87: Chapter 87 Climbing Back from Despair. He Sought the Method of Killing Gods.

The chaos at the entrance to the 'Weeping Valley' lasted for nearly half an hour.

When the last "Drowned One" was torn apart by three "Skinless Blood Corpses" that had been mauling each other to tatters, dissolving into a foul-smelling pile of filth, an eerie silence temporarily fell over the area.

The grey mist churned slightly, but no new Bizarre Monsters immediately emerged. The heart-wrenching weeping sound from deep within the valley also seemed to pause briefly, as if observing the unusual "foreign object" at the entrance.

Zhang Hao was curled up in the center of the battlefield, a small puddle of dark red, viscous blood pooling beneath him. His entire body looked like a ragdoll dredged from a pool of blood and haphazardly stitched back together. His aura was frighteningly weak; only the faintest rise and fall of his chest proved he was still alive.

His consciousness was in chaos. His soul felt as if it had been torn into countless fragments by the earlier act of forcibly controlling the consciousnesses of numerous Bizarre Monsters, only barely held together from scattering by some cold, adhesive force. An intense headache pierced him like steel needles, his vision was blurred, and a constant ringing filled his ears.

However, the cold, deathly power within his body, after undergoing this extreme exertion and chaotic collision with the consciousnesses of the Bizarre Monsters, underwent a qualitative change. It was no longer as elusive as before. Instead, like a stream flowing into a parched riverbed, although still faint, it became more condensed and more docile, slowly circulating through his shattered meridians and bonding more tightly with his dying shell.

Struggling, he used his nearly ruined arms to barely prop his body up a little. His turbid eyes moved with great difficulty, looking around.

The ground was littered with the messy remains of Bizarre Monsters, emitting a potent stench and Yin energy.

And besides these dead things, there were... a few figures standing, or rather, lingering, in the area.

Two Skinless Blood Corpses with severe bodily damage, exposed muscles, and stiff movements; one Wailing Ghost with half its body torn apart and broken nails; and a swollen Drowned One with its abdomen hollowed out, dripping black water.

They did not attack each other like before, nor did they pounce on the defenseless Zhang Hao who was right in front of them.

They just stood there... quietly. The ghostly green flames in their eye sockets or their turbid eyeballs all held a bewildered, vacant stare, occasionally turning slightly towards Zhang Hao's direction, revealing an extremely faint, yet undeniably real... sense of connection.

Zhang Hao was stunned.

He tried, using his tattered consciousness that felt like it had been sandpapered, to send a simple command to the relatively "intact" Skinless Blood Corpse: Come.

The Skinless Blood Corpse stiffly turned its neck, emitting a "crack" of grinding bones. Then, it actually dragged its nearly bitten-off leg, taking one slow, halting step after another, and slowly walked to Zhang Hao's side, like the most clumsy marionette.

Zhang Hao's heart gave a violent leap!

It wasn't an illusion!

Enduring the soul-rending pain, he focused his mind again and issued similar commands to the other Bizarre Monsters.

The Wailing Ghost emitted meaningless guttural sounds and shuffled its feet.

The Drowned One dragged its intestines, slowly approaching.

They... obeyed his commands!

Although their reactions were sluggish and their movements stiff, they indeed moved under the drive of his consciousness!

An indescribable emotion, a mix of wild joy, shock, and extreme weakness, rushed to Zhang Hao's head. He almost fainted from the excitement.

He, Zhang Hao, a piece of worthless mud and a traitor who had just been considered doomed by everyone (including himself), had actually... actually gained the power to control Bizarre Monsters in this desperate situation?!

Although they were only the lowest-level Bizarre Monsters, and the control was so tenuous and painful, this was undeniably power! Power that could let him survive in this godforsaken apocalypse!

"Hah... hahaha..." He wanted to laugh out loud, but could only produce a wheezing sound like a broken bellows from his throat, mixed with bloody foam.

Back to the Fortress! He could go back! He could complete Lin Chen's mission!

This thought acted like a stimulant, allowing him to squeeze out the last bit of his strength. He glanced at these dull, broken Bizarre Monster "subordinates" beside him, and an idea surfaced.

He tried to command them... to lift him up.

The process was still clumsy and painful. The cold, slimy muscle texture of the Skinless Blood Corpse disgusted him. The Wailing Ghost's sharp nails accidentally scratched new wounds on his body. The black water dripping from the Drowned One was corrosive.

But in the end, he was "lifted" by these low-level Bizarre Monsters in an extremely bizarre and horrifying manner, slowly moving towards the direction of the Fortress.

This scene would be enough to give anyone who saw it nightmares for three days—a blood-soaked, barely human figure being carried by several equally broken and terrifying Bizarre Monsters, crawling forward across the grey, desolate wilderness.

On the Fortress walls, Lin Chen, who had been watching the light screen, finally showed a flicker of clear surprise in his eyes, which then transformed into deeper amusement.

"Oh? Not just guiding mutual devourment, but preliminary forced enslavement?" He stroked his chin. "It seems the active ingredients in this 'mud' are a bit higher than estimated."

He watched as Zhang Hao was carried by the Bizarre Monsters, moving towards the Fortress at an extremely slow but determined pace. At this speed, the 24-hour time limit was more than sufficient.

"Record updated: Test subject 'Zhang Hao,' 'Chaos Domination' talent confirmed, possesses 'Low-Level Bizarre Monster Forced Enslavement' characteristic. Number of enslaved units positively correlates with individual mental strength and physical condition. Current limit: 4 low-level Bizarre Monsters. Enslaved units are severely damaged and possess extremely low intelligence, capable of executing only simple commands."

"Value assessment: Upgraded from 'Discarded Test Subject' to 'Recyclable Combat Unit.'"

At that moment, another light screen in front of Lin Chen suddenly flashed with urgent red light—the highest priority information transmitted by the scouting Yin soldiers from the Fortress's outer perimeter.

Simultaneously, Zhang Hao below, who was being carried by the Bizarre Monsters towards the Fortress, seemed to receive, through the faint mental link with his enslaved monsters, a common, fragmented piece of information transmitted from their chaotic, shattered consciousnesses.

That information came from whispers they had overheard while wandering near the edge of the valley, originating from a more powerful existence deeper within.

Zhang Hao's consciousness was already on the verge of collapse. Upon receiving this information, his broken body shuddered violently. Using his last ounce of strength, he turned towards the Fortress and let out a hoarse, night-owl-like shriek:

"Lin... Master Lin! They... they say... Lord of the Ultimate End... fears... fears light... three... three cores... must... hit simultaneously!!"

This intermittent, pain-laced shout, transmitted through the surveillance arrays set up by the Yin soldiers, clearly reached the Fortress command room.

Lin Chen's eyes suddenly sharpened!

On the light screen, the information from the scouting Yin soldiers was rapidly parsed and enlarged, corroborating the fragmented information Zhang Hao had screamed out—

[Detected fragments of low-frequency wave analysis related to the Lord of the Ultimate End: Weakness confirmed as 'Pure Yang Flame-grade light source.' Requires simultaneous annihilation of its three core nodes located in the 'cranial cavity,' 'heart chamber,' and 'spinal base' within an extremely short time frame to inflict fatal damage. Warning: Destruction of a single core will trigger frenzy and accelerate core regeneration.]

The command room fell into silence.

Su Qingyu had just arrived, preparing to report on the readiness of the "vicious dog contract." Hearing Zhang Hao's shout and the system prompt, she also covered her mouth in shock.

No one had expected that Zhang Hao, this vicious dog who had escaped death, would bring back not just news of completing the mission, but also a piece of vital intelligence crucial for future survival!

Lin Chen slowly stood up, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and looked into the distance at the blood-soaked figure being carried by the Bizarre Monsters, as if returned from hell. His gaze was profound.

He lightly tapped his communicator. His tone was calm, yet carried undeniable force:

"Open the small emergency passage on the side."

"Medical team, Rune Research team, get in position immediately."

"Bring him in, along with his little 'friends.'"

"This vicious dog..." A truly appreciative curve appeared at the corner of Lin Chen's mouth. "He did bring back a pretty good bone."