Monster Dismantling Company

Chapter 34 The Suffering of the Monster

"In that case, when will we be able to get through on the phone?"

"Perhaps, once the Grand Canal is open, the connection between our two sides will be able to be re-established."

The Grand Canal is the coalition government's primary focus at this stage. The movement to reclaim lost territory needs the Grand Canal to propel it to a new level.

but...

Just by looking out the window, one can see that the coalition government still has a long way to go.

Ningzhou is now a distant memory. As an isolated island in a miasma-filled wasteland, such a scene can be seen not far from Ningzhou—

A vast expanse of green, an endless expanse of green. Everything looked like a wilderness, with rampant vines and weeds covering everything. In the wilderness, traces of human structures could be faintly seen, but their rate of decay seemed to far exceed the years since they were abandoned, as if they had been deliberately strangled by the vines.

Just by looking at it, you can feel the hostility of this environment towards humans.

This is still a plain. The dense forest in the distance is even more impenetrable, and you can vaguely see some...some black plumes of smoke rising straight up into the sky, connecting with the clouds, like countless black dragons linking this land and sky.

That's miasma.

Living in this miasma, not only plants but also animals have undergone noticeable changes.

Occasionally, you can see some animals walking in the wilderness—wild boars, wild boars with wildly growing tusks.

Before the war, this area had few large carnivores left. In other words, there were no bears or tigers; wild boars were the largest animals in the area.

This wasteland thus became the domain of wild boars.

Huge herds of wild boars roamed the wasteland. Occasionally, a boar would glance at a passing train—though the elevated tracks made it impossible for them to climb, the boars still kept their eyes on the scene.

"What will happen if we go down there..." Lin Zhiqing asked in a low voice.

"They'll probably get eaten," Li Lin replied. "I heard from the elders in my family that it took them a lot of effort to hunt these miasma-inducing wild boars—these wild boars seem to be very powerful."

"Do you think these wild boars might turn into monsters?"

No—that's the correct answer.

Just like the presence of moisture in the air doesn't necessarily cause rain.

Water vapor alone is not enough; condensation nuclei are needed for water droplets to form. Therefore, artificial rainmaking involves launching these nuclei into the sky to help rainwater condense into nuclei.

Wild boars were indeed infected by the miasma. However, they did not possess the Dragon Balls, so they were merely mutated as wild beasts and could not efficiently integrate and utilize the surrounding miasma like monsters.

"I think it's possible," Li Lin gave an ambiguous answer.

The less you know, the less pressure you feel. Li Lin didn't want to tell her too much, just as he himself didn't want to use the dragon's senses to handle everything. The less you know, the easier life is. Knowing too much will only bring more problems.

"Li Lin... do you think those monsters might just be ordinary wild animals transformed? And if so, would they be happy when they become monsters?"

No—that's the correct answer. These monsters certainly won't be happy.

Both Taba and the White Deer suffered greatly when they transformed into monsters, and their deaths were extremely tragic.

Because although they possess power, they are not the masters of that power.

They were merely vessels of power. The Dragon Balls chose them, not the other way around.

To those low-level monsters, the existence of Dragon Balls is like that of pearls to seashells. A pearl is a huge foreign object that grows inside the seashell; if the seashell felt pain, it would definitely want to remove the pearl.

The same is likely true for Taba and the White Deer.

These forces did not bring them a better life; on the contrary, they greatly shortened their lifespan, ultimately causing them to die from being hunted by humans.

From this perspective, the Dragon Balls are an absolute curse even for the monsters. They greatly shorten their lifespans and cause them immense suffering before their deaths.

However, this "Dragon Ball-controlled monster" state is not permanent.

If monsters can control the Dragon Balls within their bodies and gradually take control, then the [Jiaolong] will become their next life form. The Dragon Balls will transform from foreign objects within their bodies into powerful allies that can coexist with the monsters. But even so, they will not be the true masters of the Dragon Balls.

The true dragon is the only true master. Only a true dragon can truly control the Dragon Ball at will, without being bound by power.

However, very few dragons actually advance to become true dragons. Li Lin himself hadn't investigated the specific reasons. After all, he was born that way and didn't know about advancement; it was only a theoretical possibility.

"I don't know what the monsters are thinking. I only know... they definitely don't want to die," Li Lin replied sincerely.

"If one day we can fully grasp the secrets of the monsters, we won't have to fight so many wars anymore."

"Then it's up to you guys." Li Lin looked at her. "Once you get to Guanzhong, you'll be able to participate in these things yourself."

"If possible, I'd still like to participate in these things with you... But things are fine as they are now. It's just that I keep wondering if monsters have intelligence."

"You sympathize with them?"

"No, no." Lin Zhiqing shook her head. "I won't sympathize with the enemies of humanity—otherwise, all my studies would be for nothing. I'm thinking, if monsters are intelligent, wouldn't they attack us in a more organized way? Do you think monsters might lurk among us, transforming into humans to infiltrate our ranks?"

"Huh? Is that really the case?"

"Of course! Hangu Pass is impregnable, but even the strongest fortresses are breached from within. Do you think it's possible that monsters might try to sneak into Hangu Pass and open the gates?"

"Oh, this..."

"So what I wanted to study in university was the behavior and ecology of monsters. I wanted to know if they would launch more organized attacks."

"Mmm-hmm." Li Lin nodded. "Your research direction is excellent. I think you can achieve a lot here."

"But the more I research these things, the more dangerous the outside world seems." She looked at Li Lin. "So if such an invasion happens, please come to Guanzhong to protect me, okay? Also, if the outside world is invaded, remember to come to Guanzhong to find me."

"Definitely, absolutely." Although he didn't know if entering Hangu Pass counted as an internal explosion, he certainly didn't have such an intention.