"Do you think we're not monsters ourselves?"
Xu Lie's words nearly stunned Chen Jian, but upon thinking it over carefully, it seemed indeed to be true.
Yes, aren't they monsters as well?
I only knew they were stronger, quicker to react, but I never pondered deeply whether beneath their skin, they still retained a human core.
This is a kind of mental inertia.
And in reality?
To withstand greater impacts, their skeletons must be different from humans.
To provide stronger explosive power, their muscles must have changed too.
To maintain an ultra-high metabolism, their blood vessels, organs, glands, and even brains could no longer belong to the category of "human."
They are monsters too, just wearing human skin...
Chen Jian exhaled a long breath. At this moment, he suddenly felt his understanding of this world was still somewhat shallow.
----But so what?
Just like he told Xu Lie, the reason they needed to kill these villagers was because they attacked first.
As for the "monster" thing, at most, it's just an extra detail.
Chen Jian's resolve became clear, and any self-doubt vanished.
He no longer cared about Xu Lie. Instead, after leading the team to a higher ground, he immediately ordered He Shuo to lower the drone's altitude to conduct a comprehensive reconnaissance of the reservoir and the unknown life form beneath it.
Due to the isolation of the lake water, the heat signals of that monster were completely undetectable.
But even relying on low-light imaging alone, he could clearly see the monster's massive size in the lake.
A streamlined body like that of a fish.
Yet, with the distinctly short, stout limbs on its body, it also resembled some kind of amphibian.
Chen Jian didn't know where the carbon dioxide accumulated under the lake water came from, but he knew it must be related to this monster.
After observing for a while, the monster didn't float to the surface. Instead, after a few movements, it sank back to the bottom.
Chen Jian directed the drone above Xia Ma Town, where four Holy Blood members were engaged in intense conflict with the residents.
This was the first time he saw Xu Lie in combat against "normal enemies," and he had to admit, as a "Scout," his skills were indeed very refined.
Stealth, concealment, assassination, disappearing without a trace, all in one seamless motion.
His utilization of his sensory abilities was almost at the limit, and even with injuries, his every movement revealed a beauty of professionalism and efficiency.
"Look who's talking. They're killing even more ruthlessly than us."
Shen Yue sneered beside him.
"That's different. They're surrounded and have no choice."
Chen Jian shook his head in response, while Shen Yue pondered aloud:
"So it's not just these few residents; everyone in Xia Ma Town is problematic."
"This person previously mentioned their connection to the Mechanical God Sect. What exactly is the relationship?"
"We'll have to rely on the Holy Blood members to give us that answer."
Chen Jian's eyes shifted slightly before he spoke:
"Xu Lie didn't give us all the insights, which leaves two possibilities."
"Either they don't know, or... they're deliberately hiding it from us."
"However, no matter which possibility, it doesn't directly prove their malice."
"But in any case, they owe us an explanation."
"Let's go; they're about done."
"Down the mountain, let's wrap it up!"
....
Twenty minutes later, within Xia Ma Town.
The four Holy Blood members had already cleaned up the aftermath, and the surviving dozens of residents of Xia Ma Town were gathered in the town's open space.
Chen Jian's team dragged the hotel owner back to the town along the way, and Xu Lie hurried up, speaking with a helpless tone:
"We're in big trouble now."
"At least 40 people died in this conflict, most of them civilians..."
"Hold on a minute."
Chen Jian interrupted him, resolutely stating his conclusion about the conflict:
"From the moment they planned to attack us, they ceased to be civilians."
"..."
Xu Lie was speechless, eventually nodding in agreement:
"There's no turning back now."
"I will report to the Holy Blood Temple and let them find a way to resolve this."
"But I think, before taking action, you should have at least notified us."
"After all, we're more familiar with the rules here, and if action was necessary, more leeway could have been left."
"There's no leeway to be left."
Chen Jian shook his head and continued:
"Furthermore, are you aware of the close connection between people here and the Mechanical God Sect?"
"I am not aware."
Xu Lie showed surprise, and upon realizing the layer of questioning in Chen Jian's tone, he quickly explained:
"Chosen One, we are not omniscient."
"If we had known these people were associated with the Mechanical God Sect, I would never have brought you here."
"The Mechanical God Sect has always focused on excavating pre-Cataclysm technologies. If they've noticed you—wait a minute, these people are all miners?"
"That's right."
Chen Jian nodded slowly, and to his surprise, after hearing the answer, Xu Lie's expression immediately changed.
From worry to elation.
"That explains it!"
"I always wondered why supplies and equipment that even Jinling City didn't have would occasionally pop up here. I wondered how a town of only a hundred people could survive so long!"
"They're miners... indeed, only miners from the Mechanical God Sect would set up a base in a backwater like this."
"They surely have good stuff they haven't had time to send out—we need to hurry up!"
"The remaining people are a big trouble; we need to find a way to deal with them all!"
"...You just said we're in trouble."
Chen Jian spread his hands helplessly, to which Xu Lie, now exuberant, replied:
"Not anymore!"
"Just as you said, they are miners, people of the Mechanical God Sect!"
"So what if we kill them all? At most, it's an internal conflict between the Holy Blood Temple and the Mechanical God Sect."
"We don't have to worry about damage to the Holy Blood Temple's prestige, nor do we need to fret about followers losing faith."
"Alright, no need to discuss it further. Hand him over to us, I have ways to make him spill everything!"
Xu Lie looked at the hotel owner pinned to the ground by Lei Jie, eyes full of anticipation.
Chen Jian wasn't pretentious, nodding at Lei Jie, who promptly pushed the owner to Xu Lie's feet.
The interrogation commenced immediately but lasted less than two minutes.
Two minutes later, the wounded owner led a group of five into the hotel basement. After unlocking two heavy stone doors, the underground space of the hotel was finally exposed before them.
Seeing the various items in the basement, the four members of Chen Jian's team collectively took a deep breath.
"It's truly a treasure trove."
Shen Yue remarked.
Chen Jian nodded imperceptibly and then said:
"Unfortunately, it's a treasure trove already decayed."