Chapter 50 The Fungal Remains Frenzy 11 Offering one's neck to be slaughtered.
"They've seen it!" Wei Chongru's voice was shrill. "Brother Nanmen is about to be besieged!"
Nanmen Jue shaved off all the cage doors one by one, and Mo Gui rolled out of the cage. His eyes darted around a few times, and he caught a girl who was about to fall down next to him.
He quietly approached Wei Chongru, whose face was covered in cold sweat, and asked, "If 'them' were to face off against Brother Jue, what would their odds be?"
Wei Chongru had no time to pay attention to him, and shouted at Nanmen Jue at the top of his lungs, "This isn't just a simple bar! They have heavy weapons!"
Mo Gui let out an "Oh ho" sound.
Nanmen Jue chopped open all the cages, turned around with a chilling killing intent, and met her gaze. Wei Chongru took a step back, while Mo Gui's eyes lit up.
"Wei Chongru, take these people away," Nanmen Jue said. "Don't tell me you can't handle those two good-for-nothings at the gate."
Before Wei Chongru could speak, Mo Gui asked, "And what about you, Jue-ge?"
The first wave of people had already arrived, coming from the door connecting to the main bar. Nanmen Jue turned to the side and stood in front of the door, his long leg crossed and resting against the door frame, glancing over.
"Wei Chongru, think it through. Do you think you'll ever be able to return to the main hall?"
This was a blatant threat. Nanmen Jue, a wanted criminal, was issuing a kill order against him, warning him that if he didn't obey now, even if he survived to return to the hall, he wouldn't survive to enter the next world.
Wei Chongru's throat, which had been slit by Nanmen Jue, began to throb again. At this moment, Wei Chongru did not consider that he was also a member of a major guild, and whether the guild would allow Nanmen Jue to kill him in the hall. His mind and eyes were completely occupied by Nanmen Jue's threat, and a smile that looked like a cry appeared on his face. He answered very decisively.
"I understand, Brother Jue!"
"Follow me, all of you!"
He led the way and rushed towards the subway. Mo Gui turned to look at Nanmen Jue and saw that her hair was covering her eyes, her jaw was cold, and she was twirling a double-edged knife that could cut through iron like mud in her fingertips. Her eyes flashed and she shouted loudly.
"Brother Jue, I'm waiting for you outside!"
He turned and ran.
Nanmen Jue raised his eyes and watched as the boy nimbly leaped over a cage blocking his way, like a rabbit, and the door behind him was violently slammed.
The next impact was accompanied by the sound of gunfire. The metal door was dented, and the impact hit Nanmen Jue, but was blocked by his clothes.
The clothes could prevent injury but not block pain. A bullet hit Nanmenjue in the waist. She shook her head impatiently. Seeing that everyone else had escaped, she finally began to fight back.
She gripped the door frame with her hand, her knuckles digging into the connecting bearing. The metal bearing was no match for her fingers, and she simply ripped the entire door off.
This sudden scene left those outside the door stunned. In the brief pause, Nanmen Jue smiled at them, then pushed the door open in front of him.
The metal door was like her shield, or like an unsharpened gun. Nanmen Jue faced a group of people alone, and everyone was forced to retreat step by step, unable to even pull the trigger.
Nanmen Jue pushed hard, and with a loud crash, the door crushed people on the ground. The people behind him retreated in fear, raising their guns at Nanmen Jue, but dared not fire for a moment.
The situation reached a stalemate. Nanmen Jue slowly glanced at them and said, "Are you going to fight or not? If not, I'm leaving."
Everyone stared wide-eyed, finding it hard to believe that there could be such an arrogant madman. However, Nanmen Jue kept her word and really turned around to leave.
Just then, a man rushed into the battlefield. Nanmen Jue stopped and turned to look at him.
The man looked at Nanmen Jue in fear, stammered for a moment, and then managed to say, "This... sir, Sister Hong invites you."
Wei Chongru had previously mentioned that the person speaking in the underground bar was a woman named Hong Chenxi. It was unclear whether she was the actual person in charge or a puppet of some powerful figure. Nanmen Jue had no intention of investigating. Now it seems that it was this Sister Hong.
Nanmen Jue thought for a moment, then turned and walked towards the man. "Lead the way."
She single-handedly fought a gunfight, and while many gunmen fell, she herself remained unscathed. Her demeanor was indistinguishable from that of a ghost or a deity. As she approached, the man couldn't help but take a few steps back, lower his head, and say, "Please follow me."
The passageway between the subway and the bar had been opened up, and the street wasn't empty. There were people with twisted bodies leaning against the wall, their limbs bent. They were in groups, seemingly alive yet still, like wax figures sculpted by some perverted artist. Large areas of colorful graffiti on the walls added a wild and bizarre touch to the scene.
Seeing that Nanmen Jue's gaze lingered on those people, the person leading the way didn't dare to speak, but Nanmen Jue took the initiative to speak.
"Did he take too much?"
"Uh...you must be tired. Take a rest here for a while." The person leading the way lied without batting an eye.
"Your bar really does all sorts of businesses," Nanmen Jue said. "With so many guns, you must be involved in arms dealing too."
Her gaze fell on the man's waist, where there was a bulge through his coat.
The man instinctively clutched his gun holster, a slightly twisted smile on his face. "To gain a foothold in the apocalypse, you need to have more connections."
"Standing firm on your own two feet, yet stepping on the blood of others, aren't you afraid of slipping?" Nanmen Jue smiled.
She spoke with a smile, but the aura emanating from her was chilling. The man dared not say another word and quickened his pace to lead her through the path to the main body of the bar.
Although it was still daytime, the bar was bustling with activity. The dazzling neon lights created a vibrant world, and the people on the dance floor were indulging in unrestrained behavior. The smell of alcohol mixed with drugs entered Nanmen Jue's nostrils, making her wrinkle her nose uncomfortably.
The leader led her to the bar, bowed respectfully, and shouted loudly, drowning out the sound of the rock music: "Sister Hong, the person has been brought."
Nanmen Jue scrutinized the woman leaning against the bar. She wore a red cheongsam that accentuated her curves with her outstretched posture. Her slender white wrist held a glass of wine, and her bright red lips and alluring eyes made her an exceptionally beautiful woman who was deliberately displaying her beauty.
To be able to display beauty without fear in such a place is not just about displaying beauty, but about displaying strength.
As Nanmen Jue sized up Hong Chenxi, Hong Chenxi was also sizing her up. She had walked out from the neon lights amidst the gunfights and chaos, clean and spotless. Although there was a smile on her lips, her naturally affectionate phoenix eyes revealed a cold and indifferent feeling.
Hong Chenxi swirled the red wine, unable to utter a word for a moment.
Nanmen Jue, without any hesitation, plopped down on the stool next to her. "You invited me over, aren't you going to buy me a drink?"
"Eh..."
The guide was shocked and was about to step forward to stop him, but Hong Chenxi waved his hand, and he respectfully bowed and retreated.
Hong Chenxi's gaze was fixed on Nanmen Jue. She waved to the bartender to bring more drinks. "I was just wondering what kind of person dared to release all my goods and stand up to my security team all by himself."
Nanmen Jue, with a knowing and witty remark, asked, "What kind of person do you imagine him to be?"
“I think only a burly, hardened man who’s been through the wringer, or a three-headed, six-armed humanoid monster, could do something so foolish.” Hong Chenxi’s tone lacked the feigned charm of her appearance; instead, it was powerful, suggesting she often gave orders, and her voice trailed off with a chilling undertone. “What do you think?”
The bartender nervously served Nanmen Jue the wine, which looked to be the same as Red Dawn. The wine in the stemmed glass was a purplish-red liquid, but upon closer inspection, it didn't smell like red wine; it smelled more like mulberry.
Nanmen Jue picked it up, smelled it, and said, "How can you find fresh mulberries at a time like this? If it's made with concentrated juice, the taste will be greatly diminished."
Seeing that she completely ignored her, Hong Chenxi's eyes grew colder. She scanned Nanmen Jue's waist from head to toe, then suddenly smiled seductively and moved closer to him, her body exuding the scent of mulberry wine. "You know about wine too?"
“I don’t understand at all, I’m just talking nonsense.” Nanmen Jue put down his wine glass, looked down at her exquisitely made-up face, and smiled sarcastically. “It’s all nonsense, just rambling on.”
Upon hearing this, Hong Chenxi burst into laughter, her eyes crinkling with joy. The bartender nearby trembled, nearly dropping his glass.
"Good, you're good-looking, capable, and even more courageous." Hong Chenxi's eyes shone like a wolf in the night. "You let all my goods go, that's fine. All of them combined can't compare to you. As long as you stay and serve me, I'll wipe the slate clean of what happened today, and I won't pursue that Wei Chongru either. How about it?"
Nanmen Jue laughed, "Am I that valuable?"
“My judgment is rarely wrong, so I generally trust myself,” Hong Chenxi said.
"This is a novel statement. Shouldn't people usually say 'My judgment is never wrong'?"
Hong Chenxi laughed, "Because it did make a mistake, but right now, I don't think I did anything wrong."
The two smiled at each other, one charming and alluring, the other gentle and affectionate. If one didn't know better, they would think they were a perfect couple who had hit it off. Unfortunately, they were too close and could see the indifference and calculation in each other's eyes.
Nanmen Jue's eyes flickered. Although she hadn't shown any real emotion, her eyes were filled with tenderness. She leaned closer to Hong Chenxi and said softly, "I wonder what this 'service' includes? Miss Hong, please tell me so I can be prepared."
Hong Chenxi's eyes deepened slightly, and her fingers, painted with red nails, gently stroked Nanmen Jue's chin, like teasing a kitten. She spoke ambiguously, "You really don't know? I think you're exceptionally gifted, self-taught."
Nanmen Jue lifted his eyelashes and lowered his head to rub her fingers. "I'm only eighteen, sister. I've never done this before."
Hong Chenxi suddenly stopped moving.
She saw Nanmen Jue's expression change, and his tone changed as well, "What did you say? You're only eighteen?"
"Can't you tell? Wearing a suit, I'm disguised as an adult. Looks like I've done a pretty good job of it." Nanmen Jue chuckled.
Hong Chenxi withdrew her finger and fell into a brief silence. In those few seconds, her aura changed slightly, from seductive and alluring to righteous and upright. She looked at Nanmen Jue's gloomy and uncertain expression, clearly assessing the truthfulness of her words.
Nanmen Jue's face was as beautiful as a peach blossom, and her demeanor was deliberately mature, making it difficult to tell at first glance. However, she was indeed eighteen years old, and upon closer inspection, one could still see the childishness of her youth, though this slight immaturity was completely concealed.
But who was Hong Chenxi? I hadn't thought of it that way before, but after taking a few more glances in the chaotic light, my heart skipped a beat.
“…You’re very skilled, you can do something else first.” Hong Chenxi’s eyes were filled with complex emotions. “As long as you make up for today’s losses, I won’t hold you accountable for what you did today.”
"How kind of you!" Nanmen Jue said in a somewhat strange tone.
To calm herself, Hong Chenxi picked up her wine glass and took a sip. She then heard Nanmen Jue's deep voice, cold and sharp, like a long spear piercing through the daze and tearing apart the illusion.
"Since you're such a kind person who cherishes women, and can't even bear to touch someone who's just turned eighteen, then why do all those living people become mere commodities once they fall into your hands?"
Upon hearing this, everyone around them, whether they were secretly listening or not, gasped and looked terrified.
Hong Chenxi slammed the wine glass onto the table, shards scattering and glittering between the two of them.
"Have you seen your goods? Just those you released earlier, several of them looked like underage kids. I wonder how you value them? How much is a face worth? How much is a heart worth? How much is a liter of blood worth?" Nanmen Jue's smile deepened, his eyes grew colder, and his voice became even gentler. "Sister Hong, you're so kind. You're afraid they'll die out there, so you've captured them all to control their lives, isn't that right?"
"Enough!"
The music stopped, and the band playing on stage quickly scurried away at the signal. The flashing neon lights came to a standstill, and the dissolute people looked at each other, their attention turning one after another to the two people facing off at the bar.
Recognizing that it was Hong Chenxi, an atmosphere of unease spread, but armed security guards silently infiltrated the crowd, making it impossible for them to escape. Everyone who entered had been searched, leaving them with no ability to protect themselves.
Security personnel moved closer to the bar, surrounding Nanmenjue.
Facing so many dark gun barrels, Nanmen Jue remained unfazed. "I really don't understand. Can you explain it to me?"
Hong Chenxi was still sitting in the booth, her slender body ramrod straight. "You can still talk like this with so many guns pointed at you? Do you really think I wouldn't have the heart to kill you?"
Nanmen Jue laughed loudly, as if he had heard an extremely ridiculous joke. Suddenly, he picked up the wine that had been served to her earlier, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, then threw it at Hong Chenxi's feet. Shards flew everywhere. She stood up, turned to the side, and her raised arm was holding a gun.
And in the blink of an eye, the gun was pointed at Hong Chenxi's forehead.
Nanmen Jue's eyes were a little red. She was emotionally agitated and somewhat intolerant to alcohol. Her eyes were also a little dazed, but her smile was arrogant and unrestrained.
"Why don't you guess now whether I'd be willing to kill you or not?"
The situation was in complete chaos.
No one expected that someone would dare to pull a gun and point it at Red Dawn in an underground bar. Although it looked like just an underground bar, how could it do so much business without anyone backing it up? Everyone had an unspoken agreement: people came here to get what they wanted, and it was fine to enjoy themselves and vent their desires, but the one thing they couldn't touch was Red Dawn.
Who knows who's standing behind her?
However, this very dawn of red was now being held at gunpoint by a mere young man.
Even Hong Chenxi has to die, let alone these shrimps?
Amidst the chaos, Hong Chenxi remained unmoved, her steady and drawn-out shout ringing out: "Quiet—"
Several gunshots rang out, some people fell, some screamed, but the screams were quickly caught in their throats. The bar was filled with a deathly silence, and thick blood slowly flowed to the feet of Nanmenjue and Hongchenxi.
Nanmen Jue slowly lowered his head and murmured, "So much blood, how many more have died?"
She was highly skilled and daring. Even while facing off with guns drawn, she dared to divert attention. Hong Chenxi's expression changed, and she seized the opportunity, raising her hand in a standard fighting stance, using her palm and forearm to twist Nanmen Jue's wrist.
If I use this clever technique, Nanmen Jue will definitely be in too much pain. As long as I knock her gun away... huh?
Hong Chenxi's unwavering expression finally crumbled. She stared in astonishment at her palm. With her life at stake, she had used all her strength. Even the most robust man might not be able to withstand her blow, yet Nanmen Jue—did not budge an inch!
Her wrists didn't look any thicker than Hong Chenxi's, and her exposed forearms were smooth and jade-like. She looked like a pampered young master. However, she didn't move an inch under Hong Chenxi's attack, and there was no pain on her face. When she noticed the movement, she withdrew her attention from her feet, and without a smile, her unfathomable phoenix eyes stared straight at her.
Hong Chenxi's heart skipped a beat, and fear finally showed on her face. She opened her mouth, "You..."
Who exactly is this person?
Nanmen Jue's hand remained steady. "Make them all get out."
Without hesitation, Hong Chenxi shouted, "Get out!"
The closest security guard, a bearded man, hesitated. "Sister Hong, Brother Li instructed us..."
I said, get out!
Hong Chenxi was adamant, and the bearded man didn't want to go against her wishes. The people around them exchanged glances, and the panicked guests all left.
The bustling scene vanished in an instant, and even the corpse that had just fallen was dragged out, leaving only spilled wine and bloodstains that had not yet been cleaned up.
Only Nanmen Jue and Hong Chenxi remained.
Hong Chenxi's fear had subsided. She looked at Nanmen Jue, tucking a strand of long hair that had fallen in front of her eyes behind her ear. "What do you want?"
"Among those brought back today, was there a little girl who was seven or eight years old?" Nanmen Jue asked.
“If there’s nothing else, then it means we didn’t bring it back,” Hong Chenxi said slowly. “You can kill me at any time, and I won’t lie at a time like this.”
Nanmen Jue didn't suspect her of lying; she was just wondering why her alcohol intolerance hadn't been repaired yet.
She knew she was a lightweight, but she didn't usually drink, so she rarely thought about it. The fact that she dared to drink today was because she was tricked by the God of God.
If another experienced reincarnator were present at this time, they would answer her that the rise in those data points does not mean that her genetic defects have been automatically corrected. Such defects require a separate application and several minutes to be corrected.
Nanmen Jue still suffered from a lack of intelligence.
She had only drunk one glass of wine, yet the scenery before her eyes began to sway, and a blush crept onto her cheeks.
Hong Chenxi, who frequented such places, could immediately spot something amiss. She hesitated for a moment, then said incredulously, "Are you drunk?"
"Shh, don't make a sound." Nanmen Jue raised a finger and tapped it on Hong Chenxi's lips. Under Hong Chenxi's speechless gaze, his mind was still working. "What is this Brother Li?"
"Since you're drunk, why don't we sit down and talk?" Hong Chenxi softened her voice. "Look, even though you're so powerful, I can't escape your grasp. You can do whatever you want to me."
With her vision blurring, Nanmen Jue squinted to try and fix her gaze. Hong Chenxi thought she was starting to feel dizzy and gently touched her wrist. Nanmen Jue's expression suddenly turned sharp.
"Don't move." Her tone lowered, but her voice remained clear. "Answer the question."
Hong Chenxi's hand froze, and she slowly withdrew it, instead hooking the end of her hair.
She lowered her eyes as if in sorrow, revealing the bare back of her neck, her eyeballs moving beneath her eyelids.
“Anyone who dares to come here knows that Li Yushu is behind me, the second-in-command of the Furnace Base.” Her voice was soft, melancholic and resentful. “Many of the people here were transferred here by him. Many goods don’t even have time to pass my eye before he takes the ones he likes. The little girl you’re looking for is probably with him too.”
Nanmen Jue asked, "Who are you to him?"
Hong Chenxi froze, her pupils trembled, and she slowly raised her head to look at Nanmen Jue. "What kind of relationship... wouldn't most people assume I'm his mistress after hearing this?"
"Are you?" Nanmen Jue asked in return.
Hong Chenxi observed the boy's expression, which was both dreamy and cold, but without a trace of disdain.
“I’ve never wanted to deny it, but I really have.” Hong Chenxi’s expression became subtle, and she gave a self-deprecating laugh.
Nanmen Jue said "Oh" but still didn't react.
Hong Chenxi looked up with a confused expression and suddenly said, "Anyway, in this chaotic world, it doesn't matter who I follow. It's just a matter of survival. Since you are a young hero with such good skills at such a young age, why don't you kill Li Yushu and I'll follow you? How about that?"
Nanmen Jue, who was preoccupied with how to storm the Furnace Base, thought he had misheard.
She hesitated for a few seconds, then asked, "You're with me?"
Under the influence of alcohol, the surprise on her face was so obvious that even with a gun pointed at her, Hong Chenxi couldn't help but laugh.
"Yes, I helped him run this place, but the benefits he gave me were pitifully small. I've wanted to quit for a long time. If you can kill him, I'll repay you with my body." She seemed to have gone mad. She knew it was impossible, she knew that if these words reached Li Yushu's ears, she would be doomed. Facing the boy who pointed a gun at her, she still said these words, her eyes almost hysterical. "So what? If you don't want me, I can give you everything I have, as long as you can help me get rid of him, how about it!"
Her voice echoed in the empty room, making Nanmen Jue's vision clearer. Realizing what she was saying, Nanmen Jue fell silent.
“You,” she began slowly, “were not acting voluntarily?”
Hong Chenxi gave a bitter laugh. "It was voluntary. No one forced me to be his mistress at knifepoint, no one forced me to do these heinous things. It was all my own choice. I wanted to live, but I knew I deserved to be killed... I knew this day would come. I've been waiting for an end, waiting for a guillotine that would be angry for those people. As long as it's that guillotine..."
As she spoke, she closed her eyes, and two lines of tears flowed from beneath her thick eyelashes. She raised her neck, ready to be slaughtered under the guillotine of judgment.
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