Saving Unpermitted

Chapter 73: Change of Plans

Yi Ning was unable to attach a camera to Luo Duan, but Luo Duan was able to keep an eye on him at all times.

During this period, he needed Shu Jun to help divert Zhu Sheng’s attention. When the time was ripe, he could leave the heart of this city and strike at the unsuspecting humans.

Before that, this was the safest place.

Even if Yi Ning had suspicions about him, given Yi Ning’s character, he probably couldn’t guess that he was the “Black Robe Leader” of that day. The whispers of the dead surrounded Luo Duan, and he was able to conceal his insane actions beneath the icy surface.

However, Yi Ning was able to climb up to his current position from the bottom, which also showed his intelligence. Luo Duan was very cautious. Apart from eating and sleeping, he spent most of his time reading. The environment around him was similar to semi-house arrest, but he rarely had leisure time.

Having been in contact with the Erosion Swamp for a long time, Luo Duan gradually began to perceive the intelligence of the so-called “Behind the Scenes Erosion Swamp”—from the sporadic descriptions of the small Erosion Swamp, he overestimated its intelligence. Although it absorbed information from the bodies of its brethren, it didn’t acquire human-like intelligence.

It was more like five-year-old children driven by hatred, holding enough poison to destroy everyone.

The reason the small Erosion Swamp enticed him was nothing more for his brain inside his skull. Since it couldn’t obtain Shu Jun, it could only outsource the task of “destroying humanity”.

Luo Duan couldn’t help but smile.

He leaned back on the soft backrest of the chair and slowly turned a page of the book. The sharp edge of the page cut his finger, but there was no trace of blood at the wound.

The room was tidy, with furniture similar to a hospital ward, all in pristine white. The air carried a delicate and pleasant fragrance, and soft notes floated out of a small speaker. The curtains were tightly drawn, the daylight lamp was turned on, and the atmosphere was so peaceful that it was unsettling.

Except for the erosion substance clinging to the walls like slime mold.

The black filament moved slowly, passing through cement and steel, conveying information.

“Marshal, th-th-this is fake, right? People at the edge of the city are spreading it, saying that the Erosion Swamp has mutated…”

“If the video is real, Zhu Yanchen’s research is real, and the flaws in the player system are real… Concealing the truth, abandoning the people, clandestine operations. They’ve done a great job.”

The small Erosion Swamp trembled slightly, and Luo Duan could hear the conversation clearly.

It seemed that Yi Ning was going to confront Zhu Sheng. Luo Duan lowered his eyelids and pondered emotionlessly. Yi Ning wasn’t lacking in intelligence and courage, but he was too soft by nature and lacked the talent to be a hero.

As for the deceased Zhu Yanchen… He didn’t care about how humans tampered with the player system.

At this point, he didn’t need to get involved. He only needed to create chaos when Yi Ning intervened and disrupted the situation, allowing things to spiral out of control. The more chaotic, the better, regardless of whether it was reasonable or not.

However, Luo Duan didn’t expect Yi Ning’s reaction to be even faster than he had anticipated.

“The video is real.” The assistant received the results the next day, his voice tinged with a sob. “Zhu Yanchen’s research, some people in the Tang family have seen it before. Although… Although…”

“What’s the matter?” Yi Ning sounded somewhat weary.

“It was Tang Heyu who mentioned it. You know, he’s a bit… eccentric. Sir, his words may not hold much weight…”

“What did Tang Heyu say?”

“He didn’t say much. I personally went to him, and he was still drunk. He said, ‘Those researchers wouldn’t understand even if they tried. Zhu Yanchen didn’t conduct his research according to the assigned topic; he was writing his own thing…’ He also said, ‘Even if they could understand it, those pampered individuals wouldn’t want to understand. It’s better to treat it as the ramblings of a spoiled brat.’ Shouldn’t you ask our own researchers again? Just judging from his demeanor, Tang Lao isn’t very reliable.”

“Our researchers provided feedback, saying they ‘haven’t thoroughly read it’—in other words, the project leaders didn’t pay attention to it. They believed there was no need to carefully read it.”

Luo Duan, eavesdropping on the conversation, wasn’t surprised.

Zhu Yanchen spent most of his time on the battlefield. To admit that they “didn’t understand” something written by such a person rather than dismissing it as “nonsense” was the first step in negating their own abilities. On the other hand, the project leaders had extensive experience, while Zhu Yanchen was an airdropped junior who was “in need of care” and had no relevant research background in his resume.

The research department was busy with various tasks. Considering all these factors, how could the experts spare their energy to read a “completely unrelated” and complex paper?

There was no excessive arrogance or malice. However, even so, the results they obtained would only be “shit that doesn’t make sense”.

However, even if it was meaningless ramblings, since they had to polish the reputation of the young master of the Zhu family, they still needed to store it in the database as a formality. After all, the current focus of research was on improving synthetic humans, not the behavior of the Erosion Swamp. These papers wouldn’t even have the chance to mislead others.

A crisp communication bell rang.

“I had them read it all night.” After a low conversation, Yi Ning raised his voice, sounding as cold as frost. “Currently, the researchers only understand about thirty to forty percent, but they can already discern something. Those papers have a coherent internal logic—they gradually prove the influence of synthetic humans on the Erosion Swamp and its hidden evolution.”

“And,” Marshal Yi Ning’s laughter turned even colder, “it appears that Zhu Yanchen didn’t seek fame through this. He had at least ten years of research experience in this field before entering the research department.”

“But he’s not even thirty!” The assistant was startled by Yi Ning’s mocking laughter, his voice becoming shrill. “If we discount the few years Marshal Zhu spent in the research department, according to that calculation, he would have started at the age of fourteen or fifteen… or…”

“I also started climbing up from the age of fourteen or fifteen,” Yi Ning calmly responded.

The assistant fell silent.

“I want them to analyze those papers as soon as possible. If Zhu Yanchen was willing to die to prove them, there must be something useful for humans in there.”

After a moment of hesitation, the assistant stammered. “Speaking of which, I heard that Zhu Sheng has also been paying attention to the database. Could he have discovered them too?”

“That’s his problem.” Yi Ning sipped his tea, his voice turning cold. “Arrange my schedule. I want to meet with Elder Tang Heyu.”

The room fell silent for a while before the assistant murmured softly. “If Zhu Lao insists on implementing the player system…”

“If Zhu Sheng has no intention of changing his policies, I will bring up some unspoken questions. The reason he can still hold his top position is simply because ‘Zhu Yanchen’ is not dead, and he and I will have another election.”

“I haven’t exposed him. First, considering the enormous power of the Zhu and Xia families, it’s difficult to obtain evidence. Second, I respect him. As for now, first, the impostor doesn’t have Zhu Yanchen’s research abilities, and I have evidence. Second… while I still respect him, I also need to fight for a way out for my compatriots.”

It seemed that the time was almost right. Luo Duan played with the erosion wrapped around his wrist and looked towards the closed window.

His deceased lover whispered in his ear, but he knew she was fake. “She” wasn’t smart enough to say anything clever.

But simple words were enough to be deadly.

Like “I miss you”, like “Are you okay?”, like “Why didn’t you grab my hand back then?”

Luo Duan lowered his head and gradually sank into the soft murmur.

Zhu Yanchen had infiltrated the city with the Old Fourth. Now, with the strict defense against synthetic humans, as a pure human who had no resonance with erosion, it was easy for him to pass through with a good disguise.

Marshals Zhu decided to contact the people from the Old Fourth first and hand over the prototype of the “Suppression” weapon, so they could start their research as soon as possible. Then he would exchange identities with Xia Yufeng.

This way, the night wouldn’t be too long and full of dreams*.

*Referring to the idiom (夜長夢多) which implies that if a situation drags on, something unfavorable may happen.

Ai Xiaoxiao was immersed in research outside the city, so the Ai’s Clinic was locked up tight. People on the streets were busy repairing the anti-erosion layer on their roofs, and overall, the mood was good, with playful banter exchanged between neighbors.

Zhu Yanchen ordered a flavored nutrient drink and bought a cheap pie, leaning against the street corner to enjoy his simple meal. The pie was average, but the filling was good. However, no matter how he tasted it, it was far from the pies baked by Shu Jun on the purifier.

The pie stall owner couldn’t hear the customer’s silent complaints and cheerfully attended to his business. The Erosion Storm from earlier had passed, and there were more people on the streets, making the atmosphere livelier.

For most people, it was just a well-defended Erosion Storm. The city residents had no clear understanding of how the player system operated, let alone the concept of “synthetic human rebellion”. Currently, since Zhu Sheng hadn’t yet located the synthetic humans, they naturally wouldn’t release any news in advance, causing panic among the citizens.

Zhu Yanchen collected his thoughts and began to ponder the possible countermeasures taken by Zhu Sheng. His movements became subconsciously elegant, contrasting with the atmosphere on the street.

When he noticed a few people looking in his direction, Zhu Yanchen quickly took a gulp of the nutrient drink in a hearty manner but ended up choking on it. Seeing him coughing, those curious gazes retreated.

“Smoke?” Just as Marshal Zhu finished coughing, he heard someone calling him from the entrance of an alley. Judging by the person’s appearance, they seemed to be from the Old Fourth, coming for the rendezvous.

“It’s me.” Zhu Yanchen hastily swallowed the pie in three bites, picked up the box, and went to meet them.

“I heard from the higher-ups that once there’s progress in this matter, we’ll inform you.” The rendezvous person wasn’t young; their face was covered enough to only reveal a few strands of graying hair.

Zhu Yanchen nodded. “It has been some time since the raw data was sent over. Do they have a rough estimate of when it will be ready? I can’t stay in Y City for long.”

He was indeed the founder of the Old Fourth, but the organization itself was loosely structured, and there were many individuals who preferred to remain anonymous. Zhu Yanchen could only hold the high-level identity in his hands, and if he wanted to inquire about the technical personnel who served as the backbone, it would be a taboo.

As a practical researcher, he only needed results and wasn’t concerned with these details. At most, he would ask a couple of questions.

“If it’s just equipment optimization, it should take around three days.” The rendezvous person was obviously acquainted with the technicians. “You don’t seem like someone who made it for personal use; you’re probably planning mass production, right?”

“Yes.”

“There are quite a few things that need to be modified, and it’s delicate work.” The rendezvous person said, “Just find a place to hide and wait.”

“Regarding the effectiveness of the ‘Suppression’…?”

“What suppression? The thing you made, that… sound wave-like gadget? Hmph, even a master will pay attention. How can someone so young be so concerned? Besides, this is just a prototype; you can’t expect it to be perfect right away.”

The rendezvous person lifted the box. “So young, yet making such a fuss about naming. If you ask me, this thing looks a lot like an ultrasonic bird repellent.”

Zhu Yanchen: “…Please help convey that portability is really important. Don’t make it too—”

“I got it, I got it. No need to fuss.”

This rendezvous person had quite a personality.

The next step was to infiltrate the command center. After submitting the documents, Zhu Yanchen directly contacted Xia Yufeng—Xia Liang was performing today, so he couldn’t summon her.

“Sure.” Xia Yufeng still had that indifferent tone but agreed quite straightforwardly.

Zhu Yanchen didn’t let this detail slip by. “What happened at the command center?”

“Ah, nothing major.” Xia Yufeng chuckled. “It’s just that Zhu Lao isn’t here, so it’s convenient for us to make the exchange.”

“Zhu Song isn’t there?”

“He went to the stronghold. It’ll probably take a few days for him to return.”

“Which stronghold?”

“Hey, what’s the matter with you? Didn’t we agree to come and pick up the items? Why do you care about where he went and what he’s doing?”

“Which stronghold?” Zhu Yanchen’s voice lowered.

“…Y-0023, the special cultivation stronghold—the ‘crime scene’ where you were kidnapped.” Xia Yufeng immediately responded obediently. “That place is primarily focused on research. He’s probably dealing with the synthetic humans there.”

“When did he leave?”

“He didn’t leave long ago, and he kept it quite low-key. His car is more stable, but slower. He probably just arrived… Why are you asking all these questions?”

This was bad.

Indeed, the cultivation stronghold focused more on research than regular strongholds. Whenever ordinary people captured new mutant beasts, they would store them in the cultivation stronghold for close observation to prevent sending high-risk hazards into the city.

To control these creatures, the defense facilities at the cultivation stronghold were much better than those at the ordinary strongholds. In order to make the most of the resources, the United Government would also keep the underdeveloped synthetic humans there.

Y-0023 was a large-scale cultivation stronghold, where 60% of the juvenile synthetic humans were raised. A few days ago, when Luo Duan caused a disturbance, the remaining 40% were likely also transferred to Y-0023.

…That was why Shu Jun chose Y-0023 as the target of the attack.

Calculating the time, Shu Jun would definitely collide with Zhu Song.

During a visit from the leader, the level of defense and security would be on a different level compared to usual. If bloodshed occurred in this operation, the road ahead would only become more difficult.

“Marshal Zhu, Marshal Zhu! Snap out of it,” Xia Yufeng called out dissatisfied. “If you don’t want to answer, fine, but don’t waste time. I also have risks to consider.”

“How many people did Zhu Song bring?”

When it reached this point, Xia Yufeng gradually realized the seriousness of the situation. He fell silent for a moment, and his tone became somewhat peculiar. “What? Are you going to send the synthetic humans to raid for the youngsters? Well, that would be walking right into the lion’s den. Marshal Zhu, are you really bringing people to attack the cultivation stronghold? It seems like you’re siding with the humans after all.”

Zhu Yanchen made a swift decision. “…I’ll replace you and go there myself.”

They were too far apart, and the stronghold was close to the erosion zone, so he couldn’t contact Shu Jun. But even if he couldn’t catch up, he could at least intervene under the guise of being a “Marshal” and salvage the situation to some extent.

“Go as me? How are you going to explain it to Zhu Song?”

“I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.” He had already thought of at least three excuses and would act accordingly.

The cultivation stronghold.

“The atmosphere feels off,” someone spoke up first.

‘Indeed, it feels off,’ Shu Jun thought. They were used to being at strongholds, and even if the cultivation stronghold required more manpower, the atmosphere shouldn’t be this tense.

“Could there be an ambush?” another person chimed in ominously. “Captain Shu, I can tell that your friend named ‘Smoke’ isn’t an ordinary person. Yu Jin is one thing; we’re all familiar with his whereabouts, and we can easily uncover his hideout. But this Smoke…”

“A’Yan won’t leak any information.” Shu Jun’s brow didn’t even furrow.

“Pardon my bluntness, but the Grand Tournament just ended, and how long have you known him? Humans have deceived us in countless ways. It doesn’t make sense for security to be enhanced like this shortly after we arrive. Even so, I don’t want to throw away my life without a fight.”

“The situation has indeed changed, but I suggest sticking to the original plan.”

Chai Xuyang had remained silent all along, but now he also looked at Shu Jun with some discontent.

“First, we don’t have the luxury to waste time. Every time we take action, we could leave behind clues for the enemy. Second, we not only need to frighten them into strengthening their security here, but also figure out why the security suddenly increased.”

“Just because you trust Smoke? If you want to believe, go ahead, but I don’t. I don’t want to put my face out there to get beaten.”

“This is an order.” Shu Jun narrowed his eyes behind his mask. “We’re soldiers. Soldiers cannot jeopardize the mission based on their personal likes or dislikes.”

“Humans have trained us to be soldiers, but I didn’t become one just because I enjoyed it.”

Shu Jun closed his eyes slightly. “Those willing to go with me, raise your hand.”

Chai Xuyang struggled for a moment, then tremblingly raised his hand. Unfortunately, no one else responded among the nearly thirty people.

“Whether we go with you or not, it means letting us kill. Isn’t it just making the citizens hate us? Even if they don’t deserve to die, I have no intention of getting along well with them.”

“Yeah, why should we restrain ourselves now?”

“That’s how war is—survival of the fittest. If those people come after us, we’ll kill them all—”

……

“I understand.” Shu Jun raised one hand. His pale eyes scanned the surroundings, causing everyone to shrink back.

Chai Xuyang’s whole body trembled, and in that instant, a chilling instinctive aura gripped him. He suddenly felt that the “Shu Jun” beside him wasn’t human, but something else—something extraordinarily dangerous. He almost immediately regretted his decision.

However, his hand remained frozen in the air, and his arm was immobilized by fear, unable to even bend.

“If you don’t want to go, I understand,” Shu Jun continued, his voice even carrying a hint of amusement. “Then it will just be me and Chai Xuyang.”

No, no, no, no. He didn’t want to. Chai Xuyang felt helpless and on the verge of tears.

The others fell silent. They only wanted to cause some trouble, make Shu Jun relent, and vent their emotions on those humans. They never expected this person to suddenly compromise and even be willing to throw his life away.

“Change of plans. The rest of you stay put. Protect yourselves and—”

Shu Jun adjusted the mask on his face and glanced at the others once again.

“—keep a close eye on me.”