Lin Kong saw that Hermes remained silent and assumed he had tacitly agreed. His heart skipped a beat—Hermes was clearly a male zerg, so how could he lay eggs?! Or… had he secretly found a female zerg behind his back?!
“You…”
“I…”
Lin Kong’s mind went completely blank, and he could barely form a sentence. The golden egg in his arms suddenly felt like a scorching hot potato. Panicked, he hurriedly shoved it into Hermes’ arms, afraid he might accidentally drop and break it. “When did you lay an egg? Or… did you find a mate?”
Hermes never expected Lin Kong’s imagination to run this wild. Catching the golden egg, he frowned. [Who told you this was my egg?]
This egg was bigger than a basketball—who could possibly lay something like that?
Without another word, Hermes, under Lin Kong’s stunned gaze, casually tossed the egg into the corner of the cave. A crisp crack echoed through the space, sending a chill down Lin Kong’s spine. [This is the Zerg King’s offspring.]
Lin Kong panicked. “Hey, don’t just throw it away!”
He scrambled off the bed and rushed to retrieve the egg. Expecting it to be cracked, he carefully examined it in his arms, only to find it completely unscathed—not a single dent. It was absurdly sturdy. “If this egg was laid by the Zerg King, why didn’t you give it back to him? Why did you bring it here?”
It couldn’t be eaten or drunk, yet just looking at it made one envious.
Hermes hadn’t actually decided what to do with the egg, but the one thing he was certain of was that it couldn’t be handed over to the Zerg King—at least not yet. Keeping his response brief, he said: [Keep it. Hide it well.]
Lin Kong couldn’t help but think that Hermes was really good at ordering people around. “The cave is only so big, and it’s all stone. Where exactly am I supposed to hide it?”
Hermes didn’t seem to care much about the egg’s survival. [Bury it underground.]
Lin Kong was dumbfounded. “Aren’t eggs supposed to hatch? If you bury it, won’t it die?”
Hermes’ response was even simpler this time. [If it dies, we eat it.]
Lin Kong: “……”
Damn! What a cold-blooded, heartless scumbag!
Left with no choice, Lin Kong grabbed a tree branch and crouched in the corner of the cave, slowly digging a hole. But without a proper shovel, it was exhausting. After struggling for over ten minutes, he finally gave up, turning to Hermes with a pitiful look. “I can’t dig anymore. I’m hungry and out of strength.”
Hermes cast him a fleeting glance, then casually flicked his fingertips. A surge of mental energy shot out, blasting a massive crater into the ground. Caught off guard, Lin Kong was showered with dirt and dust. He sputtered, spitting out the grit. “Pah! Pah!—You could do it yourself this whole time?! Then why make me dig?!”
What a total psycho!
Hermes seemed amused by Lin Kong’s disheveled state. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he said leisurely: [You’re prey. If you don’t want to die, you work.]
Lin Kong refused to back down. “Didn’t I work last night?!”
He gave what was asked—kisses, hugs—how had he not put in the effort?!
Hermes instantly understood the implication, and for the first time, he seemed a little uncomfortable. This prey of his was getting bolder, daring to push boundaries with him. His expression turned cold as he spat out three words: [Bury it. Now.]
Lin Kong didn’t dare to truly argue with Hermes—he valued his life too much for that. So, with a resigned sigh, he crouched down and buried the egg in the pit, covering it with dirt before stomping on it twice for good measure. “There. That good enough?”
Hermes let out a neutral “Mm.”—finally satisfied. [I’m leaving. Stay in the cave and don’t wander around.]
Wiping the dust off his face, Lin Kong couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Where are you going this time? You left this morning without even telling me.”
Hermes paused mid-step. […I told you.]
Lin Kong blinked. “What?”
Hermes pointed at the stone wall, his patience wearing thin as he repeated himself. [I told you already.]
Lin Kong followed Hermes’ gesture and saw a series of strange markings on the stone wall—at some point, someone had carved them there. A circle, a stick figure, a mountain… and then nothing else.
He stared at it in confusion. “What is this? Your writing?”
What the hell does it even say?
Seeing Lin Kong’s confusion, Hermes frowned and explained: [I left the cave. Went to the mountain.]
To him, the message was perfectly clear—anyone with a functioning brain should be able to understand it.
Lin Kong: “…”
Lin Kong had always considered himself one of the lucky few who slipped through the cracks of the nine-year compulsory education system. But he never expected Hermes to be even less literate than he was. For a long moment, he was at a complete loss for words.
Stepping closer to the cave wall, he carefully examined the markings. If he really stretched his imagination, he supposed Hermes’ explanation made some sense. Stroking his chin, he asked, “Huh… did you come up with this yourself, or is this how all Zerg Tribe members write?”
Hermes lifted his chin slightly, exuding an air of cold arrogance. [I created it myself.]
The Zerg Tribe communicated through mental energy—they had no need for writing.
After saying his piece, Hermes ignored Lin Kong’s dumbfounded expression and turned to leave. His wings spread wide, and with a sharp whoosh, he vanished into the depths of the dense forest.
He had to return and report to the Zerg King—any delay would only arouse suspicion.
Hermes had timed his return perfectly. As he entered the temple, he saw Xue Po and Gayan already kneeling before the Zerg King, their heads bowed low, unable to hide their fear.
[My King, we failed to find any trace of Dongning or the egg. Please punish us.]
A guttural, hissing growl of anger rumbled from the Zerg King’s throat. [Where is Hermes?! Why has he not reported back with you?!]
Hermes was the strongest among the four divine attendants, and the Zerg King had no choice but to place his hopes on him to retrieve the golden egg.
Unfortunately, Hermes had no intention of handing it over.
[My King—]
Emerging from the depths of the forest, his voice was as cold and steady as ever. He knelt before the Zerg King, his silver hair slipping forward, a single strand falling to obscure the crimson eyes brimming with ambition. [I scoured the entire eastern region but found no trace of Dongning. Please punish me.]
“Boom—!”
The Zerg King slammed its tail against the ground in fury, shaking the entire temple. A deep, ancient voice echoed in Hermes’ mind, sending a chill down his spine. [Dongning has already been torn apart by me. Spread the word—summon all my subjects to offer tribute, and have them search for the golden egg! That egg must be found and returned to me!]
Hermes lowered his head in feigned obedience. [Yes, my king.]
Beyond the four divine attendants, countless other subjects were scattered throughout the dense forest. Weak in strength, they often lived and hunted in groups, only gathering at the temple when summoned.
Standing before the temple, Hermes and Xue Po joined the others in forming an ancient seal with their hands. A soft, pale-blue glow rippled outward from their bodies, spreading like waves from the temple’s center, reaching deep into the distant forest.
[By the command of our King—assemble at the temple immediately!]
The deep, commanding voices of the three divine attendants carried far through the forest, laced with an undeniable sense of impending doom. Hearing the summons, the scattered subjects hiding in their caves and burrows hesitantly emerged, their faces filled with fear.
[This is bad—the Zerg King is calling for us!]
[What do we do? We haven’t gathered enough food. If we go empty-handed, we’re dead!]
[If we don’t go, we’ll die anyway. Who would dare defy the Zerg King’s summons?]
They had no choice but to gather their companions and rush toward the temple. As they moved, clouds of dust billowed behind them, resembling a mass migration of wild beasts.
At that moment, Lin Kong was crouching by the stream, brushing his teeth while debating whether he should learn how to start a fire by rubbing sticks together. After all, his lighter wouldn’t last forever. He rinsed his mouth and was just about to head back to try it out when a sudden, intense buzzing filled the air above him—like the sound of a massive swarm of bees passing overhead.
“…?”
Lin Kong slowly lifted his head, watching as the sky darkened. A massive swarm of shadowy figures flew overhead. At first glance, they looked like birds—but a closer look revealed them to be winged humanoids.
His pupils contracted in shock, and the cup in his hand slipped to the ground. Holy shit! Since when were there so many people here?! He had thought this entire forest was home to only Hermes and the other few he had met.
What Lin Kong didn’t know was that Hermes had previously marked the area, keeping lower-ranked zergs from approaching. Now, however, they were swarming in. Instinctively, he wanted to retreat into the cave to avoid being spotted by these bird-people, but before he could, another group emerged in the distance—this time, humanoid figures dressed in animal hides, wielding wooden clubs. They rushed past the entrance of the cave in large numbers, their heavy footsteps shaking the dust from the ground.
The zergs relied on their wings for flight, but doing so consumed a significant amount of energy. The strong and able-bodied ones led the way in the air, while the old, weak, and injured could only walk on foot.
Lin Kong stood frozen in the middle of the path, completely dumbfounded. The last time he had seen such a massive crowd was when an international superstar attended a film festival, with fans chasing them all the way from the airport. But what the hell was happening this time?
Although Lin Kong was dressed differently from the others, he at least looked human. An elderly, lower-ranked zerg with graying hair and a face full of wrinkles noticed Lin Kong standing there in a daze. Out of kindness, he grabbed his arm and urged him in a hushed voice: [What are you standing around for? Hurry up and move! If you’re late, the Divine Attendants will kill you with their psychic power!]
Lin Kong panicked and quickly waved his hands, trying to explain, “You’ve got it wrong… I’m not… No—”
But the old zerg stomped his foot anxiously. [No buts! Just move!]
Despite his age, he was still a strong zerg. Without waiting for further argument, he grabbed Lin Kong—who was all skin and bones compared to him—and yanked him into the crowd, dragging him along as they rushed toward the distant mountains.
Lin Kong was stuck—he couldn’t walk away, but staying put wasn’t an option either. Every time he so much as twitched, the surrounding zergs would turn their heads in eerie unison, staring at him with an unsettling gaze. With no better choice, he steeled himself and blended into the middle of the crowd, following the larger group forward.
Was he scared? Of course, he was.
But as the saying goes, if there’s a spectacle, you might as well watch. Though Lin Kong desperately wanted to distance himself from these strange creatures, his curiosity burned even stronger—just what exactly were they all heading toward?
#Tsk, he really was curious.#
But soon, Lin Kong got his answer.
[Our King, please enjoy your feast.]
A tribe had arrived at the temple ahead of them. Standing at the back of the dense crowd, Lin Kong watched as a strong young man, clad in animal hides, knelt before the Zerg King, respectfully offering a ball of glowing blue energy in his hands.
The Zerg King resembled an oversized white earthworm, its massive body writhing slowly in a deep pit. Just looking at it made Lin Kong’s scalp tingle with unease. His face turned green. So this was the so-called Zerg King that Hermes swore allegiance to? What a complete letdown!
The moment this thought crossed Lin Kong’s mind, the Zerg King suddenly opened its massive, bloodthirsty maw and, with a loud chomp, devoured the glowing blue life force. Its voice was harsh and impatient: [Not enough! Not enough!]
The man in animal hides hesitated, his expression caught between difficulty and sheer terror. [My King, we truly can’t find any more food…]
That sentence was clearly a mistake. The starving Zerg King twisted its massive body in fury. Without hesitation, it lunged forward, jaws wide, and swallowed the man whole. The sharp crunch of bones being crushed echoed in the air, sending shivers down Lin Kong’s spine. Blood dripped steadily onto the ground.
The entire scene fell into a deathly silence—no one dared to speak or intervene.
“…”
Lin Kong was utterly stunned, his mind going completely blank. Slowly, he turned to the old man beside him, disbelief written all over his face. “So you all came here… just to die?”
He had thought they were here to receive some kind of reward.
At the very least, maybe a piece of meat or something.
The old zerg’s face twisted with sorrow at Lin Kong’s words, a flicker of despair flashing in his eyes. Their tribe consisted mostly of the old, weak, and infirm—what little food they had managed to gather was far less than what the zerg who had just been devoured had offered. There was no doubt—they were doomed as well.
Soon, it was their tribe’s turn to present an offering.
Lin Kong watched as the old man beside him slowly pushed himself up using his wooden staff. Step by step, he walked forward and knelt before the Zerg King, his frail hands offering a pitifully small cluster of blue energy. His voice, hoarse with age, carried a trembling reverence: [My King, please accept this offering.]
He was the oldest among them. If the Zerg King was dissatisfied, it would be best if only he perished—at least then, the younger ones in the tribe might still have a chance to live.
The real fear was…
[Is this how you dare to deceive me?!]
A furious roar thundered through the air, sending chills down the spines of every zerg present.
The Zerg King swiftly noticed that all the members of this tribe were old and frail. Its body radiated a murderous aura as it devoured the meager energy offering in one gulp. Then, with a flick of its massive tail toward the direction of the divine attendants, it roared: [Hermes! Kill them for me!!]
These aging zergs could no longer hunt and bring back food—better to let them serve as a meal instead.
Hermes had been standing silently on the sidelines, his deep-set features hidden beneath the shadow of his hood, as still and indifferent as a cold, unfeeling deity. At the Zerg King’s command, he raised his right hand without a trace of emotion. His black divine robe billowed despite the absence of wind, as if the act of crushing these insignificant ants required no more than a mere gesture—
Such events had happened too many times. His heart no longer stirred.
A surge of blue psychic energy gathered from all directions, tightening around the throats of the lower-ranked zergs. Just as Hermes was about to constrict his hold, his gaze swept over the crowd—and suddenly, he froze. Amidst the trembling figures, a familiar presence caught his eye. His crimson pupils flickered with a trace of astonishment—
Lin Kong?!
Extra chapters, thank you so much for the support!! (,,>﹏<,,)
![He Lived Like You [End of the World]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/HLLY.jpg "He Lived Like You [End of the World]")