Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 240: Revenge

[Now that Yin Ren and the others are fighting against Love, Shen Mo won’t retreat on his own.] With the assistance of Dr. Cat, Jiao Lian’s communication entered everyone’s minds. [Delaying time and protecting the people is the priority.]

[I know. This guy is originally a coward who fears death.]

Meng Huai caused another explosion, forcing Shen Mo to teleport again.

The use of the Charon’s teleportation required a significant amount of power and a great deal of physical stamina for attacking and defending against the Meng and Zhong duo. Surprisingly, Shen Mo, with the help of his Charon ability, was able to hold his ground against the two of them. The surrounding Elementals scattered in disarray, with some larger Elementals openly preying on smaller ones. Blood splattered, creating a chaotic scene.

Fortunately, the survivors on the white net were completely cleared out and sent to Fu Tianyi’s imagined stronghold. Shen Mo still clung on without letting go, evidently taking advantage of the absence of the stronger high-level Elementals, determined to gain some benefits.

If they had the upper hand, Shen Mo could temporarily escape and bide his time; if they had the lower hand and weren’t careful, they could lose their lives here.

[Xiao Jiao, your Charon ability is quite troublesome.] Meng Huai said. [This won’t work if it continues.]

[Wait until Yin Ren and the others are more secure.] Jiao Lian calmly reiterated.

[Time is difficult to control. If one of us, either me or Chengfeng, goes down, the other definitely won’t be able to hold on. Even if that kid Fu Tianyi guards the secret, Shen Mo can still find the survivors by interrogating the “Lonelies”.] Meng Huai said. [The risk is too great; we must quickly resolve it… How many more times can he use his current strength to teleport?]

[According to the data model provided by Minister Jiao, around seventeen times. However, the past is too long ago, and there’s insufficient data, so there will definitely be errors.] Dr. Cat interrupted.

Jiao Lian: [The data isn’t accurate. It can only serve as a reference. With Shen Mo’s personality, he won’t push himself to the limit. Once he doesn’t have enough teleportation left, he will retreat.]

[Tsk.] Meng Huai clicked her tongue heavily.

Not far away, Fu Tianyi’s red attire emerged from the group of Elementals. Shen Mo instantly teleported, extending his hand towards Fu Tianyi’s chest. Zhong Chengfeng’s bullets poured down, causing Shen Mo to hastily retreat several steps. He evidently had reservations about his own stamina and only used teleportation when necessary.

Doesn’t he have any weaknesses?

To transfer a large number of survivors, it would undoubtedly require reception in the human world and a relatively long transportation time. In this process, if even one survivor was snatched away, it would bring endless troubles. Simply delaying time and pushing the troublesome matters onto the “stronger individuals” as a matter of course, Meng Huai’s chest felt a bit uncomfortable.

In the past thirty years, her thoughts had never been so active.

Though Shen Mo had some issues with his head, he was cautious and cunning, employing vicious methods… But people always have weaknesses, and he definitely has weaknesses on the battlefield…

[Don’t force yourself.] Jiao Lian’s voice sounded in Meng Huai’s ear. [Pay attention to stamina consumption. You and Chengfeng must maintain your distance…]

[I have an idea.] Meng Huai said.

[What is it?]

[Fu Tianyi, retreat to the operational stronghold!] Meng Huai didn’t answer and instead directed her thoughts to Fu Tianyi. [Chengfeng and I will join you shortly!]

As a backup in the operation, Fu Tianyi quickly took action. With a flick of the black and white fragmented flesh, he disappeared into the air.

[Chengfeng, you’re next. I’ll cover you.]

[Okay.] Zhong Chengfeng didn’t waste any words.

In the next instant, Zhong Chengfeng also disappeared.

With the sudden disappearance of the two enemies, Shen Mo quickly became vigilant—was Shian giving up on capturing him and prioritizing self-preservation?

…How naive.

Seeing Meng Huai also using Elemental flesh, Shen Mo gathered his strength and teleported behind her. Just as her spell took effect, he suddenly hugged Meng Huai.

At the same time, Shen Mo prepared for the next teleportation. If it turned out to be a trap, he would escape immediately.

Colors distorted and shadows flew. Shen Mo was faced with multiple layers of darkness and an extremely strong Evil Force.

However, apart from Meng Huai herself, he didn’t sense any surveillance or hostility in the surroundings. There were a few people not far away, and they didn’t deliberately suppress their aura, giving off a very relaxed feeling.

It really was Shian’s imagined stronghold.

As his thoughts raced, Shen Mo hesitated for a moment.

However, at that moment, Meng Huai spun around—she broke free from Shen Mo’s restraint, twisted her body, and jumped. Her legs directly locked around Shen Mo’s waist from behind. Meng Huai grabbed Shen Mo’s neck with one hand and held a small Elemental’s corpse hanging nearby with the other.

The position they were in happened to be Shian’s “Other Side arsenal”.

Blinding white light suddenly erupted, releasing a powerful aura of magic.

Sensing the danger, Shen Mo activated his teleportation.

‘Too naive,’ he thought. Holding onto her was useless; as long as he didn’t want to, Meng Huai could only fall foolishly back to the original spot. However, he had memorized the location of Shian’s stronghold…

…Wait.

His body felt heavy.

Shen Mo lowered his head and was horrified.

The white light magic from earlier wasn’t a magic attack at all—Meng Huai’s entire left lower leg had fused with his abdomen, completely sticking them together.

Meng Huai was now a part of him.

And this part showed no mercy. Meng Huai held a handful of Elemental flesh and blood, directly covering Shen Mo’s temple—

“Boom!”

Shen Mo instantly teleported, sending the explosion to another space. If not for that, his head would have been blown off.

Lunatic.

At such close range, if he didn’t move, Meng Huai behind him would undoubtedly die as well. But Meng Huai didn’t hesitate in the slightest. Before Shen Mo could say anything, Elemental flesh and blood were once again pressed against the back of his neck.

Boom—!!

Teleport, teleport, teleport again. Meng Huai continuously triggered explosions, not giving Shen Mo any chance to attack.

This woman was truly insane.

She had no idea how many more teleportations he had left. If she made the wrong judgment, both of them would explode and die here. Shen Mo couldn’t understand at all—why risk their lives like this? They should have waited for Yin Ren to come and clean up the mess.

She clearly had countless opportunities for follow-ups and could make so many plans!

Boom! Boom!! Boom!!!

With each explosion forcefully thrown behind him, Shen Mo desperately dug at the leg fused into his abdomen. However, after a few harsh attacks, besides the excruciating pain, he could see his own internal organs. Faced with the dripping blood and slippery innards, Shen Mo gave up on further self-harm.

Damn it!

He was like a person on fire, constantly teleporting to various dangerous places, hoping to shake off the crazed woman behind him. However, this woman only knew how to do one thing—casting spells and causing explosions.

The Other Side, the Interstitial Space, the Mortal Realm, and then back to the Other Side.

He had tried the most distorted places on the Other Side and the most bustling neighborhoods in the Mortal Realm. Once he arrived in the Mortal Realm, this woman would always use a spell to sever the nearest dead thing and aim for his carotid artery. Helplessly, Shen Mo had to return to the Other Side and let that lethal inanimate object vanish into thin air.

The Other Side was still better. Even if his neck was pierced, he wouldn’t die immediately.

Shen Mo initially thought that this high-intensity teleportation would make Meng Huai, who rarely appeared in the Mortal Realm, hesitate or weaken. Who knew that amidst the thunderous explosions, she even let out a series of laughter, as if mocking him.

With this humanoid burden, the number of times Shen Mo could teleport was directly halved. What was even more fatal was that he couldn’t think calmly while being chased by the God of Death.

Could he shake off this woman the next time? And the time after that? And the time after that?

The spells cut through Meng Huai’s shoulder and pierced through her thigh, but she held onto him like a drowning person clutching onto a piece of driftwood; her fingers almost digging into Shen Mo’s flesh.

His strength gradually faded, and finally, Shen Mo only had two chances left.

This couldn’t go on. He would end up like Jiao Lian, trapped in an unknown corner. He absolutely didn’t want such an ending.

…Right, he had experienced a desperate situation when facing Shian.

He had also practiced methods to deal with these people.

After another explosion, Shen Mo immediately teleported back to the initial location—the small cold storage filled with Elemental corpses.

At this moment, Meng Huai was bleeding profusely; her body had almost twisted into a mass of shredded flesh. Shen Mo was also gasping for breath, in an unusually disheveled state.

The cold storage remained empty as usual, but the presence of the Shian team could be felt next door.

“Explode?” Shen Mo grabbed a nearby piece of Elemental flesh with one hand and spoke in a weak voice. “If you have the ability, explode everything, including those next door… Let me see… Five people buried together. I won’t be at a loss. The more, the merrier.”

“We either die together,” his voice became increasingly mocking, “or you shut up and don’t make a sound… Quickly pull out your leg…”

Amidst the blood, Meng Huai’s gaze slowly shifted, looking at Shen Mo’s hand gripping the Elemental flesh. That hand was trembling, and it was difficult to tell if it was due to nervousness or spasms. A strong aura accumulated within it, ready to burst forth.

This guy was truly getting ruthless.

Jiao Lian and her colleagues, Zhong Chengfeng, Fu Tianyi, and even Dr. Cat, were all next door, perhaps still waiting for her.

She lowered her eyes expressionlessly. “…I understand. I’ll pull it out.”

“You’re only allowed to use the severing spell, and I’ll be watching your every move. If you make any other actions, I’ll immediately detonate this place,” Shen Mo said hoarsely.

“Mm.” Meng Huai didn’t waste any more words. She extended her bloody right arm, gradually forming the severing spell. A dark blue light blade appeared in front of her right hand, touching the edge of the leg.

In the next instant, Shen Mo initiated the teleportation.

He couldn’t give that woman any chance to attack him. He was mentally prepared—if he just shifted his body slightly, he could intercept and sever Meng Huai’s leg at the knee. With the burden of an extra leg, his teleportation wouldn’t go wrong.

Stupid woman.

Whether it was Jiao Lian over twenty years ago or Meng Huai now, kind-hearted people always fall for this trick.

He succeeded, and as long as he recovered his strength in Sunken Society, he could… he could…

Shen Mo’s thoughts suddenly stagnated for a second.

In front of him, there was only unfamiliar darkness and chaos. He should have teleported to the vicinity of the passage in Sunken Society.

A jumble of miscellaneous items formed a pile, constantly wriggling on the tunnel wall. The scene here was disorderly, as if it were the most chaotic place in the interstitial space. The ecstatic feeling of surviving against all odds crashed down heavily, leaving behind an unbelievable mess.

What’s going on…

Shen Mo lowered his head and looked at his abdomen.

What the woman left behind wasn’t just a piece of a leg. His abdomen was connected to the entire left leg, and the leg still had a layer of flesh hanging on it. At the end of the flesh, it carried the entire left arm and part of the left shoulder. Like this, the complete arm and leg were intertwined with soft flesh, heavily coiled in his abdomen. Fresh blood flowed, dyeing Shen Mo’s body half-red.

Meng Huai directly cut off almost half of her own body and very accurately avoided vital organs.

He completely miscalculated the weight on his body.

The teleportation failed.

Shen Mo lifted his blood-stained hand, touching the limb still warm with body heat. After leaving the torso, they gradually turned into cold, lifeless objects.

Why? How could this happen?

He could only think of one explanation—Meng Huai knew early on that he had nowhere to go and would return to the Shian base. She knew what kind of threat she would face and even knew that she needed to strike instantly and with careful consideration.

From the retreat of the Shian team to Meng Huai sacrificing almost half of her body. From the beginning, everything was planned.

But that couldn’t be. When Meng Huai was in the Mortal Realm, they had little interaction. Before he betrayed them, Meng Huai had already disappeared, and he couldn’t access detailed records.

How could Meng Huai understand him as a “Charon” like this?

Speaking of which, who was the rear commander in this battle?

Shen Mo raised his head, looking at the boundless chaos. Exhausted to the extreme, the surrounding miscellaneous items began to slowly merge into his body. He struggled to push those items away, but it was like wading into a swamp—no matter how hard he tried, the items would keep coming.

Tattered leather jackets, a leaking bag, cracked belts… Shen Mo knew that the more frantic his emotions became, the faster the chaos invaded. But the faster the chaos invaded, the more frantic he became.

After all, no one could deceive their true feelings.

It shouldn’t be like this. It shouldn’t be like this.

It wasn’t the end for him yet. He had to escape from here as soon as possible; he still had many things to do. Even that mortal, Wei Huaqian, was still running around in the Mortal Realm. How could he perish here…

Regret, fear, and madness intertwined as the miscellaneous items wriggled even faster.

They infiltrated his wounds, climbed up his body along Meng Huai’s flesh, and covered his senses. Amidst the silent compression, blood vessels clung to worn-out leather jackets, strands of hair crawled over the cracked bag, and bones and belts were inseparable. Shen Mo’s features flowed along the worn-out leather, gradually becoming uneven in size. In just over ten minutes, he lost his human form.

In the boundless silence, amidst the surging miscellaneous items, there was only a pile of leather goods with facial features, all tinged with a reddish hue.

It shouldn’t be… like this…

At the end, Shen Mo couldn’t figure out why all of this had happened. Fortunately, he would have nearly infinite time to contemplate.

Shian’s base on the Other Side, the weapons arsenal.

Meng Huai mustered up her last bit of strength and grabbed hold of a nearby Elemental flesh. The healing magic glowed as if it cost nothing, and she frantically smashed it onto her body. After struggling for a while, she finally managed to stop the bleeding.

“Haha, serves him right.”

Having barely controlled her injuries, she collapsed into her own pool of blood. The cold storage room was still the same one she had seen for nearly thirty years, with countless shadows of small Elementals swaying before her.

Taking a deep breath after catching her breath, Meng Huai exclaimed, “Help, everyone—!!!”

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The author has something to say:

You didn’t expect this, a battle of humans against humans—

Otherwise, Xiao Yin would be too busy! (…

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 239: The Best Accomplices

In the boundless red light, there came the sound of space twisting and shattering behind Ge Tingting.

“I heard it.”

A voice answered Ge Tingting.

Unlike Yin Ren from the past, in that joy, there was also a hint of sadness and melancholy. It seemed like a response to Ge Tingting, as well as a response to the spirits of this land from a thousand years ago, as if traversing through time and space.

From the gap in space, countless wings surged out. Black wings enveloped Ge Tingting, Huang Jin, and Fu Xingchuan. Darkness completely wrapped around them as the healing magic swept over the three of them. Yellow Millet crawled out of Ge Tingting’s pocket and excitedly rubbed against them.

At the same time, the red light suddenly converged, transforming into numerous chains of light and instantly imprisoning Love in place.

Considering it was Sun Qi’an’s body, Zhong Chengshuo didn’t use excessive force.

Seizing the opportunity with severe injuries, Xiang Jiang and Xiang Hai disregarded everything and burrowed into the endless debris underground. 

In such a critical situation, they dared not divert their attention and could only focus all their energy on Love.

Yin Ren also bent down, gazing at Love within the red chains. Currently, most of its original essence was missing. It couldn’t summon the white space, and its usable magic was limited. However, it was still capable of taking Sun Qi’an’s body down with it. Love was adept at scheming and wasn’t an object to let one’s guard down against.

Within the chains, Love merely stood there.

At the end of the road, Love neither resisted nor pleaded. It simply stood quietly in its place, with a hint of surprise in its eyes, as if witnessing a child’s mischief.

Facing the endless red chains and swirling red veils, it tilted its head slightly.

“Go ahead,” Love said.

Yin Ren didn’t move. To eradicate Love now, the body would have to be destroyed along with it.

“Indeed, you still care about this human.” Love gradually revealed a smile.

It stood up straighter, revealing the human body stained with blood.

“I know what kind of person you are, perhaps even clearer than those humans.” Seeing that Yin Ren didn’t attack, Love spoke softly. “You came to deal with me not for the sake of human righteousness, but because I hurt your lover, I hurt your friends… Yin Ren, you’re really easy to see through.”

“You won’t kill the innocent Sun Qi’an.”

Her voice remained gentle, as if engaging in a casual conversation.

“Or would you pass this dirty work onto someone else? No, if you were to do it, you would definitely do it yourself… Hmm, then I can consider it a small victory for myself.”

Either spare her, the enemy of humanity, and give up on pursuing past grievances, or kill the innocent friend and stain his own hands with blood. Either way, Yin Ren couldn’t achieve a complete victory—he would live carrying the curse called “guilt” until the day he died.

This was a game that carried a thousand years of planning, and conceding midway wasn’t Love’s style.

It patiently waited for Yin Ren’s decision; its movements relaxed. It was as if it wasn’t facing life and death itself, but the frozen figures of Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo.

At this point in the situation, it was just unfortunate. Even if its physical body perished, its spirit hadn’t been defeated.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Yin Ren remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, his tone strangely calm.

“I stand here for my ideals.” Love’s tone was calm. “What I seek is a higher righteousness, not petty selfishness… I have envisioned countless outcomes long ago, so why should I be afraid?”

Just like when they first met, Sun Qi’an’s hair had a slight curl, and her features were incredibly gentle.

But the expression on that face didn’t belong to the respectable young doctor, no matter how he looked at it.

“I see.”

There was a chilling hint of laughter in Yin Ren’s voice.

“Then I can rest assured.”

No, this wasn’t the attitude it anticipated. Love calculated quickly in its mind.

Before it could make sense of it, suddenly the chains wrapped around it, cocooning it completely, and the surroundings rapidly changed—

The space flickered, and an entrance opened. Ge Tingting, Huang Jin, and Fu Xingchuan were sent back to the pedestrian street. The three of them were carried by the excited Yellow Millet as they quickly searched for Professor Li’s location.

The space flickered again, and this time the exit was pitch black.

It was like stepping out of a swimming pool. As everyone stood on solid ground, their bodies suddenly became heavy. The gap behind the three of them quickly closed. The red light from the chains illuminated the surroundings, and Love lifted its eyes.

This was a space of about forty square meters, with no windows in the room; only shelves filled with bottles and jars on both sides. There was a whiteboard hanging on the wall directly across from the door with countless articles, photos, and messages suspended connected by spiderweb-like red thread.

The secret base of the “King Yama”.

From the Other Side to the human world, Zhong Chengshuo’s lantern remained lit. The crimson chains tightly bound Love’s hands and feet, firmly restraining it in the interrogation chair.

Yin Ren also regained his human appearance. He swung a strand of long hair like a cat’s tail, and the tip became extremely sharp. “Zhong Ge, you’re in charge of lighting control of Fear. I’ll take care of the rest.”

This person, who had changed from his previous silence, seemed eager and full of joy.

Love: “…?”

“Okay.” Zhong Chengshuo also regained his human appearance and nodded earnestly. He hung the Karma Lantern high up, muttering, “The Evil Fruit can sterilize, so this thing should work too. Let’s consider it a sterile environment.”

He jogged to the nearest drawer and pulled out two pairs of sterile gloves. With a swish, a cloth roll containing various ominous instruments unfolded in front of Love.

Love: “…???”

“That’ll do.” After fussing for a while, Zhong Chengshuo finally spoke up.

The two “gods” put on their masks and wore sterile gowns as they carefully disinfected the surroundings. Even Yin Ren’s little wing blades were sprayed with alcohol several times. The light from the Karma Lantern above their heads was extremely bright, like a scorching sun, and the liquid-like light spread over everything, leaving no trace of shadows.

Suddenly being removed from the familiar environment and completely suppressed by the light of Fear, Love found it difficult to breathe. It tentatively tried to move its physical body, but it found that under the authority of Fear, its movements were extremely sluggish.

These two people wouldn’t be thinking of connecting it to a Karma Lantern and using the power of Fear to continuously restrain and imprison it in the human world, would they?

…But why did they put on sterile surgical gowns?

“I’m ready. Are you sure you don’t need more support? Like blood bags or something.” Yin Ren ignored the question marks on Love’s face and nodded to Zhong Chengshuo.

“I have experienced the fusion of Primordial Elementals through my body, and I have a clear understanding of treating Meiqiu as well,” Zhong Chengshuo answered solemnly. “I’m confident.”

“As expected of my Zhong Ge.” Flapping his little wings behind the mask, Yin Ren blew a kiss to Zhong Chengshuo.

The latter’s ears flushed, and he lowered his head, picking up a knife.

“You… What are you…?” Love struggled to squeeze out a voice from its throat.

“Earlier, we were worried that you might be so eager to survive that you would merge with Dr. Sun’s body regardless of everything,” Yin Ren cheerfully explained.

“But since you’re so obsessed with ‘righteousness’, you definitely don’t want to meld with a weak product. Well, it’s unfortunate. I can see through you too.”

In the end, Love was just a part of human nature.

Currently, Love’s body was damaged, its power weak, and Dr. Sun was a genuine ordinary human. As long as Love still desired a comeback, it would never leave Dr. Sun’s body and would never fully devour Dr. Sun’s consciousness.

Sun Qi’an was its best hostage and would only be a temporary vessel for it.

“Unfortunately, my dear Zhong Ge here has been studying the Other Side and the Primordial Elementals and has quite a bit of knowledge about the human brain.” Yin Ren’s gaze swept over a row of metal cans on the shelf. “Although I’m nothing special, my expertise over the centuries lies in sealing techniques.”

Love gradually began to understand. Fear finally appeared on its usually calm face.

“…So we are the best accomplices.” Another voice took over.

As if sensing the fear in Love, Zhong Chengshuo’s pupils suddenly dilated, and his two eyeballs turned into pitch-black “god eyes” once again. He leaned closer to Love’s head, sniffed it, and then turned on the recording device—

“Sealing a Primordial Elemental in the designated part of the human body—this is a new technique. Cooperation is required between experienced science posts and cultivators skilled in sealing techniques.” Zhong Chengshuo enunciated each word clearly and deliberately.

“The operation starts now.” Yin Ren supplemented in a tone similar to Zhong Chengshuo’s.

The knife cut through the skin, followed by powerful healing magic. Layers of sealing techniques piled up, and the surgical knife moved swiftly and sharply. Love’s perception gradually disappeared.

Colors faded away, and its vision became nothingness. Sounds receded, and the surrounding noises became sporadic and muffled, as if separated by a layer of water film. Even the perception of emotions gradually faded away.

“Sealing preparation complete; guide me a bit. I need to avoid those blood vessels and nerves… Yes, just like that,” Yin Ren said.

“There is a certain risk in sealing it into ordinary organs,” Zhong Chengshuo muttered. “Sun Qi’an has a tumor in her brain. What can your sealing technique accomplish?”

Yin Ren’s tone became proud. “Hmph, a complete seal; not a single drop leaks.”

“Let me think… The tumor cells can’t withstand the power of the Primordial Elemental. By sealing it over there, the tumor won’t grow anymore.” Zhong Chengshuo’s voice softened a little. “It’s a good choice, and if necessary, we can remove it as well.”

“Cut it off now!”

“No, the brain requires specialized expertise. My surgical skills aren’t sufficient.” Zhong Chengshuo’s voice tightened again as he spoke.

“…I see.”

Love desperately wanted to merge with Sun Qi’an’s body but was pinned in place by the light of Fear. It wanted to speak, but it realized that it had lost control over its tongue and vocal cords. Like being caught in a tight spot, all its senses quickly turned into nothingness.

It knew that its remaining body was being sealed layer by layer by Yin Ren and guided by Zhong Chengshuo to merge into that tumor. Once the fusion was complete, there would be no possibility of returning to its original state… and it would be unable to perceive anything anymore.

[Zhong Chengshuo has been trapped like this for hundreds of years, while you would have at most a few decades.] It couldn’t hear the sound, and only Yin Ren’s thoughts came through. [A few decades later, you will enter the incinerator along with this body. After all, human life is too short for an Elemental, but you got a bargain.]

Love wanted to respond, to negotiate, but it didn’t know where to direct its thoughts.

Its world was reduced to emptiness.

[I can probably understand your motives, but personally, I don’t approve of your actions.] This time, it was Zhong Chengshuo’s thoughts that came through. [Unfortunately, our positions will always be different.]

Old Fear spoke like so.

[…Farewell.]

In the end, they didn’t let it go, nor did they kill it. Instead, they chose a third path; a path that it never thought existed.

Perception completely vanished, and Love suddenly recalled the moment thousands of years ago when Fear heavily fell, with countless Elemental flesh and blood splattering and all sorts of demons and monsters running rampant in the Gong Dynasty. Many years later, the red-robed Great Celestial Master walked alone through the desolate mountains and hills, carrying corruption. Enduring the pain, that person developed the first sealing technique specifically targeting Evil Force.

Perhaps everything had been predetermined since that time.

With a soft sigh, Love left its final trace in the emptiness. It could never see what would become of the Other Side.

What awaited it was boundless silence and a subtle but lingering sense of fear.

……

While the two gods were performing the sealing surgery, the war on the Other Side raged on.

However, with Love gone for too long, the army of Elementals began to show signs of confusion. The Elementals had simple minds to begin with, and now that Love’s presence was absent, many great Elementals saw the situation wasn’t favorable and quietly slipped away.

In the center of the White Web, the deflated giant hemisphere gradually dissipated, and the White Web itself quickly decayed, turning into a dense white mist.

“Your master is finished!” Meng Huai sneered. “Shen Mo, if you have any sense left, surrender—”

“It’s not my “master’.”

Shen Mo’s voice came from behind Meng Huai, and in the next moment, Meng Huai was swept away by a swipe of his arm.

“It was just a useful knife, but unfortunately, still not good enough.” Contempt was evident in his tone.

Shen Mo dodged by tilting his head back, and the magical spells floating around him exploded towards Meng Huai. This attack was slightly delayed, and Meng Huai’s flesh and blood magic barely managed to block it, narrowly avoiding a facial explosion.

The sneak attack failed, and with a flash, Shen Mo appeared in the distance. Just as he regained his footing, Zhong Chengfeng’s sniping attacks came one after another. Shen Mo grabbed a nearby small Elemental and used it to block several bullets.

Meng Huai gasped for breath and kept on mocking. “You have such a big knife that can pierce through the heavens. What’s wrong? Your knife is gone, and here you are flapping around like a dog… Trying to stay in shape?”

“The corruption is still rampant outside, and people’s hearts are uncertain.” Shen Mo took a few steps back and hid behind another Elemental. “If I kill you all, those survivors will be mine.”

“Fuck you!” Meng Huai immediately cursed.

Shen Mo’s plan was about to fall apart—those civilians who had been missing for thirty years hadn’t aged a day. If they were thrown directly into society, it would undoubtedly cause a huge uproar. When the time came, Shen Mo would step forward and claim this “miracle”, and it would be difficult for Shian and the government to explain.

This person’s Charon ability was already suitable for deceiving and manipulating as a false god. It wouldn’t be impossible for him to start a cult. Sunken Society was insane, but its goals were mostly worldly wealth and power, and its level of danger was somewhat controllable. Shen Mo, on the other hand, was a complete lunatic who didn’t see people as people. Who knows what he would do?

They absolutely couldn’t let this guy go.

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The author has something to say:

The Power of Science & Metaphysics (×

This great battle is coming to an end—

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 238: The Wise Consider a Thousand Possibilities

Fu Tianyi shuttled back and forth amidst a sea of colors.

Meng Huai and Zhong Chengfeng confronted Shen Mo on the front line, disrupting the cocoon of the enemy. Fu Tianyi had a clear division of labor; he was responsible for leading a large group of survivors who were being carried by the Lonelies.

One after another, the spherical cocoons cracked open, and the people inside were lifted by the Lonelies and carried on their heads, led by Fu Tianyi, to the rescue site. In the imagined Fu family mansion, the rescued individuals were neatly arranged in the courtyard by the Lonelies.

Fu Tianyi ran tirelessly, but the transportation capacity of the Lonely Cats was limited, and he didn’t know how many trips he had to make.

White net, rescue point. White net, rescue point… Fu Tianyi had never used his abilities so intensively before. He was exhausted all over, and every joint of his bones ached. But he couldn’t stop—behind him, the Lonely Cats dragged one humanoid cocoon after another, waving tablecloths as they sprinted. The Lonelies squeaked and screamed; their cognitive pollution shot toward the enemy troops like corrupted rainwater.

At the same time, Dog Thing kept barking in his ear. It trembled and gave him hints about which direction the enemy was most uneasy, guiding him to the right place for a breakthrough.

The army of Elementals surged wave after wave. Despite the repetitive back and forth, the decision-making of routes, casting of abilities, and physical exertion, he still had to keep thinking.

Fu Tianyi wished he could split his brain into four parts. At first, he still had the mental energy to observe the frontline situation. Later on, even his vision became blurred, and he almost collapsed.

But he couldn’t.

He must not break down, he must not make mistakes. Otherwise, the Lonelies would be attacked and the missing people would be swallowed by the Elementals—he was carrying the lives of many on his shoulders. This was even the “easiest” part on the battlefield—he could move among the swarm of Elementals because Meng Huai and Zhong Chengfeng were engaged in battle with the Charon, diverting their main forces.

Too naive.

Fu Tianyi clenched his teeth, tightly grasped the flesh and blood of the Elementals as he cast his abilities frantically.

…He was truly too naive.

Fu Xingchuan and he were the true geniuses of the Fu family among two generations. Twenty-nine years ago, during the Divine Descent, that person was also a young man in his prime. Fu Tianyi had thought that Fu Xingchuan was just born in a good era. It was easy to achieve military merits during chaotic times. As long as there was an opportunity, he wasn’t inferior to his predecessor.

‘Fuck all those opportunities,’ Fu Tianyi shouted in his heart.

At this moment, what family, what pride, what reputation… In Fu Tianyi’s almost collapsing mind, there was only one thing left: He must not stop; even if it was painful, he must not stop.

He would rather this kind of war never happen than have some damn opportunity to stand out.

A giant Elemental pounced towards him. Fu Tianyi skillfully closed his eyes, sealing his perception. Then, a barrage of spells followed, stabilizing the surrounding aura. He opened his eyes—his perception was lost, and his left shoulder was nearly severed.

As the spells were released, the intense pain gradually returned. Fu Tianyi looked at the wound with a stern face and applied a few spells to it. “Keep moving forward!”

Suddenly, the entire space shook.

The Lonelies were startled and immediately prostrated themselves on the ground, while Dog Thing’s barking reached its maximum volume. In the midst of the bizarrely shaped Elementals surrounding them, Fu Tianyi finally turned his head to look.

In the center of the white net, a huge white hemisphere was wildly deforming and struggling, as if something inside was desperately fighting. The entire white net shook violently, and the threads broke, causing the Elementals on it to fall down like rain.

“What’s going on?” Fu Tianyi endured the discomfort and devoted part of his attention to contacting Meiqiu.

[The central structure collapsed. Love is either being born or escaping.] Dr. Cat’s voice exploded in Fu Tianyi’s mind. [Judging by the intensity of the burst of energy, I guess it’s the latter.]

“Understood. How about Meng Huai’s side?”

Dr. Cat: [Follow the plan. Jiao Lian is now in charge of command. Do your job; you can’t interfere anyway.]

Fu Tianyi’s heart became calm. “…Alright.”

He turned his head again, but at this distance, he couldn’t see the frontline situation clearly. However, what he could see was that the giant half-circle rapidly deflated like a leaking balloon.

Whatever was inside had disappeared.

……

There was another person who was also on the edge of the battlefield.

“Listen, stay where you are.” Lu Xiaohe’s voice turned into text, which continuously appeared on Ge Tingting’s phone. “Xiang Jiang and Xiang Hai are severely injured. Love’s condition is weak, Huang Jin is unconscious, and the situation is still unclear.”

“And the ground?” Ge Tingting typed with her head lowered.

“The ground team cannot face Love’s body directly. They are strengthening the perimeter defense under Li Nian’s arrangement. There is no united force outside that you can join. Right now, your own safety is the top priority.”

Ge Tingting slowly clenched her fist. “Huang Jin clearly brought Qi Xin. How could…”

Lu Xiaohe truthfully replied, “Q Xin sustained severe injuries just now. She won’t risk her life for us and most likely abandoned her avatar immediately.”

Ge Tingting’s fingers stopped on the keyboard.

She had nothing to ask, nothing to do. The “#1 Ghost General” Fu Xingchuan understood a corpse servant’s methods, and it was almost like a battle between gods. If she rashly joined the battlefield, she would only drag her side down.

Even if the fate of her colleagues was unknown.

Ge Tingting wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. She decided to calm her emotions and… huh?

Amidst the frantic turbulence, the scenery around her became distorted and blurry. The dark sewer was filled with garbage, so quiet that it made her uncomfortable. Lu Xiaohe’s communication in her ears was intermittent and hoarse, with a signal so weak that it could disappear at any moment. A large amount of static noise flooded the system, and the messages displayed on her phone were incomplete and fragmented.

Yellow Millet rapidly shrank and slid into Ge Tingting’s pocket, with the pocket button being thoughtfully fastened.

“Xiao Ge, no ■■■■ what, don’t ■■■■ struggling…”

“Xiao ■■, ■■ matter ■■■■, ■■ give up ■■ struggling…”

“■■, ■■■■■■■, don’t give up ■■…”

Lu Xiaohe noticed the problem and desperately sent the same message. Ge Tingting watched as those messages gradually became garbled and disappeared.

What’s going on?

The surroundings were a mess, and Ge Tingting quickly picked up small objects that could be used, tightly holding them to her chest. She was just contemplating whether or not to go up and take a look when suddenly everything spun wildly. Ge Tingting rolled several times on the rough stone surface before finally coming to a stop.

The voices in her earpiece completely disappeared.

The sound of the wind, the rustling of leaves, the distant bird calls—everything vanished without a trace. The familiar sense of chaos washed over her again. It felt like the Other side, but it was also not the Other Side.

Could this be the legendary interstitial space?

Maintaining a face-down position, Ge Tingting opened her eyes just a crack and carefully surveyed her surroundings—

In front of her was an endless jumble of fused debris, like a nightmare garbage dump. Huang Jin was lying not far away, motionless. Fu Xingchuan’s bone roc suddenly dissipated, leaving Fu Xingchuan himself with closed eyes and blood all over his face. Six fierce ghosts trailed behind him, their forms flickering unsteadily.

And on the opposite side, Xiang Jiang and Xiang Hai dragged their broken bodies and engaged in a fierce battle with Fu Xingchuan once again.

The only good news was that the ground troops had been pulled away by Professor Li and weren’t involved in this.

Ge Tingting dared not look around, afraid that she might accidentally catch a glimpse of Love’s body. She lay on the ground, pretending to be unconscious, but her breath couldn’t escape her.

She hadn’t seen a trace of Love.

“Haa…” Just as she thought, a sigh sounded by her ear. The voice was soft and beautiful—Sun Qi’an’s voice.

The hairs on the back of Ge Tingting’s neck stood up instantly.

“No need to pretend, little girl,” Love said softly, her tone filled with profound weakness. “I can hear your heartbeat. I know you’re awake. In a place like this, you can speak normally, can’t you?”

Ge Tingting didn’t move.

In her field of vision, there were only a pair of beautiful boots. The boots connected to shapely calves and were stained with blood on the light-colored leggings.

Seeing Ge Tingting’s lack of reaction, Love smiled. She casually dragged out an inflated corpse from the debris and leaned against it like a sofa. Not far away, Fu Xingchuan dragged his mangled body, engaged in a life-and-death struggle with Xiang Jiang and Xiang Hai. The scenes of fighting and resting were eerily close to each other, creating a very strange sight.

“Why didn’t you kill me?”

Five minutes later, Ge Tingting couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke.

“I never intended to kill you from the beginning,” Love said. “Besides, there is a long time to come, and all of you are decent humans, which can give me a bit of sustenance.”

Her voice carried a touch of self-derision.

“…In the end, I still have to follow the path of Sorrow. It’s quite interesting.”

At this moment, a few steps away, one of Fu Xingchuan’s fierce ghosts was torn apart by Xiang Jiang and Xiang Hai. The evil qi splashed, causing Ge Tingting’s skin to ache.

Ge Tingting wasn’t deceived by this seemingly conversational atmosphere. Her stomach acid surged. “What do you mean?”

“Thanks to your two colleagues—aside from the part in this body, the rest of my body was completely consumed by Yin Ren.”

Love looked towards the chaotic space that seemed boundless and spoke with a hint of complaint in her tone.

“But this is one of the possible outcomes, and I had made preparations.”

She lovingly caressed her own arm.

“In a few hundred years, my power might be able to recover a bit. When the time is right, I will attempt to be reborn again… Using a phrase commonly used by you humans, as long as the mountains are green, there will be firewood to burn*.”

*(留得青山在，不愁没柴烧) Idiom referring to as long as one has resources or a foundation to rely on, they will not lack the means to sustain themselves or overcome difficulties.

Ge Tingting’s mind went momentarily blank.

According to Love’s words, Yin Ren won. But Love didn’t disappear; instead, she dragged them into this god-forsaken place… From the beginning, it planned to preserve a portion of its original form through Dr. Sun as a way out.

“They will definitely find you.” Ge Tingting’s throat felt dry.

If Yin Ren devoured Love, he would definitely become stronger, and he would never give up on his companions.

Love seemed to see through her thoughts and added a hint of amusement to her voice. “Have you seen this place? This is the edge of the interstitial space, where there is no order. I deliberately chose the deepest hiding spot. Finding someone here is like searching for a speck of dust in the universe.”

“If they want to find us, it will take them at least a thousand years… The survival strategy of Sorrow seems somewhat useful.”

Love’s voice became even sweeter.

“You can chat with me more. That way, maybe you’ll go insane a bit slower. I really need sustenance…”

So that’s it. Love only wanted “time”—enough to drive humans crazy, the ever-changing time of the world. Ge Tingting stared at the sticky, interconnected fragments and ancient objects on the ground, despair crashing over her. She almost lost consciousness.

She couldn’t give up.

Even if it took a thousand years, perhaps Yin Ren wouldn’t give up, but she was just a fragile mortal. She was only sixteen years old; she couldn’t do it—she couldn’t retain her sanity for such a long time in this chaotic place, nor could she defeat the enemy in front of her.

The fact that even the enemy knew this made their conversation so easy.

She couldn’t give up.

The surrounding chaos was dim and silent, as if she were buried alive seven feet under. Ge Tingting’s eyes felt intensely itchy, but she desperately clenched her teeth to prevent the tears from falling.

She could feel Love’s gaze, a gaze that even held pity, like a person looking down on a desperate ant.

She couldn’t give up.

Ge Tingting tightened her grip on her clothes, and all the random things she had grabbed from the sewer fell out.

Damaged scissors, a metal hairpin, a lighter, unopened mint candies, small oranges, and a baby-sized apple that fell to the ground.

They were of no use.

A few steps away, three more of Fu Xingchuan’s fierce ghosts disappeared into smoke, leaving only two strands of black smoke around him. Without Li Nian’s support and in an unfavorable environment, he was facing an inevitable defeat.

Even though it seemed meaningless, he still stood.

She couldn’t give up… or could she?

Ge Tingting reminisced over her relatively short life. From her parents’ deaths to meeting Feng Qi, from joining Shian to discovering the astonishing identities of her colleagues, and then getting involved in the war between gods. Perhaps for an ordinary person, this would already be a sufficiently tumultuous life.

Huang Jin was in an even worse state. Even if he were to wake up, he would never see his beloved girl again.

If only she had given him a push and encouraged him to confess earlier… No, given the current circumstances, maybe it was right that he hadn’t confessed…

Ge Tingting lowered her head, and her thoughts began to scatter.

At least in the past hundred years, Love couldn’t descend into the world, so things would be stable outside. Ding Lizi had her eyes cured, and even if she started a new life, she would always remember Huang Jin…

Ding Lizi had her eyes cured…

Ge Tingting blinked and looked at the small apple not far away. It was ugly, pockmarked, and covered in dust, with only a faint hint of red showing.

She stared at it intently, and the sourness in her eyes gradually disappeared.

“…” She clenched the apple tightly, muttering softly. Her voice was low, and Love turned her head, only able to catch a rough idea of what she was saying.

It was a nursery rhyme.

“When the red light is on and the green light is burning, every household closes their door… At midnight, when the fruit ripens, be careful what you say with your back to the door..” Ge Tingting clumsily hummed; her pronunciation wasn’t very clear.

Love thought she was mentally confused and didn’t intervene.

“Pray for tranquility, wish for good fortune, and shut your eyes so you can’t see…” Ge Tingting continued to hum softly.

Perhaps Love had made a small mistake.

Whether it was Fu Xingchuan or Huang Jin, it shouldn’t have brought her to the interstitial space. This wasn’t the Other Side; she could keep her belongings here, and this wasn’t the mortal world; she could speak.

As a repayment for finding Zhong Chengshuo, Yin Ren had cured Lu Xiaohe’s mother and healed Ding Lizi’s eyes. He still owed only one wish to her; this was a “contract”.

On the Other Side, Hu Tao could find Yin Ren through a contract. So, could she replicate that here?

Facing an opponent who was almost godlike, this was the only thing she could do, and it was the strongest blow she had.

“…The rooster crows, with footsteps far away, and comes back next year to report the peace.”

Ge Tingting, with a hoarse throat, stumbled through the ancient ballad.

Ge Tingting reached out her blood-stained hand and held the small apple. She closed her eyes tightly but raised her head resolutely, “looking” in Love’s direction.

“We are right here.”

She enunciated her words clearly and made her wish.

“Save us, Great Master.”

At that moment, as the last fierce ghost beside Fu Xingchuan fell, Love turned its gaze in confusion, and Ge Tingting burst into an almost imperceptible smile.

In the next instant, a sunset glow ignited in the dark chaos.

---

The author has something to say:

Friend: Love is so pitiful, like confidently picking up a vegetable and accidentally grabbing a piece of ginger.

Ge Tingting—weak and helpless but capable of shaking things up on the spot.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

The title of this chapter is an idiom referring to someone who is intelligent and wise takes great care and forethought in their actions, considering numerous possibilities and potential outcomes before making decisions.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 237: Humanity

Zhong Chengshuo was still in Yin Ren’s palm. Apart from the mutated eyeballs and the abnormal black circle on top of his head, his appearance hadn’t changed at all.

Yin Ren was slightly surprised. He had never seen Zhong Chengshuo truly utilize his essence before. At most, he indirectly used the power of his essence to scare a few murderers or ignite the Karma Lantern. At this moment, the essence remaining within Zhong Chengshuo’s body was highly active. Just this small portion that hadn’t merged completely made the red light of Fear completely obedient.

…It was understandable. Zhong Chengshuo had always been rational and restrained. Unfortunately, the instinct deep within living beings could only be brought out in a state of madness and chaos.

Zhong Chengshuo was dressed in a white linen shirt, with loose cuffs. His glasses were still perched on his nose, and the three black pieces on his head gave off an almost inorganic, non-human feeling.

Unfortunately, his ears were bright red, disrupting the solemn atmosphere. Under the illumination of the Karma Lamp, this person’s earlobes were almost glowing on their own. However, Zhong Chengshuo stubbornly continued to compose himself, looking straight ahead, pretending as if nothing had happened.

Yin Ren stifled a chuckle.

Without the bone-deep pain, his body felt as comfortable as lying on a cloud, giving him a rare opportunity for contemplation. Since madness could lead Zhong Chengshuo to find a path, perhaps rationality could also guide him in the right direction.

Yin Ren folded his arms, and countless wings quietly sprouted eyeballs, gazing around…

The people who were originally moving in their respective spaces turned their bodies and began walking in unison toward Yin Ren’s location. Countless gazes pierced through Yin Ren like sharp arrows. Their faces contorted with expressions between gentleness and pain; especially Zhong Chengshuo’s—the most abundant images in the illusions—their speed of convergence was astonishing.

Yin Ren closed his eyes and focused on tracing the flow of power around him. The wind, the scent, the direction where the Karma Lantern’s red light was most concentrated…

There was a problem with the flow of power. As expected, Love was preparing to leave this place. It hadn’t fully emerged yet and lacked sufficient strength. Naturally, it didn’t want to confront the two gods head-on. Love clearly knew the way out, but for some reason, its birth was being obstructed, and its progress was slow.

Now Love was in a dilemma, at the point of a desperate struggle. If it were Yin Ren, he would definitely launch an explosive attack once and for all, disregarding everything, to be born!

They must crush Love here, or there would be endless trouble in the future.

Yin Ren took a deep breath, pushing away the interference of pain, and a vague conjecture emerged in his mind.

“Zhong Chengshuo, use the lamp to protect yourself. You’ve consumed a lot, and now you need to regain your strength.”

This time, Zhong Chengshuo lifted his head. “Once I stop, the contamination of Love will return.”

“I know.” Yin Ren looked at the crowd closing in from all directions, answering firmly.

“Do you have confidence?” Zhong Chengshuo asked as the gray crowd continued to gather, becoming denser.

“No,” Yin Ren said. “I only have a rough idea that needs verification.”

Zhong Chengshuo fell silent. Below, numerous “selves” had already reached out their hands and forcefully tore at the cluster of wings. Wherever the illusions made contact, the corruption of Love spread once again.

“…I believe in you,” Zhong Chengshuo said. He then closed his eyes and said no more.

“I do too.” Yin Ren raised the small figure of his lover, tilting his head forward and gently touching Zhong Chengshuo.

Unlike before, Zhong Chengshuo didn’t touch his forehead. Through the red veil, Zhong Chengshuo slightly raised his head and gently kissed the enormous monster.

“I do too,” Yin Ren replied once again, even though the other party hadn’t said anything.

Immediately, Yin Ren gently lifted his palm upward. A clean set of wings separated from the mass of wings and caught Zhong Chengshuo like a mattress, floating towards safety.

Following Yin Ren’s instructions, Zhong Chengshuo concentrated on the red light around himself, like a tiny flame beside an enormous creature. The dissipation of Zhong Chengshuo’s power stopped there, and he let out a long breath, nervously looking down.

With no red light suppressing them, the eyeballs on every white heart opened wide in an instant.

The phantom versions of people no longer approached like zombies but charged at Yin Ren from all directions. They reached out their arms, their fingers clawing randomly, as if trying to tear Yin Ren apart alive. Shouts and wails filled the air, making a buzzing sound in people’s heads. Every time the illusions tore and scratched, they left behind a trail of white corruption.

Like an anthill when a flood came, these illusions wrapped layer upon layer, with the newcomers trampling over the previous ones, all in order to tear off another piece of flesh. Yin Ren’s body was large, now resembling a statue drowned in dust, with the vibrant red gradually being covered by a pale gray.

Zhong Chengshuo watched everything calmly.

The lingering effects of Love’s corruption still raged within him, and he tightly held onto his own arm, waiting in place.

He believed that Yin Ren would never joke about his feelings. Zhong Chengshuo forced himself to watch, with the Karma Lantern in his hand ready at any moment. As long as Yin Ren gave any signal for help, he would immediately dispel that darkness.

But Yin Ren himself remained as quiet as a statue, allowing the overwhelming crowd to pounce on him.

……

Yin Ren scrutinized the people rushing towards him.

The villagers of Yin Village were at the forefront—their distinct features were clearly visible, and they were all familiar faces he had glimpsed from afar.

And they were all faces that died in the flames that night. Their hair became disheveled, their bodies covered in dark stains of blood, and their white hearts pounded as if on the verge of bursting.

Why? Why?

Tears of blood flowed from their eyes, and their mouths grew wide, spewing similar syllables from the black void within.

“Great Master, you promised to protect my family…”

“Great Master, you could have saved my parents…”

“Great Master, we’ve been waiting for you. Why didn’t you come?”

People vomited the anguish of “betrayal”, smashing countless expectations rooted in reason and logic. They climbed and tore, layer upon layer, gradually enveloping everything in darkness.

The corruption from Love spread wildly on Yin Ren, and the previously pitch-black cluster of wings turned almost entirely white, growing malformed hearts. With the arms that reached out, corruption crawled up Yin Ren’s cheeks.

Within the dominance of Love, it erased the darkness and dimmed the red, turning everything into a marble-like whiteness.

Love clashed within Yin Ren’s heart. Each impact brought self-blame, pain, despair, and regret. Familial affection, friendship, love… The diverse forms of love transformed into a sea of suffering, squeezing both his physical and mental being. Yin Ren’s body seemed as if it would collapse in the corruption from Love at any moment.

In the gaps of the white hearts, Yin Ren continued to observe.

The people were close enough, and he could see them clearly. The patchwork clothes worn by the elderly in Yin Village, he had helped mend them. The dark-colored clothes of the children, stained with blood, he knew every knife mark and crease… Every detail was exactly as he remembered. Looking up, there were no blurry faces or illusions masquerading as the real ones. There were no baseless expressions of love and hatred.

Love hadn’t lied; these illusions were born from his own heart.

…This is truly, wonderful.

Through the gray veil, Yin Ren lowered his head.

“Why?” In front of him, at the closest distance, several Zhong Chengshuos were accusing him in unison. “I don’t want to see you hurt. I’m willing to die for you.”

“You know all of this, yet you still risk yourself…”

“The person I love wouldn’t blame me for something like this.” The corruption spread to Yin Ren’s head, and his words became slow.

“Zhong Chengshuo surely understands that I wouldn’t make him suffer for no reason. Unless he becomes a madman driven solely by love…”

The cluster of wings, covered in hearts, struggled to move and touched the “Zhong Chengshuo” who was murmuring softly.

A faint light ignited in the darkness, a spark amidst endless pain.

“…He will figure it out. I just need to experience controlled pain like he does, to coax out some hidden instincts.”

The trembling cluster of wings pressed against the phantom’s face.

The eyes and hair remained black, and the white oversized linen shirt remained unchanged. But like a drop of paint falling into clear water, the phantom’s skin acquired a warm tone, and its lips revealed a faint blood color.

The phantom ceased its accusations, gradually closing its mouth, and a touch of red appeared at its ears.

“I can’t represent any emotions, nor create a space like the Primordial Elementals.” Countless clusters of wings fluttered, and Yin Ren’s voice contained a hint of laughter. “Love, you’re right. Humans will always be humans, with limitations…”

Half of Yin Ren’s face was now covered by the deformed hearts, as if parasitized by a sea squirt.

“…Haha.” But he laughed as if he had told a funny joke.

Crack.

A crack appeared on the hearts on Yin Ren’s cheek.

The countless illusions that enveloped Yin Ren froze completely. The shouts and curses of the people ceased as if muted, and they continued to stare at Yin Ren, their faces carrying a sudden realization as if waking from a dream.

“My loved ones…”

Centuries ago, facing the enemy’s cavalry, the men of Yin Village picked up their farming tools, and the women sharpened their knives. They bravely charged forward to protect their loved ones with their own blood.

But they didn’t foolishly pray until the end.

They also left him an apple.

“My friends…”

Huang Jin attached a face that didn’t belong to him, stepping into danger for the sake of the person he loved. Ge Tingting protected the child who saved her life until the end. Fu Xingchuan repeatedly charged to the frontlines, while Hu Tao put away all her madness and showed him a final smile.

“Mom and Dad won’t blame me, right?” The question she left him held no trace of blame or complaint.

She let go of all attachments.

“My love…”

The grotesque rabbit climbed up the mountain cliff, the handsome youth on a bicycle stopped in the rainy night, and the resurrected “Fear” gave him a gentle kiss. From human to evil, to evil to human, to finally standing side by side as gods.

“Regardless of the future, I hope we’ll always be the best accomplices.”

Zhong Chengshuo blew out the candles at his birthday party, making a solemn wish.

“…Every person I remember in my heart is not a fool who can be swayed by Love.”

Yin Ren’s thoughts spread throughout the entire space, filled with a strong killing intent.

As soon as his words fell, countless colors exploded throughout the entire space.

With Yin Ren at the center, the black-and-white world transformed into a vibrant explosion of colors. The fruits on the offering plate at the entrance of Yin Village became vivid, Shian’s fountain reflected a beautiful blue, and Zhong Chengshuo’s home was bathed in warm sunlight, becoming incredibly cozy.

People stumbled back to their rightful places, their expressions gradually coming alive, and the twisted madness vanished without a trace. In this colorful world, the white hearts on their chests beat slower and slower, and their vertical eyes weakly closed.

‘Success,’ Yin Ren thought.

In life, actions were intertwined with complex causes and effects. The so-called “love” couldn’t dominate the entirety of a person’s heart, nor should it ever.

Though he didn’t represent any emotions, nor could he create a metaphysical space, his advantage never changed; compared to those Great Primordial Elementals, he would always understand humans better…

…”True humanity”, this was the corruption belonging to “Yin Ren”.

From this point on, the final puzzle piece of his abilities fell into place. He was no longer the so-called “cub”.

“Zhong Chengshuo!” Yin Ren shouted loudly.

Not far from him, that small red spot instantly expanded. Within nearly infinite space, the same twilight arrived. The pure white corruption on Yin Ren once again peeled away, becoming food for the clusters of wings.

[Even if you can suppress, you cannot decipher…]

The voice of Love weakened considerably, but it still carried an exasperating calmness.

[…Huh?]

Just as it was leisurely refuting, those illusions moved.

“What the hell is this place!” “Let us go back—” “What the hell is happening!” The villagers of Yin Village chattered noisily.

“So many of me; they should all be illusions.” The various Zhong Chengshuos looked at each other. “A trick from Yin Ren’s enemy?”

After a brief moment of chaos, they gradually made the same decision.

People picked up the weapons at hand and began to destroy everything that didn’t conform to normalcy. The entire colorful space burst into countless fragments, collapsing rapidly. The colorful “snowflakes” scattered and grew larger as they descended. The red veil swept over, and a storm surged within the entire space.

“Watch closely. This is the version of them that I know.”

Yin Ren spoke in a deep voice. He floated in the air with a murderous aura. The hearts in the people’s chests were lifted by the strong winds, swirled around Yin Ren, and then disappeared into the sea of dark wings.

His four arms spread out completely, and the pitch-black feathers surged and condensed, forming the deadly sickles once again.

“Zhong Ge, the situation is almost over. Help me find the weak points.”

The blades emitted a dim red light, much thicker than before. They scattered in all directions, exuding a dense and ominous aura.

“…Let’s completely destroy this goddamn place.”

The red light flickered madly, tearing the heavens and earth into fragments along with the illusions. Under the gradually crumbling colors, the pale essence of Love once again revealed itself. The pitch-black wings entangled with each other as the red veil spun wildly around, enveloping countless curses filled with killing intent.

“Tsk!!!”

In an instant, the pitch-black blade pierced through that massive heart.

……

In the human world, The New Pedestrian Street in Donghe District.

Sun Qi’an’s body shook, and she vomited a mouthful of blood. She raised her bloodied hand with a face filled with disbelief.

Across from her, Huang Jin lost consciousness and was lying on Fu Xingchuan’s bone roc. Fu Xingchuan was covered in blood with a deep wound visible on his face, and he seemed on the verge of passing out from blood loss.

“At a time like this…” She delicately furrowed her brows.

“But… it’s not over yet…”

---

The author has something to say:

But it’s almost over! Miss Love.

Xiao Yin and Xiao Zhong have finally reached their max level (…

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 236: Gesture of God

[You’re not Zhong Chengshuo.]

A surge of thoughts, like crashing waves, gushed out from the colossal creature. Its gigantic eyeballs rolled up, and the deep black pupils were like black holes on the white monster.

[You’re Zhong Chengshuo’s lover. You are Yin Ren. You are the Fear cub—no, not the Fear cub—you were originally another offspring, just like me… So that’s how it is, so that’s how it is.]

The reaction of Love was swift, but Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo were even quicker.

Red veils fluttered, and red lights ignited. The brilliant, fiery red engulfed the white monster in an instant. Love was momentarily restrained by the authority of “Fear”. At that moment, Yin Ren charged straight at the abnormal giant eye. Under the red veil, his wings fused into massive black wings, transforming into a scythe-like structure—they drew a series of explosive sounds in the air, flying towards the center of the giant eye.

The red light of Fear greatly weakened the mobility of Love. It shifted its massive body, barely evading a bit. The black scythe struck the heart, slicing off a large chunk of flesh. The nearby scythes instantly returned to the form of wing clusters, tearing and devouring the pale flesh.

It was delicious but hard to eat.

Yin Ren tasted a similar repulsive sensation to that of Zhong Chengshuo. It stimulated his taste buds like an overdose of chili peppers. He struggled to devour it, and in one fell swoop, hundreds of scythes were swung out.

The red veil danced, and white feathers splattered. Yin Ren disregarded everything, slashing at Love’s wings and body. The wing clusters also ignored the pain, frantically devouring the maimed body of Love.

“Fear” rendered the movements of Love incredibly sluggish. Its once eerie and sacred appearance was nearly hacked into a pile of snow-white flesh. It tried its best to dodge, ultimately managing to preserve only its heart and eyes.

Quick; he had to be quick—even faster.

Opportunities were rare, and the nights were filled with dreams. Yin Ren didn’t want to give it any chance to counterattack. He unleashed his fastest attack speed, forcibly devouring one-third of Love’s massive body.

But as he relentlessly attacked, the surrounding fog grew thicker.

Finally, Yin Ren swung his scythe once again, but Love didn’t dodge.

It slightly adjusted its posture, and the giant eye turned toward Yin Ren once more. The fog surged, and the surroundings abruptly changed, transforming into an extremely spacious void. The maimed body of Love emitted a sticky sound as it suddenly burst into countless flesh masses, shooting in all directions.

Yin Ren’s movement faltered.

Love’s white space was coming. The ability that only he and Zhong Chengshuo hadn’t mastered—Yin Ren didn’t know how to use it yet, and as for Zhong Chengshuo, he probably couldn’t use it either, at least not at first.

In the next second, the two were engulfed by countless illusions.

Countless scenes piled up before Yin Ren—The grayish-white Yin Village appeared faintly in the mist, and the villagers wore smiles, energetically preparing for the ritual to welcome the gods. Boys and girls with big doll masks laughed and played, running through the village. The evil creatures once led by the Great Celestial Master floated peacefully in the sky while the members of Huajisi strolled outside the village.

The various scenes merged and overlapped, contradictory yet harmonious, as if fragmented memories were cut and reassembled into a palace.

Yin Ren remained suspended in mid-air.

Above the village and army of evil creatures was an inverted version of the Shian Campus. The cafeteria staff wandered around with pots and bowls, and familiar faces from Shian basked in the sun by the pool.

Surrounding Yin Ren were the peaceful estate of Ping’an and the residence of the Zhong family.

Room after room lost its color, transforming into scattered spaces. Hu Tao secretly watched on the tablet in the living room; the elderly couple chatted and laughed in the living room; Zhong Chengshuo busied himself in the kitchen, shifting to diligently brushing his teeth in the bathroom, then quietly reading at the desk.

Then Zhong Chengshuo was in the bedroom. He leaned over and gave him a good morning kiss. Although there were no colors, Yin Ren could even discern the warmth of the other’s breath and the faint sunlight on his eyelashes.

Countless scenes, countless acquaintances.

They moved around Yin Ren with their most vivid appearances, each with a beating white heart embedded in their chests. Those hearts had beautiful pairs of eyes wide open, looking at him from all directions.

“Master.”

“Great Celestial Master.”

“Xiao Yin.”

“Yin Ren.”

They called out to him with cheerful voices.

Suddenly, Yin Ren felt a heaviness.

At some point, hundreds of white masses had grown on his wing clusters. The tips of the small wings were stained with white spots, and the meat chunks shaped like hearts were slowly growing on him. Once the eyes opened, countless delicate arms sprouted around the white hearts, reaching out to the next target.

Under the red veil, they resembled the spots on poisonous mushrooms, rapidly increasing and spreading, bringing waves of hot and comforting affection.

Amidst the dance of the red veil, a cold snort sounded from the darkness beneath it.

Countless black spells condensed around Yin Ren, arrow-like, piercing through each familiar figure, directly hitting the eyeballs on their hearts. Yin Ren didn’t even spare those that had grown on his own body.

Blood flowed profusely. The people he had loved stared with wide eyes; their faces twisted with expressions of betrayal as their lifeless bodies crashed onto the ground.

But Yin Ren only felt anger.

If Love had used these earlier, maybe they would have been effective against him. But now, Love still wanted to use such childish tactics against him.

Countless arms protruded from under the wing clusters, digging into the corpses to extract their hearts—

The cherished villagers of Yin Village turned into white bones, and the lineup of evil creatures had long since dissipated. The members of Shian were striving in the mortal world, while the person he deeply loved was clenched in his hands. As for Hu Tao… she was a victim of Love.

Yin Ren repeatedly watched the horrifying scene of Zhong Chengshuo’s death. Even though it pained him emotionally, Yin Ren knew what he had to do.

The wing clusters moved swiftly, and the sound of tearing and squelching echoed as Yin Ren captured those white hearts. Under the red light from Zhong Chengshuo, they emitted a layer of red, as if soaked in blood.

But when those wing clusters bit down, they found nothing but emptiness.

The white hearts turned into mist once again and returned to the bodies. They wobbled to their feet, moaning and groaning in pain for a moment before tenderly calling out.

The vertical eyes on those hearts curved slightly, as if smiling.

The surrounding scenes were boundless and unchanging. Only Yin Ren grew another layer of white hearts on his body, accompanied by rapidly whitening wing clusters. He had to endure the pain and remove them—one by one, the milk-white hearts with black wing clusters were severed by Yin Ren, oozing crimson blood. The cut chunks of flesh merged into the ground, swiftly devoured by Love.

Yin Ren curled up cautiously. Countless black-red runes floated around him as he continuously severed the “infection” on his own body, desperately thinking of a strategy.

[Even if you’re not deceived by illusions, when you see them, you will be reminded of them. Your affection for them cannot be eradicated.]

The gentle voice of Love resonated in his heart, sounding somewhat like Zhong Chengshuo.

[Even the most rational person cannot deceive their own heart… After all, humans are humans, and there are limits…]

Unlike the violent attacks of the other Great Primordial Elementals, Love infiltrated and assimilated without exception, making it particularly terrifying. It aimed to corrode the enemy completely in an eternal cycle.

This was the result of the fear induced by Zhong Chengshuo. As a soon-to-be-born powerful god, “Love” shouldn’t be underestimated.

To deal with this deadly space, he had to possess a similar level of power. However, with the infections on his body being cut off and regrowing, the intense pain made Yin Ren unable to focus his energy. Instinctively, Yin Ren crossed his arms and firmly protected Zhong Chengshuo in his chest.

Suddenly, Yin Ren felt a peculiar sensation in the palm of his hand.

Warm, slippery, with a slight pulsation.

…Could it be?

A chill ran through Yin Ren’s heart. He slightly opened his hand and discovered a white heart at the back of Zhong Chengshuo’s neck.

It was like a strange bud, twitching rhythmically. The lantern in Zhong Chengshuo’s hand was clearly dim and unstable. Yin Ren raised his eyes and noticed many white spots in Zhong Chengshuo’s originally pitch-black eyes.

“Does it hurt?” Zhong Chengshuo tilted his head back, softly asking. “It must be very painful…”

Yin Ren had never seen such a delicate expression on Zhong Chengshuo’s face—when it came to emotions, Zhong Chengshuo always carried a simple and gentle clumsiness like that of raw wood. But now, he seemed intoxicated, and there was a certain abnormal vagueness in his features.

“I don’t like seeing you in pain,” Zhong Chengshuo murmured, his brows tightly furrowed.

This was bad.

Yin Ren knew he had intense emotions, and he had fallen into numerous emotional pitfalls in the past. From the “Innocent Thoughts” to Qi Xin, he had deliberately trained himself to resist emotional manipulation.

But Zhong Chengshuo hadn’t.

Zhong Chengshuo, by nature, was always rational and stable, and he was confident in this aspect. Moreover, nothing had ever been able to affect him. Zhong Chengshuo was like a blank sheet of paper. Neither cursed spirit weapons nor evil creatures, nor even the Great Primordial Elementals, could achieve that.

…But beings of the same level as a “god” might be able to.

“Yin Ren.” Zhong Chengshuo leaned against one of Yin Ren’s fingers, holding it tightly. The lantern dangerously tilted, causing the flame to flicker even more. “Yin Ren, it hurts a lot, doesn’t it? Eat me…”

Yin Ren: “…”

The “Innocent Thoughts” version of Zhong Chengshuo unexpectedly didn’t exhibit any aggressiveness. Love had devoured his rationality, and Zhong Chengshuo had developed an obsession with the idea of “letting his lover eat him to heal”. Tirelessly, he called out to Yin Ren.

“Eat me, eat me now.” He held onto Yin Ren’s finger tightly, repeating persistently.

Yin Ren: “I won’t eat.”

“You should eat. My taste won’t be any less than Satisfaction.” Zhong Chengshuo was erratically offering himself.

“I won’t eat, even if I die.” Yin Ren emphasized. “Listen carefully, Zhong Chengshuo. I won’t eat, even if I die. I’m still waiting to go home with you.”

Zhong Chengshuo paused for a second, revealing a dazed expression of being struck heavily. “But you’re in pain.”

“I can’t help you, whether it’s with this lantern or the definition of our species. I can only assist, watching you take the lead. I don’t like seeing you hurt. I should be your shield…” Zhong Chengshuo’s eyes became less pitch-black, and some chunks of flesh flipped out from his eye sockets, showing signs of swelling and growth.

“Yin Ren, I want to do something for you, anything… Why won’t you eat me?”

Yin Ren somewhat understood Zhong Chengshuo’s horror when he had consumed the “Innocent Thoughts” in the past. Lowering his head, he looked down at his bewildered lover in his palm. He had no doubt that if he could find his mouth, Zhong Chengshuo would definitely try to climb inside.

Swish, swish. Yin Ren once again severed the infected parts on his body caused by Love. Amidst the intense pain, he suddenly had a somewhat bad idea.

“You just said you’re willing to do anything for me, right?” Yin Ren raised his hands high, his thoughts gentle.

Zhong Chengshuo nodded vigorously.

“In that case…” The beautiful monster leaned down, and his thoughts were like the whispers of a demon. “Without harming yourself, solve this problem of easing my pain—can you do it?”

Zhong Chengshuo froze, and even the white in his eyes stopped spreading.

He stood motionless in place, completely stiff. Yin Ren couldn’t help but think of the black rabbit that was like a stone statue when they had first met.

Alright, he’s restrained now. Satisfied, Yin Ren raised his head and continued to contemplate strategies amidst the intense pain.

A few minutes later, he felt an itch in his palm.

“Ah… Ah…”

Zhong Chengshuo looked up, revealing a suddenly enlightened smile.

“Yes, that’s right. In addition to healing, I can also… I can prevent new wounds from forming. But I can’t do it now, I can’t. I shouldn’t be unable to do it.”

His tone carried a mixture of confusion and obsession.

“In theory, ‘I’ should be able to do it.”

Just as Yin Ren was about to say something, a sense of oppression suddenly burst from his palm.

Zhong Chengshuo’s eyes were no longer speckled with white. The pitch-black color returned, spreading incessantly. The snow-white heart behind his head exploded, giving birth to numerous black droplets.

Yin Ren’s vision briefly went dark.

When his perception returned, Zhong Chengshuo’s eyes no longer had any whites. There was only darkness mixed with countless patterns, where the essence of Fear rapidly surged. Above Zhong Chengshuo’s head, a pitch-black perfect circle slowly took shape, floating about a fist’s height above his skull.

Without thickness, it was like a layer of pitch-black shadow floating in the air.

The erosion of Love had weakened, but Zhong Chengshuo was clearly still in a state of confusion. He muttered words that Yin Ren couldn’t understand, tightly gripping onto the bone lantern.

With the whisper completed, he raised the lantern a little higher.

The blood-red light that had originally filled the sky, like all-natural radiance, now came to life and began converging towards the center of the lantern. The soft and faint light gathered together, shining brilliantly like the setting sun.

In the next instant, the golden-red light sphere split into thousands of golden-red light rabbits. They had strange and bizarre forms as they hopped towards the pale contamination on Yin Ren’s body. In less than half a minute, the rabbits took their places one by one, gently leaning against the contaminated cluster of wings. The soft red light was like pearls, illuminating the dark wings.

The expansion of the white spots came to an abrupt halt. The hearts gradually withered and dried up, the arms became brittle and snapped, and eventually, they were scattered into ashes by the cluster of wings.

Fear, the most primal and powerful emotion, theoretically had the ability to overpower everything.

Including “Love”.

Zhong Chengshuo raised the lantern higher and higher, and more red light gushed out from it, enveloping the two of them. Not long ago, the red light was simply sprinkled indiscriminately. Now, it flowed out of the lantern obediently, bowing down at Zhong Chengshuo’s feet.

Yin Ren’s pain, indeed, stopped.

---

The author has something to say:

Love-stricken Xiao Yin went crazy.

Xiao Zhong: (dodging) (resisting)

Love-stricken Xiao Zhong went crazy.

Xiao Yin: “You’re willing to do anything for me? Then solve this problem first.”

…Maybe this is the difference in experience (no offense).

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 235: Placing A Bet

Haigu, The New Pedestrian Street, Donghe District.

Fu Xingchuan stood in mid-air, facing his former junior—Xiang Jiang, who was once seen as the “successor of the new generation”.

Xiang Jiang tightened his grip on his younger brother’s hand, and his facial expression twitched. “Fu…”

Fu Xingchuan clearly had no intention of exchanging pleasantries with him. With a raised hand, dozens of fire dragons roared and blasted towards Xiang Jiang like projectiles. Xiang Jiang swallowed the words he was about to say, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

Xiang Hai also waved his hand, and a torrent of corpses surged out from a sewer outlet. They gathered in front of them, forming a shield. When the raging fire met the rotting corpses, the smell of burnt flesh instantly filled the air.

“The so-called ghost generals are nothing more than corpse servants who can control ghosts. You don’t have the advantage,” Xiang Jiang said softly.

Beside him, Xiang Hai clenched his fist, causing the foul-smelling corpses to writhe continuously. Facing the bodies of his former villagers, Xiang Hai had an eerie innocence on his face, as if the pile of corpses before him was some kind of toy.

Having had enough fun, he opened his fingers again, pointing towards Fu Xingchuan.

“Kill,” Xiang Hai ordered softly.

Xiang Jiang formed hand seals with both hands, and the surrounding evil qi surged. Evil creatures within a radius of hundreds of miles stirred in response, all converging towards their direction. The nearby fierce ghosts boiled with excitement, and for a moment, evil qi surged like a torrential downpour, resembling naturally tilted dark clouds.

The myriad of evil creatures collided with Fu Xingchuan’s fire web, screaming in agony as they turned into fireballs. The frenzied fierce ghosts were suppressed by various members of the team on the ground, and only about half of them stood before Xiang Jiang. Xiang Jiang’s expression remained unchanged as the fierce ghosts entangled themselves around the corpses commanded by Xiang Hai, forming a layer of foul-smelling water film on their surfaces.

They screamed and laughed, with deformed shadows embracing deformed corpses. For a moment, it seemed as if a flower of human corpses exclusive to nightmares blossomed before Fu Xingchuan.

It extended its dark red petals straight towards Fu Xingchuan, aiming to devour its target.

Fu Xingchuan’s movements never ceased.

“The red-clothed old man’s corpse at eleven o’clock.” Professor Li’s instructions came through his earpiece. “It allows me to see most clearly, and the power there is the strongest.”

Fu Xingchuan remained calm while his ten fingers firmly held the Eight Trigrams symbol. Eight ghostly shadows surged towards the direction indicated by Li Nian. The crimson ghost burst, and the mixture of ghost and corpse was firmly struck. Decaying flesh fell down with a crackling sound, turning into a shower of corpses filled with evil qi.

The three individuals in the sewer weren’t spared and were drenched by it.

“This… is human flesh?”

Sun Qi’an grabbed a piece of flesh from above her head. The piece of skin still had some hair on it, emitting a strong stench.

“No, I can’t stay here. They need a doctor outside.”

Huang Jin couldn’t be bothered to waste words. With a swift chop of his hand, he knocked Sun Qi’an unconscious on the spot.

Currently, they were underground, affected by the evil qi to a lesser extent. If it weren’t for wanting to stay informed about the situation outside, Huang Jin would have sent Yellow Millet to block the manhole.

“So, we’re just going to wait?” Ge Tingting held the unconscious Dr. Sun, and her face was filled with worry.

Within the narrow hole, the sky occasionally turned red from the clashes of spells. Explosions mixed with the wailing of fierce ghosts created a sound that weighed heavily on the chest.

The dense evil qi leaked only slightly into the underground, causing Ge Tingting and Huang Jin’s faces to turn pale. Whenever they opened their mouths, thick white mist would be expelled. The temperature nearby continued to drop, and if this continued, they might freeze to death.

But leaving might be even more dangerous—all the evil creatures near Haigu were drawn to this location, and who knew what might come up from the sewer. Now, with Sun Qi’an in tow, it was inconvenient for them to move.

Ge Tingting didn’t like waiting in place, but she couldn’t think of a better solution at the moment.

Huang Jin forced a smile. “Let’s wait. We’re not at a level where we can intervene in that kind of battle. Surviving is already a victory.”

If the Emergency Management Department couldn’t stop the fierce ghost twins, Huang Jin could start considering the design of an urn.

“But we still need to make some preparations.” Ge Tingting scratched her head frantically. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“All the support that can be mobilized has arrived. Yin Ren and the others are on the Other Side. In this unfortunate situation, we can’t abandon the school hospital and the others,” Huang Jin said, sitting cross-legged on Yellow Millet, playing with his own spirit weapon carving knife.

Time passed minute by minute, and the circular sky at the hole’s opening seemed to go mad. The clouds churned frantically, and beams of sunlight intermittently emerged and disappeared from the broken clouds. Strong winds blew in all directions, and countless random objects rolled across the ground—from milk tea cups and snack bags to intact souvenirs and fruits. Huang Jin’s head spun from being hit, while Ge Tingting leaned forward to protect the unconscious Sun Qi’an in her arms.

Just then, something else fell from the sky.

A charred human skull tumbled down Yellow Millet and plopped into the sewage. Huang Jin finally couldn’t help but move his body, cautiously climbing a few steps up the ladder and peering outside.

As soon as he stuck his head out, his scalp was almost shaved off by the cold wind.

The situation outside couldn’t be clearly judged for the time being. The members of the Emergency Management Department were desperately trying to contain the disaster area, preventing the surging evil qi from leaking outside.

Fu Xingchuan still guarded the sky. His upper body was covered in blood, his braid had come loose, and his shoulder-length hair danced wildly on his shoulders. Originally, eight of the strongest fierce ghosts were supposed to be guarding him, but now there were only six left. However, Fu Xingchuan’s condition wasn’t too bad—countless skeletons gathered to form a giant roc, and the skeletal bird floated in the sky, providing him with a foothold.

The situation for Xiang Jiang and Xiang Hai opposite him was even more precarious. The forms of the two fierce ghosts became blurry, with one having charcoal-black fragments on his shoulder and the other’s left leg rotten up to the knee, while evil qi surged madly.

Most of the corpse clusters in front of them had dissipated, leaving only two giant hands hanging lifelessly beside them. Behind the twins, there were still countless ghostly shadows, as if a mass of black smoke had gathered.

And above their heads, the enormous vortex of dark clouds continued to expand.

“The #1 Ghost General—worthy of the title,” Xiang Jiang commented without emotion. “Truly, cough, no mercy.”

Fu Xingchuan moved his lips, but in the end, he didn’t reply. By his side, the fiery red flames began to gather once again.

“So difficult to kill,” Xiang Hai complained. “Brother, this is so difficult to kill. When can we leave this place?”

“It’s okay, we’re almost ready,” Xiang Jiang said, placing his hand on his younger brother’s shoulder.

Huang Jin initially intended to retreat, but this statement made him stay at the scene. Almost ready? What do you mean, almost ready? Sunken Society couldn’t enter now, and these two brothers could only engage in a battle of attrition here. They may be difficult to deal with, but the situation was still under Shian’s control.

What exactly…

Huang Jin’s mind hadn’t turned the corner when he saw something shoot out from the swirling dark clouds. It was as fast as a bullet, and Huang Jin only had time to catch a glimpse of a white silhouette.

With a soft sound, it pierced through Fu Xingchuan’s chest.

Bright red blood splattered in an instant, staining the attacking object. It was a white arm, slender like that of a child but with a tangible presence.

Fu Xingchuan’s fighting instinct was terrifying. The moment he sensed the presence, he tried his best to dodge and avoid a critical hit. Then he tightly closed his eyes and roared at the people on the ground, “Don’t look!”

His voice carried a technique, revealing a fierce and intense aura.

Fu Xingchuan was severely injured. How would the situation develop? What would happen to Haigu? Would the people he cared about be safe? What should he do?

As he saw Fu Xingchuan’s red robe stained with blood in the blink of an eye, countless questions almost overwhelmed Huang Jin’s mind. Without Yin Ren, without Zhong Chengshuo… Now, he had no way out.

He had to find a solution. Haigu couldn’t descend into chaos—at least not now!

Ah, that’s right.

He couldn’t look at the true form of Love. Huang Jin numbly thought. But he had already seen it, so why was he fine?

Could it be…

Huang Jin suddenly wore an extremely ugly smile, and he turned his gaze towards the twins in the sky, the smile on his lips growing wider. Great, it was Xiang Jiang and Xiang Hai who triggered this event. How wonderful.

‘It’s really strange,’ Huang Jin thought. Even in such an absurd situation, he had considered everything, yet he forgot to consider escape and the outcome. Perhaps he had been irritated by those noisy colleagues for too long, and he had become a little foolish as a result.

This time, he would take the initiative.

Huang Jin raised his carving knife and forcefully stabbed it into his own palm.

In an instant, fresh blood smeared the Tranquility Talisman. The Tranquility Talisman was countered by the newly applied blood, instantly changing its properties.

“Go—!!!”

Huang Jin raised his hand, and a freshly created Emotional Amplification Talisman shot towards Xiang Jiang and Xiang Hai. Before the talisman could touch the two of them, it instantly exploded into fragments. Xiang Jiang and Xiang Hai couldn’t resist in time and ended up being slightly affected.

“What kind of Divine Descent is that!” Huang Jin directly carved a series of talismans on his own arm, splattering blood everywhere. “Let me show you what a ‘Divine Descent’ truly is!”

When he saw Love’s arm, he didn’t have any special reaction. It was likely because he had been possessed by a Primordial Elemental in a proper manner, granting him some protection.

After all, when the Great Primordial Elemental possessed him, it had to use his eyes to see.

So, he only needed those two ghosts to be influenced slightly. Huang Jin knew their obsessions, understood their hatred, and also grasped the original emotion that caused all of this:

Sorrow.

Within a small range, a large amount of profound and visible grief gathered.

“Qi Xin!”

Just as Love was about to deliver a fatal blow to Fu Xingchuan after pulling out his arm, Huang Jin shouted loudly, stretching out his arm covered in spells of the Other Side.

“Look at me—!!!” Blood surged out from the wound, splattering in the wind. Huang Jin roared with all his might, his originally gloomy face looking solemn and fierce.

He didn’t know if Qi Xin would come. If the ghosts were affected by the Emotional Amplification Talisman, their power would only become stronger. If this move failed, he would definitely meet his end here…

But this was his last glimmer of hope.

……

Everything seemed to slow down as Love’s fingertips left Fu Xingchuan’s chest, gathering power, and then stabbed forward again. And at the moment when the blood-stained fingertips touched the blood-stained fabric, its wrist was tightly grasped by a hand.

That hand was still adorned with vibrant bloodstains; its five fingers were steady, making a cracking sound as it squeezed the arm.

Huang Jin lifted his head once again, with two traces of red appearing at the corners of his eyes. He swung Love’s arm away, and dense Evil Force suddenly exploded, forcefully pushing back the arm for more than ten steps.

“What a troublesome human.” Qi Xin clicked her tongue, slapping Fu Xingchuan’s chest with her palm, and the flesh and skin quickly closed under it. “Not even afraid that I wouldn’t come…”

Fu Xingchuan swallowed a mouthful of blood. “You’re… Sorrow…”

Qi Xin smirked without smiling. “Thank you both. Now that I have a falling-out with this guy, I can only bet on those two to win.”

After speaking, the Huang Jin version of Qi Xin turned around and protected Fu Xingchuan. “Forget it. When the chips are in your hands, you’ll have to place your bet sooner or later, right, Love?”

She shouted the last sentence towards the sewer.

In the depths of darkness, there came a faint sigh. Ge Tingting watched as Sun Qi’an opened her eyes, and a gentle smile appeared on her face. In a daze, Ge Tingting almost thought she saw her mother.

In the blink of an eye, Sun Qi’an disappeared from her embrace.

Ge Tingting hurriedly instructed Yellow Millet to float upwards. That amiable female doctor was now suspended in front of Xiang Jiang and Xiang Hai. She stood gracefully, looking towards “Huang Jin” and Fu Xingchuan on the opposite side with eyes filled with regret.

Behind her, among the clouds, more arms desperately tore open the vortexes and squeezed into the mortal realm. Ge Tingting’s head began to spin, and Yellow Millet swiftly extended a small tentacle, forcefully covering her eyes.

“My body will be born soon, while you’re here as a pitiful substitute.”

Love manipulated Sun Qi’an and spoke with a voice as gentle as water.

“Sorrow, you have ultimately chosen the wrong path. Go back. This is your last chance… Ah!”

Mid-sentence, Love suddenly furrowed her brows, and a hint of pain appeared on her face.

“Do you think I’m foolish? Do you think I won’t look at any situation and let humans come and go as they please?”

Huang Jin’s version of Qi Xin sneered.

“Don’t speak so confidently, fool.”

……

The Other Side.

As planned, the human team led by Shian quickly attracted the attention of the Elementals. Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo circled around to the rear.

Ensuring there were no obstacles around, Yin Ren instantly reverted to his original form. He held Zhong Chengshuo’s hand in his palm with one hand while the remaining three hands cast spells simultaneously, opening a narrow passage on the giant hemisphere.

The moment it was destroyed, the white passage quickly restored itself. Yin Ren wouldn’t miss this opportunity; he darted through the narrow path like an arrow, leaving behind a trail of red silk.

In this manner, while destroying and advancing, Yin Ren swiftly slipped into the interior of the giant hemisphere.

Just as he had expected, this place was also pure white. However, the space here formed a massive spherical shape. The upper half was the pristine white they had arrived in, while the lower half was a shallow, transparent state, allowing a faint view of the chaotic scenery outside.

The lower half of this “spherical egg” seemed to have forcefully embedded itself in the interstitial space of chaos. The bottommost part of the sphere emitted a swirling grayish-white color, spinning into a dazzling vortex.

Something was squeezing its way into the vortex.

That thing was connected to numerous thread-like “umbilical cords” that criss crossed towards the outer wall of the sphere. Amidst the entanglement of these cords, Yin Ren could vaguely make out the shape of that thing.

Yin Ren couldn’t quite describe what that thing “was”.

Its body roughly resembled the torso of an infant, with no discernible gender. The neck of the torso and the positions of its limbs lacked a normal structure, with only white wings woven from slender arms.

At first glance, it appeared as if someone had severed the head and limbs of a human baby, neatly inserting snow-white pigeon feathers into the cut openings. The “child” assumed a curled-up position, as if sleeping within the confines of a maternal womb, with the white wings tightly guarding something against its chest.

Thump, thump, thump.

That was a beating snow-white heart. Countless blood vessels coiled around, leading towards the infant’s body, while a large vertical eye adorned its surface, tightly shut.

Yin Ren: “…”

For the first time, he felt that his own form was perfectly normal. He had some psychological barriers about consuming something like this.

Zhong Chengshuo, sensing Yin Ren’s hesitation, carefully nudged his palm. At the same time, the peculiar embryo seemed to sense something as well. The vertical eye on its heart suddenly opened wide, and its pitch-black pupils swirled as it gazed at Yin Ren.

Amidst the pure white monstrosity, a single speck of black appeared.

A mass of red silk surged around Yin Ren as he swooped down, his pitch-black wings covering the sky.

“Hello there, Love.”

---

The author has something to say:

The Paw Patrol has accomplished a great feat. (Huang Jin: ?)

However, Love isn’t so easy to fight against——

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Huang Jin is so handsome. This is your chapter!

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 234: Twins

After recent trials, Huang Jin was well prepared for the mission.

He had even prepared a will for property distribution, waiting to be sent at a scheduled time. Huang Jin knew better than to underestimate any mission, even if it seemed harmless on the surface. There was always a catch behind it.

The search mission was no exception.

Huang Jin’s coat was adorned with Tranquility Talismans, and he had explosive talismans hidden in the cuffs, ready to escape at the slightest sign of trouble. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned, and this time he didn’t have time to escape.

Upon discovering abnormal evil qi, the group traveled through the sewer and arrived beneath the newly built pedestrian street. As expected, Ge Tingting was the first to notice the rolling pieces of human flesh in the sewage.

Wang Zhou immediately reported the situation to Shian, but before he could provide further details, the communication suddenly cut off. Fortunately, everyone present wasn’t inexperienced or foolish. They all obediently waited in their positions for backup.

Around the four of them was a ladder that could be used to climb out of the sewer. The ladder was still sticky with the foul-smelling meat, and the dark sewer cover rested at the end of the ladder, black as an eye socket.

At this moment, Ge Tingting wasn’t needed. Even Huang Jin, the spirit smith, could smell the faint stench of corpses in the air. It was the afternoon, and the pedestrian street was crowded with people. Yellow Millet was a tangible evil, not something that could be thrown out immediately. Huang Jin sighed in his heart, with Yellow Millet hidden in his pocket.

Wang Zhou was the first to become restless.

“Continuing like this is not an option,” Wang Zhou said. “I brought a portable drone that can capture some footage. If things are still manageable outside, we can evacuate early.”

“Be careful of cognitive pollution,” Huang Jin grumbled.

“It’s fine. The footage has been processed and won’t be directly transmitted.” Wang Zhou smiled back at Huang Jin. “Besides, I’m a science post, so I have a strong resistance.”

Carrying the heavy equipment case, Wang Zhou moved the sewer cover aside and then climbed onto the ladder. He released a small, unmanned drone into the opening. A crescent-shaped light appeared in the darkness, like a mocking smile.

After just a dozen seconds, Wang Zhou put down the controller and suddenly started climbing outward.

“What are you doing?!” Bao Linlin stood up abruptly. “Wang Zhou, come down!”

Wang Zhou ignored her.

Struggling, he moved the sewer cover and climbed towards the street, without even looking down once. Huang Jin squinted his eyes; it was too dark here, and he couldn’t see what was going on in Wang Zhou’s thoughts.

“I’ll go and bring him back. You two wait here,” Bao Linlin said, stomping her foot. She quickly climbed up the ladder, following Wang Zhou. Her movements were clean and precise, while Wang Zhou clumsily climbed outward. Despite Bao Linlin putting her weight on it, she still couldn’t pull him back, as he was a fully grown man burdened with heavy equipment.

Huang Jin sighed and was about to go up and help when he saw Bao Linlin being pulled towards the sewer cover by Wang Zhou. In the next second, she leaped out of the cover and disappeared.

Huang Jin: “?!”

The two figures quickly vanished near the sewer cover.

This time, there was light outside the sewer cover, and Huang Jin could barely make out something—a fast-spinning stream of thoughts around Bao Linlin, with only one sentence.

[Must see.]

For a moment, only the two members of Unit 9 were left staring at each other in the sewer.

“Cognitive pollution,” Huang Jin said firmly. “There’s something extremely dangerous up there. Let’s wait here.”

Ge Tingting pondered for a while, then took out all the Tranquility Talismans on her and stuck them onto Huang Jin. “We can’t just wait. If the situation is really bad, we need to notify the Emergency Management Department.”

“We don’t need to protect the Emergency Management Department, do we?!” Huang Jin rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Ge Tingting: “But compared to Yin Ge and Zhong Ge, the Emergency Management Department is closer to our level of power, so they need protection too.”

Huang Jin: “…” Thanks to those two individuals, this girl’s understanding of metaphysical combat power had completely collapsed. He really couldn’t save her.

“Huang Jin, I’m not joking. If Xiang Jiang is planning a citywide attack, Ding Lizi may not be safe.”

“…Fine, I get it!”

Huang Jin pinched Yellow Millet, and the latter reluctantly expanded a little, becoming the size of an exercise ball. Huang Jin covered his body with Tranquility Talismans and cautiously floated towards the sewer entrance. His eyes couldn’t see the true appearance of humans and evil beings, naturally resisting visual cognitive pollution.

At the sewer entrance, Huang Jin poked out half of his head, looking around with a dirty face.

Everything on the street seemed normal. People were walking in groups of two or three, occasionally stopping to take photos or videos. Several influencers were live streaming with excitement. Bao Linlin and Wang Zhou, who had climbed out, had also found a corner and were adjusting something.

People’s thoughts were constantly washing over the street, but Huang Jin could only see one sentence as he carefully observed.

[Must see.]

[Must see.]

[Must see.]

……

“Puff! Puff, puff!”

Yellow Millet seemed to have sniffed something and wobbled its body, turning Huang Jin in a certain direction.

Huang Jin then noticed a stone tower not too far away.

This stone tower was a replica of a certain historical site in Haigu and was exquisitely crafted. Beautiful trees used for prayers and wishes were planted nearby, making it the most picturesque spot on the street.

Squelch.

The sound of flesh being torn apart echoed, and fresh blood flowed down the pale white surface of the tower. Countless vengeful spirits climbed and tore at something on the tower with all their might.

Squelch, squelch.

The wet entrails emitted hot steam as they hung from the beautiful eaves of the tower. The process was horrifyingly slow, almost like torture, and Huang Jin almost vomited.

Squelch, squelch, squelch.

Arms, legs, torso… and a head. A human figure mixed with cloth fragments was hanging in the most conspicuous position, drenched in blood. The person seemed like prey used for sacrifice in a tribe, torn apart into several pieces by the vengeful spirits, forming a gruesome totem on the stone tower.

…That person was dying, with only a faint layer of thoughts remaining. On his handsome and gloomy face, there was a slightly inappropriate smile of relief.

[Look at me.]

The thoughts slowly revolved and became sluggish.

[Look at me.] It repeated.

“Xiang… Xiang Jiang…” Seeing the mutilated head, Huang Jin couldn’t even articulate properly.

Has Xiang Jiang gone insane?

Does he just want to die in a more tragic manner, like an ordinary person who would make it to the news and be seen by everyone?

…Wait, be seen by everyone…

Huang Jin’s pupils suddenly contracted.

The various popular influencers around him were still happily explaining things. The young men and women who came to take pictures and go shopping were joyfully filming vlogs. The middle-aged and elderly people posed for selfies and quickly sent them to their family groups. However, all the phones, cameras, and camcorders were pointed in one direction.

Look at me.

That almost lifeless person emitted an extremely powerful corruption of evil qi.

Look at me.

In the dense atmosphere of evil qi, the scene of a tragic and painful death, the almost insane obsession… and most importantly, widespread cognition. The bloody and macabre scene couldn’t be suppressed or deleted fast enough. This blurry and gory footage was spreading through the internet to various parts of the world.

Huang Jin knew he should retreat.

He also knew that at the moment Xiang Jiang breathed his last breath, something incredibly sinister would definitely be born. He must escape, but…

“Ge Tingting, don’t come out! Yellow Millet, shake the atmosphere of evil qi!”

Huang Jin shouted loudly.

“Aren’t you a fucking A-A level evil? Right now, destroy all electronic devices!”

“Puff—!” Yellow Millet, sensing Huang Jin’s emotions, instantly exploded with a large amount of evil qi. Suddenly, a bone-chilling storm swept through the pedestrian street, and all the surrounding electronic devices went out as if hit by an electromagnetic pulse at the same time.

People continued their actions as if nothing had happened, still gazing at the corpse and enthusiastically capturing their poses.

Even though their screens were completely dark.

Huang Jin nervously surveyed the surroundings. No, there was still a faint light in the corner. Wang Zhou was facing the unmanned aerial vehicle, smiling and saying something. Devices from Shian were always resistant to the atmosphere of evil qi.

“Fuck!” Huang Jin threw an explosive talisman backwards, directly destroying the unmanned aerial vehicle. Throughout the entire process, he kept his peripheral vision on that deadly corpse.

There was nothing left in the thoughts of that corpse, and amidst the lively and joyous atmosphere, Xiang Jiang breathed his last breath.

Meanwhile, the totem-like pieces of the corpse slowly melted down the stone tower. The surrounding vengeful spirits didn’t have time to disperse and were devoured by the flesh and blood sponge. The fluctuations of the evil qi around grew more intense, and the dark clouds above the stone tower gradually spun, forming a vortex-like shape.

Huang Jin’s back hair stood on end. “Yellow Millet!”

“Puff, puff, puff!” Yellow Millet shook its eyeballs frantically, even trembling slightly in the face of the increasingly deformed corpse.

…Yellow Millet was, after all, a completely natural evil. It was impossible for it to risk its life for humans. It seemed that thing would transform into an A-A level evil. Huang Jin swallowed his saliva nervously.

In less than half a minute, the flesh and blood finally merged together. Countless viscous threads sprayed from its surface, gradually forming a huge cocoon. It was covered with black and red patterns resembling human faces, beautiful yet terrifying.

Xiang Hai spread his horrifying wings and lovingly extended his arms, embracing the cocoon that was about the height of a person. The cocoon seemed to possess consciousness, as its surface transformed into a swamp-like texture, gradually engulfing Xiang Hai.

Huang Jin clenched his teeth and pulled out all the explosive talismans, throwing them all near the cocoon. Numerous explosions occurred, shattering the exquisite stone tower into pieces. However, the cocoon inexplicably clung to the remaining stone wall, floating in the air. The surrounding evil qi grew denser, the dark clouds in the sky spun faster, and dozens of semi-transparent “umbilical cords” hung down from the vortex, swaying above the cocoon.

Faced with such a phenomenon, Huang Jin dared not even breathe.

Escape. He had tried his best. For heaven’s sake, he was just a spirit smith. How would he know how to terminate an evil like this?

Damn it, why couldn’t his body move?!

Just like a fledgling bird breaking through the eggshell, there was a slight cracking sound.

A pale and slender hand broke through the cocoon and reached out. Then came the shoulder, head, and body.

Intact bodies of Xiang Jiang and Xiang Hai floated side by side in mid-air.

Both of them had human-like appearances, handsome enough to be called so, but their skin tone was much paler than a living person’s. They wore identical old-fashioned robes, one in red and the other in white. The facial wings on Xiang Hai’s back were gone, but their clothes now had numerous hidden facial patterns, each face twisted with pain and despair.

The chilly wind became chaotic, and dried leaves were swirling and flying everywhere. One leaf landed on Xiang Hai’s hair, and Xiang Jiang slightly tilted his body to catch it in his hand.

With a gentle squeeze, the beautiful yellow leaf turned into a black-gray frost and scattered from Xiang Jiang’s hand.

Huang Jin wished he could faint.

The good news was that he didn’t go crazy on the spot upon seeing these two, which meant they were not yet at the level of an Evil Spirit. The bad news was that they were undoubtedly, unprecedentedly powerful and formidable ghosts.

They even possessed true physical forms.

Yellow Millet was more panicked than him. It almost tore itself apart, desperately twisting in the opposite direction of the twin spirits. If not for the consideration of its master’s colleagues, Huang Jin suspected that Yellow Millet would have flicked him away like a flea.

It’s over.

When Huang Jin noticed the malevolent gaze of Xiang Jiang shifting towards him, he wanted to give himself a few slaps—Didn’t I tell you to escape immediately? Didn’t I tell you not to go up and make trouble? Now he would become someone’s punching bag. Whose fault was it?

“Yellow Millet, escape through the sewer!” he shouted in panic.

However, before he could utter the last word, flames suddenly lit up around him.

Bright orange flames tightly encircled the entire pedestrian street. The dense, dark clouds were almost illuminated by the fire, giving off a hint of warmth.

At some point, a figure flashed beside Huang Jin.

Huang Jin stiffly turned his head—

The person was surrounded by a fire dragon, and his tied-up black hair swayed in the cold wind. The eye-catching red attire and exaggerated fringe earring—The head of the Emergency Management Department, Minister Fu Xingchuan.

A fire dragon coiled around Huang Jin and Yellow Millet, assuming a protective stance.

“You manipulated the situation? Well done,” Fu Xingchuan said concisely. “Step back and be on standby.”

Before Huang Jin could respond, Yellow Millet deflated with a “puff”. It transformed into a soft cushion, carrying Huang Jin as they drifted downward. Along the way, Huang Jin took a glance. The Emergency Management Department personnel were busy on the street, evacuating tourists.

And just like that, Yellow Millet floated back into the sewer, narrowly avoiding crashing into Ge Tingting.

Huang Jin took several breaths before regaining his composure. “Ge Tingting, come up too. We might need to evacuate at any time.”

“Is the situation bad?”

“Hard to say,” Huang Jin said. “But with Fu Xingchuan there, we definitely have a chance to escape. What’s that?”

The well opening above their heads suddenly darkened.

Accompanied by a startled cry of “Ah”, a tourist fell down. Huang Jin immediately moved aside, allowing the person to fall onto the soft Yellow Millet.

Yellow Millet made a loud “puff” upon being hit.

“Oops…” The person scrambled to get up, adjusting their disheveled long hair. “Huang Jin, Little Miss Ge?”

This person’s thought pattern seemed familiar. Huang Jin’s mind slowly turned, and Ge Tingting reacted first. “Dr. Sun, what are you doing here?”

Huang Jin finally realized.

Right, it was Zhong Chengshuo’s friend who had been involved in Mr. Le’s campus case before. They had even had a meal together.

He remembered her name was Sun Qi’an.

……

The Other Side.

“I disagree,” Meng Huai said. “You don’t need to waste time contacting Shian.”

“Shen Mo’s presence here does indicate a major disturbance in the mortal world. But given the current situation, as long as Xiao Fu and Xiao Li haven’t been kicked in the head by a donkey, they know that a great calamity is approaching. Will you stay over there if you inform Shian of the situation?”

Zhong Chengshuo: “…” But the two Zhong elders were still in the mortal world, and he felt uneasy about his helplessness.

However, he also understood that to deal with “Love”, he and Yin Ren must not be separated.

“I know you’re worried about your parents. Your parents are also Chengfeng’s parents, and I care too.” Meng Huai shook her head. “But I trust Shian… and I ask you to trust them too. Your Charon abilities aren’t proficient, so it’s better not to complicate matters.”

Zhong Chengshuo: “I understand.”

“In that case, we only have one path left.” Yin Ren took over the conversation, and this time he didn’t smile.

“Yes,” Meng Huai curled her lips.

Yin Ren took a deep breath. “According to the plan. Minister Jiao will be responsible for the rear command. Meng Jie, Chengfeng Jie, and Fu Tianyi will form a team. You will deal with Shen Mo and lead the ‘Lonelies’ to rescue the missing people.”

“Zhong Chengshuo will take a detour with me and engage with ‘Love’ directly. Qi Xin is an unstable factor; if necessary, we will let her join the battle.”

After speaking, he paused.

“…Action will take place in three hours as planned. Kill ‘Love’.”

---

The author has something to say:

When people fight, gods fight too.

That’s why there are two mascots! (Not really)

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Lonelies MPV! I want a Lonely cat…

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 233: Wrong Image

“He will attack all of Haigu,” Fu Xingchuan said.

He stood in front of the map of Haigu with a solemn expression.

“Is it your intuition again?” Li Nian’s mocking voice softened a bit. Fu Xingchuan turned to look at his partner, whose face had turned pale and thin, resembling a corpse.

Since being entangled by the angel’s arm, Li Nian hadn’t been able to sleep well. Recently, his sleep was purely maintained by medication, but that wasn’t a long-term solution.

Fu Xingchuan wasn’t in the mood to argue with him and just sighed briefly. “I understand him.”

The stronger Xiang Jiang’s abilities were, the more paranoid he became.

Since Fu Xingchuan took on this new recruit, he tried to handle things gently and let Xiang Jiang handle cases that might suit his taste, such as dealing with criminals who harmed women and children. Compared to when he first arrived in Haigu, Xiang Jiang did seem to be more cheerful, but he still carried a sense of detachment.

He wouldn’t befriend anyone from Shian. When he wasn’t working, he would only buy expensive and comfortable clothes, cut them in half, and sew them back together.

Fu Xingchuan had talked to him several times, and Xiang Jiang always responded without showing any emotion. But there was one time, after they rescued a child who was being used as a living sacrifice, Fu Xingchuan said this:

“The times have changed, and now there are surveillance cameras everywhere in the city. Tragedies will become less and less frequent.”

Xiang Jiang, who was usually reticent and gloomy, reacted as if he had been stung.

“So what?” he asked.

“I know that tragedies will become less and less frequent, but that’s other people’s lives. My parents and brother died painfully and tragically, and the case has had no progress to this day… Should I just give up?”

“There were three lives in my family—the lives of the people closest to me. Should I just let it go because some strangers I couldn’t care less about might have a better life?”

“Xiao Xiang, that’s not what I meant—”

“It’s been too long, so the police can’t find the criminals from back then. That’s just how things are. There were too many people spreading rumors and gossip, but they got away with it lightly, and no one was punished. That’s just how things are… I have to understand these realities and be happy to contribute to society. This is what you mean, right?”

Xiang Jiang twisted his mouth, revealing an ugly smile.

“I can’t look ahead, senior,” he said. “Xiang Hai is behind me, and I can’t raise my head.”

Fu Xingchuan had hoped that with the passage of time and experiencing enough love and hatred, Xiang Jiang would eventually be able to move on.

…But he didn’t.

“Even if Xiang Jiang wants to attack all of Haigu, there must be a focal point. Currently, there are three locations in the city with a large concentration of people.”

Li Nian’s voice brought Fu Xingchuan back to reality.

“The shopping mall in Xizhao District is having a promotional event. They set up a world cuisine venue outside, and currently, there are thousands of people gathering there.”

“Shangguang District is hosting an international furniture expo. The number of people is slightly fewer, but there are a large number of journalists gathered inside.”

“Donghe District is conducting a tourism and cultural promotion. They just opened a popular street for influencers.”

Professor Li’s finger pointed on the map.

“These three places are all near the city center. If they serve as the center for terrorist activities, they can create the maximum impact. A large number of people would ensure a wide reach. What do you think? Do you want to rely on intuition again?”

Fu Xingchuan silently looked at the three red dots on the map. He stood there for a while, then shook his head. “Contact Hao Wenzhe and have him gather information on the social media activities of Coral Reef Group.”

Fu Xingchuan flexed his finger joints.

“Xiang Jiang may not necessarily obey Sunken Society, but Sunken Society will definitely use Xiang Jiang.”

“Coral Reef Group?” Li Nian frowned.

“Yes, that unfortunate group that seems to be involved in every case. I looked into it before, and at least on the surface, they have no connection with Sunken Society,” Fu Xingchuan said. “But in the realm of the metaphysical world, there are not so many coincidences… That’s my intuition.”

Li Nian nodded and typed on the computer for a while.

“According to Hao Wenzhe, all three locations have anchors and influencers from Coral Reef Group. The most people are on the influencer street in Donghe District, but that place already has a strong online presence. You should take that into consideration.”

“Which team is closest to that area?”

“…The joint team of Unit 7 and Unit 9.” Li Nian’s voice instantly lost its emotion.

Fu Xingchuan’s face twitched twice. “Immediately reinforce the team and put them on high alert. I’ll inform Unit 7 and Unit 9 to be vigilant, and also have the Emergency Management Department on standby. Lao Li, do you have anything else to add?”

“Let’s go to the scene.” Li Nian picked up a scarf. “It’s stuffy inside. I want to feel the cold breeze.”

……

At the same time, on the Other Side.

Jiao Lian’s physical condition was special, and Yin Ren didn’t dare let her stay outside for too long. After he gained a preliminary understanding of the Charon technique, he hurriedly sent her back to the base.

Meng Huai wasn’t familiar with Jiao Lian. She was surprised but thought they had rescued someone from somewhere again. Fu Tianyi, on the other hand, had heard of this famous Charon and thought that nothing could shock him more—

“Wait, wait, you guys dug out Minister Jiao?!” Fu Tianyi almost bit his tongue. “According to this, doesn’t it mean that our ancestor is also…”

“He has been inside for too long, and I don’t know his exact location.” Jiao Lian looked at Shian’s familiar style with a sense of nostalgia in her eyes. “But if we have Mr. Yin and Mr. Zhong, they can definitely find him.”

Jiao Lian’s features appeared youthful, and she had cut her hair short, looking clean and lovely. However, her body was still connected to her unconscious partner, and it needed careful dissection to move. At first glance, it was quite terrifying.

Fu Tianyi’s expectant gaze immediately turned to the two of them.

“We don’t have time for that now,” Zhong Chengshuo solemnly stated. “We’ll save it for later.”

Practicing the Charon technique alone already took up all of their time—they even had to cut down their short naps together.

Fu Tianyi: “…Makes sense.”

Comrade Xiao Zhong’s tone was like discussing digging up radishes in the ground, making one want to be angry but not daring to be. But it was true—the Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi was here. If his ancestor was dug out and treated, it was estimated the daylily would grow a second batch*.

*Idiom referring to events are happening too quickly. If they were to find and treat the Fu ancestor, the events outside would already have significantly advanced (thus a second batch of daylily would be produced).

I’m sorry, ancestor, but it seems that Shian isn’t lacking Charons right now. 

Fu Tianyi’s face remained expressionless as he continued to chop Elementals. The sharp arrogance of the young man had long been worn down into a high-quality bearing. Even when Zhong Chengshuo and Yin Ren would disappear while holding hands, there was no ripple on his face.

“Fu Tianyi!” Meng Huai called him. “Stop playing with the flesh and come help! We need to separate Xiao Jiao and Xiao Zhou—”

“Okay, coming!” Fu Tianyi wiped his hands and obediently ran over.

He rushed towards Jiao Lian while Yin Ren ran towards Love’s white net. The two new “gods” moved stealthily. Yin Ren restrained his aura and pulled Zhong Chengshuo along, poking their heads out to take a look.

The “Safety First” signs on their heads had also turned into appropriately colored camouflage, looking quite fitting.

The white net remained the same, and there were even more Elementals patrolling around—a large group of them.

The two of them maneuvered through the gaps between different Elementals like protagonists in a disaster film. Yin Ren carefully sensed the surroundings. The “heartbeat” in the center of the white net became increasingly clear. Fortunately, the atmosphere around them remained stable, with no signs of abnormalities.

Zhong Chengshuo carefully observed the structure of the white net. “The explosive points are well-configured. I can bring it all down with a blast.”

“But we also need to protect the survivors,” he murmured, lost in thought.

Yin Ren couldn’t help but look at the small cocoons containing the survivors. If the huge semicircle in the center was a stadium, these smaller cocoons were at most the size of basketballs. They were scattered around the vicinity of the large hemisphere, making them difficult to handle.

“I can remove the cocoons, and Meng Huai and the others can command the ‘Lonelies’ to transport them,” Yin Ren muttered. “As long as we evacuate the innocent, we can go all out.”

Zhong Chengshuo recalled the horde of Lonely cats for a while. “Are they capable?”

It wasn’t that he discriminated against Elementals, but those “Lonelies” didn’t seem to be very bright and had little courage.

“If this plan succeeds, they will have officially cooperated with Shian, and Shian will definitely be willing to bear this cost.” Yin Ren quickly calculated. “They are already skilled at cognitive attacks, and with Meng Huai’s command, they are very suitable at escaping… What do you think?”

Zhong Chengshuo nodded. “It’s feasible.”

Being accustomed to working alone, at most he would incorporate Yin Ren into his plan. When it came to group fights, the Great Celestial Master himself had more experience. Zhong Chengshuo continued to calculate the points of destruction, his dark eyes scanning between the strands of the white net.

After this inspection, they could go back and develop a battle plan.

Suddenly, those black eyes were fixed in a certain direction.

In a corner, the massive white web seemed to have gathered some gray particles, with vertical black traces. The black spot was positioned high and maintained a distance from the surrounding swarm of Elementals.

Strange, he had just scanned the area with his gaze, and there was clearly no such “dust” before. Zhong Chengshuo imagined a telescope and looked towards that faint black impurity.

As Zhong Chengshuo’s eyebrows went from furrowed to relaxed and then raised again, Yin Ren curiously squeezed over. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s someone.”

Zhong Chengshuo tried hard to think about the internal structure of the telescope, envisioning a higher magnification.

“…Indeed, it’s a person, and still moving.”

“Let me see.”

Yin Ren swallowed the “impossible” that nearly slipped out of his mouth—all surviving members of Shian were in the stronghold, and the ancestor of the Fu family was still buried in the interstitial space. It was impossible for someone to freely move here. Could it be a talented survivor?

However, Zhong Chengshuo didn’t hand him the telescope.

“I have seen this face,” Zhong Chengshuo said in a deep voice. He pressed down on Yin Ren’s “Safety First” helmet and said slowly, “In the personnel files of the Charon Ability Branch, there is Shen Mo, a traitor of Shian and a current high-ranking member of Sunken Society.”

Yin Ren immediately clicked his tongue. “It seems that there are more than just us trying to use humans to command the Primordial Elementals.”

Charons weren’t easy to catch; they had to be eliminated with a single blow. However, the person’s position was delicate. If they acted recklessly, it would definitely alert “Love”. “Love” reacted quickly, having suffered a setback last time, so this time it found some help.

Zhong Chengshuo: “Retreat?”

“Retreat.” Yin Ren sighed. “It seems that Minister Jiao has beaten this guy before. I need to go back and do some research.”

But as he took a few steps back, Zhong Chengshuo disappeared. Yin Ren quickly turned around, only to see the person frozen in place, seemingly contemplating something.

“Zhong Ge?”

“Not right.”

Zhong Chengshuo moved his fingers, gesturing in the empty air as if writing and calculating on an invisible notebook.

“Sunken Society itself is weaker than Shian. A ‘Charon’ is a force that can reverse the situation at critical moments. Why would Wei Huaqian allow Shen Mo to act on the other side?”

“If a Charon wants to leave, Sunken Society wouldn’t be able to stop them, right?” Yin Ren halted his steps.

“No, Sunken Society seeks revenge for any slight. Even if it’s a Charon, they wouldn’t risk offending Sunken Society at this moment.” Zhong Chengshuo pondered for a bit. “If Shen Mo is here with Wei Huaqian’s consent, then things are troublesome.”

“This shows his confidence—confidence that Haigu will fall into chaos to the point where Shian has no energy to deal with him.”

After speaking, Zhong Chengshuo raised his gaze, his expression unusually serious.

“Something is wrong. We need to contact the human world as soon as possible.”

……

Shian Building. Lu Xiaohe patiently listened to the on-site reports.

“…Evil qi reaction has occurred near Yinhua Road in Donghe District. We are rushing to the scene…”

“…Evil qi reaction has occurred near Yinhua Road in Donghe District, with an evil qi value fluctuating around 3.21fR…”

Wang Zhou’s voice came through the earpiece.

Lu Xiaohe: “Data analysis complete. The epicenter of the evil qi radiation is approximately at the new pedestrian street on Yinhua Road in Donghe District. Emergency Management team members have arrived in the vicinity. Minister Fu and Minister Li have rushed to the scene.”

“Everyone, be cautious and don’t act rashly,” Xiao Zhao said with seriousness. “Let the main force of the Emergency Management team handle this. The concentration of evil qi is not something to be taken lightly. Especially Linlin Jie—Wang Zhou, you must keep an eye on her.”

“…” There was only silence in response.

“It’s no use being silent. We must restrain her!” Xiao Zhao rolled his eyes in frustration.

Lu Xiaohe wanted to laugh, but then she realized something, and her smile vanished.

There was no background noise without electromagnetic interference, no warning of equipment malfunction. The communication channel was silent, and even the sound of everyone’s breathing couldn’t be heard. If it weren’t for the normal data, Lu Xiaohe would have suspected that she accidentally muted herself.

Lu Xiaohe cleared her throat. “Can you hear me? Huang Jin? Please respond if you hear me.”

Still, there was no response.

“Hello? Unit 7, please respond!” Xiao Zhao gradually straightened up. “Don’t act rashly, don’t act rashly!”

The communication equipment wasn’t damaged, and the physiological indicators of the individuals were within the normal range. Theoretically, there was no problem.

But there was an inexplicable silence in the earpieces.

After reporting the issue, Lu Xiaohe and Xiao Zhao quickly adjusted various parameters. The programs were working properly to an exasperating extent, and there were no abnormal communications from other teams. The current situation couldn’t be explained at all.

The deadly silence lasted for more than ten minutes.

Just when Xiao Zhao was anxiously stomping his feet, a new signal finally appeared.

“…Hello, there was a communication problem just now.” Wang Zhou gasped for breath. “I took out my drone. Make do with watching through it.”

With a beep, the same scene appeared in front of the two rear commanders.

The angle of the image was facing the sky. Under the dark clouds, the stone tower on the new pedestrian street exposed its tip, as if about to pierce through the sky. This was clearly the central scene of the new pedestrian street.

“The image is wrong!”

Lu Xiaohe’s hair stood on end.

Ever since they learned about the threat from the Other Side, Shian had further tightened equipment restrictions—even the investigation drones used by the science posts were only allowed to transmit processed visual data.

What could have been used to capture such a clear image?

“Xiao Zhao, don’t look at the screen!” Lu Xiaohe shouted sternly. “Wang Zhou, what did you use to capture this?!”

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

The image shook for a moment and turned to Wang Zhou’s face. Xiao Zhao stared blankly at his familiar teammate—Wang Zhou was missing an eye, and his left eye socket was bloodied and empty.

And behind him, on top of the stone tower, was Xiang Jiang’s fragmented and broken body.

---

The author has something to say:

The shopping mall in Xizhao District is doing promotional activities, and a world cuisine venue has been set up outside. ←

Xiao Yin: Look at what I missed.

The hatred for “Love” intensifies!

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 232: Good and Evil

Wei Huaqian walked down the street. He took a deep breath—the icy air cut into his lungs, causing pain.

Compared to last year, the streets of Haigu were much quieter. There were many cloudy days in winter, and the recent sky was always gloomy. Walking from indoors to outdoors felt like hitting a higher ceiling with his head.

The shops along the street were withering, and about one-third of the stores had “For Rent” signs hanging. The surrounding atmosphere was like the remaining autumn leaves, almost disappearing in the cold wind.

But Wei Huaqian’s business was doing well.

The companies on the surface were diligently managed by the people under his control. As for the transactions in the field of metaphysics… Recently, countless people turned to believing in these things, spending a fortune for peace of mind, which made Wei Huaqian’s assets soar.

But all of this was meaningless.

Wei Huaqian examined his body—once he was tall and sturdy, as elegant and handsome as Shen Mo. Now his skin was sagging, his organs aging, and illness was relentlessly eroding his body. No matter how much money he spent, he couldn’t stop the march of time.

But he would soon be relieved.

With a flick of his hand, one of his arms disappeared completely into thin air.

Corruption was intensifying, and the space in Haigu had become increasingly fragile. Just a little more wait, and he would truly become a real Charon. Then his diseases and the limitations of lifespan would no longer be a problem.

Money, power, immortality. Throughout history, these were the desires of the privileged. People always wanted to rise higher. Even Shen Mo, the lunatic, couldn’t resist these temptations.

Wei Huaqian retracted his arm and slowly entered his favorite restaurant. His reserved seat was already prepared, secluded and comfortable.

Speaking of which, he hadn’t seen Shen Mo much lately. Wei Huaqian took a sip of hot tea.

Since acquiring the useful tool Xiang Jiang, Shen Mo rarely showed up in front of Wei Huaqian. That guy was sensitive to power and didn’t like the presence of other Charons in the world… Wei Huaqian remembered that Charon with the surname Jiao, who was disabled by Shen Mo.

The memory of that day was vivid for Wei Huaqian.

It was the first and only time he collaborated with Shen Mo.

At that time, Shen Mo had just joined Sunken Society not long ago, and Wei Huaqian wasn’t yet the leader of Sunken Society of Haigu. He was still relatively young and was assigned to assist Shen Mo due to his slight involvement with Charons.

Back then, Shen Mo was still officially a member of Shian. In order to gain a high position in Sunken Society, he proposed a crazy plan—to steal research data on “the Other Side” and the “Divine Descent” phenomena from Shian, as well as a large number of precious spirit weapons, using them as a letter of introduction to join Sunken Society.

“Jiao Lian and I are the only ‘Charon’ in Shian. Their procedures don’t matter much to ordinary cultivators, but for Charons, they are full of loopholes.”

“I will communicate with the higher-ups and arrange for a relocation. I’ll say that the Charons will cause spatial instability and chaotic evil qi, necessitating a reorganization of storage and laboratories.”

Shen Mo casually tossed a stack of printed papers to Wei Huaqian.

“Your Charon abilities are somewhat useful, but you’re decent enough to handle things from the safe. I’ll teach you a few key points…”

Wei Huaqian patiently listened as Shen Mo spoke confidently, but he raised one question.

“What about the other Charon?” he said. “Once she realizes something is amiss, she won’t let you off easily. I heard that her Charon abilities surpass yours.”

Shen Mo’s smile carried a hint of disdain. “Abilities are just abilities. I work in the investigation department, and she works in the appraisal department. Our combat levels are not on the same level… But yes, I truly dislike that woman overshadowing me. It’s better if she disappears.”

Wei Huaqian remained silent, but a trace of contempt showed on his face. Shen Mo had worked at the Shian for many years, and he didn’t believe this guy could deal with his former colleague without obstacles.

It might be a trap set by Shian.

“I know you don’t believe me, but I’ll just say one thing.” Shen Mo glanced at Wei Huaqian. “What do you think is the biggest flaw of Shian?”

“Adhering to regulations and following the rules,” Wei Huaqian said.

“No, no, there are always a few mavericks, like the talisman user I brought with me, Fu Xingchuan—he’s not someone who follows the rules.”

Wei Huaqian remained silent.

“Their biggest flaw is ‘goodness’.” Shen Mo stopped smiling. “The actions of ‘good people’ are very easy to predict.”

“Let’s make a bet. If I disable Jiao Lian, all the research on the Other Side will be under my control. If I lose, I will hand over everything I stole this time, without any conditions.”

……

As it turned out, Shen Mo was right.

It was a day in late November when the Shian’s relocation convoy was ambushed.

When Wei Huaqian arrived at the scene, he witnessed a confrontation between two “Charons”—Jiao Lian and Shen Mo. They were exhausted from countless traversals. Several Shian personnel lay wounded around them, but there were still three or four people standing, and the situation seemed unfavorable for Shen Mo.

“Shen Mo, that’s enough.” Jiao Lian held a sword spirit weapon made of coins with her brows furrowed. “Now you only have enough energy for one more traversal. You can’t escape.”

“And you have a little more than one left.” Shen Mo wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. “I know, you always have a tiny bit more ability than me. Oh well…”

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly raised his hand.

Instead of using the final transversal to escape, Shen Mo commanded it to throw a wooden crate, directly smashing Jiao Lian’s partner—a girl who was holding a laptop and checking the data from a distance without any defenses.

“Xiao Zhou—?!”

Everything happened very quickly. When Jiao Lian realized what had happened, the girl had already been crushed by the heavy crate, her shoulder shattered. Xiao Zhou slid down the wall in confusion, still clutching the laptop tightly in her arms.

Blood gushed out in an instant.

“She is a science post, and no one here is capable of treating her. In two minutes, she will die from blood loss.” Shen Mo raised his hands. “Well, explanation complete. Now, continue to guard against me.”

Jiao Lian hesitated for less than ten seconds.

She rushed to her partner’s side, tightly embracing the girl, and both of them disappeared on the spot. Only the blood-stained laptop fell to the ground, its screen flickering incessantly.

Wei Huaqian knew that when a Charon forcefully traversed while lacking energy, they were easily drawn into a chaotic space. Jiao Lian’s remaining power was barely enough for her own traversal, and now she had an injured person by her side.

…All for a glimmer of hope.

Truly foolish.

The subsequent events unfolded just as Shen Mo had anticipated. Without Jiao Lian’s interference, Shen Mo teleported directly to another relocation vehicle. The spirit weapons and documents in that vehicle ultimately became the possessions of Sunken Society.

“Jiao Lian will die over there.” Shen Mo evaluated afterwards. “Once entering the chaotic space, a Charon cannot determine the destination of the traversal. She couldn’t afford to gamble with two people… Staying in such a place for a long time would drive anyone insane.”

However, Shen Mo’s judgment had its first mistake regarding this matter.

Indeed, Jiao Lian didn’t abandon her partner, but she also didn’t give up on survival. The deranged woman utilized the power of the Charon to sever parts of her own body, only returning a portion to the mortal realm.

The blood-soaked and damaged laptop was dismantled and sent to the junkyard after being handled by Shian.

There was a short video clip that circulated briefly at that time. It was on a late December night, when the screens on the garbage mountain suddenly lit up, and organs and chunks of flesh slowly grew around them. Amidst the snowy landscape, those pieces of flesh emitted steaming heat, trembling uncontrollably.

“Shian. Shian.”

From a nearby damaged radio, a voice emerged. It sounded like a synthesis of countless voices, causing a tingling sensation throughout the body.

“Foreign Object, Identification, Group, Jiao Lian. Shian. Shian…”

……

The recollection ended, and Wei Huaqian put down his chopsticks.

In the end, Shen Mo obtained the position he desired. Jiao Lian didn’t die, but her body underwent separation and transformation, becoming indistinguishable from waste. She and her partner were alive, but it was merely an existence.

Stupid woman.

If she had abandoned that dying science post, maybe she could have come back to seek revenge against Shen Mo. But now, she had nothing left.

The Other Side.

“So that’s how it is. She’s only half—no wonder the fusion turned out like this.”

Ms. Zhou, the science post, was treated by Yin Ren and was still unconscious. Qi Xin examined the fused parts of their bodies, making clicking sounds with her mouth.

“I can peel it off, but the other half of this woman is in the mortal realm. Humans will have to treat her themselves.”

[I’m fine. Shian has treated cases of fusion with objects before.] Jiao Lian’s thoughts were coherent, filled with delight. [Please send Xiao Zhou back first.]

“Oh. That depends on how hard your people work.” Qi Xin remained unmoved. “Yin Ren, Old… Zhong Chengshuo—there’s a ready-made teacher here. Figure it out yourselves.”

After speaking, Ms. Qi pet Gao Mengyu’s cat. “I’ll go back first, so that guy doesn’t realize something’s wrong.”

“Wait—” Yin Ren’s paw just reached out, but Qi Xin disappeared like Dr. Meiqiu.

Beside him, Zhong Chengshuo was already seated with his knees crossed, his notebook and pen in position. “Ms. Jiao, please proceed.”

The “Safety First” helmet on Zhong Chengshuo’s head hadn’t even disappeared yet.

“Zhong Chengshuo, let me rest for a while.” Yin Ren moaned in a plaintive tone. His heart and stamina fluctuated greatly, and he hadn’t even eaten during the period. “And we need to clarify the situation first. Where did you just go? …How did you dig the person out?”

Zhong Chengshuo: “Oh.”

He imagined another “Safety First” red helmet and placed it on Yin Ren’s head. “Ms. Jiao, please start from the space just now.”

Jiao Lian: […Alright.]

……

At the same time, in the underground water system of Haigu.

It hadn’t rained for a long time, so the water level underground was low. The four of them cautiously moved along the dirty side passage, with Bao Linlin in the lead and Ge Tingting at the rear. Huang Jin and Wang Zhou were in auxiliary positions, protected in the middle.

Wang Zhou clearly had complete trust in Bao Linlin. While his partner walked ahead, Wang Zhou didn’t even look at the path; his eyes were fixed on the changing numbers on the screen. Huang Jin didn’t have the detection mode of a science post, so he had to reach into a small pocket in his backpack and hold the ping pong ball-sized Yellow Millet.

This thing could sense abnormal evil qi, and it had a soft and slippery texture, suitable for keeping warm on cold days.

“Puff, puff.” Yellow Millet didn’t like being rubbed by Huang Jin’s cold paw, and it complained softly in Huang Jin’s hand.

“What’s that sound?” Wang Zhou turned his head.

“I stepped on some water. That’s the sound it makes when I walk.” Huang Jin shamelessly replied. “Right, Xiao Ge?”

Ge Tingting: “Hehe.”

As noon approached, they still had gained nothing. The sewer was peaceful, and the most vigilant enemies they encountered were just crawling cockroaches.

“Well, since we have nothing better to do, why don’t we think about where Xiang Jiang might go?” Bao Linlin was getting restless. “I’ll guess first! At a time like this, he betrayed Shian. Perhaps he might turn around and stab Shian, attack its compound…”

“Hmm… He doesn’t have any grudges against Shian, and Shian has treated him well. I have reservations.” Wang Zhou’s eyes remained fixed on the instrument screen. “Xiang Jiang is currently cooperating with Sunken Society, so he’ll probably act according to their intentions.”

“I don’t know him, so I have no idea.” Huang Jin showed little interest.

“He might also want to seek revenge on society,” Ge Tingting guessed seriously. “Cause a scene in a sensitive public place…”

“Pass, there are too many possibilities,” a voice interrupted in their earphones. It was the rear commander of Unit 7—Xiao Zhao couldn’t help but interject.

Huang Jin: “You see, what did I say? If we could guess these things, Shian wouldn’t have to deploy personnel with such great effort.”

Ge Tingting angrily kicked the back of Huang Jin’s heel. Then she noticed that one person had remained silent all this time.

“Xiaohe Jie?” Ge Tingting tapped her earpiece.

“…I’m just saying, can you understand his feelings? Do you believe it?” On the other side of the earpiece, Lu Xiaohe’s voice sounded a bit heavy.

The two members of Unit 7 exchanged glances. Huang Jin put away his sulking face. “What are you trying to say?”

Lu Xiaohe: “After Huang Jin and Tingting joined Shian, both of you obtained resonance spirit weapons, right?”

“Yeah, mine is a ballpoint pen that can suck blood and turn it into ink, and Huang Jin’s is a stress ball that screams. Weren’t they only used for identity verification?” Ge Tingting recalled.

“They can represent certain aspects of a person to some extent. Xiang Jiang’s spirit weapon is an eternal, unbreakable dagger.” Lu Xiaohe’s voice carried a bitter tone. “Xiang Jiang is stubborn in his actions. Someone like him won’t waver in their stance for a little benefit.”

“Unit 9, what are you trying to say?” Bao Linlin slowed her pace.

“Not long ago, my mother went missing. At that time, I also harbored hatred towards Shian and even towards my comrades,” Lu Xiaohe said.

“After being with Shian for so long and witnessing so much, knowing how many strong individuals exist in this world… My mother went missing, and they were well aware of it, with the ability to search and rescue, but they chose to prioritize other matters.”

Even though Lu Xiaohe knew this conversation would be recorded in the Shian public channel, she still spoke bluntly.

“Rationally, I understand that some things may indeed be more important. Others are not obligated to do everything for me. But my mother was suffering, and the power to save her was right beside me. It was difficult for me not to feel hatred.”

“There are so many powerful and kind people in this world, so why can’t they save her?”

For a moment, the sewer fell silent.

Lu Xiaohe sighed and continued.

“If I were Xiang Jiang… because of Xiang Hai’s kidnapping case, my family was torn apart, my education was ruined, and my youth was destroyed.”

“Afterward, I found my brother, but all I found was a corpse. He and his friend were mocked by the public, turning my brother into a vengeful spirit.”

“At that time, I came into contact with Shian and discovered that there were so many powerful individuals in this world… Just based on all of you here, breaking a kidnapping case would be easy. Shian has indeed treated him well, but if it were me, I would also find it difficult to feel a sense of belonging.”

After all, her mother was rescued from the hands of the Great Celestial Master, while Xiang Hai had turned into a vengeful spirit, constantly clinging to Xiang Jiang. They stood together, witnessing the power that could save them from hell.

Only if time could be reversed.

“You can’t say that. We also have our own work…” Bao Linlin couldn’t help but interject, but she was interrupted by Wang Zhou.

Finally, Wang Zhou moved his gaze away from the screen. He gently shook his head at Bao Linlin. “We all understand the general principles, but rationality and emotions are two different things. Miss Lu, please continue.”

“…Xiang Jiang’s betrayal is inevitable. However, even if he’s upset, he wouldn’t specifically target Shian. He has only one goal.”

Lu Xiaohe continued.

“He needs a target for revenge—someone to take responsibility for the suffering of his blood relatives. For example, the village where the kidnapping occurred and the people who spread gossip online.”

“But the village doesn’t exist anymore, right?” Wang Zhou pondered. “And we can’t be certain about the identity of the online gossipers, can we?”

After saying that, his expression changed. “Could it be…”

“If we can’t be certain about their identity, indiscriminate attacks are fine. They deserve a bit of torment, whether they are bystanders or evildoers… If it were me, that’s how I would think.”

Lu Xiaohe’s voice carried a hint of coldness.

“I would attack all of Haigu.”

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The author has something to say:

Huang Jin wanted to hold Yellow Millet in his palm, but Yellow Millet didn’t want Huang Jin to hold it in his palm. Huang Jin insisted on holding Yellow Millet in his palm (…

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 231: Unexpected Discovery

“There is also a saying among humans about ‘getting stuck in a bug’. Some spaces may appear no different from their surroundings, but they are actually paper-thin and very easy to accidentally get stuck in.”

Qi Xin wandered around the area pointed out by Qiqi, observing and explaining as she went.

“What I do is similar to finding a crack and forcibly prying it open to squeeze myself out. What I can teach you is simply the ‘prying’ action—”

She paused at a certain spot and gestured with her hands. “—just like this.”

The originally empty space gradually distorted into a black-gray vortex. Initially the size of a bowl’s opening, it turned slowly and laboriously. Then, with cracking sounds of crumbling, the vortex spun faster and grew larger, eventually reaching a size barely enough for a person to pass through.

Dr. Meiqiu, in a predatory motion, seemed eager to try. However, at that moment, Qi Xin raised her hand, quickly calming the vortex.

“The path you previously took was a pre-established route, like walking in a prepared tunnel. Crossing between two realms is not that simple.”

Qi Xin glanced at the disgruntled Meiqiu.

“To break through the space on your own is like digging and advancing in quicksand; a slight distraction can lead to losing your way. I can only teach you the technique, but you must gauge your own abilities.”

Next was a strict hands-on teaching session by Qi Xin. Similar to Yin Ren’s expectations, this method wasn’t magic. In short, to break open space, one needed a powerful and meticulous imagination as well as a high level of mental focus.

Meiqiu was the first “God” to create a rudimentary passage.

When it discovered the appearance of the passage, it proudly moved its whiskers, but in the next moment, the passage burst like a soap bubble.

Dr. Cat’s ears drooped, and it tried again. The next vortex appeared just as quickly, but each time it transformed into the size of a walnut, the small vortex met its demise.

“Infinite Ability user, huh? No wonder your calculations and imagination are so astounding,” Qi Xin said, unfazed. “But your focus is too scattered.”

Meiqiu confidently retorted, “It’s not my fault.” It was a natural trait of its species.

After creating several passages, it showed signs of deflation throughout its entire body. “Forget it. It doesn’t matter if I never go back there anyway. I’m tired. I want to go back and sleep.”

Yin Ren beside it was speechless and choked up. At the moment, this cat seemed to be their best hope. Unfortunately, Dr. Cat’s temper was too foul, and they couldn’t force it to do anything.

“Think about your thesis,” the Great Celestial Master advised earnestly. “If you can’t go back…”

“I pursue knowledge to satisfy my curiosity, not to contribute to humans.” Meiqiu flicked its tail, sounding extremely disdainful. “Even if all humans were wiped out, I would still continue my research. Goodbye.”

With a flick of its paw, it disappeared effortlessly into thin air, presumably returning to its base.

Gao Mengyu’s cat looked on with wide eyes, and its two fleshy limbs once again kneaded the cat’s tablecloth. It seemed to hold great reverence for this “true cat”.

Yin Ren looked at Zhong Chengshuo and wanted to say something. Zhong Chengshuo, with his eyes tightly shut, seemed lost in thought, and it appeared it wasn’t suitable to interrupt him.

So Yin Ren obediently sat back in his original position, holding his breath and meditating.

He had imagination. His computational ability might not rival that of the “Infinite” cheater, but after studying magical arts for so many years, he could still be considered a genius. Yin Ren suspected that he had a similar problem to Dr. Cat—he was accustomed to being absent-minded, and over time, random thoughts were prone to naturally grow in his mind.

For example, at this moment, upon hearing Qi Xin’s “Hmm?” sound, Yin Ren couldn’t help but open one eye and sneak a glance.

The space in front of Zhong Chengshuo had changed.

Unlike Dr. Cat or Qi Xin, his vortex didn’t gradually expand. There was a sudden explosion, and a perfectly round, pitch-black hole appeared before him, resembling an alarmed eye.

“Old Fear… Are you calculating everything from the beginning?” Qi Xin clicked her tongue. “That’s also a method. Remember this feeling and maintain it.”

Zhong Chengshuo seemed as if he hadn’t heard her. He opened his eyes with his dull gaze fixed on the black hole about the height of a person in front of him. After hesitating for a moment, he stepped one foot into it.

Yin Ren couldn’t sit still any longer. “Hey!”

“Shh.” Qi Xin stopped him. “Let him go. If necessary, I’ll bring him back.”

Yin Ren said, “That’s not the issue—”

A thousand years ago, even when it was in a stage of confused thinking, the Black Rabbit would still hop around seeking liberation. Love stretched open a gap and spilled a large amount of flesh and blood in the Divine Descent twenty-nine years ago.

It was difficult to forcibly distort the laws of nature and come out unscathed.

Qi Xin glanced at Yin Ren, who had a worried expression on his face. “That’s enough. His current form is safer than yours. The power of ‘Fear’ won’t simply disappear. Since he has abandoned the offensive direction, his defense shouldn’t be lacking.”

“Have you ever seen someone riding a unicycle? As soon as Old Fear finds balance, if you jump onto his ride, both of you will be done for,” she added a final sarcastic remark.

Yin Ren made an effort to keep his feet steady, nervously staring at Zhong Chengshuo’s back. Like being swallowed by an upright dark pool, Zhong Chengshuo’s body was instantly engulfed by darkness.

“At most, five minutes,” Qi Xin said. “Don’t worry, a beginner can’t hold on for long.”

“Why?” Yin Ren asked.

“You’ll find out when you tear a hole yourself.” Qi Xin chuckled.

Zhong Chengshuo acted as if he didn’t hear Qi Xin’s comment, but just by looking at the scene before him, he knew that it wasn’t suitable to stay in this place for long.

Perhaps due to it being his first time, the interstitial space was incomplete.

It was like a scene with modeling errors. The abstract-colored Other Side was half-heartedly materialized, and while the tunnel remained, everything on the tunnel walls had completely changed—

Daily necessities, buildings, withered plants, animal carcasses, electronic machinery… Countless things compressed together. They wriggled in chaos, causing a headache to anyone who looked.

Zhong Chengshuo remembered that he had walked normally into the upright black hole. But upon arriving here, the black hole lay beside his feet, and the direction was a complete mess. Unidentifiable objects squeezed past his feet from time to time, desperately pressing against each other but without making a sound.

There was no light here, and the distant path led to unknown darkness. The surroundings were so silent that it felt as if hearing had been lost. Let alone creating a path to the human world, just maintaining a normal state of mind here was a difficult task.

However, someone’s mental state was exceptionally stable.

Zhong Chengshuo calmly watched the suspicious objects flowing by in front of him with only one thought in his mind—

Since the experiment had progressed, he needed to complete this attempt seriously.

He took a step towards a certain direction.

With reinforced imagination, the black hole at Zhong Chengshuo’s feet followed his every move, sliding over the uneven surfaces of objects. One step at a time, he gradually became more stable.

But his footsteps still made no sound.

Find the path to the human world… Find the path to the human world…

Zhong Chengshuo repeated this in his mind incessantly as the cluttered objects beneath his feet twisted crazily. Silence and chaos entangled each other, creating a strange sense of unreality in the entire world.

Taking step by step in this disordered place, both the concepts of time and space became chaotic. Just as Zhong Chengshuo was about to slow down and gather his thoughts again—

“Haa… Haa… Haa… Haa…”

A voice echoed from the depths of the clutter, sometimes distant and sometimes near.

The sound of human breathing.

Zhong Chengshuo suddenly stopped in his tracks. There was no sound in this place, so why was there this one sound?

Frowning, Zhong Chengshuo imagined poking the ground with a shovel.

Sure enough, there was still no sound.

“Haa… Haa… Haa… Haa…”

The breathing continued. In this chaotic and incomplete interstitial space, this breathing sound might be the only normal thing and also the most abnormal thing.

After half a second of contemplation while leaning on the shovel, Zhong Chengshuo calmly lifted the iron shovel.

……

The breathing sound moved slowly with the clutter. Over an hour passed, and Zhong Chengshuo finally dug out its source—

It was two young women.

One of them had a petite figure. She had short hair, and her eyes were tightly shut. She held a damaged laptop in her arms. After a quick observation, Zhong Chengshuo saw that half of her shoulder had been smashed into a pulp, and her blood had stained most of her clothes red.

A genuine serious injury. Her internal organs were relatively intact, but the wound would cause her to lose a significant amount of blood and die within a short time.

At this moment, her chest rose and fell laboriously, emitting slow breaths of “Haa… Haa… Haa… Haa…” as if in deep sleep.

The other woman held her horizontally. Her back was slightly bent, assuming a protective posture. She remained motionless, and it was unclear whether she was a corpse or a living being. The two individuals had been here for who knew how long, with the laptop and their flesh conjoined together; even their bodies showed a tendency to merge.

Zhong Chengshuo pried the mass of flesh with his shovel. The two individuals were merely stuck together and separate from the surrounding environment, which was a relief.

He changed his angle and made another shovel strike. Instantly, a thought entered his mind.

[Who?]

Zhong Chengshuo remained silent.

It turned out to be a living person.

Zhong Chengshuo pondered in place for a few minutes, imagining a large construction wheelbarrow. He carefully shoveled the person entangled in the various debris and forcefully stuffed them into the cart.

[Who?!] The shock in that thought grew stronger.

Unfortunately, Zhong Chengshuo’s heart was already fragmented, and he didn’t have the energy to engage in conversation. He made sure he had fully shoveled the person, not leaving any arms or legs behind, before carefully pushing the cart and moving away.

……

“How long has it been?” Yin Ren paced outside the black hole, feeling anxious. “Didn’t you say five minutes?”

“His passage was steady, without…” Qi Xin’s words were abruptly cut off.

Something emerged from the black hole.

A mass of bloody flesh wriggled out, and Yin Ren’s cry of pain built up in his throat. Before the shout could burst out, the true appearance of the flesh was revealed—

The mass of flesh belonged to two individuals stuck together.

This strange amalgamation was placed in the bucket of a construction wheelbarrow, pushed by Zhong Chengshuo. The person wore a serious expression and a “safety first” helmet on their head. It was unclear whether this was a deliberate imagination or an incidental detail.

“I didn’t find a path to the human world, but I dug up this.” Zhong Chengshuo introduced with solemnity. “Look, they’re alive.”

Qi Xin: “…”

Yin Ren: “…Cough, cough, cough!” His cry of pain turned into fitting coughs.

“That’s where the interstitial space is formed.” Qi Xin pinched her forehead in a frenzy. “How could there be living people inside?!”

Zhong Chengshuo paid no attention to her. “Yin Ren, come and take a look.”

“Wait.” Yin Ren hesitated for a moment, then imagined the infirmary at Shian.

Afterward, he approached Zhong Chengshuo and shifted his gaze to the mass of amalgamation.

In the bright and clean atmosphere of the hospital, that mass of flesh appeared especially terrifying. A membranous tissue with fine blood vessels enveloped the two individuals, and their bodies, along with the laptop, were intertwined. Blood vessels wandered on the surface of their bodies like roots.

“Haa… Haa… Haa… Haa…”

Yin Ren sensed a faint breath.

…Indeed, they were alive. The Great Celestial Master took a sharp breath and immediately began examining their hands.

One of the individuals, despite their deformity, seemed to be relatively unharmed. The other had severe injuries, with crushed flesh mixed with broken bones, revealing a dark red color. Fortunately, although their injuries were serious, on the Other Side, the situation wasn’t too dire. Unlike Meiqiu, this person could be saved solely through magic.

Yin Ren half-knelt beside the injured person, carefully casting healing spells.

Strangely, the injured person wasn’t responsive to the healing spells. A spell with full strength only had a ten percent effect on them. Fortunately, the Great Celestial Master’s power was measured in pounds, so Yin Ren ignored the minimal effect and continued to focus on the treatment.

Meanwhile, Zhong Chengshuo squatted on the other side of the wheelbarrow, vigorously searching for any clues within the mass of human amalgamation. Unfortunately, their clothes were torn, their pockets empty, and the laptop screen remained dark, providing no evidence of their identities.

Zhong Chengshuo exerted some force, supporting one person’s shoulder and reluctantly separating them slightly.

This time, he made a new discovery. There was something familiar clutched between the chests of the two individuals. Zhong Chengshuo imagined a pair of tweezers and diligently tried to pick out that object.

Two Shian ID cards fell with a clatter. The faces on the cards were distorted, the handwriting was incomplete, and everything was in disarray.

Zhong Chengshuo squinted and struggled to discern the information.

Fore■ Identification Department (A-level) – Science ■, Zhou■■; this card was hanging from the injured person, with most of the red mark on the card obscured by blood.

■ Identification ■■■ (A-level) – Non-Sci■ Post, Jiao Lian; the black mark on the ID card remained distinct.

“…Jiao Lian? Minister Jiao?” Zhong Chengshuo looked at the two masses in the small cart, tilting his head slightly. Jiao Lian, the head of the Foreign Object Identification Department. He had seen her before, but the Jiao Lian he knew didn’t have a human-like “face”, making it difficult to match her with the blurred female figure in front of him.

The masses didn’t react.

Zhong Chengshuo made a thoughtful exchange this time.

[Greetings, Minister Jiao.]

Zhong Chengshuo greeted slowly, taking a glance at Yin Ren, who was still working hard to treat the injured person, and trying to infuse a friendly smile into his thoughts.

[Zhong Chengshuo, science post of the Special Investigation Team Unit 9 of Shian. It’s a pleasure to see you again.]

The computer screen in the depths of the Shian Building’s special room suddenly flickered faster.

[Hello, Zhong Chengshuo.]

He received an affirmative response.

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The author has something to say:

Xiao Zhong: Professional at picking up people on the road √

Xiao Yin… After all, Xiao Yin was ultimately burdened by his overactive mind.

A giant cat god who’s slightly better than the cat god (×

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