Chapter Eighty-One: Conquering Spirit City

“Let’s hunt to our hearts’ content!” With Feng Tianlin’s command, all the monstrous creatures charged toward the garrison like madmen.

On the garrison’s side, they could only retaliate with flamethrowers and artillery—weapons that could barely harm the bizarre beings. Against G-class and E-class monsters, these weapons sufficed; but against Feng Tianlin’s handpicked five hundred elite, they were as futile as a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Ordinary soldiers were utterly powerless before the monstrous onslaught; their lines crumbled almost instantly upon contact.

At that moment, a gigantic demon dragon soared into the sky, spewing scorching flames as it flew. Its keen gaze spotted the civilians being evacuated.

“Master, there are crowds of humans being transported out of the city in that direction!” The dragon immediately reported to Feng Tianlin.

“What?” Feng Tianlin was surprised—so the city had already been abandoned? The evacuation of civilians had begun; he had arrived late.

“Go and stop them!” he shouted skyward, then addressed the rampaging monsters below: “All who can fly, follow the demon dragon. Stop the people from fleeing the city!”

No sooner had he spoken than a flock of flying creatures swept toward Bolangen.

Seeing the approaching threat to civilians, the commander barked urgent orders: “Aircraft! Anti-aircraft guns! Whatever you have—stop them!”

Amid thunderous roars, several military helicopters advanced, but before they could fire a shell, they were consumed by violet flames.

Bolangen flicked his tail disdainfully in the air. “Inferior,” he sneered, then swooped toward the evacuating crowds.

Explosions, screams, the roar of machines—all blended into a terrifying symphony, but it lasted barely more than ten minutes.

In the aftermath, silence reigned. The commander sat on the ground, a frozen streak of blood across his brow, his hair and eyebrows rimed with frost, his every breath harsh and labored.

He glanced at the familiar figures beside him, now transformed into icy statues. Shaking his head, he shakily drew a cigarette from his breast pocket and desperately tried to light it, but the cold rendered his lighter useless.

Feng Tianlin approached with a smile, turning to Bolangen. “Lend me a flame.”

Bolangen nodded. “My fire’s fierce; brace yourself.” He exhaled a small ball of violet flame, igniting a stick of wood that looked like a toothpick beside his massive frame.

Feng Tianlin picked up the stick—no, the wood—and handed it to the commander. “Use this.”

The commander sat on the ground, regarding the doll-like figure before him with a bitter smile. He lit his cigarette with the offered flame, took a deep drag, and exhaled smoke into the cold air.

“What you’re doing is utterly pointless—a fool’s act.”

“Perhaps,” the commander replied quietly, inhaling again, his tone calm.

“Whether you stay or not, those who could evacuate already have, and those who couldn’t—well, they weren’t going to escape anyway. Your presence here changes nothing,” Feng Tianlin continued.

The commander remained silent.

“I want to know—why do you do this? What are you thinking?” Feng Tianlin stared into his eyes.

After a long pause, the commander finished his cigarette, sighed, and shook his head at Feng Tianlin. “You bizarre creatures will never understand.”

“Pretend I’m human,” Feng Tianlin quipped. After all, he once was.

“Pretend you’re human?” the commander retorted, then laughed. “Ha! Are all you monsters so humorous?”

“I said, just consider me human.” Feng Tianlin’s voice chilled.

“Fine. Tell me, if your home were about to be invaded by a powerful force, and you knew you couldn’t win, would you fight desperately—or run away alone?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Of course I’d run. Staying changes nothing.”

The commander smiled. “That’s the difference between us and you. You monsters have nothing you truly want to protect.”

“What about Fan Tianxing? That guy’s probably long gone. Why didn’t he stay with you? And the city’s Bureau for Bizarre Creature Investigation—they fled too, right?”

“That’s because this city isn’t what they wish to protect. We humans are a species willing to risk everything for what we want to guard.”

“Do you regret it?”

“No.”

Feng Tianlin snorted. “A moment’s hot blood, and you drag so many soldiers to die with you, just to protect them?” He gestured toward the failed evacuees.

“Bolangen, go over there and bring me someone.”

Bolangen flapped his wings and flew to the crowd of Ling City’s citizens, randomly seizing a man with crippled legs.

The man was dropped at Feng Tianlin’s feet, trembling in terror.

Feng Tianlin looked at him coldly. “Kill this officer, and I’ll let you go,” he said, handing him a pistol.

The commander gazed at the man, his eyes seemingly filled with hope.

When the man hesitated, Feng Tianlin forced the pistol into his hand, helping him aim at the commander.

“Pull the trigger.”

The man did not react.

“You have ten seconds to decide. If he’s alive after that, you’ll wish you were dead,” Feng Tianlin threatened, his voice icier than ever.

“Ten.”

“Nine.”

“Eight.”

“…Three.”

As Feng Tianlin counted down, the man’s hand shook violently, sweat beading and freezing on his brow, his gaze wandering.

Seeing his fear, the commander closed his eyes, unable to face the threat of death.

“Two!” Feng Tianlin emphasized, intensifying the pressure.

“Bang!” The gun finally fired, but the bullet did not strike the commander.

The commander slowly opened his eyes to see the doll standing atop a blood-soaked corpse—the crippled man’s body.

Feng Tianlin appeared instantly at his side. “See? He tried to shoot you. So much for your so-called guardianship—it’s worthless.”

The commander bowed his head, silent.

“Foolish human! Your stubbornness killed countless soldiers, all for the sake of protecting such pitiful creatures. How laughable.”

With those words, Feng Tianlin said nothing more and departed.

As soon as he left, violet flames engulfed the commander; when the fire faded, nothing remained.

Feng Tianlin sighed, surveying the carnage: corpses everywhere, disabled armored vehicles, tanks, the wreckage of planes.

He touched his head—where the bullet had grazed him—it still itched, but that no longer mattered. What mattered was that Ling City was now his!

With a wave, Feng Tianlin commanded, “Begin construction of the Factory of Terror in Ling City at once. Send all humans inside!”

With that, he led his hundreds of monstrous beings into the city—far larger and more prosperous than Tianjing City, which was nothing but ruins, while this place was perfectly preserved.