At this moment.
They are forty kilometers away from the tentacle area, quite far, yet he can still feel that unsettling aura, constantly spreading through space, becoming more and more pronounced.
The tentacle monster is still growing, albeit much slower than before, but still exceedingly disconcerting.
Before they arrived, they received the news that this settlement also fell into panic, experiencing a riot, with almost half the people either fleeing or dying in the chaos.
The situation seems to be getting worse.
When he saw the settlement’s leader, Chen Tiannan was taken aback. Based on past experience, a settlement has only one leader, so phantom people should presumably not appear.
This person in front has a soul and a body partially nonexistent; both the soul and the body are incomplete.
"Are you the newly appointed leader?" He glanced at the other, with an indifferent demeanor, maintaining a stance of superiority.
A middle-aged man with goggles on his forehead, a face marked by hardship, sleeves torn and blood-stained from the recent riot.
"Yes, yes, the previous leader died in the chaos, and I just took over as leader, I’m actually quite embarrassed. My name is Xu Wen." Xu Wen revealed a hint of unease under Chen Tiannan’s gaze.
Chen Tiannan sized him up, smiling, "Your strength is quite formidable, probably about to break through to Tier Seven. Are you interested in joining our Law Enforcement Team? You could contribute more to humanity."
Xu Wen’s expression stiffened, humbly saying, "Maybe I’ll think about it, perhaps when I break through to Tier Seven—breakthrough to Tier Seven."
Chen Tiannan did not immediately expose Xu Wen, choosing instead to deal with all other phantom people in the settlement before addressing him last.
That seemed easier.
Under Xu Wen’s call, the entire settlement gathered again, but the atmosphere was peculiar; everyone held weapons, glaring at Chen Tiannan and his group as if facing a formidable enemy.
Chen Tiannan saw anger, fear, anxiety, and various emotions in their eyes, as though erupting from the oppression of the end times.
"Kill these demons!" Xu Wen’s voice roared from the rear, shouting frantically, filled with rage.
The crowd, armed, attacked from all directions upon Xu Wen’s command, with a white smoke named "Entanglement" permeating the air, capable of weakening the powers of Extraordinary beings.
They attempted to bridge the gap with high-tier Extraordinary beings in this manner.
Chen Tiannan frowned involuntarily, puzzled as to why the situation had escalated to this point. Could these phantom people sense the threat and resist on their own?
Was this conscious or unconscious on their part?
This was crucial, leaning towards it being an unconscious resistance, as if guided by something unknown.
"Damn it, this guy!" Ximen Long cursed, charging towards Xu Wen, waving his hand to cast a flame like a fire dragon, engulfing him and reducing him to ashes.
Xu Wen’s death did not cease the chaos; rather, it infuriated the settlement’s people, making the rebellion overwhelming.
Rebellions in settlements are generally rare; the last one was seen in District Twelve, where a polluted settlement decisively turned traitor, betraying humanity, only to be easily quashed by the Law Enforcement Team.
After the apocalypse, the Law Enforcement Team possesses absolute power, vastly surpassing ordinary settlements, each member akin to an army.
In less than half an hour, the riot in the settlement was subdued; the once-agitated crowd fled in all directions, striving to escape these demons, fleeing the settlement, some real people, some phantoms.
When everything concluded, less than a quarter of the original population remained, yet to Chen Tiannan’s surprise, the majority of the remaining people were real.
This strongly reaffirmed his theory.
Those phantom people might have sensed danger, prompting the grand rebellion, and upon failure, chose to flee, as if an invisible hand orchestrates everything from behind.
"How’s the situation?" he asked Rosen, who came in from outside.
Rosen exhaled, "It’s mostly stabilized. We’ve explained the situation to the settlement people, and they believed us, even expressed gratitude."
"Gratitude?" Chen Tiannan nodded, saying, "We need to keep moving forward, you don’t need to follow, but watch this area, not just that divine creature, but the Undead Tide too."
Rosen nodded, showing no trace of dissatisfaction, saying, "No problem, I’ll ensure the task is done."
Chen Tiannan hesitated for a moment before saying, "I hope you survive, make it beyond the apocalypse; our team needs at least one to make it out, or there won’t be anyone to remember the other comrades."
Rosen clenched his fist, "Task guaranteed!"
A smile crept over Chen Tiannan’s lips, "I hold you in high regard; if possible, I wish for a tombstone with my name on it... I always want to leave more marks on this world."
...
The roar of a dragon echoed through the sky, spreading far and wide, causing all creatures with a hint of wisdom to shiver involuntarily.