Chapter 246: Fusion

Those five?

Wen Xishu immediately realized:

"Phoenix and I have a good relationship, and he also found a way to slip away. Sirius's whereabouts are unknown; after I saved him, we went our separate ways."

"He likely fell into the hands of Scorpio."

"As for the others... I must keep that confidential."

Wen Xishu did not say whether he knew or did not know; he simply used the word "confidential," and he also did not provide details regarding Phoenix and Sirius.

But indeed, his attitude gave Mr. Jin the impression that he truly knew quite a lot.

Mr. Jin said:

"I truly did not expect you to have had such encounters. It is evident that climbing the Trick Tower has great value, but the most important thing is to go deep."

"The level is not what matters, but rather that one must go deep enough into every level. You are very good, surpassing both Albert and me from back in the day."

The evaluation given by Mr. Jin was very high.

Wen Xishu appeared flattered, shaking his head as he said:

"I am not on the same level as you and the old Headmaster. By the way, Mr. Jin, there is something I would like to ask you."

Mr. Jin said:

"Speak freely. Before I leave, I should not take certain secrets that are of value to you to the netherworld."

These words were indeed spoken with great righteousness, but Wen Xishu always felt that Mr. Jin’s sudden enlightenment... or rather, his transformation, was too fast.

After shrinking away for decades, just because of the deductions he himself had made about Little Jin not long ago... he decided to come out of seclusion?

Of course, in terms of surface appearances, Wen Xishu did not reveal any flaws:

"Ding Dong... do you have any impression of this name?"

"Little Phoenix, of course I remember, one of my children." Mr. Jin smiled, his smile carrying a hint of nostalgia.

"That was the first 'god' we ever came into contact with. He was a talented child, very brilliant. The items he crafted might perhaps help us deal with the apocalypse... or even find a pure land."

Mr. Jin appeared very regretful and remorseful. Wen Xishu did not speak.

Mr. Jin said:

"But I still made a mistake. I should have tried my best to stop those radicals; their Swan Project attempted to dissect Ding Dong."

"I could not bear it, but I also could not betray my country, so I let Ding Dong go."

This actually matched the plot he already knew, more or less.

Wen Xishu said:

"You are from Longxia."

Mr. Jin did not deny it.

"Then, did letting Ding Dong go cause... you to be punished?"

Mr. Jin said:

"Yes, for a while afterward, I stayed at the experimental base on the island... that most dangerous place, waiting for punishment."

"I believed my country would still have use for me."

Wen Xishu’s heart skipped a beat.

He was hiding something!

This did not match what Wei Ping'an had told him!

Wen Xishu began to recall the words Wei Ping'an had spoken back then, the one from Longxia, the conductor of the Heaven-Chosen Train. At the time, Wei Ping'an had said:

"This is the Swan Project."

"The person in charge of the project was someone as excellent as you; his name is Jin Zhenyuan."

"But he betrayed us... he let the child who had a great connection with the gods go."

"But Jin Zhenyuan was an extremely excellent person, and we needed his power... we arranged for people to go to the island, wanting to bring Jin Zhenyuan back. He loved that child too much; we could understand that."

"But what happened next exceeded our expectations. Jin Zhenyuan seemed to have gained superpowers; by his own strength, he defeated everyone... the experts we had arranged."

"It turned out that Mr. Jin Zhenyuan had already, through some unknown means... obtained some of the power of the gods."

"His constitution was different from ordinary people; his reflexes, combat skills, and speed all far exceeded those of a human."

"Jin Zhenyuan did not kill his former comrades, he only left behind one sentence... the future of humanity does not lie in the real world, please do not contact him again."

Wen Xishu was certain that Mr. Jin had already glimpsed something, and knew back then that neither the Swan Project nor the Heaven-Chosen Project would succeed.

Only the Bunker, this mysterious base that did not exist in the real world, was the truly correct answer.

But the problem was, what exactly had Mr. Jin done?

Wen Xishu remained calm:

"So, how did you come to the Bunker? In the old Headmaster’s memories, you were a powerful existence from the start. You unified the various systems, languages, and currencies of the Bunker; you were very much like a certain Emperor in Longxia’s history."

"Your power... where did it come from?"

This was considered an extremely presumptuous question. But Mr. Jin had his own answer:

"All of this must mention another child."

Up to this point, Wen Xishu could not judge whether Mr. Jin was good or evil. Because this person, in Wei Ping'an’s eyes, had betrayed his country.

But this person had indeed made a great contribution to the people of the Bunker.

Moreover, the life-and-death friend the old Headmaster kept thinking about... must have had personal charisma.

But out of caution, Wen Xishu still had to probe from multiple angles.

He said:

"Could it be that you are talking about Jin Shan?"

Mr. Jin nodded:

"He is not actually named Jin Shan, but later I thought he should have a name, and his status was that of my grandson, so I called him Jin Shan."

"But if one day, outside the Bunker, in the Three-Tower world, you meet him and hear him call himself Jin Shan, do not be surprised."

"Because like Pisces, he can see time. He can see what he will be called in the future."

Pisces?

How was this Jin Shan related to Pisces again?

Mr. Jin said:

"Do you know what choice Longxia made after the Swan Project failed?"

"They started the Heaven-Chosen Project. They began to obsess over creating a god forged by the people of Longxia."

Wen Xishu of course knew, but he did not take the bait.

Here, Wei Ping'an had also mentioned that Libra had improved the Heaven-Chosen Train, and Aries had provided the ritual.

"Mr. Wen Xishu, we have always been cultivating true warriors, and we also found an ancient... god-making ritual through two existences extremely close to gods."

"They were the brothers and sisters of the Swan Project researchers. They did not reveal their names, but one held a long staff in his hand, and at the top of the staff, there was a sheep's head."

"The other wore a wide robe, and on the back of the robe, a scale was engraved."

This was Wei Ping'an’s original statement.

At the time, Wen Xishu was still surprised that these two constellations had actually joined forces. But he suddenly thought that Mr. Jin had just said that Little Jin could see the future like Pisces, and not long ago, Mr. Jin had also said—Little Jin was Gemini.

These words made Wen Xishu think of a possibility.

Is it possible that the owner of the sheep-head staff and the owner of the robe with the scale that Wei Ping'an thought...

Were they actually not Aries and Libra?

So Wen Xishu asked a question:

"As far as I know, regardless of what ritual it is, or the god-making project... all require special power."

"But the national institutions at the time generally did not possess this kind of power. What was the foundation of Longxia’s god-making?"

Wen Xishu asked cleverly, and Mr. Jin’s answer was also very direct:

"It originated from Jin Shan."

How does Little Jin feel like he is becoming more and more overpowered?

Mr. Jin continued:

"In the process of raising Ding Dong, I also obtained Ding Dong’s painstaking works. Perhaps Ding Dong told you that he had made some special works, gloves, a Luo Pan."

Wen Xishu nodded; he did not deny this.

Mr. Jin said:

"That Luo Pan, did it guide Ding Dong to meet you?"

Wen Xishu thought for a moment and decided to reveal the details, because in Ding Dong’s description, "Father" was very important; it was "Father" who requested him to make the Luo Pan.

From this perspective, Mr. Jin was a very good person.

Wen Xishu said:

"Under the guidance of the Luo Pan, he turned bad luck into good, withdrew from the Three-Tower battlefield, and also met very good people, which mended his 'heart'."

Mr. Jin nodded:

"Thank you for being willing to tell me these things. Next, back to Jin Shan; he was actually also a child I discovered very early on by using the Luo Pan."

"But I did not report it, because I knew that once reported, Jin Shan would become a sacrifice for the Swan Project."

"Jin Shan might be able to replace Ding Dong, but the Luo Pan guiding me to meet him was not as simple as replacing Ding Dong."

"At first, Jin Shan was very dull, still a very weak child, roughly equivalent to the level of a two-year-old human, looking harmless to humans and animals. Of course, later, like those constellations, after he grew to a certain age, he did not change. But that is a later story."

"What I want to tell you... is that Jin Shan, he will undergo some special changes."

Mr. Jin sighed:

"I am sorry. When I first told Albert that he was Gemini, it was partly because I was not sure of the truth, and partly because I did not really want to tell Albert all of this."

"I hoped that Albert could make good use of Xiao Jin and cultivate him."

Wen Xishu said:

"It seems that Xiao Jin's special changes have had a great impact on you? What exactly is Xiao Jin's identity?"

After calming his emotions, Mr. Jin said with a solemn expression:

"I don't know. Even now, I don't know what Xiao Jin really is. But at the very end, I saw Xiao Jin split into two people, which is why I gave the answer of Gemini. He might be a certain constellation, perhaps one of those twelve, or perhaps one of the five that are relatively weaker."

"But I have never seen a constellation like this."

"He... seems capable of transforming into other constellations."

"I have seen him possess the power to conquer everything, just like a Lion. Everyone in the shelter seemed to be enslaved by him, worshipping him."

"I have also seen him become evil and bizarre, making the people in the shelter kill each other."

"Of course, he would occasionally strike some strange poses, like aiming, and then shake his head after a long while."

"You should have heard it by now; he is imitating."

Wen Xishu had indeed heard it.

This really was imitating the constellations. This Xiao Jin... could actually use the power of all the constellations?

No... it looks like a simplified version of constellation power. At the very least, whether it was the Lion or the Archer, the scale was vastly different compared to the real Lion and Archer.

But this was already strange enough.

What on earth is Xiao Jin?

"I have been taking care of him, trying to educate him and reform him. These actions were somewhat useful. He began to stop hurting the people around him."

"Actually... Xiao Jin was in the undersea shelter at the time, and was secretly transported over by me, while Ding Dong was in the island shelter. One was above the sea surface, and the other was below it."

"Ding Dong's personality is very stable, but Xiao Jin's is not. However, with various knowledge entering his mind and my earnest teachings, Xiao Jin also began to understand the concept of good and evil."

"Most of the time, he could suppress his evil thoughts, like a child as sensible as Ding Dong."

"Later on... Ding Dong escaped. Xiao Jin told me that he heard me tell Ding Dong to follow the guidance of the Luo Pan and feel the world."

"He also wanted to feel this world. But my intuition told me that Xiao Jin was far more dangerous than Ding Dong."

"So I refused. But my refusal was meaningless."

"Not long after, Xiao Jin disappeared. Without anyone noticing, he left the shelter. No one knew how he left."

"And shortly after that, I fell into a coma."

"When I woke up again, I had already become a traitor to Longxia. In my mind, there was an extra memory: that I had relied on powerful strength to defeat all the armed forces of the Swan Project..."

"I felt like a superman. From the moment I woke up from my coma, I gained power—great power."

"Not only that, my inner resolve regarding Longxia's Doomsday Defense Plan began to waver. For a while, I felt like a different person."

Wen Xishu thought for a moment and felt that if one judges by actions rather than intentions... Mr. Jin was indeed quite strange.

Faced with matters of great principle, he stood on the side of the country, yet he let Ding Dong go. He did not flee, but chose to accept punishment calmly... but these were only verbal descriptions. The fact was, Mr. Jin suddenly gained power, and he did not accept punishment, but instead punished those who tried to punish him.

Wen Xishu tried to put himself in the shoes of Wei Ping'an.

From Wei Ping'an's perspective, if one only looks at Mr. Jin's trajectory of actions—

Mr. Jin did indeed look like a traitor. He stopped the Swan Project, but was secretly carrying it out himself, gaining great power.

And using this power, he saw that Xiong Su's Firmament Project, the Freedom Federation's Ark Project, and Longxia's Swan Project... all failed.

The correct answer was in another world.

Looking at it this way, Mr. Jin was very likely some hidden evil existence. He just hid it very deeply. No one had noticed it.

But Wen Xishu suddenly thought of the people "Jin Shan" had come into contact with—Britney, Zhou Fei, Chris... they all possessed great power.

Seen this way, Jin Shan was indeed very special, and Mr. Jin's power must have originated from Jin Shan.

"Now, are you sure that the Xiao Jin you brought back is the same Xiao Jin from back then?" Wen Xishu asked.

Mr. Jin said:

"Their appearance is exactly the same. But after bringing him back to the bunker... all his wonders seemed to have disappeared. He is indeed very talented, with the aptitude for climbing the Tower of Slaughter, but it is not enough. Compared to the shock he gave me many years ago, the bunker version of him is like an ordinary person."

"So, after I had Evelyn wipe Xiao Jin's memory, I tried to have Albert cultivate him and dig out the potential he should have."

"But in the process of climbing the tower, problems arose very quickly. It seems he shouldn't be climbing the Tower of Mystery; he should be climbing the Tower of Slaughter."

Wen Xishu didn't know what to say for a moment. Mr. Jin continued:

"And before I entered the bunker, the last time I saw Xiao Jin, he had split into two people; he began to imitate Gemini."

"I don't know what this portends, but I always have a feeling that his imitation is not over yet. Perhaps there is another Xiao Jin in the Three Towers world?"

"Just like twins."

Wen Xishu's heart skipped a beat. Mr. Jin then described a characteristic of twins:

"It is said that twins only exert their full power when they are together, and once separated... both will be significantly weakened."

Wen Xishu understood Mr. Jin's words.

Xiao Jin could take turns becoming certain constellations and possessed some of the mechanisms and powers of those constellations, but Gemini was very special...

Because he turned into Gemini, Xiao Jin's power became incomplete. The Xiao Jin that Mr. Jin brought back—

Was very likely just one of the twins, which would explain why this Xiao Jin was far less powerful than the original Xiao Jin.

And the one that Zhou Fei, Chris, and the others encountered was the other Xiao Jin.

Actually, in a sense, Mr. Jin stealing one of the Xiao Jins had instead hindered Xiao Jin from exerting his original power.

Of course, Xiao Jin becoming ordinary could also be due to the bunker; the bunker is very special and can restrict certain powers.

"In addition, Longxia's Chosen One Project is also very likely related to Xiao Jin. This is something I only learned after meeting Capricorn," Mr. Jin added.

Wen Xishu lowered his head, thinking through all the information.

The Heart of Fusion, all the constellation powers mixed together... taking turns changing, unstable temperament, but finally stopping at this change of Gemini.

Wen Xishu felt there might be a connection here, but there were too few clues right now.

Mr. Jin said:

"Is there anything else you want to know? I will tell you everything."

Wen Xishu felt there was too much to dig into, and he also needed this information to judge what kind of person Mr. Jin really was.

However, it was a pity that even now, who Xiao Jin really was had not been figured out; instead, there were more bizarre points.

After thinking for a while, Wen Xishu said:

"The bunker... how did it start in the beginning? You were the first person to enter the bunker, right?"

Mr. Jin did not hide it:

"After I woke up from my coma, I knew the entrance to the bunker. Through the special passage constructed by the Guide, one could reach the bunker."

"These memories... I don't know who they came from, but after I woke up, they were like established facts in my mind. They reminded me that this was the only correct answer."

"I was indeed the first to enter the bunker, and it was I who, in the gaps between the Firmament Project, the Chosen One Project, and the Ark Project, constantly guided others to enter the bunker."

"Compared to the plans of other countries that involved millions of people, the initial population of the bunker was very, very small. The bunker also only had two levels at first."

"The functional level and the residential level."

"Relying on great power, I became the master of the bunker at that time, and everyone had to survive under my arrangements."

Wen Xishu said:

"How exactly was the bunker formed? And what is the Three Towers game about?"

This question was very broad. Mr. Jin just stood up and left the meditation cushion. His white robe fluttered without wind, appearing quite ethereal:

"I am just a chess piece in the torrent of fate."

"From the moment I met Jin Shan, I was pushed along by some kind of power. The Three Towers are the chessboard, the rules, but if you ask me where these rules come from, what Xiao Jin really is, and what the twelve constellations are all about..."

"I cannot answer these questions for you. I feel that my mission has been completed, child. For a while, I felt that I was a person of destiny."

"Especially after waking up from the coma, having great power, and having memories that could truly save others... all of this made me feel that I was shouldering the mission of pushing history forward."

"But later, I discovered that I was no longer special. Albert even slowly surpassed me, and I realized—"

"Everything was just because I was at that node, and the person playing the game... gave me a push."

"But how all of this came to be, I do not know."

Mr. Jin turned around. His eyes were full of the vicissitudes of life, but deep within his pupils, there were also sparks:

"I still have one final mission left, and that is to open the path for you. As for those sources, only you can explore them yourselves."

"Go climb the tower, and let the Three Towers answer you."

(Happy May Day to all readers!)

(End of chapter)