Great, we're doomed now!

"Look! We have gained another real voter!"

The elder held up the "baby" and showed it to everyone: "This is proof that God has not abandoned us! I will name it—"

【Zoga】!

"Woooo..."

"My lord!"

People knelt down devoutly, crossing their arms before the strange bird-headed, human-bodied creature, as if they regarded it as the incarnation of that "god".

No one felt fear, only anticipation and pride.

Ye Shou was still inside the house. He walked across the blood-soaked Qijiela flower field, pulled up the animal skin blanket, and covered the pale, mutilated female corpse.

Although she might have felt she deserved to die as a "voter" living here, Ye Shou did it anyway.

Perhaps he wasn't acting out of sympathy, but rather to obscure human dignity and decency.

"My lord!"

"My lord!"

...Ye Shou slowly turned his head and met the gaze of the bird head that was also looking back at him.

"Gah ga ga—!"

The mocking, shrill scream seemed to abruptly cease—

Ye Shou also smiled.

For some reason, this monster, which should have been born fearless, felt a sense of terror at this moment.

Chapter 234: Durham of Strength, Part 1

Ye Shou stood on the periphery of the crowd, coldly watching as the elder held up the demon as if displaying a sacred symbol. The people knelt in fervor, chanting incoherent prayers. Then, the crowd moved in an orderly fashion like ants, crowding around and welcoming the twisted creature into a temple not far away.

Inside the temple were stone pillars, each about two meters high and one meter in diameter, upon which were piles of scrap metal forming "cradles," inside which swayed many more similar strange bird figures. These creatures would shriek defiantly even when they were far apart, and the larger ones, as long as they could move freely, would peck at each other, determined to determine who was superior.

Therefore, the larvae and the growing stages are separated by a semi-transparent energy shield to prevent horrific massacres.

But this ferocious and cruel creature was regarded by the survivors as the larvae of "new humans" and was collectively raised there.

Ye Shou did not stop, but turned around and walked back along the way he came.

Many ideas flashed through his mind, including the option of "releasing Bayeri," but in the end he turned his gaze to the tower.

Passing through the kneeling crowds and past the hollowed-out, ziggurat-covered giant stone statues, Ye Shou no longer looked around; nothing could pique his interest.

Pale yellow flowers swayed silently in the gloom, and the whole town was filled with a twisted peace and tranquility, indifferent yet fanatical, like a grand, silent nightmare.

His goals were clear, and everything had a specific order; as for these people…

The further you go into the central area, the more orderly the surrounding buildings become, the fewer giant stone statues appear, and the more man-made buildings appear, but it also becomes more deserted. People deliberately flee this place, and all the "life" is concentrated in the deformed living areas and prayer squares on the outskirts.

Finally, he reached the edge of the tower area, where a wide and deep circular corridor blocked his way. The corridor was unlit, save for a few dim rays of light seeping in from the tower, outlining the pillars that resembled the ribs of a giant beast.

Ye Shou stepped into the darkness without hesitation.

The unhurried footsteps echoed clearly in the corridor, and the stench of blood in the air made people frown.

As they went deeper, the smell became even stronger, and Ye Shou couldn't help but become more vigilant, as ripple energy slowly flowed throughout his body.

He hadn't gone far when a loud shout and the clatter of wings flapping in mid-air came from the side, immediately attracting his attention.

Ye Shou's eyes narrowed. If he continued on his way forward, he should be able to avoid this unexpected factor. However, he heard human voices among them, and they were full of anger and energy, completely different from the residents here.

This naturally piqued his curiosity. After a moment of contemplation, he roused himself and quickly crept toward the source of the sound.

After turning a corner, the scene before me suddenly changed. Dark red blood light illuminated the entire corridor and the relatively spacious side hall that was connected to it.

A large number of bizarre figures gathered here, their hissing and wailing echoing incessantly, creating an extremely noisy atmosphere.

In the chaos, a man with an extremely strong physique and bare chest caught Ye Shou's attention.

This person was being attacked by a group of abnormally large bat-like monsters. These creatures had a wingspan of over four meters and a height of over two meters. Each one had exposed fangs, and when they moved their mouths and noses, they emitted a piercing shriek that even caused the pebbles on the ground to tremble slightly. They were already at the level of being usable as weapons.

But the man showed no fear; on the contrary, he seemed unusually excited!

Not only do they ignore sonic attacks, but their robust bodies also allow them to disregard the sharp teeth and claws of bats, making them almost entirely offensive and non-defensive.

His punches and kicks were heavy as mountains, without any fancy moves. His movements were wide and sweeping, with occasional takedowns and throws. He didn't engage in any fancy probing. Every swing was accompanied by a heavy whistling sound. If it hit, it would smash the swooping bats away!

The sound of bones breaking rang out one after another. With just his two bare hands, he defeated the ferocious monsters and routed them!

However, the bats were numerous and fearless. Even with a huge difference in strength, they continued to charge forward one after another until the swarm gradually thinned out. Some of them saw that their companions were becoming fewer and fewer, and they began to retreat. They suddenly turned around and tried to escape when the person was not paying attention.

Unfortunately, it flew right towards the entrance of the corridor where Ye Shou was!

Just as the dark shadow carrying a foul stench was about to sweep past him, Ye Shou's eyes turned cold. Without making any unnecessary movements, he drew the huge sword from his personal space.

Without even activating the high-frequency module, relying solely on brute force and the sharpness of the blade itself, it forcefully tore through the air, the sword light flashing in the dim light, carrying with it a sharp wind pressure—

puff!puff!

The two giant bats charging at the front were instantly cut in half, their blood and mangled remains falling onto the cold ground with a thud. Their screams were extremely piercing. They twitched and struggled for a moment, but then a foot stomped down and crushed their heads, finally stopping them from moving.

The remaining bats, startled, scattered and scurried away, disappearing into the pipes in the ceiling and the dark ditches in the roadside canals.

Several that couldn't escape were caught up and killed by Ye Shou, while about four or five managed to escape and quickly disappeared into the darkness deep within the corridor...

In the center of the hall, the strong man stopped what he was doing. He clenched his right hand tightly, literally crushing a magical beast to death, and then slowly turned around, looking at Ye Shou, who was standing with his sword in hand, with a strange expression.

"Humans?"

After saying that, he shook his head and asked again, "Compatriots?"

"I think it's probably not." Ye Shou looked him up and down.

The burly man did the same, glancing at it carefully before pursing his lips: "I don't understand, and it doesn't matter! Who are you, and what are you doing in a place like this?"

Instead of being annoyed by the disturbance, he revealed an excited smile, like someone who had discovered prey, grinning to show two rows of white teeth.

"I was just wondering who to chat with to kill time, come on! Play with me for a bit~"

He beckoned to Ye Shou, saying those words, but the surging fighting spirit that almost solidified into reality could not be faked.

This guy must be someone who prefers to communicate feelings through physical contact rather than words!

Ye Shou's eyes twitched:

I originally thought it would trigger some kind of plot event like in an RPG game, but since it's this person, I'll just let it go.

They seem to be purely militant, so it's unlikely they'll obtain valuable intelligence or assistance...

"I was just passing by. Although I was surprised to run into someone in a place like this, I'm sorry I really didn't have time."

Ye Shou shook his head and sheathed his greatsword: "Bye, I'm in a hurry to get to the tower."

"tower……"

The man was taken aback: "What are you going there for?"

"A female ghost asked me to take a look," Ye Shou said without hiding anything, "and I'm also quite interested myself."

"There's nothing left there, not even passion or hope; you won't find anything there."

The man stepped forward, his imposing body radiating a ferocity more intense than any fighter.

"This path is pointless!"

"Are you the gatekeeper? Do I have to challenge you if I want to get to the tower... or something like that?"

"Ha! Gatekeeper? Hehehe... That's not wrong, but I'm not just guarding a mere tower, but... never mind, that's all in the past."

The man crossed his arms, his tone becoming somber: "Unbeknownst to us, this temple has been out of service for a long time. Its original functions have all been abandoned, and I, the 'gatekeeper,' have naturally lost my job."

Ye Shou glanced at the monster corpses on the ground: "And what are these?"

"It's just a way to pass the time," the man snorted, a hint of resentment in his voice.

He couldn't stand being at home any longer and was seething with anger, so he came out to vent—it's just that these big bats were unlucky.

Ye Shou had already guessed the man's identity:

As an outpost against darkness, the Temple of R'lyeh differs from ordinary tribes. Several giants are stationed here to guard it, and these giants are also top-notch in strength to ensure sufficient combat power to deal with emergencies.

There were four of the most powerful, known as the Four Heroes!

One of them was particularly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and his arm strength was among the best of the Giants of Light.

"Then I won't bother you any longer." Ye Shou made a move to leave, but the man quickly reached out his hand.

"Hey, are you just leaving like that? It's rare to meet someone you can talk to, so spend some more time with me."

"...Don't you have any companions?" Ye Shou turned around and asked in surprise.

Upon hearing this, the man kept a straight face and remained silent.

Of his three companions, one was a taciturn man who had hardly spoken since they met.

(Even so, this companion was still very likable... He just couldn't understand why, even though he was quite profound and had a strong physique, it was always a group of men who came to see him.)

The other one is non-mainstream, constantly yelling and screaming. He had this tendency back when he was the Giant of Light, and now that he has dyed his hair weird, the condition has worsened. We really have nothing in common.

There used to be a big sister figure, someone I could talk to, but lately she's been spending all her time deep inside the temple, rambling on about "the Dark Ones," "the King of the World," and "power," acting like a madwoman, which is kind of scary...

He did try to go to human towns, but whether inside the pyramids or in the outside world, the more he came into contact with humans, the more he despised them from the bottom of his heart, and he had no desire to talk to them at all.

Ye Shou... is clearly a special case.

"Why the rush? This planet has no future. It has plenty of days left to sink into darkness. Since the outcome is the same no matter what we do, there's no need to think so much, is there?"

"That's true for you, but it's different for me."

Ye Shou smiled and declined, saying, "There are still many things waiting for me to do. How can I stand still here?"

"Even if it's all dark ahead?" the man's voice was deep.

"Can reality be changed by doing nothing?"

Ye Shouzheng said solemnly, "It is precisely because I did not want to see this kind of 'reality' that I came to this place."

"!"

The air suddenly became heavy, and the man said, word by word, "Are you saying that the world has become the way it is because we haven't done enough?"

"...It's a matter of choice."