143: Chapter 143 The Monster Era

"Hiss... Boss, wasn't this supposed to be a friendly spar? You really went all out," Zhou Hui said through gritted teeth as he stood up, his body wrapped in bandages, his tone laced with resentment.

Talk about being his opponent—it was all a lie. He'd been completely and utterly dominated.

And in the end, it was literally that...

Lin Fang ignored him and spoke as if to himself, "I have matters to attend to and need to leave first. Your clearance level in the inner world is B4. You can come and go from here freely later. Do you want to return now or stay at the base?"

"I'll stay at the base!"

Zhou Hui only thought for a moment before replying immediately, "Boss, I want to get acquainted with these monsters."

"Hmm, you can familiarize yourself with this place first. Do not enter the other side of the passage."

Safety was still somewhat guaranteed inside, but on the other side, there were no guarantees. It was possible that by the time Lin Fang returned, he'd only be able to light a couple of extra incense sticks for him.

Zhou Hui nodded emphatically. Even though his wounds still throbbed with pain, he couldn't suppress his excitement. Limping, he quickly made his way towards the armory.

And the moment he stepped off the platform, the young man who had been standing there just a moment ago had vanished without a trace, as if he had never been there at all.

——

[Successfully descended into the Pacific Rim Dimension]

[Current Dimension Weight: 51%]

[Sole Objective: Search for supplies, evacuate safely]

[Spacetime Package Status: Idle]

[Remaining plunder points: 3576]

[Evacuation Countdown: 23:59:59]

Lin Fang opened his eyes to find himself in a cozy room. A cartoon was playing on the television, and he had a baby bottle in his mouth.

This boy named Soren hadn't come to harm. After seizing the base, he had thought those furious politicians might have done something to the boy.

After finishing the milk, Lin Fang looked at the bottle. The text on it was in Chinese. Could it be that his current location was still within the Central Continent?

At that moment, a woman walked out of the kitchen. She was the mother of this body.

"Oh my, our Soren finished his bottle so quickly today. Were you starving?" Yvette naturally took the empty bottle and brought a spoonful of fruit puree to Lin Fang's lips. "Here, have some more apple puree. It's very sweet."

"Ah..."

Lin Fang: ...

The bowl in Yvette's hand fell to the floor with a sharp clatter. She had noticed that the innocence in the boy's eyes was gone. What kind of eyes were these? They were no longer the pure, naive blue eyes of her son Soren, filled with curiosity and dependence on the world.

Now, these eyes were like a deep, bottomless icy pool, even carrying a faint, almost imperceptible scrutiny.

After more than two months, that merchant had returned.

"Where are we now?" Lin Fang asked.

"The Central Continent."

Yvette answered numbly, now completely certain of the identity of the person before her.

"Be more specific."

"I don't know. I only know we are in the capital of this country, in a relocation apartment. They installed surveillance cameras in this room. They've probably already seen that you... Your Excellency has returned."

Lin Fang nodded.

Just then, with a loud *BANG*, the door was violently smashed open. A man reeking of alcohol and cheap tobacco staggered in.

"Money! Damn it, Yvette, give me the money!" the man roared, his voice sharp and distorted by alcohol and some stimulant. "I know you hid the relief funds! Give it to me now!"

Yvette's body trembled violently, fear flashing across her face. Instinctively, she shielded Lin Fang behind her, her voice pleading, "Kant, that's the last bit of money... it's for food... please..."

"To hell with food!" the man bellowed, shoving Yvette aside. His bloodshot eyes fixed on the coin jar on the table. "I need to have some fun! Right now!"

"That little bastard is still here, isn't he? The government will provide if there's no food. They won't let him starve. Thanks to him, I get to live in a place like this."

Yvette was shoved into the sofa, letting out a pained cry.

Kant, who had begun ransacking the place, suddenly had his attention drawn elsewhere. He stopped and looked at the boy sitting in the chair.

The child was too calm.

He wasn't crying in fear as usual. He just sat there quietly, those blue eyes watching him coldly.

As his stepfather, Kant didn't know what had happened to this boy. A month ago, he and this mother-son pair had been escorted here on a special plane, far from the cities ravaged by monsters.

But what was the use? This world was about to end! He needed to enjoy everything as quickly as possible!

Kant felt extremely uncomfortable under that gaze. A sense of offended anger surged within him.

"What the hell are you looking at, you little bastard!" Kant cursed, habitually raising his hand, intending to make the child fear him through violence.

Yvette screamed in terror, "No! Don't—"

Her voice cut off abruptly.

A pitch-black giant hand seized Kant by the neck. The man was lifted effortlessly, his legs kicking wildly. All his drunkenness was instantly snuffed out by this terrifying grip.

What kind of monster was this?

"You are so noisy! Even your brain stinks." Venom's low, gravelly voice sounded. A head, vastly different from the arm, materialized and sniffed the air. "Smells disgusting."

The ferocious head revealed the other half of its face.

"Who is he?" Lin Fang's gaze swept over Kant, whose throat was being crushed, struggling frantically but unable to make a sound, and directed the question at Yvette.

Yvette stammered in reply:

"Soren's stepfather... my... my second husband."

The pitch-black giant arm gave a fierce jerk!

Kant's unconscious body was hurled like a human cannonball, whistling through the air towards a corner of the room.

*BANG! CRASH—!*

Plaster and dust rained down. A shallow dent was smashed into the wall. Kant's body slid to the floor in a twisted heap, blood slowly seeping out from beneath him.

"Fang, how did you turn into a kid? He smells so... delicious." Venom's head emerged from the boy's body, speaking with curiosity.

"And..."

Venom turned towards the window, its white pupils contracting with excitement. "Is this another new world? I think I smell many, many scents I really, really like."

"Correct. A new world."

Lin Fang sat back down in the chair, looking at the trembling Yvette. "What's the current situation outside?"

Within just a few minutes, Lin Fang had a rough understanding.

After the Jaeger base became a bay, humanity lost the military force capable of confronting the monsters head-on. The authorities initially tried to cover it up, but after two Category IV monsters rampaged unchecked in Tokyo, the lie could no longer be maintained.

After the euphoria of the bloodless victory had passed,

protests, riots, and panic swept across the globe. The human United Government teetered on the brink of collapse, beginning to fragment as each nation fought for itself.

And the Precursors behind the monsters seemed to have sensed something, churning out beasts frantically. Humanity was forced to abandon all coastlines, undertaking a massive migration to high-altitude and inland regions.

Some were calling this century the Kaiju Era.