ICAWZ Chapter 205

Lin Kong rambled on in a chaotic mess of words, saying so much that even he couldn’t make sense of it. Then, he shut his eyes tightly, anxiously awaiting the arrival of death.

Clutching desperately onto the leg of the black-clad “man”, he was struck by how deathly cold the other’s body felt—just like a corpse. Even the muscles were rigid and unyielding, sending a chill straight to his heart.

What should I do? What should I do?

Was he really going to die here today?

Lin Kong was utterly terrified, his face ashen pale. Yet, even after waiting with his eyes shut for what felt like an eternity, no pain came. Finally, he couldn’t help but crack one eye open just a sliver and cautiously glance upward.

“?”

Lin Kong’s good looks were undeniable—after all, that was part of why he had made it as a celebrity. When he debuted in a boy band, his puppy-like face had stolen the hearts of countless older female fans, softening even the coldest of gazes.

But Hermes remained completely unmoved.

His mind was under the control of the Zerg King, like a machine pre-programmed in advance—incapable of any emotion beyond obedience and slaughter.

Three seconds later, he chose to continue the hunt.

[Kill.]

Hermes raised his hand and placed it atop Lin Kong’s head, resuming the interrupted ritual. A formless mass of mental energy began to take shape, threading into Lin Kong’s brain like fine strands.

In less than three minutes, he would end up just like the feathered dragon from earlier—drained into a lifeless husk.

“Holy shit—don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!”

Lin Kong panicked at the sight and hurriedly grabbed Hermes’ hand, cutting off the spell. Terrified that the other would take his life, he blurted out in a frantic rush, words spilling out like beans from a split bamboo tube:

“It’s just the two of us here—aren’t you bored? Don’t you feel lonely? How about this—you spare my life, and if you really can’t find any food, then you can kill me later!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he clung to the other’s leg with teary eyes, looking utterly aggrieved.

“I’m only in my twenties—I haven’t lived enough yet!”

Sob!

Unlike Hermes’ icy body, Lin Kong was warm. Pressed close, one could even feel something hot and crimson coursing beneath his skin, flowing steadily through his flesh—an unmistakable testament to his vibrant, pulsing life force.

[Unidentified species.]

Hermes frowned. The warmth of the other’s body made him deeply uncomfortable, yet the lethal energy gathered in his hand quietly dissipated. In its place, an invisible, translucent thread coiled around Lin Kong’s wrist.

[Study first.]

[Kill later.]

The Zerg King had just feasted and wouldn’t be hungry again for a while. Hermes still had plenty of time to hunt—if, in the end, he couldn’t harvest enough life force, he could always kill this “unidentified species” later.

Lin Kong had no idea what decision Hermes had made. All he saw was that the strange man in black robes had finally lowered that hand, the one that held absolute power over life and death.

Then, he took Lin Kong’s hand and led him into the dense forest.

That’s right—held his hand.

Lin Kong felt like his legs weren’t even his own, refusing to obey him. His wrist, bound by something invisible yet unyielding, felt as if it were being strangled by a tight rope. Helpless, he had no choice but to follow behind the black-clad man, all the while cursing inwardly: Damn it, does he think he’s keeping a pet? What’s with the leash?!

Of course, he only dared to grumble in his heart. Outwardly, he kept his complaints to himself, trailing behind the black-robed man with a pitiful expression.

For the rest of the day, all he could do was watch as the other person tore through the dense forest, killing, killing, and killing.

Strangling. Assassinating. Blowing heads clean off.

At first, Lin Kong was shocked, but by the end, he had grown completely numb. He seriously suspected that half the creatures in this forest had been wiped out by this guy. Who the hell even is he? Never mind the strange appearance—what was with these bizarre abilities?

Of course, Lin Kong didn’t dare to ask. He simply stared at the scattered husks of dried-up corpses, silently mourning the waste. Wouldn’t it have been better to just cut up the meat and roast it? Instead, they had been sucked dry into something resembling wind-cured jerky.

Unknowingly, night had fallen. A blood-red moon slowly rose above the horizon, casting an eerie glow over the depths of the forest.

As the red moon rose, Hermes finally halted his hunt. A faint crimson beam of moonlight fell upon his pale face—and immediately, like acid, it began to corrode his skin, even emitting a thin wisp of white smoke.

Lin Kong watched in stunned disbelief as the cold, expressionless man’s face suddenly changed. In a flash, he spun around, yanked down the brim of his hood, and darted into the nearby cave—

They couldn’t be touched by the blood moon’s light.

Lin Kong stood at the entrance of the cave, hesitating.

Should he go in?

If he did, he was afraid the man inside might suddenly decide to kill him on a whim. But if he didn’t… he had nowhere else to run.

There was no way he could survive in this perilous forest, nor did he think he could outrun the powerful black-clad man. Better to play along—for now. Maybe obedience would earn him a chance to stay alive.

It took Lin Kong only a few seconds to make up his mind.

He gave his wrist a small shake, feeling the presence of the invisible but undeniably real mental thread tethering him. Peeking cautiously into the cave, he hesitated for a moment before stepping inside with careful, deliberate steps.

Hermes’ face, burned by the moonlight, now bore a distinct charred mark—dark, seared flesh standing out starkly against his pale skin. Yet, he showed no reaction to the injury, as if completely unfazed. Instead, he simply found a spot, sat down, and closed his eyes, beginning the process of refining the life force he had harvested.

Countless faint blue lights drifted up from his body, swirling in the air before slowly converging, drop by drop, like streams flowing into an ocean. They merged into a single glowing blue sphere, pulsing softly in the dim cave.

The entire cave was bathed in a faint glow from the luminous sphere.

Lin Kong found a spot to sit down, hugging his backpack tightly. He felt a wave of relief—thankfully, he hadn’t lost it while running for his life today. Otherwise, he’d probably starve to death.

Reaching inside, he pulled out a milk candy and quietly popped it into his mouth. But just as he turned his head—

He was met with a pair of blood-red, icy eyes staring straight at him.

The shock nearly killed him on the spot.

“Cough! Cough! Cough—!”

Lin Kong swallowed with difficulty, then rummaged through his bag again. He pulled out another milk candy, hesitantly placing it on the ground before nudging it toward Hermes.

“Uh… are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”

Hermes didn’t respond. He simply stared at Lin Kong with the same calm, detached gaze one might use when looking at a lifeless object—utterly indifferent, as if there was no difference between Lin Kong and a rock on the roadside.

Across the entire forest, including the temple’s domain, no creature besides the S-class female zergs hatched by the Zerg King had ever possessed both intelligence and a humanoid form.

Lin Kong was like them—he could walk upright, he could speak—but the sheer vitality pulsing through his body was something they had never possessed.

Hermes frowned. As if confirming something, he raised his right hand and made a slight pulling motion through the air.

In an instant, Lin Kong was yanked forward—straight into his arms.

Holy shit!

Lin Kong froze for a moment, sprawled across Hermes’ lap, panic surging through him. Shit—what if this freak changed his mind and decided to kill him right now? He hadn’t even made it a full 24 hours!

Despair flooded his chest. He didn’t even have the strength to struggle—what was the point? There was no way he could win.

Might as well just lie there and wait for death.

Lin Kong surrendered completely, flopping down in utter resignation.

Lin Kong’s face was buried in the black robe, and he couldn’t help but notice how strangely smooth the fabric was—like flowing water, slick and untouchable, resisting even the smallest speck of dust. He had no idea what it was made of. Strange symbols covered the surface, their meanings unknown.

As his mind drifted in aimless thoughts, still waiting quietly for death—A hand, cold as ice, suddenly slipped beneath the hem of his shirt. It moved slowly, inch by inch, tracing up his back.

A chill crawled down Lin Kong’s spine. The sensation was eerie, unsettling—like being wrapped in the coils of a snake. His eyes widened in alarm.

“?!!”

T-this… this this this…?!

Hadn’t he just jokingly mentioned warming the bed earlier? He didn’t actually take it seriously, did he?! Lin Kong’s entire body went rigid, too scared to move. His mind screamed at him to react, but fear had locked him in place. His face flushed a deep red, burning hot against the cold air.

Meanwhile, Hermes was conducting a thorough examination of Lin Kong’s physical structure. Yet, he found something odd—this “unidentified species” had no wings. Even in a state of fear, his body simply tensed, showing no signs of an impending zerg transformation.

Hermes’ icy fingers continued downward—until they brushed against Lin Kong’s waistband.

Lin Kong completely freaked out this time. He jolted up like he’d been electrocuted, scrambling away to the side. He didn’t care if he was going to piss Hermes off—self-preservation came first! Pressing his back against the cave wall, he stammered,

“L-Listen, let’s get one thing straight— I-I- I’m the top! I refuse to be the one on the bottom!”

Some things were non-negotiable!

Hermes, of course, had no idea what nonsense Lin Kong was babbling about. His expression darkened slightly as he watched his “prey” panic and flee. Without hesitation, he flicked his fingers.

Thud! Lin Kong was instantly yanked back, crashing hard onto the ground beside Hermes, sending up a cloud of dust. A cold, eerie voice rang out in his mind—

[Run again, and I’ll kill you.]

It was only then that Lin Kong realized something strange—this black-robed man hadn’t spoken a single word from the very beginning. His lips had remained tightly shut the entire time. He was communicating through mental energy.

Lin Kong hurriedly waved his hands in surrender. “I’m not running, I’m not running! You’ve got me tied up with this invisible rope—where could I even go?”

Hermes gave no response. Without another glance at Lin Kong, he simply resumed his position, sitting cross-legged as he continued refining the life force he had gathered.

The cave was bathed in that eerie, blue glow once more, its soft shimmer reflecting off his pale skin. The burn mark left by the moonlight stood out even more starkly in the dim illumination, a jagged scar marring his otherwise emotionless face.

Lin Kong slowly inched toward the corner, still shaken. The lingering chill on his back wouldn’t fade, sending an eerie, crawling sensation down his spine—like the touch of a cold-blooded reptile. As the night deepened and silence settled over the cave, his chaotic thoughts finally cleared a little.

Hunger gnawed at his stomach, making it spasm painfully. He clutched his abdomen, glancing into his bag at the dwindling supply of food. Then, he looked toward the distant figure of the black-robed man, who remained indifferent, unmoving.

What now?

How was he supposed to survive this?

Lin Kong felt a growing unease. He knew his own limits. In this dense forest, even the smallest creature was a hundred times stronger than him. Once his food ran out, there would be no escape—he’d just have to wait for death.

And right now, the only being he could possibly rely on… was the black-robed man sitting before him.

This man could use magic—if he spared even a fraction of his hunted prey, Lin Kong could live off it for half a month.

But why would he help?

Lin Kong hesitated, absentmindedly running a hand down his back. The lingering cold sensation from earlier made him shiver involuntarily. Yet, despite his fear, a reckless thought crept into his mind—What if… he tried seducing him?

That pervert had just pinned him down on his lap and touched him for so long—there was no way he was some saintly gentleman.

Out here in the wilderness, with only the two of them and no other humans in sight, even a pig would probably start looking like a goddess.

Lin Kong touched his own pretty little face and thought, Aren’t I way better looking than a pig?

If he could coax this pervert into a daze and catch him off guard, he could flip the situation and take the lead instead. Serve him well enough, and maybe the guy would stop trying to pin him down.

To secure both his meal ticket and his backside, Lin Kong’s mind was working at full speed, calculations clattering like an abacus. In the end, whether from an idealistic or a practical standpoint, cozying up to this pervert seemed like the best choice.

At that thought, Lin Kong couldn’t help but glance at Hermes. The man’s pale, striking features were cast in deep shadows under the ghostly blue light, his gaze slightly lowered. From the side, he looked like an ancient statue that had stood in silent vigil for centuries. Silver-white strands of hair cascaded over his papal robes, coiling into delicate loops, with a few stray locks even spilling onto the ground.

Tsk, what a menace.

Lin Kong thought to himself—if this pervert debuted in the entertainment industry, how many fans would he end up seducing to death? That face was practically divine, the perfect blend of striking features. Honestly, cozying up to him didn’t seem like such a bad deal.

As a hopeless face-con, Lin Kong felt both envious and relieved. If he had ended up with some Tarzan-looking brute instead, there was no way he could bring himself to go through with it.

 

 

 

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