Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 494 - 464 Human Ranch

Chapter 494: 464 Human Ranch

In Liu Shuying’s previous narration, there is an unignorable doubt: how did someone as young as Impermanence develop enmity with Shan Liangyi.

Shan Liangyi was killed by the Old Fist God a long time ago, while Liu Shuying only debuted four years ago. During these four years, Shan Liangyi has remained in a dormant state. It could be because he hasn’t grown enough in this life to make an appearance, or perhaps he is wary of the Old Fist God’s existence and doesn’t dare to show himself. According to the information I have, there’s not a single sign of conflict between Liu Shuying and the suspected Shan Liangyi’s Impermanence.

Even if we set aside the element of Liu Shuying, the suspected Shan Liangyi’s Impermanence has never shown any trace. Currently, in the demon hunter’s world, the only recognized Impermanence, besides the Luo Mountain faction, is the Taoyuan Village Master and Xuanming, along with Xu Gou. Few people know that Shan Liangyi has been reincarnated in this era.

So, what if Liu Shuying had contact with Shan Liangyi not in the past, but in the future, and thus developed a grudge?

I think this is a direction worth considering.

However, judging by Liu Shuying’s demeanor, he would definitely never admit he’s a time traveler or reincarnator. In many fantasy stories with similar themes, protagonists with memories of the future often find ways to hide such information. Although I don’t think Liu Shuying needs to conceal it, if he is unwilling to speak, I can only temporarily change my approach.

"I’ve heard you’ve been active in the North Pole... Are you searching for something there?" I asked.

"I can’t say." Liu Shuying straightforwardly refused.

"Didn’t you just say you’d answer within your capability?" I asked.

"Because it’s personal privacy. Just as I can’t explain why there is an irreconcilable conflict between Shan Liangyi and myself, I also can’t answer your question." He said.

In that case, I doubt he’ll tell me what kind of breakthrough he achieved at the North Pole or what insurmountable difficulties he encountered.

The matter concerns the divine seal. If the answers were so easily obtained, it would be surprising. Even if he’s willing to say it, whether I’m willing to trust the information is another story. It seems I’ll have to observe and probe him gradually, which is also why I agreed to collaborate with him.

The more I observe, the more puzzled I become. Gua Tianshi and Lu Chan unhesitatingly identified Liu Shuying and I as similar individuals, yet I find it difficult to resonate with him in this aspect. In what way are we similar?

It’s easy to see others’ faults, but hard to see one’s own. "The self" is the hardest to understand... perhaps this further validates the saying?

Before long, we reached the target location.

The sun had already completely set on the other side of the horizon, turning the sky into a black shroud. We had ventured deep into a large wasteland, and in the distance was a cluster of structures resembling massive beasts lurking in the darkness. That was the Luoshan Branch Base, our target.

The structures were surrounded by high walls, and atop the walls were wire fences. A bird landed on it, and immediately, brilliant electrical sparks erupted, turning the bird to charcoal, clearly showing that it was electrified. There was only a black iron gate leading inside, exuding an icy, oppressive sense of hostility.

Regardless of the location choice or the first impression it gave, this branch base was like a large prison. Entering was difficult, and leaving would probably be even harder. Needless to say, such obstacles were insignificant for us.

However, Liu Shuying slightly furrowed his brows and said, "Alright, so what now... to be honest, the smoothness of this operation has exceeded my expectations. I originally planned to spend some time investigating each individual according to a list of suspects, but now my plans are somewhat disrupted..."

"What, can’t we just go in and investigate directly?" I asked, "Or do you think that if we alert the people inside, the traitor hiding in this branch base will report the information and destroy the connections related to Taoyuan Village?"

"That’s not it. Based on the information I have, there are no Great Success Rank individuals in this branch base. And those who are still within the Formation, Abiding, Decay, Void System level, as long as we exert a bit of effort, we can make them all blind." Liu Shuying said, "The issue is the Taoyuan Village Master won’t be so easily fooled."

"Are you saying the Taoyuan Village Master, who is far away, might be able to sense our investigative actions?" I asked.

"Exactly. If the clues from this branch base are insufficient to support tracking the Taoyuan Village Master, it might not trigger his awareness. Otherwise, it would. But isn’t that the kind of clues we’re aiming for?" Liu Shuying said, "If we were to search with an unclear mind, it would be one thing. But now that we know there’s something suspicious here, it’s hard to imagine that the Taoyuan Village Master wouldn’t sense it under the pursuit of two Impermanences.

The opponent is someone who managed to develop Taoyuan Village under Luo Mountain’s jurisdiction, possibly even Shan Liangyi himself... If he were that easy to catch, Fa Zheng would have teamed up with the other Impermanences to eliminate him long ago.

When Xuanming was still in Luo Mountain, he even teamed up with Gua Tianshi, Fa Zheng, and Jian Feixian to hunt down the Taoyuan Village Master, but never caught his true form even once.

The reason I’m only collaborating with you this time, and not involving more Impermanences, is that if there were too many participants, killing intent would be sensed by the Taoyuan Village Master who might be hiding anywhere, even during discussions at the Luoshan Headquarters.

It turns out Xuanming doesn’t like the Taoyuan Village Master either.

"Standing here motionless isn’t a solution either. Let’s first take a general look at the situation inside this branch base from the outside. This level of action shouldn’t trigger the Taoyuan Village Master’s awareness, right?" I said.

Liu Shuying nodded, focusing his gaze on that location. I also slightly focused my attention, attempting to perceive.

The outer part of the branch base had an anti-investigation barrier. Forcing perception through it would crush the barrier with one’s own spirit, resulting in alarming the enemy. However, the current me is no longer at the Great Success Rank; I wouldn’t be thwarted by such a barrier anymore.

Now, I have a level of spatial understanding that defies human language. From this perspective, such anti-investigation barriers are merely like drawn circles on paper, virtually ineffective. My perception easily breached the barrier. In an instant, I had thoroughly scanned the interior of the branch base.

Then I couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned, while Liu Shuying nodded and thoughtfully said, "I see, this is what those extreme Extraordinary Fanatics are trying to do?

"No, what’s here is just an experimental environment in the exploratory stage, with many extreme and chaotic elements, which is why it’s so disreputable... If Fa Zheng sees these things, he’s bound to fly into a rage."

My perception not only scanned the interior but also vaguely sensed the psychological activities of countless individuals inside. By piecing together clues and obscure causal fluctuations, I attempted to infer the changes that might have occurred in the past.

The countless events that occurred inside this branch base can be summarized in one term: "hell."

A large number of ordinary people were kidnapped here and subjected to treatment worse than livestock; terms like "meat factory" would be an understatement.

In the eyes of extreme Extraordinary Fanatics, the skin, flesh, and blood of mortals all have processing value, and even souls can provide energy. Mana, in most cases, is essentially the Power of Soul, a force that anyone possesses. The difference between mortals and demon hunters is merely whether it can be actively utilized.

As long as mortals are subjected to excessive sensory and emotional stimuli, their souls become unstable. Many, after going through major life changes, experience a significant decline in spirit due to the soul’s strength being greatly lost in this process. Demon hunters can collect this "Emotional Energy" through tools and rituals, among other means.

It’s much easier to make someone suffer and despair than to make them happy and hopeful. The kidnapped individuals found themselves in an excruciating situation where they couldn’t live or die. The Extraordinary Fanatic demon hunters in this branch base seemed to categorize the kidnapped into ranks—those of lower ranks could die quickly, while those of higher ranks would continuously grow flesh and blood under the effect of Healing Magic, only to be harvested repeatedly.

Those who despise mortal science among the Extraordinary Fanatic demon hunters actually seem to be studying science seriously, especially brain science and genetics.

Judging from their conversations, they seem to have only recently started learning this scientific knowledge, some for only two or three weeks, others for less than half a year. However, they now appear to be top-notch experts in related fields, even developing numerous new technologies during their spare time that would shock the secular world.

These new technologies of brain science and genetics have not spread outside but are creatively applied to this hell, creating more flesh and terror.

Furthermore, it seems clear that some of the managing demon hunters are learning social sciences. In this field, although their progress isn’t as rapid as in the sciences, they’ve apparently grasped some knowledge, and are viciously implementing it on the victims.