Chapter 207: Section 207: I am a monster!!!


    The substitute boy gazed at the crowd, “The current situation doesn’t need much explanation, actually, everyone is well aware at heart.”


    “Holding on to impractical fantasies, hoping that Jia Sha and Zhenjin will come save you, is highly improbable.”


    The crowd remained on guard, but their eyes flickered, betraying a hint of hesitation.


    The boy’s words had struck a chord. The time they had spent with Jia Sha was brief, and his behavior had become increasingly unreliable. Jia Sha’s desire for the Divine Artifact was too intense, marking him as untrustworthy.


    But at that moment, laughter from Jia Sha echoed from the fourth floor, “Hehehe, Substitute, you alone wanting to come up and get killed is one thing. But do you also want to delude them into dying with you? Your understanding of the situation is mere speculation, so you can’t be certain. Are you trying to stir them up to share the risk with you?”


    “Don’t be fooled, everyone! The lightning is chaotic and could take your lives. Even if you rush up here, do you really think you can kill me and Zhenjin? Killing a priest and a Holy Temple Knight? You are making enemies with the Empire. Even if you emerge victorious and survive, you will be wanted by the Holy Bright Empire, and you’ll only be able to live a life of constant flight and fear. And if you’re caught, await a punishment more cruel than hanging!”


    ...


    Jia Sha, of course, wouldn’t sit idly by and let the boy rally the others. His words caused further hesitation among the crowd.


    The substitute boy then looked toward Zong Ge, in need of support, seeing as Zong Ge was clearly the most prestigious among them.


    But at the moment, the half-beast furrowed his brows tightly, offering no response.


    Zhenjin laughed boisterously, taunting, “Substitute, you still think it’s me? You’re not a Holy Temple Knight, nor are, you a noble. With base blood flowing through your veins, what right do you have to lead them? You’re just a substitute, a tool. And you fancy that you can summon a crowd and lead them against us? Has the recent lightning struck you dumb?”


    Zhenjin, imitating Jia Sha, mocked the boy before continuing to shout to the others: “He just wants to use you. He can survive under the lightning, but can you? You can’t be deceived again!”


    “I swear on my noble honor, you all can be saved!”


    “Trust me, I am a Holy Temple Knight, and he is just a substitute who has been deceiving you all along!!”


    The crowd began to stir.


    The substitute boy sighed in his heart.


    Zi Di had mentioned on the fourth floor that she had a perfectly clear understanding of the situation. When Zhenjin’s identity was exposed, it was a tremendous loss. People would not trust Zhenjin, and they became even more wary of the substitute. Now, their gazes towards the substitute boy were shimmering with doubt, suspecting his ulterior motives.


    “In the time we spent together, you have been deceiving us. Who are you really?”


    “What exactly do you want?”


    Zong Ge finally spoke up, his eyebrows deeply furrowed, his voice low.


    The crowd quieted down, waiting for the boy’s answer.


    Once, they had obeyed the boy, even with zeal, but now their faces showed only indifference and skepticism.


    The boy took a deep breath.


    He still bore the appearance of Zhenjin, blonde hair, blue eyes, and a handsome face. But he was in disarray, injured, with traces of blood, and having been struck by lightning, his clothes and skin bore many blackened spots.


    “Jia Sha and Zhenjin weren’t wrong,” the boy uttered his first sentence.


    The crowd almost thought they had misheard.


    But the boy repeated, “They said nothing wrong.”


    He spoke in a low, slightly hoarse voice, but with a sincere demeanor:


    “I’m not Zhenjin.”


    “I’m not a genius.”


    “I don’t have noble blood.”


    “I’m not a Holy Temple Knight.”


    “I once had a beautiful woman by my side, who I thought was my fiancée. But she was not; essentially, she was a schemer.”


    “I’m not your leader either. Because I’m not qualified to lead you.”


    The crowd grew even quieter.


    Had the boy denied or skirted the matters, he would’ve faced more doubt and wariness.


    But now, they started to listen to him seriously.


    The boy then revealed a bitter smile, “Who am I? I’ve asked myself this question repeatedly.”


    “Yet, even now, I can’t answer it for myself.”


    “My original memories have been erased, the current memories are ones others have imbued in me, and they are still fragmented.”


    “Everyone here knows their own name.”


    “I am not like you, for I don’t even know my own name.”


    The boy’s sorrowful tone made everyone watch him intently.


    “Even this appearance of mine belongs to someone else; I must have been altered and engineered by a War Merchant.”


    “In fact, as you can see, I am a Beastification Person, at best a somewhat special Beastification Person.”


    Here, the substitute boy paused, taking a deep breath as if gathering courage.


    “`


    “I am a gun scorpion.”


    As he spoke, he stimulated the Demon Core in his heart, emitting a red light, and mutated into a hard, dark golden scorpion shell.


    In the desert night, the gun scorpion youth munched on gold mica stone, his heart leaping with joy, “Delicious, delicious!”


    This mutation made everyone exclaim in shock, and most people took a big step back.


    “I am an acid-liquid green lizard.”


    In the forest, the green lizard youth practiced flicking his tail. As a result, he got hurt, and the next day his tailbone and buttocks ached sorely.


    Suddenly, the youth sprouted a tail, and the people exclaimed in shock once more, many of them involuntarily stepping back.


    “I am also a bat monkey.”


    The youth grew bat wings and the ears of a bat.


    That night, under the moonlight as gentle as water, the bat monkey youth heard countless beautiful sounds for the first time, feeling nature’s profundity and its deeply moving beauty!


    The people were continuously scared, their exclamations getting quieter, more of them stood still, and very few retreated instinctively.


    “I am a monkey-tailed brown bear.”


    The youth spread his hands wide, and the crowd saw the surge of red light appear and disappear, then the youth’s hands turned into the sharp claws of a monkey-tailed brown bear.


    Many a late night, the brown bear youth huffed and puffed mining in the caves, ceaselessly diligent.


    The people did not retreat this time; fear and tension were much reduced, and a look of wonder began to show.


    Cang Xu looked at these bear claws and seemed to think of a certain question, falling deep into thought.


    “I am a blade spider.”


    The youth mutated into blade-sharp edges.


    In the forest, the spider youth found himself in distress, “It seems that even spider web-weaving needs practice!”


    “My God. So this is the truth!” someone whispered, recognizing it as the blade the youth had increasingly used in fights with Demon Beasts.


    “I am also a flying squirrel with the ability to give an electric shock.”


    Electric light danced around the blade-sharp edges the youth had mutated.


    To be able to produce electricity, he had trained hard for a long time, even capturing flying squirrels live and enduring electric shocks to find the knack for it.


    “Yes, I am a wild beast, and even more, a monster,” the youth said with a heavy expression, feeling as if he were standing naked in the icy, snowy wilderness.


    Just as he thought, the looks people gave him were full of intense fear, aversion, and the desire to keep their distance.


    But their looks were also not what he expected, with emotions beyond fear, aversion, and avoidance, making many faces complex.


    No sound came from the fourth floor.


    For Jia Sha, it was also the first time witnessing such a transformation of the youth, and he was astonished.


    The monster youth continued, “Although I am a wild beast, a monster, I wish to become a Knight, so I have always held myself to the standards of a Knight.”


    “I want to be Divine Favored, so I have always prayed, yet the Holy Emperor has never responded to me.”


    “I want to become a Noble, the sole heir to a great family. So I have always pushed myself to work hard to revive the family.”


    “I want to become a leader, so I fight hard in the vanguard, committing myself fully to fairness.”


    “How I wish that I was!”


    “I almost believed I was.”


    “But I am not.”


    “The memories that surfaced in my mind are someone else’s.”


    “My name is someone else’s.”


    “My fiancée is someone else’s.”


    “From the moment I awoke on the island, I have been living a lie.”


    The youth gave a bitter smile, “Do you know, when I first underwent Beastification, how shocked I was in my heart!”


    “I suspected it was a Bloodline Awakening, and I also doubted whether I had accidentally taken a Transformation Potion.”


    “As I gradually discovered that I could undergo Beastification even more, I was tormented.”


    “Fear, doubt, wandering… I asked myself, why have I become like this?”


    “I didn’t want Zi Di to worry, and I dared not speak the truth.”


    “How I wish this were a nightmare, but these things are happening to me, truly and certainly. I want to forget, but I cannot forget, because the harsh environment always forces me to use this ability.”


    “Gradually, I found that they are a part of my body, a part of me. To detest and evade them is to loathe and reject myself.”


    “`


    “I sympathize with the big guy, because in him, I saw myself.”


    “When my companions went mad with beastification, I was most afraid. I was particularly terrified that one day, I would lose my sanity and lash out with animal ferocity, killing those around me.”


    The youth looked at Zong Ge and said candidly, “Just now someone said I deceived you all, yes, I’ve deceived you. If possible, I would deceive you for a lifetime. If possible, I would even deceive myself.”


    “Because I don’t want to be a monster! I don’t want to be a beastified person, a substitute, a tool! I don’t want to be rejected, I don’t want to be hated, I don’t want to face discrimination.”


    All were visibly moved.


    The youth bowed his head, looked at his hands, and gave a bitter smile, “Actually, there were many flaws along the way, but why did I only realize it now?”


    “Because I’d rather deceive myself.”


    “I want to fool myself into thinking I’m a noble knight, clad in fine armor, riding a towering white horse.”


    “I want to fool myself into believing I’m a noble, with my own castle, a summer estate. And a beautiful and wealthy fiancée.”


    “I want to fool myself into thinking that I have the care and favor of the deities, I want to prove I have steadfast faith.”


    “I’ve failed.”


    “As you can see, I’m not.”


    “I am nothing at all!”


    “Now I can only tell myself: Hey, you fool, stop deceiving yourself. Cast away those ridiculous and pitiful delusions. You aren’t! Face the reality, you’re not even a normal person, you are a remodelled beastification person, a monster.”


    As he spoke, the youth’s eyes clearly reddened.


    This was his true feelings spilling out.


    Everyone was silent.


    They all quietly watched the youth.


    The looks of guard on their faces vanished, and the wariness began to fade.


    “Ha ha, you are quite self-aware, aren’t you, substitute?” Zhenjin’s mockery came from the fourth level.


    People immediately frowned, many displaying expressions of disgust.


    But then, the youth’s tone suddenly heightened, the conversation taking a sharp turn, “Although I am nothing, can’t I even think about it?”


    “I may not be, but can’t I do it,”


    “I may not be, but can’t I try?”


    Hearts were stirred.


    “Hmph, delusional.” Jia Sha was highly displeased, chiding, “From the moment a person is born, their status and position are determined. You must recognize reality, stay in your place, to gain the happiness that belongs to you. Driven by greed and desire, coveting what isn’t yours, will only lead to a bleak and tragic end. That is your greatest original sin. Holding such thoughts is the root of social unrest. How can you have the gall to utter such words? Admit to your wrongdoings now, and you may still find salvation and forgiveness!”


    People’s brows furrowed deeper.


    Ignoring Jia Sha, the substitute continued, “If I have the chance, I want to become a knight, I want to become a noble, I want to become a Divine Favored. All these things, I aspire to. Don’t tell me, you don’t!”


    The crowd was deeply shaken.


    “If you all don’t, then what are you doing in the Wilderness Continent?! Why make the arduous trek, crossing oceans, taking huge risks, to a place filled with the dangers of war?!”


    “I am a monster, I am ostracized, but what about you? Have you never been rejected, never despised, never hated? Never been trampled by the powerful? Never been deceived by life? Never been tormented by your ideals, your dreams?!”


    The youth’s rapid-fire questioning suddenly silenced the entire room.


    The youth took a deep breath, his tone softened, his gaze deep as he said, “We are actually all the same kind of people.”


    “We were born ordinary.” The youth looked at Bai Ya.


    Bai Ya’s complexion flushed, her mood excited.


    “We are rejected and despised by others.” The youth looked at the big guy.


    The big guy’s eyelids trembled slightly.


    “We have been betrayed by our kin.” The youth looked at Cang Xu.


    The old scholar squinted his eyes.


    “We are always treated unfairly.” The youth looked at the Half-Beast.


    The Half-Beast’s breathing became heavy.


    “We have also committed sins, so severe that we can’t even forgive ourselves.” The youth looked at Lan Zao.


    Ever since the youth had awoken and stood up, Lan Zao had been half-kneeling on the ground, now looking up at him.


    “We are reviled, banished, wanted, mocked. So what?”


    “Shouldn’t we think about it?”


    “Shouldn’t we do it?”


    “Reality has inflicted such pain upon us, life’s so miserable that it’s unbearable, only through action and aspiration can we improve.”


    The youth surveyed everyone before him.


    “In fact, we have always been trying.”


    “Cast away on this island together, we fought side by side. We hunted for food and water, we were poisoned. We struggled in the desert, pursued by herds of beasts, we repelled the Demon Beast Army’s attacks on our camp, we trekked long distances, gathering supplies on the way, we built new ships in the small valleys, we set sail through the Alchemy Factory’s difficult obstacles.”


    The youth paced before the crowd, recounting their experiences thus far.


    “What are we doing this for?” The youth spread his arms wide, questioning again.


    “We want to survive.”


    “But that’s not enough!”


    “Far from enough.”


    “We want to live better!”


    “I’ve always felt this way, I don’t believe you don’t want it too!”


    “Shut up, shut up. You devil, you’re seducing the people, you are so utterly rebellious. Your sins are too great, if you continue this way, you will have no redemption!” Jia Sha roared with rage at the youth’s words.


    The youth just smiled slightly. “A devil? Yes, I am!”


    He thumped his chest, boldly admitting.


    Then, pointing to the people in front of him, he declared forcefully, “But I’m not the only one. Every one of us is a devil, a beast!”


    “We want to live, to live luxuriously, crave ample food and water, yearn for noble status and glory, covet Divine Artifacts, desire overwhelming merit. And so do you, my dear priest!”


    In an instant, Jia Sha’s pupils shrank sharply.


    The youth shouted loudly, “On this island, we’re lost, we’re destitute, we’re hunted down like dead dogs. We collapse from exhaustion, all for the hope the new ship brings. Countless nights of relentless rain, we prayed together for a clear sky the next day.”


    He stomped his foot, pointing at the ground.


    “This is the War Merchant’s Mysterious Monster Island. It’s not just man-made monsters here, but devils and beasts too.”


    “It seems we have lost our way in life, but deep down, we always understand how we must move forward.”


    “Gentlemen, listen to your inner voice!” the youth implored, beating his chest, “What do you really want? To quietly await your death here? To surrender? To trust such a priest? To wag your tail like a dog, begging him for a chance to live? Then, he swallows all the merit, like the master eats all the meat, throwing the bones to the dogs for you to gnaw on?”


    “Bones, the big guy doesn’t eat bones, the big guy eats meat.” The big guy groggily opened his eyes, awakened by the noise, he saw the youth and the others, but he hadn’t yet grasped the situation.


    “I am not qualified to lead you. But I want each of you to listen carefully to your inner voice, what is it that you truly desire?”


    “Is it to bow your heads and stop, or to rise up and rebel?”


    The crowd fell silent.


    But this silence was different from before.


    If one listened carefully, one could hear the pounding of hearts, the heavy breathing.


    “Dad, you’re still alive!” the big guy shouted in ecstasy, standing up quickly, but dizzy from the sudden movement, he faltered and half-knelt again.


    The substitute smiled at him, then looked back at the crowd.


    He didn’t speak again.


    He was waiting.


    And then…


    He got his answer!


    “Master, no matter who you are, you have always been my master!” Lan Zao called out, standing up.


    “My life was saved by you, so many times. I am willing to follow you, my lord,” Bai Ya declared loudly.


    “You are more suited to the role of Knight and Noble than Zhenjin, I’ve always believed this,” Cang Xu spoke leisurely, cleaning his glasses.


    “You are a hero, our hero,” Mu Ban drew his Repeating Crossbow, prompting those beside him to shift a few steps away, instinctively distancing themselves.


    Zong Ge took a deep breath, stepped forward, and looked intently at the monster youth, solemnly saying, “This is the most touching battlefront speech I have ever heard. Let us once again… fight side by side.”


    The big guy stood up, Zong Ge approached, followed closely by Sanda.


    Lan Zao, Cang Xu, Bai Ya…


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    Regathered around the youth.


    And this time,


    The youth was no longer Zhenjin, no longer a Holy Temple Knight, no longer a Noble, no longer Divine Favored.


    He was… a monster!