Chapter 100: Disguise

“Brother Cao, what should we do about Chu Wei? Is there still hope for her? Big guy, you should be feeling sad now… sigh.” Shen Dong sighed desolately. Deep down, he did not want Chu Wei to die like this.

This woman may have been wary of them before, but that was only natural. After all, they themselves were also cautious of others.

Yet Chu Wei’s character and conduct proved she was not a bad person. If treated well, she could become one of their own.

Cao Fusheng shook his head, then placed his hand on Chu Wei’s forehead once more.

“Check Chu Wei’s vital signs.”

“Detecting... internal bleeding has ceased... fractures are healing... moderate fever symptoms present... overall vital signs indicate weakness (recovery phase), assessment: normal condition, no immediate threat to life.”

So her body was in the process of healing. The fever was a normal reaction; the cells inside were battling each other.

Still, some medicine was needed to reduce the fever. They couldn’t let it continue unchecked.

Cao Fusheng retrieved antipyretic medicine and purified water from the dimensional space and administered them to her.

With everything done, whether she recovered now depended on her own fate.

“All right, now it’s a matter of whether she can survive this ordeal. Our urgent task is to clarify the intentions of those people outside. If what Chu Wei said is true, once we completely reject their invitation to join, they might strike first.”

“Is that a problem? Brother Cao, don’t worry. I’ll go probe their intentions first! If they’re pretending to be nice on the surface but planning to harm us behind our backs, we’ll just deal with them directly!”

Cao Fusheng’s forehead creased with tension. He grabbed Shen Dong back sharply. “Can you be more cautious? Charging in to confront them like that? Have you lost your mind? Leave this to me. You just keep watch.”

“And us.”

Han Shuqing and Gao Yi had also awakened. In fact, they had been awake during Chu Wei’s briefing but remained still, quietly listening.

“Carry on as usual. Don’t show anything unusual.”

Cao Fusheng said this while raising the eavesdropping device in his hand, then gently placed it back. Everyone’s expression darkened.

Installing a bug inside the room—were these people just being cautious, or did they harbor ill intent from the start?

“Reminder to host: important side task [Intelligence] completed. Next, you will proceed to the place where it all begins. This will be the first step in your greatest challenge yet. Please enter the Pillar of Heaven promptly.”

The place where it all begins?

Looking at it now, it seemed his fate was inextricably entwined with the Pillar of Heaven.

“I have a question. Why do you keep guiding me toward the Pillar of Heaven? Are you someone created inside it?”

“That question is difficult to answer. Our meeting is purely by fate…”

“Fate, my foot…”

“Host, do you recall a line from the survivor’s log about the Pillar of Heaven?”

Cao Fusheng thought hard and finally recalled a legend. “Could you mean the one that says once the Pillar of Heaven is fully activated, the sun will rise as usual?”

“…”

“Well? Say something.”

“…”

Fine, he was completely resigned.

Cao Fusheng never wanted to be a savior, nor did he dream of saving the world.

If it weren’t for this ruthless system forcing him at death’s door, he wouldn’t be doing any of this—though he was curious about the truth.

But more than anything, he wanted to survive, seeking the truth slowly as he lived.

His pursuit of truth was driven by pure curiosity, not some foolish sense of mission or responsibility.

When he was betrayed, the so-called mission and responsibility were severed from him forever.

He cared not, nor did he yearn.

“Although you don’t want to mention it, this is your destiny. You carry the weight of the entire world. When the host learns the truth, you will understand everything. You are both the beginning and the end.”

Perhaps sensing Cao Fusheng’s changing mood, the ecological lock chain, which had remained silent, finally uttered this cryptic statement.

“So you know the truth?”

“I don’t. It is hidden in the deepest place. I only know someone hid it with me, but I don’t know the contents.”

Cao Fusheng chuckled, pulled out a cigarette, and took a long drag. Talking about this was just nonsense.

It was merely another trick to push him forward.

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“What’s going on!? The signal just dropped out suddenly?”

“No idea, Brother Wei. All I hear is static—can’t make out what they’re saying. As soon as something happens, I woke you immediately.”

Dang Wei’s eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted into something fierce, a stark contrast to his usual gentle demeanor.

He spoke in a low voice, “What did you hear last?”

“Sounds like the woman had a fever, then woke up. After that, things got unclear.” The subordinate seemed guilty, adding, “Maybe those old-era devices aren’t very durable? That thing was something we picked up casually… maybe…”

“Slap!”

Dang Wei slapped his subordinate across the face, furious. “Cut the crap! So it just conveniently failed at that moment? And you have the nerve to blame the equipment? Did you even check it before installing? Did you guarantee it wouldn’t fail?”

The subordinate stammered, saying no more, his expression full of grievance.

“Brother Wei… do you think those people found out about us…”

Dang Wei’s eyes narrowed, dark and fierce as he considered the possibilities.

But he believed he’d left no traces: no confiscation of their weapons, no intrusive questioning.

Besides, he’d done his best to show goodwill. Even if they knew about the bug, what could they do?

At most, they’d be annoyed. After all, they hadn’t done anything outrageous.

Meanwhile, Dang Wei’s angry voice roused the others. They awoke from sleep, starting to discuss Cao Fusheng and his group among themselves.

“What more could they want? We saved them, gave them food and lodging. I think they’re willing to come back to our camp.”

“Exactly. They won’t run. As long as we bring them back, we’ve done our job.”

“But that woman named Chu Wei, I like her type. When we get back, I’ll try to trade some contribution points to get her for a bit of fun.”

Others’ eyes gleamed, almost drooling. Talk of women always stirred their spirits.

“Get real! Brother Wei gets first pick, right Brother Wei?”

Dang Wei relaxed his brow, a sly smile tugging at his lips. “Of course, the bigger the better. That woman Han Shuqing? She’s mine when we return.”

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Cao Fusheng stood by the window, chain-smoking one cigarette after another. He said nothing, and no one disturbed him.

Suddenly, he crushed out the cigarette in his hand, a chilling smile creeping across his face.