Chapter 462
In the distance, a girl slowly approached him through the curtain of rain, her feet treading upon a writhing carpet of blood fungi, as if the ground itself was laying out a horrific tapestry of flesh and terror for her.
Her name was... Xia'er, right?
The Duke of Charles felt a dullness in his gaze.
He could never have imagined that the red-haired girl he encountered at the family cemetery, who shared a close bond with his daughter, was the mastermind behind this scene of despair and doom.
Xia'er stood before the Duke, slowly raising her right hand.
"Sorry, old Deng, just taking a little advance on the dowry."
Crimson mycelium spread from Xia'er's fingertips, and Charles slowly lifted his weary eyes to meet hers. After a moment of hesitation, he parted his lips, his voice hoarse as he asked, "Aivina... is she alright?"
Xia'er paused slightly before responding, "I've already arranged for her to leave the city. You should be aware of that."
"Ha..." Charles let out a bitter laugh, realizing she was alluding to his sending people to monitor their movements.
"Could you pass a few words to Aivina for me?" The Duke gasped, his voice tinged with a hint of desperation.
Xia'er nodded slightly, offering no objection.
When a person is on the brink of death, their words often carry a certain weight. Xia'er was willing to listen to his final thoughts.
"She is my only daughter, my sole heir... She can only choose to join the Order of the God of Order under the royal family's constraints, or join the royal family under the Order's constraints... There are no other choices..."
"They must ensure they can completely control the Russell family; I have no other options..."
Charles bowed his head, expending his last ounce of strength to speak.
Pat-pat—
The rain fell around them, accompanied by the sound of Xia'er’s applause.
"Great family leader," Xia'er said, stopping her clapping.
"But not a good father, right..." Charles weakly shook his head. "If you were in my position, you would be the same..."
"If I were in your position, what do you think I would do?" Xia'er interrupted, her voice cutting through Charles's words.
Charles looked up at the girl before him.
Xia'er slowly extended her left arm, and in the direction she indicated, bloodshed and screams, flames and explosions, chaos and doom were all condensed within the rain-soaked canvas across the riverbank.
"This is my answer."
Xia'er raised her hand, and the mycelium surged directly into Charles's mouth and nose. It seemed he had given up any final resistance, letting out a long sigh before being completely enveloped, corroded, and consumed by the fungi.
Meanwhile, witnessing this scene, Pope Ailegma trembled slightly. She spoke up, "Uh... Your Excellency, I assure you, our Order of the God of Order will no longer have any intentions of controlling Miss Aivina, including Nia..."
It appeared she was shaken by Charles's declaration.
"I know," Xia'er replied with a smile and a nod.
That tone, as if she held all the cards, made the green flames in Ailegma's eyes flicker.
She felt as if a presence more terrifying and powerful than any force she had known was emerging from behind the curtain, controlling everything.
For this world, it was hard to tell whether this was a disaster or a blessing.
Ailegma left the scene.
Xia'er, along with others, began to walk slowly toward the eastern district.
All organized obstacles had been cleared away; now, it was time to wrap things up...
The rain continued to fall, the mycelium and flesh, bones grinding together in a macabre hymn, and even the mist began to turn crimson, like the extended nerves of the fungi—
In the face of the terrifying deathly infection.
Ansu had never felt so equal.
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PS:
202.5 (overdue) - 2.25 (extra) = 200.25 (still overdue)
I want to stab you!!! Yesterday's me!!!!!!
Stab you, stab you, stab you, stab you, stab you, stab you, stab you, stab you!!!
This -0.25 is my last stubbornness! No matter what, I have to reduce it! Even 500 is an addition!
Good night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chapter 244: The Population Planner of a Nation (4182 words)
The thick morning fog hung like solidified wax, slowly enveloping the statue of the Savior in Westminster Square.
A carpet of fungi, like a blood-red wedding gown, covered the entire square, each cluster of mycelium glistening in the sunlight.
The canal no longer flowed—dark red tendrils, resembling neural synapses, wove together across the riverbed, creating patches of biological "carpet."
The low buildings of the slums in the eastern district resembled a vast membrane, a flesh-like dome, with countless corpses wrapped within, waiting to be corroded and digested.
Xia'er walked across Westminster Square, standing beside the collapsed Parliament building, which resembled a blood-soaked cathedral still in the throes of grotesque proliferation.
A gentle breeze swept through, dispersing some of the fog, making the hazy apocalyptic scene before her more tangible.
Ansu was dead.
After a night of terror unleashed by the fungal infection, this city, which had housed millions just the night before, now lay silent like a ghost town, the deadly mycelium having etched itself into the heart of the city.
A silver panel unfolded before Xia'er.
"Countdown - 09:18:59"
There were still nine hours left... The simulation would end at six o'clock.
Though it couldn't compare to a meteor strike or a dark worm, this efficiency was still impressive.
All organizations attempting to resist or combat the infection crumbled under Xia'er's overwhelming power, becoming nutrients for the fungal carpet.
Even when faced with some stubborn resistors, Peirxi and Ailinu would "educate" them on how to properly give up and accept their fate.
Pat—
Behind Xia'er, Tara's footsteps echoed. She watched Xia'er's back and the canal before her, feeling a slight numbness in her heart.
Even someone as trusting of Xia'er as Tara felt a sense of unease about the chaos unfolding.
How many lives had been taken...
It was known that the mysterious extraordinary being in North Ansu, who might have been using famine to conduct a promotion ceremony, had taken years to develop the famine to its current state, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands.
Yet Xia'er had accomplished all this in a single night in the main city...
Even though so many had perished in North Ansu's famine, Tara believed the region could be rebuilt.
But in the face of the utter silence surrounding her, Tara could not fathom how this city could ever recover.
Even if the queen survived, the collapse and disintegration of Ansu would be inevitable... Moreover, even if the Order of the God of Order took over the country, they would have to change the capital.
No one would want to rebuild the capital on this bloody land.
"Lord Xia'er... what do we need to do next?" Tara spoke up, voicing the question that had been on the minds of Peirxi and Ailinu, who had remained silent behind her.
They were all somewhat afraid of what terrifying plans Xia'er might reveal next—such as using the corpses of the entire city for something...
What to do next?
Xia'er pondered the question carefully.
Even if she continued to control the bacteria to spread to surrounding towns or villages, the only lives she could harvest would be tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of civilians. Xia'er had already reaped a significant number of lives; there was no need to be greedy.
With the remaining time, it would be best to assess any potential spoils and ensure her survival until the simulation ended.
"Nothing more," Xia'er replied slowly. "Just tidy up a bit and then leave this place."
Xia'er raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
Snap—
The sound of the snap echoed clearly in the empty city, and three seconds passed without any change.
Gurgle—
A sound like something being pulled from the mud echoed from the riverbed, and then the entire city seemed to tremble.
A massive amount of mycelium began to writhe, converging toward Xia'er's location.
They crashed through the city, creating crimson waves in Ansu, these mycelium mixed with corpses rampaging through the city, devouring everything in their path as they surged toward their destination.
A vast quantity of mycelium continuously merged and stacked before Xia'er.
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