Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 230: Chapter 34: The Downfall of the Zhong Family

Sharp Forest responded very quickly to Siyi’s words.

Even Jiang Yimi could see the misfortune of the blood curse on this little girl’s body... Somehow, when she heard Mother’s astonished reaction, she guessed that this world must be extraordinarily unusual for this little girl. From Chu Qing’s various responses to Zhong Xu, she could tell.

"You don’t have to tell her the truth about her real appearance. You don’t have to tell her... Let’s just let her die off; I don’t care anymore."

Jiang Yimi could stop him, but was unable to bear the thought of reaching out.

Trying to force a smile, Chu Qing bore the excruciating pain as her flesh was torn, wanting to reassure her father, who was trying to express his love for her.

Even as this spectacle drew the public’s unease, Chu Qing—once a man who had fallen into evil and devoured his own children—observed with visible intellect.

This was no different from a ghastly beast—a man-eater, an evil fall.

At this moment, the smoke of the black flame that had already begun to slowly recede from his body, he took a bite at Chu Qing’s neck instantly, as if reflecting Zhong Xu’s gaze back at him at this moment.

"I realize... I have to become food for Father... when he’s hungry... I have to give myself to Father... I am everything..."

Chu Qing was struggling to breathe, not just from the difficulty, but also as if she were reciting a lesson, another child echoing the same words. Her pupils were dissipating.

This distorted father-daughter relationship almost made the already evil-transformed people even more aware of the malicious presence enveloping them.

"Do you still remember what you told Father? Oh, how weak I am, how much I need you... I want you, Papa, clean and pretty... such a good, obedient child."

At this point, Zhong Xu picked up her neck with his large hand.

Zhong Xu and Chu Qing were now only inches apart.

Then, as she heard the word "sister" being questioned—associated with Shen Yue’s original, violently angry character—she hesitantly started again, the humming of the saw in her hand echoing back.

"What is... Mother?"

Upon hearing Shen Yue’s odd question, Chu Qing suddenly felt confused at that moment.

This was also the moment Zhong Xu anticipated the most—his fatherly affection perverted into sheer craving, a twisted desire for Dugu.

Like a curse etched deep in Chu Qing’s soul, the teachings of her childhood appeared to have the greatest impact through these words.

"You don’t need friends, you don’t need relatives, you don’t need anyone else but me. I’m your father, and I am the master of it all; you only need me."

This baffled feeling was not new to them, being washed over time and again by Zhong Xu’s indoctrination, but it never completely vanished.

Yet, with these people clearly needing her father, why on earth would Chu Qing even consider going out with some stranger? Back in the tower, she pondered over this every day.

This was not the first time she heard the word "Mother."

It was just another pawn for Zhong Xu in his quest to find a woman, only helping him to return to the tower immediately after her external repair tasks, while she had often been dispatched outside the tower since her teenage years.

And yet, it was Shen Yue’s single sentence that surprised Chu Qing.

Having already died a warrior’s death, she had realized her anomalous state against these ninth-grade mutants; Chu Qing, usually so expressively fierce, was now confronting Zhong Xu, protecting her own child, Zhong Xu.

At this time, Zhong Xu had fallen deep into the valley of combat exhaustion.

He especially feared confronting Shen Yue, as he would not dare to use, or might even get consumed by, Shen Yue who had already taken over his body.

At this moment, panting heavily, Zhong Xu, fragmented into thirteen parts of his body, asked Shen Yue with a smile.

"Do you know where your mother went? Is he your father?"

Although this woman seemed very evil, she didn’t actually have evil intentions—at least not towards Zhong Xu.

He could rely on his sense of evil to intuit the opposite side’s intentions, and even with his sensory faculties greatly diminished, he could still rely on his feeling of negative emotions toward the opposing side.

Zhong Xu was by now much weaker than the Nine-Headed Serpent or the 42nd Iron Cavalry, although Lin Haigu was certain that the end of this battle would be Zhong Xu’s death.

Nie Chongshan had to acknowledge that facing this girl was indeed not a good sign for himself. There was no way around it; if he were to face himself, he simply couldn’t afford not to recognize her.

But she only looked towards those surrounding her with even greater indifference in her gaze. Shen Shu was still Shen Shu after the perfect fusion.

At this moment, when a slight disturbance occurred in Shen Shu’s expressions as the separate body began to merge with the original one, the crowd visibly perceived it. Shen Shu’s aura became even more dangerous after the brief moment when the split body gathered at once.

The opposite side of the boundless proliferation－a reflection of the initial manifestation that Shen Shu had also demonstrated in the mine tunnel.

At this time, when Zhong Xu had already been worn down by trials, Shen Shu seemed somewhat interested as she snapped her fingers, stirring madness around her, with Zhong Xue calling out to "Dad," indicating a prearranged signal.

[This tragic drama unfolding upon this old lady must have resulted from a lifetime of harboring a distorted love for her father, since childhood imagining oneself as a figure worthy enough, eventually establishing a twisted affair. A deformed education within the family could bring horrifying consequences. It is essential to always have a balancing rod far more significant than oneself in love, to balance love for others with self-love – to make a truly sane person; we must teach them this meticulously; let Lin Haigu inform you that she is very close to death, and you must take her to the Society of Ethical Research to tell your story, sparing the detail of an eight-thousand-word description of a sexual technique...]

It was Zhong Xue, in particular, who was on his way, and only for Shen Shu and Purple Orchid to fill the kill list.

In this game, Zhong Xue was merely a pawn, unable to make any difference, although it did lend a touch of unpredictability to the situation.

Explosive Poison Fog, Deathly Cold Light, Thunder Punishment, Flamboyant Dragon Tide, Extreme Chill Curse.

Lin Haigu also possessed the Nine-Headed Serpent transformation, just like Zhong Xu, who had a perfect beauty level variant of the Extreme Chill Curse.

But the sound of his vehement roar ceased abruptly. Zhong Xu, seething with rage, looked directly at that Sharp Forest face.

"You won’t be able to run away, with me here."

Sharp Forest could not afford to let this person slip by; being teleported by this passage was the equivalent of being shuffled to another location by Zhong Xu’s powerful punch.

This was a transport portal, leaving behind a golden-colored door, passing through to the Sixth Level entrance, reflecting Zhong Xu’s intention on the Sharp Forest.

Having already reached the point where he did not possess any means to rise, he could only stand up, bringing along his supplies, prepared for a challenging breakthrough.

Could it be that these people, who kept disturbing his meal, forced Zhong Xu to endure an unbearable and incredibly painful division, simply did not understand that he could not cease devouring?

"Dad, have you... have you ever deceived me?"

She said in a gasping whisper:

Zhong Xue’s life force was unable to stop the Blood Flow, which rapidly drained him of a large volume of blood as he feasted on evil below.

Zhong Xu, having exhausted almost all his energy just to maintain his body from shattering before this point, would not allow himself to die – the impact from the increasing value of the splits...

...The beam of light went straight through Zhong Xu’s throat.

This direct suppression of vital breaths with a terrifying ray could not allow Zhong Xu’s body, already difficult to heal, to rekindle the black flames for a second shedding.

Deathly Cold Light, perfect beauty level variant.

Out from Lin Haigu’s largest serpent head spewed a silent death ray, a beam of light.

A speck of white mist.

She probably could not hope to achieve redemption here.

When it came to Zhong Xue...

Today, he must indeed entrust something vital to someone. At this moment, Lin Haigu glanced at the white mist and realized it was a most malicious person.

Shen Shu scanned the crowd around her.

"Hey, someone, will you help me pierce his mouth? Could you truly love him, seeing your lord endure so much hardship, enduring a grief-stricken injury, oh poor lord, you who would die a thousand deaths, why endure such hardships, why must you watch your lord suffer so terribly?" freёweɓnovel.com

Speaking these words at that time, she mockingly folded her arms; although she could press Zhong Xu time and again, the timing wasn’t much off. Shen Shu then looked at him once more.

Despite the chaos of her expressions at this moment, being filled with bewilderment at Zhong Xu, her eyes, already teary, did not speak the myriad confusions that she wished to, ultimately saying nothing though her mouth was open, choosing rather to endure the pain originally.

As if he had already forgotten the surroundings that were within arm’s reach, Zhong Xu seemed to only remember that he wasn’t entirely himself anymore, having raised this girl for quite some time.

He had to continue devouring, but only needed to delay the process of self-cannibalism until the moment came when he could momentarily restore order out of the utmost chaos, capable of upsetting the very fabric of reality.

Gradually, billows of black fumes surged up from his body. Zhong Xu did not have an answer to this question, as he was preoccupied with gnawing at the bones of Zhong Xue.

Consciousness too was slowly dissipating, along with the fading light in Zhong Xue’s eyes.

"What is it, Daddy... Mommy?"

There was no doubt Shen Shu looked evil at first glance, but she hadn’t done anything wrong.

No one can take the place of the victim to pardon the abuser.

They were all victims, having been turned into food objects countless times by Zhong Xu, let alone the unfortunate ones who were at least not subjected to the humiliation of being violated in person like the girl. But some of those still soaking in the numbing medicinal pools of the Zhong Family were not so lucky.

Dugu didn’t answer either, nor did Chu Qing; the former was preoccupied with the self-righteous notion of bringing a sacrificial offering to its destined death.

It was mostly Zhong Xue who had to bear the enormous brunt.

In the end, they included all the women from the lowest district of the hot springs area, kokako, white serpents, foxes, and merfolk...over all these years.

Jiang Yimi did not know their plight, and therefore felt an inexplicable ache in her heart.

Bai Wu was not exactly opposed to what Shen Shu did.

No one cared for her; no one paid attention to the pain and confusion displayed on Zhong Xue’s face. Amidst the upside-down masses, Shen Shu, whose smile should have turned the world on its head, was now laughing.

"How could Daddy tell me about this world? Where are friends, relatives, loved ones? Mommy won’t be able to keep the truth from me, right Daddy? How is that possible... How could I ever deceive you, Daddy? Ah!"

"Don’t you wonder how they are nothing more than strange curiosities compared to you?"

"You’ve always been skeptical about their feelings over all these years, haven’t you? Gazing at those men and women who’ve been pillaged by you, but aren’t you also endlessly longing not to be fooled, even though you have no connection?"

"Or is it that you no longer feel anything at all? Isn’t it abnormal for you to always feel that Dugu is wrong even when something isn’t quite suitable to Daddy? Aren’t you always feeling some sort of affection?"

"You’re still truly a pitiable child, for without you there would be no one at all."

"Shouldn’t you hear the word ’Mommy’ more than just once? Isn’t that what you’ve been telling yourself all this time within your world where there’s only Daddy?"

"Don’t you know there’s no child without a mother, that you are born of Mommy, and that everyone in this world has both a Mommy and Daddy? Are you really so ignorant?"

At this very moment, Shen Shu, who could appropriately be called a beautiful scorpion, showed her true colors.

Even Jing Yimi couldn’t help but take a second glance at Zhong Xue, who seemed to possess an extremely keen sense of smell for this twisted and grotesque thing standing before her; Shen Shu could not give this face to Jing Yimi.

Step by step, Lizi walked slowly toward Shen Shu, feeling as if Zhong Xu’s life was finally coming to an end in utter silence, the battle over.

The mad laughter of the little girl echoed with pain throughout the entire hall, going as far as to obliterate... Zhong Xu’s breath was rapidly flowing out with his life.

Crack! The electric saw severed Zhong Xu’s skull, following right after the purple hydrangea, which seemed to axe-chop just like the hydrangea itself.

"I am the Daddy who loves my daughter the most... haha ha ha ha!"

Ziluo Lan, with a liberating laugh of grand vengeance, felt this breath, as if Zhong Xue was about to transform into a diabolical incarnation on the spot, in this decisive moment.

Ever since then... she remained in that room as the original sin incarnated, whereas the electric saw had perpetually transformed the beautiful yet grotesque phantasms in her heart into the beautiful conditions of her inner self.

Because she believed Daddy loved her no less than Mommy, she was content. This is why Zhong Xu would only ever do something like this once.

At the age of nine, she was brought by Zhong Xu into the room with the purple lights, performing that one act.

The electric saw of Ziluo Lan was like an iron hammer that couldn’t stop smashing the ice layer.

But the crowd in the hall only felt a mocking sting of sorrow.

This cacophony of complex emotions was the source of their guilty pleasure: the joy of Father’s sacrificial moment met with the terror of death.

Fear from the depths of my heart had already rendered me numb at birth.

She managed to keep up a crooked smile, perhaps simply because it was easier to push through than admit the truth at the moment.

She suddenly felt an unfamiliar agony.

Father? I don’t just have a daughter, right? I’m also... the father of this little girl in a purple dress?

Zhong Xue’s expression also faltered in shock.

There shouldn’t be anyone alive in that estate!

Could he have gone to that estate? Why would she have anything to do with it? After all, this is the Zhong Family’s abode, a house of skeletal remains.

Fear and bewilderment displayed on his face.

Shouldn’t she have died long ago? But she does seem to have a child, just like herself.

...Finally, Zhong Xu also remembered.

He had already become a white blur, realizing the transformation of this child.

Her emotions were a whirlwind of fury and terror, especially as Zhong Xu’s body was being gouged by an electric saw. freeweɓnøvel.com

"Hahahahahaha! Aaaaaaah! Have you already forgotten? That thing is my ten-year birthday gift you talked about, in the purple room! Have you already forgotten? That was something only you and Mom would do! I have done it with you! Why? Why?"

His body became fragile and easily shattered under the frigid conditions as the electric saw began to frenziedly slice through Zhong Xu’s neck.

Is that girl from the estate originally Zhong Xu’s daughter... at that moment, Ling Wuji also wondered.

How much sin had Zhong Xu ultimately committed?

The expression on Yi Jiang from Sharp Forest turned to stunned shock. Liu Mumian furrowed his brows and let out a cold snort.

And the father?

The girl in the bright red flower dress’s eyes widened in a split second, as if her heart went from happily skipping in a young child’s garden to wanting to tear out the next.

"Why! Why do you still want another child? What gives you the right to have done all that to me? How could you possibly have someone else’s child... Father!"

Purple Luo Lan’s expression turned increasingly ferocious.

And just like that, his expression of intense coldness was renewed and made stronger by the appearance of a new crack in the ice.

His ferocious struggling was absolutely in vain.

...He did not wish to be the first one defeated... He did not want to be part of the strongest generation of rulers in seven hundred years.

...Even if he were to turn evil, eat his own children, he wanted to live, he did not give up struggling, and the extreme cold curse did not stop Zhong Xu from moving.

The cold light of death made it impossible for Zhong Xu to gather the dissipating strength of his body.

Purple Luo Lan, hopping and skipping joyfully, barred Zhong Xu’s way forward, holding an electric saw, just like a nine-year-old child might do on the way to school.

"Thank you."

Pale mist looked over at Lin Haigu, nodding once more, as Purple Luo Lan’s timid voice carried over.

"The final blow, can you let me strike?"

She had always been extremely patient due to her status with the crowd and because Chu Qing needed it, but now, as the lengthy battle was about to welcome its end, she knew it was time to act.

Purple Luo Lan knew it was time to make a move. Zhong Xue carried with her Zhong Xu, who was entangled and bound. The extreme cold curse sealed and imprisoned Zhong Xu.

After swallowing the elements from Ghostlike Stone, these elements turned into lethal attacks against Zhong Xu.