Chapter 1004: Psychopath

Chapter 1004: Psychopath

"Go to hell." Qing Wanglai's words echoed in everyone's ears, shaking the entire room to its core.

Those present stared at Qing Wanglai in disbelief, unable to fathom what kind of mindset could lead him to utter such a thing, Li Huowang included.

"Damn it!" Ba Nanxu took a sharp drag of his cigarette and prepared to pull the trigger, but a finger from Zhao Shuandian slid in, jamming the mechanism.

"Don't be hasty, let him finish." Faced with such absurdity, Zhao Shuandian remained remarkably calm.

Looking at Li Huowang, Qing Wanglai continued: "I need you to die because I need the projections on both sides to collapse simultaneously."

"I am not like you; I see more than you do. You have only connected to another layer of projection, but I have, through certain means, reached a consensus with the true 'me'. This is the only way."

Li Huowang’s eyes blinked tremulously. He addressed the Qing Wanglai before him: "All projections? In your eyes, not only us, but even the Siming are merely projections on one side? You would destroy everything? All of this is for your plan?"

"Yes." Qing Wanglai nodded with a serene expression.

"Li Huowang, I know you understand the bigger picture. I trust you realize the weight of this matter and can see that your sacrifice is necessary."

Li Huowang looked at the young man with an expression so alien, it was as if he were seeing him for the first time.

The smiling Qing Wanglai reached out and patted Li Huowang’s shoulder encouragingly. "Don't worry, I know what you are afraid of, but this death is not the end; it is merely a new beginning."

"We are just projections; we are not as important as you imagine."

"Projections can be recast at any time. Once we pass this hurdle, the real us will have something new, something better than what we are now!"

Watching Qing Wanglai, Li Huowang’s mouth slowly opened. "Madman! Psychopath!"

In that moment, Li Huowang finally saw Qing Wanglai for who he truly was: a psychopath gone to the extreme! This man had always been a lunatic!

Hearing Li Huowang describe him this way, a flash of disappointment crossed Qing Wanglai’s eyes. "Li Huowang, you disappoint me. I thought that once you saw what we were facing, you would understand my vision and become my comrade."

Li Huowang opened his mouth to explain, but then let his head hang and shook it listlessly.

He had lost the desire to communicate with Qing Wanglai. It was futile to speak with a madman; one should never expect to change a lunatic’s worldview through words.

"Qing Wanglai, I know the Great Nuo went mad, but I truly did not know that even the Sanqing, who govern the secret Heavenly Dao, were also insane. You being crazy is one thing, but I cannot follow you into madness. If the sky falls, someone must hold it up."

Li Huowang’s hand slowly reached behind his back, silently gripping the military knife tucked there.

"Are you so intolerant of those whose perceptions differ from yours? Must you label anyone with a different worldview or understanding a psychopath? If I am a psychopath in your eyes, then what are you in the eyes of the masses?"

"If I am a madman, then does that not mean all of you are as well?"

Qing Wanglai turned around, pointing at everyone in the room.

"If by your standards I am insane, then all of you are insane too! Every one of you is a psychopath!"

Hearing this, a frowning Ba Nanxu turned to Zhao Shuandian, who was typing away. "Hey, I can't take this shit anymore. Let's just kill him."

The next moment, Li Huowang lunged forward. As he exerted force, his wounds, which had just stopped bleeding, tore open once more.

The blood-crusted knife in his hand left a blur as it hacked toward Qing Wanglai’s waist, clearly intending to dismember him.

The Sanqing had gone completely mad, and since he wanted to kill everyone, he had to be eliminated so the Heavenly Dao within him could be seized! Only then could the utility be maximized!

Under the gaze of his single eye, Li Huowang watched his blade strike hard against Qing Wanglai’s waist.

But to his shock, there was no spray of blood; instead, the point of impact rang out with a crisp, metallic sound. "Clang!"

Beneath the torn clothing, a pitch-black bulletproof vest was revealed.

Li Huowang did not hesitate; he flicked his wrist upward, driving the sharp blade toward Qing Wanglai’s throat.

"Nana! Shoot! Blow his head off!"

Yang Na fired without hesitation, but that split second was enough for Qing Wanglai to react.

As the gunshot rang out, he anticipated the movement, ducked, reached out to grab Li Huowang’s wrist, and yanked it to the left. A cold muzzle pressed against Li Huowang’s temple.

"Nobody move!"

Suddenly, three guns formed a triangle. No one dared to act first, fearing the other might be provoked into pulling the trigger.

Qing Wanglai looked down at the battered Li Huowang, his smile returning. "Don't move around; you don't have much blood left. I calculated the time for when you’d be severely wounded. If you were in your normal state, I’d truly fear being taken down by you."

With a "snap," the door behind Qing Wanglai was kicked open. A man wrapped in explosives, wearing reflective toad-eye sunglasses, walked in holding a detonator in one hand and scrolling through his phone with the other, the screen blaring harsh game music.

"Nobody move, alright? If anyone dares to move, I’ll blow this dump to hell and we can all go out together."

Seeing the bundles of explosives on him, the atmosphere in the room turned heavy; even the sound of Zhao Shuandian’s typing ceased.

Zhao Shuandian looked at Qing Wanglai earnestly. "Qing Wanglai, do you really think it’s appropriate to engage in infighting and deplete our strength on the eve of a great war?"

Qing Wanglai shrugged. "Why not? Do you think that without infighting, we could defeat such an existence by working together? Don't be delusional. You have no idea what we are facing, do you, Li Huowang?"

"You know, if converted to the time of the projections, that existence will reach our real world in only eight days."

The signature smile faded from Qing Wanglai’s face. He scanned the face of everyone in the room.

"We only have eight days left. Only eight days, not a single day more."

"We have no time to wait. If my plan does not succeed within these eight days, not only will the projections on both sides vanish, but the real 'us' will cease to exist as well."

"Since the outcome is already set, what does it matter if the projections collapse eight days early? Of two evils, choose the lesser; at least this way, we can save the real us."