Global Collapse-Chapter 421 - 402: I am Really the Great Devil King_2

This grandeur, however, was something only Gu Mian himself felt, along with a certain unexpected delight, of course.

Judging from the wide-open eyes of the two men in front of him, Gu Mian's surprise hadn't been very successful.

Just moments ago, they had been eagerly awaiting the Holy Daughter's capture. But when she appeared before them, they reacted with terror, leaving Gu Mian puzzled.

Gu Mian maneuvered his character swiftly forward, then raised the shovel in his hand. Success or no success, I don't care anymore. Let's just get away for now.

Cries for help arose from the men on the screen:

"Help!"

"She's still here!"

They no longer had the luxury of discussing what they might eat tomorrow, nor would they get the opportunity.

Clearly, these two gaunt men were no match for the spirited Gu Mian and his shovel. After a few strikes, their heads began to deform. They lay on the ground motionless, while Gu Mian, unsatisfied, gave them a few more whacks with his shovel.

Does hitting people feel easier this time than before? Gu Mian paused for a moment, then controlled his character to approach the swing door and firmly clicked the rusty lock shut.

If those people who had just entered were to suddenly return, he wouldn't be able to beat them. So, it's better to lock this door first.

Gu Mian had already decided to eliminate these two, followed by the two others at the well. Then, he would escape directly by climbing up from the well. This way, he could avoid encountering Curly Hair's squad as much as possible.

However, the screams of the two men in the room should have alerted the people at the well. They might be heading this way or fleeing to get reinforcements.

In either case... escape is essential.

Gu Mian looked into the dark passage and quickly walked out.

"Did you hear that noise just now?" In the darkness, two men were running one after the other toward the village chief's house.

"No. We just reached the well when you claimed you heard something, insisting we come back to check. But I didn't hear a thing, and I haven't even had a chance to rest tonight. I was quite pleased when I saw the Holy Daughter arrive, but then this unlucky business happened. Next time we catch her, we need to bind her securely and kill her immediately," the man in the back said, spitting in disgust.

The fork in the path was now in sight.

To the right was the Holy Daughter's morgue, with the butcher's body lying across the passage. To the left was the village chief's room.

The two of them veered slightly and headed down the left path.

"I wonder if they can catch her. Never mind, even if we can't catch her immediately, there's other food. We've gotten a lot more to eat directly this time."

"But it's still the Holy Daughter who's a continuous source..."

The voice behind him was suddenly cut off. At the same time, the man in front heard an indescribable sound from behind him—like a sharp blade cutting into flesh, like the cracking of a skull, or like a ghost slowly approaching.

He abruptly halted, twisting his somewhat stiff neck to look back.

But before his head could even turn halfway, it stopped forever.

A sixth body had now appeared underground.

Gu Mian emerged from the darkness. He had hidden in the right fork of the path earlier, intending to ambush these two men from behind. Fortunately, his wait had paid off.

Now I can finally escape with peace of mind, Gu Mian said, raising the bloody weapon in his hand and looking at the corpses on the ground. This time also seemed to go exceptionally smoothly.

Without wasting time, after dealing with these two, Gu Mian immediately ran towards the well.

While fleeing, he managed to take out the Village Chief's Journal from his inventory and flip through it. The entries were written in inks of varying shades, suggesting they were recorded at different times.

[The Crusaders killed the Holy Daughter's parents. The Holy Daughter was hiding in the closet and witnessed everything. Oh, what a poor girl. Did they act so crazily because she is the reincarnation of the goddess?

A lesson from the past: the Holy Daughter must not harbor hatred. We can only advise her to let go of her sorrow.]

The ink on the next paragraph was darker. Gu Mian advanced while reading downwards.

[Today, the brother who had accompanied the Holy Daughter for many years was found in the well. When we found him, he was already emitting a foul stench. A large stone, pushed by who-knows-whom, was blocking the well entrance. Although the Holy Daughter's expression was very calm, I know that stone had nothing to do with her; she doesn't possess such strength.

The bottom of the well also bore the mark of the Crusaders. It seems they still haven't stopped their retaliation against the goddess.

But the Holy Daughter must not harbor hatred. We can only advise her to let go of her sorrow.]

The next passage was written in a slightly different shade of ink.

[The wicked ones finally met their retribution. Most of them perished in a baffling fire, and the remaining few who fled here were captured by us. They prostrated themselves before us, begging for mercy.

The kind villagers forgave their evil deeds towards others, and naturally, the Holy Daughter did not pursue the matter. She magnanimously forgave these errant children.

They were settled in the easternmost area, near the cliff, and made their homes there.]

[Today, someone actually tried to take the Holy Daughter away from here! It was the orphan living next door to the Holy Daughter. This land, so bountiful due to the Holy Daughter's protection, would be ruined. Of course, we captured them and brought them back.

The Holy Daughter was merely led astray; that's why she tried to leave. We burned the orphan girl who misguided the Holy Daughter on the gallows in the east, hoping it would serve as a warning to others.

But something about the Holy Daughter seemed... different.]

A large blank space followed this.

Just as Gu Mian thought this record would end there, the last line appeared before his eyes.

It was a line of hasty scrawl, as if the ink had been about to run out—

[The legend is true: those who harbor hatred will eventually become demons.]

At this point, the exit was in sight.

Gu Mian stared at the final line in the Village Chief's Journal and muttered, This can't be called harboring hatred, can it? This is a blood feud!

If my parents were killed in front of me... Gu Mian mused for a moment before suddenly remembering, Wait, I don't have parents.

Putting aside the question of where his parents had gone, Gu Mian seriously contemplated the Village Chief's Journal.

The last line, "those who harbor hatred will eventually become demons," likely meant that the Holy Daughter started acting abnormally after experiencing the three aforementioned events, doing things only a demon would do.

Perhaps that was why this village became deserted, and its people were forced to live underground.

Thinking about this, Gu Mian recalled the scene he had witnessed in the closet earlier. That was probably a memory fragment of the Holy Daughter. Because his character was the Holy Daughter, he saw those past images when hiding in the closet.

Speaking of which... Gu Mian had reached the well's edge by now. He had even clicked the 'climb up' button, and his character's hands were already on the ladder fixed to the well wall.

The Village Chief's Journal says the Holy Daughter became a demon, so why am I still the Holy Daughter now? Compared to being a vulnerable girl, Gu Mian preferred being a demon.

And after seeing the memory fragment of my parents' death, my fighting seemed to get a lot smoother. Did that have something to do with what I saw in the closet? According to the Village Chief's Journal, the Holy Daughter's hatred erupted after the deaths of her parents, brother, and friend, turning her into a demon. Does this mean that every time I see a memory fragment, my hatred value will increase, and I'll become somewhat stronger?

Once I'm stronger, I won't have to fear a direct encounter with Curly Hair's group.

He had already seen the death of his parents in the closet.

And his brother's death... that happened in the well.

Gu Mian was standing in the well, but he hadn't triggered any memory fragments.

He looked down and saw reddish-brown scratch marks at the bottom of the well wall. Only half of these marks were visible; the rest were buried under the earth.

Gu Mian maneuvered his character down from the ladder and then took out the long shovel from his inventory.

After taking out the shovel, he was pleasantly surprised to see a 'Dig' option appear on the ground beneath his feet.

Without wasting time, Gu Mian immediately brandished the shovel and began his diligent labor.

The brother wasn't buried very deep. After digging for only a short while, Gu Mian pried up something white and gleaming. It had five holes. A closer look revealed it was a skull.

Although it's unclear why his brother's body is still here, now isn't the time to investigate that.

Gu Mian quickly resumed digging downwards, and soon, the entire skeleton appeared on the screen.