Chapter 324- Cultured Villain vs. Humanoid Weapon (29)
Seeing the angry glares of those around her, Chen Shuyun couldn’t help but shrink back, regret flooding her for impulsively rushing out to confront Jian Minghui. She wished she could find a corner to hide in, away from the harsh and condemning gazes.
Jian Mingyuan watched her, a sigh escaping his heart. He noticed that even as Chen Shuyun avoided the crowd’s stares, she continued to sneak glances at Mu Jin and Jian Minghui.
Even now, after everything that had unfolded, there was still a flicker of venomous resentment in her gaze. This left Jian Mingyuan both disappointed and weary.
But she was still his mother. Resigned, Jian Mingyuan bowed deeply once more to Jian Minghui and solemnly promised that he would always be available to assist him if needed. Afterward, he cooperated with the guards who had rushed over to apprehend Chen Shuyun, helping escort her back to her place of confinement.
Once Jian Mingyuan and Chen Shuyun were gone, the surrounding onlookers gradually dispersed. However, the earlier commotion had dampened Mu Jin’s mood for continuing their leisurely stroll. He and Jian Minghui decided to head back to their residence instead.
As they walked at a relaxed pace, Mu Jin couldn’t stop himself from observing Jian Minghui’s expression. Although his lover had remained silent and seemingly unaffected earlier, Mu Jin couldn’t help but worry about how he was feeling.
Perhaps such incidents wouldn’t happen again, but as long as they stayed in this base, Jian Minghui would inevitably cross paths with Jian Mingyuan and Jian Zhengqing. Those encounters would inevitably stir up unpleasant memories.
After mulling over his thoughts for a while, Mu Jin finally spoke.
“If you don’t like it here, we can leave and go to another base. Or, if you’d prefer, we could create our own safe haven—it wouldn’t be a problem at all.”
Jian Minghui was surprised, his eyes betraying his astonishment. He had never expected Mu Jin to suggest leaving, let alone offer to build a base just for the two of them.
He understood what Mu Jin was worried about, and the truth was, Jian Minghui had long since stopped caring about those old grievances. But the thoughtfulness and care from the person he loved deeply touched his heart.
Perhaps in the past, Jian Minghui had been an ambitious man. But now, ever since meeting Mu Jin, all his ambitions had shifted to the person by his side.
Now, Jian Minghui had nearly reached a state of having no personal desires—whatever Mu Jin wished for had become the goal he was most willing to strive toward.
The journey from B University to the Pingcheng base had been long and arduous. Along the way, they had passed through several smaller bases, experiencing the conditions in those places firsthand.
Jian Minghui knew that, in terms of size and facilities, the Pingcheng base was among the best. Furthermore, he trusted Jian Zhengqing’s capabilities. Staying here would save them a great deal of trouble.
Most importantly, creating their own base would require enormous effort and resources. Establishing a base would demand a large workforce, not to mention the management of incoming refugees and numerous logistical challenges.
If Jian Minghui were to become the leader of a new base, Mu Jin, as his partner, would inevitably take on responsibilities to help alleviate his burdens. This would mean Mu Jin would have to divide much of his attention among other people and tasks—something Jian Minghui didn’t want to see.
So without hesitation, he shook his head at Mu Jin, smiling as he reached out to ruffle his hair. Pulling Mu Jin into his arms, Jian Minghui softly reassured him in return.
Only after confirming that Jian Minghui’s mood hadn’t been affected by Chen Shuyun’s earlier appearance did Mu Jin finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The days that followed passed in quiet simplicity. Mu Jin believed that the apocalypse would eventually come to an end, though it would still take a long time. As for the scientist capable of developing a cure for the zombie virus, Mu Jin knew he would one day be rescued by the story’s protagonist, Jian Mingyuan.
For now, however, he didn’t know where that person was. His focus from the beginning had always been on his beloved.
Their team of ability users had become one of the most prominent groups, second only to the protagonist’s team, thanks to their overwhelmingly powerful individual capabilities.
In a few years, when Jian Zhengqing’s health inevitably deteriorated further, Jian Mingyuan would take over as the leader of the Pingcheng base. Mu Jin’s plan was for their team to become the strongest fighting force in the base, earning respect and accumulating a significant amount of fortune and influence.
As the protagonist blessed by fate, Mu Jin never deliberately sought to compete with the main character for resources or attention. In fact, for key plot events, he was more than happy to let others take the lead, saving himself the hassle. Thus, their team obediently followed the sequence assigned by the base leadership, diligently collecting supplies and patrolling the surrounding areas of the base.
During this time, Mu Jin discovered a mutated plant particularly suitable for fire-ability users. After Shi Haoyu consumed it, his ability leapt to Level 4, further solidifying their team as the strongest in the Pingcheng base.
However, something began to feel off to Mu Jin. The zombies seemed to be evolving much faster than they had in the early days of the apocalypse.
In the original storyline, at this point in time, the highest level of zombies was supposed to be Level 3. But as his beloved Jian Minghui advanced to Level 5, Level 4 zombies had already begun to appear. Mutated plants and animals had also grown increasingly ferocious.
Thankfully, with Mu Jin in the team, while injuries during battles were inevitable, none of their members had lost their lives.
Time passed relatively peacefully until news suddenly arrived from the Pingcheng base’s management department: representatives from the Lecheng base were coming to exchange supplies.
This announcement immediately caught Mu Jin’s attention. In the original storyline, the people from the Lecheng base had once conspired with Jian Minghui, almost placing the Pingcheng base in a dire situation and severely undermining the protagonist, Jian Mingyuan.
Of course, with Mu Jin’s “butterfly effect” in play this time around, Jian Minghui was no longer capable of betraying the Pingcheng base or forming any alliances with the Lecheng base.
Still, the people from the Lecheng base were unlikely to come with honest intentions. It was evident that they harbored ambitions for the resources and stability of the Pingcheng base. Thus, Mu Jin decided to secretly monitor this group closely to ensure their actions didn’t pose any threat.
According to Mu Jin’s understanding, the Lecheng base had a significant number of ability users, and its overall size even surpassed that of the Pingcheng base.
However, due to its proximity to grain depots, the Lecheng base had an ample food supply but lacked sufficient weaponry. Their primary reason for coming to Pingcheng was to exchange their surplus grain for some of Pingcheng’s weapons.
While the Pingcheng base wasn’t exactly overflowing with food supplies, it wasn’t suffering from a shortage of resources either. Considering Pingcheng’s abundant weapon reserves and the shared struggle of humanity against the apocalypse, Jian Zhengqing agreed to the trade. After all, having extra food stockpiled in the base would be beneficial in the long run.
Once Lecheng received confirmation of the agreement, they quickly sent their representatives to Pingcheng.
In the apocalypse, while humanity should ideally stand united, wherever people gathered, schemes inevitably arose. Jian Zhengqing, though not one to judge others harshly, knew the importance of vigilance and took precautions to avoid any unexpected issues.
On the day the Lecheng representatives arrived, Jian Zhengqing deliberately kept Jian Mingyuan, Mu Jin, and their entire team within the city, temporarily halting their external missions.
During the reception, Jian Zhengqing specifically arranged for the most powerful ability users, including Mu Jin, Jian Mingyuan, and Jian Minghui, to accompany him. This was not only a security measure but also a calculated display of strength to deter any potential troublemakers.
Mu Jin had no particular opinion about Jian Zhengqing’s arrangements, but when he saw the leader of the Lecheng delegation, he froze momentarily in shock. The reason? The leader’s appearance was identical to that of Huangfu Jian from his previous life.
The representative from Lecheng was named Pei Zijin, a fire-ability user who had reached the peak of Level 4. He was considered one of the most powerful ability users in Lecheng.
While Pei Zijin’s appearance and demeanor were strikingly similar to Huangfu Jian’s, Mu Jin quickly noticed a fundamental difference in their auras upon closer observation. It was clear that the two were entirely different individuals.
Moreover, although Pei Zijin presented himself as upright and magnanimous, the occasional flicker of calculation in his eyes told Mu Jin that this man was far from as virtuous as he appeared.
Watching Pei Zijin, who was engaging in an animated conversation with Jian Zhengqing, Mu Jin couldn’t bring himself to believe that such a coincidence could exist in this world. Abnormalities often signal something sinister. Why would this world introduce someone who looks exactly like Huangfu Jian from the previous one?
In the last life, Huangfu Jian eventually ended up with Wallace. The two of them shared a strong bond and maintained a good relationship with Mu Jin and his partner, spending centuries together peacefully.
Mu Jin was far too familiar with Huangfu Jian. Regarding this new person’s appearance, Mu Jin instinctively felt that their target wasn’t him. If it were, they would have likely replicated someone resembling Huangfu Yu instead.
So who was behind this, and why?
Moreover, in the recent worlds, the malevolent force that had relentlessly pursued him seemed to have disappeared entirely. Could it truly have been mortally wounded and dissipated into nothingness? Or was there a more intricate scheme at play?
While Mu Jin’s thoughts raced with countless possibilities, his expression remained calm and composed. However, his prolonged gaze at Pei Zijin, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Huangfu Jian, didn’t escape Jian Minghui’s notice. Feeling a pang of jealousy, the man couldn’t help but grow uneasy.
Unable to contain himself, Jian Minghui tightly clasped Mu Jin’s hands, his grip firm, as though reclaiming his rightful place in Mu Jin’s attention. Pulled back to reality by the sudden squeeze, Mu Jin turned to see the disgruntled look on his lover’s face and could only respond with a helpless smile.