Linbiangui Village-Infinite Streaming Chapter 42

Wu Zeng’s Identity

At the courtyard entrance, a figure had appeared unnoticed.

Wu Kai Ke held a pure black, long-handled umbrella. Rain streamed down the edges of the canopy, forming a curtain of water. He was impeccably dressed in a suit, his leather shoes gleaming, completely out of place in this muddy, bloody battlefield.

“You really are something,” Wu Kai Ke’s voice was soft, yet it clearly pierced the rain and reached everyone’s ears. “Wu Zeng, hmm?”

He bit down lightly on the last two words, but they hammered against Chen Jin’s eardrums like thunder.

Did he know Wu Zeng’s identity?

The iron shovel didn’t stop moving, carving a bowl-sized wound into Old Man Wu’s neck. White mycelium rolled and surged from the wound, and Old Man Wu’s gloomy head fell to the ground with a thud.

Wu Zeng completely ignored Wu Kai Ke’s provocation, merely focusing on rummaging through Old Man Wu’s jacket pocket.

Uncle A Dong was huddled under the eaves, his head covered by a bucket, his body rigid. Hearing Wu Kai Ke’s words, he subconsciously looked at Wu Zeng, then at Chen Jin, his face etched with confusion.

Wu Kai Ke’s gaze lingered on Wu Zeng’s face for a moment, a strange curve twisting his lips. He didn’t give Wu Zeng any chance to respond or question him, instead turning his attention to Chen Jin, his tone laced with excitement: “Student Chen Jin, this ‘companion’ of yours is truly remarkable, managing to keep up with you through so many worlds…”

The final words were directed at Chen Jin, but the tone clearly pointed the accusation at Wu Zeng.

Wu Zeng’s identity had always been like a small water droplet with a black spot in Chen Jin’s mind. Most of it was clear, but that small black spot remained impenetrable. Chen Jin didn’t know where this uncertainty came from; even though his relationship with Wu Zeng had deepened, there still seemed to be a membrane between them, thin as a cicada’s wing.

Chen Jin subtly glanced at Wu Zeng. The other man’s expression was composed. He pulled a small clod of earth from Old Man Wu’s chest. It was stained with Old Man Wu’s blood, the border region’s characteristic red soil appearing somewhat blackened, resembling a beetle about to spread its wings. He immediately threw it on the ground and crushed it underfoot.

“As long as we can leave, what else matters?!” Chen Jin took a step forward, confronting Wu Kai Ke directly.

“I don’t know whether to call you foolish or love-struck? But you certainly are generous…” Wu Kai Ke raised an eyebrow, his smile growing more sinister. His gaze returned to Wu Zeng. “If someone wanted to replace me, I wouldn’t be so…” He deliberately drew out the last syllable, enjoying the sight of Wu Zeng’s inadvertently tightened jawline.

With a loud clang, the iron shovel in Wu Zeng’s hand flew toward Wu Kai Ke. Wu Kai Ke calmly sidestepped to the left, dodging the incoming shovel, but his umbrella was knocked to the ground, leaving him exposed to the rain.

Old Man Wu’s mutilated body twitched and struggled in the mud. His severed head rolled once on the ground before stopping in a shallow puddle. The accumulated sewage covered half of his face, leaving one eye staring blankly at Wu Kai Ke.

Wu Kai Ke’s gaze didn’t shift an inch; the brutally killed Old Man Wu seemed irrelevant to him. Rain slid down his gold-rimmed glasses. He took them off and slowly wiped them clean, the smile on his lips gradually fading. “I’m not that easy to talk to, either.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Kai Ke shot forward from the doorway like an arrow released from a bow, resembling an Asura returned from hell.

Replace him? What did that mean? Before Chen Jin could process Wu Kai Ke’s words, the man had already punched Wu Zeng to the ground, immediately following up with an elbow strike to Wu Zeng’s back. The speed of the attack was too fast for anyone to react.

Wu Zeng hit the ground, violently spitting out a mouthful of blood. Blood, rain, and mud covered his handsome face, leaving him utterly wretched. The next second, a black leather shoe stomped heavily onto his face.

This was the most pathetic state Chen Jin had ever seen Wu Zeng in.

Uncle A Dong desperately covered his mouth, terrified of making the slightest sound that might invite disaster. His eyes, fixed on Wu Zeng, were filled with incredulous shock.

“Wu Zeng!” Without time to think, Chen Jin lunged toward the two figures.

“Oh, did I say you could move?” Wu Kai Ke raised the iron shovel, stopping the charging Chen Jin.

“Watch out!” Bai Lao Da pushed Bai Lao Er back behind the door, signaling him to hide, while he himself frowned and poked his head out to search for Bai Lao San.

The third brother had suddenly disappeared somewhere. Just as Bai Lao Da peeked out, he saw Chen Jin’s reckless move. Even while hiding behind the door, he couldn’t help but shout.

If even the despicable Wu Zeng was suppressed like this, how could Chen Jin possibly gain the upper hand?

If he wanted to, he could kill anyone present at any moment. A chill ran up Chen Jin’s spine, and this thought inexplicably surfaced in his mind. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, mixing with the rain as it slid down his cheeks. Chen Jin’s gaze was fixed on Wu Zeng’s fallen figure, watching the body involuntarily curl and tremble from pain.

“What exactly do you want?!” Chen Jin’s voice was icy and sharp, every word squeezed out from between his teeth.

“I wasn’t finished talking just now,” Wu Kai Ke ground his leather shoe back and forth on Wu Zeng’s face. Wu Zeng’s refined features were covered in bloody streaks—a pure act of humiliation.

“Little Student Chen Jin, don’t you think Little Student Wu knows you a little too well?”

Chen Jin pursed his lips, remaining silent.

“After all, he is you from when you were little,” Wu Kai Ke dropped another bombshell.

“Boom—!”

A pale flash of lightning tore across the sky, followed by a thunderclap that shook the earth. The sudden light illuminated the messy courtyard of the Bai family. The rain was cold, washing away the bloodstains and mud on the ground, but failing to cleanse the air of the heavy, putrid stench.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Wu Kai Ke’s words exploded like a landmine in Chen Jin’s mind. His pupils trembled uncontrollably. He didn’t want to doubt Wu Zeng, but their shared experiences flashed through his mind: from the initial nickname, to their strangely identical food preferences, to the memories of childhood, and why Wu Zeng was the one who breached the boundary every time, yet he was the one confined in the cocoon…

Chen Jin involuntarily looked down, trying to find a negative answer, but Wu Zeng, lying on the ground, slowly closed his eyes, becoming utterly silent.

He had conceded.

Wu Zeng’s blood stained his clothes, a shocking sight. The image of him fearlessly blocking a fatal blow for Chen Jin in Mianziqing was still vivid, yet now he was silent? Chen Jin opened his mouth, but found he couldn’t utter a complete sentence.

Every word was like a heavy hammer striking Chen Jin’s heart. Chen Jin forcefully dug his fingernails into his palm, forcing himself to calm down, but his brain spun uncontrollably. Could Wu Kai Ke’s words be trusted? What was his relationship with Wu Zeng? Was Wu Zeng truly approaching him with ulterior motives?

Confused thoughts tangled Chen Jin’s mind like a mess of threads. The cocooning mass in his abdomen chose this moment to interfere, sending a sharp, searing pain through his stomach. The pain was so intense that Chen Jin nearly doubled over. He instinctively reached out to press his lower abdomen, his fingertips clearly feeling the area that had softened now hardening again, radiating an ominous heat.

Before anyone could react further, Wu Kai Ke tore open Wu Zeng’s clothes and raised his hand, slashing a cut across his lean back. As the blood flowed, his skin gradually became covered in dense red characters, like a blood curse. Looking closely—they were all Chen Jin’s name.

“Using someone else’s blood to write their name on yourself allows you to take that person with you when the world is broken. Many small-time players rely on this method to survive in the infinite worlds.” Wu Kai Ke paused, his eyes inadvertently glancing back toward Uncle A Dong.

Uncle A Dong jumped in fright and hurriedly scrambled behind a table. Bai Lao Da pulled his brother, hiding behind the door, covering their mouths, not daring to breathe.

“But what if the blood, the name, and the body all belong to the same person? It becomes writing your own name on yourself with your own blood. Then, no matter whether you or Chen Jin leaves, both of you can exit.” Wu Kai Ke moved his foot, grabbing Wu Zeng’s hair and lifting him up. The Wu Zeng who usually fought ten men at once now looked like a broken doll. Wu Kai Ke grabbed Wu Zeng’s jaw and squeezed down hard. The sound of bone cracking was sharp and terrifying. “Breaking three worlds allows you to fulfill a wish. Chen Jin’s wish is likely to leave, and yours is naturally to replace him…”

As long as Chen Jin wished to leave, they could both go, but there couldn’t be two Chen Jins in the same world, so Wu Zeng would have to choose replacement.

Wu Zeng’s eyes snapped open. His mouth opened weakly, saliva and blood mixing as they trickled out. He made “ah ah” sounds. His jaw was dislocated, and his arms hung limply.

Wu Zeng had lost.

Chen Jin unconsciously took two steps forward. Wu Zeng’s defeated and injured appearance made him feel a pang of sorrow, his chest heavy as if pressed by a large stone. The sharp edges of the stone dug into his liver.

Was he feeling sorry for himself? Chen Jin suddenly found the situation hilarious. A surge of blood rushed to his head, and his chest violently convulsed a few times. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, then burst into uncontrollable laughter.

The smugness on Wu Kai Ke’s face finally receded, replaced by the indifference of someone looking down at an ant. He slowly released his grip, and Wu Zeng tumbled to the ground.

Wu Kai Ke extended his hand toward Chen Jin, his voice low but carrying a deadly allure:

“I will take you out.” He paused, his gaze sweeping over the numb-eyed Chen Jin, finally settling on Wu Zeng’s face. He added, with a tone of condescension, “I can help you erase Wu Zeng’s memory. As long as you finish this world with me, everything that happened in this world can be treated as if it never existed.”

“What gives you the confidence to think I’ll leave with you?” Chen Jin raised his head, wiping the blood from his mouth, asking word by word.

Wu Kai Ke slightly lifted his chin. His glasses cast a small shadow over his face, and his lips curved into a cold, certain smile.

“After all—this is my world.”