I Am the Lord in the World of Mist – CH68

Chapter 68: A Zealot with Sanity

“I came from the old residential district by the third ring road. I mainly wanted to ask if you knew of any survivor settlements around here?”

“It’s too dangerous in the city now. I think it’s better if everyone gathers together.”

Xu Zhi answered honestly, but the expressions of the people before her still didn’t relax one bit. In fact, they hastily replied, “We don’t know of any settlements. You should go ask somewhere else!”

“Are you people just bad at lying, or are you trying to hide something really important?” Xu Zhi couldn’t help herself. Their poor cover-up was so obvious it made it hard for her to play along.

The moment she tore off the veil with her blunt words, the group’s demeanor visibly changed. The short-haired girl with the homemade hunting rifle even aimed the weapon directly at Xu Zhi’s head, ready to shoot if anything seemed off.

“Whoa, no need to get so tense. I don’t mean any harm,” Xu Zhi said, not expecting such an extreme reaction from a casual question. She raised her hand slightly, and before the others could react, Zhen dove down from the sky and precisely snatched away the girl’s old hunting rifle.

At the same time, Gouzi, who had been waiting obediently in the car to avoid startling people, leaped from the backseat to Xu Zhi’s side. He lowered his body and let out a deep growl. The previously aggressive local dogs immediately retreated a few steps with their tails between their legs.

Xu Zhi took the hunting rifle from Zhen, looking it over with curiosity. “The Federation still has antiques like this? Can this thing even fire?”

As she spoke, she playfully aimed the gun at the people across from her, testing whether it could actually shoot. For a moment, sheer panic appeared on their faces. But Xu Zhi only held her aim for about two seconds before lowering the gun. “Just kidding.”

Though she said it lightly and put the gun down, the people before her were still visibly shaken. To them, Xu Zhi now seemed like a slightly unhinged villain.

“Answer my question. What are you so nervous about? What are you hiding?” Xu Zhi stroked the silver wolf’s head next to her, and at her touch, the wolf stopped growling.

None of the armed middle-aged men and women spoke. Their faces were tense, fearful, and confused—until the short-haired girl, likely their leader, finally opened her mouth: “We’re scared you might be one of those people who kill their own. We met one before. We killed him. Our elders still feel guilty about it, so they’re nervous.”

Sounds plausible, but…
“I don’t believe it.”

“I’m not the type to kill others lightly, but if you keep lying to me, I can be.”

Xu Zhi’s tone was casual, but it exerted immense pressure. Precisely because she said it so lightly, it made it seem all the more real—like killing really wouldn’t be hard for her.

The massive silver wolf beside her still watched them intently, and their guns and dogs were now out of commission. Soon, one middle-aged man couldn’t take the pressure anymore and stammered, “P-please don’t kill us. We’re just trying to protect our family.”

As soon as he said that, the girl’s expression changed noticeably. Some of the others looked angry, while a few visibly relaxed, as if a burden had been lifted.

“Protecting family is a good thing. Why are you so nervous about it?” Xu Zhi asked, softening her tone slightly in hopes of easing the tension—but her words only made their faces look even worse.

It was as if she had hit a nerve.

Xu Zhi raised her eyebrows slightly. Now she was really interested.

The short-haired girl, clearly the group’s core, gritted her teeth and said, “My cousin really did kill someone. I wasn’t lying. We’re just afraid outsiders would want to kill him for it.”

Xu Zhi wasn’t satisfied with that answer. “So he killed someone—just like you were about to do to me. You’re not lying, but you’re still hiding something.”

“My patience is running out. Tell me the truth.”

As she spoke, Xu Zhi took her hand off Gouzi’s head. The wolf immediately bared his fangs and scraped his claws against the ground, looking like he was about to lunge and tear them apart.

Seeing this, the girl gave in and nervously clutched her wrist. “My cousin didn’t just kill someone—he’s gone mad.”

At those words, Xu Zhi instantly understood what she meant.

This “cousin” had likely become a zealot.

But based on what they had said about protecting family…
“Where is he now?”

“He’s tied up inside the house. But he’s gotten much better! Most of the time, he’s sane now. He only loses it occasionally. Please don’t kill him!” the girl pleaded.

Sane? Impossible.

Xu Zhi narrowed her eyes. She gave a command: “Take me to him. Don’t worry—I won’t kill him.”

Whether the girl believed her or not didn’t matter. She had no choice but to lead Xu Zhi inside.

They entered the small Western-style house and climbed to a third-floor room with shut windows. That’s where Xu Zhi saw the “mad” cousin.

He looked to be in his twenties, chained to a bed with iron links used for dogs. His limbs were bound, and a rag was stuffed in his mouth. His clothes were relatively clean but clearly disheveled, with signs of struggling.

The room was dim, and as the girl led Xu Zhi in and opened the curtain, the weak sunlight filtered in. The man on the bed flinched as if in pain, then slowly opened his eyes.

Xu Zhi’s expression shifted slightly when she saw his eyes.

Everyone knew zealots had pitch-black eyes—but his weren’t fully black. Instead, black threads resembling spiderwebs crawled across his eyeballs, creating a strange and unnatural appearance.

“Brother… are you okay now?” the girl asked cautiously.

The man gave a weak nod. She stepped forward and removed the cloth from his mouth.

Once it was taken out, if he were a typical zealot, he’d already be raving. But he wasn’t. He just panted weakly, then spoke in broken phrases: “…Did… something… happen?”

Interesting.

This reminded Xu Zhi of the man she saw transforming into a zealot in the school cafeteria. His eyes had changed from white to black as thick black mist-like threads overtook them. That process had been rapid—and she’d never seen another zealot stuck in this kind of in-between state.

Staring at him, Xu Zhi bluntly asked, ignoring any discomfort her question might cause:

“I want to know—how are you still sane?”