Chapter Thirty-Six: The Truth Emerges

Hearing this, the people on the floor jolted, scrambling to their feet with practiced agility, heads bowed and not daring to make a sound.

"Good." Mu Chen pulled at the corner of his mouth, the curve cold and sharp.

"Now, all of you, get out and go next door."

"I want to have a word with Pan Guang personally."

"You... what are you trying to do?" Chen Xiaoxiao finally found her voice, her tone trembling with undisguised terror.

"Solving the problem, of course." Mu Chen glanced at her, a look that made her feel as though she had fallen into an icy abyss. "By the way, Chen Si asked me to pass a message to you."

Chen Xiaoxiao’s body shuddered violently; her chapped lips parted, as if grasping for something. "What... what message?"

"She said your sisterhood ends here." Every word from Mu Chen was like a poisoned ice needle. "She won’t do anything stupid for you ever again."

The color drained from Chen Xiaoxiao’s face in an instant. She swayed, barely able to stand.

The group was "escorted" into Room 1203. Pan Guang was indeed lying half-propped on the bed, his complexion sallow, his shoulders and thighs wrapped in thick bandages stained with dark, dried blood.

"Mu Chen!"

Enemies are always particularly hostile when they meet. The moment Pan Guang saw Mu Chen, his eyes seemed ready to spit fire. "You son of a bitch!"

"Oh, looks like you’re recovering well enough." Mu Chen looked him up and down, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "Being able to curse with such vigor means the injuries aren't exactly fatal."

"Why are you here?!" Pan Guang gritted his teeth, each word squeezed through the gaps. "Here to mock me?"

"No, I’m here to make a deal with you." Mu Chen sat down on the chair by the bed with an air of authority, crossing his legs. "A deal concerning all the mess between us."

"A deal?" Pan Guang acted as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world, though the movement pulled at his wounds, making him wince in pain. "What kind of damn deal could I possibly have with you?"

"Your life."

Mu Chen uttered the two words, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop to the freezing point.

"I can grant you a way out. The condition is that you take your people, get out of this building, and never appear in front of me again."

Pan Guang was stunned. He had imagined countless possibilities, but this was the last thing he expected from Mu Chen.

Xiao Mu, standing nearby, panicked. "Brother Guang, don't listen to him! This kid is wicked; he’s definitely plotting something!"

"Shut your mouth!" Pan Guang glared at Xiao Mu, then turned back to Mu Chen, his gaze complex. "Why would you let me go?"

"Because killing you would just dirty my hands." Mu Chen’s answer surprised everyone present. "In this world, it’s hard enough to survive. There’s no need for one of us to die for things to be settled, wouldn't you agree?"

"Stop acting like such a saint!" Pan Guang spat. "You didn't hold back when you stabbed me last time!"

"That was because you drew your claws first." Mu Chen’s tone remained flat. "Now, the choice is yours. Either accept my conditions and get out with your people, or we continue this game until one of us is permanently lying down."

A dead silence filled the room. Everyone’s nerves were strained, waiting for Pan Guang’s final answer. Pan Guang stared fixedly at Mu Chen, trying to find any sign of deception.

After a long while, he squeezed out a question: "You... are you really going to let me go?"

"When I, Mu Chen, give my word, it’s as firm as a nail."

"Fine!" Pan Guang slammed his hand on the edge of the bed, the vibration causing his wounds to throb with fresh pain. "I agree! But I have one condition!"

"Speak."

"I want to take that bitch, Chen Xiaoxiao, with me!" A malevolent light flared in Pan Guang’s eyes as he locked onto the cowering Chen Xiaoxiao. "She betrayed Chen Si, and she betrayed all of you too! A two-faced snake like her is nothing but trouble."

Hearing this, Chen Xiaoxiao felt her soul leave her body. She wept, begging piteously, "No... please... I beg you... don't take me away..."

Mu Chen’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before he gave a slight nod. "Fine."

"Mu Chen!" Chen Xiaoxiao screamed in despair, crawling toward him to grab his legs. "Please save me! I know I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! I’ll never do it again!"

"You know you were wrong now?" Mu Chen stood up, looking down at her with a voice devoid of warmth. "When you conspired with them to plot against Chen Si, did you ever think about a day like this?"

"I... I was forced to do it... I had no choice..." Chen Xiaoxiao babbled incoherently.

"Forced?" Mu Chen scoffed. "And aren't you being forced now? What's the difference?"

Without looking at her again, he turned and headed for the door. "Pan Guang, I’ll give you three days to pack your people and your things and get out. Remember our agreement, and don't force me to do this myself."

"Wait!" Pan Guang called out behind him. "What if you break your word? What if you change your mind halfway?"

"If I wanted you dead, you’d already be a corpse." Mu Chen didn't stop, his voice drifting back from the doorway.

"Remember, you only get this one chance. Don't make me regret today's decision."

As he reached the door, he paused, as if remembering something, and looked back at the people in the room, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Oh, and Xiao Mu."

"Yes? What... what is it, Brother Chen?" Xiao Mu felt a chill down his spine and quickly responded.

Mu Chen curled his lips into a meaningful smile. "Be careful of the people around you."

"In this apocalypse, the most dangerous thing is often not the monsters outside."

"It is the human heart."

The faint light of dawn pierced through the curtains, reflecting on Mu Chen’s face. He took the Spirit Fruit, which glowed with a faint blue luster, out of his system space.

"Another auxiliary item?" Mu Chen frowned, examining the fruit in his palm. "Can’t I get an ability that actually fights?"

The fruit melted as soon as it touched his lips, a refreshing coolness flowing down his throat and deep into his mind. In an instant, the entire world appeared anew in his perception.

[Congratulations to the host for acquiring the ability: Spirit Detection]

[Ability Description: Can perceive the emotional fluctuations and approximate locations of living beings within a specific range.]

[Current Level: LV1, detection radius of 50 meters.]

Mu Chen closed his eyes, and an invisible mental force quietly spread out with him at the center.

In the next room, Chen Si sat on the edge of the bed, her heart a mix of "anxiety" and "anticipation."

From the floor above came a strong sense of "fear."

Downstairs, the air was filled with a suffocating "despair."

"This ability will likely be of great use in the black fog." Mu Chen opened his eyes, a slight curve appearing on his lips.

He reached into his space and pulled out another Spirit Fruit, just about to pop it into his mouth.

With a soft creak, the door was carefully pushed open, leaving just a sliver of an opening.