Scum Gong Walks the Career Line in the Crematorium

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Until now, Xia Zuo still remembered that when he met Shu Shuangyu, he had just come of age. At that time, Xia Zuo had already lost his family many years ago and spent years surviving in the slums, becoming the leader of a group of delinquents.

Shu Shuangyu appeared in the slums so suddenly, instantly drawing everyone’s attention. Compared to the slum natives who struggled just to survive, Shu Shuangyu dressed neatly and cleanly, with no signs of weariness from life, only innocence and purity.

He looked like a well-off young master who had no worries about clothing and food.

Seeing such a fat lamb entering the slums, it was clear what his fate would be. Everyone dared not do anything to him, but deceiving him and taking some money would be no problem… Yet, Xia Zuo, somehow, had a sudden change of heart and took Shu Shuangyu away.

Others thought Xia Zuo wanted to have the fat lamb all to himself, but unexpectedly, he took Shu Shuangyu out of the slums without taking a single penny.

Unaware of this, Shu Shuangyu simply smiled sweetly and bought a band-aid from a nearby pharmacy, giving it to Xia Zuo, “You have a scar on your forehead, so take this.”

At that moment, Xia Zuo felt such pure warmth and kindness for the first time since his family had left.

Later, the two would often meet, and Shu Shuangyu was indeed rich, innocent, and pure, just as Xia Zuo had guessed. However, he had lost his parents to the Zerg race, something Xia Zuo had not anticipated.

Their relationship grew closer and closer, and Xia Zuo had already considered Shu Shuangyu as his future partner in his heart. But unexpectedly, Shu Shuangyu suddenly decided to go on a trip to other planets. The spaceship he was on was unexpectedly surrounded by the Zerg race, and no one survived.

No body, no trace of life.

The higher-ups of the empire only made feeble appeals and statements, reluctant even to send troops to search for him.

Since then, Xia Zuo seemed to be trapped in eternal darkness. He hated the Zerg race and even hated humans, but what he hated most was his own powerlessness.

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Now, Shu Shuangyu was clearly not dead, but Xia Zuo couldn’t feel any happiness. Instead, a chill ran up his spine, sending shivers down his back.

[“Please note that the Blackening Value of the target, Xia Zuo, has increased. The current Blackening Value is 95, and the Love Value is 99.”]

Hearing the system’s reminder, Shu Shuangyu felt quite satisfied. [“This is normal. I worked so hard to max out the Love Value, and within just a few years of leaving, it dropped below the standard line. Xia Zuo’s Love Value is normal.”]

Xia Zuo suddenly closed his eyes and then slowly opened them, turning his head to look at Lu Xiu.

At this moment, the two former rivals, who had fought each other to the death and were the enemies who knew each other best, both saw deep sorrow in each other’s eyes.

But they had become powerless to mock or hurt each other because they pitied each other—they were both just playthings in the eyes of others.

[“Please note that the Blackening Value of the target, Xia Zuo, has increased. The current Blackening Value is 99. The Love Value of the target, Xia Zuo, has decreased. The current Love Value is 60.”]

Just as Shu Shuangyu praised Xia Zuo, his Love Value suddenly dropped. He widened his eyes and looked at Xia Zuo, hesitantly asking, “I feel like I’ve seen you before. Do we know each other? Are you someone important to me?”

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As expected, after he spoke, Xia Zuo’s Love Value increased from 60 to 65.

[“System, did your calculation method bug out? Why did the Love Value suddenly drop so much? I didn’t do anything.”] Shu Shuangyu panicked.

He wasn’t afraid of returning to the little world because he relied on the fact that both the protagonist and antagonist of the little world loved him dearly. No matter how much the Blackening Value increased, he was sure they wouldn’t harm him.

But the decrease in Love Value meant that the character no longer loved him… and his personal safety was no longer guaranteed!

Feeling a chill in his heart, Shu Shuangyu couldn’t help but show some fear in his eyes. He hesitated and took a step back. Now, Xia Zuo’s Blackening Value had reached 99, and he was originally a mentally twisted major antagonist. Who knew what he might do!

Seeing Shu Shuangyu take a step back, Xia Zuo’s last trace of good memories shattered, and he sneered, “I’ll take this person away.”

Lu Xiu remained silent for a few seconds as he looked at Shu Shuangyu and asked, “Do you want to go with him?”

A choice between two options.

Shu Shuangyu hurriedly shook his head and quickly stood behind Lu Xiu. “I don’t know him, and I don’t want to go with him.”

[“He has a Blackening Value of 99. I’d be crazy to go with him. What if he imprisons me? How am I going to continue the route with Lu Xiu?”] Shu Shuangyu complained to the system in his heart. [“Lu Xiu is a positive character, easier to capture. I’ll capture him first, and then I’ll find Xia Zuo later. When the time comes, if Xia Zuo imprisons me, Lu Xiu, as the Empire’s Marshal, will definitely come to rescue me.”]

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With his mind calculating, Shu Shuangyu felt that as he held onto Lu Xiu’s hand, it was unquestionably pushed away.

Meanwhile, Xia Zuo burst into laughter, and even his Blackening Value decreased a few points. “Lu Xiu, oh, Lu Xiu, you consider yourself a human hero, but in reality? You’re just a gullible fool. If you were in the slums, you’d be fooled out of your entire family’s fortune in less than a week.”

Lu Xiu smiled bitterly and shook his head. He was mixed with mixed feelings, “I didn’t even know that in other people’s eyes, I had such an image.”

Lu Xiu also remembered that he had saved Shu Shuangyu on the battlefield against the Zerg race. At that time, Shu Shuangyu was all dirty, except for a pair of dark eyes that looked clean and innocent, making him seem pitiful and adorable.

Now, looking back, Lu Xiu began to doubt if Shu Shuangyu was really that pitiful at the time. Were his eyes really that clean?

Or was his memory decorated with countless beautifications, making Shu Shuangyu become an image confined to memory?

Lu Xiu carefully observed Shu Shuangyu again. It was still the same face, with no changes, and his eyes were clear and distinct, but they gave off a sense of artificial innocence and a faint hint of indifference and superiority.

As if… in this person’s eyes, he was nothing but a trivial ant.

[“Please note that the Love Value of the target, Lu Xiu, has decreased to 0.”]

Love Value of 0? Shu Shuangyu couldn’t believe it. [“System, you have too many bugs today. How can the Love Value suddenly become 0?”]

“You take him away,” Lu Xiu said as the last trace of tenderness in his eyes disappeared, once again turning into the cold and hard human hero. “I have one request: you can’t harm the military.”

“Alright,” Xia Zuo readily agreed, “I need the military and the Zerg race to engage in battle. As for the high-ranking Zergs in the empire…”

“Deal with them as you please, the vermin of the empire.”

With just a few words, the two not only decided Shu Shuangyu’s fate but also determined the future of the empire.

[How did Lu Xiu become so despicable? He actually used me as a bargaining chip to exchange for the peace of the Imperial Army. He’s really despicable. If he regrets it in the future, I will definitely tease him mercilessly.] Shu Shuangyu felt like an object without dignity, being traded between the two of them, and he expressed his dissatisfaction to the system.

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Just as he finished complaining, Lu Xiu’s icy gaze swept over him, and the temperature-less look sent shivers down Shu Shuangyu’s spine.

He suddenly remembered that this was the Empire’s War God, the human hero who had guarded almost ten years of peace for humanity. He had killed more Zerg creatures than an ordinary person would encounter in a lifetime.

Once Lu Xiu withdrew his gentleness, the chilling aura alone was enough to deter anyone from approaching.

Yet, Shu Shuangyu, relying on Lu Xiu’s favor, shamelessly acted coquettish in his arms.

Suddenly, Shu Shuangyu felt a bit uncomfortable. Although he didn’t love Lu Xiu, he had to admit that Lu Xiu was an extremely outstanding man. Being liked by such a remarkable person greatly satisfied his vanity.

Especially when a cold person like Lu Xiu showed tenderness only to him, it made him feel full of pride.

But now, Lu Xiu’s eyes were no different from how he looked at ordinary people, and all those special exceptions were taken away.

“Lu Xiu…” Shu Shuangyu couldn’t help but call out softly as he tugged at Lu Xiu’s clothes, his eyes reddening.

This was his most commonly used and most effective method of acting coquettish with Lu Xiu. Every time he acted this way, no matter what the situation, Lu Xiu would compromise.

Seeing this familiar behavior, Lu Xiu didn’t feel pity; instead, he found it somewhat amusing.

When Lu Xiu heard Shu Shuangyu’s conversation with the system, he initially thought it was an illusion. However, he watched Shu Shuangyu’s behavior and dialogue happen exactly as he heard, and after communicating with Xia Zuo, he confirmed the authenticity of those conversations.

Knowing that Shu Shuangyu never loved him, that everything was fake—the identity, experiences, and personality.

All the closeness was only to raise the so-called ‘Love Value,’ so Shu Shuangyu catered to his preferences and did everything possible to capture him. Once he reached a Love Value of 100, he turned and left without hesitation.

Without a trace of doubt.

Lu Xiu felt like a complete joke, deceived by a cunning scammer.

Brushing Shu Shuangyu’s hand away, Lu Xiu told Xia Zuo, “Be careful.”

Regardless of Shu Shuangyu’s background, that system was mysterious and unpredictable, making it necessary to be on guard.

Xia Zuo responded with a grunt and dragged Shu Shuangyu away roughly, causing him to stumble and look back at Lu Xiu, unsure if he was unwilling to leave or just pretending to be pitiful.

However, no matter what the reason was, Lu Xiu would never trust him again.

…

On the other end of the surveillance, Lin Hanchuan raised an eyebrow and asked, “What was their ending in the original plot?”

001 promptly replied, [After Shu Shuangyu returned, he pretended to have amnesia, making Lu Xiu deeply worried and caring for him as if he were a treasure. Later, when Lu Xiu went to battle, Shu Shuangyu pursued Xia Zuo and successfully cleared their Blackening Value. After that, he left again.]

“Dying twice… That’s really heartless.” Pei Cun appeared beside Lin Hanchuan at some point. “Witnessing a loved one’s death once is enough to shatter a person’s heart, but twice? He isn’t afraid of driving those two insane…”

Lin Hanchuan supported Pei Cun’s waist, and the two of them naturally exchanged a kiss. “How are you feeling now? Any discomfort in your body?”

Blushing slightly, Pei Cun remembered the scene from last night where no matter how much he begged, it was futile. He gently glared at Lin Hanchuan and changed the subject, “Shu Shuangyu’s system is quite strange.”

Speaking of this, Lin Hanchuan also became serious. “I’ve noticed.”

Shu Shuangyu’s system was different from 001. Instead, it resembled Cheng Ding Chen’s system. It would do whatever it took to accomplish its mission, even to the extent of suppressing the protagonists’ spirits time and time again.

When Shu Shuangyu’s Love Value reached 100, the system made him leave; then it brought him back to the original world for another pursuit, followed by leaving again.

Witnessing the death of his loved one twice, and in such tragic circumstances, it would be difficult for anyone to maintain their mental health.

Someone a bit more extreme or fragile might choose to end their life, and even if they didn’t, the protagonist’s will to survive would become weak, greatly increasing the likelihood of dying midway.

“In the original text, after Shu Shuangyu pursued you and left, he went back to the small world to clear his Blackening Value.” Speaking of this, Pei Cun squinted his eyes. “And you… lived alone, lonely until old age… Not that you lived a long life; you passed away in your forties due to overwork.”

One could say it was a premature death, but the original plot depicted it as a lonely old age, as if he had lived for a long time.

Lin Hanchuan frowned and said, “I won’t like him, I’m sure of that. I have no feelings for him, not even without you, I won’t…”

At this point, Lin Hanchuan suddenly realized, “It’s the love card; he used the love card.”

“Shu Shuangyu is just a puppet used by the system to defeat the protagonist. If it’s not him, there will be others. What’s important is the system in his mind.” Pei Cun raised an eyebrow, his eyes bright as stars, and sharp as a knife. “I’m curious to see what kind of thing this system really is.”