The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

Chapter 1281 378: Dongshi Imitates Beauty

Merk... who is Merk?

On the other side of the 178th Void Realm, Scavenger Kael feels his life draining rapidly, vaguely hearing a name in the blur.

The voice seems to come from the Void, echoing in the depths of his Soul.

Kael no longer has the leisure to pay attention to so much.

The toxins of the "Rust Disease" have already invaded his organs; he can feel his flesh stiffening and decaying, like rusty metal. The cold hand of death is gripping his throat, preventing him from breathing!

Just as his consciousness is about to completely sink into darkness, a warm and holy white light suddenly descends without warning and completely envelops his broken body.

Kael doesn't have time to be surprised, before he realizes he seems to be soaking in warm spring water, and that consciousness sinking to the seabed is gradually rising.

The intense pain seeping into his bones is fading at an incredible speed.

He sees the corroded tissues on his body, like rust, peeling away under the power of the Holy Light, revealing healthy and vibrant new flesh!

Incredible——

He, who was supposed to die, is actually alive?!

Following this, the grand and majestic voice becomes clear, preaching to him the holy gospel from the Otherworld, and leading him to grasp a supreme power named "Source Power."

Kael hears it in bewilderment, but he understands a few sentences.

Although it is unfamiliar language, its ripples resonate with his heart...

"I am Merk, your savior."

"From now on, you shall be my 'Angel Envoy', my first Divine Envoy on earth."

"Feel this Strength, control it, and then... act on my behalf."

In any case, it is a rewarding deal.

With ecstatic joy for surviving the ordeal, and deep skepticism towards this mysterious power, Kael staggeringly climbs up from the pile of garbage.

He breathes the air filled with toxic fumes, but is shocked to find that the haze, which stings a normal Gray Man, has no effect on him.

His "filtering gills," composed of numerous fine wrinkles, seem to be strengthened by that milky white light!

Kael sets out on the road back to the settlement.

He has walked this path countless times, but never like today, seeing so clearl, even able to see the mottled graffiti and stains on the walls, and screws scattered in the corners.

He sees those bottom-tier scavengers, as skinny as he is, fighting for a few useless scraps of iron, with scrawny children beside them ready to pounce and snatch the last bit from the losers.

These bottom-tier "Gray Men," mostly cannot afford expensive protective suits and gas masks.

They can only wrap their noses and mouths with tattered cloth, letting the toxins erode their skin, supposed to be as tough as leather.

Many people have "Rust Disease" spots on their bodies as he did before. However, due to the Gray Men's long-trained resilience and adaptability, most have gained mild immunity to the toxins.

When Kael arrives at the wire-fenced gate of the settlement, a few fully-armed guards lean against the gate, coldly watching the crowd.

Their gear is far more advanced than the scavengers outside, even wearing old-style gas masks able to filter most toxins.

An elderly man wanting to beg for some food is ruthlessly pushed to the ground with a gun butt by them.

"Get lost! Don't bring your plague in here!"

The guard's voice is cold and impatient, followed by piercing laughter from the surroundings, chasing the staggering old man into the shadows beneath the dust.

His hungry child is waiting eagerly there, but eventually, the hopeful gaze is covered by a haze-like shadow.

Kael walks past with his head lowered, not daring to look at the unfortunate old man, nor the eyes of the guards.

In the Wasteland, compassion is the cheapest yet most expensive luxury.

Only by remaining cautious and humble can one survive.

Beyond the gate, as you go further in, the scene becomes even more distinct.

The outermost area is the slum constructed from containers and abandoned pipes, also his narrow yet cozy little place, while the relatively tidy central area is the territory ruled directly by the settlement's leader "Iron Hand."

There, lights shine brightly; noises come from within the fortress made of giant steam engine wreckage, it's said to produce some delicious canned food.

Kael can even see through windows, "Iron Hand" and his trusted aides, gathered around a campfire, enjoying precious delicacies and clean distilled water.

It is the "tax" he and other bottom-tier scavengers exchanged from the ruins with their lives and turned in.

Thanks to these taxes, they live as if it were before the apocalypse, even enjoying luxury the world hadn't seen before declining.

Everything outside seems unrelated to them.

They neither envy the prosperous past nor have any desire to return.

Why?

Kael unconsciously clenched his fist.

Why can Iron Hand and his minions live lavishly, while other scavengers starve and perish outside, like worms?

Of course, his strength is too weak; he can only endure this injustice and swallow all complaints in silence.

He didn't boast about his miraculous survival, fearing being captured for study, thus he hid in his drafty "home."