Chapter 1531: Honesty

Chen Ling was stunned.

Liu Qingyan silently opened her backpack. Inside, just as Chen Ling had expected, it was stuffed with various easy-to-eat canned goods and medicine. She seemed to have prepared them long ago... but she hadn't had the chance to take them out.

"If it wasn't you, then who could it be?" Chen Ling was blank.

Liu Qingyan sighed softly.

……

Chen Ling hurried through the alleyway.

When he returned to the bridge tunnel, it was already completely dark.

Because there was no electricity, the entire city was shrouded in darkness, but because of this, the stars in the night sky seemed even brighter... Under the dim starlight, the fire of a cooking pot was dancing silently under the bridge tunnel.

Bubbling steam drifted from the hot pot, making one’s appetite grow. But strangely, Jin Fugui, Jian Changsheng, and Jiang Xiaohua were all sitting upright, like prey being watched by a beast, their expressions heavy and ready for action.

And on the other side of the hot pot,

a beautiful figure in a white training suit was holding a ladle, stirring the hot pot base calmly.

Seeing that figure, Chen Ling’s gaze narrowed...

He walked slowly toward the bridge tunnel.

"You're finally awake," Su Zhiwei didn't look up, adding washed tripe into the pot as she spoke. "Do you eat with an oil dip or sesame paste?"

“……”

Chen Ling hadn't expected to see Su Zhiwei here... and in such a down-to-earth form.

Jian Changsheng and the others, sitting stiffly to the side, looked at Chen Ling longingly. Although the hot pot was very tempting, these Twilight Society members didn't dare to actually eat something cooked by one of humanity’s Nine Lords. They were trembling like mice seeing a cat.

They looked at Chen Ling as if to say: Should we fight or run? Give us a word!

Chen Ling gave them a look, signaling them to stay calm.

"I'll have sesame paste."

Chen Ling sat down casually opposite Su Zhiwei.

Su Zhiwei nodded, pulled out a homemade glass jar from behind her, scooped a spoonful of sesame paste, and placed it in the bowl in front of Chen Ling.

Chen Ling couldn't help but ask, "Since when did you know we were here?"

"I knew from the very beginning." Su Zhiwei glanced at him. "The day you all emerged from the Ancient Ghost Path Treasury severely wounded, I considered clearing out a room specifically for your recovery and treatment... but I figured you wouldn't want to get too close to the human domains, so I didn't bring it up. I just had Hongxi send over some medicine from time to time."

Chen Ling: ...

So, not only did Su Zhiwei see through the fact that the four of them were just holding on, but the fact that the upper echelons of the Twilight Society were quietly living under a bridge had also been under her watchful eye the whole time?

"So that's why you were hesitant back then?"

"What else could it be?" Su Zhiwei said leisurely. "Did you really think I would lock you up underground like Wang Jian?"

Chen Ling was speechless.

"...Sorry, it's just that I... don't know you very well in this era."

"Not trusting people easily is the right thing to do, especially since you are the Red King of this generation's Twilight Society; you should have that kind of temperament."

Su Zhiwei placed some blanched tripe into Chen Ling's bowl.

Chen Ling looked down, then naturally swirled the tripe in the sesame sauce and popped it into his mouth...

So sweet.

Typical Southerner.

Chen Ling wasn't afraid of Su Zhiwei poisoning him. Even if he didn't know this era's Su Zhiwei well, he knew she wasn't the type to use such methods.

"So, you came to find me just for a casual chat?"

"We didn't have much of a chance for an in-depth conversation last time we met. Since you're in the Tianxue Domain this time, I naturally had to come and see you." Su Zhiwei paused for a moment. "What do you think of Wu Tongyuan?"

Chen Ling knew Su Zhiwei was finally getting to the point. After a moment of thought, he replied:

"He has responsibility, dedication, and capability... but he is a bit stubborn on certain matters."

"True." Su Zhiwei nodded. "He is the person with the most hope of saving humanity, and also the person most likely to push humanity into the abyss... Even though he is one of us, I wouldn't bet everything on him."

Chen Ling understood what she meant. "So, you support the Twilight Society as well."

"Support is not the right word... 'Trust' is more appropriate." Su Zhiwei said faintly. "The Twilight Society's world resets have indeed saved humanity many times, but an infinite loop of resets is ultimately just an escape. Only by solving the Red Star can we resolve this once and for all... Therefore, between Wu Tongyuan and the Twilight Society, I am more inclined to support Wu Tongyuan."

"We need someone to fight for humanity's future, and we also need someone to act as a safety net for humanity's fate."

Chen Ling nodded slightly:

"Understood."

"But the Twilight Society is a double-edged sword. You can reset the world, but you also bring unprecedented inertia to humanity... Precisely because there is a safety net, people lose the conviction to burn their bridges. The existence of the Red Star is too despairing; without a glimmer of hope, people easily give up struggling and willingly fall into humanity's reset cycle..."

"I know that many people, including Wu Tongyuan, don't like your Twilight Society, and that's a good thing."

"If one day the Twilight Society becomes a savior loved by everyone, blindly supporting your world resets, then humanity will truly be finished."

This perspective caught Chen Ling off guard... It was the first time he had realized this problem.

No wonder Wu Tongyuan's attitude toward the Twilight Society was so subtle, and no wonder the Red King, despite being the leader of the Nine Sovereigns, didn't have the support of all of them... The Nine Sovereigns were too smart; they could see deeper things beyond the Twilight Society, and they each had their own persistence and choices.

The Twilight Society certainly had to exist, but they should never be an organization known and loved by everyone under the sun; they could only be the guardian deities in the shadows.

"But as you said, Wu Tongyuan is stubborn... Once he hits a dead end, he will do some crazy things." Su Zhiwei paused for a moment. "And what I want to do is find a balance between you and him."

Su Zhiwei was very frank. Just as the hotpot began, she told Chen Ling all about her stance and goals.

The primary reason she did this was, naturally, because she trusted Chen Ling, or rather, she trusted the judgment of the previous Red King... There were some things she couldn't say directly in front of Wu Tongyuan, as it would put too much pressure on him, so she chose the most efficient method.

"Thank you for your honesty." Chen Ling smiled.

"Although this sounds a bit like being a backup plan, you are absolutely right... Dr. Su, you are truly smart."

But then Chen Ling changed the subject and added:

"But allow me to ask one more thing..."

"If Wu Tongyuan really hits a dead end... do you, or rather, do we... really have the ability to hold him back?"