Chapter 59 Fungal Remains Frenzy 20 Defection.
Nanmen Jue's voice was so sharp that it attracted everyone's attention.
Deng Erhuai's gaze was probing as he tentatively asked, "Nanmen Jue, do you know this white-robed saint?"
“…I don’t even know her name, how would I know if I know her?” Nanmen Jue gave an impeccable reason, but it was not enough to convince Deng Erhuai.
"You said you were going to find someone this afternoon, you mean this white-robed saint, right?" The older woman's probing gaze fell on Nanmen Jue's face. "You already know she's been here."
Nanmen Jue raised his eyes and met her gaze, and the atmosphere unconsciously became tense. The others looked at Deng Erhuai and then at Nanmen Jue, not daring to breathe.
"I really shouldn't have said that." Nanmen Jue touched his slightly feverish forehead with one hand. "Dare to ask that directly? Aren't you worried I'll kill you all?"
Hearing her say that, everyone relaxed.
“Brother Nanmen, when you truly want to kill someone, you won’t say it aloud,” Wei Chongru said. “You’ll only show a gentle smile…”
"Then, before anyone could react, the person was already dead," Mo Gui added.
Nanmen Jue glanced at the two of them.
“I do have that concern, but I’m a very curious person, it’s kind of a professional habit.” Deng Erhuai was obviously relieved, his tense shoulders relaxed, and he said somewhat awkwardly, “Besides, so many days have passed… I still trust my judgment, you’re not that kind of person.”
Nanmen Jue wasn't in the mood to ask about her position at this moment, and went straight to the point: "What do you mean by saying she was attacked? Who attacked her? Which world did she ultimately enter?"
Her three consecutive questions clearly demonstrated her deep concern for this white-robed saint.
Mo Gui's smiling face tensed up. He looked at the others, then at Nanmen Jue who was staring intently at him, and licked his lips.
“Brother Jue…”
"Just say it."
Mo Gui swallowed hard, and Deng Erhuai spoke first.
“The White-Robed Saint is very solitary. We’ve never heard of her having any friends, and she has an item that can conceal her identity. It’s normal that it’s hard to find out where she is, so even if there’s no news, it doesn’t necessarily mean that something bad has happened to her,” she said. “We guess that she must be of a high level and have some special healing items. In short, it shouldn’t be difficult for her to stay alive. Not just anyone can hurt her.”
“Not just anyone can hurt her, but what if it’s Jin Ming? What if it’s a group of people surrounding her?” Nanmen Jue said coldly.
"Would Jin Ming be afraid? I can't imagine how strong he is..." Guan Junren murmured, his tone full of awe and longing.
“Yes, reaching the Gold rank doesn’t mean they’re invincible. They’ll face even greater crises,” Deng Erhuai said. “I went through a world with the Chairman. If it weren’t for him, I would have died long ago. He also barely survived that time.”
Everyone remained silent, having gained a new understanding of the dangers of the cycle of reincarnation.
Mo Gui pursed his lips. "Brother Jue, I just overheard it. I didn't know the White-Robed Saint at the time, so I might have misheard. I also don't know the two people who were speaking. I don't know which world they came from. I'm sorry."
Nanmen Jue closed his glasses. "You did nothing wrong. You don't need to apologize."
Mo Gui was somewhat at a loss. He slid off the chair and squatted in front of Nanmen Jue's knees like a big dog, feeling his ears and tail droop down.
"Brother Jue, don't worry, I'll help you look for it."
“Yes, the person you’re looking for is quite famous. We’ll keep an eye out for them for you,” Lu Yunxiao said.
Nanmen Jue curled the corners of his mouth.
Previously, Guan Junren didn't even know who the Mechanical Girl was, but he had heard of the White-Clad Saint, which shows that his sister's reputation was indeed quite impressive.
Ji Chengying looked around, and finally couldn't help but raise her hand, "Um... I have a question."
"What's the problem?"
Ji Chengying asked cautiously, "You've been talking about the white-robed saint for so long, is it a man or a woman?"
"..."
Everyone else had heard of the White-Clad Saint, and Nanmen Jue knew that it was her sister. Only Ji Chengying was completely clueless, having heard but not understanding.
"She's a woman. Didn't I just say that our guild wanted to recruit her?" Deng Erhuai flicked her forehead. "What were you listening to!"
"...Ah! You guys were talking in such long passages, I missed some of it, waaaaah." Ji Chengying covered her head.
Distracted by this, the atmosphere at the table improved again. Nanmen Jue, who hadn't rested for many days and had been scheming and fighting, had a terrible headache from the alcohol. She stood up, supporting herself on the chair, and Mo Gui immediately stood up to help her, but she waved him away.
She swayed as she walked into the house, and only after watching her retreating figure did the others dare to ask the question that everyone was curious about.
"What is the relationship between Nanmen Jue and the White-Robed Saint? He seems to care about her a lot."
"One saves lives, the other kills—what could their relationship be?"
"Not necessarily. Brother Jue has saved many people too. Please don't be so prejudiced."
This question is destined to have no answer.
Nanmen Jue returned to the room she had chosen. It was pitch black, but the light from the courtyard shone through the window, illuminating the crows perched on it.
Nanmen Jue sat on the bed, looking stunned. "I never thought I would actually be able to find news about my sister."
The crow said, "Aren't you happy?"
Nanmen Jue shook his head, then nodded, his eyes darkening. "She really did have an accident, otherwise she wouldn't have stayed away from the real world. The question now is, who were those two people who saw her having an accident?"
"How do you plan to find those two people?"
"We'll have to wait until we get back to the main hall to find it, no matter how we look for it." Nanmen Jue looked out the window. "We have other things to do right now."
A crow landed on her shoulder. "Zhang Zhi?"
“Zhang Zhi is one, and I also need to go to the quarantine center,” Nanmenjue said. “Hao Hong told me that my sister left a letter here and another at the quarantine center, and that if anyone was looking for her, she should hand over the letter.”
"Just hand it over if someone asks? That seems a bit risky."
Nanmen Jue glanced at him. "My sister probably never expected that I would become such a notorious wanted criminal. Under normal circumstances, I'm the only one who would take the initiative to contact her."
"...Deng Erhuai also said that their Iron Drill is looking for her too." Crow felt guilty.
“I guess my sister entered this world earlier, so she would tell others her name and leave obvious clues. It probably won’t be so easy to find her when she goes to other worlds later,” Nanmen Jue said. “I was right. If my sister came here, she would definitely leave some information for me.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” said the crow. “How could she know that you would also enter this space?”
Nanmen Jue smiled.
How did her sister know she would come in too? Because she also knew that if Nanmen Jue entered the reincarnation space first, Nanmen Yu would definitely follow without hesitation.
The two sisters have been arguing for over a decade, going head-to-head for over a decade, but they have no doubt that the other would be willing to give everything for them.
Even if it's just because of a sense of responsibility.
Seeing that she didn't speak, the crow asked again, "Then did you see the letter left here?"
Nanmen Jue shook his head. "The letter left here was kept by Hao Hong, but his room caught fire six months ago, and the letter was burned."
"Ah, then you'll have to go find the letter from the quarantine facility."
“Yes, Hao Hong wrote a note to the messenger over there, and I’ll take it to him to show him.” Nanmen Jue breathed a sigh of relief, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. “But before that, there’s something else I need to do.”
...
The party in the courtyard ended late. Such happy moments are rare in the apocalypse, and everyone was a little reluctant to leave. After the party, Deng Erhuai returned to her room. As soon as she put her hand on the doorknob, a shiver suddenly came over her, and she turned around abruptly.
"who?"
A handsome, tall figure emerged from the shadows. Deng Erhuai was taken aback. "Nanmen Jue?"
Nanmen Jue walked towards her. Deng Erhuai subconsciously took a step back and leaned against the door. She looked around and lowered her voice nervously, "What are you going to do?"
Is this guy still drunk and acting crazy?
"Don't be nervous, I'm not here to cause trouble while drunk," Nanmen Jue said.
Deng Erhuai: "What is fifteen times two?"
Nanmen Jue was silent for a moment, then said, "Isn't this kind of test usually done with one plus one? Why did you upgrade it?"
These words proved that she was indeed sober, and the two of them laughed.
"The human brain performs more steps of calculation when faced with multiplication and division, eliminating the influence of instinct," Deng Erhuai said. "What do you want from me?"
“Among the people here, you are the strongest besides me, right?” Nanmen Jue said.
“Wei Chongru can’t beat me.” Deng Erhuai looked her up and down. “I’ve tried to estimate your strength, but I can’t feel it at all. This only means that you are much stronger than me.”
Nanmen Jue looked at her quietly and said, "We've been through quite a lot together."
Deng Erhuai was completely confused. "What are you trying to say?"
"I can trust you, right?"
Deng Erhuai was taken aback. He looked up at Nanmen Jue's eyes but couldn't see any trace of a joke in them.
"What are you saying..." Deng Erhuai's voice trembled slightly, "You genuinely saved my life. No matter what happens in the future, at least until I repay that favor, wouldn't I be a beast if I wanted to kill you again?"
Nanmen Jue chuckled softly, "Do me a favor, and I'll repay this debt, how about it?"
Deng Erhuai glanced at her warily, keenly realizing that this favor was probably not simple. "What do you want to do?"
"I'm going to kill Cheng Xiuye," Nanmen Jue said calmly. "I need you to protect Zhang Zhi and Hong Chenxi tonight. Can you do that?"
Deng Erhuai fell silent.
After a moment, she asked, "Where are you going?"
"Kill Cheng Xiuye."
"Are you crazy?!" Deng Erhuai almost jumped up. "Not to mention Cheng Xiuye himself is an orange-named individual, there are three purple-named individuals around him! You're going to kill him yourself? How are you going to do it?"
"It's precisely because he's an orange-named individual that I'm going to kill him," Nanmen Jue said with a relaxed laugh. "If he were just a green or blue-named individual, wouldn't killing him be bullying him?"
Deng Erhuai looked her up and down in disbelief, a look of horror in his eyes. "You... are you also an orange-named person?"
Orange names aren't as prestigious as gold names, but they're still extremely rare, and each one is a renowned and influential figure. When did this new orange name appear? Why have I never heard of her before?
Deng Erhuai would never have imagined that Nanmen Jue was a newcomer who had just lived through a century.
Nanmen Jue smiled without saying a word, "Just answer me, can you protect the two of them tonight, and treat them like real people?"
Deng Erhuai thought he had guessed correctly, gasped, and his gaze became complicated.
“Okay.” She paused for a moment, then said, “But… is this the only way?”
Nanmen Jue raised an eyebrow. "What? Cheng Xiuye has already laid bare his murderous intent. Do you still expect you to cooperate honestly?"
“No, that’s not it.” Deng Erhuai sighed, his eyes dimming. “I just… never mind, I can agree to your request, but don’t you need help more than Zhang Zhi does?”
How can one deal with three purple names and a very troublesome gold name at the same time when facing orange names?
"What, worried about me?" Nanmen Jue said mockingly. "I thought it was already good enough that you didn't want to kill me."
Deng Erhuai pursed his lips, his expression turning stern, making Nanmen Jue feel as if he were seeing the head of student affairs at a high school.
She didn't notice that a patch of skin behind Deng Erhuai's ear had turned red.
"Alright, alright, I was just rambling." Nanmen Jue licked his lips, smiled, and winked. "Anyway, thanks."
She turned and left gracefully. Deng Erhuai took a few steps after her and stood at the top of the stairs watching her disappear.
She quickly calculated in her mind, but realized that no matter what, she could only let Nanmen Jue go by himself. Their combat strength was much lower than that of the other side, and she did not trust the other Ziming Wei Chongru.
"I hope everything is alright," she murmured.
...
In the afternoon, Nanmen Jue asked Hao Hong and learned where Cheng Xiuye and the others were staying, all for tonight.
The base was deserted at night, except for patrols in groups. It was too easy for Nanmen Jue to evade them.
She walked alone on the road, her steps light and cheerful, a smile on her face as she twirled a white bone knife between her fingers. She didn't look like she was going to kill anyone; she looked more like she was going for a spring outing.
All that's missing is humming a happy little tune.
Only the crows knew that Nanmen Jue was probably in a terrible mood tonight.
He perched on the top of a high tree and watched Nanmenjue move forward, just as he had always watched her overcome those hardships from a higher vantage point.
Nanmen Jue is becoming less and less able to express her emotions. Smiling has become her habit. She smiles when she is angry, she smiles when she is sad, and she still smiles when she is in pain. The smile on her face when she drank that glass of wine just now was the first time in a long time that He had seen her smile so easily and gently.
The crow spread its wings and flew to the next treetop, when it suddenly noticed someone it recognized approaching in the distance.
Nanmen Jue stopped in his tracks. In the thick fog that was rising in the night, a figure hurried over. Nanmen Jue noticed someone earlier than he did, and only when he was about to reach him did he realize with surprise that there was someone standing in front of him.
"...Nanmen Jue?"
Nanmen Jue twirled the knife between his fingers, looking at him with a half-smile.
She never expected to run into Jin Jian here.
Jin Jian turned around and asked urgently, "What are you doing here?"
He seemed a little nervous, but Nanmen Jue didn't sense much hostility, which was unusual.
Jin Jian turned around and felt a sudden darkness before his eyes. Nanmen Jue was already standing in front of him, leaning over and looking at him intently.
His scalp nearly exploded, but thankfully he managed to control himself and didn't scream.
"What are you looking at?" Nanmen Jue said. "Why are you so nervous? Are you feeling guilty?"
Jin Jian stared silently at Nanmen Jue, his eyes swirling with emotion, neither replying nor avoiding her gaze.
Nanmen Jue looked him up and down, his gaze falling on his hands. His eyes narrowed. "What happened to your hands? They were fine during the day."
After more than ten hours apart, Jin Jian had a large wound on the back of his hand. Perhaps a prop was used. It had already scabbed over, but the skin was still grotesque and extended into his sleeve, indicating that there was another wound on his arm.
Nanmen Jue could tell at a glance that it was a scar formed after a burn.
Jin Jian's fingers trembled. He took a deep breath and tried to answer in a calm tone: "We didn't do a good job during the day, and Cheng Xiuye gave each of us a level two punishment."
Nanmen Jue looked up at him, "Level two punishment?"
“In Ouroboros, if things are not done well, there are five levels of punishment, with level one being the lightest and level five being the most severe,” Jin Jian said.
Nanmen Jue's eyes twitched. "Level two punishment, is it burns?"
“It was branding with hot irons.” Jin Jian lowered his eyes, rolled up his left sleeve, and showed his entire forearm, from the back of his hand to his elbow, in a terrible state. “Because there was still a chance to make amends, only half of his arm was punished.”
Nanmen Jue looked at his arm, his smile turning cold. "You've all been punished like this?"
Jin Jian nodded silently.
"Did Cheng Xiuye herself accept it?"
Jin Jian's lips curled into a sarcastic smile. "Of course he didn't."
"That's really strange," Nanmen Jue said. "He's the highest-ranking one, he's the one communicating with your guild leader, and he's the one confronting me. Why isn't he punishing himself, but instead punishing you?"
Jin Jian gave a wry smile. "Why ask a question you already know the answer to?"
Nanmen Jue stepped back. "What I find even stranger is that you guys are still willing to risk your lives for a guild that doesn't treat people like human beings."
“There’s no other way. Suffering a little is better than dying,” Jin Jian said. “Ouroboros treats its members harshly, but the benefits are unbeatable. As long as you listen to them, survival shouldn’t be a problem…”
He felt a chill on his neck as Nanmen Jue's bone knife silently pressed against his Adam's apple.
His Adam's apple moved extremely slowly, and cold sweat seeped from Jin Jian's forehead. "Wait, don't kill me yet. I'm not here to kill you."
"It's a pity, I'm here to kill you all," Nanmen Jue said. "Don't feel unbalanced, dying a little earlier or a little later makes no difference."
"Wait! Wait!" Jin Jian's voice trembled with anxiety, and he didn't pay attention to the volume, which attracted the attention of the patrolmen.
"Who's over there!"
Nanmen Jue glanced in that direction, grabbed Jin Jian by the collar, and in a flash, pulled him into the shadows of the alley between the buildings.
It was the first time Jin Jian had ever experienced Nanmen Jue's speed firsthand. When they arrived at their destination, he was still in a daze. Nanmen Jue released him, and he looked at her in fear, but a hint of joy actually appeared deep in his eyes.
Nanmen Jue narrowed his eyes and said with certainty, "You've come to see me."
Jin Jian stared at her for a moment, then knelt down in front of her with a thud.
Nanmen Jue immediately turned to the side, "What are you doing?"
"The five levels of punishment for the Ouroboros are: sharp weapons, branding, limb amputation, slow slicing, and the last one: skinning the snake and feeding it to the beasts raised by the guild leader," Jin Jian said in a low voice.
“Very insightful,” Nanmen Jue said. “It seems that dying in the apocalypse would be the most comfortable way for you to die.”
“Although I’m just a blue-named player, my physical stats are high, and Cheng Xiuye has always valued me highly, assigning me many tasks. But I don’t want to continue!” Jin Jian suddenly raised his head. “Mr. Nanmen, it’s not easy to break away from Ouroboros. No one is willing to openly oppose Ouroboros, not even the other three of the four major guilds. But your appearance has given me hope. Please help me. I really don’t want to continue anymore. I want to leave Ouroboros!”
Nanmen Jue calmly lowered his eyes and said, "Your guild is quite domineering, only allowing entry but not exit?"
“It’s easy for ordinary people to get out, but I’m afraid…” Jin Jian shook his head painfully, “I know too much, I’m already tied to Cheng Xiuye, he won’t let me go unless I die! So, so…”
He crawled forward a few steps on his knees and reached out to grab Nanmen Jue's clothes. "In terms of strength and courage, only you can save me in the entire Reincarnation Space right now!"
Nanmen Jue deftly shifted her waist to avoid his outstretched hand.
"To actually ask me, a wanted criminal, for help, it seems they've run out of options," Nanmen Jue said calmly.
Her hand, having failed to grasp the hem of his clothes, fell awkwardly to the ground, where she pounded it forcefully. "I'm truly at my wit's end. Madmen, they're all madmen! Cheng Xiuye is becoming increasingly brutal, I really can't take it anymore..."
A cold knife tip was placed on his chin, gently lifting his face. Nanmen Jue half-squatted in front of him, meeting her probing gaze. Jin Jian trembled slightly.
"Mr. Nanmen..."
Why do you think I would save you?
"You can even save NPCs!" Jin Jian raised his voice. "You're not like what's said in the space at all. You deliberately saved Deng Erhuai and the others. You can save anyone, so you can definitely save me too!"
Nanmen Jue chuckled, "I can save anyone? That sounds really novel."
"Please, Mr. Nanmen, please save me! I'm willing to do anything for you, and I'm willing to tell you all the information about Ouroboros, please!"
He kowtowed repeatedly.
The smile on Nanmen Jue's face disappeared.
“You don’t feel anything when you do bad things, but when it’s your turn, you finally get scared.” She said softly, “Jin Jian, this is the consequence of knowing what kind of place Ouroboros is but still being greedy. Now you regret it, don’t you think it’s too late?”
Jin Jian shrank back and raised his head, his eyes filled with tears.
“I, I know,” he said, trembling. “I wasn’t afraid when I was killing people. I really thought I could become an executioner, a superior person… But I was wrong, so wrong. This is not salvation, this is the abyss… By the time I wanted to leave, it was too late.”
“You don’t deserve any sympathy,” Nanmen Jue said. “Your soul has long been in league with the devil, yet you still think you can go to heaven. How come you get all the good things?”
Her sarcasm and rejection were obvious, and Jin Jian let out a sob, his expression filled with despair.
“However, it’s not like I can’t help you,” Nanmen Jue said casually.
A light suddenly shone in Jin Jian's lifeless eyes.
“I’m going to kill Cheng Xiuye,” Nanmen Jue said. “If I kill him, Ouroboros will be my sworn enemy. I need you to continue infiltrating Ouroboros and passing on messages for me. Once this guild is completely gone, you will be free. What do you say?”
Jin Jian stared blankly at her, seemingly completely unaware of what she was saying.
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