Song Chunhua patted her chest. It was a good thing she had risked leaving the factory to clarify her storyline; otherwise, even if she had survived until now, she wouldn't have been able to leave the mission.
Nan Yue and the others didn't wait for any more scavengers. Chi He arrived at the last minute, a notebook tucked under his arm.
"Comrade Tang, you..."
Chi He's words vanished the moment Jiang Siyan looked his way. He put down his notebook and quietly stood beside Nan Yue.
After a moment, he moved two steps away.
Tsk, why wasn't this madman wearing his glasses? Was he not even bothering to pretend anymore?
Jiang Siyan was an opponent Chi He rarely found troublesome. His incredibly powerful self-healing awakened ability bordered on an immortal body; he could wear down other scavengers to death just by toying with them. Moreover, because he was insane, he was extremely cunning and capable of anything.
What kind of stimulation had he received...?
Jiang Siyan glanced at Chi He and switched on the loudspeaker.
"I am Tang Yu. I secretly admired and stalked Comrade Li Hui from the factory for months. After discovering her connection to Xiang Guang's death, I used it to threaten her. Li Hui refused, and during our struggle, she fell from upstairs and died."
Jiang Siyan finished speaking and stepped aside. Nan Yue took over.
"I am Li Hui. I killed Xiang Guang."
Nan Yue recounted in detail what Xiang Guang had done to Li Hui, concluding, "I don't regret killing Xiang Guang. I only regret not recognizing that beast in human skin from the start."
Gu Xiang Kai sighed, "I am Li Wang. While reselling rebar from the abandoned factory, I discovered Yang Xufen. I harbored ill intentions toward her and killed her afterward."
"I am Zhao Mingming. Because I was unhappy that Song Chunhua liked Zhong Guochao, I used her timid nature to scare her to death by pretending to be a ghost."
"I am Song Chunhua. To win Zhong Guochao's attention, I pushed Liu Qian into the lake while we were boating..."
Everyone had spoken. Chi He stepped forward.
"I am Zhong Guochao. I enjoyed the attention of the female comrades, and I loved watching them fight among themselves for me."
"I revealed their existence to each other and repeatedly hinted that the final winner would be my fiancée."
"I personally witnessed every accident, which greatly satisfied my perverted psychological needs. Finally, I strangled the only survivor, Zhao Mingming. Her face was ruined; how could I be with her?"
"I confess, I am a pervert. I deserve to die."
Everyone: ...
After all the surviving scavengers had spoken, Nan Yue saw vengeful spirits appear one by one in the factory office.
Zhao Mingming, Li Hui, Tang Yu, Song Chunhua...
They appeared in their original forms.
Xiang Guang also appeared, but he was torn to shreds by Li Hui's vengeful spirit the moment he materialized. Half of the pollution on him had already been consumed by Nan Yue, making him a vulnerable existence in the karmic cycle.
The factory office door opened without a breeze. Leaving through it meant exiting the mission.
Song Chunhua was the first to walk out, but Chi He remained still.
"One of your teammates died?"
Chi He looked at Nan Yue. "That can't be, right?"
Nan Yue glanced at him. "Do you want to know?"
Chi He immediately shook his head. "No, those who know secrets die early."
"You all carry on, I'm leaving first. I won't disturb you."
Nan Yue watched Chi He's retreating figure with a meaningful gaze.
Chi He was an extremely intelligent person; he might have even discovered some clues. He might have even realized that Nan Yue and the others still had something to do in the mission, but he asked nothing. It was good to deal with smart people. It was just that this one was too draining.
Nan Yue raised her hand, and black mist enveloped the vengeful spirits. Their resentment dissipated into black mist, surging into Nan Yue's body.
With previous experiences of consumption, Nan Yue didn't feel as much pain this time, and there wasn't much pollution in this mission.
"Let's go."
Nan Yue rubbed her temples. She would have to find Fu Xi Ming after returning. That would also be a troublesome matter.
"Multiplayer evaluation mission, Code 82734: Dawn Rubber Factory. Mission result: Cleared."
"Scavenger rank evaluation in progress based on the clearing process. Please wait..."
"Team evaluation grade: S"
"Evaluation reward: Team reward points 34000."
"Congratulations. We hope you continue your efforts and devote yourselves entirely to the Scavenger Project."
Returning to the Purification Center, the four felt no sense of relief or even joy. Hearing the prompts now, they even felt sick to their stomachs.
Devote yourselves entirely to the Scavenger Project.
They once believed this was everyone's faith. They never expected it was the purpose for which they were created.
The meaning of points also became less important, merely a tool used by the Federation to motivate everyone to work hard at purification. To live better lives, to enjoy the only free time between life-and-death struggles.
For even more scavengers, they were more ordinary, with no chance of reaching better city states. So the Federation decided to let them use part-time jobs to fill their extra time, leaving them no leisure to ponder the truth about the world.
Gu Xiang Kai even felt they were inferior to the employees of Blooming Media Company.
Employees at least only had to work.
They also faced death.
Zhu Xi Ning returned to her primary personality after leaving the mission. She was quiet, even somewhat depressed.
"You all go back first. I'm going to find Fu Xi Ming."
"No."
For the first time, Gu Xiang Kai contradicted Nan Yue. "We'll go together."
Nan Yue furrowed her brow in disagreement. She didn't want them to go because, deep down, she still felt that Gu Xiang Kai, Zhu Xi Ning, and even Jiang Siyan, had other paths they could choose. They bore no pollution; before meeting her, they didn't have to bear such heavy burdens.
She still hoped that if she were to die one day, they wouldn't be implicated and could live different lives.
"A-Nan."
Zhu Xi Ning spoke slowly. "From the very beginning, Old Gu and I told you that we hadn't considered any other path. We will be by your side until death."
"It's even more so now. You are the special one, but the burden of a savior shouldn't rest solely on you."
"This is our world; we also need to contribute something to it."
Zhu Xi Ning looked at Nan Yue, her eyes filled with immense sincerity.
"Let's go together."
"No matter what lies ahead, let's go together."
Nan Yue closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she had regained her usual strength and determination.
"Alright."
Nan Yue nodded and sent a message to Fu Xi Ming.
Fu Xi Ming seemed to have been waiting for her, replying almost instantly.
Fu: I'm waiting for you in my office.
Strongest A-Nan in History: Can you guarantee the conversation will be safe there?
Fu Xi Ming immediately understood Nan Yue's meaning. It seemed what she wanted to tell her was far more serious and troublesome than they had previously anticipated.
Fu: 【Location Pin】
Fu: Come here.
Nan Yue looked at the new address Fu Xi Ming had sent her. It wasn't in Eden; instead, it was in City State 183.
Rate on N.U.
