CHAPTER 116: CHAPTER 111: THE TRUTH! THE GREAT DEMON KING GUO YIHANG?

Guo Yihang was stunned by the question. He didn’t react for a moment before blurting out his own confusion.

"Eating children?"

Chen Pingchuan carefully studied the changes in Guo Yihang’s expression. After staring until the other man grew so uncomfortable that he began to fidget, he realized he had likely misjudged him. So, Chen Pingchuan briefly described what he had seen and heard.

Upon hearing Chen Pingchuan’s account, Guo Yihang couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.

"Brother Chuanzi, don’t you know me? No matter how much I’ve changed, I wouldn’t stoop to eating people, let alone children."

"Then what’s this rumor about?" Chen Pingchuan had to agree. Even if a person changed drastically, it seemed unlikely that Guo Yihang, living in such a secure environment, would have stooped to such a level.

"This is what happened."

Guo Yihang then began to explain the changes that occurred in the year after Chen Pingchuan fell into a coma.

The day after Chen Pingchuan fell into his coma, Guo Yihang went to his residence but found no trace of him. He even asked around about Chen Pingchuan but came up empty. A strange feeling washed over him, as if an invisible hand had wiped away all traces of Chen Pingchuan, making it seem like he had never existed at all.

A few days later, Liu Yaowu also vanished. Left all alone, Guo Yihang simply moved his residence directly into the shelter—the cement factory.

Then, the red rain began to fall. Guo Yihang recalled the Doomsday Bunker Chen Pingchuan had told him to build and guessed this crimson rain was anything but ordinary. The funds Chen Pingchuan had given him were so plentiful that the shelter had a massive stockpile of supplies. This eased Guo Yihang’s worries, so he only ate and drank what was stored inside.

Sure enough, City Hall soon announced that the red rain was highly radioactive. But what did that matter? For the poor who lived hand-to-mouth, they had no extra money to buy expensive drinking water. After all, every consumable related to cleanliness had skyrocketed in price since the rain began.

Unable to get clean drinking water, many people resorted to desperate measures, and the number of mutated Black Demons grew. Anyone with connections moved into the Inner City District, while the young and able-bodied could choose to flee the Outer City District for somewhere else. This left only the old, weak, sick, and disabled to be abandoned in the ruin-like Outer City District, left to close their eyes and await their end.

It was just like the disabled Black Demon Chen Pingchuan had seen earlier; he hadn’t been injured fighting his own kind. He had been a cripple to begin with, and the mutation hadn’t healed his physical defects.

Guo Yihang was only halfway through his story when Chen Pingchuan interrupted him.

"Get to the point. I can’t stay here for long."

Hearing this, Guo Yihang knew that his Brother Chuanzi would be leaving soon. Although this outcome was within his expectations, a bit of reluctance was still inevitable. After all, he had kept these experiences bottled up inside him for a year, with no one to share them with.

Guo Yihang’s face was a mask of helplessness as he said with a bitter smile, "Alright, I’ll make it quick."

"With the cement factory’s resources, I gathered a group of strong young men and naturally became the leader of this doomsday shelter. However, the peaceful days lasted less than a month.

"Two Beast Tamers with distinct animalistic features found me. They not only tried to recruit me but also offered me a chance to join the Holy Spirit Sect."

Faced with such a heaven-sent opportunity, Guo Yihang naturally wouldn’t refuse and promptly accepted their invitation. He joined the Holy Spirit Sect and began to worship the Spirit God. Of course, inwardly, he was a man of no faith. Or rather, he would believe in whoever gave him benefits.

Leveraging his status as a Holy Spirit Sect disciple, Guo Yihang successfully fused with the genes of an ancient hard-skinned elephant. He has now advanced to become a Third-level Beast Tamer. Perhaps in less than a year, he could even advance to a Fourth-level Beast Tamer, one who exhibits the traits of a pet beast.

"As for this business about eating children, I can assure you it never happened."

"Of course, I was the one who had people spread that rumor, but I was doing a good deed! Brother Chuanzi, you’ve lived among the lower class; you should understand my reasoning. I traded an adult’s food supply for half a month to get each child."

"Then where are they?"

"I heard from our previous contact that they were sent to Spirit Beast Island."

Chen Pingchuan fell silent.

Although Guo Yihang didn’t reveal the children’s ultimate fate, there were many possibilities. Perhaps the Blood Beast Ban required fresh blood, perhaps experiments were short on materials, or something else entirely. But he understood what Guo Yihang left unsaid.

In the apocalypse, what is most precious? Food. And what will people do without it? They’ll eat anything they can, including their own kind. It was just like the tragedies in ancient times, when famines led people to the horror of exchanging children to eat.

Guo Yihang’s method seemed cruel, but he had actually given these wandering children a chance—a chance to take control of their own destinies.

Chen Pingchuan knew the truth. Even if I forced Guo Yihang to shut down this channel, would that truly be better for those children? He didn’t know.

The answer left a bitter taste in Chen Pingchuan’s mouth, and he lost all interest in staying any longer.

He stood up and bid Guo Yihang farewell.

"Alright, I have to go. It was really good running into you here."

Guo Yihang’s face flushed as he looked at Chen Pingchuan, his heart in turmoil. For a moment, he didn’t know what to do. Should he follow his former big brother and venture into the apocalypse, likely ending up like so many other wanderers—a corpse in the wilderness? Or should he play dumb, stay here in this Doomsday Bunker filled with Chen Pingchuan’s legacy, and continue to be his own king? Or maybe he should just hand the shelter back over to Chen Pingchuan?

Chen Pingchuan didn’t give Guo Yihang time to struggle with his decision. In truth, he completely understood Guo Yihang’s choice. It was better to grasp what was right in front of him than to gamble on an uncertain future.

Sensing the man’s inner conflict, Chen Pingchuan decided to part on good terms, offering some comforting words.

"I heard the leader here has already taken his sixth concubine. You’re really something else, kid! Just make sure you take care of yourself. Don’t burn out!"

Guo Yihang scratched his head, embarrassed. Chen Pingchuan’s words solidified his resolve. For the sake of his wives, he couldn’t leave, nor could he give up the foundation he had built. After all, he had earned all of this through his own hard work.

"Then I wish Brother Chuanzi a safe journey."

"Alright!"

Chen Pingchuan didn’t look back, simply waving his right arm as he strode away.

Such is life. Some friends just drift apart as you walk your separate paths. They’re like your classmates from elementary, middle, and high school, the sworn brothers from your college dorm, or even close colleagues from work. One day, you might just stop hearing from them.

During the short time Chen Pingchuan spent reminiscing with Guo Yihang, the battle outside between Ji Hongxiu and Belia had reached a fever pitch.

Belia’s face was pale. The prolonged use of her telekinesis was causing her mental fortitude to crumble. After all, her opponent’s true strength was at the eighth level. A gap between major cultivation levels wasn’t something a rare talent alone could bridge.

Conversely, Ji Hongxiu wasn’t in great shape either.

Because she didn’t know Chen Pingchuan’s true intentions, she couldn’t treat this opponent like any other. She couldn’t unleash the full might of her Eighth-Level Divine Transformation Realm, transform into the Eight-Tailed Demon Fox, and simply crush Belia with absolute power. Being unable to defeat her opponent after so long left her feeling restrained and incredibly frustrated.

Both were in extremely poor condition, yet neither would be the first to admit defeat. Of course, Belia was at the greater disadvantage.

Chen Pingchuan walked out of the basement alone, following the secret passage. The shelter he had originally designed to escape natural disasters had now become his brother’s empire.

He could take it back, but he felt there was no need. What good would it do to stay? Things that had once seemed so vital were now completely unnecessary to him.

The world had changed, and its people were no longer the same. Chen Pingchuan suddenly understood something, something he’d read in the novels of his past life. As a protagonist walks their path, their companions dwindle, one by one. Will I, with my simulator cheat, also end up a solitary god? He didn’t know.

He pushed open the disguised secret door. The intense sunlight was blinding. As he felt the sandy wind on his face, Chen Pingchuan sighed. If I’m really the one who brought about this disaster, then...

Before he could finish his sentimental thought, a massive tiger-man suddenly appeared before him. The creature’s expression was a strange mixture of confusion, curiosity, and bewilderment. Major General Hu couldn’t understand how such a weak-looking man could have won the favor of two powerful female experts.

"So, who are you, exactly?"

"How should I address you?"

"And what is your purpose?"

"I wonder, could you satisfy my curiosity?"

This Chapter is dedicated to those readers who have grown weary on the journey of life. The road ahead is long. I wish you all an ever-brighter future, and I look forward to the day our paths might cross again.