Chapter 51 Fungal Remains Frenzy 12: A Crimson Greeting.
"That sounds nice," Nanmen Jue said.
Hong Chenxi stirred slightly, but did not open her eyes.
“If you were truly so remorseful, you wouldn’t have done this until now, with a gun pointed at your head, and you’re starting to repent for your mistakes? What are you betting on? Betting that there are no good people before the King of Hell?” Nanmen Jue sneered, “I’m not buying it.”
Hong Chenxi opened her eyes, her tear-filled eyes looking pitiful. It seemed that out of habit, she had adopted a weak posture after being attacked. After realizing this, she took a deep breath, and the expression on her face gradually calmed down.
Whether out of calculation or the instinct for survival, she had used all her resources to tempt and entice the boy, but despite his young age, he was as steady as an old fox who had been through many trials and tribulations.
Thinking about it, it's true. In terms of looks, it's hard to say who's seducing whom. In terms of background, she doesn't believe that such a strong and handsome young man could have sprung up out of nowhere. When the topic of the Furnace Base came up, he didn't show the slightest interest, clearly looking down on it. Considering all these factors, it's only natural that she couldn't seduce him.
Is this the end?
Seeing her silence, Nanmen Jue asked instead, "You're just giving up like this? Is this all you've got?"
Hong Chenxi said, "I still have some, but I don't want to use them anymore."
Nanmen Jue raised an eyebrow. "Then, shall I make my move?"
She moved her fingertips, as if to pull the trigger, and Hong Chenxi closed her eyes with tears in her eyes, a relieved smile even appearing on her lips.
The one who remained silent was Nanmen Jue.
Before death arrived, Hong Chenxi opened her eyes in confusion. Nanmen Jue was looking at her scrutinizingly, and the gun that had been pointed at her forehead was lowered.
Hong Chenxi asked in surprise, "You're not going to kill me?"
Her tone was even a little soft.
“I don’t think you’d be stupid enough to try to run away in front of me, considering I just took down your entire security team,” Nanmen Jue said. “Sit down and let’s talk.”
Hong Chenxi chuckled softly, adjusted her collar and slits, and sat back down in the booth, looking at Nanmen Jue with a reserved yet expectant gaze.
However, when it came to talking, Nanmen Jue was the one who actually put on a frank and open attitude, and Nanmen Jue found herself speechless.
What is there to say? All post-apocalyptic worlds are equally messed up. Humanity is plummeting faster than a rocket launch. She wanted to say that people do everything out of their own choice, but she also knew that people in the post-apocalyptic world didn't have that many choices.
A depraved woman will stop at nothing to survive, even becoming a mistress and committing heinous acts. Facing death is like facing a moral and ethical trial. She believes that Hong Chenxi did these things not happily, or even willingly, but she did them anyway. If every question has to be considered in terms of whether one wants to do something rather than whether one has done it, then the world might as well become idealistic.
Hong Chenxi may be awaiting a trial, but Nanmen Jue does not want to be the judge.
The burden she carried was too heavy, and Nanmen Jue was selfish; she didn't want to bear that weight.
Even if one Red Dawn is freed, there will be another Red Dawn. What deserves even more death is Li Yushu, and all people like him.
Alcohol amplified her emotions. Nanmen Jue looked away and tapped the butt of his gun lightly on the bar.
Tap, tap, tap.
Hong Chenxi looked at the increasingly agitated boy, her gaze softening. "You don't want to kill anyone?"
Her slender fingers slowly approached the gun on the table. "You can do it yourself."
Just as she was about to touch the gun, Nanmen Jue snapped it shut under his hand. "Weren't you showing a strong will to survive just now? Are you already so eager to die?"
Hong Chenxi's fingertips trembled slightly.
“I used to think that as long as I could survive, that would be enough. As long as I could survive, I could abandon all my burdens—morality, conscience, my education, my past pride. Nothing was more important than surviving. But when I actually did it, I found that I wasn’t happy.” She didn’t shed tears; her eyes were already dry. Her hand on the table slowly curled up, and she trembled slightly. “I’m a cowardly beast. I don’t like this kind of life, but I don’t have the courage to die. Every night I hear a lot of crying. At those times, I think, if you really hate me, then come out and take my life. I will definitely not resist.”
"But they didn't show up, so I've been living on."
"Is surviving really that important? I don't know anymore... I really don't know."
All I know is that I'm not happy right now.
Her straight back bent, and Hong Chenxi reached out in a daze, catching a tear that had fallen from her eye.
So, she can cry even when she's not acting?
Nanmen Jue stared at her silently for a moment, then asked, "What happens to those who are taken away directly by Li Yushu?"
"...It's all the same fate. He had many mistresses. The capable ones helped him manage various affairs, while the incapable ones were just objects. After he got tired of them, he would either kill them or give them away as gifts." Hong Chenxi raised her head, her eyes still a little dazed.
Nanmen Jue frowned. "What if it's an eight-year-old child?"
Hong Chenxi was speechless, her tone a little strange, "So what if she's eight years old?"
Nanmen Jue suddenly straightened up, a horrifying expression on his face.
So what if he's eight? What does he want?
Nanmen Jue was thinking the worst possible way of people, but all the things she experienced showed that she was still thinking too little.
She tucked the gun back into her thigh and turned to walk away.
She couldn't wait a moment longer; she needed to get to the furnace base immediately.
"Xiao Nuo!"
With a cold shout tinged with anger, a large, magnificent raven flew down from the roof beam, landing gently on the boy's shoulder. Hong Chenxi stared, almost stunned.
She stumbled slightly as she stood up, and then, as if afraid the boy would disappear at any moment, she blurted out urgently, "Tell me, what's your name!"
"Leave here, leave this city, go anywhere. People don't have to kill to survive."
Nanmen Jue strode towards the stairs leading to the main gate, then suddenly stopped.
She listened intently, unsure if the alcohol had dulled her senses, and glanced at the crow, asking softly, "Did you hear that?"
"There are sounds of fighting," the crow whispered. "Are Wei Chongru and his men fighting?"
Just as Nanmen Jue was about to lift her leg, the ground suddenly shook. Nanmen Jue held her breath as the faint sound of the stone wall cracking reached her ears. She immediately turned around and rushed towards Hong Chenxi.
Hong Chenxi was standing there looking lost and dejected when she saw Nanmen Jue return. Her eyes lit up, and the next second she saw the anxiety on Nanmen Jue's face.
"Run!"
Run? Where to run?
Hong Chenxi was confused. Nanmen Jue had already arrived in front of her. Before she could ask a question, a powerful force struck her, and Nanmen Jue knocked her away.
Almost instantly, the entire ceiling above them collapsed.
Nanmen Jue held Hong Chenxi in his arms, supporting her head with his palm. He used his strong physique and his overpowered clothes to withstand the falling rocks. Even she was hit so hard that her blood and qi surged and her mind went blank.
“What happened…” Hong Chenxi raised her head with trembling pupils, then suddenly froze.
The ceiling collapsed, leaving the two with nowhere to hide. In a near-certain death situation, Nanmen Jue pressed her down, bracing his elbows against her face, using his thin back to create a small space for her to survive.
A drop of scarlet, viscous liquid fell into the corner of her eye, having dripped from the corner of Nanmen Jue's mouth.
Hong Chenxi was stunned. She opened her mouth eagerly, and Nanmen Jue's icy fingers covered her lips.
The boy's eyes were warily fixed on the light shining through the crack.
Hong Chenxi immediately realized that someone had arrived. She listened intently, while looking with concern at Nanmen Jue's face, which appeared even whiter after being stained with blood.
The sound of rustling footsteps came from outside; the sound was faint, probably from only one or two people.
A sweet, lively female voice rang out, "Hey? Didn't you say Nanmen Jue was down here? Where is he?"
Hong Chenxi saw the boy's eyes sharpen and realized that this might be his name.
Nanmen Jue, Nanmen Jue, what a beautiful name.
Nanmen Jue peeked through the crack and saw the scene outside.
A girl skipped and hopped across the collapsed ruins. A huge red bow was tied at the back of her fluffy white princess dress, making her waist look incredibly slender. Her long arms stretched out to maintain her balance, making her look like an elegant and proud little swan. The sunlight shone on her pure and beautiful face, making her look like an innocent little princess.
However, above the little princess's head was a line of blood-red words: Yu Wanyan, Ouroboros.
This is the mechanical girl, Yu Wanyan, who was previously greatly feared by Wei Chongru, Deng Erhuai, and others!
There was indeed another person with Yu Wanyan. He was two meters tall and incredibly strong. His shoulders could be as big as three Yu Wanyans. He looked like a normal human being, but upon closer inspection, one could see that his expression was stiff and his eyes had a lifeless light, like glass beads.
Nanmen Jue was a little shocked. Was this the mechanical puppet of the Mechanical Girl? It looked too realistic.
According to Deng Erhuai, the puppet in Yu Wanyan's hands also has at least the strength of a purple-named being. As for Yu Wanyan herself, given that she has already become a red-named being, no one knows her exact level.
Nanmen Jue turned his gaze to Hong Chenxi, an indigenous person who was completely unaware of the cruelty and arrogance of the reincarnators. At this moment, Hong Chenxi was staring at Nanmen Jue with unblinking eyes and obediently even lowered his breathing.
Yu Wanyan hopped around on the ruins, but didn't see anyone. She pouted unhappily and snapped at the puppet next to her, "Are you dead? Hurry up and scan here to see if there are any living people."
This puppet has this kind of use!
It seems that the plan to hide here until Yu Wanyan leaves has failed.
The tall puppet's eyes flashed with the blue light of system activation. A blue ray shot out, forming a huge arc of light that advanced through the ruins... Suddenly, with a whoosh, Yu Wanyan's eyes lit up, and she turned around abruptly.
Nanmen Jue stood in the ruins, holding Hong Chenxi's arm. Before Hong Chenxi could thank him, he pushed her behind him and turned to face the seemingly harmless girl.
Yu Wanyan looked very young, definitely not yet an adult. Her big, bright eyes looked at Nanmen Jue, and she asked with great interest, "Nanmen Jue?"
“Obviously.” Nanmen Jue smiled, patted the dirt off her arm, her posture relaxed and elegant, as if she hadn’t just crawled out of the dust and rocks, but was making final preparations for a high-class banquet.
Upon seeing her beauty, Yu Wanyan's eyes shone even brighter, as if tiny stars were floating in them. She skipped and hopped towards Nanmen Jue. Nanmen Jue narrowed his eyes, mobilizing all his muscles, preparing for her sudden attack.
Yu Wanyan jumped in front of Nanmen Jue, only reaching his collarbone. She tiptoed and got close to Nanmen Jue's face. Nanmen Jue was still smiling faintly, but her vigilance had already risen to its highest level.
The girl stared at her, then suddenly broke into a bright smile.
"I knew it! You're definitely not the kind of blue-faced, fanged, fierce-looking guy they described. You might not believe it, but the first time I saw your name, I knew you'd be a real heartthrob!" She was extremely excited, her clear voice sweet and charming. "My intuition was right! You're even more handsome than I imagined. My goodness, how can someone be so good-looking? You're more like a fictional character model!"
"If you weren't Nanmen Jue, I would definitely turn you into my puppet..."
As she spoke, she actually reached out to touch Nanmen Jue's face. Hong Chenxi behind her changed her expression as Nanmen Jue had already grabbed Yu Wanyan's wrist.
Her hands had just gone through a round of peeling, and were in their most delicate state, with long and beautiful knuckles that shimmered with a faint pink hue in the sunlight. Yu Wanyan's gaze fell on the fingers that were holding hers.
"How come your skin is better than mine, you're a grown man?" Yu Wanyan said, feigning indignation, but her eyes curved into crescents, clearly very satisfied. "So handsome, no wonder you're the man I've chosen."
Nanmen Jue chuckled and released her wrist. "You knew I was a man the moment you saw my name?"
The Supreme God's wanted poster didn't specify her gender, otherwise she wouldn't have needed to disguise herself as a man.
"They didn't say, but your name is really cool, it reminds me of a beautiful piece of jade," Yu Wanyan said with a smile, as if she were the most innocent and charming little girl in the world. "I'm your fan!"
Even Nanmen Jue thought this was nonsense. "Fans?"
“Yes, you did something that no one has ever done before. You’re unique in the whole world!” Yu Wanyan said. “Teach me quickly, how did you do it? Did you kill everyone in the world one by one to get that achievement? I wanted to do that before, but there was too little time and too many people in the world. I couldn’t kill them all.”
Hong Chenxi was being protected by Nanmen Jue, and seeing that this pretty little girl seemed to know Nanmen Jue well, she was looking down with a hint of sadness in her eyes when she suddenly heard the little girl say such a thing, and she couldn't help but look up in surprise.
The moment she looked up, her presence became immediately apparent, and Yu Wanyan's eyes darted around, fixing on her.
Hong Chenxi felt a sudden chill run through his body.
The princess-like girl looked at her as if she were looking at an inanimate object, a lifeless rag doll that she could mold, behead, and have its tongue ripped out at any moment.
Hong Chenxi was a worldly person who ran a business, but just by looking at this little girl, she was overwhelmed by immense fear, as if she had seen something terrifying from a higher dimension, and her whole body froze for a moment.
Suddenly their eye contact was cut off. Nanmen Jue turned slightly to the side, blocking Hong Chenxi once again.
"You came here specifically to find me?" She didn't answer Yu Wanyan's question. "How did you know I was here?"
"That guy, Wei something, said it." Yu Wanyan shrugged, her gaze sweeping lightly over Nanmen Jue's back. In an instant, her expression changed, and she looked at Nanmen Jue with a charming and cute expression, her tone as if she were asking for praise, "You are my idol! In order to have the face to come down and see you, I prepared a gift for you!"
Nanmen Jue suddenly had a bad feeling, and the smile on her lips faded slightly. "You saw Wei Chongru?"
"I saw him. He said he knew you, so I didn't kill him. But he's one of Entropy's men, and those guys are really annoying... Ugh!"
Nanmen Jue grasped Hong Chenxi's wrist, pulled her into his arms with a slight force, and held her waist. In the stunned gazes of the two, he leaped upwards, using the broken cross section of the ruins for leverage, and landed on the ground.
The moment she saw the scene on the ground, Hong Chenxi couldn't help but scream and forcefully covered her mouth.
Nanmen Jue's pupils trembled.
Large, incomplete corpses lay scattered here, like stars in the sky, blood flowing like a river. Some were people who had just been evacuated, and others were those that Nanmen Jue had released. Nanmen Jue looked down at her feet and saw a thin, terrified girl in the first cage she had opened. Her eyes were like those of a desperate white deer. Now her head was here, but her body was nowhere to be found.
"What's the rush? Don't you care about other people?"
The tall puppet leaped up, carrying the petite girl horizontally. The girl whimpered and moaned in a coquettish manner. Her innocent and pure expression, combined with the bloody background resembling a slaughterhouse, created a strange and incongruous harmony.
Nanmen Jue felt dizzy and a surge of pent-up frustration, unrelated to her physical injuries, rushed to her chest, almost making it hard for her to breathe.
Looking at the horrific scene before her, a crimson tinge slowly crept into the corners of her eyes.
Yu Wanyan continued speaking, her tone light and cheerful: "This is my gift to you!"
"A greeting gift?" Nanmen Jue repeated softly.
“Yes, aren’t you going to destroy the world? As your fan, I have to help you out.” Yu Wanyan smiled and proudly puffed out her chest.
Nanmen Jue closed her eyes. She was extremely dizzy. She hadn't felt this dizzy since she cured her brain tumor after the first world.
"Brother Jue, are you feeling unwell?" Yu Wanyan tilted her head in confusion. "Let my puppet clean you up."
Heavy footsteps approached, and the tall puppet walked towards Nanmen Jue. Nanmen Jue, pale-faced, struck in a flash, punching through the puppet's chest.
Yu Wanyan's expression froze, and Hong Chenxi covered her mouth, staggering backward.
This clever woman realized that Nanmen Jue's patience had reached its limit, and she was about to make her move.
Nanmen Jue's hand passed through the puppet's chest and out from behind. Her body, which wouldn't have been injured even if a wall had hit it, left sharp cuts on her fingers as she passed through the puppet's body.
The puppet felt no pain and made no sound. It stood there quietly, its eyes flashing red, and blue electrolyte flowing from its wound, accompanied by a crackling sound of electricity.
“You have quite the strength,” Yu Wanyan said softly. “This puppet is a modified version of the Purple Name Puppet. I even used ultra-dense metal. Even a tank might not be able to crush it.”
Nanmen Jue chuckled softly, withdrew her hand, and her expression was cold beneath her tousled hair. "Your bodyguard is gone. What are you going to do now?"
"Are you going to kill me?" Yu Wanyan tilted her head, her eyes filled with confusion. "Why? What have I done that displeased you?"
"Just because you don't do what I want, I can kill you?"
"Yes, if I don't do a good job, you can kill me, but how would I know why?"
Nanmen Jue looked at the girl's face in disbelief. She still had that innocent and confused expression, and she was genuinely saying these things.
Nanmen Jue's throat bobbed, and he managed to utter with difficulty, "How old are you?"
"Fifteen." Yu Wanyan thought for a moment, "It's been over a year since I came in, so I guess I'm sixteen now."
"Sixteen years old, is there still hope?" Nanmen Jue's temples throbbed. "If you did something wrong, I can kill you, but what did these people do wrong? You even want to kill Wei Chongru, but what did he do wrong?"
Yu Wanyan narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"
Why must one kill?
Upon uttering these words, Nanmen Jue was overwhelmed by a profound sense of absurdity.
How amusing that Nanmen Jue would actually say such things to a troubled teenager.
Yu Wanyan took a step back, her eyes turning cold. "No... you're not Nanmen Jue."
Nanmen Jue said, "Then who am I? The psychopath you imagine who takes pleasure in killing?"
"No, you shouldn't be like this! You shouldn't ask me that! You should praise me! No, you should scold me for not killing enough people, for not being worthy of your attention!" Yu Wanyan flew into a rage, jumping up and down as she roared at Nanmen Jue, "What are you doing? Scolding me for killing people? Are you lecturing me like those mediocre, boring, hypocritical adults? How could you be like this? You shouldn't be like this!"
Nanmen Jue looked at her with sorrow and pity, "Did you Ouroboros teach you this?"
"I don't believe it! I finally found someone as interesting as you, how could you be like this? I don't believe it, I don't believe it!" Yu Wanyan shook her head violently, looking as aggrieved as a child whose favorite toy had been taken away. She burst into tears, "Give me back my cool and handsome wanted criminal! Give him back!"
Nanmen Jue sighed softly, "I will help you avenge the Ouroboros."
With murderous intent, and filled with pity and pain, she slid the bone knife to her fingertips and slashed diagonally toward Yu Wanyan's throat.
Instead of the sound of a blade slicing through flesh, there was a metallic clang. The puppet, with a large hole in its chest, moved forward with ghostly speed, blocking the blow with its body.
Both were products of the main god, one was enchanted and the other was made of the hardest material, so neither side benefited from this.
Nanmen Jue followed up with a few attacks on the puppet. The puppet did not retaliate, but judging from its physical toughness and dodging speed, it was clear that it was now much stronger than Ziming.
Painless and injuryless, with a counterattack calculated by the program at the optimal angle and force, this puppet must have instilled immense terror in all the reincarnators. Even Jin Ming would likely have no chance against this sophisticated machine.
"Kill him!" Yu Wanyan's sweet voice was eerie. "Since you won't be my idol, be my puppet. I will make you the most beautiful puppet and not waste your beauty."
A cold, mechanical glint flashed in the puppet's lifeless pupils as it began its attack on Nanmen Jue.
With a ghostly figure and astonishing strength, Nanmen Jue's raised leg collided with the puppet's, sending a sharp pain through her. She rolled backward, avoiding the puppet's hand reaching for her heart.
Nanmen Jue didn't know what a max-level human would be like, but she didn't think her body was harder than the White Bone Blade. If she were hit by it, it would definitely tear her heart and lungs out.
Nanmen Jue quickly assessed the situation. This was a battle between human brain and machine, a contest of experience and calculation. Her gaze shifted to the large hole she had punched in the puppet's chest.
Her body is definitely not as hard as super-density metal, but the fact that she just punched through the puppet with her bare hands means that the puppet's chest must be softer than other parts of the body, which is its weakness!
Perhaps its control system is located there?
Nanmen Jue made up her mind and attacked her opponent's chest with every move, but the puppet always managed to calculate Nanmen Jue's speed and angle perfectly, causing her to miss every time.
Nanmen Jue steeled his heart, just about to risk having his shoulder blade pierced by a punch to get the goat, when suddenly two screams rang out.
The earth trembled, and this familiar scene made Nanmen Jue realize what had happened. She immediately disregarded the puppet and turned to rush towards Hong Chenxi, who had already fallen to the ground.
At the same time, a thick vine emerged from the underground ruins and swept away Yu Wanyan, who was standing at the edge of the pit.
With her scream, the puppet turned and rushed into the crevice.
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