Chapter 319
Seeing He Muzhi suddenly grab a weapon, everyone's breathing quickened again as they entered a state of combat readiness.
"Don't be nervous." He Muzhi glanced at the hands of the people in front of him that unconsciously fell to their sides, and tried to sound relaxed. "This is just a small perk for the first batch of tourists. The second batch of tourists won't have such good fortune."
[Everyone: Would you like this blessing?]
[Second group of tourists: Speaking out for us! Protesting!]
[That's not how you use good fortune (laughing and crying)]
He Muzhi turned the dark cannon muzzle to aim at the desk behind him, while keeping his body still, maintaining the posture of facing Patrick and the others.
During this time, the students from Class 6 who remained at the scene kept reporting Kanasen's points to him. He Muzhi was not worried at all about making a foolish mistake in public and doing something as stupid as killing the performer of the most important and only attraction in this newly built attraction with a single shot.
"..."
What the hell is this "benefit"? (Class 6 learn all these little phrases from? Can't they learn from Qin Su's coldness and let them see Qin Su so that their hearts will always sink to the bottom, instead of being suddenly startled and then teased for a while, their hearts going up and down, it's really... infuriating.
Seeing He Muzhi's strange actions and hearing He Muzhi words, the people present did not relax; on the contrary, they became even more tense than before.
"..."
The people in Class 6 at the scene kept their eyes down and suppressed their attempts to smile.
'It's obvious that the first group of tourists, who traveled a long way despite the hardships, are losing some of their less desirable qualities and virtues because of their actions. But since they're not exactly admirable, they're leaving. Isn't this just another good deed they (Class 6) have added to their list of acts of kindness?'
[Regarding dry humor, I'm glad that Class 6 has its own insights.]
[Kanasen in danger!]
[I hadn't noticed before, when did He Muzhi get so big? Hmm, looking back now, why are the people in Class 6 generally a size bigger than everyone else? Even Samuel, who doesn't have much physical talent and usually does mental work, looks wider and taller than when he first entered the school. Tsk tsk, consistent exercise really doesn't lie to the body.]
[That's good. They know a little about fighting when they can't reason with each other. Anyway, no weapons are allowed at joint meetings, and people start flipping tables at the drop of a hat. This is a good way of preparing for a fight. Even without weapons, they still have plenty of strength.]
[Haha, I'm so excited!]
After He Muzhi finished speaking, he noticed that everyone remained silent. He glanced at the ten-minute Countdown and then regretfully launched into a monologue. "Since you are all silent, it means you agree to watch this special performance. So, the exciting performance is about to begin, everyone get ready."
It's a lie; he'll act it out even if you disagree.
Patrick and the others inwardly rolled their eyes at He Muzhi's high-sounding words. Did they not want to refute him? They simply dared not refute him!
Kanasen huddled under the large desk, trembling with fear. He was terrified that he would be killed the moment he showed his face. He didn't dare to peek out, his heart pounding like a drum. In extreme fear, he eavesdropped on every sound around him. Although he didn't think that the performance He Muzhi mentioned had anything to do with him, he still subconsciously prayed frantically to comfort himself.
"Three... one."
As the countdown ended, He Muzhi fired without hesitation, aiming at the position next to Kanasen.
Patrick and the others, who were on tenterhooks, saw a rapid beam of light shot out from the cannon on He Muzhi's shoulder. It wasn't aimed at them, but at the cage opposite them. Especially when they saw the Laser Cannon make contact with the transparent defensive layer, the layer opened a small opening and let it in, preventing it from bouncing back towards them, their hearts eased a little.
The moment the laser beam made contact with the giant desk, which was cut from a single block of stone, everyone heard a deafening roar. The black desk shattered instantly, and amidst the flying debris, a figure was ejected backward, revealing itself to everyone's sight. After only a few steps, the figure tripped over construction debris that had fallen from above, causing it to fall heavily backward.
Kanasen's series of clumsy movements easily drew everyone's attention to him.
He Muzhi clearly saw the different expressions on everyone's faces and judged from their expressions that many people had not recognized Kanasen at all in such a short time.
After being tortured by Qin Su, Kanasen's original weight of over 280 pounds suddenly appeared to be only about 100 pounds. His appearance had undergone a complete transformation. Not to mention Patrick and his friends, even his own people from Class 6 didn't dare to recognize Kanasen when they saw him here.
The situation was not much different from what Class 6) had anticipated. He Muzhi did not give everyone much time to react and continued shooting at the points that had been marked in advance.
Boom boom--
After five consecutive bombardments, the massive, one-piece office desk was reduced to piles of rubble in an instant, forcing Kanasen to flee amidst the flying debris.
Having finished his scene, He Muzhi casually placed the Laser Cannon back in its place with one hand, then looked at the group who were all focused on Kanasen and had no time to look at him. "You all seem quite satisfied with today's bonus performance, but..."
He Muzhi abruptly changed the subject, deliberately reminding everyone present. "There are only thirty seconds left. Please hurry up and finish your visit. In order not to delay the second group of tourists, it would be best if you left after thirty seconds."
Patrick and the others Kanasen in the middle of a frenzy, and before they could even confirm whether the person in front of them was Kanasen, they heard He Muzhi coldly order them to leave. It felt like Class 6) had served them a delicacy but only let them look at it and not eat it, and then deliberately flaunted it in front of them. They were immediately filled with anger.
They soon discovered that even Patrick did not refute He Muzhi's words, so those of them who came with Patrick naturally dared not say anything. Helpless, they could only vent their anger and try to find the shadow of Kanasen in the only person on the field who was 'complete' and still alive.
Finally seeing the person he wanted to see, he discovered that the other person was not what he thought, but one of many humanoid skeletons, but... Patrick's gaze shifted back to the humanoid skeletons he had stared at several times in the past few minutes, and he unconsciously took a deep breath.
Compared to those humanoid skeletons, Kanasen could be considered 'completely unharmed'. However, compared to the last time Kanasen appeared in public, Kanasen was now unrecognizable. If it weren't for the hair color, eyes, and the familiar scar that was revealed when his messy hair flew up on the side while he was running away, he wouldn't be sure that the person in front of him was Kanasen.
Only...
Patrick frowned deeply. Kanasen's lackeys... were all... torn to pieces and still alive. Was Kanasen, as the culprit, being too merciful? But this didn't fit Qin Su's usual style. He must have overlooked some detail.
As he pondered this, Patrick unconsciously stepped forward, trying to get a better look.
But before Patrick could take a single step, He Muzhi raised his hand and stopped him in his tracks.
Patrick tilted his head, his face full of displeasure at being stopped, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.
"Excuse me." Under Patrick 'He Muzhi began to speak ramblingly, "To protect the safety of this Scenic Area spot, close contact is prohibited."
Patrick: "..."
He kept saying--
"..." He Muzhi remained silent, only raising his hand to block and feigning indifference to show his firm attitude.
Although Patrick didn't say anything, you could tell from the other person's eyes that Patrick was probably cursing his ancestors to the third generation in his heart.
With only a dozen seconds left, and thinking about how stubborn and obedient to Qin Su's group in Class 6), Patrick knew that once the time was up, they would be expelled even if they didn't want to leave. He couldn't afford to waste any more time. He could only take a deep breath and quickly reconcile with himself. He pulled at his face and asked He Muzhi a soul-searching question, "He is Kanasen, right? You know he is Kanasen. Since you can make other people look so beautiful, why did you let Kanasen go? How can you sleep at night thinking about this?!"
[Translation of Patrick's words: Give me a shot, right now, immediately!! (roaring. jpg)]
[In "Pretty," Patrick hates Kanasen. Didn't they used to hug and kiss each other on the cheek when they met in front of the media?]
[Naive! How can we believe everything they show us? If it's WeChat, we should only believe 30% or 40% of it, okay? (eye roll)]
[The couple you love who seem all lovey-dovey on the surface but secretly plot against each other is here! @Bestie]
[Best friend: Hello, are you okay? We're breaking up!]
[Don't throw away your best friend you've broken up with yet, put her in the circle for now--]
"..."
(Class 6 group of people who had been listening intently had anticipated the tourists' reactions and possible words, but when they suddenly heard Patrick use "beautiful" to describe Felix, they were still speechless. Patrick was clearly praising their (Class 6 for doing a good job in light of Felix and the others' fate. This... made them, who had previously been so confident in their defiance of Patrick for Qin Su's sake, feel quite guilty for a second.
After hearing Patrick's strange thoughts, He Muzhi paused for a second, quickly composed himself, and said in a steady voice, "First of all, thank you for your affirmation. Secondly, so far we haven't known their situation since then. Finally, based on the fact that for some time to come, Kanasen will rely on the other landscapes until the very last moment, and those 'wonderful and warm' days were created by the Class Monitor and continued by our (Class 6, I think we will have a very perfect sleep starting tonight, so..."
Seeing that Patrick had praised them for doing a good job, He Muzhi happily concealed the truth within this long speech, his eyes filled with sincerity as he looked at Patrick: "No need for you to worry about it."
Patrick: "...?"
No, who cares if they can actually fall asleep? That's none of his business. He's clearly... wait a minute, Kanasen and a bunch of bloodied, seemingly alive but practically dead skeletons relying on each other? Warm and cozy? That's impossible. So what He Muzhi meant just now was...
Patrick belatedly realized what was going on, his furrowed brows relaxing, but fearing he might have misunderstood, he couldn't wait to confirm further. "You won't give him food, right?"
Only Kanasen was still able to eat, and the others who were listening intently immediately understood that Patrick was referring to Kanasen.
"Of course, everyone has a responsibility to maintain the natural ecological balance of the Scenic Area," He Muzhi replied earnestly.
"..."
God's father's maintenance of the ecological balance of natural Scenic Area, can this really be applied here? The crowd, who were listening intently to Patrick and He Muzhi's battle, were stunned by He Muzhi's words.
[Read the text: Wow, you're quite obedient to the rules of nature.]
On-site observation: What?! You (Class 6) people call this protecting the Scenic Area's ecology? If the devil came, he'd tattoo your (Class 6's) names all over your bodies!
[Devil:? (Class 6) Are you trying to tattoo all my names on my tattoo so you can inherit it?]
[I understand now. From now on, I can't just look at what the people in Class 6 say; I have to look at what they actually do. Otherwise, the facts won't match what they say at all.]
Isn't this a different kind of blind box? Just based on whether these blind boxes will bring a shock or a surprise, I'll definitely support them!
Patrick's brow relaxed further. "So how long can you maintain the ecological balance of this Scenic Area?"
[Oh my goodness, our president, all so pretty and charming, got swept away like that, and he's so easy to please!]
[What's there to coax? They've clearly run out of options.]
He Muzhi immediately understood Patrick's meaning and answered without hesitation, "The potion that keeps a certain link in the food chain of the Scenic Area active is personally provided by our Class Monitor. Unfortunately, we are not quite sure about your question."
Based on the data they had recorded during their previous assassinations, they could generally predict roughly when their targets would die after being subjected to "a thousand cuts." Since Felix and his group were still "active" to this day, they quickly connected the dots to the injection Qin Su had given Felix and his men before the "a thousand cuts."
Patrick wanted to ask more, He Muzhi hadn't forgotten the time. He glanced at the Countdown and, not giving Patrick a chance to speak again, took a step back, distancing himself from Patrick, and swept his gaze across the others, his voice cold and hard. "Excuse me, the tour is over. The second group of tourists is waiting outside. Please leave immediately and in an orderly manner. No lingering is permitted. The Scenic Area will be holding an uncertain performance within the StarNet later."
As soon as He Muzhi finished speaking, Patrick and the others immediately saw the people from Class 6) above and the people on the edge of the 'scenic spot' raising their weapons in unison towards them.
"..."
So these people didn't leave because they were kept around to deal with them?!
In this situation, everyone dared not speak out in anger. Following Patrick, who was holding back his anger and glared fiercely at He Muzhi and the others in Class 6), they were reluctantly 'invited' out.
"When will we be able to visit certain attractions in batches?"
"They're out! They're out! Is it our turn now?"
"What on earth did they watch? Even Patrick looks constipated."
"Who cares? I'll feel much more at ease going in once they get out safely."
Patrick and his companions were 'driven' out of the Breach. As they passed by people from other planets, they kept seeing them staring at them while chirping, their faces cold as they quickened their pace.
Only after his group had completely passed the people from other planets did Patrick hear a raised voice from behind. "Now it's our turn. Second group of tourists, please respect the rules I just mentioned..."
Patrick: "..."
No way, they really treated them like tourists?! Although Class 6) did a great job, he still had to mentally curse them a million times, "Class 6) are crazy!"
"What He Muzhi meant that he wouldn't supply Kanasen with supplies anymore, and that Kanasen would eat Felix and the others? Ugh... Just thinking about that scene makes my scalp tingle."
"That's definitely what it means. Thinking about it that way... it's quite terrifying, but doesn't Kanasen like to eat...? Isn't this a reward for him?"
"Don't you even consider the context in which he spoke? The difference is significant. Did Kanasen look like he was being rewarded just now? Staring at a bunch of convulsing, bloodied skeletons all day, having to dig flesh out of them—anyone with a slightly weaker mentality would go crazy. But how can we ensure that Kanasen will obediently do what we want him to do? Wouldn't he normally just choose to starve himself to death or commit suicide?"
"Kanasen was tortured to that state and still wasn't dead, which confirms he couldn't commit suicide. He couldn't even kill himself, and Qin Su injected... Jingdian with drugs, which obviously allows him to do anything Kanasen wants him to do."
"That makes sense. But at this point, Qin Su has been working behind the scenes for Class 6 (Class 6), giving them the chance to shine. Could it be, as we guessed before, that Qin Su has no interest in the position of Federation President, He Muzhi is the one who will succeed Patrick? Class 6)... Wait a minute, have you noticed that every important or unimportant department in the Federation and the planets under Federation jurisdiction has people from Class 6)? And Class 6) has its own people in each of these departments. Doesn't that mean that after Patrick leaves, we won't be able to squeeze in even if we want to?!"
"I get it. Qin Su was never interested in the presidency from the beginning, and he had already made arrangements for everyone in Class 6. Damn, what makes Class 6 so special?"
"Why should we care about their qualifications? We're more worried about whether we'll be purged after Patrick retires, or whether we don't want to be marginalized. So, in these last moments, let's work together to maintain what we have now?"
"That makes sense. Apart from the small portion represented by the votes of the people on each planet, and excluding those members of the Joint Council who are associated with Class 6) and Class 6), the remaining people are the ones we need to win over."
"They're actually discussing it? Shouldn't you ask us first..."
Patrick was still cursing Class 6) in his mind when he heard a series of guesses coming from behind him, including his own. It was highly likely that they were saying this to him because they didn't want to admit defeat. He simply stopped walking, didn't turn around, and said in a calm tone, "You are all right."
Now that he's in his current position, even though he's quite satisfied with the fates of Kanasen and Felix, and the current situation of ordinary people in Clyus, and his resentment has gradually subsided, he still doesn't have the freedom to 'give up'. He doesn't want to actually step down from this position, lest he and his family and friends be secretly 'besieged' by those who still seem to respect him. With past examples as examples, losing one's life is just routine. To avoid that outcome as much as possible, he can only continue acting.
"No matter the cost, we cannot give up."