Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 496: Chapter 113: Deputy Leader Bai, Back from the Dead

The primary goal of heading to the High Tower was to let a portion of people know that he had not died.

Bai Wu could guess that once he died, the relationship between Zero and humanity would be greatly strained.

He didn’t disregard the survival of the High Tower, nor was he indifferent to how the world might change.

Following this, Bai Wu also knew that if there was still time, a direct confrontation with the farm would amount to a struggle for the world itself.

And Zero, as well as the Ark powers, could play a very important role.

If the High Tower had already been destroyed, then the places where humans could survive would be extremely scarce, making the Ark and Mechanical City all the more crucial.

However, before that, Bai Wu decided to first go see the scientists.

His current look was somewhat exaggerated, with a short blade strapped to his calf, a Knight’s Sword around his waist, and the Envy Greatsword on his back.

He actually had a bit of a dragon-slaying hero’s aura.

The two began to backtrack; since the curse of Denglin City had been lifted, it meant that the scientists could leave the place.

These people indeed had been crushed by despair, but that didn’t mean they weren’t deserving of respect.

Not everyone could possess the heart of The First Generation or Professor Tao.

Inside the technology building of Denglin City, all the scientists had a surreal feeling.

Watching those tentacles collapse one after another, soft and rotting.

The tentacles’ bone spikes shattered, the eyes closed, the flowers withered; they all guessed what this signified.

"We really won... Did they kill Tao Xingzhi... No, did they kill Jing Si?" Hou Haiyan looked at Fu Lei.

Fu Lei was the strongest-willed among the group, but even he was now equally in shock.

He didn’t know if all of this was real, or if everyone had fallen into some sort of negative attribute called "illusion."

He slapped his face, but without much force; his arms seemed too excited to exert much strength.

He couldn’t imagine how the two people who had failed more than a thousand times and drifted further from hope could have broken the curse!

He couldn’t comprehend how effort and persistence could actually make a difference in this place.

But he was also very clear that Bai Wu and Wu Jiu were two exceptional humans.

What they could do would seem like miracles, or pure fantasy, to others.

Bai Wu did not want to delay anymore:

"The curse is lifted, you can leave now. We’ll try to get back to the High Tower, and if it’s still there... Well, I will arrange for someone to pick you up."

"If it’s not... then I have no way to take you away immediately."

The scientists were still in excitement, and only at this moment did they truly believe that the monster had been killed.

They saw the end of their despair-ridden fate.

Fu Lei asked:

"Did Tao Xingzhi... die?"

Bai Wu nodded slightly but, seeing the joyful expressions of those around him, he said:

"I have something to tell you, concerning Professor Tao and Jing Si. You may not like what I’m about to say, but I think I have the right to ask you to listen seriously until I finish."

The scientists were puzzled, but Fu Lei seemed to guess something, shaking his head slightly with a look of astonishment in his eyes.

And as Bai Wu began to narrate, the astonishment in Fu Lei’s eyes turned to confusion.

Time passed, second by second.

Bai Wu narrated the history of Denglin City, a history unknown to the scientists:

"You might think that death is a release, but if you die without endless life, still harboring hope for the future... you would be unwilling."

"You are already weary of living, but until the very end, Professor Tao longed to be alive."

"For seven hundred years, you resisted hope, but there were those who never resisted it. He suffered more than any of you. The curse had nothing to do with him."

"Until death, he believed you all would find a way to conquer the Evil Fallen,"

Can a seven-hundred-year grudge be dissolved by a single conversation?

Bai Wu didn’t know, but he was clear that the people in front of him were not petty villains or hypocrites.

They were genuinely upright and forthright individuals.

Perhaps they would beg to become Evil Fallen, would beg to enter the High Tower.

But under seven hundred years of torment, who could confidently claim their initial resolve remained unchanged?

Who could truly remain steadfast, unwavering, and never look back?

So Bai Wu was willing to believe that once they learned the truth, they might find it hard to accept at first, but eventually, they would understand.

Fu Lei said,

"How long would it take for you to return to the High Tower and then come back here?"

"At the very least twelve hours. Going back to the High Tower requires some items. I will go first, while Bai Wu will stay here with you,"

responded Wu Jiu, who was not sure why Fu Lei asked this.

But Bai Wu understood.

Fu Lei, along with all the scientists here, were still afflicted with cursed negative attributes.

The curse might have vanished, but the most fundamental rules outside of the tower remained.

Fu Lei said,

"I probably won’t live that long; I’m not going anywhere."

At these words, everyone looked at Fu Lei in astonishment.

Hou Haiyan didn’t understand; Fu Lei seemed the most normal on the surface, but inwardly, he was the most resistant to hope.

It’s like the person who can endure the most, once they give up, falls into deeper despair than anyone else.

But now, the curse had been lifted; this wasn’t just hope but a tangible reality. Why suddenly decide not to go?

Fu Lei looked at everyone,

"You don’t need to look at me like that, it’s just simple math, you’ll know if you tally it up."

"Our negative attributes haven’t been removed, which means the curse doesn’t include some things."

"So after they leave, only about one third of us would probably hold out until their return."

Fu Lei turned to Bai Wu:

"Bai Wu, as you said, for me, for us, death is a release. I don’t care what Tao Xingzhi... Professor Tao thinks, but we know the depth of our own despair."

"If I die, consider it my release. And if I don’t die..."

Bai Wu understood upon hearing this and said,

"Are you saying that the building’s protection rules for humans are still in place?"

Fu Lei nodded,

"We previously thought it was impossible to die, only to experience a mock death. It would lead to the monsters becoming stronger." freewebnøvel.com

"But now if what you say is true, it means that these two things are separate. It’s easy to verify as well because besides humans not dying, supplies also automatically replenish here."

In the past, people didn’t understand Tao Xingzhi. Now Fu Lei realized that Tao wasn’t tormenting them but had provided them with the optimal research base outside the tower with great determination.

It was only distorted by Jing Si’s curse.

Fu Lei’s eyes swept over everyone:

"Now, the monsters won’t grow stronger because of our deaths, but we still won’t truly die..."

Bai Wu inwardly agreed; indeed, that was the situation:

"So what do you plan to do?"

"I am someone who dislikes giving up halfway, even though the experiences of the past seven hundred years have led me to give up many times, I think you, having fought more than a thousand battles, can understand to some extent that we don’t give up halfway..."

Bai Wu certainly knew:

"Yes, you deserve respect, you’re not quitters, it’s just that for every foot you move forward, the road extends a yard longer, and such despair is indeed hard to endure."

Being understood, Fu Lei’s eyes were filled with gratitude.

He very much wanted to convince himself, Bai Wu, or anyone in the future, that they, these scientists...

Were not cowards.

"But now it’s different, if the rules of this building are still in effect, it means I still have an infinite life... I can continue to research ways to combat the Evil Fallen."

"Many from the Evil Fallen outside the building have died, but there are still many left, enough for us... enough for me to conduct my research. I... I want to continue researching."

Wu Jiu showed solemn respect, and Bai Wu was also somewhat surprised.

The hardest thing in this world is not to remain calm and composed in the face of death.

Many people do not feel afraid when they encounter death for the first time. But once they survive, the fear during the second encounter is boundless.

But Fu Lei had overcome this difficulty.

"Don’t look at me like that. Like I said, if I really died, it would be a release for me, either way, I wouldn’t lose out."

Fu Lei turned around and looked at his colleagues who had suffered with him for seven hundred years:

"You all need to persist in living, withstand the negative attributes, and hold on until Bai Wu and the others save you."

"But I, Fu Lei, am not leaving."

Even if he ended up in the netherworld, at least he could stand tall before Tao Xingzhi and say that he hadn’t run away.

But Fu Lei didn’t say this out loud; he didn’t want to incite these people to stay with him.

If possible, he hoped his colleagues could enter the High Tower and live like ordinary people for the rest of their lives.

Yet, Fu Lei had underestimated these colleagues of his.

Indeed, they might not have been as tough as him, but when they decided to stay at the beginning, they were just as resolute.

Bai Wu and Wu Jiu exchanged glances, each sensing the other’s inner turmoil.

Even Bai Wu, who was adept at understanding the human heart, hadn’t anticipated—

After Fu Lei made his stance clear, more and more scientists... decided to stay.

In the end, the number of scientists standing behind Fu Lei was more than half.

Still, a small half, like Hou Haiyan and the others, ultimately chose to wait for Bai Wu’s rescue.

There’s no shame in that.

In seven hundred years, they had long owed nothing to this world. If they returned to the High Tower, Bai Wu would also offer these scientists the best treatment, they deserved everything.

In the following hours, Fu Lei led Bai Wu on a tour of the building, narrating some of the research findings and concepts.

Bai Wu also asked if they needed any materials and mentioned some affairs in other regions.

The two of them were so engrossed in their conversation that time flew by quickly. When Wu Jiu arrived, they hadn’t even finished talking.

As they were parting, Bai Wu said:

"In these twenty-odd days, I’ve learned quite a bit, and this trip to Denglin City was not in vain."

Fu Lei, now another Professor Tao, had become the leader of the scientists who had decided to stay:

"We feel the same way, the emotional knots from seven hundred years have been untied. Oh yes, back then Jing Si took some colleagues to Xuanhui City..."

"I am aware of this matter. Rest assured, I will bring them all back to the High Tower and inform them of what has happened in these seven hundred years."

Bai Wu’s words seemed to imply that those colleagues from that year were in some sort of sealed state.

But Fu Lei didn’t ask for details; he simply extended his hand and said:

"Denglin City will always remember you. And we will always remember you."

Bai Wu also reached out his hand:

"Saving the world can’t solely depend on my partner and me, Professor Fu. I’m waiting for your research results. My intuition tells me that you will be key."

"And your intuition, is it reliable?" freēwēbηovel.c૦m

The two burst into hearty laughter, and thus concluded their journey in Denglin City.

...

...

High Tower.

Recently, Yan Zizai had been incredibly busy, with his head in a whirl.

Besides the affairs inside the tower, there was also the matter of locating the High Tower’s exact position outside the fog.

To establish a Traction Disc destination, one must first have visited that place.

The current transfer station for the High Tower was Baichuan City’s shelter. Crossing numerous regions from the shelter and journeying overseas to beyond the fog was extremely difficult.

After all, the only people who had been outside the fog were Bai Wu and Wu Jiu.

And these two, without a doubt, were monsters among monsters. They simply couldn’t be regarded as normal people.

Forming a team capable of traveling outside the fog was immensely challenging.

In the end, they had to look within the Seventh Team of the Investigation Corps.

Thus, Bai Xiaoyu, Shang Xiaoyi, Yin Shuang, Wang Shi, Lin Wurou, along with several squad leaders, led by Guardian Wang Su and Zheng Yue of the clans, set out toward beyond the fog.

The reason for dispatching so many of High Tower’s elite forces was due to Xie Xingzhi’s unremitting efforts, which led to Zero revealing some information—

A horde of monsters was advancing towards High Tower. If they didn’t establish a defensive outpost outside the tower, once the monsters damaged High Tower from the outside... then no one within the High Tower would survive.

A catastrophe of monumental proportions was looming.

This forced Yan Zizai to take the matter seriously.

Wu Jiu had gone to Denglin, only to narrowly escape death, Bai Wu had died, and High Tower was about to face a disaster... all of which suddenly overwhelmed Yan Zizai with a sense of helplessness.

Anxiety and unease rose within him.

Especially since he still didn’t know how to break the news of Bai Wu’s death to Yan Jiu.

How heartbroken and desperate would the little girl be upon learning the news?

As Yan Zizai was wrestling with these issues, suddenly... he received a phone call from a subordinate—

"Sir, the Deputy Leader of the Investigation Corps has returned!"

The caller was a recorder from the Lower East Square of the Investigation Corps.

Although the recorder wasn’t Yan Zizai’s man, Yan Zizai was now considered a leader of the Investigation Corps.

Once significant individuals entered through the stele, they would contact him immediately by phone, capturing the urgency of these extraordinary times.

Upon hearing this, Yan Zizai frowned, "The Deputy Leader of the Investigation Corps?"

The Investigation Corps had two deputy leaders, Gu Qingyu and Bai Wu, with the latter serving as a temporary substitute.

With this in mind, his tone grew excited:

"You’re saying Gu Qingyu has returned?"

"Yes, Deputy Captain Gu has returned with Deputy Leader Bai! Actually, Captain Gu returned half a day ago, but he didn’t allow me to tell you... I’m sorry..."

His mind was somewhat stunned.

Deputy Leader Bai?

Yan Zizai’s hand suddenly trembled, and his voice became hurried:

"Deputy Leader Bai? Are you talking about... Bai Wu?"

"Yeah, Deputy Leader Bai has also come back. They are heading towards the fifth level right now."