Saving Unpermitted – Chapter 48

Table of Contents

Chapter 48: Attacks On The Mind

The return trip lasted 2 days, so naturally, they had to spend one night outside.

Once again, Shu Jun dreamt of his weird self.

The dream was more vibrant this time. There was no darkness around him and he returned to his home in the ‘real world’.

The time in the dream was still daytime. The jug of juice that had been half-empty was on the coffee table, and the ice cubes in it had already melted. Outside the window, the river that crossed through the city glowed like a warm pinkish-blue ribbon. The wind was cool and refreshing, but somehow, it carried with it a strange, thick odor.

After he entered the team, Shu Jun’s house changed from a small apartment to a large flat with a swimming pool on the balcony. At this moment, flowing in the pool wasn’t clear water but reddish-brown blood. Shu Jun suppressed the urge to retch and came closer to take a better look — the blood in the pool was swaying gently, with organs that looked like swollen flesh floating on the surface.

‘His other self’ was sitting by the pool, still with black hair and black eyes, its whole body exposed except for a pair of familiar-looking swimming trunks. As if startled by Shu Jun’s footsteps, it slowly turned its head.

Its body was still disfigured and many parts were peeling off. Though more than half of its face had been restored, the blood vessels under the skin were pitch back, making it look like the corpse of someone that had been eroded to death.

But compared to the last time, when its whole body was covered with mosaics, this time round, Shu Jun could actually see its real shape.

……I wonder if it has anything to do with the memories I’ve recovered. Shu Jun squinted.

The pungent smell had him stand rooted to the spot, while the air around him thickened like glue. The thing slowly sank into the crimson pool in front of it and let the eroding blood flood over its chest. Step by step, it walked towards Shu Jun, causing ripples to spread out in the pool of blood.

Shu Jun remained unmoved: “If you have something to say, say it. There’s no need to put up such a show.”

“I remember now.” That thing’s voice was exactly the same as Shu Jun’s, but with more ethereal echoes, as if it was transmitted from an empty shell. “Zhu Yanchen has tricked me since he was twelve years old. Humans are all the same.”

The blood in the pool began to escape from the grasp of gravity and climbed up the edge of the pool, wrapping itself around Shu Jun’s ankles.

Shu Jun frowned as countless negative emotions frantically rushed into his mind. At that moment, the world in his eyes was turning blood-red, making him almost unable to withstand those emotions.

“We’ve been kept entirely in the dark. Everything that happened was just Zhu Yanchen’s deceit to make us feel bad for him — He knew that he would die soon from sickness, and he specially used this method to make you heal him. Wasn’t he the one who always kept you close to him back then? That person knows a lot about Erosion Marsh. Maybe he has everything in the palm of his hand…”

“He’s gained the immunity he wished for. Now he’ll use your ability to seize the position of the leader. If he’s not our kind, his heart will become impure. By the time Zhu Yanchen is able to use me and my kins to snatch that position, will he really spare us? Will he raise tens of thousands of non-humans that will soon lose their ability to work? He only needs to take advantage of his role as our partner to stab us in the back……”

“I don’t dare to, and I can’t forget the comrades who’ve fallen. Humans are not trustworthy at all. Those were memories of just half a year, who knows whether they’re true or false…”

Shu Jun covered his aching brain and waved his hand in disgust: “Stop, stop now. Let’s not act so familiar with each other, can we? You are you, and I am me. You start blabbering about who I am as soon as you pop up. This is all too noisy.”

As though it wasn’t expecting Shu Jun’s reaction, that thing froze in the pool of blood and, for a long time, it didn’t utter another word.

Even the eroding blood that was crawling up Shu Jun’s legs came to a halt.

“You can’t change who you are. For human beings, you are a disaster. Even if there are samples of brain tissues now, how much medicine can that Ai woman make? It’s just Zhu Yanchen trying to give you a taste of sweetness. Killing all the people who know about the medicine immediately after you’ve obtained it is the most reasonable choice……”

“Yes, yes, that’s it. Calling me ‘you’ makes me feel more comfortable.” Shu Jun was finally able to press down the chaotic emotions in his heart and heaved a sigh of relief.

The thing rolled its only remaining eye and stared at him coldly.

Shu Jun pulled the cloth off on the coffee table and began to wipe the blood that had crawled up his calfs: “Don’t look at it. Is there anything else? Are you done talking?”

The monster in the pool of blood: “……”

“I’ve fully understood your request, now you can dispppear.” Shu Jun squeezed the blood-soaked tablecloth.

“You should’ve felt the resentment and hatred of those who’ve fallen — do you want to turn a blind eye to all this?”

Familiar faces emerged from the pool of blood, which were all Blackbird team members who perished during missions. Their eyes were wide-open yet blank, their grey pupils pointing dazingly at the sky.

In a blink, Shu Jun’s indifference vanished.

“Earlier, I only thought you talk too much, but now I think you’re rather rude.” There was a hint of coldness in his voice. “Let me ask you a question first. Based on what you say, can the synthesised humans ever win?”

The thing didn’t answer.

“Then why are you spewing so much bullsh*t? After listening to all your bullsh*t so far, I can only see one intention. You want me to quickly kick Marshal Zhu off his throne, then seek revenge on humans.”

As Shu Jun grabbed the handle of the glass jug on the table, blue veins started popping up at the top of his hand.

“So, I take revenge, and then what? Unilateral destruction can’t solve the fundamental problem here — even if each person’s individual strength is strong, there are too few synthesised humans, and our lifespan is limited. Humans only need to cease the development and escape for a few years. When we become weak, they’ll fight back.”

“Not to mention, we don’t have any knowledge about the system. Even if we have it, we can’t teach anyone to use it skilfully in such a short time. Before we even discuss casualties in battles, how about the survivors who are hanging by a thread? Who will treat them? Who will maintain the operations of the ‘real world’? Some people lose everything and are willing to die like this, that I understand, but what about the children who haven’t joined any team? Are we burying them together with us?” 

“If my teammates want to live…… If I can help them survive, what’s a little bit of resentment? I can even give up my self-esteem. I haven’t lost my most important people, so it’s a little bit ironic to stand here and talk like this — But unfortunately, Blackbird’s captain happens to be me, and this is my stance.”

The erosive substance at the thing’s wound kept spilling, making it clear that the thing was trying to come up with an appropriate answer.

“Don’t be silly, I’ve thought about everything you’re thinking about.” Shu Jun stopped by the pool of blood, lifted the glass jug and poured the reddish juice on the thing’s head. “If you can’t give any constructive suggestions, you’d better f**k off.”

“You’ll be betrayed.” A few minutes later, it spoke slowly as if cursing him. “You’ll definitely be betrayed.”

“Oh.” Shu Jun shook the remaining juice in the jug. “Too bad, I’ve also thought about that.”

As he wiped his hands, his pupils narrowed into a thin line: “If A Yan betrays me, I’ll stand in front of him and let him watch me dig out his heart. And after the battle, as a leader who made a major mistake, I’ll certainly apologise to you. You don’t have to worry.”

Ignoring the ocean of negative emotions around him, Shu Jun crouched down and sneered at the thing.

“By the way, if he doesn’t betray me in the end, I might chase after him.”

Monster: “……”

Seeing the other party stunned, Shu Jun’s smile was tinged with a hint of mockery. He let go, allowing the empty juice jug to smash into the thing’s head. The pool of blood turned scorching hot, and the thing let out a mournful scream, its eyes drenched in death glaring angrily at Shu Jun.

In an instant, the dream shattered into pieces.

Shu Jun calmly opened his eyes and couldn’t help but roll them one full round, for he was facing Zhu Yanchen who was changing his shirt — They were heading back to Y City soon, and as the leader of an NPC team, Yu Jin had gone to have a meeting with Hu Yan early in the morning. 

Zhu Yanchen usually couldn’t show his face and had to wear a simple mask even when he slept. During this rare time when he got to be at ease, he was changing his clothes, and very nicely, Shu Jun caught the sight.

Shu Jun didn’t feel awkward at all, rather, he casually gazed at Zhu Yanchen.

The scene in the dream was very clear. When Shu Jun said ‘I will chase after him’, half of his intention was to annoy that thing, but half of it came from his sincere heart. The tingling in his heart yesterday had long since calmed down, but now was a good time to test it — As an adult, if his heart was still unflinching after seeing such a scene, his feelings might just be a case of unusually strong friendship.

Catching Shu Jun’s gaze, Zhu Yanchen slightly paused, then his movements became a little slower. Illuminated by the warm light, his pale skin exuded a shade of jade-like white. Although Shu Jun’s skin also carried that same colour, he couldn’t help but feel his heart beat a tad faster.

Seriously, he had fallen head over heels.

“I dreamt of that thing again.” Shu Jun let out a long sigh and went straight into the main business.

Zhu Yanchen changed into a turtleneck T-shirt and frowned upon hearing this.

“Its demands are still the same. It’s trying hard to make me take revenge on humans. I suspect it’s part of those Erosion Marshes, but I can’t figure out how it manages to affect me.” Shu Jun got up and neatly put on his coat. “The scene it appears in is getting more and more detailed. I’m a little worried.”

“I understand.” Zhu Yanchen nodded calmly. “It’s already part of the plan. When we get back to Y City, I’ll have a look at your brain scan as soon as possible.”

“It’s not just that, A Yan.”

Shu Jun put on a wry smile.

“I know myself. If we hadn’t gone through those days together, I don’t know if I would’ve gone crazy in the despair of not knowing anything. The fact that I can resist that thing’s provocation is because I’m a lucky man — I haven’t lost anyone close to me, and I met you.”

It might just be Shu Jun’s illusion, but despite Zhu Yanchen’s expression that didn’t flinch even one bit, there was a little redness at the tips of his ears.

“But if its target was someone that has lost a loved one, or his lover, I think it may succeed.” Shu Jun rubbed his lower lip with his fingers. “When a person is desperate, he can do anything.”

“Could there be any way to deal with the shock in the brain? I suspect that ‘that thing’ has more than one target.”

Zhu Yanchen frowned: “Speaking of this, I have a guess…”

“Hey, are you two going for breakfast?” Yu Jin got into the tent, and Zhu Yanchen immediately put his mask back up.

Shu Jun hurriedly changed the subject: “Why, aren’t we allowed to be together for a while in the morning? Are you done?”

“Take it easy on me, boss.” Yu Jin muttered under his breath. “There’s enough trouble here — we’ve been informed that everyone is banned from entering or exiting Y City today, and the alert has been raised to the highest level. Zhu Yanchen came back, remember? Those higher-ups are holding a concert at the Grand Theater, and almost every figure who’s the least bit influential has to be there. We’ll have to stay outside the city for one more day. I wonder if they’ll pay more.”

Shu Jun and Zhu Yanchen looked at each other.

“I understand.” Zhu Yanchen said perfunctorily, then he grabbed Shu Jun’s wrist. “Anyway, let’s go for breakfast first.”

Yu Jin: “Hey, hey, can you please be a decent human first? I haven’t finished complaining, can you listen to me vent first?”

“No.”

“Although you and I have agreed on that, the agreement does not say that I must keep my temper —”

“This trip has caused you a lot of trouble. My share of the rewards will go to you.” Zhu Yanchen replied quickly.

“……You two take your time.”

After exiting the tent, Zhu Yanchen’s voice became much lower: “We must find a way to enter Y city.”

“Does it has something to do with the guess you mentioned just now?”

“Uhm, the headquarters may have ‘something’.”

Zhu Yanchen’s mind had caught on with the hunch he felt that day — Indeed, the headquarters were able to block out the large Erosion Marshes, allowing only a certain amount of erosive substance to exist. But not all Erosion Marshes with brains were large in size. Monday was the best example.

Even if it was subdued under the force of the purifiers and couldn’t communicate with the outside world, a brain-enabled Erosion Marsh alone could do quite a lot of things in the headquarters — such as waiting for a suitable prey.

A weak Erosion Marsh might not be able to do much, but if it could use the power of an experienced player…

The malicious information that appeared in Shu Jun’s mind was likely implanted by it. And at that time, Shu Jun wasn’t the only veteran player in the headquarters, Zhu Yanchen quietly clenched his fist.

Today, the big figures had gathered at the Grand Theater, and some of the guards were bound to be transferred away. If the source of Shu Jun’s nightmare was really in the headquarters, everything might turn sour if they didn’t carry this out correctly.

Adjusting his emotions, Zhu Yanchen continued to give a quick explanation: “There are indeed other solutions to deal with the shock in your brain. Since the body of a synthesised human is unstable, it’ll start to collapse as it gets older. Erosion will invade all parts of the body — including the brain.”

“As biological tissues, artificially implanted brain fragments will also be eroded and their suppressive power will diminish. If the synthesised human is lucky enough to not die in battles…… when their body begins to decay, there may be a possibility of them ‘detecting the truth’. This is one of the reasons why you have a fixed time to ‘retire’.”

“Luo Duan.” Shu Jun’s pupils shrank as he murmured the name.

“You’re correct.” Zhu Yanchen’s voice became a bit dry. “Anyway, we’d better head there and confirm.” 

Shu Jun closed his eyes, took a long breath, then opened his eyes again: “Understood. Leave Hu Yan to me, you go and deal with Yu Jin — In five minutes, I’ll bring you there.” 

Since he hadn’t fully prepared a backup plan for the synthesised humans, whatever happened, the war must not be ignited now.

Luo Duan was now walking alone at the lowest floor of the headquarters.

A layer of steam concealed his figure. As for the temperature detector, ‘someone’ had taken care of it for him. The icy-cold erosive substance was wrapping around his neck and swaying slowly like it was a noose, or the embrace of a dead lover.

Held between his fingers was Yi Ning’s key, and he was fiddling with it casually. His eyes were incredibly calm. Even when he saw a jar full of brain tissues in front of him, Luo Duan’s eyelids didn’t even twitch.

“Is this the place?” Stopping at the deepest part of the headquarters, he mumbled softly.

The erosive substance rubbed the side of his neck and gave an affirmative answer: “Use your special ability… Send me inside.” 

Luo Duan knew that warm and familiar voice was fake. But there had been too many lies in his life, so one more wouldn’t make any difference.

“Taking advantage of the steam….. That’s right, it can be done. The problem is — hey, what’s wrong?” Luo Duan turned his head as the erosive substance poked his shoulder.

“They’re… here,” said the voice.

“They’re… coming again.”