CHAPTER 387: CHAPTER 232: FIVE-EYED DEMON, XIONG MU (HAPPY NEW YEAR, DUCK!)_2

Therefore, when Qin Shou entered Bailing City, what he saw was an unusually desolate town.

The streets had long been untended, piled high with layers of mud and fallen leaves, and empty houses were everywhere. The population was far fewer than the records had indicated.

There were no elderly or men in the city, only children clad in tattered clothing, emaciated and skeletal, as well as women with vacant stares, their faces pale and gaunt.

All the elderly had been fed to the Monster Puppets; the men were taken to the mines, their fates unknown.

Qin Shou walked through the desolate streets clad in armor, and along the way, the women and children he encountered cast him furtive glances before quickly lowering their heads. Neither sorrow nor joy was visible on their faces; the entire city showed no signs of hope or vitality.

Three-eyed Master?

Ha, just a demon who devours humans.

Seeing this tragic scene, Qin Shou couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity.

The appearance of these natives wasn’t very different from Earth’s humans.

Compared to Earth’s current societal environment, these natives even seemed more pure at heart.

By the roadside, a hungry infant was suckling on long-dried breast milk. The mother half-slumped in a corner, her vacant eyes revealing a final sliver of tenderness.

It seemed as though she had come to a decision; the tenderness in her gaze transformed into desolation as her thin, dry hand slowly moved toward the infant’s neck.

What’s the point of barely surviving?

It would only bring more suffering.

There was no hope left here.

"Tap tap..."

Sound of footsteps came from nearby. The mother slightly raised her head, her bleak face turning into one of extreme hatred.

The demon with three eyes!

But why was this demon radiating such warm light?

She didn’t speak, just stared blankly at the three-eyed demon who appeared before her.

Qin Shou knelt down and produced a cup of steaming milk, its rich aroma filling the air.

"Let the child live, you live too." He spoke softly.

The mother shook her head, "You don’t understand."

Qin Shou’s face glowed briefly before reverting to his true appearance, meeting the mother’s gaze.

"Trust me, soon, all of you will survive."

The frail mother finally couldn’t hold back her tears.

"You... You are a god..."

Qin Shou shook his head, "No, I’m not a god, I’m human."

As he spoke, he rose to his feet and gazed at the figures flying through the sky above the city. A golden sword materialized in his palm, and for the first time, a chilling murderous intent flashed in his expression.

This was not Earth, and the lives of these natives had nothing to do with him.

Yet, he still wanted to act.

This wasn’t for some lofty sense of justice.

He just couldn’t stand it.

...

Several Three-eyed Demons flew over, their faces full of malicious glee upon seeing Qin Shou.

"Ha ha, brothers, turns out this guy isn’t a Two-eyed Demon but an Earth human. Our luck’s good!"

"Indeed, the mines are short of labor. Let’s grab him and make him a miner."

"Surround him, don’t let him escape; otherwise, we’ll have to find more labor elsewhere. Last time, when that Mechanical Master escaped, Lord Xiongmu almost beat me to death."

Several Three-eyed Demons surrounded Qin Shou, their eyes glowing as they prepared to summon Monster Puppets into the area.

Unexpectedly, Qin Shou suddenly raised a hand, golden gravitational light radiating outward and engulfing them instantly.

"Buzz..."

As Qin Shou slightly curled his fingers and clenched his hands tightly, the golden gravitational light abruptly contracted.

"Pop pop pop..."

In an instant, the eyeballs of several Three-eyed Demons burst under immense force, spraying blood into the air.

"Ah!!"

"Damn, what is this...?"

"My eyes..."

"Screech!!"

Qin Shou stepped forward, and golden sword energy spanning hundreds of meters slashed across, cutting off their screams.

Sky-high fragments of corpses mixed with blood rained down on the ground. Countless women and children, eyes blazing with hatred, swarmed over the remains and began devouring the flesh and blood without hesitation.

Only the consumption of flesh and blood could extinguish their hatred.

The sword energy within the city sparked unrest in the mining area outside the city. A dense swarm of Demon Eye Star People surged toward the city from the skies.

The frail mother stared blankly at the golden figure, murmuring: "Today was supposed to be Bailing City’s New Year."

Qin Shou glanced back, "This year, you will never forget!"

With those words, a massive dragon-like snail flew down from the sky, a Space Gate materializing with beastly roars reverberating across the city.

"Roar!!"

"Hiss..."

"Howl..."

Greedy Snake, Seven-Colored Swallowing Sky Python, Monkey Avatar, Unrivaled Dragon, Dark Dragon, Galatron, and other monstrous creatures shot forth, beams of energy streaming toward the advancing Demon Eye Star army.

"Boom boom boom..."

The desolate skies above the city burst into radiant brilliance, countless civilians gazing upward, rekindling faint traces of hope in their eyes.

"Such beautiful fireworks..."

The frail mother stroked the infant in her arms and finally smiled.

"Ah ah ah..." The infant, tasting milk for the first time, waved its tiny hands and smiled along.

By the time they looked back toward the golden figure, it had already vanished.

...

At the mining area outside the city, a white-haired man with three vertical eyes examined the Earth Core Energy Crystals within the Demon Eye Space, his five eyes tinged with bloodshot madness.

"Not enough, still not enough, far from enough!"

"If I don’t exhaust all the Earth Core Energy Crystals in the mines, how can I return?"

He gritted his teeth and roared, gesturing to his subordinates: "Capture more people; whether they are women or children, bring them all."

His subordinates hesitated fearfully.

"Lord Xiongmu, those women and children lack the ability to mine Earth Core Energy Crystals. Capturing them would waste time. It’d be better to use Monster Puppets directly for mining..."

Xiongmu violently kicked the Three-eyed Demon who spoke, shouting angrily: "Shut up! Using Monster Puppets to mine Earth Core Energy Crystals risks damaging them. If that happens, won’t those bastards seize the chance to send me somewhere even more remote?

Did the monsters eat your brains?"

"Also, what caused the anomaly in the city just now?" he asked again.

"Lord Xiongmu, it seems someone stumbled into Bailing City and killed our men. We’ve already dispatched people to capture the culprit."

"Hmph, capture him but don’t kill him. Send him to help mine Earth Core Energy Crystals; every person counts."

"Yes, yes, Lord Xiongmu..."

Before the subordinate could finish speaking, a Three-eyed Demon rushed through the barrier, shouting in panic.

"Bad news, Lord Xiongmu, it’s the Six-eyed Noble who has come!"

At these words, everyone present turned pale with shock.

"What? Why would a Six-eyed Noble appear in such a desolate place?"

"How could the Six-eyed Noble come here? Could it be..."

They all instinctively glanced at the grim-faced Lord Xiongmu, hearts trembling in fear.

Lord Xiongmu, notorious for his capriciousness and numerous foes—could this be someone’s revenge?

Xiongmu noticed their strange gazes and roared in anger.

"What are you looking at? Get out there immediately!"

Saying so, he strode out of the room and waved to dispel the barrier.

"Roar..."

High above, a massive dragon-like snail roared, descending to the mining grounds with a deafening crash that stirred up a storm of dust and stones.

The miners hauling Energy Crystals glanced at the scene, their gaunt faces unmoving with numbness.

Xiongmu fixated his gaze on the white-haired maiden in a red robe atop the snail, along with her Golden Armor Guard and the colossal snail puppet beside her, calculating his odds.

A third-level, One-star Monster Puppet, which meant this Six-eyed Noble’s true strength was likely no greater than third-level, Two-star.

He assessed the combat strength of his forces and felt a surge of murderous intent.

Such a rare opportunity—a Six-eyed Noble delivering itself right to his doorstep—he couldn’t let it pass!

If he succeeded in advancing to Six Eyes and appeased those greedy elders, he could cast off his current identity and become a true Six-eyed Noble.

Fight for it. Madness and desperation were better than enduring humiliation in this place forever.

On the other side, Qin Shou locked his gaze on the white-haired man with three vertical eyes.

A five-eyed demon: Xiongmu.

The man’s sinister expression revealed his intentions—clearly preparing to strike.

Just as the information had described—a violent, reckless lunatic.

"Beep... Honored Master, detection complete: eighty Unbreakable One Star entities, twenty Unbreakable Two Stars, and three Unbreakable Three Stars. Besides Xiongmu, the other two are Four-eyed Demons. Their combined strength far exceeds ours; we recommend executing Plan C."

The synthesized electronic voice ringing in his ears made Qin Shou’s expression tense.

Even a declining Demon Eye Noble possessed a foundation far surpassing ordinary Demon Eye Star People stationed at a city.

But numbers didn’t necessarily guarantee victory.

As long as Xiongmu dared to be the first to make a move, Qin Shou would seize the opportunity!