Chapter 87 Mutual Exchange 1

Unlike Ma Zao, Zhu Shi lives in modern society and naturally has a certain understanding of modern technology and gadgets.

Of course, being familiar with modern technology doesn't guarantee recognition of a GPS bracelet; one might mistake it for an ordinary smart fitness tracker. However, since Zhu Shi specifically asked in this tone, it means she most likely recognized it.

I now truly understand the feelings of villains who are just one step away from having their conspiracy exposed by the protagonist, but can do nothing but watch helplessly.

"You mean this? This is a gift Zhuang Cheng gave me."

Mazao touched the red GPS bracelet on her left wrist, seemingly recalling her emotions when she received the gift; her tense gaze softened for a moment.

She quickly regained her guard and took a step back, intentionally or unintentionally hiding her left wrist behind her back. She seemed to be wondering why Zhu Shi had suddenly asked about the bracelet, and looked at me with a questioning gaze.

I tried my best to control my facial muscles. Zhu Shi first looked at me with a shocked expression, then turned his neck to Ma Zao, and then his voice inexplicably became very gentle as he asked, "Do you know what this is?"

At this moment, she seems to transform into a righteous female police officer, facing a young girl who has not yet developed a concept of gender but has been violated by a vile adult, and wants to understand the case in depth without tainting the girl's pure mind as much as possible.

"Isn't this just an ornament?" Ma Zao was even more puzzled, then seemed to make a connection, "Could it be that in this era, giving away a bracelet like this has some special meaning? I think I saw it on TV; in this era, there are certain special customs regarding gift-giving, even giving flowers has a special meaning..."

I forced myself to say, "That's right, this is a bracelet specially given to friends who are going on a long journey when they part ways. Red is the color of courage, and it means I wish my friend good luck in battle."

“Senior Brother Zhuang…” Zhu Shi looked at me speechlessly, as if he were looking at a criminal who had deceived an innocent young girl.

"Then why did she react so strangely?" Asaho wondered.

"Maybe it's because she's really shocked that you're my friend." I quickly changed the subject, "Let's talk about the apocalypse first, that's more important."

"Too."

I have some experience in how to distract Asaho. And she took the bait, focusing her attention on the previous topic: "Since my power can't prove the existence of the apocalypse, then what about the previous demons... or monsters? Monsters should only appear in the apocalypse, and they should be monsters transformed from humans. Why are they appearing in this era?"

As she spoke, she kept glancing at Zhu Shi's face.

I secretly made hand gestures to Zhu Shilian from the side.

Zhu Shi sighed deeply, seemingly putting aside the reckoning for my "crimes" for the time being, and then said to Ma Zao: "As far as I know, the monsters are transformed from monsters by a mysterious figure called the Monster Creator, who is a member of the Humanitarian Division. The Humanitarian Division's purpose is to create extraordinary warriors who obey mortal society... None of this has anything to do with the apocalypse you mentioned."

"You say that strange people are a product of the apocalypse, but the facts prove otherwise. Doesn't that make your words even less credible?"

"The creator of monsters? The Humanitarian Affairs Bureau?" Asahi was completely confused.

Seeing her confusion, I explained these two concepts to her in detail, and then said, "I know you want to gather evidence of the impending apocalypse by investigating the monsters, but as you can see, we know more about the origins of the monsters. We can then cooperate, which is much better than you fighting alone. Don't you think so?"

“But Zhuang Cheng, you and she don’t believe in the existence of the apocalypse, do you?” She was clearly still resistant to cooperation.

“Now we shouldn’t be talking about me and her, but about you,” I said in an unquestionable tone. “Do you really want to stop the apocalypse? If you truly do, you should be seeking more support. And what’s in front of you now is the opportunity to access more clues.”

"With me and Zhu Shi as your point of contact, you'll be able to access the immense power of Luo Shan. In this era, no organization understands the strange and supernatural better than Luo Shan. Are you really going to turn away this golden opportunity because it 'doesn't suit your temperament'?"

"Or are you just playing house, pretending to be working hard, but you never really intended to stop the apocalypse from the beginning?"

"Hmm..."

Upon hearing this, she was indeed greatly shaken.

But I know very well that this level of words might not be enough to persuade her, who is so incredibly stubborn.

We must launch further offensives.

“I also hope that you can join us,” Zhu Shiye said. “I don’t know how you understand your current situation, so I must remind you that some forces are planning to take you under their wing by disregarding human rights and morality.”

"Moreover, this isn't the first time I've heard about the end of the world. There are doomsday prophecies circulating in Luoshan."

Asahi exclaimed in surprise, "What?"

"You mean... that prophecy that the end of the world will come soon, and all life and matter will be reduced to nothingness?" I recalled the doomsday prophecy that Number One mentioned in the misty dream.

Because I was busy searching for Ma Zao after waking up, I forgot to go find Zhu Shi to confirm the prophecy.

"You've heard of it too?" Zhu Shi asked in surprise.

“Detective Kong told me that,” I answered without hesitation.

"So, people in this era already foresaw the end of the world?" Asaha frowned. "Then why didn't anyone take it seriously?"

“Because there is no evidence,” Zhu Shi said. “Anyone can claim that the world is about to end. Even an ordinary person who knows nothing about strange things can predict that the earth will become uninhabitable for humans due to global warming. But if you want everyone to believe that the world will be destroyed within ten years, you must provide convincing evidence.”

"...I know of such a thing, though I don't know if it can be used as evidence, or where it is now..." Mazao pondered for a moment before saying, "It should be quite famous in this era. Although you may not know its name the same as I do, you should still have some understanding of it. And according to the information I obtained in the apocalyptic era, the key to the apocalypse should be it."

I had a vague premonition about what she was referring to, and intentionally asked, "What is it?"

Ma Zao slowly said, "Divine Seal."

It really is a divine seal!

The past Fantian Incident, and the future apocalypse—

The divine seal is the center of everything.

Zhu Shi paused for a moment, then looked at me. She must have connected it to my recent "for some reason" inquiries about the Divine Seal.

“I was fortunate enough to witness fragments of the Divine Seal in the future,” Mazao continued. “Legend has it that the complete Divine Seal possesses immense power, capable of both destroying and saving the world. In the apocalyptic era, some believe that the apocalypse is a disaster caused by the Divine Seal. I cannot be certain whether this is the truth, but I do know that the arrival of the apocalypse is closely related to it.”

"If so, then we only need to bring it under our control; even if not, we can still use its power to nip the source of the apocalypse in the bud."

Upon hearing this, I wanted to take out the fragment of the divine seal from my pocket to let her know that I was actually ahead in the investigation of the apocalypse. That way, she would be even less likely to leave my side, as she hoped to prevent the apocalypse from coming.

But seeing Zhu Shi beside me, I managed to control this impulse.

I believe in Zhu Shi, but what I believe in is her as a person. In reality, she represents not only herself, but also another faction within Luoshan that stands in opposition to transcendence.

She probably doesn't believe in the existence of the Divine Seal yet, let alone that the Heaven-Turning Incident was caused by it. However, if she realizes that the Divine Seal truly exists, or even discovers that I possess a fragment of it, the nature of the matter will be entirely different.

The Divine Seal is a divine artifact capable of changing the world, and its fragments also possess value in influencing the fate of the world. Precisely because Zhu Shi has an extremely strong sense of justice, she would certainly not privatize its information.

Similarly, although she said she would not tell Lu Youxun and his faction about Ma Zao after finding her, considering that Ma Zao's existence was related to the hope of curing countless patients with the Soul Loss Syndrome, she would most likely report it to her faction later.

I'm not actually that concerned about the leak of information about the Divine Seal fragments, nor do I mind being drawn into the chaos. It's just that information is easy to give away but difficult to take back. Whether or not to reveal the information about the Divine Seal fragments is undoubtedly an extremely important decision, and even I need to think it over carefully, weighing the impact this would have on Ma Zao and Zhu Shi. Now it's not like the time limit we had in the fifteenth-floor room; I can take more time to determine the right time to hand over the information.

However, I need to increase my leverage now so that Asahi can finally make up her mind to stay by my side.

What other leverage do I have left?

I figured it out quickly.

“Ma Zao, do you still remember the friends you mentioned to me in the post-apocalyptic era?” I asked.

Asaha asked in confusion, "Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

“I met her recently,” I said. “Did she call you ‘Mazao-neechan’?”

"You've seen her!" Ma Zao was initially shocked, then doubted, "No, that's impossible..."

She had told me long ago that her friend in the post-apocalyptic era was a little girl of about ten years old, so it's not impossible that I guessed she called her "Mazao-neechan" based on that. Although I have no reason to risk guessing that title, she would probably prefer to believe I guessed rather than believe I could communicate with people from the post-apocalyptic era.

So I spent more time describing my impression of Number Two's personality and way of speaking.

As I described more, Mazao's skeptical expression gradually wavered, and she seemed to slowly become more inclined to believe me.

(End of this chapter)