This time I chose Paladin

What's wrong with good people? Do good people deserve to be pointed at guns?

No, good guys should point guns at others!

Ah, I can't make it to the store on the same day, but I'll post it first. This does not count as the extra update on Saturday.

Chapter 87: Full of Cracks

In the new world, not many people dare to show their beliefs. Even the major forces only require the defendants to demonstrate their beliefs and corresponding skills in a process similar to political review.

Because compared to origin, lineage, and personal life, established beliefs are a person's eternal weakness.

Perhaps a person's beliefs are ordinary, just something like "avoid danger and live a peaceful life", but as long as the beliefs are frustrated or even defeated, the person will suffer almost irreversible trauma.

There are only three types of people who dare to show their beliefs: the young and ignorant who do not understand the consequences, the arrogant who underestimate the consequences, and the strong who are absolutely confident - whether it is confidence in their strength or confidence in the belief itself.

Nie Weiyang was clearly neither of the first two. He was simply confident. He had always had a clear understanding of himself, whether it was his status, influence, or abilities, personality, and behavior, as well as the reactions or backlash these conditions would trigger.

Knowing yourself clearly is the greatest respect for yourself.

Before entering the urban area of ​​Yuzhou, Nie Weiyang walked with the team for a while.

He has been working almost day and night these days, either racing or fighting. It has been a while since he slowed down and took a look at the world bathed in sunshine.

Blood, mutilated limbs, death, victims, and some people worse than beasts... Oh, there are also the whistles of police lines, the screams of engines, the clash of swords and shields, and the fleeting secrets emerging from the mist of history.

All these things that could not be avoided no matter how fast they moved were now temporarily left behind, hidden in the wind like the receding tide.

Nie Weiyang's tense nerves gradually relaxed, even if only a little.

He was already used to fighting in split seconds and taking lives at extreme speeds. At this moment, he was like a bowstring that suddenly relaxed. Although his heart was still weighed by the secrets concerning the world, a trace of imperceptible fatigue appeared in his eyes.

The ground in Gushi was dry and hard, and the roadsides were covered with a thick layer of golden fallen leaves, piled beside thin tree trunks or thick tree stumps. Every step Nie Weiyang took made a fine but clear rustling sound, so pure that it almost drowned out the lingering buzzing in his ears.

It rained a little here last night, and now the air was as clear as spring water, washing away the blood in his lungs.

The soil has been warmed by the sun, and the unique light scent of growing and withering grass lingers in all directions. In the distance, there are several flames, and a faint wisp of smoke comes with the wind and passes by in an instant.

If you walk around here and lose your concentration, you might think you've returned to the normal world.

"They're burning the wasteland." Someone in the team said with a smile in his voice, "If it were in the past, that would be like setting fire to the mountain—"

"No one will be sent to jail for life for this matter now." Nie Weiyang smiled.

Nowadays, if you encounter such a thing, you usually kill the person immediately.

His smooth response made everyone laugh. Most of the people who survived to this day were not stupid, so they could naturally see his good intentions.

What's more, he can show people calmly even something like faith that ordinary people don't show easily.

Add to that renowned power and level number...

Someone came closer. It was a young girl. She didn't seem timid at all. She even showed her profile as she approached. Nie Weiyang took a look.

You Yan, female, lark, level 12 'imitation singer'.

Oh... it's her. One of the future New World superstars, her skills are related to sound waves and sound. She's very powerful, but her main focus is entertainment and functionality, not actual strength.

As for the fame and fans the other party would eventually gain, Nie Weiyang simply didn't consider them in his strengths—those were considered external resources. He was such a simple pragmatist.

Nie Weiyang tilted his head slightly and said nothing.

"Hello, Mr. Nie," You Yan asked with a smile, "What brings you to Gushi this time? Is there anything we can help you with?"

"No." Nie Weiyang replied.

He didn't say whether it was okay or there was nothing he could do to help. Instead, he smiled kindly and politely asked, "Miss You, can I ask you some questions?"

"Ah? Um, oh..." You Yan was stunned for a moment. She subtly felt a strange affinity - "You...you ask."

"What's the current state of Gushi?" Nie Weiyang asked. "I want to know what it looks like in your eyes."

What is the city like now?

You Yan pondered for a moment and said, "I'm very grateful to the authorities for implementing direct military management, otherwise I would have died long ago."

Nie Weiyang listened patiently.

"Well... you must also know that the more people there are, the harder it is to manage. When the number of people gathered in one place reaches a certain level, unrest and conflict will follow. Humans are just that kind of creature." You Yan smiled, a smile devoid of emotion. "The original population of Gu City was over ten million, and those with combat professions as their primary occupation accounted for one-third of them, which means four million combat professions - that's four million true superpowers.

"When I think about those days, I feel that if I were in the position of administrator, I would have shot myself on the third day. Because any city that enters this situation will quickly become a bloody vortex that will cause people to suffer a headache and die."

...It's an unexpectedly low rating.

"If it weren't for the troops, you'd only see ruins now," You Yan said. "Some people think that the troops should be independent at a time like this, and that those with higher combat power should use the corpses of ordinary people as beds. This isn't Earth anymore, and anyone still trying to uphold the rules is a fool..."

There were a few coughs in the team. Nie Weiyang's eyes moved under his sunglasses and saw two soldiers on both sides, one on the left and one on the right, looking up at the sky and the ground, as if they had closed their hearing.

"This situation was already serious before the blood moon rose. After it did... it got even worse." You Yan shook her head. "People are constantly trying to harm others. Furthermore, theft, robbery, and rape are rampant, regardless of gender. Previously, to prevent people from escaping with the food, the grain was gathered and managed in one place. But a few days ago, someone stole the granary..."

"Why are you saying this?" someone muttered softly.

"It's no secret. Many people in the city are starving. Mr. Nie will see it when he enters the city." You Yan curled her lips. "The strong combat professions in Gushi who are willing to contribute are now killing mutant animals for currency and food. A large amount of resources are concentrated on buying food every day - thank you vending machines. But even so, resources can't keep up with consumption, and people are always starving to death."

starve.

This word, once so distant from China, suddenly silenced the winds. Millions died and were lost, living conditions declined, and social stability collapsed. All of this finally made humanity realize that the breath of doom had truly clung to them. Life, the future, and everything once familiar were now cracked and bloody.

After a long time, someone finally answered in a low voice.

"People who are starving to death will do anything." It was a young boy, a trace of melancholy on his face. "You know what? Gang robberies have become flash mobs now. They spot their targets, then suddenly appear and drag them into a corner to beat them up. There are even cult members at the artists' market. I don't even dare to talk to them when I go back now!"

Chapter 88 Strange Sacrifice

It started with threats of violence, and later turned into direct physical violence.

Today, the robbery gangs in Gushi have upgraded. Now, when they set their sights on something, they just appear and drag the target into a corner to kill him.

Anyway, we don’t have those high-end technologies to detect crimes now, so even if you have blood on your body, you can say you just encountered a monster.

people?

When a human dies, the body becomes an object, no different from a cat, dog, bird or animal.

Now there is such a thing as a backpack. The body can be put into the backpack, and the transportation cost is extremely low. Then you can find a hidden place to destroy it. The victim's relatives and friends will not be able to find where the person died for ten thousand years.

"..." Nie Weiyang couldn't say anything. This was something he couldn't control - or rather, something he could never completely control.

Even the current situation can be considered good. At this time in the previous life, more people died in the ancient city, and its jurisdiction was severely shrunk. People were deeply threatened by the plague caused by rotting corpses. There were even cases of cannibalism in the marginal areas. Some people did not dare to conflict with the monsters wandering outside, so they attacked the weak children around them and called them "tender sheep."

Right now, the villains are aware of their despicable nature, but they are just living in the shadows, making it impossible to truly eradicate them. Wait until their power snowballs, and then, only then will they truly collapse.

Today's robbers have begun to not treat people as human beings. In their eyes, people are just ants crawling on their targets, which is... an experience.

Thinking about the current situation, the future, the previous civilization, the Sky-crossing Demon, the Netherworld, and all the internal and external troubles, Nie Weiyang wanted to sigh sincerely.

But no. A person who stands in the position of being "strong" or even "the strongest" cannot show vulnerability in front of others.

When he died in his previous life, he was exhausted both physically and mentally, and he let out only a sigh. He thought he had let out a lifetime of frustration and melancholy, and would rest in peace forever... but he never expected that he would have to live another life.

In a game where everyone completes the game with one life, if there is one person who opens a second save file, his pressure will only be greater than that of others, not less.

The sky and the earth were high and vast, and Nie Weiyang had lost interest in looking at the scenery. He just lay on the lucky sign in an almost leisurely manner and slowly moved forward, with countless information flying in his mind.

People walking beside him didn't dare to disturb him and just became more silent.

After a long while, You Yan spoke again. She asked carefully, "Are you... okay?"

"Hmm?" Nie Weiyang tilted his head slightly and gave a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about work."

Work? What kind of work? A super fighter like this still has a job?

Everyone looked at each other, but Nie Weiyang just smiled and didn't elaborate.

What job? 'Second Administrator' job, of course.

This identity involves too many things. The status of "former civilization shelter manager" is there. Even if the shelter is completely empty and only a hall is left, this identity will inevitably conflict or be involved in all the problems Nie Weiyang is facing now.

There are problems everywhere, and humanity itself is still slowly committing suicide...

Nie Weiyang wanted to rub his brows. He felt his nerves tense again. The familiar feeling returned to him. The brief calm could not bring him any comfort. Instead, it only made him habitually make more plans in his mind.

Since his rebirth, Nie Weiyang always appeared calm and composed, as if death, blood, killing, demons, the end of the world, the future of the planet and civilization were not heavy.

Actually, they are heavy. Very heavy.

Life and civilization, these two words are too big and too heavy.

Now, death, fighting, disorder, and all this chaos have swept the entire planet, but he has not been to those chaotic areas yet.

The high organizational ability inherited from Earth society has made China's collapse much slower than other regions. People have therefore had room to breathe, so much so that many people do not realize that this is already the best state.

For the past four months, Nie Weiyang has always been calm and peaceful. He didn't dare to clearly describe to anyone what was hidden in his mind.

People who carry too many secrets, who have to plan and execute some secret plans, according to some literary works, may be the prophets on this planet, the secret keepers, the planners, the keys and locks.

People have always loved to praise such beings, and huge chapters in literary history are used only to boast about their power, wisdom and foresight.

Nie Weiyang used to think this was cool when he was a child, but now that he has become such a person, it is difficult to say whether this is a form of torture.

"Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore." Nie Weiyang took a deep breath, stood up from the lucky draw, stretched, and heard clear exhalations around him. It was obvious that everyone was feeling suffocated by the low pressure emanating from him.

His expression took on a hint of apology, but instead of offering an apology, he asked more questions.

"Just now, this..." He looked at the young boy.

The other person looked to be in his early twenties, with a hint of excitement on his face. Upon hearing what he said, he quickly opened his personal profile to show him: Li Mingzhe, male, Malinois, level 13 performer.

A virtuoso. No wonder he lives in the 'Artists' Market'.

"Hello, Li Mingzhe." Nie Weiyang nodded. "What is this cult you just mentioned? What is it called? What does it ask people to do? How many people believe in it? In which regions are people spreading information about it?"

In his previous life, Nie Weiyang had never had much contact with religious believers, whether they were orthodox or heretical, so he had no idea where the current Return Sect might be hiding.

However, artists generally have higher spiritual attributes, and their artistic creation requires them to be exposed to more such information, so there are quite a few artists who believe in the Reversion sect.

If Li Mingzhe knew of any artists who had returned to Christianity, Nie Weiyang wouldn't have been able to maintain a negative attitude at first...

But, could it be that he had just arrived in the ancient city and received the news of returning to the sect? Isn't this a bit too coincidental?

Nie Weiyang didn't believe in coincidences. He waited for an answer.

Li Mingzhe pondered for a moment. He asked the others to stay away and leaned in close to Nie Weiyang's ear: "I live in a place called 'Artists' Market'. It's a half-trading and half-living area. The residents are all people from the old city's art circle, and their current careers are also closely related to art. Usually, we trade some special resources that we can use here.

"The Artists' Market is very close to Religious Street. Recently, some strange beliefs have emerged that don't look like the ones we're used to. I even saw a few people secretly offering sacrifices to something while I was up at night, and they were bleeding from their arms. The pattern they were surrounding looked like a magic circle, and it emitted a strange green light after coming into contact with the blood... Then I don't know what happened. I was scared away.