Falling into the Abyss

Little Rafael has drilled countless deep passages underground. If you go down the ground, you can avoid being burned by the scorching sun, and you can pass directly under some large sand dunes, saving a lot of time.

At night, Ethan lay on little Rafael, looking up at the stars in the sky among the yellow sand. He stretched out his finger 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. The romantic and ancient legends once filled his little heart with magical imagination. He likes the heroes in ancient Greece, they are not perfect, but when they successfully defeated the dragons, monsters and cyclops, he was so happy for them that he couldn't sleep.

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

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

Behind him, dozens of slender tentacles stretched out, like slowly blooming black fireworks, with a terrifying and dark beauty. Fleshy petals open at the end of each tentacle, like the mouth of an alien monster, infrasound waves that cannot be heard by human ears spread out in all directions. Little Rafael seemed to hear that sound, raised his head curiously, and let out a string of excited grunts.

Ethan's consciousness has entered another frequency, a frequency that does not belong to the human world. He has had this ability since he came out of adulthood. He could 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 constituted by this frequency, he found that he didn't dislike the evil that was about to move around. On the contrary, he felt that it was a very kind and comfortable feeling.

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

There are countless huge creatures that don't know whether it is gas or liquid, and they regard Ethan as an unclean and dangerous thing. On the Ophiuchus ship, Ethan was accidentally discovered by the world. He still remembers the pain and fear of being stared at by thousands of eyes, his body could not move, and his flesh was burning. In front of that kind of power, he was no opponent at all.

He knew he was not complete enough. Only when he accepts his fate can he compete with the things in that world.

But hasn't he already accepted it? Why does Nyarlatotepu no longer appear? Why do those weird dreams no longer call him? Why not come to take his body?

He heard the response.

It was a lot of responses, as if countless intertwined undercurrents in the darkness, converging into a mighty sea and overturning at him. That kind of bewildered and lonely lament that human beings can never hear and understand, that kind of dirty and forgotten beauty call comes from the dark people who have been baptized by Ethan. They are cheering, crying, and welcoming the arrival of their creator.

Ethan raised his hand in the darkness, seeming to be the conductor of this lament. Black lines meander on his side face and arms, and the black nails that are more and more like claws are shining with cold light.

"Come on, come to me." His consciousness resounded in the minds of all the mutant creatures, with irresistible power.

He has been calling for three days in a row, and those responses have gotten closer and closer. If nothing happens, you should be able to see the first creations tonight.

Sure enough, a black line gradually appeared on the edge of the desert, like a wave surging from the end of the sea horizon. It was thousands of humanoid insects, wriggling their swollen and moist black bodies, tumbling across this deserted land. The sound they made as they squirmed across the ground was like the roar of a tsunami.

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

He sat on little Rafael's huge body and moved forward slowly. Those humanoid insects followed him, like loyal soldiers following their master. Their destination is the abandoned city in the distance, where non-people are waiting for him.

When the overwhelming "Hell Legion" of Ethan was far away from the long-abandoned old-time city, there was a lot of riots among the inhumans. Panic and many other mobs got out of control. They accused Ethan and Chen Zeng of deceiving them, and for a while, they were at war with the rest of the inhumane who still believed in Chen Zeng. When Ethan came back, the two sides had already fought in a square in the middle of the town. The people with guns began to shoot randomly at their former companions. Those who didn’t grab them picked up bricks and smashed them at the "enemy who was accidentally knocked down." "The heads seem to have completely forgotten that they were still making dirty jokes with each other not long ago.

Ethan just leaned against the headless statue next to the square where the accident occurred, watching the farce, and did not intend to stop it. Until Chen Zeng appeared.

The seemingly ordinary man has a strange majestic power. As soon as he appeared, he didn't even need to speak. The two men and horses who had twisted into a ball were first pressed the pause button, stopping the attack that put each other to death.

"Enough, what are you doing!" Chen Zeng also showed an angry expression on his face without a smile.

One party immediately began to accuse the other party for losing his faith and would be punished by God and fall into hell. The other party roared that Ethan had no intention of letting them go. Hostile eyes gathered on Ethan, but the latter seemed to be unable to feel it, but cast his gaze to the other half-collapsed buildings that looked like a hospital.

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

"This is the sincerity you keep saying? It's just a little unexpected situation and eager to blame others for deceiving yourself, and then start to kill 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 suddenly said, "Come out, I can smell you."

His actions were closely watched by non-people. After all, the monsters surrounding the city seemed to be summoned by this man. Although what he said was not loud, it was heard by everyone present. Chen Zeng's reprimand also stopped, and everyone watched 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?"

After another ten minutes, a few figures finally emerged from a dark hole in the wall next to the locked door of the hospital building.

Among these people, there are several Ethans who know each other. For example, the one who walks in the front is surprisingly Samuel’s former rival in the Forbidden City, Jiawen, and the next few people are those familiar with Jiawen. Faithful, they are all in ragged clothes, gray-headed faces and thin faces. They seem to have been sleeping and sleeping for quite some time. But Ethan didn't expect Samuel to appear at the end.

When he smelled Samuel's smell just now, he thought he must have smelled it wrong. After all, Samuel and his father fled the seventh space station long ago, didn't they?

He watched the group of people walk in a little dazedly. Samuel was at the end of the line, but when facing him, his eyes were indifferent.

With the gun in his hand, Jarvan kept facing 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 have raised their weapons and aimed at Jarvan and others behind him, but Ethan raised his hands to signal them to put down their weapons.

"Why are you here?" Ethan asked.

"Of course it was forced in by the infected!" Jarvan said in an ironic tone of "you knowingly ask".

Ethan understood. When he summoned his own kind, Jarvan and his party were probably nearby, so they were also surrounded by the infected. Since there are infected people in all directions, only this city is still safe, so it has naturally become their refuge.

Why are they just near the forbidden city? Is this a coincidence?

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

They probably saw how they summoned and urged those infected who had become worms? Ethan thought sadly.

At this time, Chen Zeng walked to Ethan and saw Jiawen and others, "Ah! It turned out to be an old friend!"

"Who the **** is a friend with you!" Jarvan suddenly turned his gun to Chen Zeng, "You despicable cult leader, you are united with this monster. Do you want to ruin the entire Earth Alliance?"

Before Chen Zeng opened his mouth to say those remarks about the Doomsday Judgment, Ethan first raised his hand to interrupt him, and looked at Samuel, "Samuel, where is your father?"

Samuel glanced at him, but didn't speak.

"Don't be pretentious!" Jarvin stood in front of Samuel, watching everyone in front of him vigilantly.

"Don't be so nervous, everyone is brothers, why do you go to war when you meet?" Chen Zeng persuaded in a gentle voice, "Seeing that you are also very tired. Why don't you take a break and eat a full meal?"

Seeing that Jiawen and the others did not move, Chen Zeng turned his head and ordered his followers, "You are all gone, too, whoever makes trouble again, I will definitely not be able to spare him!"

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

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

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

He was still a little sad.

Just forget Jarvan, why would Samus look at him like that?

When did Jarvan and Samus become companions, but he is no longer?

**********

They can't stay in the same city for too long, so they can easily be locked by the Earth Army and clean up at designated locations.

Non-people are still advancing through the caves drilled by Little Rafael underground, but Ethan moved on the ground with the infected. He saw that the cities and villages that were still inhabited were also deserted. The empty building walls were painted with desperate words such as "doom", "we will all die", and "help", and the streets were in a mess. , Everywhere is the wreckage of aircraft crashes.

Walking on the streets where there were no people flying in chaos, he felt a sadness in his heart. This world, even this universe, is dying, and the breath of death has penetrated the air.

He no longer sleeps with non-people, but he knows that there are more sick people among non-people. Panic was spreading. Yesterday, an inhuman person who was obviously feverish was reported. Chen Zeng ordered that person be left in the middle of the wasteland outside and let him fend for himself.

He couldn't imagine how scared and helpless that person would be, but it won't be long before he will become his own kind, and will no longer be afraid or lonely.

These monsters have a much closer spiritual connection than the 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 of fulfillment and loneliness.

He leaned on little Rafael and slept on the "grass" of the former Central Park. It's just that the grass is almost gone now, and there is a black ointment-like substance everywhere. Even the grass that was lucky enough to not die seemed to have been sucked up when Ethan approached. Life quickly withered and decayed, as if he was a black hole himself, a black hole that would **** up life and bring death.

"Why are you helping Chen Zeng?"

Ethan suddenly opened his eyes and sat up straight.

Samuel stood a few steps in front of him.

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

Samus was silent, holding something in his hand. He walked a few steps forward, looking at the giant worm behind Ethan with some trepidation.

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

It's a sweaty thought...

He shook his head, as if trying to get rid of the mess of thoughts. He said, "Since Schneider's death, I have taken an oath. I will destroy the Benevolent Association."

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

"Those people deserve to die." Samus said in a tone that didn't state the facts emotionally, his eyes were hollow, and Ethan was a little frightened.

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

Samuel suddenly showed a very strange expression, unable to tell whether it was crying or laughing. He said, "Dead."

"..."

"We fled to the third space station, but there were all members of the Benefactor Society. Among them were the guards of the forbidden city. They believed that the plague would break out because of me and Schneider, so they wanted to execute us. My father failed. Escape."

Ethan's throat is dry, knowing that it's useless to say anything at this time. Chen Zeng had clearly promised that he thought that man would not be so stupid that he dared to deceive him.

However, what he didn't know was that Chen Zeng's order was indeed forbidden to hurt 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 trying 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 act in accordance with his teachings, they decided on their own. Up.

Sometimes believers will be more extreme and scary than their leaders.

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

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

"This thing was torn from a book in the priest's basement when Eve star rescued you." Samus raised his other hand, and there were several sheets inside that looked extremely fragile. Old paper, "In my dream, the black person once told me that these things will make you truly accept your destiny in the end. As long as you accept, maybe I can have the opportunity to see Schneider again. I have been hesitating, not knowing if I should give it to you. But now, I am too lazy to take care of it." After he said, he stuffed the pieces of paper into Ethan's hand, then let go of him, turned and left.

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

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

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

There are many distorted characters written on it, as well as some complicated structures full of sharp corners and uncomfortable arcs. Those characters looked very familiar, and some resembled... the kind of characters you saw on the temple pillars beneath the Faun.

The character has a peculiar attraction, as if it will slowly transform itself after watching it for a long time.

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

"Ethan."

He raised his head, then was stunned.

Tanithel was standing in front of him, her gray eyes slightly bent, her beautiful rosy lips pulled out a gentle curve, she was wearing the white gilded priest's clothing when she first saw it, and she seemed to be covered with a faint streamer. .

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