Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 416: Chapter 33: The Sad Bai Wu and the Lord of the Ocean

"I get it, a dream within a dream! Hahaha, you’re even more deceptive than the other people I’ve conjured up! You made me think I’ve become lucid again, but in fact, I haven’t changed! I’m still in a dream, I just thought I woke up!"

Xu Wei had truly believed he had encountered Bai Wu.

Until he heard what Bai Wu just said. The content was so preposterous that Xu Wei fell into doubt again.

Bai Wu could also confirm... This man’s mind indeed had some issues, truly having been too long without facing reality.

Unwilling to accept a world devoid of humans.

"If that’s the case, why don’t you try calling out the other people from the town?"

Xu Wei was stunned.

Right, if I’m trapped in a dream, then why can’t I call out the other people from the town?

"You have never seen me either, have you?"

Xu Wei nodded, he indeed had never met Bai Wu.

Bai Wu continued:

"Moreover, you should be able to feel that my aura is different from the other people you have imagined. Hmm... In your own words, I am a being that’s not too weak."

Bai Wu spread his aura.

This immense pressure was enough to instill fear in any powerful creature within hundreds of meters, but to Xu Wei, this aura was just enough for him to believe—it was reality.

"So... there really is a place where many people live?"

"To be precise, it’s a mix of humans and Evil Fallen. If you’re interested, I’ll tell you in detail about how it was established."

It was naturally a long story, but Bai Wu was patient.

Xu Wei was indeed a ’big leg’ to lean on, but Bai Wu’s real reason for wanting him to go to Baichuan City was not just to rely on his strength.

A large part of it was to protect Xu Wei.

This world had a strange law.

If you had never heard a song before, it was as if it didn’t exist throughout your long life.

But once you heard it suddenly, you’d find that you would soon hear it again.

An obscure term explained, a niche scientific concept, a complex psychological effect, some things, once we come into contact, we find that we would encounter them again in a very short time.

Not long ago, Bai Wu learned about the two strongest Sequences humans had mastered, one being Ten Thousand Phantasmal Bodies, the other Temporal Return.

And coincidentally, he came across the master of Temporal Return.

He was worried that, coincidentally, this person might be lured into the High Tower. And coincidentally, this person was

So arranging for his stay under his own watchful eye was best.

He didn’t exclude the possibility that his own deliberateness could accelerate the likelihood of the other entering the High Tower, but after weighing all options, Bai Wu was convinced that, on probability, his plan was more rational.

Xu Wei naturally liked to hear stories.

For a person who had been lonely for a long time, having someone to talk to was a very happy thing.

Outside the tower, solitude wasn’t actually so absolute, but it was different for Xu Wei, to whom the High Tower was a place that exposed the ugliness of human nature.

And after his sense of time changed... Xu Wei’s seven hundred years felt very long.

Looking for someone to talk to was difficult, difficult enough that it was easier to imagine some people oneself.

This was his mental bulwark, keeping him from being eroded by loneliness, yet also preventing him from escaping it.

Only Destiny’s guidance, bringing forth someone like Bai Wu, could break this pattern.

Bai Wu’s story was fascinating, he didn’t exaggerate, but introduced many interesting people.

The purpose was to make Xu Wei fond of the group of people at the refuge.

Xu Wei listened happily and was quite moved. frёewebnoѵēl.com

Everything went smoothly. In Bai Wu’s eyes, this mission had not been difficult to begin with—it was an easy task to accomplish.

Because he could satisfy the other party’s needs without having to create demand.

By evening, the light of the sky had dimmed.

Xu Wei, still relishing the story, grew fond of the idea of the shelter.

Bai Wu’s plan to convince had been accomplished perfectly, without any twists or turns. Things had gone so smoothly that Bai Wu felt... it was almost like a stroke of incredible luck.

But what Bai Wu hadn’t anticipated was... actually, there was a small accident.

After Bai Wu had finished telling the story, Xu Wei, showing great interest, invited Bai Wu to take a look around the small town.

What was there to see in a town with no people? Although Bai Wu thought this, he knew that for Xu Wei, the town was inhabited.

Each household had a different function.

Some were responsible for providing food, others for telling jokes, some for drinking afternoon tea, and yet others for handling the food.

In the third row of buildings, at the fourth house, Bai Wu got injured.

When Xu Wei opened the door, a note hit Bai Wu in the face.

"Do not look anywhere else, focus on the pot in the middle—that looks like a rice cooker, but in reality, it is a pot that can transform ingredients and automatically cook delicious meals, a pot with Spirit Possession!"

Bai Wu laughed! Wasn’t this just the pot he wanted? With this pot, he could throw away the useless one in his storage bag that was good for nothing but eating and waiting for death, right?

I’m bringing him to the shelter in exchange for a pot, that’s not too much to ask for, is it? It’s quite reasonable, isn’t it?

But at that moment, as Xu Wei was preparing to entertain Bai Wu, he got a little too excited. He grasped the pot too hard while attempting to serve food... and crushed it.

Crack!

A large pot, right in front of Bai Wu’s eyes, crumbled into sawdust, which seemed like it could scatter into a cloud of dust with a single puff of wind.

What’s called a surprise delight?

At first, Bai Wu felt more delight than surprise, then he felt more surprise than delight, and ultimately his joy turned into sorrow.

The ups and downs of life indeed arrived too swiftly.

Bai Wu stood there, stunned. In the Inner World, Bai Yuan even felt the blue door seemed to wobble a bit.

This father and son pair both had peculiar thought processes. Bai Wu had no idea what could possibly distress Bai Yuan. But now he knew, the closest he had come to sadness... was just then.

Xu Wei was completely oblivious:

"Ah, I got too excited and accidentally crushed it... I had wanted to treat you to a good meal. Oh well, shall we just get going on our journey then?"

Bai Wu didn’t move, hiding his pained mask beneath a calm expression: freёwebnoѵel.com

"Such a wonderful treasure... and you’re not upset that it’s broken?"

"It’s just a pot." Xu Wei thought it was quite ordinary.

Just a pot? That’s it?

Bai Wu’s blood pressure rose.

"But it is a bit of a pity, after all, it was very convenient for making food. But for me, finding something to do, rather than just enjoying the outcome, is actually better. It makes me feel alive. If you hadn’t come, I would’ve almost forgotten about the pot."

So should I leave? Bai Wu was speechless. Was his arrival responsible for dooming this treasure’s fate?

Xu Wei was completely unaware of the deep-seated emotions brewing inside Bai Wu, and continued talking:

"Never mind, out with the old, in with the new. Spirit Possession, I found it quite amazing when I learned about it on the sixth level. Later on, I realized it was quite easy."

Quite, easy, indeed.

The sky was azure blue, and origami cranes were outside the window. Bai Wu felt he had encountered a formidable opponent.

Xu Wei hadn’t shown the strength one would expect from the number one person of the High Tower in a physical sense, but he exuded an overwhelmingly strong spiritual strength.

"Heh, let’s go. You’re right, everything you’ve said is right." Bai Wu prepared to leave.

But Xu Wei was a talker, wasn’t he? Now that he had someone to talk to, how could he remain silent? Finally having a topic of interest, particularly Spirit Possession, which he found intriguing, showed that he wasn’t good at communicating. Bai Wu not replying even after three attempts to announce his name was an indication of this.

So Xu Wei became even less adept at reading the room and knowing when to stop, even believing that Bai Wu was actually agreeing with him:

"Right? You think so too, right? Then you must have a lot of Spirit Possession items on you?"

Fuck saving the world, let this person self-destruct, Bai Wu swore he really had that thought.

"But is there a possibility that this thing is probabilistic, like this pot, could it be that someone has always carried it around and it just never becomes possessed, hahaha, think about that scenario, isn’t it funny?"

As he spoke, Xu Wei started laughing:

"Hahaha, it’s so hilarious, walking around with a pot on your back. When I go to Baichuan City, I must tell this joke to those people you mentioned, I think I have a pretty good sense of humor."

"However, it shouldn’t be, the act of Spirit Possession is so simple, it’s unlikely that there would be people who can’t do it. Indeed hard to imagine, it seems that jokes are ultimately detached from reality after all."

The night lingered on...

Bai Wu didn’t even know where Baichuan City was, nor how long he would have to travel with this person, nor how long this person would dwell on this topic, nor if this person was always this talkative.

But he knew that ahead, there would be many Evil Fallen.

There had to be, because he might not be able to suppress his rage, and the red Karmic Fire would burst forth, burning the Evil Fallen to death – a far better outcome than killing this seemingly negative but actually verbose lunatic beside him.

...

...

Finding the owner of Temporal Return was a big deal for Bai Wu.

He couldn’t say what would happen next, but Bai Wu was very clear that this person was important. Important to the Demon King inside the High Tower, and equally important to the world.

He had to protect this person well, while also strengthening the power of Baichuan City.

During the days that Bai Wu took Xu Wei to Baichuan City and settled him in.

The world outside the mist, which Bai Wu hadn’t visited for nearly four months, served as the future main battlefield and had undergone some significant changes.

Outside the mist, River Return Port.

This port, with a name characteristic of Sheng Country’s naming style, was influenced by a small island nation in these waters, deeply imbued with the culture of Sheng Country.

This country was called Jin Ze Country.

However, after seven hundred years of changes and multiple applications for heritage status, most things from Sheng Country had become unique to Jin Ze Country. Even the cultural sages from thousands of years ago in Sheng Country’s history had become the sages of Jin Ze Country.

Outside of River Return Port, countless artillery fire was bombarding a huge cruise ship.

Although satellites had spotted this super-large vessel, like a floating city, the Ark, nations had still refrained from taking action.

Now, after several months and countless instances of advancing and retreating, the conundrum continued... the massive vessel finally started sailing away from the mist.

This action caused panic in various countries. The process from panic to anger was brief.

Because the giant ship had finally arrived at River Return Port.

This port envisaged the return of wanderers from their adventures on the rivers and lakes, but to the wanderers who had experienced seven hundred years of sea breeze on the giant ship, the world outside the mist... had no home for them, or rather, for them as creatures.

When monsters, alien-like beings emerged from the depths of that giant ship.

All the nations that had been watching this ship... all changed their previously optimistic conjectures.

The monsters must be annihilated! The sovereignty of human territory must not be shaken!

Thus, the first war between the creatures from within the mist and those outside it, finally broke out.

Fuyue Old Island, Fuyue New Island, Aulora Island, Meinan, the twelve countries of Paka State. Jin Ze Country. Johnson Island.

These countries organized their naval fleets one after another, under the code name Hurricane, vowing to disperse the black mist.

The mighty human fleets assembled in the waters off River Return Port.

Countless large-scale war machines lined up at the port, their terrifying firepower bombarding the massive naval Bastion again and again, a vessel which, in terms of size, was not even in the same league as the other warships!

The seawater seemed to boil! Mist rose in the air, a giant fog enveloping the waters around River Return Port, the temperature at the port rising sharply.

In the deafening thunder of gunfire, naturally, no one could hear the wails of those monsters.

"We just want to go home..."

"Why are they attacking us... we are humans!"

"Why do they attack us... why do they attack us! Could it be that the Land of Bliss we’ve been searching for seven hundred years... is just a joke in the end?"

"We are not monsters! We are not monsters!"

"We just want to go ashore..."

For seven hundred years, through countless days and nights, the passengers inside this gigantic cruise ship had grown accustomed to the scent of the sea breeze.

They had endured tsunamis, thunderstorms, and countless dangerous sea regions; they had also witnessed numerous wars break out within the cruise ship.

High Tower was a gathering place. Baichuan City was a gathering place, and wasn’t the cruise ship as well?

In this massive ark resembling a floating city at sea, there was also decay and conflict over the seven hundred years.

But they had a fundamental difference from High Tower; obsession guided them through Hei Wu... obsession led them to find their homeland and the Land of Bliss.

Obsession guided them... to let their feet no longer tread the deck, but firm soil.

Over seven hundred years, time and again, wars broke out... but in the end, they would sing songs of homecoming, regathering hope... and embark on a journey to search for the end of the world.

Finally, during the outbreak of war in Baichuan City that began with a woman’s scheme, Well opened, and the massive cruise ship finally found the world’s boundary. They broke through the edge, believing that beyond the mist... lay freedom and home.

But they were wrong...

What awaited them was relentless artillery bombardment.

On the deck, countless monsters endured the scorching heat and intense pain, still longing for sympathy from the humans outside the mist.

But as passengers continued to die... their mindset slowly changed.

"Stop it! Stop it! We’ve been drifting for seven hundred years! We can leave this place! Stop attacking us! We can leave this place!"

Wen Hao’s shouting somehow overpowered the roar of countless war machines.

In these mournful cries was pity for old friends, sorrow for a future wrongfully sacrificed, and... suppressed anger.

The allied forces of various countries must have heard this outcry.

But answering Wen Hao... was still endless, boundless artillery fire.

That heaven-piercing shout could not have been produced by humans; these are monsters, all of them monsters!

The Human Allied Forces thought this was the monsters showing weakness, thinking this was a victory for humanity. When faced with monsters begging for mercy, how could they let them off?

There were also many military commanders who believed negotiations should be sought with the other side, but in recent days, the anomalies around the world all started with the giant wheel breaking through Hei Wu.

Now that the people inside the giant wheel were begging for mercy, this proved they were no match for humans! The hawks believed that this moment called for escalating the firepower and pressing the attack.

Only they did not know...

Seven hundred years ago, the child who had no ticket, nearly abandoned by their parents, had grown into a steely leader over seven hundred years.

The repeated conflicts within the cruise ship made him grow, turning his kindness from timidity to sharpness.

He always thanked the person who, seven hundred years earlier, had given him the ticket, although he later learned just how heavy the price of boarding that ship was.

But now... he was the captain, and he never regretted his choice.

The artillery fire did not cease for an instant, and Wen Hao, amidst the endless mist and gunpowder smoke, in the burning heat, wiped away his tears.

His sorrowful gaze became sharp.

A terrifying aura erupted instantly; he was willing to face the humans outside the mist with tolerance and forbearance, also willing to restrain his crew from using the distorted power...

Just like seven hundred years ago, his heart always held onto his own kindness.

But he was also a captain, the greatest captain in this world, leading his crew to conquer the oceans of a twisted world, a true Ocean Overlord.

Feeling the arrogant attacks from humanity, feeling humans’ cruel declaration of war, Wen Hao roared furiously:

"If they won’t let us on the island, or let us leave, then let them face our rage!"