Chapter 4 - 3: This is an incredibly dark and despairing world
For Fang Zheng, the feeling of teleportation was anything but pleasant.
In the moment he disappeared, Fang Zheng felt his feet instantly transform into a void beneath him. Then, it was as if he were on an endless slide, rapidly falling downward. He couldn't even tell if he was actually falling; it felt like countless stars were flickering around him, a dizzying whirl—until suddenly, Fang Zheng felt his body soar high into the air.
The next moment, gravity mercilessly captured his body once again.
"Bang!!"
Once again crashing heavily to the ground, Fang Zheng couldn't help but cry out. He felt like his entire body was falling apart, with not a single part left unscathed.
Why am I so unlucky, crossing through worlds twice and getting thrown to the ground both times? Is there no justice?
"Fang Zheng!!"
While Fang Zheng was cursing in his heart, he heard a man's voice next to his ear. Then, he felt someone grab him and pull him up from the ground. He opened his eyes and looked ahead, only to see a man in armor staring him down.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"I... I'm fine."
Although he didn't know who the man in front of him was, Fang Zheng shook his head and forced himself to wake up before responding. Hearing his reply, the man finally breathed a sigh of relief, then released Fang Zheng and raised the longsword in his hand.
"Quick, we need to get out of here! Damn Undead are about to surround us! If we don't leave now, we'll never get another chance!!"
"Huh?"
Hearing the man's words, Fang Zheng looked to the side, only to realize that in the pouring rain, dozens of rotting monsters, like those undead creatures from movies, were approaching them. Not far from them, several soldiers lay dead in pools of blood, no longer breathing.
What the hell, this again?
Seeing this scene, Fang Zheng was at a loss for words. System, are you trying to kill me? I just got reborn and was chased; to escape, I switched worlds and now I'm surrounded again?
But luckily, this time he wasn't being attacked by those terrifying Paladins, but by zombies... well, that's little better.
Thinking of this, Fang Zheng swiftly drew Frostmourne and followed the man in front of him, running quickly towards the edge of the wilderness. The undead were not fast, but they were numerous. If Fang Zheng and the man hadn't run fast, they probably wouldn't have escaped the encirclement.
"Damnable!"
Not until they were out of the encirclement did the man punch the air in frustration.
"I can't believe there are so many undead creatures near the church! Those poor lads... I can't even bury them."
Sighing, the man glanced at Fang Zheng.
"Alright, let's return to Tristram. These damned undead will attack there. We must protect it!"
"I understand."
Hearing the man's command, Fang Zheng said nothing and just nodded. It seemed that his identity was already arranged by the system in this mission world. But until now, he still hadn't figured out which world this was. Judging from the man's attire, it seemed similar to his rebirth in the Main World.
The rain poured down harder as Fang Zheng and the man returned to the small town called Tristram, looking like drowned rats. The town gate was tightly closed, and only two militiamen with longbows stood on the watchtowers. As the two of them approached the gate, the guards on the watchtowers immediately drew their bows, aiming at Fang Zheng and the others.
"Who are you? What are you here for?!"
Facing the guards' inquiry, the man beside Fang Zheng shouted loudly.
"It's me! Rumford! And Fang Zheng! We've returned!"
"It's Captain Rumford!"
Hearing the man's voice, the guards on the watchtower were momentarily stunned and then waved and shouted.
"Open the gate! Captain Rumford has returned!"
With the guards' shout, the gate slowly opened, and Rumford led Fang Zheng inside.
As soon as they entered the town, Fang Zheng sensed the tense atmosphere. Under the torrential rain, the entire town seemed eerie and desolate. Not far from them, in front of a large pit, lay several corpses of militiamen. Seeing these bodies, Rumford frowned deeply.
"Why haven't they been cremated?"
"The rain is too heavy, Captain!"
Hearing Rumford's question, a guard wiped the rain from his face and shouted back.
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"We can't light them..."
"Then cover them with a tarp to keep off the rain! Use oil! Do you want to see them rise and drag you into the abyss of death?! Move it!"
"Yes!"
Following Rumford's orders, the guard quickly turned and left. Only then did Rumford exhale and looked at Fang Zheng.
"Alright, Fang Zheng, you're lucky to be alive... go rest at the Slaughtered Calf Inn, change your clothes, and get something to eat. Tell the innkeeper it's on my tab."
"Yes, Captain Rumford."
Hearing Rumford's words, Fang Zheng nodded and then turned to leave. He needed some time to think about what kind of world he had arrived in. Rumford's previous words had conveyed a lot of information, leaving Fang Zheng quite bewildered. He vaguely felt that Tristram seemed familiar, as if he had heard of it somewhere before...
Initially, Fang Zheng planned to ask someone for directions to the Slaughtered Calf Inn, but he quickly found that it wasn't necessary—this small town had only one inn, and the sign was hanging right over the door.
"Ding-a-ling."
Opening the inn door and walking into the hall, Fang Zheng was first hit by a pungent smell of medicine. Looking around, he saw several severely wounded soldiers lying against the hall's walls, moaning in pain. Seeing Fang Zheng, the innkeeper behind the counter waved at him.
"Hey, Fang Zheng! Lucky you made it back alive!"
"Yeah, I got lucky, boss."
Responding to the innkeeper's greeting with a smile, Fang Zheng saw the innkeeper nodding with a cheerful grin.
"Indeed, you went with sixteen people, and only you and Captain Rumford made it back alive. That's quite some luck... Well, enough chit-chat. I've prepared dry clothes, hot soup, and bread for you in your room!"
Fang Zheng was starving since he had been reborn and hadn't eaten a single meal. Hearing the innkeeper's words, he hurriedly changed his clothes and then came out to enjoy his dinner. To be fair, the food wasn't particularly delicious, but when you're starving, anything tastes good, and Fang Zheng was no exception. Someone else was paying, so he ate heartily, complimenting the innkeeper's cooking. Living in what appeared to be a medieval-style world, the innkeeper had never heard such praise from a modern person accustomed to information overload, which made him beam with joy. Not only did he serve extra food, but he also waived the bill.
At the same time, Fang Zheng finally managed to learn about what had happened from the innkeeper.
"You mean... a meteorite?"
"Yes."
Nodding solemnly at Fang Zheng's inquiry, the innkeeper continued.
"A meteorite fell from the sky and hit the church, collapsing it completely! Ah, it was terrifying. Then Lia came and called for the militia to find her uncle... I didn't expect something like this to happen..."
"A meteorite?"
Frowning at this, Fang Zheng seemed to have realized something and looked at the innkeeper.
"By the way, what's Miss Lia's uncle's name?"
"Um... I think it's... Deckard Cain."
Finally, Fang Zheng knew which world he had arrived in.
This was a world of unparalleled darkness and despair, where everyone struggled to survive yet could only helplessly accept their fate.
Diablo.