There are two large Chinese characters engraved on the sign at the door: "Great Tang".
This is the kingdom established by Great Tang Sanctuary and 2014 Bai Haorui. It is one of the last refuges of mankind in this doomsday world.
The armored vehicle slowly drove into the shelter, and the door slowly closed behind them with a heavy "bang" sound. Bai Haorui followed 2014 Bai Haorui out of the car and looked around. The shelter was very lively and full of people. People. There are soldiers wearing combat uniforms patrolling, women washing clothes, children playing in the open space, and some people building houses. Although the environment is very simple, everyone's face has a glimmer of hope, unlike the survivors outside who are full of despair and fear.
But Bai Haorui also noticed that the atmosphere here was very depressing. Everyone was quiet and spoke in a low voice, as if they were afraid of disturbing anyone. When they saw 2014 Bai Haorui, they immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed respectfully. Their eyes were full of fear and awe, and no one dared to look up at him.
2014 Bai Haorui walked through the crowd expressionlessly and went straight to the main hall in the center of the fortress. Bai Haorui followed him, his heart getting heavier and heavier. He could feel that the people here did not respect 2014 Bai Haorui, but feared him. They regarded him as a god and a devil. They relied on his protection to survive, but they were also afraid of his power, afraid that he would devour them at any time.
The door of the main hall was made of heavy oak and carved with complex runes. Two soldiers in black combat uniforms stood at the door. When they saw 2014 Bai Haorui, they immediately opened the door respectfully.
Bai Haorui followed 2014 Bai Haorui into the hall, and a cold breath hit his face, making him shiver. The hall was very dark, with only a few oil lamps burning, giving off a faint light. In the center of the hall stood a huge black flagpole, with a 3-meter-long black flag hanging on it.
The flag is made of countless human scalps and animal skins, embroidered with dense red runes, and countless twisted human faces are looming on the flag. Some of those faces are crying, some are laughing, and some are screaming, with painful and ferocious expressions. The flag flutters gently. It moved, making a "clatter" sound, and at the same time came the cries, screams and curses of countless innocent souls, which made people feel numb and uneasy. Waves of black resentment emanated from the flags, enveloped the entire hall, and made the air thicker.
Ten Thousand Souls Banner? Based on one hundred thousand living souls, it can swallow souls to strengthen itself. It can summon an army of wronged souls to fight, release resentment to corrode the enemy's mind, and absorb attacks and turn them into its own strength. It is a taboo among Daoist taboos.
The hall was full of people. They were wearing black robes and holding various magic weapons in their hands. When they saw 2014 Bai Haorui, they immediately bowed and saluted respectfully without daring to express their anger. There was no emotion in their eyes, only numbness and fear.
2014 Bai Haorui walked to the black throne at the end of the hall and sat down. He waved his hand and said in a cold voice, "Everyone, please step back."
The people in the hall immediately bowed respectfully and left, closing the door. Only the two of them were left in the entire hall, and there were the cries of the innocent souls on Ten Thousand Souls Banner.
A woman in a revealing red dress walked in with two glasses of wine. She had a good figure and heavy makeup on her face, but her eyes were full of fear. She put the wine glasses on the table, then gave 2014 Bai Haorui a flattering look, twisted her waist and walked out, her steps staggering a little, as if she was afraid that if she took a step slower, she would be swallowed by Ten Thousand Souls Banner.
2014 Bai Haorui picked up a glass of wine and pushed it in front of Bai Haorui. The wine glass was made of black obsidian, and the liquid inside was dark red, exuding a faint smell of blood and sulfur, and a strange aroma.
"Try it?" 2014 Bai Haorui picked up his wine glass and took a sip. There was a trace of red liquid on the corner of his mouth, which looked particularly ferocious. "Brewed with the blood of high-level demons, it can quickly improve your cultivation."
Bai Haorui pushed the wine glass away, looked at him solemnly, and said firmly, "I don't drink this. How did you become like this? Ten Thousand Souls Banner is a forbidden technique! Devouring other people's souls and refining such evil things will backfire on you!"
"Evil thing?" 2014 Bai Haorui slammed the wine glass in his hand to the ground. The obsidian wine glass shattered instantly. The dark red liquid flowed on the ground, making a "sizzling" sound, and the ground was corroded into small pits. He stood up, and the black Netherworld True Fire around him skyrocketed, and the temperature in the hall instantly rose to several hundred degrees. The flame of the oil lamp turned black, and the innocent souls on the Ten Thousand Souls Banner howled even more fiercely.
His eyes were red, full of bloodshot eyes and painful madness, like a wounded beast. "Let me tell you the difference! The difference between me and those demons is that I kill demons, and they kill humans! I do all this to kill Lucifer! To avenge Sam and Bobby! To protect the remaining humans!"
2014 Bai Haorui walked up to Bai Haorui and looked at him condescendingly. His voice was full of endless pain and despair, and he began to tell his experience in the past five years:
"On March 15, 2010, Lucifer found Sam. In order to protect us, Sam pretended to agree to be his container. He wanted to take advantage of the moment he was possessed to pierce his own heart with Colt gun and die together with Lucifer."
"But he failed. Lucifer easily suppressed Sam's consciousness and completely took over his body. Dean and I watched with our own eyes as Sam's eyes turned into Lucifer. He smiled and said to us, 'Thank you for giving him to me'. At that moment, I felt that the whole world collapsed."
"We had a big battle with Lucifer, but we were no match for him. I rushed up to fight him, but he only used less than half of his ability to break all the Bones in my body and threw me out. He smiled and said to me, 'Practice for a few more years. You are not good enough now. I will wait for you. I hope you can make my life more interesting."
"Later, Bobby was killed by Lucifer himself in his home in order to cover our evacuation. I watched Lucifer crush Bobby's heart, and Bobby shouted our names until he died. But I couldn't do anything. I could only lie on the ground and watch him die."
"The angels collectively evacuated the earth, and Heaven closed the door. They gave up on humanity and left us to fend for ourselves. Castiel lost all his power and became an ordinary person. He is now in Dean's camp, drinking every day, like a useless person."
"After that, Dean and I had differences of opinion. He thought I had become too extreme. But I thought that only by taking the initiative and killing Lucifer could we truly end it all. We had a big fight and then parted ways. I took some people to build this shelter, and we never met again."
"In the past few years, I have tried to kill Lucifer countless times. I was defeated by him every time. I watched people around me die one by one, watched humans being slaughtered by infected people and demons, watched what people can become in order to survive, and watched the world become Hell little by little."
"I just understand that the principles you insist on, the so-called kindness and justice, are worthless in the face of absolute power. Only power, only strong enough power, can kill Lucifer and end all this. For power, I can pay any price."
"So I started devouring souls and refining Ten Thousand Souls Banner. I refined my Three Altars Pure Yang True Fire into black Netherworld True Fire, which can burn everything and absorb everything. I killed everyone who stood in front of me, whether they were good guys or bad guys, whether they were demons or humans. As long as it can make me stronger, I am willing to do anything."
2014 Bai Haorui's voice gradually dropped, his eyes full of exhaustion and loneliness. He looked at the gray sky outside the window, his voice hoarse, as if he was talking to himself. "But I still can't beat him. I have become so strong, but I still fall down time and time again in front of him."
Bai Haorui looked at him, and he could feel the pain and despair in 2014 Bai Haorui's heart, and his loneliness and helplessness. In this world, he had lost all his family and friends, and only the obsession for revenge was left to support him. He became a monster.
"But if you do this, even if you kill Lucifer, you will become a monster like him." Bai Haorui's voice was very soft, but with unquestionable determination, "Bobby and Sam don't want to see you become like this. They want you to live well, and hope that you can protect the remaining humans, instead of turning into a demon who lives by devouring souls."
"Monster?" 2014 Bai Haorui laughed, "So what if I become a monster? As long as I can kill Lucifer, I am willing to pay any price. Even if my soul is gone and I will never be reincarnated. As long as I can end all this, as long as the remaining people can live a peaceful life, I don't care what others will think of me."
He looked at his past self, with a hint of pleading in his eyes. "Listen to me, change the way you practice when you go back. Don't be like me, wait until you lose everything, then regret it. Save Sam before he is possessed by Lucifer. This is the only way to prevent the end."
Bai Haorui shook his head, his eyes firm, like an unshakable rock. "I will save Sam without you telling me. He is our family. As long as there is still a glimmer of hope, I will not give up on him. However, I will not change the way I practice! There must be another way. There must be a way to gain strength without sacrificing others or turning into a monster. I will definitely find it."
"Other way?" 2014 Bai Haorui sneered, "There is no other way. If we practice step by step, it will be too late. Lucifer will soon completely control Sam's body. By then, the whole world will be destroyed by him. No one can stop him."
At this moment, a subordinate hurriedly ran in, knelt down on one knee, said in a panic and with a pale face, "Wang, the people we have placed at Camp Chitaqua have received news. Dean is leading people, and they are going to Jackson County Psychiatric Hospital to assassinate Lucifer! They will set off tonight!"
2014 Bai Haorui's face changed instantly. He stood up suddenly, black Netherworld True Fire surged around him, all the oil lamps in the hall were instantly extinguished, and the innocent souls on Ten Thousand Souls Banner let out a deafening cry.
"This idiot!" he said through gritted teeth, "Does he think that with just a few of his people, he can kill Lucifer? He is going to die!"
He looked at Bai Haorui with complicated eyes. "Let's go, let's go too."
After saying that, he picked up a long black sword that was leaning next to the throne. This sword was made from the Bones of countless demons and the feathers of angels. The sword was wrapped with black flames and innocent souls, exuding an evil and powerful aura. He waved his hand, and the Ten Thousand Souls Banner in the center of the hall rolled up automatically and fell into his hand.
2014 Bai Haorui strode out, his black robe fluttering behind him, like a black phoenix about to spread its wings. Bai Haorui looked at his back and followed him.
Dean woke up from the bed in the hotel room with a splitting headache, as if someone had hit him with a hammer. He rubbed his eyes, sat up, and then froze.
The entire room was destroyed. The walls were covered with cracks, spreading like spider webs, and the wall coverings had fallen off in some places, exposing the steel bars inside. The furniture was tilted here and there, the table was split in half, and the chair had a broken leg. There was dust and spider webs everywhere, and it looked like it had been abandoned for many years. The clock on the bedside table was smashed, glass fragments were scattered all over the floor, and the hands stopped at four-fifteen in the morning, which was exactly the time he finished the phone call with Sam.
"What the hell?" Dean muttered to himself, full of doubts and uneasiness. He got up from the bed, walked to the window, and looked outside.
His eyes suddenly opened wide, with an expression of disbelief on his face.
The entire Kansas City turned into ruins. Half of the high-rise buildings collapsed, emitting black smoke, like huge tombstones. The streets were full of broken glass, abandoned cars and rubble, and some cars were still burning, making crackling sounds. The walls were covered with all kinds of graffiti, and it was dead silent. There was no one in sight, not even a bird. The whole world was eerily quiet, with only the sound of wind blowing through the ruins, like the cry of ghosts.
Dean's heart beat wildly, and an ominous premonition came to his mind. He walked out of the hotel and walked cautiously among the ruins.
Suddenly, he heard something, like the sound of breaking glass, coming from a nearby alley. Dean immediately became alert, took out the pistol from his waist, turned on the safety, and loaded the bullet. He held his breath and walked over carefully to check.
In a dark alley, he saw a little girl, about five or six years old, wearing a dirty white dress, which was stained with blood and mud. She was holding a dilapidated Teddy bear, squatting on the ground with her back to him, her shoulders shaking slightly, as if she was crying.
Dean slowly approached her, speaking very softly, for fear of scaring her. "Little guy? Little guy? Are you okay?"
The little girl didn't answer, just lowered her head and continued to squat there.
Dean took another step closer, and the uneasiness in his heart became stronger and stronger. He could feel that this little girl exuded a strange aura, which made him feel cold all over.
"Are you injured?" Dean asked, holding the gun in his hand tighter, "Where are your parents?"
The little girl still didn't speak.
Dean frowned and said in a nervous tone, "You know it's a bit scary if you don't speak like this, right?"
At this moment, a drop of blood dripped from the little girl's mouth and fell to the ground, leaving a small blood mark.
Dean's expression changed.
The little girl suddenly screamed, the sound was sharp and harsh, like nails scraping against glass. She turned around suddenly, holding a sharp piece of glass shard in her hand, and rushed towards Dean. Her eyes were red with a crazy expression on her face, and her mouth was drooling, like a wild beast.
Dean reacted quickly, grabbed her wrist and pushed her to the ground. The little girl struggled wildly, screamed, and wanted to bite his arm with her teeth. Dean looked up and saw a big word written in red paint on the wall at the end of the alley, "CROATOAN". The red paint flowed down the wall, like dried blood.
"Oh, damn." Dean took a breath. Croatoan virus. He remembered that Bobby once told them about the demon virus, which can turn people into bloodthirsty monsters. It is spread through blood and saliva, and there is no antidote.
At this moment, several people who looked as infected as the little girl came out from the corner. Their eyes were red and they had crazy expressions on their faces, and they rushed towards Dean.
Dean turned around and ran away. The infected were chasing after them, their roars echoing in the empty alleys, getting closer and closer.
Dean ran to a street blocked by barbed wire and was about to be overtaken. Several military tanks drove over, their tracks rolling over the ground, making a heavy sound. The soldiers above raised their guns and started shooting at the infected.
A soldier pressed the switch on the electronic device, and the cheerful music of "Do You Love Me" suddenly sounded, forming a strange contrast with the bloody scene in front of him.
Music: "Do you love me? I can really dance"
Gunshots rang out, and the two infected people fell down, black blood splattered on the ground.
Music: "Do you love me? I'm at my best"
A soldier jumped out of the tank.
Music: "Do you love me now? Now that I can dance? Look at me"
More infected people fell. Dean hid behind an abandoned car, took the opportunity to retreat into an alley, and disappeared into the shadows.
As night fell, Dean took advantage of the darkness and quietly crossed a barbed wire fence. There was a sign hanging on the fence:
Croatoan virus
hot zone
No entry
Acting Area Commander Order
2014
Kansas City
Dean looked at the date on the sign and muttered to himself, with an expression of disbelief on his face. "2014. Five years later? Zachariah sent me five years later?"
He walked to an abandoned car, skillfully pried open the door, and started the engine. The car made a hoarse roar and emitted thick black smoke, and reluctantly started to move.
Dean was driving on a deserted highway. He took out his mobile phone and the screen showed "No Service". He turned on the radio, and there was only harsh static. Occasionally, he could hear some intermittent distress signals, and then they disappeared.
"This is not a good sign." Dean said to himself, his heart getting heavier and heavier. He didn't know what happened to Bobby now, or what happened to Sam and Bai Haorui. He only knew that he had to find them.
A voice came from the passenger seat, startling Dean. He turned his head and saw Zachariah holding a newspaper in his hand, flipping through it leisurely, with a proud smile on his face.
Zachariah said without raising his head, "The Crotoan epidemic spread to Australia, Dongda announced its evacuation from the earth, and humanity's last hope was shattered."
Dean stepped on the brakes, and the tires left two long black brake marks on the ground, and stopped. He looked at Zachariah who suddenly appeared, with an angry expression on his face, and gritted his teeth and said, "I knew your stench was in this shit "Back to the Future". You bastard!"
Zachariah put down the newspaper, looked at Dean, smiled slightly, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "President Palin defended the bombing of Houston. Real estate is definitely a buyer's market now. Look at the sports news. Oh, by the way, there is no sports anymore. Congress has canceled the right to assemble. There are only a few people left in Congress, not even a quorum."
Dean's tone was cold, with a strong murderous intent, and his hand had already grasped the pistol behind his waist. "How did you find me?"
Zachariah smiled slightly, with a hint of pride in his tone. "I'm afraid we have to use some unorthodox resources recently - human informants. We have been visiting some of the more fringe Christ religious groups. Give them your photo and be told to pay attention to you. The person who handed you the pamphlet at the hotel door is our informant."
Dean suddenly realized it, sounded angry, and punched the steering wheel. "That Biblical lunatic - he reported on me?"
Zachariah smiled slightly, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "Go forward, soldiers of Christ. They are just fulfilling their duties and serving God."
Dean gasped angrily and clenched his fists loudly. "Okay, great. You've had enough fun. Now send me back, you **********. Otherwise I'll shoot you in the head."
Zachariah shook his head, with a serious tone and a hint of threat. "Oh, of course, you will go back - you will naturally go back when the time comes. We want you to have a good experience."
Dean looked at him doubtfully. "Feeling? What do you feel?"
Zachariah's tone was a bit threatening. "Three days, Dean. Three days, see where this road will take you. See what you will bring to the world if you refuse Michael."
Dean:"What do you mean?"
Zachariah leaned forward slightly, stared into Dean's eyes, and said word by word, "It means that your choice has consequences. If you continue to say 'no' to Michael, this is what the world will become. Take a good look at it. Look at these dead people, look at this destroyed world. This is all your fault. It was you, your brother, and this heretic who personally caused all this."
After Zachariah finished speaking, he disappeared in an instant, as if he had never appeared. Dean was sitting in the driver's seat, breathing heavily and clenching his fists. He knew that Zachariah's plan was to force him to submit. But looking at the destroyed world in front of him, he couldn't help but feel a little shaken in his heart.
Is it really his fault? If he had agreed to become Michael's container, wouldn't all this have happened?
Dean shook his head to get these thoughts out of his mind.
He started the car and continued to drive in the direction of Bobby's home.
On the morning of the next day, Dean drove to Bobby's house. The house looked abandoned for a long time. The yard was covered with weeds and was as tall as half a person. The windows were boarded shut, and a large rusty lock hung on the door. The walls were covered with bullet holes and there were some black scorch marks. It was obvious that a fierce battle had taken place here.
Dean pushed the door open and the lock snapped. He walked in and shouted, "Bobby? Bobby, I'm in!"
The house was in a mess, furniture had been knocked over, dust and cobwebs were everywhere, and there was a musty smell and a faint smell of blood in the air. The photos on the wall had fallen to the ground, and glass fragments were scattered everywhere.
Dean's heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition came over him. His voice trembled a little. "Oh, no. Bobby, where are you?"
He walked to the living room and saw Bobby's wheelchair lying on the ground. He walked over and lifted the wheelchair up. There was dried dark red blood on it. The blood had turned black, obviously a long time had passed.
Dean's eyes became moist. He gently touched the blood stains on the wheelchair with his hand. His voice was choked and tears fell down his cheeks. "Where has everyone gone, Bobby? Where are you? Nothing can happen to you."
He walked to the bookshelf, opened a hidden compartment, and took out the notebook Bobby. The notebook was yellowed and had some damage to the corners. He flipped through it and found a photo inside.
The photo shows Bobby, Castiel, Bai Haorui and three unknown men. They are standing in front of a sign that says "Camp In front of the "Chitaqua" sign, everyone had a tired but determined expression on their faces. Bobby stood in the middle, smiling happily, holding a bottle of beer in his hand. Castiel stood next to him, with no expression on his face. Bai Haorui stood on the far right, holding a mahogany sword in his hand. On the back of the photo, there was a line of words written in Bobby's handwriting: "Camp Chitaqua, the last hope."
Dean looked at the photo and muttered to himself, his voice hoarse. "Camp Chitaqua."
He put the photo in his pocket, turned around and walked out of Bobby's house. He started the car and drove in the direction of Camp Chitaqua.