Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 425: Chapter 42: Reminiscing Old Times

This statement is too blasphemous!

Hearts Q felt that he could even withstand the pain of a needle prick. He could curse at this man for his blasphemy against Dad.

"You come from the Land of Bliss! That means you’re one of Dad’s children!"

"But the problem is... I’ve been studying the living structures of the Evil Fallen and humans since I was very young, and I’m quite clear that he has no blood relation to me."

"Before he became an Evil Fallen, the farm no longer existed, and the Evil Fallen, they don’t have the ability to reproduce. However, those nurses in the farm, the women you call ’Mom,’ indeed had the experience of giving birth, I’ve verified that myself."

"Mr. Jing also gave me a clear answer; it’s just to make you all more loyal."

Bai Yuan’s tone was very calm, his voice magnetic, and when he talked about these past events, even the usually bland content managed to pique the curiosity of the narrator Bai Wu.

Bai Yuan directly question Jing Yi? How did he inquire? Wasn’t he afraid that Jing Yi would wipe his memory?

Or did it mean that, at that time, Bai Yuan had shown the qualities that Jing Yi thought worth cultivating?

Compared to Bai Wu’s curiosity, Hearts Q was very angry.

Bai Wu despised Bai Yuan but never doubted Bai Yuan’s professional ability or, to put it another way, his potential. But Hearts Q didn’t share this blind trust.

Bai Yuan trampled on his beliefs, first regarding K. Although he clamored to surpass K, he knew very well that he didn’t have K’s standard.

But according to Bai Yuan’s words, was the title of K something he reluctantly accepted just to accommodate Dad?

How could that be possible!

Secondly, regarding Dad, how could he refer to Dad in such a blasphemous way? And Dad agreed?

Nonsense! Absolute nonsense!

That’s what Hearts Q thought, but he didn’t dare to say it out loud; he suddenly became afraid of knowing too much.

Bai Wu also realized that Bai Yuan’s words actually broke one’s defenses more than a needle prick. Although it was just a simple statement, it was clear that Bai Yuan had seen that this batch of children from the farm... seemed to hold great reverence for the Farmer.

"I also asked at that time, why were these people allowed to call him ’Dad’?"

"Mr. Jing politely said that these children needed a father. Many of the kids were weaker and more fragile in nature, in need of a father’s guidance. So he became their father."

"Of course, I didn’t think it made sense, so I refused. Then he thought my refusal made sense, so he accepted it. I wasn’t weak, neither was I fragile, and he agreed with that."

"For several years after that, I interacted with Mr. Jing as an equal, I just barely considered him an older brother, because he really was impressive and I learned a lot from him. At that time, I realized the significant gap between him and me. That’s pretty much how it went."

"He always thought I could manage the farm for him, but I didn’t like a bunch of stupid kids, so K and I deceived him and then ran away." freёweɓnovel.com

Bai Yuan smiled, and the narrator, Bai Wu, also smiled. Only Hearts Q had a deadpan look.

An older brother? Interacting as equals?

Impossible... how could it be? How could the great father interact as an equal with anyone?

"Ah, I got carried away talking about myself; I’m actually quite interested in your batch of kids."

Bai Wu recounted Bai Yuan’s words, which in a sense, was tantamount to a God Descent.

Hearts Q was truly... rather pitiful.

"Previously, there were many kids in the farm whose talents overlapped, but the higher the number, the lower the duplication rate. Although Q is quite rare and most people are forced to ’leave’ when they reach a certain age... it can’t be that the vast farm lacks duplicates like Club Four, Hearts Six."

Bai Wu understood what Bai Yuan meant.

He was also curious; when he used the Causal Phone Booth to travel to the farm, he saw the pattern of Hearts 5c.

But when it came to Xu Ling, it was an unadulterated Hearts Six, and later Tang Jing even mentioned encountering a Club Four.

No letter suffix indicates no repetition.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Don’t be nervous, kid. I want to know, there’s a scent of the Eternal Beings on you, which shouldn’t be there since the farms I’m aware of don’t hinder people’s growth. So can I assume that you are different from the other cards, specifically selected to deal with the outside of the Mist?"

Hearts Q hesitated at first, but Bai Yuan knew exactly what the child was thinking and said enviously:

"Come on, tell me so I can be envious. After all, the treatment you got is something the other children never had."

At that moment, Hearts Q finally seemed to find his confidence! His eyes sparkled with spirit.

Yes, I’m not like you people who wait inside the Land of Bliss to be forced out of the wall!

"That’s right, we were selected by Dad himself, the elite of the elite. After the Evil Fallen Transformation, all of us have tremendous potential! And I..."

"Okay, okay, I get it."

Just when Hearts Q was about to prove his uniqueness again to salvage some pride, Bai Yuan, who had the confirmation he needed, lost interest in the topic.

Like a jerk who loses interest right after getting what he wants, Bai Yuan found it boring:

"So, the trick Mr. Jing is playing, is it what K and I left behind 700 years ago?"

Hearts Q was stunned again. What does that mean? Left behind 700 years ago?

"Or was it that initially K and I inspired him? It seems that you were able to be sent out several years before the Well opened because he found some kind of teleportation device? Or some kind of power and principles capable of teleportation. Hmm, most likely that’s the case."

Although Bai Yuan posed it as a question, he had no doubts himself. He was merely pointing out these issues to guide Bai Wu’s thoughts.

Bai Wu suddenly thought, similar to Temporal Power?

Maybe the farm’s owner left Lin Rui behind to observe this power? Or maybe... the Teleportation Stele?

Now it seems, with a certain level of mastery over the rules, it’s also possible to create a Teleportation Stele.

But something left behind 700 years ago... Does it mean that Bai Yuan came to the outside of the Mist 700 years ago?

"What did you do 700 years ago?" Hearts Q asked the question Bai Wu wanted to ask.

Bai Yuan didn’t hide the matter, as he saw it as a triviality:

"700 years ago, when K and I escaped, High Tower hadn’t appeared yet, and we thought there might be some problems. K used Temporal Power and saw some scenes, or rather, went to some scenes in the future. So I thought I might as well do a few small things."

"Could it be... you came here 700 years ago?"

"Yes, there was a family with the surname Zhao back then, who received some guidance from me and lived a rather prosperous life. But as the saying goes, do good deeds without leaving a name, I was wearing K’s ugly mask at that time. That mask later seems to have quite a rich story to it. Hahahaha..."

Recalling the past, Bai Yuan’s laughter seemed somewhat unfamiliar to Bai Wu.

It wasn’t his usual laugh. Perhaps it was an illusion, but Bai Wu felt that there was something unusually reminiscent in this smile.

He suddenly realized something.

The First Generation Masked Strange Person was Lin Rui, but the First Generation Masked Strange Person’s power was far beyond the Lin Rui he knew.

Perhaps for Bai Yuan, a man with a heart of a beast and a deceptive front, the K he mentioned was one of the few in his heart... worth remembering?

Though Bai Yuan often said he was a retired player who no longer cared about the game of saving the world,

perhaps he still held a place in his heart for those who had taken part in it with him?

Bai Wu couldn’t be sure, after all, it was impossible to fathom this man, who was ten times more cunning than Cain.

If Tang Jing had heard the conversation just now, he would have understood that the family with the surname Zhao mentioned by this man was most likely old Zhao.

"700 years ago, we went to many places in this world, K and I even went to a different, completely safe world. Although living in that world meant... dying early, I liked the life there."

"It’s just a pity, that stubborn fool doesn’t want to live a peaceful life."

Bai Yuan looked at the silent Red Heart Q and realized he had digressed.

Facing the farm, and this land he had once visited, he opened up a little bit.

"I’ve gone off-topic, what I want to know is, do we have a K now? Of course, I’m not questioning your ability, but my son’s game should have its difficulty increased, otherwise... it would make me wonder if there’s been some kind of accident on Mr. Jing’s farm?"

That was basically saying, you’re too weak, I don’t even feel a sense of accomplishment watching my son trounce you, why not find someone more challenging?

Red Heart Q really wanted to loudly refute the other party, while telling himself that everything this man said was meant to disturb his thoughts, all lies.

But maybe because of the hypnotic effect, or maybe because of Bai Yuan’s unique aura, he just felt... that perhaps what this man said was the truth.

This was what caused Red Heart Q the most pain.

"There is no K! I am the future K! Me! There simply is no K!"

"Okay, okay, you will be K, go for it! But from what I observed earlier, Red Heart Six doesn’t seem to know about your Q’s existence. Is it possible that Mr. Jing’s trick is something like this, where everyone’s role is very clear, the higher the level, the more they know?"

"What do you mean?" Red Heart Q felt uneasy inside, he felt he shouldn’t be asking this question.

But still out of curiosity, he asked.

Bai Yuan was very patient, still speaking at an even pace, with a gentle tone:

"Numeric levels probably just act as ordinary people, turning into Evil Fallen during the twisted era, triggering fear."

"Your Q level, on the other hand, possesses more memory, and you plan all the events, but on the surface, you’re a planner; in reality, you’re bait Mr. Jing uses to attract the big fish."

Bai Yuan frowned, looking quite troubled:

"It seems like you have complete memories, but since Mr. Jing can erase the memories of Numeric Cards, wiping a Q like you wouldn’t be difficult. Maybe there are bigger cards to play."

"Tsk, if that’s the case, my silly boy might have been outplayed. He’s been lured out by a Q like you."

Bai Wu didn’t translate this sentence, rolling her eyes at Bai Yuan in her mind.

But Bai Wu understood very well, if what Bai Yuan said was true, then she really did expose herself too soon.

She thought of the criminal mastermind in the movies from her past life, Zhou Ke’er of Gotham City. Before a robbery, each person only knew what they needed to do.

Everyone thought they were the most useful card, but in the end, they all died. Only the Clown survived.

The farm’s owner certainly wasn’t that crazy, but Q might not know as much as he thought.

Perhaps behind Q, there was still a K.

Bai Yuan also purposely differentiated using the old K and a previous era, it seems like before this interrogation took place, Bai Yuan had already guessed this possibility.

If there really was a new K, then Q’s actions were bait for fishing. She indeed had been lured out as Bai Yuan said.

But the problem wasn’t serious.

Bai Yuan also said:

"Fortunately, God Descent is a pretty good Sequence, who would have thought, this distastefully named Light Arrow Knight, actually hired a substitute."

Yes, even though the crisis caused by Q required her to take action.

But this self didn’t have Angel Envoy, didn’t have Envy Greatsword, and didn’t show the true face.

If the subsequent arrangements are good, it might even be possible to complete a "counter-fishing" hunt.

At this point, Bai Yuan saw little value in Red Heart Q. Because he understood very clearly, this child who was clamoring to surpass K, obviously didn’t know of K’s existence.

Then, the significance of continuing the interrogation was lost.

The words of Bai Yuan had sown a demon of doubt in the heart of Hearts Q.

Had part of his memory really been erased?

Was there really a K of higher rank above him? Why had his father kept this from him... Could it be that he was truly inferior to them?

No... that couldn’t be right... His plan had been flawless... The monsters he created were stronger than those of Spades Q and Clubs Q. If it weren’t for these people interfering, he would have certainly gained his father’s approval!

How could he possibly be just bait?

An overly confident person who couldn’t afford to lose, his human weaknesses were too obvious, so much so that Bai Wu found it somewhat boring.

Bai Yuan didn’t even have to exert any effort, he simply pointed out a few possibilities, and Hearts Q began to doubt himself, plunging into mental torment.

In the end, Bai Wu still killed Hearts Q.

Thus ended the sinful life of the child centered around the farm owner.

Bai Yuan was very clear that his business was done; before leaving, he expressed a wish that Bai Wu should go to the nearby restaurant with the best reputation and enjoy a good meal.

Bai Wu agreed to this request.

"By the way, I want to reiterate that I have no interest in your game of saving the world; today was just for the sake of catching up, but it was quite dull. The heart of this child was too weak. The children from this batch of the farm are no good..."

"You don’t need to reiterate. I am well aware of what kind of person you are," Bai Yuan said.

Perhaps to an outsider, it could seem like Bai Yuan was helping Bai Wu. Although there were no outsiders...

But even if there were, without having experienced the pain of Bai Wu’s childhood, such a statement would appear quite subjective.

"However, I still hope that you can give some face to the Ks of the previous generation and be a bit harsher when you encounter the new Ks. Consider it as a favor for the ugly mask," Bai Yuan said.

"Or could it possibly be for your sake?" Bai Wu retorted.

Bai Yuan laughed heartily:

"That would be quite difficult for me."

After saying this, Bai Yuan disappeared.

The events that followed were all trifles.

The Seal Card Group tallied up the losses, Zhao delegated some tasks to Tang Jing, and Bai Wu asked Xu Ling to take care of Hearts Q’s body.

Afterward, Bai Wu went to a restaurant for a substantial meal, enjoying the fine aspects of life outside the Mist.

In fact, they were all boring affairs, but fortunately, he soon received a new mission.

In the evening, after Bai Wu went to a location mentioned by Zero, completing the information infiltration for Manser City, Zero sent a message:

[I have arranged transportation for you. Next, you need to head to the sea. The ship has been found.]

"What’s the situation?" Bai Wu asked.

[Someone has instigated conflict between humans and Mist’s Giant Wheel. The battle, quiet but significant, took place before our arrival.]

"What is the impact?"

[The battle line formed by the Human Allied Forces has been completely destroyed. The massive cruise ship is about to reach the border of Meinan maritime territory, land in human domains, and unleash its fury. You need to stop that ship.]

"Now?"

[Now. The aerial vehicle will arrive in ninety-four seconds, and you should reach Crescent Seaport in Meinan in about one hour and twenty-five minutes.]