Just as Reilo had expected, after Zero left the abyssal rift in the Far North, he made his way to the Datong Civilization's settlement.
Like a shark scenting blood, it was Zero's instinct.
The place was home to Superhumans who had defected from Superbody Star and embraced Datong ideology. They believed that the path of endless destruction pursued by Superhuman civilization was one of despair and self-destruction. Since the Star Curtain World was a complete world, why seek farther afield and keep destroying other worlds beyond Superbody Star just to obtain a little more life?
To the mainstream Superhumans, guided by entropy, the Superhumans of the Datong Civilization were traitors who had betrayed their motherline. They had become outcasts.
Zero had taken three years to reach the settlement. At first, he had been extremely cautious. After consuming each Superhuman, he would quietly observe the area for several days. During that time, he digested their memories and adapted to the Datong Civilization's creatures, even going so far as to put on a skin.
His caution had indeed bought him a good deal of time.
At first, when Datong Superhumans went missing, investigators treated the cases as ordinary disappearances.
Such things had not been uncommon in the past. Some had died in accidents, some had become trapped, and others had simply left the civilization.
But as the incidents mounted and grew more frequent, the Datong Civilization sensed the danger and began an in-depth investigation. It was only after a high-ranking Superhuman named Carbon Source died that the case was finally classified: an unknown Superhuman was carrying out a killing spree against the Datong Civilization!
And so, a targeted manhunt began.
Though Zero had recovered somewhat over the course of two years of relentless pursuit by the Datong Civilization, his strength had reached