Xu Feng. This man, who Zhushi Jiu had always thought had an abnormal level of control over intelligence, finally explained everything to him.
The Black Troop Organization was a organization under the government, but at the same time, it was also the human race’s strongest armed resistance organization against the World Enemy.
On the surface, the organization had nothing to do with the government, but in reality, everything they did was instructed by the government… or more accurately, by the will of the nations around the world.
If the organization made a mistake and led to the downfall of humanity’s defenses, all members of the organization would automatically bear the guilt of humanity and face judgment from the surviving humans, or be used as scapegoats to appease the World Enemy’s anger – if the World Enemy had intelligence.
The higher-ups were not optimistic about the outcome, considering the World Enemy’s technological superiority was far beyond human capability. Each country had already prepared backup plans – the Ark Plan.
“The Ark Plan is a plan to preserve the human race, some countries have built underground defense systems, some are preparing to migrate to the ocean, others are building secret bases in the Arctic and Antarctic, while others are building indestructible fortresses on land…”
“And what about our country?”
“This is our country’s highest secret.” Xu Feng glanced at Zhushi Jiu. “But according to your words, all of humanity’s defense strategies will be useless, so you wouldn’t know even if I told you.”
Zhushi Jiu nodded.
Xu Feng continued, “Whether humanity can continue to live safely on this blue planet depends on the World Enemy’s probing attack plan. The plan can no longer be stopped, but I’ve delayed it for you as much as possible, which is the limit of my authority.”
Zhushi Jiu understood the implication behind Xu Feng’s words – Xu Feng had a superior above him, and his authority was not limitless.
Zhushi Jiu asked, “What position do you hold in the organization?”
“Frontline Commander-in-Chief.”
Xu Feng knew that Zhushi Jiu was not asking out of curiosity, but to confirm the stability of his backing. So Xu Feng made further clarifications: “You need to know that I only have command authority over the Black Troops. Once you receive my report and go to the training base, you will no longer be under my jurisdiction, unless you become a Black Troop member.”
“Additionally, only I know that you can predict the future. You won’t receive any special treatment at the training base, but I can provide you with as much help as possible in secret.”
Zhushi Jiu suspected that Xu Feng was plotting something again.
“Why didn’t you report my ability to predict the future to your superiors?”
“Originally, the plan was to be executed at 10 o’clock. If I reported this as a reason to delay the plan, my superiors wouldn’t believe me. Even I was only barely convinced by your miraculous abilities, so what about them?”
Xu Feng looked at Zhushi Jiu with a deep gaze.
“There are various factions within our organization, just like the outside world.”
Zhushi Jiu thought for a moment.
“I’ll have someone organize the training base’s information for you later. I hope you can live up to my expectations.”
Xu Feng stood up from his chair.
“Wait.” Zhushi Jiu stopped Xu Feng. “What about Du Fei? What decision have you made about her?”
Xu Feng glanced at Zhushi Jiu. “You shouldn’t be worried about her after being injected with the serum.”
“But I know that I, who possess emotions, will definitely care about this matter.”
Xu Feng frowned, not understanding.
If emotions were erased, how could one still care about their pre-erasure thoughts?
Unless Du Fei held some value that could be utilized.
Xu Feng once again felt that something was beyond his control – Zhushi Jiu was hiding something.
He narrowed his eyes and stared at Zhushi Jiu for a long time before speaking: “Du Fei has been pulled into this by you, so she can’t return to her normal life. I gave her two choices: one, become a Black Troop member like you, and two, be restricted in her personal freedom until the World Enemy’s crisis is resolved.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
“Aren’t you concerned about which choice she made?”
Zhushi Jiu casually replied, “Are there other choices? Normal people wouldn’t choose the second option. And I’m just asking, I don’t understand what I, with emotions, would say or do, so I don’t think about it.”
“Normal people wouldn’t choose the second option?” Xu Feng smiled. “Do you think everyone can accept emotional erasure? The feeling of being numb and lifeless is unbearable even for some Black Troops. Do you think normal people would choose to become Black Troops?”
Zhushi Jiu frowned: “… It seems I’ve been affected by the serum again. I don’t think this state is bad… Hmm, if I were my previous self, I would definitely try to stop Du Fei from making the second choice.”
Xu Feng said, “But unfortunately, she chose the first option. She’ll be going to the training base after you.”
Zhushi Jiu thought for a moment before nodding: “So it seems she’s not a normal person either.”
Xu Feng carefully observed Zhushi Jiu’s eyes, but didn’t notice anything unusual.
Was Zhushi Jiu’s question out of concern?
Maybe, maybe not.
He was only considering his own future self, who would inevitably care about this matter and would come to possess this information.
After having his emotions erased, he had already treated his current self as a tool for his future self.
Xu Feng couldn’t guess Zhushi Jiu’s thoughts without sufficient information, and if he did, he would definitely regret entrusting humanity’s future to this doomed man.
Xu Feng asked again before leaving: “Do you have any more questions?”
Zhushi Jiu thought for a moment before speaking: “Yes.”
Even Xu Feng’s patience was wearing thin: “If you have questions, ask quickly, don’t wait until you’re at the training base and still have a bunch of questions, because no one will be there to answer them for you.”
Zhushi Jiu looked at Xu Feng expressionlessly: “I want to ask, what’s your real name?”
Xu Feng: “Xu Feng. This is my name.”
Even though Zhushi Jiu currently lacked emotions, he still fell silent.
“How many times do you plan to play tricks on me with this question?”
“Have I ever played tricks on you about this question?”
Xu Feng asked first, then immediately thought of their conversation in the interrogation room.
“Oh, you predicted the future.”
“So, what’s your real name? This shouldn’t be classified information.”
However, Xu Feng coldly laughed: “I didn’t lie, my name is indeed Xu Feng.”
After saying that, he didn’t bother with Zhushi Jiu’s tangled thoughts and left the medical room.
…
November 7th, 2045, 10 a.m. sharp.
The world’s doomsday didn’t arrive.
Xu Feng sent someone to give Zhushi Jiu the information he needed to know about the training base.
Zhushi Jiu had imagined many scenarios where he saved the world, just like when the doomsday was delayed by two minutes in a previous timeline. But he had never thought he would face the prolonged timeline with such calmness.
In this calm state, Zhushi Jiu put down the paper report in his hand.
He was now sitting in a room similar to a classroom.
It must be said that the serum was very effective; an hour ago, he could barely support his own body, but now all the fatigue had disappeared, and his movements were as smooth as usual.
“I’ve roughly understood the situation.”
Zhushi Jiu closed the report and handed it back to Xu Feng.
The report contained many valuable things, such as the hierarchical structure of the training base, the general training content for Black Troop members, the weapons that needed to be mastered in a short time, and the tips for passing various exams… Each part was only a brief introduction, but it gave Zhushi Jiu a general idea of the training base.
Xu Feng needed him to become the strongest Black Troop member in three months, so he naturally had to provide as much help as possible beforehand.
According to Xu Feng’s words in the report, after arriving at the training base, all external communication devices would be confiscated, and the training base would only have an internal network, with only high-level management having permission to contact the outside world.
So Xu Feng was eager to reveal as much information as possible to Zhushi Jiu.
Zhushi Jiu said he had finished reading, and Xu Feng didn’t ask how much he had remembered, just nodded.
“Then let’s set off.”
…
Zhushi Jiu had always been concerned about the location of the Black Troop Organization’s command center.
When he saw the outside sky again, he finally got his answer.
The command center was inside a submarine.
It was a massive submarine hidden in the sea near Jiang City.
And he was wearing a diving suit, being led by Black Troops as they surfaced.
After surfacing, he saw a luxurious cruise ship, with the vast sea surrounding him, and the distant Jiang City land barely visible through his enhanced vision.
The emotionally erased Zhushi Jiu didn’t show any surprise, and after careful observation, he was led into the cruise ship’s lowest level.
“Ah, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time!”
In a grand, glittering hall, Zhushi Jiu and the two Black Troops beside him met the owner of the cruise ship.
A young man with a radiant smile.
Zhushi Jiu recognized him.
He was a famous rich second-generation heir, who had been forced to resign as the chairman of his family’s conglomerate due to the Black Troop Organization’s network attack.
Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter