Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 487: Chapter 104: The Cursed Scientist

At that instant, a multitude of complex emotions surged forth, and as he watched a certain person continually approaching him, Wu Jiu’s mind went blank.

Only when the distance between the two of them narrowed did Wu Jiu truly recover from his astonishment.

It was as if, in that brief moment, he had lived through an expanse of time, and he spoke with a trembling voice:

"Are you... Bai Wu?"

There was astonishment and shock, as well as joy that had yet to erupt, mixed with a tinge of self-doubt and wariness.

"Captain, come on, your expression makes it seem like I’ve changed completely. We haven’t seen each other for just half a year, have you forgotten me? Or is it that you’re not used to my look?"

"Ah, but you should remember this pot, right? I was carrying it on our first outing from the Tower. As for why I’m carrying the pot again, well, that’s a long story."

"Oh, this greatsword... hmm, this sword has quite a history, I’m also amazed, this sword turned out to be tougher than my life. I’ll take my time to tell you about this sword’s history later. It’s something very important, and it relates to why I’m here."

"Eh, I remember another version of Yan Zizai mentioned you had a cat? Where’s the cat? An orange one? Ragdoll? British Shorthair? I didn’t expect you, with your bushy brows and big eyes, to be a cat person."

"Speaking of which, your aura has become much stronger... I thought I’d be the strongest among humans after drinking the Well Water, but you managed to catch up."

Bai Wu kept talking, from Wu Jiu’s reaction, he knew Wu Jiu must have heard some news.

Piecing together the fact that he had left a message for Yan Zizai before departing, telling Yan Zizai he had gone to Denglin City—

Bai Wu’s mind quickly concluded that this person... had come to avenge him.

After the destruction of Angel Envoy, Zero must have conveyed news of his death. And Zero would surely know that it was Jing Si who killed him.

Yan Zizai could not have refrained from dissuading the man before him, but he still came to Denglin City.

Even if it meant facing Jing Si.

Both Bai Wu and Wu Jiu had slightly red eyes.

They kept talking endlessly, not only was Bai Wu trying to ease Wu Jiu’s emotions, but he was also trying to calm his own.

The two men, one speaking incessantly and the other listening silently, both restrained their emotions without letting them burst forth.

Their reactions gradually settled down.

The early morning sunlight was partially blocked by the huge tech buildings; Wu Jiu stood in the light, Bai Wu stood in the shadow—with appearances suggesting they were far apart, but in reality, only a fine line separated them.

Then Wu Jiu reached out his hand, and Bai Wu’s hand also passed through the shadows:

"Welcome back."

"Welcome back."

Both simultaneously said, each thinking the other was the one who had returned. Only then did Bai Wu realize—

How much he and the captain were alike.

He had witnessed a certain future, thinking he would never see the captain again.

The captain also had heard some news, thinking he would never see him again.

That’s why they both said "welcome back" at the same time, as if... they had already experienced an eternal parting.

The so-called trip to Denglin City, in a sense, was his own way of changing a certain future for the captain, and the captain, likewise, changed a certain future for him.

That felt good; it gave him a sense of not being alone on his path.

They looked at each other and smiled, with Wu Jiu saying:

"I heard you were dead. About that, you’re going to have to explain it to me properly."

"I nearly died. I’ll explain it all to you, but let’s go inside first. These Evil Fallen want to let us in; they must be looking to trigger some rule," Bai Wu said.

Wu Jiu was puzzled:

"Is it going to be dangerous?"

"It will be, but that’s just how the game is. If you don’t open that door, the zombies will never come in, the ball game will never start, the NPCs will never tell you the princess has been kidnapped; but like that, the game cannot continue either."

Wu Jiu seemed to have a realization and nodded, Bai Wu said:

"There might be humans in Denglin City Technology Building. After we enter, it’s highly likely that we will encounter these humans and be influenced by certain rules just like they are. However, as long as we can lift these rules, we should gain greatly."

Wu Jiu still just nodded, feeling quite good about not having to use his brain.

So, under the watchful eyes of a horde of three-eyed Evil Fallen, Bai Wu and Wu Jiu stepped into the Denglin City Technology Building.

The moment the two of them stepped into the building simultaneously—they felt a strange aura.

Wu Jiu looked towards Bai Wu, knowing that Bai Wu would be the right person to ask about things he didn’t understand.

Notes popped up in Bai Wu’s eyes—

[Aha! You’ve finally been caught. From now on, you have entered the Denglin City survival challenge segment. The moment you stepped into this building, you were already enveloped by twisted rules.

Let me, the guide, explain the upcoming game rules to you thoroughly—

This building is inhabited by humanity’s last hope, and obsession can influence the rules.

The aura from the Well of Jing Si originally turned countless humans into Evil Fallen, but it was the scientists’ obsessed-created rules that prevented them from becoming Evil Fallen; they continued to live—in human form.

However, the resentment from Jing Si exploded, causing the Evil Fallen here to start abnormally evolving, and spread a curse of lies throughout this building.

The effect of the curse of lies is this—there is no savior in this world; if there really is one, then prove it to me.

Thus, the mission victory condition—find the Heart of Jing Si’s malevolence, and kill the Heart of Jing Si’s malevolence.

The mission defeat condition—there is no defeat; once you have entered the cursed building, every death is just the beginning of the next torment, and the torment will intensify with each death.]

"Did you observe anything?" Wu Jiu asked.

Bai Wu’s eyes were no longer a secret. Looking at Bai Wu’s expression of shock, Wu Jiu guessed that Bai Wu had seen something bad.

"It’s the rules; I understand now why those Evil Fallen want us to enter this building. Because once we enter this building, our deaths are no longer the endpoint, but rather, make the true endpoint further and further away from us."

Bai Wu spoke calmly, pondering the content of the note, while also answering some of Wu Jiu’s questions.

Wu Jiu furrowed his brow, not quite understanding Bai Wu’s last statement:

"What do you mean our deaths are no longer the endpoint?"

Bai Wu gave an example:

"It’s like a game where heroes are sent to slay a dragon in its castle. The dragon is powerful and kills the heroes, leading to the end of the game. At this point, you can choose to leave or continue the game."

Wu Jiu understood:

"But now that we’ve entered this building, it means we can’t leave the game, and we’ll resurrect in the building if we die?"

"Yes, that’s why those monsters are so eager for us to enter the building because they can eat us more than once," Bai Wu said, glancing around.

Wu Jiu spoke up:

"But doesn’t that mean we won’t really fail? Even if we fail, there are countless next times. Why do I feel like this is actually a good thing?"

After confirming that there was no valuable information around, Bai Wu said:

"Because our deaths will make the true endpoint farther away from us. Once we die, all the monsters that killed us will become stronger."

Wu Jiu caught on:

"No wonder... I saw the Evil Fallen entwining this building last night, they were just tentacles. Today, I noticed that many crimson flowers had blossomed on these tentacles, does this mean... it’s mutating, evolving?"

Bai Wu nodded, agreeing with this fact that was extremely unfavorable to them:

"That’s right. So, the Evil Fallen in this city will be extraordinarily strong. The scientists residing in the Technology Building are the last human resisters against the distortion..."

"In a sense, the more they refuse to give up, the stronger the monsters become. In seven hundred years, as many times as they died, the monsters evolved that many times..."

Wu Jiu fell silent.

What a desperate sight it was?

He had heard Bai Wu mention those last-standing scientists before, who had given up their chance to enter the High Tower.

They feared that once all humans entered the High Tower, they would become ever more distant from their once-nurturing homeland until they could never return.

They were unwilling to see this come to pass, nor did they wish for humanity to be driven out by the Evil Fallen, to be twisted and defeated.

So they held fast in the technology building of Denglin City, continuing to develop ways to combat the Evil Fallen.

During this time, a key member, Xie Yingjie, went to the High Tower, which dealt a serious blow to the entire technology team.

Even the resolute Professor Tao wavered in his will at that time.

But in the end, Professor Tao still led this group to continue their research, determined to find a way for humanity to defeat the Evil Fallen.

This decision widened the gap between him and Xie Yingjie’s lives more and more.

In Denglin City, Professor Tao experienced day after day of ever-increasing despair.

While Xie Yingjie, in the High Tower, gained eternal life and power.

Although this may not necessarily be true happiness, compared to Professor Tao, Xie Yingjie’s burdens were simply too light.

Xie Yingjie was not a bad person, it’s just that in comparison, Professor Tao’s narrative was undeniably more tragic.

Bai Wu and Wu Jiu could imagine that for seven hundred years, the scientists had kept on trying and failing repeatedly, and each failure only made the Evil Fallen stronger.

With each failure, the possibility of driving out the Evil Fallen grew even more remote.

Once great ambitions were shattered time and again by the ever-strengthening Evil Fallen, and no matter how hard they tried, the goal only felt increasingly out of reach.

It would have been better to die from this ordeal, but due to the rules, they could never reach death.

Every death did not signify an end, but only meant that the next death would be more painful.

"This is simply... too heavy. They shouldn’t have to carry such a fate; saving humanity should be humanity’s own task, not for a few to bear alone." Wu Jiu felt as if there were a weight pressing on his heart. free𝑤ebnovel.com

Bai Wu looked at the elevator numbers and already knew on which floor the scientists had stopped:

"Some people just end up shouldering the burdens of others, and such people are not rare in history. Captain, they have lived for seven hundred years under the curse of never being able to defeat the Evil Fallen, with the gap only widening— but since we’re here now..."

Bai Wu’s gaze, and that of Wu Jiu’s, became resolute:

"Then we swear to break this curse!"

The two brothers voiced this conviction in unison once again.

Bai Wu was a cold person, someone who could be passionate at times, but more often than not was cold to the marrow.

But in this world, there were also some people whom he wanted to save at all costs.

Professor Tao and the scientists of Denglin City were those he deemed worthy of redemption.

As for Wu Jiu, there was no need to say, he was a hero.

The two began walking deeper into the technology building.

Just by observation, Wu Jiu realized Bai Wu’s strength, and was determined to, at the very least, ensure Bai Wu’s safety no matter the terrifying scenes they might face later on.

For this world, Bai Wu was more valuable than himself.

"I don’t want to miss any clues, Captain, let’s take the stairs. Along the way, I can tell you about recent events."

"Okay, it’s good for you to make the decisions."

Then Bai Wu and Wu Jiu began to explore slowly, and they ascertained one thing: it seemed that monsters couldn’t enter this building.

At least not during the daytime.

The first five floors of the technology building also held no information, not even in the rooms of Jing Si and Jing Liu was there any valuable intelligence.

Throughout this process, the two deliberately moved slowly, with Bai Wu talking a lot about what he had experienced before, sharing everything with Wu Jiu.

Wu Jiu also talked about that cat. In this way, the two exchanged the tales of what they had witnessed during the many months they hadn’t seen each other.

Wu Jiu was puzzled:

"You mean to say... that I was captured by Well Power while guarding the High Tower?"

"Yes, the prophecy was like that, but now it has been changed," Bai Wu was searching through the archives, but there were pitifully few documents in the archive room.

Compared to what Bai Wu had learned in the Heart of Jing Si Replica in Xuanhui City, many were missing.

"Perhaps the prophecy... hasn’t changed."

"What do you mean?"

It was Bai Wu’s turn to be puzzled. Although Wu Jiu had told Bai Wu about the cat, neither Wu Jiu nor Bai Wu had thought of a possibility.

Now, Wu Jiu suddenly thought of it.

"Perhaps it did change, in the revelation you experienced, it’s true that I was captured by the farm while defending the High Tower, but now, because you started taking action before the High Tower appeared—many things have changed."

"But did you notice, in Yan Zizai’s account, you still died on your way to Ddnglin City, and I was still on my way to the High Tower, another me."

Wu Jiu looked at Bai Wu, and Bai Wu instantly caught on:

"That’s right... Perhaps the future was altered, but the future might also have some kind of logic correction, if the corresponding disaster isn’t on the team leader... does that mean someone took it for you, team leader?"

It was as if he was supposed to die, but Jing San died in his place.

If Wu Jiu didn’t appear at the High Tower, then the cat that appeared at the High Tower, being treated as Wu Jiu by everyone... might bear Wu Jiu’s destined fate.

At this time, Li You hadn’t established a perception link with Wu Jiu, so she was unaware of this conversation.

"The High Tower cannot be destroyed; if we find Jing Si to restrain Jing Yi, we can completely reverse that future. No matter what, Li You is the team leader’s friend, has saved the team leader many times, and therefore, is my friend too."

Wu Jiu nodded:

"So on our trip to Denglin City, we need to find two weapons, the sooner the better. Judging from Li You’s progress, the Evil Fallen Tide has already started to converge towards the High Tower, theoretically, we should make it in time."

"Yes, now, we must concentrate on resolving the issue in Denglin City, find the two weapons, and rescue... these scientists from the curse."

Bai Wu had just finished speaking and had arrived at the stairwell, just as he and Wu Jiu were formulating a simple future plan—

A small scare occurred in the stairwell.

A scientist wearing a blue dustproof suit, with a crazed demeanor, ran from the seventh floor of the technology building to the sixth floor, muttering to himself:

"Let me become Evil Fallen! Let me become Evil Fallen! Would you spare me! Spare me!"

He seemed to no longer see Bai Wu and Wu Jiu, and as he was about to collide with the two of them—

Snap!

The scientist in the dustproof suit... suddenly exploded, with red plasma and organs scattering everywhere.

One second he was fine, and the next his body twisted due to a force and instantly turned into a pile of flesh.

Although the scene was bloody and horrifying, Wu Jiu and Bai Wu managed to easily avoid being splattered with the gore, but Wu Jiu was perplexed:

"Aren’t the monsters unable to enter this building? Why did he die?"

Wu Jiu thought this person’s death was related to the Evil Fallen.

Bai Wu was also pondering this question; he suddenly remembered something the eyes mentioned— frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

The condition for victory, killing the Malicious Heart of Jing Si. What exactly is this thing? Is it the same as the heart of Jing Si in Xuanhui City?

What is the effect of the Malicious Heart?

Hiding in this building, the Evil Fallen outside had not entered, but it did not mean there was no danger inside.

Bai Wu was gradually getting a clue.

Despite the scientist exploding, the documents inside his dustproof suit remained intact, which was strange. The scientist’s will seemed to have collapsed, but why was he still carrying a document?

He reached into the blood-stained pocket of the dustproof suit and took out the document, saying:

"I wonder what exactly Jing Si did to Professor Tao... "

(The recent Chapters are a bit short, but I am building up to the Chapter that’s set to explode with content. Definitely, there will be a ten thousand-word Chapter. It’s just that a lot of scenes from before need to be integrated, indeed making it a slow write... please understand, the current Chapters are quite difficult to write.)