Chapter 151: For the Rest of Our Lives, Encouraging Each Other

Level 389 of the Heavenly Pillar, Disposal Unit.

This area essentially served as the wasteland of the upper levels, a large open space specifically designated for processing household garbage and scrapped items.

The massive pyrolytic furnace stood right in the center. Several workers wearing protective gear continually tossed newly collected waste into it. As for the burned residues, they were vacuum-packed and hauled away for disposal whenever the operation forces ventured outside.

In truth, the most convenient method would be to dump all this refuse directly into the Heavenly Pillar's reactor, reducing everything to ashes entirely.

However, that obviously lacked a sense of ritual and showed disrespect to the Heavenly Pillar. Burning a human inside might be acceptable—at least it spared them from suffering, instantly turning them into dust in a humane manner.

Throwing trash in there, though, went too far.

Cao Fusheng and his group stood near the bottom of the pyrolytic furnace, choosing not to ascend and use the furnace itself.

"Shen Dong, everything that needed to be said has already been said. We came here today specifically to see you off one last time. These are all those electronic devices you used to talk about every day; we've brought them all for you, not a single one missing. If any are gone, don't come looking for me—Gao Yi probably hid them from you."

Cao Fusheng dragged over some flammable materials, piled them together with Shen Dong's belongings, and set them ablaze with a single match.

wisps of blue smoke slowly rose, accompanied by the crackling sound of sparks.

The workers nearby had been briefed in advance, so they merely watched from a distance without engaging in extended conversation.

According to the directives from above, as long as he wasn't manufacturing any explosives, he was free to do as he pleased.

"Hehe, exactly. You silly bastard Shen, I hid your things away tight. If you feel hard done by me down there, grow a spine and come up here—come find me! Your brother has a hard head and lets you punch him!" A smile touched Gao Yi's face, though it was laced with deep bitterness.

How he wished Shen Dong could actually climb back up and punch him, though that was naturally impossible.

If Shen Dong were to truly reappear before him, he would likely throw a punch right back out of sheer reflex.

Han Shuqing was also a member of the squad, but her interactions with Shen Dong fell short even of Gao Yi's. After all, back in the barren lands, Shen Dong's vicious words had left deep scars in her heart.

She had shed tears and felt grief when Shen Dong passed away outside, but that stemmed from the sacrifice of a teammate and the emotion of the moment, rather than any profound affection.

Thus, she simply accompanied the two grown men, cradling little Ye in her arms.

"Alright, our hearts' desires are fulfilled. Starting today, we embrace a new life. Let us encourage one another for the rest of our days!" Cao Fusheng looked at the two companions beside him, his gaze resolute. The living could not mourn the departed excessively; everyone had to look forward!

...

"I must say, old Bian, your nerves are truly steel. I thought you'd tag along to watch." Inside the Supervisory and Law Enforcement Department, Xun Xin leaned back in his executive chair, rocking his legs lazily. Bloodshot veins occasionally surfaced in his eyes, and the exhaustion on his face could not be concealed.

Ever since the boss assigned the mission yesterday, he had not slept for a single night. Knowing the gravity of the situation, he remained in the department supervising and personally reviewing past records.

Indeed, his efforts uncovered several suspicious individuals. Actions that previously seemed normal now appeared irregular when viewed through the lens of these special times, magnified by his own growing suspicions.

Regardless, within a single day, the Law Enforcement Department had hauled in over a hundred civilians for round-robin interrogation and background checks.

Combined with the intelligence provided by the Service Department, the results could truly be described as twice the output with half the effort.

Standing beside Xun Xin at that moment was Bian Qiu, the man who had previously crossed paths with Cao Fusheng. His eyes were glued to a screen displaying the real-time movements of Cao Fusheng's group.

Sound monitoring was even enabled, allowing every word they spoke to be heard with crystal clarity.

"Why would I go? It would be redundant and only serve to displease them. They are guests, not criminals. Besides, what is Department Head Xun even paid for? Don't tell me you haven't kept your eyes on him. Moreover, our surveillance systems here are equipped with counter-measures; if he were to actually pull off any abnormal stunts..." Bian Qiu trailed off, laughing self-deprecatingly as he thought himself overly paranoid.

Although he held no great fondness for Cao Fusheng, he harbored no prejudice against him either; otherwise, he wouldn't have remained so silent during yesterday's meeting.

Xun Xin deeply agreed with the sentiment. Although he had deliberately instructed his subordinates, the underlying intent to focus more attention on Cao Fusheng was undeniable.

"How are things on your end? I heard your operation forces made moves last night, clearing out quite a few people. Even Lan Bei, the director of Sector One, was forced to resign under a cloud and remains idle at home under surveillance. Was all that really necessary..." Xun Xin sighed. In truth, he hadn't merely heard about it; he had witnessed every detail of the operation forces' actions through the internal network monitoring.

"You think it wasn't necessary?" Bian Qiu retorted.

Xun Xin chuckled dryly. "Of course it was necessary, needs must in extraordinary times. But have you noticed that after yesterday's incident, the tide of corpses seemed to retreat faster? Overnight, the surroundings of the Heavenly Pillar became completely pristine, practically a ghost town. Anyone unaware would think those hordes of corpses were an illusion."

As he spoke, he switched the camera feed to the exterior of the Heavenly Pillar. True to his words, the area previously sealed off and swarming with monsters was now entirely vacant for hundreds of meters in every direction, devoid of even a single stray corpse-spawn.

Only by zooming in could one occasionally spot wandering corpse-spawns, but without exception, they were heading outward toward the city limits, seemingly preparing to abandon ZZ City altogether.

"This is highly abnormal. Do you remember what Cao Fusheng said yesterday? He suspects this corpse tide is tied, to some extent, to the Northern Kingdom. While concrete evidence is lacking, we must take it seriously. They are a potential adversary, and our understanding of them pales in comparison to their familiarity with us. To think the worst of it, saying they know us inside and out is no exaggeration, given how deeply their infiltration might reach." Bian Qiu's expression grew gravely solemn, unruffled even when besieged by corpse tides in the past.

Yet now, he genuinely felt the pressure.

Xun Xin clearly realized this as well, letting out a heavy sigh. "Who's to say otherwise? Why else would I be this exhausted? I haven't closed my eyes for a day and a night. This matter is far more troublesome than we imagined. We aren't afraid of fierce external enemies; what we fear most is internal agitation from our 'own people'!"

In a rare display of humor with Xun Xin, Bian Qiu gave him a thumbs-up and smiled. "A brilliantly concise summary! And that is precisely my greatest concern at the moment."