ATIGIBTC Chapter 16

«The Creator’s Black History is broadcasted all over the city»

“No need. I need to go over there and check the situation. You should hurry to a safe place.” He Fang stared at the man who was half-kneeling in front of him, seemingly ready to carry him. He Fang’s mind is filled with confusion. Had he, a player, really just been sheltered by an NPC little girl and her family?

“City Lord, please, don’t joke around! You can’t just go to such a dangerous place!” the tall man said, half-excited.

The man’s wife, holding the little girl, echoed her husband’s sentiment, “That’s right, City Lord. You are the backbone of this city, our center. Even if we die, as long as you’re alive, the city still has hope. You are our last line of defense—how can you go to the front line? There’s no reason for an emperor to go to war in person.”

He Fang was stunned. Wasn’t comparing him to an emperor a bit much?

Although he played various types of games, he had never been an emperor. To be placed in such a high position and treated like this, combined with the realistic NPCs and their smooth, intelligent dialogues, He Fang felt like he was in some prank reality show—it felt so out of place.

“City Lord, all live updates will be broadcast on TV. Don’t worry. Even if you’re not at the scene, you’ll still know everything happening there.” The man’s gaze was earnest as he assured He Fang, “As long as you have a phone, you are our most solid last line of defense!”

He Fang never imagined that one day an NPC would move him…

No, no, no—it wasn’t that. He just thought that since the game had set up an NPC to lead him, it must have a game-related purpose. Following them could trigger a plot. Even though there was no red exclamation mark showing a quest, it might just be the start of a hidden one.

He Fang followed the couple to their home, once again marveling at how realistic the open world felt. The couple’s small home wasn’t as tidy as typical game models—there were little bits of disarray everywhere. Toys from the little girl were scattered on the floor. Even on the windowsill, He Fang could see the wife’s underwear hanging, which made He Fang blush and quickly look away.

“City Lord, please, sit here. This sofa is very comfortable. You’ll like it,” the husband said warmly.

“City Lord, I’ve put some snacks and tea here for you. This way, you’ll be more comfortable while observing the front lines. Or would you prefer a drink? Or maybe some milk?” The wife asked carefully, her tone slightly coquettish.

“City Lord, City Lord! This is my favorite big bear. It’s really comfortable to lean on it. Can I let you rest against this big bear?” The little girl blinked her big, watery eyes as she struggled to drag a half-person-high brown teddy bear over to him.

He Fang was overwhelmed. His earlier anxiety was suddenly soothed by the warmth of this strange NPC family.

What about the plot? The hidden quest trigger? He really wasn’t used to being treated so warmly by others, even if they were NPCs!

“I… I’ll check the front lines first…” He Fang stammered.

“I’ll turn on the TV for you,” the wife eagerly rushed to turn on the TV.

“This is the remote control, City Lord,” the husband handed over the remote with both hands.

“Here’s some candy for you,” the little girl mirrored the husband’s gesture, holding out two beautifully crafted and highly attractive candies.

He Fang remained expressionless, staring at the TV, unable to accept the kindness of this overly attentive family.

As the husband had said, the TV was showing the current situation at the front lines. Rather than the front lines, it looked more like the direction where Min Zhizhou had stolen the radish. Many police cars surrounded the outermost part of the farmland, with police officers dressed in uniforms holding batons and riot shields. Each officer had a serious, focused expression, and they all wore flashing goggles. There were massive artificial lights placed beside them, illuminating the entire scene brightly.

He Fang twitched his lips. He decided that, when he had the chance, he would research some long-range weapons for his officers.

“Please stop advancing immediately! The town ahead does not welcome the Nightmare Beasts! We ask the Nightmare Beasts to return along the same path. Otherwise, we will treat you as a threat, which may cause harm to you. This is your first warning. Please turn back immediately!”

The police were speaking through loudspeakers. The camera then shifted. For the first time, He Fang saw the Nightmare Beasts, which Min Zhizhou had only mentioned before.

Although called Nightmare Beasts, they didn’t look much different from normal humans. This was likely because, even though they were parasitized by seeds, they remained human in appearance.

Min Zhizhou had said that humans parasitized by the seeds could still think like normal humans, but their nature was no longer human. Their priorities were aligned with the interests of the Nightmare Beast seed. So, no matter how human they looked, they were no longer who they once were.

The skin of the Nightmare Beasts appeared different from normal humans—it looked more like a deathly, dark bruise. He Fang immediately identified them as Nightmare Beasts because their eyes lacked the usual shine.

He wasn’t sure why he had this odd thought, but he felt that NPCs lacking shine in their eyes was abnormal!

“We mean no harm. It seems our captain is in this city. We are just looking for him,” one of the Nightmare Beasts spoke.

Hearing this, He Fang was taken aback. The Nightmare Beast’s words were clear and logical, completely indistinguishable from a normal human. Could he have been wrong in his judgment? Did Min Zhizhou’s teammates not actually become Nightmare Beasts?

“We are lost in this Nightmare Beast forest. We don’t know why our captain abandoned us, but if possible, we still hope to leave this place together with him.”

“The captain promised he would lead us to find resources, exchange them for more money and equipment, and help us live a good life. We believe he must have his reasons for suddenly leaving us.”

At this point, the Nightmare Beasts spoke one after another, their tones filled with sorrow, almost like abandoned, innocent children. He Fang felt a chill in his heart as he listened to their words. Each sentence seemed designed to strike at Min Zhizhou’s inner softness. It was highly intentional.

At this moment, they appeared weak and harmless, likely trying to lower the surrounding people’s guard against them.

Just then, a figure walked out from the direction of the officers. He Fang’s eyes widened in surprise.

The figure was clad in white armor that shimmered brightly under the sun, resembling the scales of a beast. The tall, muscular frame and perfectly triangular silhouette were entirely covered, with a beastly face mask and a half-damaged cape draped over the shoulders. This was exactly the kind of beast-faced hero design He Fang used to love during his “moody teenage” phase!

He Fang felt his face burning up.

What boy hasn’t had a dream of being a hero? Of course, He Fang had once dreamed of being a superhero too. Back then, he thought those kinds of armor designs were incredibly cool—they were like the ultimate dream armor.

He still thought it was cool now! Even though he was embarrassed about his teenage delusions, he still thought his earlier ideas had been pretty awesome… but… but…

Back then, it was just a fun idea. He scanned his hand-drawn design into the game without much thought. He never expected to encounter it like this. The experience in this game was just too realistic. Everything—every detail—was just like the real world. Seeing his “moody teenage” creation appear on television for the entire town to watch, He Fang felt like his head might catch fire from embarrassment.

“Wow, I’ve seen that armor before! It’s the design that was in the City Lord’s museum, right? It’s so cool!” The little girl’s clear and bright voice reached He Fang’s left ear. Her sparkling eyes were fixed on the white armor. “Is the person in that armor a superhero?”

“Yes! That armor was carefully made by the researchers, based on the design drawn by the City Lord himself. Whoever gets the honor of wearing it must be a superhero,” the little girl’s mother proudly responded. “Such a perfect and beautiful design! This armor is a true work of art—just look at that unparalleled shine, and the joints that don’t restrict movement. Our City Lord is truly amazing, it’s absolutely breathtaking.”

City Lord’s Museum…

The hand-drawn design of the armor…

Superhero…

Breathtaking…

The entire town was watching live…

He Fang’s cheeks flushed. His eyes were fixed on the TV. If this weren’t happening in someone else’s house, he almost would have curled up from the embarrassment.

Hearing the family praise his teenage delusions, He Fang felt utterly mortified.

At that moment, the figure in the white beast-faced armor was none other than Min Zhizhou.

During the time He Fang had been away, the researchers had remade this new set of armor based on the original design. When Min Zhizhou first put it on, he was struck by how lightweight it was. He couldn’t help but ask, “This is so light. Will it still be effective?”

“No problem. We didn’t make many changes to the design, just refined the craftsmanship. Your original armor was quite bulky due to the limitations in manufacturing, but this new set, while looking light, is actually made from more solid materials, and it’s twice as thick. It’s far more durable than your original armor and won’t be too heavy, making it more suitable for movement,” the researcher said, full of confidence in his armor-making skills.

“If that’s the case, it really is impressive,” Min Zhizhou could clearly feel that he had just put on the metal armor he had always dreamed of.

“However, because we couldn’t obtain data on the Nightmare Beasts, we couldn’t test this armor, so it’s based entirely on your original armor’s specifications,” the researcher continued.

“It’s fine.” He Fang looked seriously at the researchers. “I believe in your abilities. After all, you managed to create that light sword in such a short time, so I’m sure you can make even better armor.”

Min Zhizhou, holding the light sword, watched his former teammates in the distance, their appearance almost identical to when they were alive. His expression under the mask was a mix of sadness and helplessness.

He volunteered to demonstrate how to deal with the Nightmare Beasts when they appeared. He was the only one in this beautiful town who had experience with them. He wanted to protect this miracle, the last pure land in this apocalyptic world.

It takes at least four people to fight the Nightmare Beasts, so he had gathered five teammates. A team of six would be the best for efficiently eliminating the threat of the Nightmare Beasts. But now, only he remained.

Min Zhizhou turned back and looked once more at the officers who were carefully observing his every move. He knew well the enormous responsibility on his shoulders. He had to teach these officers, who were now the protectors of the people, how to deal with the Nightmare Beasts. Perhaps after this battle, he would be parasitized, and he would die. But the dream-like life he had lived these past few days was already worth it.

He didn’t want the last people in this world enjoying happiness to have their hope destroyed by the Nightmare Beasts.

Min Zhizhou gripped all the types of light swords on his waist. Though he was alone now, he carried the most perfect and powerful weapons he had ever seen in his short life.

He turned back to face the Nightmare Beast, whose face was identical to that of his former teammate. He took a deep breath.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” The police chief, wearing a uniform, stood behind Min Zhizhou with a serious expression. “That was once your teammate. Can you really go through with this?”

“Yes,” Min Zhizhou suppressed the intense sorrow in his heart, his tone firm. “The moment they were parasitized by the Nightmare Beast seeds, they were no longer my teammates.”

“You’re a strong man. I’m honored to know you. Thank you for all you’ve done for us. If you survive this, I’ll make sure you get a permanent resident status,” the police chief said, patting Min Zhizhou on the back.

“Thank you. That’s truly what I’ve always dreamed of,” Min Zhizhou said with a light smile before stepping forward.

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