Saving Unpermitted

Chapter 88: Scream

Located on the top floor of the command center was the best restaurant in Y City with a splendid view. The night sky concealed the oppressive feeling unique to overcast days, and with the dazzling warm lights, it seemed as though this place had never been tainted by the outside gloom. The temperature was comfortable, the music soothing, but these beauties failed to influence Yi Ning.

Yi Ning’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Zhu Sheng sat upright at the table with his white hair neatly combed. Despite his advanced age, he still exuded an extremely dominant and oppressive aura. Thinking about how this person had once sent someone to assassinate him, Yi Ning’s mood became somewhat complicated.

“Please, have a seat.” Faced with his former target, Zhu Sheng showed no signs of guilt.

“Don’t you want Zhu Yanchen to come?” Yi Ning suppressed his anger.

“Xiao Xia? His injuries haven’t healed yet, so he’s resting.”

“You’re being straightforward.”

“When you reach my age, you don’t have much time for small talk.” Zhu Sheng spoke slowly. “Given the current situation, let’s cooperate.”

Yi Ning stood up abruptly, almost pulling the tablecloth with his exaggerated movement. “I refuse.”

“Young man, don’t be so impatient. Settlement γ-31329 is beyond saving, and you don’t need to rush.”

Those words hit a nerve, and Yi Ning took a deep breath. “If it weren’t for you—”

“Well, I didn’t expect the Erosion Swamp to accelerate suddenly. But even if it continued at its original speed, I would still delay it. Do you want to save them?”

“No need to state the obvious!”

“The leadership position is yours. What do you plan to do?”

“Evacuate the residents, send them to other settlements, and deploy troops to purify the area surrounding the Erosion Swamp.” Yi Ning had considered this countless times in his mind.

“Our medication distribution to the settlements is calculated based on a predetermined threshold. The Erosion Swamp’s attack will inevitably turn the area near Settlement γ-31329 into a heavily eroded zone, making it impossible to grow crops or produce supplies for a period of time.”

Zhu Sheng gently placed the teacup back on the table.

“For the evacuees without special abilities, they would only burden the new settlements. The shortage of food and medicine that follows will trigger deeper chaos.”

“Y City has sufficient reserve resources, and the population of the settlement is not that large. We can allocate additional emergency supplies.”

“But what if a real emergency occurs in Y City? No one knows how long this attack will last, and there is more than one Erosion Swamp. If we reveal any weaknesses, the synthetics will definitely intervene—they are smarter than the Erosion Swamp, and each one of them is a desperate criminal, posing no less threat than the Erosion Swamp.”

“Are we just going to watch this settlement be destroyed because of a ‘possibility’ that Y City might be in danger?”

“You crawled up from a settlement, so I thought you wouldn’t be so naïve.” Zhu Sheng raised his hand, dismissing the guards who were attempting to move forward.

“Many problems don’t have perfect answers. It’s either sacrificing A or sacrificing B. From a broader perspective, if we disregard everything to rescue the settlement, it will leave evident risks for other settlements, Y City, and even humanity. But sacrificing it and finding a suitable explanation can actually ignite the fighting spirit in other settlements.”

“Fighting spirit?”

“The resistance against the synthetics.” Zhu Sheng looked at the night view outside the window. “Only after this turmoil ends, can Y City provide resources to support the settlements. If it takes too long, each settlement will inevitably be gradually depleted. Every leader in each settlement understands this principle, and as long as we send a signal, they will cooperate. Phrases like ‘victory in desperation’ and ‘fighting against the odds”—I believe you’ve heard enough of them. But if you step up and make this move, the effect will definitely be better than mine.”

“Let me summarize what you’re suggesting.” Yi Ning gritted his teeth. “You want me to step forward and use the Erosion Swamp’s attack to shift the blame onto the synthetics, then let the people in the settlements consume the synthetics first, and then Y City will intervene to solve the problem.”

“By doing so, the other settlements will still have a way out. Even with full support, Settlement γ-31329 won’t be able to be saved in time. It’s better to turn it into an excellent detonator.”

“I understand what you’re implying. The synthetics can sustain themselves outside for so long; they surely rely on support from the settlements.”

“These synthetics are likely disguised and infiltrated into various settlements. Settlements have always had a large influx of people, making them excellent hiding places. Their support probably comes from the Old Fourth. After all, they have always been dissatisfied with the optimization of the player system.”

Zhu Sheng patiently explained, which was uncommon for him.

“The Old Fourth is a civilian organization, considered half managers of the settlements. Currently, the settlements have not reported the movements of the synthetics, allowing the big fish to go unchallenged.”

“So you want to kill the chicken to scare the monkey*? Sacrifice the lives of tens of thousands, or even more, to be the detonator?”

*Idiom referring to setting an example.

“Yes. This way, the maximum number of people can survive, and there won’t be any loss of essential production facilities or core talents.” Zhu Sheng turned his gaze and looked directly into Yin Ning’s eyes.

“A while ago, you sent someone to kill me. Was it also for the ‘greater good’?”

“With the current tense situation, we shouldn’t waste time on power struggles. Our positions regarding the player system are relatively aligned. If it weren’t for your insistence on saving the settlements, I would have voluntarily withdrawn.”

As they spoke, dishes were served one by one. The vegetables were vibrant and dripping with freshness, the meat tender and delicious, and the hot aroma filled the air. However, neither of them touched their chopsticks, letting the enticing heat slowly dissipate.

Yi Ning didn’t even look at the food on the table. “If I were from Y City, I would indeed be convinced by your words.”

He suppressed his personal anger and replied with each word pronounced deliberately.

“I’ve also considered it. According to your argument, the casualties would indeed be minimized—someone has to sacrifice, so you plan to sacrifice the least significant part of society. Most people in Y City would probably stand on your side, I understand.”

“But among the group of people you want to sacrifice are my friends, elders, neighbors, and strangers who have supported and cared for me along the way. They supported me as I grew up, provided for me to enter Y City, and in the end, I’m supposed to sacrifice them without even asking, all for the sake of the ‘greater good’. I can’t cross that line within myself.”

Zhu Sheng’s expression gradually cooled down.

“I was willing to talk to you because you have a good mind. If you get rid of your soft-heartedness, you will definitely become an excellent leader in the future.”

“Is that so? I thought I was about to prove that ‘Zhu Yanchen’ is a fake, and you wanted to seek reconciliation.”

The unpleasantness on Zhu Sheng’s face disappeared, gradually transforming into a strange sadness. He fell into a long silence and sighed deeply in the end. “Yi Ning, don’t do something foolish.”

“If everyone works together, maybe we can make it through.” Yi Ning got up from his seat. “I will never use the settlements as cannon fodder.”

With that, he left the restaurant without looking back.

“You’ve worked hard. Let’s eat. The dishes in the front have gone cold; I’ll have someone reheat them up,” Zhu Sheng gestured to the young guard behind him. “We haven’t touched anything, so let’s not waste these good dishes.”

The guard glanced at Zhu Sheng, who picked up his chopsticks, and then looked at the empty seat in front of him. Mr. Zhu, isn’t this inappropriate?”

“Eat. You’ve been standing for quite a while. It’s just having a meal with an old man. Don’t mind it.”

The guard saluted and sat down in front of Zhu Sheng, visibly restrained in his movements. Zhu Sheng turned his head again and looked out at the night view—the sky had completely darkened, and his own face was reflected on the glass under the bright lights in the room.

He had never looked so exhausted before.

The young guard was also hungry, and the food was of high quality, so he loosened up as he ate. Zhu Sheng took some fish soup, mixed it with a little hot rice, and ate slowly. The screen next to him was flickering—the troops responsible for receiving supplies were still in various settlements, equipped with the best communication devices, continuously transmitting images back.

The settlements remained as they were, with shabby and crooked houses and only a few strips of light visible through the windows. The Erosion Swamp was approaching, and the concentration of erosion on the streets remained high, with very few people in sight. Occasionally, a few people could be seen with their faces tightly covered like dumplings.

To ensure that the personnel wouldn’t move drastically, Zhu Sheng had already instructed the supply team to bring false information, telling them that the Erosion Swamp would be intercepted by Y City’s special forces. He also ordered the cessation of hunting and excavation on the outskirts of the settlements, making the lie more convincing.

If the tragedy wasn’t tragic enough, it wouldn’t serve as the detonator. If these people managed to escape successfully, when the synthetics struck, the border settlement would only follow suit and descend into chaos.

The settlement was remarkably quiet. Death was about to descend, and the people sleeping in their beds knew nothing.

This would be the final peace for Settlement γ-31329.

Twenty hours passed, precisely at the time of the setting sun. The dark clouds revealed a faint reddish color from the evening sun. The massive Erosion Swamp crawled to the edge of the town, and a sharp and desperate scream pierced the sky.

It had begun.

Zhu Sheng sat upright on a stool, silently watching the shaking images on the screen—the team responsible for maintaining the machinery had left several hours ago. In a highly eroded environment, this machinery could only hold on for a day at most.

One day was enough.

The people didn’t wait for the imagined reinforcements. Many panicked and rushed onto the streets, attempting to escape on makeshift sleds. However, the concentration of erosion outside was too high, and most of the settlement’s residents didn’t have proper protective clothing. They collapsed on the streets after running only a few steps. As the beasts led the Erosion Swamp, the Corpse Parasites eagerly burrowed into the clothes of the residents, feasting on their flesh. Their bloated clothes visibly deflated.

The remaining people had learned their lesson. They retreated into their homes, put on their best protective suits, and turned the purifiers to the maximum.

The black liquid slowly crept across the ground, turning the already pale signs into shades of black, white, and gray. The settlement wasn’t without young people who made a living in the erosion zone. They wore thick protective suits and boots, running frantically through the city. If someone accidentally fell, the Erosion Swamp would grab hold of them, eliminating their chances of getting up again.

One person clearly noticed the position of the camera. He stumbled closer, shouting at the lens.

“It’s over!” he lamented. “It’s my fault; I protected the synthetics! I confess, we have hidden thousands of synthetics in our town. Their main force is still here… Cough, they haven’t left yet.”

He coughed a few times with difficulty, his voice hoarse with impending death.

“…Their underground stronghold has been infiltrated by the Erosion Swamp! They don’t seem afraid of the Erosion Swamp; they’ve all turned into monsters. Please save us… I beg you…”

“It doesn’t matter if I die, but the residents here are innocent… Why didn’t you tell us that the Erosion Swamp was coming? Why…? They aren’t afraid of the Erosion Swamp!”

Half of the person’s mask had been eroded away, revealing grayish-black flesh. Much of their skin had peeled off due to erosion, and black blood slid over their skin. They widened their eyes, tears streaming down.

“Can’t you just punish me alone? The others are innocent; they don’t even know that the synthetics are here… Please, save them. I’m begging you…”

The person knelt in front of the camera; their knees sinking into the erosion substance, making an unsettling sizzling sound. They bowed their head to the ground, maintaining that position, never rising again.

The light from the screen illuminated Zhu Sheng’s face. The old man remained motionless, as if carved in stone.

The settlement first fell into an eerie silence, then screams gradually echoed from all directions—finally, a monster entered the camera’s range on the screen.

Zhu Sheng had seen the largest one before. It was the same one that attacked the cultivation stronghold some time ago.

It let out a mournful howl in the town, filled with sorrow and anger. The pitch-black liquid flowed down from its eye sockets, dripping onto the ground. Under the giant monster’s feet, several humanoid creatures staggered forward—they still retained human proportions, without masks on their faces, but their limbs were strangely elongated. Black bone joints protruded from their eyes, noses, ears, and mouths, reaching toward the sky. From a distance, they resembled charred trees.

These “people” emitted muffled wailing sounds, their movements convulsing, appearing to be in extreme pain. Zhu Sheng recognized a few faces—they were all members of the Blackbirds.

The largest monster was surrounded by them, wreaking havoc on the houses and emitting mournful screams as if venting their anger. Zhu Sheng witnessed it stepping on rooftops, claws dragging out residents from inside, and three or five of them being pressed into the Erosion Swamp, crushed into a meaty pulp.

The humanoid creatures surrounding it then swarmed in, devouring the meaty pulp in a frenzy.

This is bad.

Zhu Sheng tightly gripped the head of his cane.

…He had considered the worst-case scenario, but the current scene was a hundred times worse than his imagination.

The author has something to say:

Shu Ge: A’Yan, see if my special effects are powerful enough.

↑ Actually, he’s the only one in the scene.

Marshal: .