"Gong Xiao, hold on, I'm coming." Su Li silently repeated to himself, feeling a surge of anxiety burning like a flame in his heart, threatening to erupt at any moment.
After the Crocodile-Toothed Turtle carried Su Li about two kilometers, he spotted a building in the distance with two floors above the water—clearly a thirty-two-story structure. On the rooftop, faint figures could be seen, and the turtle was charging toward it at full speed.
Su Li immediately understood that the danger Gong Xiao and the others faced was there. He saw no Spirit Beasts or undead surrounding the building, so the threat to Gong Xiao's group wasn't from them. Could it be other humans?
Su Li was puzzled. Whether it was Gong Xiao or Ling Yi, both were already Level 8 Spirit Source users. Luo Jun, though not yet Level 8, was still a standout in the entire Golden Eagle Alliance. And Gong Xiao wielded the Inextinguishable Spear. If not for Spirit Beasts or high-level undead, who could threaten their team enough to summon the Crocodile-Toothed Turtle for rescue?
With a hint of confusion, Su Li drew closer. As the distance shrank, he could see a group of humans on the rooftop, but as he approached further, the angle changed, and the building blocked his view entirely.
Without time to overthink, Su Li watched the Crocodile-Toothed Turtle near the building, leaped, and landed on a balcony on the thirty-second floor. He climbed up from there, scaling his way to the rooftop.
Su Li's arrival was so swift that the people on the rooftop were momentarily startled. But when they saw he was alone, they calmed down.
Su Li surveyed the scene before him: blood on the ground, seven or eight human corpses—some unfamiliar, some he recognized. At least four were from Building B of the Golden Eagle Alliance. He could even name one of them, Jin Sixing, who had the special ability to control insect parasites. Now he was dead, his chest and abdomen completely ripped open, entrails spilling everywhere. His eyes were wide open, as if he died with lingering resentment.
Beside the corpses, a large patch of scorched ground bore the marks of Inextinguishable Fire. Luo Jun lay on the ground, his wrists pierced by bone swords pinning him down, another bone sword embedded in his chest. Though pinned, he wasn't dead yet, weakly writhing, his breath faint and nearing death.
In the center, two pairs were locked in combat, while seventeen or eighteen others watched. Among the fighters were Gong Xiao and Ling Yi. They were drenched in blood, covered in shocking wounds. Ling Yi's abdomen had a gash, with intestines hanging out. Despite this, he bit his lip so hard his teeth sank deep, swinging his crystal sword wildly in a desperate, suicidal attempt to drag his opponent down with him.
Gong Xiao wasn't much better off. Her left shoulder had a fist-sized bloody hole, and her chest and back bore at least seven or eight deep cuts, each exposing bone. Blood had turned her into a crimson figure. Perhaps driven by sheer will, she gripped the Inextinguishable Spear with both hands, fighting to the death, refusing to fall. But her eyes showed she was utterly exhausted, barely holding on by determination.
Their opponents were two men. Gong Xiao's foe wielded a pair of meter-long bone swords, while Ling Yi's opponent carried a thick bone blade. Neither had a single scratch, looking relaxed. It was only because Gong Xiao and Ling Yi were fighting with suicidal ferocity, and the opponents didn't want to die with them, that they had to hold back and change tactics, allowing the pair to drag on until now.
Su Li's sudden appearance drew the attention of the onlookers, who turned to look at him.
"Hey, another one's here," said a man with a short beard, around forty, letting out a chuckle.
"An old human too? Interesting," added a younger-looking woman beside him, her face expressionless as she sized up Su Li like a curious animal.
"Exactly like us humans, how amusing," the group chattered.
Su Li took in the scene, his rage boiling over, but their words left him stunned. These people were clearly human, so why did they sound like they weren't?
He had no time to dwell on it. Activating his "Peek Rune," he scanned the group's information while entering a walking state, then charged forward. A message flashed in his mind: the data on the bearded man before him.
"Name: Forgotten One, Level: 9, Class: Warrior, Race: Forgotten Human. When undead fully awaken their original human intelligence and remember their names, they gain true rebirth, becoming Forgotten Ones who forget the past. They are a new generation of humans seeking to replace the old and rule this world as new masters."
The information hit Su Li like a thunderbolt, his eyes widening in disbelief. These humans were evolved from undead—Forgotten Humans? The great flood had drowned countless people, who, due to Spirit Source effects, revived as corpse beasts. Advanced corpse beasts evolved into undead, which could become high-level undead with unique names like Spitter, Corroder, or Thrower. But that wasn't their only path. Some undead fully awakened all their human memories, remembered their names, and became true humans again. Yet they had forgotten their past, like amnesiacs, becoming new humans of a forgotten era.
These people weren't monsters; they were humans, but a new generation that saw old humans as enemies.
Processing this, Su Li didn't slow down, charging like lightning. The Forgotten Humans had been smiling casually, but when they noticed his absurd speed, their smiles vanished—too late to react.
Su Li flashed through their outer circle, his Dragon Rhinoceros Sword sweeping horizontally. A head, still warm with blood, flew off—the bearded man around forty. He didn't even have time to react, despite being a level higher than Su Li. One strike, and a Forgotten Human was dead.
The rest gasped in shock as Su Li reached Gong Xiao. He reversed his sword, slashing at the man with the bone swords who was attacking her. The man leaped back to dodge, a flicker of surprise on his face.
At the same time, a message echoed in Su Li's mind: the Spirit Source of the slain bearded man merged into his body.
"Level 8 Spirit Source User: Spirit Source 110/130"
Like when he killed Mo Xingxuan, this Level 9 bearded man gave him six Spirit Source points.
"Gong Xiao—" Su Li called out. She looked at him, appearing like a flying general before her, dazed, almost thinking exhaustion had conjured an illusion.
"Su Li...?" she murmured, swaying, then collapsed toward him. She was too tired. Su Li caught her.
Meanwhile, the man attacking Ling Yi also backed off. Ling Yi, losing his opponent, gasped for air, looked up at Su Li, tried to speak, but only moved his lips silently. He slumped to the ground, lying still, too exhausted to even lift his eyelids.
Su Li gently lowered Gong Xiao to sit, then turned to face the so-called new humans, the Forgotten Ones.
"Damn, he's fast."
"Yeah, Borg couldn't even react before he was killed."
"Doesn't that make it more fun? The stronger he is, the more we can enjoy this."
"Wu Yunfang, you're so wicked."
Despite losing one of their own, they showed no fear, recovering from their brief shock and chattering excitedly.
Su Li scanned them with his "Peek Rune," finding most were Level 8 or 9. Then his gaze landed on a silent, sixty-something elder in the crowd. A message appeared in his mind.
"Name: Forgotten One, Level: 10, Class: Spirit Master, Race: Forgotten Human. When undead fully awaken their original human intelligence and remember their names, they gain true rebirth, becoming Forgotten Ones who forget the past. They are a new generation of humans seeking to replace the old and rule this world as new masters."
Su Li's heart trembled. This wrinkled, aged-looking elder was Level 10—the only one at that level here—and his class wasn't the common Warrior but Spirit Master. These Forgotten Humans had class distinctions?
"Be... careful... they... like... wearing... you... down..." Gong Xiao, at her limit, mustered her last strength to speak in fragments.
"Wearing me down?" Su Li suddenly understood why Gong Xiao and Ling Yi were so exhausted while their opponents remained unscathed. These bastards had been taking turns fighting them.