SFS Chapter 38 People shouldn't live like this, nor should they die like this.
Chapter 38 People shouldn't live like this, nor should they die like this.
Zhu Que took the phone from Jiang Hu and unlocked it with his fingerprint. A new message immediately appeared on his screen.
[Feng Laogou: Old Jiang, did you finalize that lucrative deal? If you have any connections, don't forget to include me!]
Seeing this, Zhu Que finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Judging from this message, this old dog Feng only knows that Jiang Hu is currently engaged in a "profitable business," but he doesn't know exactly what he's doing.
Clearly, Jiang Hu never intended to share in his profits.
Zhu Que did not reply to the message, but instead entered the chat software and scrolled through Jiang Hu's recent chat history one by one.
He looked at everything very carefully, including private chats, group chats, and voice recordings.
The result was very clean, with no information about "he being a born demon".
Having confirmed this, Zhu Que breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, his attention was drawn to a group chat.
The group chat was called "Wolf Pack".
The group chat had only about sixty people, and their profile pictures were all over the place, with almost no real photos.
To his surprise, the group chat was filled with tasks that clearly violated laws and regulations.
[Forging casino operating licenses, must pass the initial review; connections required.]
[Dispose of 33 bodies. Location to be discussed privately. Time to be discussed tonight.]
[Selling military-grade artifact parts, incomplete after disassembly, only interested parties.]
[I'm looking to take the blame for someone in a car accident. Must be a resident of Jinfeng Town. Compensation to be discussed privately.]
In the comments section of these tasks, someone will give a brief reply—
"I accepted it."
DM me.
"It can be done."
"..."
Zhu Que glanced at the group member list and found that "Old Dog Feng," who had just sent the message, was also in the group.
"It turns out that Jiang Hu was a shady character. He died at my hands, which can be considered an unexpected mishap."
"This shows that in this world of cultivation, as long as the spiritual weapon is powerful enough, cultivation level is not the sole criterion for determining life and death..."
But at this moment.
Zhu Que finally felt a bit scared.
If it weren't for the protection of his hands, he would definitely have been defeated here today.
He looked at Jiang Hu's phone and thought to himself, "This phone could be considered a source of shady intelligence."
As long as you lurk in the group, even if you don't take on any tasks, you can know in advance about illegal activities, black market trends, and other shady dealings in Jinfeng Town.
Thinking about this...
Zhu Que registered his fingerprints on his phone and then carefully searched the two corpses.
Aside from a few scattered spirit coins and personal belongings, Peng Yong had nothing of value on him.
Besides the first-tier spiritual weapon chain sword, Jiang Hu also possessed two other first-tier cultivation-type spiritual weapons.
However, Zhu Que had no interest in these magical artifacts.
He's currently using second-tier cultivation artifacts, so these first-tier items are worthless to him.
Only the chain sword, with its unique structure and flexible attack methods, still has some value for analysis and research.
Then.
Zhu Que burned the two corpses, crushed the bones, disposed of them separately, and finally cleaned up the bloodstains and explosion traces.
After finishing everything, he carried the black bag and left the chemical plant.
He only took Jiang Hu's phone; as for the magical artifacts, he threw them into the incinerator at the garbage dump.
The night was deep, and the summer breeze was hot and dry.
The streetlights were dim, most of the night markets had closed, and the streets were lined with homeless people in all sorts of strange shapes and sizes.
Several night patrolmen, holding whips, woke them up one by one and drove them away.
Zhu Que passed by them.
Having spent so many days in Jinfeng Town, he had gradually become numb to these things, going from initially feeling sorry for them.
He silently reviewed the unexpected and dangerous encounter he had experienced that day.
"From now on, whatever I do, I must be more careful. Sometimes, the people who discover my secrets are not necessarily powerful figures. These greedy petty thieves are also very troublesome."
"We must carry some spare parts with us at all times, so that we can temporarily make our own weapons in case of an emergency."
"Moreover, carrying the damaged weapon on your person will not arouse any suspicion even if you are stopped and searched by the police."
"After all, those rusted and contaminated artifacts are worthless in the eyes of others."
Those three grenades were hastily made by him using a fragment of a weapon he had prepared to imitate a cultivation artifact.
He originally planned to go back to the landfill to make more thorough preparations.
However, Jiang Hu had a tight time limit, leaving him with no choice but to improvise under the limited conditions.
Fortunately, three grenades and the artifact gauntlet took care of them.
Late at night.
Zhu Que returned to the intermediate cultivation room and cultivated steadily for several hours.
As dawn approached, he left the Hope Self-Help Cultivation Center and returned to the junkyard, where he began his work for the day as usual.
Farm manager Tang Dongfang immediately recorded Peng Yong's absence as an absence without leave.
In the following days, because Peng Yong had not been found, Tang Dong reported his disappearance.
In the past few days, Zhu Que has adjusted his daily routine again.
After finishing my daytime work, I first went to the Xilan Research Institute to continue working as a volunteer experimenter and "temporary handyman" to advance the analysis of the Time Sequence Secret Chamber.
After finishing his get off work, Song Wugui went to the Wildfire Black Market Shop and pretended to study the Guardian Gauntlets.
Day .
Xilan Research Institute.
Zhu Que wiped the Time Sequence Secret Realm Pod with a damp cloth, watching the analysis progress gradually approach 100%.
finally--
[Analysis successful!]
[Time-Sequence Secret Realm Container: Tier 3, Mid-Grade, Obsidian Artifact. A special spiritual artifact modeled after the secret realms of the heavens, it can be filled with spiritual energy using a spiritual core, and the flow of time inside is five times slower than outside.]
[Requirements for replicating: 8 Tier 2 Stone Tools, 4 Tier 2 Jade Tools]
Become!
Zhu Que's eyes lit up, and he was overjoyed.
However, he did not stop wiping the hull, pretending that nothing had happened.
He pondered to himself.
If a suitable location is found and the Time Sequence Secret Realm pod is replicated, cultivation efficiency can be increased fivefold.
It should be noted that the concentration of spiritual energy inside the Time Sequence Secret Realm Chamber is comparable to that of an intermediate-level cultivation room.
That is to say-
From now on, he won't have to go in and out of the training center every day, which will not only save him money but also reduce the risk of exposure.
That's killing two birds with one stone!
A moment later, Zhu Que finished cleaning and threw the wet rag into the bucket.
"Are you tired? Have a drink."
Song Wugui handed him a bottle of chilled juice.
"Thank you, Brother Song."
Zhu Que naturally accepted it. After spending these days together, the two had become quite familiar with each other.
"Why are you being so polite with me?"
Song Wugui smiled casually.
Zhu Que unscrewed the bottle cap and took two sips of juice.
Although he has already analyzed the Time-Sequence Secret Realm Pod, he will still need to continue coming to the Xilan Research Institute.
His approach to Song Wugui wasn't originally for the Time-Sequence Secret Realm pod, but for something else far more important—
We need to find out whether Song Wugui is a born demon.
If Song Wugui is a born demon, then he must have some special way of bypassing the detection and evaluation.
Zhu Que absolutely must master that method!
Because his cultivation speed was too fast, with the support of various spiritual artifacts, it was like a rocket soaring into the sky.
As his cultivation level steadily increased, he couldn't hide it for long.
When he is discovered, he will have to undergo testing and evaluation, even if he is a hundred times unwilling.
Therefore, this matter concerning his life and fortune is more than a hundred times more important than the Time-Sequence Secret Realm pod.
Zhu Que laughed and said, "Brother Song, are you free tonight? Let's go out for a drink, I just got paid."
Song Wugui readily agreed: "Great! We've known each other for so many days, but we haven't had a proper meal together yet."
Then.
The two packed up quickly and left the Xilan Research Institute.
Outside the research institute, the streets were brightly lit, and night markets had been set up everywhere.
The tin stalls were lined up in a row, the charcoal fire crackled, and grease dripped onto the charcoal, sizzling up puffs of white smoke.
Zhu Que chose a barbecue stall that looked fairly clean and ordered a table full of barbecue and two cases of beer.
After a few rounds of drinks, the two men started talking more.
"Brother Song, after you graduate from high school, are you sure you're going to stay at the Xilan Research Institute? Aren't you going to prepare for the college entrance exam?"
Zhu Que asked curiously.
"Of course you have to take the college entrance exam."
Song Wugui ate a roasted eggplant and casually said:
"I've been studying these strange magical artifacts since I was a child. My family also does this kind of thing, so I guess you could say I've been exposed to it from a young age."
"I will choose a major in spirit weapon research and development when I go to university. My internship at the Xilan Research Institute is a way to gain experience in advance."
"You're doing internships in high school? Doesn't your school care?" Zhu Que asked, puzzled.
"Hehe." Song Wugui laughed smugly, "They can't control me. That's just how capricious a top student is."
"Brother Song, what does your family do?"
"..."
Song Wugui paused slightly, tilted his head back and took a big gulp of beer, then shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about family matters, it's just upsetting to mention them."
Zhu Que didn't ask any further questions and refilled his glass.
The two continued chatting.
The conversation started with trivial matters at the research institute, then moved on to fake meat at night market stalls, and finally to the cheap cultivation artifacts popular on the market.
When Song Wugui's face turned red from drinking and his speech became somewhat slurred, Zhu Que casually asked:
"Brother Song, how do you usually cultivate?"
"How else can you cultivate? By using spiritual artifacts, of course."
Song Wugui let out a burp and started counting on his fingers.
"Those things that gather spiritual energy, enhance perception, broaden meridians, and eliminate fatigue... they're all just the same few things."
"Is there anything that can hide one's cultivation level?" Zhu Que asked in a low voice.
"Hiding one's cultivation level?"
"right."
Zhu Que sighed, his tone tinged with helplessness.
"Brother Song, as you know, although I work at the junkyard, I've been secretly cultivating all along. After all, the junkyard is such a place, so corrosive and polluted, that I really wouldn't live long if I didn't cultivate."
"But our manager strictly forbids employees from practicing martial arts. Last month, someone secretly practiced it and was beaten to death by him."
"Recently, he suspected that I was also secretly cultivating, and he insisted on dragging me to get tested and evaluated. It seems that I can't hide it any longer..."
"Bang!"
Song Wugui slammed his wine glass on the table and cursed loudly:
"Damn it! What kind of beast is this?! What business is it of his if you cultivate in secret?!"
"Sigh, what can you do when he's the manager?"
Zhu Que shook his head and sighed, then asked, "Brother Song, do you have any magical artifacts that can conceal one's cultivation level?"
"I don't know." Song Wugui shook his head. "Mainly because I don't usually need such magical artifacts."
"It's okay, I'll ask someone else."
Zhu Que forced a smile.
He picked up his glass and took a sip, a hint of doubt in his mind.
My relationship with Song Wugui was already quite good, but Song Wugui wouldn't even reveal whether or not he had one.
Was my judgment wrong?
He wasn't born a demon at all.
Of course, it's also possible that Song Wugui is being too cautious; our relationship isn't close enough to reveal such a secret.
Just then.
A childish voice rang out from the side.
"Brother, buy a bag of peanuts, they're really delicious."
Zhu Que turned his head to look.
It was a little girl, about eight or nine years old, dressed in tattered clothes, barefoot on the greasy, dirty ground.
She was carrying an old wooden basket filled with bags of roasted peanuts.
Under the lights.
Zhu Que noticed that her facial features were extremely deformed—
The crooked nose, wide-set eyes, and dense gray spots on the skin are clearly signs of distortion caused by corrosion and contamination.
"Give me two packs," Zhu Que said softly.
"Wow! Thank you, brother! That's 10 spirit coins in total!"
The little girl's eyes lit up immediately, and she quickly took out two bags of peanuts.
Zhu Que took out 10 spirit coins and handed them over.
"Thank you, brother! I wish you great wealth and prosperity, good health, and that you will always be so handsome!"
The little girl carefully put away the spirit coins, speaking quickly and ingratiatingly, bowing repeatedly to Zhu Que before moving on to the next table to sell them.
"You're quite kind-hearted," Song Wugui said with a smile.
"Buying two bags of peanuts is hardly an act of kindness."
Zhu Que shrugged, glanced at the disheveled little girl, and felt a strange sense of emotion.
This world has modern technology, immortal cultivators who can fly and escape into the heavens, and its productivity is more advanced than that of Earth.
Why do people at the bottom of society live such miserable lives?
"How did the world become like this?" Zhu Que shook his head.
"Don't think about all that nonsense. We're just ordinary people; it's good enough if we can live our lives well."
Song Wugui took a swig of beer and said.
"Indeed."
Zhu Que nodded slightly.
He felt a deep connection to that statement, after all, he was currently struggling to survive.
The night market was still bustling, with the charcoal fire crackling.
Just then.
A loud, harsh curse erupted from not far away.
"Fuck you! Didn't you hear me tell you to get lost?!"
Zhu Que glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.
All that could be seen was a thin, small figure flying out and crashing heavily in the middle of the road like a rag doll.
Upon closer inspection, it was indeed the little girl selling peanuts.
"Damn it, what bad luck today!"
The man who kicked her was burly and had a face full of scars. He sat shirtless at the mahjong table, spitting as he cursed:
"It's all because of that fifth-rate bastard's bad luck!"
"Hahaha, you picked a terrible hand yourself, and now you blame others for bringing you bad luck."
The crowd burst into laughter, completely unconcerned.
far away.
The little girl's sternum was sunken, her body was convulsing, and she was bleeding profusely from her mouth. Peanuts were scattered all over the ground around her.
Zhu Que's gaze darkened, and he instinctively tried to stand up.
"May this opportunity remain unfilled!"
Song Wugui immediately pressed his hand down, raised his chin, and gestured for him to look at the uniform jacket that the man had draped over his shoulder.
Zhu Que slowly sat back down.
But then...
He still stood up.
He walked toward where the little girl had fallen.
When he got close, the little girl had already stopped breathing.
He silently picked up the body and moved it from the middle of the road to the side of the street, so that she would not be run over by the vehicles along the way.
This scene.
This immediately drew ridicule and jeers from a group of drunkards.
"Hahaha, there's even a saint who collects the corpses of fifth-class lowly people? Has her brain been corrupted and polluted too?"
Zhu Que didn't say anything and turned back to his seat.
"Sigh, to survive in this society, don't be too strong about your sense of justice."
Song Wugui shook his head and sighed, advising, "Otherwise, you will live a very difficult and painful life."
"It's not that I have a strong sense of justice..."
Zhu Que paused, looking at the thin, childlike corpse on the street in the distance.
After talking with Song Wugui for so long, this was the first time I spoke to him from the bottom of my heart:
"I just feel... people shouldn't live like this, nor should they die like this."
"..."
The air fell silent for a brief moment.
At this moment, the hustle and bustle of the night market seemed to be veiled, and the crackling sound of the charcoal fire seemed to be pulled away.
Song Wugui stared at Zhu Que for a few seconds, his eyes flickering slightly, as if something had touched him.
He exhaled, as if he had made up his mind.
"Zhu Que, I just remembered, there is indeed a special spiritual artifact. Although it cannot hide one's cultivation level, it can deceive the detection and evaluation."
"If you need it, I can borrow it for you."
"...Oh? Really?"
Zhu Que was slightly taken aback, and on the surface he showed a proper look of surprise, but in his heart a huge storm was brewing.
coming!
Song Wugui has finally revealed the truth!
This guy really does have a way to fool the inspectors, so he's most likely the third born demon!