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Unlike any device that Saki had ever seen before.
The operating mechanical device appeared unusually rudimentary, so rudimentary that it seemed completely out of place something that Lu Xuan, a "perfectionist," would create.
If the machine hadn't actually been running, Saki would have even doubted whether such a rudimentary device could function properly.
"It's you?"
It was only then that Lu Xuan noticed Saki's arrival. He muttered something without even lifting his eyelids, looking utterly dejected.
This is also completely different from Lu Xuan's previous style.
The Lu Xuan of the past would never have been so careless, and he would never have been able to walk right up to someone without attracting their attention.
"What happened?"
His tone became more serious than ever before; Saki could tell from Lu Xuan's current state that the problem was serious.
Considering that Daigo had not shown up at all, she had a vague sense of foreboding.
"I've lost Daigo..."
Admittedly, Lu Xuan's words left Shaji silent for quite a while.
It wasn't until Saki recovered from her shock that she realized what Lu Xuan's words meant.
"Daigo has disappeared? Was he caught up in the previous spacetime turbulence?"
——Monthly Tickets/Recommendation Tickets——
Chapter 445 The Dark Ages
This is Earth, yet it is not Earth.
Or to be more precise, this is a parallel universe Earth without Ultraman or monsters, where only humans look up at the space.
However, all of this came to an end one day sixteen years ago.
Monsters appeared out of nowhere and destroyed the city, and endless darkness surged from the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
The surviving humans wailed in despair, only to be met with even more monsters emerging from the darkness.
That is the manifestation of the darkness within the human heart, and also the death knell for the end of civilization.
Faced with the relentless onslaught of monsters, humanity's leadership ultimately decided to abandon Earth, which was now shrouded in darkness, and embark on a journey into deep space aboard a spaceship called "Ark."
Unfortunately, not all humans are able to board that savior ship called "Ark".
Those humans left behind on Earth could only sadly curse the abandonment of their superiors, and then face the endless darkness and monsters.
The only saving grace is that the high-ranking human leaders who fled to deep space did not go too far.
Before fleeing into deep space, humanity's leadership left behind sufficient technology and established settlements around the world to provide shelter for humanity.
Of course, this so-called "protection" refers to the basic level of protection provided that the people in the settlement have the most basic necessities of life, provided that there is no malicious attack from monsters.
To be honest, when Lu Xuan first learned about these circumstances, he remained silent.
Because he knew that, if things were to be really taken seriously, he would have to bear at least half the blame for everything that happened on this parallel Earth.
......................................................................................................
DP425 is one of the many settlements established by humanity's high command before they fled into deep space.
However, after sixteen years of monster invasions and attacks, DP425 has become one of the few remaining settlements worldwide.
The permanent population living here is less than 100,000, which is even smaller than the population of a small town.
Beneath that massive, high wall, the remaining humans have completely given up hope and are slowly awaiting their impending death.
So, when Lu Xuan walked into the dimly lit alley, no one paid him any attention.
Da da da……
The streets were deserted, and the garbage cans reeked.
Lu Xuan wandered through the dark street like a ghost until he caught a glimpse of an empty wine bottle out of the corner of his eye.
Looking up, he saw a disheveled girl sitting deep in the street corner, staring at Lu Xuan with a calm, almost indifferent gaze.
Would you like something to drink?
Suddenly, the girl smiled and raised the last bottle of wine in her hand.
The girl didn't care at all about Lu Xuan's cold gaze. She looked very haggard, but she still managed to force a smile as she looked at Lu Xuan.
"I do not drink."
Despite saying that, Lu Xuan still walked step by step to the girl and looked down at her from an almost condescending angle.
"Alcohol disrupts my thinking and interferes with my ideas, so I don't like drinking."
Upon hearing this, the girl stopped insisting and instead tilted her head back and drank the entire bottle of wine in one gulp.
"Tsk tsk tsk, it's really rare to see someone who doesn't drink these days..."
The girl continued to smile, but the almost indifferent emptiness in her eyes remained.
"You're from out of town, aren't you?"
"Don't come to the city wall at night, it's not safe there."
The sudden reminder caught Lu Xuan off guard.
Especially when stared at by the girl's empty eyes that seemed to see through everything, he was momentarily speechless.
This unfamiliar kindness, especially since it came from this dark age...
This was the first time Lu Xuan had experienced this since he came to this world.
"If you know this place isn't safe, then why are you here?"
After a brief silence, Lu Xuan asked in as calm a tone as possible.
Do you want to chat with me?
"Then have a drink with me for a while!"
"I drank all of these by myself!"
The girl pointed to a pile of beer bottles next to her, looking quite proud.
Lu Xuan didn't answer. He just silently squatted down and picked up a bottle from the pile of bottles.
Lu Xuan didn't understand why this girl was so enthusiastic, nor did he know why she was so outgoing.
However, Lu Xuan could see the despair in her heart, the despair of having given up on everything.
The girl seemed convinced that her life would end that night.
Therefore, she no longer cared whether Lu Xuan or other malicious villains witnessed the end of her life.
"It's very unsafe for a girl to drink like this."
Lu Xuan looked at her; she kept drinking and occasionally smiled at him.
"Safety?"
The girl put down the bottle, thought for a moment with an exaggerated expression, then picked up the bottle again and took a big gulp, before laughing and saying...
"Isn't this what I just advised you? Why are you bringing it up again?"
The girl did not answer Lu Xuan's question directly.
It wasn't until she noticed that Lu Xuan was still staring straight at her, a rare hint of tenderness appearing in his cold eyes.
"Thrown out, hehe..."
No one can truly empathize with another's pain, but Lu Xuan seemed to feel the girl's heartache at that moment.
If one hadn't truly reached a dead end, who could speak of their tragic experiences with such nonchalance?
"Were you born after a 'year of famine'?"
"I'm so envious of you! Your parents must love you very much!"
The girl stopped drinking and instead looked up at Lu Xuan, a ripple finally appearing in her empty eyes.
It was envy, it was jealousy, and it was also despair...
"I, your sister, was born before the 'year of famine'..."
Reaching out to put her arm around Lu Xuan's shoulder, the girl, who had no sense of boundaries, pulled down her collar, laughed, and pointed to her neck while murmuring.
"I didn't do this myself!"
Following the direction the girl was pointing, Lu Xuan froze.
Because on that fair neck, there were several obvious marks from ligatures and cigarette burns.
"In peacetime, having children is just an option, or even just a momentary passion."
"But in this day and age, only two people who truly love each other will choose to have a child and then use their own lives to continue their bloodline."
The girl smiled, then picked up the bottle again and drank it all in one gulp.
“My parents loved me just like your parents did.”
"However, this kind of love ultimately cannot withstand the endless darkness and despair..."
——Monthly Tickets/Recommendation Tickets——
Chapter 446 I Want to Survive
"Do you hate them?"
Silently gazing at the girl opposite him, Lu Xuan suddenly asked this question.
"hatred?"
Looking up somewhat blankly at Lu Xuan's serious expression, the girl's smile gradually faded.
"Are you a devil?"
Without denying the girl's question, Lu Xuan simply maintained his usual indifference.
"So what they said was true, there really are demons in this world!"
Having already gotten the answer from Lu Xuan's expression, the girl, who had clearly misunderstood something, burst into unrestrained laughter again.
"Haha! What's there to hate about?"
“If it weren’t for me, they could actually live a more carefree life.”
"If we're really talking about hatred, I hate those high-ranking officials who abandoned us, I hate those monsters that appeared out of nowhere, and I hate this inexplicable disaster!"
"Those unusual phenomena that adults call 'doomsday disasters' are the real culprits behind all this!"
Despite uttering words of hatred, the girl's eyes remained vacant.
That lifeless emptiness had long become a part of the girl, and she could not shake it off even when facing demons.
"I've heard that demons spring from the depths of the human heart..."
"Then are you just a hallucination of mine?"
Or am I actually already dead?
It wasn't about changing the subject; the girl was simply curious about Lu Xuan's background.
In the girl's mind, ever since that cataclysmic event, endless darkness has surged from the Pacific Ocean to the entire Earth.
Under the encroachment of darkness, everyone is susceptible to being assimilated by it and transforming into one of the terrifying monsters outside the walls.
Most of the settlements that humans built beforehand were actually destroyed from within by those terrible monsters.
After shattering the high walls of humanity, the terrifying monsters that surge from the hearts of men will merge with the darkness of the outside world, eventually becoming one of the overwhelming and terrifying monsters.
"You are not dead, and I am not a demon."
Lowering his head slightly, Lu Xuan didn't look directly into the girl's eyes when he said this, but stared at the broken wine bottles at his feet.
"But you are right about one thing: the 'demon' you perceive is indeed a manifestation of the darkness and despair within the human heart."
"When the evil thoughts and despair in people's hearts are about to overflow, they will resonate with the darkness in the outside world, which will distort their personality and give birth to a real demon."