The Bugs Were Never Truly Annihilated

Not to mention the game character, even Yang Qizhou sitting before his phone felt quite curious about what exactly had happened to turn Dark Fog Town into such a hellish sight.

As his finger tapped the screen, the "text" continued to refresh.

"Through the accounts of the six leaders of the Ancient God cults, you learned the sequence of events..."

"It turns out that more than ten days ago, Dark Fog Town had not yet suffered this calamity. Back then, the sky was azure, and the Ancient Gods shielded the local believers from the unknown horrors lurking in the wilderness. The leaders of the six major cults served as the town's magistrates, living in harmony with order well-maintained."

"Until a storm struck."

"The sky was pitch black that day, with even the sun obscured. Heavy rain accompanied by gale-force winds descended in an instant, and the scene within the rain was twisted, terrifying, and indescribable."

"The protection of the Ancient Gods shattered instantly in the rain. The divine domains collapsed amidst the howling winds, and everyone suffered unknown corruption, beginning a horrific aberration that turned them into twisted monsters."

"When the storm arrived, the leaders of the six major cults were gathered together to discuss the upcoming Ancient God festival."

"The disaster came so suddenly that they had no time to react before being corrupted by the strange and terrifying power within the wind and rain."

"Now, their physical bodies are grafted together, mutated into a horrific monster. The minds of the six have also been stitched into one, frequently suffering from cognitive errors that plunge their state into madness. Fortunately, the leader of the Star-Color Cult possesses psychic powers, capable of organizing the stitched-together consciousness."

"Otherwise, the leaders of the six major cults would likely not have lasted until now; they would have completely lost themselves in madness, unable to form a sense of self, and turned into monsters that only crave flesh and blood."

"You feel stunned."

"In your original hypothesis, for Dark Fog Town to suffer such a horrific catastrophe, there must have been an unimaginable conspiracy behind it, driven by a terrifying mastermind. Yet, listening to the implications of the six cult leaders, this was merely a natural disaster."

"You ask again, seeking confirmation... the storm came so strangely, could there be hidden secrets behind it?"

"You see the leaders of the six major cults answer with a bitter smile."

"On the Ancient Earth, there are several recognized taboos: the sun must not be looked at directly, the night must not be lingered in, dreams hold calamities, and the wind and rain hold terror."

"Don't even mention Dark Fog Town; even the Fortress of Gods, composed of many Ancient God kingdoms, would be wiped out if it encountered such heavy rain without prior preparation."

"You are dumbfounded. It turns out the wind and rain themselves contain terrifying calamities, and the destruction of Dark Fog Town had no other cause—it was entirely a natural disaster."

Not to mention the character in the game, even Yang Qizhou himself was somewhat shocked.

Following the sun, the night, and dreams, a new member had been added to the terrifying natural disasters of the Ancient Earth: "Wind and Rain." In an environment surrounded by such strangeness and terror, the fact that humanity had not yet been wiped out was a testament to their resilience.

For some reason, Yang Qizhou suddenly recalled a certain saying.

Insects may be humble, but since the Cambrian explosion, through the Jurassic period, the Ice Age, and up to the present, the planet's masters have changed time and again, yet they have always remained, never truly being eradicated.

On this Ancient Earth, surrounded by evil gods and crawling with horrors, the role played by humanity is perhaps that of the "insects."

The text continued to refresh.

"You let out a sigh."

"The six cult leaders are all curious as to why you would show such an expression."

"You truthfully explain the situation: the protection of the Ancient Gods is fading in the Fire-Stealing Village. Mysterious and terrifying followers of old gods are prowling outside the village, coveting the villagers within. The situation is dire, and you came to Dark Fog Town to seek aid. But now that the town has been destroyed in the storm, that aid no longer exists."

"The leader of the Fire-Stealing Cult expresses confirmation and reveals a piece of information..."

"In reality, they already died in the storm, as did the residents of Dark Fog Town. It is just that their souls underwent aberration in the rain, suffering terrible corruption. They are doomed to endure endless pain as twisted lifeforms forever, and they no longer have the strength to save the Fire-Stealing Village."

"At this moment, the six faces on the ball of flesh look at you again, their eyes filled with pleading. They hope to receive your help to cleanse the corruption from their souls and find redemption, passing on to eternal sleep in the River of Death."

It's here, it's here—the quest has finally arrived. This time, the gamble paid off.

Yang Qizhou was incredibly excited. He had previously guessed that even though Dark Fog Town was destroyed, there might be quests that could trigger plotlines, which was why he chose to stay and continue exploring. Now, it seemed that granting redemption to the leaders of the six major cults was likely the main storyline of Dark Fog Town.

Keep going, keep going. I'll try to squeeze another reward out of this today.

"You do not agree immediately. Your many previous experiences have taught you not to trust anyone easily."

"You pose a question: Dark Fog Town gathered six major cults and had the protection of six Ancient Gods. After encountering such a disaster, why did they not seek help from the gods they worshiped?"

"The six faces on the monster all show hesitation, but eventually, they choose to answer this question."

"Based on their description, you learn the sequence of events..."

"It turns out that three months ago, communication between the cult leaders and the gods began to fail. The responses from the Ancient Gods became intermittent. Sometimes, even when chanting the complete honorifics, they would attract the attention of unknown, hidden entities. The divine domains also developed problems, and the protection began to fade."

"After discussing it, they unanimously concluded that the Ancient Gods must have encountered difficulties and were currently unable to attend to their many believers."

"And the fact that the gods did not appear or offer protection when Dark Fog Town suffered such a horrific catastrophe caused the cult leaders to lose hope in the gods they worshiped."

Setting aside the other cults, is the leader of the Fire-Stealing Cult not aware that the Ancient Fire-Stealing God has fallen asleep and experienced terrifying encounters in its dreams?

Yang Qizhou narrowed his eyes and began to analyze.

"Perhaps the leader of the Fire-Stealing Cult already knows that the 'Ancient Fire-Stealing God' has encountered problems and has secretly converted to other unknown, hidden evil gods, just like the Fire-Stealing Priest."

"It is not just the Fire-Stealing Cult; perhaps the leaders of the other cults are the same."

"It is just that this storm came too suddenly, and they were turned into this hellish state before they could complete their plans."

There might be discrepancies, but Yang Qizhou felt this analysis was likely very close to the truth.

He continued to tap the screen.

The text refreshed accordingly...

"Having experienced all sorts of bizarre deaths, you still do not easily trust this seemingly reasonable explanation."

"You take out the 'Stone of Truth,' first solemnly explaining the effect of this treasure, and state that for the next five minutes, you will repeat the above questions. You ask for their understanding, as you have no other choice."