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Chapter 86: The Beginning of Chaos

Xia Yufeng panicked.

His limbs turned cold, his palms sweaty, and his ears buzzed. He almost couldn’t hear the instructions coming through his earpiece.

Yi Ning smiled a few steps away, composed and with a confident expression. Xia Yufeng felt his back drenched in cold sweat. Stay calm, he kept repeating to himself. He had to stay calm; he still had the instructions in his hands, so at least he didn’t need to think for himself.

“We will hold a special commendation ceremony for these individuals.”

Xia Yufeng followed Zhu Sheng’s intention, trying hard to make his voice sound calm and confident.

“The focus of the program is to overcome the crisis—time is limited, and I believe reinforcing city defense and handling the residents in the settlements is more important.”

“How could he let him slip away! Ah, that old fox, Zhu Sheng.” Tang Heyu pounded his chest and stomped his feet halfway through the show.

“The appearance of the probe is also important for city defense. The Tang family has always been dedicated to researching civilian anti-erosion devices, so the emergence of such equipment is a significant event.” Yi Ning brought the topic back with a smile.

Xia Yufeng picked up a cup, attempting to wash away the pressure that was stuck in his throat with water.

“Our machinery does not possess strong anti-erosion capabilities; it is purely designed for disposable use. There is no new technology involved.”

Tang Heyu waved the pack of nutritional supplements in his hand. “He’s talking nonsense! I’ve considered this idea, and if we really made such disposable machinery, boy, they would be as big as heavyweight cargo ships. You think you can secretly send that to explore X City? You’re dreaming!”

The old man was exasperated; his face was filled with frustration. It was understandable that other researchers were focused on improving the player system and couldn’t keep up with the discussion. He and Zhu Yanchen were experts in this field, and just listening to it was already overwhelming.

“He’s smearing shit on your name.” Tang Heyu glanced at Zhu Yanchen. “Aren’t you bothered?”

“I’m well-rested.” Zhu Yanchen’s expression remained unchanged as he stood up. “Mr. Tang, I’ll go check on the finished ‘Suppression’ weapons. You can rest here for a while.”

“You should have something to eat too. You still have to go back and be the leader.”

Zhu Yanchen flattened the empty nutritional supplement package before throwing it into the trash. “It’s fine. Yi Ning will become a General* soon.”

*Clarity: An army general. While Marshal and General are similar titles military-wise, Zhu Yanchen is saying Yi Ning is going to become an army general to lead the army for the war that’s about to begin.

Tang Heyu clicked his tongue twice, wrinkles gathering on his face. “How come I can’t see that?”

On the holographic screen, the program continued.

“To be frank, we have attempted a similar approach and even discovered Mr. Tang Heyu’s previous design drawings.”

Yi Ning smiled faintly and enlarged a blueprint projection.

“With technological advancements today, the Tang family has attempted to improve upon this design. However, no matter what, the final product would be larger than a heavyweight cargo ship and would generate significant noise during operation. Considering your promotional style, why would you carry out the exploration of X City silently?”

“It’s simple. The success rate is too low, and failure would only be seen as a waste.” Xia Yufeng forced a smile. “As for the size of the machinery…”

He waited for the prompt to come through the earpiece, but all he heard was the word “small” lingering in his mouth for three or four seconds, without any follow-up. His ears were filled with abnormal crackling sounds.

Electromagnetic interference.

Xia Yufeng cleared his throat. “Because it’s a prototype, and X City isn’t too far away. Our researchers have made improvements, and the final product is only the size of an ordinary truck.”

“Does it need an operator?”

“Not necessary.” With Yi Ning firing off rapid questions, Xia Yufeng decisively chose a safe answer. He wasn’t a fool who had to wait for prompts from others. He had been in this line of work for a long time and had a talent for talking nonsense.

Even Zhu Sheng himself wouldn’t be able to find any problems with this answer.

The electromagnetic interference quickly subsided. Xia Yufeng adjusted his hair and took the opportunity to press his ear.

“Fool.” Zhu Sheng’s cold voice came through the earpiece.

Xia Yufeng was taken aback.

“The size of a truck—truly an outstanding achievement. If it weren’t for you mentioning the high cost, I would have been tempted.”

Yi Ning interlocked his fingers, his voice gradually becoming deeper.

“Before discussing city defense and settlements, I have one more question—why would a machine the size of a truck use a manual photography device designed for humans? Wouldn’t it be easier to directly equip it with a large recording machine to obtain intelligence?”

“Well… I…” Xia Yufeng stuttered.

He fell into the trap.

That scoundrel Yi Ning was truly deserving of climbing up from the bottom, showing some real skill. Marshal Yi probably guessed their cover-up from the beginning—first pressing for the hero’s identity, forcing them to reveal information about the machinery. When everyone’s attention was focused on the rationality of the machine, he deliberately interfered with the earpiece communication, turning the tables on the details.

He had been led around by the other party the whole time. Zhu Sheng clearly noticed it. If only the earpiece could connect just now…

But there were no “ifs.”

What should he do? Xia Yufeng’s breathing became rapid. He didn’t have any scientific knowledge reserves, and the more he spoke, the more mistakes he would make. He had dug such a big hole for himself. Could Zhu Sheng save the situation? He…

A gunshot rang out.

The production staff of the program screamed. After a moment, Xia Yufeng felt a surge of heat on his shoulder—he had been shot, and he was probably the last person on the scene to realize it.

The bullet didn’t hit any vital organs, and the warm blood soaked through the fabric, gradually turning cold. The throbbing warmth at the wound was gradually overwhelmed by intense pain, causing Xia Yufeng to howl on the spot. He was already extremely nervous; his nerves stretched tighter than a bowstring. Now, with this level of excruciating pain, Xia Yufeng’s eyes rolled back, and he promptly fainted.

Tang Heyu: “……”

The old man raised his hand and closed the screen with a snap.

“Aren’t you going to take a break?” Zhu Yanchen asked as he saw Tang Heyu return to his workstation with a complicated expression.

“You guessed it right. That boy from the Xia family made a fool of himself,” Tang Heyu said with a heavy tone. “But Zhu Sheng also anticipated this. He planted a fake assassin in the scene and forcefully interrupted the program.”

“I see.”

“…Seems like you’re not too surprised.” The old man lowered his gaze. “Well, for you, A’Sheng is just that kind of person. But to be honest, Chenchen, he had the same spirit as you do now when he was younger.”

After speaking, the old man looked at a point in empty space.

“What went wrong exactly?”

Tang Heyu didn’t get a response for a while, then chuckled self-deprecatingly. “Well, look at me now. Our problems are not small.”

Shu Jun, who was in the settlement, also couldn’t finish watching the program.

He had just seen Xia Yufeng drinking water when hurried footsteps entered from the corridor. Then, his door was almost kicked open—startled, Shu Jun quickly grabbed Monday and leaped onto the couch, nearly swinging his sword out.

“Ero… Erosion Swamp.” Uncle Xiong leaned against the door frame, panting heavily. “The Erosion Swamp is here!”

“Don’t panic. What’s the situation?”

“About 200… Over 200 kilometers away!” Uncle Xiong’s plump palm slapped his chest. “Today, me and the Groundwater brothers were hunting, and we saw it to the southwest! My god, such a large Erosion Swamp—it scared the hell out of me. It’s moving towards us, you know. We’re just watching it move… Brother Gray Claw, can you give us some advice? If that Erosion Swamp comes here, the entire settlement will be done for.”

Here it comes, Sigma’s probing.

“What does that Erosion Swamp look like?”

“What do you mean? What does it look like?” Uncle Xiong looked at Shu Jun in horror. “An Erosion Swamp is an Erosion Swamp—a large expanse of blackness, with bubbles everywhere on the surface. At that speed, it will reach here in a week. Think of a solution, brother!”

If it was just an Erosion Swamp without a brain, Shu Jun could suppress it on his own. But this kind of Erosion Swamp would definitely be noticed by Y City. If he intervened to make it disappear, Zhu Sheng would definitely guess the connection between this place and the synthetic humans.

With Luo Duan, Sigma’s probing methods have suddenly become much more sophisticated.

However…

“In a week, huh? Of course, there’s a solution.” Shu Jun grinned.

“Oh, don’t keep me in suspense, just tell me, brother!”

“Call for help?” Shu Jun pointed at the program on the screen. “Call for help from Y City. The louder the better.”

“Ancestor, Y City is under lockdown. Those people can’t even handle their own mess. They won’t have time to take care of us! Yu Jin wants to relocate everyone, but many of the elderly have been here for generations and can’t withstand the upheaval. I’m begging you, give us a reliable solution, can you?”

“It’s okay. Just call for help. Even if the Erosion Swamp reaches here, I guarantee you’ll be fine.” Shu Jun straightened the spine of his sword, and Monday let out a comfortable grunt.

“Really?”

“Just keep watching. The Blackbirds and the people from Groundwater won’t leave. I won’t joke about something as serious as our lives.”

Uncle Xiong grumbled a bit, casting a sidelong glance at the program on the screen. “Then I’ll go tell Yu Jin, and you can discuss it properly later. I’ll go talk to everyone…”

“Go.”

“Ah, they’re still choosing a leader in Y City. They’ve been at it for damn near a hundred years and still can’t decide. This morning, I saw that they’re going to have a ‘City Celebration’ tomorrow and make a fuss for another week.” Walking to the door, Uncle Xiong couldn’t help but complain. “When will this end?”

“About a week, at most two weeks.” Shu Jun smiled at Uncle Xiong. “Trust me.”

Uncle Xiong looked at Shu Jun for a moment, his expression clearly showed he didn’t believe. He nodded politely, drooped his head with a despondent look, and left the room—his sturdy frame seemingly shrank by a fraction.

Just then, a gunshot rang out from the screen. Shu Jun trembled, then shifted his gaze back—

Seeing “Zhu Yanchen” clutching his wound and falling, even though he knew it was a fake, his heart still constricted sharply. Unfortunately, Xia Yufeng’s tolerance for pain was clearly not high. He writhed in agony, his eyes rolling back, so Shu Jun’s emotions didn’t last long.

He sighed, hugged the pillow where Zhu Yanchen lay, and ruthlessly stabbed it a few times with his claw.

He really wanted to blend into the city again and see A’Yan, but now was a critical moment—Sigma had made a move, the situation in each settlement needed to be assessed, and the distribution of the “Suppression” weapon had to be considered.

The next round of elections was about to begin, and the seeds of chaos had already been sown. They had made a pact long ago to meet again amidst the chaos of Y City.

The pillow just didn’t feel as good as the touch of his boyfriend’s hand. Shu Jun opened the window, climbed up the wall, and looked towards the horizon—Y City was hidden behind the horizon, enveloped by sturdy walls.

“A’Yan, as I expected, Luo Duan attacked the settlements. This saved us a lot of trouble. At least we don’t need to create ‘accidents’ ourselves.”

Squatting on the rooftop, Shu Jun enjoyed the air with a high concentration of erosion substance. The tendrils of erosion emerged from his back and swayed contentedly. At first glance, Captain Shu seemed to have a few more peculiar tails.

“You better hurry on your end too.”

Shu Jun didn’t care about the swaying tendrils of erosion. He stretched lazily.

“…I’ve never personally fought in a battle of destroying the world so it’s really hard to endure.”