Khalil could taste a vague, special smell that only belonged to blood.
They flowed in the tasteless air and finally fell into his 'capture net', telling him everything he needed. Then he knew that four hundred and fifty meters away, there was a person bleeding.
Capture net.
He discovered it tonight and began to use it.
After returning from the curtain, his body is getting stronger every day, but the changes are not just pure strength and agility, but also some smaller aspects.
Such as his perception.
They are already sharp enough individually, and now when combined, they are like a huge net that can tightly wrap his prey. This is the origin of the slightly weird name of the catching net.
He turned around, and the soft light sources on both sides of the streets in the upper nest were still doing their work quietly, as always.
They have been here a long time but are still in good condition. Besides the fact that the materials they are made of are strong, there are also people who maintain them.
servant. Khalil thought.
A terrible coldness began to fill his mouth.
In the past, this job often required him to pay attention to many details. He pays attention to every corner, every detail, and his own behavior.
He would avoid the pleasure of killing and turn it into a job that requires efficiency - only in this way can he let the Midnight Ghost understand the true meaning of killing.
Killing was never the goal.
Khalil took another deep breath, and the 'capture net' began to work again.
Then he started running.
The huge body more than four meters high ran like a ghost in the darkness of the upper nest, running fast and fast, but not a single floor tile moved. Only a sound that was so small that it was almost imperceptible appeared faintly.
His bones and muscles burst out with greater power under such movements, and the power itself was also urging them to evolve.
——What am I now?
A thought crossed his mind, and Khalil narrowed his eyes, letting it disappear into the deepest part of his heart.
After a jump, he reached the top of a spire.
Two air filters work quietly on the top. They should be newly installed, otherwise there is no way to explain the new metal surface.
Khalil walked past them and looked down, his eyes precisely locked on a man running in panic.
This was the second time he had seen this gesture.
Last time, this man ran like this in the never-ending darkness of Nostramo. But this time, except that he ran a little faster, there was no change.
Thinking of this, Khalil couldn't help but smile.
"Does this count as urging them to break out of that corrupt life and start exercising?"
He muttered to himself, hissing in the cold air before gradually dissipating.
Amidst the sound of the air purifier, he quietly jumped off the top of the spire. Without bending his knees or bending down, he landed in front of the man like a rapidly passing shadow, then stretched out his hand and dragged him into the darkness.
A panicked scream came.
Then came the plea - broken words that could not form sentences, mixed with the sound of a completely shattered sanity. Khalil observed him patiently, not intending to torture, there was no point in that.
He has lost control twice.
There won't be a third time.
And if he wants to know something, the man will speak for himself. He would even tell clearly how many people he had eaten.
"Shhh."
Khalil said softly. "There's no need to struggle, you know I'm coming for you, right?"
"You are just a legend..."
The man sobbed, completely broken. "You shouldn't exist! You are just a monster woven by those lower-class civilians!"
Khalil laughed.
"I made your family disappear tonight, but you think I'm just a legendary monster?"
He gently let go of his hand and let the man fall to the ground. The latter's legs and feet became weak and fell to the ground. He even lost the strength to escape and was filled with fear.
"All right......"
Staring at him, Khalil sighed. He knelt down and pinched the neck of the broken mind in front of him.
There is no need to talk anymore.
With a crisp sound, his work tonight was completely over. But Khalil did not throw the body on the dim street. He took it with him and jumped onto the minaret again, jumping back and forth between the building and the minaret.
The architectural style of Nostramo is not only gloomy, religious metaphors are also everywhere in it. I don’t know who started this style in the first place. In short, churches are everywhere in the upper-level hive of Quintus.
——Of course, they don’t believe in a god.
Eight minutes later, he stopped at the top of a church.
This is the largest church in Quintus. It is completely different from the buildings in Xiachao that were corroded by acid rain. The whole building is majestic and towering, and even one side is extremely exquisite. It has obviously been repaired frequently.
Nobles of all sizes throughout Quintus will come to this church to pray on one day of the month - of course, the prayers of the nobles are naturally different.
It's not so much a prayer as it is a palace dance mixed with an exchange of interests.
Under the watchful eyes of dim-faced idols, noble men and women would select the suffering lambs in their bloody embraces.
And then......
Khalil narrowed his eyes, cut off his thoughts, and refused to continue thinking. He lowered his head and began to stare into the night.
Fifteen marble statues were placed flatly in the hollow space at his feet. The suffering woman surrounded by thorns was covered with gauze, holding a crying baby in her hands. Her face was surrounded by mist, and the condensed water mist was on the marble. slips off the skin.
Khalil glanced at them and shook his head.
Naturally born babies are already rare in Nostramo.
After a brief observation, he jumped from the top of the church and began cutting up the body on the platform at the top of the long, hundreds of steps.
This isn't profanity, venting anger or relieving boredom, it's part of his job.
Khalil saw this clearly, and he did it not with malice or excitement, but simply because he needed to expand the scope of his fear.
After all, verbal warnings were not as great a threat to the nobles as direct action.
Stretching out his fingers, he shredded the soft skin with his nails like a ghost, and blood gurgled out.
Khalil frowned, disgusted at the touch of flesh.
Now, he misses the time when he could still hold a knife.
...However, he can no longer go back to the past.
He cannot simply be 'Khalil Lohars', a malevolent spirit who moves in the night.
The rights that came with that covenant made Khalil realize that, like the Emperor, he too needed a mask. But now this giant's body is just right.
Konrad Kurtz also has many brothers he has never met, and if Konrad Kurtz wants to meet them one by one, Khalil is sure that he will not be able to escape.
He would have to do this with Konrad Coates for a long time to come.
Therefore, this appearance can solve a lot of things - at least it can solve a lot of unnecessary things that fall into the category of 'Lorgar Aurelion'.
Three minutes later, he finished his work, stood up with bloody hands, and left the church with several vertical jumps.
Now, he just needs time to keep flowing.
------------------
Returning to the shelter again, for the third time in a day, Khalil found that he was already somewhat familiar with the feeling of the ghost's absence.
He smiled complicatedly, and then sighed in distress.
"Is this some kind of event?"
Khalil asked as he faced the darkness behind the shelter. "You come here one by one, even choosing the same place to wait."
Hearing this, Ferrus Manus took a step to the left without expression.
He knew who the last visitor was.
"You're still going on."
Ferus said, with certainty in his tone. "Does this bloody life fascinate you?"
"of course not."
Khalil shook his head and opened the new door of the shelter in front of Ferus - this door now had a terrifyingly heavy weight.
The entire outer casing of the old water purifier was forcibly removed by Roger Dorn and reinforced on top of it. Gaps were filled and fragile structures re-corrected.
It is now a very qualified door.
Khalil walked in and pulled out a chair. Like the door, it had been transformed, from a tattered wooden chair found in a rubbish dump to a giant armchair.
Twisted metal and wood joined together to form its four legs.
Their lengths are exactly the same. The sunken metal concave surface became the seat surface, the backrest was strong and sturdy, and several gears removed from the water purifier were shining on the sides of the long metal armrests.
"The craftsmanship of Dorne," Ferrus said lowly. "He's still as skilled as ever."
"I don't know what his past works are like, but judging from these two precious handicraft products, he is obviously a skilled craftsman - and, if you don't mind, I'd like to sit down and talk to you."
Khalil smiled slightly. He dragged the chair and placed it on the ground, but did not sit down immediately.
"I don't mind," Ferrus Manus said quietly. “People deserve a break after work.”
Khalil raised his eyebrows in surprise. He sat down and asked, "You call what I'm doing work?"
"At least, from your attitude, it is no different from a job. And from my personal point of view, removing these scum that oppresses others is indeed just a job."
Finally - Ferrus Manus showed some mood swings. There was a hint of disgust on his stern face, and his brows were furrowed.
"I can't stand it at all," he said coldly. "Most of the people here deserve to die."
"Yes," Khalil replied, leaning back in his chair. "indeed so."
"..."
After a brief emotional reaction, Ferrus Manus returned to his usual silence. Half a minute later, he spoke again.
“Conrad Coates’ session today was very successful.”
Khalil laughed. "Did you just come and tell me this?"
"No, there is another thing - not only the Imperial Guard and the Auxiliary Army are on board the Emperor's Dream, we also brought a small number of warriors from their respective legions."
Ferrus gave him a slow, serious gaze.
"Therefore, Khalil Lohars, my Legion, the Iron Hands, will come down from orbit to help you establish a new order if you need it."
"I am already doing this, Ferrus Manus."
"But it's not very efficient."
Khalil sighed. He knew what the giant meant.
Provide help and assistance, and reshape a new order with a military force far beyond that of any noble private army in Nostramo.
It's good to do this, and the efficiency will be hundreds of times faster than now, but this is not what he wants, nor is it what Midnight Ghost or Konrad Curze want.
"Efficiency sometimes does not mean everything - I also hate inefficiency, but some things must be done slowly, Ferrus Manus..."
"The Eighth Legion will arrive soon." Ferus said expressionlessly. "So unless you can completely change the planet in two weeks... it's just a matter of time before this new order comes."
He paused for a moment and shook his head.
"I heard Conrad Coates tell me about you trying to light a 'fire'. You wanted to wake up the people here from the long darkness. It was noble, but I don't think you could succeed."
"Yeah?"
"Yes," said Ferrus Manus.
The giant frowned again - but this time, it looked a little different.
"These people are numb. Before you came, I went to the shantytowns. The living environment of those workers is not even comparable to that of some wild animals. But they just endured it and never resisted."
"Then I knew that they had probably completely forgotten the meaning of resistance. And even their children had done the same."
"No one thinks it's wrong to join a gang and murder cannibals, even their parents teach them to take part in gang trials... The world is completely sick, Khalil Lohars. So, I admire You want to save its heart, but I never agree.”
"You're right," Khalil said quietly.
A trace of astonishment flashed across Ferus's face.
"What?" Khalil smiled and shook his head. "Do you think I will contradict you?"
"......Yes."
"I will not argue against a thing that is right - you are right, Ferrus Manus. Nostramo does not deserve to be saved...but I never have You will measure something by whether it is worth it or not.”
Khalil raised his head and let the cold wind blow by. They no longer chilled him, but he squinted his eyes as usual.
"Whether it is worth it or not is a cold calculation and consideration, Ferrus Manus."
"It is a naturally evolved instinct of human beings. Apart from the unconditional devotion of parents, this kind of thing exists even between brothers and lovers. So I never use it to think about it, I exclude it."
"Yes, Nostramo does not deserve to be saved, it deserves to be burned. Everyone should be executed, and then new humans should be sent to settle..."
"but......"
Khalil laughed.
"Is it all worth it?" he asked with a smile.
Ferrus Manus found that, for the first time, he had nothing to say.
Silently, he turned around.
"Well, good luck to you," he said. "I admire your determination."
That is not my resolve, Ferrus Manus.
Khalil closed his eyes.
That's not my resolution.
