Chapter 137: Meeting and Eye Contact

Chapter 137: Encounter and Locked Gazes

Meanwhile, with Desmond.

After resting for half a day and confirming that his powers weren't about to go berserk again, Desmond and the others prepared to take care of the monsters near the gathering site.

"Are we taking the kid along?"

Dan was making arrangements for the upcoming operation when he heard Desmond's words, his face a mix of confusion and surprise.

His brow furrowed in annoyance.

"Are you sure, Desmond? I can tell you with certainty that this is pushing our luck. We still don’t fully understand that kid, nor do we know the extent of his power. If during the hunt, his weird powers turn on us again, what then?"

"You're just making excuses."

Desmond lifted his gaze.

"If you can’t even dodge his arrows later, I suggest you quit the hunting party."

Dan: "..."

Dan grumbled under his breath—it wasn’t that he couldn’t dodge, but we still don't know what the kid even is, and no one knew where his family was. Besides, once they left, they’d have to start looking for his way home.

"An Nailin, back me up here."

As the other victim, you should at least speak up.

An Nailin had been keeping his distance, moving around nearby, clearly avoiding the kid.

Now, however, he appeared. Faced with Dan’s question, An Nailin just scoffed, unwilling to respond.

As one of the few remaining members of their kind who still retained their sanity, their numbers could be counted on two hands.

The gathering site had a long history, and plenty of empty rooms now.

Vines snaked up the towering stone pillars, thick and wild, their delicate leaves swaying in the dim light as the wind brushed past.

The wind carried distant, terrifying howls—those of their kin who had completely lost their minds over the years, unable to die or find release, doomed to endless suffering, locked away.

For a moment, a heavy silence fell.

"Did the others get the message? Not coming back?"

An Nailin finally spoke.

"Oh, according to Louisa, they couldn't care less about Chu Zao showing up," Dan replied casually.

Dan finished packing his things and followed behind Desmond. After a few steps, he couldn’t hold back.

"Even if that kid has some skills, let’s be honest—he's still basically a kid. Is it really okay to take him out there?"

No matter how you looked at it, the monsters outside were weird and dangerous. They often faced danger themselves, let alone that kid.

Who could guarantee his safety out there?

All things considered, wasn't it safer to just stay at the gathering site?

With Louisa watching over things—don’t let her gentle demeanor fool you, she’d chase him for miles without hesitation—Desmond stayed quiet, and so did Dan—even An Nailin. Their eyes all landed on Chu Zao, who stood at the entrance of the settlement.

It was too quiet—

Silence like this was rare for Chu Zao.

After all, he was used to being surrounded by family. Even when he grew up and his parents weren’t around as much, Chao Huangmu, Yun Songquan, and Peng Liang were often trailing behind him, not to mention that group of military academy students from before.

Used to all the noise, the sudden quiet made Xiao Chuzao uneasy—he couldn’t help but wonder what his family was doing, what Brother Mu was up to, and whether his father could resolve things from outside.

Ah… he’d have to step up himself.

A soft glow draped over him, though the brightest thing was undoubtedly the golden crown atop his head. Hearing a sound, Chu Zao looked over.

When he saw them, his eyes lit up a little.

"Are we setting off?"

The young boy rushed over, his fluffy curls bouncing as he moved.

Somehow, his six wings had shrunk down to just two.

"Mhm."

Desmond gave a nod, then eyed the boy’s wings.

"Why only two now?"

"Oh," Chu Zao turned to look at his wings, which fluttered slightly in response, "Six are too messy. I can’t really handle them."

Since Dad’s not around.

A soft gust from his wings swept over their faces.

Desmond eyed the little one—his fluffy hair and feathery wings—and, without thinking, reached out as if to test whether the boy’s hair was as soft as it looked.

But Chu Zao tensed, stepping back slightly as he looked up at Desmond.

Huh? What’s up?

Desmond kept a straight face. He withdrew his hand and simply said, "Let’s go."

Their settlement had folks dealing with the nearby monsters, and even the pesky dragons that tried muscling in on their turf, unhesitatingly claiming a significant portion of the area’s resources.

In the beginning, shifts could still be rotated, and though they had forgotten everything of their past, the atmosphere among their kind hadn’t been as heavy and oppressive as it was now. These days, aside from one member staying behind, the others were mostly out dealing with monsters.

This swarm was a little farther out.

In a river valley, they clustered densely like a school of fish, voraciously devouring everything in their path—living creatures, mineral resources, even the stones along the riverbank. Like locusts in water, they surged forward.

Following the river’s winding path downward would eventually bring them close to their settlement—and even closer to their kin who had lost all sense of self.

"Dealing with these things is the worst," Dan remarked, glancing at the little one trailing behind them.

"They swarm, they’re weak, but god, are they annoying."

Dan kept a close eye on the little one, to stop the little one from shooting arrows at them again.

An Nailin had already hidden himself, his energy seemed erratic—or perhaps his emotions were unsettled.

Chu Zao could sense a bit of it, but this person seemed to dislike seeing him, often ducking out of sight before they could notice.

Like now.

An Nailin had already descended, attacking part of the school of fish.

The monstrous fish were startled, initially intending to retaliate, but were intimidated by Desmond and the others. Combined with the bloody scent of their torn-apart companions, the water turned murky with blood. In an instant, the fish school, which had been moving and devouring in one direction, began to scatter.

Dan and An Nailin intercepted the two flanks while Desmond took action.

Their movements were swift, their teamwork flawless, barely giving Xiao Chuzao a chance to move.

Chu Zao clutched his Cupid's bow.

Desmond walked over, hauling a still-wriggling monster fish, and casually tossed it beside Chu Zao.

The fish was jet-black, its back densely studded with tiny red stone fragments that stretched from its flesh and scales all the way to its tail.

It seemed anything bearing these red stones was automatically called a monster.

"Is this the kind of stone?"

Desmond towered over him—though Chu Zao was accustomed to tall family members, the shadow falling over him made him realize just how towering the man was.

His coarse clothes hugged his muscular frame, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, splattered with water stains, radiating a dependable vibe.

His face didn’t look particularly young, set in a stubborn scowl, and faint frown lines between his brows, likely from frequent scowling.

That strange feeling crept over Chu Zao again but quickly snapped out of it, lowering his head to study the monster fish, then shook his head.

"No, it's not."

This thing clearly wasn’t the Divine Grace Stone either.

Desmond’s reaction to this answer was unreadable—whether pleased or displeased, he just grunted vaguely.

"No? Then what we can find around here is pretty much just this kind of thing, right?"

Dan glanced at the little one.

He seemed rather cheerful, his typically moody face broke into a grin as he hummed softly, wiping the fish smell off his hands.

Then he glanced toward An Nailin, who was wrapping things up over there.

"Desmond, I think after we’re done here, we ought to get back pronto," Dan said.

Desmond nodded.

"This place gives me the creeps."

"Right? I feel it too. And doesn’t An Nailin seem worse off? I think we should just consider returning now."

Dan spoke, casting another look at An Nailin in the distance.

It took quite some time to clear out these monsters. An Nailin, who had seemed normal just moments ago albeit a bit irritable, was now lashing out violently as if suppressing some impulse.

His power fluctuations were palpable.

"Dan."

Desmond snapped.

"Restrain An Nailin."

At this, Dan immediately realized something was wrong. He let out a sharp curse and lunged forward.

Chu Zao took two steps back—

"What's happening?"

Chu Zao wasn’t fully grasping the situation. Instinctively, he turned to look at Desmond.

Desmond initially didn’t want to speak, but meeting Chu Zao’s gaze, he recalled his own state not long ago. Against his better judgment, he opened his mouth, his voice even sounding somewhat gentle.

"Power corruption."

Power corruption?

"Like what happened to you before?"

Chu Zao white-knuckled his bow, watching as An Nailin appeared to have forgotten Dan. After dealing with the monsters, he turned to attack Dan instead.

Desmond turned to face his clansman—

His gaze shadowed—Yes, just like what had happened to him before. No warning, no reason, everything suddenly began to collapse, as if it were a predetermined fate. And there was no escape—either endure the agony in lucidity or be consumed by madness.

No one had ever given them a middle option.

It was all unrelentingly cruel.

Desmond had no words to describe it.

Nor did he know why he even existed.

They had once wanted to find their origins, to reclaim their lost memories.

But too much time had passed, as if time itself had passed judgment—it was already an impossible task.

All they could do was maintain the status quo, with the remaining lucid clansmen granting those who had completely lost their consciousness some dignity.

Truth be told, Desmond couldn’t even be sure when he himself would lose all awareness, becoming an empty shell, trapped between life and death.

Perhaps… very soon.

As he brooded, Desmond was abruptly pulled back by Xiao Chuzao’s voice beside him: "Then why don’t I try my love-and-peace arrow on him?"

Desmond blanked.

Desmond whipped around, stunned, staring at Chu Zao holding his bow. The weight of the moment evaporated, replaced by complete bafflement.

What?

"Absolutely not!!"

Dan heard this and yelled from across the way.

"I don't want to be disgusted by this guy anymore, and—he's already unconscious. Would your power even work at this point?"

Can’t hurt to try, right?

Chu Zao batted his big eyes, radiating sincerity, innocence, and seriousness.

Desmond and Dan just stared, baffled.

There was something oddly endearing yet unsettling about the little one’s demeanor.

"Hard pass."

Desmond snapped out of it and spoke up.

Deadpan, he added, "I think when An Nailin wakes up, he’d care more about his dignity than his wounds."

Aw, too bad.

Chu Zao reluctantly lowered his little bow, though he was still curious whether his *Love and Peace* would work on these people in their current state.

But everyone kept saying this place was weird—

Chu Zao blinked his big eyes and looked around but couldn’t spot anything unusual.

Deep in the valley, a man lay motionless, eyes tightly shut, drenched in sweat and blood. Behind him, twisted, shadowy tendrils were slowly devouring him, inch by inch.

By now, they had already consumed one of his hands. His eyes fluttered open slightly before closing them again, like he’d stopped fighting—or perhaps he had never truly awakened from his coma.

Yet he also seemed at peace, as if finally free—even as he was being devoured at a torturously slow pace.

Meanwhile, in the distant sky, a formation of hulking figures was flying toward them.

*

An Ya and Lynn had linked up with Amos.

"Desmond the Great?"

An Ya frowned.

"Is this connected to Zao Zao going missing?"

"No confirmation yet."

Fei Man, breathless from rushing over, also spoke.

"I didn’t dare tell Grandfather."

Ebinino was still slowly recovering, mostly unconscious.

Lynn huddled in the farthest corner, his gloomy aura practically tangible.

Or rather, his psychic energy had erupted into a snarling black haze.

"The Hymn Organization… gone?"

"Near-total wipeout."

Finn cut in, his usually cheerful face now cold and expressionless. He was a mess—exhausted and unshaven, as if he hadn’t taken care of himself in days. His freshly shaved beard had grown into stubble, leaving him looking downright ragged.

They had been searching all these days but still couldn't determine where Chu Zao had gone. Only the faint connection through the crown prevented them from completely losing hope.

Especially for Amos.

This place had originally been unsuitable for the Saint Cas garrison, yet in the end, it was tightly surrounded.

When the high-level Mutant Beast Commanders noticed the rapidly increasing presence of the Crown Clan and the death of another one of their high-level commanders during an interception attempt, they unanimously retreated deeper into the contaminated zones, none willing to risk their necks.

"Status report on the barrier."

This was the first sentence Amos spoke during the meeting, standing quietly at the front of the command room, staring at the navigation chart.

"Grandfather Ebinino's spiritual energy has withdrawn. The psychic barrier formed by the First Group Army has begun to collapse. At this rate, it is estimated to disappear completely within two or three months. The remains of the First Group Army are being collected and transported back to Saint Cas in batches. Mei Lun and Uncle Kaman are currently verifying the next of kin of the fallen soldiers and making arrangements. If no relatives are found, they will be buried directly in the Saint Cas Martyrs' Cemetery," An Ya reported.

"Matters concerning Saint Cas's imperial capital are being handled by Job and Joshua, assisting Ayala. We also brought the Angel Spring Source Stone, but its consciousness remains inactive, so it stays aboard the starship."

Initially, they had believed Ebinino's spiritual energy had vanished entirely, but the faint connection through the crown suddenly reappeared.

That must mean Zao Zao had been found and that Ebinino's crown had already been properly handled by her.

Afterward, bringing the Angel Spring Source Stone to Zao Zao would greatly benefit her.

However, they had considered everything—except that the child would vanish right under Amos's watch.

Amos now wore a mask of calm, but everyone knew it was only superficial.

His hands were clenched tightly, his knuckles white with tension, like a tranquil sea concealing violent currents beneath, brewing a storm.

"We captured one more from the Hymn Organization, though he barely qualifies as a full member," Frey suddenly interjected, observing from the side.

"Shenghua. According to her confession, her testimony checked out completely. Everything matched up. Previously, we sensed something odd about the Hymn Organization but didn’t investigate certain aspects, wanting to see if it was an internal issue. It seems this was due to this member named Shenghua. She was supposed to become a high-ranking operative of the Hymn Organization, but during a ritual, she exposed the identity of one of their leaders and followed them here. Now the Hymn Organization’s operations finally make sense—their laboratories were experimenting on the Longevity Race. We cross-checked the deceased members of the Hymn Organization."

Frey sighed at this point.

During Amos's ruthless purge, the members of the Hymn Organization had been reduced to ashes, making it extremely difficult to identify each individual.

"One person is missing—our key informant who helped track them down. He was a test subject from the Hymn Organization's lab, possessing partial Soul Race bloodline, codenamed 'Xi.'"

"That settles it, doesn't it?" Finn sneered.

"Just like the Angel's Realm before—if the Angel's Realm corresponds to the Crown Clan, then this place should correspond to some realm connected to the Soul Race, right?"

Amos did not respond, merely lowering his gaze to look at the confiscated bag of candy in his pocket, shadows deepening in his eyes.

As for Chu Zao, Dan had mostly subdued An Nailin.

Desmond was holding down An Nailin's limbs.

An Nailin's expression was wild, his eyes turning crimson, blind with rage.

*

He thrashed about in agony.

"This kid had no reason to be out here in this condition—"

Dan muttered under his breath, easing up a little.

But it was precisely at that moment when Dan relaxed his vigilance that An Nailin lunged without warning. His lean waist twisted into an almost impossible angle—their very bodies were weapons, dangerous not only to their kin but also to themselves; they could just as easily hurt themselves.

The impact came in a split second. Dan recoiled but hesitated.

Seeing the blood on Desmond’s arm, Desmond wrestled the snarling, frenzied An Nailin back down, pinning him with brute force.

Chu Zao had already arrived behind them.

Desmond let out a quiet breath, glancing down at his arm.

"Dan."

"Desmond? You didn’t need to shield me!"

Dan spoke irritably, about to say more.

"Take An Nailin back first."

Blood poured from Desmond’s arm, quickly soaking through his clothes.

Dan wanted to argue but ultimately fell silent. He glanced at Xiao Chuzao—the odd ease the little one brought him vanished in that moment. Seizing the subdued An Nailin, Dan turned and swiftly left.

The surroundings fell quiet.

Chu Zao looked at Desmond, his voice soft, the young boy’s voice bright and soft: "Are you okay?"

The little one sure held a grudge. He still remembered all the wariness Desmond and the others had shown him before, so he still kept his distance even now. But seeing Desmond bleed, the little one edged closer despite himself.

Desmond didn’t even lift his head.

He was disturbingly calm, like he’d accepted his fate.

"See?"

Desmond spoke.

"I told you, you wouldn’t understand. My fits are minor. The real madness and horror come at the beginning—just like what happened earlier."

A people meant to be steadfast and strong now radiated weariness and frailty. Still in the same posture from pressing An Nailin down, sitting back with his arms braced, Desmond didn’t so much as raise his eyelids, as if letting out a cold laugh.

But the next second, he froze.

For the first time in days, the little one behind him had actively moved so close, slipping him a tentative hug.

His heart lurched, his blood seeming to constrict and surge all at once. A blur of images flickered through his mind—gone before Desmond could even discern it.

Desmond looked up.

Chu Zao froze too. Before he could process that odd connection, he met Desmond’s gaze.

"I—I just felt like... you might need that."

Chu Zao blinked, he pulled back, baffled, and stared at his own arm.

Desmond was about to speak when he suddenly lunged, flipping over and pinning the little one beneath him as they rolled aside. A savage impact tore through the space they’d just occupied, sending shattered debris flying.

"By yourself?"

"Perfect—they're isolated! Time to eliminate them!"

The dragons, still circling midair, hunting for dazzling gems for Chao Huangmu, excitedly observed the situation in the valley before instantly swooping down, unleashing their power with vicious intent.

Chao Huangmu lingered at the back, observing coldly. He had no interest in controlling these dragons—they were merely tools to help him find dazzling gems to furnish his lair. What they did was none of his concern; he only cared about his treasures.

Moreover, he had no memory of this place. As Chao Huangmu scanned his surroundings, the dark psychic wings carrying him vanished, and he landed atop a mountain ridge, shadows masking his features. He pressed a hand to his temple.

His head throbbed—he craved destruction.

Destroy that golden radiance...

Chao Huangmu exerted a bit more force, his eyes darkening with violence—yet still, nothing came to mind.

But when he looked down again, he was drawn to a golden glow. Golden... light?

He froze, then furrowed his brows as a cacophony clawed at his mind—like a chorus of screams—no, seductive whispers: *It’ll feel good... the pain will fade... You know what to do, just like always.*

Meanwhile, Chu Zao glanced upward.

His sharp gaze flickered, then froze in shock.

The light above was dim, drowned by the shadows of massive beasts plunging down, targeting them. And atop the peak, a figure leaned casually against the rocks, dark hair slightly disheveled, his lowered eyes revealing dark irises glinting with flecks of gold. Behind him, a massive, dragon-like psychic entity with golden reptilian pupils slowly opened its eyes.

No smile. No warmth. Only a glacial, empty glare. Their eyes met in an instant.

To Chu Zao, it was an unmistakably familiar face—yet the hesitation in his eyes and the icy void in his expression were unrecognizable.