Red light bubbled from inside and out of Zhen Jin’s body!
Between a twinkle of an eye, he transformed into a silver level bat monkey.
Two feet stepped on the ground, then two wings flapped, thrusting the bat monkey Zhen Jin into the sky.
He flew up like a thrusting sword.
He traveled through the undergrowth, occasionally flapping his wings and occasionally using his hand and feet to jump across the branches. His movement was filled with a wild nature and his limbs were extremely coordinated, there was no difference between him and a true bat monkey.
These were the results of hard training.
Zhen Jin was filled with anxiety.
“I must stop him(her)!”
“Who was it?!”
“I was careless! I shouldn’t have transformed during the day.”
Anxiety was followed by regret.
Of course, Zhen Jin always transformed at night. It was unlikely people would travel in the curtain of darkness, because the night limited a person’s field of view and movement.
But during the day, even if this place was five kilometers from the ravine, there might still be people around.
Zhen Jin wanted to practice many magic beast forms.
Especially the electrical discharge ability, something he had recently grasped. He resembled a child who had obtained a novel toy, and the scaled leopard group made for a great practice target.
Ordinarily, Zhen Jin would emit ultrasound at small and fixed intervals.
For that one time, when he was fighting the scaled leopard group, his entire mind was being used on his muscles to discharge electricity, thus the interval between ultrasound waves increased.
This kind of situation was rare, but it unfortunately happened, and it was a real issue!
The mysterious person was fast, faster than any ordinary person.
But after sprinting wildly for a spell, the person reached the limits of his stamina and slowed down.
A treetop suddenly vibrated behind them, when the mysterious person heard it, they turned around to examine it, their face full of fear.
He had dark skin and curly hair, because of his mad sprint, he was covered in sweat and gasping for air.
It was Hei Juan.
Pausing in place for a few breaths, and seeing no more movement from the treetop, Hei Juan spat and continued to run.
The thick and lush treetops hid a silver level bat monkey.
Even if thick monkey hair covered his face, it was difficult to conceal Zhen Jin’s overcast and indeterminate face.
“It's him, it's Hei Juan! Zi Di’s mercenary.”
“Why was he here?”
“No, he should be here. I gradually transferred the clean-up work to Zong Ge and him, he is a bronze level cultivator, him appearing here is not strange.”
“But hold on, why is he alone by himself? Where are the other team members?”
“What did he see in the end?!”
For a moment, Zhen Jin looked at the fleeing Hei Juan, and watched the latter’s figure enter into the rainforest and rapidly disappear from view.
Zhen Jin was at a loss.
And flustered
“What should I do?”
He had been too anxious; he didn’t even think much when pursuing the latter. He particularly wanted to examine the other clearly, he wanted to know who saw him.
Just a moment ago, he got an answer.
Afterward, he was at a loss.
He did not know what should be done!
A thought constantly swelled in the young knight’s mind.
Kill him!
I can kill him.
He was only at the bronze level, there is an enormous disparity between our strength.
“Kill him, no one will know I killed him.”
“It’s very normal, he is alone, there are many fierce magic beasts in the rainforest, a magic beast killed him. This is a strong reason, very natural, right?”
“I will cover up the battlefield traces, I am already skilled in this aspect! I have deceived Cang Xu and Zong Ge in the past, it will be like last time!
The thought of killing Hei Juan became increasingly strong.
“No, I cannot!” Zhen Jin’s fingers subconsciously pinched off tree bark.
“I am a templar knight, not a murderer.”
“I uphold benevolence and defend justice, how can I, for selfish reasons and on a suspicion, take a human life?”
Hei Juan is not my foe, in fact, he helped me greatly. He lent me Silver Lightning, that was his family heirloom!”
With great effort, Zhen Jin pushed down the malicious thought, however it quickly bounced back with more power, striking Zhen Jin’s bottom line and ruthlessly swaying his heart.
“That’s enough! Zhen Jin, don’t let morality bind you, was the spear scorpion’s lesson inadequate?”
“Have you forgotten? How long have you forgotten it?”
“When the spear scorpion wanted your life, you shouted in your heart, I want to survive! Other creeds and family mottos, those are for other people. What, hell is at one’s feet, depravation is instantaneous……that’s nothing but bullshit!”
“That’s right, I must survive, I must survive with my chest out and my head high, I will revive the Bai Zhen Clan and become White Sands City’s Lord. Others will no longer doubt me, demand explanations from me, loathe me, or disdain me!”
“You are a templar knight, not a monster. If they find your secret, how will they look at you? What will happen to you?”
Despite the bat monkey Zhen Jin’s hand holding onto a tree trunk, his body teetered on the edge of collapse.
His conscience was also shouting in his heart.
“No, they can understand, as long as I give a clear explanation!”
“From beginning to end, I have saved many lives, and after investing so much into them, they remember me fondly. They will comprehend me, understand me, and accept me.”
“Ha ha ha!” It seemed there was another Zhen Jin sneering in his heart.
“Wake up Zhen Jin. Don’t have such unrealistic delusions!”
“You let Hei Juan go, this means your secret has been completely exposed, this large aspect has been completely ruined.”
“How will the people see you? A divine scion knight? No, he is only a monster, a devil weaning human skin!”
“Think of Zong Ge! He is a half beastman, yet he has a human bloodline. He has formidable battle strength, yet he is despised and hated, so what about you?”
“You are not a half beastman, you are merely a monster!”
“Kill him.”
“Kill him!”
Zhen Jin breathed heavily, he continued through the undergrowth and started chasing Hei Juan again.
But at the same time, his heart continued to fight between man and heaven.
“No, I am not a monster. I am Zhen Jin, I am a templar knight.”
“If I killed someone over just some suspicions, I would be a true monster! Regardless of what is going on externally, my heart pumps red human blood. If I kill Hei Juan, what difference is there between me and magic beasts?”
“Eh he he. Then why are you pursuing him?” Said the other “Zhen Jin” in his heart. In just a sentence, it made Zhen Jin incapable of refuting.
The young knight had an extremely dry mouth and tongue, he could not control himself at that moment. His body moved on its own and his mind’s train of thought was numerous and disorderly.
The “Zhen Jin” in his heart yelled once more:
“Hei Juan is not your foe, but he will quickly become one. He will destroy everything good, if the people discover your secret, they will doubt you and no longer trust you. The people will split up, confront each other, and internal friction will follow. Zong Ge has exuberant ambition, he won’t let that opportunity go! Zi Di? Think of your pitiful fiancé. She has always followed you and supported you, do you want to make your fiancé worried? Do you want her in danger?”
“Zhen Jin! You must be a templar knight, you must be a divine scion knight. Only with those can you lead these people, only the ability you were born with can unite the people’s strength.”
“The ship is already built, the beast groups are no longer a threat, and there are food and water reserves.”
“Who knows how much effort you have invested into this and how many times you have risked your life.”
“Because with a word, can’t Hei Juan ruin everything?”
“Kill him! Kill him!!”
Zhen Jin’s face occasionally turned sinister and occasionally turned sorrowful.
He felt himself fall into the abyss; his conscience was growing weaker.
“No, no, this is a living person.”
“He is my comrade!” Zhen Jin weakly yelled in his heart.
But the voice immediately denounced Zhen Jin: “Comrade? This person jeopardizes the general situation, it is like rat feces, you cannot let it into the soup!”
“You don’t owe him anything.”
“You saved his life, have you forgotten?”
“Without you, he would have been dead! Dead under an iron level bat monkey’s claws.”
“Yes, he lent you Silver Lightning, that rapier indeed assisted you greatly. But if he died, who would the sword be returned to?”
“Kill him, don’t hesitate again.”
“Treat it as if you were a step too slow in the past, treat it as if you didn’t save his life!”
“Do this not only for yourself, but for the general situation.”
“Didn’t you understand what Cang Xu said earlier? The victors do not bother with trifles, some successful people are vile, repulsive and shameless, but their radiance and victory cover such things up.”
Almost everyone in this world doesn't care about how someone succeeds, they usually only care about the results, they only care if you succeed or fail.
“Think about it, when you save these people and lead them off this wretched island, you will be a hero, you will be the life benefactor of over two hundred people. You will be missing Hei Juan nothing more, what’s alarming about that? You are a templar knight, you will receive honor. Through your constant struggles, you have always kept hope and have said you will never abandon anyone, that will make you a role model.”
“You absolutely cannot be a monster!”
“If this secret is exposed, even if you rescue these people, what will you get? Even leading these people from this place might fail.
“To save over two hundred people, all you need to do is sacrifice Hei Juan, that’s all.”
“He is very suspicious.”
“Very suspicious!”
“Why did he go outside alone, did he discover your secret?”
“He must have evil intentions towards you!”
“It must be like that!”
Countless blood veins filled Zhen Jin’s eyes.
The killing intent in his heart rapidly grew!
He overtook Hei Juan again and looked down at Hei Juan’s head and back.
“From here, he looks small and weak.”
“Now, as long as you fly down, you can easily kill him!”
“Actually you have many methods that can take his life.”
“A mouthful of acid can change him beyond recognition.”
“A spear scorpion’s tail can penetrate his head. Are his bones harder than a monkey tail brown bear’s? A bronze level human?” He he.” The laughter was like crisp open paper.
“Kill him, quickly kill him!”
Zhen Jin’s breathing grew more hurried, his killing intent strengthened ever more.
“Who are you?!” At that moment, another person suddenly shouted ahead.
Zhen Jin’s heart trembled, he stopped moving and hid behind a large tree.
“It's me!” Hei Juan yelled.
The yell immediately relaxed the man.
There were more than a dozen people, after seeing Hei Juan, they greeted him one by one: “My Lord.”
Hei Juan nodded: “I followed a peculiar sound, after exploring for a long distance, I didn't find anything. Let’s go, we will return to camp now.”
“But it is still early.” Someone objected.
“There isn’t enough time, we are already far from camp, if we return now, we will arrive just in time to eat some warm food.”
Hei Juan shook his head and continued: “Don’t be worried, we have already explored this place, if another beast group comes, the traps will surely warn us.”
Seeing Hei Juan’s attitude, the others also stopped insisting.
“That’s good.”
“Let’s listen to Lord Hei Juan.”
An additional person laughed: “I always thought you were hard to interact with Lord Hei Juan, looks like the truth was completely different from the rumors.”
“Good, don’t listen to rubbish, let's leave without delay.” Hei Juan urged.
Seeing Hei Juan converge and leave with more than a dozen people, Zhen Jin slowly emerged from behind the tree trunk.
“It seems, Hei Juan heard some sounds and went to investigate them alone.
“He is at the bronze level; his speed could easily leave the others behind.”
“So, that is what caused the prior outcome.”
“The most crucial thing is, what did he see? Why is he in a rush to return?”
“What should I do in the end?”
“What should I do……”
Zhen Jin’s complexion was no longer perplexed, rather it was warping and struggling.
Obviously he hadn’t moved much, but at this moment, he was already covered in sweat.
In this state, he realized, as it turned out, he had been the one avoiding himself
Suddenly that day, he had no choice but to confront his heart’s deepest fears.
Making the relevant decision was challenging, Zhen Jin had already fallen below his past standards.
If this was a normal situation, Zhen Jin would have used ultrasound earlier to discover this group of people. But as he chased and followed Hei Juan, his heart fought a war between itself and his brain turned to paste.
“Hei Juan was afraid!”
“I could feel it!”
“He must have discovered my secret……why am I still hesitating?”
“Don’t be so cowardly, kill him as a transformed magic beast.”
“The others being there is good, they can serve as witnesses and as my proof.”
“Who knows the magic beast murderer was you?”
“If you're still not at ease……you might as well kill everyone! Death ends all troubles!”
The bat monkey Zhen Jin’s breathing grew heavier, the killing intent in his heart was hard to control.
He struggled at all costs.
He was very hesitant.
“This is not the morality of a knight!” This roar grew weaker in his heart.
“If the secret is exposed, the consequences are too horrible to contemplate!” Another voice grew stronger.
Zhen Jin continued to follow Hei Juan and the others, many times, he was on the verge of attacking.
The small ravine now appeared in everyone’s field of view.
Hei Juan and the others returned to camp.
The voice in Zhen Jin’s heart seemed to increase dramatically in volume, as if howling: “Dispose of them quickly! If you don’t attack now, it will be too late.”
The sun fell below the horizon, it was night.
The night wind hysterically blew, the bat monkey Zhen Jin’s breathing mixed with it, he could not hear clearly.
His fingers grabbed some wood and tree bark and smashed a portion of it to pieces.
Zhen Jin’s face was filled with ruthlessness, his eyes were filled with incomparable malevolence.
Howl!
He raised his head and bellowed to the sky.
Notes
There it is, welcome back to your regularly scheduled mental breakdown in IB. This time it stars a simple question, how much does our MC value human life and his morality? He has already broken so many of the templar knight vows already, what’s one more? The beast roars for the third time now in the series, what exactly lies in the heart and mind of this man, this monster, this knight?