Chapter 57 The Fungal Remains Frenzy 18 The last hope has vanished.
Let's just kill them all.
A sentence came to Nanmen Jue's mind.
No matter how many people die, even if Deng Erhuai dies, Ji Chengying dies, Mo Gui dies... as long as she is determined to kill Cheng Xiuye here, she may be able to do it, but the price is that everyone else will die as well.
Not only them, but Hong Chenxi and Zhang Zhi outside will also die, because they are both her people.
Was Cheng Xiuye doing this on purpose? He realized she cared about these people's lives, so he used their lives to threaten her in return?
Cheng Xiuye looked at Nanmen Jue with a puzzled expression, "Mr. Nanmen, what are you laughing at?"
Nanmen Jue stopped laughing. "Do you have a tool that allows you to contact the main hall from within the cycle of reincarnation?"
Cheng Xiuye's face stiffened.
“Killing people is nothing to you, but you didn’t kill ordinary people.” Nanmen Jue narrowed his eyes. “If you hadn’t wiped out all the reincarnators in the current world, the hall wouldn’t have known. Otherwise, if I had wiped out the entire reincarnation world, how would you have known I killed your people?”
"Openly breaking the contract and declaring war on two major guilds at the same time, this is not something you, as the second-in-command, can decide on your own. Trying to win me over? How can you be so sure that my value is worth more than the cooperation of two major guilds?" Nanmen Jue moved closer to Cheng Xiuye, nose to nose with him. "Unless... you can contact the people in the hall. The one who has been guiding you is your boss, Zhou Yiming."
Nanmen Jue reached out to touch his glasses, and Cheng Xiuye abruptly took a step back.
Only after completing this step did he realize what was happening, and his face darkened.
Nanmen Jue looked at him and smiled.
"Looks like I guessed right."
Cheng Xiuye's expression was unpredictable, his eyes were darting around, and it was unclear what he had seen or heard. A faint pink blush appeared on his pale cheeks.
I'm so angry.
"Since there's still one person here, let him speak to me directly." Nanmen Jue's face suddenly turned cold. "With the top leader here, you're sending the second-in-command to fool me? Cheng Xiuye, do you deserve it?"
"You... that's enough for today's conversation." Cheng Xiuye was about to explode in anger, but then, as if she had seen something, she abruptly changed the subject. "Kill them."
"Don't kill him," Nanmen Jue said.
"You're going to protect them?" Cheng Xiuye laughed as if she'd heard the biggest joke in the world. "You, Nanmen Jue, a wanted criminal who killed all the reincarnators and destroyed a reincarnation world, are going to oppose me to protect them?"
His tone was incredulous, while Nanmen Jue's tone was even more confused.
"Is going against you such a big deal that it's comparable to destroying the cycle of reincarnation?"
Cheng Xiuye: "..."
His thin chest heaved violently, clearly indicating that he was quite angry. In the midst of the silence, he suddenly chuckled softly.
"It's fine if you oppose me, but I don't know if you, Nanmen Jue, really have the courage to face the full force of Ouroboros, including Jin Ming, in their relentless pursuit."
Nanmen Jue glanced at him indifferently, as if he were a dog, then turned around and greeted Lu Yunxiao and the others in a generous manner.
"They've all been assigned to my side. If you want to live, come along."
The first person to react was Mo Gui. He responded passionately, rushing to Nanmen Jue like a husky let loose, and shouted loudly, "Brother Jue, I'll go with you!"
His behavior was abrupt, but based on his previous actions, it was clear that he was an idiot, so everyone thought it was normal.
With Mo Gui as a prelude, it became less conspicuous for the others to approach Nanmen Jue. After all, they had already broken off all pretense of civility, and staying any longer would be tantamount to deliberately courting death.
Nanmen Jue walked towards the door, and Cheng Xiuye didn't stop him. But before leaving, he said something in a deep voice.
"Our business isn't over yet; let's discuss it again tomorrow morning."
"What else is there to say?" Mo Gui muttered to Nanmen Jue. "It's either you die or I live."
Nanmen Jue neither agreed nor disagreed; she lowered her eyes and opened the door.
After they left, Jin Jian cautiously approached Cheng Xiuye, "What if they just left like that?"
Cheng Xiuye sneered: "Others may be different, but Nanmen Jue won't leave."
Another person asked, "Why?"
“Nanmen Jue clearly wants to protect these people. If he just leaves like this, wouldn’t all this fuss be for nothing?” Cheng Xiuye gave the man a cold look, and the man immediately lowered his head, sweating profusely.
Jin Jian frowned thoughtfully, "Are you sure he really wanted to save people, and not just to spite the ouroboros?"
If the word "怄气" (sulking) is preceded by the ouroboros, it would be too niche. But since the person who did this was Nanmen Jue, and considering the person who went to the table to negotiate, it doesn't seem impossible.
“Whether he really thought that way or it was just a whim, he didn’t object just now,” Cheng Xiuye said. “Get out of here, I need to discuss this with the chairman.”
The group relaxed slightly and were about to leave when they heard Cheng Xiuye's soft yet cold voice.
"This matter wasn't handled well, but it's not really your concern, so let's just give you a level two punishment."
Upon hearing this, Jin Jian and the others froze, gritting their teeth and bowing their heads in agreement.
On the other side, Nanmen Jue led Zhang Zhi out of the conference building with a large group of people, only to find that someone was already waiting outside.
Hong Chenxi tensed up immediately and whispered to Nanmen Jue, "That's Hao Hong, the factory director of the furnace base."
Her eyes were somewhat unfocused, but her expression was resolute. She had long realized that killing Li Yushu in the Furnace Base would make it impossible for them to leave unscathed. Since that was the case, she would take responsibility for her actions and would not implicate Nanmen Jue and the others.
Nanmen Jue said "Oh" and whispered to her, "He's not here to arrest us."
Hong Chenxi looked up in surprise and then noticed that Hao Hong was standing there alone, with his back to the gate, and there were no guards or military forces around him.
If he wanted to arrest someone, he would never have come alone.
Thinking this, Nanmen Jue stepped forward alone and walked to Hao Hong's side.
Hao Hong was a short, thin old man who was looking up at the sky. Nanmen Jue stood next to him and also looked up at the sky.
The old man asked, "What are you looking at?"
Nanmen Jue retorted, "What are you looking at now?"
"I'm looking at the sky," Hao Hong said. "The dark clouds are about to disperse, which is great. It makes me feel good too. As an old person, I'm always afraid of rainy days. When it rains, my shoulders and knees hurt terribly."
Mo Gui tilted his head in confusion, "What does this mean? Why are we talking about this?"
Wei Chongru: "Shut up and concentrate on watching."
Nanmen Jue said, "It sounds like you're just a pitiful person shrouded in dark clouds."
"To say I'm pitiful seems a bit of an exaggeration."
“That’s going too far. If you’re the one who pities people, what about the others in this base? What about the innocent people who died in the rainstorm?” Nanmen Jue turned his head to look at him. “You should have been the one holding the umbrella, the one who could have dispersed the dark clouds. But you only came out after the dark clouds had dispersed. If you say you knew nothing about the dark clouds before, isn’t that going too far?”
Her words were quite blunt, and the people behind her held their breath.
Just then, Jin Jian and his group were walking out when they saw a group of people blocking the way and were puzzled. Just then, they heard Nanmen Jue's voice. They looked surprised and moved closer, exchanging bewildered glances with Deng Erhuai and his group.
But in this special situation, no one took action, maintaining a delicate balance.
Everyone wanted to know what Nanmenjue would say to the base chief.
Hao Hong said, "Young man, you have a lot of courage."
Nanmen Jue watched him quietly.
Hao Hong turned his head and said, “I’ve been waiting for someone like you to stand up, yell at me, plead my case, accuse me of being a lazy bum, and denounce Li Yushu’s cruel atrocities, but no one has come.”
Nanmen Jue shook his head. "This should have been your responsibility in the first place. Besides, what he did is all out in the open. If you pretend to be deaf and dumb, who else will dare to speak up?"
“Yes,” Hao Hong sighed, “If you don’t do your own thing, who can you expect to do it?”
Nanmen Jue couldn't help but sneer, "Since you're not planning to surround us with your army, then we won't disturb your philosophical contemplation."
She turned around and saw Jin Jian and the others there, but didn't say much. The others understood and followed.
Hao Hong suddenly said, "I should thank you."
Nanmen Jue looked at him again.
“That’s my own nephew.” Tears welled up in Hao Hong’s aged eyes. “I’ve thought about it for a long time, but I still couldn’t bring myself to do it, nor did I have the courage. You helped me by doing this, and you also helped me make up my mind.”
Everyone else was stunned. So this furnace base was a family business, with the old factory director being sidelined because of family ties and his nephew who had done all sorts of bad things and was now taking the blame for everything.
Nanmen Jue waved his hand, "This script is a bit old-fashioned, I'm not interested. Whether he's your nephew or your son, if you feel guilty, go and repent to the victim, don't put on an act for me."
The old man didn't say anything more.
Nanmen Jue took a few steps forward, then suddenly turned around. "Does your Forge Base keep records of people who come here?"
"Yes, we have records of everyone who came before, except for you few," Hao Hong said. "Are you looking for someone?"
Nanmen Jue looked down at Zhang Zhi and handed her to Hong Chenxi.
"If you want to thank me, then arrange a place for us to stay," Nanmen Jue said. "Or do you not even have that much power?"
“Now it’s back,” Hao Hong said.
Nanmen Jue turned around and looked at the group of people. After a moment's thought, he said to Deng Erhuai, "Do me a favor."
Deng Erhuai was somewhat surprised. "Go on," he said.
Putting aside their past relationship, just the fact that Nanmen Jue forcibly protected them from Cheng Xiuye's clutches means she should repay that favor.
"Protect them both until I get back." Amid everyone's astonishment, Nanmen Jue said, "Logically, tonight should be safe, but I can't guarantee that Cheng Xiuye won't suddenly go crazy. I don't trust them."
“Protect…” Deng Erhuai glanced back at Hong Chenxi and Zhang Zhi, but didn’t ask any more questions. “I understand. Don’t worry, as long as I’m alive, they’ll be here.”
For a reincarnator, making such a promise for the natives is undoubtedly a sign of great care; in the eyes of others, it's like saying, "As long as I don't die, these two game characters won't be killed."
Nanmen Jue nodded, then looked at Hong Chenxi, who had a strong expression and smiled at her.
"Don't worry, I will take care of Zhizhi."
Nanmen Jue patted Zhang Zhi's head, then turned and left with Hao Hong.
"Who is Nanmen Jue looking for?"
The sudden sound made everyone turn around and look, and it turned out to be Jin Jian.
Upon seeing the people on the other side, no one was going to give them a friendly look. Mo Gui was the first to retort, "Is it any of your business?"
"There's no one else at this base besides us." Jin Jian acted as if he hadn't heard him. "No one else has been here before either."
The "others" he referred to were the reincarnators.
Although no one wanted to pay attention to him, they had to admit that Jin Jian's problems were indeed their problems as well.
Only about a week has passed in this world, and the situation at the Forge Base is already quite clear. Who will Nanmen Jue want to find?
“Perhaps it’s someone who has been here before?” Lu Yunxiao said.
Newcomer Ji Chengying looked astonished: "Is this actually reused?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly made a "uh" sound, her expression turned painful, and she bent over.
Guan Junren supported her, his expression anxious: "What's wrong with you!"
Deng Erhuai said sternly, "You're not allowed to say anything more."
She glanced at Hong Chenxi and Zhang Zhi, who were leaning against each other with surprised expressions. When their eyes met, Hong Chenxi's eyes flickered.
She was a smart woman; none of them took her seriously, and the information they revealed in their conversation made her suspicious.
There was no way to explain this; the more he explained, the worse it got. Deng Erhuai could only manage to calm his expression and shake his head at Hong Chenxi, indicating that everything was alright.
...
Nanmen Jue followed Hao Hong around the base, glancing left and right.
While Li Yushu was committing heinous acts, the base remained peaceful. Heavy industry has always been an important sector, especially in the post-apocalyptic world, where it allowed the base to outpace other bases in terms of resources, technology, and manufacturing capabilities.
It is now the third year of the apocalypse, and the world has not yet reached the point of running out of ammunition and food. Therefore, the people living in the furnace base seem to have a high happiness index, and their faces do not show any signs of suffering. Compared to the prisoners I saw in the underground bar, they are worlds apart.
As Nanmen Jue walked by, some girls excitedly gathered together, chatting enthusiastically while boldly and subtly observing her.
“Your base is developing quite well,” Nanmenjue said.
“I’ve done some things too,” Hao Hong said. “He promised me he wouldn’t harm the residents in the base.”
He paused for a moment, "He was quite dedicated to the base. He initially got involved in those businesses because the factory was short of money and resources. That's why I couldn't bring myself to stop him at first. Later, his appetite grew bigger and bigger, and his mind changed. He had more and more resources, and the conditions at the base got better and better. More and more people came to join him. Every time I thought about making up my mind to deal with him, I couldn't bring myself to do it when I looked at these residents."
So that's how it is. Li Yushu is a vengeful ghost to outsiders, but a guardian deity to the base.
Nanmen Jue chuckled, "Do the people in this base all know that their happy lives are built on the blood and flesh of other compatriots?"
Hao Hong remained silent, only sighing softly, which made him appear even older.
Nanmen Jue glanced at him a couple more times, but didn't say anything more.
She was angry, so her words were laced with barbs, but she knew that most of the people in the base probably knew something about Li Yushu.
Hao Hong said he was waiting for people to come to him, not for the wronged souls of the dead, but for the living, whether they were relatives of the victims or people of justice.
But no matter who it was, no one came looking for them in the past three years.
Nanmen Jue felt a chill, yet also wanted to laugh. Looking at the peaceful scenes in the base, she couldn't bear to watch any longer.
Why doesn't Hao Hong speak out about these things? If he justifiably distributes the responsibility among everyone, wouldn't his burden be lighter? And wouldn't she be able to justifiably vent even more intense malice?
Hao Hong remained silent, so Nanmen Jue could only keep quiet.
There is a long, tree-lined path in front of the archives building. The leaves rustle in the wind, creating a rare sense of peace and tranquility in this post-apocalyptic world.
Hao Hong led Nanmen Jue to the office on the first floor, where an administrator stood up in surprise: "Factory Director."
"I'm here to find some information. You can come in later," Hao Hong said kindly. "Thank you for your trouble."
The administrator smiled and said, "It's no trouble at all. Take your time looking. Just call me anytime if you need anything."
The administrator picked up her cane and limped out the door. Nanmen Jue watched her leave and said, "They all like you very much."
That completely relaxed demeanor is not something that can be faked.
"Everyone is just giving me, an old man, some face."
Hao Hong walked to the desk, moved the pile of documents aside, moved the mouse a couple of times to turn on the computer, and after a few operations, brought up a spreadsheet.
"These are the people who registered before. You can find whoever you're looking for here."
Nanmen Jue sat down in a chair. "Are you sure you can find out about everyone?"
"Basically, I guess."
Nanmen Jue placed his fingers on the keyboard and looked up at him.
Hao Hong understood and turned his back, saying, "I won't look at you."
Nanmen Jue withdrew his gaze, swallowed almost imperceptibly, and typed Nanmen Yu's name into the search box.
The few seconds she spent searching for the word felt especially long, and then she pressed the Enter key.
A blank space.
Nanmen Jue was stunned for two seconds, and disappointment spread in her eyes. However, she was also prepared. There were so many reincarnation worlds, and she couldn't possibly find her sister's whereabouts all at once.
Besides, this is just one of the bases in this world.
She turned off the search and stood up.
Hao Hong asked, "Have you found the person you're looking for?"
Nanmen Jue shook his head, his eyes still somewhat gloomy.
Hao Hong looked at her and said, "If you're willing to trust me, you can tell me your name. Don't let my age fool you, I still have a good memory, and I can contact the quarantine center. I can also find out their information."
Nanmen Jue was tempted, but Cheng Xiuye was in the quarantine center, and she didn't know if he still had anyone there. She didn't want to stay and draw their attention to the name Nanmen Yu.
She hesitated for a moment, her fingers resting on the tall stack of documents, but ultimately refused.
Hao Hong didn't say anything, nodded and led her out. The administrator said goodbye to them with great enthusiasm, and couldn't help but glance at Nanmen Jue a few more times.
Just before leaving, she couldn't help but ask, "Factory Manager, is this a new member of our base?"
Upon hearing this, Hao Hong chuckled and said, "You'll have to ask him that."
The girl's hopeful gaze fell on Nanmen Jue, who responded with a smile and quickly pushed the old man out.
“Rongrong is a pitiful child, but also a lucky one.” Walking along the tree-lined path of the base again, Hao Hong said, “She and her parents fled to the base together. Her parents were diagnosed with the infection on the first day, leaving her alone. Two years ago, there was an epidemic, and she almost didn’t survive. Fortunately, a good doctor came to the quarantine facility and managed to save her, but he damaged her leg nerves, making it impossible for her to walk on two legs anymore.”
Listening to this tragic story, which is commonplace in the apocalypse, Nanmen Jue recalled the girl's sunny smile from earlier, and a mix of emotions welled up in his heart.
Without the power of the main god, would she be any better off than ordinary people in this apocalyptic world? The more she saw these things, the angrier she became, and the more worried she was about her sister.
Anger surged within her, and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself.
At this moment, Hao Hong suddenly said, "Are you called Nanmen Jue? Your name is somewhat similar to that doctor's. This surname is not common."
Nanmen Jue stopped in his tracks.
A hot wind whistled by, and leaves fell onto Nanmenjue's shoulder.
Nanmen Jue stared blankly, momentarily unable to believe what he had just heard.
Hao Hong noticed she hadn't followed and turned back in confusion. "What's wrong?"
His vision blurred, and Nanmen Jue was already standing in front of him, his expression terrifying. "What did you just say? What was that doctor's name?"
Hao Hong looked at her calmly and said, "The one you're looking for is indeed her."
Nanmen Jue narrowed his eyes, the white bone knife slid into her fingertips, his phoenix eyes swirling with a deep black luster, his voice softening, "You're putting on a good act. To avoid suffering, I advise you to answer my questions directly. I don't have that much patience when it comes to her questions."
The two looked at each other silently, and Hao Hong's hard aura suddenly softened. "You misunderstood. I have no ill intentions towards her, nor towards you."
“That's what the guy in the conference room said too,” Nanmenjue said. “Do I look like an idiot?”
“I’m telling the truth.” Hao Hong raised his hands helplessly. “If I really wanted to deal with you, I wouldn’t have sent just an old, weak, and disabled person like me. There’s no one else around.”
Nanmen Jue could not sense anyone else's presence, but she didn't trust the old man. Without even moving her eyes, she pressed the tip of the bone blade against Hao Hong's neck.
Unable to withstand her murderous intent, Hao Hong lowered his head and coughed, coughing so hard it looked like he was going to vomit his lungs out. Nanmen Jue looked down at him and slowly withdrew her knife.
"What's her name?" she asked.
"Nan...Nanmen Yu, the doctor's name is Nanmen Yu." Hao Hong coughed. "Is this the person you're looking for?"
The name, spoken by the natives of the reincarnation world, carried a strange sense of destiny. There was little of the expected elation; Nanmen Jue only felt a sinking feeling in his heart, a sense of bewilderment.
Even with numerous certain guesses, before actually hearing news of her sister, she would always harbor a fantasy: could there be even a one in a million chance that she was wrong and that her sister hadn't been dragged into this hell?
Now, even her last glimmer of hope has vanished.
“I just, cough cough, I’m very grateful to Dr. Nanmen. If you’re her family, I won’t hide anything from you,” Hao Hong said. “I was hesitating just now. You people don’t look like good people, but you’re different.”
Nanmen Jue looked at him blankly.
“Your eyes are just like hers.” Hao Hong straightened up, his eyes, glistening with tears, looking intently at her. “You both have compassionate eyes, even when you’re killing someone.”
“You are treating everyone as a human being.”
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