Why Do All the Villains Look at Me Like This? - Chapter 44

The sound of the Giant Ape’s massive jaws snapping shut echoed wildly in Meng Xuexiao’s ears. He felt himself plummeting down a narrow, pitch-black tunnel.

Meng Xuexiao guessed this was the Giant Ape’s throat. He would keep falling until he reached its stomach, where he would be digested.

He remembered a science class where he’d watched a video of food being completely broken down. The sensation of slowly dissolving away had made his scalp crawl even just watching it. He had no desire to experience it firsthand.

Meng Xuexiao shivered involuntarily, frantically searching for something to grab onto. But the darkness was absolute. All his fingers found were smooth, slick walls.

Damp and sticky, the walls felt like they were coated in a membrane that clung to his skin. He couldn’t get a grip, and a foul stench permeated the air.

“Thud!”

After an unknown amount of time, Meng Xuexiao’s knees finally slammed into solid ground with a dull thud.

He immediately scrambled to his feet, alert. Had he already reached the stomach?

But… the texture beneath his feet felt wrong.

Rough and prickly, damp but not particularly wet, it was nothing like Meng Xuexiao had imagined a stomach full of gastric juices to be. Instead, it felt more like… rotting straw.

“Hurry! Another human’s here! Let’s move!”

The voice had barely faded when something seemed to open. A faint light appeared in the pitch-black space, revealing a group of… giant apes holding torches?!

Meng Xuexiao instinctively rubbed his eyes.

How could there be giant apes inside a giant ape’s stomach?!

Afraid to make a sound, he burrowed deeper into the straw-like material beneath him, pressed himself flat against the ground, and tried to hide in the darkness and the straw.

But the giant apes moved with practiced ease. After a quick search through the straw, one of them grabbed Meng Xuexiao by the back of his collar and hoisted him up.

The giant ape towered over Meng Xuexiao. Even if two Meng Xuexiaos stood on top of each other, their feet wouldn’t reach the ground. With each step the ape took, Meng Xuexiao’s legs swung wildly.

He felt like he could fall at any moment.

After following the Giant Ape for a few steps, Meng Xuexiao finally saw what the ape had opened when it entered. It was a vertical fence made of steel-like material, studded with spikes. The fence was now descending behind him, its long, sharp spikes plunging deep into the ground.

The Giant Ape seemed to have brought Meng Xuexiao from underground to the surface. The surroundings gradually brightened, revealing a plain stretching into the distance. In the distance stood manor-like buildings, while closer by were crude, hut-like structures.

These huts appeared to be constructed from stone, resembling the primitive Beast Houses Meng Xuexiao had seen in history books.

Upon reflection, the spiked fence he had just emerged from also seemed designed to confine beasts.

If the fence was meant to imprison beasts, how could these Giant Apes be outside it?

Moreover… could a Giant Ape’s stomach truly contain so much? Could it even house its own miniature world?

If this wasn’t the ape’s stomach, then where was he? Yanxing had been abandoned for so long. There were no such structures here, were there?

The next moment, the Giant Ape, still gripping Meng Xuexiao, shoved open the wooden door of a stone Beast House with one hand. The door creaked and groaned precariously, as if on the verge of collapsing.

Soon, a head emerged from the Beast House.

It was a human youth.

Judging by his appearance, the youth was only three or four years older than Meng Xuexiao. His skin was bronzed from sun and wind, and his hands were calloused. He bowed respectfully to the Giant Ape, “Hello, sir. Is there anything I can assist you with?”

The Giant Ape rudely shoved Meng Xuexiao into the Beast House, “This is a new recruit. Keep an eye on him and give him plenty of work!”

Its force was brutal, showing complete disregard for Meng Xuexiao’s safety. Meng Xuexiao stumbled forward, nearly faceplanting, but a gentle force subtly guided him.

Seizing the opportunity, Meng Xuexiao regained his balance and steadied himself.

He instinctively glanced toward the source of the guiding force, catching only a glimpse of the bronzed youth’s profile.

The other party didn’t even glance at him.

If not for the lingering warmth on his hand, Meng Xuexiao would have dismissed it as a hallucination.

“I understand!” The bronze-skinned youth grinned obsequiously.

The Giant Ape snorted disdainfully, “Stop with the foolish smiles! If we hadn’t just received the news, we wouldn’t be keeping so many humans around. If the preparations aren’t perfect this time, I won’t hesitate to add a few more to the menu!”

“Yes, yes!” The youth chuckled nervously, “They’re tributes for the King, right? I’ll ensure everything is prepared to your satisfaction!”

The Giant Ape grunted, “That’s not all. Our Boss just sent word, he discovered a priceless treasure and risked his life to teleport it back. The King will adore it!”

“The treasure should arrive soon. We don’t know what it is yet, but you’d better have a good eye. Don’t mistake a pebble for a pearl. It’s probably a massive diamond or something, the King always prefers those!”

“If we send this up and King Manzu is pleased, our Boss will get promoted and ennobled, and you’ll have an easier time, too!”

King…?

Promoted and ennobled…?

Meng Xuexiao immediately seized upon these key words.

In his memory, the only entity referred to in such terms was… the Empire.

The Empire’s power structure in the novel resembled that of Europe several centuries ago.

The Federal Military Department distinguished ranks by Second Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel, and so on, while the Empire used titles like Viscount, Baron, and Duke to denote status.

And the Empire’s ruler—the sole being worthy of the title “King”—was the Dragon Tyrant Zhuoyue, the strongest combatant among the Alien Beasts.

How had he… ended up in the Empire?

The Empire and the Federation operated on fundamentally different principles. The Federation was human-centric, but in the Empire, it was the world of the Alien Beasts, where the few remaining humans were treated like livestock, kept in pens.

Here, regardless of whether humans were classified as S, A, B, C, D, E, or even F, they were considered lower than slaves.

If one were to choose the place least suited for human survival in this world, it would undoubtedly be the Empire!

Meng Xuexiao suddenly regretted not keeping his backpack on when the Giant Ape swallowed him whole. At least then he could have used his communicator to call for help…

Now…

He couldn’t help but glance again at the bronze-skinned youth. Whether he recognized him or not, in this foreign land teeming with extreme danger, encountering another human was reason enough to thank the heavens.

Listening to the Giant Ape’s words, the bronze-skinned youth offered a few more flattering remarks. Only after the ape had left did he lead Meng Xuexiao into the house.

It was only then that Meng Xuexiao noticed six or seven other youths crouching inside. They were all emaciated, some standing, others sitting.

Meng Xuexiao had initially thought the bronze-skinned youth’s situation was dire, but now he realized he was actually the best off among them.

The others were in varying states of decay. One’s eye oozed thick pus, like an animal in a poor village, worked day and night until every last spark of life had been squeezed out of it.

As if hearing their entrance, one of the youths turned his cloudy eyes. His black pupils, shrouded in a deathly pallor, resembled plastic bags coated in grayish-white dust.

“Well, the Giant Ape’s lapdog finally deigns to return? Why don’t you get on your knees and lick their boots?”

The youth spat, “Traitor!”

The bronze-skinned youth remained unmoved. His obsequious smile vanished, replaced by a cold severity. His features were strikingly deep-set, radiating an exotic intensity when unsmiling.

Meng Xuexiao’s gaze lingered on him briefly before surreptitiously shifting toward the room’s entrance.

Though the Empire was ruled by Alien Beasts, the high-ranking ones considered themselves far too superior to stoop to taming humans. Such behavior would diminish their prestige.

Take Wang Zhuoyue, the king of the Alien Beasts, for example. Rather than exploiting a few humans who were like mere specks compared to his true form, he preferred to suddenly descend upon the Federation’s capital, sowing panic and chaos before seizing gold and jewels for his palace.

Therefore, Meng Xuexiao surmised that he was likely somewhere on the Empire’s border. Since the Empire bordered the Federation, he should still have a chance to escape, right?

Moreover, the Giant Ape had simply abandoned him here and left…

They’re really lax with security, Meng Xuexiao thought.

If I escape now…

Meng Xuexiao’s gaze fell upon the half-open grand door behind him.

But in the next instant, his eyes locked with those of a bronze-skinned young man who had entered his field of vision. The man’s dark complexion contrasted sharply with his piercing green eyes, which seemed to radiate an icy chill. Like a bucket of cold water, they instantly suppressed Meng Xuexiao’s budding desire to flee.

Damn it, caught red-handed!

Meng Xuexiao forced a stiff smile, trying to appear nonchalant.

But his lips felt as heavy as lead, impossible to lift.

Even without a mirror, Meng Xuexiao knew his smile must look terribly strained.

Finally, he coughed, averted his gaze, and broke the eye contact, like a dejected cat finally giving up, its ears drooping.

Meng Xuexiao had expected the bronze-skinned young man to say something, but before any words could come, he heard a grating sound, as if a heavy burlap sack were being dragged across the floor.

“Close your eyes,” a deep voice suddenly whispered in Meng Xuexiao’s ear. It was the bronze-skinned young man who had been silent until now.

Feeling guilty about being caught trying to escape, Meng Xuexiao didn’t dare provoke him further. He immediately squeezed his eyes shut and raised both hands to cover them tightly.

“Heh.”

Perhaps it was his imagination, but the moment his vision plunged into darkness, Meng Xuexiao thought he heard a soft chuckle nearby.

The dragging sound continued, growing closer.

Then Meng Xuexiao heard more chaotic noises—rustling, shuffling, and a few muffled cries and whimpers.

This suddenly reminded him of the villagers dragging dogs back when he lived in the countryside with his caretaker.

Back then, that dog had rabies. Driven mad, it was dragged from one end of the village to the other by a rope as thick as a man’s arm, then its skull was crushed with a shovel.

That was the kind of sound that dog made.

Meng Xuexiao’s shoulders involuntarily hunched inward. His hands, which had been tightly covering his eyes, gradually loosened, creating a narrow slit through which dim light filtered.

He saw a Giant Ape clutching a long iron chain. The other end of the chain was fastened around the neck of an unidentifiable creature.

The thing was so filthy, covered in blood, that its species was almost impossible to discern.

But then it raised its head, and Meng Xuexiao realized it was a person—

Someone… like him.

Meng Xuexiao froze, holding his breath. It took all his strength to suppress the gasp threatening to escape his throat.

“That’s what happens to those who try to escape and get caught.”

The deep voice echoed in his ear again.

Meng Xuexiao’s eyes, peeking through the gaps between his snow-white fingers, widened abruptly. He slammed his fingers shut as if pretending he hadn’t just stolen a glance.

But the sigh continued beside him, “I told you…”

“Close your eyes.”

Meng Xuexiao could no longer maintain his pretense. He abandoned all hope and let his hands fall to his sides, though his fingers still trembled slightly.

“What… what do you want?”

The bronze-skinned youth glanced sideways at him, his gaze lingering on the boy’s little finger, which was shaking so violently it seemed to blur. He chuckled, “You should calm down first. I’ll come back for you later and show you what needs to be done.”

“It’s not much, really—just some wiping and washing. But you’d better be careful. The King’s tribute is the most valuable thing in the entire estate right now. If you damage even a little bit, no one will be able to protect you.”