Evil As Humans Ch151

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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


Chapter 151: Mortals

“The #1 Evil Smith”, Zhou Gong, had a headache like being pricked with needles.

As a superior profession of “Corpse Servant” and “Spirit Smith”, his corpse materials weren’t abundant. Unlike the “#1 Priestess”, Qiao Shang, next to him—the fierce ghosts she summoned were enough to form an army of 100,000 ghost soldiers, whose ghostly bodies swayed and surrounded Haigu Municipal Hospital.

Layer upon layer of isolation seals rose from the ground, and the huge hospital was almost wrapped up like a cabbage core.

Thousands of hidden-type spirit weapons were operating simultaneously, and countless tiny bones were wandering in the underground pipelines. Zhou Gong was responsible for maintaining the concealment of this large-scale operation. He brought his assets to Haigu—and this time it was all of them.

The special investigation teams stationed in Shian at the A-, B-, and C-levels were all mobilized. Unexpectedly, the workload increased dramatically. Despite assigning two A-level investigation teams to Zhou Gong, his power was still constantly draining.

Zhou Gong’s chubby face was covered in sweat, like a steamed white bun.

“Lao Fu’s credit is quite high.”

Zhou Gong gritted his teeth and controlled the spirit weapon.

“He just said one sentence about the ‘aura of Divine Descent’, and the entire Haigu Branch bought it. The provincial-level comprehensive defense plan hasn’t been activated, and the nearby situation is almost the same.”

“The law of numerical changes is consistent with ‘Divine Descent’.”

Qiao Shang stood in the army of fierce ghosts with a gloomy face; her face as pale as one of them. She held an ancient compass in her hand, and countless golden charms floated on it.

The strange compass pointer trembled and rotated, pointing to the only black line on the golden compass, which was facing several blood-red “Evil” characters.

Zhou Gong pretended not to see Qiao Shang’s sulky expression.

“The law of numerical changes is consistent, but the intensity is much weaker, right? The concentration of evil qi here isn’t as high as a Divine Descent!”

Zhou Gong kept complaining, but his movements became more precise. The nesting of the concealment spell grew layer by layer, and the colorless barrier wrapped the hospital even tighter.

At this moment, as long as one wasn’t a cultivator in the industry, no matter how they looked at it from the inside or outside the hospital, this was just an ordinary and quiet night.

Qiao Shang ignored Zhou Gong’s nonsense. She held the compass with one hand and kept pinching spells with the other. Various patterns of golden charms floated in the air, and her army of ghost soldiers patrolled with them. They passed through every corner of the hospital, silently devouring evil qi.

Ghosts and humans rubbed shoulders—

The science posts walked around with detectors, constantly measuring the surrounding data. In their eyes, there was only a strange mist rising in the courtyard, which made people shiver all over.

If they could see the true appearance of the mist, it wouldn’t be as simple as “getting the chills”.

In the east, west, south, and north of the hospital courtyard, there were huge monsters crouching, each the size of the hospital’s main building. They were like town gate beasts that had been transformed into evil creatures, covered with scales like sealing spirit weapons.

Above the head that resembled a human figure, there were eyes and a mouth so large they seemed deformed. They had long necks that hung down, all focused on the direction of the abandoned building.

Strange and blurry waves of Evil Force emanated from the vicinity of the abandoned building. It felt more like a massive shadow lurking beneath a layer of ice, sometimes moving away, sometimes approaching.

The moment it broke through the “ice layer”, a great disaster was inevitable.

It was an unknown fire, and they could only do their best to shrink its area of effect, again and again.

Four giant, monstrous beasts writhed about; their rusty chains swayed gently like willow branches in the darkness. Among the gaps in the chains, the black seal employees of the Shian dressed in casual clothes floated around the evil monsters.

All of them faced outward of the courtyard, with crimson runes overlapping each other, layer by layer. In the shadow’s concealment, these non-scientific posts looked like four-legged spiders, tirelessly working.

The floating runes condensed into a dark red gauze that swayed and twisted above the hospital, constantly changing like an aurora. Wherever the light gauze passed, the space seemed to be filled with glue, creating a wonderful feeling of coagulation.

“This spell is quite fresh and more sophisticated than before.” Zhou Gong tried to change the subject, perhaps to distract himself. The more tired he was, the more he talked.

“…Not long ago, they sent us out to investigate the attackers, while the Haigu Branch secretly conducted research on their own.”

Qiao Shang rolled her eyes, and the ghost soldiers continued to circle inside the hospital. Their route had already taken shape, and they patrolled the courtyard in an orderly manner. The ground was filled with ghostly apparitions, and overhead was a misty veil. Paired with the hospital’s square architecture, the scene was both oppressive and absurd.

Tick. What should have been an uneventful second passed by.

The gently swaying red gauze suddenly began to wildly dance; its movements were bizarre and eerie, as if countless invisible giant snakes were struggling and moving within it. The intensity of the Evil Force doubled in an instant, and its state became extremely unstable.

Qiao Shang’s fierce ghost squad hurriedly changed course. With the abandoned building as the center, they walked quickly in circles, chanting mournful syllables that couldn’t be understood. The surrounding Evil Force was stirred up into a vortex by them and surged back towards the abandoned building.

The Shian black seals unconsciously increased the speed of their rune painting. The stagnant space carried the Evil Force, gathering it near the abandoned building. The gray-white abandoned building was almost wrapped in red runes, and the chaotic, shattered space was entirely covered.

At the four corners of the hospital, the four giant, monstrous beasts slowly retracted their limbs. They opened their giant mouths and emitted a hoarse and unpleasant screech. Sound waves spread out in waves, disturbing the Evil Force near the abandoned building, gradually calming the “ice surface”.

The area near the abandoned building had thus become a metaphysical explosion-proof box. As for whether this box could withstand the incoming unknown Evil Force, even a real ghost wouldn’t know.

Apart from the occasional short exchanges in the channel, the atmosphere was so heavy that it was terrifying.

Zhou Gong couldn’t bear it any longer and involuntarily swallowed a mouthful of saliva. “By the way, if Lao Fu is trapped inside, why hasn’t the leadership from our side of Haigu come out to help?”

“They might be busy with something else.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Qiao Shang snapped. She quickly flicked her fingers, and a powerful ghost bomb flew past Zhou Gong like a fierce ghost, cutting off his pants to just above his knees.

Zhou Gong shut up in annoyance.

Qiao Shang’s guess wasn’t wrong. As the first person in charge of the Haigu branch, Li Nian was indeed busy.

He leaned wearily in the meeting room, facing the expressionless genius ghost master, Xiang Jiang.

“Since Fu Xingchuan is there, I don’t need to go. Headquarters always needs someone to stay,” Xiang Jiang said.

“Fu Xingchuan is sealed near the abnormal outbreak point, and the Evil Force could lose control at any time.” Li Nian drank a cup of strong tea and spun the lid of the thermos cup hard. “This is the first abnormal phenomenon of its kind in 28 years, and the more external help we have, the better.”

Xiang Jiang replied, “The #1 Priestess and the #1 Evil Smith are already there, and our functions overlap.”

Li Nian stared at him in silence for a while.

“Why beat around the bush? Why don’t you just say you don’t want to go.” Li Nian’s tone turned cold.

“Yes, I don’t want to go. My rank is the same as yours now, and your reasons are not sufficient. I have the authority to veto the proposal.”

Li Nian almost laughed out of anger.

Ever since the execution mission, Fu Xingchuan had been paying even closer attention to Xiang Jiang. But Xiang Jiang behaved himself and at least they didn’t notice any unusual contact between him and anyone else. Who knew that when it came to a critical moment, Xiang Jiang would actually defy orders—and in a way that was almost foolish.

When Yellow Millet appeared in Gengsheng Town, this guy disobeyed orders in secret, and now he was doing it again.

Li Nian looked into Xiang Jiang’s murky eyes.

There was no pleasure, fear, or hatred in those eyes, only a firm “this is how it should be” and even a hint of expectation.

What did this “this is how it should be” refer to? It was really hard to say.

Li Nian didn’t say much more. He connected with the front line in front of Xiang Jiang.

“Qiao Shang, our company’s strongest ghost master has other arrangements. The temporary commanding personnel have been cancelled, and from now on, you, me, and Hao Wenzhe will officially take over the command in a team of three.”

The voice on the other end of the phone was extremely noisy, like a crying wind, and Qiao Shang smiled bitterly. “What accurate timing.”

“What happened?”

“Just now, the Evil Force erupted.”

……

Not long ago, Haigu Branch Sunken Society, the exit of the underground corpse vault.

As the Evil Force raged, nearby doors gradually collapsed. Under the endless Evil Force, the living employees of Sunken Society had long since died, and even some had turned into evil creatures on the spot. At this moment, those who were already evil creatures had lost their reason and were screaming as they rushed out of the ruins.

It was just that the madness stopped as soon as they encountered Yin Ren.

The berserk Evil Force that manifested as a translucent blackness, looking extremely turbid, mixed with many black debris. However, in the midst of it, Yin Ren’s figure was still vivid.

The red veil on the thousand-year-old Ghost King’s body opened, revealing two pale and slender arms and a pair of bare feet without any cover. The extremely strong power spread through Yin Ren’s skin without being sealed.

To resist the chaotic and violent Evil Force around him, Yin Ren gradually released his own Evil Force. It repeatedly staggered away from the heavy torrents, like roots that penetrated into the rock formation, and extended them in all directions with difficulty.

In the collision of Evil Forces, Yin Ren desperately compressed his power and barely maintained a small safe zone around him.

The inexplicable Evil Force poured in continuously without any signs of stopping. As a true Evil Spirit, Yin Ren was almost crushed by the Evil Force pressing in from all sides, let alone the fragile facility of Sunken Society.

Just as they rushed out of the elevator shaft, all kinds of science and metaphysical equipment related to Sunken Society burst at once. Blue smoke and explosions intertwined, accompanied by a strong smell of burnt flesh. The surrounding space shook constantly, and there were clear signs of collapse.

The “breaking one’s arm to save one’s life*” technique of Sunken Society was indeed flawless.

*(断臂求生) Idiom referring to extreme measures taken in a desperate situation where sacrificing a part of one’s own body is necessary to ensure survival. Metaphorically, it means making a great sacrifice in order to survive or overcome a challenging situation.

With corpses as the roof and evil entities as the walls, Yin Ren put all his energy into dealing with this Evil Force. The Evil Force was like his shadow, following him everywhere, and the situation was at a stalemate. He had no room for error.

“The sniper is dead, but the pursuit continues. Sunken Society has abandoned this transitional space to protect itself.”

In an opening, Yin Ren summarized the situation succinctly.

A strand of hair was tied to his throat, and the other end was wrapped around the five fingers of Zhong Chengshuo’s hand that was talking to him through vibration.

[There is someone behind the sniper, but the intention to kill is not strong. Sunken Society will direct the space to an outside world to protect itself.]

In the darkness, lines of words appeared rapidly on the bright white screen of the mobile phone.

[Retreating is the best option.]

Yin Ren twitched the corner of his mouth.

Even in such an absurd situation, Zhong Chengshuo’s tone was still frighteningly calm, like analyzing the cost-effectiveness of discounted goods.

Indeed, the attack was lethal at the moment, but there was no killing intent.

The source of the Evil Force was already dead. The damaged corpses formed a torrent and kept attacking them ceaselessly. The person behind the scenes was obviously as powerful as the sniper, but instead of tearing apart the space and killing the two of them, they played this cat-and-mouse game. Everywhere was a dead end, but there was a glimmer of hope left.

If he were alone, he would probably not be able to withstand such a painful and torturous attack. But…

Trapped in the quagmire of Evil Force, Yin Ren tightly grasped the handle of his suitcase.

He had lived in the mountains for hundreds of years. The most ferocious beast attacks didn’t come from dying struggles, but from desperate fights.

Since waking up in this era, he seemed to have never really gone on a “night tour”?

The wings of the Yin Ren pressed Zhong Chengshuo into the suitcase and tightly wrapped around his body. In just a moment, the red veil extended, and the bone bells jingled. The shoddy red veil on Yin Ren’s body completely turned into a heavy red cocoon, and countless bone pieces inscribed with runes emerged from nothingness.

They pierced through the chaotic evil qi and directly hit the surrounding remnants of evil spirits.

That Evil Force was just pure strength.

Yin Ren felt those about-to-collapse evil beings and frantically performed spells.

He also had pure Evil Force, but he also had rationality and skills. If he simply imagined this Evil Force as a mudslide, at this moment, what he should do most…

The near-collapsed evil beings responded obediently to the call of the Ghost King by instinct.

They gathered around Yin Ren with difficulty. The corpses turned into flesh, while the evil spirits turned into tendons. The evil beings turned into armor, enveloping Yin Ren at the center and formed a long-nosed giant beast on the outside.

The next moment, Yin Ren gave up resisting in place. He drove the “giant beast” with all his strength and quickly rushed towards the distance.

Under the infection of the Evil Force, the evil beings were like effervescent tablets soaked in water. Black and red blood bubbles emerged on their bodies and ruptured at a terrifying speed. Just before the armor layer completely collapsed, Yin Ren finally broke free from the Evil Force’s envelope.

At the moment of breaking free, Yin Ren made a sharp turn with himself and the box.

Inside the cocoon wrapped around his body, he used his fingers as a knife to cut off a small handful of hair.

At the same time, the remaining evil beings outside Yin Ren flew away in an instant and were pierced by the constantly elongating hair. Their collapsing bodies attached to the hair gradually turned into a thin fabric-like material, emitting a heavy, deathly aura.

“Go!” Yin Ren shouted.

This opaque “fabric” blocked the corridor and collided with the chasing Evil Force head-on. Like water encountering waterproof fabric, the Evil Force was wrapped in it and couldn’t break through for a while.

Indeed, the Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi was best at sealing Evil Spirits.

He could make a soft seal around his body, so naturally, he could make a tougher and more brutal one.

Yin Ren’s ten fingers touched each other, exerting all his strength to control his hair.

Once they left Yin Ren’s body, they wouldn’t drive his body crazy when they came into contact with the Evil Force. However, reducing the impact also meant that these hairs were like half-dead objects, and their abilities were extremely limited.

But Yin Ren only needed them to restore their most basic functions.

The black hair absorbed the scattered Evil Force and grew wildly. And this Evil Force was constantly breaking down into evil qi, which infiltrated and rapidly inflated the nearby remnants of evil spirits.

Grow, weave, grow again, weave again.

Different from the ethereal red gauze that enveloped Yin Ren’s body, the black hair had runes woven into it using the remains of evil creatures as a base, and they wildly extended, making them more firm and powerful.

The “fine cloth” was like a wildly growing skin. The more the Evil Force was wrapped up, the slower its movement became.

It really worked!

Yin Ren’s spirit shook—he crazily squeezed out his own power, continuously cycling through countless spells. More bone fragments scattered from his body, suppressing more evil creatures. Layer upon layer of debris turned into cloth, wrapping the approaching Evil Force more densely and securely.

The black hair shuttled back and forth thousands of times, and the torrential Evil Force finally came to a halt, forming a large bulge in front of Yin Ren.

On the “bag skin” woven from hair and evil creatures, there wasn’t a single crease caused by the bulge.

Yin Ren finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He stretched out his wings a little bit and wearily reached for his suitcase. The box containing Zhong Chengshuo was intact and still heavy. Without any pursuers, Yin Ren believed that he could get some advice from Comrade Xiao Zhong on how to find a way out.

Yin Ren rubbed his waist and was about to untie the “red cocoon” around his body—

Suddenly, the “bag skin” that filled the corridor bulged and moved.

As if a giant face were pressed against the “cloth”, the originally round cloth bulged with huge and indistinct human features. The face moved for a moment, and the muscles on the face shifted with the bag skin.

It was a woman’s face with an exaggerated smile.

This is bad…

Yin Ren’s head had just finished turning this thought when those thick “red cloths”—his strongest seal—were lightly blown open in front of him.

The red cloth exploded into countless pieces of flesh and blood, and the person-shaped mouth made of the Evil Force condensed, fiercely pouncing towards him.

……

At the same time, in the abandoned building.

“Stand behind me and keep your distance!” Fu Xingchuan almost roared.

Inside the gap, a frenzied Evil Force almost spurted out. It collided head-on with Fu Xingchuan’s protective spell, almost piercing through it.

But that was only the beginning.

After the initial rupture, the gap that had not yet closed was like a wound, constantly oozing extremely thick Evil Force. If Fu Xingchuan hadn’t received a message from Yellow Millet in advance and reinforced the seal from the outside, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Fu Xingchuan was surrounded by countless golden spell charms, and his face was also reflected in the golden paper color. At this moment, Fu Xingchuan resembled a person propping up the ruins of a building—he was fully supporting the protection and dared not be distracted. The other four were lying paralyzed under the ruins, trembling in fear.

“As long as I’m alive, you will still have a chance.”

Fang Xingchuan bit his teeth until they bled.

“Hang on, there will be a turning point… Hey, you, dumpling, come on and help us!”

The great evil Yellow Millet groaned. It rolled and crawled into the coffin of the corpse cage and pretended to be dead.

Fu Xingchuan: “……”

It’s not like this thing is passive. It could be considered second in command in terms of strength here. But as expected, evil beings weren’t friendly by nature, and they couldn’t be relied upon. Even if Fu Xingchuan had obtained his “divination” from Fu Wuya and learned of his lifespan, he simply couldn’t hold on like this.

Fu Wuya was only a master, not a deity. The “divination” he had divined wasn’t absolute. Taking a step back, there was also the possibility he would have to live alone for a while.

He had to think of a solution.

Except for Lu Xiaohe, who was a science post, the talents of Fu Tianyi, Ge Tingting, and Huang Jin were all good, but unfortunately, none of them had any experience. Even the weakened version of the Divine Descent wasn’t something newcomers could handle.

However, just resisting the Evil Force had exhausted all of Fu Xingchuan’s strength… He had to think of a solution…

“What is that?” Ge Tingting, who had turned pale, pointed her finger—in view of the limited energy of a certain middle-aged man, after Fu Xingchuan initially closed the gap, he removed the dark magic around her eyes.

Who knew that this girl had the guts to peek into the gap.

Fu Xingchuan subconsciously turned his gaze, seeing dark red fragments floating in the black and gray mixed with Evil Force.

The remains of a monster with a human smell. It was probably the remains of a mutated evil that had turned into mud and been made into this shape… There were also some black threads mixed in it, which were supposed to be woven into a certain pattern but were now broken and unrecognizable.

“Fragments of an evil processed by magic,” Fu Xingchuan said hoarsely.

Ge Tingting’s AI didn’t answer.

She dared not look directly at the gap itself but at the fragments that were constantly surging out. After a few seconds, she took off Shian’s unilateral earphones.

“What’s wrong, Xiao Ge?” Lu Xiaohe still held her laptop tightly. “Did you find something? I can also see those fragments. Are they very special?”

“Those fragments aren’t right.” Ge Tingting’s AI replied in a clear tone. “Those Evil Force are a bit like human corpses. I can hear the unique noise of a corpse, and the noise is particularly sharp near those fragments.”

“Those fragments seem to have a negative effect on them, but I’m not sure.”

She wiped the remaining blood and tears from her face and turned her bloodshot eyes to Huang Jin.

“Huang Jin, you try to see. It’s okay, just look at the corners.”

Since Ge Tingting’s eyes bled when she stared directly at the gap, Huang Jin kept his eyes tightly closed. When he was called upon, he immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

“No, we can’t do anything!” Huang Jin shouted. “Keeping safe is the best help we can offer!”

Ge Tingting didn’t respond.

In the darkness, her originally soft mind became more and more like a diamond. Huang Jin could only see the words “Do what we can” from her… Did this girl have no concept of the severity of the situation?!

However, on second thought, she had just come into contact with the metaphysical world, and what she encountered was Evil Force and cognitive pollution… Thinking about the later cases she encountered, none of them provided her with any “normal” reference standards.

Huang Jin felt somewhat exhausted.

But this time, Ge Tingting didn’t insist on asking him for help. The little girl turned around on her own and reached out to the broken pieces of the corpse.

[These pieces are corpses, and I’m a corpse servant.]

In Huang Jin’s eyes, thoughts as simple as they were terrifying flashed by.

[If the Evil Force rejects these pieces of the corpse, what if I put the pieces back together?]

Ge Tingting struggled to move her fingers.

Unlike ordinary animal bones, these pieces of the corpse were particularly difficult to control, each weighing over a thousand catties. However, this young corpse servant still refused to give up, stubbornly moving them around.

Fu Xingchuan furrowed his brow but didn’t stop her.

After less than half a minute, Ge Tingting was panting heavily in place. Her face was pale, her pupils were shaking non-stop, and her thoughts seemed to have been run through a juicer, with many negative thoughts mixed in.

Huang Jin silently watched Ge Tingting.

Perhaps she was too young and naive, but despite the waves of negative thoughts flowing through her head like water, she had a few ironclad ideas.

[There’s still the cat, Luo Wanxiang and the others I just met, and sister Ding Lizi.]

[I always have something I can do. Even if I fail, the impact will still be reduced a bit.]

Her movements gradually became weak and disorderly, but those pieces of the corpse were really pieced together by her, forming a small piece of corpse cloth.

Fu Xingchuan exclaimed, “The black silk thread embroidered on the corpse pieces has a very strong seal. I can learn it, but it will take some time. Xiao Ge, well done, you can rest now.”

But Ge Tingting didn’t give up.

She persisted in moving the pieces of the corpse, and the corpse cloth she pieced together gradually grew larger. Seeing this person’s trance-like appearance, Huang Jin, who rarely refrained from mocking, just sighed deeply.

He cut his palm with a carving knife, clenched his fist, and let his blood drip onto the modified tranquility talisman.

Ge Tingting and Lu Xiaohe looked at him with surprise.

“I always have something I can do, don’t I?” Huang Jin muttered. “Although it’s just a little calming effect, it’s better than nothing, right?”

Ge Tingting smiled at him and moved the pieces of the corpse again.

Hmm?

The feeling of irritability and ferocity that had just been present had dissipated quite a bit, and the pieces of the corpse in the Evil Force felt lighter now… No, it was more accurate to say that she “had learned how to operate correctly”.

Ge Tingting looked at Huang Jin with some surprise, but this wasn’t the time for idle chatter. She quickly assembled the pieces of the corpse while the feeling was still present.

It wasn’t her imagination.

As the spell on the pieces of the corpse became complete, there were signs that the surrounding Evil Force was being suppressed. She quickly glanced at the gaps where the Evil Force was still flowing and raised her hands…

It transformed into a crooked and distorted adhesive bandage that covered the most severely leaking areas.

As the source weakened, the surrounding Evil Force immediately became thinner, and there was a clear smile on Fu Xingchuan’s face.

“Very good.”

He said, not forgetting to glance at Huang Jin.

“I underestimated you. With this, I can also exert some of my power. You all prepare…”

Before Fu Xingchuan finished speaking, the gap that Ge Tingting had just finished patching suddenly completely collapsed.

The collapse came without warning, and the surging Evil Force burst out, instantly engulfing the five of them.

……

Inside the gap, the transition space.

When the seal exploded, Yin Ren was once again overwhelmed by the Evil Force. Unlike the last time, he was unprepared and had insufficient energy.

Yin Ren quickly constructed a winged ball and only had time to wrap himself and his suitcase behind him.

The Evil Force this time wasn’t as chaotic as before. If the previous attack was like a mudslide chasing behind him, this time the mudslide had turned into an earth dragon and was strategically suppressing him.

The person controlling from behind became serious.

…He took out his strongest sealing technique, but in the end, wasn’t it still like a cat playing with a mouse? All his resistance now seemed a bit ridiculous.

In the tattered winged ball, Yin Ren wiped the dirt from his face and tried to calm his breathing.

No, he couldn’t give up yet. He just had to escape, not win.

The winged ball, which was wrapped into a ball, trembled incessantly, and the invasion of the Evil Force from the outside was extremely painful. Yin Ren gritted his teeth and tried to squeeze out his exhausted thoughts.

Just then, a hand reached out from the suitcase and firmly squeezed the winged ball.

[Yin Ren, please restore yourself to your original form.]

Zhong Chengshuo held tightly onto his phone and turned on the only source of light in the darkness.

[No matter what kind of evil we face, your true form will always be stronger.]

“I can’t do that. It’ll cause sensory chaos!” Yin Ren immediately replied. “I need my normal five senses to properly protect you.”

Indeed, his state of mind was more favorable when fighting a sniper, but at that time he thought Zhong Chengshuo was dead and only saw the sniper running around, ignoring the damage it caused to its surroundings. But now, he had to protect Zhong Chengshuo…

[It’s not necessary. Your sense of touch is enough, leave the rest to me.]

Zhong Chengshuo replied. He lifted himself from the suitcase and hugged the bundle of wings beside him.

[Leave it to me.]

“Okay,” Yin Ren said, closing his eyes.

The next moment, a gray-black ocean poured out.

Compared to that, the Evil Force rushing towards them was like stagnant, turbid water. His sense of touch became somewhat numb, perhaps due to sensory chaos, and his severe pain became dull. With his five senses gone, Yin Ren’s world plunged into nothingness.

The sniper he was chasing had completely died, and there were no living beings around, which was terrifyingly desolate.

Yin Ren’s consciousness drifted away again, leaving only evil spirits and corpses around him. They were wandering in the distance of the battlefield, echoing almost imperceptible ripples.

In the void, those ripples were small and clear, as if they could be touched by reaching out.

…If he tried to seal them in this form again, perhaps the effect would be better, Yin Ren thought in a daze while his thoughts scattered.

It was just a thought, but those evil spirits seemed to have received a death order and gathered here at high speed. As if a layer of gauze before his eyes had been lifted, controlling the evil spirits had never been so easy.

But where was the enemy?

When the sniper was still alive, Yin Ren could track the ripples belonging to the enemy. Now, it was just manipulated wreckage. In the chaos of his five senses, it was difficult for Yin Ren to distinguish the direction of his target.

Suddenly, he felt a tug on a certain part of his body, like a polished claw gently scratching.

A very small and soft pull.

Yin Ren instinctively moved his body, only to collide with a sudden attack of Evil Force.

…Zhong Chengshuo was guiding him.

Although it was unclear how that person did it, there was no doubt that his partner was guiding him in battle.

Just the sense of touch was enough, as it turned out.

There was another gentle tug, and Yin Ren’s body contracted. This time he had no hair, but instead shed large chunks of his body, which were covered in countless runes that merged with the gathering evil spirits.

Compared to hair, the effect of large chunks of flesh was obviously much more powerful.

If this were outside, it would be a serious source of evil qi pollution. Yin Ren’s thoughts raced through his mind, but the anxiety and pressure had disappeared.

The evil spirits that came into contact with Yin Ren’s flesh rapidly swelled again, transforming into a heavy seal. However, this time, the seal didn’t weakly envelop those forces—it turned into sharp blades that sliced the surging Evil Force cleanly.

A gentle pull.

The ocean of wings surged and intertwined with the murky power.

A quiet tug.

The flesh and blood gathered into blades fell, and the dead torrent violently disintegrated. One piece, four pieces, eight pieces—the seal cut them off and then tightly isolated them.

As if sensing something, that power was guided to rampage and destroy, seemingly wanting to damage the space itself. The surging flow of Evil Force caused countless small cracks to appear in the transitional space. If this were in normal circumstances, it would be enough to disrupt any conscious attack.

However, except for Zhong Chengshuo, Yin Ren had almost given up all external perception.

That person seemed to have become his most agile combat nerve. Yin Ren acted very quickly and without hesitation.

This feeling was very strange. Previously, maintaining human form and fighting felt like a mortal dealing with a natural disaster. Now he had also become a natural disaster, despite being exhausted and unable to see or hear anything.

…But he was very calm.

That person guided him time and time again, and the entangling forces were scattered and separated by the seal. After dispersing, the process of decomposing them into evil qi became faster.

Finally, the murky power stopped moving.

The ocean of wings slumped in place, and the tense nerves suddenly relaxed. Yin Ren almost laid down to recover his human form.

As soon as his five senses returned, Yin Ren was too lazy to deal with the spatial cracks. He looked in the direction where Zhong Chengshuo was. The smile on his face hadn’t had a chance to appear before it froze on his lips.

Zhong Chengshuo was standing two steps away from him.

The man’s chest, neck, and many small wounds were all covered in Evil Force… No, it wasn’t so much that they were covered, as they were absorbed.

They wriggled, transformed, and revealed a newborn’s delicate flesh color at the broken parts.

Inside the wound, the organs were initially the size of a baby but quickly expanded and transformed into adult organs. The head was even stranger—a mixture of baby, adolescent, and adult features blended together on the fleshy ball. They looked like some kind of bizarre computer effect, slowly floating and merging like drops of oil, gradually becoming the facial features that Yin Ren was familiar with.

Those were the facial features of Zhong Chengshuo.

Even at the moment of growth, the head was still tilted—Zhong Chengshuo’s neck hadn’t turned, but his chin was facing his left shoulder.

But the “ordinary” man only fumbled for a moment. He held the head on both sides and lightly twisted it forward.

Crack.

The final wound slowly healed, and Zhong Chengshuo stood quietly in front of Yin Ren, bare-chested.

“Yin Ren.”

He opened his black hole-like eyes and called out softly.


<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Evil As Humans Ch150

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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


Chapter 150: Healing

At the moment when the Yin Ren fell to the ground, black hair danced and blocked the gap that hadn’t yet been closed. However, it was like trying to block a burst water pipe with bare hands. Countless Evil Force still squeezed through the gap. The power, full of resentment and pain, was like concentrated acid, burning Yin Ren’s wing with intense pain.

Finally reaching Sunken Society, he couldn’t afford to be passive anymore.

While the raging Evil Force hadn’t yet turned into a torrent, Yin Ren disregarded everything and blocked the gaps, quickly surveying the surrounding situation.

He smelled Zhong Chengshuo’s breath, as well as various kinds of corpse odors. Among them, there were various strange and evil qi. Compared to the Ant Nest in Gengsheng Town, this ghostly place was no less daunting.

A huge and dangerous corpse vault.

Zhong Chengshuo was once “stored” here.

Having been in contact with modern times for a long time, Yin Ren probably knew what kind of situation a place to store corpses would be. As soon as he thought of Zhong Chengshuo dragging his mutilated corpse out of here, Yin Ren’s hostility couldn’t be suppressed.

Nor did he want to suppress it.

In the blink of an eye, Yin Ren’s Evil Force surged in all directions. Countless mortuary cabinets sounded with frantic banging noises, responding with all their might. In an instant, sharp magic alarms echoed in the darkness.

Yin Ren sneered.

There was no need to reveal the true form of the Evil Force. As the “Great Celestial Master,” he was proficient in being a ghost master, corpse servant, and spirit smith. Since awakening in this era, Yin Ren hadn’t found a place suitable for “controlling corpses”.

At the moment when Yin Ren was tightly blocking the external Evil Force, the corpses shrouded in evil qi broke open the sturdy metal door and walked unsteadily towards Yin Ren.

Clack, clack.

The cold and stiff flesh slapped against the floor.

The first to break through the door were two century-old zombies. Behind them were all sorts of strange and terrifying evil beings, contaminated and mutated by Evil Force. They shook their extra limbs, opened different numbers of eyes, and emitted wailing cries from their throats.

A few bodies were missing arms and legs during the process of breaking through the door, so they stuck together to form a large, fused corpse monster. The strange smell spread in the corridor, and the thick evil qi stirred up ripples.

Cack, clack.

The dark corridor was crowded with shadows, and the bodies were all naked. The broken internal organs swayed slowly, and the deformed flesh shone with a watery sheen. Countless bones bulged, and turbid yellow corpse fluid dripped on the ground. The bluish-white color of dead flesh and the brownish yellow of dried corpses were mixed together, contrasting against the gray-white corridor, as if everything had lost its color.

This was truly a hellish scene.

Only the heavy seal of Yin Ren that was woven into his red clothes emitted a bright light in the shadows. The bodies stood obediently behind Yin Ren, solemn as if they were a funeral procession.

They gradually crowded the corridor, lifting their heavy, deformed heads, and their bones made a dry, turning sound.

It was almost over.

Perhaps for an individual, this place was an unsolvable maze. But when all the corpses had left, the only entrance disguised as a door became incredibly distinct.

Amid the almost piercing alarm, Yin Ren finally released those gaps that had reached their limit.

The next moment, the raging Evil Force in the previous interstitial space spewed out. Dozens of corpses behind Yin Ren bounced out, blocking him and rapidly stretching their arms to instantly generate layers of hard and dry membranes.

Yin Ren turned around smoothly and passed over each corpse without looking back, heading straight for the exit.

Behind him, countless bodies rushed forward into the torrent of the Evil Force. In the distorted space, the corpses were either crushed or devoured. However, they still went forward ignorantly, and all kinds of vicious corpse spells rained down on the pure Evil Force.

Even if it was a mantis trying to stop a car, with so many mantis corpses, the sticky corpse fluid could still cause the wheels to skid.

The quality of the goods of Sunken Society was quite high. Countless fierce corpses acted as sandbags in the flood, and the speed of the Evil Force slowed down a bit.

In the flood, Mr. Qiu’s remains were splashed everywhere. Any corpse that came into contact with the solid debris would expand and burst, blossoming into flesh and blood fireworks.

The sharp alarm, the sound of the walls collapsing, and the sound of corpse explosions mixed together. The quiet corpse vault suddenly became unbelievably lively, as if it were New Year’s.

Yin Ren dragged the suitcase left and right, executing each floor the same way. Even if he was frantically consumed by this strange Evil Force, the number of corpses running out of the corpse vault only increased as if it were inexhaustible.

If he wasn’t being chased, Yin Ren would love this exhilarating feeling, like a mouse falling into a rice bin*.

*An expression describing a situation where someone unexpectedly benefits from a mistake or mishap.

Meanwhile, Zhong Chengshuo obediently sat in the half-open suitcase. His body was surrounded by wings, and his hands were clinging to the edge of the suitcase, not knowing what he was sensing.

Soon, Yin Ren rushed up to the third floor connected to the elevator.

However, in the deafening alarm, the elevator was thoroughly sealed off.

There was no escape route again.

Just as Yin Ren had this thought, Zhong Chengshuo pinched the bundle of wings again. He typed quickly, and Yin Ren simply grew an eye on one of the wing clusters and distracted himself to watch.

[You triggered the magic alarm, so you can only escape up to three floors. Above the third floor, the elevator will be heavily guarded, making it difficult to break through. Erase your presence, and you can use the bottom of the elevator to borrow force.]

Yin Ren reacted instantly.

There must be a gap below the elevator shaft. He could take Zhong Chengshuo with him and hide in there, completely sealing off their breath, and let some of his hair strands crawl up—when the Evil Force arrived like a mudslide, it could help them break through all defenses.

After most of the Evil Force had surged out, they could use the remaining corpses as a consumable shield, which could indeed surprise the enemy and avoid being caught in a pincer attack.

However…

“It’s hard to defend when hiding. I can tolerate it, but you will briefly come into contact with those things.”

Yin Ren spoke very fast.

“That kind of Evil Force is different from mine. It’s exceptionally violent—”

Zhong Chengshuo just patted his wings and made an OK gesture.

Yin Ren didn’t waste any more words, nor did he hesitate.

With several spells, he shattered the elevator and went straight to the bottom of the elevator shaft, suppressing all aura. Only a strand of black hair broke away from Yin Ren’s body and spread its momentum, crawling up through numerous obstacles and cracks.

As a strand of weak and unconnected hair, it crawled exceptionally fast. As expected, the Evil Force fell for the trap and chased after the strand of hair aggressively.

Bang!

Bang!!

Bang!!!

The sound of massive explosions kept coming from above the elevator shaft, where the Evil Force collided head-on with the heavy protection of Sunken Society. Countless debris burst down like bullets. Yin Ren used his wing ball to protect himself and his suitcase while being completely soaked in the Evil Force. It felt like he had fallen into a strong acid and every skin on his body was aching.

Zhong Chengshuo, on the other hand, quietly curled up his body, just like a baby in a womb. Yin Ren couldn’t open his eyes, so he could only hold his lover tightly with his wings.

In the warm embrace of his wings, Zhong Chengshuo clenched his fists slightly.

At first, Yin Ren didn’t understand the meaning of this behavior, but the rhythm of that clenched fist was so familiar that he quickly remembered where it came from.

It was Zhong Chengshuo’s heartbeat.

No words, no heartbeat, no breath. Zhong Chengshuo used this posture to tell him that he was okay and that he didn’t need to worry.

…Zhong Chengshuo knew he would worry.

In the midst of pain and burning, Yin Ren curled up the corners of his mouth.

The sound of explosions became more frequent and blurred. The surging Evil Force also became thinner, and finally, a trace of the breath of the living seeped down from far above. Screams and another wave of alarms entered Yin Ren’s ears.

Now!

In an instant, a large army of corpses crowded into the narrow elevator shaft. Yin Ren protected Zhong Chengshuo and rushed straight up. Behind him, the corpses passed over his body, acting as a shield and blocking the front. When they encountered the scattered Evil Force, there were bursts of corpse explosions.

Yin Ren displayed the fastest speed of his life. In less than three seconds, he rushed straight to the top of the elevator.

Finding that something was off, the torrent of Evil Force turned with difficulty.

“The more, the merrier.”

Yin Ren wiped the blood and sweat off his face.

“…I love lively places the most.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the flood of corpses behind him collided head-on with the Evil Force.

Another explosion of corpses sounded, and the sturdy barriers around them immediately collapsed. The electronic alarms changed their tone into a hoarse and unpleasant mixing like a funeral march.

The space twisted, and the corpses were thrown askew. In the center of it all, Yin Ren was covered in red clothes, revealing an almost relieved smile.

It was a chilling sight to behold.

On the surface of the distant world, Wei Huaqian furrowed his brow.

His personal interface was filled with various alarms, and the blood-red warnings kept scrolling.

Something had gone wrong in the underground corpse vault.

Sunken Society had immediately sealed off the storage area and dispatched the cleanup crew. They even cut off Minister Zou’s access to the relic warehouse. Everything was executed in the fastest and most ruthless manner possible. If the risky areas were compared to carrion, he had already cut out the wound at the fastest speed possible.

…Why did something happen in the underground corpse vault?!

And it was the highest level alert!

Wei Huaqian tried to access the surveillance of the incident, but no matter which camera he looked at, the screen was pitch black—as if a bottomless eye was pressed against the lens.

Only data was frantically being transmitted, screen after screen.

An unprecedented amount of Evil Force had erupted.

…Wait, unprecedented? An eruption of Evil Force with no source?

Wei Huaqian’s hand, which was operating the tablet computer, stopped in mid-air, and his back instantly became damp with sweat. He didn’t even have time to feel sorry for the precious items in the vault. There were only two words in his mind—

Divine Descent.

He pinched his brow hard and quickly examined the rows of data.

No, no, this isn’t right.

In recent years, Sunken Society had conducted many experiments on Evil Force and gained a deep understanding of its characteristics. Wei Huaqian was very certain that the data in front of him was much weaker than a real Divine Descent. This outbreak was more like a weakened version of Divine Descent in a small area. The nature of the Evil Force had significant differences from a true Divine Descent.

The Evil Force that erupted twenty-eight years ago during Divine Descent was… fresher?

And the Evil Force that was currently causing destruction everywhere was quickly deteriorating into evil qi, like it was rapidly decaying. This level… Sunken Society should still be able to handle it at this level.

He held his breath and quickly gave instructions one by one.

Quickly separate the transition space and connect it to the human world, luring the destroyers away!

Sunken Society was his most convenient tool. The top priority was to guard the branch; even if this tool became damaged and difficult to use, it was still better than bare hands.

At the moment when Wei Huaqian was fully focused on giving orders, a certain data on the screen suddenly plummeted like a cliff.

At the same time, in the interstitial space, Yin Ren’s movements suddenly stopped.

The Evil Force around him still surged, but there was something clearly different. It was a subtle, instinctive awareness—

Just now, the source of the Evil Force had completely “died”.

The pain in that power disappeared, leaving only icy resentment and endless chaos.

And at the moment when Yin Ren was fully focused on sensing it, behind him, inside the suitcase…

The wounds on the body of this headless corpse soaked in this Evil Force were quietly closing, little by little.


The author has something to say:

Xiao Yin: Explosion of fireworks! I emptied your inventory.

Xiao Zhong: Stay quiet and get better.


<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Bu Tian Gang Ch144

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

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


Chapter 144

The sound was annoying beyond frustration. He swept his sword again, but this time its power wasn’t as great. Under the red light, the evil spirits and demons were only pushed back a few steps and quickly closed in again. They were eager to feast on this rare opportunity of a body.

Could it be that he would perish here before becoming the head of the bureau? Wu Bingtian felt somewhat unwilling. Exhausted, he leaned on his sword. The sword light could no longer stop the relentless onslaught of the monsters. He was like a glowing, fragrant food, tempting the creatures to devour him even if it meant their own destruction.

Another swing of the sword, but this time the sword light was much weaker. The monsters were no longer afraid. The ones in front were just eliminated by the sword energy, and the ones behind came rushing forward with a roar.

A black shadow covered his head. Wu Bingtian weakly raised the long sword in his hand. His chest was heaving, his body weary and feeble, yet his heart was beating fast. His mind was in chaos. He closed his eyes, allowing his overwhelming frustration to surge through his heart. He thought to himself that this time he had failed, but even if he became a ghost, he would tear Otowa apart.

A wave of heat rushed toward him, but the excruciating pain of being devoured by countless demons didn’t materialize. Through his half-closed eyelids, he could feel the heat and light that could penetrate even the thinnest skin, compelling him to open his eyes. Before him was a bright scene, and all the monsters were vanishing under the light.

Two figures approached slowly.

At first, they were just blurry silhouettes, but gradually they became clearer, and the person in the lead was tall and familiar.

“Long Shen!”

“Boss Wu!” It was Li Ying’s voice.

Wu Bingtian had never been so ecstatic before. He sincerely welcomed Long Shen’s arrival.

When the two of them were in the Special Administration Bureau, they clashed many times. Just because Long Shen had the appearance of a hermit and seemed detached from worldly matters, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t compete with Wu Bingtian. Outsiders often thought that the head of the bureau didn’t do anything, and that Deputy Director Wu had the upper hand. In reality, the Special Administration Bureau operated under a system of checks and balances among the three of them. Wu Bingtian had also been suppressed by Long Shen on numerous occasions. Putting that aside, in terms of assigning tasks to the new recruits this time, the two of them had clashed repeatedly.

But that was internal strife, and chaos among their ranks didn’t matter. Now facing a formidable enemy, Wu Bingtian was on the verge of death. When Long Shen suddenly appeared, how could he not be overjoyed? Even someone who had resigned themselves to death wouldn’t resist such a result if they could avoid dying.

“How did you get in?” Wu Bingtian asked breathlessly.

“We killed Yamata no Orochi, tore through the enchantment, and came to your location,” Long Shen replied succinctly, with Li Ying appearing behind him.

“The legendary Yamata no Orochi?” Wu Bingtian was shocked by the words.

“Most likely. That demon beast has eight heads and eight tails. To completely kill it, all the heads and tails must be dealt with simultaneously,” Li Ying said, his face covered in bloodstains, looking even more disheveled than Wu Bingtian.

He didn’t want to recall the fierce battle they had just experienced. In order to simultaneously sever the eight heads of the giant snake, while Long Shen unleashed eight sword lights, Li Ying had to simultaneously summon eight talisman fires to burn the eight fragmented bodies, preventing their regeneration. Normally, Li Ying would grit his teeth and bring forth the eight talisman fires, but at that moment, he was heavily injured to the point where he couldn’t even use a sword. He had to almost spit out his own blood to summon the eight talismans.

Due to the light, Wu Bingtian didn’t have the intention to look at Li Ying closely. Otherwise, if he had observed carefully, he would have noticed that Li Ying’s steps were unsteady and his complexion was pale, relying solely on the medicinal pills brought by Long Shen to sustain himself. He had consumed hundreds of thousands, even millions, worth of pills from the black market. Compared to the Shangqing pills Dong Zhi had eaten, they were nothing.

“It seems that the enchantments are connected!” The two deputy directors met, and upon hearing the account of Long Shen’s experiences, Wu Bingtian immediately drew a conclusion.

“Let’s get out of here first and then discuss. Do you still have the energy?” Long Shen asked.

“I lost my arm, but I can use talismans. You can clear the way with your sword, and I’ll cover the rear with talismans,” Wu Bingtian said, sheathing his sword on his back and taking out talisman slips from his pocket. “How about Li Ying?”

Li Ying said ashamedly, “My actions may be slow.”

After all, he had suffered serious injuries and couldn’t even lift a sword, which would also affect the efficiency of his talisman usage.

Wu Bingtian didn’t waste time with unnecessary words and couldn’t spare the effort to comfort him. “Then you stay in the middle and don’t leave our protective circle.”

Long Shen said, “Otowa is observing us with a mirror. He should know that we have arrived.”

Wu Bingtian grinned. “I’ve already broken that thing. He can’t monitor us now!”

Long Shen nodded. Upon hearing these words, he no longer had any concerns. He swung his sword and slashed the countless demonic qi in front of him. In an instant, a myriad of mournful cries echoed from all directions, filled with despair and anguish. There were the cries of children and the pitiful pleas of women, but the three of them remained unaffected, steadily advancing step by step.

Wu Bingtian was at the end. His missing arm didn’t limit his movements. With his remaining intact hand, he pulled out talisman slips, chanted incantations, and the papers turned into a large number of armored soldiers that rushed towards the demonic qi.

Li Ying stood in the middle, guarding with talismans. Whenever he detected demonic qi approaching, he would burn them with talisman fires. Long Shen cleared the way in front, and with his sword light, he swept through the air, obliterating any trace of demonic qi. After breaking through the mirrored space, rescuing Li Ying, and killing Yamata no Orochi one after another, his grip on the sword remained steady and his gaze unwavering. Even the radiance of his sword and the aura it emitted were unmatched. Li Ying followed closely and realized that he had no idea where Long Shen’s physical limit lay. This man’s strength was truly terrifying.

“There’s no use killing them like this. The demonic qi will just circulate endlessly!” Wu Bingtian couldn’t help but speak up.

“Boss Wu, Boss Long just discovered a gap in the enchantment. We need to go there now!” Li Ying explained.

Wu Bingtian’s spirits lifted. “Where is it?”

Long Shen: “Not far.”

Within this enchantment, time became meaningless. Wu Bingtian didn’t even know if he had been here for an hour or two, a day or two. But he knew that his “not far” and Long Shen’s “not far” certainly had a significant difference. After walking for a while, Wu Bingtian’s remaining hand started to feel a prickling pain, a sign of extreme exhaustion. Even the efficiency of using talismans had greatly decreased. Wu Bingtian had to speak up.

“Boss Long, how much farther?” he asked.

Long Shen chuckled lightly.

The laughter wasn’t loud, but both Wu Bingtian and Li Ying heard it.

“I didn’t expect the patience of Boss Wu to be so poor.”

Li Ying was surprised that Long Shen could speak in such a teasing tone.

Wu Bingtian replied indignantly, “You try losing an arm and see. I’ve already exerted every ounce of strength I have!”

After all, they had been partners for many years. Upon hearing Long Shen’s relaxed tone, Wu Bingtian knew that the exit of the enchantment was not far away. As expected, right after he finished speaking, Long Shen shouted, “Break!”

The syllable felt substantial as it hammered on the eardrums of the other two.

Since Wu Bingtian happened to be speaking at the time, the nauseating sensation from the vibrations was greatly reduced for him. However, Li Ying wasn’t so lucky. His ears buzzed, and the sound directly pierced into his heart, causing him to immediately spew a mouthful of blood.

“Open your mouth.”

Hearing Long Shen’s voice, Li Ying instinctively opened his mouth, and a pill passed through his tongue and into his throat. The burning sensation in his chest instantly subsided.

“Oh, this is Boss Long’s private stash!” Wu Bingtian keenly observed.

Li Ying had originally wanted to ask for the name of the pill, but upon hearing those words, he silently swallowed his question. He put on an innocent and clueless expression, afraid that even if he sold himself, he still wouldn’t be able to repay the debt.

Of course, Long Shen didn’t ask him for it either. With that shout, the surroundings were instantly illuminated, and the curtain of darkness fell, replaced by flickering lantern lights and white mist.

Li Ying squinted his eyes and examined for a while before realizing that the flickering lights were actually lanterns, and the white mist was formed by humanoid evil spirits.

“Boss Long!” He turned his head towards the voice and saw Tang Jing, the director of the East China Branch, and Yu Buhui.

Everyone had finally reunited. Li Ying was very excited, and he also saw the joy on Wu Bingtian’s face.

“How are you all?” Wu Bingtian asked as the five of them quickly gathered together.

“We’re fine!” Tang Jing replied. He then noticed Wu Bingtian’s empty arm, and his voice faltered.

“Don’t get distracted. Breaking the enemy is the priority!” Long Shen seemed to sense his emotional fluctuations and reminded him in a deep voice.

One corner of the Eight-Directional Bhavacakra Formation connected to Wu Bingtian’s enchantment. With the enchantment broken and the Bhavacakra shattered, the power of the formation greatly diminished. Tang Jing and Yu Buhui’s spirits soared, taking the opportunity to make a move and eliminate two Prajna* entities.

*Often translated as “wisdom”, “intelligence”, or “understanding”.

However, Li Ying could no longer hold on. He stumbled and fell forward, but Long Shen’s keen eyes and quick hands grabbed him and gently sat him down on the ground.

“He’s dying,” Wu Bingtian said as he glanced at Li Ying.

No one considered Li Ying weak. In the situation where Ding Lan had already died, his ability to hold on until reinforcements arrived was no easy feat. Although there was the reason that Otowa Yasuhiko wanted to use him as bait, even if it were someone else, they probably wouldn’t have been able to fight their way out alongside Long Shen and Wu Bingtian.

“Don’t move, close your eyes and rest. We’ll handle things here,” Tang Jing quickly said.

Li Ying sat down cross-legged, nodding weakly.

At that moment, three white tigers leaped into the scene, roaring and pouncing towards everyone. Tang Jing caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and noticed a slender figure.

“It looks like Eiko Kitaichi!”

Wu Bingtian was shocked. “Didn’t she suffer severe injuries and fall into a coma?”

Tang Jing sneered and briefly explained the situation. “Fujikawa brought his apprentice back to life with demonic qi, but Eiko Kitaichi ended up killing him.”

Anyone who saw Fujikawa’s fate would understand that they had brought it upon themselves. It remained unknown whether Fujikawa would regret his attempt to profit from others*.

*Plotting to skin a tiger (与虎谋皮) Metaphor referring to when someone tries to take advantage of a powerful or dangerous person or entity, often with the intention of benefiting from their resources or influence.

No onmyoji could summon more than two shikigami at the same time, but Eiko Kitaichi could. The reason she was hailed as the genius girl of their generation was precisely because of her outstanding performance in onmyoji techniques. However, she had now become a puppet of Otowa Yasuhiko, a beautiful girl devoid of expression, manipulating three shikigami to coordinate with the Bhavacakra Formation, intending to trap Long Shen and the others inside.

Just as everyone was fully focused on breaking the formation, Tang Jing heard a familiar voice say, “Follow me!”

The figure of Ming Xian then leaped into the formation, his expression anxious, urging Tang Jing and the others.

“I know the flaws in the formation, follow me!”

Tang Jing’s heart trembled, filled with uncertainty. He reached out to grab him, and Ming Xian made no resistance, allowing Tang Jing to tightly grip his arm, though he only furrowed his brows slightly.

“Otowa injected demonic qi into my body, but I still retain a part of my original consciousness. However, I don’t know how long I can hold on. Quickly follow me out before I completely lose my sanity.”

Tang Jing subconsciously took a few steps with him before remembering to turn his head and look at the others. It was during these short steps that he suddenly realized the special place Ming Xian held in his heart.

The once carefree and worldly Tang Jing, who dismissed everything in the world, found an exception in Ming Xian. He was a thorn in Tang Jing’s heart. This thorn wasn’t lethal, but it pricked his flesh constantly, causing him pain.

When Tang Jing turned his head, Long Shen furrowed his brows slightly, giving him a glance without saying anything. With the situation urgent, Yu Buhui didn’t have time to think much. Seeing Tang Jing following the other person, he quickly followed suit.

Sure enough, Ming Xian was well-versed in the formation. He led them towards one of the rooms in the courtyard. It seemed ordinary, but the Prajna Entities and shikigami did not catch up with them. They seemed to encounter an invisible enchantment and became stagnant in a certain place, only roaring and glaring at them with resentment.

The courtyard seemed small, but they had been walking for quite a while. Li Ying was starting to struggle, so Yu Buhui directly carried him on his back. Wu Bingtian, despite missing an arm, seemed to be in good spirits and didn’t need assistance from others.

“Wait,” Long Shen suddenly spoke up.

Naturally, everyone stopped in their tracks. Ming Xian suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, splattering it onto the lantern he was holding, causing the candlelight to dim slightly.

“Ming Xian!” Tang Jing exclaimed in shock, just managing to support his weakened body.

In the flickering light, he suddenly saw a faint smile on Ming Xian’s blood-stained lips. “Ming…”

The next moment, Tang Jing felt a sharp pain in his chest. He lowered his head and saw Ming Xian’s hand inserted into his body; his fingers were covered in blood. Drops of blood fell to the ground, mixing and intertwining with the blood that Ming Xian had sprayed earlier. It was unclear whose blood was whose.

The incident happened in the blink of an eye. By the time Wu Bingtian and Yu Buhui realized something was wrong and tried to intervene, Ming Xian’s figure had already disappeared from the spot, reappearing several meters away, still holding half of Tang Jing’s heart.

With half a heart, could a person still survive?

Tang Jing didn’t know. At that moment, he thought that, as a spirit that had taken human form, perhaps he could indeed survive. The cries of his other companions echoed in his ears, but those voices gradually grew distant from Tang Jing. He didn’t even know that he had fallen to the ground, only feeling a sharp pain in his chest, accompanied by a faint chill, as if a body that had just been heated was submerged in icy water during the harsh winter months.

I’ve really messed up this time. All those lighthearted thoughts have gone to the dogs. Tang Jing self-mockingly thought.

Until a finger touched his brow.

Tang Jing regained some clarity and opened his eyes to see Long Shen in front of him. “I’m fine…” Tang Jing tried to speak but coughed up more blood. He struggled to prop himself up. “All the enchantments are connected. Otowa deliberately lured us here for an ambush.”

No further explanation was needed. Everyone understood. Otowa had never shown himself, using Li Ying as bait to make Ming Xian appear. It was all part of a bigger trap to eliminate them all at once.

As soon as those words were spoken, a tremendous upheaval occurred all around them. The ground cracked, and the sky turned a fiery red. Lightning flashed and thunder roared within the clouds. The floor tiles rose into the air, swirling like a vortex in the center of a hurricane. Suddenly, everything came to a halt, and sharp edges flew toward them.

Ming Xian, who had been watching them from a distance, gradually became blurred.

“That’s the exit!” Wu Bingtian shouted.

“Yu Buhui, take them out!” Long Shen left those words behind and leaped into the air.

His speed was astonishing, merging with the sword light in mid-air. Li Ying couldn’t even see what he had done before the fragments of bricks and stones suddenly stopped and converged into a tidal wave rushing towards Ming Xian.

A path was opened!

“Let’s go!” Yu Buhui carried Li Ying in his left hand and held onto Tang Jing with his right hand. They followed behind Long Shen, with Wu Bingtian in front.

Ming Xian narrowed his eyes, seemingly surprised that his plan to capture them all had been disrupted by Long Shen. He waved his hand, and Eiko Kitaichi leaped from behind, accompanied by the Prajna Entities and shikigami, pouncing towards Tang Jing and Li Ying, who were the most severely injured among the group.

No matter how powerful Yu Buhui was, he couldn’t attend to both of them.

Li Ying felt a chilling sensation coming from the back of his head. It was dense and bone-piercing, freezing his neck and preventing him from turning to look. His body felt incredibly heavy, and he couldn’t lift his limbs. Li Ying knew that it was the pressure emitted by the approaching demon. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t be affected, but now he could only become a burden to everyone.

Just as he was about to grit his teeth and let Yu Buhui give up on him, Tang Jing’s movements were faster than anyone else’s. He swiftly turned and moved towards the back. As his palm flipped, a dazzling radiance poured out from between his fingers, freezing both the Prajna Entities and shikigami in their tracks. They howled and disintegrated into ashes.

Tang Jing spat out a mouthful of blood. Li Ying glanced at it, only to see a faint golden hue. He couldn’t help but be startled. Tang Jing had already collapsed.

Li Ying didn’t know what the radiant light Tang Jing had used to kill the enemies was, but Ming Xian saw it clearly. The ancient mirror was capable of warding off evil, and it was Tang Jing’s true body’s mirror light. He had pushed Tang Jing to the point of severe injuries and powerlessness, forcing him to reveal his true form as a last resort.

Only Eiko Kitaichi was unaffected by Tang Jing’s radiant light. After a brief pause, she flew towards Li Ying, who was defenseless. Yu Buhui acted swiftly, blocking Eiko Kitaichi’s path and engaging her in a fight within the vortex.

“Take them out first!” Yu Buhui shouted.

Wu Bingtian heard the command, but he only had one hand. He gritted his teeth and carried Tang Jing on his back, while his hand grabbed Li Ying and led them out. However, Ming Xian was waiting for them outside.

Ming Xian smiled slightly at Wu Bingtian and said, “Director Wu, you look so tired.”

Upon closer inspection, his smile only covered half of his face, while the other side remained cold and expressionless. In the dim light, his eyes seemed to be red. Wu Bingtian’s hair stood on end from his smile.

Even though Wu Bingtian believed he could deal with Ming Xian, he wasn’t confident that he could handle both Ming Xian and protect Li Ying and Tang Jing at the same time. However, Ming Xian didn’t give him much time to think. As soon as the words were spoken, Ming Xian made his move.

Meanwhile, Long Shen remained alone in the formation. After clearing the path for the others, he didn’t rush to leave. He descended from the sky and thrust his sword into the broken ground where the tiles had been destroyed. With a loud explosion, a massive shockwave spread outwards from the connection between the sword and the ground.

Regardless of friend or foe, everyone was involuntarily flipped over and thrown out, except for Long Shen, who firmly held onto the sword handle without wavering. Eiko Kitaichi and Ming Xian were impacted by the sound waves, crashing into the pillars and then falling to the ground. The others didn’t fare much better. Yu Buhui stabilized himself by plunging his sword into the ground, reaching out to grab Li Ying, preventing him from becoming a flying brick. However, Tang Jing wasn’t as fortunate. He was also lifted into the air and slammed forcefully into a wall. The impact reverberated through his internal organs, and the intense pain in his chest and abdomen made him realize that his injuries had worsened.

Tang Jing smiled wryly. Seeing Ming Xian reaching for the back of Li Ying’s head, he could only muster the strength to stand up and intervene.

A powerful radiance erupted from the connection between the sword and the ground. It was the starting point of all enchantments and the end of all entanglements. Long Shen’s target had always been Otowa Yasuhiko!

The hurricane caused by the burst of light destroyed the entire courtyard. All the dark creatures were exposed under the intense light, howling and screaming as they scattered in all directions. However, they were eventually swept up by the incoming hurricane, torn to pieces, and completely obliterated.

Eiko Kitaichi struck Yu Buhui’s shoulder with her palm, and the demonic qi immediately corroded his flesh, revealing a charred wound. Yu Buhui winced in pain, but he retaliated by kicking Eiko Kitaichi, sending her flying backward. At that moment, Eiko Kitaichi was engulfed by the hurricane and drowned in the brilliant light.

Yu Buhui quickly realized that the entire space was being torn apart by the intense light. Starting from Long Shen’s feet, a deep rift extended rapidly, like a gigantic invisible hand tearing the cracks open.

“The Seven-Star Longyuan Sword is indeed well-deserved of its reputation!”

At the end of the rift, a figure appeared within everyone’s sight. The person was short and hunched, gradually approaching amidst the intense light. He was dressed in traditional Japanese clothing, bearing all the characteristics of an old-fashioned Japanese individual. With deep facial lines and a stern countenance, he didn’t stand out among the crowd. However, at this moment, all eyes were focused on him.

Otowa Yasuhiko, who had been hiding behind the scenes, finally revealed his true form.

With an undisguised gaze of admiration and greed, he carefully scrutinized Long Shen from head to toe. “My spiritual companion, there’s no one with your heroic bearing and pride. Director Long, can you tell me the secret of your tremendous power?” Otowa Yasuhiko didn’t look at anyone else; his gaze was firmly fixed on Long Shen, seemingly unable to look away.

Long Shen ignored his question and coldly asked, “Where is Ding Lan’s soul?”

“The Seven-Star Longyuan Sword should possess such magnificence!” Otowa Yasuhiko exclaimed in admiration. However, his brows furrowed soon after. “The aura emanating from Director Long is something I have never seen in Ming Xian. In my presence, he can only behave like a dog, obediently bowing his head. I’ve wondered countless times which link went wrong, causing him to not only lack the charisma of Director Long but also repeatedly betray me.”

Upon hearing these words, Tang Jing couldn’t help but let out a sarcastic laugh.


<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Criminal Psychology Ch218

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

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


Chapter 218

20:47, at the Hongjing Drum Tower Community.

The middle-aged and elderly people who were out for a stroll or square dancing started to head home. The props used for the square dancing, in various shades of red and green, were swept past Xing Conglian’s Jeep from the roadside. The vendors at the street-side stalls also began to pack up.

The deputy captain of the Hongjing police force, Zhang Ping, sat in the jeep, observing a resident on a certain floor of building 3, block 6 of the Drum Tower Community.

The curtains were tightly closed, and the lights were still off.

Zhang Ping pressed the wireless headset and asked, “Lao Shu, any movement?”

The officer with the code name “Lao Shu” was standing in a small convenience store downstairs of building 3, observing the movements at the entrance. After two groups of returning residents had passed by, the entire community was now quiet and deserted.

“The target hasn’t appeared yet.”

“Keep watching.”

“Got it.”

Zhang Ping retracted the binoculars and looked at the captain, who was smoking in the passenger seat. He had just arrived home before 8 in the evening and hadn’t even had the chance to hug his daughter, who was doing her homework, when he was called out by the captain to prepare for the arrest of a suspect. Although he wasn’t clear about what had happened during the time, he was commuting home from work, the criminal suspect had changed from a man to a woman and from a teacher to a student, which was somewhat confusing. What was even more important was that the captain only mentioned that they had to detain the person in secret, and even the evidence wasn’t sufficient. It would have been more reasonable if they were asked by the higher authorities to cooperate with the investigation. He thought for a moment, then quietly turned off his headset and couldn’t help but speak privately with his captain, “Captain Xing, are we being too hasty in arresting this person?”

“Yes, we are,” Xing Conglian said.

“Then should we wait a bit longer?”

“We can’t wait.”

“Huh?!” Zhang Ping took the cigarette from the dashboard of the Jeep and lit it for himself. “Lao Xing, are you hiding something from us? Tell me what’s going on. How dangerous is this woman named Shen Lian? The people you have called in are almost as equipped as the special forces for catching bandits.”

“Why are you so troublesome? Are you possessed by Wang Chao?” Xing Conglian gave an impatient click of his tongue and extinguished his cigarette.

It wasn’t like Xing Conglian couldn’t answer Zhang Ping’s question, but he really didn’t know whether it was right to arrest so hastily. He simply thought that this woman named Shen Lian sounded dangerous; not to mention that she was likely to be involved with the Zaratul drug factory. What was most crucial was that many times, many things simply made no sense.

The words spoken by Lin Chen just now were still echoing in his ears. Although they weren’t clear about Shen Lian’s motive and the complex ramifications, they had directly located Shen Lian herself through a shortcut. Essentially, it was a shortcut obtained by exchanging the life of Duan Wanshan. They knew information that the murderer didn’t know, so they could take the initiative and be one step ahead. Therefore, he couldn’t let this shortcut go to waste.

At exactly 21:00, Shen Lian still hadn’t returned home.

The personnel on the roads inside and outside the community had all cleared out, and a wild cat darted into the bushes. As soon as Shen Lian stepped into the encirclement, there would be no chance of escape.

The inside of the car was dimly lit and filled with smoke. Xing Conglian rolled over and looked at his phone. He wondered if he should call Lin Chen, but he didn’t know if he accidentally pressed the lock button or for some other reason, but the screen suddenly went dark.

Xing Conglian reached out and turned off the overhead light in the car, leaving only the faint light of Wang Chao’s laptop screen in the entire space.

Zhang Ping frowned at him, as if wondering why he suddenly became so nervous. The deputy squad leader began to look around, and Xing Conglian also looked up. There was no one at the end of the road, and all the police officers were guarding key positions as usual.

There was a faint rustling sound on the communication device, and Zhang Ping began to inquire about the situation at the mouth of the road. The wind brushed the leaves, and a light came on in the distance.

“What car? Is there anyone in the car? Report quickly,” Zhang Ping asked.

There was only the same rustling sound on the communication device. Xing Conglian loaded the gun without hesitation and pushed open the door to get out of the car. Just then, a completely black private car quickly drove towards him. Xing Conglian stood in the middle of the small path and looked into the car.

Two seconds later, the driver suddenly realized that something was wrong and slammed on the brakes, the sharp sound echoing through the night sky.

The distance was close enough. With the help of the streetlamps and car lights, Xing Conglian could clearly see the driver cursing wildly in the car. There was no one in the front or back seats, and the black leather seats gleamed with a warm luster.

The darkness around them once again became quiet, and Xing Conglian watched the driver ranting and raving in the car like he was watching a silent play. Two households turned off their balcony lights, making the streetlamps turn into gentle veils. Wild cats sprinted past, and the wind rose again, followed by a suppressed gasping sound.

Xing Conglian pressed his headset and confirmed that the gasping sound was indeed coming from his earpiece, like a wild beast being strangled or a dying animal caught in a trap. The sound went from coarse to fine, like a steel knife scraping across the scalp, and finally became extremely mournful.

“What’s going on? What’s going on? Who’s causing the interference in the channel!”

Zhang Ping’s anxious inquiry came from the channel, and the undercover police officers on the scene reported one by one. Xing Conglian made a hand gesture to Zhang Ping to have the driver detained and started running.

“Mouse here!”

“Lion here!”

Xing Conglian ran past bushes and flower beds, and the wind brushed past his ears. The barbecue stall at the mouth of the road became increasingly clear.

“Camel here!”

“Wild Horse here!”

The smoke from the barbecue rose, and the fan blew all the smoke and dust into the night sky. The sound of noise and laughter drifted through the night, and people waved their beer, laughing and shouting like it was the most beautiful summer night in the city. If Xing Conglian had not seen the next scene.

All sound disappeared in the space, as if he had walked into an absolutely silent vacuum environment.

The barbecue stall owner pulled a large skewer of grilled meat from the grill, and the pointed tip of the iron skewer emitted a cold light. The gaps between the meat skewers were filled with red-hot iron rods.

The next moment, the owner’s face lit up with a smile as he grabbed the skewer and turned to hand it to a nearby customer.

At that moment, without hesitation, Xing Conglian pulled out his gun as the old, wrinkled hand reached out to hand over the skewer.

The owner still maintained his posture of grabbing the iron skewer, his elbow bent, and all the iron skewers in his hand stabbed towards the open mouth of the young man sitting at the table.

Gunshots rang out.

A spray of blood splattered into the night sky, and the skewers scattered and traced chaotic arcs in the air, finally landing on the ground.

“Anomaly detected at the alley entrance. Requesting backup!” The chaotic voices in the earpiece sounded again, and Xing Conglian ripped off his headset.

Screams pierced the night sky, from both men and women, as chaotic footsteps trampled on the sticky black oil and various shellfish waste on the ground. Some people fell, but more people stood still, staring at the horrifying scene in front of the grill.

“Police investigation! Irrelevant people leave the scene!”

A police officer guarding the other side of the entrance shouted from a distance to the diners at the barbeque stall while waving his arms. Xing Conglian scanned all the nearby faces, some showing fear, some showing numbness, and even some showing a terrifying smile. But among all these faces, there was not one that belonged to Shen Lian.

In the brief moment that he searched for the suspect, no one noticed that the young man who had been stabbed by the barbecue stall owner had regained his senses.

The young man’s eyes flashed with an unusual excitement, as if the wildest blood in his veins had been ignited. He pushed hard with his legs and pounced on the barbecue stall owner. The grill collapsed, and charcoal rolled all over the place as the two rolled in it. The air was filled with the smell of grilled meat and the sizzling sound of burning. However, neither of the two in the charcoal felt any pain. The owner grabbed a burning piece of charcoal and stuffed it into the young man’s mouth, and the young man bit down on the middle-aged owner’s face without hesitation.

With a piercing sound, a large chunk of flesh was torn off. Blood flowed down the young man’s white teeth as he continued to grin widely. The owner picked up a piece of charcoal and stuffed it into his mouth, along with the blood and shredded flesh that flowed down his wrist. The partially cooked, crispy, sweet smell was tantalizing. The owner looked at his hand and bit down, still smiling.

Smoke rose into the night sky, and the fallen fan spun weakly on the cement floor.

Xing Conglian stood still, as if someone had suddenly shot him in the head, but that wasn’t the case. He just felt like all his thoughts were scrambled, and the air was no longer filled with the scent of the city but with the putrid smell of the rainforest; everything was bloody and primitive, making him almost vomit.

A male student sitting at the same table as the young man also stood up. He wore a gold-embossed skull hoodie and picked up a piece of white porcelain shard from the ground. He turned around and walked toward the trembling guests huddled in the corner.

A police officer who had crossed the street suddenly pounced on the male student in the skull hoodie, but the male student raised the porcelain shard and held it tightly against the officer’s throat.

Xing Conglian started running again, and the air around him became scorching hot. He yelled at the guests who were still lingering near the barbecue restaurant, “Go, hurry up and leave!”

The stunned guests screamed again; their eyes filled with terror. Xing Conglian ran at his fastest speed, scanning the scene of the brawl, 20 meters, 10 meters…

The male student in the skull hoodie used some unknown force to push the police officer to the ground. Xing Conglian fired his gun again, hitting the male student’s shoulder, causing blood to flow out, but the frenzied male student seemed unaware of the injury.

Just as Xing Conglian was about to pull the trigger for the third time, the porcelain shard had already plunged into the police officer’s throat.

At the moment the porcelain shard was inserted into the throat, the night sky paused, and the background faded away. The bloody scene became bright, and Xing Conglian saw his colleague struggling to turn his head, saw his eyes wide open in the dark, and saw the bright red blood spurt out along the white porcelain shard.

He saw the young man’s hand still desperately gripping the porcelain shard, as if wanting to stab deeper.

Xing Conglian finally rushed to the two of them. He pulled the assailant away and stepped heavily on the hand that was holding the porcelain shard, knocking him out. Then he quickly took off his coat and covered his colleague’s throat with it.

Xing Conglian pressed his clothes tightly against the wound, but blood spurted out like an open tap, soaking his coat in no time. “Hang in there! Hang in there! Can you hear me?”

He shouted with all his strength, but the police officer lying on the ground only opened his mouth, as if trying to say something, but eventually closed his eyes slowly.

Someone burst out laughing, and the whole Drum Tower Community under the night sky seemed like hell on earth.


<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Criminal Psychology Ch217

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

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


Chapter 217

It wasn’t raining outside the ward. Tonight, the view outside the window was pitch black and unusually dry. Even inside the room, there was no sound of clattering keyboards or rapidly clicking mice. They were all waiting for Duan Yang’s email.

Lin Chen sat on the hospital bed, resting his other hand on the table next to the bed, with a pen placed nearby. He had just asked Wang Chao for a sheet of paper, but now he sat cross-legged on the bed, staring at the blank page.

Since Duan Yang’s deeply bowed back disappeared from view, the atmosphere in the ward had become heavy. Xing Conglian couldn’t even express his own emotions and could only lean on the sofa, looking at Lin Chen’s indifferent profile under the light in the ward. Lin Chen was a typical person whose features made people feel comfortable. None of his features were particularly outstanding, but when combined, they were quite handsome, with an inexplicable chill and calmness. Xing Conglian knew he shouldn’t be thinking about these things while looking at Lin Chen’s face. They were currently handling a very dangerous case, whose exact danger was impossible to pinpoint. That was the scariest part.

“Let’s reorganize this case,” Xing Conglian said.

Lin Chen still looked down at the blank A4 paper on the table, not even lifting his head.

“The murderer’s modus operandi is simple. They first fabricated the motive of academic plagiarism, then killed Tan Kang, and finally falsified Lao Duan’s DNA and fingerprints, pushing everything onto Lao Duan. The train of thought is clear, but the question is: why?”

Wang Chao looked very anxious as he looked at his computer, not even listening to what Xing Conglian was saying.

Lin Chen seemed to have finally come to his senses and said, “Yes, why.”

“Hmm?”

“There’s a critical question. Did the murderer use Duan Yang from the beginning to complete the framing process?” Lin Chen said.

Xing Conglian thought about it and answered, “Suppose the murderer didn’t know Duan Yang and only occasionally saw the academic plagiarism incident on the internet. They thought that someone like Duan Wanshan was a good scapegoat and happened to have Duan Wanshan’s fingerprints and DNA on hand, so they set up this trap. Although this possibility exists, the chance is just too small. Duan Wanshan has been abroad for so many years. Who would still keep his DNA and fingerprints?”

“Right, the cost and benefit don’t match up, and high-IQ criminals aren’t stupid enough to act so recklessly.” Lin Chen’s voice was very calm. “In fact, the first possibility didn’t exist from the beginning—the killer couldn’t have been looking for a scapegoat after killing Tan Kang and then planted the blame on Duan Wanshan.”

“So, he chose Duan Yang from the beginning,” Xing Conglian said.

Xing Conglian looked at Lin Chen, listening to him continue in a calm tone. “I can understand why he chose Duan Yang. Duan Yang used to be very simple and pure, easily hot-headed, and deeply loved Duan Wanshan. When he learned that his teacher’s research results, which had serious side effects, had been plagiarized and turned into a new drug on the market, he would definitely try his best to solve the problem for his teacher. Therefore, he was the most likely person to leave all kinds of traces that the police could follow on the internet. Duan Yang was the perfect choice because he wasn’t like others who might stand by and do nothing, right?”

“That’s it, but…” Xing Conglian couldn’t help but frown. “I feel like there are still problems with this.”

“But why did he have to use Duan Yang?” Lin Chen continued sharply.

Xing Conglian replied, “For criminals, isn’t it easier to expose themselves the more steps they take to achieve their goal? Although he later kidnapped Duan Yang through the hands of others to make up for the loophole, to be honest, wasn’t it easier for the police to discover the problem when Duan Yang disappeared?”

Lin Chen nodded. “The next question is whether Duan Yang’s kidnapping was a coincidence, or a necessary arrangement made by someone. I used to think it was a coincidence, like Zaratul’s men finding Duan Yang, who had posted online and had a lot of information, and then bringing him back to Dana to continue research. But this was only a possibility inferred under certain conditions at the time. Now it seems too coincidental.”

“Indeed. There are so many experts out there. Why bother to catch a small doctor like Duan Yang?”

Lin Chen said, “In other words, the greater possibility is that the other party specially used Lu Jia, a fake expert responsible for researching drugs under Zaratul. He’s now dead, so we have no way to investigate the process. However, this person may have mentioned Duan Yang to Lu Jia and praised him greatly, which led Lu Jia to send someone to kidnap Duan Yang from China. The purpose of doing so is simple… To kill two birds with one stone…”

“He’s really ruthless to Duan Yang.” Xing Conglian understood why Lin Chen had been silent all the time. This matter was too cruel to both Duan Yang and Duan Wanshan, especially considering that they loved each other deeply. He continued, “It seems that the murderer’s target may have included three people from the beginning: Duan Yang, Duan Wanshan, and Tan Kang, who may only be an accessory. He used Duan Yang to create a chain of evidence to frame Duan Wanshan, then killed Duan Yang, and finally killed Tan Kang to blame Duan Wanshan. This process can be basically confirmed. So we have to go back to the original question: Why did he do this?” If it weren’t for being in a hospital ward, Xing Conglian would have wanted to light a cigarette. “Honestly, I don’t think falsely accusing Duan Wanshan of murder because of academic plagiarism can hurt him in any substantial way. He’s been meticulously trying to throw dirt on Duan Wanshan, but this dirt can’t even cross the Pacific Ocean.”

“So, this matter is even more devastating, and the murderer only wanted the process.” Lin Chen hadn’t changed his posture from the beginning until now. “The murderer’s feelings towards these three people are different. He killed Tan Kang cleanly and decisively, like throwing away useless garbage. Xiao Ming felt that the murderer was very happy. What made the murderer happy was the process of releasing the balloons—that is, the process of throwing out the murder weapon that framed Duan Wanshan. I don’t even think his ultimate goal was to turn Duan Wanshan into the real murderer of Tan Kang or to send him to jail, because, as you just said, this matter can’t cause any substantial harm to Duan Wanshan. This is also where I don’t understand…as for Duan Yang…”

Lin Chen’s gaze was obviously dim and flickering.

Xing Conglian asked, “What’s wrong with Duan Yang?”

“Duan Yang is like a subtle chess piece. The killer used him to lay clues to Duan Wanshan and then didn’t hesitate to let him die, which is strange,” Lin Chen said. “It depends on whether the killer, like us, understands the secret love between the two. If the answer is yes, then he used Duan Yang, who deeply loved Duan Wanshan, to lay out Duan Wanshan’s motive for murder, and separated them forever before Duan Wanshan learned the truth… Even the motive for sending Duan Yang to Dana is very subtle, isn’t it? They obviously love each other and are on the same land, but they can’t meet. And you can imagine how sad Duan Wanshan would be if he knew all this if he hadn’t died. So I think the killer probably really hates and loves Duan Wanshan, who loves Duan Yang…”

“So, that person is likely to know the relationship between Duan Yang and Duan Wanshan?” Xing Conglian asked.

“I think so. So now the suspect’s range is very small. He must know Duan Yang, be able to get Duan Wanshan’s DNA samples and fingerprints, know the relationship between the two, have been to Dana, and understand the inside story of Zhourui Pharmaceutical and Tan Kang’s plagiarism…”

Before Lin Chen’s words fell, Wang Chao’s computer made a light sound of receiving a message.

“Has the list been sorted out?” Xing Conglian asked sharply.

“Yes, according to Duan Yang’s email, the senior sister who has been giving him information is named Cheng Jing, and the person who provided information for him within Zhourui Pharmaceutical is named Li Fengping. In addition, he has temporarily sorted out 14 suspicious names,” Wang Chao said quickly, and then began to retrieve everyone’s information.

“Is there a problem with Cheng Jing?”

“After returning to China, Cheng Jing worked at the Third People’s Hospital of Yongchuan City, and there seems to be no contact with Zhourui Pharmaceutical. The information has been sent to the tablet. Please take it out from my backpack, Boss,” Wang Chao said quickly.

Xing Conglian took out the tablet and sat on the bed with Lin Chen to watch.

Lin Chen’s fingers quickly scanned Cheng Jing’s personal information. In the photo, Cheng Jing was wearing a white robe and looked gentle and quiet. She was a pediatrician with a happy family and a clean resume.

“It’s not her. What about Li Fengping?”

The teenager frowned, suddenly picked up the Coke can next to him and poured it into his mouth, but he didn’t expect that there was no carbonation left. The teenager clenched the can body violently and made a cracking sound.

“There’s no one named Li Fengping.”

“How is that possible? Otherwise, where did Duan Yang get the internal information of Zhourui Pharmaceutical? Duan Yang isn’t a fool. How could he believe someone with an unknown identity?”

Lin Chen suddenly spoke. “This Li Fengping should have sent an email to Duan Yang. Check Duan Yang’s mailbox.”

As Lin Chen spoke, he dialed Duan Yang’s phone.

“Consultant Lin, have you found the person?”

“There is no one named Li Fengping in Zhourui Pharmaceutical. How do you know him?”

On the screen, Duan Yang hesitated for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing, as if he had reached a sudden understanding of everything. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he spoke. “Am I just a fool being played in the palm of someone’s hand?”

“No, to me, you’re just a young doctor with a sincere heart and kind intentions.”

“Kindness that is used by others is foolishness, isn’t it?”

Lin Chen shook his head and said seriously, “You are attributing criminals’ malice to people’s pure kindness. I think this is an incorrect attribution, although many people make this mistake.”

Duan Yang took a deep breath, and his eyes turned red. “You’re always so convincing, Consultant Lin.”

“I’m good at it,” Lin Chen said softly.

Duan Yang said seriously, “It was my former classmate named Shen Lian. She should be working in the medical department of Zhourui Pharmaceutical now, and she also knew about Teacher’s plagiarism incident. She said she felt there was a problem when she was responsible for conducting clinical trials for the new drug, so she introduced me to a friend who could get first-hand information from within Zhourui Pharmaceutical. Actually, that friend may have been her all along, pretending to be someone else.”

Lin Chen glanced at Wang Chao, who quickly typed in a search query and reported several keywords. “Shen Lian, from Hongjing, former associate researcher of the R&D department, former deputy director, and director of the medical department at Zhourui Pharmaceutical… Went abroad in January of the same year and returned to China in September of the same year. Since five years ago, Shen Lian has had multiple records of leaving the country for short-term or long-term stays ranging from three to five months, ostensibly for business trips, but it is very likely that she was secretly sent to Dana by Zhourui Pharmaceutical…”

After Wang Chao finished his report, he looked up at them.

Xing Conglian looked at Duan Yang on the screen who had been listening all along, and finally heard him ask, “Why?”

“We will find out,” Xing Conglian said, nodding at Duan Yang and ending the call.

From the moment Shen Lian’s name appeared, Lin Chen had been silent, listening like an old monk in meditation, as if he had fallen into an inexplicable emotion.

Xing Conglian was keenly aware of the problem and said, “Wang Chao, find Shen Lian’s address and notify the bureau to put out a warrant. Go out now and give me a minute.”

Wang Chao packed up quickly and brushed past him. The sound of the teenager making a phone call came from the hallway.

Xing Conglian walked over and turned off the lights in the ward, then walked back to Lin Chen’s bedside and kissed him hard.

For about the first thirty seconds of the kiss, Lin Chen was in a state of silence, but then he began to respond to him.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Chen asked softly, looking up.

Xing Conglian pulled away from Lin Chen’s lips. The bitter taste of Lin Chen’s mouth lingered on his lips and teeth as he touched his face and looked into his eyes in the darkness. He asked seriously, “What are you thinking about? Your emotions suddenly seemed off.”

“I just suddenly felt that this feeling wasn’t good,” Lin Chen said slowly and seriously. “If Teacher Duan hadn’t died, we might have taken a very long time to notice the problem here and finally locate Shen Lian.”

“Maybe,” Xing Conglian said.

“But now?” Lin Chen asked. “I was thinking about profiling the killer earlier, but I don’t need to do that because I know I can’t make any difference here. The killer will easily be revealed. But we achieved this result through a series of unfortunate events, including the death of Teacher Duan. The cost is too high, really too high.”


<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Access Denied Ch71

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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


Chapter 71: Quarrel

The corridor was wide, and more and more people gathered. Instead of trying to stop them, Shu Jun secretly had someone open the communication devices and broadcast the argument to various rooms. The players knew to make space for them, and their position offered a good view, allowing them to hear the conversation clearly. The broadcast quality was quite good.

There weren’t many people that Yu Jin called for help—just over a hundred at most. On the players’ side, many were watching the commotion, and they overwhelmingly outnumbered Yu Jin’s group.

Hu Yan was also squeezed among the players. When he saw Shu Jun approaching, he struggled to swim through the crowd until he separated from the group.

“What’s going on?” Shu Jun asked him in a low voice.

“I don’t know how it started exactly. But Yu Ge, cough, Yu Jin said that the ‘Crooked Head’ guy has been mouthing off. He’s arguing with Chai Xuyang from Groundwater. They’re worried since they haven’t seen Luo Duan…”

“Get to the point,” Shu Jun said patiently.

“Well, they started arguing, and Chai Xuyang made the first move. Yu Jin has been trying to calm things down, but both sides were getting worked up, and he couldn’t stop them.” Hu Yan’s voice became softer.

“He must apologize today so we don’t have to see these people causing trouble daily. Yu Ge, this matter is something you really can’t intervene in,” the Crooked Head guy said with a cold voice, carrying a gloominess that didn’t match his age.

Yu Jin was caught in the middle, unable to do much. Even his vibrant golden hair appeared somewhat dull.

“Damn it, I should twist your cabbage head off first.” Chai Xuyang’s voice became hoarse. “It’s already good enough that we’re not killing you. You don’t even have a shred of dignity. Who are you showing off to? Who?”

“What? Do I have to kneel down and present something to you? Do I owe you?” The Crooked Head guy sneered, making his deformed upper body appear even more terrifying.

“You hit the nail on the head.” Chai Xuyang’s eyes turned bloodshot with anger, and he clenched his fist tightly. “You people here, all of you know about the player system, right?”

“I fucking know,” the Crooked Head guy replied nonchalantly. “For those who hang around in the settlement all the time, who wouldn’t know? We understand much more than that bunch of idiots in the city.”

The atmosphere among the players became restless, and tension increased. Several impulsive individuals wanted to rush forward, but they were held back by members of the Blackbirds.

Chai Xuyang raised his voice. “You all know very well that you’re stepping on our corpses to live comfortably. And now you dare to claim righteousness? They say ignorance is bliss, but you all clearly knew we existed—”

The Blackbirds who were blocking the way, became less resolute, and the players surged forward a few steps. The young humans on Yu Jin’s side had serious expressions and showed no signs of backing down.

Shu Jun put his hand on Zhu Yanchen’s shoulder, gestured for him not to act, and continued to watch.

Seeing that no one was stopping him, Chai Xuyang poured out his panic-fueled grievances. “You all live peacefully while we are destined to die for you? We’re supposed to be your tools, unable to live past thirty? Ah? Even if you give little respect to us, you shouldn’t have such a nonchalant attitude.”

He paused for a few seconds, seeing the Crooked Head guy staring at him with twisted eyes, not responding. Chai Xuyang believed he had rendered the other side speechless and raised his voice to continue.

“Indeed, you wouldn’t understand—what it feels like to realize you’ve been deceived when death is at your doorstep, what it feels like to have friends and family die without any explanation. To humans, we are nothing more than chickens or ducks waiting to be slaughtered. How dare you people get offended—”

“Wow, you really understand, don’t you?” the Crooked Head guy responded sarcastically. The crowd surged again. Many instinctively wanted to use their abilities, and the air was filled with the restlessness of erosion, but Shu Jun suppressed it.

“Even if I die, I’ll drag a few more down with me. You, who have knowledge, are all worthless!”

“So self-righteous?” The Crooked Head guy laughed. His laughter was terrifying. He extended his deformed legs and stumbled forward. “What? How about we switch places? If you don’t cause trouble for us, you can enjoy good food and drinks until you die, supplied by the stronghold? As for ‘the other side’, we know a little bit too. That place is like a paradise with blue skies, birds chirping, and fragrant flowers. You can have whatever you want there. It’s like heaven on Earth.”

His voice was shrill and unpleasant, but in the midst of the chaos, it carried even farther.

“No sickly parents to take care of, no siblings born with missing noses and eyes, and you get to be healthy—yes, your lives may be short, but am I living any longer? Let me tell you today, my heart, liver, spleen, and lungs are already twisted, and they’ve been soaked in erosion. I won’t live past thirty either.”

The Crooked Head guy twisted his deformed body, growing more confident. “I count the days one by one, feeling uneasy everywhere, working hard every day just to get some food, unable to sleep properly. If it weren’t for Yu Ge being a good person, I probably wouldn’t have survived until today. You’re worried and fearful before you die, but I’ve been worried and fearful since I can remember. So, Mr. Synthetic, are you willing to switch places with me?”

“I wasn’t talking about you as an individual, I—” Chai Xuyang retorted with a strained voice.

The Crooked Head guy let out a string of sharp laughter, followed by a cough. “Why should I reason with you? I have my own problems just trying to survive. Can I even control others?”

“You hate humans; fine, it’s understandable. Let me ask you one thing today—do I deserve to die as a person who knew but didn’t seek justice for you? Do my brothers, who are in the same situation as me, deserve to die?”

He pointed in the direction of the settlement. “Should those children who can’t even wipe their own snot also deserve to die?”

Chai Xuyang was stunned and couldn’t come up with a response for a moment.

“Should they die?” The Crooked Head guy stared closely at Chai Xuyang. “Can’t you say something?”

“Are you implying that not only should we not resist, but we should also be grateful?” After holding back for a while, Chai Xuyang couldn’t come up with a response, so he changed the topic. Although he said that, the hostility on his face had indeed lessened.

The Crooked Head guy laughed even more happily. “Growing up in the settlement, I understand quite a bit about being a bad person. When you can’t make it through, you do whatever it takes to survive, even if it means looking a bit unsightly.”

“Nowadays, resources are scarce everywhere, and legitimate work is hard to find. I’m not a good worker, and I require more medication than the average person. I understand if others want to give up on me. But do I deserve to die? Why should I? Others have their reasons, and I have mine. If I want to live, I’ll give it my all—that’s why I’m supporting you synthetics, hoping that you can make some progress and at least break this deadlock.”

Chai Xuyang pursed his lips tightly and his face tensed up. The radicals behind him gradually came to their senses and stopped struggling.

“So in the end, you shouted at a useless person like me for half a day but couldn’t come up with a solution yourself. Have you considered that when you revealed your heavenly life to the city, many people probably thought that humans had done everything they could and had settled everything from the beginning?”

The Crooked Head guy became more spirited as he spoke.

“Why argue about wiping us out or feeling grateful? To put it plainly, if you can live your life, then live it. If you can’t, raise your voice and let it be known. Everyone wants to live well. It’s that simple. Given the situation, it’s not necessary to focus on someone’s faults and make a fuss about it.”

Shu Jun slowly hooked the corners of his mouth as the signal broadcast continued uninterrupted.

Chai Xuyang was quite angry but realized that he wasn’t entirely justified. After hesitating for a while, he picked up the Crooked Head guy’s crutch that had fallen to the ground.

“…I shouldn’t have acted impulsively earlier. I apologize,” he muttered meekly.

“That’s good. At least you’re still human, not one of those idiots who either prosper under my rule or perish miserably—idiots who just want to kill people as soon as they appear.”

The Crooked Head guy’s mouth still stunk, but it didn’t sound like he intended to continue the argument.

Then the two of them exchanged a few more words, and the tense atmosphere from before had completely disappeared. The players gradually dispersed, many of them wore thoughtful expressions on their faces.

Yu Jin wiped his sweat and felt relieved. He patted the Crooked Head guy’s back and took out a can of meat from his bag, handing it to him. The dinner bell rang, and the corridor completely cleared out, returning to its previous desolate appearance.

Only then did Zhu Yanchen turn his head and ask, “Did you know they wouldn’t escalate the conflict?”

“In Luo Duan’s team, there are no overly impulsive individuals. After spending a long time on the battlefield, everyone knows when to listen to others. Yu Jin also knows how to distinguish between important and trivial matters. He won’t bring people who don’t understand social customs.”

Casually leaning against a supply box, Shu Jun relaxed his posture.

“Moreover, just now, when I saw those two, their gestures and movements showed no killing intent. At worst, they will part ways without hostility. Maybe they can even have a productive conversation—that’s what I thought.”

Marshal Zhu excelled in overall planning, but he mostly dealt with astute individuals and rarely encountered people who were rough around the edges, making it easy for him to overlook details. Seeing Zhu Yanchen’s serious and inquisitive expression, it took him a while to suppress his playful thoughts.

“Whether they part ways or have a productive conversation, it will let the players know the thoughts of some humans. In fact, there’s a saying among unconventional thinkers—we’re not afraid of arguments; we’re afraid of two-eyed creatures who only recognize ‘categories’ and believe only in themselves. In other words, it’s actually a good thing if they can argue normally.”

At this point, A’Yan would surely understand.

Sure enough, Zhu Yanchen nodded. “Those two just now were able to express their own views. They saw the other party as someone they could have an ‘equal exchange’ with.”

Instead of viewing them as the “other race” that should be killed on sight.

“What else?” Shu Jun smiled, squinting his eyes.

Zhu Yanchen didn’t answer, but his black gem-like eyes focused on Shu Jun. Shu Jun enjoyed breaking this sense of calmness and couldn’t resist extending his claw tip to lift Zhu Yanchen’s mask, lightly tapping the other’s soft lower lip. “One more kiss, and I’ll explain further.”

The two squeezed into a dark corner, and Zhu Yanchen pressed Shu Jun against the crate, kissing passionately. Shu Jun allowed Zhu Yanchen to lightly bite his lower lip, squinting his eyes while enjoying the warmth of the other’s body. His claw tip mischievously pricked and teased Zhu Yanchen’s back.

“I know what you want to say.” After the long kiss ended, Zhu Yanchen smoothed out Shu Jun’s tousled hair. “You want the people in the settlement to speak their minds, so you can identify the point of instigation for Zhu Sheng, right?”

To resist the synths, Zhu Sheng would inevitably incite the people in the settlements to take action first. The settlements were already filled with a group of lawless individuals, and if their emotions were truly stirred up, colliding with vengeful synths would only add fuel to the fire.

Today, it seemed that these people truly held grudges against the synths.

Marshal Zhu clearly understood this in his heart but deliberately chose not to mention it. Shu Jun licked his tingling lips and looked at Zhu Yanchen’s curved mouth, starting to suspect that a certain fox surnamed Zhu was doing it on purpose.

“Yes, now that the vaccine has been administered, we can relax for now.” Shu Jun stretched his body as he spoke with a tone filled with amusement. “There shouldn’t be any major conflicts anymore, and Hu Yan can handle it. I can now go out with peace of mind.”

After saying that, his fingers reached Zhu Yanchen’s neck and slowly trailed from the Adam’s apple to the chin. “Stay at home and behave yourself. Don’t wander around. If you can develop a suppression weapon early, I’ll let you kiss me for three hours straight.”

Zhu Yanchen looked at him with amusement and firmly grasped that mischievous hand, speaking sincerely. “…Be careful on your journey.”

Indeed, they didn’t have much leisure time.

The disruption of Luo Duan in Y City could only buy them a little time. The number of exploration teams searching for synthetics was increasing. The situation was tense, and they had to stay ahead of Zhu Sheng.

For example, they needed to arrange the children who were still in the stronghold in advance.

The children weren’t regular players and naturally didn’t participate in the festivities. Most of the time, they stayed on the “other side” and only entered the real world for training purposes.

As soon as the rebellion in Luo Duan occurred, Zhu Yanchen immediately proposed a possible way to handle Zhu Sheng—suspending the <Erosion> practical class on the “other side” and keeping the children inside the hibernation pods.

Zhu Sheng wouldn’t easily destroy them until the attack strategy of the synthetics was confirmed. For the synthetics wandering outside, these children were valuable… or rather, bait.

The current situation was chaotic, and the United Government hadn’t yet found the main force of the synthetics. The defense of these special strongholds wasn’t particularly strong. When they officially clashed, these strongholds would become impenetrable. It was necessary to strike early.

Zhu Yanchen had research tasks to attend to, so Shu Jun decided to lead a small team himself for a swift and decisive assault. He waited for two days until the impact of the conflict had escalated sufficiently, and then he started calling the names.

Upon seeing the members of the small team, Hu Yan almost gasped for breath. “Captain Shu, why didn’t you pick people from the Blackbirds?”

The list had about thirty names, all the most extreme “Luo Duan-style” players, without a relatively calm individual among them.

“I can handle them. You go borrow people. If someone explicitly refuses and can’t be convinced no matter what, put them on the backup list for the next round.”

“Alright…” Hu Yan rubbed his temples. He didn’t quite understand this approach, but looking at it from another perspective, Captain Shu wouldn’t joke about the safety of the children. Although the people on the list had poor moods, they were still capable soldiers—after all, less experienced soldiers rarely experienced life-and-death separations.

Before setting off, Zhu Yanchen prepared almost a dozen emergency tactics, only leaving out the blueprint for the stronghold’s restroom.

Although Shu Jun was mentally prepared, the separation was more difficult than he had anticipated. Zhu Yanchen had to cover his entire face in front of others, so he couldn’t bite the mask. He could only bid farewell honestly. “That’s enough, A’Yan. If you keep preparing, we’ll have to bring a whole cart for our boxed meals.”

Except for Shu Jun, the temporary team had gloomy expressions. Chai Xuyang, who had caused a conflict earlier, was also part of the team, and compared to others, his mood was considered good. This person had a respectable reputation in Groundwater, so Shu Jun decided to make him the temporary team’s vice captain.

The stronghold where the children were located was quite unique. It was situated in the area formed after the merger of two cities and was converted from the old stronghold before the merger. These “nurturing strongholds” had relatively safe geographical locations but were also close to the city.

According to Zhu Yanchen, once the synthetic embryos stabilized, they would rapidly mature to the age of nine. Memories before the age of nine were mostly randomly generated and instilled by the player system. People generally didn’t remember much about their early childhood, so as long as some significant memories and knowledge were instilled, fragmentary memories would suffice.

After the age of nine, the children would enter school for education. During this period, those with poor physical condition or extreme personalities would be screened out, and once the remaining children reached sixteen years old, they could be divided into combat teams. After a year of team evaluations, most synthetics would enter combat teams at the age of seventeen.

As for those who were excluded, they would be used by military schools as teaching squads, allowing young human commanders to “learn from real-world trial and error”.

Under Zhu Yanchen’s coordination, the mortality rate among synthetics had been decreasing in recent years. Marshal Zhu himself disliked the player system, so the cultivation of young synthetics had slowed down. But even so…

“How do we take the children with us? No matter how we think about it, there are thousands of them,” Chai Xuyang asked. “Setting aside those who can become combatants, what about those around ten years old? We have such a small team, we can’t even transport enough protective suits, and we certainly can’t let those kids cross the erosion zone without any protection.”

“Who said we’re taking them with us?” Shu Jun used the wind to push the sled while responding in a cheerful voice.

“If we’re not saving people, then why are we going?” Another person retorted impatiently. “Are we just going there for a stroll?”

“A stroll would be quite nice.” Shu Jun laughed. “Not only are we going for a stroll, but we’re also going to earnestly attempt to kidnap people, although in the end, we’ll have to fail.”

Everyone on the sled stared at Shu Jun; their expressions turning serious.

It’s always amusing to tease his own Grand Marshal. These people simply didn’t understand his words, Shu Jun thought sadly. He sighed, adopting a more serious tone. “We’re already struggling to provide for the adults in terms of supplies, let alone taking care of children. Our energy can’t keep up, and we’re lacking in terms of resources—just providing basic healthcare for children is beyond our capabilities.”

“The reason we’re going to kidnap people boils down to two things.”

Shu Jun cleared his throat and glared at a few people who were eager to argue.

“First, we want Zhu Sheng to know that we intend to kidnap these children, forcing him to bring out the highest level of defense. To cut off our abilities, the only thing they can do is desperately purify the erosion substance, preventing us from utilizing our powers. This way, when we eventually strike against Y City, the children won’t be caught in the crossfire.”

“Secondly, it’s to report our safety to Zhu Sheng’s top leadership. By informing him in advance, we’re indicating that we don’t intend to take the route of mad destruction—to prevent Zhu Sheng from searching for us everywhere and in order to concentrate his forces to protect Y City, he might decide to dispose of the children first.”

If they truly wanted to perish together, they probably wouldn’t rescue those young “burdens” who couldn’t be considered combatants.

Although the players on the sled were radical, they still had some sense. They hated humans, but they wouldn’t hate their young comrades, who were still of a tender age. Once Shu Jun explained their purpose, no one opposed it.

They had accumulated quite a bit of anger and were just waiting for an opportunity to release it.

As if understanding their thoughts, Shu Jun added, “This time, no killing allowed.”

“Why?!” Someone immediately exclaimed. “We can let go of the people in the settlement, but those in the strongholds are all lackeys of the United Government. Why shouldn’t we kill them?”

Shu Jun pinched his brow. “I won’t go into long explanations, but I’ll mention one point. Everyone heard the Crooked Head guy’s words. The civilians in the city don’t really understand the player system. If we engage in mass killings here, we’ll only push them towards Zhu Sheng’s side. If you want to give Zhu Sheng the title of ‘Justice’, then go ahead with the killing.”

There was a collective hum of agreement within the temporary team, and no one continued to oppose.

After being deceived for so many years, these veteran players felt sick to their stomachs. If they were to be falsely accused again, that feeling would increase tenfold. After hearing Shu Jun’s words, they even felt an urge to “tear off the skin of the three major families and let the citizens see the truth with their own eyes”.

Sitting at the front of the sled, Shu Jun turned his face to feel the wind.

Things were going slightly smoother than he had anticipated. He hoped there wouldn’t be any problems on Zhu Yanchen’s side.

However, at critical moments, whatever one feared would come to pass. Just as they quietly crossed the wilderness, Y City fell into chaos once again.


<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Access Denied Ch70

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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


Chapter 70: Conflict

Underground Stronghold, Grand Hall.

This was the largest room underground, utilizing the architectural structure buried deep beneath for over two hundred years. Its structure was stable and spacious, easily accommodating two to three thousand people. The core part of the players consisted of only around a thousand individuals, leaving plenty of space in the Grand Hall.

For those who couldn’t enter the Grand Hall, Shu Jun arranged large rooms with broadcasting screens and simple communication devices. According to the list provided by Zhu Yanchen, Shu Jun had already given a heads-up to most of the high-ranking members of the teams. He had always enjoyed discussing tactics with people and never held back, so the team captains generally had a positive impression of Shu Jun. While they still had some doubts about the situation, they hadn’t caused any major disturbances.

Seeing that their emotions were mostly stable, Shu Jun didn’t rush them to believe immediately. He assured them that there would be unified proof.

“It won’t be chaotic.” Shu Jun responded confidently to Hu Yan’s concerns. “Managing people is my expertise. Lao Hu, you were panicked because you were the only one who knew about ‘that side’, so it’s normal to be afraid.”

As long as they had a group of powerful comrades, even if the problem couldn’t be solved, people would feel somewhat reassured. The team captains were all exceptional soldiers, with strong mental resilience, and they had been thoroughly screened by Zhu Yanchen based on their life experiences. If anything happened, this group of people could handle it.

If Luo Duan wanted to launch a surprise attack, then he would infiltrate layer by layer.

Shu Jun stood in the Grand Hall.

To give the players a sense of familiarity, Shu Jun didn’t hastily find random clothes to disguise himself. He dressed quite formally. Yu Jin had found someone to repair his equipment overnight, and he wore a set of close-fitting mechanical armor. Shu Jun also stuffed ten kilograms of mutant beast meat into Monday’s mouth to ensure it wouldn’t make any noise. With the armor strapped on and the black sword on his back, although he looked different from before, the former captain of the Blackbirds still exuded his charismatic presence.

Shu Jun turned on the screen, and the buzzing conversations in the Grand Hall came to a halt. Most of the players were still waiting for information on this “temporary mission”, and their posture appeared quite relaxed.

Shu Jun let out a breath and clenched his claws around the speech written by Zhu Yanchen. Shu Jun had a straightforward and tough nature, more suitable for the battlefield than for swaying hearts and minds. As someone who had spent many years in high positions, Zhu Yanchen had polished Shu Jun’s speech, turning his directness into sincerity.

Despite not sleeping all night, Shu Jun had memorized it.

His voice reverberated in the Grand Hall, neither sharp nor coarse, incredibly pleasant to listen to. However, as his words poured out, people gradually became uneasy. Even though Zhu Yanchen’s refined speech was gentle and clear, the voices of doubt grew louder one after another.

Those who had lost loved ones remained in a daze, while those accustomed to comfortable lives were the first to react.

“What a mess!”

“Is this a joke? It’s not April Fool’s Day yet. Are the officials doing such activities?”

“I need to log out urgently! What’s going on? Why is the terminal not responding?!”

People instinctively looked at their superiors or team captains, but most of the captains were still focused on Shu Jun. The leaders remained motionless, and the team members couldn’t just walk away in confusion, so they had no choice but to stay in place.

Here it comes. Shu Jun closed his eyes. He had already explained the situation, but to prove it, they couldn’t have all thirty thousand people take Hu Yan’s path.

“Now that all the players are here, we can conduct a survey.”

Shu Jun casually waved his hand at the screen behind him.

“For those who grew up closely with their parents, with the presence of elders by their side, press ○; for those whose parents were busy with work, deceased, or rarely present due to long-term absence, press ×. You have options on your terminals, so choose correctly.”

They had all undergone human selection training, and Shu Jun’s character was already considered deviant. Most players were calm and courteous, so they wouldn’t make random choices in important moments.

People looked at each other and pressed the options one by one.

The real-time count on the big screen kept increasing, and finally, the players completed the registration—

The column marked “○” showed a blood-red number 0.

“This is wrong!” someone shouted with a strained voice. “When I was studying, I had classmates who had a good time with their families. There’s a problem with this survey!”

“Were any of those ‘close classmates’ formally admitted to the teams?” Shu Jun calmly responded. “You can mention one if there was.”

The person fell silent.

“There are indeed many people from schools, but many of them are specially designed NPCs, created to ‘run alongside’ everyone. That’s not unusual. Does anyone else have objections? Those who selected ○ and it didn’t display, those who chose incorrectly, or those who have seen counterexamples, can all voice their protests.”

Gradually, no one in the audience spoke up.

“Second question.” Shu Jun gritted his teeth. “For everyone present, if you have a parent or child relationship with a previous-generation combat player, press ○; if you don’t have such a relationship but have seen classmates like that without similar comrades, press ×.”

The audience fell silent.

The media of “that side” often publicized famous combat players. They would be portrayed as having children in the media, but there had never been news of “the son or daughter of former player xxx becoming the new generation xxx”.

The children of those elite players either settled abroad with their parents or studied <Erosion>-related majors but ultimately chose not to pursue this profession, gradually fading from people’s sight.

The column marked “○” still showed a blood-red number 0.

“Finally,” Shu Jun continued mercilessly, “For those who have maintained close contact with former teammates who left the team for a long time, press ○; for those whose former teammates have traveled far due to various reasons, are no longer around, and contact has gradually diminished, press ×.”

This time, there was a terrifying silence in the audience.

The red number 0 after the “○” was glaring, like blood.

People were accustomed to seeing the world from a self-centered perspective, and their circles of life were ultimately limited. Even if they felt something was wrong, they would generally consider it an isolated case and not think about it further. Even if they noticed it multiple times, they would attribute it to the retinal effect*.

*A visual phenomenon that affects visual search. As retinal eccentricity increases (i.e. the light of the image enters the eye at a larger angle and approaches peripheral vision), the observer is slower and less accurate to detect an item they are searching for.

But the players here were indeed the entire sample.

The great hall remained silent for a long time, and a sob could be heard from somewhere in the corner. This sob seemed like it would ignite the atmosphere—if Shu Jun hadn’t asked everyone to put away their weapons beforehand, there might have been even more intense reactions. Some had already attempted to activate their abilities to destroy something, but unfortunately, under Shu Jun’s “Suppression”, the surrounding erosion remained silent, without any resonant response.

“I understand everyone’s feelings,” Shu Jun said calmly, “but you must know the truth—due to the Reunion Festival, the command center led by Zhu Sheng has decided to destroy us. I can’t lead you to fight with your eyes closed.”

“Most of you here are under 26 years old. Although the lifespan limitation sounds horrifying, we still have time. As long as we achieve peace as soon as possible, the birth of a treatment plan is inevitable. Look at me. I have also been fortunate enough to survive—I will use all my strength to ensure that you survive.”

People were still shocked and dazed, unable to recover for the most part.

“I can assure you, first of all, that in the time to come, you won’t need to fight against the Erosion Swamps or advanced mutant beasts. As for the next phase of resistance, we already have plans and will discuss them with the team captains.”

“If these are not enough to convince you, you can wait for the ‘official’ response. If this is a virtual world, they won’t be troubled by a loss of communication and will surely handle it promptly.”

Believers and non-believers, though all in a daze, felt a sigh of relief at his words.

Seizing the opportunity, Shu Jun continued, “Lastly, let me introduce you to these two—Yu Jin, the leader of the settlement, has helped many teams as an NPC known as ‘One Eye’. And this is Smoke, who has often discussed tactics with me before. The members of the Blackbirds should remember him… They are both humans, but they have long fought for our safety and rights. We are not alone.”

In moments of despair, the most dangerous thing was indiscriminate hatred that saw things in black and white. If not handled properly, this anger could easily turn into racial conflict. Shu Jun didn’t understand things like managing economics, but he had led the team for years and understood a bit about people’s hearts.

He didn’t expect to eliminate the hatred, but he could narrow its scope in advance.

Yu Jin had never seen such a situation before, and after being pushed onto the stage by Shu Jun, he couldn’t even speak coherently. Smoke, experienced and powerful, managed to calm the restless atmosphere considerably. He wore a mask himself, looking like a high-ranking figure from somewhere.

In this way, Shu Jun busied himself for a long time to the point his head became numb with fatigue. Fortunately, the speech ended, and not many people collapsed—captains who were mentally prepared took up the responsibility and started gathering their teams. Acquaintances huddled together, comforting each other, and the situation didn’t descend into chaos.

“These people—Hu Yan should pay special attention to them.” An hour later, Shu Jun was lying horizontally in a liquid tank, muttering to himself. “Does Dr. Ai know how to provide psychological counseling?”

“She only causes psychological problems in normal people,” Zhu Yanchen calmly replied, putting on medical gloves.

Considering that all the patients had been transferred to the underground base, Ai Xiaoxiao had brought all the examination equipment along. With the synthetic humans completely escaping and Y City suffering from the Erosion Storm and was now under martial law, she boldly stayed in the underground base. It wasn’t until today that all the examination equipment was finally adjusted and officially put into use.

Dr. Ai had taken on the task of helping the synthetic humans and studied it more diligently than anyone else. She didn’t even bother to take care of her appearance, running around the medical area disheveled. She practically ate and slept in her own research room, unable to be pulled away by anything.

But compared to Shu Jun, she was more interested in Monday—

“Mr. Shu, you must have a thorough physical examination, and there’s no way to avoid touching you. I’m afraid someone will get jealous,” Dr. Ai threw Shu Jun to Zhu Yanchen and took Monday away. “Anyway, everything is available here. Surname Zhu, you take care of it yourself.”

In front of Zhu Yanchen, Shu Jun felt completely at ease taking off his clothes. There were no outsiders, and they had seen everything they needed to see, so there was nothing new to see.

He lay flat in the liquid tank, looking at Zhu Yanchen, who was wearing a white coat. When they first met, the man’s skin was so pale that it resembled fabric, but now it had a healthy glow, much more pleasing to the eye.

Soaking in the cool and slimy solution, Shu Jun felt a long-lost sense of relaxation. Zhu Yanchen’s movements to take blood samples and tissue samples were very gentle. They chatted aimlessly as they went along, and Shu Jun almost fell asleep.

“Speaking of psychological counseling, Xia Liang is very good at comforting people.” Seeing Shu Jun gradually sinking deeper into the tank with a gurgling sound, Zhu Yanchen took the initiative to speak. His fingertips traced over Shu Jun’s bare chest and then followed his collarbone upward. Shu Jun suddenly woke up.

Indeed, Xia Liang had an endearing appearance, and her outward personality was gentle and harmless. Unfortunately, she wasn’t as carefree as Ai Xiaoxiao and had to stay in Y City for now.

“She’s not here, so someone has to do this job.” Shu Jun frowned. “It’s difficult to bring someone like Luo Duan back to normal, but many people are just temporarily fixated and can still be persuaded.”

“What will you do if you really can’t persuade them?” Zhu Yanchen asked calmly.

He slightly bent over and looked directly into Shu Jun’s eyes.

“I don’t expect to persuade everyone back. For some people, living like this is more painful than death.” Shu Jun sighed repeatedly. “I just want… everyone to have a chance to consider it carefully.”

“I’ve talked to Ai Xiaoxiao.” Zhu Yanchen lowered his voice. “She still has over a dozen empty hibernation pods. Although they can’t synchronize with the ‘other side’ since it’s far from Y City, it’s still possible to maintain the current state using existing data… If someone really wants to collapse, we can let them enter and take a break.”

“You truly are my Chief Strategist.” Shu Jun extended his arm, covered in numerous wires, and hooked Zhu Yanchen’s nape, kissing him on the corner of his mouth. “I’ll go talk to Hu Yan later.”

Zhu Yanchen stiffened from the kiss, and he furrowed his brows in thought for a few seconds before earnestly returning the kiss to Shu Jun’s lips. Marshal Zhu’s actions were careful and cautious, as if afraid of being seen by the goddess of fate.

Shu Jun found Zhu Yanchen’s actions amusing and simply grabbed hold of Zhu Yanchen’s collar, turning the light kiss into a deep one. The pristine white uniform was easily scratched by his sharp claws, leaving a few visible marks.

Zhu Yanchen’s hand stroked Shu Jun’s waist, and the warmth transmitted through the gloves was scorching.

“Hey, surname Zhu, do you have any of Shu Jun’s…Sss.”

Ai Xiaoxiao pushed the door open and then took a sharp breath of cold air. “You two, tsk, you two sure know how to have fun, ah?”

Forget about the goddess of fate; when they kissed, neither of them wanted to let go, not even keeping it a secret from Dr. Ai.

Seeing Ai Xiaoxiao enter, the two immediately separated. Zhu Yanchen straightened his collar, still wearing a serious expression. Ai Xiaoxiao looked him up and down and then let out a loud whistle. “I’m not in the mood to care about your affairs. Shu Jun’s blood sample should be shared with me. I’ve made some discoveries.”

She didn’t close the door tightly, and from the gap, the mournful cry of Monday could be heard, along with a series of gurgling bubbles.

Zhu Yanchen walked to the experiment table, took a small tube of blood, and handed it to Ai Xiaoxiao. Ever since Shu Jun fused 100% with the Erosion Swamp, his blood remained red even when it was outside of his body for a long time.

Ai Xiaoxiao had obviously noticed this as well, and she raised an eyebrow at the test tube. “What are the examination results? If it’s convenient, give me a copy too.”

“The Erosion Swamp has completely fused with his cells.” The pressure of treating synthetic humans was on Ai Xiaoxiao, and Zhu Yanchen didn’t refuse. “Different from the mimetic cells in my body, the Erosion Swamp has modified his healthy cells, truly participating in the internal circulation.”

“…Hmm.” Ai Xiaoxiao glanced at Shu Jun’s examination data and scratched her disheveled long hair. “But based on the data alone, he’s a complete Erosion Swamp, just with a unique form. Zhu Yanchen, you have some interesting taste, don’t you?”

A human and an Erosion Swamp kissing—she had never seen that before. Perhaps that’s the courage of an immune person.

“Thank you,” Zhu Yanchen answered calmly.

“I wasn’t complimenting you.”

“I know.”

“…” Ai Xiaoxiao glanced at Zhu Yanchen’s hand resting on Shu Jun’s back and rolled her eyes. “Forget it, it’s none of my business.”

“Let’s continue.” When Ai Xiaoxiao left, Zhu Yanchen gently pressed Shu Jun’s chest with one hand, guiding him back into the liquid tank.

“Continue the examination or continue kissing?” Shu Jun raised an eyebrow.

“The examination.” Zhu Yanchen wore a serious expression. “Our schedule is full, and we can’t delay any further.”

Then, he took out a small notebook, scribbled and drew for a while, and looked up earnestly. “There’s been too much going on lately, and you must maintain regular and sufficient rest. Excluding sleep time, I can allocate thirty minutes for a serious kiss with you… after the examination. Is that okay?”

Marshal Zhu asked very seriously, yet cautiously.

Shu Jun supported himself on the liquid tank and laughed loudly. “Do we need a special arrangement for that? A’Yan, why do you become so stubborn when it comes to your own matters? Half an hour? Aren’t you afraid of getting tired of kissing?”

“Never tired,” Zhu Yanchen whispered softly.

Shu Jun paused and his eyes gradually softened. “Alright.”

In the following days, Y City continued to recover its internal construction and only sent out a few scouts to the various settlements. The people from the Old Fourth were keeping a close eye on them, blending in with the residents and spreading some true and false information, causing the scouts to wander aimlessly like headless flies.

It was unclear whether they were still digesting the truth, but the players’ emotions remained relatively stable. Shu Jun would go out to hunt some mutant beasts and use “Suppression” to disperse the erosion, making jerky out of them to serve as rations. However, even so, the mouths of thirty thousand people couldn’t be filled, and resources were gradually nearing depletion.

Shu Jun decisively moved on to the next step, having Yu Jin bring down some trusted human confidants to interact with the players. Afterward, these thirty thousand people would have to be relocated in batches. If they attacked and shouted for violence upon seeing humans, it would be like sending themselves as food to Zhu Sheng.

But as they had anticipated, conflicts still erupted.

Yu Jin’s confidants were all naturally deformed young people who couldn’t survive in the city. Most of them were saved by Yu Jin from the brink of death and generally harbored resentment towards the command center, so the likelihood of them betraying them was low.

The Old Fourth engaged in mobile business, but staying for too long would raise suspicions. When the people from the Old Fourth left, these individuals took on the tasks of transporting supplies and repairing the underground base.

However, on the first day the young people entered, the conflict suddenly exploded.

When Shu Jun arrived, both sides were crowded in the wide corridor; one group on each side, with a space in the middle where three people stood.

On the human side stood Yu Jin, who was comforting his subordinates. One of his subordinates was missing a leg, had no neck, and half of his face was buried in his shoulder, making for a rather eerie sight.

Yu Jin was sitting in the middle of the corridor, his crutch thrown far away. It was clearly knocked over by someone on purpose.

Shu Jun recognized the people on the players’ side. On the day he announced the truth, that young man had been sitting alone in the corner with a clear expression of hatred on his face. There were many people gathered behind him; most of them with a satisfied look. Further away, the players watched the commotion with indifference, showing no intention of intervening.

Zhu Yanchen sighed and was about to step forward, but his arm was stopped by Shu Jun.

He furrowed his brows and looked at Shu Jun with confusion.

Shu Jun, without blinking, looked at the three people at the center of the commotion, his lips pursed. “Let them continue arguing.”

With that, he turned his head.

“A’Yan, you can’t intervene in this matter. Let me take a good look at how they argue first.”

“What if the situation worsens…” Yu Jin’s people weren’t military personnel. They only voluntarily followed Yu Jin in their daily lives and didn’t have much sentiment towards the players. Even though Zhu Yanchen knew they disliked the United Government, he still couldn’t rest assured.

“If the situation worsens, we can intervene in time. By then, I, as their leader, will go and apologize, even kneel and make amends if necessary.” Shu Jun stared ahead, his gray-white eyes emitting a faint light in the dimness. “Until then, we need to keep a close eye on it.”

He wanted to see how the first “small-scale war” would erupt.


<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Access Denied Ch69

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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


Chapter 69: Zhu Sheng

Xia Yufeng sat in the car, looking melancholy as he gazed at the street.

Zhu Sheng had granted access to all the research data at the command center, allowing every researcher the opportunity to access the core information. Even the Zhu Rong Memorial Hall, which housed authentic relics of Zhu Rong, had been opened. Zhu Sheng’s decisive actions were as swift as ever.

As the designer of the player system, Zhu Rong’s artifacts were highly valuable. If it were up to him, he wouldn’t have had the courage to issue such an order.

Originally, Xia Yufeng thought that he had nothing to do with this chaos. He knew nothing about the Erosion Swamp, and Zhu Yanchen was the true researcher. However, that surnamed Zhu had ulterior motives and never did his job during critical moments. After being threatened by Zhu Yanchen, Xia Yufeng pondered and came to only one conclusion.

Zhu Yanchen was displeased with Zhu Sheng’s authority and wanted to seize power.

He didn’t even consider the current situation, with the synths turning against them. That person still had the mindset of a human, despite everything. Even if Zhu Yanchen didn’t like the player system, Zhu Sheng had made improvements. Who knew what he wasn’t satisfied with? Xia Yufeng was frustrated but couldn’t voice his grievances.

Because of Marshal Zhu’s caprice, he now had to do troublesome tasks. The car continued to move slowly, heading towards the direction of the Tang family.

Zhu Sheng wanted the Tang family’s private research data.

The Tang family had always supported Yi Ning, so Zhu Sheng was willing to send “Zhu Yanchen” himself to request it, giving face to the Tang family. Xia Yufeng had heard about it. The ancestors of the Zhu and Tang families had a good relationship. Two hundred years had passed, and their relationship had cooled due to power struggles, but they didn’t prohibit interaction between the younger generations.

At least Xia Yufeng had spent time with Zhu Yanchen before. He had heard his family talk about the Zhu family’s affairs. Tang Heyu, the male head of the Tang family, had been a good friend of Zhu Sheng. He had great talent in developing anti-erosion devices.

Later, Xia Yufeng didn’t know why, but Tang Heyu’s behavior became increasingly strange. He lost interest in business and spent his days drunk, breaking off ties with Zhu Sheng and leaving the management to his wife, Tang Mei. This time, Xia Yufeng was going to meet Tang Mei.

“Sure.” Tang Mei had a smiling face and spoke quite straightforwardly.

As a business magnate, the Tang family didn’t have a large house; they hired skilled home designers instead. The interior of the house was grand, with rare and elegant furniture reminiscent of the high-end style before the apocalypse.

Tang Mei wore a string of black pearl necklace around her neck and a custom-made cheongsam. She appeared to be around fifty, with a round and slightly plump face, shiny black hair, and no signs of aging.

“It’s rare for Lao Zhu to send his precious son over.” She observed Xia Yufeng, who was disguised as “Zhu Yanchen”, for a moment. “I knew it. He’s coveting our convoy’s protection technology. The safety of the public is a significant matter, and keeping it hidden would be stingy. Of course, I can hand over the protective patents. Even if you didn’t come, I had intended to do so.”

She casually pinched the handle of the teacup.

“But I can’t give it away for free. We have spent a considerable amount on supporting those researchers. I don’t ask him for money, but if our technology is to be shared, it must be with Yi Ning.”

Xia Yufeng didn’t dare to negotiate, so he maintained a stiff expression, pretending to be nonchalant.

While he didn’t have many other skills, he was quite adept at reading people. Zhu Sheng had no intention of letting him take it back. This was a way to urge the Tang family to quickly hand over their things so that the public could benefit from them sooner.

Tang Mei narrowed her eyes, then smiled again. “That old fox… With the synths disrupting the voting, he took the opportunity to cling to his position. Xiao Zhu, you…”

“Zhu Yanchen is here?” a hoarse voice interrupted, followed by a strong smell of alcohol.

Xia Yufeng wrinkled his nose as he said, “Uncle Tang.”

Tang Heyu had long, white, greasy hair and a scruffy beard on his cheeks. He appeared untidy—unlike Zhu Sheng, whose appearance was dignified, he looked more like an old beggar.

Seeing her husband barging into the reception room, Tang Mei’s expression turned a bit cold. “Heyu, even if you’re meeting with the younger generation, you should at least tidy up a bit.”

“W-What are you doing here?” Tang Heyu’s speech was slurred.

“Zhu Sheng wants our erosion-resistant patents. The cost of military equipment is too high, so he probably wants to distribute them for the use of the citizens.”

“Erosion-resistant… is just… just bullshit!” Tang Heyu stared with bloodshot eyes. “The most… the most valuable thing, I’ve already given it to him. He’s so greedy. Hic! A man’s desires are insatiable…”

He looked dazedly at the air for a moment, then glanced at Xia Yufeng. “Chenchen, I… see your research. You seem like a courageous person, but in the end, you’re still a softy. A crow can’t give birth to a golden phoenix*. Father and son are the same…”

*(乌鸦是不行的生金凤) Idiom referring to someone of low status or inferior ability cannot produce exceptional offspring or achieve greatness beyond their capabilities.

“How unimpressive,” Tang Mei said coldly, giving a piercing glance at the guards in the room. “My husband is drunk. Take him to sober up.”

Xia Yufeng didn’t dare say a word as the elders clashed. He watched as the intoxicated old man flipped him off and received Tang Mei’s apology with a stern face. Xia Yufeng left the Tang family with almost nothing, except for a small basket of fruits given by Tang Mei.

However, he overheard something interesting.

“The most valuable thing, I’ve already given it to him?… Hmm.” Zhu Sheng pondered over the words for a moment, then shifted his gaze, as if reminiscing about something.

Xia Yufeng anxiously waited, but when Zhu Sheng spoke again, it wasn’t about the same topic. “He said that Zhu Yanchen’s research is ‘like of a kind’?”

“He did.” Though Xia Yufeng had heard others say that Zhu Yanchen’s research was only for personal gain and unrelated to any meaningful discoveries.

“Retrieve it and let me see.” Zhu Sheng sighed. “Let me know when there are results.”

“Yes.”

As Xia Yufeng left, Zhu Sheng watched his figure for a moment. Then he adjusted his cane and slowly made his way to the Zhu Rong Memorial Hall.

The Zhu Rong Memorial Hall was meticulously decorated. After the X City disaster, the Zhu family donated Zhu Rong’s personal belongings to create this memorial hall. Zhu Rong’s portrait hung in the center of the hall, depicting a young and slender figure with features that bore some resemblance to Zhu Yanchen.

However, Zhu Rong had no heirs. Zhu Sheng was well aware that it was all a coincidence.

Zhu Sheng didn’t particularly like his second son. When Zhu Yanchen was young, Zhu Sheng only saw him a few times. His son was thin and small, timid in his presence, barely lifting his head, and at most murmuring a few “dad” while looking at the floor.

It was for a synth who Zhu Yanchen first showed his determination.

At that time, Zhu Sheng was at the peak of his career, busy with governmental affairs, and had never cared about his wife’s rehabilitation. During the time when he was accompanying his mother for “that” break, Zhu Yanchen actually went and made friends with a synth.

He didn’t usually see his son exhibit such social skills.

Zhu Sheng’s initial reaction was to kill the synth child. However, he was stopped by the researchers at the time—who pointed out that the child had an extremely high resonance with the erosion substance and was bound to become a top-tier “weapon” in the future.

Synthetic children weren’t very valuable, but good seedlings were precious. Killing him would be a waste, so giving his son a lesson was enough.

“I’ll give you three choices,” he said to the panicked Zhu Yanchen. “First, I kill it—”

The young Zhu Yanchen froze in place, his eyes turning red.

“No!” he shouted, which was rare for him.

“Then kneel down and talk to me properly,” Zhu Sheng said casually.

The young boy looked at him with eyes as if the sky had fallen, and then slowly bent his knees. “Father, I beg you. It’s… It’s all my fault… I didn’t say anything to him… It’s all my fault…”

“Are you angry?” Zhu Sheng grabbed Zhu Yanchen’s arm and lifted him up from the ground. “Are you feeling upset? Do you think I’ve gone too far?”

His usually timid son bit his lip and remained silent.

“This is power.” Zhu Sheng let go of his grip and patted the dirt off Zhu Yanchen’s clothes. “…This is what you weren’t interested in before.”

Zhu Yanchen remained silent.

“If I weren’t in power, your friend would have only one outcome: death. Remember that.”

“I’ll remember.”

“Alright, I won’t kill him. You still have two choices. His body is valuable, so I can choose one that won’t be used and extract his thoughts for you to keep as a pet. Or I can erase his memory of you and let him continue to stay on the other side. Which one do you choose?”

Zhu Yanchen stared at him with his dark and eerie eyes that were unsettling.

“…Let him continue to live,” the young boy answered after a long silence, enunciating each word.

“A good answer.”

At that moment, there was a glimmer of fire in Zhu Yanchen’s eyes. It was the first time Zhu Sheng saw bloodthirst and determination in his own son. This was good, he thought, pleased. The child could be taught.

After that, Zhu Yanchen’s studying and training became even more intense. He absorbed knowledge like a sponge. Zhu Sheng wasn’t surprised—his child was still young, with a simple character and a short-lived temper. When Zhu Yanchen grew up, he would likely abandon those naive ideas and properly inherit his legacy.

But Zhu Yanchen didn’t.

His obsession not only didn’t dissipate over the years but instead grew heavier. The young Zhu Yanchen climbed his way to the position of Marshal with his tactical prowess. Yet, he didn’t let go of his research on the erosion substance, nor did he agree with further improving the player system.

Fortunately, human energy was limited, and Zhu Yanchen expended most of his energy on tactical command. True, he spent a considerable amount of time in the command center doing research, but according to the people in the command center, Marshal Zhu didn’t produce any notable results.

Yet, Zhu Yanchen continued.

This behavior always reminded him of an old friend who had become a wreck.

Zhu Sheng walked to the glass display case in front of the portrait and looked at the journal lying quietly inside. Among the various peculiar research equipment, it didn’t stand out. The notebook was already quite old, fixed open to a page filled with scribbled words and formulas. Zhu Sheng hadn’t dabbled in the relevant field, so he couldn’t understand what was written on it.

Below the notebook, there was a horizontal metal plate with the words “Zhu Rong’s Manuscript” inscribed on it, accompanied by some elaborate explanations. At the very end, there was a small line of text—

[A gift from Tang Heyu and Zhu Sheng.]

Zhu Sheng placed his hand on the glass and his expression gradually darkened.

He had been too soft-hearted. If he had intervened earlier, Zhu Yanchen wouldn’t have continued to be obsessed with erosion substance research, and he wouldn’t have been ambushed on his way to the outpost to collect samples.

…Just like if he had intervened earlier, Tang Heyu wouldn’t have become a wreck either.

Zhu Sheng raised his head and looked at Zhu Rong’s portrait.

“This system of yours really causes a lot of trouble,” the old man said wearily, letting out a long sigh.

He stayed in the spacious and bright room for a while, then turned his back and walked towards the dim door. As the old man left, the lighting gradually dimmed making the small line of text below the portrait seem as if it was written in blood.

[If you’re not afraid of sacrifice, prosperity shall surely follow.]


The author has something to say:

Do you still remember Zhu Rong by the Daming Lake* (…

*It refers to remembering something from the past. This became a popular catchphrase online, spawning from what Ziwei said to the emperor in “Huan Zhu Ge Ge” (“Your Majesty, do you still remember Xia Yuhe by Daming Lake?”). This is referencing how the emperor played around with Xia Yuhe during his southern tour and promised to take her back to the palace, but never did. Xia Yuhe then gave birth to the emperor’s daughter, Xia Ziwei, who then confronted the emperor later by saying this. || In this context, the author is saying to the readers do they still remember Zhu Rong?


<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Access Denied Ch68

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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


Chapter 68: Meeting

The atmosphere inside the underground stronghold was somewhat heavy.

As the players gradually regained their consciousness, the initial excitement faded away, and restlessness began to set in. Hu Yan followed Shu Jun’s instructions to continue delaying time, but this was not a long-term solution. The players had set aside seven days for the festival events, and now there were only two days left. After these two days, everyone had their own arrangements on the “other side” and would be eager to “go home”. If they couldn’t stabilize people’s emotions, the situation could easily spiral out of control.

Hu Yan didn’t have much ambition or power. After following Shu Jun, he hadn’t faced many setbacks either. He did have talent, but he preferred to stay in his comfort zone and rarely extended himself.

Now that he became a team captain, the iron hat was firmly placed on his own head. Hu Yan finally realized how difficult it was to lead a team properly.

Not to mention soothing the emotions of others, he himself was unwilling to accept that “this is a war”. The peaceful life was too intoxicating, and despite his anger, he missed his previous life. At this point, a plate of fresh fruit, a scoop of ice cream, or a bubble bath were all luxuries, only to be experienced in dreams.

If it weren’t for Shu Jun’s insistence on pulling him back to the real world, he would instinctively deny reality. Even if he accepted it, it would be shattered jade for a lifetime; indulging until the end was also an option, and there were many others who chose the latter like him.

Seeing Luo Duan taking action, Hu Yan felt a sense of fear.

Luo Duan could surely guess the mindset of people like him and would take them to the brink of destruction. Fortunately, Shu Jun appeared and gave him a glimmer of hope for a good ending. However, he had no idea how Captain Shu would handle this mess. Shu Jun was only interested in tactics and disliked playing politics. Hu Yan was worried to the point of a headache.

He sighed while eating, sighed while showering, and wished he could sigh even in his dreams.

The breakfast ration consisted of packaged compressed biscuits and a mouthful-sized nutrient solution. Each team leader had someone open the wooden crates and distribute them individually. The water in the ruins was running and was relatively clean, but not hot, so they had to figure out a way to heat it themselves. The corridor lights were dim, and mutated insects occasionally collided with the light bulbs, making a soft clicking sound.

Hu Yan sat melancholically on a wooden crate, nibbling on the biscuit, and reminiscing about the hot milk and pastries on the “other side.”

“Why are you here?” Hearing a voice, Hu Yan looked up. Yu Jin was carrying a cloth bag and casually walking towards the conference room.

“It’s well-ventilated here,” Hu Yan instinctively replied, then realized that Yu Jin was a “human”. However, this person had always been kind to the players, so he couldn’t be angry at him.

“Why are you here?” He couldn’t be bothered to change his tone and casually asked.

Seeing his usual reaction, Yu Jin breathed a sigh of relief and raised the bag in his hand. “Here, canned meat from my private stash. I heard from Dr. Ai that there are a few people here with poor health, and just consuming nutritional supplements isn’t enough.”

“That’s thoughtful of you.” Hu Yan got off the crate.

“Besides, the people from the Old Fourth will be here later, and I have to attend the meeting.” Yu Jin turned, his lone eye scanning around. “Shu Jun, ah, let’s just call him Gray Claw. Gray Claw asked me to come. After all, I’m the head of this settlement.”

“Oh, I see.” Hu Yan still felt awkward and couldn’t find a topic. Yu Jin looked at him for a while. His broad face showed some concern as well.

“The synths have been kind to me, and you’re also reasonable. We have a friendship, yet it’s come to this. When all these thirty thousand people come to their senses, what will happen to the people in the settlement?”

Yu Jin’s gaze darkened a bit, shaking his head.

Yes, Hu Yan thought in his heart. They ultimately represent two different groups. Including the self-interests of the Old Fourth, how could Shu Jun gather this handful of sand together?

Half an hour later.

The meeting room in the underground settlement was well maintained, with good ventilation and no unpleasant odors. The walls were coated with a light-colored layer of material, and the air wasn’t uncomfortably damp. Although the room didn’t have many intimidating devices, it was bright and spacious, creating a comfortable atmosphere.

In the center of the room, there was a long rectangular table with four chairs on each side. Two narrow chairs were placed at the front, and behind them was a portable screen. Currently, the screen only displayed the time, with the rest of it blank.

Hu Yan and Yu Jin entered the room together and awkwardly chose seats at a distance from each other. Five people from the Old Fourth arrived, all wearing strange masks with dice-like dots on them.

Hu Yan took a few extra glances at the masks, which had dots ranging from two to six. Even the colors followed the pattern of a dice, with only four dots being blood-red.

Ignoring the seated Hu Yan and Yu Jin, the five individuals from the Old Fourth took their places at the table, displaying distinct differences in status. The person wearing the mask with two dots had the best position, while the person with six dots sat in a corner.

The room fell into complete silence, and the members of the Old Fourth also appeared distant from one another. Everyone stared at the time, waiting for the meeting to begin.

Finally, Shu Jun walked into the room with someone by his side.

He didn’t wear a mask, exposing his face openly. The individuals wearing masks hesitated for a moment and began whispering among themselves. Hu Yan had known Shu Jun’s identity from the beginning, but his attention was focused on the person next to Shu Jun—someone who had a sturdy and handsome figure, slightly taller than Shu Jun himself, resembling the Mr. “Family Member”.

The Family Member wore a mask with a blood-red dot, giving off an eerie feeling.

The “One Dot” from the dice had finally appeared.

Hu Yan felt a bit dizzy. In <Erosion>, he had always acted together with Shu Jun, but when did the captain get involved with the people from the Old Fourth?

“That’s the captain’s mask.” Two Dots spoke up in a sharp and uncomfortable tone, revealing a young male voice. “Our captain is a woman.”

“I’m just borrowing it,” Smoke responded coldly. “This is the captain’s authorization document. Take a look for yourself.”

As he spoke, he threw a card out. The card flew directly to the front of Two Dots and was signed with a flamboyant “Ai”.

Two Dots nodded with a meaningful expression but didn’t say anything further. He turned his gaze to Shu Jun. “Is this the captain of the Blackbirds? Wasn’t he dead?”

“I faked my death by accident.” Shu Jun wasn’t thrown off by the other party’s tone and changed the topic swiftly. “I called you all here today for one thing—to rely on your assistance when the players calm down, gradually bringing people to other settlements.”

“Captain!” Hu Yan stood up anxiously. “Leaving aside how to stabilize them, we can’t separate!”

Two Dots crossed his arms and looked at Hu Yan with interest.

“We won’t be divided and fall apart. The original squad structure will be maintained, with around two thousand people per settlement.”

Shu Jun clapped his hands.

“There are dozens of settlements around Y City. Finding suitable hiding places won’t be a problem. Settlements have a large population flow, so hiding in the woods is the best approach. Lao Hu, with thirty thousand people gathered together, the consumption of food, water, and daily necessities is not a small number. Given enough time, it will inevitably be discovered. If we’re all gathered together, it will also be easier for Y City to catch us. And when that time comes…”

At this point, Shu Jun glanced at Yu Jin.

“When that time comes, everyone in this settlement will be implicated.”

“But… if someone in the settlement exposes us at that time, won’t we all be finished?” Hu Yan clenched his teeth.

“We’ll discuss that later.” Smoke spoke with an unquestionable tone. “Just in case, I will arrange the fastest retreat route.”

“But…”

“I’m not sending you to fight,” Shu Jun said calmly.

Hu Yan stood frozen in place.

“From now on, everyone’s goal is to concentrate their efforts on self-preservation. Once everyone knows the truth and I ask them to protect humanity, wouldn’t that be like pouring cold water on a hot pan?”

The whispers among the members of the Old Fourth grew louder, but Shu Jun ignored them.

“During this process, everyone should work together with the people in the settlement to live their lives as best as they can. As for Blackbirds and Groundwater, I have other arrangements.”

“Then who will deal with the command center? To put it bluntly, our lifespan is limited. The command center can afford to wait, but we can’t.”

“That’s a secret. Lao Hu, important tactics can’t be exposed prematurely.” Shu Jun winked mischievously. “Rest assured, I have my ways.”

“As for the players’ lifespan… we already have someone working on researching it, and she has achieved some good results,” Smoke continued.

Both individuals exuded a reassuring aura, and while Hu Yan’s heart was still uncertain, he felt a strange calmness.

“What about the settlement?” Yu Jin glanced at Hu Yan and raised his hand. “What benefits can we get? Well, it’s not that I’m asking for anything from you… How should I put it? It’s not likely that the leaders of every settlement have connections with the players. If you want to stay here for the long term, you’ll need some leverage. Even if I convince the people here, I’ll need some good excuses.”

“Protection and resources,” Shu Jun’s expression became serious. “Apart from the policy issues at the command center, settlements struggle to develop due to two main reasons.”

“The residents either have congenital defects or acquired disabilities, resulting in limited labor capacity… Living near the erosion zone accelerates their health deterioration.”

“Whether they live an honest life or scavenge in the erosion zone, they are susceptible to attacks from mutant creatures, leading to casualties.”

Two Dots from the Old Fourth tilted his head slightly, showing some interest. “That’s true. What’s next?”

“We will provide anti-erosion medication. Although it cannot cure serious illnesses at this stage, it will certainly help prevent erosion in daily life. In the future, more effective new equipment will be available, surpassing the effectiveness of purifiers, but only synths can use them.”

Shu Jun had already discussed related topics with Zhu Yanchen. With Sigma and Luo Duan lurking around, they hadn’t been idle during the Reunion Festival.

Zhu Yanchen obtained some data on the “Suppression” ability and had already begun weapon trials. The situation was similar to the medication—they were easily compatible with synths, but further development was needed to make them usable by ordinary humans.

The players themselves possessed “anomalies”, which could be easily transformed into “suppression”. Even if they weren’t powerful, small-scale “suppression” was much more effective than the current purifiers.

This was a valuable bargaining chip.

“As for the attacks from mutant creatures, that’s even easier to deal with.” Shu Jun smiled faintly and tapped the table with his claw. “For us, low-level mutant creatures are no threat at all. Those that can still interact with humans can join exploration teams or border patrols—of course, all of this must come with compensation.”

Medication and suppression could save lives, and hunting mutant creatures could earn money. In the current tense situation, trading these for rewards and a place to stay was quite a profitable deal.

Even if someone in the settlement exposed them, the small team would just retreat. It would be the informant who harmed everyone’s interests and undoubtedly faced a grim outcome.

Yu Jin scratched his head. “I don’t have any objections. It sounds good to me.”

“Let me mention the benefits for the Old Fourth while I’m at it.”

The Old Fourth was purely profit-driven, and Shu Jun didn’t plan to wait for Two Dots to ask. He continued directly.

“You know, a batch of machinery has been sent to the Old Fourth’s merchant caravan recently. You can use it to establish underground bases in various settlements. A few people can hide, while the majority can be used as warehouses, saving a considerable sum. Additionally, with player assistance, the settlements will prosper, and you can benefit from it—after all, you can take the opportunity to sell complementary products for medications and equipment.”

Those machines were bought by Zhu Yanchen himself, so they couldn’t let these people take advantage for free.

“It’s just a small profit.” Two Dots didn’t sound interested. “It’s not worth taking such a big risk.”

As expected.

Shu Jun and Zhu Yanchen exchanged glances, their smiles deepening.

“What if we make the Tang Family disappear?”

This time, not only Two Dots, but Three, Four, Five, and Six Dots also froze in place.

“Embarrassingly enough, I only recently learned about the Old Fourth’s affairs.”

Shu Jun stood up from his chair, walked over to Two Dots, and casually sat on the edge of the table. His black claws slid across the surface, leaving behind faint marks.

“The Tang Family dominates trade and monopolizes various cities. You small fries have a close relationship with the settlements just to get their leftovers. Have you ever thought about what would happen if the Zhu family’s new type of synthetics appeared and started being widely used in various aspects… Do you think you’ll still have a meal to eat?”

“The Tang Family hasn’t bothered with you because the benefits from the settlements are too mediocre. But if they don’t lack manpower, they naturally wouldn’t mind swallowing the mediocrity. When the Tang Family’s tentacles extend to the settlements, the Old Fourth might not exist anymore. Either you’ll be incorporated or forced into bankruptcy.”

Shu Jun leaned down; his gray-white eyes filled with coldness.

“You helped us originally just to protect yourselves. I understand that very well. A little ‘small profit’ is a great addition. But greed is good. I like greedy people.”

After speaking, he glanced, intentionally or unintentionally, at Zhu Yanchen.

“A’Yan is also a senior member of the Old Fourth. He can guarantee—we will ensure that the Tang Family collapses. Is the price enough now?”

“Hearing this…” Two Dots remained silent for a long time before speaking again. “Mr. Shu, are you not only seeking to protect synths, but also planning to overthrow the command center?”

“Yes.” Shu Jun raised a finger and made a quiet gesture near his lips. “I know what you want to ask, but unfortunately, I cannot disclose the details of the upcoming plan.”

“The Old Fourth is not a military force, and we don’t have that much trust between us. This guarantee…” Two Dots took a deep breath, about to raise an objection.

“Greed is best with some limits.” In a corner invisible to Zhu Yanchen, Shu Jun’s pupils contracted as he lowered his voice. “I have many ways to coerce you, but for the sake of someone’s face, I still want to get along with you all.”

Two Dots froze, feeling something cold and moist circling his ankle before vanishing like a ghost. He couldn’t see what it was, but he could guess to some extent.

The Old Fourth received information that among the rebellious synths, there was one—or maybe several—who could manipulate erosion to a certain extent and trigger an Erosion Storm. If this person could…

He immediately swallowed his objections and decided to stop there. “…I have no objections.”

Anyway, even if the synths couldn’t eliminate the Tang Family, they wouldn’t suffer any losses. It was better to stay away from this monster.

Shu Jun nodded in satisfaction.

Seeing Two Dots convinced, the other representatives didn’t oppose any further. After negotiating the details with them for over an hour, the members of the Old Fourth signed the agreement and slowly left.

Apart from Shu Jun and Zhu Yanchen, only Yu Jin and Hu Yan were left in the room.

“Now that the troublesome people are gone, I’ll just say it directly.” Hu Yan glanced at Yu Jin and then turned his head. “Team Captain, can we really overthrow the command center? The resources are concentrated in the cities, and the three major families will do everything to preserve their positions. On our side, it’s either the synths or those who haven’t received much education—”

“Who are you referring to?” Yu Jin stood up, raising his voice.

“Uh, I mean those who may not be suitable as leaders.” Hu Yan changed his wording halfway. “Not to mention the three major families, even the ordinary people in the city won’t accept it. The number of people in the settlements is too small, and without new firewood, the fire won’t burn for long.”

“That’s why I kept the two of you here.” Shu Jun smiled. “Those people from the Old Fourth are too money-oriented, but I can trust the two of you. Come on, A’Yan, take off your mask.”

Shu Jun’s words were full of pride, and it was hard not to notice.

Zhu Yanchen raised the corners of his mouth behind the mask, then smoothly removed the mask.

Yu Jin sat back on his chair, sweat forming on his forehead, and the legs of the chair produced a series of squeaks from friction. Hu Yan’s gaze scanned Zhu Yanchen’s face, from eyebrows to mouth, and from mouth to nose. A stifled scream escaped his throat.

Is there anything scarier than finding out your sister-in-law is a man?

Yes, when your sister-in-law is a member of the Old Fourth.

But is there something even more heartbreaking?

Of course, Hu Yan was witnessing it right now.

Their team captain, at some point, had gotten involved with an important NPC—who happened to be their nominal superior, a marshal from one of the three major families.

…He even called this person “sister-in-law” in front of Zhu Yanchen multiple times. Thinking of Marshal Zhu’s cold and aloof personality, Hu Yan felt a strange sadness welling up in his heart.

“Lao Hu, A’Yan has helped me a lot along the way. To be honest, I can talk to you here mostly thanks to him. With him around, the citizens won’t be instigated by Zhu Sheng to fight to the death,” Shu Jun said.

“He mentioned family and relatives,” Yu Jin stared at Zhu Yanchen, shifting the topic away from tactics. “Isn’t he your boyfriend, right…”

As a born-and-raised human, he was just as shocked as Hu Yan.

“Nonsense!” Hu Yan responded in shock. “Team Captain, that’s just a coverup, right? You’re only trying to hide Marshal Zhu’s identity—”

“He is indeed my boyfriend,” Shu Jun said calmly. “But don’t worry, Lao Hu. I’m not foolish enough to prioritize him over everything else.”

Hu Yan let out a choked cry.

“…You shouldn’t have said that.” Zhu Yanchen sighed, placing his hand on Shu Jun’s shoulder. “I am part of the Zhu family, and this could potentially affect some players’ perception of you.”

“Your identity won’t be revealed to too many people, so the impact isn’t significant. As for Lao Hu… he has followed me for so many years. It’s better than letting him figure it out on his own.”

Hu Yan vigorously shook his head, wishing he didn’t know anything.

“I’m not worried anymore,” Yu Jin said dreamily. “Marshal Zhu has this attitude, and Marshal Yi Ning is good to us. Regardless of who wins in the end, the settlement won’t suffer… Oh no! Wait! Didn’t you give a speech recently about producing new synths—”

“That wasn’t him,” Shu Jun chuckled and shook his head. “It was just an actor arranged by Zhu Sheng.”

“Oh… Oh, I see…”

“So, you want to eliminate Zhu Sheng and have Zhu Yanchen take the leadership position,” Hu Yan muttered, his gaze towards Zhu Yanchen gradually changing. After a moment, he moved closer to Shu Jun and spoke in a low voice.

“Team Captain, are you sure he’s not using you? Once he takes the stage, he could change his stance, and we’ll be left with nothing.”

“You don’t need to trust the ‘Madam’.” Shu Jun couldn’t help but laugh. “Just trust this marshal.”

With that, he stopped teasing and said, “Or rather, do you think I would prioritize personal matters over your lives?”

Hu Yan was momentarily stunned, and his breath relaxed slightly. “Team Captain…”

“It’s alright. You never needed to understand me in the first place. If you don’t believe it, you can still take people and run away later.”

“…I believe you.”

“Thanks.” Shu Jun smiled and patted the back of Hu Yan’s head. “To be honest, it’s good that you have a questioning mind. If you accepted everything without hesitation, I would be worried instead.”

“Now it’s time to meet my little team leaders. Let’s go, Madam, ah, A’Yan—”

Zhu Yanchen: “…”

Y City, Command Center.

Zhu Sheng stood silently on the research floor while researchers ran around him, sweating profusely, resembling a school of fish swimming through glaciers. Finally, someone walked up to Zhu Sheng with small steps, panting heavily.

“Zhu Lao, there is still no news from the settlement. The 30,000 people haven’t been found. And… the previous black-robed figures have also disappeared…”

“How are the restoration projects in the city going?” The old man’s voice was steady, devoid of any panic.

“Still… progressing smoothly.”

“Not bad.”

“However, there are no results yet regarding the research on synths and the Erosion Marsh.” The person wiped away their sweat. “I remember that Marshal Zhu was involved in related matters before. Should we reach out to him…?”

“No need.”

There was no need to reach out. His true son had long since passed away, turning into a set of white bones in the erosion zone.

“Open up full access to the database, including the Zhu Rong Memorial Hall, and let everyone search for information while strengthening security.” Zhu Sheng placed his hands on the top of his cane. “That’s it. Those who haven’t finished their tasks should continue.”

The tip of the cane tapped against the ceramic floor, making a faint sound. After walking a short distance, Zhu Sheng halted his steps.

“In addition, pass on my instructions. Continue exploring the settlements and keep an eye on them,” he whispered softly. “The synths aren’t foolish. With a team of 30,000 people, they will either be taken to desolate lands with no way back or find a place to hide.”

He looked towards the flickering fluorescent lights, then slowly closed his eyes, as if the lights were blinding his vision.

“Compared to the number of people, the true calamity lies in the one who can control and manipulate those 30,000 people.”


The author has something to say:

Indeed, he is a great calamity, and moreover, he is your son-in-law.


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Criminal Psychology Ch216

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

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


Chapter 216

There was a time difference between China and Dana. When the video call connected, Lin Chen was startled for a moment when he saw the blinding sun shining all over the sky.

Then, Duan Yang’s face appeared, with a very short crew cut and skin that had tanned charcoal black in just a few days, and his eyes were even brighter and more determined.

After seeing him, Duan Yang’s first words were, “Consultant Lin, you don’t seem to have been taking your medicine and resting properly.”

At that time, Lin Chen had already finished his X-rays and was lying on a hospital bed. During that time, he had also been scolded by the attending doctor for a suspected lung infection. So now, he confidently moved the camera to the IV bag and his striped patient gown and said to Duan Yang, “I’ve been in a semi-quarantine state and have been very obedient.”

Xing Conglian’s voice interjected, “He’s been obedient for the past five minutes.”

Duan Yang’s gaze became stern. “Consultant Lin, I believe you’ve been through a near-death experience, so you should recognize the importance of good health…”

Lin Chen came to his senses and interrupted Duan Yang. “Hold on, I have something to tell you.”

“Have you found the problem with Zhourui Pharmaceutical?” Duan Yang asked.

Lin Chen shook his head and looked at the young man, who was now very different from before. He didn’t know if what was coming next would push him into another abyss, but he still spoke up. “No, but it’s still related to Zhourui Pharmaceutical and your teacher.”

Duan Yang narrowed his eyes. “Something happened?”

Lin Chen didn’t answer his question but said, “Before that, I have a question for you.”

“Related to my teacher?” Duan Yang insisted on not following his line of thought.

Lin Chen sighed, remembering the young doctor who used to stutter in front of him over half a month ago. Xing Conglian squeezed his hand, as if to say that if he found it difficult to speak, he could do it for him. Lin Chen held Xing Conglian’s hand and looked at Duan Yang’s dark face on the screen, asking, “Have you told anyone else about the news of Teacher Duan’s death in Dana?”

When he heard this, there was no obvious grief in Duan Yang’s expression. He looked calm and replied in an overly calm tone, “No, we arrived at this estate the day before yesterday, and we’ve been cleaning and making arrangements these past two days. We haven’t had any contact with anyone other than you guys.”

After Duan Yang finished speaking, he just looked at Lin Chen, as if waiting for what he would say next.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

“You wouldn’t have gone through such a long introduction before telling me if it were good news,” Duan Yang said.

“Tan Kang is dead,” Lin Chen said directly.

For a moment, Duan Yang didn’t speak. The background consisted only of the sound of the wind and the laughter and running of children, rising and falling.

After about 30 seconds of silence, Duan Yang finally spoke. “How did Tan Kang die?”

“Stabbed to death at Hongjing Amusement Park. Died with a single blow,” Lin Chen answered.

“Such an unsophisticated technique?” Duan Yang asked. “Did Zhourui Pharmaceutical silence him in public? Why?”

“No.” Lin Chen pursed his lips and chose to get straight to the point. “All evidence now points to someone else—your teacher, Mr. Duan Wanshan.”

Duan Yang’s calm face shattered quickly. In that moment, his face showed joy, doubt, pain, and confusion. But in the end, when Duan Yang’s excited emotions subsided, all of this was hit by the reality of grief, leaving nothing but debris.

“How could this be?” Duan Yang asked. “It’s not like it’s some cliché of twins or clones, is it?”

“Mr. Duan Wanshan’s DNA was found on the murder weapon, and his fingerprints were also found on items related to Tan Kang’s relics,” Lin Chen said.

As he spoke, Lin Chen’s gaze never left Duan Yang’s face from the beginning. Even now, after finishing this sentence, he was still staring at Duan Yang’s face, wondering how Duan Yang would respond and how he should respond in turn.

But Duan Yang blushed, and only a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth as he looked at him seriously and said slowly, “If it’s true, that would be great.”

If it’s true, if it’s Teacher…

It would be great if Teacher was still alive…

When Lin Chen heard Duan Yang say those words in a calm voice, he didn’t know why, but he couldn’t control his emotions for a moment, and his eyes felt sour.

“Consultant Lin, don’t be sad.” Suddenly their positions switched, and Duan Yang comforted him. “Everyone has to die. It’s good to understand that. Before my teacher died, he had no regrets or remorse. We don’t need to have regrets either. In his lifetime, he lived a life that was much more meaningful than most people.”

“Just ten days ago, you weren’t like this,” Lin Chen said. “Growing up so fast can be annoying sometimes.”

Lin Chen saw the children running barefoot behind Duan Yang. In the camera, he could vaguely see Zhang Long and Comrade Zhao Hu standing like bodyguards in the back, watching over the children. In the distance, there was a monkey bread tree and a messy field of grass, and of course, there was the pleasant plantation beyond the grass. The surviving more than 500 people from the Gaomeng Tribe should be living there. Looking at the scenery there, he suddenly felt that there were also things in the uncivilized society that people longed for. At least, good and evil, life and death, were very pure. Killing was also done with real knives and guns, without so much intrigue and exhaustion.

Duan Yang laughed. “Let’s continue with the case. How did my teacher’s DNA end up on the murder weapon that killed Tan Kang?”

“Through special techniques of forgery.” Lin Chen paused and added, “I think.”

“Then the person who could get my teacher’s DNA should have had contact with him before or had a very close relationship with him?” Duan Yang paused and asked him, “Can I make such an inference?”

“Your reasoning process was a bit fast, but basically without problems.”

“Teacher had no children in his lifetime. The most likely people who could obtain his DNA were his students and colleagues around him. Moreover, we, these people, have the skills to forge a sample of Teacher’s DNA,” Duan Yang said quickly and clearly. When he said this, he suddenly realized something, stopped, and asked them, “But why did the killer need to forge Teacher’s DNA sample on the murder weapon and falsely accuse him with such great effort?”

Lin Chen was about to speak but was interrupted by Duan Yang.

“So that’s why you asked me whether anyone else besides us and the Gaomeng knew about Teacher’s death because you had to confirm the real motive of the person who forged Teacher’s DNA sample. If no one else besides us knew about Teacher’s death, it means that the killer’s purpose was clear. He did it just to shift the blame for the murderer to Teacher,” Duan Yang said.

“We also have this suspicion now,” Lin Chen said.

“But why? Why did he do this?” Duan Yang frowned, as if thinking could make him feel better. “Teacher was in Dana, and the killer couldn’t possibly not know. Even if falsely accused, the Chinese police couldn’t possibly arrest Teacher across the border. This kind of false accusation is a meaningless move.”

“You make sense. So there are two possibilities. First, the other party knows that Teacher Duan is in Dana and can’t return home. He may not be contacted for a good two or three months, making him a perfect candidate to be a scapegoat. Second, the other party doesn’t care whether this matter can ultimately lead to Teacher Duan’s conviction. He only wants the process.”

“Why is Teacher a perfect candidate to be a scapegoat? There must be a motive for killing. Are the police so foolish as to believe this unfounded slander?”

“Because your teacher’s research results were plagiarized by Tan Kang,” Lin Chen answered word by word. “The other party is very likely to have used his research results to obtain huge profits.”

Duan Yang fell silent again.

“Duan Yang…” Lin Chen spoke softly.

“So that’s it,” Duan Yang said with a calm expression but with a brief moment of disappointment. “I thought I could get closer to Teacher through this matter and do something for him. It turns out that I’m still helping the killer make up a motive for murder…” But Duan Yang quickly pulled himself out of this emotion, or rather, he tried to make himself think logically instead of getting carried away. “So, now it seems that the person who spread the news of Tan Kang’s plagiarism is very suspicious?”

Lin Chen lowered his eyes and said to Duan Yang, “Wang Chao has just confirmed through keyword searches that the IP of the primary disseminator of the news about the plagiarism is at the Guai Guai Pet Shop. In other words, that person is you.”

Duan Yang suddenly looked up. “Only me? The other party is using me? Why?” Duan Yang spoke quickly. “Isn’t it ridiculous? When the police investigate the clues, they will find me. Won’t that person be exposed quickly?”

Earlier, Lin Chen had already pondered over this question, so now he could quickly and cruelly answer Duan Yang. “Have you ever thought that if you were kidnapped, it wouldn’t be just a coincidence, but someone deliberately planned it?” Lin Chen asked him. “That person used armed groups in the Dana Region to carry out cross-border kidnappings. That person knows very well that you will die in Dana.”

Duan Yang was stunned for a moment, then grinned with his mouth wide open. His lips were lifted high, but there was no trace of laughter in his eyes. Instead, they were icy cold to the extreme. “So, it’s the one who should have died but didn’t, and the one who should have lived who died?” he asked.

“You shouldn’t think that way,” Lin Chen interrupted him.

“Then how should I think?” Duan Yang asked back.

“It’s fate,” Lin Chen said very cruelly.

“That’s superstition…” Duan Yang laughed. “Consultant Lin, you don’t seem like someone who believes in fate.”

“I do, really.” Lin Chen looked at Duan Yang and said, “I believe in fate, but I don’t believe in justice prevailing. God is never kind, and everything about good and evil eventually has a reckoning. It’s just deceiving the minds of children to think otherwise. I only believe in those who are still trying to practice justice and righteousness.”

“I understand.” Duan Yang calmed down.

Lin Chen nodded. “So, the second thing I want to ask you to confirm today is to tell me the name of the person who informed you that Tan Kang was suspected of academic plagiarism. This includes the high-level executives of Zhourui Pharmaceutical who leaked the information to you, as well as the senior sister who informed you of the plagiarism incident at the time. At the same time, I also need you to provide a list of the specific names of people who have studied under Teacher Duan in Dana in recent years. Among these people, there is a very high possibility that they can obtain Teacher Duan’s DNA, and those who know that you have a crush on Teacher Duan are the most suspicious.”

“I will find out as soon as possible and send it to you by email,” Duan Yang said.

“Okay, then that’s it. I’ll contact you if there’s anything else,” Lin Chen said as he was about to close the communication.

“Consultant Lin.”

Before the call was about to end, Duan Yang suddenly stopped him.

Lin Chen looked up. “Please speak.”

“Everything you told me today means that even after Teacher’s death, there are still people using his genes for evil and even trying to blame him for everything. I can’t accept it,” Duan Yang said.

“I can’t accept it either,” Lin Chen said.

“I never understood the feelings of victims’ families before, but now I suddenly have a strange understanding.” Duan Yang looked at him. “Although Teacher has passed away; although it seems meaningless to find the real murderer who killed Tan Kang for the teacher, I still ask you to bring that person to justice.”

The young man stood up, took a step back. “Because I really loved him. So even if he died, I don’t want him to suffer any unjust treatment.”

This was what Duan Yang said, and the scene ended with the figure of him deeply bowing to Lin Chen.


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