Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 681 An Extremely Complex Situation (Part 2)
“Anna…no, ‘Ray’, does he want to learn from Natasha? Back then, Natasha and Ato were both members of the Tenin Cult. One tried her best to protect me, and the other brought me into this world from a state of ignorance. I…killed Ato once, and he won’t let me go. Anna wanting to learn from Natasha…that’s nothing short of a pipe dream.” Wright looked at the thicker fog by the window with a hint of disappointment and said:

“Ato, modified by John and Shamon, and summoned by the Chaos Group as a ‘new human,’ has long lost the emotions of being born human. I hope that the Nebusk ‘Temporary Cooperative Council’... will eliminate Ato!”

“Indeed, he should have died long ago.” “Red Wolf” nodded slightly, a smirk playing on his lips, his eyes gleaming with a hint of cunning and slyness.
“Nabsk has already laid a trap for Ato. As long as Ato is tempted by greed, he will be burned to ashes by the Goddess of Light.”

"The thick fog is probably to conceal some old Imperial technological products that still exude a scorching heat," Dark said, sticking out his tongue slightly to "taste" the air. The next second, he astutely guessed:

"This thick fog is not cold water vapor, but a mixture of water and smoke caused by wildfires. The air is filled with the smell of sulfur and other chemicals. It seems that Atlanta is gambling with the lives of all the people and the lost in the city."

“However, this is not something we should be considering. As long as those ‘mutated lost ones’ from the ‘Chaos Group’ don’t attack the city in the short term, the three of us…”

Dark glanced at the still-sleeping Adaloni and lowered his voice slightly:
"Then we can prepare enough supplies to cross the Eventlay no-man's-land and head to the long-awaited Khitanris. The whole world is slowly losing its vitality; light rises from one point and 'descends' from another, eventually plunging into an endless night from which no one can ever escape."

"This is the fate of everyone in the Western Continent, including humans, the Lost, and the countless 'heartless' people. By the way, Brother 'Red Wolf,' how long will this 'artificial fog' last?"

“About a week.” “Red Wolf” pulled three uniquely designed masks embroidered with double-headed eagle patterns from his inner coat pocket and handed them to Dark. Then, he took out his notebook again, flipped to the last few chapters, and continued:

"Atlanca's series of actions to eliminate these 'mutated lost ones' of the 'Chaos Group' have a unified name: 'The End of Ashes,' from the 'New Prelude to the Holy Word.' The content is... right, here."

"The world is trapped in an endless cycle of reincarnation, a punishment from the Creator for greedy humanity. The Creator's punishment is endless, and so is humanity's cycle of calamities. Those who have fallen into the seven emotions will linger between hell and the human world, while those who have not relinquished the seven desires will be cleansed by red waters in the mountains of red steel."

"The beginning of ashes marks the beginning of the chaotic world, carrying the Creator's endless and beautiful wishes. However, the end of ashes is the end of everything. When the scorching mist burns everything away, sin and pain will be annihilated, a new beacon will be erected amidst the flood, the endless cycle of reincarnation will surely end, and eternal happiness will soon arrive."

“Brother Red Wolf, sometimes I wonder, was the creator of the Holy Word truly not a god?” Wright stared at the slightly reddish mist outside the window with his dark eyes, coughed a few times, and said:

"The Word of God never forced people to believe in the Creator, nor did it use strict church customs to restrict human behavior. It simply influenced people's thinking little by little through the telling of doctrines and stories, so that people believed that darkness existed in the world, but light was still ahead."

“Perhaps Dark and I are not really the victims of the ‘Light Seekers’ operation. Perhaps the Creator has already altered the threads of fate through the gods, bringing Dark and me to the Wasteland Era, to this world, and endowing us with enough power to change or save this world.”

“That’s not all,” Dark continued, picking up where Wright left off.
"There is also the 'New Order.' The old order established after humanity defeated the dragons operated for over four thousand years. It was far too long, and to completely reconstruct it, a sufficiently terrible catastrophe would be necessary. The Creator also wanted to understand Himself through some means. Perhaps He has always wanted to prove that humanity's existence is beneficial to the universe, rather than an 'evil virus' that would ultimately corrupt the entire world."

"What, my lords? Didn't you go to Khitanris to seek a better future?" "Red Wolf" scoffed at Dark's words, revealing a disdainful smile.

"To be honest, loyalty to one's superiors or reverence for the gods are nothing more than a means to gain benefits. Don't rush to refute me; after all, the Khitan Ris people's attitude towards the gods is pragmatic."

“When a god can guide people toward happiness and obtain what they need, then He will be worshipped and revered. In other words, everyone knows that the situation in Krusd is a mess, Choigler in Kuka will not last more than six months, and Novayask has only ten or twenty thousand people barely surviving. Even if the ‘temporary cooperative council’ led by Atlanka can really be transformed into a ‘city council’, it will be completely incapable of fulfilling the responsibilities of a new capital.”

"Red Wolf" gave a meaningful smile, stood up, patted Dark and Wright on the shoulder, and then, instead of sitting back down in the creaking wooden chair, stood up, stretched his slightly stiff body, and continued:

"Just like the 'mechanical prosthetic body' Zhou Han implanted in my body, although it made my body less flexible and versatile, it made me much stronger. Now, I can withstand even a military truck hitting me. As for the Goddess of Light, I am Her apostle, and She will grant me near-eternal life." "This morning you said that the Goddess of Light gave you a high-level profession. I'm very curious, could you tell me more about it?" Wright asked, looking "Red Wolf" up and down again.

Indeed, his body had become much stronger. The trapezius muscles that were visible through the collar of his cotton-padded coat were quite exaggerated. His arms and legs filled the clothes completely, and in terms of muscle thickness, he was comparable to those big guys in underground boxing rings.

“I will tell you, but not now. Professor Igor told me that everything depends on timing. When the time is right, everything will go smoothly; when the time is not right, forcing it will only bring disaster. However…” “Red Wolf” paused, rested his chin on his hand, thought for a moment, and said:

“I can tell you the origin of ‘mechanical flesh prosthetics’. I think you must be very curious about this.”

“Of course,” Dark and Wright said in unison.

"'Mechanical Flesh Prosthetic Body' is indeed a rank-one monster, once numbered 'MB-2301'. Unlike 'Bude Mechanira' or 'Kappa Chibin', it transforms humans into 'normal species' with a core as their flesh and an outward appearance of mechanization." "Red Wolf" removed his cotton coat, revealing half of his thick, steel-colored chest, and said:
"My fusion with the 'mechanical body' is only in the first stage. It will not erode my brain and soul. As long as I live like a human, without starving or being beaten, I will remain in this state for the rest of my life. However, even in the first stage, the enhancement of my body has already made me an existence no less than a 'machine'."

"In fact, the Crusad Empire used its original body as a tool to heal soldiers' wounds, allowing them to regain their fighting ability as long as their hearts and brains were not damaged. However, its original body was destroyed in a fire at the Cathedral of St. Ivan during the reign of Ivan XXV. The 'Mechanical Flesh Prosthetic Body' that Zhou Han gave me is the last child of the original body."

"So, if you die, the 'mechanical prosthetic body' will also disappear?" Dark asked.

"Perhaps, unless someone possesses the power of inheritance and can absorb it in a short time. However, I don't want to discuss death for now, after all, I've already died once. By the way..." "Red Wolf" took out a bag of new ruble coins from his pocket, handed it to Dark, and continued:

"Here are 200 new rubles, enough for you to buy weapons, ammunition, food, repair tools, or even a brand new mechanized combat vehicle."

"Can you tell us where this money came from?" Out of caution, Dak did not immediately take the money bag, but instead inquired about the source of the new rubles.

However, "Red Wolf" did not respond directly to Dark, but instead stuffed the money bag into Wright's hand and said something meaningful:

“Every great mission has a driving force, which is the compensation and the funding for the next step. I will not tell you where the money comes from, but I bring you a piece of their advice.”

"Appreciate further details."

“Don’t be curious about anything in the city. If the fog clears in a week, please leave the city with me immediately. You don’t need to return any items or repay any money. This is your due reward.” “Red Wolf” said, revealing a rare, slightly gentle smile.

He glanced at Adaloni, who was still lying unconscious on the bed, then his gaze swept warily towards the window before he whispered a reminder to Dark:
"It's best not to let anyone discover his dragon identity. Atlantis' interest in dragons seems to be growing rapidly. We... can't figure out his true attitude towards dragons. Just to be on the safe side, officers, you should reduce the number of times you go out to the inn."

“I understand, thank you, Brother ‘Red Wolf’.” Dark nodded slightly, expressing his gratitude.

"Then I can go back." "Red Wolf" had just opened the door to room ST.905 when, through the still thick fog, he gave a final reminder:

"Perhaps your companion will arrive tomorrow morning when the fog thins out a bit. It would be safer to go with him to the 'supply exchange area' or the 'underground arms market'."