Evil God 41

Shibaliwu Gorge 17

“Godslayer?”

The roar of the wind howled past his ears, and a stinging pain intensified along the wounds carved by the flying sand and debris. Chen Yu stood amidst the hurricane, yet his attention was riveted to the figure within the storm.

It was a man with black hair and golden eyes.

His crimson robe flapped in the gale, and the cold blade reflected his ruthless golden eyes; an invisible barrier seemed to surround him, rendering the flying debris harmless against him.

The little evil god laughed raucously beside him. The manic sound threw Chen Yu’s thoughts into disarray.

He was certain he had never heard that title or seen this man before.

Yet, the man felt familiar, as though long, long ago, before he was Chen Yu, he had [Read on]already seen those eyes.

Sand and grit poured into his throat, followed immediately by the metallic taste of blood.

Chen Yu couldn’t help but cough; his body had already reached its limit.

The battles against Black Fish had drained every ounce of his strength, yet he forced himself to remain standing, his eyes fixed on the figure in the storm.

“Black Fish leader’s contamination value has spiraled completely out of control; let Godslayer handle what comes next.”

A voice suddenly rang out beside him.

Along with Godslayer, Bai Zhen had arrived.

He wasn’t wearing his signature hospital gown; instead, he wore a long white coat embroidered with three blue water droplets at the cuffs, a stark contrast to the swirling yellow sands.

Though the gale tugged at his coat, he stood perfectly upright, exuding a sense of normalcy that felt out of place [Read on]amidst the surrounding chaos.

Chen Yu’s gaze lingered on him for less than a second before drifting back to the center of the storm.

“What is his name?”

Bai Zhen did not answer the question. He simply patted Chen Yu’s shoulder: “You’ve worked hard on this trip, Chen Yu.”

In that instant, the exhaustion Chen Yu had been suppressing surged into his mind like a bursting dam.

“You–”

He wanted to say something more, but it was too late; darkness had already overwhelmed everything.

Before his consciousness sank completely into the abyss, Chen Yu heard a series of mechanical sounds from the cube:

[System: Congratulations on your contamination value exceeding 2000 and successfully surviving the second mental chaos crisis; current contamination value: 2468!]

[System: The Chaos Evil God has completed his second feeding, successfully devouring 3 Fragments of Authority!]

[System: Congratulations, the Divine Realm wager “Can the leader of Black Fish successfully retrieve the Chaos Evil God?” has concluded. The result is “No”; you have earned 0 chances for a Divine Realm draw reward!]

*

When he woke up again, Chen Yu saw a stark white ceiling.

A familiar ceiling, the familiar smell of disinfectant, the familiar, sterile confines of Room 007.

Chen Yu stared at it for a long while.

His consciousness was still lingering amidst that vast expanse of wind and sand; the figure of the man in the scarlet robe was branded onto his mind, impossible to forget.

“Awake?”

The young quack in a white coat stood by the bedside. He was holding a medical chart and scribbling with a fountain pen.

After Chen Yu opened his eyes, the doctor glanced up from the chart and cast a look of boredom his way.

The same expression, the same movements, the same impatient tone.

For a moment, Chen Yu had the illusion that he had never actually left this ward.

“Doctor?”

“Aside from a lingering mark of leyline erosion on your arm, your recovery is going well, and your mental state seems fine. We’ll need to keep observing the injury on your arm for a few more days.”

The young doctor closed the chart, his tone almost identical to the last time. Chen Yu tried to sit up, but found his limbs glued to the sheets; they felt heavy and immovable, as if held down by a nightmare.

Every muscle in his body seemed to rebel at once; Read onhe felt sore, and his body refused to obey his commands.

He failed twice and eventually collapsed back onto the bed like a stranded fish.

“A patient needs to act like a patient.”

“Where is your director?”

The young doctor looked even more impatient. “He’s in a meeting; he’ll be here in a bit.”

With that, he closed the medical chart and turned to leave.

The hospital room door made a dull sound as it closed.

Silence descended upon the room.

Chen Yu’s mind was in chaos; his thoughts were a mess.

A ticking sound came from a monitor by the bedside. He strained to shift his gaze and saw Xiao Hundun curled up at the head of the bed, fast asleep.

There were still a few grains of sand clinging to him, likely brought back from the Shibaliwu Gorge

For a moment, Chen Yu felt as though he were dreaming.

Perhaps he had simply been exhausted from working overtime and had a fitful sleep, dreaming of the breakup, of the world turning absurd, of Duan Zhuosheng’s life and death… If he just woke up, everything would be back to normal.

He would still be the ordinary Chen Yu: squeezing onto the subway for work, cursing out unreasonable players who lodged complaints, coming home to share a bowl of instant noodles topped with a fried egg with Fang Xun, and scrolling through his phone before bed.

No contamination value, no evil god, and no Black Fish or White/Turbidity.

Creeeak–

The sound of the door opening shattered the silence, and Chen Yu’s fantasy burst like a bubble. Bai Zhen [unauthorized copy]appeared in the doorway, clad in a white uniform.

He blinked innocently. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

Chen Yu remained silent.

A moment later, a look of realization dawned on Bai Zhen’s face. He spun into the room like a whirlwind, the hem of his white outfit tracing a graceful arc. “I knew it! You think this outfit looks cool too, right?”

He twirled beside Chen Yu’s bed to show off the uniform.

“This is the official uniform of our White/Turbidity Asylum. Custom-made, fireproof, pest-proof, and thief-proof. You look instantly cool the moment you put it on. Want one? All you have to do is join White/Turbidity…”

Chen Yu pursed his lips.

To be fair, the uniform wasn’t bad.

It was well-tailored and simple in design; wearing it even made Bai Zhen look like a normal person.

But that didn’t mean he was willing to join a psychiatric hospital just for an outfit.

“Hey! What’s with that look?”

Bai Zhen immediately took offense and glared at him. “Is this outfit not cool enough for you? Look at the cuffs! Three blue water droplets, the White/Turbidity emblem. Hand-embroidered; every single stitch…”

Chen Yu didn’t respond; he simply stared at the ceiling with a vacant gaze.

He had so many questions about the Shibaliwu Gorge, Godslayer, Duan Zhuosheng, and everything that had happened while he was unconscious.

Yet, precisely because there was so much to ask, he didn’t know where to begin.

Bai Zhen sat down by the bedside and fell silent, which was unusual.

A stifling silence hung in the air, and Bai Zhen was waiting for him to speak. After a long silence, [Read on]Chen Yu finally asked: “… What happened after that?”

“The hurricane you and Xiao Huntun unleashed raged for two days and two nights,” Bai Zhen said calmly. “Wen Li lost his mental stability amidst the storm; his contamination value spiked, causing the entire area to be engulfed by the Twilight Ruins. However, Godslayer handled the aftermath. That zone is now completely sealed off, and the Central Tower has publicly claimed it was a magnitude-8 earthquake.”

Godslayer.

The name rolled over the tip of Chen Yu’s tongue, but ultimately, he didn’t voice the question he wanted to ask.

Instead, he asked, “What about Cheng Mo?”

“His contamination value skyrocketed and he was critically injured, but he hadn’t completely lost his mind. Godslayer spared him, so he managed to flee back to Black Fish.”

Chen Yu fell silent for a moment before saying, “It doesn’t matter. Sooner or later, I’ll kill him with my own hands.”

Bai Zhen offered no particular comment; he simply smiled.

He seemed unsurprised by either Captain Duan’s death or Chen Yu’s words.

Chen Yu really disliked that smile.

He frowned as he asked: “Did you know all along that the Shibaliwu Gorge was a trap set by Black Fish?”

“Yes,” Bai Zhen nodded. “I actually thought you wouldn’t ask.”

“Then why didn’t you warn Captain Duan beforehand that there was an ambush?”

After talking for so long, Chen Yu finally looked directly into the eyes of the White/Turbidity director.

Unlike his calm voice, Chen Yu’s eyes churned with complex emotions– anger, confusion, grief, hatred, and questioning.

Bai Zhen’s smile vanished.

When he wasn’t speaking or showing expression, he looked imposing. The lines of his brows and ​Read on​eyes turned stern and cold, and his entire aura changed completely; he looked every bit the powerful figure who held authority and controlled destinies.

“Because that was Xiao Duan’s own choice.”

Chen Yu’s pupils contracted.

“I hold the Fate Authority and possess the trait ‘Stage of Destiny.’ At the right time and place, I construct a fitting stage; then, I select the right person to take the lead role, destined to fulfill the very fate established when the stage was first built.”

Bai Zhen’s gaze drifted out the window; it was unclear what he was looking at.

Perhaps the trees outside, or perhaps something further away, something invisible to Chen Yu.

“Before you set out, I gave Xiao Duan thirteen cards from the suit of Clubs,” he said. “If he had been willing, I could have constructed a stage of destiny for him and found a path for his survival. Yet, despite knowing this, he rejected my offer.”

Chen Yu’s fingers tightened abruptly.

Thirteen cards from the suit of Clubs.

Duan Zhuosheng had never mentioned this to him.

Bai Zhen paused. His gaze darkened as though he was recalling a memory from long ago.

“Xiao Duan was well aware of the dangers of this journey. Yet, he chose a fate where his life hung by a thread; he chose to die protecting you rather than eventually turning into a mindless monster. That was the ending he chose for himself.”

At this point, a trace of what could only be described as sorrow colored Bai Zhen’s voice for the first time. “So, Chen Yu, you need not feel burdened by his death.”

Chen Yu remained silent.

He stared at the ceiling, a suffocating pressure weighing on his chest.

Just then, Bai Zhen leaned in closer and asked, “If you discovered that I had deliberately sent Xiao Duan to his death, would you kill me too?”

Chen Yu didn’t answer; he simply smiled.

Bai Zhen waved his hand dismissively. “What a terrifying expression.”

He grinned, then sat back in his chair. Finally, the leader of White/Turbidity chuckled: “The people of Black Fish are a wretched lot; to stave off their impending mental collapse, they’ll do anything, no matter how insane. Yet, the more they struggle, the closer they drift toward despair. No matter how hard they try, they are ultimately powerless to escape a destiny of total annihilation.”

He turned his gaze toward Chen Yu, a look that was at once scrutinizing and inviting. “Whether it was the leader of Black Fish or Xiao Duan, they each chose their own path. So, Chen Yu… what kind of destiny do you choose?”

Chen Yu tried to ponder the question.

Destiny.

Choice.

The two concepts felt like a luxury.

In this absurd world, how many people could truly choose their own fate?

Most were driven by their contamination value, swept along by destiny, marching step by step toward an ending already written.

Yet Bai Zhen was telling him he had a choice.

Chen Yu couldn’t help but let out a derisive laugh.

He wanted to keep thinking, but the pain in his head was excruciating, and every attempt to focus only triggered a deeper agony.

So, Chen Yu quickly gave up.

He turned his gaze to Xiao Hundun sleeping on the bed, the six-month-old’s chest rose and fell gently, his breathing steady and deep.

Bathed in the stark, pale light of the hospital room, the baby looked fragile and soft, like the only source of genuine warmth in this absurd world.

Time ticked away, second by second.

Bai Zhen did not urge him.

The light outside shifted from bright to a dim, amber hue, casting long shadows across the floor.

Just as Bai Zhen began to think Chen Yu wouldn’t answer, a hoarse voice finally broke the silence: “You make it sound as if I had the choice not to join White/Turbidity… but the truth is, I never really had any other option from the very beginning.”

Bai Zhen shrugged; he neither confirmed nor denied it.

Finally, Chen Yu resigned himself to his fate. “Fine. I’ll join White/Turbidity.”