In the vast and cold cave, water droplets seeped from the ceiling from time to time. The large number of lamps lit up here made it no longer dark and cold, but it became warm because of the people standing side by side.
Standing on a natural rocky platform, Su'er could take in everything below. Gathered here at this moment were the people in the entire settlement who were hopeful and unwilling to accept reality. Due to the limited size of the space, only a part of them were here, and Su'er's words would be passed on by them to the entire and increasingly large settlement, and to the ears of every Imanity.
Closing his eyelids lightly, the faces and names of each of them appeared one by one in Su'er's mind, along with their current locations. Su'er breathed quickly, and an invisible power surged from every cell.
"Today, we stand here! Standing in this narrow cave, a place that cannot even accommodate all the Imanity who long for hope! You don't want to hear about how to find more food, or how to constantly flee with everyone on the edge of the battlefield, and even less about how to pray before bed not to be affected by the after-effects of the battles between those wanton guys!"
"I am not standing here to tell you a beautiful dream that you can use to deceive yourselves and barely live on with your eyes closed in this cruel and cold world! That's just residue that only brings pain when it shatters!"
"Isn't it time to face reality? The fantasy that the war will stop one day will never come!"
Changing his usual gentle demeanor in the settlement, Su'er was even roaring out every syllable, mercilessly shattering the last vestiges of luck and fantasy that many people were barely holding on to in their hearts.
Without any reservations, Su'er told the people below about the game of the Suniaster and the One True God, instilling a clear and cruel fact into their minds—that their difficult, struggling lives were just insignificant dust in the eyes of those high and mighty races, merely a game.
"Living in a world like this, barely surviving and prolonging our lives, praying every day that this endless war can end—are we going to pray to the very culprits who started this endless war?!"
Su'er was questioning, but without waiting for a reply from below, he roared even louder.
"My answer is absolutely not!!"
"We struggle in this despicable world like wild beasts. All dignity and hope have turned into pale words that only exist in tattered books. Is this really okay?!"
"We are Imanity!"
"It is absolutely unacceptable to regain our dignity and entrust our survival to the whims of those despicable guys! Admit it! This is a world where the strong prey on the weak! To survive, to have dignity, to have freedom, we must have great power!"
"So—I have appeared here!"
"A way for our Imanity to also stand tall on the continent, a way for us to also have an Old Deus that belongs only to us, an Old Deus that can protect us!"
Ignoring the sudden commotion and exclamations below, Su'er was almost howling, his voice louder than theirs.
He did not mention becoming the One True God directly. Such a fantasy, even here, was too difficult for them to accept.
They could hardly believe what Su'er was saying. However, no matter how much they doubted and disbelieved in their hearts, these people who had gathered here couldn't help but feel a kind of anticipation, a kind of longing, a fascination with the beautiful vision he described.
He paused for a few seconds, giving people time to think and accept, while also calming his overly agitated emotions. Su'er systematically explained his plan to the people below, along with the most crucial part of the entire plan, his own unique ability.
"...Is that true, Brother Su'er?" Credo, who was in the front row, asked in disbelief. "Can Imanity also use magic?"
"It's not magic, and it has nothing to do with Elves at all. This is a unique power that belongs only to Imanity, and for now, it has only appeared in me," Su'er said, nodding earnestly to Credo. Here, he chose to conceal the truth.
When the murmurs of people talking to each other gradually quieted down, Su'er continued.
"In the settlement, some people might say, 'Su'er, I'm happy as long as I can live on like this.' Yes, that's a very valid point. Life is truly too important. But I still have to tell you, in this world, there are things that are even more important than life! That is dignity! And the right to truly live in this world! A space for Imanity to survive!"
"In places you don't know about, the Dwarf are researching weapons that use the Divine Core of Old Deus directly as a material. The strongest being in this world, the God of War of the Flügel, has never even fought with full force once until now. We have once again been forced to move our settlement because of their increasingly intense war. However, as their firepower continues to escalate, one day they will even destroy this planet, just like the sun that has already been destroyed! They have already done this! And judging by the current rate of escalation of this war, the day when this planet beneath our feet is destroyed is not far off!"
"How can we escape? Where can we escape to?!"
"Think of your children, think of your children's children. For the future of our children, so that they don't have to struggle for survival like wild beasts like we do, so that future Imanity don't have to endure everything we have gone through! Fight! My compatriots!" Su'er forcefully clenched his right fist and punched the air, as if striking an invisible enemy, and roared, "Give those arrogant guys a head-on blow, and seize the victory of this endless war from their hands! We must win!"
Panting heavily, Su'er felt his blood boiling. His firm gaze swept over every face below. He saw what he wanted to see, the burning fighting spirit.
"I cannot deceive you, I cannot deceive you who are like family to me—many people will die," Su'er lowered his voice and repeated again. "They will even die one after another to achieve a single goal in the plan. Under this premise that is bound to become a reality, those who are willing to join me... please stay here."
The lamplight was flickering, and the firelight was swaying, as if an invisible wind was blowing through here.
Everyone at this moment seemed to have turned into stone statues, completely motionless.
"...What are you talking about, Su'er?" After a long time, a soft laugh suddenly broke the silence. Lani, a blue-haired female warrior who had lost an arm during an expedition, said with a laugh, "Everyone has been waiting for this moment for a long time, the moment to make our lives more meaningful."
"That's right! Hey, Su'er! If we can really give those arrogant guys a taste of their own medicine, you can have my life!"
"If this broken life of mine can still give Imanity such a glorious future, then it's a worthwhile trade, right? Haha."
"Go for it, Su'er! Just tell us where to start!"
"Yeah, yeah, I can't wait anymore!"
"Brother Su'er! I want to die in the most meaningful and most handsome way! When the time comes, remember to tell others about my handsome appearance!"
"..."
Shouting in a rush, this noisy scene did not make Su'er feel any discomfort. Instead, it made him unable to stop reaching out to wipe his eyes. Large streams of tears were flowing out, almost blurring Su'er's entire vision. Everything was blurred together, indistinguishable from each other.
"Hey, hey, why are you crying, Su'er? As a leader, you can't show a weak expression, can you? You said that yourself, right? Haha."
The people who had bravely stepped forward gradually quieted down. Su'er forcefully wiped away the tears that had flowed out, and he engraved those faces deep in his mind.
"Ah, I'm really sorry. I showed you my weak side," The words he spoke were inevitably laced with a nasal tone. Su'er forced a smile.
"We have had our future taken away, our hope taken away, our dignity taken away, and we have even felt despair toward despair itself. This is the tragic state of us in this world. And now, we will finally sing the song of resistance," He took out his dagger and said each word distinctly. "Come forward... and drink my blood."
As he spoke, Su'er forcefully gripped the blade of his dagger and pulled it hard—red blood fell down his palm, dripping into a stone bowl floating below his hand.
Drip, drip... until it was full to the brim.
They drank it.
"Confirming position, complete," Lenny, who was wearing a cloak adorned with rocks for camouflage, lay motionless on the ground and silently muttered in his mind, repeating it three times.
This was not a hallucination that appeared after his long period of motionless waiting, nor was it a game he was playing with himself out of boredom. Three seconds after Lenny silently muttered, a voice sounded directly in his mind.
[The Siren will reach the predetermined location in seventeen breaths, complete.]
"Received," Lenny silently muttered in his mind. He extended his finger from under his cloak and gently tapped the ground beside him three times—meaning to act according to Plan Three.
After a short while, the slight sounds from behind let Lenny know that the team he was leading had received the command. He felt a sense of satisfaction and also a bit of emotion in his heart.
It was too convenient. Su'er's special ability was simply too convenient.
There were no spirit fluctuations. It was like a rock that could be seen everywhere in the world, not attracting the attention of any race, but it could timely and accurately transmit information among the Imanity who were out executing the plan, providing a sufficient guarantee when ambushing and cooperating at multiple points to carry out the plan.
An invisible net connected all the people who drank Su'er's blood that day and later on. It was not just a simple adjective describing a close relationship in words, but a connection in the true sense—of soul, thought, and will.
In this giant net formed with Su'er as the center, they could talk to each other, and even simply share their feelings of joy and sorrow, truly touching each other's hearts.
If only it could be popularized on a large scale.
Thinking of this, Lenny couldn't help but feel a sense of regret for the insignificant flaw of Su'er's ability—the longer a person drank Su'er's blood, the more time passed, the more they would become like Su'er, in terms of their facial features, way of thinking, and even their personality.
As far as Lenny knew, many of the first people to drink the blood seemed to have become another Su'er, but they clearly knew that they were not Su'er. Whether they were talking or at any other time, they had their own unique memories. However, apart from the laughter during conversations and when they received specific commands, these people would always find a quiet corner and sit there blankly, like flesh-and-blood statues, until they heard the call again, until... they could no longer hear the call.
It was precisely for this reason that in every small team that went out to execute a plan, only the captain would drink Su'er's blood to maintain the flow of information and commands. And when the captain fell, the remaining people would immediately drink the vial of Su'er's blood that they always carried with them, in the order that had been arranged, and reconnect to that net again.
If it hadn't been arranged this way, then the number of consumables would probably have been insufficient a long time ago.
Yes, consumables—this was the name every person who had drunk the blood called themselves. It did not carry any negative connotation; they simply regarded life and death as things outside themselves. As long as they could be consumed in a place that was enough to lay a brick for the final victory, then they were willing and felt great pleasure in it.
Breathing and counting at the same time, Lenny mind was working very fast, but he still noticed this abnormality. In the past, he shouldn't have been so quick-witted, and his memory had never been this good... Oh, that's right.
How long has it been since he first drank Su'er's blood?
Thinking back, Lenny found that it seemed to have been a very long time ago, no longer clear.
Was he also getting close?
He realized this in his heart, but he didn't feel the slightest bit of fear. In fact, the most common feeling in Lenny heart at this moment was a kind of unsatisfied longing. He still wanted to continue fighting.
He wanted to reach the state that Su'er had described—the most valuable death.
Seventeen breaths had passed.
Bang!
The rock cloak that was draped over him was directly thrown to the side. The four people, including Lenny, got up from their prone position and ran with all their might toward the cave below.
They had to reach the target location before the Siren that had been lured away returned.