Chapter 189: Battle Royale in the Forbidden Zone
Although the origins of humanity seemed to trace back to just that one man and woman, there was no further explanation given.
However, people filled in the gaps on their own, assuming that the pair went on to reproduce and give rise to modern humans. As for why there were no genetic limitations—who knew?
Perhaps the creations of "God" were simply that miraculous?
Since the Skullcrawlers had already been wiped out by the enhanced Handsome Kong, the shockwaves from the explosion hadn't disturbed any other dormant Skullcrawlers—if there were any left at all.
And after their emergency landing and subsequent dispersal, Handsome Kong had given up on pursuing them.
Thus, Dr. Randa and his team only encountered various terrifying creatures along the way. After suffering heavy casualties, they finally reached the designated extraction point, where the reinforcements arrived.
Among the reinforcements were members of the Monarch Organization. Dr. Randa and Weaver handed over their invaluable research data, though Weaver, wary as ever, secretly made a backup copy and took it with him.
He didn't trust these high-ranking officials or the intelligence agencies and secret departments they represented.
Or rather, no one in America truly trusted their own leadership. After all, this was a country that had conducted human experiments by disguising viruses as vaccines and injecting them into civilians.
Such actions had utterly shattered any remaining public trust.
When the Monarch Organization and the U.S. military learned of Dr. Randa's discoveries, they immediately recognized the gravity of the situation.
"Gentlemen, we have discovered the birthplace of the Titans and humanity—the Creator's Island!"
"So God is actually our Creator, responsible for both the Titans and humankind!"
"Unbelievable! God isn't Jewish or Anglo-Saxon, but… an Asian?"
"Or perhaps Asians are the ones closest to God?"
"Adam and Eve—why didn't they suffer from inbreeding-related genetic issues? Or… could they have been just one branch of human origins?"
"We must take control of this island. If we move before anyone else realizes its significance, we might uncover something related to the Creator!"
In an instant, the American high command and even the financial elite turned their attention to Skull Island.
Even several terminally ill congressmen, despite being at death's door, insisted on attending the briefing.
They were utterly shocked upon learning the true origins of humanity. But after the initial shock, their greed took over.
No one feared death more than they did.
Aging bodies, pain-ridden bodies—all of them longed to restore their youth, to defy death, or even to grow stronger!
The Creator's Island—who knew what kind of miraculous treasures it might hold?
After all, from the murals they had analyzed, it seemed that one of humanity's progenitors—a woman—had consumed something of great importance to the Creator, enraging it to the point of casting them out.
Perhaps this island was none other than "God's Dwelling"!
As for the Skullcrawlers? The prevailing theory was that they were God's guard dogs, akin to the three-headed hound of the underworld.
And Handsome Kong? He was likely God's favored pet, the most beloved creation.
As for the Titans' "rebellion," the murals within the underground caves of Shennongjia might depict an ancient war—the Titans rising against their Creator. A primordial war of gods, interrupted only by the arrival of an extraterrestrial entity: King Ghidorah.
But why had "God" only resurfaced now? If it was so powerful, why hadn't it eradicated Ghidorah and Godzilla back then?
"I think… maybe there was more than one Ghidorah? Or maybe the extraterrestrial invaders weren't limited to just Ghidorah?"
Sure enough, speculation ran wild.
What if the invasion had involved multiple Ghidorahs? Or perhaps an entire race of extraterrestrial beings?
The remaining murals could very well depict a large-scale alien invasion, with the Titans and the Creator joining forces to fight them off—until only one Ghidorah remained, sealed away in ice.
Could it be that "God" had exhausted its strength in battle and fallen into a deep slumber, only now awakening?
"Regardless, we must conduct research on this island."
"But wouldn't that offend 'God'?"
Some worried that "God" might enforce an even stricter version of the Castle Doctrine, utterly annihilating any intruders.
"This is an opportunity. But we don't have to send our own people first—we can let others test 'God's' attitude for us."
The risks were undeniable, but money could buy anything. There were always people willing to risk their lives for the right price.
Chang Wei watched the unfolding drama with great amusement.
The U.S. had hired a significant number of mercenaries—though these mercenaries had no idea that their true employers were America's upper echelons and financial oligarchs. Their mission: retrieve anything valuable from Skull Island.
Anything.
As long as it was sufficiently unique, they wanted it. And they were offering a minimum of ten million U.S. dollars per item.
This staggering price sent the mercenaries into a frenzy. Of course, some mercenaries were rational enough to recognize that such an absurdly high payout meant an equally absurd level of danger—and wisely declined.
"At this rate, the original timeline where Handsome Kong gets captured won't happen."
Chang Wei pondered. He had already transformed Handsome Kong into a four-armed giant gorilla that could fire energy blasts from its mouth. Capturing and containing it had now become exponentially more difficult.
But that was fine. Letting Handsome Kong play around with the mercenaries sounded entertaining enough. Plus, the Skullcrawlers could still serve as cannon fodder, giving Handsome Kong plenty of combat experience—though it was more like bullying weaklings than proper training.
"Fatty's almost free…"
The trident that Chang Wei had left behind was merely a construct of psychokinesis. Since he hadn't been actively maintaining it, and since Legendary Godzilla did possess considerable strength, it was only a matter of time before it broke free.
This was a Godzilla capable of blasting through the Earth's crust with an atomic breath attack. Only Endgame Godzilla had stronger atomic breaths.
Once it broke free, it would sense Handsome Kong's Monster King aura—and instinctively seek him out for battle.
In the original timeline, Skull Island had been isolated by perpetual storms. Even after Handsome Kong was captured and placed in human containment, additional barriers prevented Godzilla from sensing him. It was only when Handsome Kong traveled by ship that Godzilla detected his presence and rushed over for a brawl.
But now?
With Chang Wei here, how could this battle not happen?
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Handsome Kong noticed an increasing number of people playing hide and seek with him.
For the mercenaries, stepping onto Skull Island was like stepping into a real-life battle royale—a desperate game of PUBG in Hell.
They could accept that the four-armed Titan gorilla was untouchable. But the island was also crawling with horrifying creatures, and to make matters worse, they couldn't use high-powered weapons.
The moment they did—Handsome Kong would come looking for them.
(TN: Will you revive Chang Wei? Voting is open for 24 hours only in my Patreøn. Thanks.)