Free Web NovelChapter 481: Chapter 98:
(ps: Some of the concepts involved in this Chapter are unrelated to reality; when reading web novels, please do not align them with reality. If you insist on doing so, consider it a testament to your vivid imagination.)
Distortion had reached its peak, and the apocalypse had come.
Before the true apocalypse arrived, before the distortion concentration was about to reach a special value that would reveal the High Tower, anomalies had been occurring all over the world.
The first to notice this was Zero. The "Negative Emotion Measuring Instruments" recently developed around the world showed values that had started to explosively increase.
Zero’s little fangirl, Jiang Ling, quickly began to report various abnormalities to Zhao.
The distorted life had caused many people to start harboring various negative emotions within themselves, but there were also people like Jiang Ling, Zhao, and Tang Jing, who remained grateful for life. In this disaster, they still maintained human emotions.
The inability to express negative emotions in the past only intensified their current anxiety and irritability, but it did not push them over the edge to become Evil Fallen.
"Boss... the situation is very bad. Through Lord Zero’s Evil Fallen sensing facility, we can feel... mutations occurring continuously around the world. The number of new Evil Fallen is rising rapidly. The frequency and magnitude of this number’s change are beyond imagination."
"With our rescue team’s capability, let alone the whole world, even... even the city we are in right now is hard to save."
In the past, an Evil Fallen Transformation was like red dots appearing in one or several regions.
Zhao only needed to lift a finger, poke the screen a few times, and the system would arrange for the nearest Seal Card Group members to purify the Evil Fallen.
But this time was different. Red dots swarmed in densely, almost as if... they were going to dye the entire electronic map red.
There were even special, brightly highlighted, and bold red dots in some places.
In Zero’s configuration, this meant... a large-scale Evil Fallen had appeared, with mutation grades of at least seven and above. It required several Seal Card teams to create meticulous plans to purify them.
If necessary, they might even need to mobilize—the Light Arrow Knight.
But now the Light Arrow Knight was absent, and even if present, he could not cope with this kind of global outbreak disaster.
"How could this happen? How could this be? Why did so many people suddenly erupt with negative emotions?" Zhao slumped in his chair.
The technology building he was in had already initiated a red crisis alert.
Inside the technology building, people had become Evil Fallen.
A researcher was choking another researcher:
"I told you to steal my achievements! I’m going to eat you! Eat you!"
In a recent scientific report on emotional measuring improvements, this researcher’s paper had the c-position of the authorship taken by another colleague.
He had always swallowed his anger, while his colleague looked down on him with an attitude of teaching him a lesson.
Now, with the outburst of negative emotions, his colleague received his retribution.
There were many such cases.
All sorts of bizarre occurrences in life led to an explosive release of resentment in people’s hearts.
At Aulora Shengxiang Academy, a female student who was usually harassed by a black professor turned into Evil Fallen. Her ability was strange, a rare Mutation Entry—Black Cleansing Record.
Entries differ from Sequences, they deal with emotions, and can be said to be ever-changing and endless. Although there are only a few Legendary Tier Entries, rare Entries, common Entries, and even perfectly mutated Entries are all bizarre and varied.
For example, with Black Cleansing Record, her everyday hatred for people of privilege led to her creating a black notebook. As long as she knew someone’s name who was of a certain dark skin race, their misdeeds would be revealed, and she could directly distort reality to judge them.
Those Heavenly Dragons of the Black Dragon branch, who usually bullied Sheng Country female students in the Sheng Country schools but relied on their special status to avoid punishment, now had a new punisher.
The female student who had become Evil Fallen frenziedly wrote down those people’s names in her notebook, with rows of crimes appearing under the effect of Black Cleansing Record.
She acted like a judge, making these people pay a painful price.
But that wasn’t all that was happening here.
In Aulora Shengxiang Academy, a female student who usually lived frugally finally exploded with resentment to become an enforcer.
Her several roommates were completely drained, their skin and bones nearly fused together, looking as if they had aged by decades, and died in a horrifying state.
The reason was simple: she usually provided food, and sometimes her roommates would mooch off her shampoo and shower gel.
They hardly did any cleaning; when the female student couldn’t stand it and couldn’t endure it any longer, her roommates knew she would clean for them.
The moment she complained, they would retort, "Oh come on, just using a bit of your shampoo, what’s the big deal? We’re all roommates, isn’t it petty to make a fuss over this?"
Ouch, I only asked you to cover for a meal, look at you! I spend thousands on cosmetics, why would I covet your little meal money?
So what if the dorm isn’t clean? If it’s not clean, just clean it yourself. Is this dorm only yours? I like to leave my used meal boxes on the table, and now you’re trying to control me too?
Because she usually had a good temper, this student was always able to endure those classic remarks that made one’s blood pressure rise,
Those princesses who always thought the world revolved around them had no idea that when distortion arrived, the first to break—
Was actually the one with the best temper.
The anger of an honest person is often real, irreconcilable rage.
The people who had been oppressing her day in and day out were now paying the heaviest price.
Perhaps everyone should be grateful for their roommate’s mercy back then.
Meinan, Jizhou City, Shengren Street.
Besides Aulora, which is a gathering place for Sheng Country folks, Shengren Street is as well. Most of the people here still adhere to some Sheng Country traditions.
Tragedies are happening all over the world, including on Shengren Street.
In a certain alley of Shengren Street, a thirty-year-old man murdered his girlfriend of six years, along with her entire family.
The reason was... the dowry.
The couple was about to get married, but suddenly the bride’s parents increased the dowry from forty thousand Meinan Currency to two hundred and fifty thousand.
The reason was simple: because the bride’s brother was also getting married.
"No dowry, no marriage," this notion caused the man severe anxiety, but until recently, everyone’s negative emotions were suppressed.
He could only sickly accept reality, then try to make himself earn a bit more.
But today, two things happened that pushed this man to the brink.
First was the girlfriend’s parents. On the surface, they did not reject the man, but behind the scenes, they were arranging blind dates for their daughter with richer men.
Secondly... negative emotions could finally erupt.
The man was actually very mentally resilient, but when he confronted his girlfriend about why she was meeting other men and saw her evasive eyes...
An adult’s breakdown happens in an instant, and thus, a tragedy occurred.
Outside on Shengren Street, in an office building, a long-time employee killed his boss.
Just the day before, the person at the desk next to his had been promoted. That person slacked off every day but knew how to put on a show. In contrast, the employee had always diligently completed his work.
"I finish my work on time every day, I do my job better than anyone, and just because I don’t work overtime, I’m just left hanging?"
"Look at what you’re saying. If you’ve finished your own work, can’t you help others finish theirs?" the boss said with a lecturing tone.
"Then can you give me the salary of others? Or just fire them and hire me by myself, it’s wrong for me to leave on time? I’m getting paid for one person’s work, yet I have to do theirs too? Then they really have it good," the employee said angrily.
"Tsk tsk, the youth shouldn’t think about money in everything, it’s an attitude problem. See, you leave early while others are working overtime, is your attitude correct?" the boss still had that "only those who work overtime are good employees" demeanor.
The employee got angry. He suddenly realized that honestly completing work wasn’t important; in this damn company, the more you stood out, the more you were exploited.
After the distortion came, he felt a kind of relief, because colleagues and bosses alike had become the delicacies in his mouth.
No more need to struggle, no more need to endure those ugly faces.
... freewebnσvel.cѳm
...
All lives twisted, magical realities—all started tallying up after the distortion burst forth.
The collision of good and evil is presented in an even more satisfying and yet more twisted cruel way.
Tang Jing, with Xu Ling in tow, walked down the street, where the biggest issue now was gathering supplies.
Initial estimates suggest that one-seventh of the global population has undergone Evil Fallen Transformation. Of the remaining six-sevenths, most have no chance of survival against the Evil Fallen and are mainly gathering supplies, with a considerable portion—even a significant one—also undergoing Evil Fallen Transformation.
As the number of survivors dwindles and the Evil Fallen increase, it’s foreseeable that the gap between humans and the Evil Fallen is growing wider.
Zero and Bai Wu had made many preparations, but these preparations abruptly became meaningless in the face of such a terrifying outbreak of the Evil Fallen tide.
In this process, whether poor or rich, all had to face the apocalypse, even Zhao no longer had any privileges.
He might be able to mobilize his private armed helicopters, vehicles, and live in various secret mansions with extremely high security, but his money was now just a number.
This money was temporarily meaningless, after all, in the face of the apocalypse and the collapse of law and order, money is just waste paper.
Unless he could meet someone who could turn waste into treasure.
If Zhao was in such a state, so were the others. All the living were the same.
On the sixth day after the distortion arrived, the Evil Fallen roamed the city, and people huddled in the shadows of buildings for warmth.
Those negative emotion measuring wristwatches from before had now become key, where previously a person with high negative emotions would only be reported to the local authorities.
Now for the sake of survival, these groups who gathered to collect resources, would directly kill anyone found with high negative emotions.
They couldn’t afford the risk of negative emotions attracting the Evil Fallen or causing a teammate to transform into the Evil Fallen directly.
Tang Jing and Xu Ling lived in a villa district, with many goods in the nearby shopping district, and relatively fewer people as it was a wealthy area.
But everything was temporary, and they were hiding in the cellar of the villa.
"Tang Jing... how much longer do we have to hide?" Xu Ling was somewhat scared.
Tang Jing hugged Xu Ling and silently shook his head.
Xu Ling really wanted to ask why they didn’t seek advice from their master at such a time.
But she seemed to have seen some clues.
Tang Jing was confused, even more so than Xu Ling, because in the consciousness world of God Descent —
He could no longer find his master.
He didn’t know what this meant. Zero had not managed to inform everyone about everything in time.
Now that doomsday had arrived, no one could care for anyone else, and both Jiang Ling and Zhao were also fleeing.
The original command center had been occupied by the Evil Fallen, and now both Jiang Ling and Zhao must find a new and safe command center.
After discovering that he could no longer see his master in the options of God Descent, Tang Jing felt a great unease in his heart.
If the world was a patient, it was like suddenly progressing from minor symptoms to a serious illness.
And in Tang Jing’s eyes, the person who could heal this world was his master.
He always reminisced about his experience playing the Magic Tower game, how he had collected many items, which he eventually gave to someone else.
This suggested that maybe he was not the savior, but just a witness.
His master was the real savior of the world. Every time there had been a change, his master had always been able to resolve it instantly.
Whether it was the monsters of Aulora Island, the Mechanical Descending God, or the colossal cruise ship crashing into the human islands.
It was his master who had single-handedly turned the tide at the most critical times.
But now, this incident surpassed all previous ones combined, yet his master had vanished.
Was his master dead?
Tang Jing’s hands clenched into fists, his eyes full of fear and unease.
...
...
In the days when negative emotions erupted, Wu Jiu was rescuing people with a kitten on his shoulder.
These newly born Evil Fallen stood no chance of survival in front of him. His speed was extremely fast, to the Evil Fallen, Wu Jiu was like a godly being.
Many people started to follow Wu Jiu, saying they followed him was just for survival.
Because only by following this person who seemed to be a middle school student from Meinan, was there a chance to live.
This human was like a god, no Evil Fallen could survive a single slash before him.
A few days ago, Dong Nianyu set off a surge of negative emotions, which left Shen Shuyue panicking so much that she left without even taking the time to greet anyone.
Wu Jiu did not know where she was going, and as for Dong Nianyu, ultimately Wu Jiu did not deal with her.
Setting off everyone’s negative emotions, Dong Nianyu passed out.
To Wu Jiu, still unclear about the situation, he had originally planned to stay by Dong Nianyu’s side, but as more and more Evil Fallen began to appear around them, Wu Jiu realized the world seemed to have undergone some sort of change.
Out of necessity, Wu Jiu had no choice but to go out and save people.
Everything was like a return to the chaotic world of Sheng Country seven hundred years ago, swarming with Evil Fallen.
Wu Jiu could hardly imagine how the world, which had been flourishing until not long ago, could have changed into what it was in such a short time.
So he began to save people along the way, and the team following him grew larger and larger. Gradually, a saying emerged on Fuyue New Island—
God is not very tall.
The Mechanical Descending God’s technological transformations allowed certain areas to maintain communications, and this saying quickly began to spread.
As the apocalypse descended, everyone hoped that one day, they might suddenly see a short person with the face of someone from Sheng Country.
Wu Jiu found out about this before long, and he kept a straight face without offering an opinion.
The drastic changes in the world made Wu Jiu realize that he should meet up with Bai Wu.
But how to contact Bai Wu?
This question troubled Wu Jiu for several days, but on the seventh day after the distortion outbreak, Wu Jiu faced a new problem.
A new event shook Wu Jiu to his core.
As the leader of the largest human survival group, Wu Jiu was also responsible for the distribution of various supplies on a daily basis.
He was the deputy leader of the Investigation Corps, and of course, he had quite a knack for management.
And to facilitate the management of this increasingly large team, Wu Jiu had to learn to use the technological devices of the humans from beyond the Mist.
This was not difficult; he got the hang of it in about half a day.
Therefore, on the seventh day, Wu Jiu discovered a post from the Meinan People: a simple picture, yet it gave Wu Jiu a tremendous shock.
In the lands to the north of Meinan, there appeared a gigantic tower so tall that it disappeared into the clouds.
And around the tower lay several steles that Wu Jiu found all too familiar.
The High Tower, descended to the mortal realm.
...
...
Any development of things has its constants and variables.
During the development of things, their trajectories follow certain patterns, but there also exist "variables" that are unpredictable.
A small change can affect the development of things.
In the battle on the death flight, faced with Jing Si, Jing Wu, and Jing Liu, Bai Wu had fought to his limits, a near one-to-two exchange.
Yet the future Bai Wu had always wanted to change still unfolded inevitably.
The explosion of negative emotions meant the High Tower would appear.
The appearance of the High Tower also meant that someone was destined to guard it.
Although there were many details in the reality that differed from the prophecy, the direction in which the wheel of destiny turned, the trajectory it moved forward... they had not changed.
In the description given by Yan Zizai, Bai Wu had guided others towards the High Tower before heading to Denglin City.
If the future was inevitable, once change happened, the "world" seemed to operate according to its own logic.
Without Bai Wu, the one responsible for guiding others to the High Tower became someone else.
None of those inside the High Tower had ever seen it.
But with just one glance, Wu Jiu recognized the massive tower-shaped structure as the High Tower.
Everything seemed to overlap with how it was seven hundred years ago. Yet all of it was different from seven hundred years ago as well.
Wu Jiu and the survivors following him quickly turned to Wu Jiu, their expressions showing that they sensed something was off:
"Mr. Gu, what’s the problem?"
By Gu Qingyu’s side was a Sheng Country man, acting as a translator, fluent in six languages and quite knowledgeable about the world.
"Do you, by any chance, know the purpose of this tower?" the translator asked again.
"We need to find this tower," Wu Jiu said.
"That will be quite a long journey, and there might be some areas on the way where we can’t resupply in time," the translator expressed his worries.
Where they were now, the periphery had been cleared of the Evil Fallen by Wu Jiu, leaving it spotless, and people had set up a barrier using vehicles, blocking the nearby thoroughfares, all gathered in the basement.
Plus, the sense of security brought by Wu Jiu made everyone think they could use this place as a stronghold, to last a very long time.
"This place, it’s where I come from, I come from this tower, we call it the High Tower. Once the Evil Fallen enter the High Tower, they will die, and humans will not have to worry about emotional fluctuations turning into the Evil Fallen," Wu Jiu explained.
"There’s actually such a place! Isn’t that a refuge?" the translator exclaimed in surprise.
Wu Jiu looked at those not far away, patrolling or resting, and said:
"Quite a few people are already living inside the High Tower. I can bring in some, but only a portion."
The translator understood.
The journey ahead is destined to be one towards the High Tower, but with a leader like Gu Qingyu, it’s likely that the group will grow stronger.
The number of people who know the High Tower is a refuge will also increase.
When the time comes, the biggest issue may well be who is qualified to enter the High Tower.
In a post-apocalyptic survival, Wu Jiu’s principle is to save where he can, but if he encounters those who drag their feet, he won’t hesitate to act decisively.
Despite his immense personal strength, which makes others envious of his right to distribute food resources, some even complain that they, as a human, do not eat as well as the leaders’ cat.
But no one dares to challenge Wu Jiu’s authority.
He will try his best to save people.
But once he meets the pretentious, the extreme, the princess-syndrome ones who were given a chance but didn’t cherish it—Wu Jiu can entirely make a choice.
In a few days, the team following Wu Jiu has become larger, almost the size of a township.
As for Wu Jiu, in addition to being known as a short deity, he also had a title with a Sheng Country style—Cold-faced Asura.
Unlike his treatment of the soldiers of the Investigation Corps, he always maintained a very cold demeanor.
Those soldiers had followed him through life and death, but these people were only following him to stay alive.
And there were too many of them, everyone wanted to have some sort of connection with Wu Jiu, some wanted to establish ties with him, others wanted to be involved with him.
A standoffish face was very useful for Wu Jiu to get things done.
"So, should I spread this message?"
"Not for now," Wu Jiu said.
"Okay, I’ll listen to you! Just... Mr. Gu, I know my abilities aren’t outstanding, can I..."
"If we reach the High Tower, I will take you in," Wu Jiu understood what he meant clearly.
Over seven days, he saw many things, like in his childhood, people would fight over a nutritious meal.
Now these people would also tear each other apart over a piece of bread. If it weren’t for his presence, this so-called "camp" would also erupt with negative emotions.
It stemmed from human nature, from the resentment not of scarcity but of inequality.
Wu Jiu was well aware that if people knew the function of the High Tower, everyone would converge on it, and the steles outside of the tower would surely be stained red with blood.
Wu Jiu didn’t know how to make the choice. The concentration of the Mist in the world beyond was constantly increasing. If the High Tower didn’t appear, he could still try his best to keep these people alive.
A clear conscience is all that matters.
If the High Tower has appeared, it actually signifies a choice must be made. The High Tower is incapable of accommodating everyone in the world.
Even though the number of these people... is decreasing every day, the base number remains large, much larger than the population of Sheng Country in the beginning.
Perhaps I should ask Bai Wu... but first, I have to find Bai Wu.
Wu Jiu thought this and decided to take a trip to the High Tower; he planned to conduct an experiment.
If the High Tower has indeed appeared outside the Mist, on the map of Meinan, does it mean that... using the Return Roulette outside the Mist... could take one back inside the High Tower?
Wu Jiu had not returned to the High Tower for a very long time, and he wanted to take a look.
So, he said to the cat:
"I might go to a place you cannot follow."
The cat lay lazily on Wu Jiu’s thigh, dozing off.
Wu Jiu’s hand gently rubbed the cat’s belly, to its apparent enjoyment, as it had clearly embraced its identity as a cat.
But upon hearing Wu Jiu’s words, it suddenly raised its round little head, looking at Wu Jiu with confusion.
Wu Jiu said:
"Thank you for your help these days, but I’m just leaving for a bit. I will return."
Uttering these words signified the end of their mutual pretense of ignorance.
However, the cat said nothing, its paw suddenly leaving a scratch on the back of Wu Jiu’s hand.
Wu Jiu continued:
"Once I have asked about some matters, I will come to find you again."
The cat had resumed its lethargic demeanor, as if to say: I’ve heard enough, you may leave now.
Wu Jiu then called for the translator and instructed him on a few matters:
"I will be away for a while. Don’t let anyone trouble this cat, and remember that well."
"No problem, I’ve got it. But, how long might you be away... If you’re not here, I’m afraid these people might cause trouble," the translator’s concern was not unfounded.
Without Wu Jiu, problems were likely to arise among these people from different skin colors and regions.
"It won’t be more than two days. Take good care of the cat in these two days. If any problem occurs, prioritize saving your life. Record what happens, and tell me when I return."
"Alright, I understand. Please also be careful yourself."
Wu Jiu nodded, then left the area through the sewers.
Of course, he only went to a place where there were no people, to try activating the Return Roulette.
If he couldn’t return to the High Tower, then he would abandon the idea and continue to lead these people towards it.
A minute later, the Return Roulette emitted a white light, enveloping Wu Jiu.
At the same time, in the Lower East Square of the High Tower, a white stele emitted a soft glow.
After spending over half a year outside the Tower, the legendary member of the Investigation Corps had finally returned to the High Tower.
In the area outside the Mist that Wu Jiu was originally responsible for, the translator was preparing to take advantage of Wu Jiu’s absence... to get a can of luncheon meat for his girlfriend.
He had seen Wu Jiu leave with his own eyes, and thought there must be some supplies in the leader’s tent.
Of course, he wasn’t greedy nor did he dare to take much, just one can would do, just one can of cat food. After all, the cat ate better than humans did; it wouldn’t matter much if the cat went hungry for one meal, could it compare to a human?
The Caucasian female student looked pretty, and if he could offer her a can of food at this time, perhaps something might happen that evening.
So he prepared to sneak into Wu Jiu’s tent to take a look.
But just as the translator approached the tent, something unexpected occurred.
Wu Jiu walked out of the tent.
The translator was momentarily stunned, soon regaining composure, he asked:
"Mr. Gu, how are you here? I... didn’t I just see you..."
The translator had personally witnessed Gu Qingyu leaving through the sewer, his eyes never left the tent.
Even when he was flirting with that young white girl, he was watching the entire time.
But now, Gu Qingyu had appeared right in front of him.
Gu Qingyu, out of habit, licked the back of his hand like a cat licks its paw, but just as he stuck out his tongue, he suddenly realized something and cleared his throat, aborting the movement.
"What is it? Something wrong?"
"No... nothing..."
The translator felt that situation was absurd, absurdly bad. It was as if absurdity was born to a mother named Absurd and was stealing like a thief named Absurd-
It wasn’t Mr. Gu’s mysterious instant movement that caused this thought, but rather the realization that the indifferent Asura sticking out his tongue actually looked somewhat cute.
This was a man who usually looked like everyone owed him millions.
"If there’s nothing then go."
"Oh... sure, okay."
The translator no longer dared to contemplate the canned food because Wu Jiu, as the leader, didn’t give himself many privileges; people ate worse than cats, and he himself ate worse than cats too.
Therefore, the translator had set his sights on the cat’s ration, but instead, he ran into Wu Jiu.
However, when the translator subconsciously looked back, he saw another strange scene.
Gu Qingyu’s head was looking down as he pulled open his pants.
His gaze seemed fixed on... his own lower part.
Ah, this...
The translator was struck by absurdity again, as if ridiculousness was grinding tofu and crumbling all over the place.
Why was this being, revered as one meter fifty-nine and known as the indifferent Asura, staring down at himself for no reason, with a face full of contemplation?
Yes, Gu Qingyu now appeared to be observing a certain organ below the belt with the expression of someone pondering a world-class philosophical question.
Some people lament their own shortcomings, while others marvel at their own grandeur.
But what was this expression that seemed deep in thought over a worldly enigma?
The translator felt it was a bit of an eyesore and decided not to look any longer.
Thankfully, Gu Qingyu’s curious behavior also stopped.
It wasn’t that it stopped, but rather he realized that being watched like this wasn’t quite appropriate, so he returned to his tent to take a good, proper study of himself.
...
...
High Tower.
Gu Qingyu’s appearance quickly caused a sensation.
The Investigation Corps’ members were scattered throughout the lower levels, and since the white areas had diminished, they were responsible for leading the mining work to obtain food resources.
Not a single member of the Investigation Corps wouldn’t recognize this legendary figure.
But many had thought that the legend of the Investigation Corps had already died.
When they saw Gu Qingyu again, the recorder who had on numerous occasions documented Gu Qingyu going in and out of the tower with Bai Wu—and occasionally complained about why he didn’t return from the red zone instead—suddenly had tears welling up in his eyes.
"Gu... Captain Gu?"
His reaction quickly triggered a chain reaction, with more and more members of the Investigation Corps gathering around. More and more people saw Gu Qingyu.
The news that Gu Qingyu was still alive spread quickly.
People had forgotten how long he had been away from the High Tower; for most, if you left the High Tower for more than three days, you basically couldn’t come back.
But this man had set a record that was unprecedented and likely to remain unmatched.
The process was brief, probably just a few minutes, and Gu Qingyu, as he looked at his former comrades-in-arms, finally managed a smile after being serious for so many days.
Lin Wurou, Wang Shi, Yin Shuang, Shang Xiaoyi, Bai Xiaoyu, Qin Lin—these friends who had fought alongside him were the first to arrive at the scene.
"Captain..."
"Are you really the Captain?"
"I told you, I told you he wasn’t dead!"
Tears filled the eyes of the members of the Vanguard Group of the Seventh Squad of the Investigation Corps.
Wu Jiu looked at them and nodded. He wasn’t that much different from usual.
It was just that he seemed more weathered and, perhaps, even stronger.
As for his sword, which was usually buckled at his waist, these days, to fend off the Evil Fallen that could appear at any moment, Wu Jiu was almost never without it. He kept his sword in hand, ready to draw it at any time.
During his time Inside the Mist, even when he slept, he never left his sword, as if holding it could prevent him from being consumed by various negative attributes.
This was probably the biggest change in Wu Jiu.
"Gu Qingyu you bastard!"
Suddenly, a woman’s voice filled with sobs came from the crowd, and as Gu Qingyu saw the person, tears of guilt welled up in his eyes.
Ruan Qingyun.
Always the image of a strong woman, Ruan Qingyun, with tears in her eyes, evoked a wave of pity in those who beheld her. Ye Weiming was following right behind her, witnessing the boss lady in this state for the first time.
Wu Jiu walked towards Ruan Qingyun and said softly,
"I’m back."
Ruan Qingyun, who had managed to hold back her tears until then, couldn’t restrain herself any longer after hearing these words and hugged Wu Jiu, crying out loud.
Before long, Wu Jiu had calmed all his friends, and Yan Zizai and Xie Xingzhi also hurried down to the Lower East.
The two were naturally overjoyed to see Wu Jiu, but as they considered the topics they had to discuss, their expressions soured.
Wu Jiu also noticed the two of them and gently patted Ruan Qingyun’s shoulder. Understanding his signal, she did not delay Wu Jiu further.
Wu Jiu walked over to Yan Zizai and said,
"It seems that quite a few things have happened in the High Tower while I was gone..."
Yan Zizai nodded and smiled,
"Indeed, a lot has happened, both good and bad, but overall, it’s getting better."
"As long as it’s getting better, that’s good. I’ve come back because there are some things I want to discuss with Bai Wu. I went to a place... you may not believe if I tell you, where there were many humans, humans different from us."
Wu Jiu didn’t know how exactly to describe those humans who had not mastered the Innate Force and who differed in skin color and culture.
He turned to look at Ruan Qingyun and gave her a hand gesture, indicating for her to wait for him a bit longer.
He then joined Yan Zizai and Xie Xingzhi in the elevator, ready to discuss serious matters:
"The world outside has changed a lot. There are some things I’m not sure about, and the High Tower might soon experience some significant events too. I want to consult with Bai Wu, but I don’t know how to contact him. Do you know?"
Xie Xingzhi glanced at Yan Zizai, who hesitated for a few seconds. Looking down from the elevator as it descended, the figures of the people on the Lower East grew increasingly distant and small.
Wu Jiu sensed that something was wrong and asked again,
"What happened to Bai Wu? Why aren’t you saying anything?"
With a low sigh, Yan Zizai faced a reality he could hide from others but not from Wu Jiu—it had to be disclosed to Wu Jiu:
"Gu Qingyu, Bai Wu... he’s sacrificed himself."
In the silence of the elevator, the sound of metal clashing echoed as Wu Jiu’s sword suddenly dropped to the floor.
