Chapter 438: Carrot and Stick

Unexpectedly, the angel's death seemed to bring an influence beyond Ji Jue's expectations.

Whether it was the opponent or the teammate.

Not to mention the angels who saw their companion die without a corpse and turn into flying ash, immediately falling into dullness, as if they had seen a ghost, panicked, and lost their fighting spirit, even Linka was dumbfounded, in disbelief.

Even, as if it were a hallucination.

"This must be a dream, it must be."

On the way back, she kept muttering repeatedly, absent-minded: "I started hallucinating again..."

Wen Wen sighed helplessly, rudely knocking on the back of the seat: "Drive properly!"

She was a superman, whether she ate beef or not, but her reaction was really fast. Decisive, taking advantage of the angels falling into chaos, she grabbed them and carried the car away.

It was taking advantage of the chaos to rush out of the encirclement.

However, after waiting for a long time at the gathering place, only a few people were able to arrive in time...

After the last team of disheveled people returned, the whole team actually only had one person left.

"Why is it only you."

Wen Wen was bewildered, "I remember you were the first to rush out, was there another encirclement?"

The young man who returned had a frustrated expression, glanced at her, then glanced at Ji Jue, hesitant to speak.

Thus, the expressions of the others also became more and more ugly.

Someone cursed.

"Speak, nothing to be embarrassed about." Wen Wen sighed, her expression unchanged.

"Captain, no, Obu said... said..."

The young man who returned hesitated, stuttering: "Big sister, you're crazy, sacrificed so many people, breaking in there like seeking your own death, just to grab some ghost thing from a stone carving... He doesn't... doesn't want to come back... and Mucai and Pupeng..."

It could be seen that this was processed; the original words might have been even uglier.

Feeling that the team's losses were too heavy and seeing no future, they ran away.

Or even worse.

Defecting?

Hearts are scattered.

Feeling the weird atmosphere in the team at this moment and the strange gazes cast by others, Ji Jue, who was the core of the contradiction and the tip of the storm, was incomparably calm, without any indication.

Just like in a daze, looking at the sky leisurely.

Standing in Wen Wen's shoes, if he knew Wen Wen was surrounded, he would also spare no effort—as for whether it was worth it, it's not something to be said by mouth. Without knowing the inside story, he kept silent.

However, this silence seemed to be interpreted as something else.

In the crowd, when the injured looked over, it was hard not to be resentful.

"Spent so much effort, saved a human stick back... what exactly is the use..."

"No, everyone listen to me————"

Linka, who was in a daze, became excited, her voice trembling: "Just now, Demon... cough cough, Mr. Ji, killed an angel, right in front of me, this power is absolutely genuine, I..."

For a time, the survivors fell into astonishment, looking at each other, doubt, suspicion, or laughing out loud.

"Hahahaha, Linka, are you kidding me?"

"Saw it wrong?"

"Alright, Linka, stop talking..."

"No, it's true, I saw it with my own eyes, it's true."

Linka's face flushed red, stuttering, wanting to speak, but even after telling everyone what she saw, those who heard it were hard not to doubt, and even, their expressions showed displeasure.

The angel's death was simply too bizarre.

Without seeing it with their own eyes, people would not believe such an exaggerated Arabian Nights story. The first reaction was that Linka saw it wrong, and even, might suspect that it was Wen Wen who instructed her to lie, in an attempt to make everyone accept such huge losses and maintain her position as a leader.

To this, Ji Jue didn't care at all, calmly playing his role as a cripple, indifferently receiving the suspicious or disgusted appearance.

Shook his head, sneezed.

Blew away a hair that drifted in front of him.

Hmm, at this moment he was still in the state of a human stick, and his weight was about the same as a stone, and in a hurry, he couldn't find a wheelchair or a small cart, so... simply Wen Wen pulled a rope and packed him up directly, carrying him on her back.

"Alright, worked hard for so many days, everyone is tired, let's go back first."

Wen Wen interrupted the whispers, looking at Linka.

Linka pressed the button on the walkie-talkie in her arms. After two beeps, a faint buzzing sound rang out. The convoy restarted. Soon, Ji Jue's vision blurred, and he arrived from the wilderness to the mountains. Then, the convoy moved forward, the sound of waves rang out, mud water submerged the tires, and after a narrow road turned, it suddenly opened up as if traveling in the clouds.

After the clouds dissipated, they reached the destination.

A huge square.

As if a village, in the canyon, many sheds were built messily, bonfires were burning in the central square, wide and rough.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Some even cheered and shouted, celebrating being able to return alive.

"What was that just now?" Ji Jue subconsciously frowned and pondered, "Why can't I feel the fluctuation of the Supreme Good? No, is this teleportation?"

"Just consider it, a dead corner of the dream. So many people's dreams gather together, naturally there will be some nooks and crannies, bubbles and bubbles naturally leave gaps.

Modify it a little, and it can become a place to stay."

Wen Wen smiled self-deprecatingly: "After all, now we are a bunch of chaotic party monsters, always need to find some places that can't see the light."

Footsteps came from afar, crowds came, people who had been guarding the square all night rushed up, calling one name after another. Some embraced and wept, some were destined not to get a response. After repeating it again and again, they seemed to understand something, silent and weeping, or crying and wailing.

Even, unable to control the hateful gaze.

In the chaotic mix of sorrow and joy, Ji Jue watched quietly, but heard an unexpected joyful call.

"Mr. Ji?!"

A staggering figure squeezed out of the crowd, looking at the 'pendant' behind Wen Wen, dancing with joy: "You really came back, great! The Commander said you also came in, I didn't dare to believe..."

"Yu Shu?"

Ji Jue's eyebrows raised, not expecting to meet his old employee here, bewildered for a moment.

Clearly having high prestige in the crowd, others automatically gave way. Yu Shu grinned, beaming with joy, excited to lean over.

Someone walked up in a hurry, looking at Wen Wen with a serious expression.

Wen Wen nodded knowingly, putting Ji Jue down: "Yu Shu, you take care of him first, I have something else to do here."

"Okay, okay, don't worry."

Yu Shu carried Ji Jue with some effort, still a princess carry, stumbled after two steps, fortunately borrowed a small cart, ending this torture that everyone couldn't stand.

Pushing him, stumbling all the way back to his residence.

After working for a long time, he moved the best chair in the whole house, hmm, pity, it was limited, and this seemed to be a treatment chair...

"Clinic?"

Ji Jue looked around curiously, "Does this place need a doctor too?"

After Yu Shu was busy for a long time, he brought hot water, and then found that Ji Jue had no hands, but Ji Jue waved his arms indifferently.

"I'm not thirsty now, hmm, not hungry either, don't need to eat?" He analyzed his state.

"Although theoretically speaking, it's not needed, but many people still can't change the habit. If you don't eat for too long, you will be hungry, but if you are full, you can hold on for a long time. However, there is still a demand for water. After all, this instinct of drinking water cannot be excluded even in a dream. If you don't drink, you will get thirstier and thirstier, which is hard to overcome.

Sleep still exists. Long-term consciousness will still feel tired, but even if you are asleep, there are no dreams."

Yu Shu replied, "As for the clinic, it's just a display.

I'm glad I studied surgery back then. Most of the time, I just help with stitching. Besides that, maybe it's because of the Vortex system, my spiritual quality can accelerate and stimulate wound healing, which saves me from prescribing medicine.

Ah, sorry, said so much in one breath..."

"It's okay."

Ji Jue was indifferent: "Can you tell me what's going on with this world? Why did everyone fall to this extent, and those... angels? What exactly are they?"

"......"

Yu Shu's expression became complicated, as if thinking of something repulsive, bitter

and solemn: "Specifically what's going on here, it's probably a dream... It seems that the consciousness of everyone infected with Dream-Loss Syndrome has come here. Everyone's dreams are piled together, forming the world as it is now."

Ji Jue realized. He had already seen it on the outside, the sea of bubbles gathered by countless phantasms, the weird images of high towers and giant trees.

"Although it's a long story, simply put, there are gods in this dream world."

Yu Shu sighed: "As long as you believe in the Holy God, you can get peace and happiness. As long as you pray to God, you can realize your wishes. As long as you are pious, you can live forever..."

"Sounds beautiful." Ji Jue laughed and sighed, "If it's really this good, I'd like to worship too... Just, the price?

What is the price?"

The price is, except for belief, except for prayer, nothing!

Gradually, becoming walking corpses who don't care about anything except belief and prayer...

Clearly the soul is sound, consciousness is complete, but humanity has thoroughly flowed away and burned out, yet the person gradually alienates, until finally, thoroughly losing eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, falling into the eternal praise and prayer of the faceless.

"Every year, everywhere, one-third of the people with insufficient prayer time and efficiency will be selected and punished, cutting off limbs or digging out facial features and internal organs...

If you are selected for many years in a row, or say something you shouldn't, you will be thrown into the furnace in the name of false belief, burning day and night.

But you can't die, wailing forever..."

Yu Shu's face was pale, drenched in sweat, breathing gradually hurried, subconsciously holding his wrist, touching the burning marks that had long since disappeared.

"Yu Shu————"

Ji Jue frowned, raising his voice: "————Yu Shu!"

Yu Shu trembled, as if waking from a nightmare, gave a miserable self-deprecating smile, wanting to say something, Ji Jue shook his head: "Uncomfortable things, it's okay not to say them."

Either belief, prayer, praise, gradually losing self and consciousness, becoming a shell like a praise machine, or, burning endlessly in hell.

Placed in front of everyone in this world, there are only two paths.

Neither can live, neither can die.

"But besides that? It shouldn't be just this, right?"

Ji Jue pondered, suddenly asked: "By the way, angel, what is an angel?"

"A bunch of mad dogs with burned brains."

Yu Shu calmed down after a while, suddenly said: "Mr. Ji, you should know the harm of contraband, right? Those contraband drugs that stimulate the brain and nerves after taking them, secreting hormones...

The so-called Realm of Bliss is even more terrifying than those things.

Even more exaggerated than dreams..."

"Everything you want, you can get with just a thought, whether it's delicious food, beauties, extravagant enjoyment, or unspeakable strange hobbies, all can be satisfied, and the degree of stimulation can be more and more intense, more and more crazy.

Even, not just your own phantasms, other people's phantasms, all the phantasms recorded in the Huangliang remains, can be easily reproduced, infinite joy and pleasure, bliss in the literal sense.

As long as you claim to be a believer, you can go in and experience it for an hour. As long as you have been in, you will never forget it, and you will never forget that feeling for the rest of your life.

Not only can the most pious believers enter for one day every year, the Holy God Church will also regularly select those with qualifications, station them permanently, and transform them into angels. Besides occasional missions, they stay in it forever, enjoying it to their heart's content..."

"......"

In the silence, Ji Jue's expression changed slightly, as if admiring, sighing.

Really a good idea.

One hand carrot, one hand stick, with hell of infinite suffering and heaven of infinite bliss, why worry that believers won't flock to it?

Just...

"Clearly it's in a dream, yet even phantasms become a luxury?"

Ji Jue couldn't help but grin: "How ridiculous."

Clearly snatched everything others fantasized about in their dreams, yet instead treated these things as rewards, throwing them to the loyal dogs who knelt down to worship first.

If you are not willing to kneel down and kowtow, then, please go to hell.

"What do you think?"

Ji Jue glanced at Yu Shu's appearance, suddenly asked: "That 'Holy God', you are from the Church, right? I remember the Chongguang Church also has its own god..."

"Mr. Ji————"

Yu Shu's expression suddenly became serious, faintly displeased: "Do not confuse the two. Moreover, the Church, I mean, the Chongguang Church, its members never consider themselves believers.

The Holy Spirit is not a god, but created by man.

Father once told me that god is the result of doing righteousness, but not the purpose of doing righteousness. If you embark on this path for the sake of believing in something, it's better not to set off from the beginning.

There shouldn't be a god holding the soul high above in this world."

"Sorry, that was my presumption."

"No, it's me... thank you."

Yu Shu, who came to his senses, finally got rid of the previous shadow, smiled bitterly, and continued: "That 'Holy God', except for showing up a long time ago, hasn't been seen for a long time. It is said that only the most noble saints in the Realm of Bliss can listen to His revelations.

Even when Miss Wen broke into the Heavenly City before, she didn't appear. I'm afraid, she doesn't care about us mice who can't see the light at all, right?"

"Hmm?"

Ji Jue's eyebrows raised slightly, but he didn't say anything.

Just thinking.

In the silence, there was a knocking sound, gentle and low, with full patience.

"Old Bao?"

Yu Shu went to open the door, slightly surprised: "So late, I thought you had already rested."

"Old people sleep lightly. Hearing the Commander say someone needed help here, I just came over." The old man knocking on the door smiled warmly, carrying something in his hand.

Limited by the angle, Ji Jue couldn't see the back, but when the old man carried a somewhat rough wheelchair into the room, he saw his face.

Aged and hunched, full of spots on his face, white hair sparse, figure thin, as if he would fall in the wind.

But through spiritual quality perception, he could see... the light radiated from the old man's soul at all times, not fierce, nor gentle, just naturally stirring up ripples, illuminating the surroundings, maintaining detection, yet not perceived by others.

More importantly, the eyes.

At the moment of eye contact, Ji Jue's heart moved slightly, and he realized.

Just like the old man's perception at this moment.

This look of examining a piece of fine jade...

... Undoubtedly, a peer!

"Long time no see, Mr. Ji." The old man touched his chest slightly, smiled slightly, "It seems that I don't need too much self-introduction. As you can see, an unknown old artisan."

Ji Jue nodded politely, lifted his empty elbow and made a gesture of artisan meeting in the Association, asking politely: "How to address you?"

"Bao Dacai."

A name he hadn't heard of.

"Hello, Mr. Bao."

Ji Jue smiled and greeted him, asking politely, while inwardly concluding—this bastard's name is one hundred percent fake.

When he decided to impact the position of Grandmaster, he had already checked all the artisans with Gold Ribbon records in the Association today, their names, schools, and general research directions.

Know yourself and know your enemy, a hundred battles, a hundred victories. The most important thing is to understand the competitors first.

The whole list is a thousand people long, among which there is only one surnamed Bao, but she is not called Bao Dacai, and, she is a latecomer who qualified two sessions before Ji Jue, and she is not that old.

Moreover, she... is a woman!

As for whether there is a possibility that he is really an unknown old artisan who has never received a Gold Ribbon in his life... are you kidding? Whether it's from that hidden spiritual quality fluctuation or the place where the other party's gaze falls, the slight lingering place, all are enough to explain the instinct and control cultivated by the other party after immersing in this path for a long time.

The Association might be a bit stupid, a bit slow, a bit useless, but absolutely not blind!

As for whether it is possible to be low-key, low-key does have benefits, but it also has a price. The price is that no one cares about you. Other professions might have reasons for being low-key, but the essence and promotion instinct of an artisan are determined that if you want to make progress, you must break your head with others.

Leaving the environment of the Association, either, they are artisans cultivated by the Empire and the Federation themselves, who can get a steady stream of resources and support without being famous, or...

... Deep?

This is really a peer!

Just when Ji Jue was secretly vigilant and planning how to send the fine jade that came to his door into the furnace, the old man Bao had already smiled and taken the hot water just boiled, pulled a chair himself, and sat beside Ji Jue.

As if inadvertently, the arc of his wrist twisted slightly, revealing the fingers holding the cup.

The fingers hidden behind the cup, the grip was strange and bizarre, index finger and middle finger overlapping, passing through the handle, the first joint of the thumb and ring finger touching, the little finger inserted between these fingers with incredible flexibility...

As if entangled in a rope knot, familiar.

That is a very rare gesture. In the inheritance of ancient alchemy, such badges and marks are called 【Buckle of Rebirth】, used to refer to the Resurrection Stone or the Panacea.

At the same time, in the guidance of Professor Ye, Ji Jue also knew that it actually had another name... what was it, oh, remembered... Nirvana... grass!

Ji Jue's vision went black.

A peer is a peer, no mistake, but how is it this peer?!

—————【Nirvana】! ===== CHAPTER 439 =====

—————【Nirvana】!