Chapter 1600: Wu Tongyuan’s Weakness

Chen Ling saw it.

Wen Ruoshui’s memories: the two consecutive failures, the suffocating power of the Calamity of Mockery, and the despair of being unable to escape no matter how hard they tried...

He looked at Wen Ruoshui, whose face was covered in bloodstains, and silently clenched his fists.

"Director Chen..."

"I... can no longer perform a Reboot..."

"This is our... last chance..."

"I understand." Chen Ling took a deep breath. "Rest easy. Leave the rest to me... This time, I will make sure you all return safely."

"Director Chen, what should we do now?" Having lost Wen Ruoshui’s safety net, Qi Muyun and Wu Tongyuan were both feeling nervous.

Chen Ling did not answer, but calmly turned his head to look in the direction of the Bitter Flesh Turbid Forest.

Everything would proceed steadily, just as it had in the last Reboot.

Chen Ling led the two Poisonous Heads into the Bitter Flesh Turbid Forest, forced the Calamity of Turbidity to hand over Chu Changqing, and then, just before leaving, mocked the Calamity of Turbidity once more.

The Calamity of Turbidity flew into a rage, gave chase, and raged impotently.

A pitch-black figure, riding a centipede wearing a skirt, entered the Bitter Flesh Turbid Forest at the perfect moment...

"Listen carefully to every word I say next."

On the back of the gecko, Chen Ling looked at Wu Tongyuan and the others with an extremely serious expression.

Wu Tongyuan nodded like a chick pecking at grain.

"In a moment, I will split up from you. When I’m not around, the gecko will protect you. If all goes well, an Otherworld rift will open somewhere near you. Once you see it open, rush in immediately. Do not hesitate, understand?"

Qi Muyun was stunned. "Director Chen, what about you? How will you get back?"

Chen Ling shook his head:

"I... cannot go back."

"What? No... Director Chen, if we go, we go together." Wu Tongyuan frowned. "If it weren't for you, we would have died here long ago. We are all companions; we can't leave you behind."

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even be here... It was I who insisted on bringing you along. Now, of course, I must be responsible for your safety," Chen Ling said, leaving no room for argument.

"The Calamity of Mockery’s target is me, not you. As long as we separate, it will definitely chase after me... If we stay together, we won't be able to escape no matter what we try. Besides, Dr. Wen is exhausted; we have no more chances for trial and error."

"Then... then what about you? You’ll die!"

"I won't die."

A flash of determination crossed Chen Ling’s eyes. "This is the Gray Realm, and it is a Calamity of Mockery, but I am also a Calamity of Mockery! With you gone, I have nothing to hold me back... At worst, I’ll just turn the entire Gray Realm upside down!"

Chen Ling paused for a moment, then looked at the group again. "Don't worry, even without the Otherworld rift, I have ways to escape."

Since Chen Ling had said as much, the others could no longer object. Chen Ling quickly carved the script into a stone and then hopped onto the back of the toad.

Just then, Wu Tongyuan’s voice sounded again:

"Director Chen..."

Chen Ling looked back at him.

Wu Tongyuan stood on the gecko’s back, a look of conflict in his eyes... but in the end, he took a deep breath.

"Director Chen, do you remember asking me what my weakness was?"

Chen Ling was taken aback. "You..."

Wu Tongyuan paused for a moment. "I can feel that you came specifically to get close to me... You kept inducing me, trying to find out my weakness, which means that in your future, we most likely became enemies. My ability is too strong for you to handle, so you had to come and fish for information from the past me."

Chen Ling hadn't expected that Wu Tongyuan, who always seemed carefree, would have such sharp intuition—not only seeing through his intentions but also connecting them to the future.

No wonder that no matter how he probed back then, Wu Tongyuan never revealed a single weakness. He already knew why Chen Ling had come, so naturally, he wouldn't easily expose his weakness to him. After all, at that time, Chen Ling was just a stranger he had met a few times. Wu Tongyuan was inherently sensitive, fragile, and lacked a sense of security. Although he had agreed to help protect the future of humanity, it didn't mean he trusted Chen Ling completely.

Sure enough... none of the Nine Lords are fools.

"But Director Chen, after spending this time with you, I’ve realized that you aren't actually a bad person..."

"So, the bad person must be the future me."

"I don't know what happened in the future, but I know that I am someone who easily does foolish things... If I do something wrong, I hope you will stop me."

Wu Tongyuan stood on the gecko’s back, looking at Chen Ling, who also wore a complex expression. After a moment of mental preparation, he spoke slowly:

"I haven't discovered the weakness of my ability yet... but the weakness of my person is actually very simple."

"I am afraid of the dark, and I am afraid of enclosed, narrow spaces. No matter what power I gain, the trauma deep within my heart will not easily heal."

"If you want to kill me, make good use of that... and if you can, be quick about it. I’m afraid of pain, too."

Wu Tongyuan gave a wry, bitter smile.

A breeze brushed the hem of the theatrical robe. Chen Ling stared at him, stunned, not knowing what to say...

That’s right, his purpose in entering this era’s archive was to probe for Wu Tongyuan’s weakness, to make it easier to deal with Lord Lingxu later... But when Wu Tongyuan stated his weakness so earnestly and frankly, Chen Ling felt at a loss.

It wasn't that Chen Ling had found Wu Tongyuan’s weakness; it was that Wu Tongyuan had personally handed the blade that could kill him into Chen Ling’s hands.

To be honest, the Chen Ling of the past hadn't been that optimistic about humanity’s future, nor did he have much affection for humanity. But the existence of the Nine Lords had refreshed his impression of humanity time and time again. Perhaps it was because of such a group of people that humanity had been able to stumble along and extend its life for hundreds of years.

"I will," Chen Ling said after a long silence, the only answer he could give.

Chen Ling looked down at the gecko and said:

"Help me get them behind the rift, will you?"

The gecko stared with unblinking eyes, as if it hadn't heard Chen Ling, but its pupils contracted slightly, as if responding to him.

Chen Ling didn't waste any more time. He knew the Calamity of Turbidity couldn't hold off the Calamity of Mockery for long, so he bid farewell to Wu Tongyuan and the others and climbed onto the back of the toad, which was unwilling to move.

He patted the toad’s head:

"You wanted to know which of us is the real King, didn't you?"

"Take me to it... I will give you an answer."

……

……

Chen Ling called me and said he wanted to live one more day, so I agreed. Taking another day off today.

(Actually, it's because my mental state isn't great + business trip + writer's block. The double Mockery battle is ending, and this volume is slowly heading toward its climax, so I’ll just take another day to recover.)