Falling into the Abyss

Little Rafal has drilled countless deep passages underground. If he travels underground, he can avoid being burned by the scorching sun, and he can also pass directly under some large sand dunes, saving a lot of time.

At night, Ethan lay on little Rafal's body, looking up at the stars in the sky in the middle of the long yellow sand.He stretched out his fingers and traced the constellations in the sky, as he used to do when he was a child.His mother once taught him the names and legends of those constellations, and the romantic and ancient legends filled his little heart with magical imagination.He liked the heroes of ancient Greece, they weren't perfect, but when they succeeded in defeating those dragons, monsters, snakes, and cyclops, he couldn't sleep with joy for them.

It's just that he never thought that one day he would lose his homeland, parents, and love, and become a more terrifying and disgusting monster than any monster in mythology.

The isolated afterimage of the city in the distance was sleeping in the twilight, Ethan stood up slowly, raised his head and opened his hands.

Behind him, dozens of slender tentacles spread out, like black fireworks slowly blooming, with a terrifying and dark beauty.At the end of each tentacle, there are fleshy petals opening, like the mouth of an alien monster, infrasound waves that cannot be heard by human ears spread out in all directions.Little Rafal seemed to be able to hear that voice, raised his head curiously, and let out a series of excited grunts.

Ethan's consciousness has entered another frequency, a frequency that does not belong to the human world.He's only had this ability since he came out of adulthood.He can hear another unknown voice in this universe, ethereal and ancient, full of suppressed anger and danger.But as he became more and more familiar with the world formed by this frequency, he found that he did not resent the evil that was about to move, on the contrary, he felt that it was a very kind and comfortable feeling.

And sometimes, he will accidentally enter another frequency.That is an extremely dangerous frequency.

There are countless huge creatures who don't know whether they are gaseous or liquid. They regard Ethan as unclean and dangerous.On the Ophiuchus ship, Ethan was accidentally discovered by that world. He still remembers the pain and fear of being stared at by thousands of eyes, unable to move his body, and his skin and flesh burning.In front of that kind of power, he is no match at all.

He knows he is not complete.Only when he accepts his destiny, can he compete with the things in that world.

But hasn't he already accepted it?Why is Nyarlathotep no longer appearing?Why didn't those weird dreams call him anymore?Why not come and take his body?

He heard the response.

There were many responses, like countless intertwined undercurrents in the darkness, converging into a mighty river and sea toppled over him.That kind of mammoth elegy with confusion and loneliness that human beings will never be able to hear and understand, that kind of dirty and forgotten beautiful call, comes from the dark people who have been baptized by Ethan one by one.They are cheering, crying, and welcoming the arrival of their creator.

Ethan raised his hand in the darkness, as if he was the conductor of this lament.Black lines meandered on his side face and arms, and the black nails that looked more and more like claws shone with a cold light.

"Come, come to me." His consciousness sounded in the minds of all mutant creatures, with an irresistible force.

He has been calling like this for three consecutive days, and the responses are getting closer and closer. If there is no accident, he should be able to see the first batch of creations tonight.

Sure enough, a black line gradually appeared on the edge of the desert, like a surging tide at the end of the horizon.Those are thousands of humanoid insects, wriggling their bloated and wet black bodies, rolling across this abandoned land.The sound they made as they wriggled across the ground together was like the roar of a tsunami.

They surged from all directions, slowly crawling around Ethan in the center of the storm, like a huge black vortex, and Ethan was the center of the black hole.

He sat on little Rafal's huge body and moved forward slowly.The humanoids followed him, like loyal soldiers following their master.Their destination was the abandoned city in the distance, where non-people were waiting for him.

When Ethan's overwhelming "Hell Legion" surrounded the long-abandoned old city, many riots broke out among the non-humans.Panic caused many thugs to lose control. They accused Ethan and Chen Zeng of deceiving them, and for a while they were at odds with the remaining inhumans who still believed in Chen Zeng.When Ethan came back, the two sides had already fought in a square in the center of the town. Those with guns started shooting at their former companions indiscriminately, and those who didn't grab bricks picked up bricks and threw them at the "enemy" who was accidentally knocked down. ’ head, as if completely oblivious to the dirty jokes they’d been making with each other not so long ago.

Ethan just leaned against the headless statue next to the square where the accident happened and watched the farce, not intending to stop it.Until Chen Zeng appeared.

That seemingly ordinary man has a strange majestic power.As soon as he appeared and didn't even need to speak, the two parties who had been tangle together were first pressed the pause button, stopping each other's attack movements that would put the other party to death.

"That's enough, what are you guys doing!" Chen Zeng's face without a smile also showed anger.

One party immediately began to accuse the other party of losing faith and would be punished by God to go to hell.The other party roared that Ethan had no intention of letting them go.The hostile eyes focused on Ethan, but the latter didn't seem to feel it, but turned his eyes to a few half-collapsed buildings that looked like hospitals on the other side.

He tilted his head slightly and took a few steps in that direction.

"Is this the sincerity you keep saying? It's just that when something unexpected happens, you rush to blame others for cheating yourself, and start killing your brother?!"

Chen Zeng's voice became the background in Ethan's ears.He came to the two dark hospital buildings, took a deep breath, and then suddenly said loudly, "Come out, I smell you."

His movements were all closely watched by non-people. After all, the monsters surrounding the city seemed to be summoned by this man.Although his words were not loud, they were heard by everyone present.Chen Zeng also stopped reprimanding, and everyone stared nervously at the two abandoned hospitals.

After a long time, there was still no movement.Ethan sighed and said, "If you don't come out, do you want me to invite you out?"

About 10 minutes later, several figures finally came out of a dark wall hole next to the locked gate of the hospital building.

Some of these people actually knew Ethan. For example, the one who walked in the front was Samuel's former rival Jiawen in the Forbidden City. Dear friends, they are all ragged, disheveled, sallow and emaciated, and they seem to have lived and slept for a long time.But Ethan didn't expect Samuel to appear at the end.

When he smelled Samuel just now, he thought he must have smelled wrong.After all, Samuel and his father had already escaped from the seventh space station, didn't they?

He watched the group of people walk in in a daze. Samuel was at the end of the queue, and when he faced him, his eyes were indifferent.

With the gun in his hand, Jiawen kept pointing at Ethan, carefully staying a dozen steps away from him.The tall Alpha said in a threatening voice, "What do you want!"

Ethan blinked slowly.Many non-humans with weapons in their hands had already raised their weapons and aimed at Jia Wen and the others, but Ethan raised his hand to signal them to put down their weapons.

"Why are you here?" Ethan asked.

"Of course they were forced in by the infected!" Jiawen said in a sarcastic tone of "you know what to ask".

Ethan understood.Jiawen and his party were probably nearby when he summoned his kind, so they were also surrounded by infected people.Since there were infected people in all directions, only this city was safe, so it became their refuge as a matter of course.

Just why would they happen to be near the Forbidden City?Is this a coincidence?

"What do you want!" Jiawen shouted loudly, but there was a trace of fear in the depth of that fierce voice.

They probably saw how they summoned and drove the infected who had completely turned into bugs, right?Ethan thought sadly.

At this time, Chen Zeng walked up to Ethan and saw Jiawen and the others, "Ah! So we are old friends!"

"Who the hell is your friend!" Jia Wen suddenly turned his gun on Chen Zeng, "You despicable and shameless leader of the cult, you actually joined forces with this monster, do you want to destroy the entire Earth Alliance?"

Before Chen Zeng opened his mouth to speak about the doomsday judgment, Ethan interrupted him by raising his hand, looking at Samuel, "Samuel, where is your father?"

Samuel glanced at him, but said nothing.

"Don't be hypocritical!" Jiawen stood in front of Samuel and looked at everyone in front of him warily.

"Don't be so nervous, we are all brothers, why are you so tense when we meet?" Chen Zeng persuaded in a gentle voice, "You are all very tired, why don't you take a break first and have a full meal?"

Seeing that Jiawen and the others did not move, Chen Zeng turned his head and ordered his believers, "You all go away too. If anyone makes trouble again, I will definitely not spare him!"

The believers hesitated, as if they were not sure whether they should really just leave like this.They looked at Jiawen, then at Chen Zeng's determined and majestic eyes, and finally decided to obey orders.

Seeing that the people really dispersed gradually, Jiawen seemed to relax for a moment.But his eyes were still fixed on Ethan, as if he was afraid that he would do something terrible suddenly.

Ethan took a step back, and finally turned and walked away.

He was still a little sad.

Forget about Jiawen, why would Samuel look at him like that?

When did Jarvan and Samuel become companions, but he ceased to be?

**********

They can't stay in the same city for too long, as they can easily be locked by the Earth Army and carry out targeted cleaning.

The non-people were still advancing through the cave drilled by Rafal Jr., while Ethan was moving on the ground with the infected.He saw that the cities and villages that were still inhabited were deserted. The walls of those empty buildings were spray-painted with words full of despair such as "Doomsday", "We will all die", and "Help", and the streets were in a mess. , Everywhere is the wreckage of the aircraft crash.

Walking on the deserted street where pieces of paper were flying around, he felt a sense of sadness in his heart.This world, even this universe, is dying, and the breath of death has permeated the air.

He no longer sleeps with non-humans, but he knows that there are more and more sick people among non-humans.Panic was spreading. Yesterday, a non-human who was obviously having a fever was reported. Chen Zeng ordered that person to be left outside in the middle of the wilderness, and left to fend for himself.

He couldn't imagine how frightened and helpless that person would be, but it wouldn't take long for him to become his own kind, and he wouldn't be afraid or alone anymore.

These monsters have a far closer spiritual connection than those so-called human beings. It is almost as if the brains of countless individuals are fused together. Everyone shares perceptions and emotions with each other, and each individual seems to be an extension of himself.

It was a feeling that was both fulfilling and lonely.

He leaned against Rafal Jr., sleeping on a former Central Park "meadow."It's just that the grass is almost gone now, and there is some kind of black ointment-like substance everywhere.Even the grass that survived by luck seemed to be sucked dry of life and quickly withered and decayed when Ethan approached, as if he himself was a black hole, a black hole that would suck up life and bring death.

"Why did you help Chen Zeng?"

Ethan opened his eyes suddenly and sat up straight.

Samuel was standing a few steps in front of him.

"Are you finally willing to talk to me?" Ethan said half-jokingly.

Samuel was silent, holding something in his hand.He took a few steps forward, and looked at the huge worm behind Ethan with some fear.

For some reason, this worm didn't give him the chills like those on the Faun planet.On the contrary, this worm made him feel a little... strangely kind?

Just a hair-raising thought...

He shook his head, as if trying to get rid of the mess of thoughts.He said, "I've sworn it since Schneider died. I'm going to destroy the Benefactors."

Ethan sighed and stood up, "I didn't help him. I just need him to help me find someone."

"Those people should be damned." Samuel said in a tone without emotion to state the facts, his eyes were empty, which made Ethan a little startled.

"Samuel, what happened? Where's your father?" Ethan took a step forward.

Samuel suddenly showed a very strange expression, he couldn't tell whether it was crying or laughing.He said, "Dead."

"..."

"We escaped to the third space station, but it was full of Benefactors. Among them were the guards of the Forbidden City. They believed that the plague broke out because of me and Schneider, so they wanted to execute us. My father failed Get out."

Ethan's throat was dry, and he knew it was useless to say anything at this time.Chen Zeng had clearly promised that he didn't think that man would be so stupid as to dare to deceive him.

However, what he didn't know was that Chen Zeng's order was indeed not to harm Samuel and his father.But he overestimated his ability to control the religion he created.

Just as he failed to prevent the radicals in the Forbidden City from wanting to execute Samuel and Schneider, when those believers thought that this was just a test for them by Chen Zeng to see if they could follow his teachings, they made their own decisions up.

Sometimes believers can be more extreme and fearful than their leaders.

Ethan stepped forward, wanting to reach out and hold Samuel's shoulder, wanting to tell him that he would avenge him.After all, he is not incapable of understanding the pain of losing his father.

But the moment he stretched out his hand, his wrist was grabbed by Samuel.

"This thing was torn from a book in the priest's basement when Eve star rescued you." Samuel raised his other hand, and there were several books that looked extremely fragile inside. An ancient page, "In my dream, the black man once told me that these things will make you finally accept your destiny. As long as you accept it, maybe I can have a chance to see Schneider again. I've been hesitating, wondering if I should give it to you. But now, I don't care about it anymore." After he finished speaking, he stuffed the papers into Ethan's hand, let him go, turned and left.

"Samuel!" Ethan shouted behind him, "Where are you going!"

Samuel paused and looked back at him, "If you still treat me as a friend, don't go back to those inhumans."

Ethan frowned, lowered his head, and slowly unfolded the crumpled papers.

There were many twisted characters written on it, and some intricate patterns full of sharp angles and uncomfortable arcs.Those characters looked very familiar, some of them... the characters seen on the pillars of the temple underground on the planet Faun.

The characters have a strange attraction, as if after a long time, they will slowly deform by themselves.

Then, suddenly, he heard a light and gentle call.

"Ethan."

He looked up, then froze.

Tanisel was standing in front of him, with gray eyes slightly bent, beautiful rosy lips drawn out in a gentle arc, wearing the white priest's uniform painted with gold when he first saw him, his body seemed to be shrouded in a faint stream of light .

Almost at the same time, the string of soul fetters that had been silent in his body for a long time trembled violently.