The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing.

Chapter 585 The Bedbug's Ambition

This is a secret base that can accommodate nearly 2000 people.

They secured their drinking water by relying on springs that gushed from deep within the caves, and also raised livestock in areas where they could see the sky.

Of the two entrances, the other leads to a bay on the coast where salt and fish can be obtained.

For humans, who would die if they encountered an enemy outside, this place is a relatively safe place to live. The thick rock wall can at least withstand stray bullets from other races fighting.

Although it is just wishful thinking on human part, it is their only place of rest, a haven for their souls, and the motivation for them to live.

And now-

In this only home and haven, an unpredictable variable has emerged.

In the huge central square, where almost everyone was gathered to work and where there was no obstruction to their view, Zun Zun sat there, with Nina—Ivan's daughter—in his arms.

"Zun Zun, you said the sky is blue, the grass is green, and the sun is golden. Is that true?"

"really."

"You're lying, as if you saw it with your own eyes. You know, even Dad didn't see it, and Zun Zun isn't that much older than me."

"...Haha, yes."

The racial war has been going on for five years, but that doesn't mean it's only been five years.

Long ago… no, for a short-lived species like humans, perhaps even more distantly, a great war between different races had already begun.

The sky is polluted, the land is destroyed, food is scarce, and even breathing fresh air is a luxury.

Being born in this era is the saddest thing.

At least, that's what Ivan thought before he married his wife and his daughter was born.

"But Zun Zun's stories are really interesting. Like Pangu creating the world, Nuwa creating humans... But are we really created by Nuwa? Then why can't we use magic? Also, are the gods really as friendly and approachable to humans as they are in the stories?"

"Well..."

Zun Zun looked at the little girl in his arms, her big eyes shining with a look that seemed to say, "Even if it's a lie, please let me hear those words." For a moment, he was speechless.

The gods are not so kind to people.

At least most of the gods he encountered, whether they were disobedient gods or any other kind of gods, were like that.

"Gods are not so merciful. If they had even a little compassion, they wouldn't have launched wars without any scruples."

A cold voice came from behind me.

Turning my head, I could see a man wearing large glasses and animal skin. I couldn't see his face clearly, but I knew he was a young boy.

Rick—the man in charge of this community, or rather, the man who holds the fate of all humanity in his hands.

He was expressionless... no, you couldn't even see his face, and he spoke in a voice devoid of any emotion.

"follow me."

Then he simply turned around.

“…Wait for me a moment, Nina.”

"Come back soon!"

Zun Zun gently pinched the little girl's cheek, then got up and followed Rick to a room.

There are already a few people here.

Evan, Aray, and Chloe—she's Rick's sister.

Ivan's expression was slightly awkward; perhaps from his perspective, he was the most conflicted, the type who felt it was better to be dead than alive. Meanwhile, Alec and Chlorine looked at Zun Zun with curiosity.

In fact, Zun Zun's joining did not cause much of a commotion; rather, it was quite ordinary.

When Rick and his group went out to explore, they would occasionally find stray humans and bring them back to the settlement. Although their striking appearance drew admiration from everyone, they still managed to integrate smoothly into the community.

However, there are still a few people who know the truth.

For example, there was Ivan, who should have died; Rick, who gave the orders; and Aray, who followed him. Kloni knew that she probably got the information from Ivan or Aray, since Rick wouldn't reveal it voluntarily.

"Let's talk about your problem."

Rick sat at the only table in the room, with three people standing behind him... It felt a bit like an interrogation.

"Who are you? What race are you? What is your purpose?"

A straightforward three-question sequence.

Zun Zun immediately realized that Rick had no social skills whatsoever, and if Erica were there, she would definitely be angry or dismissive.

However, Rick was now out of options and had no patience left.

"My name is Zun Zun. I am a human from another world and I want to return to my own world."

He did not reveal that he was a member of the Crimson Demon Clan.

Some people might think that he is clearly a Crimson Demon but claims to be human, which is no different from Cerestina being a bat.
Of course there is a difference.

Unlike the bats who try to please both sides and won't suffer losses no matter which side they choose, Zun Zun has stood firmly on the side of humanity from the very beginning, sharing life and death... even though it seems like he's being interrogated now.

"Fine, I'll show you my memories... I'll ask you, why did you hold a dagger to your own neck?"

When the light screen appeared, all four of them, including Chloe and Rick, simultaneously pulled out daggers, intending to commit suicide.

Normally, you should point the blade at the enemy, right?

Is there some mistake here?
But Zun Zun quickly realized that the incredibly fragile humans were utterly powerless against the abilities of any other race, and therefore, when faced with such an encounter, suicide was the only option. —If it would endanger others, one must sacrifice one's own life before that happens.

But have they forgotten?

We're at a gathering place now.

If Zun Zun had that thought, even if they died, wouldn't the others also be doomed? ...It can only be said that this was their subconscious reaction.

Zun Zun raised his hand to indicate that he meant no harm, while his memories were continuously playing on the light screen.

There were humans (Dust) and orcs (Lynn) joking around, and others getting along well with various races, especially the goblins and elves who were usually at odds, chatting and laughing together, which gradually made them believe Zun Zun's words.

Thank you, Alcanredia's bald, beardless goblin and the hybrid elf who doesn't have long ears.

There are also images from other worlds.

In short, Zun Zun did not lie to them at all.

"how come……"

Yare muttered to himself, unsure whether he found it hard to believe that Zun Zun was from another world, or whether he envied the fact that life wasn't so difficult for humans in other worlds.

Klonie and Ewan are similar.

Only Rick remained, his eyes still dark and confused as he stared at the light screen—they, in their current state, didn't even have the right to envy people from other worlds.

"You say you want to go back to your own world, but how exactly do you do that?"

"...Who knows? The methods to get back are all different, but they all basically involve breaking through the space of this world. To be honest, with my strength, I should be able to break through space, but the barrier of this world is unexpectedly strong, and it seems that something is blocking me."

Zun Zun was also quite troubled.

"The Elf Corridor... Perhaps it's because of the Elf Corridor. I heard that at the start of the great war, the gods deliberately altered the Elf Corridor to prevent the world from collapsing. Although some say that this is why humans cannot use elves, in reality... even before the great war, humans couldn't use them."

Arre said this with self-deprecation.

However, he did reveal a rather important piece of information: the barriers of this world had been specially reinforced by the gods.

Thinking about it carefully, it seems to make a lot of sense.

Why has a certain major power been unable to conquer a certain small country for so long? Is it because it lacks sufficient firepower? No, absolutely not. Rather, the major power hopes that when it conquers the small country, it will gain a small country that can be quickly put into operation, rather than a scorched wasteland that needs to be rebuilt.

Those divine beings must be too.

What they wanted was a complete land, not a fragmented planet, so they specifically reinforced the barrier.

“As you can see, we are just humans who cannot use the Elven Corridor, so we are of no help to you,” Rick said in an extremely indifferent tone. “Please leave here tomorrow.”

"Rick!?"

"Klonie, tell everyone at the settlement to pack their bags. We'll be moving to the backup settlement tomorrow."

With Chlorine stunned, Rick decisively abandoned the secret base.

He probably felt unsafe here.

After all, if Zun Zun can't get help from them, he might go to another race. As for whether he'll be looked down upon, there's no need to worry. It's a simple principle: humans can't use magic, so they can just make up a race or a reason.

Their situation would then be dangerous, for example, if they were to use human settlements as bargaining chips to obtain intelligence.

"I won't do it."

"!?"

Rick showed a slightly flustered expression.

"Ah, your expression didn't give it away; I guessed it." Zun Zun smiled at him. "You don't actually think this gathering place is some kind of important place, do you?"

Indeed, to those who are strong, they are nothing more than a bunch of bugs living underground.

But what if some guy got bored and wanted to kill a few people for fun—that's not impossible—so Rick didn't dare gamble.

They were now standing on a tightrope, with sheer drop-offs on either side; a moment's inattention would send them plummeting. Therefore, they had to be extremely careful, clinging tightly to the wire as they crawled forward.

Even Rick didn't know where the finish line was.

"Don't be nervous. If I wanted to do something, wouldn't I have done it already?"

Zun Zun showed his greatest goodwill.

"Besides, relocating the settlement requires a lot of preparation, right? Humans are already in danger just by being out in the open, and such a large group would definitely be very conspicuous. How many people will die during this relocation?"

"..."

Rick remained silent.

Reason told him that he had to make a decisive move to save the day, even if only a small number of people remained; but emotion told him that sacrificing one person to save two was wrong, not to mention that this time he had to sacrifice most of the people.

His expression contorted as he pressed his hand tightly against his chest.

“Rick… that’s enough, Rick.”

Standing behind, Klonie embraced her younger brother, offering him a soft, comforting sound that conveyed both heartache and helplessness.

“You’ve done enough, Rick, that’s enough…”

Ivan and Aray also looked sad.

……what?

How did I suddenly become the bad guy?
Zun Zun was completely baffled.

(End of this chapter)