"Humanity is teetering on the brink of extinction?!"
Su Bai stared at the map before him—a blood-red, gut-wrenching expanse.
He couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.
This map... it looked nothing like any he'd ever seen.
The territory of humanity was shockingly small.
What was that—a tenth of the map?
No—maybe not even that.
From everything he'd learned growing up, humanity's domain was supposed to be far more expansive.
But this... this overturned his entire worldview.
"What the hell is going on here?!"
He spoke low and tight, his voice strained.
"How could the Death beasts control so much territory?!"
In that moment, the foundation of the world Su Bai had lived in for eighteen years came crashing down.
"It really is that big…"
Zhu Jianyuan gave a bitter smile.
"Didn't you ever think it was strange?"
"Did you really believe the East Divine Federation was the only country left in the world?"
Like thunder cracking through fog—the words shocked Su Bai to the core.
His eyes widened. "Wait… there are other nations? Still?!"
Zhu's expression didn't change.
"It's hard to explain it all at once. I heard you were the top liberal arts student at Haicheng No.1 High. You must be familiar with Federation History and the evolution of mankind, yes?"
Su Bai nodded slowly.
"According to Federation records, before the East Divine Federation was established, humanity was divided into many nations. Progress was driven by science and economics."
"That period… was known as the 'Paradise Era.'"
In fact, that so-called Paradise Era was the exact world Su Bai had come from—before transmigrating here.
"Then one day, the Death beasts appeared."
"They were violent, mindless creatures that slaughtered on sight. Humanity tried to resist, but soon discovered modern weapons were completely useless."
"Within a short time, the human population was reduced to one-third of its former size. The survivors retreated to what is now the capital region of the East Divine Federation."
"At the last possible moment, humanity unlocked the ability to Awaken—and successfully defended their final stronghold."
"Since then, humanity has fought the Death beasts for survival… to this day."
"That's… what we were told."
Su Bai's voice quivered with disbelief.
If all of that had been false—then what was the truth?
As for the map before him…
Now that he thought about it, in all his years since transmigrating, he'd never once traveled outside the surrounding areas of Haicheng.
All of his knowledge about this world came from textbooks and hearsay.
Due to the constant Death beast threat, the outside world had become a forbidden zone.
No one ever questioned it.
Even if they did—there was no way to verify anything.
"Not false," Zhu Jianyuan said with a deep sigh.
"Just… incomplete. The truth was hidden—kept from the public for their own good."
"In reality, the founding of the East Divine Federation was far more difficult than the history books admit."
"Humans are… complex creatures."
"When faced with overwhelming danger, not everyone chooses to resist."
"More often than not, they choose to escape… or submit."
Su Bai's heart began to pound.
A terrible suspicion began to take shape in his mind.
Even in his original world, human history was full of betrayal, cowardice, and madness.
Could it be that…
Zhu Jianyuan glanced at him.
"Judging by your face, I'd say you're starting to understand."
He patted Su Bai's shoulder and spoke with gravity.
"Yes. At the time, humanity didn't just have to flee the Death beasts…"
"They also had to survive chaos and… betrayal from within."
The word "betrayal" hit Su Bai like a hammer.
His expression twisted with conflicted emotion. Words rose to his lips… but he couldn't speak them.
As someone who had lived in this world for eighteen years, believing such a thing was deeply painful.
But the more he thought about it, the more he realized—
What Zhu Jianyuan said wasn't just plausible…
It was inevitable.
After a long silence, he exhaled.
"…What kind of betrayal?"
Zhu looked at him with newfound respect.
He had expected Su Bai to react more emotionally.
When he had first learned the truth, he'd nearly lost his mind.
But this young man… was remarkably composed.
"The humans back then," Zhu began slowly, "had much higher living standards than we do now. Even their culture and spiritual well-being were richer."
"But their resilience… was sorely lacking."
"A great many of them refused to accept the collapse of human dominance."
"So they chose to escape reality. They chose…"
"…to join the Death beasts."
"They formed cults that worshipped Death beasts."
"And through endless rituals—sacrificing their own followers—they eventually developed a way to communicate with the beasts."
"In a sense… they were the precursors of today's Contract Tamers."
"Though I despise them, it must be said—their leader was terrifyingly powerful."
"Even before Awakening was widespread, he could manipulate psychic forces."
Zhu's words began to paint a vivid, disturbing picture in Su Bai's mind.
Honestly, Su Bai wasn't even surprised.
Human history—both in this world and his original one—was full of examples of cults, sacrifices, and blind worship of incomprehensible powers.
Compared to that, the Federation's sanitized version of history seemed too clean.
It was only now—when Zhu peeled back the curtain—that everything started to make sense.
"If not for the unwavering resolve of the Federation's founding leaders…"
Zhu shook his head with a sigh.
"Humanity might've been wiped out completely."
Su Bai nodded heavily.
Indeed.
At that time, mankind hadn't even Awakened yet. Their proud weaponry had proven useless.
What option did they have but to run?
In that hopeless, desperate moment, the founding leaders of the East Divine Federation held fast to their identity as humans, preserving the final spark of civilization.
That alone… was heroic beyond words.
"When the Awakening Era finally arrived," Zhu continued, "the first generation of Awakened fighters charged forward with everything they had."
"Countless died to hold the line for the Federation's survival."
"But they weren't just facing Death beasts…"
"They were also up against those who had merged themselves with the Death beasts—those who had chosen that path."
"Of course… at that point, they were no longer human."
Zhu tapped his temple, voice grim.
"Their minds were devoured by death energy. They developed a savage hatred for humanity."
"Many of them even lost their ability to speak—or even maintain a human form."
"Which is why we don't call them 'people' anymore."
"We call them… Sub-Beasts."
"This is the silent truth."
"The truth we've kept hidden from the world."
"The lie we had to tell—so that humanity could go on."