Chapter 152: The Price

Now Zhou Liming finally knew that not only could people show off, but Fierce Beasts could too, and their level of pretense was far higher than that of humans.

Did the Ping Pong Fish Fierce Beast have no offensive power ?

Zhou Liming was not quite sure. Thinking of the pale green mist it released, which could interfere with human brain nerves and generate wrong commands, this ability itself was a terrifying power. Just imagine, what would happen if the brain’s commands were wrong? You want to eat, but the command issued makes you sit on the toilet. And then what would happen if it issued commands to make your blood flow backward?

At this moment, Zhou Liming raised the horror level of this Fierce Beast from the Fifth Stage to the Sixth Stage.

In fact, what Zhou Liming did not know was that the state official named this Fierce Beast “Dream Demon,” classified as Fifth Stage, but its danger level reached Sixth Stage and a half. The reason for obtaining this firsthand information was the total annihilation of an entire regiment. Just one Dream Demon sent the entire regiment into a state of self-mutilation until no one survived.

Watching this Dream Demon leave swaggeringly, Zhou Liming felt a sense of not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Speaking of anger, of course there was some; no one wanted to be played like a monkey. If it were back in the X Squadron, Zhou Liming would have long ago used Death Light to blast it into slag. It was not that Zhou Liming had any concerns, but he felt there was no need. Anyway, it was better for others to die than for himself to suffer.

The people who came out of the terror calmed down after just a short while. They carried the dozen or so unlucky victims who had been drained dry to a nearby spot, dug a pit and buried them, and the entire Settlement seemed to return to its previous calm. Having experienced half a year of the Fierce Beast Era, they were long accustomed to such things and numb in their thinking.

But Wang Ruijin was not like them; instead, he pulled Tang Rui and several other “village officials” from the Settlement to discuss the impact of this incident on the Settlement.

The death of a dozen people did not affect Zhou Liming in the slightest. He lay leisurely on a huge rock, chewing on a small grass root, looking at the calm lake. His thoughts had already drifted far away. The Fierce Beasts he had seen in just two days were so interesting. He really did not know what kind of Fierce Beasts would appear once the Seventh Stage landed.

Fierce Beasts were like a colorful world, with various types, together constructing a complete stage chain.

Every time he thought about it, Zhou Liming sighed. Extending his thoughts, was the arrival of this Fierce Beast Era really an accidental collision in the universe? The probability of such a perfect collision possessing a food chain was one in hundreds of millions, but why did Earth have to encounter it? Or perhaps, it was possible that…

Zhou Liming could not be sure. How could the mystery of the universe be explored by humans now? He had better think about how to overcome the current Fierce Beast difficulty. If things went wrong, humans would be wiped from the Earth by Fierce Beasts, and then Fierce Beasts would become the protagonists of Earth, like dinosaurs, dominating centuries spanning tens of thousands of years.

Thinking of this consequence, Zhou Liming felt a wave of fear.

Footsteps came from behind. Zhou Liming did not need to look back to know who it was.

Wang Lei climbed onto the huge rock and lay down just like Zhou Liming, but he was far from calm. He pulled up a wild grass and kept winding it around his fingers.

Zhou Liming smiled and said, “What is it this time?”

Wang Lei was also a straightforward person. He said, “Uncle and the others discussed it. They might have to move. We can’t stay here any longer.” He threw the wild grass in his hand away and said, “We might cross this forest and then go to join another Settlement. I think it’s called Qiongshan County.”

“That’s a good thing!” Zhou Liming did not think it was a problem. He said, “It’s definitely better than this place that looks like a primeval forest.”

Wang Lei did not think so. He said, “But relying on others always gives a feeling of living under someone else’s roof. I still like our free and easy life now.”

Zhou Liming did not know what to say. In fact, freedom always came with a price. Just like himself now, the crime he was charged with was enough to scare people to death.

The crime against humanity was the most deadly one. What was a crime against humanity? In such an environment, it meant that Zhou Liming was ruthlessly classified by the state as a Fierce Beast, standing on the side of Fierce Beasts, and opposing humans. Although Zhou Liming had never helped Fierce Beasts from beginning to end, and was even a hero who hunted Fierce Beasts, in some people’s eyes, they would not see it that way.

When the country was in such difficulty, and humanity faced survival or extinction, you disturbed the country and shook the stability of society. What was the difference between that and helping Fierce Beasts? Therefore, without a doubt, Zhou Liming’s crime against humanity was formally established.

It could be said that the price he paid for freedom was already heavy enough to make people breathless.

Since they could praise you as a hero, they could also trample you to the bottom and turn you into a demon. And the people? Under the propaganda machine, they were like grass on a wall; whichever direction the wind blew, they would fall in that direction. This was the sorrow of small people. Perhaps there were some sober people, but what was the use? They could not stand up and say anything for Zhou Liming; silence was their way of survival.

Zhou Liming believed that in the Grand Rear now, he was already a great demon that everyone wanted to kill.

You had to know that among the people living in the Grand Rear now, at least six or seven out of ten had fled from the coastal areas. They lived in harsh environments, ate government-issued meals, were scantily clad, and endured the cold. They were the group of people who hated Fierce Beasts the most. In the propaganda, Zhou Liming was a human traitor standing on the side of Fierce Beasts. Based on this alone, Zhou Liming was the person they hated the most. Who knew how many people were marching on the streets, shouting to kill Zhou Liming.

Especially in Xiang A City, this transformation was complete. The people of Xiang A City, who were ashamed and angry, had long turned Zhou Liming, whom they were once proud of, into a symbol of shame.

Many people were implicated by Zhou Liming. For example, the X Squadron was ordered to return to the Grand Rear, its division-level organization was revoked, and the mixed division under its control was taken back. The cruelty did not stop there. After being downgraded to an ordinary squadron, the entire squadron was broken up, and all original members of the X Squadron were assigned to different squadrons. It could be said that today’s X Squadron, apart from the name, could no longer find a trace of its original appearance.

With Lian Chengshu’s protection, although Lian Ruixue still held the rank of Major General, she clearly could not serve as the captain of the X Squadron anymore. Instead, she entered an ordinary squadron with only 30 members and became an ordinary member with the rank of Major General. What was awkward was that the captain of this squadron only held the rank of Major…

Lv Guangrong, who was once high-spirited, also reached the end of his political career. He was transferred away from the Frontline of Xiang A City and placed in a idle position in the Logistics Department. There was little possibility of him making a comeback. Perhaps the best result was to retire early with the rank of Lieutenant General and enjoy the rest of his life.

Perhaps Lv Guangrong felt the most wronged. He never thought in any way that his sudden flash of inspiration would create a time bomb that buried himself.

Zhou Liming could not know all of this, but he could guess their outcome. It could be said that he had dragged them down.

“I’m sorry, really sorry!” Zhou Liming murmured to himself in a daze. The familiar faces of former teammates floated into his mind one by one. Especially Huang Dazhuang; he had said he would help him choose a sister-in-law, but now that was obviously impossible.

Wang Lei was a bit strange and asked, “Sorry for what?”

Zhou Liming came back to his senses and said, “Nothing, just thinking about freedom, and remembering the friends who escaped with me. They all fell on the road, while I am still alive. Without them, I could not have escaped here. But when I can look up at the starry sky, their bones have been devoured. I…”

Wang Lei, who knew that Zhou Liming had escaped from Yue Province, heard the loss in Zhou Liming’s tone and comforted him, saying, “Everything will pass.”

Zhou Liming just nodded, his fist suddenly clenched tight.

The entire Settlement was not affected by the death of a dozen people. By noon, it had returned to normal. Zhou Liming found an excuse, then drilled into a forest. After moving slightly away from the Settlement, he moved like a Cheetah, leaping in the forest and constantly advancing by pushing off trees.

After confirming he was far enough away and would not be discovered, Zhou Liming suddenly ejected from the forest. Then, in the sky, he tore off his upper clothes. The wings he revealed flapped gently, and he shot toward the high altitude like a rocket. Only when he reached above the clouds did he fly toward the distance in a parabolic trajectory.

Zhou Liming was not going to chase the Dream Demon from the morning. He was angry in the morning, but not to the point where he had to kill that Dream Demon.

In fact, Zhou Liming was a bit lucky that he did not discover its terrifying ability only when he was facing the Dream Demon. Now that he knew the ability of the Dream Demon, he could strike first when facing it in the future. With the Dream Demon’s speed, Zhou Liming was confident he could strike first and blast it into pieces with one hit.

The thinking he had just done by the lake made Zhou Liming understand many truths.

Wanting to grasp freedom in his own hands was not realistic now. True freedom meant being able to do whatever he liked, not freedom under someone else’s roof. That kind of freedom was too fragile; others could shatter it at any time.

Zhou Liming did not like this kind of freedom either, so he needed to fight for everything for himself.

It was the Fierce Beast Era now. With the appearance of Super Warriors and Fierce Beasts, no matter how powerful he was, he was just one person. What would happen if several people with abilities similar to his appeared? What would happen if he faced a certain number of Electromagnetic Cannons alone?

Zhou Liming did not want to almost lose his life under an Electromagnetic Cannon like last time, and then flee in a panic with serious injuries.