Chapter 1: Accident death
In the era where humans almost went extinct, humanity had no choice but to create another entity, known as Diablo, that had the same human genome as us. But it all went downhill after half a year of progress. Who would've thought that after the first-ever entity was made, it ended up as a cannibal?
The streets of Maghrebian were no place for people to breathe or stay alive.
The capital of Esterlyn was known as the place of the dead. A reminder of humanity's wrongdoings, and our greatest feat. Built with the scraps of bones and flesh, Merribourne wasn't a city, it was a grave.
The swamps around us emitted a steady stream of filthy, black, hazardous gas. The bodies of many victims who had drowned in the swamp crept out, their movements stiff and unnatural.
If you were born there, you grew up strong; you grew up with regrets, or you grew up with a part of your body missing.
But Feng Tao grew up differently. He grew up strong with regrets, and one of them was not being able to see or meet his parents. Raised by himself all on his own, he struggled to survive, but until the age of 9, he met other survivors who helped him.
Even at night, visible gases are still emitting unceasingly. The smell of blood reeked. Once you breathe it in, it will make you puke out in an instant. But as a person living around here, Feng Tao had to get used to it.
Feng Tao was a tough guy. But even after living for 18 years, he was still a virgin. Since people kept proclaiming that the end was near, people have lost their pride and mental behavior. They started acting like animals.
Day, night, morning, evening. You will see animals everywhere. When I mean animals, I mean us humans. People who have lost themselves started being reckless and started doing whatever they want.
If you want to have s*x, then go for it. It's not like there would be people to tell you to stop. This is the world we live in. Even people of the same sex have intercourse with each other, which is disgusting.
Prostitutes are normal here; male and female. For people to survive, they sell themselves and have their owners take care of them.
However, ever since the first Diablo was created, for some unknown reason, it has kept multiplying and multiplying. People have started to be wary of others since the Diablos look exactly like us. But one thing Diablos had was immense strength.
There were rumors going around that there were some Diablos who had intelligence, but Feng Tao never agreed to that. Ever since he started killing Diablos around the border of Esterlyn, each of the ones he encountered had no mind at all. They were nothing but monsters who just ate corpses or fresh human beings.
Now, at the border with his party to eliminate Diablos, once you take your first step, ready your guns and grenades. One thing to mention is that the Diablos are fast. And if someone spooks you from behind, don't hesitate to shoot. If you accidentally hit your teammate, blame them, not yourself.
Things around here seem different. There were tales that the sky was originally blue, but now it is red and at night it is pitch black. Feng Tao never cared about here or there, because once you die, you're prepared to die. You'll never live long.
However, things didn't go as planned for Feng Tao. Once everyone began hearing the thumping of footsteps, the rain started pouring out. Slowly by slowly, everyone's hearts began racing.
They knew this was the world they lived in, but they couldn't accept the fact that dying was as easy as slicing a cake.
The more Feng Tao heard the loud sounds of countless people groaning closer and closer from behind, the more anxious he became. He didn't dare to look back over his shoulder. Instead, he tightly gripped his gun to his chest.
No one was anymore around him. All alone. Do or die.
But he had to live, and the way to escape was to kill and kill till you're out.
But at the moment he nearly turned around, someone tugged on his pants from below. Feng Tao looked down in front of him, only to see a gruesome scene.
"Shen Wen, why are you here?!" He looked all over him and continued, "Why are you covered in blood!?"
Not answering, Feng Tao immediately helped Shen Wen stand up. However, while slowly crawling closer to Feng Tao, Shen Wen took out a knife and stabbed his foot, causing Feng Tao to kneel on one knee.
Not bothering to wait for his reaction, Shen Wen stood up, showed a grimacing face, and glared at Feng Tao. He maniacally laughed and said, "Go and die! I've been starving for days."
"Why, You!--" Before Feng Tao could finish his sentence, Shen Wen lifted his leg and sent a kick to his stomach. The kick felt like a pack of bricks being thrown on you, which made Feng Tao feel an immediate flash of pain.
Shen Wen's breathing turned violent. His eyes glared ravenously at Feng Tao as he saw him crash into the wall. Feng Tao's vision became blurry. His head felt more pain than his stomach, but he still immediately looked at the person in front of him.
The sound of walking reached his ears and his entire body went stiff. The bloodthirsty cannibal slowly reached near him.
"SHEN WEN! YOU WERE A DIABLO ALL ALONG!"
"Just now you realized?"
As soon as Shen Wen crouched in front of Feng Tao, he heard a voice from behind.
"Don't worry, Feng Tao! I'm here!"
"Yu... Zhong... don't come closer..." With the last ounce of his energy, Feng Tao warned Yu Zhong.
"No! I'll save you!" As Yu Zhong held the gun in front of him, he aimed it at Shen Wen. "Shen Wen! Let him go!"
"... No, I'm starving."
"Huh?-- I mean, listen to me this instant or I'll shoot!"
Shen Wen stood up and started walking towards Yu Zhong. But just before Shen Wen could take one more step, Yu Zhong pulled the trigger.
*Gun shot!*
Slowly putting the gun down, Yu Zhong said, "Did It hit...?"
Shen Wen looked around his body and answered in puzzlement, "... You missed?"
"...? I'm sure I pulled the trigger. If not, then where did the bullet go?"
Not knowing the answer, they both looked at Feng Tao, whose back was against the wall.
"You... idiot... why'd you... shoot me?" Slowly, Feng Tao's eyes closed and he took his last breath. He never expected that he would die from a bullet that was mistakenly shot at him. Not only that, he realized it was a ridiculous way to die.
..
Lying on the ground, the youth's eyes jolted open and said, "YU ZHONG, FIX YOUR AIM!"
As he said that, he sprang back to his feet. Not remembering anything at all, he recalled what he said.
He cocked his head down and started arranging his mind. Though his memories were fuzzy, his brain got onto something.
"Hmm? Yu Zhong... Where have I heard that name before...?
But in an instant, the memories of the body he was in right now flooded into his mind. After everything went calm, silence filled the place he stood, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Diablo? No. Demon!" Feng Tao clutched his head. "Holy God. Where am I?" he said in a wavering voice.
Then, suddenly, an angelic choir mixed with trumpets echoed in his head. Adding the calm holy voice made the feeling even more holy.
"Purifying System configuring~"
"Examining soul~"
"Holy priest found. Host accepted~"
"How great thou art! I've found an angel!"