He froze. The man was stunned for a good while before his expression changed for the first time.
"You mean, you know that we are for peace, and yet you still investigated and hunted me and my compatriots?"
"Yes."
Without any mental burden, Keli held a spear in one hand and raised his gun with the other.
The man's expression gradually became distorted and angry.
"Then why? Just because we collected some hearts as casting materials? Just because we are a different race from you? Just because…"
"Bang!"
This wasn't a game CG; no one was going to just stand there watching the BOSS babble and slowly crawl out.
Keli feigned a spear attack, then raised his hand and fired a shot.
With a somewhat panicked dodge, the man actually avoided the shot.
Keli didn't know how the other party did it—whether he perceived the raising of his gun or if his reaction speed was truly faster than a bullet—but it didn't matter.
Keli picked up his spear and charged directly forward.
Keli's words and utterly unchivalrous actions completely enraged the other party.
The man's name was Qian Hai Fan. He was born in an ordinary Japanese fishing village and lived like a normal person without knowing his true identity. He attended school normally, and because of his excellent grades, he was sponsored to study in Tokyo and achieved considerable success, having promised to work for the richest family in the area, who had no male heirs, after graduation.
He graduated from the University of Tokyo with a law degree and managed some of the richest family's local industries.
It wasn't until he grew older that he started having dreams. He began to notice why his family had warned him not to expose certain parts of his body, as they bore non-human characteristics.
He had suffered, he had been bewildered, but as he dreamed more and more, he began to dream of things related to his ancestors' lives and witchcraft. And as if drawn to each other, he met his compatriots hidden among the crowds.
However, most of his compatriots were ordinary people who spent their entire lives in fishing villages. They mostly came from his hometown, that backward little village, and some of them were already very old, having become non-human.
According to the old Fishmen, their even earlier ancestors had returned to the sea.
He led them to form a Cult, performing rituals according to the things he dreamed of.
Everyone was waiting, waiting for the day when their humanity would completely fade, and they would be mentally prepared to return to the ocean without any ties to this society.
It was at this time that he heard through his connections about Japan's imminent discharge of wastewater. He had calculated with precise figures that if those things were not properly treated, they would cause great trouble for some Deep Ones cities that relied on marine life for food, and he was concerned about the advent of war.
Humans were no longer the same as before, possessing many high-radiation pieces of equipment. With incomplete memory recovery, they also didn't know whether the Deep Ones could resist human weapons and their ability to leave Earth after it became a wasteland.
After all, for an immortal race, what are twenty, thirty, or fifty years? They are just a bunch of kids whose ancestral memories aren't even complete enough to know about releasing the Cthulhu seal.
He had initially somewhat believed Kirito's claims of ignorance during their two conversations, and even from the moment he was discovered, he had maintained a playful attitude.
It was like the feeling of someone who bears everything but is then betrayed, which is why he was able to suppress his anger and act flippantly.
He felt that when he revealed their true purpose, he should have seen shock, regret, and internal struggle.
Ignorant humans attacking them to protect their rights or to eliminate foreign races, only to discover that they were the ones who were right.
However, the current situation made him feel an immense sense of stifling frustration.
This person immediately said he knew, but knowing did not make him hesitate in the slightest; he still wanted to annihilate them.
Why was this? Was it just because the other party was a racist??
It couldn't be because, while expanding his influence, he allowed the Cult to amass wealth, casually killed a few people, and satisfied a few old villagers' desires, could it?
Unable to comprehend, he became angry; a sense of wronged fury filled his heart.
He dodged the opponent's unchivalrous sneak attack with a gun, and his Sharkspear spun as he attacked.
So fast!
Judging by the opponent's appearance, he should only be a half-Deep One who had awakened not long ago.
However, the opponent's speed was even more rapid than those monsters underwater. Keli suspected whether he had truly enhanced himself with some witchcraft.
Perhaps that was why he could take down so many bodyguards with a cold weapon.
But at this moment, these were minor issues; facing an enemy, the only thing to do was fight.
With a flick of his spear, Keli and the rapidly attacking Sharkspear collided fiercely in mid-air.
In an instant, the two weapons clashed several times in the air. The extremely sturdy wooden long weapon handle seemed to whip out spear flowers in the air.
The ear-piercing clang of metal made one feel dizzy, but then came a continuous series of gunshots.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Those sounds did not come from a single direction. Kirito, who had reacted, finally realized he needed to do something and started firing his pistol.
The other two gunshots came from the midst of the battle.
If there's a gun, there's no reason not to use it. The opponent and Keli had the same idea: while wielding a long-handled weapon with one hand, they aimed and fired fiercely at each other.
And after the gunshots, the man holding the Sharkspear fell to the ground, while Keli braced himself with his spear, half-crouching.
"It… it's over?"
Kirito looked at the scene before him with some disbelief. He had previously found a weapon and fought two rounds with the opponent, only to be cut into pieces in a short while. He hadn't expected the opponent to be so vulnerable under gunfire.
"Phew!"
Waiting for the impact to pass, Keli slowly stood up.
He was about to tease Kirito when he noticed the man on the ground's body beginning to change.
Beneath what appeared to be casual clothes, dark shadows writhed, causing the skin to swell increasingly.
"No? There's a second phase?"
Keli couldn't even keep a straight face. This was the real world, right? No one facing a strong enemy wouldn't use all their available means from the start, and then pull off some phase transition, right?
Kirito's face also changed as he watched the gradually swelling corpse.
A chattering thing that constantly revived its head, and now killing an opponent who looked like a BOSS would even transform.
Kirito felt like he was truly losing the distinction between virtual and reality.
"Heh heh! My death is precisely the final sacrifice; you shall feel it well… I!…"
After a dry laugh, the constantly writhing, swelling thing on the ground let out a sneer.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
But before he could finish speaking, Keli and Kirito continuously pulled their triggers.
This wasn't a real game; no one was watching a transformation CG!
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