Surrounding God

"Report. We've reached the bottom of the test subject. Please advise on our next move."

Noel came to report. The entire nest had been dug out, leaving it flattened and limp, its surface coated in a thick layer of flour, like a pie waiting to be baked.

From within the scarlet nest beneath the flour, tremors and snarls sounded from time to time. They came from Hastur.

"Good. Now confirm whether this thing can be moved, and draw up a plan to try relocating it."

"Yes, sir."

Wu Heng nodded. The plan was already halfway to success. If the nest couldn't be moved, they would have to use the other method.

He had a nagging feeling that he'd forgotten something after being busy all day. After thinking it over, he stepped closer to the nest and pulled out the monitor, switching it on.

The screen flickered a few times, and the image gradually came into focus.

The right half of the image was blocked by the red inner wall. Only the left half showed the interior of the nest, and the camera had clearly fallen to the ground.

On the left side of the screen, amid the filthy, blood-red floor, there was a flour circle less than a meter in diameter. It was just large enough for one person to stand in.

A gap about a foot wide broke the circle. There was no one inside.

The flour around the gap had been spread outward in a fan shape, as if the person inside had crawled out and dragged it away.

Wu Heng noticed fragments of flesh and bone scattered across the ground. There had clearly been more than one person.

"What happened?"

Wu Heng tentatively asked the monitor.

Hiss... Hah!

The image showed the inner wall at the edge of the nest suddenly writhing. A figure, its body fused with the fleshy wall, struggled to raise its rotting head.

Wu Heng worried that if he strained any harder, his head would come right off his neck. He was terribly decayed.

"Raghav. For old times' sake, please kill me!"

Vinayak's hoarse voice came from the rotting body.

"Didn't I leave you enough flour? How did you die so quickly?"

"Hiss! We turned on each other."

Vinayak roared angrily.

"Those two thought the flour circle was too big for three people. There was only so much flour, and they didn't know when you'd be back."

"Shahu said he'd studied for a year. If we halved the circle's diameter, we'd save half the flour and get twice as long to survive."

"He and Hakob joined forces and pushed me out."

As Vinayak said this, he laughed mockingly.

"Hahaha! Do you know what happened next?"

"While Shahu was drawing the circle, Hakob pushed him out too. Shahu's hand was injured, so he couldn't fight Hakob off—but he managed to grab the flour sack as he went."

"After Hastur bit me, it tore Shahu apart too. Hakob had no flour to keep Hastur back, so he was torn apart as well."

After he finished speaking, Vinayak trembled and cried out in distress.

"Help me, Raghav! I can still be saved. Give me some food—I'm so hungry. You have endless wealth now. I only need a little food. I need something to eat!"

Vinayak screamed hysterically:

"That's right, you damn coward, thief, and wretch! You never had the guts to come in! Come on, kill me, please!"

He continued screaming wildly, voicing his agony.

"Go to sleep. Hastur is coming for you."

Wu Heng softly uttered the words.

In the movie, this was the phrase used specifically to deal with the living dead bitten by Hastur.

As soon as someone said it, those rotting living dead would fall asleep.

The moment Wu Heng finished speaking, Vinayak fell into a deep sleep, snoring loudly.

"Human nature is truly terrifying."

Wu Heng silently switched off the monitor.

He hadn't intended to save those three, but neither had he wanted to get them all killed.

If they could have held on for two more days, there might have been a glimmer of hope once the next phase of the plan began.

If they somehow survived, Wu Heng would have been willing to redeem them. But after only a few hours, they'd all ended up killing one another.

As the saying went, the fittest survived. Those who couldn't hold out deserved to die!

He had only managed to get back on his feet after dying once, and it had been a hard-won struggle. He wasn't in a position to pity anyone yet.

In the temple's sinkhole, a group of soldiers were using shovels to dig a tunnel beneath the test subject.

"What is this?!"

"Is it its tail?"

"No, it looks like an excretory tract. Does this thing even need one?"

The soldiers were digging sideways from the middle of the tunnel, planning to make a cross-shaped passage beneath the test subject.

They had barely started digging when they hit a fleshy tube three meters thick, like an intestine. Its upper end was attached to the test subject, while its lower end disappeared into the earth.

Wu Heng stepped forward to inspect it closely. The tube was solid where it connected to Hastur's nest, which meant Hastur couldn't crawl out through it.

He tried placing his hand against it and activating Siphon, but nothing happened. He couldn't absorb it.

"Keep digging. Find out how deep it goes."

Wu Heng said coldly.

He intended to waste only one more hour on this. If they still couldn't determine what it was, he would carry out the second plan.

The soldiers heard the order and resumed digging in shifts.

An advisor hurried over.

"Commander, the 255th Tank Brigade you called in will arrive in ten minutes."

"Excellent!"

"Once the tank brigade arrives, surround the entire temple. Aim every gun at the sinkhole. If anything goes wrong, open fire immediately."

Wu Heng left the tunnel and issued his orders.

At the same time,

Inside the British Indian Governor's Office at the Pune Government Building.

Governor Daren Frey's face was flushed as he roared, the veins in his neck bulging.

A crowd of government officials stood around him in silence.

"That damned Kamil! That warmonger belongs on the gallows. What the hell is he trying to do? Where's the news? Where's the intelligence?"

"Oh, my God! Just look at this! 152 Chenier M4A4 tanks, all rolling out fully armed!"

"Has he gone mad? Who are we surrounded by?"

"Is he planning to attack Faderi's colony? Does he want to start another war between our countries?"

Governor Daren was beside himself with rage. This was the final year of his five-year term.

He was campaigning for reelection, and if anything went wrong at such a crucial moment, it would seriously hurt his chances.

Kamil had never supported his "Border Division Line" expansion policy, and their differences in political views had become irreconcilable.

Now Kamil had mobilized an armored force without even submitting a request to the national cabinet, and no one knew where it was headed.

"What are you all waiting for? Call Kamil immediately and find out what that bastard is up to. Tell him to pull his troops back!"

Governor Daren roared at them. Several officials hurried to the phones, fumbling to pass the receiver and dial the number.

"Commander, an urgent call from the Governor's Office. They want to know what we're doing. They said..."

An advisor walked over to Wu Heng, then faltered halfway through.

"What did they say? Don't worry, just tell me."

Wu Heng asked calmly, unconcerned.

"They said that if you don't withdraw the tank brigade immediately, he'll protest to the national cabinet and send you to a military tribunal."

The advisor sounded helpless. With two powerful men at odds, being stuck between them to relay messages was a little too thrilling.

"Fine. Tell him this is a training exercise. We'll make a loop around Tumbbad Village, and I'll go see him in a bit."

Wu Heng waved a hand, signaling the advisor to respond.

He considered himself no lover of violence. If trouble could be avoided and things settled peacefully through negotiation, that was best.

Unfortunately, some people just didn't know what was good for them. They mistook a gentle approach for surrender and forced him to resort to violence.

Take Hastur, for instance. If it had been willing to talk to him and die on its own, letting him complete the story mission, how much easier would that have been?

Instead, it insisted on staying in its nest, biting everyone who came near, without the slightest interest in compromise.

Then there was that young soldier, Cooper Hack. He'd promised to tell him about Tumbbad's treasure, told him the truth, and even eagerly showed it to him, yet the other man had tried to shoot him.

And then there was Commander Kamil. Wu Heng had offered him a box of gold to borrow the army, and promised the soldiers a generous reward afterward.

Not only had the old man refused, he'd tried to confiscate Wu Heng's gold and have him executed by firing squad.

Wu Heng was absolutely a gentle and refined man. It was these people who kept forcing him to use violence!

That was right!

Wu Heng nodded to himself.

Would you trade your collection and recommendation votes for two fruit platters with me?

*

*

Time to sleep.