I Heard the Voice of Stars!!

"Damn!"

Although he was mentally prepared, the moment the eerie and terrifying face truly entered Xu Ziling's eyes, he was still startled by the sudden, chilling sight. Reacting instantly, he formed his right hand into a fist and punched the person's stomach.

The monstrous figure opposite him, seemingly corrupted, grinned and was about to let Xu Ziling, this lowly ant no different from a "primitive human" in its eyes, understand the power of "new life."

But the monster couldn't keep grinning.

The moment Xu Ziling's fist landed squarely on its stomach, the monster felt an immense force surge through it. The monstrous strength bestowed by the "god" in its mind couldn't withstand Xu Ziling's assault. Immediately, the monster's eyes rolled back, it spat out a foul-smelling tongue, also corroded by unknown purple patterns, and was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the alley street, unconscious.

"What the hell... what was that, I could one-shot it?"

It turned out that while Xu Ziling's physical body was inhuman, his mindset was still human. After his instinctive punch sent the person flying, he touched his back and realized he was drenched in a cold sweat, scared by the horrifying sight he had never personally witnessed before.

He had just been the one scaring others, and now he was the one being scared? If he hadn't possessed the Pillar Man physique he came with, he might have truly been turned from hunter to prey.

However, the terrifying face of the monster echoed in his mind again. And in his vision, the monster, which he had already sent flying and crashing to the ground, was still trying to struggle to its feet as if nothing had happened. Xu Ziling's brows furrowed.

He had a bad feeling, a sense of danger. Although the combat instincts of this body told him the monster before him was nothing more than an ant and posed no threat, Xu Ziling observed the monster's physical reactions. They didn't seem like normal human reactions; instead, they resembled... Honkai?

But according to the original plot of Honkai Impact, ordinary people affected by the Honkai would mutate into Honkai Beasts if male, and twist into Moths if female. However, the Moths in the game weren't this horrifying, were they?

Or was he a half-mutated Honkai Beast?

Xu Ziling gazed at the purple patterns flickering on the monster's body, as if providing it with strength, and thought this possibility was quite high.

As a precaution, Xu Ziling didn't choose to finish it off directly. He wasn't sure if there were other semi-humanoid Honkai Beasts around. And he still had his weaknesses in this alley.

"Tsk... this reminds me of the old days at the company when good things never came in pairs, and bad things happened every day."

After clicking his tongue at the sheer number of incidents that night, Xu Ziling quickly retreated, tore off the not-so-tight ropes binding Mobius and Klein, and picked up the two immobilized women.

He glanced at the alley walls around them and decided to create some distance. After all, if the monster in his sight was truly a Honkai-corrupted, half-mutated Honkai Beast, it would definitely be radiating Honkai energy. And the harm of Honkai energy radiation to ordinary people... goes without saying.

Although he had resistance to it, he couldn't afford to bring Serpent and Klein with him.

With that thought, Xu Ziling glanced at the eaves and walls around the alley, leaped up, and with the enhancement of his Pillar Man physique, directly reached an altitude of over ten meters. He then used the building walls on either side of the alley for leverage, steadying himself on the rooftops.

This maneuver looked easy, but in reality, without professional training, even with that physique, it might not be achievable. Xu Ziling could do it purely because, during his time at the company after his transmigration, he had watched Dog Boss use parkour to evade the sightlines of inspectors while carrying confidential documents, constantly maneuvering through blind spots.

And because Dog Boss felt that parkour alone was too much of a hardship, he decided to share this suffering. Using his position as boss, he pranked the employees by having them act as inspectors, causing chaos in the company while simultaneously improving the agility of every resentful employee. Forced by life, these past experiences had become the best lessons for him now.

In Changkong City, due to the scarcity of land and abundance of people, even secluded alleys were surrounded by buildings twenty meters high.

Xu Ziling, after temporarily ensuring Mobius and Klein's safety on the rooftop, intended to send Serpent and Klein away first. Once they woke up, he would change his DNA back to his original blond appearance and tell Klein that he was the one who saved her, thus ending this staged play for kidnapping girls.

But after a moment of thought, Xu Ziling realized that the monster whose consciousness had been corrupted by Honkai could still be used. He had briefly scouted the area around this alley. Although there were surveillance cameras, most were dilapidated and out of order.

He just needed to put his clothes and mask back on the monster. Combined with the geometrically explosive power it gained from Honkai corruption, he should be able to fool Kevin and Su, who witnessed the events of the night and fled.

Because even if they wanted to investigate, they would initially only trace it back to the Honkai. Once the Honkai was involved, Mobius would signal Fire Moth, and Fire Moth would immediately intervene, strictly forbidding Kevin and the others from continuing their investigation. After all, at this point in time, Fire Moth maintained strict secrecy regarding information about the Honkai, and it absolutely could not be leaked to the public.

As for why they would keep a "natural disaster" a secret?

Heh, it was probably because they had noticed the immense potential of this existence called "Honkai" as early as when Mobius published her first paper on the Honkai. They were desperately sending people to secretly research it, both to contain Mobius and to prevent other countries or organizations from surpassing them in achievements if the news leaked and they also began secret research.

By leveraging this, Xu Ziling could achieve a perfect escape in this self-directed drama. In fact, if handled properly, he wouldn't even need Serpent's help.

With that thought, Xu Ziling glanced from the rooftop at the monster in the alley, which had already struggled to its feet, settled Serpent and Klein, and using the standard air conditioning units on the buildings, lightly jumped down.

"Heh..."

At this moment, the monster had managed to stand up from the ground. Its heavy, bellows-like breathing started again. It still kept its head bowed low. Its arm was fractured from the fall after being hit, but its use of the arm seemed completely unaffected. Instead, due to the fracture and dislocation, its already uncoordinated arm became longer and more bizarre.

But as the saying goes, all attacks stem from insufficient firepower. Once a health bar popped up above the terrifying monster's head, no matter how frightening it looked, it wouldn't be as scary.

Xu Ziling was in this state. Apart from the initial jump scare, he knew that his strength, speed, agility, and intellect were countless times greater than this Honkai-corrupted monster before him. Fear? There was no need for it.

Xu Ziling didn't waste any words. With a base Honkai energy resistance of 2000 hw, he faced a half-transformed Honkai Beast with full confidence. After relocating Serpent and Klein, he directly removed the grayish-white mask he had casually picked up from a roadside trash can and handed it to the monster, saying:

"Sorry, I need my face for myself, so I won't lend it to you, but I can return your mask."

"..."

The monster paused, perhaps startled by the power Xu Ziling had just unleashed. Its muscles and purple patterns became ferocious, but it dared not speak. It silently extended its slender, bizarre hands, covered in patches of Honkai energy patterns, took the mask Xu Ziling handed over, and quietly put it on.

After putting on the mask, it seemed to feel more at ease. Still with its head bowed, it spoke hoarsely:

"So beautiful..."

Xu Ziling didn't know what the monster meant by this, but based on his previous experience, he suspected it was the prelude to the monster using a skill. So, after returning the mask, he silently prepared to counterattack in his mind.

Seeing that the monster had no further reaction, Xu Ziling pondered for a moment, then smiled slightly and said:

"Ha, of course, I think I look pretty good too... So, I won't pursue your attack on me just now. By the way, are you cold? Take this coat and wear it, don't be polite, consider it your own."

Saying that, Xu Ziling took off the "suspect's black coat" that Kevin had seen and, without further ado, draped it over the monster in front of him.

When the monster was covered by Xu Ziling's coat, its entire body froze, and the purple patterns flickering on its body even experienced a brief interruption.

After a moment of thought, the disheveled monster lowered its head and said hoarsely to Xu Ziling:

"Thank you... you're a good person..."

Hearing that, I feel too embarrassed to scam you.

Xu Ziling smiled and tilted his head, not taking the monster's words too seriously. After all, it had just tried to attack him, and now it was thanking him. This sudden shift in the narrative made the monster seem rather ridiculous.

Looking at its grayish-white skin and terrifying purple patterns, it was likely that in no time, it would be completely transformed into a Honkai Beast that only knew slaughter and persecution under the erosion of the Honkai.

"But... why did you choose to associate with those people?"

The Oddity raised its head, the grey-white mask that had shifted to its face now flashing with dangerous purple erosion patterns. Its voice was earnest and trembling, "If you continue, you will eventually... be discarded like trash, just like those people."

"Them? You mean those two just now?"

Xu Ziling frowned slightly. Just as he was about to ask Serpent why she was being referred to in the plural, he suddenly realized he was discussing life choices with someone corrupted by the Honkai. Thinking about it, Xu Ziling chuckled to himself.

"You're a good person... but don't you hate them?"

The Oddity's gaze, through the mask, fixed on Xu Ziling. Purple blood seemed to drip from beneath the mask as it spoke earnestly, "Living under the same roof, why are you a subordinate serving others? Why are you always the one assisting from the sidelines?

Yes... yes... I once believed that by simply doing my job well, I could earn the respect and recognition of others. But reality has proven to me that no matter how hard subordinates toil, they will never be remembered by anyone... let alone be valued. Is the purpose of our existence as servants to labor our entire lives, only to die meaninglessly in an unknown place?

You should be angry... You should hate... You should resist!"

"Yes... resist... resistance is the only way out for us subordinates!"

The Oddity became more agitated as it spoke, even gesturing with its hands. Its tone shifted from earnestness to a bizarre frenzy, "You helped me... you're a good person, so I'll let you see! Look at my face! Do you know why I've become like this?! Because I got sick... purple patterns appeared on my body, and I started to become ugly... I didn't know why this was happening, but the company actually fired me because I was becoming ugly, using the excuse that I was affecting the company's image! Even though I had diligently dedicated over ten years of my youth to them before that!

My family feared me! My friends distanced themselves from me! All because I became ugly! All because of this terrifying face I have now!

However... thanks to this incredibly ugly face, my eyes can see more clearly than before, allowing me to see through the true nature of humans.

And I realized... that the hard work of the lower class, their entire lives' efforts, will ultimately be negated and abandoned because of a minor mistake that wasn't even worth mentioning! I clearly followed their wishes, bowed my head forever, and wore a mask forever... but why did they still distance themselves from me! Why deny me! Why?!!

Resist! We must resist! Only resistance! Resistance is the only way out for the lower class. Only by destroying this dirty world civilization can we, the lower class, usher in the dawn of a new world! In the past, I had no power, but now... now it's different. That meteor healed my wounds and bestowed upon me unparalleled strength. Even the voice of the meteor often echoes in my ears...

Yes... yes... a voice, that's right! I heard the voice of that meteor! I heard the voice of the Meteor of Finality! I heard the Voice of Stars!!"