Chapter 54: You Are Not Wrong

Perhaps, at a time like this, someone might take advantage of another’s vulnerability.

One last pleasure before death, to die with a smile and leave as a dashing ghost—how delightful that would be.

After all, death brings a reset.

Heaven knows, earth knows, I know—no one else will.

Isn’t that so?

But Ren Zhong would not do it.

If he acted that way, how would he differ from a beast?

He would no longer be himself.

Tonight, ever since the fury ignited within him, it had never faded.

His calm exterior was merely a necessary disguise.

Now, he wanted nothing more than to let this anger burn away completely.

Because he refused to let go of this fire in his heart, he would not do anything against his conscience.

It had always been so, and so it would remain.

With this state of mind, as he faced his impending death, he agreed to Ju Qingmeng’s request, giving her hope.

It was, in part, a temporary lie for mutual benefit, and at the same time, a sincere promise born of genuine feeling.

Startled by Ren Zhong’s outburst, Ju Qingmeng’s hand, which was about to pull down her gauzy garment, froze in place.

Her slender jade fingers lingered at her collarbone.

Under the lamp’s glow, her bare shoulders gleamed with icy luster, her face flushed as if ablaze.

Beneath this red tide, her expression was one of astonishment, bewilderment, and surprise.

On Ren Zhong’s way here, she had imagined tonight’s scene countless times.

Her heart wavered between hesitation and resolve, torn between hope and despair, yet in the end, she left herself no retreat.

She had, with her own hand, slain the self who once looked to life with anticipation, proud and aloof for her talent and beauty, choosing instead to become a moth drawn to the flame.

Yet from the moment they met, every step had confounded her expectations, leaving her at a loss.

“Mr. Ren, what do you mean? Are you just toying with me? Am I still unworthy of your notice? Of course, what am I dreaming about? I’m only a second-class citizen—what right do I have to make deals with someone like you, a fifth-class citizen? I should have known; a man like you could never lack for women. I…”

Perhaps her longing was too important, having become an obsession.

Or perhaps the years of inner torment and overthinking had simply been too much.

Any shift in the situation, and her anxiety would flare to the extreme, leaving her almost unhinged.

Seeing this, Ren Zhong simply walked a few steps to the side, picked up a loose cotton nightgown from the sofa, and draped it over her back.

“That’s not what I meant. I will help you. But my terms are different.”

Ju Qingmeng, choking back tears, said, “I don’t care what you need me to do for you, but we can start a relationship first!”

Ren Zhong countered, “If we start the kind of relationship you’re talking about, does that mean I won’t deceive you? What makes you so sure I won’t break my word?”

“Ah!”

“In fact, we already have a relationship. You’ve helped me a lot. In my eyes, we’re already friends. Isn’t that enough?”

“Friends?” Ju Qingmeng echoed.

Ren Zhong nodded. “Yes, friends.”

Ju Qingmeng was silent for a long time.

The word was both familiar and strange.

Ren Zhong asked again, “If, under these circumstances, I started that kind of relationship with you, how would I be any different from the people you once despised?”

Ju Qingmeng was speechless.

“I can’t accept a relationship that trades away principles for profit! I want you to know, you were never wrong. The fault lies with others, with those seemingly reasonable rules of the strong preying on the weak, with this rigidly hierarchical world where rank crushes all.”

Ren Zhong’s tone suddenly rose, “Even now, you don’t need to compromise yourself! You have talent, you’re just unrecognized. What you should do isn’t bow to reality or forcibly change yourself to fit the rules.”

“You should remember this moment’s indignation! You were once confident—so the greater your hardship, the more you should believe in yourself! Remember, in any era, any world, true talent can break through all suppression and blockade! If you can’t, there’s only one reason: you’re not yet strong enough!”

“I want to help you because I see you as a friend. I also believe you truly have talent and appreciate your abilities. I’ll stand up for you—not because you offer your body in exchange! As long as you see me as a friend, that’s enough!”

Ren Zhong poured out a torrent of words.

The more Ju Qingmeng listened, the more incredulous she became.

Her lips trembled uncontrollably.

Reason told her that this census officer before her was living far too idealistically.

It was absurd, as if he were a visitor from some utopia.

Every word from Ren Zhong seemed riddled with flaws, laughably unrealistic in this world.

She wanted to refute him.

But her heart was pounding.

Her emotions were stirred, and the resentment and grievance long buried in her heart began to kindle into a fiery anger.

His clownish speech struck her soul with force.

The self she thought had died seemed to sprout anew, taking root and germinating once more.

“So, Mr. Ren, what do you want me to do? I’ll agree to anything—except that.”

At last, she bit her lip hard, forcing the words out one by one.

Ren Zhong smiled.

So, there were still embers in this world—sometimes all it took was someone to lift the lid.

He patted his chestplate.

“I want your help to modify my armor. I want to push my combat capability to the limit, based on a first-class mecha warrior’s standard.”

…

Ten minutes later, Ren Zhong rode in Ju Qingmeng’s private hover car into the tightly closed armament mall.

Ju Qingmeng agreed to Ren Zhong’s request to put the bill on account.

This was easy enough.

It was only first-class armor—even if enhanced to the utmost according to the ‘Sid Meier Armor Manual,’ the cost would not exceed one thousand credits.

Such an expense Ju Qingmeng could cover herself.

After injecting herself with a military-grade stimulant to stay awake, Ju Qingmeng meticulously studied Ren Zhong’s extreme personal modification plan. As she did, she asked, “Mr. Ren, as far as I know, census officers have almost no combat needs. Why do you…?”

Ren Zhong shook his head. “I can’t say too much for now.”

“All right.”

“But I can tell you this much—I’m going to set something on fire.”

“Fire?”

“Yes. Fire!”

“What are you going to burn?”

“A mountain.”

…

At 1:40 a.m., they returned to Ju Qingmeng’s villa.

By now, Ren Zhong’s armor was completely transformed.

On his back, shoulders, arms, and legs, he had mounted over a dozen upgraded auxiliary devices.

His alloy blade had also been replaced with a second-class weapon—the Arc Cutter.

In addition, Ju Qingmeng, with deft expertise, had thoroughly replaced the transmission system and power lines in his balanced, first-class exoskeleton.

These changes fully unleashed the exoskeleton’s maximum performance, boosting its peak output to 310 kilowatts.

She had also installed, at his request, a load-bearing amplifier typically reserved for reinforced training suits.

Ren Zhong had armed himself to the teeth, outdoing even Sid Meier in extremity.

Since Sid Meier was still alive, it meant he’d never played such a deadly game as Ren Zhong was about to.

“Mr. Ren, most people choose only three or five add-ons when upgrading. You’ve installed far too many. If you really plan to use all this in battle, you’ll have a hard time integrating them organically.”

Ren Zhong shook his head. “My neural response index is very high. My intelligence is also high. If I’ve decided on such an extreme modification, it’s well within my capacity. Sid Meier said, human ability has limits, but our use of machines can always be improved—there is no end!”

“Also, I opened up your armor’s power valve. While the output is higher, the first-class exoskeleton materials can’t fully handle the load. At most, you’ll get less than ten minutes before it falls apart. Why not switch to a second-class exoskeleton?” Ju Qingmeng asked.

Ren Zhong grinned, “Because I don’t have time to adapt to second-class armor.”

“Not enough time?”

“Mm. Anyway, thank you for tonight. You’re truly a professional. If it weren’t for you, with my current level, I’d have just jammed these things onto myself without knowing if they’d actually work.”

“You flatter me, Mr. Ren. Each of us has our specialty.”

“You’ve helped me a lot. I owe you a favor, and I’ll repay it. All right, it’s late. You’ve worked hard enough tonight; go get some sleep.”

With that, Ren Zhong turned and left.

Ju Qingmeng watched his departing figure.

When everything was over and the night grew silent, her once-turbulent thoughts gradually cleared.

Memories of the night floated to the surface.

She sensed the difference in Ren Zhong.

She could taste in him an aura utterly at odds with this world.

This man was unlike any other; different to his very core.

In the darkness, his silhouette radiated a resolute energy.

He seemed to shine with dazzling, iridescent light.

Ju Qingmeng suddenly clutched at her collar.

Only after Ren Zhong had gone far did her heartbeat slowly return to normal.

Whatever else, he’d said he would help her, and he did not seem to be lying.

In the end, she had seized a chance to change her fate.

Her proposal for a union of convenience had been rejected.

But what if I fall in love with you?

She lingered for a few seconds at her front door, then returned to her room with a complicated heart.

…

Click, click, click.

In the villa district, Ren Zhong moved softly, advancing under cover of darkness.

The ‘Eye of Sauron’ atop the central town tower still rotated, but it did not linger on him.

He was human, not a Ruin Beast.

Sometimes, sparks flashed in the villa district.

Explosions sounded now and then, near and far.

Occasionally, dim red streaks cut across the sky—automatic gunfire.

Compared to the communal sleep pods, the villa district was quieter at night, with fewer Ruin Beast appearances.

But there was almost no noise, nor any sign of professional responders rushing to help.

Ren Zhong knew that the professional night watchmen had not deployed but remained at their posts.

Every citizen’s villa had its own automated defense system. Though models varied, their performance was comparable to the third-generation Iron Curtain at Lin Wang’s estate, providing absolute defense against first- and second-class Ruin Beasts.

The ‘Eye of Sauron’ had not detected any energy readings above the second-class Ruin Beast level, not even bothering to raise an alarm.

At 2:03 a.m., Ren Zhong reached the edge of the white wall.

Once over the wall, fifty meters ahead lay Lin Wang’s estate.

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