Chapter 394: Stage A Concludes, The Tianxuan Incident! (Two-in-One)

"A bad person?"

Crocodile smiled and shook his head. "You've never seen a true bad person. Or rather, strictly speaking, there are no good guys or bad guys."

"If you consider helping them a good deed, then the bad things I've done far outnumber anything you could imagine."

"If there's no distinction between good and bad, why did you stop doing those bad things, Mr. Crocodile?" Yan Jing asked mildly.

He was genuinely curious.

Experiencing other people's different lives had always been his hobby.

Crocodile smiled. "While there's no strict good or bad, I personally have my own sense of what's right and wrong."

"The old me would have thought my current actions were wrong. Because of certain events, my perspective has flipped."

Yan Jing nodded. "I've learned something."

Crocodile started toward the door. Just as he reached the entrance, he turned back to look at Yan Jing and Zeng Qing, as if recalling something.

"Want to grab a beer together?"

Seeing the two exchange glances, he scratched his head. "Or coffee works too."

"That doesn't seem quite appropriate, Mr. Crocodile." Ultimately, it was Zeng Qing who stepped up to decline.

"Alright." Crocodile smiled. "I just wanted to say—" He lowered his voice slightly. "We can accept a private settlement. Some of the families might not agree, but I can convince them."

This time, Yan Jing answered.

"A private settlement is for when the favored side risks losing, Mr. Crocodile. Right now, I don't see how we lose."

Yan Jing's smile was gentle.

"Alright." Crocodile gave a helpless shrug, draped his coat over his shoulders, and gave himself a shake. "You're right. What a bad kid."

With that, he stepped out, disappearing beyond the door.

"What do we do now?"

Zeng Qing placed Yan Jing on her shoulder.

"We don't need to do anything," Yan Jing smiled. "Just waiting is enough."

Five in the morning.

On the balcony.

Yan Jing and Tianxuan were drinking together.

Two wine glasses sat on the round table. An incandescent bulb overhead, connected to the house by an extremely long wire, cast a dim yellow glow that refracted through the glass and painted halos on the tabletop.

Tianxuan took a sip of her limited-edition '54 Rose Estate vintage and smiled. "The biggest news in Peace Heavenly Kingdom right now is Nuochen Biotech's advantage in the first trial. Countless articles are clearing their name. Truly a corporate giant—their legal and PR departments are no joke."

—

"It's easy to imagine that Nuochen Biotech is doing everything possible to forge evidence and plug all the holes from the first trial."

"The rest of the news is dominated by promotional posts for that Reform Faction parliament member. I have to admit, the team backing Crocodile has some real skill."

"Oh."

Yan Jing also took a sip from his glass of Unlucky Boy Milk. "You know I'm not interested in this."

"Of course. After all, you're human, Mr. Yan." Tianxuan set down her glass and leaned forward, her charming face gaining an air of mystery under the dim light. "But a very interesting human."

"Thanks."

Yan Jing also leaned in until the distance between them was less than a fist's width.

"So you know why I came, Ms. Tianxuan."

"It was only because you told me something very interesting would happen tonight that I gave up my rare time off to come freeze on this balcony with you."

"How unromantic." Tianxuan rolled her eyes in exasperation, her charm fully on display, before bringing up her Holographic Screen.

It was densely packed with files.

Yan Jing caught a glimpse of a few titles:

Qiu—233

Wen—228

Li—351

"What are these numbers?"

Yan Jing looked at Tianxuan, curious.

"A code only I understand."

Tianxuan smiled slightly. "I can tell you what the first of the three digits means. It represents their status level—the smaller the number, the higher the rank."

"Of course, if you were willing to open your heart to me, Mr. Yan, I could tell you the meaning behind the last two digits as well."

Tianxuan offered a suggestive smile, making no attempt to hide her intentions.

Yan Jing chuckled, noncommittal.

Finally, he watched as Tianxuan opened a file named Zeng—324.

Inside was a detailed record of the plan's entire process.

Tianxuan located a structural report regarding the waste discharge system of a Nuochen Biotech factory and forwarded it straight to an unknown number. It contained meticulous details on the locations of the hidden waste-dumping rooms, even including photographs.

"That's the number of our parliament member and lawyer."

Tianxuan smiled. "Soon, this information will be synchronized across the internet."

"This isn't very interesting." Yan Jing's expression showed clear disappointment. "I don't care for all these convoluted political games."

"But you should be interested in the mission, right?" Tianxuan laughed. "Now it's time for your performance. I imagine if you start a livestream after the news breaks, the impact will be absolutely explosive."

"When that happens, will you still need to worry about a low mission rating?"

Hearing this, Yan Jing finally smiled. "Now that is interesting."

Seeing his smile, the corners of Tianxuan's mouth curled up, and she raised her glass. "To our friendship, Mr. Yan."

"To us."

Yan Jing raised his Unlucky Boy Milk as well.

A crisp clink of glass rang out.

Soon, the plan unfolded exactly as Tianxuan had predicted.

"Shocking! Nuochen Biotech Factory Waste Discharge Structure Exposed!"

"Unspeakable! Such Waste Dumping Facilities Are Right Beside Us?!!"

"Unbelievable!!! Click Here Now!!!"

At Tianxuan's signal, article after article rapidly sprang up online, forming a torrent that slammed into the current of public opinion manufactured by Nuochen Biotech—and swallowed it whole in an instant.

Yan Jing started his livestream.

The moment his face appeared, countless viewers were thrown into shock.

"Holy crap! Bro, you can't just cosplay him!"

"Damn it! Kick this guy out of Peace Heavenly Kingdom!!!"

"Get lost!!!"

But Yan Jing merely offered a faint smile. "Hello, everyone. We meet again—"

Muke District.

Plague headquarters.

Papa Rat's office.

Crocodile barged in frantically, throwing the door open. "Something happened! Something happened!"

"Mhm."

Papa Rat sat inside his beloved teacup, not even raising his head.

"I said something happened!" Crocodile stared in shock.

—

"And I said mhm." Papa Rat still didn't look up.

"Why aren't you asking me what happened?"

Crocodile pursed his lips, speechless.

"I have eyes." Papa Rat sighed. "If my guess is right, you must have received the evidence regarding Nuochen Biotech's waste discharge."

"Exactly!" Crocodile gave a thumbs-up, but then his brows furrowed tightly. "Who do you think wants to mess with Nuochen Biotech at a time like this?"

"I don't know." Papa Rat shook his head.

It wasn't that he couldn't think of any candidates; rather, there were simply too many.

If you took a public poll on the street, out of a hundred people, at least twenty would want Nuochen Biotech dead.

If you polled all the higher-ups, everyone except those directly affiliated with the company would want it destroyed.

The fall of a single whale nourishes all life—that was exactly the principle at play here.

"Then tell me, who is the most likely to want to take down Nuochen Biotech right now?"

Crocodile rephrased his question. At times like this, he always trusted his old friend's wisdom.

Rat had an incredibly abnormal ability: intuition.

Derived from a Gene Potion sourced from the distant past, it allowed him to seek fortune and avoid disaster.

Rat flipped his wrist, pointing at the rows of names on the Holographic Screen. "Them."

"Them?"

Crocodile looked at the various avatars and names.

"Stockholders??"

"These are the people with the most liquid capital in the stock market right now," Rat said slowly.

Crocodile fell silent for a few seconds before finally nodding.

"I don't think that's unreasonable."

"Nuochen Biotech won't collapse over a single pollution scandal, but their stock price will absolutely plummet. And if that person has some method to buy the dip after the crash and then restore the company's reputation—"

"Goodbye, friends."

Yan Jing ended the livestream.

Next to him, Tianxuan, her hands resting on the railing, began to smile. "You know? What I want is actually very simple. I just want to make this country a little better."

It was already past six in the morning. The faint light of the rising sun swept over her along with the wind, like ocean waves. Her blowing hair made her look like a painting.

Tianxuan watched the sun rising between the haphazardly scattered houses in the distance and gave a faint smile. "What I want is for the people in the Anthill to truly have enough to eat. I want this Peace Heavenly Kingdom to actually live up to its name."

"Achieving this goal won't be easy. These corporate behemoths have existed on this land for far too long. All we can do is whittle away at their public trust, time and time again."

"This kind of weakening needs to be long-term and relentless."

"Therefore—the sacrifice of some people is necessary, even inevitable."

She turned her head, looking at Yan Jing amidst the gentle breeze and warm sunlight. "Can you understand that, Mr. Yan?"

Yan Jing shook his head. "It's a pity. I've never had any thoughts about saving the world."

"Is that so—"

A trace of loneliness flickered across Tianxuan's face. She walked over to Yan Jing, who was sitting in his chair, leaned down, and took his hand. "But I still want to thank you for everything you've done for this country."

"Mhm."

Yan Jing held her hand and gently pulled her into his embrace. "Just saying thanks is too verbal," he said softly. "I want a reward I can see and touch."

"What do you want—"

Tianxuan let herself fall against his chest, looking up at him with hazy eyes.

Just as she had thought before, she wasn't opposed to something happening with him. On the contrary, she even felt a faint excitement at the prospect of such rare stimulation.

"I want the book."

The blunt words were like a basin of ice water poured directly over her head.

Tianxuan's gaze instantly cleared. She pushed herself up from his arms in disbelief, staring at him. "What do you want?"

"I want to see that book of yours."

Yan Jing pointed at her long skirt. "The one you pulled out from under your skirt last time."

"You—"

No matter how strong her composure was, Tianxuan was on the verge of losing it. Her face flushed bright red as she finally shouted, "Hooligan!!!"

"—"

Having been scolded, Yan Jing helplessly pursed his lips. "So, how can I get to see that book?"

"Get lost!"

Tianxuan stormed off in a huff.

Yan Jing was left alone on the balcony.

He picked up his Unlucky Boy Milk and slowly finished it.

Only when the clock's hands pointed to eight did he exit the Inner World and return to his room in the Surface World.

[Dungeon Peace Heavenly Kingdom Stage A Completed]

[Dungeon calculating...]

[Mission 'Partners in Crime' calculating. The Player spread pollution to a total of eleven factories (original max score requirement was six factories). Livestream viewership reached nearly one million. Tianxuan's mission has been perfectly completed. Mission rating: S (Highest rating is S)]

[Overall Dungeon Rating: S]

[Calculating rewards...]

[Base Rewards: 1% EXP, 10,000 Eerie Coins]

[S-Rating Extra Rewards: 20% EXP, 10,000 Eerie Coins, Ritual Blessing Coupon 1 (Bound Item), Inner World Box Key 1 (Bound Item), Lucky Scratch Ticket * 1]

[The anomaly you deployed is currently infecting this region. Click to view anomaly type.]

Yan Jing clicked open the anomaly type.

[Anomaly Name: Plant Spores]

[Anomaly Description: You chose this anomaly out of three options.

For Peace Heavenly Kingdom, Gene Potions and mechanical cores are the main themes, but this is unfair to plants.

If there are Gene Potions, why are there no plant potions? If there are animal species, why are there no Plant Species? If there are mechanical cores, why are there no plant cores? Therefore, the plants have felt this injustice and are prepared to let the people here taste their fury.]

[Anomaly Effect: Those parasitized by Plant Spores will gradually mutate from their original genetics into plant genetics. When their plant genetics reach a certain threshold, they will begin to loathe people and things lacking plant genetics. Once the plant gene conversion is complete, they will transform into a completely new species—a Plant Species. Anomaly Degree: You have adjusted the anomaly degree to 3 (1-10). This level of anomaly will not cause death. How merciful of you.]

[Method of Anomaly: You have buried three Origin Plants in different locations. They will continuously release transparent Plant Spores. These spores will only manifest visibly in areas with Fertile Soil; otherwise, Anomalous Energy Detection from an individual of a higher Tier than you is required to spot them. Once the infection reaches a certain amount, a new Origin Plant will be produced. When all Origin Plants are completely eradicated, this anomaly event will end.]

[Anomaly Progress: 0.047%]

Yan Jing then opened his personal status panel:

[Player Name: Yan Jing] [Honorary Title: Yi]

[Player Level: 5th Tier, EXP (48.5% / 100%)]

[Rituals:

Day Selection Ritual: Fear Sapling (Black-Orange)

Calming Rite: Lord of Execution's Silk Thread (Orange)

Incense Burning Rite: Wings of Praying for Death - Chongming (Orange-Red)

Rite of Summer and Winter Sacrifices: Stone Immortal (Semi-Complete Form) (Red)

Shaolao Rite: Moonlight (Mutated) (Silver)]

"Everything is ready," Yan Jing said softly.

Two days later.

Nochen Bio Tower, office.

Zeng Qing and Yan Jing were discussing the specifics of the second trial set for the following day when the office door was suddenly shoved open.

A familiar figure appeared in the doorway.

"Zeng Ru, why are you here?"

Zeng Qing furrowed her brows as she looked at the Rabbit Woman stepping inside.

—

Several bodyguards trailed behind the Rabbit Woman.

"Heh, you've only been the executive director for a few days, and you've already stopped calling me sister?"

"I suggest you get the hell out of here, Zeng Qing." The Rabbit Woman offered a slight smile.