Chapter 39 Reunion After a Long Time No See
Main Quest (Intermediate) Required Merit Points: 10441/10000
[The main (intermediate) quest has been detected as complete. The system is verifying it; please wait patiently.]
Having successfully completed the intermediate-level mission, Chu Jue's gaze was fixed on the male team leader's several palms.
—He unleashed an immense amount of spiritual power, a level he was not currently capable of.
The male team leader had indeed kept some trump cards for himself, but the ending he envisioned was impossible—the spiritual energy couldn't harm Chu Jue; instead, it was converted into repair progress, successfully advancing the side quest's progress bar.
[Side Quest - Mental Strength Repair - Progress Updated, Maximum Mental Strength +923]
[Current Limit: 3159/9999+]
Sure enough, this power was several times stronger than the energy brought by the spirit puppet. Could this be the legendary inheritance? No wonder such an easy shortcut has attracted so many organizations.
Even the combined value of the spirit puppets, which can be considered high-value, cannot compare to the male group leader's inheritance.
The male team leader was the only one with high stats, and he even remembered to send a gift before he died. It was worth feeding him the food he had carelessly prepared; it was a pleasant surprise.
Chu Jue inappropriately recalled a piece of nonsense that Yun Qiandu had once complained about: "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."
At that moment, Yun Qiandu made a gagging motion and rolled his eyes to express his disdain.
And now—she's arrested them all.
The experience of being a chef for a day won her both hearts and stomachs.
There were people who were completely open and honest with her.
Having achieved her small milestone, Chu Jue wore a satisfied expression. Just as she was about to chat with the designer a bit more, she was surprised to find that the system had processed her payment quickly and had already issued her a bonus.
The main (intermediate) quest has been completed, and rewards have been distributed.
Main Quest (Intermediate) Rewards Unlocked: [Merit Point Sharing Functionality Acquired]
Merit points shared? Before Chu Jue could make any guesses about this new reward, another system notification appeared below.
Current total merit points: 10441
Main Quest (Advanced) Required Merit Points: 10441/100000
Chu Jue: ...
Chu Jue: ?
At first glance, Chu Jue thought there was a bug in the system display, as it hadn't updated the required merit points. But upon closer inspection, she realized it wasn't a system bug, but rather a misperception.
Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands... not ten thousand, but one hundred thousand.
This number has five zeros, just like a cascade.
...One hundred thousand? Are you kidding me?
Retaining a sliver of composure amidst the absurdity, Chu Jue thought for a moment and realized that, based on previous tasks, although the system loved to spout nonsense, it had never set her any goals that were completely detached from reality and impossible to achieve... Therefore, this value seemed to confirm her previous conjecture.
For example, the number of people in the management office who commit wrongdoings can be as high as two thousand.
The quality of the merit points she gains will be significantly higher than before, so the system's limit will also increase accordingly—as the experience gained from killing a monster increases, the experience bar required to level up to the next level also increases.
Designer: [0o0]
She was still thinking when she suddenly saw the message and thought three more zeros had appeared, which startled her. Then she realized that the three bubbles were the designer's surprised emoji.
Designer: [I have the utmost respect for you, wise lady.]
Chu Jue chuckled to himself.
[Main quest progress updated, merit points increased by 30]
[Current total merit points: 10471]
The two sudden boosts left Chu Jue somewhat stunned. She hadn't done anything yet, so how did she gain thirty merit points?
Chu Jue asked the designer, "Can your reverence also provide me with merit points?"
Is it possible to find something like an Easter egg in this way?
Designer: [Your current "delusion" index is too high; a mind-refreshing mode has been activated for you.]
The designer then played a high-energy electric guitar performance and an audio clip of a hellish joke from some unknown galaxy.
Designer: [So why didn't Zhong Ni save the fat cat? And why wasn't there any strawberry in the takeout he ordered for him?]
Chu Jue: ...
Who are these people?
The notification sound of increasing merit points rang continuously. After reuniting with Group 111, Chu Jue successfully learned the reason.
"With this level of skill, you think you can attack a girl? You'd be castrated if you didn't know what you were doing."
Yun Qiandu seized a lucky spot for a physical exorcism, and after finishing one, she turned around and killed another. With each action, new system notifications kept popping up.
[Main quest progress updated, merit points +33]
This means... the merit points that Yun Qiandu and the others harvested can also be added to her? Chu Jue immediately realized that it seemed that the so-called merit point sharing function had come into play.
No wonder the numbers were so high this time; it turns out she's no longer fighting alone.
The system unlocked a more convenient way for her to obtain it, which is arguably the most useful feature the system has unlocked so far.
However, this feature has its pros and cons. This so-called "sharing feature" only shares the merit points from the main storyline, but does not share the spiritual energy from side quests.
After Yun Qiandu and the others finished killing, he did not receive the dropped spiritual power.
But the advantages still outweigh the disadvantages—Chu Jue no longer needs to worry about friendly forces getting kills before everyone else when they're all attacking.
However, how does the system determine her "teammates"? Does it mean that as long as someone is from group 111... all the experience points they collect will be counted towards her score?
So idealistic?
Noticing Chu Jue's appearance, Ying Yi stopped, paused for a moment, and then patted Yun Qiandu on the shoulder.
She seemed to give some instructions before turning to approach Chu Jue: "Just now... there was a very powerful spiritual force. I sensed it, and it disappeared the next second."
"Did something happen to the male team leader?"
But judging from Chu Jue's appearance, it didn't seem to be anything serious.
Chu Jue snapped out of his thoughts, nodded, and said succinctly, "It was him. He's dead now."
"I see." Ying Yi pondered, "When did his spiritual power become so immense..."
Men are generally conscious of their lives, and they wouldn't hide anything when they're about to die, so this unusual power clearly doesn't belong to the male team leader.
Could it be the legendary inheritance?
"I don't know, it seems to be no different from a spirit puppet."
Chu Jue described the scene to Ying Yi.
Ying Yi frowned: "He actually chose to self-destruct?"
It seems that this man's target for "mutual destruction" is not just Chu Jue, who is facing him.
Once the explosion occurs, very few people in the entire area will survive... There are clearly still his own team members here; what a twisted man's heart.
"Well, before that, he also summoned three male spirit masters with relatively high spirit ranks..." Chu Jue thought for a moment, then thought of those three male spirit masters whose merit points weren't high, but whose spirit ranks were very high, "Executors."
But she remembered Ying Yi saying that executors are assets belonging to the power structure.
Ying Yi sighed deeply: "Their relationship has become so intertwined."
"It's alright," Chu Jue reassured her. "We're going to kill them all anyway."
Ying Yi: "That's true."
With clear division of labor, everyone cleaned up the scene. Since Chu Jue was no longer required to deliver the final blow, he didn't make a move and even took on the role of action instructor.
She noticed some dirty bloodstains on Yun Qiandu's shoulder, clearly from being wiped on. When her gaze fell on Ying Yi, he remained calm, as if nothing had happened.
The cheerful Yun Qiandu was still having a great time competing with Ying Suixin. Neither of them would give way, but they both lost to the silent Jiang Jingshu.
"...Jing Shu is getting more and more skilled." Yun Qiandu exclaimed in shock, "Such fast technique, has she already surpassed me!"
Jiang Jingshu has only been a spiritual practitioner for a short time, yet her practical skills are already so formidable.
The person involved smiled and said, "I learn from practice."
After dealing with a large number of male spiritualists involved in the "spirit brainwashing project," the group discovered a new problem: "What about the women who were successfully brainwashed?"
Yun Qiandu shrugged: "That's hard to say. I don't want to get involved; I might get falsely accused..."
Chu Jue and Ying Yi had no intention of getting involved any further. As Chu Jue said, she wasn't there to save anyone; she was just there to take away two thousand merit points.
The mission of Group 111 has been completed, but Zhu Xi from the Co-prosperity Group still holds pure and simple thoughts. With a firm gaze, she said, "I will do my best to help them wake up."
Chu Jue and Ying Yi exchanged a glance, seeing the same answer in each other's eyes.
“If you need help later…” Ying Yi hesitated, “…we’ll talk about it then.”
Perhaps Zhu Xi will give up on her own in the future.
If she knew she was about to face countless mutated versions of Xiao Mi...
-
Over the next few days, the members of Group 111 continued to gather more evidence, eagerly anticipating their performance at the council meeting two weeks later.
Chu Jue then contacted the management office and exchanged the right to use the spiritual vein.
Although he knew that Chu Jue's strength was unfathomable, Ying Yi still couldn't help but remind her when he saw her off: "Be careful."
The central area may seem like the brightest spot, but there's a lot of filth hidden within it.
"Don't worry," Chu Jue said.
"There's more." Recalling his recent speculations, Ying Yi hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to tell Chu Jue about his conjecture, which he was unsure if it was correct. "I hadn't thought about it in detail before, but I've been thinking about a question these past two days."
Chu Jue looked at her silently, waiting for her to continue.
Ying Yi hesitated for a moment, then met her gaze and slowly spoke:
“I’ve been thinking about the concept of ‘spirit body’.”
“The core members involved in the ‘spiritual brainwashing project’ all knew that this was a fabrication, which also means that the church was not unaware when the Prosperity Group fabricated these things in the name of the God of Spiritual Energy.”
The church and administration are closely integrated, so it's impossible for such a proclamation concerning "God" not to have been known. The only explanation is that they were collectively condoning and allowing this to happen.
"But they still defy the faith in the God of Psychic Power in order to brainwash women for their own benefit, and even create the disgusting concept of 'spirit body'..."
Ying Yi's expression was serious.
"It reminds me of when they came up with the concept of 'evil spiritists'—I had my suspicions before—it was very likely just an excuse to suppress us."
It wasn't a case of mistakenly identifying them as evil spirits; rather, it was a fabricated charge that created the image of an evil spirit.
Ironically, the concept of an evil spirit has persisted to this day. Although no one has ever actually seen an evil spirit, women are always referred to as "evil spirits" in their conversations.
Ying Yi's thoughts couldn't help but wander further: "If, I mean if—if evil spiritists are also fictional, then does the 'God of Evil Thoughts' really exist?"
If the concept of a "god" as a "god" can also be fabricated, then—
"Does a psychic god truly exist?"
-
Chu Jue could not verify Ying Yi's guess, and Ying Yi did not need her answer.
She didn't know if the answer to the question was correct, and she only told Chu Jue because she wanted to voice the "rebellious" thoughts that had been bottled up in her heart.
The two remained silent for a moment.
"I……"
"you……"
They spoke at the same time again.
Ying Yi fell silent: "You go first."
Chu Jue and Ying Yi were about the same height. She casually patted Ying Yi's shoulder and said calmly, "It doesn't matter whether gods exist or not."
"Haven't you already decided what you want to do?"
Ying Yi's heart skipped a beat.
"Okay, I understand."
She saw the same goal in Chu Jue's eyes.
Regardless of whether a psychic god exists or not, their goal has already been set, hasn't it?
That was the name of an organization that shared the same will as the spirit woman—
Slay the God.
Whether there truly is a god, or someone claims to be a god, those "gods" will eventually be eliminated.
-
[Preset coordinates reached, current location: Central District A1 Street · Spirit Vein Restricted Area]
Please wait for the hatch to fully open.
While waiting, Chu Jue began to look around at her surroundings and found that she had a feeling of having seen this place somewhere before.
But with so much new footage coming in recently, she couldn't quite pinpoint where this feeling was coming from.
The spiritual vein administrator assigned to her by the management office didn't seem to have arrived yet. Chu Jue waited quietly, purposefully looking around at the familiar surroundings.
When contacted previously, the management repeatedly emphasized that this matter should be handled in accordance with the rules and regulations. Although she had complete control over her 24-hour schedule, everything had to be carried out under the supervision of the administrator.
Behind every repeatedly emphasized regulation may lie its own bitter history. After Chu Jue replied with "okay," nothing more was said.
Since the mysterious spiritual vein administrator did not contact her first, Chu Jue decided to "do as she pleased".
She walked through the gate nonchalantly, and followed the signs pointing to the area brimming with spiritual energy. Just as she was about to step through the gate, a panicked voice rang out:
"Wait a minute, just wait a minute!"
The woman's voice was strong and resonant, reminding Chu Jue of the authoritative presence she felt when being drilled by her instructors at military academy. She instinctively obeyed, only realizing after a pause that she had so easily followed orders.
Could that sound possibly affect her mind?
"Tsk." A young woman who looked twenty or thirty years older than her came into her view. "What, just passing by? Want to make a move?"
Chu Jue hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "No."
I'm already standing here, why are you still bothering me?
"Chu Jue, right?" The woman looked her up and down, her dignified face carrying a hint of inquiry.
Chu Jue responded, "Mm."
Unexpectedly, the other party suddenly launched an attack. The woman's right palm suddenly struck out, swinging towards her. Chu Jue instinctively dodged, her mind retaliating before her body could react.
But as if anticipating her movements, her opponent caught her right hand, stepped forward, caught her on the back, and suddenly exerted force to throw her over her shoulder.
Chu Jue was slammed to the ground without mercy, her gaze fixed upwards on the woman who had caught her off guard with a sneak attack. Using the strength of her core, she straightened up and attacked her opponent again.
A strange back-and-forth exchange ensued, with each move the two were creating opportunities to get the other's body into contact with the floor.
At first, there was some skill involved, but later it all came down to emotion and brute force. The two of them started throwing each other around inexplicably, and it ended with the stranger narrowly winning one move.
The victory still came from that initial sneak attack.
"Vegetables." The woman hummed, her steady breathing not changing much, but Chu Jue could tell that she was suppressing her panting, trying to pretend to be at ease.
She couldn't help but laugh, a laugh that distracted the woman as she was getting up, causing her to pause. Chu Jue seized the opportunity, pulling her down as he rose himself.
Thinking the "battle" was over, the woman was caught off guard and stumbled, letting out a gasp before rubbing her bottom.
Being ambushed like that, she started to dislike Chu Jue's buttocks and punched him in the buttocks.
Chu Jue winced in pain and hissed as well, but he still repaid evil with kindness, thinking that he would not hold a grudge against the old woman, and helped the woman up.
The woman put down her hand that was rubbing her buttocks and said in a serious tone:
"Slow reaction time, clearly hasn't been training. I heard you were pretty good, how come you're only at this level? Is this all?"
Chu Jue didn't reply, but stared intently at her. Just as the woman frowned under his intense gaze, Chu Jue suddenly pulled her close—familiarly drawing her into his arms.
"What are you doing here?" Chu Jue asked in a muffled voice. "And how did you end up like this?"
Although the voice and face were completely different, she wouldn't mistake them.
"Long time no see." Thinking of the possible stories that might have happened to her, Chu Jue hugged her tightly. "Long time no see, Instructor Ji."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Yun Qiandu: Damn it! Some nasty thing used my hands to wipe them again! [Angry]
Ying Yi: Darling, to express my apology, here are two apology gifts for you [hugs]
Yun Qiandu: ? ? I can give you three right now, thank you [angry]
Ji Linyuan: Isn't the point that I made my appearance? [Clown]
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