Mu Zhou was hiding in the bushes on the slope, watching the scene below. It was a small settlement with just over a hundred people. The level of civilization did not seem high, with stone houses and roofs covered with dried straw. The village was surrounded by a simple wooden fence, connected by ropes woven from unknown materials.

It should be noon, as occasional wisps of cooking smoke could be seen. The people living inside looked no different from ordinary people, except that the men were much stronger than those in the previous world. Most of them had brown hair, wheat-colored skin, and appeared to be part of an Asian ethnic group.

They seemed to be wearing clothes made from animal skins and hemp fabric. It was not clear if there were any other differences in detail. For now, there didn't seem to be any significant differences.

However, the inevitable problem came to Mu Zhou's attention. Listening to the villagers' conversation down below, he couldn't understand a word they were saying. Mu Zhou showed a bitter smile.

"Sure enough... The language barrier is a problem..."

This was a big issue; the language barrier meant that normal communication was impossible, which was a difficult obstacle for Mu Zhou, who was eager to make contact with the indigenous people of this parallel world.

In fact, Mu Zhou was hoping to encounter a large city, so he could sneak in and gather more information. Yes, that's right! A city with a library, where he could find books on the language of this world, and preferably with a iconic adventurer's guild from RPG games!

In fact, Mu Zhou's fragmented memories had unlocked a useful skill before. A skill called "Listening". It could passively receive "signals" from all life forms within a radius of about 10 miles. Both plants and animals could be "listened" to.

For example, if a hidden assassin was approaching you, the grass under his feet would tell you "I'm being stepped on!" This skill could even enable communication with animals. However, there were several drawbacks to this skill.

First, even if you want to communicate, if the other party does not have the intelligence, there is nothing you can do. Second, the clearer and more accurate the received "signal", the easier it is to pick up on simpler thoughts. If the other side is complex or emotional, the signal cannot be received normally. Third, this "signal" is an understanding and not a language-based communication.

In other words, even if Mu Zhou could understand the general meaning of what the people of this world want to express, he still didn't know their language, and one-sided communication wasn't enough. Mu Zhou didn't expect that speaking nonsense could make the villagers understand that he had no malice and was just seeking help.

"Moreover..."

Listening to the

the increasingly closer rustling noises coming from the dense forest behind him, he knew that the main force of the black monsters would soon arrive here.

Mu Zhou rubbed his stiff face from the forced smile, and said, "Things are about to get even more troublesome."

As the village watchtower sent out loud, urgent bell rings and shouts, the villagers finally discovered the approaching black monsters.

Looking at the chaotic scene in the village below, Mu Zhou sighed helplessly. He stood up, dusted off the weeds stuck to his body, and gripped his greatsword that lay nearby.

He was not afraid of these black monsters, having tested his mettle against them before. However, based on his observations, Mu Zhou did not believe that the villagers could handle over a hundred of these two-meter-tall black monsters.

Mu Zhou intended to save the villagers.

He had considered the possible consequences of doing so. Although he knew he was exceptionally powerful, he had no knowledge about the customs or rules of this world.

He was not the kind of hot-headed character with a strong sense of justice.

However, Mu Zhou curled his lips and said, "I can't just stand by and watch these people walk to their deaths."Is it difficult for an adult to smash a hundred wine bottles with a stick?

Although it would take a little time, it should be considered a simple task.

Moreover, Mu Zhou feels that the gap between him and these black monsters is even more exaggerated than the analogy of an adult with a stick smashing glass bottles.

Tam's eyes widened to the limit, his mouth slightly open, as if something was stuck in his throat, leaving him speechless. He couldn't believe the scene before his eyes.

He even thought that the despair in his heart had caused him to have an illusion.

He was the chief of this village, still in his prime. His tribe had no special skills and was not good at fighting. It was difficult to find shelter, so he led his people through mountains and rivers to this place. After some time, he realized that this place was desolate and uninhabited. Although resources were not abundant, they were sufficient, and the location was remote, making it a suitable place to settle down and make a living. So, they built a settlement on the spot.

However, just today, the sentry told him that a large number of disaster beasts had been discovered in the distance!

Disaster beasts, these terrifying creatures, are the natural enemies of many races. Although they have low intelligence, they possess an extraordinary instinct for slaughter, rapid reproduction, short growth cycles, resistance to weapon attacks, immense strength, and endless stamina.

He finally understood why this place was desolate and uninhabited - with so many disaster beasts gathered here, it would be strange if other races could survive in this area.

Despair filled his heart. When targeted by such monsters, one should not think about letting women and children go first while men fight to the death to cover their retreat. These creatures would show no mercy until they slaughtered all their prey!

Therefore, there was only one way to deal with these monsters: gather all strength and confront them. Whoever survived would survive.

No, looking at their numbers, there was absolutely no hope for any of them to survive. If there were only two or three beasts, perhaps dozens of people could survive...

There was no time to think. The fastest beasts have already reached the entrance of the village!

At this moment, a shadow passed over the heads of everyone from behind and landed steadily in front.

The figure was not tall, even somewhat short, wearing a tattered cloak that was a bit too wide for him. The hood of the cloak covered his head, leaving only a dark silhouette visible.

In his hand, he held a rusty greatsword almost as tall as him.

Before anyone could warn him, a disaster beast had already lunged at him, its sharp spikes ready to impale him!

Yet, the figure casually reached out with a smooth slender arm and waved it as if shooing away an insect.

Boom! ! ! ! ! !

Along with the dust filling the air, there was a deafening noise as something destroyed the village gate.

Then, Tam saw the unforgettable sight of his life.

The not-so-tall figure, wielding the rusty, heavily damaged greatsword, stood alone at the entrance of the village. Due to the narrow terrain, the disaster beasts could only rush straight toward him.

And every time a disaster beast approached the figure, he would simply use one sword swing or one punch to easily cleave the fearsome beast in half or smash it into the rocks.

Until the bodies of disaster beasts piled up like mountains on both sides.

Until not a single disaster beast could be seen in front of him.

Tam's mouth hung open, as if someone choked his throat, making it impossible for him to breathe. Although he did not turn his head to see, he was sure that the expressions of his tribesmen behind him must be similar to his own- shocked, unbelieving, and frozen in place.

However, they knew clearly that they had been saved. The joy and gratitude for their newfound life just hadn't had time to show on their faces...

Mu Zhou neatly cut the last black monster in half and carefully avoided the green liquid sprayed out.

He smirked.

He marveled at his powerful inner strength, which allowed him to merely feel slightly disgusted in the face of this gruesome scene of blood and corpses.

He slowly turned around. Earlier, he had put on the hood for safety. It was large and almost covered his entire face.

【So, what should I do next?】

Mu Zhou pondered secretly.[You don't need to ask, just look at the expression on their faces and you can guess what they are thinking.]

Mu Zhou shrugged helplessly, feeling a little desolate in his heart.

[I guess they see me as a monster too...]

Mu Zhou started to estimate subconsciously with the concept he learned from the other world. He didn't know how much of a blessing his actions were to these villagers in this dangerous, alien world. They were just too shocked and hadn't fully recovered yet.

Just as Mu Zhou was about to turn around and leave before the situation worsened, his 'hearing' caught a soft, pure thought that felt like a rice cake.

[Thank you, are you okay? Are you hurt?]

This gentle and glutinous thought hit Mu Zhou's soul hard.

Because he didn't perceive it through language but through [hearing], Mu Zhou clearly understood how pure this thought was.

It was something Mu Zhou had never experienced since he came to this side, no! It was something he had never experienced in his nearly thirty years of life.

Mu Zhou followed this thought and saw a little girl.

Standing alone in the crowd, at the age of twelve or thirteen, her light blue hair was messy, her shabby clothes enveloped her thin body, and her similarly light blue eyes were so pure that they flashed like rare gems. She blinked, looking worriedly at Mu Zhou.

The thought came from her body, and coupled with her worried expression, it was incredibly heart-warming.

Mu Zhou unconsciously wanted to get closer to her, wipe away her worry, respond to her gratitude, and tell her that he was fine, uninjured.

Just as Mu Zhou was about to act, the villagers finally came out of their shock and ran over, encircling him with layers of cheers.

[...What?]

The villagers around him were constantly cheering.

"Honorable strong one! Thank you for saving us! I just don't know how to express it!! Oh! Right! My name is Tamu! I am the chief of this village! Please let us! Be sure to let us thank you!"

Mu Zhou looked at the tall man in front of him, and a bunch of words he didn't understand popped out of his mouth.

[Hey!??! I can't understand the meaning you want to convey with such intense emotions.]

[It seems like they want to entertain me? ...No choice...better pretend to be mute...]

Mu Zhou first nodded and then pointed to his throat, following with a wave of his hand.

"You...you can't speak? I...I'm sorry...I didn't mean that. I..."

Tamu seemed flustered, trying to explain something.

'Hearing' picked up a mess of confusing information once more...unable to tell what he wanted to convey.

Mu Zhou could only nod again and point towards the village...he just wanted to end this conversation as soon as possible.

"Oh! Thank you for your forgiveness! Yes, come inside the village! You guys! Move aside and don't block the way for this esteemed person!"

Tamu yelled at the villagers.

The crowd quickly parted, leaving a path.

As Mu Zhou walked towards the village, a gust of wind blew by.

The wind lifted the hood he wore over his head, revealing his long, flowing, dark purple hair and his handsome face.

In that instant, the cheers around him stopped, especially the young men in the village – their faces became rigid and their eyes were fixed.

Mu Zhou quickly reached out to grab his hood.

[Not good, not good, not good! As expected! My appearance still has some differences with this alien world, right?]

Looking at the petrified male villagers.

[Anyway, let's examine it with 'hearing'].'

The feedback he received was...

[Cute...want...]

Mu Zhou's entire body broke out in goosebumps!

[What the hell!!!!!!!!]