Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 427 - 398 aftermaths

Chapter 427: 398 aftermaths

After the independent reality space shattered, the main stronghold of the Human Bureau was destroyed.

The positions of Human Bureau outposts across various regions had already been pinpointed by Fa Zheng, who was determined to eradicate the Human Bureau entirely. Presumably, this organization will not appear again in the future. Even if it does, it will only be a new organization of a similar nature born on the ruins. Whether it truly becomes the "righteous organization fighting sincerely for the common people" that Fa Zheng hopes for remains to be seen.

As the curtain fell on the Human Bureau, Ying Lingyun’s madness also came to an end. Looking back, from the moment I stepped into the abnormal world until now, Ying Lingyun’s shadow closely followed behind all my adventures. His death makes me feel that a Chapter of my adventure has concluded.

However, there are still many questions I haven’t had the chance to answer.

It’s not just about the reason the Taoyuan Village Master collaborated with Ying Lingyun, but also the clues related to Doomsday, and the details about the "Blessed Monk" who once gave future apocalyptic technology to Ying Lingyun... Many questions have become difficult to pursue further due to Ying Lingyun’s death.

If possible, I originally planned to slowly extract all the informational value from Ying Lingyun before killing him, but in reality, I didn’t have enough time and energy for that. During the battle at the main stronghold of the Human Bureau, I had to focus all my attention on saving Changan, without the luxury to gather clues related to Doomsday.

Perhaps I could have sent my own people to join the battlefield, like Divine Light and Ming Zhuo, to collect the information I wanted from various parts within the main stronghold of the Human Bureau, but as it turned out, not doing so was the best choice.

The entire battle at the main stronghold of the Human Bureau only lasted a few minutes. I discovered afterwards that the demon hunter team from Lushan Headquarters, worthy of its reputation, managed to scrape a large amount of information within those few minutes, with a very fruitful outcome; however, the cost was also substantial, with nearly half of the demon hunters dying on the battlefield.

On the battlefield, life and death are commonplace. The main stronghold of the Human Bureau was heavily guarded, with a large number of Residence Level and even some achieved level strange guard soldiers. It’s not surprising that the demon hunter team suffered significant casualties. The problem lies in the reason for the casualties; the conflict with the strange guard soldiers was only a secondary reason, the primary cause of death was being caught up in the destructive aftershocks of the Impermanence.

Ming Zhuo, Weiyang, and Mao Rabbit almost fought from one end of the Human Bureau to the other, with the power’s aftershocks indiscriminately dragging everyone around into it, causing casualties on both sides. Later, when the Taoyuan Village Master appeared, the power’s aftershocks from the attacks by Ming Zhuo, Divine Light, and Fa Zheng destroyed large areas of the Human Bureau, resulting in another large-scale indiscriminate casualty event.

It’s worth noting that unlike Ming Zhuo and Divine Light who used energy attacks, the huge ice spears Fa Zheng threw did not have an explosive effect. Although the situation was urgent, he still tried not to involve allied forces, but he couldn’t prevent the other two in time.

The two had no feelings about casualties among allies. Particularly Ming Zhuo, although the team was his own, it seemed he didn’t consider the deaths of achieved level and below demon hunters a matter of concern.

It seems that for Divine Light and Ming Zhuo, such Impermanences, the inability of subordinates to survive on their battlefield is strictly the subordinates’ problem. Even Ming Zhuo’s demon hunters seemed to accept this value.

On my side, I received their help when the Taoyuan Village Master attacked me, and I have no position to accuse them. I lack the internal motivation to criticize them, though on a general moral level, it feels somewhat wrong.

Moreover, compared to pondering those moral issues, there are more urgent matters waiting for me to handle.

That is the Divine Seal Fragment I took from Ying Lingyun, which is now bound to me.

According to the predetermined loot distribution plan, if the number of Divine Seal Fragments we acquired at the Human Bureau main stronghold is even, Fa Zheng and I would split them evenly with Divine Light; if odd, we would take one more.

Upon exiting the independent reality space, Ming Zhuo collected the bodies of Weiyang and Mao Rabbit, retrieving two Divine Seal Fragments from them, together with the one I obtained from Ying Lingyun, totaling three pieces. According to the agreement, these two fragments nominally belong to the Governance Ideology group collectively, and Fa Zheng, Jian Feixian, and I have use rights but not ownership.

However, one of the Divine Seal Fragments formed a binding relationship with me, making it impossible to discard; it automatically returns to me if it strays too far.

This "mysterious phenomenon" is hard to explain to Fa Zheng, and mishandling it could reveal my identity as a Void Envoy. I don’t want to disclose this truth yet, as the Void Envoy and Lushan Great Impermanence stand on opposing sides in the current context, with deep and complex entanglements that make me apprehensive of the consequences of exposing my true identity. Incidentally, I also feel inclined to continue acting as a mysterious cadre of a sinister organization.

Neither Divine Light nor Fa Zheng witnessed the moment I acquired the Divine Seal Fragment, so it seems possible for me to conceal this detail, but I am unsure if Ming Zhuo observed it clearly. Such behavior of concealing loot goes against my nature, and I wonder if it will cause trouble down the road, though it seems better to be sincere and candid.

Although I did consider modifying the agreement later when push came to shove, it was a verbal commitment I made myself. Without a special reason, I am reluctant to commit a breach of trust. More importantly, doing so feels like losing to Water Master Xuanwu.

Thus, after leaving the independent reality space, I exercised my usage rights over the Divine Seal Fragment, intending to take it back under the guise of "needing to use it" and later swap it with an ownerless Divine Seal Fragment.

Yet, it seems all the Divine Seal Fragments in my possession are now tasked, and I need to collect another ownerless Divine Seal Fragment and hide it specifically to guard against the Master of Divine Seal... Though such a simple strategy might also occur to other Void Envoys, my participation or lack thereof seems to make little difference.

Perhaps because this time, Ming Zhuo and I were on the frontline and the acquired Divine Seal Fragments were two in number, merely having the usage rights to one was easily approved by Fa Zheng. Moreover, according to Fa Zheng, it seems I not only have usage rights, but also indefinite usage rights.

Indefinite usage rights—doesn’t that equate to the item becoming mine?

"It’s just a single Divine Seal Fragment; you can use it as long as you like," Fa Zheng told me, "Now that the Governance Ideology group has four Divine Seal Fragments in total, even if you, I, and Jian Feixian each retain one long-term, there’s still one free Divine Seal Fragment remaining, so there’s no issue.

"As long as all Divine Seal Fragments are handed over at the phase of complete collection and the divine seal is restored to completeness.

"The complete divine seal must be used to prevent Doomsday, and the user will be me; you don’t have any objections to this, right?"

Unexpectedly, the Governance Ideology group now only has four Divine Seal Fragments, while Divine Light alone gave me and Weichi four fragments.

Even if including the Divine Seal Fragments obtained from Ying Lingyun, my network has accumulated five in total—despite three of them being gifts from Divine Light.

I felt the disparity.

It’s possible that neither Fa Zheng nor Jian Feixian lacks effort. The task of collecting Divine Seal Fragments involves a significant ’fateful force’ component. Figures like Fa Zheng and Jian Feixian, such Impermanences, likely rely solely on their own power to access the Divine Seal Fragments, forming a ’relationship forcibly established by power’; while Divine Light, being a Void Envoy, likely has a much more profound fate with the Divine Seal Fragments, making it easier to collect.

I am an ally of Fa Zheng, but not a like-minded partner, so Fa Zheng’s wish to collect the complete divine seal is unlikely to be fulfilled.

"No objections. But, is it just a verbal agreement?" I asked.

"Only a verbal agreement... After all, even if we signed a contract like ordinary people, there is no higher power to arbitrate us..."

As he spoke, Fa Zheng paused slightly, then spoke the next line, "...at least for now."

Legal items don’t apply to Impermanences. Even if fervently established, related statutes would be meaningless without practical enforcement measures. Enacting laws that cannot be enforced only diminishes their respect.

Nevertheless, in Fa Zheng’s depicted vision of Governance Ideology, Impermanences must ultimately become a part of societal order. Before human civilization’s technology ascends to a level where even Impermanences are restrained in an interstellar civilization, this remains a contradictory aspiration, and he clearly does not intend to wait until then to realize Governance Ideology.

Unless there exists a law... A law that transcends current human civilization’s power, hovering over everyone’s head like Damocles’ Sword, capable of equally judging even Impermanences.

I seemed to vaguely speculate on the kind of wish Fa Zheng wants to project onto the divine seal.

I sincerely hope for my friends to live in such an orderly and peaceful society, yet on the other hand, the world I yearn for is one overflowing with chaos.

-

Afterward, I returned with Changan to my residence at Luo Mountain Headquarters.

Due to extreme spiritual damage, Changan remained in a coma, and I must find a way to nurture and awaken her.

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