Saving Unpermitted

Chapter 92: A Lie

The doors of the memorial hall closed behind Shu Jun.

The space was spacious and brightly lit, with a distinct bitter scent that was unique to the memorial hall. All the researchers had been busy recently, and now there was not a single person inside the Zhu Rong Memorial Hall.

Under the thin disguise of erosion substance, Shu Jun tried to control his facial expression. This wasn’t Zhu Yanchen’s office, and there was no third person present, so it wasn’t a good thing for him.

The human leader was right in front of him, and it was extremely challenging to restrain his murderous intent. 

“You’ve been leaving the command center frequently recently. You’re not being very honest.” Zhu Sheng still had his back to him. “What’s the matter, scared?”

“No,” Shu Jun responded briefly. The desire to extend his claws made all ten of his fingers tingle.

“It’s normal to be scared. Your generation hasn’t encountered many major disasters.” Zhu Sheng slowly turned around. There was no expression on his face, but under the pale light in the memorial hall, the wrinkles on the old man’s face seemed deeper. “Fear is allowed. Running away is not.”

“Understood.”

Recently, it was understandable for Xia Yufeng to need to exchange places with the real Zhu Yanchen from time to time. Shu Jun responded resolutely.

“If you can hold on until the end, I won’t kill you,” Zhu Sheng said in a low voice. “That kid Yi Ning is too stubborn and naive. In this war, as long as he doesn’t go astray, he’ll probably grow a lot. If you get elected and survive this term, I will arrange a good life for you and your family. If Yi Ning gets elected, after the war, when he gets back on track, you can ‘retire’—as long as you don’t do anything foolish.”

The old man extended his wrinkled hand, hesitating for a few seconds, and then patted “Zhu Yanchen” on the shoulder.

Zhu Sheng had aged, inevitably becoming frail. “Zhu Yanchen” was over six feet tall, so Zhu Sheng’s movements were somewhat slow and laborious.

The tingling sensation at his fingertips disappeared, and Shu Jun looked steadily at the old man in front of him. The hatred was still surging, but compared to Zhu Sheng on that day, facing off at the stronghold, the two were completely different.

The human leader in front of him looked exhausted and aged. The cold artificial light cast a gray-white hue on the old man’s slightly yellowish skin, making him appear like a drowned corpse. Zhu Sheng silently looked at him—just looked at him. The muscles on his face twitched slightly, as if struggling with whether or not to say what came next.

“Do you regret it?” Unable to control his own mouth, Shu Jun finally spoke, seeing Zhu Sheng’s prolonged silence.

Zhu Sheng didn’t answer, but he seemed even more exhausted.

“There’s nothing to regret. If given another chance, my choice wouldn’t change. In the end, it was my own chosen path.”

Zhu Sheng took a few steps closer, showing no signs of weakness. But Shu Jun had a strange feeling—the concrete floor beneath his feet seemed to turn into a swamp, and he felt like he was witnessing the slow sinking of this old man.

“It’s just an old man’s thoughts that come to mind when I look at you.” Zhu Sheng turned around and glanced at the portrait of Zhu Rong on the wall. “…Zhu Yanchen, he has really grown up.”

His next words were soft, like a whisper.

“…He has indeed grown up.”

Finally, he shook his head, as if trying to shake off the sentiment.

“What I’m about to tell you is something very important.” Zhu Sheng paused his cane. “In this war, there’s a possibility that I might die. If I die, your situation will be awkward—you’re not good at research and tactics. Yi Ning might spare you, but my other enemies might not.”

Shu Jun remained silent, listening quietly.

“Even if I arrange a way out for you, ‘escaping’ itself will take time. Assassinations can be avoided, but at least… I don’t want you to exit the stage ‘in disgrace’ in Zhu Yanchen’s identity. Do you understand?”

Zhu Sheng extended his arm and pointed to the glass display case below the Zhu Rong portrait.

“That’s Zhu Rong’s manuscript.”

“I know.” The introductory plaque had black letters on a white background. Shu Jun squinted, barely able to make out the words from this distance.

“It was discovered by Tang Heyu and me from the old Tang residence. We were still young at the time. It had always been treasured by the Tang family as a priceless collection. The older generation of the Tang family hid it in a secret room in the warehouse. After their deaths due to illness, this thing was covered in dust for nearly a hundred years.”

Zhu Sheng’s voice carried a hint of bitterness.

“Zhu Rong had a deputy surnamed Tang, and they had a good relationship. This manuscript was undoubtedly brought out by that assistant from X City… Initially, Heyu resisted the pressure from the Tang family and insisted on giving me half of the ownership as the discoverer, so that it wouldn’t be seized by the Tang family.”

Shu Jun’s heart skipped a beat, barely maintaining a blank expression on his face.

“…Well, you wouldn’t be interested in the history of old men.”

Zhu Sheng’s voice remained calm, as if he were discussing someone else’s matters.

“Anyway, this is no ordinary manuscript. It is one of Zhu Rong’s later research works on the player system. The research was never completed, and even by today’s technological standards, the theories inside are still extremely complex. But whether it’s the main topic or the annotations, they all indicate one thing—Zhu Rong, as the creator of the player system, didn’t like his own invention.”

“I will transfer the ownership of this book to you. Both Xia Yufeng and Zhu Yanchen will have a copy. If something happens to me, you can hand over the key to Yi Ning and the Tang family in exchange for a period of protection. Remember, do not directly open the cabinet—this thing has a long history, and if not handled delicately before opening, the pages will turn to powder.”

[Regarding possible vulnerabilities and risks of the player system, my research was forcibly terminated, but I have entrusted my interim findings to people I trust.]

…Was this manuscript the artifact they were searching for near the ruins in X City?

It seemed that the person Zhu Rong “trusted the most” didn’t fulfill Zhu Rong’s final wish. It was initially hidden deep within the estate and was now placed in the most intolerant place in the world, with its contents forever fixed on a single page.

As if seeing through Shu Jun’s thoughts, Zhu Sheng rubbed the glass covering the manuscript.

“Its contents were never included in the database. The page displayed externally only describes a partial design concept of the hibernation pods. Almost everyone believed that it was something that had long been thoroughly researched and never questioned.”

“It’s just a manuscript.” Shu Jun stared intently at Zhu Sheng’s expression.

“It’s more than just a manuscript. It was because of Tang Heyu’s research on this manuscript that he made up his mind to oppose the player system. However, most of his theories were based on speculation and lacked any solid evidence. Without substantial evidence, speculations would only stir up turmoil at that time. As a precaution, when the database was being entered, as one of the owners, I disagreed with uploading information about this manuscript.”

“And now is the time?”

“The situation won’t get any worse.” Zhu Sheng brushed his white hair with his palm.

“…Yes, I understand.” Shu Jun found it difficult to articulate his feelings at that moment.

“A long time ago, Tang Heyu and I made a bet.”

Just as Shu Jun was about to turn and leave, Zhu Sheng spoke softly.

“We donated it to the command center, placing it where everyone could see it. If someone cared about the player system and noticed that this piece of information wasn’t recorded, and thus applied to access it… If there really was such a researcher, I would have to agree to hand over the key and allow that researcher to read the contents.”

Shu Jun was taken aback.

“However, over the decades, there has been only one person who wanted to access this manuscript. Tang Heyu became a drunkard at that time, and I thought… maybe it’s okay to lie.”

Zhu Sheng’s gaze shifted once again, devoid of coldness or sharpness, but filled with a suffocating emptiness.

“I told Zhu Yanchen that this manuscript had been reviewed by a specialist, and all the content was included in .” Zhu Sheng’s tone remained unchanged. “Of course, I knew he would still search for it himself. Naturally, he would find it. The key is in my possession, and to ensure that the manuscript doesn’t get damaged once exposed to air, it requires the assistance of multiple experts and a long processing time… I knew he wouldn’t dig deeper. At that time, he wasn’t even twenty years old.”

Then, Zhu Sheng fell silent for a long time before sighing and repeating himself.

“…At that time, he wasn’t even twenty years old.”

He really shouldn’t have replaced Zhu Yanchen today, Shu Jun thought.

Naturally, Zhu Sheng didn’t expect “Xia Yufeng” to make any comforting gestures. The old man quickly snapped out of his absent-minded state, and his gaze became cold and firm once again.

“This is the key. Take it.” He handed a small box the size of his palm to Shu Jun. “The city will soon descend into chaos. Don’t lose it.”

“Mm.”

Shu Jun’s dry response was met with Zhu Sheng turning around, walking away decisively.

“…I believe in you.” Shu Jun put the box in his pocket. His heart was filled with mixed emotions. Facing a detestable enemy, he should have relished their silent pain. Unfortunately, in the end, he couldn’t help but speak up. “I believe in you. At least in the upcoming war, you will arrange things well in Y City.”

“Is that so?” Zhu Sheng only left a rhetorical question.

Then he took another step and disappeared into the darkness.

A few hours later.

Shu Jun conveyed everything from the meeting to Zhu Yanchen in detail. This included the conversation with Zhu Sheng after the meeting, and he handed the small key to Zhu Yanchen.

Marshal Zhu slept the most peaceful sleep he had in days. He felt refreshed. He examined the key in his hand for a moment, but in the end, he didn’t say anything.

He simply opened his arms and embraced Shu Jun quietly for a moment. When he released his hold, Shu Jun couldn’t discern any abnormal emotions from him.

“It seems that the preparations for Y City before the war are almost complete.”

“Yes.” Shu Jun didn’t inquire further, naturally continuing the topic. “The population is concentrated in the center of Y City, leaving the outskirts of Y City vacant. I can freely cause destruction there. The problem lies with Yi Ning… If the residents from the settlements really enter the outer city, it will be more troublesome to take action.”

“Mm, I will pay attention to the placement of relocation sites recently. Don’t worry. The ‘Suppression’ weapons are also almost prepared. The final batch of performance verifications will only take three days.”

“Very well.”

This time, Shu Jun didn’t kiss his lover. He stood upright, as if standing in a preparation room before a major competition.

“The work in the settlements will be completed within three days. That’s settled—”

“—After three days, regardless of the election outcome, I will launch an attack on Y City.”