Promises and Lies

Infighting? Ji Jue stared blankly for a moment. He could hardly believe it. Not because reality was hard to accept, but because it was hard to believe such an amateurish clown show could actually happen. Under such immense external pressure, before the overwhelming might of the Holy God's church, these puny rebels were actually turning on each other. And they were pointing their blades directly at the strongest fighter in camp. What in the world was this—a kicked-from-the-party trope? Were they out of their minds? "Wait... you guys are really having a mutiny?" He glanced at Bao Dachai. The old man caught his look, his expression turning increasingly subtle. "Ah, well, pretty much... Yeah, infighting." His tone was so indifferent that one might think this happened every day. Or perhaps he had expected it all along. "Amateurish messes are normal here." Bao Dachai raised a hand, instinctively moving to push up glasses that weren't there, and ended up just rubbing his eye sockets with a soft sigh. "After all, this camp was cobbled together in a hurry from a few rebel squads. The composition is complicated, and the time has been far too short. Miss Wen was elected leader purely because she's the fairest among us—she never hides anything, never hoards the spoils. "Given more time, things might have stabilized. But as luck would have it—" He stopped halfway, leaving the thought unfinished. Yet sometimes half was plenty, and Ji Jue understood completely. As luck would have it, right at this critical juncture, Wen Wen had stubbornly made a unilateral decision, taking most of their core combat strength to push through the angels' tight encirclement at great cost and effort. And what was the result? She had dug a crippled torso out of a meteorite fallen from the sky and limped back in defeat. They had suffered terrible casualties, and the entire camp was now at risk of exposure. "Oh, so this is my fault." Ji Jue realized the truth and sighed. Had so many lives been lost just to drag him out? Enough that internal backlash and division could no longer be suppressed? Standing by the window, Ji Jue quietly studied the faces in the crowd, deciphering their expressions: the fury of losing loved ones, the hatred born of betrayed trust, the dazed confusion, and most of all, hesitation and anxiety about what lay ahead. Until suddenly, all voices cut off. In the central building of the camp, the conference room doors swung open. A slender silhouette stepped out from beneath the flickering lamps, expressionless. After a sleepless night, she looked slightly weary, yet completely devoid of panic or hesitation. She looked calmly upon everything before her. Finally, her gaze settled on the man shouting from atop the highest vantage point at the front of the crowd. She asked coolly, "Lu Ting, have you caused enough of a scene?" Those mere few words brought the boiling crowd grinding to a halt once more. Her prestige and the loyalty she commanded were beyond question. Unfortunately... *In the end, you're still too soft-hearted, Sister Wen,* Ji Jue sighed internally. To be sure, her upright, open nature and decisive character were the traits he respected most. You never had to worry about her betraying you, never had to fear she would waver, and she would always show up when you needed her without ever bringing trouble to your doorstep. Regrettably, someone like that could turn the Beishan Section into a warm home, but she was ill-suited to quell unsettled hearts under mortal peril. If it were Ji Jue, why waste breath on trash like this? *I would've treated them like a speed bump. Haian Industries doesn't have an easy time either—take your complaints to my underground assembly line!* "A scene? Who's making a scene—me?!" The man named Lu Ting flew into a rage. "Was it me who acted recklessly and lost half the camp's fighters? The camp's most precious combatants were either killed on the spot and need an eternity to revive, or dragged off to Limbo to suffer endless torment! "And what did you bring back? A cripple from who knows where! In the end, this was all caused by your arbitrary tyranny! Don't you think you owe everyone an explanation?!" "Indeed, I do," Wen Wen replied resolutely, unshakeable. "But everyone's sacrifice was worth it." "Ha! Even now you refuse to face reality? You're still peddling that absurd fairy tale!" Lu Ting roared, stirring up righteous indignation among the crowd. "Linka trusted you so blindly her brain rotted, but do you really think everyone else will buy such a ridiculous claim?! "When all's said and done, is that guy a savior, or your paramour? Do you really take us all for fools?!" "Lu Ting—" In that instant, Wen Wen's expression turned freezing cold. "Once certain words are spoken, you understand the consequences, don't you?" If before she had endured out of a leader's guilt over their losses, her fists were now clenched beyond restraint. A cracking sound rang out, like the air itself groaning under pressure. Lu Ting subconsciously took a step back, but then put on a mocking sneer. "What, did I hit a nerve? Want to hit me? In the end, apart from violence, you don't—you don't have an ounce of leadership! Others might be stupid enough to fear you, but I—but I—what the fuck are you doing?! Stop patting me!" Lu Ting whipped around in irritation, glaring at the figure who had been tapping his shoulder repeatedly. Then he froze on the spot. Under the morning sun just rising over the horizon, a pitch-black shadow fell over his head. The newcomer was towering, like a mountain. The handsome face was young, yet fissure-like cracks still marred the stone, with faint light flickering inside them, bizarre and chilling. It was as if an idol of a deity were casting down its gaze from an altar. A contemptuous look from above. In a flash of hair-raising dread, Lu Ting subconsciously stepped back. "Who the hell are you?!" Then he saw the smile on that face—so gentle, so soft. Like a fleeting phantom. "I'm the cripple you were just talking about." Ji Jue reached out, patted his shoulder, and gently brushed away nonexistent dust. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he stepped forward, flashed Wen Wen a faint smile, and walked up the steps to take Lu Ting's spot. He stood before everyone. Turning around, he looked at those unfamiliar faces. He grinned. "Hello, everyone. I'm Ji Jue. Perhaps some of you have heard of me; many others haven't seen me before. But that doesn't matter." He spoke slowly: "Yes, that's right. As you all know, I am the sole result brought back at the cost of such heavy casualties. "For that, I am deeply grateful. Nor will I turn a blind eye to everyone's sacrifice. That all of you risked life and limb for a stranger you had never met—as the one who was saved, I hold immense gratitude in my heart. "However, before that, I must clarify one thing—" He paused, speaking solemnly and straightforwardly: "The rumors circulating in the camp are actually wrong. I didn't kill any angel." In the brief silence, everyone froze for a moment, and then their expressions shifted toward anger and doubt. But before anyone could speak, the voice from the highest platform rang out again: "Because the one who actually acted wasn't me. The one who truly pulled the trigger on the angel, the one who truly killed it, was Linka." The roars that were about to erupt from the silence were suppressed once more beneath his soft words. Immediately after, an uncontrollable wave of murmurs, suspicion, bewilderment, and scrutiny rippled through the crowd. Among them, Linka's face flushed red with agitation. She wanted to speak, but the words caught in her throat. Feeling the eyes of everyone around her, all she could do was nod firmly. She put her own witness and reputation behind Ji Jue's words. Faces shifted subtly. No one noticed that the focus had quietly drifted from Wen Wen's losses to whether or not the angel had truly died. Only Lu Ting remained beside himself with rage. He shoved hard at Ji Jue, trying to push him away, only to feel as though he had hit a block of solid iron—crashing against an unyielding metal wall that didn't budge in the slightest. "Do you think playing with words is clever?!" He raised his voice, shouting over Ji Jue: "Either way it's a ridiculous lie! It's all fucking nonsense! Does it make a difference whether you killed it or Linka did?!" "It does, brother. It does." Ji Jue didn't mind at all. His smile remained, growing even warmer. He looked almost like a teacher indulging a mischievous child in class, with a hint of fondness in his eyes. *You actually served yourself up on a silver platter to play my straight man?* *How nice of you.* *Too bad that with a brain like this, you can kiss any rebellion goodbye. You're purely a pawn.* "It proves only one thing." Ji Jue raised a finger, pointed toward the sky, and then swept it across the sea of faces before him. "If I could help Linka do it, I can help anyone here do it. No matter who you are—you, you, or you—anyone standing here will, from this day forward, be able to take up arms and truly fight their enemies to the death on equal ground. "I will bring a turning point. I will bring true change. I promise: as long as you still have the courage to take up arms, as long as you haven't given up inside, victory will ultimately belong to you! "It will belong to every single person who dares to draw a blade against these so-called gods!" His resounding words echoed in the silence, reverberating back and forth. Spoken with absolute certainty, they reached every ear, standing in stark contrast to the unbelievable exaggerations of the rumors. Looking at that gently smiling face, people felt an inexplicable, unprecedented sense of relief and reassurance—as though they had truly witnessed the fall of an angel, as though they could truly touch such a future. Absurd as it sounded, he seemed so earnest. What if it was real? What if...? They yearned to believe, yearned for liberation, yearned for an end to this endless torment. Even the most resolute soul longed to believe that hope existed—in other words, faith. On the edge of the crowd, Bao Dachai wore a bizarre expression, hesitating to speak. *Wait, why does this routine look so familiar? Kid, aren't you pulling the exact same trick as the other side...?* *Well, so what if it's the same trick?* *As long as it works!* Now that the crowd's focus had shifted entirely to Ji Jue, listening to his wild, outlandish promises, Wen Wen, the camp's commander, felt none of the anger of having her authority usurped. Instead, she let out a quiet sigh of relief. If the situation weren't so inappropriate, she would have ordered someone to bring out a yellow imperial robe and drape it over Mr. Ji right then and there. The Beishan District alone gave her enough headaches; how could she possibly lead all these rebels? If she hadn't lacked any other choice earlier, she never would have shouldered this burden in the first place. When she had stubbornly gone out to pull Ji Jue out, passing the buck had certainly crossed her mind. Amidst the rising murmurs, only Lu Ting looked around in bewilderment, finally sensing that something was wrong. It was as if, in a single lapse of attention, he had walked straight into a trap. And when those smiling eyes turned toward him, a chill seized his entire body. "Bullshit! It's all fucking bullshit!!" He roared hoarsely, "It's all total crap! That woman Wen Wen, and you—to keep your grip on power, there's no shameless lie you won't tell! You'd even spit out something this ridiculous! Don't let him fool you—" "Mm, indeed." Ji Jue nodded firmly, looking full of approval. Lu Ting froze again, dumbfounded. "From an outsider's perspective, that suspicion and possibility can't be ruled out. After all, if it were anyone else, after causing such heavy losses, they might resort to even more exaggerated and absurd measures to protect their power." Ji Jue sighed with feeling. "Still, in the end, isn't verifying the truth simple enough?" He paused, eyeing the fine piece of raw material that had delivered itself right to his door, and offered an abrupt suggestion: "Why don't you come with me to butcher one of those so-called 'angels'? Wouldn't that settle it?" Lu Ting stalled, as though his mind couldn't keep up. He hesitated for a moment, standing stiff. "Don't look back," Ji Jue reminded him considerately. "Whatever you do, don't look back right now. If everyone sees who you're looking at, wouldn't that prove you're just a disposable pawn pushed to the front?" "Bullshit! I'm not—" Lu Ting instinctively tried to refute him, but Ji Jue cut him off coldly: "Unfortunately, from what I can see... with your intellect, you wouldn't have been able to contact every disgruntled person overnight after the camp suffered losses, let alone incite everyone like this." Lu Ting bellowed, "I'm here representing everyone!" "Then what are you waiting for?!" Ji Jue grinned and grasped his hand, extending an exuberant invitation: "Since you represent everyone, what's there to hesitate about? "Right now, immediately, let's head out!" Lu Ting's neck turned uncontrollably as he tried to look back. Alas, all he caught in the crowd was a cold, indifferent face. A silent sigh. *Useless piece of trash. Toyed with like a puppet in just a few sentences. A complete idiot. But aside from this idiot, where else could I find such a convenient tool?* *Fortunately, it's enough.* *As a decoy, he gathered so many people here, and even flushed that guy out—* The ordinary-looking face suddenly broke into a grin. The hand hidden behind his back clenched tightly in silence. In an instant, the ground shook and the mountains trembled. A deafening roar erupted. Around the square, a shack burst into towering flames without the slightest warning. Amidst the swirling blaze and shockwave, countless fragments rained down like a torrential storm. Cries of agony instantly filled the square. Countless people were thrown through the air by the blast, landing hard as severed limbs and broken bones flew everywhere. Even in a dream where true death did not exist, the pain made the cruelty all the more vivid. Crimson blood, shredded flesh, bones, and even severed heads rained down like water. In the blink of an eye, the peaceful camp became a living hell! At that very moment, Wen Wen's expression changed drastically. Because right before Ji Jue, the stunned Lu Ting suddenly inflated like a balloon. His face still carried bewilderment and confusion, as if he had no idea what was happening. Then, like a balloon, he burst apart. Amidst the flying flesh and blood, bizarre tentacles sprouted from a mangled skull, as if some monstrosity had hatched inside his body and was mutating at blinding speed. Squid-like tentacles snapped open, wrapping around Ji Jue's body and tightening rapidly to reveal a hideous maw at their center. Yet, on that mutated skull, a bizarre smile appeared. A dazzling golden light shone in its hollow eyes. "Bliss... Ultimate bliss..." Lu Ting's face muttered vacantly, lost in the wondrous paradise he had once experienced, while the tentacles thrashed in ecstasy. A faint halo rose above his head. So holy. Wen Wen's face fell, and she lunged forward. Unfortunately, it was already too late. Because Ji Jue had already acted. *Clang!* A screech of grinding metal scraped against Ji Jue's body, sending sparks flying. It was as if the creature had bitten down on a lump of solid iron, nearly shattering all its teeth. Beneath the wrapping tentacles, a smile slowly curved across his cracked face, brimming with delight. *Right on time—* *The value of the materials just went up considerably!* *A pity the setting is wrong and I'm missing far too many tools. Still, let's test out what I felt earlier, and the techniques I figured out from it—* *Boom!* The massive monster swelled and twisted violently, its maw expanding to swallow Ji Jue whole. But before it could, its movements suddenly froze. As if frozen in ice, it was seized by an invisible hand! It distorted rapidly, collapsing inward at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if a black hole had suddenly manifested inside its body, consuming it from the inside out. No matter how it struggled. Unfortunately, there was no black hole. There was something far more terrifying pressed against its body—an extended mechanical arm of steel, and the spiritus hand shimmering faintly from within the metal grip! "What—" Beyond the chaotic crowd, in the distance, the old artisan calling himself Bao Dachai widened his eyes in disbelief. The sudden explosion and ambush hadn't shaken his focus in the least. In fact, the instant the blast occurred, he had skillfully swept the feet out from under the bewildered Yu Shu, tackling him to the ground to keep a stray flying brick from blowing Dr. Yu's head off. Now, he was completely engrossed, watching the scene unfold. He couldn't care about anything else. Reflected in his cloudy eyes were the shifting phantom traces that ordinary people could never hope to perceive: brilliant rainbow light wrapped around Ji Jue's hands, rising and blazing like roaring flames! Every second, it eroded this dreamworld, rolling outward and devouring everything. No, it wasn't devouring it—it was overwriting it! It was overwriting it onto reality. No matter how dimmed his eyesight was with age, he couldn't possibly mistake the difference. That was why he lost his composure so completely. "How terrifying... such talent—" It had only been a few hours. No, even earlier than that! If Linka's words were true, within ten minutes of waking up, without any guidance or intelligence whatsoever, he had instinctively touched upon the dream's vital structure—its very core element... —[Awakening]!