Chapter 147: The Blood-Stained Gods! (Grand Chapter!)

On the other side, Cao Fusheng strode through the surging crowd, hurrying back toward his living quarters.

It was currently the late evening hours of the old era, and the residential zone was bustling with a fair amount of traffic. Most people gathered in small groups of three to six to gossip and catch up, possessing a much stronger sense of human warmth compared to the harsh outside world.

Furthermore, the Sky Pillar strictly adhered to the timetable of the old era. Right at ten o'clock in the evening, the lights-out bugle would sound, and all residents lingering outside were required to return obediently to their rooms—the so-called curfew.

This would last until seven o'clock the next morning, when the internal light sources would illuminate normally, signaling the start of a brand new day.

Day after day, the survivors lived on in this repetitive cycle.

Inside the room.

Cao Fusheng explained the current situation to the other two, and they were quite astonished, never expecting matters to turn out this favorably.

They had originally anticipated a bloodless power struggle, yet it had ended so casually and anticlimactically.

"I still feel... somewhat unreal about all this," Han Shuqing murmured softly. If anyone else had told her, her first reaction surely would have been utter disbelief.

The next morning.

The seven o'clock morning bugle rang out as scheduled, reminding the survivors inside the Sky Pillar that a day of work had begun.

After finishing his morning routine, Cao Fusheng was just considering how to handle sending off Shen Dong when a knock sounded on the door, right on cue.

This time, the knock was noticeably more polite, nothing like Xun Xin's aggressive, trouble-seeking approach from yesterday.

"Pardon me... is Captain Cao in?"

Cao Fusheng opened the door to find a graceful young woman standing outside. She was dressed in a tight black and white uniform, with a pair of petite, youthful legs encased in black silk stockings—at first glance, the combination looked utterly mismatched!

Despite her tender age and girlish appearance, she was dressed in such a mature, professional manner.

Most obvious of all was the Service Department badge pinned to her chest.

"What is it?"

The girl still appeared somewhat green; a single exchange brought a flush to her cheeks. Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, she spoke softly, "It's like this. According to the arrangement made by our Minister, I've been sent specially to deliver your contribution card. This black card contains one hundred thousand contribution points, paid out based on your contributions."

"And here are these two purple ones, each containing thirty thousand points. Oh right, and here are your identity medallions. Once you activate the medallions and swipe the cards over them, the corresponding contribution points will be deposited. If you prefer not to deposit them, you can also use the contribution cards directly for purchases."

Cao Fusheng took the items from the girl's hands, gave a grunt of acknowledgment, and moved to close the door.

"Captain Cao!"

"What? Is there more?"

"My name is Luo Yururu, and I am Minister Ruan's secretary... Also, our Minister said that if you have any questions, you can come find her at any time!" Luo Yururu said softly. With a shy, honest smile toward Cao Fusheng, she turned and departed without a moment's hesitation.

Cao Fusheng shook his head with a chuckle. So this was the type Ruan Luoluo preferred; she bore quite a resemblance to Xun Xin after all, both employing secretaries who were pretty, petite, and adorable.

"Fusheng, is something the matter?" Han Shuqing had also finished getting herself ready. She had changed out of her delicate, translucent silk dress and donned an intellectual gray trench coat. The oversized coat covered up much of her breathtaking figure; otherwise, walking down the street would have drawn far too many glaring eyes.

This clothing had naturally been retrieved from Cao Fusheng's dimensional space.

After clearing out the metallic materials inside, the space had become much emptier, leaving plenty of room to store many other things.

The only regrettable flaw was that it could not accommodate living creatures.

Otherwise, Cao Fusheng could have easily packed an entire army inside, but that was something that could only ever exist in fantasy.

If one could truly carry an entire military force on their person, it would simply be too heaven-defying—in the parlance of cultivation novels, it would be an existence intolerable to heaven and earth.

"Someone just delivered our medallions along with some contribution points. We are essentially members of the wealthy class within the Sky Pillar now. A total of one hundred and sixty thousand contribution points—that must amount to several years' salary for an ordinary employee," Cao Fusheng smiled, handing the medallions to Han Shuqing along with the card storing the contribution points.

Han Shuqing chuckled lightly, "I didn't say you had to hand over your salary, you know. Keep it. You can hold onto my share as well; these are all things you rightfully earned."

Cao Fusheng waved a hand dismissively, saying casually, "In my view, these external possessions are trivial. From now on, you'll manage things internally, while I'll handle the outside. I don't want to waste energy worrying about these details. I've already made up my mind—the Boss told me to select my own team members to form a squad, but I won't be considering you."

"Why!?" Han Shuqing had just emerged from her joy only to plunge straight into sorrow. Was he afraid she would hold him back?

Cao Fusheng placed his hands on her slender shoulders, gazed into her eyes, and said earnestly, "It's very simple. I don't want to lose you, and your strengths don't lie in combat. The enemies we face in the future will only grow more powerful and complex. I don't want to experience losing you the way I lost Bingran and Shen Dong. I've already made up my mind. When the time comes, I'll ask Ruan Luoluo to arrange a job for you, so you can safely stay home and be the supportive wife waiting for my triumphant return."

"I know you're doing this for my own good, and what you're saying is true. Along this journey, I haven't been able to help much in dangerous battles. But have you considered things from my perspective? What I care about isn't my own safety, but whether I can fight side by side with you, whether I can stay by your side always. Your arrangement makes me seem much safer, but what if one day you can't come back? Could you bear to leave me behind alone?" Han Shuqing's emotions flared, her voice rising. Though she wasn't throwing a tantrum, her eye sockets grew red.

Cao Fusheng cupped her face and gently kissed her. After a long moment, he said, "That's precisely why you need to stay home every day and pray for my safe return. My path is difficult and filled with uncertainty and danger. The same goes for Gao Yi; I'll seek his opinion. If he intends to live a peaceful life for a while, I won't demand that he march out with me again."

"I understand... Very well, then I will stay safely at home and wait for your return, so you won't have to worry about the rear!" Han Shuqing laughed through her tears. She was well aware of some of Cao Fusheng's deepest secrets.

During a certain night in the past, an utterly exhausted Cao Fusheng had shared a portion of the truth with her, including his quest to uncover the secrets of the barren era.

Arriving at the Sky Pillar meant life had finally stabilized, but she knew that for the man sleeping beside her, this was merely a beginning.

At best, it signified the end of a single chapter.

"You know, back when I was all alone, I felt invincible because I had nothing left to lose. I only had myself, and at worst, I had a worthless life to throw away—after all, human life is the cheapest commodity in the barren era... But later, I walked out of ZM City, out of an era where I was completely alone. I met Bingran, I met you, and later on, Shen Dong and Gao Yi..."

"Virtually all obsession in this world is tied to people. So, I don't know when it started, but I began to feel a heavy burden. I felt that apart from bearing my own destiny, I was also carrying the destinies of you family members who were willing to brave blades and fire for my sake."

"Bingran's death made me realize that I am merely an ordinary person. When crisis strikes and things are beyond remedy, I am just as helpless. Shen Dong's death made me realize even more that perhaps I shouldn't have been so selfish. If our destinies hadn't crossed, Bingran wouldn't have died in the fallout shelter, and Shen Dong wouldn't have come to ZZ City, become infected, and ultimately sacrificed himself to blaze a glorious path for us."

"I've grown somewhat afraid. I'm afraid of you, afraid of Gao Yi, afraid that you might all die before my eyes in different ways. It's a terrifying thing, can you understand? When a person has nothing, they can brave any storm, but once they possess something again, and then lose everything, what do they become?"

Han Shuqing tightly embraced the struggling man, offering him a sense of peace with the warmth of her body, though the emotional release inevitably infected her as well. "I understand, I understand everything, because I've experienced the things you're talking about too. That's why I met you later on—you brought me hope. I had lost everything, yet I gained you. There's nothing we can't overcome; you don't have to bear all this weight entirely in your heart! At least you still have me now, and even failing that, you have Little Ye keeping you company."

Little Ye: "Mmph... mmph..."

Cao Fusheng was startled, then broke into a wry, helpless smile. "Right, at least I still have all of you now, which is precisely why I want to protect you."

"Actually... in my view, the best and most charming thing about you, Fusheng, is your strong sense of responsibility. But that's also your worst trait, because in the barren era, people with a sense of responsibility never meet a good end. Usually, only the most selfish people survive best." Han Shuqing cautiously glanced up to observe the man, terrified that her words might displease him.

Cao Fusheng frowned. He understood every word Han Shuqing was speaking; it all depended on who he was facing.

Back on the island, he had also made an extremely selfish decision. If he had chosen to surrender and march willingly to his death back then, perhaps the members of the Swordfish squad would not have died.

They would have continued living normal lives, returning home to spend time with their families during their leaves.

Yet Cao Fusheng was unwilling. Everyone has their selfish moments, and personalities are never truly fixed. While they might remain stable within certain boundaries most of the time, special circumstances existed.

Otherwise, how could the saying "evil arises from the gall" even exist?

Ultimately, he had chosen to preserve himself, killing the brothers he had once regarded as comrades in arms.

Betrayal was simply intolerable.

"Then what kind of person would you hope my true nature to be?" Cao Fusheng stroked her hair, speaking in a gentle voice.

Han Shuqing revealed a smile and said, "Naturally, the way you are right now. If you were truly an extremely selfish person, I would rather have died in the desolate lands than followed you back then, and no one else would have willingly risked life and limb to follow you afterwards. Would Shen Dong have chosen to sacrifice himself to pave the way for you?"

"Only a person with a sense of responsibility attracts others to follow them. As the old saying goes, 'Be the ocean, and a hundred rivers will choose to converge; be the wutong tree, and the phoenix will come to roost.' In my eyes, you are the ocean where a hundred rivers merge, and the fiery wutong tree where the divine bird alights."

Cao Fusheng pinched the woman's delicate nose and chuckled, "I think you're just viewing me through rose-colored glasses. I'm nowhere near as noble or as good as you make me out to be."

Just as the two were pouring their hearts out to one another, a long-awaited voice finally echoed in Cao Fusheng's mind.

"Reminder to the host: The ecological chain has detected that the Sky Pillar has initiated its clearance operation. Primary Quest 1 [Save the ZZ City Sky Pillar] determined as completed. Distributing rewards..."

"Credited 10,000 gene points. Current available gene points: 10,020."

"Due to the acquisition of preliminary intelligence, the Northern Celestial Kingdom has begun to surface and has been discovered by the host. Activating Primary Quest 2 [Blood-Stained Gods]!"

Below came the quest description.

Primary Quest 2: [Blood-Stained Gods]
Reward upon successful completion: 30,000 gene points, random activation of one talent.
Consequence of quest failure: Death.
Quest description: A super survivor gathering zone known as the Northern Celestial Kingdom attempts to seize control of the Sky Pillar through various means, destroying hard-won peace. If they succeed, the ZZ City Sky Pillar will run with blood and face the risk of destruction. Please find a way to preserve the Sky Pillar.
Note: This quest features bonus rewards, with completion rates ranging from 100% to 200%.
First-tier completion rate: Cause the Northern Celestial Kingdom's invasion to fail, preserving the Sky Pillar. Subsequent impacts unknown.
Second-tier completion rate: Completely destroy the Northern Celestial Kingdom, eliminate the mastermind. Subsequent impacts: None.

"Reminder to the host: The ecological chain has detected a special urgent report. The Northern Celestial Kingdom has already taken action, and the war has begun. Please participate as soon as possible, or the defeat of the Sky Pillar will become an established fact."

Cao Fusheng's expression turned grave. If he merely completed the first stage, it would count as completion, but it would bring unknown subsequent impacts.

Given his personality, how could he possibly allow such a situation to occur? If he was going to do something, he would do it thoroughly; completely wiping out the Northern Celestial Kingdom was already an established goal he intended to pursue.

However, he needed to consider where to establish a foothold for his intervention. Lacking power and status at the moment, he could not influence the broader situation at all.

"Primary Quest 1 [Save the ZZ City Sky Pillar] subsequent rewards issued. Please sink your consciousness into meditation to draw for a talent!"

Only then did Cao Fusheng remember that the reward for Primary Quest 1 seemed to include a random talent. Had the gene ecological chain not reminded him, he would have completely forgotten about this matter.

He focused his consciousness, and moments later, seven playing cards appeared out of thin air before his eyes. All of them were face down, bearing large question marks on their backs.

"This reward batch has been drawn from the talent repository. Please click at will. Note: Whether the drawn talent turns out to be useless completely depends on the host's character!"

A head full of black lines, Cao Fusheng asked helplessly, "Why is this process so formal this time? Weren't the previous dimensional space rewards distributed directly?"

"Reminder to the host! Things will only become more formal from now on! Thank you, host, for pointing out the issue!"

Quoting a famous saying from an old-era live streamer: My mentality is completely shattered!