Chapter 23: Treasury

Chapter23: The Treasury

"You think we aren't monsters?"

Xu Lie's words left Chen Jian momentarily stunned, but upon reflection, it seemed indeed true.

"Right, aren't they monsters either?"

"I only knew they were stronger and faster, never pondering whether beneath that flesh lay still a human core."

"That's a cognitive inertia."

"But in reality?"

"To withstand greater impact, their bones must differ from humans."

"To furnish greater explosive power, their muscles must have changed."

"To sustain ultra‑high metabolism, their blood vessels, organs, glands, even brains, must no longer belong to the category of 'human'."

"They are monsters too—just monsters wearing human skin."

Chen Jian exhaled deeply; at that moment he felt his grasp of the world was still shallow.

——

"But what does it matter?"

"Just as I told Xu Lie, we had to kill those villagers because they struck first."

"As for being 'monsters,' that's at most a garnish."

"Chen Jian's mind cleared; the flicker of self‑doubt evaporated."

"He no longer heeded Xu Lie; after pulling his squad to higher ground, he ordered He Shuo to lower the drone altitude and begin a full reconnaissance of the reservoir and the unknown lifeform beneath it."

"Because the lake's isolation blocked the creature's heat signature entirely."

"Yet even relying solely on low‑light imaging, he could clearly see the massive form of the lake‑dwelling monster."

"Its streamlined body resembled a fish."

"But the pronounced, stubby limbs on its torso hinted at some kind of amphibian."

"Chen Jian didn't know where the carbon dioxide settled in the lakebed came from, but he knew it must be tied to that monster."

"After a moment of observation, the monster did not surface; instead, after a few thrashes it sank back into the depths."

"Chen Jian redirected the drone above Xia Ma Town, where four Holy Blood warriors were locked in fierce combat with the town's residents."

"It was the first time he saw Xu Lie fight a 'normal' foe; as a scout, his skill was undeniably mature."

"Stealth, concealment, assassination, disappearance—executed in one fluid flow."

"His use of personal perception had been pushed to its limits; even wounded, every movement bore a professional, efficient grace."

""And us? They're killing even more brutally than we are.""

"Shen Yue beside him sneered."

""That's different; they were surrounded, with no choice.""

"Chen Jian shook his head in reply; Shen Yue mused:"

""So it's not just these few villagers—everyone in Xia Ma Town is problematic.""

""That guy earlier said they're linked to the Machine God Cult—what exactly is that link?""

""We'll have to get those Holy Blood warriors to answer.""

"Chen Jian's eyes shifted slightly, then he said:"

""What Xu Lie gave us isn't the full intel; there are two possibilities.""

""Either they don't know either, or they're deliberately hiding it from us.""

""Either way, that doesn't directly prove malicious intent.""

""But in the end, they owe us an answer.""

""Come on, they've fought about as much as they can.""

""Let's head down and wrap things up.""

"Twenty minutes later, inside Xia Ma Town."

"The four Holy Blood warriors had cleared the scene, while the dozens of survivors were gathered in the town's open square."

"Chen Jian's squad escorted the innkeeper back to town; Xu Lie rushed forward, tone weary:"

""We're in deep trouble now.""

""At least forty died in this clash, most of them civilians."" "Wait a moment."

"Chen Jian cut him off, issuing an unequivocal verdict on the conflict:"

""From the moment they plotted to strike us, they ceased to be civilians.""

""."

""Xu Lie had nothing to say; he could only nod:""

""It's come to this; there's no turning back.""

""I'll report to the Holy Blood Hall and have them work out a solution.""

""But I think, before acting, you should at least give us a heads‑up.""

""After all, we know these local rules better than you; even if we must intervene, we can leave more room.""

""There's no such thing as 'room' or 'no room'."

"Chen Jian shook his head and continued:"

""Besides, the townspeople have close ties to the Machine God Cult—do you know that?""

""No idea.""

"Xu Lie's face showed surprise; realizing the implication of Chen Jian's tone, he hurried to explain:"

""Chosen Ones, we aren't omniscient.""

""If we knew the locals were linked to the Machine God Cult, I would never have brought you here.""

""The Machine God Cult has always sought to unearth pre‑Cataclysm technology; if they noticed you—— wait, are all these people miners?""

""Exactly.""

"Chen Jian nodded slowly; what he hadn't expected was that, upon hearing the answer from his own lips, Xu Lie's expression shifted instantly—"

""from worry to wild delight.""

""Now it makes sense!""

""I've been wondering why supplies and gear occasionally appear here that even Jinling City lacks, and how a town of barely a hundred could endure so long.""

""They are miners indeed—only Machine God Cult miners would set up a outpost in this god‑forsaken place.""

""They must still have goodies they haven't managed to ship out—we need to move fast!"

These remaining folks are a real headache—we need to find a way to dispose of them all!

.You just said we were in trouble!

Chen Jian spread his hands helplessly, while Xu Lie spoke with bright-eyed enthusiasm:

"Now there aren't any!"

"Just as you said, they're miners, they're followers of the Machine God Cult!"

"Even if we wipe them all out, at most it's just an internal squabble between the Hall of Holy Blood and the Machine God Cult."

"We needn't worry about damaging the prestige of the Hall of Holy Blood, nor about the faithful losing heart."

"Alright, no more talk—hand him over to us; I have a way to make him spill everything."

Xu Lie gazed at the innkeeper pinned to the ground by Lei Jie, his eyes brimming with anticipation.

Chen Jian, without pretense, nodded at Lei Jie, who promptly shoved the innkeeper to Xu Lie's feet.

The interrogation began immediately, but lasted less than two minutes.

Two minutes later, the battered innkeeper, leading a group of five, entered the inn's basement; after pushing open two heavy stone doors in succession, the subterranean space finally lay before them.

Gazing at the assorted objects in the cellar, Chen Jian's team of four drew a simultaneous, deep breath.

"What a treasure trove."

Shen Yue spoke up.

Chen Jian nodded without changing expression, then said:

"What a pity—it's already a rotting trove."

(End of chapter)