Chapter Five: Superior Human Species?

Bang!

Before Emilia could react, the black rod erupted with a brilliant spark, accompanied by a peal of thunder, as if something had flown right over her head.

The sudden crack of thunder made her ears ring, her mind freezing, washed blank in an instant.

Bang, bang, bang!

The thunder rolled on, relentless and tumultuous, like a violent storm. Every heart skipped a beat, and everyone instinctively raised their hands to cover their ears.

Some shielded their ears, others did not.

When Emilia finally regained her senses, the scene before her was one of carnage—severed limbs scattered across the lawn, bright red blood soaking into the grass, the metallic tang of it invading her nostrils.

The once threatening figures dressed in black had been reduced to just the leader and two others standing there in stunned silence. The rest lay collapsed in bloody pools—some clutching their mangled limbs, howling in anguish, others already silent in death.

If no one came to their aid, these men were as good as dead. When a bullet enters a non-compressible fluid, it creates a hydraulic shockwave, causing secondary trauma to fluid-rich organs along its trajectory. At the same time, the high-speed passage of the bullet rips open muscle tissue and violently displaces blood vessels and nerves around it. Should the bullet strike bone, the resulting fracture deals yet more damage. Few can rise after being shot, let alone mount an attack.

...

The air was filled with a cacophony of wails, yet an eerie silence reigned. The few black-clad figures sprawled in their own blood screamed like tormented specters. Those still standing held their breath, gazes vacant, not daring to make a sound—not even to breathe.

The proud sun blazing in the sky offered no warmth, and the once-bothersome forest breeze now sent a chill through their bodies. No one knew what had just happened—it had all occurred in a flash, a dozen lives snuffed out in an instant.

Those left standing remained motionless, suppressing their breathing, making no move to verify the gruesome deaths that had just occurred. They dreaded provoking the unknown force, fearing they would join the others in inexplicable death.

“There’s… there’s a demon!” The companion to the right of the leader finally cracked under the strain, his face twisted in terror as he stumbled backward.

Fool!

Everyone cursed inwardly, bodies tense, ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.

Just then, the fearsome sound that had shaken them to their cores rang out again!

Bang!

A thunderous report echoed from within the tower.

The man, unable to contain his terror, spun around, desperate to flee to the woods dozens of meters away. But as he took his first step, his body lost all balance and his vision dropped swiftly toward the ground.

Thud!

He crashed heavily onto the lawn, pain flaring from his lower body. When he glanced down, he saw that his leg was utterly shattered—so much so that the bone had pierced through his flesh in the fall.

“Aaahhhh!”

He joined the chorus of howling agony.

Those still on their feet grew even more paralyzed with fear, daring only to glance nervously at the vine- and moss-covered, long-abandoned tower.

They had all heard it—the thunderous sound had come from within the tower.

Inside, darkness reigned, like an abyss ready to devour them at any moment.

Out of the shadows emerged three figures, human in shape, cloaked in garments of some strange, exceptional material, open at the front to reveal odd, green uniforms beneath. In their hands, they held black, metallic objects of unfamiliar design.

At first, when the group saw these figures step out of the tower, a wave of relief washed over them—at least they were people, not some monstrous aberration. But as the newcomers stepped into the sunlight, their fleeting sense of security vanished.

Their faces were bizarre—frightening, even. Skin a dark, glossy brown, eyes the size of half a fist, massive, grotesquely large nostrils, and no mouth at all.

From any angle, these were unmistakably monsters—humanoid, yes, but nothing like any person they had ever known.

Qin Le, Iron Fist, and Fishhead advanced with guns raised, aiming at the four who still stood, approaching step by step.

“Captain, how do you plan to solve the language barrier?” Fishhead asked.

Upon confirming the existence of humans in this world and making contact, the exploration team had encountered an inevitable obstacle: communication. Years spent as a wartime spy had taught him the critical importance of language. Without it, even fellow humans were, in a sense, members of different species. The inability to communicate bred uncertainty and suspicion—a never-ending loop fraught with danger.

Even surface-level communication was vital.

“That’s the scientists’ problem. For now, we’ll rely on absolute force to make them cooperate,” Qin Le replied, stopping thirty meters away, gun pointed at the black-clad men.

The leader swallowed hard, staring at the dark muzzle. He didn’t know what it was, but a primal dread gripped him, making every hair on his body stand up.

“Greetings. We are an exploratory team from the Xuanlu Republic. Please do not make any rash moves.” Qin Le flashed what he believed was a friendly smile, though the gas mask he wore made it invisible to his audience.

As he spoke, he squeezed the trigger again, killing a black-clad man on the ground who had reached for a crossbow.

Bang!

The crack of thunder made everyone’s heart leap. The spray of blood from the man’s exploding skull filled them with terror.

Demons!

The leader and his last remaining companion could no longer withstand the pressure. They turned to flee.

Running might mean dying to the demon’s strange power, just as the fool before them had—but not running meant certain death.

Bang! Bang!

Gunfire rolled like thunder. Bullets flew, striking both men in the knees.

Flesh was torn, bone shattered!

Blood burst forth; their feet twisted grotesquely as their bodies crashed to the ground.

The agony was overwhelming, and the men screamed in horror; it had all happened too fast.

“I told you not to make any sudden moves,” Qin Le said coldly to the two writhing on the ground. He didn’t care if they understood his words—he would make them understand through his actions.

The thick scent of blood quickened his pulse, the scene all too familiar—a memory of years past, as vivid as yesterday.

Qin Le had only one requirement for these captives: that they be alive, but incapable of fighting. Breaking their bones was the surest, most effective way—after all, the rules for prisoners did not apply in another world.

If necessary, he would not hesitate to shoot the two women as well.

The rest of the team looked on impassively; the suffering of others was nothing new. They had grown up with it, as commonplace as eating or drinking.

Dozens of meters away, Emilia watched all this unfold. Without hesitation, she grabbed Olina, slung her over her shoulder, and ran.

I’m doomed! Why am I always so unlucky? Emilia felt her nose sting with the urge to cry. Why did misfortune always find her?

But she had barely taken a few steps when a pair of massive hands lunged at her from the side.

A tremendous, unimaginable force slammed her to the ground, sending the blonde knight tumbling from her back.

Damn it!

Emilia wasn’t paralyzed by fear. She raised her right leg, twisting her hips to drive a powerful kick into her attacker’s abdomen.

Thud!

She struck her target dead on, but the giant, mountain-like humanoid didn’t budge.

“Please don’t struggle—we mean no harm,”

The creature spoke in a language utterly foreign to her, then released her. It removed its monstrous-looking mask, revealing a face rough and covered in scars.

Emilia froze, stunned. Black hair. Black eyes.

“High Human?!”