Free Web NovelChapter 445: Chapter 62: The Pursuer
The Q&A session was naturally Bai Wu’s favorite.
Gleaning as much intelligence as possible from an opponent who was unaware of their imminent defeat had a certain thrill not unlike that of a large capitalist squeezing out surplus value.
Moreover, Bai Wu calculated correctly that although Jing San was a memory body, in the world created by Xiaoyugan, this memory body was essentially equal to a sealed original soul.
It was much the same as the one in High Tower.
Of course, Jing San was a bit luckier than the one in High Tower, having corroded many memories and thus able to obtain a wealth of information.
"To show my sincerity, I’ll go first. Let’s see, High Tower appeared, then disappeared, and your brother, Jing Si, went mad. Ah, that’s two pieces of information, isn’t it? Buy one, get one free—I suppose I can take a little loss," Bai Wu said.
Jing San indeed thirsted for news from the outside world.
"How do I know if what you’re telling me is true or false?"
"You don’t know. You can only choose to believe or not. Memories can deceive, but if humans don’t trust memories, what else can they trust?"
"You’re trying to correct this world," said the memory body of Jing San.
Jing San’s Power of Twist was absolutely far greater than that of Bai Wu’s.
But it was hard to say about Jing San’s memory body, especially now that Bai Wu’s consciousness was completely clear, impacting many things.
It seemed like Bai Wu wasn’t engaging Jing San in a showdown, but rather an exchange of information, but in reality...
Outside this unreachable warehouse, the world had already begun to change.
Qin Zong woke up from a woman’s purse, rubbed his head, and suddenly felt a little disgusted with his life of indulgence.
While in the middle of a program interview, speaking eloquent Sheng Country dialect, Lin Wurou suddenly blurted out:
"wdnmd! Damn it!"
The host and guests were immediately dumbfounded as it was a live broadcast. However, the situation was about to get even more chaotic.
Bai Xiaoyu, known as Bai Laomo, looked at the gangster kneeling before him begging for mercy, and unexpected an urge to help him up and console him rose within. But then, it seemed like something strange began to happen to his cronies around him.
The world was undergoing strange transformations.
Bai Wu was twisting the world, as was Jing San’s memory body.
Pedestrians on the streets started to go mad, beginning to vent their emotions with fury.
In this bizarre city, stitched together from countless regions, the sounds of glass being shattered kept ringing out.
Pedestrians walking on the roads had red eyes. Occasionally some appeared normal, but after being stared at by those with the red-eye disease, they, too, became abnormal and joined in the rampages of smashing, looting, and burning.
The officers of the Police Bureau quickly started to organize the riot police, but half of the officers also began to go mad.
Yan Zizai and Shang Xiaoyi hid themselves, not knowing what to do... This situation was vast enough to impact the entire city. Under such circumstances, it wasn’t something that the two of them, just officers, could stop.
In the mysterious warehouse, Jing San’s memory body declared:
"I will erase every area you’ve corrected! This is my world, get out!"
"I’ve said that line before. Later, your useless brother, Jing Wu, actually did get out of my city. Okay, I was genuinely hoping to exchange information with you, but it seems you just want to kill me," Bai Wu said.
Jing San looked astonished.
Bai Wu caught his surprise; his words had been a test.
In the year 2094 on this timeline, Jing Si had not been born yet, nor had Jing Wu or Jing Liu.
But Jing San had since lost his memory... so why would Jing San be astonished about Jing Wu’s situation?
From Jing Yi to Jing Liu, these most powerful monsters sealed within the "shell" of the Well, what exactly was their state at that time?
The shell—is it there to resist the erosion of the Well Water? What kind of world exists inside the shell?
Between the six Wells... If they were just unrelated strangers chosen by the original source of distortion for some quality, eventually growing into Well-Level monsters within the shell, then why do they have the bonds of brotherhood?
Although it’s all fake brotherhood, with Jing Er able to watch Jing Wu get beaten, and Jing Wu in turn concerned about Jing San’s body...
Jing Liu and Jing Yi seem more like two gamblers in contest with each other.
Yet, the relationship between Jing Si and Jing Liu is different...
This was a puzzle Bai Wu couldn’t figure out, and Bai Wu was eager to find answers through Jing San’s memory body.
It’s just that Jing San’s memory body didn’t plan to tell Bai Wu.
The black veins writhed incessantly, suddenly swelling as if changing from black snakes to giant pythons.
A boundless black mist instantly enveloped the warehouse, turning it into darkness.
Darkness spread, and the warehouse seemed to vanish into nothingness, while the two inside were like in a starless night sky.
In the darkness, the sound of a greatsword swinging quickly followed.
Two forces collided incessantly, and the fiery red Karmic Fire, after dozens of clashes with the two forces...
Tore a gash in the absolute darkness!
The fiery red Karmic Fire could suppress the Well Level’s twisted matter, and Bai Wu had to admit, after mastering the emotion of anger, it was the most useful, the most domineering force!
Within the darkness, Bai Wu crossed swords with Jing San’s memory body.
Outside the darkness, the rioters with crimson eyes in the city began to destroy it increasingly forcefully.
But as the Karmic Fire tore through the darkness, illuminating the original warehouse and incessantly forcing Jing San’s memory body to retreat―
The heroes of the city... gradually returned to their positions.
In a certain seafood market, the underlings began to swarm toward those who were still sane, and Bai Xiaoyu, although reluctant to fight, instinctively pushed a raging underling, sending him flying ten meters away.
Inside him, he felt as if a power had emerged.
At a certain live show, Lin Wurou caused confusion among the guests and hosts with his blunt "I’ll lead you in the fight," and when the audience’s eyes turned crimson and rioted, his violent temper also surged.
With a fierce kick, he sent the talkative, famously enthusiastic host Yin Shuang―along with a mob member―flying into a wall.
Host Yin Shuang suddenly cast a cold glance at Lin Wurou: "Mind your own business."
Lin Wurou didn’t know why, but he really wanted to curse.
...
...
The fight in the warehouse continued, with Bai Wu and Jing San’s memory body exchanging blows.
Throughout the process, Bai Wu constantly provoked Jing San’s memory body.
But Jing San’s memory body didn’t talk much, and Bai Wu repeatedly brought up his wife and daughter.
"They are still alive and well, don’t you want to see them? You clearly know they have done nothing wrong! Your memories are all twisted, so who are you really helping? The one who brought ruin to your family?"
Of course, verbal taunts had to be used, not just because physical action was possible meant no talking. The most extreme satisfaction referred to fighting, achieved through combined use of hand and mouth.
However, Bai Wu miscalculated this time, as his words failed to disrupt Jing San’s memory body.
Forcing Bai Wu to consider...
Why did Zhou Zeshui still retain memories of his wife and daughter?
If he didn’t care about them, why would he allow his wife and daughter to live in this world unharmed?
"Wait, my memories are all twisted. Could Zhou Zeshui’s memories also be twisted?"
"I thought that Zhou Zeshui’s distortion... was from witnessing distorted scenes, and he had been trying hard to protect his wife and daughter in the struggle..."
"But is it possible... that this layer of Zhou Zeshui’s memories is the distorted one? Is it possible that what I deduced isn’t the truth, and there is another twist?"
Thinking of this, Bai Wu deflected Jing San’s memory body’s attack with the Envy Greatsword, and the endless Karmic Fire bloomed like a lotus flower, forcing Jing San’s memory body to keep backing off.
At the same time, Bai Wu said:
"When I said your wife and daughter are still safe and that they still love you, you remained unaffected. Is it because your wife and daughter are already dead?"
Jing San’s memory body finally showed a bit of reaction.
Under the illumination of the Karmic Fire, Jing San’s response did not escape Bai Wu’s eyes.
This monster, jokingly claimed by the eyes to have stats of 9998, wasn’t too difficult for Bai Wu to handle at the moment.
Although the memory body acted just like a real person, its strength was ultimately very limited.
"It seems I’m correct, so this memory of you fighting the distortion to save your wife and children is inherently twisted... Your real experience, probably, is that you had already succumbed to the distortion and killed your wife and children, right?"
"Shut up! They are nutrients, the sacrifice for my birth!"
Bai Wu was not very disappointed. Nor did he think he was unlucky.
In fact, he had been very lucky.
On the journey, every formidable enemy they encountered seemed to have their own difficulties, each with vulnerabilities that could be conquered with verbal prowess.
It appeared that they all possessed a heart of goodness, with a loved one in mind...
But there had to be a few scum and lowlifes, right?
Chosen by the twisted origin, their memories were then distorted, believing their wives and daughters had betrayed them. Yet, due to their deep love for their family, they could never bring themselves to harm their own flesh and blood, choosing instead to vent their rage through diaries...
However, all of this was merely the first layer.
Just as realizing Gu Qingyu was a hero rather than a useless person was only the first layer, the second layer of height was the greatest distortion.
Of course, this was just a metaphor, an example.
The reality of Zhou Zeshui is the true distortion.
His wife and daughter had been killed by his own hands long ago, and whether they betrayed him or for what reason he killed them was no longer important.
What mattered was that this person wasn’t Zhou Zeshui, but Jing San.
A memory body doesn’t have the necessary condition to be broken by verbal confrontation, because his soul... had no pure land.
Bai Wu slashed out an arc of Karmic Fire, forcing Jing San’s memory body to retreat; he spoke no further.
Because no matter if Jing San’s memory body was Zhou Zeshui or a twisted creature, Bai Wu was determined to eliminate it for the safety of Xiaoyugan. freёwebnovel.com
This battle of red and black, of light and dark, intertwined once again in silence, fighting relentlessly till death!
Yet this battle, though deserving of Bai Wu’s full attention and seriousness, was devoid of any suspense regarding the outcome.
Bai Wu would win.
The endless Karmic Fire relentlessly expelled the dark matter, and also incessantly... corrected the city.
...
...
The number of furious rioters with bloodshot eyes was growing, and the car of driver Zheng Yue was surrounded by a crowd.
They frenziedly smashed the windows of Zheng Yue’s car.
Zheng Yue, who was usually overly excited, yawned in the face of this life-threatening moment.
He wasn’t excited, in fact, he felt somewhat sleepy.
Cain, returning from the park to downtown, saw a large procession on the streets, then rushing toward him like zombies... He raised an eyebrow, his laughter erupting with excitement and madness.
The next second, he plunged into the crowd like a sudden gust!
In the residential area where Gu Qingyu was located, Ruan Qingyun listened to the screams outside and the sound of countless glasses shattering, her hands trembling slightly.
Gu Qingyu, with a calm expression, thought for a long time and felt the changes in his body. Remembering Bai Wu’s words from today, he turned his head and said calmly:
"We’re not waiting here anymore; I’ll take you with me."
"How... how will you take me with you? Aren’t you afraid?" Ruan Qingyun felt that the Gu Qingyu in front of her was both familiar and strange.
Gu Qingyu shook his head, and then, holding Ruan Qingyun’s hand, they step by step left the temporarily safe place that would be certainly affected sooner or later.
When they went downstairs, the two encountered a few red-eyed rioters, but to Ruan Qingyun’s utmost surprise... Gu Qingyu dealt with the enemies with a speed that was almost beyond belief.
Outside the neighborhood, a large group of rioters had gathered, at least several hundred people. When they reached the exit of the building, Ruan Qingyun looked at the scene and felt fear once again.
At this moment, her husband should have been the more frightened one, but today he seemed like a changed man.
Gu Qingyu didn’t even furrow his brow, ignoring the rushing crowd who had spotted the "uninfected".
He faced away from the red-eyed zombies swarming towards them, looking at Ruan Qingyun somewhat sternly:
"Wait for me here for a moment. Don’t move, and call for help loudly if you encounter any danger."
"Okay, okay..." Ruan Qingyun wanted to ask what he was planning to do.
But the next second, the Gu Qingyu who turned away had already transformed into a bolt of lightning.
Like a fierce and sinuously slashing mark, wherever Gu Qingyu passed, the rioters fell one after another...
The speed of Gu Qingyu was so fast that it created a visual impact of rioters collapsing in droves.
How could this be the same person who was gasping for air after twenty-four seconds?
From the formidable strength and that indescribable change in temperament just now... he was truly a hero.
Ruan Qingyun had a feeling that Gu Qingyu should be just like this. But as a memory entity from a twisted world... she also felt that everything was a bit too magical.
...
...
The situation of the twisted world meant a confrontation between Bai Wu and Jing San.
As each twisted acquaintance in Bai Wu’s memory was corrected, although Jing San’s power seemed terrifying, he could no longer threaten Bai Wu.
"What a pity... Your soul is of no value to me, but I hope your body can be of value. I’ve realized something,"
The Envy Greatsword in Bai Wu’s hands heavily suppressed Jing San’s memory entity, only one step away from severing Jing San’s head.
"What are you talking about?" Jing San’s memory entity was loyal to the monster in the High Tower.
It cared about anything disadvantageous to that monster.
"Although your body is coveted by many forces... perhaps... I am the most competitive one!"
Suddenly retracting the greatsword, Bai Wu took a step back, crouched slightly, and powered up his body, launching into a charge with immense force.
At the same time, he was like a volcano holding infinite flames, erupting vigorously!
Powerful Karmic Fire filled the entire space, coiling around the Envy Greatsword, and in the midst of Bai Wu’s charge, he made a powerful slash. The raging fire devoured everything in its path... completely engulfing Jing San’s memory entity!
Countless worlds away, Xiaoyugan, still squatting on the ground and poking the ground with her fingers, suddenly looked up, both shocked and elated.
With the twist dissolving, she no longer feared that her world would be eroded by some force. Now, there was only one Pursuer left.
But the smile quickly faded from Xiaoyugan’s face...
As the master of memories, the real creator of this world, Bai Wu’s experiences in the twisted world would themselves become memories...
The thoughts and experiences of Bai Wu in the twisted world soon fell into Xiaoyugan’s memory.
Her complexion turned pale in an instant:
"Am I... fake? No, I am real, fake, I am fake, I am real, that’s right... but I am fake... he won’t come looking for me... because I am fake..."
Huge emotional fluctuations would attract the Pursuer. When Xiaoyugan learned she might be a Split Body, her emotional fluctuations were unprecedented.
Even if all of this was just Bai Wu’s speculation, even if she believed everything she had experienced was real... freewёbnoνel.com
But when a possibility was awakened, it was like a spark falling into oil.
Her state of mind was completely in turmoil, so much so that when the vortices appeared, Xiaoyugan was not even aware enough to flee.
The Pursuer slowly emerged from the vortex, an imposing middle-aged man with a naturally fierce face. When he frowned, it was as if the whole world owed him money.
The giant white cloak fluttered in the wind, his exaggerated muscles vaguely visible beneath.
He looked at Xiaoyugan expressionlessly:
"Death is the greatest stimulus, which will allow me to fully master your power. But your death is meaningful to this world. Your abilities should not be buried in this space, nor should they be buried within you."
"Before all that you have is put to use by me, do you have any last words?"
"You’re going to kill me..."
"Yes, it’s been seven hundred years, you must know that I aim to kill you. You can ask another question."
"Who... who exactly are you?"
"My name? In this world full of memories, I don’t need memories without value. You can call me the Pursuer, as per your understanding."
"Did you come specifically... to hunt me down?"
Xiaoyugan didn’t know if she could survive. Just a moment ago, she was upset about possibly being a Split Body, but at this moment, she knew she was unlikely to escape her fate.
She just wanted to leave some valuable memories for Bai Wu and Bai Yuan...
As a... final gift before death.
The Pursuer shook his head and said:
"I hunt any prey with a high concentration of twist. You are one, and Jing San in the memories is another. Once you are dead, and I find the exit, I will hunt even more."
(No need to wait at midnight tonight, if I can write it out, I definitely will. If it’s not posted, then it’s a matter for tomorrow.)
