HI3: Starting from the Previous Civilization

After all, that weapon was originally made for Space Marines. They had to endure twenty-one surgeries before qualifying to become a Space Marine. For an ordinary human to use it at all—merely getting knocked down rather than crippled by the recoil—could already be considered lucky.

Thankfully, Fan had also exchanged for that protective talisman; otherwise, he'd either be lying on the ground wailing or simply out cold by now. Having done its job, the talisman had turned to ash and blown away on the wind.

Just then, he heard dogs barking in the distance.

"Probably the neighborhood security coming to check. This little park doesn't have cameras. After all, people living in these villas… some might have special hobbies…"

Fan quickly stored the grenade launcher in his system inventory. Clutching his chest, he fought through the pain and stood up. He reached out toward the Honkai Beast's corpse, preparing to stash it too. Right as he touched it, a wave of energy surged from the carcass and burrowed into his body.

That sudden rush increased the ache in his chest. If someone took an X-ray right then, they'd see Fan's cracked ribs knitting back together at a visible rate.

Meanwhile, the guard dogs' barking drew closer.

He dumped the Honkai Beast's body into his system space. True to the system's quality, it collected the remains cleanly, along with all the scattered gore and splashes of blood that had sprayed around earlier.

Fan finally exhaled, relieved. Then, using 100 of his newly earned system coins, he bought several nutrient potions. Pulling one out, he gulped it down with big swallows and tucked the empty bottle into his system space. The energy within that nutrient solution rapidly sped up his recovery, sending an intense prickling sensation through his body and making cold sweat pour down his face.

Mind racing, Fan tried to figure out how to avoid suspicion. Activating his Noble Phantasm to run away was out of the question—it only lasted three seconds, not enough to do anything. Besides, the loud explosion from his launcher was sure to raise questions.

"All the security around here are retired service members. There's no way I can hide everything from them," he thought. "Whatever. I'll just deal with it as it comes."

He took a few steps deeper into the woods. At that moment, the clouds overhead parted, and moonlight poured onto a small clearing.

There, a woman with only her upper half remaining was dragging herself along the grass, leaving a long trail of blood behind her. Her once-beautiful black hair was matted red. She had inched forward bit by bit for quite some time. Upon hearing footsteps, she lifted her head in desperate hope. That face was completely smeared with blood. She reached out a blood-covered hand and forced out words in a trembling voice:

"Fan… help… me…" 

The instant she spoke, her shaking hand fell limp. All light faded from her eyes.

Fan's own eyes shrank in horror at the gruesome scene, his legs almost giving out beneath him. He barely caught himself against a nearby tree and doubled over to retch. Yet he only spat up stomach acid—everything he'd eaten earlier had already been converted to energy for his healing.

He gagged for a while longer, then wiped his mouth on his tracksuit sleeve. Fighting down the urge to heave again, he stared at the grisly sight. 

Fan understood that sooner or later, he'd have to face horrors like this. Better sooner than later. Given the path he'd planned—human experimentation and so on—it would be unavoidable. He had to adapt. Actually, "must" was the correct word. Otherwise, there was no surviving in this messed-up world.

Still, the sheer brutality made him bend over and retch again, gripping the tree for support.

He recognized the victims: classmates of his. One was Yan, the other Anqi—the class president and vice president. They'd grown up together, their families having arranged an engagement; apparently, they planned to marry as soon as they graduated high school.

The girl who had just spoken out to him—Anqi—her intestines had been torn out. Judging by the length and how she was sliced in two, she must have been crawling forward out of raw survival instinct. Her handprints and smears of blood on the grass made that clear. Parts of her organs were strewn everywhere; blood soaked the ground. 

As for the boy, Yan, he wasn't even that "lucky"—his body was severed into three chunks, killed instantly.

Fan gripped the tree once again and heaved. 

By now, security guards from the villa complex, leashed guard dogs in tow, arrived at the scene. They first spotted Fan leaning against a tree, gagging. As their flashlights lit up the clearing, the terrible carnage made even these retired servicemen blanch. They turned away, pressing themselves against the trees as they threw up.

The man who seemed to be their team captain, after recovering somewhat, immediately pulled out his phone to call the police. He also ordered two men to contact the victims' families—after all, the guards recognized them as residents of the villa community. Meanwhile, he instructed others to protect the scene, then personally led the weak-kneed Fan away, helping him to a nearby bench until the authorities arrived.

The security captain asked softly, "What exactly happened just now? Did you see anyone else?"

Fan took a few deep breaths, his lips trembling. "I—I don't know what happened. I'd just finished my run and was sitting on… on this bench, catching my breath. Then…" 

His hand shook as he pointed into the dark woods. "Then… I heard screams of pain in there, and a really loud noise. I—I just plucked up my courage and went to check. And that's… that's when I saw it." 

Recalling the nightmare he'd witnessed, Fan instantly slapped a hand to his mouth and bent double with more dry heaving. The security captain patted him lightly on the back.

Before the police arrived, the first on scene were actually the victims' families—two men and two women, presumably the parents of Yan and Anqi. The team captain went over to explain. Their expressions turned from disbelief to horror, and they insisted on seeing for themselves. Soon, security had to carry them out of the woods by their arms and legs.

Not long after, the local police, who had been informed, rushed in with several ambulances. As the officers prepared to escort Fan to the station for a statement, a black sedan suddenly pulled up. Two men in black suits got out, each carrying a silver briefcase marked with a round, moth-like emblem.

Fan's eyes went wide. He felt a jolt of alarm. "So Fire Moth does exist here. But from everything I found online, I never saw a trace of them. Must not be public yet…" 

Sensing the danger, Fan quickly bowed his head, acting normal. The two men showed IDs to the lead officer. After a quick check, the policeman saluted and stepped aside, making all the other police wait where they were.

About half an hour later, the pair of black-suited men emerged from the woods looking grim. One of them told the police, "This is no longer your concern—let these people go." 

And that was that. Fan was allowed to return to his villa, where he collapsed onto the sofa. Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, he realized just how close he'd come to blowing his cover.

At the same time, he couldn't help but think: he was only spared extra scrutiny because his shocked reaction had been so genuine. Seeing a scene that bloody—anyone would be terrified. No one could fake that level of horror.