But in the end, Malin stood up and walked to the edge of the rooftop, looking at the open rift, finally stepping into it. The next second, he appeared on the outskirts of Tappahannock, over forty kilometers from Saluda. The night roads were filled with parked vehicles, their owners’ corpses littering the ground, while the wraiths wandered aimlessly in a line along the highway. They moved as if marching, stacked into neat rows, and the children held in their parents’ arms, along with more young souls hiding beneath the cars, evoked a sense of compassion in Malin. Malin’s arrival did not capture their attention, or rather, a few of them noticed Malin, but they did not speak. Instead, they quickly vanished from Malin’s sight. Autonomous Resentful Spirits are different from wraiths, which tear flesh by instinct. They are conscious, aware of self-interest and self-harming, and avoid danger. Thus, when Malin camouflaged himself, the wraiths could not perceive this existence beyond their senses, while the Vengeful Spirits directly sensed Malin’s presence. Faced with the choice between danger and blood feasts, they chose self-preservation—no wonder, if they didn’t run, Malin would surely purify them. Watching the endless procession of wraiths on the highway, these men, women, and children still held the form they had in life, and some children could even whisper. ·I’m so tired, mom, are we going to find dad? A small child sat by the roadside, while beside it, its mother wailed—a Vengeful Spirit, afraid of Malin, yet for some reason, she never left, staring intently at Malin, holding her child tightly. Their remains lay not far away. This Vengeful Spirit seemed to have always been protecting their weathering bones, even though in Malin’s view, a few broken bones could barely represent a person. So, Malin sighed, unable to bear seeing more, and in the moment of turning away, snapped his fingers, The mother and child’s sorrowful journey reached its end. Holy flames burst from the mother’s body, and in this final moment, she no longer wailed, only held her child fiercely. ·I thought you would be more gentle. Susu stood beside Malin, looking at him as if she had just met him for the first time today. "My gentleness is eight millennia late, my gentleness cannot save them." Malin watched the silent army of death on the road. "In Asia, in the Middle East, in Europe, in South America, so many died because of the North American Chaos Cult’s stupidity, and the Peninsula people even surpassed them. Human folly and arrogance permeated human civilization, and the guilty ones are unaware of their sins, continuing to blame their compatriots for everything. Malin, did you know, because the Four Islands people wantonly discharged polluted seawater, marine life mutated early on. The Union took a whole century to purify our oceans, but Chaos came, leaving no place for humans in the sea. The ocean is even more dangerous than land." Taking a breath here, Susu looked at Malin: "You used intelligent machines to annihilate those survivors. Well done, but you wouldn’t imagine that they were the descendants of the former North American leaders and conglomerates. Their slaves underwent inhumane surgeries, even children... had their genes and consciousness for rebellion removed." "I can imagine; this is like the North America we know, the world we know, Susu, look at me, watch as I purify them." After speaking, Malin walked to the side of a large truck pushed down the embankment, climbed atop the vehicle, and looked at the wraiths on the road, spreading his arms wide: "Citizens!" At this moment, the wraiths halted their steps, uniformly turning to look at Malin. "Citizens, no further! Your journey ends here." Malin shouted loudly. The wraiths looked at Malin, not responding, but the red light in their eyes gradually intensified. "The Great Destruction has come! Earth Union was destroyed by Chaos and your compatriots’ folly!" Malin continued his speech. The wraiths stared intently at Malin, confused, for they heard the words of the living, yet could see no living presence. "You have been trapped on this highway for eight millennia! Awaken! Earth’s compatriots!" In saying this, Malin infused his words with the power of commandments, and at this moment, the wraiths were enlightened by Malin’s commandment, no longer ignorant or unaware, they emitted a unified screech. They began racing towards Malin, unable to wait another moment. "So sorry, I awakened you, as part of my apology..." Watching the wraiths rush towards him, Malin raised his hand and softly clapped. In the next moment, the entire plain of wraiths ignited; watching the dissolving girl in the holy fire, writhing and screaming, as if unable to fly, slowly fell at Malin’s feet. Malin sighed, then stepped aside and jumped down. The Baby Spirits and little ghosts hiding under the cars crawled out. Under the purification of the holy fire, they were exhausted, even unable to fly. As Malin passed by a Baby Spirit, he extended his hand to seize the newly formed gem, and the Baby Spirit, losing its core, turned to ash.