Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 429: Chapter 46: Bai and the Mysterious Cruise Ship.

The sea fog has completely dispersed, revealing a figure before Wen Hao that gives him an indescribable sense of familiarity.

"It’s you... I’ve seen you." Wen Hao still has many questions in his mind.

His most recent impression of this person was from not long ago... before the Black Fog breached, he had seen this person on this massive vessel.

At that time, he figured it was just one of the crew, since there were so many people on board, and some—lying in the Memory Labyrinth—could be replaced by a new face by the rules at any moment.

Although they had said many times that the lower levels of the ship were forbidden areas that no one should go to, people would still go there in pursuit of certain things.

Wen Hao was not in a position to hold them accountable.

So he didn’t suspect Bai Wu, he just said a few words to Bai Wu.

But at that time, Bai Wu, due to the distortion of the Well Water... instantly traveled to the next space.

All this happened a few months ago, and Wen Hao was sure he hadn’t remembered it wrong.

The other three top-tier members of the crew, although they didn’t take action, also remained vigilant.

Bai Wu’s gaze swept over the four individuals, noticing that each one possessed their own unique skills.

[Liu Bingshu, as his name suggests, is a disease-ridden basket case, but don’t ever think he’s just a minor character. He lasted seventy-seven days on the cruise ship before becoming Evil Fallen, his body rife with negative attributes due to disease, unable to live or die, until after he became Evil Fallen, any negative attribute became a boon to him.

Moreover, on his body, he can release various micro-level lethal weapons—bacteria, viruses. Some things, even Evil Fallen can’t resist, although Evil Fallen... don’t have that many organs.

Perfect Mutation Entry: Disease Gu.

By the way, he can bring disease, but he can also take it away.]

The sicker you are the stronger you get? "This Disease is Fantastic"?

[Jiang Zhu, a being able to summon winds and storms at sea, with a straightforward ability—natural disasters: earthquakes, typhoons, tsunamis, gales, torrential rains, he can even make dormant volcanoes erupt. His strength varies with different terrain. Compared to the previous one, he’s a macro-level destroyer.

Perfect Mutation Entry: Calamity Master.

Likewise, he can bring about calamities, but also take them away.]

At sea, one could say that his abilities make him a formidable destroyer. It’s fortunate this is the apocalypse and not the age of great voyaging; otherwise, wouldn’t such a crew member be at a Four Emperors level?

[Li Xin, ignoring the fish fin on her stomach, is quite a beauty, hoho. Her ability is relatively more modest. Perfect Mutation Entry: Desire Distortion, in simple terms, when someone is hungry and wants to eat, and hunger reaches its limit, other desires tend to be suppressed. But she can change that, turning slight desires into strong ones, and vice versa, thereby altering a person’s behavior.]

This ability may not seem very great or small, but at least it’s very useful in managing the crew. It can heighten desires, as well as suppress them.

A second after reviewing the three, Bai Wu suddenly realized the duality mentioned by Yan.

Disease can spread, but it can also be controlled.

Calamities can descend, but they can also be prevented.

Desires can distort, but they can also be suppressed.

In a sense, these three are the Disease Demon, the Calamity, the evil in human nature, this ship is enough to destroy the world.

But with slight guidance, these three can become three sacred beings that eradicate the disease, stay away from calamity, and purify the soul.

This massive ship, as big as a city, could also become the true Noah’s Ark.

For a moment, Bai Wu even felt a sense of destiny tinged with religious overtones.

If it were not for him today, these three would surely bring suffering to all living beings in the days to come.

But with him here, all this can be turned around.

Finally, Bai Wu’s eyes rested on Wen Hao.

Wen Hao was clearly waiting for Bai Wu’s response; seven hundred years are long. Not everyone can, like Lin Rui, always remember certain things.

The lonelier a person is, the harder it is to forget those who and what weighed heavily in their long life.

Lin Rui is a knight errant.

And Wen Hao is the master of this ship, the lord of this maritime Bastion.

For seven hundred years, Lin Rui has always had the spirit of a young hero.

Wen Hao once had it too, but he had been through countless bloody suppressions, witnessed countless times the ugliness of humanity.

Many captains died, many crew members mutinied, and many times conspiracies more terrifying than tsunamis took place.

He grew up from a child, gradually shedding the greenness from his face, and then from a teenager, slowly stripping away the innocence and simplicity of his heart.

From a small crew member, he climbed step by step to the position of captain, and over seven hundred years, he experienced loneliness but ultimately dispelled it.

His growth trajectory was completely different from Lin Rui’s.

That teenager who never boarded a ship in a harsh world, seven hundred years later, still had the heart of a young man.

But that child, who should have embarked on a warm journey to the High Tower in search of a new home, went through even more twisted and tragic experiences.

He remembered many people, but as one by one they died and became part of the forbidden area, within the Memory Labyrinth, he understood a truth—there is no eternity in the human world.

As a captain, he could not linger in the past; he had to lead his crew to forge a future together.

So in Lin Rui’s world, there were only the initial two Masked Strange Persons, whereas Captain Wen Hao’s world had too many crew members who had thrown their heads and shed their blood together.

He didn’t remember the person before him.

Although in seven hundred years, Wen Hao never forgot for a moment that his current achievements originated from that stranger’s boat ticket; he still remembered that conversation—

"Big brother, can you tell me your name?"

"I am Bai Wu."

His name was Bai Wu, he would always remember. But that face, casually glimpsed at twilight... he really couldn’t recall it now.

Even with the hint that the other person had a boat ticket with the same number as his own.

He didn’t immediately think in a certain direction.

Because seven hundred years... was really too long.

[You can’t remember who he is, and he can’t remember who you are, how amusing, you two actually didn’t come to blows over a boat ticket discarded by Zhong Xu, isn’t destiny interesting? Let the Poet compose a poem:

The one you enlightened at the farm to chase after sin, eventually overcame the barriers in his heart, and became the creator of your journey.

The giant snake you slew amidst bloodshed, eventually, with a new soul, became the pioneer of the refuge.

The mask you traded in deserted streets, eventually, made a young man, become a true influence.

And the boat ticket you handed to a child about to be abandoned by his parents, created the greatest legend of the sea.

He can be the Ocean Overlord destroying humanity with fury, or he can be the final deity who brings hope and peace, protecting the human world.

The title of the poem "Sow the Seed, Reap the Fruit," also known as "A Woman’s Heart, a Deep Sea Needle," by Poet Yan.]

There is no Mutation Entry that introduces this person because they simply can’t come to blows.

Bai Wu had already remembered who this person was.

He did not know if all this was his own karma, or Jing Liu’s scheming.

If it was Jing Liu’s scheming, he did not know whether it was a gift or a calculation.

But at least... one of his best friends was already unable to come out from the closed loop of time and space.

It can be said that Lin Rui’s closed loop, Jing Liu played a decisive role within.

What about Wen Hao then? If Jing Liu allowed him to save Wen Hao, did he also give Wen Hao... an ending that was difficult to bear?

A woman’s heart, a deep sea needle, Bai Wu currently could not fathom Jing Liu’s thoughts.

Bai Wu took a deep breath, and not much distance remained until the colossal wheel would crash into the island.

He had to prevent this catastrophe in the shortest time possible.

"You must have many doubts. How exactly did I board the ship? Even if this ship has a detection mechanism, you’ll find that my ticket is the same as yours."

Bai Wu took out that boat ticket.

In the storage bag, there were many silent items; the previously awarded MVP wristwatch had now become a mere accessory, and after receiving news from his sisters, Liu Chengzi also returned the camera to Bai Wu.

Of course, there was also an object that would surely undergo Spirit Possession but was still on its way to Spirit Possession.

And this boat ticket, seemingly useless, discarded by Zhong Xu and later by Cain, had at this moment become a critically important prop.

The boat ticket was already a bit wrinkled.

But the pattern and lettering on this palm-sized object remained very clear.

The moment Bai Wu displayed the ship ticket, the three core members and Wen Hao were all shocked to the core. freeweɓnøvel.com

"How is this possible... How could your ship ticket be the same as the Captain’s?" Jiang Zhu couldn’t understand.

"Could a ship ticket be forged? That shouldn’t be the case, we’ve tried..." Li Xin said in disbelief.

Wen Hao knew well that this was not a counterfeit ship ticket; it was his very own ship ticket, so he also took out his own ticket.

The proximity of the two ship tickets did not result in the destruction of one or their merging into a single ticket, as described in the paradoxes of time-space literatures.

Because this was not an item from the future arriving in the past, but rather a copy made by the Power of Causality.

To be precise, Wen Hao’s ship ticket was the copy, while the one in Bai Wu’s possession was the original.

"The situation is urgent and time is pressing. I know you have many questions in your mind and so do I."

"Just as I don’t know why you became the Captain, I must say, both Lin Rui and you, have given me great surprises. From a child to a Captain, only you know the journey your heart has taken."

"Regrettably, at that time, I gave you the ship ticket, but I never considered that your future would be fraught with hardship. Perhaps I should have taken you away, led you to High Tower? Maybe then you would have had a different life."

No need for visual cues, the mere changes in Wen Hao’s demeanor made it clear that his journey as a Captain had been extremely arduous.

An incidental mention of the origin of the ship ticket caused Wen Hao’s eyes to widen, and his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

"What is he talking about? What does he mean, he gave me the ship ticket..."

The origin story of that ship ticket from seven hundred years ago suddenly surfaced in his mind.

The face he had tried hard to remember, but which had eventually begun to fade little by little, now took shape in his memory, its blurry details becoming clear once again.

"You... you..."

Wen Hao spoke with such emotion that his voice trembled.

Wen Hao’s reaction left several crew members baffled.

The strength of their Captain was immense, having led them to quell several uprisings from the Memory Labyrinth.

One could say he was capable of remaining unfazed even if Mount Tai crumbled before him.

Yet even such a great Captain, Li Xin could feel, was experiencing tremendous emotional fluctuations.

"I don’t know if you still remember me after seven hundred years, but at least I remember you. You must be wondering why our ship tickets are identical. Of course, they aren’t fake; there is a revelation here that could be either a conspiracy or a message of justice."

"Not long ago, I crossed time-space and arrived outside Food City seven hundred years ago, where I met a child nearly abandoned by his parents.

The method of crossing time-space was unique, not a time-space spell, but a type of causality spell. In this time-space which I thought was just a scene, anything I did would come at no cost to me.

Unable to bear seeing that child abandoned and then waiting to die in a Food City filled with monsters, I gave the ship ticket to him."

"I thought it was a redemption, but later I discovered that another child I had saved faced a calamity.

This forced me to consider that perhaps the two children I had initially saved were both destined to be manipulated. The consequences planted in each time-space I visited using causality spells would come at a price.

I did not want you to make the same mistakes, although I was not even sure if you were still alive.

So I began searching for you, searching for this Ark."

Bai Wu revealed a gentle smile, and the brightly illuminated deck under the glaring spotlight seemed even more radiant.

In just a few sentences, he had intertwined sincerity with acting, making it clear that there are no coincidences in this world without reason.

If Tang Jing were here, he would undoubtedly be taking meticulous notes.

The three core members were still confused, not understanding what this man was talking about.

But Captain Wen Hao had finally confirmed:

"You are... Brother Bai Wu?"

"I am quite lucky, I have finally found you, Wen Hao. No matter the causality, from now on, we can face it together."

Wen Hao opened his mouth, but the words seemed to take shape and got stuck in his throat, unable to come out.

After several seconds, he asked again:

"Are you really Brother Bai Wu? I thought you..."

"You thought I already was one? Do you still remember our promise? I told you I had many tickets and that we would eventually meet on the cruise. I guess I kept my word, didn’t I?"

Wen Hao nodded vigorously.

He certainly remembered every word from back then.

But as he grew older and saw many things within the Ark... he came to understand the value of that ticket.

He also knew very well... after the rules were established, no one could board this ship anymore.

To let more people get on the ship to save some, Wen Hao even tried forging tickets.

But it didn’t work...

Twisted rules were still rules, with their own detection mechanisms.

Wen Hao no longer doubted that this person was the benefactor who had given him the ticket back then.

Moreover, Wen Hao could feel that Bai Wu was very powerful, perhaps even stronger than himself.

Maybe with Bai Wu... the crisis in the cruise forbidden area could be lifted.

"Big Brother Bai, I have so much to tell you," Wen Hao’s eyes reddened.

It was certain that Wen Hao’s parents had died, and Bai Wu could even sense that this term Big Brother Bai carried the meaning of seeing him as family.

"I have a lot I want to say to you as well. But now, Wen Hao, and everyone else on the ship, I beg you, stop crashing into the island, don’t harm those humans."

The other three crew members obviously did not agree, because although the human attacks could not hurt the Ark, they had made some of the weaker crew members leave it forever.

But just as the three officials were ready to object, Wen Hao said:

"Okay, Big Brother Bai, I trust you. Since you say so, there must be a profound reason. But at the very least, I want to make humans understand that our dignity is not to be challenged."

Bai Wu’s mind worked quickly, and he immediately understood what Wen Hao meant, and also said:

"We could let these humans experience some despair... and then give them hope again."

After confirming each other’s identities, the three crew members still felt somewhat confused.

But Wen Hao soon explained in person the reason for boarding the ship, learning that Bai Wu had given up his ticket 700 years ago, which greatly increased the three crew members’ fondness for him.

Soon, they devised a plan to let the oppression of the Ark crashing through the island spread throughout the world, and then express a willingness for peace.

In doing so, they could allow ordinary humans to regain hope and also make the higher-ups in various countries understand the strength of this ship.

That led to the events that followed—

Giant waves big enough to engulf the islands became arms offering a handshake. The Light Arrow Knight in the sky wrote the message that we are friends.

Despair turned into hope, and humans understood their own arrogance.

When all this ended, Wen Hao invited Bai Wu to the interior of the cruise, wanting to catch up with him properly.

After stopping the cruise, Bai Wu received a message from Zero.

"[From now on you don’t need to talk, you’d better stay on the cruise for a while. I’ll spread a little news, letting the whole world believe you’ve left with the cruise. As for the reason, you should understand.]

Bai Wu certainly understood; it meant Zero was about to make a move and force those behind the scenes out.

To Bai Wu, anyone from the farm taking on Zero had chosen an opponent of the highest difficulty.

After Zero cut the connection, in the moment Bai Wu walked from the deck into the cabin, Prayle’s Eye also popped up a note:

"[When you drank the Well Water, your Power of Causality became hard to predict. It’s difficult for us to say clearly whether the gift Destiny has for you is truly given freely or marked with a price.

At least not long ago, you have already caused some things to deviate from their paths.

Keep going; you will have many choices inside the cruise. The area you’re about to challenge will be filled with interesting events and choices worth paying attention to.

Even though those who laid out the game also place great importance on this ship and have many subsequent arrangements targeting it.

But the value of this cruise is far more significant than the planners imagine; it will be a turning point for you to reverse the situation and play the three-way game.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~End of Chapter~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(It is still a single update today; it’s not that I don’t want monthly tickets, but the writing has been very difficult.)