The system is four years ahead of schedule, but Weird is still a cub.

Those most primal human emotions—sadness, fear, anger, despair—that had been suppressed, deprived, and forgotten for countless years, were growing wildly deep within his heart.

"what--"

"what!!!"

He remembered that rainy night when, in order to survive, he had personally sent his sick wife into the depths of the jungle. He remembered the excruciating pain he felt when his child was calmly "reclaimed" by the "Mother of the Island" for crying at the "festival."

He remembered all the forgotten, bloody "reality"!
A bloodcurdling scream, so shrill it was inhuman, burst forth from the village chief's mouth!

He knelt on the ground, clutching his head tightly with both hands, bright red blood flowing from his eyes, ears, nose and mouth.

His once healthy body began to rapidly... collapse under the impact of these violent "negative emotions"!
His collapse was like the first domino to fall.

One by one, all the islanders who came into contact with Shen Ge's "plague" began to recall the "pain" they had forgotten.

Cries, screams, roars, wails... In an instant, this false "paradise" completely transformed into the most real "hell on earth".

In the instant some residents regained their painful memories, their bodies could not withstand the terrifying memories, and the evil energy went berserk directly in their bodies, detonating those parasitic monsters, and their bodies instantly exploded into a cloud of blood mist.

Some, unable to face the harsh reality, went completely insane and began to frantically attack everything around them, whether it was their companions, trees, or rocks.

A small number of people with strong willpower, after experiencing the initial pain, found that a glimmer of "humanity" rekindled in their eyes.

They remembered their identities, remembered their hatred. They raised their heads and looked into the depths of the jungle with eyes filled with hatred, blood and tears, at the "monster" that had given them "happiness" and taken everything away from them!
The entire island, overwhelmed by the "tidal wave" of negative emotions from its "residents," let out a painful lament.

The earth trembled, the mountains cracked, and the once beautiful plants began to wither and die rapidly. The island's life energy was draining away at an alarming rate.

This bizarre entity, which lives on "happiness," is being utterly destroyed from within by a "virus" of "pain."

Ellie, who was next to Shen Ge, finally couldn't take it anymore and knelt on the ground, retching.

Shen Ge's eerie eyes remained locked on the depths of the jungle, attempting to locate the island's "eerie tumor heart" amidst the immense eerie energy fluctuations.

"Boom--!"

With a sudden tremor, countless enormous tendrils, made of a mixture of plant roots and flesh, shot into the sky from the deepest part of the jungle!

At the center of those tentacles, an enormous flower, with layers upon layers of petals, so beautiful it was almost eerie, slowly rose from the ground and bloomed.

At the very center of the flower's stamen, a gigantic "face" composed of countless pained human faces stared directly at Shen Ge, unleashing a silent roar filled with anger and bewilderment.

“They’re here!” Shen Ge’s gaze darkened as countless tentacles rushed toward him and Ellie beside him. Sure enough, the allure of “ordinary people” here far exceeded his imagination.

Ellie was the only one present who was completely "normal" and not affected by negative emotions, and the island of paradise clearly wanted to use her as a breakthrough point.

This was precisely why Shen Ge brought her here—using innocent emotions as bait.

The next second, Shen Ge's unseen domain unfolded, and an invisible barrier completely blocked Ellie.

Why... must we bring 'pain'...?

【Isn't eternal 'happiness' better...?】

“Not good.” Shen Ge looked at the face made up of countless tormented souls and calmly answered its question. He had seen this kind of soul face countless times, from the earliest ghost car to the later fusion-type monster.

Therefore, upon seeing this, Shen Ge could roughly guess the origin of this "island." Clearly, it was another "masterpiece" of the strange organization.

Unlike the deliberately introduced fusion-type monsters in "reality," this island is likely a "relic of history."

However, now that Ellie has lured out the island's monstrous heart, there's no need to waste any more time.

Shen Ge's figure vanished from the beach in an instant.

Under the influence of the "invisible" property, he appeared like a ghost, stepping on an invisible barrier, above the giant "flower of flesh and blood" in the next second.

The invisible, eerie realm has collapsed!
Faced with Shen Ge's eerie domain and eerie energy erosion, the moment that invisible hand pressed down on the "Flower of Flesh and Blood," the entire "Paradise Island" let out an extremely mournful cry.

Collapse, crush, peel away, and finally devour—this eerie entity, hidden in the center of the "island" and still unable to break through to the sixth rank, was mercilessly crushed and eroded by Shen Ge's seventh-rank eerie energy.

Its stamen, composed of countless tormented human faces, was instantly shattered and decomposed by an invisible force, reverting to an immense and bizarre energy. Immediately afterwards, the petals, as enormous as mountains of flesh and blood, began to wither and dissolve rapidly.

From the heart of that collapsing "flower of flesh" monstrous tumor, a vibration filled with resentment and despair emanated.

But all it received in response was the system's relentless devouring.

As Shen Ge devoured the island's energy source, "mysterious energy," the island's collapse began after the energy sustaining it was absorbed.

Originating from the giant crater in the heart of the jungle, the earth, like shattered glass, cracked open into deep, bottomless canyons.

The mountain collapsed, the waterfall stopped flowing, and the white sand beach was swallowed by the dark sea.

This false "paradise" ecosystem met its utter demise after losing its "god".

Meanwhile, the survivors on the beach, who had just awoke from their "happy" illusion, faced their fate in three completely different states.

Most of the weak-willed people suffered a complete mental breakdown after witnessing the death of the "god" and the destruction of their homes. Some stood frozen in place, swallowed by the collapsing rocks and the cracked earth; others screamed and jumped into the icy sea.

Some survivors, who regained their humanity and were filled with hatred, fell into deeper confusion and despair after a brief period of vengeful pleasure.

Looking at the apocalyptic scene before them, they didn't know what to do.

Hatred sustained them through the reign of "God," but when the target of their hatred disappeared, their lives seemed to lose their meaning.

Only a very small number, perhaps only a few dozen people.

After regaining their memories and witnessing the death of God, they neither collapsed nor became bewildered. They simply gathered together in silence. Supporting their wounded companions and protecting the children in the center, they gazed at the turbulent sea with eyes filled with a tenacious and struggling "will to survive" unique to "humanity," as if searching for a glimmer of hope.

At this moment, Shen Ge appeared in front of them. The dozens of survivors' eyes simultaneously revealed extreme vigilance and fear when they saw Shen Ge.

They didn't know who the man was, but they witnessed him destroy the "flower of flesh and blood" in a way that was more terrifying and domineering than their "god."

In a country where a tyrant has just been overthrown, the people naturally harbor fear of a new, more powerful, and unfathomable "king."

"What...what do you want to do to us?" The leader was a man with a missing arm and a hideous scar on his face. He was shielding a little girl of about seven or eight years old behind him.

Shen Ge's eerie eyes calmly swept over the dozens of people. In his vision, these people were burning with a faint but exceptionally tenacious "flame of life".

It is a kind of willpower that does not give up on "living" even after experiencing extreme pain and despair.

This is what "human beings" should be like.

"I never harm... my own kind." Shen Ge spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears.

As he spoke, he pointed to the "Heart of Iron" on the distant sea, which had turned around and was slowly approaching like a moving steel fortress.

“There is food, water, and shelter for you from the wind and rain.”

He looked at the man with the missing arm and the little girl behind him whose eyes were filled with fear and curiosity, and calmly gave his terms.

“I can give you a… ‘ship ticket’.”

"Once you board the ship, you must abide by my 'rules.' You will need to earn your living through your own labor. Those of you who are capable will be given appropriate positions. Your children will also receive a basic education."

"You will begin anew as the first batch of 'human residents' of 'Iron Heart'." Shen Ge's voice was devoid of any emotion, as if he were reciting an ordinary contract.

He was neither a savior nor a philanthropist.

He just... needed some real "popularity" in his ever-growing mobile kingdom.

It's still unknown when we can return to "reality," and we don't know if the salvage of Ark Zero will go smoothly. The newly established maritime kingdom "Iron Heart" needs the purest humans. This is perhaps the "sustainable development" that Shen Ge has been ingrained in his heart after being a pure human for thirty years.

The dozens of survivors were stunned after hearing Shen Ge's words. They had imagined countless possible endings: being killed, enslaved, or used as new "sacrifices".

The only thing they hadn't expected was that what awaited them would be such a choice... full of order, rationality, and even a hint of... "civilization".

The man with the missing arm stared blankly at the magnificent steel city in the distance, a city that exuded a reassuring sense of power, and then looked at his companions and children behind him.

He remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he laid down his weapon and bowed his proud head deeply to Shen Ge with a mixture of awe, gratitude, and submission. He had never yielded to a "false god."

"us……"

"...I'm willing, board the ship."

An hour later, the last corner of "Paradise Island" sank completely into the sea and was completely erased from the nautical chart.

Instead, a group of somewhat bewildered new residents have appeared on the "Iron Heart".

Shen Ge didn't interfere too much with their arrangements. He left these trivial matters to Alai, believing that this resilient and kind woman would handle them better than he could.

Under her organization, these former "sacrifices" quickly adapted to the new environment and were assigned to different positions according to their abilities.

The once numb workers in the city's lower classes began to show subtle changes in their eyes after seeing these real "fellow citizens."

After devouring the heart of the sixth-tier "Flower of Flesh and Blood," Shen Ge returned to the top floor of the Furnace Temple for a brief period of rest and contemplation.

The birth of that "island" is indeed related to the freak organization, but its origin is not from this era, but from an even older period... the "Precursor" era.

It is more like the "seed" of a failed ecological transformation experiment, which, over the long years, has evolved into a bizarre ecosystem that feeds on emotions.

This made Shen Ge even more certain that the ocean beneath his feet held far more secrets about the old era than he had imagined.

He re-unfolded the upgraded "Eye of the Prophet" sea chart within his consciousness.

The coordinates for "The Tomb of Hypnos" remain blank. The area where "Paradise Island" was originally located has also become a desolate mass of data.

His nautical chart, which had originally been quite informative, was now completely empty, with only the coordinates of the "lighthouse" he had marked as "absolutely dangerous" for the "New God Cult" still flashing in the distance.

This sea area seems to be undergoing some kind of strange "change," and we must return to the sinking site of "Ark Zero" as soon as possible.

Otherwise, Shen Ge might completely lose Ark Zero.

In any case, salvaging and repairing the giant ship that might bring him back to "reality" is his top priority right now.

After a brief rest and resupply, the "Iron Heart," a steel behemoth that blends technology and the bizarre, changed direction again and sped forward at full speed.

Just as they had been sailing at full speed for more than half a month, and according to the calculations of the nautical chart and the "Abyss Compass", they were about to reach the initial sea area where the "Zero Ark" sank.

"grown ups!!"

Hephaestus's voice, filled with shock and disbelief, came from the main control console of the command center: "The nautical chart...we on the nautical chart...have disappeared!!"

Shen Ge's consciousness instantly connected with the "Eye of the Prophet," and he "saw" that on that huge three-dimensional sea chart, the bright spot representing the location of the "Iron Heart" was flickering in an extremely strange way.

It was sometimes clear, sometimes blurry, and finally, like a faulty light bulb, it flickered a few times before disappearing completely from the nautical chart.

At the same time, beneath the ship, the "Abyss Compass," capable of sensing an area of ​​thousands of miles across the ocean, began to spin wildly, its internal three-dimensional distribution map of strange energy turning into a chaotic jumble of snowflakes. (End of Chapter)