"What the hell do you think that thing in the mist down there is?" The wizened man asked, setting his spear down.
"Don't know." Old Liu glanced at the cigarette butt in his hand, glaring at the man before reflexively trying to put it out. But after looking at the mist that had begun to creep up the mountain, he stuffed the butt back in his mouth and took a hard drag until it burned his lips. Only then did he reluctantly toss away the remaining paper.
"Who knows? When we fled here, we thought this place would be a good place to recuperate, but who would have thought this damned place would be so strange? So many people and zombies have wandered into that mist and never been heard from again. No idea what happened to them. Vanished without a trace."
Hearing this, Old Liu sighed. He watched the mist continue to spread towards the summit and suddenly stood up, startling the others.
"What the hell's wrong with you?!" the wizened man cursed, annoyed. Old Liu's face was serious.
"I was just thinking, I don't want to die like this, without knowing what killed me. Even if I die, I need to know what the hell is going on."
With that, he picked up his longbow and exchanged it for a large hammer from someone nearby.
"I'm going into the mist to take a look."
Having said that, he held the hammer and walked resolutely into the mist, his back unwavering, without any hesitation, but with an inexplicable sense of madness.
In this world, the living had long been driven mad.
The others didn't try to dissuade him. Instead, some were eager to join him.
"Brother Liu, wait up, take me with you."
With that, a middle-aged man with a scar on his face picked up his spear and quickly followed, disappearing into the mist with Old Liu.
Behind them, several others were tempted, but after glancing at the mist that remained undisturbed after the two men entered, they swallowed the words that had reached their lips.
Instantly, the two men who had voluntarily entered the mist lost their bearings and could no longer see each other.
"Xiao Wang, can you hear me?" Old Liu shouted, straining his voice, reaching out to grab Xiao Wang behind him, but grasped only air. Xiao Wang, who had been right behind him, was now nowhere to be seen.
Instantly, cold sweat streamed down Old Liu's forehead.
"What's going on? Did the mist separate us? Or… was there never a Xiao Wang?"
Those living on the mountaintop had always suspected that the mist trapped them there, preventing them from descending, but allowed others to enter. Why?
Moreover, because the people on the mountaintop hadn't arrived at the same time, but rather trickled in over the years, a natural chain of suspicion had formed.
Were the newcomers, or the original group, truly human?
Originally, because so few humans remained, they were using all their energy just to survive, and had no way to deal with these extraneous concerns.
So this false peace had lasted for so long.
In this unique environment, the chain of suspicion was magnified to the extreme. For a moment, chaotic thoughts flashed through Old Liu's mind, amplifying the fear in his heart many times over.
He turned around frantically, wanting to retrace his steps, but found that no matter how he walked, he couldn't leave the mist's grasp.
… …
"Brother Liu, are you there?!" A tearful voice echoed through the mist. Xiao Wang swung his spear wildly. After entering the mist, Brother Liu, who had been walking in front of him, had suddenly vanished.
He initially thought it was because of the low visibility in the fog, so he hurried forward a few steps, but soon, he was horrified to find that no matter how far he ran, Brother Liu, who had been only two or three steps ahead of him, was nowhere to be found. Now, he was completely panicked.
… …
"It's happening again, it's happening again. Two people go in and don't even make a splash. What the hell is that ghostly mist?!" The wizened man, who had been standing on the summit watching this scene, slammed his fist into a nearby tree, his tone a mix of collapse and frustration.
"This mist… is such a strange thing, never seen anything like it…" A deep male voice sounded from behind. The wizened man casually replied,
"Huh? Never seen this mist? An outsider? Then you're screwed. We're probably going to die together soon."
He chuckled self-deprecatingly. As he turned his head to see who the unlucky fellow was, he was horrified to find that there was no one behind him.
Who was it that had just spoken to him?!
In an instant, the thought that something from the mist had come out flooded his mind like a dam breaking.
"Haha, don't worry, with me here, you won't die." Just as he was anxiously speculating, the deep male voice let out a burst of laughter. Then, a fierce gale swept down, bending the grass on the summit.
Everyone guarding the camp on the summit was blinded by the dust raised by the gale and could only cover their faces with their arms. After a while, when they were sure the gale had stopped, they cautiously lowered their hands.
When they saw the behemoth in front of them, everyone was startled, but then, they couldn't help but praise the sacred beauty before them.
The skeleton composed of solid ice seemed to shimmer with a holy light. A faint sandalwood fragrance emanated from the bones, and two halos, one gold and one silver, shone brightly behind its head, as if a Bodhisattva or Buddha in a temple had come to life.
Although it was a dragon made of bones, it didn't feel terrifying at all. Instead, it was filled with a reassuring sense of holiness.
"You… who are you?" Faced with the fear of the giant and the terror of the alien, it was as if they had never existed before in front of this sacred being. The wizened man took a step forward, his tone filled with irrepressible joy.
"I am the Ten Directions Demon-Subduing Bone Dragon Lord."
The deep male voice came from the Frost Lord's mouth. The golden Halo of Merit and the silver Halo of Incense behind its head trembled, and in the void, the prayers of the people faintly echoed.
[Praise, the Ten Directions Demon-Subduing Bone Dragon Lord!]
[Bless, the Ten Directions Demon-Subduing Bone Dragon Lord!]
[Holy, the Ten Directions Demon-Subduing Bone Dragon Lord!]
Before everyone's eyes, it was as if they saw the various merits of the Frost Lord.
Leading humanity through hardships, clearing out zombies, fighting for their homeland, and ending the apocalypse.
In an instant, everyone's eyes filled with tears. They understood the Frost Lord's intentions, and words of complete gratitude reached their lips, but they couldn't utter them. They could only give it a prostrate bow.
"Praise, the Ten Directions Demon-Subduing Bone Dragon Lord! Please, Dragon Lord, save our lives!"
