Chapter 5 The Gray Dome Era 5 Nanmen Jue is very sincere.
The battlefield was in complete disarray after the fierce battle, and it would take some time to clean it up. Zhang Chuxi took the initiative to stay by Nanmen Jue's side to "guard" her and wait for them to set off again.
Nanmen Jue was unable to stand and collapsed onto the snow, breathing heavily. Zhang Chuxi looked closely and found a small hole in her gas mask.
"Your mask is leaking!" She was startled and jumped to her feet. "I'll go find you a new one. According to the settings, exposure for more than half an hour poses a risk of radiation mutation!"
Nanmen Jue closed his eyes, but his voice was steady, "While you're at it, check if Zhu Wenjie is dead."
Zhang Chuxi looked down at her and said, "You never intended to go with the rebels from the beginning. You only approached him to kill Zhu Wenjie."
Nanmen Jue smiled faintly, "Don't you want to kill him? Or do you prefer having a time bomb next to you, experiencing the feeling of constant fear?"
Zhang Chuxi was speechless for a moment, and could only glare at her through the helmet, "But this is... murder! Didn't you just come from modern society? How can you so calmly... kill someone?"
“No matter what my identity was yesterday, I am now a survivor in the apocalypse.” Nanmen Jue opened his eyes and looked at her. “We are in the apocalypse, but you want to restrain yourself with the morals and laws of peacetime? There is only life and death here. Strike first and you won’t be the one who dies.”
Zhang Chuxi stood there, her body trembling slightly from the shock.
“I’m actually quite surprised that someone as experienced as you would ask me this kind of question,” Nanmen Jue said. “Looks like you’re not so ‘experienced’ after all, right, Sister Zhang?”
“I’ve only lived through one world,” Zhang Chuxi said in a low voice. “Everything happened in a chaotic way… I was lucky enough to meet the leader of Iron Drill, the one whose guild I am named Iron Drill. She protected me all the way. In the apocalypse, I didn’t even have time to figure out what was going on.”
"No wonder," Nanmen Jue said calmly.
Zhang Chuxi wanted to say something more, but seeing Nanmen Jue's pale and calm profile, she swallowed her words and whispered, "I'll go find you a mask."
Without realizing it, she was already subconsciously acting on Nanmen Jue's instructions, just like in the first world.
Nanmen Jue ignored her and waited until she left before lowering her eyes to hide the regret in them.
She had a gut feeling that the man surnamed Zhu wouldn't die so easily; that senior was far more qualified than Zhang Chuxi.
...
Nanmen Jue was carried into the Gray Dome Tower on a stretcher.
She did not lose consciousness and witnessed firsthand the towering structure standing on the desolate snow-covered ground, carrying the hopes of all surviving humans.
The world is in the midst of nuclear winter. The sun is hidden behind the clouds, the sky is a gloomy gray, and large snowflakes drift in the air, seemingly gray as well.
The Gray Dome Tower, a tall tower standing beneath a gray sky.
It is less a tower and more a fully enclosed city armed with iron-black metal.
According to the introduction, the Gray Tower is divided into two parts: one hundred floors underground and two hundred floors above ground. The closer you get to the bottom, the stronger the radiation resistance and impact resistance. Therefore, the lower you are, the closer you are to the core power area of the Gray Tower. Previously, as the chief student of the Life Society, Nanmen Jue also lived within the 30th floor underground.
When Nanmen Jue was carried in, he was surrounded by a large crowd.
Upon entering the tower, one finds a circular hall with a towering top that stretches as far as the eye can see. Crowds fill every circular corridor on each floor, crowding together and silently watching Nanmen Jue. Despite the large number of people, the entire space is deathly quiet; Nanmen Jue can even hear his own heavy breathing.
These faces were weathered and pale, as if they had never seen the light of day. Some of their clothes were relatively clean, while others were dirty and disheveled. This was an upper floor, where the vast majority of people worked manual labor and low-paying jobs. Looking around, it was difficult to see anyone dressed decently.
They all stared at Nanmen Jue, silent, weary, angry, and sorrowful. Nanmen Jue could hardly believe that he could see so many heavy emotions on the faces of a group of NPCs simulated by a computer. As expected of a supercomputer that can control life and death.
Suddenly, a hoarse roar fell from the sky, deafeningly loud.
"sinner!"
This sound was like flipping a switch; the silent crowd erupted into a cacophony of shouts.
"Why did you steal the chip! Why did you steal our only hope!"
"Madman! Traitor!"
"Kill her!"
"Send her to court!"
"Kill these traitors!"
Humanity in this world lies dormant in fear of radiation mutations. Retroviral agents are currently the only way to combat radiation. Nanmenjue stole the chip that manufactures retroviral agents, which is tantamount to sending himself to the guillotine.
If it were someone else, they might have been overwhelmed by the immense pressure and threat of death at this moment. Nanmen Jue simply watched them without saying a word the entire way.
However, the crowd was agitated and became increasingly excited. Some even went down the mountain, trying to break through the guards' defenses and attack Nanmenjue.
Before they could rush over, Nanmenjue was put into the elevator.
All sound was blocked out.
Zhang Chuxi did not find Zhu Wenjie's body and was transferred to another vehicle on the way. Several NPCs were transporting Nanmen Jue, and Nanmen Jue felt their complicated gazes falling on him.
It wasn't that they weren't angry. For these warriors who had to leave the tower from time to time, their need for antiretroviral drugs was far greater than that of ordinary people. Perhaps they wanted to kill Nanmen Jue even more than the crowd outside.
As the elevator descended, someone finally couldn't help but spit out a curse.
"She should have been killed right there outside." It was a young voice, indignant. "Everyone knows the Chief is her teacher; he would definitely find a way to spare her life."
"He Ting! Don't talk nonsense!" another soldier scolded him. "The court will judge what crime it is. Trust in the president's impartiality."
He stopped talking.
It seems this court holds considerable authority among the people; it won't be easy to slip through unnoticed. Nanmen Jue thought.
Judging from the behavior of the rebels and the NPCs in the tower, Nanmen Jue could no longer regard these people as ordinary computer programs. Their thoughts and feelings were very strong, and Nanmen Jue became more serious.
She had initially thought the greatest enemies would be the reincarnators, but now it seemed that these apocalyptic worlds themselves were not to be underestimated.
The elevator descended to the 55th basement level and stopped.
Before being pushed out, Nanmen Jue glanced at the posted notice: Level 55: Basic Medical Floor.
It seems they received orders to treat her wounds first.
Nanmen Jue was curled up on a stretcher and pushed into a corridor that smelled of pungent disinfectant. This floor was noticeably brighter than the previous floors. The incandescent light made the white walls and floor tiles look spotless. Medical staff in white coats and masks were coming and going. It seemed no different from Nanmen Jue's own world.
Some people mistook Nanmen Jue for an ordinary wounded soldier and tried to take him on his stretcher, but they were all stopped. The soldiers personally escorted Nanmen Jue into a treatment room and then stood guard over him.
There are two lifespans, two presidents and two parliaments, very evenly distributed.
She had lost a lot of blood, and Nanmen Jue's consciousness began to drift in and out. She repeatedly dug her fingers into the wound, using the pain to stay awake.
Beneath her eyelashes, a sharp light shone in her pupils.
Only she knows that the chip is inside her, in her bleeding flesh. It is her greatest asset and she cannot give it to anyone.
If things really escalate to the point of mutual destruction...
At that moment, the tightly closed door opened, and a young man walked in. His eyes, visible through his mask, met Nanmen Jue's, and both remained silent for a moment.
Above the young man's head, in blue letters, was written: Qi Mo.
Reincarnators between levels 20 and 40.
"Professor Qi." The soldier who had previously reprimanded He Ting saluted him.
Qi Mo nodded slightly, his indifferent gaze sweeping over Nanmen Jue's head, and said, "You all should leave. I don't like being watched while I'm treating patients."
The soldiers hesitated. Qi Mo looked at them and asked, "Don't you believe me?"
"Of course not! Then we'll leave it to you." The soldiers saluted and left in unison.
Qi Mo turned around and closed the door in front of them.
When he turned around, Nanmen Jue had already sat up. She was clutching her bleeding abdomen, her face as white as snow and her pupils as black as ink. Qi Mo tried to find any words related to a newcomer on her face, such as panic, fear, helplessness, or obedience... but he failed.
Nanmen Jue stared at him with only interest in his eyes.
It seems like she's not the newcomer, but he is.
"Looks like you're in luck, you got a pretty high-ranking status?" Nanmen Jue said with a smile as Qi Mo walked up to him.
“In this space, having a high status doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in a good position. Take you, for example, you’re practically second only to the emperor, yet you drew a life-or-death situation.” Qi Mo took out a radiation detector and scanned Nanmen Jue from head to toe. It glowed pink. He frowned. “Mild infection. Did you expose yourself outside?”
“The gas mask was broken for a while, so it shouldn’t have reached the point of mutation, right?” Nanmen Jue said. “I haven’t felt like biting anyone yet.”
"...Radiation mutation is not the same as being a zombie. Although it's similar in that all that's left is primal desire, it's much more dangerous... Why should I argue with you about this?" Qi Mo said. "If I remember correctly, all the high-ranking officials were given an injection of antiretroviral agent to suppress some of the radiation, so you're lucky. You're not dead yet, and you don't even meet the criteria for being imprisoned for observation. What's more important is the blood flowing from your stomach."
Nanmen Jue cooperated and let him roll up the hem of his clothes, revealing the bloody wounds from being scratched.
Qi Mo's breath hitched slightly. "You just came back like that?"
Nanmen Jue smiled. "Don't you want to know who I'm going to give the chip to?"
Her directness caught Qi Mo off guard. He took a step back and looked at her coldly.
Or rather, looking at the wound on her abdomen.
He guessed how he got the injury.
Nanmen Jue smiled and said, "My mission is to deliver the chip to the resistance. What about you? I guess you're the same as me."
Qi Mo's pupils suddenly contracted, and he blurted out, "How did you know?"
As soon as he said it, he showed a look of annoyance.
“So, I guessed right,” Nanmen Jue said. “We have the same objective. I can show you the panel if you need it.”
The task panel can be shared, but due to time constraints, Zhu Wenjie and Zhang Chuxi didn't have time to make this request.
Qi Mo said cautiously, "Let me see."
Nanmen Jue opened the mission panel openly, showing Qi Mo his mission. Qi Mo's guardedness immediately lessened, and he no longer seemed like he was about to explode at any moment.
"You're incredibly bold." Having established an alliance, Qi Mo's tone changed slightly. "A newborn calf isn't afraid of a tiger? What if I'm not like you?"
"Then I'll just have to get rid of you, won't I?" Nanmen Jue said with a smile.
Qi Mo didn't take her words seriously at all. His eyes were fixed on her abdomen, and his breathing became a little rapid. "So, is the chip...?"
“It’s not here,” Nanmenjue said. “I’ve already handed it over to the resistance.”
Qi Mo remained silent, seemingly not entirely convinced.
Nanmen Jue glanced at him, then, in front of him, she inserted her slender fingers into her own wound.
Qi Mo's eyes widened suddenly.
"Look, this wound is only this big. Can you find it?" Nanmen Jue, seemingly oblivious to his astonishment, rolled the skin back over to show him.
A note from the author:
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