Chapter 48 Fungal Swarm 9 "Nanmen Jue will kill me."...
Nanmen Jue nodded in satisfaction. This way, as long as Ji Chengying survives for three months until the mission ends, she is guaranteed to get more than 10,000 points without the risk of being eliminated.
She patted Zhang Zhi's head.
Ji Chengying's wailing woke Zhang Zhi. The little girl had also witnessed the brutal scene, but she was usually quiet when there were outsiders around. She wrapped herself in Nanmen Jue's clothes and leaned against her, showing her dependence.
This scene evoked different feelings in other people's eyes, but now no one was foolish enough to talk about the indigenous people and mission objectives in front of Nanmen Jue.
Ji Chengying glanced enviously at Nanmen Jue, who was fighting his way in and out of the parasites and was clean except for some blood on his skin. Then she looked at herself, covered in blood, intestines, and brains, curled up into a small ball, and muttered, "When I get back, I'm going to add attributes to my clothes too."
This drew mixed reactions from seasoned professionals.
You're getting cocky with a few thousand points, girl. Do you know how many points it would take for Nanmen Jue to upgrade his ordinary clothes to look like this?
Nanmen Jue smiled slightly, his voice gentle, "When you return to the hall, I can give you a set of clothes."
"Really?!" Ji Chengying, oblivious to the astonishment her words caused, leaned closer with a dreamy expression. "Brother Nanmen, you really are my brother! No, Godfather, please accept my bow!"
Her expression was exaggerated. Nanmen Jue wrinkled his nose and turned his face away, saying, "Don't get so close, it smells strong."
Her joyful expression froze on her face; the innocent female college student suffered a critical hit of 10,000 points.
"It smells strong, it smells strong, the handsome guy said I smell strong..." she muttered listlessly, shrinking back into the corner of the truck bed.
Guan Junren and Lu Yunxiao looked at each other and saw each other's faces contorted with suppressed laughter. They wanted to laugh but dared not, it was so painful.
Nanmen Jue glanced at them and said, "Laugh if you want to, but your expression is even uglier."
"puff."
"Pfft."
A rare moment of relaxed laughter echoed in the night, making the night breeze gentle, and Deng Erhuai in the driver's seat also softened his expression.
As dawn broke, the empty national highway finally reached its midpoint. A sign flashed by, displaying the words "Yongjiang City, 2km" in large characters.
Once you arrive in Yongjiang City, you won't be far from the smelting base.
Even though they were mentally prepared, the horrific scene upon entering Yongjiang City still silenced everyone.
Layers upon layers of corpses were piled haphazardly by the roadside, some charred and stinking, clearly burned. The corpses contained both ordinary people and parasites, all piled up here without discrimination after death. Mosquitoes swarmed around them, and as their car approached, a stray dog that had been rummaging through the corpses was startled and darted away.
As the car entered the city, Ji Chengying, experiencing the apocalypse for the first time, let out a small scream.
Abandoned vehicles, crooked road signs, collapsed buildings, dried blood, and carelessly discarded corpses—the scene of the collapse of human social order was vividly displayed before her eyes. Ji Chengying trembled all over and almost shrank behind Nanmen Jue.
Guan Junren noticed something and pointed in a direction, "Look there."
The exterior wall of an office building was covered with blood-red mycelium, as if it had been taken over by red ivy. They were wriggling and looked like they were breathing from a distance.
Besides that place, there are also some mycelium on other buildings and the ground.
"This is probably the result of the fungus spreading after it devours the plant," Guan Junren said. "In that case, there probably won't be any living people left in this city."
Nanmen Jue frowned.
The city gave her an uncomfortable feeling, a feeling that had no origin, but during those six months of intensive training, her intuition saved her many times.
She stood up, grabbed Zhang Zhi with one arm, and jumped out of the moving car.
The others were startled, the car suddenly stopped, and everyone got out.
"Let's go, get out of here as soon as possible." Nanmen Jue waved to them. "Anywhere is fine, just leave this city."
"What's wrong with this city?" Ji Chengying asked blankly.
Deng Erhuai said, "We also plan to go to the furnace base to see if there are any other people there. You can continue to come with us."
"If it's not a good fit, let's part ways here."
Nanmen Jue simply smiled and shook his head, then turned and walked away with Zhang Zhi into the distance, with crows automatically following beside her.
Her actions demonstrated her choice; they knew they couldn't keep her.
"Be careful, Nammon Oppa!" Ji Chengying suddenly shouted, "You still have to go back and deliver my clothes!"
Nanmen Jue almost stumbled. Nanmen Oppa, what kind of weird title is that?!
She didn't turn around, she just raised her hand and waved.
"Waaaaah, Brother Nanmen is gone." Ji Chengying was extremely dejected.
Lu Yunxiao patted her head. "Nanmen Jue really can't travel with us. She has her own things to do."
“It’s better that he’s gone,” Deng Erhuai said. “Staying by his side would have provided some protection, but it would also have been more dangerous.”
"What danger?" Ji Chengying looked over with teary eyes.
“He’s the only red-named individual for whom the main god has issued a server-wide wanted notice. You can’t understand what that means yet.” Deng Erhuai shook his head. “I’ve been in this space for years and have never seen the main god issue such a high-profile wanted notice for anyone. What does that mean?”
“This shows that the God is eager for him to die,” Guan Junren said in a low voice. “Or rather… the God is afraid of him.”
The word "fear" was too strong. Everyone fell silent for a moment, yet felt it was subtly appropriate, leaving no room for argument.
To gather the power of the entire cycle of reincarnation to kill one person is an act that stems from either extreme hatred or deep-seated fear.
"His departure here is for our own good," Lu Yunxiao sighed.
“Yes, it’s incredible, but… that’s true.” Deng Erhuai looked in the direction Nanmenjue had left with a complicated expression. “Even if we’re going to the Forge Base, we shouldn’t be going with him.”
Ji Chengying suddenly realized, "Because there might be other reincarnators at the Furnace Base?"
“It’s definitely true,” Lu Yunxiao said. “What will other people think when they see us with Nanmen Jue? Especially with Sister Deng there, their guild is openly planning to kill Nanmen Jue.”
Ji Chengying felt as if something heavy was blocking her throat. She picked at the scab on the blood clot on her finger, and many words rolled around in her stomach, but she managed to squeeze out one sentence: "Why... Brother Nanmen is clearly not a bad person. He clearly killed bad people, so why did he do this to him?"
“I don’t know.” Guan Junren shook his head blankly. “I can’t figure out what kind of person he is. He’s too contradictory.”
"Forget about him. We can't help with his problems." Deng Erhuai turned around almost coldly. "In this kind of world, we're lucky if we can survive. We don't have time to care about the affairs of the strong. Just look at that 300-point thing from last night. If it weren't for Nanmen Jue, we would all be in a precarious situation."
Ji Chengying received no answer, and her heart ached even more.
Lu Yunxiao patted her shoulder, "Let's go."
They got back into the car, and the atmosphere was somewhat somber. Suddenly, Lu Yunxiao said in surprise, "Look over there."
Everyone looked up and saw Nanmen Jue standing on a small hill made up of abandoned vehicles, leading Zhang Zhi. When they saw them approaching, he raised his arm and waved to them.
"Remember, from now on we'll be strangers," she said, then raised her voice slightly, "Wishing you all the best for the future—"
All the emotions that had been weighing on Ji Chengying's heart suddenly turned into tears and fell down.
She tried to raise her hand in response to Nanmen Jue, but Guan Junren gently grasped it.
"Don't let his good intentions go to waste," Lu Yunxiao said.
Ji Chengying looked back again, and Nanmen Jue's tall and slender figure gradually disappeared into the distance, turning into a thin shadow.
“This isn’t right,” she murmured.
...
After seeing everyone else off, Nanmen Jue looked down at Zhang Zhi and asked, "Do you believe me?"
Zhang Zhi nodded vigorously without hesitation, while simultaneously gripping Nanmen Jue's hand tightly.
"Your father told me before he died not to take you to any of the three major bases, but I have my own business to attend to there." Nanmen Jue bent down slightly, looking into Zhang Zhi's eyes. "I promise I won't leave you in those places. Are you willing to come with me?"
Zhang Zhi's eyes flickered, and she whispered, "I do."
Nanmen Jue patted her head, his eyes filled with mixed emotions.
"I never expected that my first time taking care of a child would result in such an obedient one."
She spoke to the crow, which landed on her head as a reply, only to be angrily brushed off by Nanmen Jue.
"Alright, the car's gone. Now we need to find one ourselves." Nanmen Jue jumped down from the steel hill and looked around at the dusty cars. "There are so many. We're not so unlucky that we won't find a single drivable one, are we?"
In the first world, Nanmen Jue couldn't drive, but now she can repair engines without batting an eye.
After leaving behind those people Zhang Zhi didn't like, the little girl became more talkative.
"Brother, can this car be fixed?"
"Let me see, it shouldn't be a big problem. Let's clean off the dust first..." Nanmen Jue leaned on the hood of the car and suddenly looked up.
The wind blew through her hair, and all around was quiet.
Nanmenjue gave the crow a wink. The crow was reluctant, but still spread its wings to survey the situation from the air. Nanmenjue lowered his head and continued cleaning the engine.
A moment later, she walked around to the other side of the car, and the crow landed back on her shoulder, saying in a voice only she could hear, "I didn't sense anything with too much energy."
"What if the other party is very good at hiding?"
"Can humans become invisible in thermal imaging?" the crow countered. "According to the rules, it's impossible to hide from my perception."
This was a very good example that convinced Nanmen Jue.
She slammed the back cover shut. "It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that this complete silence, without even a single parasite, is really not a good thing."
When the Beast King appeared, all beasts fell silent, just like when the Tyrannosaurus Rex was born in the first world, all the radiation monsters in the entire nuclear power plant vanished.
A gust of wind blew, causing Nanmen Jue's clothes and hair to flutter. Amidst the dust and the smell of blood, she squinted at the distance, her expression slightly solemn, and beckoned Zhang Zhi to get into the carriage.
She didn't speak, but Zhang Zhi could sense her emotions. "Brother, is there any danger here?"
"I'm not sure, let's not take the risk."
Without any hesitation, Nanmen Jue studied the car's controls for a bit and got the hang of it very quickly. He then floored the accelerator and smashed through the corpses blocking his way.
However, she wanted to leave the city as soon as possible, but someone prevented her from doing so.
A row of open animal traps lay across the road, their sharp spikes still stained with the blood of some unknown creature. No matter how powerful Nanmen Jue was, he couldn't possibly make his car fly and cross this obstacle.
The car, which had been unused for many years and was somewhat rusty, came to a screeching stop. Nanmen Jue looked at the empty street in front of him and let out a sneer.
Zhang Zhi quickly became nervous. "Brother, don't go down! There are people around here, and many of them are hostile towards us."
“This method of blocking the road is old-fashioned, but it works,” Nanmenjue said. “Stay in the car.”
With that, Nanmen Jue got out of the car with a nonchalant air, crossed his arms, and leaned casually against the car door, looking rather lazy. "Everyone, I'm already out here. There's no point in hiding anymore, so let's save each other's time, shall we?"
The surroundings were silent. Perhaps Nanmen Jue's arrogant attitude was too unexpected, and the people who were hiding were confused and did not dare to show themselves.
Nanmen Jue did not go forward to clear the roadblocks; he simply leaned against the car with his eyes downcast, looking more like a leisurely young nobleman than an unlucky fellow being chased and intercepted.
Seeing that no one had come out yet, Nanmen Jue pulled a gun from the holster on his thigh, and without even raising his eyes, fired a shot in one direction.
"ah!"
A scream broke the silence, and a jumble of sounds came from under the cover. Nanmen Jue gently blew on the muzzle of his gun. "Say it again, come out. I can see you."
Now no one dared to disobey Nanmen Jue's words. A dozen or so people emerged from behind their cover, each holding a gun, and cautiously approached Nanmen Jue.
"Don't move!" the leader shouted nervously, even more panicked than Nanmen Jue, who was surrounded, as if Nanmen Jue alone had surrounded them.
Nanmen Jue looked at their familiar attire and asked, "People from the underground bar?"
The way these people dressed and used their weapons were the same as Wei Chongru's group before. Thinking about what that underground bar was for, Nanmen Jue still had a smile on his lips, but his eyes turned a little cold.
When Nanmen Jue revealed their location, these people realized they had probably encountered a tough opponent.
They had noticed Nanmen Jue leaving the group with a girl earlier. They were far away then and couldn't hear what the reincarnators were saying, but Nanmen Jue's stunning appearance was still shocking and made their minds wander.
Unexpectedly, such a beautiful person could be so ruthless in their attacks, leaving people unable to react.
Looking at Nanmen Jue's face, the leader swallowed hard, unsure whether he found her attractive or felt a sense of dread.
Nanmen Jue had no patience for negotiation, and his voice turned cold, "I don't want to go on a killing spree in front of the children. Get out of my way, and I'll spare your lives."
Some were filled with fear, while others were driven by malice.
"Brother, we can't just let him go! He's all alone, but there are so many of us." One of them looked greedily at Nanmen Jue. "You might only meet one like him once in your life. Just imagine how much Big Sister will reward us."
The leader's eyebrows twitched, and his eyes wavered.
Others chimed in, "Yeah, he's all alone with just one gun, what are we afraid of!"
The leader cleared his throat and said in a feignedly friendly tone, "Young man, we didn't mean to hurt anyone. We put up these roadblocks mainly for self-defense. Since you know about our bar, why don't you come and visit us?"
Nanmen Jue paused, looking at him incredulously, "Do I look like a fool?"
"That's a very..."
"Alright, I know what you guys are up to. I've already been very patient by wasting my breath on you. I'll say it one last time, get lost." The smile on Nanmen Jue's face disappeared.
If she were in the first world, the moment she was surrounded, she would start thinking about how to kill these people. At that time, she was too weak, like a ferocious young beast, and everyone could hurt her. So she was paranoid, seeing enemies everywhere, and would rather others die than her.
However, after these trials and tribulations, and as her strength increased, she no longer harbored such strong murderous intent towards those who could not threaten her. Unless the other party was determined to die, she would not bother to take action.
She had shown her patience, but unfortunately, these people didn't realize that they were giving up their only chance to escape.
The leader cocked his gun, and the sound was like a signal.
"Since you won't listen to reason, then don't blame us for being impolite," the leader said. "I refuse to believe that two fists can fight four hands!"
"Watch out, you pretty little face!"
Nanmen Jue sighed helplessly, and when he looked up again, a smile appeared on his face, even with a hint of pity.
“I already told you, there are children here,” she said softly.
The next second, she quickly ducked to avoid the bullets coming from all directions, and shouted to Zhang Zhi in the car, "Get down!"
She wasn't too worried about Zhang Zhi. The girl's precociousness could protect her. She looked around and had already memorized the positions of these people when they appeared. Although she didn't intend to make a move at first, she had already sketched out several attack routes as a conditioned reflex!
Each method ensured that none of them could escape.
These people only saw a blur before their eyes, and the person who had ducked to avoid the bullets reappeared, already within arm's reach.
Their last memory was Nanmen Jue's gentle and kind smile.
In the blink of an eye, everyone fell down, leaving only the leader standing there, his arm holding the gun trembling, looking at Nanmen Jue as if he were the most ferocious monster.
"Who...who are you...?"
"You can still talk, you've got some guts," Nanmen Jue said with a smile.
Now, looking at her smile, he could no longer appreciate it. The leader screamed, threw down his gun, and ran away.
Nanmen Jue raised his gun and pointed it at his back.
She doesn't usually like using guns. Although she's a good shot now, her firing speed can't match her own movements.
She narrowed her eyes, pulled the trigger, and bright red blood exploded on the man's back. She calmly tucked the gun back into her thigh and was about to walk away when suddenly her pupils twitched.
A sense of crisis surged through her, and she barely had time to shout, "Protect Zhang Zhi!"
The earth suddenly split open, and a vine thicker than Nanmen Jue stretched out arrogantly, wrapping her up in it!
"elder brother!!"
This sudden scene terrified Zhang Zhi. Her first instinct was not to hide, but to try to open the car door and rush towards Nanmenjue!
Just as she put her hand on the handle, a sharp bird beak landed beside her hand and pecked her.
Zhang Zhi recoiled in pain, but did not give up. She continued to pull hard on the car door. Left with no other choice, the crow spoke in human language.
"Don't be impulsive, everything will be fine at the South Gate."
Like a bolt from the blue, Zhang Zhi froze completely. Her trembling eyes stared at the crow, her expression as if she thought she was dreaming.
"You, you..."
“It was me speaking,” said the crow. “You’re a smart little girl, don’t make such a silly face.”
Zhang Zhi's dazed state lasted only a few seconds. In the swaying car, she reached for the door again, shouting, "Get out of the way, whether you can talk or not! I need to find my brother!"
"Don't do anything stupid!" Crow scolded her. "Nanmen is very strong; she can't be killed at this level. You need to go out now to distract her!"
Zhang Zhi paused, struggled to withdraw her hand, and anxiously twisted her body to look outside. Upon seeing this, tears fell from her eyes.
Three more vines emerged from the earth and wrapped around Nanmen Jue, forming a giant cocoon around her. The cocoon was writhing violently, clearly indicating that the person inside was struggling. The specific scene inside could not be seen from the outside, but red liquid seeped out from the gaps between the intertwined vines.
It's blood.
Inside was only Nanmen Jue, a bleeding creature, and whose blood it was was self-evident.
"elder brother!"
Zhang Zhi climbed onto the steering wheel, her eyes wide with tears.
The earth shook more violently, and the cracks in the ground increased. Noticing that the car seemed to be tilting and sliding downhill, the crow made a quick decision.
"Get out of the car quickly, we're going to fall!"
Without hesitation, Zhang Zhi jumped out of the car and tried to run towards the cocoon, but a crow flew up and grabbed her hair.
Because of this delay, the vines wrapped around Nanmen Jue quickly retracted, actually pulling her back into the ground!
"elder brother!"
Zhang Zhi could no longer control herself and rushed toward the largest crack. The crow was also stunned for a moment, and unconsciously let go of the little girl. Then, she was awakened by her caw and hurriedly flapped its wings and flew over as well.
Anxiety welled up in His heart. Although Nanmen Jue was strong, there were many things in the Samsara World that could suppress a max-level human, and Nanmen Jue was not immortal.
He wasn't in a hurry earlier because, based on the energy feedback from those vines, it was roughly between B and A level, which would cause Nanmen Jue some suffering, but shouldn't kill her. However, the current situation is unexpected, and He is no longer sure.
The thought that such a large energy body was hidden underground, and that He had not sensed anything, made Him even more uneasy about Nanmen Jue being dragged underground.
A man and a bird fluttered to the crevice, but looking down, all they could see was darkness; neither the Nanmen Jue nor the vines had vanished.
Without any hesitation, Zhang Zhi turned around and tried to climb down. This time, the crow didn't stop him. Just as it was about to fly down to scout the way, a tall figure suddenly walked out with a limp.
The crow sensed something was wrong and let out a sharp caw, trying to warn the little girl who was focused on climbing down, but the person was already right in front of her.
He was wearing the same clothes as the others, covered in blood and covered in dirt. With a wave of his hand, he swatted the crow aside, and with another, he lifted Zhang Zhi up.
"Let me go!" Zhang Zhi screamed in terror. "Who are you!"
He ignored Zhang Zhi's struggles, revealed a sinister smile, turned around with her, and limped away.
“Oh no,” the crow murmured, “Nanmen Jue will kill me.”
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