Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 285 - 267 Setting out for Moon Concealing Mountain

Chapter 285: 267 Setting out for Moon Concealing Mountain

I saw numerous skeptical comments online, most people unable to accept the existence of supernatural events immediately, believing that the government was pushing its incompetence onto the concept of ghost gods. Some thought that the government’s media accounts had been hacked, or that this was all an elaborate prank from the beginning.

Therefore, it’s evident that even with the credibility of official forces, it’s impossible to make the masses, who have been indoctrinated with scientific concepts for years, believe in the supernatural phenomenon of soul loss.

While some believe, they think these so-called supernatural phenomena are merely things that current science cannot yet explain, rather than things that truly transcend the realm of science—perhaps this is also the truth. In fact, the Human Bureau is trying to decode supernatural power through scientific means, even though most results are based on dubious external forces, it can’t be said to be fruitless.

There are indeed many who can accept supernatural beings immediately. As a supernatural power user and lover of supernatural tales, it might be inappropriate for me to say this, but in any era, there have always been superstitious people who believe in strange and chaotic spirits. Even if their judgment this time is correct, their logic can’t be said to be built on the right foundation; they stumbled upon the correct answer by mistake.

However, whether they believe or not, they will soon come to accept the existence of the abnormal world. The current atmosphere of debate and skepticism is expected to last only a short while, as more and more evidence confirming the real existence of supernatural things will be continuously revealed to the public by official forces. In this process, concepts like Luo Mountain, demon hunters, Governance Ideology, and Extraordinaryism will also become recognized by mainstream society.

Chaotic times are about to descend.

According to the general laws of historical development, chaos eventually leads to order, just as order leads to chaos. However, this time is different. At the end of chaos awaiting everyone will be an even greater chaos. That is Doomsday.

In the face of real Doomsay, Governance Ideology and Extraordinaryism, the nation and Luo Mountain, mortals and demon hunters are just illusions.

If we cannot overcome this great calamity, the ensuing chaos might become society’s final revelry.

Mazao finally woke up and apologized guiltily for accidentally falling asleep. Of course, I couldn’t blame her, especially since I had suddenly fallen asleep last night too. After several conversations, she asked about the reasons behind my sudden sleep. It was apparent she had guessed that I ventured into the Void Realm last night.

There was nothing worth hiding; I told her everything. At the same time, I also revealed the truth about the transition, which I learned from Little Bowl.

Additionally, considering Mazao’s ongoing worries about Little Bowl’s survival, I promptly also mentioned the powers possessed by Little Bowl. Of course, I didn’t mention everything exactly as it was. If Mazao knew that Little Bowl might live more comfortably after leaving her, she would surely sink into negative thoughts again. That’s not what I, or Little Bowl, wanted to see. So I explained Little Bowl’s abilities as "powers awakened suddenly under the influence of the Divine Seal Fragment."

Mazao’s worried expression instantly cleared up.

"So, Little Bowl is safe now..." she said, showing a rare smile.

"Although she’s alone now, as long as I regularly enter the Void Realm, even if she accidentally forgets her own name, I can help her remember in time. So, you don’t need to worry about her for now," I said.

She nodded her head and then sighed, "But, I never thought the reason for my transition would be clarified so soon. It turns out it was because of Little Bowl..."

I also thought this mystery would take much longer to solve. Even though Little Bowl had mentioned long ago that it was related to her, I was mentally prepared, wondering if I might only gather partial clues and the truth would still be far away. Unexpectedly, she outright revealed the solution.

After our conversation, we went to have breakfast at the base cafeteria. Dong Che and Fu Feng appeared before us as usual, and I bid my farewell words to Fu Feng.

"You’re leaving already?"

Fu Feng was surprised, and then asked me, "What about Fa Zheng’s matter? He’s supposed to meet you here in two or three days. Do you plan to break the appointment?"

"If he’s willing to meet me now, I could spare a day to talk to him, but he’s tied up, right?" I said, "I have important matters, so I must leave. But taking care of that won’t take long. If things go fast, I might resolve it by tomorrow. Then I can come back and wait for Fa Zheng.

"My speed, as you know, won’t take more effort than throwing out the trash and coming back home. Just think of it as me stepping out to throw the trash."

"This... makes sense," Fu Feng considered before replying, "but if you leave here, I can’t guarantee that Impermanence behind the Divine Spear won’t take action against you."

"Whether he will act against me doesn’t depend on where I am but on Fa Zheng’s interference," I said.

"I knew I couldn’t hide it from you," he said. "Alright, I understand. Since we’ve already come this far, I’ll tell you directly. At least for today and tomorrow, Impermanence behind the Divine Spear absolutely cannot take any action against you."

"Does that mean Fa Zheng can still restrain the other party for at least two more days?"

His statement seemed a bit odd to me. Fa Zheng is Impermanence, the hostile Impermanence is also Impermanence, both parties are formidable beings of the same level, yet Fufeng mentioned the latter would "definitely" be restrained for two more days. The weight of this expression is significant, and Fufeng doesn’t seem to be boasting. Could it be that Fa Zheng is much more formidable than the hostile Impermanence? Or did Fa Zheng make a huge sacrifice for this matter? Or is there trickery that I am unaware of?

Or... could it be that the hostile Impermanence is actually Fa Zheng himself, which is why he can affirmatively state his own non-interference? If so, taking Mazao and leaving this place now is indeed the right choice. After resolving the issue with Moon Concealing Mountain, it might also be best not to return to Fufeng Base.

"The situation is not quite what you think, but for now, you are temporarily safe," Fufeng evidently seemed reluctant to disclose any underlying details. "Moreover, if you are worried about encountering Impermanence and causing collateral damage to innocent people upon entering the city, you don’t have to worry about that for now. At least for these next two days, you are free to move around."

"I see. Also, since we are leaving, it might be time to release Dong Che."

I brought this matter up deliberately, and Dong Che nearby pricked up his ears.

Fufeng looked at Dong Che with a deep gaze. He might be involved with the Human Bureau, and Dong Che holds clues to it. Even though he likely plans to keep Dong Che under wraps a bit longer to manage his own "crime traces," my suggestion conflicts with his interests—assuming he is truly in collusion with the Human Bureau.

However, after pondering for a moment, he nodded: "...As long as you think it’s fine, then it’s doable."

Dong Che heaved a great sigh of relief.

After breakfast, Dong Che solemnly bade us goodbye, then left the Fufeng Base.

To prevent Fufeng from covertly following and acting against Dong Che, I stayed at the Fufeng Base until nearly noon before I left with Mazao. This approach could at most prevent Fufeng himself; if he contacted his achieved level demon hunters to silence Dong Che, then Dong Che’s own performance would have to suffice. If defeated thus, one could only fault their lack of strength or bad luck.

In any case, I am now helpless in aiding Dong Che further. Due to the anti-investigation barrier inside and outside of Fufeng Base, once Dong Che had left, I could no longer track the thermal energy marker in his body. If it was the "Firefly," it wouldn’t have been the case, and this was the first time I noticed such a difference. Being purely a thermal presence, the thermal energy marker, while highly concealed, didn’t have the stability as the "Firefly."

The "Fireflies" left at the Zhu family’s place had not yet disappeared. As long as I concentrated sufficiently, even inside Fufeng Base, I could forcibly connect to them, something the thermal energy marker couldn’t accomplish.

At the moment of departure, Fufeng escorted us to the base’s entrance. He looked at me and suddenly said, "Zhuang Cheng, your inner self seems closer to Extraordinaryism."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked.

"You are neither Old Fist God nor Liu Shuying. If you refuse to be swayed by either side, you’ll end up as an enemy to both," he said.

"Extraordinaryism has always been my enemy. Are you threatening me that if I don’t join Governance Ideology, Governance Ideology will take action against me?" I asked.

"Yes," he confessed. "If you don’t join Governance Ideology, Fa Zheng will surely choose to eliminate you, because you are more likely to join Extraordinaryism. At that time, I will also become your enemy."

This was something we had implicitly understood all along, and now he had openly expressed it. After all those indirect hints and testing before, I rather preferred his straightforwardness. Could this man really be covertly colluding with the Human Bureau? I even began to wonder.

"As neither politicians nor demon hunters, you too prefer this direct way of speaking, right?" he smiled slightly.

"You’re right," I said. "Friends or foes, time will tell the truth. However, claiming you might become my enemy, aren’t you thinking too highly of yourself? The next time we meet, you might not be in a position to oppose me."

At these words, Fufeng burst into laughter, bid farewell, and then turned back into the base.

And I, together with Mazao, started our journey towards Moon Concealing Mountain.