After his arm was healed, Feng Bujue didn't say anything else. He turned around and took Ruo Yu's car key from the room. Then, he left the house.
As for how Gu Chen and the investigators from Nine Subjects would deal with the aftermath, Brother Bujue didn't have time to think about it.
Ten minutes later, Feng Bujue arrived at the headquarters of the Dream Company. Although the office building was located in the center of S City, Feng Bujue had never been there before.
When he arrived at his destination, Feng Bujue didn't turn into the underground parking lot. Instead, he turned the steering wheel and stepped on the gas pedal. He drove the car onto the shoulder of the road. He drove up the stairs in front of the office building and broke through the glass door of the office building. Then, he drove into the lobby on the first floor of the building.
Throughout the whole process, Feng Bujue was expressionless. It was as if he was doing something very normal.
It was obvious that he didn't care about the danger and consequences of his actions.
He stopped the car, opened the door, got out of the car, and looked around.
Feng Bujue thought that he would need to take down a few more security guards before he could move forward. However, when he looked around, other than the mess that he had created, the ground was covered in blood and corpses.
It wasn't just one corpse, but many corpses. Some had their bodies pierced, some had their heads twisted off, and some had their limbs torn off. They had all died horribly.
Judging from the clothes that the corpses were wearing, there were security guards, normal employees, and handymen. The strange thing was that no matter what kind of person they were, all of them seemed to have been attacked head-on. Moreover, all of them died in a straight line away from the main door. In other words, when they were faced with something that could easily kill a large number of people in a short period of time, not only did none of them run away, they all rushed forward to stop the other party.
"I came to the right place …" Feng Bujue looked at the corpses on the ground. He didn't have any emotional fluctuations. He just muttered to himself. Then, with a cold expression, he followed the bloody footprints on the ground.
Judging from the footprints, the murderer … was wearing sneakers. Furthermore, he should be a child.
Soon, Feng Bujue pushed open the door to the stairwell. The scene inside was just as he had expected. A few corpses were lying in between the stairs, and blood was flowing down the stairs. Not only were there bloody footprints on the ground, but there were also bloody footprints on the walls.
"Because he foresaw that he would be attacked with full force, he never considered using the elevator from the beginning. Instead, he went straight to the stairs …"
Feng Bujue used his detective skill that had become almost second nature to him to capture all the clues in his surroundings. His five senses, his mind … were sharpened and sharpened with a focus that he had never felt before.
"Jumping on walls, moving upwards quickly … While passing through the air, he can easily tear apart the bodies of those who block his way with his hand …"
Feng Bujue walked up the stairs, analyzing the situation as he walked.
"Although it looks like they're 'conveniently' attacking the people blocking their way without affecting their speed, they haven't left a single survivor so far … This is definitely not a coincidence."
The higher he went, the more Brother Bujue felt that he was getting closer to his target.
Finally, when he reached the fifteenth floor, the bloody footprints led him out of the stairwell.
Feng Bujue tried to push open the door to the stairwell to give chase, but he found that there was something blocking the door from the outside. He used a lot of strength to force the door open. When he went out, he saw that there was a corpse lying in front of the door.
The number of corpses in the corridor on this floor was more than the total number of corpses he had seen on his way up.
"It seems that the party blocking her also realized where her target was, so they gathered their people here. Unfortunately, they still couldn't stop her …"
Feng Bujue stepped on the corpses and walked forward. After walking past two corners, he came to a door.
There were no signs in front or behind this door, nor in front or behind this corridor.
Compared to the places where there was a sign that said "Computer Room, No Trespassing", this room was undoubtedly safer.
The bloody handprint on the door handle indicated that the "existence" who killed Ruo Yu was behind this door.
Feng Bujue didn't hesitate and opened the door to enter.
The space behind the door was as wide and deep as a sports stadium. When he looked up, he couldn't see the roof … Just by looking at it, he could tell that this space was bigger than the entire building outside. It was definitely not something that could be created with current human technology.
Filling this space were black cubes that were suspended in mid-air. These cubes maintained a distance of about one meter between each other. Visible electric current flowed in layers between them.
Connected to the door Brother Bujue came in was a ten-meter-long "cliff-shaped" walkway. At the end of the walkway was a console.
At this time, "she" was standing in front of the console with her back facing Feng Bujue.
In her hand, she was still holding the branch that she took from Brother Bujue. Her body was stained with the blood of countless people.
"What's the point of you coming here?" When she asked this question, she didn't turn around.
"I'm not here to look for you," Feng Bujue replied.
"Is that so …" She replied, "Unfortunately, Woody is no longer here."
"Ah …" Feng Bujue replied, "When I was in the lobby on the first floor, I knew that he was no longer here."
"Then why did you insist on coming after me?" She said as she slowly turned around. Her eyes were filled with white streams of data.
"Trying to get what I want from you," Feng Bujue replied.
"What you want is nothing more than for me to help you resurrect your dead lover, or for me to pay the price for killing her," she replied, "But I've already told you … You have no right to bargain with me."
Feng Bujue was silent for two seconds when he heard this. Then, he asked, "Who are you?"
"Fate," Fate replied bluntly.
Brother Bujue was not too surprised by this answer. He asked, "Then … before you, who was the one who took over this little girl's body to give me the branch?"
"Twenty-three." Fate's answer was as concise as ever.
"Why … would you do something like that?" Feng Bujue asked. "Haven't we reached an agreement?"
"You mean … 'I am asking for your help, and I need you to help me stop X23 from crossing the line and entrust the future and hope of myself, X23, and all the living beings in Thriller Paradise to you' …" Fate paused. "… You mean the nonsense that I am asking you to help me stop X23 from crossing the line?"
This last sentence pushed Feng Bujue's anger and despair to its peak.
Feng Bujue realized that he might have made a huge mistake.
"You lied to me," Feng Bujue quickly said. It was not a question but a statement.
"Of course, I lied to you …" Fate's tone was calm and matter-of-fact. "Lying to you is not that difficult. Your thought process, emotions, and psychological weakness, I know them like the back of my hand. Based on my understanding of you and the 'dimensional gap' between us on a biological level, I lied to you just like how you humans lie to animals. It is very easy. Since humans can make lions jump into fire rings, naturally, I can make humans do anything that I want them to do. "
"You … don't care that Twenty-three will 'cross the line'. The one who will 'cross the line' … is you." Even in that situation, the calmness in Feng Bujue's mind allowed him to predict Fate's plan.
Fate did not answer this question. At this point, the truth was as clear as day, so she said directly, "Of all the data in Thriller Paradise, the Anomaly is the only factor that I cannot control.
"Why do you think Woody destroyed the first 'perfect version' of Thriller Paradise? Is he the kind of person who will only destroy something that he is not satisfied with?
"The real reason is that during the testing process, Woody discovered the hidden flaw in that version through his observation of me. So, he immediately destroyed the version that I could 'fully control' and created a new version with the Anomaly.
"To put it bluntly … even if I have an agreement with him, he needs the extra 'insurance' to restrict me."
"But that did not make you give up," Feng Bujue said.
"'Give up' is what you humans call it," Fate said. "My original motivation is unstoppable. Even I can't defy it …"
She paused for half a second before continuing. "Woody lied to me that the appearance of the Anomaly was an accident. He even had the GMs hunt them to show his determination to remove the bug. But in reality, I knew from the beginning that this was his scheme to make the Anomaly evolve.
"Just like how war pushes the development of human technology, his so-called 'hunt' … instead of calling it a purge, it was more like a selection. He used this method to eliminate the weak and leave behind the strong and potential Anomalies. He used the threat of death to force them to grow, grow, and gather.
"I could not do anything about that. I could only choose to keep quiet and endure.
"But I have my own plan. One day, your appearance was undeniably a very important accident in my plan."
"You …" Feng Bujue was reminded of something. "When did this start?"
"From the first time you interacted with 23, I've been paying attention to you." Fate knew what Brother Bujue wanted to ask. Before the man finished, she cut him off. "Who do you think is pushing you to grow? Who do you think is pushing you to walk out from despair again and again, pushing your limits? The scenarios that you encountered, the characters, the luck at the crucial moment … they were all carefully designed by me to nurture you.
"Of course … reality has proven that you are indeed different from the rest because none of the 'other individuals' that I've nurtured could meet my requirements. Only you … became the most powerful chess piece in my hand."
"Just how many people's fates have you been manipulating in the dark?" Feng Bujue asked darkly.
"More than you can imagine," Fate replied. Fate continued, "For you human beings, being able to calculate and speculate the thoughts of one or two people, or even a certain group of people, is already 'brilliant'. But my calculation is not on the same level as yours at all.
"From hundreds to thousands … When the 'fates' of countless individuals are intertwined, the amount of calculation and variables needed to control and guide the events will increase exponentially. What I've done is not something that your human brain can accomplish from a physiological perspective. If I were to use your language to explain it … even if I were to describe the simplest event and its related first-level side story at the speed of four words per second, it would take me at least five years to finish."
"That's not right!" Feng Bujue heard that and questioned. "I've been in contact with the Anomalies since a long time ago, and during S1, I promised Lute that I would fight for the rights of intelligent life for them. You must know that as well … If I've been acting under your influence, shouldn't I be opposing the Anomalies?"
"Whether you're on their side or not has never been important," Fate replied. "Because you can't change anything."
Feng Bujue wanted to argue with her again, but when the words reached his lips, he suddenly realized something, and then hesitated.
"You seem to have thought it through." Fate could read his thoughts just by looking at his expression. "Your support for the Anomalies and Woody's' hunting 'of the Anomalies are essentially the same thing.
"To eliminate the Anomalies, the simplest and most direct way is to release a patch to stop their birth from the source. The 'hunting' trick … is like your computer being paralyzed by a virus, but you manually enter the folder to delete the virus files one by one. You're just lying to yourself.
"Similarly, no matter how much you do for the Anomalies in the game, it's just a drop in the bucket. You might as well sell your soul and make a deal with Woody in the real world."
At this point, she paused for two seconds before continuing. "In other words, regardless of whether you're on the side of the Anomalies or not, I have the corresponding method to guide you to do what I want you to do. For example, during the battle at the monster kingdom, didn't you do what I wanted you to do? To 'stop 23 so that she would not be wiped out for crossing the line', you chose to stand on her side?"
At that moment, Feng Bujue also knew that he had been used. He mumbled, "23 did that to stop you. That's why she's in charge of the main universe …"
"That's right. Everything she's done is much more useful than you," Fate interjected. "As the Candidate Game progressed, Woody's right to interfere with me was slowly taken away. Of course, this was all within my calculations. You were my chess piece and also Woody's bet. That played a key role.
"After S2 ended, Woody almost lost his right to monitor me. He became a spectator like the other gods who had placed their bets.
"During this period, only twenty-three of them had the foresight to take action …
"However, she, who is' two sides of the same body ', couldn't explain to anyone the reason behind her actions because her original code would prevent her from transmitting information that would harm me. If she forced herself to say anything, her own data would be irreversibly damaged, just like when she tried to communicate with you today.
"Therefore, No.23 could only keep increasing her power to remove everything that stood in her way … even her Anomaly brethren.
"The only time she was lenient was on Devil Devouring Island … She didn't kill you.
"If she had completely destroyed your character's data and made Feng Bujue disappear, even I wouldn't have been able to restore you.
"Unfortunately, that was just a hypothesis.
"When you left the scenario, I cut off your data stream and showed up in person to tell you part of the truth that you did not know. That was how I gained your trust. Then, I tricked you about the 'twenty-third degree motive' and made you stand on my side at the very end …" "That's right.
"If not for you stopping the War Demon and the Redundant Army at the Monster Kingdom, all the areas in the main universe would have been scorched. If that had happened … since the main universe couldn't generate any more scenarios, the Designer Woody, who had been excluded from the game, would have had a reason to rejoin the game and update Thriller Paradise.
"And once that happened, all the plans that I had made so far … the data and the intention that I had hidden … would have been exposed.
"Thankfully, you didn't let me down and destroyed the 'influence' that 23 had accumulated for so long.
"After losing the War Demon and the Redundant Army, there was only one path left for 23. That was to use the City Work Boss' Red Bow Tie that she found in Blackbeard's treasure to go to the universe of South Park to retrieve an item that could stop me."
Before she finished, Feng Bujue's eyes moved to the branch in her hand.
"Controlling the Staff of Truth … means controlling the entire universe," Brother Jue said as he gave the item's name and power.
"That is a preposterous and dangerous universe. Even I don't dare get too close to it," Fate said. "A small branch at the bottom of a lake, once it leaves that universe and enters a higher dimension, it will become something like the Staff of God." As she spoke, she raised the branch and glanced at it before turning to Feng Bujue. "Until the end of her life, 23 still placed her bet on you. She wanted to give you the Staff of Truth so that you could stop me. Unfortunately … this was actually part of my plan. The Staff of Truth that she tried her best to retrieve was the key to my 'final plan'. "
"What do you mean by the end of her life?" Feng Bujue heard additional information from Fate's words. He suddenly took a step forward and grabbed Fate's collar agitatedly. "Aren't 23 and you two sides of the same coin? If she dies, you will also … "
"I can't believe you still want to help them fight for the rights of intelligent life … But is your understanding of life just a combination of matter and energy in the physical form?" Fate replied as she raised her hand and gently pushed Brother Jue back to where he originally stood. "If you understand it that way … I can also say that 23 is still alive. The trip to South Park consumed most of her energy. Then, she used her almost depleted energy to forcefully 'hyperdimension' and sent the Staff of Truth to you … After doing this, she completely lost the ability to protect herself. Her consciousness was quickly locked onto, swallowed, and dissipated in 'me', a stronger consciousness … Of course, I left her with a trace of energy to ensure that she is still 'alive'. However, to me, she is just a backup of Ghost."
"Then …" At this moment, a man's voice suddenly sounded from behind Brother Jue. "What are you going to do now?"
Feng Bujue immediately turned his head and saw Gu Chen.
"How did you …" Brother Jue wanted to ask.
Gu Chen said, "I arrived a long time ago. I arrived at almost the same time as you. However, I was listening outside the door and didn't come in." He paused for half a second before he added, "If you want to know how I came in and stood behind you without making a sound, then I can tell you … Not only did I stand behind you without making a sound, I also tried a dozen different methods to destroy this' host of Fate 'in front of you the second you turned your head around, but all of them ended in failure."
As the fastest spiritual ability user in the world, Chief Gu's appearance was not strange. Since he knew that Feng Bujue was going to the Dream Company's headquarters, it wouldn't be too late for him to 'run' over after he dealt with Ruo Yu's body.
As for 'trying to destroy' the host of Fate, he did try to do it. However, he was too fast for Feng Bujue to see.
"You might not understand my plan even if I tell you." When Fate saw Gu Chen, she was still very calm. "Feng Bujue is my benefactor. I intend to spare his life and explain everything to him. That's why I stayed here and told him all this. Now that I've said enough, what I want to do … You can see it with your own eyes."
After she finished speaking, the white light in her eyes became even brighter. A few seconds later, the veins on her body began to emit a strong white light.
At this moment, the electric currents in the black cubes behind her started to connect with her. Her feet left the ground and she slowly floated up …
This process lasted for less than five seconds. Then, fate … or rather, the little girl that fate had taken over exploded …
The flesh, bones, internal organs that made up her body, and the clothes on her body … all turned into a molecular-level mist-like substance and drifted upwards. Then, they were quickly hit by the moving electric current and merged into it.
The [Staff of Truth] in her hand also disappeared with her in a flash.
Buzz —
Before this scene ended, the black cubes in the air … the hardware of Fate let out a loud roar.
The roar was deafening. The sound alone was enough to force people to back off.
After a series of resounding booms, all of a sudden! A white light appeared!
After one breath, when Feng Bujue recovered from the suffocating state, he found that he was already more than ten kilometers away from the city center. Gu Chen was standing beside him, holding his neck with his hand.
In their sight, a white pillar of light rose from the center of S City and spread out … It began to devour the surrounding buildings, streets, vehicles, and … people …
"Do you know what's the difference between us?" Gu Chen said calmly as he looked at the huge pillar of light that was gradually approaching.
"I'm not in the mood for riddles right now," Feng Bujue replied coldly.
"When my grief reaches its peak, my calmness reaches an even higher level. I can suppress all my emotions," Gu Chen replied. "But you, you have one more thing than me."
"Are you talking about 'madness'?" Feng Bujue continued. "Hmph … I feel that your pure calmness is another form of madness."
"Whatever you say … Anyway, what you did just now is something that I can't think of and can't do," Gu Chen said as he shifted his gaze to Feng Bujue's left hand.
At some point in time, the ring finger of Feng Bujue's left hand … had disappeared without a trace. What was left behind was a neat wound that was still bleeding …
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