded in the dark night, stepped barefoot on the scorched grass that had been gnawed by monsters; they cut off their strong arms to use as magical tools, and jumped under the reddish light emitted by the blood-red mist, showing their strength and piety to the Dragon Leader and the God of Blood.

Before falling asleep, Dak "saw" the hymns chanted by the Lost Ones:
Burning devotion condenses in the grayness, and the dark fragments are recast in death. The omniscient dragons are opening their blood-red eyes and watching you in the darkness of the future. (End of this chapter)