CH 162

“I made a deal with Mang Ya. I helped him get rid of the person controlling him and took care of Mang Ya’s real body, putting an end to this endless cycle of cloning, and allowing him to rest in peace. He said that you would come here shortly, and he hopes you’ll stay here, live in peace and tranquility,” Shu Shuishui explained without going into the details of Li Meng and Wu Lan.

“What about himself?” Qing Mengxing naturally inquired about Mang Ya.

“He didn’t say, but given his current personality, there are two likely outcomes. Either all the clone bodies will fight each other until only one remains, marking the end. Or all the clone bodies will hide away until they naturally die. But I believe the former is more likely,” after all, Mang Ya had a pathological obsession with violence and combat.

“Since it’s a trade, what did he promise you? It must be related to his eyes, considering that apart from these eyes, we have nothing left.” Qing Mengxing’s feelings about the eyes were quite complex. On one hand, he knew that the reason he and Mang Ya survived the wormhole was closely related to their eyes. On the other hand, their eyes were also tied to the many hardships they had endured.

“He promised to tell me what he saw from mine and Gu Gu’s past after everything is over,” Shu Shuishui said and then hesitated before adding, “Do you need some chicken soup? It’s known for its healing properties.”

Qing Mengxing hadn’t heard a motivational speech in a long time. After all, with all these secrets, there was no one he could confide in. “Sure.”

Shu Shuishui left after hearing Qing Mengxing’s request. After a while, he returned. “Gu Gu went to catch some wild chickens. I’ll make chicken soup for you at noon. Do you need any side dishes? Perhaps roasted grasshoppers or something like that?”

Qing Mengxing was a bit surprised. “Thanks, but you can skip the grasshoppers.”

Shu Shuishui shrugged. “Alright.”

Qing Mengxing had no idea that he had missed out on Shu Shuishui’s famous roasted grasshoppers, something that the entire Shui Jing Gong had been looking forward to. However, he was still lucky to enjoy the chicken soup that Shu Shuishui prepared.

Unaware of Shu Shuishui’s and Gu Gu’s experiences in the simulator and their knowledge about his past, Qing Mengxing felt a sense of contradiction in the agreement between Shu Shuishui and Mang Ya.

As for why they reached such an agreement, only Shu Shuishui and Mang Ya knew.

Qing Mengxing mentioned that he wouldn’t live peacefully in the Shui Jing Gong as Mang Ya hoped. Shu Shuishui understood and mentioned that Mang Ya would seek an opportunity to send Yang Tianjun’s location to the Shui Jing Gong. Qing Mengxing and Mang Ya had a unique connection, and if Qing Mengxing was willing to help, tracking him down would be easier.

Despite Yang Tianjun’s lack of combat strength, he could make himself invulnerable through Mang Ya. Combining Mang Ya’s exceptional abilities and their shared thoughts, their coordinated actions were formidable. However, in the face of absolute power, their coordination would prove futile. This had been tested on Gu Langu by two of Mang Ya’s clone bodies, leading to the following agreement. Mang Ya needed someone to help him break free from control, and this person was either Shu Shuishui or Gu Langu.

Not being able to engage in combat personally was a regret for Mang Ya. He had always acknowledged Shu Shuishui’s strength, which was why he initially targeted him, but Gu Langu had intervened. However, this wasn’t a problem as Gu Langu was equally formidable.

After their conversation, it was nearly noon. Shu Shuishui went to make the chicken soup as promised. Of course, he didn’t forget to roast a chicken for Gu Langu and a skewer of grasshoppers. Qing Mengxing enjoyed the chicken soup immensely, finding it surprisingly delicious and therapeutic. As he sipped on the soup, he caught a whiff of a particularly enticing aroma in the air. Someone nearby remarked that Shu Shuishui had roasted grasshoppers again, making Qing Mengxing wonder when he would have enough resources to exchange for a batch.

Qing Mengxing: ???

On the 46th day of the Frozen Season, Shu Shuishui received a message from Mang Ya. At the same time, Qing Mengxing also sensed something and looked toward the south.

Shu Shuishui initially didn’t want to trouble others, but when everyone found out that he had a way to move freely during the Frozen Season, they all wanted to join him. Especially Yu Jin, who practically wanted to stick to Shu Shuishui’s face to express his longing.

While the Cangyu Mountain Range was vast, the protective array had its limitations, and many areas were off-limits due to powerful mutated creatures, making it easy to get bored staying there for months.

In the end, considering the daily management of the Shui Jing Gong and the number of runes required, Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu decided to bring Qing Mengxing, Yu Jin, Cheng Que, and the system, who just wanted to join in for the fun.

Xie Feng had also wanted to go, but someone from the research department had to stay at the base. Since the base was in the midst of technological development and construction, Xie Feng chose to stay.

After packing their simple bags, the group set off. Before stepping out of the protective array, they applied talismans to themselves. These talismans were developed by Shu Shuishui himself. Due to time and material constraints, they didn’t have many, but they were quite effective. Shu Shuishui affectionately named them “Warm Babies.”

One Warm Baby talisman could provide warmth for a day, and rough calculations suggested that their round trip would take about two weeks. Shu Shuishui prepared a hundred Warm Baby talismans, just in case. As for the system, being a high-dimensional entity, it wasn’t as susceptible to the cold, but it seemed like it wanted to come along for some fresh air and a change of scenery.

In the vast world covered in white snow, a group like this appeared. They wore thin clothing but moved with ease, seemingly unaffected by the cold. Occasionally, a small frog that hadn’t gone into hibernation would hop around their feet, agile and lively, following the group’s footsteps.

Fortunately, no one witnessed this eerie scene. The Frozen Season had rendered the outside world silent and lifeless, with hardly any sign of active creatures. Even animals had sought shelter or gone into hibernation to escape the extreme cold of Cang Zhan Star.

On the fifty-second day of the Frozen Season, they arrived near the location sent by Mang Ya. Relying on the talismans that protected them from the cold, the group buried themselves in the snow, perfectly hidden. These talismans prevented the loss of body heat and also blocked thermal imaging.

In truth, Yang Tianjun didn’t believe anyone could be active outside in such temperatures. Especially considering the secluded spot he had chosen – a deserted small village with no signs of life.

Shu Shuishui communicated with Gu Langu through the Shui Lan Ring. “Gu Gu, is this the place?”

Gu Langu had already used thermal imaging to assess the situation in the village. To allow the others to see as well, Gu Langu connected to the system, which then shared the images with everyone.

This was when the benefits of the system became apparent. Being a product of a high-dimensional civilization, it served as a supercomputer effortlessly. Even such a simple function required no binding and was easily accessible by all.

Once the images were shared, a collective murmur of mild surprise echoed through the group. They had considered the possibility that Yang Tianjun might be hiding somewhere in the village, hence the thermal imaging would reveal human shapes. However, what they didn’t expect was that the thermal imaging showed an entirely red landscape, and nearly every room in the small village was packed with people!

Upon closer examination, these people all appeared to be standing upright, and except for the heat they emitted from their mouths, they hardly resembled living beings. The group quickly realized that these densely packed figures were all Mang Ya clones! After a rough count, they couldn’t help but gasp in shock – there were at least a thousand of them! The spectacle was so astounding that it was hard to fathom if you hadn’t seen it with your own eyes.

Qing Mengxing’s breath caught, and his extreme anger caused him to tremble uncontrollably.

To confuse their perception and as a precaution, some individuals in a few rooms were still in motion, making it impossible to distinguish where Yang Tianjun was at the moment through dynamic figures. If it were Gu Langu, who hadn’t been stripped of extraterrestrial tech abilities, he could easily activate his X-ray and auto-lock functions. But for now, they were limited to thermal imaging.

Just at this moment, the system didn’t forget to tempt potential contractees. “Anyone want to bond with me? Bond with the little frog, no losses, no regrets, easy X-ray vision, perfect imaging, 720-degree visuals, holographic projection, instant enjoyment!”

After a while, no one responded. The system, using a simulated tone of frustration, complained in their minds, “I copied Gray Rats Company’s advertising slogan. Why are they so popular? It’s not fair to us AI either. When I get back, I’ll apply for a furry avatar too.”

Yu Jin endured the mental noise and said, “Can we focus on the atmosphere? Let’s not make jokes at a time like this; it’s easy to get distracted.”

The system remained silent, and after a moment, an orchestra of somber, melancholic violin music spontaneously played in everyone’s minds, perfectly matching the mood.

The group: “…” They really believed the system was just a machine; it had no emotions.

Qing Mengxing wasn’t about to break a frog’s leg, but after the system’s antics, his swirling emotions had returned to rationality. “With this many clone bodies, if we can’t capture Yang Tianjun in one strike, it will become troublesome.”

Cheng Que pushed his glasses up, and the accumulated snowflakes on them immediately fell off with a gentle rustle. “In the thermal imaging, there are around thirty moving figures, but the challenge lies in the fact that if we alert any of the thousand-plus clone bodies, it might trigger a chain reaction.”

Shu Shuishui nodded, not because he was afraid they couldn’t win, but because Mang Ya’s coordination was perfect. After all, they could read each other’s thoughts. Plus, they didn’t want to accidentally harm Mang Ya.

Yu Jin was rubbing his hands, ready to take action. He sounded somewhat hesitant upon hearing this. He didn’t have confidence in facing thousands of clones, and each Mang Ya was quite formidable. “Is this what they call ‘casting pearls before swine’? Yang Tianjun is really cunning!”

Shu Shuishui replied, “I’m not a swine! Thanks!” He then handed out a few talismans. “Check out the invisibility talismans, there’s nothing a dormouse can’t do!”

Gu Langu patted Shu Shuishui’s head and said with pride, “Shui Shui is the best.”

The other three also brightened up, and even the little frog sneakily approached, as if it wanted a talisman too. However, Gu Langu flicked it away with a finger.

If it weren’t for the fear of drawing attention, the little frog really wanted to croak indignantly to express its dissatisfaction. But in the end, it obediently activated its invisibility function and attached itself to Cheng Que. Over these days, the system unexpectedly discovered that among this group of people, Cheng Que was actually the most talkative.

With the invisibility talismans in place, the group approached the village stealthily. From the outside, the village appeared extremely run-down and desolate. There was no sign of habitation, as it didn’t seem like anyone lived there.

However, as they ventured further inside, it was Shu Shuishui who discovered traces of human activity, such as footprints, discarded food remnants, or ashes from burnt objects.

Gu Langu divided the tasks among the group through the system, with each person responsible for inspecting several moving figures to locate Yang Tianjun’s whereabouts.