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Deus Ex Machina: Chapter 31
Chapter 31
“Hey, you…” Yang Jin was provoked by Meng Die’s final remark. Reflecting on his life, it seemed like he’d never managed to gain any advantage in a fight against women. He couldn’t understand why the women in Qianfan, despite having different styles, all fought so fiercely. Meng Die was over forty years old. Logically speaking, even if she hadn’t retired, she should have passed her prime, yet when fighting him, she held her own effortlessly.
Yang Jin could feel that she was unlike any opponent he had ever encountered, on a completely different level from his past teammates.
“Now that things are out in the open, let’s not just stand around here.” Feng Mang stepped in to stop Yang Jin, smiling as he spoke to everyone, “We’re all on the same side, right? The same side…” He signaled to Zhan Feng with his eyes to release He Xun. Zhan Feng glanced at Yang Jin, and only after Yang Jin nodded did he let go.
“Alright, let’s go.” Feng Mang urged.
As Ying Si passed Yang Jin, he whispered mockingly, “So you’ve finally met your match today.”
Yang Jin didn’t look too great after the fight, but he wasn’t angry at Ying Si’s taunts. The fact was, he had almost been thrown out of a building dozens of floors high by Meng Die. At this point, arguing over a little face wasn’t worth it.
He knew that he wouldn’t lose in a verbal spat with Ying Si, but the problem was, winning wouldn’t mean much.
What really surprised him was Shi Yixi’s intervention.
No, it was very surprising.
This kid’s growth was almost measurable by the second. Just how much more power could erupt from that seemingly frail body? Yang Jin couldn’t help but look forward to finding out.
“What were you thinking?” Yang Jin asked Shi Yixi in a low voice. “That was incredibly dangerous just now. Weren’t you afraid of getting caught in the middle?”
Shi Yixi replied, “I acted on instinct. Didn’t think much about it.”
Ying Si chimed in, “Should we test Dalia next time?”
Shi Yixi laughed, “Let’s not…”
Dalia turned her head, “What are you guys saying about me?”
Ying Si shrugged, “Nothing, you misheard.”
After that intense battle, no one dared approach Meng Die for a conversation. Instead, they all moved to a meeting room where Feng Mang made them some coffee, though no one really wanted to drink it.
Holding his own cup, Feng Mang kept a safe distance from Meng Die and asked, “So… who wants to start?”
Yang Jin spoke to Meng Die, “Go on with what you were saying. I’ve served in Qianfan for quite some time, yet I’ve never heard of what you just mentioned.” He also glanced at Bai Yunci and Zhan Feng, but both of them shook their heads.
“How would I know?” Meng Die countered. “In Qianfan, no one has equal access to information. And once you leave, it’s as if you never existed. With so many unknowns… how would I know?”
Yang Jin pressed, “You served in Qianfan. What about your husband? Why did you both retire? And why has your husband ended up like this? Surely, you can answer those questions.”
Meng Die, growing impatient with Yang Jin’s questions, shifted her arms. He Xun gently held her back and said calmly, “I also served in Qianfan. I was the head of the medical team, and I met Xiao Die during a mission. We formed a family after that. Later, due to an injury I sustained, I could no longer stay in Qianfan, so Xiao Die retired with me. After retiring, we moved to Aurora and have been living here ever since.”
When He Xun mentioned that he had been the head of the medical team, both Yang Jin and Zhan Feng showed expressions of surprise. In Qianfan, no role was strictly limited to just its core responsibilities. In truth, everyone was multitalented, and only those with particularly strong skills in a certain area were assigned to specific roles. If what He Xun said was true, then he must have been an exceptionally talented man back then to lead such a key department like the medical team.
Even Bai Yunci hadn’t reached that position for certain reasons.
Yang Jin and Zhan Feng exchanged glances and looked at Bai Yunci. Based on the calculations, He Xun should be considered Bai Yunci’s senior. However, Bai Yunci seemed completely unaware of He Xun’s existence. Frowning, he asked, “It looks like I need to ask the same question as Yang Jin. We were in the same department, and I’ve served even longer than Yang Jin. Why do I know nothing about you?”
He Xun replied, “There are some people who leave Qianfan without a trace, and all evidence of their existence is thoroughly erased. Even the heroes of the time are quickly forgotten.”
“Forgetting doesn’t mean disappearing,” Yang Jin paused before continuing, “Wait, your explanation doesn’t sound like retirement due to injury. It sounds like there’s more to the story.”
He Xun glanced at Meng Die, who let out a snort, as if she wasn’t going to stop him from speaking. He Xun then said, “Twenty years ago, Xiao Die and I, as some of the best members at the time, participated in a secret mission. To this day, I still don’t know the full scope of the mission. We joined after it had already been going on for years, and we were only responsible for a small part of it. Xiao Die was in charge of escorting some items to Qianfan, while I was in the lab at Qianfan, working alongside the mission’s branch leader, Guan… Guan…”
“Guan Jincheng,” Yang Jin filled in.
“Right, Guan Jincheng. Look at my memory.” He Xun smiled sheepishly. “I worked with him on some genetic research. Later, due to an accident during an experiment, I suffered severe radiation exposure, causing a rapid deterioration in my potential, and I could no longer stay in Qianfan. I had to retire. I didn’t mind too much—it was an experiment, after all. Sometimes, death is a normal outcome. Experiencing potential decay was still within my acceptable range. I accepted Qianfan’s decision, but Xiao Die couldn’t. She believed I ended up like this because of the work, and now that I was useless, Qianfan discarded me.”
“From a practical standpoint, the decision makes sense,” Yang Jin had barely spoken when he received a sharp glare from Meng Die. Helpless, Yang Jin added, “Da jie, people die in Qianfan every day. Being forced into retirement isn’t that big of a deal, right? At least in retirement, you get to live.”
“Do you think it’s the same thing? Retirement and dying in battle? I’d rather choose the latter,” Meng Die retorted. “Can you understand the feeling of giving everything for what you believe in, only to be discarded like trash rather than retiring with honor? In Qianfan, living long enough to retire isn’t always something to be proud of.”
Survival was the most primitive motivation for many.
Shi Yixi recalled his and Ying Si’s first—and only—visit to the Qianfan base. They passed through the Hall of Honor, where portraits of heroes hung, each brimming with vitality, though most of them were already dead. He didn’t know if the remaining ones had retired or stayed on duty. From Meng Die’s words, he could sense a hidden resentment, as if silently leaving Qianfan was more painful than death itself. For them, it seemed like a loss of dignity.
It was as though those who once stood tall like gods had fallen to the mortal realm, forced to endure the suffering of ordinary life that wasn’t meant for them. Potential slowly faded, and heroes became mundane. This never-ending normalcy was something no one wanted to face.
Sometimes, the fall from greatness was more terrifying than death.
Shi Yixi wondered what kind of life the survivors in that hall were living. He glanced at Yang Jin, one of them, though somehow different from the rest. Yang Jin had survived an enormous catastrophe, like a flower of life growing in the desolation of the wasteland, standing tall like a banner forever unfurled.
Perhaps his role at the top existed because so many people pinned their hopes on him. As long as he remained, things had not reached a point of no return.
Shi Yixi suddenly looked up and said, “Your photos aren’t in Qianfan’s Hall of Honor either. If you two were so great…”
“That’s why I said the mission was very secretive.” He Xun smiled. “We weren’t allowed to leave any traces.”
“What kind of mission was it?” Yang Jin asked.
He Xun shook his head. “I’ve already said, I don’t know. Aside from a few core members, no one knew. I only heard them mention it a few times. Every time they spoke, their eyes were filled with faith and hope. You may know this—many of us in science, including myself, often yearn for things beyond the material world.”
“You said Qianfan didn’t want you to leave any traces,” Yang Jin continued. “Then why were you allowed to retire? Fine, maybe you were, but what about her?” He hesitated, “This lady is clearly still in her prime. Why would Qianfan approve of her retirement?”
“Because we’re married,” He Xun explained. “Xiao Die had the right to make that choice. And after my potential decayed, we both became ordinary people. We posed no real threat to Qianfan. Worst case, we’re still on Qianfan’s observation list. Nobody would dare try to mug us on the street.”
He stopped speaking and glanced at Meng Die, then at Yang Jin, before asking, “You just had such an intense fight, and Qianfan didn’t issue any warnings? Strange…” He lowered his head in thought, as if considering some unacceptable possibility. “Could it be that Qianfan…”
“Yes, Qianfan is destroyed,” Yang Jin said. “Aside from the few of us, no one survived.”
He Xun fell silent. Meng Die, on the other hand, seemed a bit gleeful and softly remarked, “Serves them right.”
Her flippant attitude annoyed Feng Mang, who was an outsider in all this. He couldn’t understand why those involved seemed so indifferent to the loss of life. He stood up and said to Meng Die, “Do you even realize what it means for no one to survive? Are you really going to vent your anger at innocent people just because Qianfan abandoned your husband?”
“Oh, so you’re not blind after all?” Meng Die seemed to notice Feng Mang for the first time and chuckled. “Do I need you to tell me who I should like or dislike? I hate it when people stand on some nauseating moral high ground to judge my actions. Your standards are so high—have you met them yourself?”
“Of course I have…” Feng Mang started, his tone confident, but he couldn’t finish the sentence. Have he really? Wasn’t he involved in arms dealing, selling the most advanced technology to the Sanctum, and using the massive profits to fund the development of even more brutal weapons?
His desire for peace and his pursuit of technology seemed to be two infinite extremes. On the one hand, he admired love and peace; on the other hand, humanity’s endless greed and war were the eternal driving forces behind technological advancement.
There was nothing inherently wrong with technology, but he always conveniently ignored that violence was the essence of human society.
“Let’s talk about Xing Bao,” Yang Jin smoothly changed the subject, preventing the atmosphere from becoming even more tense. “The accident that caused your potential to deteriorate and damaged your body—how did you learn about Xing Bao? And why is Da jie… still in such peak condition? Does it have anything to do with Xing Bao?”
He Xun replied, “Her… I’m not sure either. The version of Haiyan we used back in our day might be different from yours. The effect of Haiyan hasn’t faded in her. Also, our selection process for entering Qianfan was more primitive compared to now. Back then, we didn’t have the kind of training from a young age that you have now. We all had different jobs before joining Qianfan. Before that, I was a surgeon… Sorry, I’m getting off track. She’s never used her potential in pursuit of a quiet life. As for me…” He smiled again. “People like us, living on the fringes of society, always make all sorts of friends. I learned about Xing Bao a few years ago. It couldn’t restore me to a normal state, but at least it made my life less painful.”
Yang Jin asked, “Can you provide us with any information about them?”
“No information,” He Xun had no reason to lie to them about this, and added, “It’s fairly widespread.”
Yang Jin’s gaze shifted to Zhan Feng, who said, “The production of Star Mark is indeed on a certain scale, but I don’t know how widely it’s distributed.”
“Maybe they’re trying to find retired individuals for…” Yang Jin couldn’t decide if it was an experiment or a plan, so he didn’t continue analyzing. He changed his tone to a more relaxed one and asked, “So, do you have any questions for me?”
Meng Die asked, “Who are you working for now? Qianfan? The Intercontinental Alliance? Or the Sanctum?”
“No one,” Yang Jin said. “I just do what I think is right.” He had Fan Fan pull up all the information sent by the Intercontinental Alliance. ZZ coldly recalled him, but he never responded.
Throughout this process, Meng Die stared at Yang Jin, as if she were the one conducting the interrogation. Only after hearing all the information did she finally speak, uttering just four words: “Do not reply.”
“Seems like my intuition was pretty spot on,” Yang Jin chuckled and shifted slightly closer to Meng Die. “What else do you know?”
Meng Die said, “I only want to know when we can leave. I don’t have much patience for questioning a defeated opponent.”
Ying Si burst out laughing, slapping his thigh, and Dalia, enjoying the drama, added, “Jie, I admire you.”
Yang Jin also laughed, though with a hint of helplessness. “For your safety, please don’t leave for now. If you need anything, talk to that guy.” He pointed to Feng Mang. “He’s got plenty of money, don’t be shy.”
“No, I want to leave,” Meng Die insisted.
Yang Jin replied, “Then shall we fight again?”
Meng Die asked, “Where do you get that confidence?”
Yang Jin merely looked at her calmly, though he sensed Shi Yixi beside him shifting slightly forward. He patted Shi Yixi, signaling that it was fine.
“Stop staring at me,” Meng Die seemed to understand Yang Jin’s gaze. “I’ve said everything I can. The Qianfan from twenty years ago and the Qianfan you know today are not the same world. Throughout the process, too many people have changed, too many people have disappeared, too many have been buried by history. We are really just the most insignificant grains of sand.”
“That’s not true,” Yang Jin said. “The contributions you made to this world, I believe they can be recovered.”
“It’s meaningless,” Meng Die replied.
The conversation ended with a sense of incompletion—no more useful information, no Intercontinental Alliance, no Sanctum. It was as if they had only revisited the faded glory of two down-and-out middle-aged people.
There was also a touch of bitterness.
In the end, following He Xun’s decision, he and Meng Die temporarily stayed in the building. Everyone dispersed, and Yang Jin went alone to the rooftop for some air.
“You don’t have to sneak around when walking,” Yang Jin said. “No matter how light, I can hear you.” He turned around and was unsurprised to see Shi Yixi. “What’s up?”
“It’s time to eat,” Shi Yixi said. “Dr. Bai asked me to come get you, it wasn’t my idea to bother you.”
“It’s fine,” Yang Jin wasn’t bothered by Shi Yixi’s clumsy explanation. “It’s not an interruption.”
Gathering his courage, Shi Yixi asked, “Are you thinking about something?”
“Yeah, a lot of things.” Yang Jin waved him over, then tapped his finger on Shi Yixi’s forehead. “You’ve been listening from start to finish. Any thoughts? Let’s see if that little brain of yours has gotten any smarter.”
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