Monsters Die When Killed-Chapter 62 - 38: In Its Midst

There are connections between worlds.

Projections, links, twin existences, divergences... but of course, the most common connection is the transfer of information.

The reality of one world, through some unknown connection, is transmitted as information into the minds of certain people in another.

These people are called authors, screenwriters, and... video game scenario planners.

Of course, you could also call them copywriters, character designers, or dialogue writers. At the end of the day, it all amounts to the same thing.

This isn’t to say that all writers are divinely inspired, but it is an irrefutable fact that a certain number of creators do experience bursts of inspiration because of this.

Su Zhou wasn’t oblivious, nor was he blind. He could certainly tell the difference between the Wood Centipede he had just finished slaughtering and the giant bugs currently crawling in and out of the holes on the Banyan Giant before him...

Which was, of course, no difference at all!

"Hey, hey, Shuangyue, what game is this?"

Recalling what Yara had once said about the ’theory of multi-world information disturbance,’ Su Zhou immediately realized he’d probably run into a real-life example. The Burst of information disturbance, which caused Evil Demons and Spiritual Qi to manifest in the Current Realm, was proof that the world these Evil Demons came from had a huge influence on the Current Realm. In other words, it was really popular!

After a moment’s thought, he pressed on, "What’s the name of the game? And what about this monster...?"

"Ugh, you’re so annoying!"

Forced to pause her game again, Shao Shuangyue pouted in annoyance. She took off her headphones, turned, and scowled. "Aren’t you a high school senior? Why are you asking about games?"

"Come on, be a good sister and tell your big bro!"

"Fine, big bro, since you put it that way... let me think..." Shao Shuangyue sighed. Then, over Shao Qiming’s protests of, ’Hey, wait, aren’t I your actual brother?’, she hesitantly stated the full name. "*Dark Wolf: Undying Benevolent King*, I think that’s the one. It’s the new game from the Fusang Yingzhou designer, Gong Qiying the Second. This is the sixth one in the series."

"It’s basically a game about exorcists from all over the world fighting demons in different eras and places. The settings for the previous games were an Ancient Norman Sacrificial Site in Europe, a Third World War in Ross Country, the Chaotic Era of the Hundred Schools in medieval Zhengguo, a global ’Cyber 2068,’ and the colonial era in America... This one is set in Fusang. I heard the final boss is somehow related to the boss from the third game set in medieval Zhengguo, but I haven’t gotten to the end yet, so I’m not really sure."

Speaking of the game, Shao Shuangyue’s interest was piqued. She pulled a gaming magazine out of nowhere and enthusiastically handed it to Su Zhou. "Here, look. If you want to play it, I suggest you watch this streamer’s guide videos first. This guy, ’Red Scarf Kobold.’ He’s also from Hongcheng, but the Hongcheng in Yizhou."

"...The Hongcheng in Yizhou? What kind of weird inside joke is that? I don’t get you gamer types."

Taking the gaming magazine, Su Zhou mumbled to himself before breaking into a bright smile. "Thanks a lot, sis."

"It’s ’good sister’ when you need something, and just ’sis’ when you don’t."

Putting her headphones back on, Shao Shuangyue waved him away with a look of exasperation. "Get going, old man."

"Alright, alright, Gen Z-er."

「After leaving the Shao Residence.」

"Yara, what’s the deal with this information disturbance and Evil Demons?"

Cycling home, his expression now calm, Su Zhou seriously asked the Snake Spirit in his Spiritual World, "Is it because the game is popular in our world, which attracts more information from the Otherworld to descend? Or is it the other way around?"

"It’s a bit of both. The former creates a resonance phenomenon: as more people become aware of the Otherworld’s existence, it causes information from it to descend. The latter creates a diffusion phenomenon: more and more people’s subconscious minds inexplicably receive inspiration from the Otherworld. They then create things, which in turn leads to the former."

Yara didn’t seem surprised by this; in fact, it seemed to have expected it. It swished its tail, which seemed to have grown a little longer, and said cheerfully, "Now that we have a trace of an Otherworldly Evil God’s aura, once the Spiritual Energy Revival happens and you’re strong enough, we can use the ’Celestial God Scale’ to travel to the Wood Centipede’s world and explore."

"Mm." Su Zhou nodded in agreement. He wasn’t in a hurry to explore the Otherworld, nor was he in a rush to buy that game. After his fight with the Wood Centipede, he had become aware of his own shortcomings.

’To be blunt, my use of staffs and spears is based purely on instinct. I haven’t fully leveraged my own physical advantages. If my Spear Technique was better, if I could properly apply all my brute strength, then killing that centipede wouldn’t have been difficult, even for my pre-Awakening self.’

Su Zhou never shied away from reflecting on his mistakes. He thought seriously as he pedaled. ’Back when Dad had time, he used to take me to a shooting club, so I have some experience with firearms. But when it comes to melee combat, it’s mostly been self-taught or things I picked up from watching martial arts movies.’

’That’s something I need to improve on—through systematic learning.’

’It’s true that you’d be an idiot not to use a gun if you have one, but against those giant monsters, small-caliber firearms probably won’t do much damage.’

’Take that Banyan Giant from Shao Shuangyue’s game, for example. It’s as tall as a building and covered in wooden armor. You’d need at least a 20mm anti-materiel rifle, or maybe even an autocannon, just to have a chance of breaking its defense, right?’

’And those kinds of high-caliber, high-power firearms are definitely controlled items. How could a regular high school student possibly get his hands on one?’

’Besides, if I were really going to an Otherworld, I wouldn’t be able to get enough ammo to just fire away recklessly.’

’Using it as a hidden weapon to pull a "Sir, the times have changed" and sucker-punch someone might work, but it’s not realistic as a primary weapon.’

’Melee weapons are more versatile for the complex and unpredictable situations in various Otherworlds. I have to learn how to use them properly.’

Having confirmed this goal, Su Zhou started pedaling his bike much faster. A smile spread across his face as he looked at the setting sun at the end of the street with anticipation. "This is all so interesting, Yara."

"It certainly is interesting, Su Zhou."

As his bicycle passed the entrance to his residential complex, Su Zhou nodded to the various acquaintances he saw. When he passed the Zhicheng Flower and Fruit Shop, he could see the owner, Brother Chen, smiling and waving a greeting. Su Zhou naturally smiled and waved back.

"There’s Spiritual Qi in that human’s shop."

Yara said suddenly, "It must be one of the plants he’s raising. It’s undergone an Awakening and become a Spirit Plant."

"Aren’t you going to check it out, Su Zhou? This counts as a fated opportunity, you know."

The Snake Spirit’s voice held a trace of temptation.

Su Zhou turned his head and glanced curiously at the flower and fruit shop. Sure enough, within the shop, a faint source of Spiritual Qi—unobtrusive, gentle, yet full of vitality and Life Force—was growing. He just smiled, shook his head, and said, "Look, Yara."

"You said last time that Brother Chen has Wood Spirit Qi on him, right? That means he’s also someone with his own destiny. This Spirit Plant should be his opportunity."

In his Spiritual World, Su Zhou stopped the Snake Spirit before it could speak again. He continued to pedal his bike, swiping his card to enter the complex. His tone was calm as he said, "If others are in trouble, I’d want to lend a hand, because when I’m in trouble, I’d want others to help me too."

"By the same token, we don’t need to gather every possible ’future’ into our own hands. If I want to get stronger, there are always more and better ways than taking someone else’s opportunity—like killing a few more Resentful Spirits at night, right?"

"Suit yourself." The Snake Spirit didn’t seem to mind. It also shook its head slightly and said with a laugh, "It seems your mindset is pretty good. You haven’t been affected by the fact that the world is going to be destroyed in fifteen years."

"I have been," Su Zhou replied, nodding seriously. He had reached the bottom of his apartment building. He got off his bike and continued, "But if the crisis were really so dire that we couldn’t afford to let go of ’even the smallest opportunity,’ you would have urged me on long ago and explained the stakes, not just mentioned it casually like that."

"I’m not an idiot. If it were truly necessary, I would force myself to do it even if it made me unhappy. But since it isn’t, my own happiness is what’s most important."

"That’s the spirit, Su Zhou. Remember, for a Transcendent, your own happiness is what matters most. As for me, I promised you I wouldn’t deliberately guide you, only give you options to choose from."

Yara chuckled and replied softly. As Su Zhou locked up his bike and got into the elevator, he scratched his head and asked, a bit puzzled, "Speaking of which, I’ve been wondering this whole time—Yara, it seems you really aren’t some kind of Evil God."

"You’re still doubting me?" This made the Snake Spirit confused as well. "Haven’t I told you a million times that I’m not an Evil God, but a Celestial God? I didn’t form that Mysterious Organization myself. When those people from the Continuous Prayer Meeting insisted on making a deal with me and giving me a chance to break free from my Seal, of course I wasn’t going to refuse."

"Well, that raises a question." Stepping out of the elevator and taking out his keys, Su Zhou asked pointedly, "Why were you sealed in the first place?"

"...Uh." Caught in the logical trap, Yara was awkwardly silent for a long time. After a good while, it slowly shook its head. "It wasn’t for any serious reason. It was absurd, really... It was mainly my own fault."

"Fair enough." Su Zhou didn’t mind and didn’t press the issue.

’Parties in a mutually beneficial partnership need to respect and help each other... Even if one party’s reputation is a little tarnished, it’s not like I’m in a position to be picky.’

Besides, Su Zhou believed that if Yara wanted to talk about it, it would.

Opening the door, Su Zhou stepped into his home. A familiar scent wafted over him, and he could faintly detect a fresh aroma—the smell of the Wood Spirit Liquid from the Centipede Egg Soup a few days ago.

The first thing he saw was the empty dining table where the soup had been, and two notes tucked under a placemat. Su Zhou walked over and picked them up.

"It was delicious. Really, really delicious."

"Great job. Mom loves you~"

Smiling to himself, Su Zhou put the notes away, then sat down on the sofa and turned on the TV at Yara’s request. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"The ’Parade of Sages,’ which began on July 25th, has now entered its first phase. The Sages, who have historically remained in seclusion, will travel across the country over the next two months to explain cutting-edge scientific progress and technological development trends to the public..."

"It has been confirmed that the Central Committee will implement a large-scale reform of the nation’s educational institutions in early September... A five-year development plan white paper titled ’New Era’ has been released."

"Yara, we need to get ready to ride the wave of the New Era."

"Su Zhou, we’re already in the prelude to the New Era."

The man and the snake looked at each other and smiled, then turned their gazes back to the smiling face of the news anchor on the screen.

—A future that could not be described as good or bad, a future that might be moving forward or standing still.

They were already in the midst of it.