Apocalypse: System of lotteries



People saw a lion, almost two meters tall at the shoulder, standing at the entrance of the temple. It was draped in golden armor on its four legs and belly, with red, blue, yellow, and green gems embedded in the armor. The armor shimmered under the sunlight, making it look like a god.

The lion then turned its head to face the crowd... it had a lion's body but a human's face!

The human face was golden in color, with black eyebrows stretching into its mane. It had eyes shaped like willow leaves, with pupils that sparkled with orange light. The thin lips were covered with a layer of gold powder.

"What the hell is that?!"

"Oh, my God!"

"Sh*t!"

"..."

"Roar!!!"

The lion-headed human roared, revealing sharp lion-like teeth. It glared at the people in the temple and then spoke in human language, "Is this how you speak to a god?"

"Damn it!"

"Sh*t~"

"F*ck~~ This guy can actually speak human language, is it a damned mutant?"

A brown-haired young man exclaimed in surprise.

Whoo!

Suddenly a golden figure rushed into the temple, leaping high and pushing the brown-haired young man to the ground. It was the lion-headed human. Its two front paws pressed against the young man's chest, its face close to the young man's. It spoke in a chilling, intimidating voice, "You are blaspheming against god~"

Thump!

With a strong press from its front paws, the young man's chest instantly collapsed. Blood sprayed from his mouth onto the lion-headed human's golden face. The young man's body burst into items upon his death.

"..."

The surrounding people retreated in fear, keeping a distance. The speed and strength displayed just now made them realize that unless everyone attacked together, whoever faced the creature would die. They understood better than anyone that everyone here came from different regions around the world, so there was virtually no unity. Most importantly, the lion-headed human... felt like a real god to them.

"Heh~ Quite interesting~"

The lion-headed human lifted its head, extended a long tongue to lick the blood on its face, then turned and sat in front of the towering statue inside the temple. It looked up at the people, a dark smile on its face, "Welcome to the temple of my master, the great God of the Desert. Don't be afraid, I won't harm you!!"

Smack! The lion-headed human raised its right front paw, smashing the head of the deceased brown-haired young man.

"..."

The survivors in the temple wore varied expressions. They had seen death before, but to be crushed like an ant so effortlessly incited fear in them. After all, there was no chance to struggle.

The lion-headed human looked at the black man who had robbed the white woman earlier, lifting its left paw to press on the water bottle on the ground, "Hey~ do you want to drink water?"

The black man paused, feeling both surprise and fear. He did not know why the creature was asking him this. His dry, cracked lips told him he desperately needed water. Therefore, he decided to take a chance and replied in a low voice, "Yes."

"Yes?"

The lion-headed human smiled gently, revealing its sharp teeth. It spoke in a sinister tone, "Since you wish to drink, what are you willing to give in return?"

"..."

The black man didn't know how to answer. What should he give?

But facing the creature, he immediately responded compliantly, "Anything I have, I can give."

"Ha~"

The lion-headed human curled its lips, its mouth glittering with gold powder. It looked at the woman who had been robbed earlier, and said to the black man, "My master wishes to eat a fresh human heart today. You should go and take her heart out for me~"

"..."

Hearing this, the woman immediately retreated.

The lion-headed human laughed at the black man, "If she runs, I'll have your heart~"

...

Ming and Lavia sat facing each other on the ground. In front of them were several vessels and bottles filled with clear 'teardrops'.

Lavia looked somewhat troubled, "I can't do it anymore, there's nothing to feel sad about. I simply can't produce tears."

Ming furrowed his brows, "Try to think again. You've lived for so long, there must be something that would bring tears to your eyes just by thinking about it."

"There's really nothing. I had a happy childhood, a joyful adolescence, an unrestrained youth, and in my middle age... My girlfriend cheated on me~"

"Hold on, I'll go find a bigger bucket!"

A moment later, the two sat facing each other again. Lavia looked at his water, "I think that's all."

Ming nodded and patted Lavia's shoulder, "It's been hard on you, bro. But you need to understand, making money is never easy~"

At this moment, he felt something wet on his hand. Looking at Lavia's shoulder, it was also slightly moist.

Hiss~

He grabbed Lavia's small arm, "You said you're made of water, so if I squeeze you, will water come out?"

"Try... try it?"

"Okay."

When Ming squeezed, water came out.

Lavia was stunned, "Damn if i know it early~"

After an unknown amount of time, Ming and Lavia, followed by a group of zombies they had picked up along the way, headed toward the towering building in the distance. These zombies were carrying carpets bundled with items and utensils filled with clear water.

These zombies were their spoils from the journey. They could work without needing water and were very dedicated. This was why they had managed to survive.

Ming was no longer jealous. Even though Lavia controlled more puppets than him, he was immune to jealousy now, having experienced it too many times.

After a while, they saw a golden figure flash past in the distance, stopping at the entrance of the building. The two of them simultaneously crouched down, hiding among the ruins and straining their necks to see.

"Damn~ That's a sphinx, so cool~"

Lavia cursed softly.

Ming laughed. He had to admit, after Lavia's voice turned sweet, even his swearing sounded good. Then, he used his "Hawk Eye" to observe the sphinx:

[Asad. Jamila. Zuhair. Hassan. Selim]

"!!"

What a long name.

[Faction: AJ Mythology; Code 023; Servant of the Desert God]

[Rank: Three-Star Emperor]

[Evolution Path: Reached top level, no further advancement]

"~~"

He could see so much information? But what did it all mean?

[Physique: 1800]

[Strength: 2200]

[Agility: 2000]

[Spirit: ??]

[Exclusive Skill: Lion's Roar]

[...]

[Exclusive Talent: Lion's Physique]

[...]

[Hidden Talent: Unbridgeable]

[Hidden Talent: I Can Stand Up - When defense value drops to zero, can transform into human form to fight, raising all attributes by 20%, duration 10 minutes.]

[...]

[Weakness: Its fur makes a comfortable chair cushion, sitting on it feels pretty good. However, you have to be able to accept using that ugly head as a footrest...]

"~"

After reading all the information, Ming fell into thought. He was sure this was a god created by the game rules. How it was created, he didn't know. So... was this what was meant by "faith" in the fourth chapter?

Since it was created by the rules... it should be possible to kill it.

Leaning against the wall, Lavia raised his hand, made a "come hither" gesture with his index finger, and tapped Ming's shoulder, "Should we get closer? Feels like we could take a shot at killing it, for some good loot~"

"Let's go~"

Ming brushed off the delicate hand that Lavia had rested on his shoulder, thinking to himself that Lavia shouldn't forget that he used to be a tough guy.

In a short while, the two of them quietly moved forward. The lion-headed human had already rushed into the building. They quickened their steps, crouching outside the temple's grand entrance, listening to the sounds inside.

When Lavia heard the conversation between the lion-headed human and the people inside, he quietly said to Ming, "This damn monster can actually talk, and it even claims to be a god~ Seems like it's trying to steal our business."

"Indeed~"

Ming nodded, glancing at the water carried by the horde of zombies not far from them.

Lavia said, "Even if it's a god, so what~ If it's robbing our business and blocking our money-making, we'll kill it anyway!"

Ming replied, "Absolutely, I can't let my brother cry so many tears in vain."

The two of them stood up at the same time and positioned themselves at the entrance. 

Lavia shouted, "Water for sale! Cheap and fair! No need for a heart or kidney, just a small profit! Business is fair and open! If you block our way to wealth, prepare to meet your doom~"

"!!!"