138: Chapter 138 Who am I?

It took a full hour for Li Taiping to recover from the intense pain of his soul being forcibly torn apart.

He was like a dying fish, his back pressed hard against the cold wall, his chest heaving violently as he greedily gulped down mouthfuls of turbid air.

Cold sweat had long since soaked the clothes on his back, sticking to his skin in a clammy, bone-chilling mess.

Su Jie squatted by his legs.

She clutched a towel that gave off a faint, delicate fragrance, gently wiping the cold sweat from his forehead bit by bit.

Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes were bloodshot, and her eyelids were swollen like walnuts.

She bit her lower lip hard, keeping even her breathing very low.

She didn't dare say a word.

She was terrified that even the slightest noise would shatter the man before her, who had just crawled out of hell.

Li Taiping didn't look at her.

His gaze pierced through the dim room, staring fixedly at the aging wallpaper.

His eyes were hollow, yet they concealed a volcano on the verge of eruption.

He was thinking, obsessively ruminating over everything that had just happened like a madman.

If the first memory of Li Jun's sacrifice was just some low-quality code forced into his brain by this bullshit dungeon to confuse him...

Then what about this time?

Why did Su Jie know everything so clearly?

Even the hand signals Li Jun made before he died, even those desperate last words—they were all perfectly accurate!

Why did even he himself feel that real, agonizing pain, as if a sharp blade were twisting in his heart, when he recalled that scene?

What was this supposed to mean?

Did he really fucking lose his memory?

Or was he, Li Taiping—the dignified Captain of the Many Children, Many Blessings, the ruthless man who topped both rankings—actually just a useless loser dreaming big in this wasteland world?

“Crack.”

Li Taiping clenched his molars so hard the muscles on his jaw bulged.

A trace of metallic-tasting blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

He was using pain to stimulate himself.

No!

To hell with amnesia!

To hell with reality!

He would never accept this fate.

Even if this world was one giant lie, he would smash that lie to smithereens!

Sitting here and just thinking would only drive him insane with these indistinguishable memories.

The only way to break the deadlock was action.

Find evidence.

Find the definitive proof that would completely overturn this shitty worldview!

A violent, cold light reignited in Li Taiping's hollow eyes.

A flash of inspiration struck his mind.

He remembered.

That Abandoned City instance entry ticket.

On the back of the card, besides those cold system parameters, there was a blurry background image that gave off an eerie vibe.

There were two extremely prominent landmarks in the image.

One was the Bronze Bell Tower, piercing the clouds with an air of ancient desolation.

The other was a Giant Statue holding a massive sword, as if it were about to cleave the heavens.

Then, he recalled the three landmarks he had encountered in the city ruins of the Abyssal Sea Region.

The leaning bronze tower and the headless Giant Statue.

These were the commonalities between the two worlds; the way to break this situation might lie within them!

And that mysterious... Obelisk No. 004.

This was absolutely no coincidence!

This was the fucking backdoor left by the system!

The answer was there.

As long as he found the bell tower, found the statue, and dug up Obelisk No. 004...

He would completely strip away this dungeon's disguise!

“We're going out.”

Li Taiping suddenly spoke, his voice sounding quite hoarse.

Su Jie trembled and jerked her head up.

“Going out?”

She looked bewildered, glancing at the damaged security door awaiting repair, then back at Li Taiping.

“Where to? Right now, outside...”

“To find answers.”

Li Taiping braced one hand against the wall and slowly stood up straight.

His bones let out a series of tooth-aching cracks.

He casually stretched his stiff neck.

His gaze swept over the dead One-Eyed Ghost Bear on the floor before finally landing on the AK-47 in his right hand.

The cold touch of metal traveled up from his palm; although most of his transcendent power was sealed, as long as he had this thing in hand and enough bullets...

He, Li Taiping, would remain the Living Yama of this wasteland.

To hell with some perverted boss, and to hell with weird monsters.

Anyone who blocks my path dies.

“But...”

Su Jie stood up, her hands twisting together anxiously.

“We have enough food and water to last a long time. There's no need to go out and take risks.”

In her understanding, the world outside the door was a meat grinder.

Every time one stepped out of the shelter during a 'Peaceful Period', they were gambling with their life.

Staying safely tucked away indoors was the iron rule of survival in the apocalypse.

Li Taiping turned his head, his gaze crashing directly into Su Jie's eyes.

This was the first time since he regained consciousness that he had looked this woman squarely in the eye.

Seeing the deep-seated worry in her eyes and her face that was identical to Su Mei's...

The violent hostility in his heart miraculously calmed by half.

He let out a soft breath, his tone softening.

“Su Jie, I have to go out.”

“There are things I must confirm with my own eyes.”

His voice was incredibly firm.

He stepped forward, his rough thumb wiping away the tear tracks from the corner of Su Jie's eye.

Su Jie froze, looking at the man before her.

She saw the ambition and arrogance reigniting in his eyes—the kind that could incinerate all fear.

She knew she couldn't talk him out of it.

Once this man made a decision, not even nine oxen could pull him back.

After a brief silence.

Su Jie took a deep breath and nodded vigorously.

“Okay.”

Her voice was crisp, without a hint of hesitation.

“Wherever my husband goes, I go!”

Li Taiping looked at Su Jie for a moment in silence, then took an AK-47 from his space and tossed it over.

Su Jie caught the AK-47.

“Clack!”

She pulled the bolt and chambered a round.

Though her movements were a bit unpracticed, her eyes held a ruthless resolve to face death.

“Let's go.”

Li Taiping wasted no more words. Carrying his gun in one hand, he strode toward the door.

Su Jie followed closely behind, her muzzle slightly lowered, her eyes alert.

One after the other, they stepped over the rubble and the blood of the ghost bear, walked down the stairs, and stood once again in this silent city of ruins.

The moment they pushed open the building door, a cold wind carrying the scent of rot and rust hit them in the face.

The world outside had changed.

The once-familiar street outlines were cut into fragments by a thick gray fog. Collapsed buildings lay like massive carcasses across the horizon, and the air was filled with an unsettling, gray silence.

Li Taiping suddenly looked up. His gaze pierced through layers of gray fog to the distant skyline.

Two massive shadows stood proudly like eternal coordinates.

On the left was the Bronze Bell Tower piercing the sky.

On the right was the Giant Statue holding high a massive sword.

Under the dim sky, they emitted a sort of eerie summons.

Li Taiping narrowed his eyes, his fingertips rubbing the gun's handle.

“I don't care if you're a god or a ghost.”

“Firepower suppresses everything!”

He took a large stride and plunged into the vast gray fog.

A journey of slaughter to tear through the illusion and find his true self had officially begun.

...