Chapter 421: Pinokangni (100)

Shajin sighed deeply, "…How did you discover it?"

"I never expected that the thing I stumbled upon by accident would become the key that links everything."

Shajin: "It's the identity of that person, right?"

"It seems you're also in the know."

"I can't be sure, but I'm willing to bet on that possibility," Shajin nodded, "…The murder case is a good excuse, but it's far from enough. Even if Pinokangni really had one or two murders, only a handful of people would be affected, it wouldn't cause a stir."

"This beautiful dream isn't an ocean; it's an isolated island. The family uses Harmony to build high walls and levees, cutting off the outside world, protecting people from drowning in the sea…"

"At the same time, they employ this Isolation barrier against Death to bury unknown secrets in the deep sea. In a dream without pain or Death, those secrets never see daylight. Unless…"

Huang Quan took over: "Unless someone goes to the other side of the barrier… and can return alive."

Shajin nodded: "Someone already did it."

——

Linghuan: "Spiritual energy at 100%."

"Ah?? Who did it? Someone already resurrected after death?"

Linghuan's mouth was shocked enough to fit three eggs, and although besides Zhigengniao and Liuying there were others taken by Death, that happened long ago; ordinary people could never have crossed paths with Shajin.

Could it be Zhigengniao? Or Liuying?

However, when he heard that "Death" isn't a person's end, Linghuan finally let out a sigh of relief.

Doesn't that mean Liuying never actually died, but went to the real "Pinokangni" Shajin mentioned? And if someone can return alive, it shows Liuying will also reunite with Star someday.

Thinking of that, Linghuan felt his mood lift.

After enduring Shajin's heavy and desperate past, he finally could taste some of the world's beauty.

"The watchmaker's legacy isn't in Pinokangni; only Death can reach that promised land," Xiao Jiuwo keenly spotted the blind spot. "If the watchmaker did that, does he intend to start a rebellion?"

"Rebellion? What do you mean?"

"You imagine… ordinary people can't reach the promised land; those who can are the ones who don't trust the family's pledge and dare to accept Death. The watchmaker gathers them, just as a thousand years ago they targeted the Company and rebelled against it; now they plan to rebel against the family, overturn everything and start anew."

——

"I received a hint long ago: if the mute points not to a 'person who cannot make sound', then it can only be a 'person who cannot speak'… that one who survived the deep sea but can't step onto the stage to speak—I'm glad to learn she's still in Pinokangni and safe."

Huang Quan: "A hint… isn't that evidence?"

"Unfortunately, I have no evidence," Shajin spread his hands. "The only thing that can corroborate these guesses is the family's honesty when facing Death. Their generosity toward outsiders only makes their concealment more obvious."

"But doubting something doesn't need evidence; uncovering the truth does— for me, the former is enough. I don't need to find that memory‑realm meme; I just need someone to 'kill' me like it does."

"In my view, you don't have absolute confidence. Broadcasting city‑wide to lure more participants… is also because you're betting on the possibility that someone can break the barrier."

"You are indeed lucky; fate let our paths cross, and I happen to wield a sharp blade—sharp enough to cut through the dream's veil and sever the Harmony mark on you in one stroke…"

"You're also cunning, deliberately placing us on opposite sides, repeatedly invoking the Imperial Envoy's words before others, leaving me no retreat but to draw swords."

At this point, Huang Quan couldn't help but exclaim, "That's why you can win. Fortune and strategy are both essential. In your scheme, the Company is always the winner; even if you lose in the end… for the family, a single envoy's life is already too costly."

Shajin finally smiled: "It's a high‑stakes gamble, isn't it? But let me point out a mistake: the Company isn't guaranteed victory; in one crucial matter, I truly have no fallback."

"Detonating a star core… I can't do that. The Shajin Stone is already too shattered, unable even to let me retreat from the stage unscathed. If in the end you never draw that blade… then I've lost everything."

——

A certain science's Railgun.

"Huh? The Harmony mark on Shajin vanished?? Shouldn't we thank…?"

Yuban Meiqin couldn't help flashing a glare at Heizi: "Thanks for cutting him down with a single slash, right?"

"But judging by the outcome, Shajin should thank Huang Quan for cutting him down; if he hadn't been killed, his gamble would have lost." At this point, Bai Jing Heizi couldn't help sighing, "Before he clashed with Star and the others, he bet on his own victory because he's never lost… Planning to this extent, one can only say this win is deserved; he merits a thrilling, overwhelming triumph."

Heizi let out a "hee‑hee" laugh, leaning a bit toward Yuban Meiqin, "Sister, imagine waking up on Xingqiri, seeing the Harmony barrier over Pinokangni shattered, and a Company envoy dead, hahahaha… what expression would he have?"

"Probably he's already at his wit's end, right? He'll probably never figure out how Shajin managed to hide the Shajin Stone from him," Yuban Meiqin bit into her ice cream. "Now I'm curious how the family will 'deal' with Huang Quan?"

"Deal? What right do they have to deal with a Imperial Envoy‑ranked powerhouse?"

"But this is still Harmony's territory; the family has run it for a millennium and surely has its own trump cards… I think they won't fear Huang Quan. Moreover, logically and morally, a dangerous troublemaker who sabotages public facilities like Huang Quan shouldn't even be…"

——

"Discussing 'if' is pointless. You won, earning yourself a ticket to that deep sea," Huang Quan paused, "And after that, whether you can return from the abyss… is your next high‑stakes gamble. Have you ever hesitated?"

Shajin smiled lightly: "Hesitate… of course. But I can only trust my good luck, because beyond that I have nothing."