Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 23 Demon Envoy
The escape of one prisoner was a trivial matter to the Swift Dragons.

They began their advance, taking turns providing cover, with remarkable coordination.

Armored soldiers were at the forefront, acting as an iron fortress; soldiers wearing powered exoskeletons followed closely behind, forming a sharp attack group.

The mechanical soldiers controlled drones to provide visibility, while the mechanical dogs cleared out sentries and advanced steadily.

"Da da da da——"

The heavy machine guns spat fire indiscriminately, tearing any ratmen that rushed out of the shadows to shreds.

This was a one-sided massacre caused by a technological gap.

The battle advanced all the way to the outskirts of the research institute, and the ratmen's resistance became increasingly fierce.

They all wore hoods or cloaks, hiding themselves in the shadows, their bodies hunched over, revealing only a pair of small, red, glowing eyes.

Except for a very few ratmen who have iron-pipe pistols, most of them carry crossbows and shields.

"It's just a trick, showing off one's skills in front of an expert."

Scarface pointed to the five-story research institute in the distance and ordered directly, "Take it down within five minutes."

No sooner had he finished speaking than four machine guns, made from scrap metal, spewed fire from the rooftop.

The large-caliber bullets instantly tore apart several prisoners in front of them.

"Involved!"

Scarface and his men quickly sought cover, and the armored soldiers immediately retaliated, blasting the rooftop wall into pieces.

He stared coldly at the machine guns, his voice filled with resentment: "They've put the ordnance machine tools to use!"

The deputy whispered, "Boss, at least the machine tool isn't broken, that's good news."

More ratmen soldiers surged in from all directions, fearless of death, and a fierce battle ensued.

Most of them only had rudimentary cold weapons; their bows and crossbows could not penetrate their armor, and they were completely outmatched in close combat.

A rat-man, brandishing a wooden pole strapped with explosives, roared as it charged toward an armored soldier, only to be caught by a mechanical arm and tossed back into the rat pile like trash.

"boom--!"

In the flames of the explosion, severed limbs flew everywhere.

On the other side, the rat-man carrying a huge bamboo basket pulled out several mutated rats with squeaking and pustules on their skin and threw them over with all his might.

"Exploding rat!"

The soldiers quickly sought cover.

After the giant rats landed, their bodies rapidly swelled and then burst open, spraying out a highly corrosive green slime.

The second-in-command glanced behind him; the darkness was filled with countless red eyes.

The rat-men had completely surrounded them.

"No, the intelligence clearly stated that there are no heat sources here and the threat level is very low," the deputy muttered to himself.

Scarface also realized something was wrong, feeling that his group had stumbled upon the ratmen's stronghold.

"Charge into the building first!"

"Surge!"

While the battle raged fiercely on the battlefield, Zhuang Fan was in a shadowy corner, trying to remove the lock from his wrist.

"Crack!"

He loosened his grip, and the steel claw fell to the ground.

Due to overuse of the black mist, the dizziness returned, and it took him a while to recover.

But when he tried to escape, he also discovered the approaching army of ratmen from behind, and his scalp tingled with fear.

He looked ahead and saw that the ratmen's dens were relatively sparse, so without hesitation, he walked forward, keeping close to the shadows.

To avoid being discovered, he even tore a tattered, pure black cloak off a corpse and wrapped himself in it from head to toe.

But when two people meet on a narrow path, trouble is bound to happen.

He turned a corner and ran into a squad of ratmen soldiers.

There's truly no way to retreat.

These ratmen were taller and more ferocious, all carrying iron-barreled rifles, their scarlet eyes revealing intense killing intent, exuding ruthlessness.

With a thought, Zhuang Fan quickly manipulated the surrounding eerie mist, condensing it into a layer of flowing, blurry dark mist on his body surface.

His features and body shape became indistinguishable, like a distorted human form made of shadows.

The ratmen soldiers stopped abruptly, all staring at him, as if the air had frozen.

Zhuang Fan froze on the spot, his heart pounding.

He had just witnessed how insane these ratmen were on the battlefield; even with severed limbs, they would crawl to the enemy's feet and take another vicious bite.

"Bang!"

One of the ratmen's weapons fell to the ground.

They trembled, gripped by fear, and one by one they knelt down, burying their heads deep in their chests.

The rat-man at the front, his voice trembling with awe and fear, stammered:

"Afternoon...good afternoon, Lord Demon General."

Zhuang Fan was stunned.

Demon General?

Memories from the elderly flashed through my mind like lightning.

It turns out that the demon is not the end of evolution.

They will also kill and devour each other, and the ultimate victor has a very small chance of evolving into a higher form of being—a demon general.

The Demon General possesses a certain degree of wisdom and authority, and can command hundreds of low-level demons.

The only criterion for judging a demon general is whether they can condense and manipulate a materialized "dark mist".

Their appearance varies greatly, but the most common form is an anthropomorphic shadow draped in a black robe.

Because the old man had limited knowledge of the Demon General, having only caught a fleeting glimpse of him on the battlefield amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, he was unclear about many of his features.

But at this moment, Zhuang Fan finally understood.

The one we encountered in Vault XR-662 wasn't a newly born monster at all.

It was a demon general who had just completed a fierce battle and successfully advanced to the rank of demon general, and had already developed a little intelligence.

No wonder it had such a strong desire for revenge, not only controlling the sandworms but also driving the corpse queen to relentlessly hunt him down.

Thinking about this, Zhuang Fan felt doubtful again.

Since light mist corresponds to demons and dark mist corresponds to demon generals, does black mist also correspond to a very high-level existence?

Zhuang Fan looked back at the rat-men soldiers.

They remained kneeling humbly, waiting to be spoken.

The one at the very front has a helmet made from half a blackened ball, and a rusty can lid is tied to its chest with animal sinew.

The one next to it was even more punk, with steel bars welded to its shoulders, a road sign with the words "No Entry" hanging on its chest, and wrapped with strips of torn rubber tires as a makeshift cushion.

The rat-man wearing the ball didn't dare to look up and whispered:
"grown ups?"

Zhuang Fan slowly lowered his head, making the shadow of the hood even deeper, and then let out a low, hoarse syllable from his throat.

"Ah."

The adults are indeed angry!
The mice were terrified and all looked at the ball-shaped mouse, urging it to say something quickly!
The ball-shaped rat lowered its head even further and spoke cautiously, "Sir, we will definitely defend the research institute to the death and will not ruin your plan. Those humans will absolutely not succeed!"

Zhuang Fan decided to listen more and talk less.

Seeing that the master remained silent, the ball-shaped mouse continued, "By the way, sir, our leader has just returned. He came specifically for you."

"I know, go ahead and do your work." Zhuang Fan lowered his voice, trying to be as vague as possible.

Huh, that's an adult's voice?
The ball-shaped rat nodded quickly, keeping his questions to himself, and stood up with the soldiers, rushing back to the front line.

But the ball mouse still felt it was inappropriate to leave the Demon General standing there, so it chirped at the short guy next to it.

"Go quickly and report to the king that the Demon General has come to inspect the area."

After the rats left, Zhuang Fan immediately walked away.

If he stays where he is, the ratman leader will probably see through his disguise when he arrives.

The problem is, he has nowhere to retreat.

Behind them was the encirclement of the ratmen army, whose noisy roars and footsteps drew ever closer, blocking all escape routes.

Ahead lay the research institute where the Swift Dragon Legion and the Skaven were locked in combat. The air was thick with the roar of cannons and the whistling of bullets; recklessly entering would only result in being torn apart by concentrated fire from both sides. The only way out lay in the Skaven's weakest rear area.

He took a step and walked into the deeper darkness.

But the further you go in, the thicker the air becomes.

The smell of rotting food, excrement, and damp fur mixed together, almost suffocating.

This is one of the ratmen's dens, and their home.

The walls were no longer cold concrete, but a mixture of compacted garbage, mud, and some kind of sticky substance, with a slippery feel.

From time to time, small, thin rat-men would peek out from the wall, scrutinize him with their scarlet eyes, and then shrink back inside.

Deep inside the cave, there is almost no light source.

Only a few mosses and fungi, emitting a faint green glow, clung to the walls and ceiling, casting dappled shadows.

He saw an old rat-man whose fur had fallen out, revealing his ashen skin.

It huddled in a shack made of tattered canvas, cradling a dead cub in its arms, sobbing silently.

Several smaller mice gathered around a puddle of murky water, greedily licking it with their tongues, completely ignoring the oily debris floating on the surface.

A rat-man "craftsman" is using his rough claws to grind a piece of metal into a sharp dagger, causing sparks to fly everywhere.

More ratmen lay motionless in the corner.

Their clothes included heavy industrial canvas, plastic strips torn from tattered billboards, and fibrous fabrics stripped from corpses, with crooked stitches and greasy residue stuck to their fur.

Rather than clothes, it's more like a layer of "skin" peeled off from the ruins of human civilization and pieced together in various ways.

They ignored Zhuang Fan, this stranger, and didn't even look up at him.

After observing for a while, Zhuang Fan decided to turn around and go directly to the leader of the ratmen.

Since there's no way out, we might as well see how the other party reacts and then respond accordingly.

He walked through the oppressive slum and came to a more open cave.

Surrounded in the center by the rat-man army was a colossal creature three meters tall.

It has a rat's head and a human body, with bulging muscles. It is covered in a heavy armor made of countless metal rings, and carries a heavy machine gun with its support removed on its shoulder.

Tataji, leader of the Skaven.

It let out a low growl, directing the battle at the front.

"Right wing! What are those idiots on the right wing doing! Tell them to blow that iron gate open!"

"If we run out of ammunition, we'll bite! We'll tear it apart with our claws! Anyone who dares to back down, I'll personally snap their neck!"

Although the ratman reinforcements brought many sophisticated weapons, Tataji had given a clear order that the experimental equipment and the precious machine tool in the research institute must not be damaged.

This leaves them feeling restricted and in a dilemma.

The humans inside the research institute were incredibly fierce, and the area in front of the gate was already piled high with rat-man corpses.

Just then, the short rat-man tumbled in.

"Your Majesty! The Demon General...has arrived!"

Tataji turned around abruptly, a flash of surprise in his scarlet eyes, followed by barely concealed anxiety.

It grabbed the megaphone and roared at the front lines:

"Stop firing, all of you!"

"Listen up, humans inside! Evacuate immediately! Don't take anything with you! Otherwise, we'll fill this place with our lives and see if you have more bullets or we have more lives!"

The gunfire within the research institute subsided briefly, then fell completely silent after a long while.

Scarface weighed the pros and cons for a long time.

He shifted his gaze from the few brothers lying in pools of blood to the endless, dark legion of ratmen, and sighed.

Ultimately, he led his team to retreat through the breach on the other side.

The ratman army automatically made way for them, watching helplessly as they slunk away without taking a single piece of their spoils.

Tataji threw down the megaphone.

It didn't care about the lives of those rat-men soldiers, nor did it bother to clean up the battlefield, and strode towards Zhuang Fan.

When it saw the mysterious figure shrouded in dark mist, it visibly paused.

This was different from the demon general it remembered, but that pure dark mist was definitely a demon general.

"grown ups."

Tataji’s voice was deep, carrying a hint of barely perceptible reverence, but without any flattery.

"Fortunately, I wasn't far away and managed to get back in time, which saved the research institute and prevented the Demon Envoy's mission from being delayed."

[Demon Messenger]

This word was like a key, unlocking the last veil of mystery in Zhuang Fan's mind.

Xu Renyi's memories surged forth.

Zhuang Fan already knew that demons devouring each other would give birth to demon generals.

However, the demon generals will also devour each other, and the ultimate victor will transform into a higher form of existence—the demon messenger.

The Demon Envoy is the true king of this wasteland.

With an infinite lifespan, almost immortal, capable of changing forms, able to command an army of millions of zombie monsters, and possessing extremely high intelligence.

According to Xu Renyi's memory, there are at least seven demon envoys in this wasteland, each of whom is a great enemy of humanity.

Zhuang Fan nodded slightly without saying a word.

Tataji originally wanted to explain his deployment arrangements, but seeing that Zhuang Fan did not speak, he was immediately at a loss.

To be cautious, he decided to first determine which faction of demon envoy the other party belonged to before continuing communication and preventing leaks.

"Excuse me, are you sent by Lady Tiros?"

Tirose

This name, hidden deep in the old man's memory, is equivalent to fear itself.

For hundreds of years, no one has known her origins; she remains a mystery.

She was once the supreme commander of all demon messengers, demon generals, monsters, and countless mutant tribes.

She can ride the wind, move in an instant, enter dreams, and control all living things within a range of hundreds of meters; no one can rival her.

She made humanity remember the year 2550, one of the bloodiest and most terrifying years in history.

During that year, Tirose went on a killing spree, assassinating top human scientists and often wiping out entire laboratories. Countless elites and wealthy individuals perished at her hands.

Sometimes, she would carry her tagged prey directly to a height of a thousand meters and then drop it down like trash.

Alternatively, a group of wealthy people could be thrown into a glass box, filled with black mist, and allowed to witness their transformation.

One second you might be enjoying a lively conversation and drinks, and the next second a cloud of black mist bursts through the window and throws you off the building—it's quite terrifying.

Therefore, during that period, all the top power holders, including Xu Renyi, lived in the shadow of this female demon.

Cloned body doubles became all the rage.

Then in 2590, the corporate war reached its climax.

Tiros, who had been watching from the sidelines, eventually led her army of demons into battle, slaughtering nearly half of humanity and causing widespread devastation.

No one has ever seen Tirose's true face beneath her cloak; she always only reveals a sliver of her fair chin.

Until one day, Tirose attempted to assassinate Xu Renyi, but instead killed a clone.

After the operation failed, she was caught in heavy artillery fire during her evacuation, and the shockwave ripped open a corner of her hood.

Xu Renyi, who was not far away, saw her eyes, which were as cold and lifeless as still water.

The next second, the old man's mental world went blank, and he fainted on the spot.

From that day on, his health deteriorated, his spirits waned, and he embarked on a frantic journey to prolong his life.

In Zhuang Fan's mind, that fleeting face was frozen in the clearest way by hyperthymesia.

He was struck dumb, frozen in place, as if time had stood still.

That wasn't Xu Renyi's memory.

That was his own.

That female demon named Tiros, the number one demon messenger who made the entire wasteland world tremble.

She is his younger sister, Zhuang Li.

(End of this chapter)