Thompson Sprint!

With words filled with unparalleled madness and obsession, the oddity before Xu Ziling began to dance excitedly, his face filled with fervor and worship upon hearing its so-called "Voice of the Finality Meteor."

Xu Ziling, meanwhile, quietly turned his head away. After all, watching a person in a gray mask, reeking of decay, dance in front of you… such aesthetics were a bit too avant-garde for Xu Ziling.

At the same time, Xu Ziling silently dismissed the possibility of the oddity before him being a Herrscher in his heart.

After all, Herrschers generally had high status. Even if the Finality Meteor was indeed their ultimate boss, their relationship would at least be like that of superiors and subordinates. Like the six-core pufferfish of later generations, who, despite respecting the Finality, wouldn't kneel down and kowtow in worship upon meeting.

Of course, the main reason was that the Honkai energy radiating from the oddity before him was incorrect. If it were truly a Herrscher, Changkong City would have been thrown into chaos the moment it was born, not like now, where a semblance of surface calm could still be maintained.

"I heard the Voice of Stars… Haha! I finally made it! I finally heard the voice of the stars! That meteor must be God… Yes! It is God! The God of Finality who brings destruction and rebirth to this filthy society, Hahaha!!!"

Accompanied by the oddity's excited and mad voice, layers of dangerous gray-white halos began to spread across its entire body, and its movements became stiff and heavy.

At this moment, Xu Ziling's gaze towards the oddity was filled only with detached helplessness and a faint trace of pity.

Because now, half of the oddity's body had already been corrupted by Honkai, turning into that bizarre and twisted purplish-red. Its right arm had even grown a giant crab claw similar to those of Honkai Beasts, its body had expanded more than threefold, becoming bloated and grotesque. Its sanity was long gone, and it blindly and madly pursued the "Meteor of Finality" it spoke of.

These were clearly the characteristics of late-stage Honkai corruption, a complete erosion of both body and mind. Even the Serpent would shake its head at this, deeming it beyond salvation.

After muttering to itself for a while, the oddity suddenly shifted its excited gaze from beneath its mask to Xu Ziling, and spoke with a twisted excitement:

"Yes, I heard the echo of the 'Meteor of Finality'! I must be the Emissary chosen by God! I will be right! I will be the only correct person in this world! I will also emulate the will of God and destroy this dirty and ugly world!!

And you… you are willing to help me. You are different from others, you have a kind heart, you are a benefactor I will remember, so… come with me. Let us witness the destruction of this filthy society together! When the meteor of Finality falls, all the sins and faces in this world will turn to nothing, and then, you and I will meet again as the stardust of Finality!!"

Xu Ziling, who the oddity had been planning to frame as a hapless short-lived soul from the start, felt a bit embarrassed by these words. However, from another perspective, he could indeed understand the madness and obsession of this half-human, half-beast creature.

After all, who wasn't a worker? Xu Ziling, who had gained considerable workplace experience before his transmigration, had indeed witnessed countless colleagues being exploited by their bosses, given token rewards, and then dismissed. The disparity between their efforts and the results was absolute; it would be strange not to go mad.

In fact, if Xu Ziling hadn't had enough social experience before his transmigration, he would likely have been among those dismissed.

However, to ask again… why did Xu Ziling possess more experience than others?

Perhaps it was because he was truly cut out for it. Xu Ziling discovered that he naturally saw more than others.

"Sorry, stranger, I think I can understand how you feel right now. But compared to the stardust you mentioned, I am more attached to life in the human world."

With a hint of shared suffering, Xu Ziling gave the oddity, which had half its body transformed into a monster, a meaningful smile and said, "I understand, I sympathize, I will help… but that doesn't mean I will stand on your side at the final moment. Stranger, you must understand that those who are good to you don't necessarily truly understand you, and those who understand you don't necessarily have to be good to you. I don't expect you to understand my words in return, but… your life experiences so far have proven my point, haven't they?"

"I… am… Yes! You are right."

The oddity stared fixedly at Xu Ziling from beneath its mask and said, "But! Precisely because of this! Because you can understand, you must support me even more! I am the only 'correct' person of this era! You should understand me, understand me!"

"I can understand you at all times… but friend, understanding does not equate to approval."

Xu Ziling spread his hands, then raised a finger and said, "Stranger, I am ultimately different from you. I cannot hear your so-called 'Voice of Stars,' nor am I interested in the 'new world' you promised, nor do I intend to witness your so-called 'Finality' with you.

Yes, the world is certainly dirty, and society is certainly dark. But truly smart people don't let themselves understand too much. Stranger, you have seen too much, but you have also seen too little. You have never understood what 'life' truly is; you just want to take revenge for the suffering you've endured… Of course, it's not your fault. After all, hatred can easily blind people's eyes, and you have simply experienced too much."

"But I am destined to be different from you, because in a sense, I am now… well, reborn, and compared to the world before my rebirth, this world is so much better."

Xu Ziling crossed his arms, looked up at the tall buildings on both sides of the alley, and said meaningfully, "At the very least… in this era, there are still people and things I must care about… Hah~ Sorry, there's been a lot of personal emotion tonight. Don't mind it, it's just that the Doctor isn't watching me tonight.

Now, take your mask and my clothes and leave, stranger. If you are still willing to do as I say, then at least for tonight, we can both be at peace."

"You… you… you also think… I am wrong… and want to stand against me…"

Upon hearing this, the oddity's demeanor seemed to dim. The face behind the gray-white mask lowered deeply, as if pondering every word Xu Ziling had spoken.

But soon, it became excited again, its fangs beneath the trembling gray-white mask clattering and grinding, letting out a disheartening and terrifying roar, "Good… then fine! Whether you approve of me or not! I will prove to you with the power granted to me by 'God'! It is not I who am wrong, it is this world that is wrong, and I am right! I am right!!"

With that, the oddity, half of whose body had been assimilated into a Honkai Beast's giant claw under the erosion of Honkai, wearing clothes that were tattered from its body's expansion and a mask stained with purple blood, madly charged at Xu Ziling, roaring incessantly from its monstrous mouth, "Why does no one understand me! I am right! Clearly, I am the only one who is right!! I know… I know! It's that you can't hear the Voice of Stars yet, right? It must be?! Since you helped me, I will naturally help you with all my might to turn into stardust and meet again in the restarted new world!!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Xu Ziling replied indifferently. Confirming that the half-human, half-Honkai Beast monster had completely lost the possibility of conversation and was lunging at him madly, Xu Ziling unhesitatingly pulled something from his embrace—

The System's special supply for Honkai missions: The Kloros Pistol!

Sir, times have changed! Who still engages in close-quarters combat these days!!

"?!"

"Bang!"

Before the oddity could even exclaim, Xu Ziling cleanly pulled the trigger. Although he had never used this thing before, his unreasonable physical strength could directly ignore the gun's recoil. In such a situation, aiming at the target and pulling the trigger, mindlessly unleashing firepower, was something even a pig could do!

"Bang bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!!"

A continuous barrage of gunshots swept through the area. With the system-special anti-Honkai magazine, these bullets easily pierced the oddity's body, half of which had already transformed into a Honkai Beast! Aiming at the target, pulling the trigger, changing the magazine, all actions were fluid and seamless.

The oddity was truly out of luck this time. It, which could have caused quite a stir in Changkong City, encountered a freak like Xu Ziling. Moreover, with Serpent and Klein both unconscious, Xu Ziling had no need to restrain his actions or personality!

It never imagined that this seemingly harmless Xu Ziling, who had just given it a mask and spoken kindly to it, would suddenly pull out a modern firearm and unleash a barrage of fire on it!

This… isn't this too reckless?!!

But that wasn't the case at all.

Xu Ziling chose to act this way for two reasons. First, the suspect had already attacked him. He couldn't call for backup with his shoulder, so he had to fight back for his own safety.

Second, Xu Ziling was almost certain that at this point in time, the corpse of a half-assimilated Honkai Beast would absolutely catch the attention of the Fire Moth. No matter how much noise he made tonight, as long as this half-assimilated Honkai Beast corpse remained here, the Fire Moth would suppress the commotion Xu Ziling caused in order to claim the corpse. This was the most direct reason Xu Ziling dared to engage in a full-on assault.

As for whether the Fire Moth would investigate him afterward... Heh, did they really think everyone in the Fire Moth was as diligent as Sakura? If that were the case, the original plot of the Honkai's Previous Civilization wouldn't have been so melodramatic.

If you think about it, it's obvious. Free experimental data, and turning it in would be a great merit. With such a huge opportunity right in front of them, who would want to do the thankless task of hunting down a shooter? It's like a game quest where you've already received the reward; why would you go through the tedious and long storyline again? It's only human nature to just take the reward and leave.

This, too, is human nature. If it doesn't concern you, stay out of it.

"Phew—"

After emptying all the magazines in one go, Xu Ziling casually played with the Kloros Pistol in his hand, then smiled at the monster that had been riddled with bullet holes and said, "Let me think, this should be the so-called... Thompson Sprint? What do you think?"

"You... Heh..."

The monster, riddled with bullet holes, its body half-assimilated into a Honkai Beast, pulsed with dangerous purple patterns, rapidly healing the gunshot wounds. The shattered mask on its face was embedded into its flesh, making its expression even more ferocious, and a gradually reddening gaze could be faintly seen.

A sound like a bellows rang out again. The creature, twisted from a monster into a monstrosity, madly spun its crimson eyes beneath the broken mask and roared:

"Why... Why can't even you accept me?! Why?! I... I was right!! I am the emissary of the 'God'! I'm willing to convey the Voice of Stars I heard from God to you all, so why do you still resist me! Why can't you understand me!!!"

"Why? Good question."

Facing the monster's frenzied roar, Xu Ziling tilted his head slightly... It was partly out of personal consideration; he wanted to chat a little longer with this workplace "boy" whose early career experiences were very similar to his own before transmigration.

"Why!!"

The monster continued to roar, its body almost fully healed.

"Because this world... is inherently an unfair world."

Xu Ziling said, crossing his arms. "Do you know? Discrimination, no matter when, is destined to be bound to civilization... It was like this even when you were still human. Now that you are a monster, how can I believe what you say? Come, look at yourself now, little one."

With that, Xu Ziling took out an experimental lens he had accidentally found on Serpent earlier and threw it to the monster in front of him.

When the monster saw its own face clearly in the lens, its pupils contracted!

"I... Why do I look like this?"

The monster stared at its incredibly ugly and ferocious reflection in the lens, its crimson eyes beneath the shattered mask widening in disbelief. Its voice trembled as it said, "No... Impossible! How could I look like this?! 'God' has already healed all my wounds. I am the only 'right' one in this filthy world, I am God's emissary, how could I look like such an ugly monster?!?!?

I understand... I understand!! You are the devil! You are the devil who betrayed 'God'!! You're deliberately trying to mislead me and disrupt my mind, aren't you?!!!! I... I'll kill you!!!"