Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 1175: Section 721: The Neighbor’s Guest (Part 3)

Chapter 1175: Section 721: The Neighbor’s Guest (Part 3)

The corridor’s metal walls are covered in mottled traces of time, and most of the lights on the walls are broken. Only the occasional working tube illuminates a section of the hallway.

This place should be the refuge used by the resort back in the day. Its luxury can be seen, for instance, Malin stands in the entrance and can see the hall filled with various entertainment devices. But unfortunately, time has destroyed it all. The once beautiful billiard table has turned into a pile of broken wood, the arcade game machines have only corroded frames left, and half a skeleton lies on the already tattered sofa. Occasionally, a small wraith appears quietly sobbing in the room, while the only functioning light on the wall flickers, adding a horror movie feel to the post-apocalyptic refuge room.

Malin walks into the room, and for a brief moment, he sees the room as it used to be: fashionable and happy middle-aged people standing by the billiard table, the arcade machine surrounded by young people, children sipping drinks on the side, women discussing fashion in the Salon area.

But that moment quickly faded away, and Malin sighed, causing all illusions to disappear. The little wraith struggles in Malin’s hand, its hollow eye sockets boiling with crimson Soul Fire.

Sadly, it is too close to the Hunter.

Malin reaches out and gently strokes its small head, and gradually, the wraith corrupted by Chaos calms down. With Malin’s comforting touch, its shell starts to ignite—its soul, long since collapsed, can no longer be saved. Its shell is disintegrating, and the little soul turns to pleading.

·Mom...

It whispers helplessly until it burns out in Malin’s hand, only remembering the call for its mother which did not fully awaken.

For a family, their past and future have ended, their bloodline no longer carries on; everything was destroyed by Chaos eight millennia ago... But for a civilization, this is merely a trivial piece of suffering in the era.

Placing the gemstone onto the ashes, Malin turns around, seeing a young woman standing in the corner. She looks at Malin and bows her head in gratitude.

·My child has finally found eternal rest... Thank you...

"...his father?"

·Outside the refuge, he was a soldier, together with his comrades...

The young woman speaks, as the Soul Fire in her eyes gradually turns red. She kneels before Malin.

·Please help me, just like you helped my child. I can see him find peace, the long wait finally has an end... Help me...

"I will," Malin replies, "please bear with it, it may hurt a bit." He reaches out to purify the lady, and she raises her head.

·By the way, you look like a small dwarf; I want to know... is the Union... still around...

The lady asks with her last shred of rationality.

"The Union is always around," Malin answers with a smile, shaking hands.

The wraith lady before him did not even have time to let out her first shriek after her transformation before Malin crushed her into ashes.

Looking at the gemstone in his hand, Malin finally puts it together with the child’s gemstone.

For some reason, Malin feels that if he doesn’t keep them, he will inevitably regret it one day in the future.

Much like the soldiers’ dog tags, in the age of the apocalypse, such sorrow is just a tiny drop in the tide of the era.

Getting up, Malin walks out of the hall and senses a faint sound from afar. Meanwhile, a message comes through from Ails; they’ve engaged with the Aliens, and although the number is quite large, they can’t break through their defenses nor pose a threat.

That’s the way it should be.

Malin stands in the shadows of the corridor, the faint sound gradually becoming clearer, and the air starts to distort under the nearby light.

Indeed, in this cursed world, even creatures like Aliens have mutated in the Dark Zone to such forms.

The Queen, possessing some form of biological camouflage, advances a bit further, until she stops, just ten meters within Malin’s light.

Not because she sensed something, but because Malin willingly walked into the light.

"If you can speak human language, let’s have a proper conversation."

Although Malin doubts whether the Queen understands human speech, given her mutations and apparent possession of Spiritual Energy, a high-intelligence Queen understanding human speech shouldn’t be an issue.

The Queen stops, eventually lowers her head in face of Malin’s absolute prowess, and no longer tries to camouflage herself, crouching down.

·Greetings to you, mighty human.

"I’m genuinely curious, how did you learn to speak like this?" Malin looks at the humble Queen with curiosity.

·I ate one of your human’s brains and learned from it. I know this is a world full of humans, and also full of danger, with formidable enemies invading. You see, maybe my children and I can assist you.

Her answer is swift. If not seen firsthand, Malin would hardly believe that the one conversing with him would be a genuine monster.

Admittedly, this Queen is an intelligent woman; her topic directly targets Malin’s vulnerability—Aliens are, indeed, exceedingly powerful creatures. Such naturally born weapons, in Malin’s eyes, are excellent fodder for attrition battles, especially under the command of such a formidable and wise Queen.