Return?
Bai Feifei was stunned by the request. She even glanced at her phone, wondering if she had misheard.
Why was the order to return now?
Hadn't she discovered a major anomaly? There was clearly a massive problem with this coal mine!
This was just the beginning, not the end. Bai Feifei had assumed her seniors at the outpost would ask for details and then send reinforcements.
“Why are you telling me to stay away? There’s a substance here that causes aberrations, and we still don’t know who’s behind it.”
“Many miners turned into aberrations today. Even if we’re avoiding danger, shouldn’t we evacuate the people? They need help.”
Wang Xu frowned at the phone in his hand, wondering if this death-bringer truly didn’t understand or was just playing dumb.
He asked tentatively, “Did you come here with some sort of mission from above?”
“What?” Bai Feifei didn’t understand.
“If you don’t have one, then stop meddling in what’s happening there and get out of that place immediately!”
Wang Xu gritted his teeth. Since things had reached this point, he decided to just tell the truth.
“That coal mine is indeed problematic, but the forces behind it are too powerful. There are too many people involved whom we can’t afford to offend.”
“This isn’t something we can handle, nor is it something we should be handling.”
Bai Feifei’s mouth hung open in shock. Those arrogant foremen had mentioned their deep background multiple times, but she hadn’t expected even the Scavengers to say the same!
What did he mean by “not something we should be handling”?
Aren't Scavengers supposed to deal with these problems? If the Scavengers don't handle it, who will?
Wang Xu’s voice continued over the phone:
“You’ve caused such a huge mess and even killed their foremen. Both you and our outpost will be held responsible for this!”
“Get back here now so we can distance ourselves from the liability!”
“Besides, since the miners there are starting to turn, just let them cull each other. Once they’re mostly dead, we’ll just call it an accident. No one will likely pursue the matter of you killing the foremen then.”
Bai Feifei replied with some difficulty, “I’ve already killed all the aberrations from this wave.”
“You only killed the ones you saw,” Wang Xu’s voice sounded cold.
“Historically, whenever an aberration riot occurs at a coal mine, it’s never limited to just one spot. There are anomalies in multiple locations throughout the mining area.”
“That place is about to become very dangerous!”
Hearing this, Xu Mo’s voice echoed in Bai Feifei’s mind:
“What he said is actually true. I can explain the principle to you while I’m at it.”
“That potion has a chain reaction mechanism. Once a vial breaks and the infection starts to spread, the other linked potions in different areas will also rupture in sequence. Well, you can think of it as a form of quantum mechanics.”
“What?!” Bai Feifei was startled and asked Xu Mo, “Why would they do that?”
“Why? Good question. I don’t know, and I don’t care to know.”
“Where are the other potions?”
“In wild dog dens, among piles of corpses, or just in the miners’ dormitories. But don’t overthink it; the potions have most likely already ruptured by now.”
Listening to Xu Mo’s words in her head, Bai Feifei’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the phone. She seemed to lack the resilience to face the darkness and evil of this place.
Did that mean these miners were not only being mistreated every day but were also essentially living next to bombs?
And what did he mean by “based on historical experience”?
In other words, had things like this happened here more than once?
And... everyone was just used to it?
“Hello? Are you still there?” On the other end, Wang Xu thought the signal had cut out since Bai Feifei hadn’t spoken for a while.
“What about the people here?” Bai Feifei asked with difficulty.
“If we already know the aberrations will spread—or are already spreading—there are still so many miners in this vast mining area. So many lives!”
“Lives have different price tags, and the Outer City will never run out of miners!” Wang Xu’s voice was exceptionally heartless.
He found it strange. Wasn't this Bai Feifei a sinner? Why did she have such a sense of justice?
If he weren't somewhat wary of her, he would have started cursing by now.
“This isn’t your concern. Their survival is up to fate.”
“What you need to do now is come back and wait. Just report it to the higher-ups and let them decide. You don’t need to worry about the miners! This is the outpost’s decision!”
Bai Feifei didn’t know how to respond. She felt a strange sense of powerlessness, and her chest felt tight.
This wasn’t what she thought a Scavenger should be.
At that moment, the “devil’s whisper” rang out in her mind at the perfect time.
“Does it feel like this world is very different from what you imagined?”
“Does it feel like things shouldn’t be this way?”
“But I can warn you in advance: this is just how the world is. It’s always much harder for good people to realize their ideals than it is for bad people.”
“Unless you have enough power! Power so great that you can compel it—force the world to run along the track you desire!”
“After all, how can you defeat the devil if you’re weaker than him?”
Xu Mo’s voice drifted slowly through Bai Feifei’s mind, laced with a hint of playfulness, sounding like the seduction of an evil god.
Bai Feifei’s mind trembled. She instinctively felt that the Evil God was brainwashing her, yet at this moment, she couldn’t find any way to refute him.
“Tell me, do you want to save the people in this mine? Do you want to avoid standing by while they are devoured by aberrations?”
“Yes!” Regardless of whether the Evil God was manipulating her, Bai Feifei’s answer to this question was resolute.
“Then it’s simple!” Xu Mo chuckled. “Just completely ignore the outpost’s decision, the higher-ups’ thoughts, the background, the consequences—all of it is irrelevant!”
“Go into the mountains right now. Before the aberrations spread, just kill them all in advance!”
“As long as you kill faster than the aberrations can spread, then killing is an act of salvation, isn’t it?”
He was here to grind levels, and Xu Mo wanted to continue. Killing mobs before level thirty was the most efficient way to level up.
But if he could make Bai Feifei herself desire to kill monsters to become stronger, that was naturally for the best.
Bai Feifei’s eyes wavered.
She loathed the feeling of making deals with the Evil God. She always felt that following his lead would bring disaster, giving her a sense of guilt.
But this time, she eventually uttered only one word:
“Fine!”
“Alright then, no need for more talk. I’ll handle him!”
On the other end of the phone, Wang Xu’s voice was becoming stern.
“You’ve already caused a huge disaster this time. Cease all actions and return immediately. That’s an order!”
“Who the hell do you think you’re ordering? Go order your own mother! Did I give you too much face just now?” Xu Mo seized control of the body and cursed directly.
Wang Xu: ?
Rate on N.U.
