He Li bent down and picked up the silver orb, tossing it in his palm. He thought to himself, *Is this… the Eye of the Death God?*
At this moment, Helsen, as thin as a skeleton, looked at He Li’s back with a hint of fear. But as He Li picked up the Eye of the Death God, a profound glint appeared in his eyes.
He suppressed the fear he felt towards He Li and said with a tremor, "That is the Eye of the Death God. It is said to be the eye of the Death God 'Aegfen'."
"Death God—Aegfen?"
He Li turned to look at Helsen, who was still lying on the ground, the Eye of the Death God in his hand. He spoke,
"The Ten Kings of Hell in Huaxia;
'Mictlantecuhtli' from Aztec legends;
'Ah Puch' from Maya mythology;
The Greek god of death 'Thanatos' and the king of the underworld 'Hades';
'Tanais' of Rome;
'Anubis' of Egypt and the earlier 'Osiris', the ancient Egyptian god of death 'Hathor';
The European god of death 'Iblis';
'Mutu' in Semitic mythology;
'Yama' of India."
He Li squatted down, looking at the dumbfounded Helsen, his eyes narrowed. "Which mythology's Death God is the Death God—Aegfen you speak of?"
"You… you know all of them? You know all these gods? You even know the Aztec legends?"
Helsen looked at He Li in disbelief. How could this man know such obscure knowledge and myths in such detail, as if reciting them from memory?
He Li smiled and said, "I also know that if you don't answer my questions, I'll rip your head off and throw it into that pit over there.
Also,
Is that small wooden spike in your hand your self-defense weapon?"
Helsen immediately dropped the wooden spike and then quickly explained, "Aegfen is a new god. He doesn't exist in any legends. He is an ancient legend within the Z Church. Big brother, do you know about the Spirit Awakened?
The Spirit Awakened are gods.
It is said that battles erupt between gods, and the battles of gods are enough to destroy the world.
Although no one has seen a god, no one doubts their power. From fear to faith, as ambitions grow, people try to understand gods, get closer to them, and even… control… gods."
"And Death God Aegfen is one of those gods. The Z Church has a history of 200 years, and they also want to control gods. This Eye of the Death God is one of the keys to opening Death God Island. Legend has it that Death God Aegfen sleeps there."
"Death God Island…"
He Li murmured the name to himself. Death God Island. He remembered Sister Jiang saying that the Hunter group of the Spirit Management Association had also sent people to Death God Island, and they had sent people there before, but that group of Hunters had returned defeated.
He Li clutched the Eye of the Death God, his fingers tightening unconsciously. The sleeping god, Death God "Aegfen," was not among the gods he had killed during the last divine war.
"Where is Death God Island?" He Li asked.
"Big brother, I'll take you there. I know where it is. I'll take you," Helsen said, grabbing onto the chance for survival as if it were a life-saving straw, his eyes and tone filled with flattery.
In fact, this was not a life-saving straw, but a chance to live. He didn't believe that the man who could destroy a castle even while drunk and asleep was a soft-hearted person.
If his answers didn't satisfy He Li, he would truly die, just like those people crushed under the ruins.
He Li remained silent, contemplating for a moment, then asked, "Where is this place?"
"This is Haite Li Castle in Victoria, big brother. Have you seen X-Men? This is where X-Men was filmed. It was very beautiful… it used to be very beautiful."
Seeing He Li's expressionless face, Helsen quickly corrected himself:
"Uh… Big brother! I'm sorry. The people here are part of a mysterious organization, and they seem to serve a powerful family."
However, seeing He Li's continued impassivity, Helsen swallowed nervously, his mind racing to find a topic that might interest the man. Just to save his own life, he blurted out almost instantly,
"My name is Helsen, and I'm from the Z Church. They captured me because they wanted to know about the Eye of the Death God. They held me for half a year. That's right, I betrayed the Z Church, but I think I've done enough for them. I haven't eaten for half a year. I've only survived thanks to my body and the rainwater that flowed in through the window.
For half a year, I really held on for half a year, with no food, not even a rat or a cockroach. All I had for company were two beds, a table, and a toilet that hadn't been cleaned in half a year."
Helsen was on the verge of collapse. He Li's silence and expressionless demeanor put immense pressure on him. Half a year, over 180 days of torment, and he had endured it all. He was so close to walking out alive, he couldn't give up. He had to fight for his life, he couldn't give up, because he had already persevered for half a year.
He had to struggle, to beg.
He looked at He Li with hope, his desperate, clouded eyes bloodshot and red. Emaciated to the bone, he looked ferocious at this moment.
At this moment,
He Li finally finished his thoughts. He looked at Helsen and grinned.
"Hoo… hoo…"
Helsen saw He Li smile, and the knot in his chest slowly relaxed. He knew he had survived.
"Big brother, don't worry. I will take you to Death God Island. Using the Eye of the Death God in your hand, we will open Death God Island, obtain the power of Death God Aegfen, control the power of gods, control the world, achieve immortality…"
Helsen spoke incoherently, struggling to get up. His wrinkled skin, covered in filth, hung loosely on his bones. He looked like a treant struggling to stand up from the earth.
He Li smiled and said softly, "Half a year, you've worked hard."
"I've been loyal to the Z Church. For half a year, I've been loyal to them, big brother. Before we go to Death God Island, I need glucose and mild food to restore my weakened body…"
He Li nodded. "Yes, you've been loyal to them…"
Then,
He Li stood up and walked down from the ruins. As Helsen, who had just managed to stand, was about to follow He Li down, he suddenly fell to the ground with a bang.
He looked down at his feet and legs, which were slowly turning black, then to dust, followed by his body and arms. He looked up sharply, staring at the man's retreating back, his eyes filled with malice and hatred.
But then, there was a sense of relief, followed by acceptance.
In fact, such an outcome… wasn't so bad.
He Li tossed the silver orb in his hand, smiling as he walked. He then took out a damaged communication earpiece from his jacket pocket and threw it into the ruins.
He Li smiled and said softly, "I can read maps, can't I? Xiao Xi."
"Brother, can I play mobile games before you look at the map?"
"Of course, but no in-app purchases."
"Ah? It's not fun without spending money."
"Then… how about six yuan?"
"Okay!"