Betty nervously looked around at everything. She felt like she was about to go insane.
In her eyes, the people around her were all monsters!
Wings were nothing unusual anymore, but the ones with three legs and five hands were downright horrifying.
Had she ended up in a radioactive zone? She'd never heard of a secret research facility here.
If she stayed here, would she turn into one of them too? She didn't want that to happen!
"Betty, are you all right?"
Betty whipped around and looked in the direction of the voice. Banner stood not far away, his eyes filled with concern and confusion.
"Banner, will you take me away from here? Please, let's leave. The two of us can go somewhere else."
Betty's voice trembled as she gazed at Banner pleadingly. She didn't want to stay in this hellhole another second.
But what disappointed her, and even drove her to despair, was that Banner only shook his head slightly in response.
"W-why?"
Confusion and despair flashed through Betty's eyes. She nearly burst into tears, but held them back, hoping Banner would give her a reasonable explanation.
"Why can't we leave? It's too dangerous here. I... I'm scared."
"Betty, you haven't yet heard the gospel of God. You can't leave."
Banner spoke softly, but his tone left no room for doubt. Betty had never seen him like this—not just physically, but in his personality, too.
"God? What God?"
Betty froze, eyes wide, as if she'd just heard the most unbelievable word in the world.
As far as she knew, none of this had anything to do with "God." All she felt was endless fear and unease.
"Banner, what are you talking about? This is obviously a terrifying place. What does that have to do with God?"
Confusion and bewilderment filled Betty's voice. She couldn't understand why Banner had suddenly brought up God.
"Betty, it seems I'll have to take some time to tell you about the glorious deeds of our Blood God. He saved me when I was a lost lamb, and I will serve Him forever."
An unusual light gleamed in Banner's eyes—a devotion and fervor Betty had never seen before.
He slowly approached her, his tone carrying an unquestionable force, as if every word bore a sacred purpose.
"Betty, do you know? This world is far more complex and profound than we ever imagined. The Blood God is a beacon for those of us who wander in darkness. He gave us the chance to be reborn and showed us the way when we were in despair."
Banner's voice was low and magnetic, each word pounding against Betty's heart.
Betty listened in shock, unable to understand why Banner could believe so firmly in a deity she'd never even heard of.
She wanted to argue, to tell Banner that all of this was absurd. But when she saw the determination in his eyes, she suddenly felt powerless.
"But... Banner, how do you explain everything here? These monsters, and why we're here?"
Betty's voice was faint as she tried to find some thread of reason.
"They're warriors blessed by the great God. Do you see how powerful they are? If you're willing to worship the Blood God, you can become just as strong as them."
Betty was dumbfounded. She couldn't believe such a ridiculous explanation.
But she also realized that Banner was no longer the man she knew. Some force had deeply influenced him, even changed him.
"Banner, I... I don't know what you're talking about. All I know is that it's too dangerous here. We have to leave."
A note of urgency crept into Betty's voice. She wanted to pull Banner back to his senses.
Banner pulled his lips apart, about to smile, when Bronksky walked over.
"Boss, the Military's sent another envoy."
"Oh? Where?"
Banner's attention instantly shifted from Betty to Bronksky, who gave him a sinister smile.
"They were at the camp entrance before. And now? They're still at the camp entrance."
Banner furrowed his brow at Bronksky's teasing, clearly displeased.
He was about to say something when Bronksky continued.
"They were standing at the camp entrance before, but now they're buried in the ground up to their necks. I bet we'll have a good harvest here next year.
Boss, you have no idea how soothing their dying wails were. What a delightful melody!"
Bronksky closed his eyes, as if he were truly immersed in a beautiful melody.
Banner frowned. "Bronksky, you should report to me before killing people."
"Boss, you'd have killed them anyway after I reported it. Why bother?"
"Then you should still report to me before you kill them!"
There was a clear note of reprimand in Banner's voice. He was unhappy with Bronksky's taking matters into his own hands.
Bronksky shrugged. "Understood, boss. It won't happen again."
Since he'd said that, Banner let it go.
They were going to kill them sooner or later anyway.
Banner didn't care, but Betty, standing nearby, was terrified.
"Y-you actually killed the Military's envoy?"
Betty's voice trembled, her eyes filled with fear and disbelief.
"If we want to kill them, we kill them. It's not like you haven't seen it before. The envoy who brought you here just now was from the Military too, wasn't he? Didn't we twist his head off right in front of you?"
Bronksky shrugged indifferently. He found it amusing that this woman still hadn't come to terms with reality.
Betty stepped back several paces in terror. Her worldview shattered completely. She'd never imagined she would be caught up in something so insane and bloody. Seeing that Banner didn't care in the slightest only made her more afraid.
"Banner, a-are you going to war with the Military?"
"That's right. We're going to war with the Military. Those sons of bitches will all become offerings to the great Blood God!"
Bronksky answered Betty before Banner could, but she ignored him and kept staring intently at Banner.
She prayed that her lover would give her a negative answer. But the moment Banner gave a slight shake of his head, Betty's heart sank to the bottom. Despair filled her eyes.
"W-why? Why would you do this?"
"I'm doing this to fulfill a great mission! I fight with honor!"
Looking at his former lover, who stood stunned, Banner felt a pang in his heart.
"Whether you understand or not, everyone here—including Bronksky—has been called by this faith. We no longer live just for ourselves, but for the great Blood God. This is a great cause worth devoting our entire lives to!"
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