ICAWZ Chapter 204

[It was a forgotten story, lost in an unknown time and space. In that era, the gods had not yet fallen. But the moment you set foot here, you had already borne witness to eternity and immortality…]

In the dimly lit cave, tangled vines twisted and grew, hanging down clusters of lantern-like red fruits. Their swollen forms expanded slowly, as if inflating, until—suddenly—one burst open with a soft plop, ejecting a bundle of animal bones slick with mucus. The skeletal remains landed on the ground, shimmering faintly with an eerie blue glow.

Lin Kong had been about to pluck one for a bite to satisfy his hunger, but at the sight of this, he instantly withdrew his hand. Hugging his small backpack, he crouched warily in the corner near the cave entrance. What had once been stuffed full of snacks now held only a few lonely packs of milk candy.

Lin Kong couldn’t bear to eat them—if he did, he’d truly have no food left.

His once-plump, handsome little face had lost its softness. After starving for seven or eight days in this desolate wilderness, his chin had grown sharp, making his pair of dark, glossy eyes appear even larger.

Lin Kong was a minor celebrity, barely clinging to relevance. Not long ago, his carefully crafted “genius scholar” persona had collapsed, turning him into the target of relentless online ridicule. With no other choice, he had signed up for a remote mountain tour to escape the backlash—only for the driver to be disastrously incompetent. One bad turn, and the entire group had ended up in a ditch.

Good news: he wasn’t dead.

Bad news: he had no food.

Which meant, sooner or later, he was still going to die.

Lin Kong cursed under his breath. To think that he, a once-rising young idol, had survived the online hate storm from black-hearted trolls, only to meet his end in this godforsaken wasteland—what a disgraceful way to go!

He fished a milk candy out of his bag and popped it into his mouth, hoping to soothe his stomach, which was cramping from hunger. It was a brand he had endorsed—back when he’d spotted it in a store, he had impulsively bought over twenty packs. Not because he particularly liked it, but just to boost sales.

Now, Lin Kong regretted it to death. If he had known, he would have endorsed instant noodles or survival rations instead—one piece of candy did nothing to fill his stomach!

Then again, if he had known things would turn out like this, he wouldn’t have gotten on that damn tour bus in the first place.

It had been raining nonstop for days, forcing Lin Kong to stay holed up in the cave, not daring to step outside. But today, the sky had finally cleared. Left with no other choice, he braced himself and ventured out to search for food—and if luck was on his side, maybe even find his suitcase. With any hope, he could salvage a few pieces of clothing.

After these past few days of wilderness survival, Lin Kong had come to a startling realization—he had probably time-traveled.

Even if he wasn’t the most well-educated, he knew that the 21st century didn’t have feather-covered dinosaurs, serpents gliding through the air, three-headed white crows, or bizarre flowers that swallowed meat and spat out bones.

This jungle was eerie and breathtakingly beautiful, but it was also teeming with danger.

Lin Kong cautiously peeked out from the cave entrance, only to be met with the sight of towering trees piercing into the sky—each at least fifteen meters tall, their tops vanishing into the mist.

These trees resembled enormous vases; their trunks were thick and smooth, so massive that even a dozen people holding hands couldn’t encircle one. Yet, bizarrely, where the branches spread outward, the trunks abruptly tapered into slender, fragile-looking limbs. The whole thing looked downright unnatural.

The colossal trees disappeared into the hazy, golden mist, and in the distance, a desolate mountain range stretched endlessly across the horizon. Standing beneath one of the massive trunks, Lin Kong felt as insignificant as an ant. A cold wind swept past, making the already bleak scene feel even more miserable.

Ah. This is so tragic.

The jungle around him was a deep, eerie shade of green. Yet, just beyond a mountain ridge, the sky on the other side burned a suffocating crimson, like spilled blood stretching across the horizon.

Lin Kong raised a hand to shield his eyes and peered into the distance, curiosity stirring in his chest. What was on the other side of that mountain?

…A tribe of blue elves?

As he pondered absurd possibilities, the crimson sky was split by the rising sun. Golden light pierced through the mist, illuminating the endless sea of trees stretching far beyond his sight. And there, nestled in a valley beyond the mountain’s edge, stood a golden temple—silent, solemn, and oppressively grand.

[Hungry…]

[Food…]

[I need food…]

Deep in the pit below, a massive creature lay in silent hibernation. Its entire body was pure white, shimmering with a jade-like luster under the sunlight. It had no discernible head or tail, resembling a gigantic white earthworm—except it had wings.

Its massive body writhed slowly, and every hour, a single white egg emerged from its tail. Beneath the pit, countless such eggs lay buried in dense clusters, all waiting to hatch.

Every day, tens of thousands of these eggs would crack open, but the creatures that crawled out remained in their most primitive form—worker zergs. These mindless, undeveloped beings possessed no intelligence of their own. Instead, they were entirely controlled by the psychic will of the Zerg King, tirelessly burying egg after egg in the sand to keep them warm.

Then, after three months of ceaseless labor, they would die.

The morning mushroom knows nothing of dusk and dawn; the summer cicada knows nothing of spring and autumn.[mfn]comes from Zhuangzi’s writings, suggests that creatures (or people) with limited lifespans or experiences cannot grasp the full scope of existence beyond their own narrow perception.[/mfn]

Only a rare few ever broke free from their shells and took on a human form.

[Food…]

[Food…]

The Zerg King’s psychic power was vast as the ocean, weaving an intricate, all-encompassing web. At its center, it controlled countless “subjects”—each thread of its delicate mental strands binding and commanding them.

Through this immense psychic network, it manipulated its brood, driving them to search for food so it could lay even more eggs. Any that dared to disobey were instantly crushed—mercilessly torn apart by its will.

“Whoosh—”

The rustling of leaves suddenly broke the silence.

Deep within the dense forest, four shadowy figures suddenly emerged. They moved with astonishing speed, flickering through space in the blink of an eye, appearing instantly before the grand temple. Each was draped in a flowing black ecclesiastical robe, their wide hoods casting deep shadows over their faces.

[Our King.]

They placed a hand over their shoulders and bowed their heads in reverence. Facing the colossal being in the pit, they dropped to one knee in perfect unison. As they moved, the brims of their hoods slipped slightly, revealing pale, breathtakingly beautiful faces.

Their eyes were of different colors, their hair varying in shade, yet their gazes were eerily identical—cold, indifferent, devoid of emotion, like soulless machines.

In the pit, the massive creature grew restless, its hunger driving it into agitation. Its colossal body writhed violently as its psychic voice rumbled through the air:

[Food! Give me food!]

Among the four, a silver-haired man with blood-red eyes slowly lifted his head at the command. He extended his palm, and from it, a glowing blue orb drifted forward, landing upon the Zerg King’s massive body—

This was the life force they had hunted and harvested.

[Our King, please partake.]

Yet the Zerg King remained agitated. Its colossal form writhed impatiently, its psychic voice echoing with insatiable hunger:

[Not enough.]

[Find more food.]

[More.]

The Zerg King extended its psychic will, summoning more of its “subjects” back to its side. In an instant, the space before the temple was flooded with countless figures.

Yet, they were too low in rank—too weak to harvest enough life force. Trembling, they fell to their knees in terror.

[Our King, we have failed to bring sufficient prey. Please, have mercy.]

Amidst the sea of bodies, only the original four wore black robes. The rest were bare-skinned, their bodies crudely wrapped in animal hides.

The Zerg King let out a piercing screech—a sign of its fury—issuing a command through its psychic control:

[Hermes! Kill them!]

At those words, Hermes opened his strikingly blood-red eyes. His long silver hair, cascading from beneath his pitch-black divine robe, flowed all the way to his ankles.

Suspended midair, he raised a hand, and countless psychic threads surged from all directions, ensnaring the lower-ranked zergs desperately trying to flee. The threads tightened mercilessly—

Bang! Blood mist exploded like bursting balloons.

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

In an instant, the once-chaotic scene fell into eerie silence—only lifeless bodies remained, scattered across the ground.

From the cracks in the stone, countless tiny, shimmering insects wriggled out, scurrying toward the corpses. Swarming together, they meticulously carried the remains to the Zerg King, offering them up as a feast.

The Zerg King’s head split open, revealing a gaping maw lined with rows of razor-sharp, crimson teeth. Like a merciless, unfeeling devouring machine, it consumed the very offspring it had birthed—swallowing them back into its vast, insatiable body.

Another cycle.

Once it had fed, the Zerg King finally grew still.

[Food…]

[Find more food…]

It needed more energy—to lay more eggs.

From beginning to end, Hermes’ face remained utterly expressionless. Like the other three, he showed no reaction, no emotion. At the Zerg King’s command, they placed a hand over their shoulders in solemn acknowledgement.

[Yes, Our King.]

Their figures vanished into thin air as wings unfurled from their backs—sleek and swift, sharper than a raptor’s. With blinding speed, they soared through the swirling mist, scanning relentlessly for prey, leaving no living creature unnoticed.

—Meanwhile—

“Ah! Found it!”

By sheer luck, Lin Kong had barely stepped out of the cave when he spotted his black suitcase wedged beneath a waterfall. It hadn’t been swept far by the current—its weight had trapped it between the cracks of downstream rocks.

Lin Kong rolled up his pant legs and sleeves, carefully making his way along the crevices toward the water’s edge. He had no idea how long he’d be stuck in this godforsaken place, and with the temperature dropping drastically at night, leaving his suitcase behind was not an option.

With great effort, he dragged the half-broken handle, inch by inch, until he finally pulled the suitcase onto solid ground. Unlocking the combination lock, he flipped the lid open to check the contents—only to find that his clothes were completely soaked.

Fortunately, his underwear and essentials had been packed in sealed bags, keeping them dry and untouched.

No big deal, no big deal. He could just dry them later.

Lin Kong rummaged through the contents of his suitcase, his mindset surprisingly optimistic. At this point, he was as broke as could be—anything he salvaged was a win, and he wasn’t about to be picky.

A power bank? Ruined by water. Not tossing it—he could still use it as a brick.

Two cups of instant noodles? Keeping them.

Two pairs of brand-name shoes? Also keeping them.

Lin Kong crouched beside the suitcase, eagerly taking stock of its contents. Just then, he suddenly heard a sharp, agonized screech from an animal behind him, sending a jolt through his heart—

Crap, don’t tell me I’ve run into a large predator on the hunt?!

He didn’t have time to think. Grabbing his suitcase, he was ready to bolt, but before he could move, the agonized cry abruptly ceased. The surroundings fell eerily silent, with only the sound of the wind whispering through the air, making the whole situation feel even more unsettling.

Lin Kong: “….”

What should I do? I really want to take a look.

Even as Lin Kong reminded himself that curiosity killed the cat, he still couldn’t resist sneaking over. He hid behind a massive tree, cautiously poking his head out to peer into the distance—only to see a man dressed in a long black robe standing in the middle of a clearing. His heart instantly surged with excitement—

Holy crap!! A living, breathing human!!!

Lin Kong had been stuck in this godforsaken place for at least eight, if not ten days. He had been dreaming of finding someone to talk to, and now, just when he had given up searching, here was a person, right in front of him!

Lin Kong’s first instinct was to rush over and greet the man like a long-lost relative. But before he could even open his mouth, the next scene shoved all his words straight back down his throat—nearly choking him in the process.

The “man” standing in the clearing suddenly raised his right hand, his fingers making a slight motion in the air. In an instant, the surrounding grass and trees trembled violently.

Above, a feathered dragon had been soaring gracefully—until, as if seized by an invisible force, its throat was crushed. Like a kite with its string cut, it plummeted to the ground with a heavy crash, sending a cloud of dust billowing into the air.

“Boom—!”

The “man” in the black robe tightened his grip in the air, as if clutching the feathered dragon’s throat from a distance. His fingers clenched mercilessly, and the creature let out a sharp, agonized screech, struggling desperately. But its body shriveled at an unnatural speed, collapsing in on itself like a mummified corpse drained of all flesh and blood. In the end, it became as brittle and lifeless as a withered branch.

The lingering force of his psychic power stirred the air, flipping back the brim of his black hood, revealing an eerily pale yet strikingly handsome face—like a vampire from legend.

And in his long, slender fingers, a faint blue glow pulsed—

It was the feathered dragon’s life force.

This scene completely fried Lin Kong’s mental CPU. He trembled as he staggered backward, all thoughts of excitement and companionship instantly thrown out the window.

This wasn’t a fellow survivor—this was a freaking lunatic!

Without a second thought, he turned and bolted. But before he could get far, the black-robed man had already sensed his breathing. With an almost leisurely tilt of his head, his blood-red eyes locked onto Lin Kong’s retreating figure.

Then, with a powerful sweep of his wings, he took off in pursuit.

[Life Force]

[Abundant]

[Unknown Species]

These were the conclusions that surfaced in Hermes’ mind as he analyzed the figure before him. He tilted his head slightly, unable to comprehend how Lin Kong—so visibly lean and frail—could possess life force far greater than that of the massive feathered dragon.

A cold, dark glint flickered in his eyes.

[Kill]

Hermes caught up to Lin Kong in no time. With a swift motion, his golden wings folded back with a sharp snap, blocking Lin Kong’s path entirely.

Lin Kong had been sprinting in a panic, and the sudden appearance of that black-clad figure right in front of him scared him so badly that he tripped and fell to the ground with a heavy thud. He immediately tried to turn and flee in another direction, but his legs had turned to jelly—no matter how hard he willed them to move, they refused to cooperate.

Internally, he was already slapping himself silly.

This is what you get for being curious! This is what you get for being curious! Now you’ve gone and gotten yourself killed!

Hermes stood just three steps away, gazing indifferently at the unfamiliar creature before him. Slowly, he raised his pale, slender right hand, preparing to take Lin Kong’s life.

A burst of cold sweat erupted across Lin Kong’s back, sharp and stinging. He was certain he was doomed.

But in a surge of inexplicable courage—or sheer desperation—he suddenly scrambled forward on all fours, flinging himself at the lunatic’s legs and clutching them tightly. Tears and snot streamed down his face as he wailed,

“Don’t kill me! Please, big bro, I’m begging you—don’t kill me!”

“I’m different from that dumb dragon! I can talk, I can sing, I’ve even trained in singing, dancing, and rapping! If you’re bored, I can entertain you! If you’re hungry, I can cook for you! And if all else fails… I can even warm your bed!”

Lin Kong figured that as long as this lunatic didn’t kill him, he was absolutely willing to treat the guy like a VIP and serve him with utmost devotion!

 

 

 

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