Chapter 165-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World
Chapter 165 Friendship
Liu Niannian's face was drenched in blood. Strangely, she only felt nauseous—not frightened. When she'd told Sun Jie "I can kill you," she had meant it.
She could snuff out a life without bearing any consequences. That was her birthright.
Someone dragged Sun Jie's body away, leaving only blood and sickening chunks of flesh on the floor.
Liu Niannian stood rigid. She replayed the moment of killing over and over, etching it in—a memory she would carry for the rest of her life.
Lu Yao sneered. "You helped her hack into Bao Ruiming's Consciousness Cloud. Were you trying to destroy the Lu Family, or destroy yourself?"
Liu Niannian said nothing. Lu Yao knew she was a beautiful lunatic at heart. She was fascinated by Contaminants. Since the Divine Kingdom was free of contamination, she kept running off to the lower districts. Lu Yao even suspected she wanted to be assimilated by the Contaminants.
Liu Niannian would rather die on an adventure than accept her predetermined fate.
The Lu Family had a path laid out for her. All she had to do was bond with a designated partner, repeat her mother's destiny, and bear genetically perfect children.
Lu Yao suspected their mother had gone mad—why else slit her own throat? Liu Niannian's mental state was deteriorating too. She was on her way to becoming the Lu Family's second madwoman.
Liu Niannian was a lunatic. The day Zhu Ning came asking for help, she'd initially assumed it would be simple. Given her status, people always tried to extract favors—most solved with money.
But Zhu Ning's request had been something else entirely. She wanted to assassinate one of the family's VIP Guests.
Liu Niannian had agreed after only a moment's thought. In Zhu Ning, she glimpsed the possibility of destruction—exactly what she craved most.
Liu Niannian didn't answer. Her voice was hoarse. "What are you going to do with her?"
Lu Yao looked mildly surprised. Liu Niannian's composure was remarkable. He'd long recognized her talent—she'd stayed calm upon encountering Contaminants in the Consciousness Cloud and swiftly managed the crisis.
Lu Yao: "Pei Shu is still in District 103."
Pei Shu had gone to District 103 searching for Liu Niannian. But when Liu Niannian returned to the First District, Pei Shu hadn't followed. Was he Lu Yao's sleeper agent?
Liu Niannian's voice was cold. She fought to keep from shaking. "Are you going to kill her?"
Lu Yao didn't respond immediately. He studied Liu Niannian. Deathly pale, beautiful face streaked with blood, striking eyes meeting his gaze—like a caged bird refusing to submit.
Lu Yao: "You've seen what she can do."
Liu Niannian: "Yes."
She'd witnessed Zhu Ning's abilities—strange, versatile, capable of killing inside the Consciousness Cloud. She might even possess code-person powers. If she ever entered the Divine Kingdom, she could demolish Creation Technology's entire server room—raze the Lu Family's empire to the ground. That alone was terrifying enough.
Lu Yao: "What were you thinking at the time?"
Liu Niannian had thought many things in that instant. A torrent of contradictory impulses had flooded her mind. She'd considered killing Zhu Ning to protect the family's interests. But in the end, she'd chosen to hold on to Zhu Ning as tightly as she could.
She'd seen the future.
Lu Yao: "Niannian, you and I are the same."
They shared the same blood. Their mother had borne six children; only the two of them remained—victors of superior genetics. Even at the end of the world, they should stand together.
This was the bond of blood—an unchanging kinship.
Liu Niannian understood Lu Yao's meaning. Faced with something like this, the instinct should be to kill Zhu Ning outright—eliminate a potential enemy before she became a threat.
But without absolute certainty, striking first would be suicide.
Zhu Ning represented future opportunity. A merchant's instincts were sharp; they had to make the right choice when the tide turned.
Lu Yao didn't need to act. District 103 was about to be destroyed. If Zhu Ning died there, everything would end quietly.
If Zhu Ning truly had the heaven-defying ability to turn the tide, that only proved her value all the more.
Lu Yao patted Liu Niannian's head. "You may continue being friends with her."
Lu Yao had said just one sentence, but Liu Niannian felt he'd destroyed her. That friendship was something she'd found at the very edge of her cage. Zhu Ning didn't care about her status—she just called Liu Niannian over to collect Contamination Spores, then paid her a wage.
A mere million—Liu Niannian couldn't even buy a cocktail dress with that. But Pei Shu had said Zhu Ning was being very generous, paying above market rate.
In Zhu Ning's eyes, she was a useful employee. Even though Zhu Ning had needed something from her, the relationship had felt utterly pure. Now Lu Yao had tainted it.
From now on, every interaction between them would be laced with calculation. Killing Sun Jie wasn't the punishment. This was—Liu Niannian would never find a true friend in her life.
Lu Yao left. Liu Niannian stood alone for a while. The nausea from killing Sun Jie still churned in her chest, acid rising in waves.
"Urgh..." Liu Niannian rushed to the office bathroom and retched violently.
She'd meant to wash it away, but froze. A cluster of fish eggs lay in the pristine white sink.
Fish eggs contaminated during the Consciousness Cloud incident. After vomiting them up, Liu Niannian saw a flash of her mother's death.
She'd brought contamination down from the Consciousness Cloud? Terror crawled up her spine. Every hair on her body stood on end, her heart pounding.
Liu Niannian blinked and looked at the sink again. It was spotless. As if everything just now had been a hallucination.
Had she imagined it? A stress-induced hallucination?
The mirror reflected Liu Niannian's ashen face. She studied the person in the glass—familiar yet strange. Something about her felt different.
...
District 103.
Pei Shu's car was parked two streets from the Dignified Queen Club—right by the hot pot restaurant.
He leaned against the car smoking, his scarlet pupils flickering in the dark.
Just as he'd expected, Zhu Ning would inevitably step on Creation Technology's toes. Personally, Pei Shu didn't really want to kill her—a genuinely talented individual. A pity, was all.
Pei Shu was waiting for an explicit order. The situation was annoying to think about—the Dignified Queen Club housed not only Zhu Ning but also Song Zhizhang.
There was a reason that club had survived this long. Song Zhizhang's absolute defense was extremely unfriendly to assassination attempts.
Cigarette butts littered the ground at Pei Shu's feet. Late at night, he received Lu Yao's message.
"Full withdrawal."
Pei Shu understood. His mission was over. District 103 had been completely abandoned.
...
Zhu Ning slept ten hours. Short for her, but time waited for no one.
She woke up and brushed her teeth. Breakfast was already on the table, along with a note—Lin Xiaofeng had gone to train with Song Zhizhang.
Lin Xiaofeng had said she'd work for Zhu Ning, and she was taking it seriously—dedicated to improving her skills, fully committed to being Zhu Ning's model employee.
Why was this girl so adorable?
But thinking of Bao Ruiming's words, Zhu Ning wasn't so sure. If District 103 was in danger, should she have Song Zhizhang take Lin Xiaofeng somewhere safer in advance?
Zhu Ning still needed to uncover the truth behind her death here. Lin Xiaofeng should be somewhere safer.
Ding-dong. A message on her Sub-Brain. Huo Wenxi—as if she'd calculated exactly when Zhu Ning would wake—timed it perfectly. Report to the Sanitation Center in one hour. She'd found intelligence and needed to share it with Zhu Ning.
Zhu Ning replied with an "okay." She was about to close her Sub-Brain when she noticed a message from Liu Niannian—sent two hours ago.
[Boss, I'm fine. Don't worry. Just got scolded by the family.]
Zhu Ning recalled Liu Niannian saying the same thing at the hot pot restaurant before. But whether it was from spending too much time around the Little Oracle, her gut was telling her something was off about Liu Niannian.
This incident was enormous. Could Lu Yao really indulge Liu Niannian to this extent?
By all logic, Creation Technology should have wanted Zhu Ning dead. How had this been resolved? What deal had Liu Niannian struck with Lu Yao?
Liu Niannian had reported she was safe, and Creation Technology showed no signs of hostility. Zhu Ning was in a rush to leave, but she typed on her Sub-Brain: [That's good. Can you do a video call?]
She wanted to see what Liu Niannian looked like. What if the message hadn't come from her?
Two minutes later, a video call request popped up on her Sub-Brain. Zhu Ning answered instantly.
Liu Niannian's face filled the screen—that flawless visage hit with staggering visual impact.
Liu Niannian looked unwell. Hair loose, wearing a white lace nightgown, seated on an extravagant bed.
"Boss." Liu Niannian's lovely voice came through.
Zhu Ning asked, "Are you okay?"
Liu Niannian: "House arrest."
Just house arrest? Zhu Ning scrutinized Liu Niannian's face. No visible injuries. "Did he hit you?"
Liu Niannian shook her head. "I caught it early. It counts as a win for the family. They're patching the vulnerability. Security system's being upgraded."
A perfectly logical explanation. But something felt wrong to Zhu Ning.
Liu Niannian asked, "Are Big Orange and the others safe?"
Zhu Ning: "Everyone's fine."
Zhu Ning picked up Huo Wenxi's coat. "Thank you for this time. I owe you one. Anything you want? I'll pay you back later."
She had other things to attend to now. Her promise to Liu Niannian would have to wait.
Liu Niannian lit up like someone granted a wish by a fairy—one to be used carefully. "Let me think about it."
Zhu Ning: "Take your time. I won't be free for the next ten days or so."
Zhu Ning was changing shoes at the door. Liu Niannian's holographic projection floated beside her as they chatted like old friends catching up.
Liu Niannian: "Can you keep my family's secret?"
Zhu Ning paused mid-scarf while wrapping it around her neck. She knew what Liu Niannian meant.
The fact that Contaminants inhabited the Consciousness Cloud—if she leaked that, the Lu Family was finished.
But it was hardly straightforward. Where would she even report it? No institution could touch the conglomerates. No media outlet would run the story. Honestly, Zhu Ning doubted Bao Ruiming was an isolated case. Others had probably tried to expose it before and failed.
Zhu Ning: "I just killed a guy. I have no interest in your family's business."
She was no justice crusader. Her capabilities were limited. She'd already made enemies of Eternal Pharma. If she antagonized Creation Technology on top of that, she might as well reincarnate now—it'd be faster.
Liu Niannian: "Good. Go ahead then—I still have to go stare at a wall as punishment."
Zhu Ning didn't quite understand what "staring at a wall as punishment" entailed. Probably some twisted family rule. She'd noticed—First-Class Citizens were astonishingly feudal.
In a society this technologically advanced, they still clung to the most archaic customs.
Liu Niannian was about to hang up when Zhu Ning suddenly said, "Little Princess."
Liu Niannian smiled at the nickname. "What?"
Zhu Ning said, "Stay safe."
Liu Niannian froze. The smile stiffened on her face. Zhu Ning continued: "What I said to you before still stands. If you need me, come find me."
She'd said: "Little Princess, need me to rescue you?"
Liu Niannian felt her face go rigid. Any second now, the smile would crumble. It looked less like a smile and more like she was about to cry.
Zhu Ning hung up. Liu Niannian curled up on the bed, hugging her knees tight.
Zhu Ning stood in the foyer, silent for a moment. Liu Niannian was truly not okay. She seemed like a hostage under duress.
But she probably wasn't in mortal danger. That was enough for Zhu Ning to set the matter aside for now. Creation Technology showed no killing intent. She needed to focus on the problems directly ahead.
It was two in the afternoon. The Luxury Car waited at the door. It asked: [Please enter your destination.]
Zhu Ning climbed in and put on her helmet. "Sanitation Center."
Today was Day Eight of the Divine Descent countdown.
Author's Note:
This arc wraps up here! The new arc starts in a few days!
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