Chapter 34, Thoughts on the Future (Part 1)
On the morning of the tenth day after the Great Tomb of Nazarick arrived in another world, the fortress city... The wilderness of Lantier
Dawn has already broken in the sky over the grassland, in the fortress city. Lantel was trapped in a dark hell that was deeper than the night.
Although the towering city walls remain the same as before, they are no longer a barrier against foreign enemies. Instead, they have become a prison that prevents citizens from escaping from hell.
As the sky gradually gets brighter, although the bright sunshine has fallen on the earth, the entire city seems to be shrouded in a dark miasma. Among them are the smoke caused by the burning of wooden houses, and the evil black gas caused by the rampage of undead creatures: this is the member of the evil organization who is the mastermind behind the scenes. After sacrificing the entire city to the dead, because A terrifying spectacle caused by overwhelming negative energy!
However, even though the whole city has been engulfed by the undead craze and turned into a paradise for the dead, some citizens, militiamen and adventurers still escaped, dragging their children, old and young, with large and small bags of luggage, in the city. Running wildly in the wilderness outside. However, their nightmare seems not to be over yet. Not long after, the undead creatures in the city also poured out from the open city gate and continued to hunt down the surviving living people...
Although the undead creatures initially chased out were just zombies and skeletons, they were not only slow in movement and reaction, but also pitifully weak in combat effectiveness. But those survivors who were lucky enough to escape have already become frightened birds, and they are still cowering in fear and their livers and gallbladders are split! Therefore, these people did not dare to resist at all, but just covered their heads and ran away. Many of them saw the campfire of Sebas and the others and ran over for help.
As a result, the more than 200 low-level adventurers who were hired by Butler Sebas to work as laborers in the forest had no choice but to take up arms and go forward to fight, trying to eliminate these undead creatures and rescue the survivors who escaped from the city - and This is also their job as adventurers.
"...[Negative Energy Protection]!" "...[Magic Arrow]!" "...[Lightning Strike]!"
"...[Martial Skill: Unfallen Fortress]!" "...[Martial Skill: Double Slash]!" "...[Martial Skill: Stab]!"
……
Accompanied by bursts of shouts in various accents, one after another magical auras, and the whistling of sharp blades piercing the air, all kinds of undead creatures fell to the ground in droves. Due to the obstruction of the triple city wall, there are not many undead creatures actually pouring out of the city, and the level is not too high. The number of undead creatures led to the camp by the escapees is even smaller - after all, it is already four or five years away from the city. kilometers of distance. After the most threatening ghoul was burned to char by a fireball from a certain cat mage, the surroundings of the camp finally calmed down temporarily.
More and more refugees who had fled the city in a hurry and were at a loss at this time also noticed the movement here and rushed over to join them - the city is surrounded by endless open grasslands, so flat that it almost looks like a river. There is nothing to block the view.
After hearing these survivors' descriptions of the tragic situation in the city, the bronze and iron medal adventurers sleeping in the outskirts were either filled with indignation or grief-stricken - although like the temporary workers in all metropolitan cities around the world, the fortress city. The adventurers in Lantier were mainly from outside, but there were also many people who had settled down in the city and had relatives, friends and children... However, in the end, they could only sigh silently and look at the distant place. A city that was destroyed was speechless and choked with tears for a long time: Such a catastrophe was beyond the power of low-level adventurers like them.
Next, Lich King Ainz, who was in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, also learned about the fortress city through [Message] magic. The tragedy that happened in Lantier suddenly turned pale. He quickly changed his clothes and put on his mask, then opened the [Teleportal] and rushed over. But at this time, the fortress city. Lantel's destruction had long been a foregone conclusion. He didn't know what to do except stand in the wild and lament the uncertainty of prosperity and decline.
"...Isn't it to say that this place has been a place prone to the undead since ancient times? Are the locals already used to it? How could it be so tragic?"
After looking at the fortress city that had become a dead city for a while. After Lantier, Ainz summoned Peter, the leader of the "Sword of Darkness" adventure group who was familiar with the local situation, and asked with a confused look, "...Didn't the city take minimum precautions? It fell in just half a night. ? And the cemetery where the undead craze broke out is actually inside the city wall! What happened? "
"...This...Although skeletons and zombies appear in the public cemetery in the fortress city of Ye-Rantel, it is as common as wind and rain. We have been sent to the cemetery to guard the night several times before. But under normal circumstances , there will never be so many undead creatures appearing all at once.”
Captain Peter scratched his hair and replied with a wry smile, "...otherwise, who would dare to live in the city? I suspect that behind this disaster, there may be devil worshipers or the evil church at work. Only in this way can the entire fortress city be destroyed in a short time.”
"...Devil worshipers and the Church of Evil Gods? Well, these are the people I mentioned! Guys who perform human sacrifices to evil gods and demon kings to satisfy their desires."
Ainz nodded, "...So, do you think these guys were lurking in the city in advance and planned such a cruel conspiracy?"
"...Yes, these guys will not hesitate to sacrifice an entire city of humans as sacrifices for their own desires."
Peter replied with a look of disgust, "...I once accidentally saw the site of a murderous blood sacrifice by a cultist. The scene of inhumanity is really disgusting. Just seeing it once can make people unforgettable... I can't believe that now I saw another catastrophe that was a hundred times more tragic! Alas~~”
"... Put it this way, if there is really a cultist behind this tragedy, then after sacrificing tens of thousands of lives in the fortress city of E-Rantel, they must have gained considerable power. Well, the experience points alone can accumulate to a terrifying number..."
Ainz lowered his head and muttered, "...Such a guy... seems not to be underestimated... By the way, did the kingdom that rules here respond in any way?"
"...Reporting to the master, before the fall of the fortress city of E-Rantel, the municipal authorities seemed to have sent out many messengers and magical communications to other nearby towns and noble territories, especially Gazef Shi who was on his way back to the royal capital. Warrior Captain Toronov asked for help.”
Butler Sebastian stood up and replied, "...We just rescued a messenger who broke his leg. When he was ordered to break out on horseback late at night with a letter for help, he was thrown off the horse not far from the city. , broke a leg, and it was not until half an hour ago that he climbed to the side of our camp. From the mouth of a messenger, we learned some information about the battle situation on the eve of the fall of Ye-Rantel. It can be confirmed that the undead disaster that engulfed the city was definitely not a natural occurrence, but was planned by someone behind the scenes, but the mastermind is not yet known. The identity of the author and the forces behind it..."
"...Warrior Captain Gazef? Why do we have to meet him again just a few days ago? Well, it seems...this disaster that happened in the fortress city is probably not simple. It may be related to the previous Silian Theocracy sect. People are dressed up as Imperial Knights to attack Karn Village, and the water behind them is very deep!”
Ainz shook his head and sighed, "...Forget it, logically it shouldn't be our turn to worry about this matter. We should first rescue the survivors who have escaped from the city and temporarily place them here. Then we will conduct reconnaissance on the city. Let’s talk about the enemy situation while we wait for the warrior commander to bring his people over!”
At the moment, the Lich King Ainz, who still basically maintains human conscience, and everyone in the suburban camp are deeply aware that the current events are treacherous, and some visitors from other worlds are secretly behind the scenes. They have already begun to use the biggest gains of their operation...
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Modern world, special care unit of a hospital in Changsha, Hunan
The first thing that came back was the consciousness in his mind, and then he smelled the pungent smell of disinfectant around him, the unique smell of the sheets being dried by the sun, and the pleasant sweet fruity aroma. There was also a faint noise that seemed to come from far away.
I slowly opened my eyes, and for a moment I felt like two strong white lights like searchlights were piercing into the depths of my head, so I had to quickly close my eyes tightly again. Soon after, she cautiously tried to open her eyes again, and she could still see various light groups flying around. After a while, she finally recovered her vision, and then she found that there was an unfamiliar ceiling above her head, and there were metal objects. Fence vents and surveillance cameras.
The female college student who was not yet fully awake blinked her eyes, as if she still didn't know where she was.
Turning around, I saw golden sunlight streaming in through the white curtains. There were various fruits and flowers in the rattan flower baskets in the corner.
A medical instrument about the size of a microwave oven was placed next to the bed, with numbers and curves constantly beating on several small screens.
Pulling his gaze back to himself, he could see a metal intravenous needle fixed with tape on the inside of his elbow, and a thin tube extending upward from the needle. Her eyes continued to follow the pipeline, and she found that the pipeline was connected to a transparent medical plastic bag. The bag itself was hung on a silver pillar, containing about 500 ml of milky white liquid, which was slowly dripping downward at a certain speed.
After repeatedly looking at the small ward, the female college student, whose mind was still confused, began to try to sort out her chaotic thoughts.
Then, she finally remembered what she had just experienced before losing consciousness.
"...Well...it turns out that I'm back!"
Saifer, a female tiger warrior in the game world, or Zhang Jingjing, a girl from Hunan University in the real world, murmured a sigh and wanted to sit up from the hospital bed, but her slow body could not use any strength at all. Not listening to orders. She only raised her shoulders a few centimeters, and immediately sank down again: There was no way, her body seemed to have been lying on the hospital bed for several days, and she still couldn't recover for a while.
Just as she struggled to sit up again, she was helped up by a pair of strong hands, and a pillow was placed behind her. A familiar voice sounded in her ears, "...Sister, wake up too. La? Do you want some water or some apples? ”
Looking back, I saw Ying Wu Piaoxue, a male college student with a female account in the game. She was also her younger brother Zhang Ye. He was wearing a hospital gown and holding a plate of apples cut into small pieces and Standing next to her hospital bed with a cup of hot water, a relieved smile appeared on her face.
"...Ahem, what is going on? I feel like my mind is still very confused... It seemed that we traveled to a different world before and turned into non-human monsters, right?" Zhang Jingjing swallowed hard. Drooling, he said in a hoarse voice, "...remember when I roasted a rabbit on the grassland just now? Ahem, could this all be a dream?"
(When using points to pop up those trapped in infinite space, Wang Qiu did not seek their opinions in advance.)
"...Sister, you didn't dream, and you didn't remember wrongly. We did travel through time. But it was just soul travel, and the body is still in this world. I only woke up half a day earlier than you. Oh, by the way, In addition to the two of us, our English teacher (Cat Priest Chen Xin) is also back, and he is doing a physical check-up right now. In addition, our story has been published in the newspaper!"
Zhang Ye scratched his chin and explained this, then took out a local newspaper published a few days ago from the cabinet next to him, and spread it out in front of Zhang Jingjing. There was an article on it, "Teachers and students of a certain class at Hunan University stayed up late to play." Zhang Jingjing was immediately stunned by the news that online games caused collective coma and hospitalization, and the education department ordered schools to strengthen ideological education. Is this a public relations method to cover up the truth?
But isn't there going to be a turmoil in my own family? Alas, it doesn't matter, we have traveled to a different world, isn't it just a dream to expect to live a stable life? However, it is a pity that although I went on an incredible journey to another world, in these few short days, I neither performed any brave deeds worthy of praise nor experienced anything exciting worth mentioning. legend. Except for breaking into the Great Tomb of Nazarick at the beginning, the rest was basically just eating and sleeping... Why don't you explain why the time traveler is so awesome? Am I really just a sidekick, without the great luck of the protagonist?
While Zhang Jingjing was thinking wildly and feeling sorry for herself, Zhang Ye was still waiting for her sister to drink water while muttering:
"...We are the only three of the first batch of people to be rescued from another world. The remaining twelve classmates are still lying in the ward next door. I will wait for you to feel refreshed later. , let’s go see them together. Oh, by the way, I’ve already called my parents. , I heard that we are all fine, and they feel relieved. They will take the train to see us in the next two days. Okay, the things in the other world have nothing to do with us. Sister, you can just focus on recuperating now. , as long as nothing happens..."
After hearing what her brother Zhang Ye said, Zhang Jingjing, who was still a little confused at first, suddenly felt enlightened, and the small block that had accumulated in her chest seemed to melt away in an instant: Yes, everything is over! As long as it's okay.
Reality is not as romantic as fiction. Throughout the ages, expeditions have always been a high-risk profession. I am not the kind of adventure lover who pursues excitement without risking his life. Being able to return to the original life safely and soundly after a big adventure across another world, with no missing arms or legs, no disfigurement or any root causes of disease, is already a great thing in itself, so why bother again? Are you bent on asking for more?
Just as she calmed down, the footsteps of medical staff hurriedly came from outside the ward...
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At the same time, far away in Beidaihe, at the "Command Center for Operations Against Other Worlds", Wang Qiu also watched the interaction between the siblings through the screen, as well as the hospital's inspection report, "...Well, the physical condition is normal? Very good. Okay, finally no more trouble occurred. Hey, we spent 150,000 points and rescued three people. We have achieved preliminary results this time. However, how to arrange the order of this rescue list. Come out?”
He turned around and asked Political Commissar Guo curiously, "...shouldn't it be logical to say 'ladies first, students first'? Why are there a girl, a boy and the oldest person on the first batch of rescue and repatriation lists?" Female lecturer? It feels weird!”
——From Wang Qiu's personal point of view, among the fifteen trapped people in the world of "Overlord", it doesn't matter which one is saved first and which one is saved later. However, the relevant experts assigned to the command center did not seem to think so. Instead, after research and discussion, they issued a list and asked Wang Qiu to rescue the trapped people in the "Overlord King of the Immortal" world in the order on the list. You can't do whatever you want.
"...It makes sense for us to formulate such a rescue sequence. The boy suffers from congenital heart disease. If he is in a coma for a long time in the hospital, he is most likely to have an accident. And although the female lecturer has no disease, But she is more than two months pregnant, so she should naturally take care of her. Finally, although the girl’s body is very healthy, her game character is a tiger... I don’t need to say more!”
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Political Commissar Guo glanced at Wang Qiu and replied calmly. Wang Qiu only thought about it briefly and understood the mystery.
——Although they are both cats, but unlike the cute and cute cat people, the tall and ferocious Khajiit has an unparalleled power in the human society in the fantasy world of "Overlord". The terrifying reputation of the Cry, and the real and common deeds of cannibalism.
In that fantasy world, humans are not the rulers of the continent, nor do they even have a comparative advantage. After the Dragon Kings who initially ruled the world were destroyed, the overlords who truly ruled the essence of the continent were actually the brutal orcs. The human country is located in the northwest corner of the continent and is considered a desolate and backward poverty-stricken area. The humans in that world were far inferior to the orcs in terms of numbers, dominance, and level of civilization (that world was set so that the orcs entered civilization earlier than humans, and early humans needed to learn knowledge from the orcs).
Therefore, in places where orcs rule, humans are generally regarded as food and slaves. And among these bloodthirsty and cruel orcs, there are tigers: Therefore, when humans in that world saw tigers, it was similar to how civilized people on modern earth saw cannibals. They were either scared to death or resisted desperately. For Khajiit players, who have a worse reputation than the undead, to appear in the human society there, it is basically equivalent to actively causing riots, and may even make people mistakenly think that the alien travelers are spies sent by the Orc Empire into human society.
——In view of the above information, the "Command Center for Operations Against Alien Worlds" has always hid the Khajiit female warrior Saifer, and did not allow her to participate in any external contact operations, so that she could only be bored in Nazarick. Hunting rabbits on the grassland near the big tomb...
But even so, letting this female tiger warrior who everyone shouts about to stay in that world is still equivalent to an extremely dangerous time bomb. If she is discovered by the indigenous humans in another world, it is likely to trigger a war. There was a huge uproar, and they were even attacked by a group of people. Now that I have gathered enough reward points, it would be ideal to be able to send back this female tiger warrior who was shouted at by everyone in the other world and completely cancel her account to eliminate the above-mentioned hidden dangers.
"...Well, indeed, it would be good to send her back. The tiger people have such a bad reputation in the human kingdom of that world. Even if she stays there, she will not be of much use. On the contrary, she may cause disaster..." Wang Qiu After thinking for a moment, he nodded in agreement.
"...Oh, no matter what, it's fine. As long as we can collect enough points to send everyone back as soon as possible and end this worthless rescue mission from another world, don't worry too much about the specific details!" I don't feel too much about this! Ma Tong, who was interested, chimed in and muttered.
However, her above-mentioned complaint was immediately refuted by Political Commissar Guo.
"... of little value? Well, I don't think so at all, Xiao Ma. You can't just look at everything from the perspective of economic interests. If everyone thinks so, why do humans want to explore the moon and Mars? What about even launching probes to the outer reaches of the solar system?”
Political Commissar Guo took off his reading glasses and wiped them gently with a handkerchief while commenting, "...not to mention the exploration value of that fantasy world, just the Lich King protagonist of "Overlord" The Japanese office worker Suzuki Satoru’s description of human society on Earth in 2138 made me deeply moved. I was so touched that I even felt infinitely worried about our future!" At this point, he couldn't help but sigh deeply, "...I really don't know how to comment on that! In the future world, the proletariat of the world will not unite, but the bourgeoisie of the world will realize the great unity first? ”