A group of avatars, with no intention of concealing their tracks, headed straight for the palace where Gumantong resided.
As a villainous organization, it was only fitting to kill anyone they encountered to maintain their reputation.
In the night-shrouded capital of Duoheluo, no human dared to appear on the streets after dark.
The avatars had sacrificed too much to reasonably cull monsters and protect the seedlings.
The group of avatars moved like specters through the streets, showing off. They had teleported to a location not far from the palace and quickly walked to its gates.
At the palace entrance, several monsters sat in a circle, holding playing cards that seemed comically small in their massive hands.
Damn, no matter where you go, humans or monsters, night shift workers always slack off.
The avatars all had similar thoughts upon seeing this scene.
A three-headed dog's nose twitched as it tossed out a few cards, "I think I smell humans."
"If you're hungry, go find something to eat in the granary yourself," mumbled a ram-headed, human-bodied monster with a human bone clenched between its teeth.
The three-headed dog's six eyes gleamed with greed, "I'm new here. Aren't the humans in the granary the master's property?"
"Humans are always fragile. Just make up an excuse that they died of fright and report it."
"Big brother, I've learned my lesson."
The three-headed dog fawned over the ram-headed monster, when suddenly one of its heads spotted the group of people. Drool began to flow from all three mouths.
"Humans!" it cried, its six eyes glowing green as it lunged ferociously at the humans.
How could it pass up food that delivered itself?
The monsters immediately assumed battle stances, but only the ram-headed, human-bodied monster recognized the masks worn by the cloaked humans. It cried out in shock, "The... the Masked Men!"
It immediately prostrated itself on the ground, trembling as it begged, "Please spare my life, High Priest! I'll be your vanguard!"
Seeing the ram-headed monster so subservient, the other monsters felt chills run down their spines and shrank back.
Before they could react and beg for mercy, the three-headed dog dissolved before their eyes...
At the same time, they felt intense pain throughout their bodies. Looking down, they saw their flesh falling off like the three-headed dog's, piece by piece.
This became their final sight as their eyeballs popped out of their sockets with the downward motion...
The ram-headed, human-bodied monster trembled even more violently, its body almost flush with the floor. The screams of its companions lasted only a moment. It didn't dare raise its head to see their gruesome fate, wishing it could turn to dust and become one with the floor forever.
"Lead the way."
The voice was strange and distorted, but to the ram-headed monster, it was like a reprieve from heaven. Fear made it forget it could stand up to lead the way; instead, it crawled forward rapidly on all fours.
The Masked Men didn't say it, but it was obvious they were only here to visit the master of this place — Gumantong.
An avatar standing next to the one in the red cloak chuckled softly. He was designated as the talkative one this time, commonly known as the "laugh track." "Your posture is quite unique," he said in the same strange, distorted voice.
The ram-headed monster finally understood what was so strange about the voice. It was resonating directly in its mind, and the arrangement of words and phrases was different from their own, making it sound peculiar.
It was almost as if... the words were forcibly crammed into its head, leaving it to find the corresponding words from its vocabulary to generate the meaning in its mind.
The ram-headed monster hurriedly stood up but kept its head bowed low, as if the ground were paved with gold it couldn't tear its gaze from.
Having ruled Duoheluo for many years, Gumantong had gradually shifted towards becoming a king, stationing many monsters throughout the palace as guards.
The ram-headed monster led the way, encountering numerous other monsters along the route.
"The scent of humans!"
"Old Ram! What are you doing?"
These monsters either had their eyes gleaming green with the desire to devour the Masked Men or questioned what the ram-headed monster was up to. Without exception, they were all dissolved by a single Masked Man.
"I... I'm willing to serve you too!" Seeing other monsters dissolved without a trace, some tried to imitate the ram-headed monster, prostrating themselves on the ground.
The ram-headed monster shot them a hateful glare. If it lost its position as the first underling, its life would be forfeit.
The Masked Men ignored them and continued walking.
The prostrated monsters all met the same fate as the others. The ram-headed monster was terrified to its core. It couldn't help but wonder if it would meet the same end when it was no longer useful...
Lost in thought, the ram-headed monster felt the door handle in its hand like the touch of a vengeful ghost. The words "My lord, it's right here" stuck in its throat, unable to be uttered.
"Ah!"
The ram-headed monster felt excruciating pain throughout its body and let out a blood-curdling scream. Its flesh began to fall off, drop by drop.
The pain made it curl up on the ground, rolling and wailing continuously.
"A useless thing still trying to be clever. Remember to reflect well before you die. You have plenty of time."
The distorted voice of the avatar glanced towards the door. This show was for the fish they were fattening up inside.
The group pushed open the door, leaving the ram-headed monster isolated outside.
Inside, a giant infant head floated above a magnificent golden throne. The hairless skull bore six pairs of eyes, and the body resembled an underdeveloped embryo. Its skin was ashen, with a black-purple umbilical cord wrapped around its neck, surrounded by an ashen mist.
The dense ashen mist enveloped this monster, resembling amniotic fluid or formaldehyde despite the different color.
"What business do you have with me?"
The six pairs of eyes suddenly opened, revealing only bluish-white sclera...
The avatars couldn't help but internally exclaim, "Holy shit!"
Eyes with only whites — what's the difference between that and no eyes at all?
No, this is a monster. They don't follow scientific rules.
The Masked Man in the red cloak stepped forward, casually deciding the fate of the monster before them. "Cooperate with us, or die."
The voice resounded in Gumantong's mind, no longer strange and distorted. Clearly, the translator had precisely controlled the psychic ability to convey the message.
"Humans..." Gumantong's tone was ethereal and eerie as the mist around it surged towards them!
The red-cloaked Masked Man raised a hand, dangerous and terrifying power concentrating at his fingertips, ready to strike without hesitation.
"Misunderstanding..." Gumantong hurriedly uttered two words, trying to save its fragile life.
It realized that this red-cloaked Masked Man didn't play by the rules. He wasn't planning to exchange a few blows to establish dominance while ensuring the survival of a potential partner.
And then discuss the plan while engaging in verbal sparring.
If you had said earlier that you weren't following the script, I would have immediately knelt and begged! We can talk this out!
You should know there are plenty of similarly dressed scammers out there. Wouldn't it be embarrassing to be fooled? It was just testing to see if they were real and who exactly it had offended!