After hearing Yun Shu's plan, the little fox's eyes widened, and it hopped around in anxiety. “Host, don't be impulsive! Let's think of another way. You can't do that. If the male lead believes it completely, you will never be able to complete the mission, and you'll be stuck in this book world forever, unable to return to your original world!”
If it were just about controlling the increase in Favorability, it would raise both front and back paws in support. But Yun Shu's plan wasn't to control the growth of Favorability—it was to burn her bridges and completely eliminate the threat of Favorability once and for all.
“This cruel world has turned Wuling City into a living hell, leaving the commoners with no way to survive. And Wuling City is far from the only one in the south; the living conditions for the commoners in other cities will only be worse than here.”
Yun Shu took out the Dream-Entering Bell and sighed. “Tongzi, under such pressing circumstances, I really don't have much time to waste on Shen Jue. Even if I can't return to the modern world because of this, I won't regret it. This is my duty as a police officer. My parents would definitely support my decision, and maybe they would even be proud of their daughter.”
“Host.”
The little fox said dejectedly, “Is it really worth going this far for a fictional world?”
“If I feel it is worth it, then it is.”
Yun Shu's voice was resolute.
Even though it knew it couldn't sway Yun Shu's resolve, the little fox couldn't help but try to persuade her. “How about we think about it some more? There must be other ways...”
Yun Shu shook her head. “I've thought of many ways, but none of them solve the problem once and for all like this one.”
As she spoke, she gently shook the Dream-Entering Bell.
Shen Jue's hand holding the brush froze slightly over the official document. A drop of ink fell, blooming into a dark stain.
He blinked subconsciously, trying to shake off the sudden wave of drowsiness, but his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
Before long, he lost consciousness.
When he opened his eyes again, he was standing amidst ruins.
The plaque of the Marquis of Ningyuan's estate was snapped in two. The charred word "Marquis" had rolled to his feet, still licking with unextinguished flames.
He recognized the threshold in front of him.
In his childhood, he was always tripped by that three-inch-high piece of wood, and his mother would laughingly reach out to help him up.
Now, a charred corpse leaned against the threshold.
He could faintly make out a jade bracelet on the wrist—it was a dowry gift from his maternal grandmother when his mother had her hair-pinning ceremony.
“Mother!” With a heavy thud, he fell to his knees, crawling forward to pull the charred corpse into his arms, weeping uncontrollably.
“Brother, go... quickly, go...”
Shen Yu's weak, halting voice rang in his ears. He snapped his head up, only to see an arrow piercing through Shen Yu's body. Shen Yu collapsed to the ground, his blood pooling and flowing into the cracks of the bluestone pavers, forming dark red rivulets.
“Fuyan! Fuyan!”
Shen Jue practically crawled over.
His hand accidentally pressed onto something slick. Looking down, he realized it was his younger sister's spear. The tassel was soaked in blood, tangled into a dark clump.
It was the birthday gift he had given his younger sister, A'ying.
He still remembered how, when she received the gift, she had smiled and told him she would hug it to sleep every night from then on.
“Eldest Brother?”
A'ying's voice?
Shen Jue shuddered violently and turned his head.
There, he saw...
Shen Ying stood not far away, her lips trembling as bloody foam bubbled from the corners of her mouth. “Why did you have to fall in love with the Divine Lady? You were the one who got Mother, Father, and Second Brother killed. It's all your fault...”
Before she could finish her sentence, fire rained down from the sky, landing directly on her and Shen Yu, who lay in a pool of blood.
Shen Jue watched the scene, his eyes nearly splitting.
“No! A'ying!”
He stumbled and ran forward, desperately trying to save Shen Ying, but in the end, he only managed to scoop up a handful of scattering ash.
When he snapped out of his daze, he saw his father, the Marquis of Ningyuan, slumped in the armchair in the main hall. His father stared at him with eyes full of disappointment, saying in deep pain, “Changfeng, how could a mortal like you dare to desecrate the Divine Lady? You have truly been foolish!”
Shen Jue knelt in the middle of the devastated courtyard.
He opened his mouth but could make no sound. It felt as if something had shattered inside his chest, the shards piercing into his ribs. The pain was so intense that he curled inward, pressing his forehead against the ground.
Blood flowed in from all directions.
His father's, his mother's, his brother's, his sister's—it all mingled together, indistinguishable.
Suddenly...
A cold figure materialized above the ruins. She wore robes as white as snow, possessing a peerless celestial beauty, yet her eyes were as cold as frost.
Shen Jue stiffly raised his head, revealing an exceptionally pale face filled with despair.
“Divine Lady, I was wrong...”
His voice was hoarse. “I beg of You... please, spare my family. I will do anything. I will serve You like a beast of burden, suffer eternal damnation—I will accept it all. Just please spare them...”
The Divine Lady looked down at him, her expression completely tranquil.
“There is a boundary between gods and mortals. For you to harbor mortal desires is a desecration of the divine. Once divine punishment is decreed, there is no turning back.”
With a wave of Her delicate hand...
...countless torrents of fire rained down from the heavens once more.
This time, they fell upon the entire mortal world.
“No! I beg of You, no!”
Shen Jue lunged forward, crawling on his knees across the scorching bluestones. The fabric of his trousers burned away, and his flesh charred against the heat.
He frantically kowtowed to the Divine Lady in the sky.
But it was in vain.
Countless people—some he knew, some he didn't—perished one after another beneath the heavenly fire, their wails echoing everywhere.
The wrath of a deity could reduce mortals to ash in an instant.
“General Shen, wake up. What's wrong?”
A muffled voice pulled Shen Jue from his dream. He panted heavily for a few breaths before realizing he was slumped over his desk.
“General Shen, your face is very pale.”
Pei Du stood on the other side of the desk, handing Shen Jue a cup of warm tea. “Have you been overworking yourself these past few days?”
Shen Jue took the tea cup, his fingertips trembling slightly.
“It is nothing.” He took a sip of tea, his throat dry. “I spent too long reviewing documents and had a dream.”
Pei Du gave him a thoughtful look. “Perhaps you should rest for a few days, General Shen. With General Feng and myself here in Wuling City, nothing major should go wrong.”
“No need,” Shen Jue refused immediately.
In the tree opposite them, Yun Shu put away her Dream-Entering Bell.
“Host, that was a brutal move.” The little fox looked at the numbers displayed on the system panel and sighed in awe. “The male lead's Favorability toward you dropped directly from 70 to 50.”
“Alright, time to get to our actual work.”
Yun Shu stood up and gazed out at the distant sea. “Ten days is still too slow. I need to find a way to get Shen Yu and the others to Wuling City within five days.”
Rogue armies like Chen Chao's were like locusts.
When they seized a city, they only cared about plundering, burning, and killing. They had absolutely no regard for the lives of the commoners, let alone rebuilding the city.
Wuling City was so heavily damaged that relying solely on the ten thousand soldiers of the Zhenbei Army to help rebuild was far from enough.
Furthermore, there were too many disabled and helpless people in the city, which meant resources would be consumed extremely fast. In particular, the medical supplies carried by the military physicians were already running critically low.
Rate on N.U.
