The apocalypse begins with a dungeon game.

Chapter 106 Call me Little Monster, Monster

"Alright, I hope you remember what you just said." The old city lord nodded, then turned to Li Can, "You took my things, didn't you?"

He immediately understood that the old city lord was referring to the pair of coordinate teleportation portals.

It turns out that this thing is not just a simple prop. The city lord also has a telepathic connection with it, or rather, he saw me appear and thus understood how I got to the upper city.

That's so easy to guess.

Li Can pondered, but did not respond.

The old man sighed to himself, "Now that I've become their new owner, I must treat them well and not use them for bad things..."

His words carried a slightly didactic tone.

If we're talking about who did the most evil deeds, wasn't it him, the leader of the upper city who led all humans to toy with the people of the lower city?

Yang Mo watched from the side as Li Can and the old man seemed quite familiar with each other, and he was rather puzzled.

Shen Yuan nudged his arm and began to explain, "We met the city lord when we went down to the city. Brother Xing and he had a good chat at that time."

"So that's how it is. When we attacked first, we couldn't find him. He walked into our encirclement later. So, the city lord's hiding place was actually in the lower city. No wonder he was so mysterious and never showed his face."

Yang Mo and Shen Yuan were whispering to each other, exchanging information about the difference in their perspectives.

Li Lan stood guard at the side, paying close attention and constantly watching over Li Can's personal safety.

The old city lord took Li Can's hand and spoke in the calmest tone, "Back then, you asked me what my name was in the lower city, wanting to record it in the family genealogy. Do you still have it with you?"

"I brought it with me, but why are you asking? If I remember correctly, you said you don't have a name." Li Can took Xing Tiantian's homework from his pocket and flipped to the latest page in one go.

As he rummaged in his pocket for a pen, he said, "However, it's not too late for you to change your mind now. The Xing family will always welcome its members."

"Hahaha, thank you. This old man is about to die, his days are numbered..." The old man stared unfocusedly at the horizontal beam suspended above the main hall.

His thoughts drifted far, far away, as if his soul was beginning to leave.

The old man knew perfectly well that his decision to return from the lower city today, revealing his identity and taking on the responsibilities of the city lord, would ultimately lead to his death.

He knew that the rebels Yang Mo belonged to would not let him live.

He himself had lived for far too long and was extremely tired. Many times in his dreams, he had longed for the day when he could end his eternal suffering.

Now I can go back to the past and reunite with the people I used to know.

"Don't mention it. As long as you can explain everything Yang Mo wants to know, I'll give you a new page in the family tree. As for the name, what would you like to write? Do you want a new one?" Li Can held the pen but didn't move for a long time.

Everyone in the hall was watching the interaction between him and the old man.

No one dared to interrupt them.

The old man waved his hand, his dark pupils calm as still water, and the wrinkled skin on his face slowly stretched and then gathered again as he smiled.

His lips didn't curve upwards; instead, they drooped slightly downwards, his expression seemingly teetering on the edge of tears and barely holding them back.

After a moment, he responded to Li Can in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, "Let's write 'Little Monster,' the 'Monster' in 'Monster.'"

"I don't have a formal name, and I don't even know my surname. I only have a nickname given to me by my childhood friends: Little Monster."

"Little Monster? That name is indeed strange." Li Can repeated, his gaze lingering on the old city lord, clearly observing his sadness and grief up close.

"Didn't you have any family before? Why didn't you have a name or surname? I actually wanted to ask you that when we were at the casino, but you left in such a hurry."

"Yes, I am an orphan and have never known where my parents are... You don't need to add my surname to your family tree, just write these two words. I hope that a hundred or a thousand years from now, someone will still remember me."

"So that's how it is." Li Can was somewhat moved. She hadn't expected that such a great leader as the city lord had such an unspeakable background.

He nodded and quickly wrote a new name on the paper with his pen.

Then, Li Can showed it to him. "How is it? My handwriting is pretty good, isn't it, Xiao Guai?"

"Hahaha, you brat, you have no manners. Hmm, your handwriting is quite good, like you've studied calligraphy. Very impressive." Although the old city lord appeared to be laughing, his eyes were actually slightly red.

Tears welled up in his eyes for no apparent reason, lingering there for a long time before finally falling.

While Li Can was shocked, the others were also somewhat surprised. It was the first time they had heard about the city lord's past. However, amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, no amount of heartache could change the course of events.

"Thank you." He thanked Li Can, his fingers touching the name on the paper, feeling the texture of the page; everything felt so real.

When Li Lan saw the old man getting closer to Li Can, she frowned and became even more wary.

However, the old man did not do anything out of line. After a few seconds, he waved his hand to signal Li Can to put the things away and finally paid attention to Yang Mo, who had been waiting for a long time.

"Young man, when I was your age, I was just as spirited and ambitious. It was just like what you're doing today. I stormed into the city lord's mansion from the lower city, held a knife to his neck, and didn't even give him a chance to say a word."

Yang Mo became more and more confused as he listened. The white mecha he was wearing made a clicking sound as the mechanical gears of his body rubbed against each other as he moved closer.

"What do you mean? Aren't you the first city lord? And what do you mean by saying you fought your way here from the lower city?"

The old city lord finally let out a hearty laugh, the sound echoing in the empty hall, lingering for a long time.

He stared at Yang Mo with red eyes, then his gaze swept over Li Can, Li Lan, and Shen Yuan.

"Hahahaha, of course it's because you, me, and all of us were once people of the Downtown, and the people of the Downtown now are the people of the Uptown of the past, hahahahaha."

"This is the truth you've been looking for. You live in the new city and new living environment that I paved with my life, and now you're pointing a knife at your own people, just to give justice to the former exploiters, those devils who eat people without spitting out the bones."

"How ridiculous, how ridiculous."

The old man's words were a clear indication that Li Lan and his group, who came from the lower city, were former villains.

Shen Yuan and Yang Mo's group were fools who were kept in the dark. They brought this upon themselves by doing something so stupid and laughable.

It also represents a complete rejection of the core ideas and ideologies of the rebel organization.

Fortunately, there weren't many people present; it was just a few of them. If other members of the organization outside had heard about it and spread the word, who knows what kind of turmoil would have ensued internally.

The current situation is already unstable, and any progress is made at great risk.

Li Can and Li Lan, brother and sister, tacitly stepped back a few paces to create some distance from the old man, their inner thoughts filled with helplessness.

Don't let our appearance fool you, we're not from any city, we're genuine illegal immigrants...

"This is impossible! Are you out of your mind and talking nonsense?" Yang Mo's mecha began to emit a cold light, like an ice blade.