From the moment Zhang Heng learned about his identity, he had already considered the worst case scenario.
Even if he was targeted by the gods, it didn't mean that he would die. Besides, Zhang Heng wasn't completely helpless. According to Nyarlathotep, at least the minions and fanatics of the master of the city under the ice would protect him. Of course, they weren't on his side, but they were here to ensure that the vessel remained intact.
However, for Zhang Heng, at least this was something he could take advantage of. The bartender might look lazy and addicted to slacking, but Zhang Heng knew that she wasn't weak. In the underground tunnel, when Jörmungandr was about to wake up, she was the one who sealed the python back.
Zhang Heng guessed that her strength was at least on par with Jörmungandr. Other than that, there were also many gods in the pantheon of the master of the city under the ice. Other than Nyarlathotep, who Zhang Heng had fought with, there was also his boss, Azathos, whom Nyarlathotep mentioned.
Unlike the Norse pantheon, the gods in this new pantheon didn't seem to be very united. So Zhang Heng didn't expect to get much help in this regard.
Besides, the biggest danger to him wasn't the hostility of these external gods, but the one inside his body, the blood flowing in his veins.
Although he temporarily got rid of the nightmare last night, Zhang Heng knew very well that this wasn't the end. It was more like the beginning. The master of the city under the ice had found him, and the connection between the two would only become stronger and stronger. Nyarlathotep said that this was an irreversible and unsolvable process, and it would continue until his soul was completely devoured.
So Zhang Heng realized that the time he had always had, to the point of overflowing, had suddenly become unfriendly to him.
Earlier on the plane, Zhang Heng had been thinking about a problem.
And that was, who did his current body belong to?
According to Nyarlathotep, the baby that the fanatics snatched in Tibet could not be considered a complete life because it lacked the most important soul of life. In a sense, the baby was indeed a vessel in name only.
After that, the fanatics found a way to send the baby into the city under the ice and began to exchange his blood in preparation for the master of the city under the ice to escape. This was a somewhat whimsical plan, but it was surprisingly effective. If everything went according to plan, the soul of the master of the city under the ice would eventually enter the baby's body.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Heng's parents broke into this lost world just as he was about to succeed. After a series of tricks, they created a new soul, which was him, and he occupied this body.
From this point of view, perhaps he was the one who had taken over the nest, but what did he count for?
The previous rounds of quests were not only a way for him to explore the world, but it was also a process of gradually understanding himself. It was not until today that Zhang Heng really thought about the question of what it meant to be himself, especially when he realized that his body might be occupied by another existence. At the same time, his body did indeed have that thing's blood flowing in it. Zhang Heng also wondered what part of himself belonged to him.
And as he thought about this question, he naturally thought about whether he should stop resisting and let the gods kill him, or whether he should simply choose to kill himself. For now, it seemed that this was probably the best choice for the world. For himself, his feelings were actually almost gone. Even in the face of death, he had no fear.
This allowed him to think about this matter calmly. It was like thinking about how much soy sauce to put in a stir-fry or which weapon to use in the previous battle. He used absolute rationality to analyze the various pros and cons behind this decision, and finally made the choice that would bring him the most benefits.
After that, Zhang Heng was stunned to find that he seemed to have lost the reason to live.
He had forgotten what supported him to keep fighting and come all the way here. What about the world? What did the world mean to him? Kuna once said that deep in his heart, he still had good intentions for this world, just like the pregnant woman he saved on the plane.
However, Zhang Heng knew very well that his choice to save people was more like a habit. It was due to the education and moral training he had received before. What did this action mean to him? Zhang Heng thought about it carefully and found that he did not gain any joy after saving people.
It was just like when he realized that the plane was about to crash, and more than 30 passengers and crew members on the plane were probably going to die. He did not feel angry even though he knew that this behavior was outrageous.
Zhang Heng knew that he would not get any answers if he continued to dwell on it. So he opened the curtains and let the sunlight into the room. He then turned on the computer, plugged in the untraceable USB flash drive, thought about it, typed out an email, clicked send, and went to the balcony to collect his passport and clothes that had been dried up.
After packing his suitcase, Zhang Heng appeared at the dock an hour later. To be on the safe side, he did not choose to take a plane this time. Instead, he took a ship. After all, the sea was his home field. If he was attacked at sea, he could fully utilize his advanced ability to control water. If he could not defeat the enemy, he could dive into the deep sea.
But this time, his journey was very smooth. Half a month later, he arrived at the Port of Donegal, which was located in the northern part of Ireland and belonged to County Donegal.
As soon as Zhang Heng got off the ship, he saw Mr. Zhang in the crowd, holding a sign in Chinese and looking around.
So, he walked in the direction where he was, and as soon as he saw him, he got a firm hug.
"You are finally willing to come to Europe. When I first received your email, I thought you were joking," Mr. Zhang said. "And you said you lost your phone?"
"Yes," Zhang Heng said.
"Then let's go to the mall to buy you a new one later. Your mother didn't come to pick you up because she had to prepare dinner."
"Her? When did she learn to cook?" Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows.
"About half a month ago, I watched some food variety show and suddenly fell in love with cooking. But you know her. She will always be short-lived, and I don't think she will last long. But it doesn't matter. If I can enjoy it for half a month, I will." Mr. Zhang was as open-minded as ever. As he spoke, he took the luggage from Zhang Heng and put it in the trunk.
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