Chapter 320- Cultured Villain vs. Humanoid Weapon (25)
Chen Shuyun was just an ordinary person, and everyone knew what it meant for a regular human to come into contact with the zombie virus. For a moment, the surrounding crowd was stunned. Even Mu Jin, who was usually composed, seemed unprepared for such a dramatic turn of events.
As Chen Shuyun stared at the changes happening to her own hand, she completely lost her composure. She had planned to harm Jian Minghui, turning him into a zombie, but instead, her plot had been discovered by Mu Jin, and the victim had turned out to be herself.
Realizing she was about to become a zombie, Chen Shuyun was filled with resentment. When she caught sight of Jian Zhengqing’s complicated expression as he looked at her, she couldn’t hold back her rage any longer.
She began shouting furiously at Jian Zhengqing, venting her frustrations:
“Jian Zhengqing, you sanctimonious hypocrite! If it weren’t for you bringing back that b*stard child from your woman outside and forcing us to treat him as our son, constantly pitting Jian Minghui against Mingyuan, I would have never resorted to this!”
“I would never let that little b*stard stay alive to become an obstacle for my son!”
After her outburst, Chen Shuyun lunged at Jian Minghui, clearly intending to bite him.
However, before she could make her move, Mu Jin swiftly intervened, grabbing her wrist. Without hesitation, he pulled out the scythe attached to his backpack and severed her left arm completely, tossing it far away.
The excruciating pain of losing an entire arm caused Chen Shuyun to let out a heart-wrenching scream. Mu Jin quickly tore strips of fabric from a nearby man’s t-shirt and tied them around her arm to staunch the bleeding. As he worked, he snapped impatiently, “If you don’t want to turn into a zombie, then sh*t up.”
Hearing this, Chen Shuyun finally clamped her mouth shut, though the pain was so unbearable she wished for death.
Of course, Mu Jin had no intention of truly saving Chen Shuyun. Letting her die and turn into a zombie would be far too easy and merciful. Now that everyone knew about her disgusting deeds—and she had impulsively confessed her innermost thoughts—letting her off lightly wasn’t an option.
As Mu Jin glanced at Jian Zhengqing’s shocked expression, he felt a sense of satisfaction. This woman, now a cripple with one less arm, would have a hard time surviving in this post-apocalyptic world. Mu Jin was determined to make her live; only by living would she truly experience the full depth of suffering she deserved.
Chen Shuyun had no time to guess what Mu Jin was thinking. Upon hearing his words, she clung to the slim hope that she might not turn into a zombie after all. So, despite the excruciating pain of losing her arm, she forced herself to stay quiet, afraid that angering Mu Jin might cost her the chance of survival.
Mu Jin, however, showed no trace of pity for her. His movements were ruthless and heavy-handed, causing Chen Shuyun to break out in a cold sweat from the pain. Yet, she had to endure it, her face pale as she teetered on the brink of unconsciousness.
Once the bandaging was complete, Mu Jin shoved Chen Shuyun roughly toward Jian Zhengqing and said, “Tie her up. If she doesn’t turn into a zombie within 24 hours, she should be fine.”
Jian Zhengqing instinctively caught the nearly fainting Chen Shuyun, but he froze, unsure of what to do next. Fortunately, members of the ability-user squad from Pingcheng Base quickly brought over some ropes. Without the slightest gentleness, they bound Chen Shuyun tightly.
This woman had just tried to harm their hero. Even if her target hadn’t been Mu Jin, attempting to attack a fellow human in the apocalypse was unforgivable.
As for the personal grievances Chen Shuyun had expressed, the squad didn’t care. They could clearly sense Mu Jin’s dislike for her, and that was enough for them. Strong individuals command respect, and they only admired strength. Chen Shuyun’s status as Jian Zhengqing’s wife held no weight with them.
Having experienced countless worlds, Mu Jin was well-versed in human anatomy. His actions had been quick and efficient. Though Chen Shuyun had lost a significant amount of blood, her life was no longer in danger.
Perhaps it was true that troublemakers live long lives, for even in such agony, Chen Shuyun hadn’t fainted. Knowing there was still a chance she might not turn into a zombie, she glared venomously at Mu Jin and Jian Minghui, her heart brimming with hatred.
Jian Zhengqing looked at the tightly bound Chen Shuyun, his emotions complicated and difficult to describe. However, hearing her earlier outburst made him realize something: from the very beginning, Chen Shuyun had never trusted him.
He couldn’t suppress his heartbreak and said to her, “Shuyun, I’ve told you before—Minghui is the child of the man who saved my life.”
Chen Shuyun glared at Jian Zhengqing with resentment upon hearing his words, her heart full of bitterness. She refused to respond, merely casting him a defiant glance before remaining silent.
Cun Tou on the side couldn’t bear to watch any longer and stepped forward to mock Chen Shuyun, saying, “Believe it or not, what Uncle Jian said is true. My father even mentioned it to me in the past, and all of Uncle Jian’s old comrades in his squad know about it.”
Although Chen Shuyun looked pitiful now, Cun Tou felt no sympathy for her. Especially when he thought about the kindness Mu Jin and Jian Minghui had shown to their group during these tough days, his anger flared.
Chen Shuyun had tried repeatedly to harm the leader of their team. As someone who prided himself on being loyal and grateful, he couldn’t just stand by and let it slide.
Even though his father had once told him not to casually disclose Jian Minghui’s background, the truth was already out. Chen Shuyun had shouted it so loudly moments ago, and Jian Minghui himself knew the truth.
If he didn’t step up to clarify, others might misunderstand Jian Minghui’s identity—a scenario he couldn’t accept. Without hesitation, Cun Tou decided to reveal the truth in front of everyone.
He turned to Jian Zhengqing with a serious expression and said, “Uncle Jian, I’ve known for a long time that Aunt Chen doesn’t like Minghui, but I never imagined she would go to such lengths to harm him.”
“It was only a few days ago that I learned Minghui often went hungry as a child and was frequently beaten and scolded by this woman.”
At this point, Cun Tou could no longer bring himself to address Chen Shuyun as “Aunt.”
“Uncle Jian, I know you’re busy with work, but couldn’t you spare a little more time to care for the child of your lifesaver? Do you have any idea how many times this woman has tried to harm Minghui on our journey from University B to the Pingcheng Base?”
“I even overheard her plotting with Mingyuan a while ago, asking him to find an opportunity to push Minghui into a zombie horde or throw him into a nest of mutant plants to get rid of him.”
“Mingyuan didn’t agree to Chen Shuyun’s schemes, but she couldn’t let it go and decided to take matters into her own hands. A few days ago, she tried to drug Minghui so he’d become sluggish and die in battle.”
“And just now, she went completely insane. Knowing full well that Minghui doesn’t have any abilities, she still wanted to feed our team zombie meat. Isn’t it obvious she wanted Minghui to turn into a zombie?”
At this point, even though Cun Tou knew Jian Zhengqing was unaware of these things, he couldn’t help but feel resentment toward him.
Jian Zhengqing had no idea that so many terrible things had been happening. He was left speechless, staring at his wife in shock, feeling as though he had never truly known her.
Was the venomous woman described by his comrade’s son really Chen Shuyun?
Chen Shuyun had been abusing his benefactor’s child all this time without his knowledge. What did his so-called gratitude and intent to raise the child properly even mean? Did it amount to nothing more than repaying kindness with cruelty?
Jian Zhengqing looked at Jian Minghui with guilt and sorrow written all over his face, but he had no idea how to make up for the years of mistreatment Minghui had endured.
Even Jian Mingyuan stood frozen, at a loss for words. He had just learned that Minghui wasn’t the illegitimate son of his father and another woman, as his mother had always claimed, but the child of his father’s savior.
What’s more, his father had explained this to his mother long ago. She simply didn’t believe him, concocting her own false narrative and passing it on to him, leading to the harm of an innocent person.
Thinking back to the hardships Minghui had endured as a child, Mingyuan felt a pang of guilt. He had tried to intervene on a few occasions, but what had he really done to protect him? Very little.
He wasn’t much older than Minghui, and now, looking back at his so-called care during the apocalypse, he realized it was laughable. Minghui’s many accomplishments over the years were all thanks to his own hard work and determination.
In many ways, Jian Mingyuan’s personality closely resembled his father, Jian Zhengqing. Both were honest, straightforward men who repaid kindness and held strong convictions.
Just moments ago, seeing his mother infected with the zombie virus had left Jian Mingyuan both heartbroken and anxious. Yet, he also understood that her situation was a result of her own malice backfiring, and he had no reason to blame anyone else.
Even though Mu Jin had severed his mother’s arm, Jian Mingyuan felt a deep sense of gratitude toward him. If not for Mu Jin’s decisive action, his mother wouldn’t even have the slim chance of survival she now had.
Mu Jin observed the expressions on Jian Mingyuan’s and Jian Zhengqing’s faces and raised an eyebrow. The way the father and son were both looking at his man was strikingly similar. As expected, the two were undeniably related.
Jian Zhengqing glanced at the silent Jian Minghui and immediately understood that the young man must have become disheartened with them.
He had no doubt about what Cun Tou had said. The boy was the son of his old comrade, someone he had watched grow up, and he had no reason to lie. Moreover, the guilt evident in Mingyuan’s eyes confirmed that he must have been at least partially aware of Shuyun’s actions toward Minghui over the years.
All this time, Jian Zhengqing had believed he was doing his best to excel in his duties and live up to the trust of his subordinates. Yet, unbeknownst to him, his own household had fallen into complete disarray.
The realization left Jian Zhengqing feeling utterly defeated. He sighed deeply, and in that moment, it seemed as though he had aged by more than ten years. The surrounding onlookers, after hearing Cun Tou’s explanation, now looked at Chen Shuyun with open disdain.
Jian Zhengqing cast one last complicated glance at Chen Shuyun before turning her over to the ability user squad for custody. He knew there was no easy resolution to this matter. Even though prisons no longer existed in the apocalypse, harming one’s own people was something that couldn’t be tolerated.
Especially since she had tried to feed zombie meat to others. Such actions couldn’t go unpunished. If they did, Jian Zhengqing knew he had no right to continue as the leader of the Pingcheng base.
Chen Shuyun, however, refused to accept the truth. She didn’t want to believe that she had been harming an innocent person all these years. How could the things she had believed for so long be so easily overturned by a few words from others?
Admitting that would mean she was truly the wicked person who had cruelly tormented an innocent child.
and this is what is called missing the forest for the tree, this couple is blind… not sure if to feel sry for the man or not