My Girlfriends Are Hardcore Yanderes - Chapter 158

Chapter 158: Roots and Connection
Beneath the massive roots, the dock stretched out like a bridge into the water. The two stepped off the boat, their surroundings bathed in the dim green glow of the motes.

The Beastkin guards waiting for them stood in disciplined lines, their bronze tunics glinting faintly. The leaders among them wore heavier armor, with plates covering their shoulders and knees, denoting their rank.

One of the high-ranking officers, a tall Beastkin with feline features, approached them. His sharp eyes flicked between Asher and Lucia.

“Welcome back principal Lucia. The portal’s progress is steady, but we’ll need more hands to meet the deadline,” he reported, his voice low and gruff.

Lucia’s lips tightened slightly. “I’ll evaluate the work myself. Ensure the humans stay on task. They’re prone to slacking when unsupervised.”

“Yes, Principal Lucia. I’ll make sure to work them harder.” The leader dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment and stepped aside to let them pass.

Asher’s gaze lingered on the enslaved humans, their movements devoid of will. They had been taken advantage of in every possible way.

Even the women, who were thinner and weaker in comparison, had to do manual labor, though not as hard as their male counterparts.

“Does their skin look like this when you got them?” he asked, noticing that some of them had features he would normally see in his old world.

Lucia, thinking he was just curious, answered honestly, “They’re not that dark. It’s because before this, they were assigned to build in the higher region and had to be under the sunlight for a long time.”

Asher looked around, his brow furrowing. “Where exactly did they come from?”

“We can’t even communicate with them so I have no idea,” she replied casually. “And honestly, they’re too stupid to bother with. I imagine talking to a rock would be more useful.”

Her indifferent response sent a chill through him. It wasn’t just her tone—it was the reality behind it. The humans here seemed to be an entirely different race, treated more like animals than people.

He couldn’t entirely blame them. In his old world, the roles would likely be reversed.

These Beastkin would either be enslaved, sold as rare collectibles, or, worse, purchased by depraved individuals seeking to fulfill twisted fantasies.

He was fairly certain that millions—no, billions—of men would be eager to fuck a cat girl.

Still, he felt like the humans here were being treated too harshly.

When they reached the main area, the slaves turned their attention to them.

Lucia was not exaggerating—they really did stink. The overwhelming stench of sweat and unwashed bodies hit him like a wall, so strong that he instinctively held his breath for a moment.

They weren’t naturally foul-smelling, but long months of overwork and a lack of proper hygiene had left them reeking like livestock. It was a clear reflection of the insane treatment in this place.

Just as he was about to step further into the main structure, a commotion erupted as one of the slaves started running toward him.

The guards sprang into action immediately, pinning the man down. He was strong, and it took two to pull the chains around his neck, finally stopping the slave.

“See, these things are barbarians,” Lucia sneered in disgust.

Asher didn’t react at all and turned to leave, but then the slave started shouting.

“You’re a human too, right?! Hey, I know you can understand me!”

To everyone else, it sounded like incoherent nonsense.

‘What the…’ Asher paused in his tracks.

The slave had long hair that hung in messy strands, and though his muscles were fit and defined, the language he spoke was unmistakably from Asher’s old world.

Seeing the confused look from Lucia, he turned to her and asked, “Can you understand him?”

She raised an eyebrow. “All I heard was shouting and grumbling.”

Lucia didn’t seem like she was lying, which meant something was preventing communication.

Even though the Beastkins had a different language, the tone of voice was universal in some ways.

For example, even if he couldn’t speak , he could still sound calmly to show that he meant no harm.

But the way they reacted made it look like they were receiving a different input or a twisted version of what was being said.

With that in mind, he didn’t approach the slave or start speaking to him right away. It would look strange if he started talking and ended up sounding like an underdeveloped Homo sapiens.

“I want to study this slave,” Asher pointed to the man. “Is there a place here where I can examine him?”

Lucia looked at Asher, brows furrowed in confusion. “What’s going on? Why are you so interested in these stupid savages?”

He ignored her and nodded toward the small wooden building nearby. “That structure. Is it available?”

She followed his gaze, then turned back to him. “Yes. It’s for my own use,”

“Let me borrow it for a bit. And have one of your people carry over this…thing.”

Lucia opened her mouth to question him, but before she could, he had already turned and started walking away.

Reluctantly, she motioned to one of the Beastkin nearby.

“Carry that thing over,” she ordered.

The guards nodded. Lucia, still confused, had no choice but to follow behind.

When they entered the building, Asher immediately selected a room. He stepped inside with the slave, locked the door behind them, and then cast a barrier.

The walls glowed briefly, ensuring that no one could overhear or spy on them.

“Take a seat,” he instructed. The man nodded without hesitation.

“How can you speak my language?” Asher quickly asked.

“So you’re really from our world?” the man said, his voice breaking as he started sobbing. “Oh my god, I’m so glad. These monsters have enslaved us, and no matter how much we tried to communicate, they kept treating us like… like animals. No, it’s worse than that.”

“Wait, stop. One step at a time. Are you telling me you’re from my world? What country? What city?”

The man began explaining, and with every word, Asher grew more shocked. The names of the city and country were all too familiar to him. It was undeniable proof that their origin was the same.

“That’s impossible. There’s no way you came from my world. You’re too strong,” he pointed out.

It would be one thing if he were the only one with such features, but most of them were carrying slabs of rock like they weighed nothing.

The man was also confused by the question. He looked at Asher and noticed that, despite being tall, he had a more normal build.

“What year did you get transferred here?” the man asked.

“2024,” Asher responded. It was the year he was pulled into the void.

“That explains why…” the man nodded in understanding. “My name is Ronald. It was 2028 when I was suddenly transferred to this godforsaken place.”

Asher wasn’t particularly shocked; it was only natural that time had passed. But Ronald’s next words stunned him.

“As for my body…” he trailed off. “In 2025, just after New Year’s Eve, some kind of pathogen began polluting the air.”

“How did it happen?” Asher leaned in closer, “Start from the beginning.”