Saving Unpermitted

Chapter 78: The Hidden Beauty of the Golden House

Yi Ning quickly detached himself from his emotions and calmly faced Luo Duan.

Unlike before, Luo Duan didn’t deliberately try to get close. He was like an ordinary person who had been cooped up in a room for a long time and gave Yi Ning a perfunctory greeting. Luo Duan glanced around the room, and his gaze lingered for two seconds in the direction where the screen had disappeared.

“The post-mission of the Reunion Festival is a closed mission, and we can’t add anyone to it,” Yi Ning explained preemptively. “I will notify you as soon as the next phase begins.”

“Mm.” Luo Duan’s smile was gentle. “Sir, I trust you quite a bit.”

Yi Ning held his breath for a few seconds.

The impact of observing someone else’s pain from a distance was far different from touching someone’s pain. He knew something had happened to Luo Duan, perhaps influenced by the recent recording. His heart stung for a moment.

“If there’s nothing else, you can leave.” Yi Ning immediately issued the dismissal order. “I remember telling you not to come here unless necessary.”

“I haven’t forgotten. This is the last time.”

Yi Ning narrowed his eyes.

Luo Duan paused for a while before continuing officially. “By the time the closed mission is over, I’ll be able to return to the team. I came here mainly to ask a question—I understand that we can’t add non-combatants like me to the closed mission, but what about the general public?”

“What general public?”

“I can help Groundwater recruit non-combatants and hire them temporarily,” Luo Duan continued with a smiling face. “Is that possible?”

“We can’t add anyone.” This was just to hire an NPC. Yi Ning waved his hand. “I have other matters to attend to, so you can go back.”

…The so-called “closed mission” didn’t exist at all. Marshal Yi just wanted to buy some more time. The rules were nothing more than a fabrication.

“It’s a shame. I rarely find someone useful.” Luo Duan shook his head. “You don’t seem interested in discussing the matter with me anymore, haa.”

Luo Duan stood up. His hair had grown a bit longer since his first visit, softly touching the back of his neck. Yi Ning stared at his figure with every cell in his body on high alert.

The captain of the Groundwater was very clever. If he continued to fabricate stories, it wouldn’t be long before he couldn’t hide it anymore.

The information about the X City ruins had spread, and the situation had escalated to this point. The tactic of coaxing synthetic humans was most likely not going to work. Luo Duan’s value was now minimal; at most useful as a hostage when necessary. But since large numbers of synthetic humans had yet to appear, there must be someone behind the scenes guiding them. Would this hostage really be useful to them?

Should he preemptively kill Luo Duan, who is considered one of the few strong individuals among the synthetic humans?

The erosion substance concentration in the command center was very low, making it convenient to take action here…

Sensing Yi Ning’s killing intent, Luo Duan stopped at the door, turned back, and still had a gentle smile on his face.

“As a parting gift, let me give you another hint.” Luo Duan’s voice remained soft and natural. “Zhu Sheng is not solely obsessed with power. If you find his weakness, you can counter him… You still want to save your compatriots, don’t you?”

Yi Ning was familiar with this tone. During those nights of endless conversation, Luo Duan liked to use this soothing tone to speak.

…Forget it. Let him stay. Besides being a hostage, Luo Duan might also know something about the black-robed individuals.

Closing the door, Yi Ning suddenly felt an unprecedented fatigue.

He had never felt his weakness so vividly before, but he truly couldn’t abandon his vulnerable side.

Tang Heyu was wrong; he wasn’t someone like Zhu Sheng. He couldn’t make “necessary sacrifices” to fulfill the needs of others. If he had to compare, he was quite cowardly, just like Mr. Tang in the past. Even if he knew the “right” path, he couldn’t take the first step.

Even with the impending disaster of the Erosion Swamp, he still wanted to protect those “burdensome” individuals rather than sacrificing them for the survival of the human race.

Yi Ning slumped onto the couch, grabbed a bottle of alcohol, and let the bitter liquid slowly slide down his throat.

He understood the hint Luo Duan gave him. Now was a great opportunity to restrain Zhu Sheng. If he handled it well, he should be able to save as many people from the settlements as possible while ensuring the preservation of humanity…

If he failed, he would only be able to offer his life as atonement.

…But thinking about it, he might not be able to afford that either. Yi Ning finished the bottle of alcohol and chuckled to himself.

Wait, something’s not right. Luo Duan just said, “As a parting gift, let me give you another hint.” Did he give me a hint before? Luo Duan previously mentioned hiring NPCs and assisting Groundwater…

NPCs?

[These people are quite interesting. Can I invite them next time Groundwater goes on a mission?]

Luo Duan mentioned something similar before. At that time, the Blackbirds was on a mission dealing with the abnormal Erosion Swamp near X City. There were three NPCs at the time: Gray Claw, Smoke, and One Eye.

Having “talents” with experience dealing with abnormal Erosion Swamps could be a breakthrough. Yi Ning placed the bottle down and took a deep breath. It seemed that keeping Luo Duan around was the right decision. He indeed had some usefulness.

While the situation wasn’t too severe, it was time to visit the settlements.

However, what Yi Ning didn’t expect was that someone had already taken the initiative before him, but this person wasn’t going to recruit talents. Xia Yufeng secretly selected a few experts from the elite team and quietly headed towards the settlement.

He chose the perfect timing. Ever since the Zhu father and son returned from the cultivation stronghold, they locked themselves indoors, busy with who knew what. Xia Yufeng snuck out of the command center, secretly brushing Zhu Yanchen’s face, and gathered manpower.

Opportunity waited for no one.

The recent news of the ruins of X City had filled him with fear. During this time, Zhu Yanchen had been carrying the title of “Marshal Zhu”, and Xia Yufeng had nothing to do, unable to stop his mind from wandering.

Zhu Yanchen barely said anything to him, treating him like a puppet. Considering his history of betrayal, Xia Yufeng couldn’t find fault with Zhu Yanchen. But with the situation becoming so dire, Zhu Yanchen was still busy with miscellaneous matters, making it impossible for him to relax.

Zhu Yanchen had a synthetic partner, and Xia Yufeng witnessed it! It was manageable during peacetime. Xia Yufeng could be cautious around him, working towards abolishing the player system and seizing power with the help of synthetic humans.

If the player system was abolished, people would suffer a bit more, but Xia Yufeng could still keep himself calm as long as he saved his own life.

But what about now? With the rebellion of the synthetic humans and the mutations in the Erosion Swamps, humanity was about to face a devastating war. This person actually dared to interact with the synthetic humans. Xia Yufeng feared Zhu Yanchen truly desired the leadership position to the extent of courting danger. If something went wrong, humanity would suffer heavy losses, and as a member of the three major families, Xia Yufeng would be the first to bear the brunt.

That wouldn’t do. He had to wake Zhu Yanchen up.

Why not start by ruining their cooperative relationship? After all, the synthetic humans had already severed ties with humanity. It was better to have an additional heavyweight traitor among humans than among the synthetics. Xia Yufeng summoned his lifelong courage and prepared a plan.

After Zhu Yanchen returned from the stronghold, he explicitly stated that he would need three days. Xia Yufeng had long prepared everything and was only waiting for this time limit.

After all, he had specifically selected top-tier elites, so his chances of survival were definitely high.

He took the worn-out armor that Zhu Yanchen had changed out of and bribed some lackeys from the Old Fourth merchant convoy, finally learning the location where Zhu Yanchen was hiding outside the city—a seemingly inconspicuous settlement.

“Hey, Brother Smoke.” When Xia Yufeng approached the inn, Uncle Pan warmly waved at him. “Why did you suddenly come back? Gray Claw isn’t here right now… Oh, and why do you have so many friends with you on this trip?”

Uncle Pan glanced at the six guards behind him, rubbing his hands even more eagerly.

As the human traitor, Xia Yufeng snorted behind his helmet. “Arrange rooms for these friends of mine. Where’s Gray Claw?”

“He’s negotiating with someone at the usual place.” Uncle Pan smiled, his eyes narrowing. “Do you want me to call him? Well, you go back to your room and wait. He’ll return on his own after he’s done.”

Xia Yufeng: “?!?”

He had seen the key to this inn in Zhu Yanchen’s possession, deducing that Zhu Yanchen had rented a room here… But usually, would the two cooperating parties stay together?

However, Xia Yufeng couldn’t afford to be too obvious. He took the room keys for the other and pretended to distribute them. Once they were away from Uncle Pan, he immediately led them all to Zhu Yanchen’s room.

As Xia Yufeng opened the door, his emotions were indescribable.

In his imagination, since Zhu Yanchen had rented the room for an extended period, he must have made some modifications. This place should be filled with the scent of war and conspiracy. It might even have multiple sleeping arrangements to explain why Zhu Yanchen and the synthetic human were living together in the same room.

But this room… felt like a home.

The curtains were drawn tightly, blocking the view of the grim buildings outside. The entire room was decorated in a fresh and cozy manner, with added bedside tables and other small furnishings. There was even a potted plant standing in the corner. A warm-toned tablecloth covered the old table, and in front of the small kitchen were oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and some unused basic ingredients in the cupboard.

The sleeping arrangements Xia Yufeng imagined were nowhere to be found. He only saw a large double bed. The mattress was obviously a high-quality replacement, the blanket was a mess, and it was clear that the other occupant of the room hadn’t bothered to tidy it up.

One pillow was crooked and askew at the head of the bed, showing signs of being slept on. Another pillow was bundled up within the sheets, with a slightly wrinkled pillowcase, clearly indicating that someone had tightly embraced it while sleeping. Considering that Zhu Yanchen had stayed in Y City for some time, this must have been the doing of the other occupant of the room.

This was the hidden lover in the golden house! Xia Yufeng suddenly realized.

All the mysteries were solved. It must have been the synthetic humans who used the strategy of a beautiful woman to bewitch Marshal Zhu. Zhu Yanchen, who already sympathized with the synthetic humans, was further misled by the seductive beauty, causing him to side with them at every turn and disregard the pressing human crisis.

“Find a place to hide. When that woman returns, pay attention to my hand signals—we’ll abduct her and get rid of her.”

“Yes!”

Xia Yufeng took a deep breath, removed his mask, and absentmindedly picked up a book from the bedside, pretending to read.

He waited for more than two hours.

Finally, a sound of a key opening the door came from outside. Xia Yufeng stopped flipping the pages, subconsciously held his breath, and prepared to meet Zhu Yanchen’s secret lover.

The door slowly opened.

……Zhu Yanchen’s secret lover was nothing like what Xia Yufeng had imagined.

A handsome young man stood at the door, carrying a huge black sword on his back and holding a large bag of food and drinks in his hand.

That person had a tall and beautiful figure, accentuated by the simple uniform, with a particularly sharp waistline. He didn’t cover his face, and his slightly dark complexion was accompanied by gray-white hair and eyes, like burnt ashes.

The young man’s facial features were also remarkably outstanding. Even though his gender seemed a bit off, he could still be considered on the level of a “Marshal’s lover”. However, that face seemed somewhat familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

Yes, it seemed to be the former captain of the Blackbirds. Xia Yufeng had spent a few years on the sidelines of the outpost, so he had come across some news about the players.

Zhu Yanchen… this is simply absurd!

Wait, didn’t Shu Jun of the Blackbirds die?

Ignoring the tumultuous thoughts in Xia Yufeng’s mind, Shu Jun furrowed his brows slowly. “I can’t believe Uncle Pan said A’Yan returned early. Why is it you? What are you doing here?”

Xia Yufeng hadn’t even started acting, and his identity had already been exposed. He felt a bit perplexed. “Ah?”

“You’re Xia Yufeng, the one we met at the Grand Theatre. I was wearing a mask at that time, so it’s normal that you didn’t recognize me.” Shu Jun sighed and placed the food on the table. “I specifically bought expensive eggs and sugar and wanted to try baking some small cakes…”

Xia Yufeng: “…” He couldn’t keep up with the pace of reality.

No, unexpected as it was, this person was still Zhu Yanchen’s little… No, Zhu Yanchen’s lover. Although dealing with Shu Jun would be tricky, they should be able to catch him off guard.

Shu Jun seemed completely defenseless as he unpacked the fresh ingredients and carefully put them in the refrigerator. “Speak up. A’Yan wouldn’t send you here for no reason. Has something happened in Y City? If you need my help…”

“There… is…” Suddenly, a strange sound came from behind Shu Jun.

As a result, Shu Jun pulled out a white pill from his pocket and stuffed it into the cloth wrapping his sword. The strange sound instantly disappeared, replaced by a strange and contented rumbling.

“If you need my help, I’m available now.” After completing this series of inexplicable actions, Shu Jun calmly continued.

Whatever.

Xia Yufeng made an attacking gesture. In an instant, the electric shock gun and the tranquilizer gun were aimed at Shu Jun. He let out a muffled groan and fell to the ground. The guards took out prepared bags and stuffed him inside.

“We can’t remove this sword.” One of the guards tugged at the sword belt, expressing confusion. “We don’t know how it’s secured, but anyway…”

“Just take everything with us and leave no trace.” Xia Yufeng gave the order. “Let’s leave through the back door.”

“Understood.”

To avoid other synthetic humans, Xia Yufeng found a sled at the door, and they headed straight for the edge of the erosion zone. Once they confirmed that there was no one around, they poured Shu Jun out of the bag.

“Let’s squeeze some information out of him and then get rid of him,” Xia Yufeng whispered. “Listen carefully, next—”

“If you kill me, A’Yan will be heartbroken. I advise you to think twice.” A cheerful voice interjected.

Shu Jun had at some point woken up. He turned himself over and was still tightly bound by metal chains. Instead of fear, the former captain’s face showed more curiosity.

“I know you two have a thing going on.” Xia Yufeng regained his composure upon seeing the chains still intact.

The guards were professionals and had already set up the highest-level purifiers around them. At the same time, six weapon-type purifiers were aimed at Shu Jun’s head. Even if Shu Jun could manipulate erosion, no erosion substance would dare approach this area.

“I never expected Zhu Yanchen to be so confused. It’s truly outrageous.” Confident of his safety, Xia Yufeng stood tall. “Today, I represent humanity and will put an end to his delusions.”

“Excuse me, I didn’t realize you were Zhu Sheng after all.” Shu Jun exclaimed in surprise. “You’re quite powerful, even managing the love affairs of adults.”

“Love affair? One for power, the other for revenge. It’s clear that you are colluding together. Listen, now you’ll confess what needs to be confessed, and I can make your death a bit easier. Otherwise—”

“How do you plan to deceive him? After all, Uncle Pan saw you and me enter the room.” Shu Jun interrupted Xia Yufeng’s speech.

“By then, we’ll take care of that Pan person. I warn you, don’t interrupt me again.” Amidst the loud buzzing of the purifiers, Xia Yufeng cleared his throat, his voice filled with satisfaction. “I represent humanity—”

“Why do I feel like you’re more of a personal grudge settler?” Shu Jun interrupted once again, smiling cheerfully. “Let me guess… half of it is for the righteousness you’ve imagined, and the other half is to embarrass Zhu Yanchen, or should I say, to embarrass the Zhu family?”

“I’m doing this to sever this abnormal relationship! And I’ve said it before, don’t interrupt me—”

“Just admit that you’re afraid. You’re afraid of the synthetic humans going out of control, and you’re also afraid of the Zhu family’s power. It’s not a big deal.” Shu Jun stared intently into Xia Yufeng’s eyes. “To be honest, it makes me a little disgusted when you talk to me with his face.”

“Third time’s the charm. I’ve warned you.” Xia Yufeng confirmed the status of the purifiers once again. Making sure they were still working, he lifted his foot, ready to kick Shu Jun in the face.

In the next second, all the purifiers exploded.

Xia Yufeng’s foot hit something hard, and as the smoke from the explosion cleared, he could see clearly—Shu Jun had instantly broken free from the chains, and the black giant sword was right in front of him.

The sword’s blade had a mouth that was excitedly howling and spewing out drool. “Block! Candy! Block! Candy!”

“Are you singing?” Shu Jun threw a white pill into the mouth and turned back to Xia Yufeng. “It seems A’Yan is really busy, so he asked me to discipline his underlings. You haven’t been very honest lately, have you?”

“You…”

“Do you really think A’Yan would be foolish enough to let you out and lead you here?” Shu Jun sneered. “Alright, then I’ll help him discipline you. As for the reward, we can discuss it when he comes back.”

He deliberately made the last sentence sound extremely ambiguous.

“You traitors.” Xia Yufeng’s face turned purple with anger, and he stuttered for words. “Enemies of humanity!”

“The purifiers are broken. Hurry up and put on your mask. It’ll make it more satisfying for me to beat you up.” Shu Jun extended a hand and easily blocked several purification bullets. Then he flicked the ash off his hand and grabbed Xia Yufeng by the collar.

“Opportunities like this are rare. Let me take this chance to listen—Mr. Xia, as a standard citizen of Y City, how do you view the current situation?”

Xia Yufeng couldn’t utter a word.

Shu Jun’s clothes transformed in a bizarre way, with strange “wings” spreading out from behind his waist and countless tail-like black vines sprouting from his back. Before the skilled fighters brought by Xia Yufeng could switch weapons, they were tightly bound by the erosion vines.

“Didn’t I say it before? Now I have some free time, and this time, I won’t interrupt you at all.”

The author has something to say:

Xia Yufeng: *Whimpers* Marshal Zhu has such peculiar tastes!

Shu Ge: I’m scaring people again, and I get a little excited thinking about it.