We didn't linger outside Desheng Gate. Under cover of darkness, we plunged into the wilderness north of the capital.

The first two hours were pure, mechanical flight. My mind blank—all calculations, strategies, and fears suppressed by adrenaline. I had only one thought: to escape that city being devoured by the abyss.


By the time dawn's first light appeared on the eastern horizon, we had covered at least thirty li. We'd reached our physical limits. I collapsed into a patch of withered grass, my lungs wheezing like broken bellows, every muscle screaming in protest.

Wang Cheng'en was in worse shape. This pampered Chief Eunuch of the Ceremonial Office had lost his mind and been half-dragged by me to this point. Now he curled up on the ground like a frightened child, unconsciously muttering gibberish.

The only one still in good condition was Chongzhen.


He stood silently beside me, his dragon robe covered in dust and bloodstains, swaying slightly in the morning breeze. He needed no breath, knew no fatigue. On that once-human face remained that inhuman calmness, as if last night's horrifying feast had been merely an inconsequential diversion.

He looked down at me, his pitch-black eye sockets devoid of emotion.


"You... are weak," he stated flatly in that multi-layered tone. "This vessel of yours cannot sustain you for the entire journey."

I lacked the strength to argue. He was right. I was just an ordinary office worker from the 21st century, with below-average fitness. The only reason I'd held on was through sheer desperation to survive.

"The Black Dragon's Curse... is transforming you," he continued. "But the process is too slow. You need... a catalyst."

A chill ran through my heart as I eyed him warily.

"What kind of catalyst?"

"Flesh and blood. High concentration of... life energy," he answered matter-of-factly, as if saying "when hungry, you need to eat."

I understood. He wanted me to... "feed" like him.

[Sanity Check: Success]

[You resisted the primal desire from the "Black Dragon's Curse"]

[Analysis: Long-term coexistence with the contamination source is slowly increasing your resistance, but also making your human essence more... unstable]

I shuddered. This wasn't merely a physical threat, but spiritual assimilation. If I devoured living people for power, what would separate me from this walking calamity?

"I refuse." I gritted my teeth, forcing out these words.

Chongzhen seemed unsurprised. He merely tilted his head, studying me like a curious specimen, then said: "No matter. Sacrifices... will always be found."

After speaking, he turned away to gaze at the distant horizon, as if sensing something beyond my perception.

I forced myself to sit up and calmly analyzed our situation.

First, we were temporarily safe. Li Zicheng's main Shun army was busy "taking over" and "cleansing" Beijing, with no time for pursuit. And with the "Abyssal Hunter" eliminated, the enemy's high-level reconnaissance capabilities would be temporarily crippled.

Second, we were in extreme danger. We had no food, no water, no transportation. Wang Chengen had suffered a mental breakdown, and I was physically exhausted. More importantly, we traveled with a "nuclear weapon" that could detonate at any moment.

Finally, and most critically: I needed to redefine my role.

I wasn't a player, protagonist, or even his ally. I was his "navigation system," his "external CPU." My value lay in my brain—which stored all information about how this world "originally" progressed. He used me to find the "optimal solution," while I used him to survive.

This was a... distorted symbiotic relationship.

"There's a village ahead," Chongzhen suddenly announced, interrupting my thoughts.

Following his gaze, I could indeed see faint wisps of cooking smoke several miles away, behind a sparse grove of trees.

My first reaction was caution. In these chaotic times, wilderness villages often proved more dangerous than cities.

"We can't go there," I said immediately. "We're too conspicuous—we'd be easy targets. And also..." I lowered my voice. "Are you certain that village belongs to the 'living'?"

The spread of the "Despair Plague" had far exceeded my expectations.

"There... there's no trace of 'them,'" Chongzhen answered. The "them" obviously referred to the "New Gods" forces behind Li Zicheng. "But there is... another kind of smell. A... corrupt, sickeningly sweet... smell of sacrifice."

My heart sank.

This meant that while the village wasn't under the "New Gods'" influence, it was likely corrupted by another evil force. This land had long been riddled with wounds.

But we had no choice. Without supplies, we wouldn't survive past noon.

We supported Wang Chengen as we walked toward the village.

The closer we got, the stronger the sickly-sweet smell of decay became. The village entrance was eerily quiet, without a soul in sight. Only a few crows cawed from withered trees, adding to the sense of foreboding.

Most houses had their doors and windows tightly shut, but unlike Beijing, there were no signs of fighting or looting. Everything was unnaturally orderly, as if all villagers had... simultaneously vanished into thin air.

We entered the village, our feet crunching through thick fallen leaves.

On one doorway, I spotted a distorted spiral symbol drawn in dark red pigment.

My pupils contracted instantly.

[Occult Knowledge Check: Success]

[You recognize this symbol: "Spiral of Decay," representing slow corruption, entropy increase, and ultimate withering. It is the mark of the "King of Rot."]

Another evil god!

I immediately halted, gesturing for Chongzhen to stop.

"Something else has 'taken over' here," I whispered. "Something even more troublesome than Li Zicheng."

Upon hearing this, Chongzhen's pitch-black eye sockets flashed with... disgust.

"Filthy scavengers," he remarked coldly. "How dare they... steal... my sacrifices."

Just then, from a mud house directly before us came a faint moan. A living person! Chongzhen and I exchanged glances, and he nodded. I took a deep breath and carefully pushed open the half-closed wooden door. The scene inside chilled me to the bone.