PSW - Chapter 124
Chapter 124
The moment Wu Banhuai closed the door, he dropped his pretense. He turned to the two who had followed him in, and after a moment's consideration, softened his tone. "You two… name your price."
He had already shown considerable sincerity, even elevating Zheng Yi to the position of a divine messenger. After the display just now, the two of them should have a rough idea of his overall strength. And even if his power was nothing to them, there were still all those ordinary people. He refused to believe these two didn't care one bit about the lives of those common folk.
"Take me to the meteor fragment."
Wu Banhuai was momentarily speechless. This woman was certainly direct, asking for the meteor fragment right off the bat. "I can take you, but we need to come to an agreement first."
He paused, intending to wait for Zheng Yi to press him so he could state his conditions. However, Zheng Yi merely shot him a cold glance and said nothing, letting his words fall flat.
Wu Banhuai's expression soured. Annoyance was already brewing within him, but he couldn't act on it due to Zheng Yi's strength. He forced himself to pick up the conversation again, continuing on his own, "Life isn't easy for anyone in this apocalypse. I may have deceived them, but haven't all these people managed to survive because of it?"
"So, the god you speak of is fake?" Zheng Yi looked at him, twirling a small black cube between her fingertips. "You've given me the title of divine messenger. What does that make you?"
"Of course it's fake. If a god really existed, who knows what this world would have become." Wu Banhuai scoffed; he wasn't much of a believer anyway. "I am also a divine messenger, naturally. We are both divine messengers. Because you are powerful, I've ranked you above myself. That's a show of great sincerity."
"If you wish to stay, I will treat you with the utmost hospitality. I'll have a house built for you, and I'll let you see the Key… that is, the meteor fragment. But you absolutely cannot try to monopolize or take the fragment," Wu Banhuai said. "If you don't stay, that's fine too. I'll smooth everything over. Just cooperate with me and don't blow my cover. Food, water, or any other supplies you want—as long as I can find them, I'll provide them for you. Let's just consider it a partnership. If you come again, I'll welcome you just the same. It's the apocalypse, after all. Let's be friends."
After he finished, he noticed their expressions remained impassive, as if they were still unsatisfied. He gritted his teeth, thinking they didn't understand what the title of divine messenger represented. He stated bluntly, "Everyone in the God Country, including those ability users from before, believes in the existence of a god. They think all special abilities are awakened only through the god's mercy. If they haven't awakened an ability, or if they aren't strong enough, it must be because they haven't suffered enough. As long as they endure more hardship, they're certain to gain the god's attention. And as for the ordinary people, even if they can't awaken, no matter how much they suffer in this life, as long as they believe with all their hearts, they can hope for a better reincarnation in the next."
"Whatever you ask of them, as long as you maintain the air of a divine messenger and fabricate a suitable divine revelation, they will believe you. As a divine messenger, you can do whatever you want here."
Wu Banhuai thought that after being so direct, surely these two must understand now, right? What was this? It was privilege! A privilege that placed them above almost everyone else. If he wanted, everyone would have to kowtow to him. All supplies would be offered to him first, satisfying his every need. Those ability users would be at his command, becoming his right and left hands, exerting themselves to their fullest potential for him. And even…
"Among the common folk, there are a few good-looking young men. If you're interested, you can have them serve you." Wu Banhuai tried to find something that would pique their interest. "To them, serving a divine messenger is the highest honor. They would never resist."
In truth, Wu Banhuai was already quite furious. Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan's continued silence made him feel like a clown putting on a one-man show. Subjectively, even though there was nothing overtly wrong with the way the woman looked at him, Wu Banhuai felt her gaze was full of mockery.
"Have you found women or men to serve you like that?"
The one who spoke was the woman behind Zheng Yi. Wu Banhuai glanced at her. Her emotions weren't as restrained as the one in charge, and she clearly disapproved of what he'd said. Tsk, it's the apocalypse, who has time for a moral compass? Putting on a saintly act. Being adept at reading people, he lowered his head slightly and said with a placating smile, "I wouldn't dare force them. They were all willing. I treat them very well and never let them want for anything. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. After all, I have the status of a divine messenger. I can't be seen forcing the faithful, can I? Building this kind of faith isn't easy."
However, while it wasn't physical coercion, there was certainly guidance and inducement. He would use terms like "holy birth" and bestow special titles like "holy son" or "holy daughter" upon the infants, deceiving the believers who had entrusted their bodies and souls to him. In reality, it was no different from coercion.
For those ordinary people, there was no way to resist either.
"To the meteor fragment." Zheng Yi couldn't be bothered to discuss such matters with him; she had no interest in a title like divine messenger. As for whether the meteor fragment could be taken or monopolized… that wasn't for Wu Banhuai to decide.
"Fine, I'll take you to have a look then." Feeling he had said all he needed to, Wu Banhuai readily agreed. "But it can't be just the few of us. Wait here while I bring the other ability users." It would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid. If this mental-type ability user was really that powerful, she might just kill him and run off with the meteor fragment. What a raw deal that would be. With more people around, they wouldn't dare to act so rashly.
Yu Yinan watched him with a cold stare, thinking to herself, Bring whoever you want. No matter how many you bring, they wouldn't be enough for Zheng Yi to crush with one hand. She had no favorable impression of this man whatsoever. From the moment he'd orchestrated that kneeling spectacle, Yu Yinan had felt deeply uncomfortable. It was completely different from when the people in Zhongshan had willingly kowtowed to Zheng Yi after she made it rain.
Zheng Yi reached out and squeezed Yu Yinan's fingers. Only then did Yu Yinan lower her gaze and rein in her emotions.
"Right, I still don't know your name," Zheng Yi asked suddenly. "You're a dual-ability user, aren't you? One of your abilities must be related to emotional influence, right?" It must be a very suitable ability for proselytizing, she thought.
"…My name is Wu Banhuai." Wu Banhuai nearly lost his composure. Having never encountered a powerful mental-type ability user before, he was terrified at being seen through, but he tried his best to remain calm. "I am indeed a dual-ability user." As for her last question, Wu Banhuai pretended he hadn't heard it.
His ability could be considered a type of mental power, but it was different from the more common ones. It was more like a passive ability, an emotional amplifier that made his believers more devout, the fanatical more fervent, and his haters more full of hate.
Of course, anyone who held strong negative emotions toward him had been dealt with one way or another.
He was the person closest to the meteor fragment, so he had endured the most pain and received the most energy after being cleansed by it. Combined with the fact that he had planned all of this from the very beginning, cloaking himself in the identity of a divine messenger, things had only gotten smoother after a difficult start.
"I've built a barrier around that place," Wu Banhuai explained. "It's not that I won't let you touch it, but even the most powerful ability users can hardly withstand the energy radiating from the fragment's core. Get too close for too long, and you might just explode. Unless you have a special way to block the energy, it's impossible to move or take it."
After saying this, he went out and summoned the other ability users, having them follow respectfully behind. He framed the excursion as a "routine inspection of the Key's condition by the divine messengers."
The area near the meteor fragment was already in the suburbs. There weren't many houses there, and the ones that existed had been leveled. All the plants had been uprooted, leaving nothing behind. This must have been done in the early days.
The vicinity had been cleaned of all debris. Only a conspicuous, low, circular wall made of bricks and earth remained. There were markings at various distances from the circle, likely indicating the maximum proximity that ordinary people, ability users, or even stronger individuals could withstand from the meteor fragment.
No wonder Wu Banhuai was still willing to bring them to the meteor fragment despite their attitude. He clearly believed the Key wasn't so easy to take.
Wu Banhuai and the other ability users stood quietly outside the circle, waiting for Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan to experience it for themselves.
Even before she could see the meteor fragment, Yu Yinan felt as if she were being drenched in a downpour. An omnipresent, searing pain and an infusion of energy washed over her, giving her the sensation of growing stronger while bathing in agony.
Zheng Yi led Yu Yinan forward. When they reached the innermost mark that Wu Banhuai's group had made, she pressed a Stamina Recovery Pill and a tube of nutrient solution into Yu Yinan's hand, then let go. "Stay here and feel it out for a while. If you feel unwell, back away."
Resisting the pain and absorbing the energy, beyond pushing the body's physical limits, was fundamentally a constant drain on one's spirit and willpower.
Yu Yinan looked at Zheng Yi and watched as she effortlessly stepped over the mark, continuing forward as if on a leisurely stroll.
Zheng Yi could obviously feel the pain too, but…
As she went deeper, no one could see her expression; they could only watch her back.
When Zheng Yi crossed that mark, Wu Banhuai held his breath involuntarily. He frowned, torn between the fear that she might actually be able to touch the meteor fragment and the hope that she would just explode from the energy and die. He had even prepared his script: "After this divine messenger approached the Key, the god perceived her impure character and a mind corrupted by the apocalypse, and so descended with a method to purify her."
But her back receded with such ease that Wu Banhuai began to panic, struck by the terrifying feeling that everything was about to spiral out of his control.
She walked step by step until she saw the fragment, which was emitting a faint blue glow.
It looked to be only the size of a basketball, not as exaggerated as a celestial meteorite, and appeared perfectly portable. Of course, it was constantly radiating energy in all directions. There were probably very few people in the world who could become its carrier.
Feeling the omnipresent stinging pain all over her body and the sensation of countless needles pricking her mind, Zheng Yi still had the presence of mind to think: With the containment equipment Chi Heqing's team has, it would probably be impossible to transport this thing back.
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