The three restrained girls stared at the Quantum Ghost as if it were the most terrifying monster in the world. They immediately began to struggle desperately, trying to break free from the Gray Tide’s tentacles and run, but they couldn’t budge.
Although they didn’t understand what on earth this inexplicable stranger meant by "the Emperor of the North Pole, Profound Celestial True Martial and the Three Realms Demon-Subduing Emperor, Venerable Celestial Lord of Divine Might and Far-Reaching Suppression, Saint Emperor Guan, descending to the mortal world together," they were certain he was completely insane.
No human could survive an encounter with those Evil Ghosts!
Their "shouts" were merely soft whispers:
"Let us go... you madman..."
"Please, let us escape..."
"The Evil Ghost will devour you! It’ll kill you..."
Ignoring the three beautiful, stocking-clad girls struggling and pleading within the tentacles, Shen Feng smirked and took the metal rod containing the Quantum Force Field Core into his hand.
’This Quantum Ghost has come at the perfect time. To earn these survivors’ trust, I need to show them what I’m capable of.’
’Making an example of this Quantum Ghost would be the perfect way to do it.’
At that moment, the Quantum Ghost had already spotted the four humans in the hall. It let out a joyous shriek, then charged wildly toward them!
Its target was none other than the three captive girls in black stockings!
The three girls began to struggle desperately once more, trying to break free from the tentacles and pleading pitifully, but they couldn’t move the iron-hearted stranger in the slightest!
And yet, even knowing they were at the end of their lives and would soon be killed by the Evil Ghost, their voices remained incredibly faint. They didn’t dare to shout.
It seemed keeping their voices down had become instinctual.
Clearly, in their lifetimes, they had witnessed an untold number of massacres caused by sounds or lights attracting Quantum Ghosts.
’What on earth is that strange outsider trying to do?’
’Is he really insane?’
’And what are these metal tentacles?’
’And the food in the pot... Oh God, how can it smell so fragrant? It’s incredible... If I could just have one bite, I could die without regrets...’
At this thought, the black-stockinged girl in the center actually calmed down. Ignoring the approaching Quantum Ghost, she spoke to Shen Feng, her voice trembling:
"Let me... let me have one bite... before I die..."
Shen Feng froze, then understanding dawned, followed by a pang of sorrow.
For these human survivors living in the Dark Apocalypse, light and color were rare sights. Instead, hearing, touch, and taste were the most important senses. For them, delicious food was the ultimate pleasure.
For them, being able to eat this incredibly fragrant twice-cooked pork would mean they could die without regret.
Bizarre, absurd, yet true.
Once he understood this, Shen Feng was no longer in the mood to toy with them. He raised the metal rod, stepped forward to face the Quantum Ghost, and with a sudden lunge, viciously pierced its body.
In the next instant, the menacing Quantum Ghost was shattered by the violent energy unleashed from the Quantum Force Field Core. It let out a piercing shriek and dissolved into shimmering blue specks of light before vanishing into the void.
Giving the metal rod a flourish, Shen Feng brought it to his side and walked over to inspect the spot where the Quantum Ghost had vanished.
As before, there was no residue left behind.
Shen Feng couldn’t help but frown.
’Could their true forms really be those statues?’
’After a human becomes a statue, does their consciousness reach a Bose-Einstein condensate state due to being static and solidified, and then detach from the body?’
’That doesn’t make sense. Why didn’t I see any Quantum Ghosts back in the Stone Statue Apocalypse?’
’If I’d run into these Quantum Ghosts back then, I probably would’ve been toast during my very first apocalypse mission.’
’As for Kuafu and those Silicon-Based Half-Brain Apes, they would have had zero chance of survival.’
’After all, it seems these Quantum Ghosts have some kind of fanatical obsession with the consciousness of intelligent life...’
While he stood there thinking, the three black-stockinged girls, still bound by the tentacles, were already shocked beyond belief. Their eyes, already much larger than a normal person’s, now looked as if they were about to pop out of their heads.
In their lives, which had been a constant state of terror, this was the first time they had ever seen someone kill an Evil Ghost!
Not even in legends had they ever heard of an ordinary person capable of killing an Evil Ghost!
This completely shattered their entire worldview and everything they thought they knew!
"Who... who are you?!" She was so shocked that her voice was much louder this time. The girl in the center seemed to startle herself with the volume, her eyes immediately darting in terror toward the walls and windows as if afraid of attracting another Evil Ghost.
The other two girls were also dumbfounded, their mouths agape, unable to believe what they had just seen. Yet, an undeniable hint of excitement shone in their eyes.
Only then did Shen Feng notice that the three girls’ eyes were much larger than a normal person’s, and their pupils seemed larger as well, making them look almost like characters out of a comic book.
Their ears were also noticeably larger.
Clearly, these were subtle adaptations the human body had made to long-term survival in a dark, lightless environment.
These changes could be genetic, or they could stem from long-term habits, like constantly straining to keep their eyes wide open.
He could also see that their bone structures had changed slightly, resulting in a subtle forward stoop, likely caused by their lifestyle and a chronic lack of nutrition and sunlight.
These physiological traits struck Shen Feng as familiar.
He couldn’t quite place where he had seen them before when Jingwei’s voice sounded in his mind:
"Why do these three look a little like that bunch of girls from back in my hometown?"
It suddenly dawned on Shen Feng, and he remembered why they felt familiar.
The girls’ builds were similar to those of the Night Woman Tribe from the Iron Country, which he’d encountered deep in the subway ruins of the post-nuclear apocalypse.
In other words, Firefly’s mother’s tribe.
Back then, due to living underground for so long in a world without sunlight, combined with radiation exposure, the bodies of many Night Women had undergone slight changes.
Speaking of which, the Dark Apocalypse was basically just a larger, sunless version of the Iron Country.
He still remembered how Firefly’s mother had wanted to stab him to death, and how Firefly had threatened her own life to stop her...
’Heh... Firefly...’
Memories from deep within him suddenly bubbled to the surface, and in an instant, Shen Feng’s mind was flooded with thoughts.
"Thinking about your little sweetheart, are we? Go back and see her when you have time," Jingwei’s peeved voice chimed in. "Focus on the task at hand."
Shen Feng smiled faintly, gathered his thoughts, and with a light snap of his fingers, the Gray Tide tentacles released the three bound, black-stockinged girls.
He then addressed the three of them with a serious expression:
"My name is Shen. I am the Emperor of the North Pole, Profound Celestial True Martial and the Three Realms Demon-Subduing Emperor, Venerable Celestial Lord of Divine Might and Far-Reaching Suppression, Saint Emperor Guan, descended to the mortal realm as one to deliver human civilization from darkness. In some places, I am called the Savior Army Commander, or the Savior. Of course, I have done some humble work... Now, the great task of saving the world falls upon your shoulders. Are you willing to help me for the sake of human civilization?"
His long speech left the three young women utterly bewildered, but they still managed to catch a few keywords. The prettiest of the three, a girl with charming, puffy under-eyes, asked while trembling:
"Shen? Savior Army Commander? Savior? Destructive Shen? The Antichrist?"