Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 108

Within the instance, the sky turned a sinister dark red, spreading in shades both deep and shallow, intersecting with the blackness of the distant horizon. A faint dawn seemed to loom in the distance, but it remained indistinct, as if the land could welcome the light at any moment or step towards oblivion.

The earth was scarred, with cracked ground and collapsing mountains. No snakes, insects, mice, or ants could be seen; no sound of chirping insects or birdsong was heard.

All was silent, for every creature, every person in this world was dead—except for Wu Ren. He was the sole survivor in this apocalyptic world of corpses.

He had struggled to survive alone for quite some time. Thankfully, it was just an instance, not a real apocalypse. Thus, he used a tool to summon Zhou Qian. Now, the two of them were the only living people in this apocalyptic world.

Glancing at the extremely limited information provided by the system, Zhou Qian walked up to Wu Ren, looking at the giant crucible in front of him.

The crucible was engraved with strange patterns, notably two rows of soldiers—the lower row of infantry holding shields as if ready to face the enemy at any moment. The upper row depicted cavalry, carved so vividly it seemed as if the knights could leap out on horseback at any moment.

Apart from the soldiers, a peculiar animal was depicted—a snake with bull’s horns, leading the infantry as if guiding them.

Due to the crucible’s immense size and height, Zhou Qian couldn’t see inside. He bent his knees, jumped up, and, with hands on the crucible’s edge, peered inside to find it filled with countless corpses.

All the corpses were in the same state—blackened like coal, bodies tightly curled, joints bent, fists clenched. The carbonization of bones and muscles at high temperatures caused this posture, indicating they were all burnt alive.

At that moment, Wu Ren stood on a flat stone, using its height to stir the corpses aside with a giant spoon, making space. He then set the spoon aside, jumped off the stone, and lifted another corpse to toss it into the crucible.

The system indicated the crucible had regenerative powers—corpses placed inside would resurrect the next day in their original state. Wu Ren’s goal seemed to be using the crucible’s power to resurrect these corpses, but this was supposed to happen the next day. So, why the urgency in summoning Zhou Qian?

Before Zhou Qian could ask, the instance provided the answer. Suddenly, a fiery arrow-like blaze appeared in the dark red sky, slowly descending. Wu Ren, estimating its trajectory, stayed put. Half a second later, it struck near him, reducing several buildings to ashes.

Wu Ren looked back at the destruction, then at Zhou Qian, with a bitter smile. “The last few houses of this world are gone.”

Zhou Qian gestured towards the sky, prompting an explanation from Wu Ren. “There’s a monster hidden in the sky—the Boss I must fight. It occasionally rains red, turning the land into a sea of fire. Perhaps it’s divine punishment, aiming to burn every living person.”

This explained the burnt corpses. Divine rain of fire, capable of destroying everything.

As Wu Ren moved corpses into the crucible, he shared the story he had learned—

The people had angered God, who decided to end the world. The god, hidden from human sight, randomly rained red, destroying houses and trees. This minor attack was random and not particularly harmful, so it wasn’t feared.

But the god’s major attack was terrifying. Every other day, he would rain a dense red, turning everything it touched into a sea of fire. Almost no one could escape. After three red rains, the world approached its end.

A powerful wizard had enchanted the crucible and offered it to the last emperor and his soldiers. Under its spell, the soldiers would resurrect repeatedly. During each red rain, they’d shield the emperor from harm until he figured out how to confront the god.

“I see. In this story, you’re the last emperor.” Zhou Qian realized, pointing to the crucible almost full of corpses. “And these are your soldiers?”

“Yes. They form a wall of flesh to protect me during the red rain,” Wu Ren replied, bending to lift another corpse into the crucible.

After taking a few breaths and wiping blood and mud off his face, he asked Zhou Qian, “Do you know how many bodies are here?”

Zhou Qian shook his head. Wu Ren compared the numbers and said, “50! Exactly 50 corpses.”

Wu Ren bent down and repeated the same action he had done countless times before, putting the last corpse into the crucible. He then wiped his sweat and said to Zhou Qian, “Just wait.”

Wait for what? 

Zhou Qian didn’t need to ask, as the dark red sky suddenly brightened. It was a sign of God’s wrath—the onset of the world-ending red rain!

“Let’s go. Get into the crucible!” Wu Ren urged.

Zhou Qian leaped up, climbing into the crucible. Wu Ren followed, using the stone’s height to jump in.

Ignoring the blackened corpses underfoot, Zhou Qian looked up at the increasingly blood-red sky.

“The system says these soldiers will resurrect tomorrow to shield us. But the god is already unleashing his power. Is time different in this instance?”

“Smart,” Wu Ren praised. “A day here lasts an hour. Sunrise and sunset happen within an hour.”

Zhou Qian caught on. “How long have you been here?”

Wu Ren sighed. “Five hours. I arrived just as the god first unleashed his power. You’ll witness the sixth with me.”

In the past five hours, the god unleashed its powerful attack five times, causing the soldiers to die five times. They died and resurrected repeatedly, solely to help their emperor, Wu Ren, withstand the red rain. Afterwards, Wu Ren had to repeatedly gather their scattered corpses from various places and return them to the crucible. He had to do this; otherwise, there would be no one to protect him from the red rain when the god attacked again. Thus, Wu Ren collected the bodies five times, each time gathering as many as 50 corpses.

“No wonder you’re so precise with the number. It seems you have a deep resentment towards ’50’,” Zhou Qian said.

Just as his words fell, an extraordinary phenomenon occurred—the sky turned a vivid red, identical to the first spurt of blood from a slit throat. The entire firmament seemed composed of the purest blood.

At the moment it turned purely and intensely red, countless crimson droplets began to fall. This was the wrath of the god, intent on letting his anger flow to every inch of the earth, determined to kill every living person!

Simultaneously, a golden light appeared inside the crucible. The light emerged from countless fine lines and cracks on the inner walls, weaving around Zhou Qian and Wu Ren, then striking the group of corpses inside. In just a moment, each corpse was enveloped in the golden light.

Suddenly, the first droplet of red rain drifted to the top of the crucible, fiercely targeting the last emperor of this human world. In the nick of time, a soldier resurrected and lunged in front of Wu Ren, steadfastly blocking this lethal droplet.

Countless droplets of red rain followed. However, many soldiers were also resurrected. They pushed Wu Ren and Zhou Qian aside and rapidly climbed to the mouth of the crucible. Perhaps due to some secret method, they lay one after another in mid-air. Thus, 50 people, with their flesh and blood, completely sealed the mouth of the massive crucible so tightly that not a single droplet of red rain could enter.

As the red rain hit the soldiers, they immediately caught fire, one after another, soon turning into a vast sea of flames. From afar, the scene was undoubtedly shocking—

The sky turned completely crimson. Countless red droplets carrying the god’s intent to kill showered upon the earth, leaving nothing in their wake as all turned to ash and vanished.

On the cracked earth below stood a gigantic crucible, and at its top, a sea of flames sealed it. The power of this sea of flames was immense, as if it could defy the heavens and burn the sky itself! It was a protective wall forged by the flesh and blood of countless soldiers!

Amidst excruciating pain, not a single one retreated!

They were determined to protect their emperor, the last human being in this world!

……

With the fifty corpses gone, the inside of the crucible became spacious. Zhou Qian moved his slightly aching arm and asked Wu Ren, “I feel you have a good grasp of this instance. So, what’s your plan in summoning me?”

Wu Ren explained, “After five attempts, I’ve figured it out. The red rain lasts for 3 minutes. After that, the 50 soldiers will die again. Then, the god’s true form will appear, probably to check if I’m dead. If he finds me alive, he angrily strikes the soldiers with a scepter. The soldiers forming the human wall will be shattered. Some will fall back into the crucible; others will scatter on the ground. Then, I have to gather all the bodies again for the next attack—”

He couldn’t help but complain, “Although there’s an hour gap between the god’s attacks, I spend all that time collecting bodies, with hardly any time to think of a solution…”

The top of the crucible was completely covered by the 50 soldiers, blocking all light, so Wu Ren couldn’t see where Zhou Qian was.

He could only focus on a spot and said, “Anyway, I’ve realized that every hour, the god rains down red, and exactly five soldiers revive to protect me. After the 3 minutes of red rain, the god’s true form appears, which is my only chance to defeat him!”

“I’ve fought him several times alone, all in vain. Not only did I not kill him, but I also nearly died myself. You have no idea how many ‘Universe Teleportation Mirrors’ I used to escape. Those mirrors are getting more expensive, it really hurts. So, my thought is—”

Wu Ren was very serious. “I can’t keep going like this. I can’t afford to deplete my mana and stamina any further. This time, after the 3 minutes of red rain, the god’s real form will still appear. Zhou Qian, I called you here because I think together we can take the opportunity to kill him!”

“My attack power alone isn’t enough, and neither is yours usually. But this instance’s setting is interesting! An apocalyptic background, corpses everywhere, you have unlimited resentment to use. Your ultimate move can be invincible!”

Zhou Qian thoughtfully said, “Hmm. Seems like a good plan.”

Wu Ren, apologetically, said, “So, I’m going to start bleeding you with silver needles. Don’t worry, my technique is good. I’ll keep your HP stable at 9%—”

Wu Ren’s skill emanated a damp, rainy aura, enveloping Zhou Qian. But before the lethal silver needles could form, Zhou Qian raised his hand in a stopping motion. “Wait!”

“There’s no time! The god only appears for a minute. Then he’ll retreat to heaven!” Wu Ren said, “We must seize the minute after the red rain stops. If we miss this chance, we’ll have to wait another hour… I really don’t want to move 50 corpses again!”

Wu Ren cursed, “I never thought I’d face death from exhaustion. If you hadn’t come to help, I’d rather not throw bodies into the crucible or hide there. Might as well just let the red rain kill me!”

“Wu Ge, don’t rush. Let me finish,” Zhou Qian said.

Wu Ren was impatient to attack Zhou Qian with his hidden weapons. “Hurry up if you want to say something! Don’t delay!”

Zhou Qian replied, “I also want to use my ultimate move.”

Wu Ren said, “Yes, so use it!”

Zhou Qian said, “But I don’t have enough mana.”

Wu Ren: “…What?”

Zhou Qian: “I just came out of an instance. My mana has only recovered to 30%.”

After a long silence, Wu Ren said, “Then you could have refused me. I could have found someone else…”

Zhou Qian: “Wu Ge, why talk about finding someone else? That makes us sound so distant. After ‘Flower of Evil’, I thought you were a good person, so I came to help. You have to trust me. Look, I came because I trust you.”

Wu Ren: “Really? Not because you suggested something earlier, and I refused, so you came to persuade me, even threatening me?”

Wu Ren referred to Zhou Qian’s suggestion to join his team, even urging Wu Ren to become the so-called team leader.

When Wu Ren left ‘Flower of Evil’, rising from A to S, he didn’t dare respond to Zhou Qian’s messages, haunted by visions of Zhou Qian saying, “You will become our king.”

Hearing Wu Ren’s words, Zhou Qian immediately said, “Wu Ge, our team lacks someone like you. Your gambler is also great. I’m sincerely seeking talent. Don’t think it’s a conspiracy. It’s okay if you don’t join. If not teammates, we can still be friends. I’m not that rigid.”

Wu Ren quickly waved him off. “Stop that!”

Zhou Qian seriously said, “I genuinely want you to be our team’s king.”

Wu Ren shook his head. “King my ass. Go to hell, Zhou Qian. Why do you love playing puppet emperor tricks? You just enjoy manipulating everything from behind, right? I understand you now. And let me guess, you’ve always wanted to quietly build an army, but don’t want to be too conspicuous, since so many want to kill you…”

“So, you want to push me as the army’s commander? What team lacks an assassin like me? You want me to join to attract hatred for you, I get it!”

Zhou Qian: “Then why wouldn’t I find someone else? Why you?”

“It’s okay if you refuse. Three visits to the thatched cottage*, I understand.”

*(三顾茅庐) Idiom derive from a historical story. The phrase refers to the story of Liu Bei, a warlord, who personally visited the humble thatched cottage of Zhuge Liang, a very talented but reclusive strategist, three times to earnestly request his assistance. It refers to the act of sincerely and respectfully inviting or seeking someone’s help or expertise.

Wu Ren didn’t speak.

But Zhou Qian knew his personality well and that he would be receptive. Zhou Qian smiled and turned serious, taking out a flashlight from his bag. The faint light shone directly onto the inner wall of the crucible. Zhou Qian moved closer to the edge, examining the drawings inside.

“Wu Ge, have you looked closely at these patterns?”

“Yeah, I have. They’re the same as the ones outside,” Wu Ren replied.

Zhou Qian said, “Yes. Both inside and outside, there are two rows of soldiers, infantry below, cavalry above. But haven’t you noticed, there’s something different about these two types of soldiers?”

“Infantry with shields, cavalry on horses, indeed different, wait—” Wu Ren moved closer to the edge, joining Zhou Qian in examining the drawings. He looked closely and suddenly realized something. “Their walking direction is reversed! Also…”

“The infantry’s eyes are closed, but the cavalry’s are open,” Zhou Qian continued. “This is a crucible that can resurrect corpses. There must be a meaning in these drawings. Right, you said when you first arrived, you encountered the god’s first attack, just as the red rain fell?”

“Right. Then, the soldiers around me were real living people, not dead yet. Later, thinking of the system’s hint and fearing another red rain from the god, I gathered them all into the crucible, and they successfully resurrected. Hiss—”

Wu Ren looked at Zhou Qian expectantly. “So, what are you thinking?”

Zhou Qian asked, “I spent eight months in a hospital, bored out of my mind, reading a lot.”

Wu Ren: “…?”

Zhou Qian: “I read a wide variety, all types of books.”

Wu Ren: “So?”

Zhou Qian pointed to the animal with a snake body and bull’s horns on the inner wall, “Do you know what it is?”

Wu Ren shook his head decisively.

Zhou Qian suddenly laughed.

Wu Ren looked at him incredulously, hearing him say, “I have a soft spot for these crawling, long-tailed snake-like creatures now. Its bull’s horns are a bit like the horns on my Zhou Ge’s head. But just a bit.” Wu Ren: “……….?”

Wu Ren couldn’t follow Zhou Qian’s train of thought, only to hear him switch to a serious tone. “Although it’s a snake, it has bull’s horns. In shamanism, it would be considered a dual spirit, full of shamanic power. A dual spirit, both a bull and a snake, capable of traversing different worlds.”

“Different worlds. What do you mean?” Wu Ren asked.

Zhou Qian countered, “You said after the red rain, the god appears for a minute. You’ve fought him. Do you know what he looks like?”

“I do; pretty strange,” Wu Ren replied.

Zhou Qian continued to question him, “That means he has a physical form. Then why can’t you see the god when he’s hiding in the sky?”

“He can turn invisible?” Wu Ren guessed, “After all, he’s a god! Gods are omnipotent.”

“That’s one possibility. But let me ask you another question.” Zhou Qian said, “Why does he wait three minutes after the red rain, letting all the soldiers burn to death, before coming to kill you? Why doesn’t he just appear in his true form, find you, and kill you directly?”

“This…” Wu Ren said, “Actually, my gambler and I discussed this. We thought it might be a game design issue. They want us to use that one minute to fight the boss. But… thinking about it, the logic does seem flawed.”

Wu Ren carefully recalled the events of the god’s appearance in his mind.

The red rain would fall for three minutes.

After three minutes, the god would appear to see if the last emperor of the human world had been killed by the red rain. If the emperor wasn’t dead, the god would take action himself.

But why would the god need to perform such redundant actions?

The god had already thoroughly destroyed this world.

During this period, he used three red rains to kill everyone except for this emperor.

So, why did he continue to use such tactics against this emperor? He must have known that he might still fail.

He didn’t need to release the red rain anymore; logically, he just needed to appear, find the emperor, and kill him. Why didn’t he do that?

Why did he only appear for a minute and then disappear?

“Although the red rain killed many people in this world, its real purpose might not be to kill. I just asked you if you could see the god on a regular basis. You guessed that he might be invisible but combined with this animal with the horns of a cow and the body of a snake, I guess the truth of the story is related to a different world.”

“You can’t see the god usually because he’s not in this world. He’s been trying to come to this world to kill you. But he can’t do it.”

Zhou Qian said, “I guess that the so-called red rain is actually a medium to communicate between two worlds. The god’s small tricks, those sporadic red rains, are to probe and find the location; once he confirms the location, he sends a large amount of red rain to truly reach this world. But he can only stay for a minute.”

As the two spoke, the 3-minute limit had passed.

The 50 soldiers couldn’t hold on anymore and were all burned alive into char.

Above that crucible, the god appeared like a flame from the sky. He angrily took out a scepter and struck the 50 soldiers, then looked towards the center of the crucible.

Long absent sunlight reddened Zhou Qian’s eyes.

Deep within his pitch-black pupils, it seemed like the flames of hell were dancing.

For some reason, when Wu Ren, who was beside him, saw his eyes, he suddenly felt a sense of palpitation. He couldn’t explain why.

But the reason was soon found—

Zhou Qian said to him, “In the next minute, it’s up to you to deal with the god. You have experience now. First drive him away. Then, we will have a whole hour. In that hour, you can go collect corpses, and I’ll sit in the crucible and slowly think about how to clear the level. By the way—”

After the red rain, the sky gradually turned dark red again.

Zhou Qian sat at the bottom of the crucible, holding a flashlight, smiling at Wu Ren. “Wu Ge, think about my suggestion. Come be our king!”

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The author has something to say:

Wu Ren: “I am now regretting getting this person involved—very much regretting…”

……

I see some little angels have forgotten Wu Ge. Wu Ge is the poor elder brother who initially drew the least life points in “Flower of Evil” and then was threatened by Qian Ge all the way.

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