Chapter 249: Manor of Deception

Inside the manor hall, the atmosphere was eerily strange.

Standing before Yenir, Lin Rui gaped in disbelief, his mind a jumble of confusion.

Just minutes earlier, a youth roughly his age had boldly declared that Lin Rui was destined to save the world—claiming he had traveled through time from the future!

According to the youth, it wouldn’t be long before a zombie virus erupted, unleashing hordes of mutated creatures and monsters to obliterate human civilization!

And Lin Rui was destined to become the leader of future survivors!

The absurd, movie-like scenario left him utterly at a loss.

“Why me?!”

“Are you really time travelers from the future?!”

With an expression of incredulity, he thought about how, just two hours ago, he was at school. Now, the object of his infatuation had called him home, only for him to witness a nuclear explosion midway, military mobilizations on his way, and finally a mysterious group decimating an entire army!

Such a bizarre turn of events would scare even the fiercest of dogs if told.

“That’s right.”

Casually leaning back on the sofa, Yenir nodded sincerely.

Though his story was pure fabrication meant to placate the other party, in a way, he was speaking the truth.

The instant he saw Lin Rui, Yenir was quick to gauge the young man’s character.

Kind-hearted, with a hint of foolish courage.

At that moment, Lin Rui was the epitome of a hot-blooded youth—unsullied by guile, which was understandable given his lack of worldly experience.

And it was precisely this innocence that sparked an idea in Yenir’s mind.

He needed a proxy—the dumber, the better.

Before Lin Rui matured into the future’s human leader, Yenir could easily brainwash him, subtly controlling his actions.

He would groom him to become his agent in this alternate reality, complete with the protagonist’s aura—and it couldn’t turn out too badly.

Of course, if by the time the trial period ended Lin Rui hadn’t significantly altered the course of the future, Yenir wouldn’t mind taking the final step…

Eliminating him utterly.

After leading Lin Rui astray, he would then reveal that it was all a lie…

Under such a tremendous twist, how could any protagonist not fall into darkness?

“It was an easy choice. You must feel that your mental strength is exceptional,” Yenir declared.

“After the apocalypse, you’ll gradually unlock a special ability.”

With his eyes wide and his story hastily concocted, Yenir’s face grew grim as he launched into a relentless brainwashing session:

“You saw that nuclear explosion, right?”

“That was us, forced to detonate a nuclear bomb to eliminate a rogue anti-human organization.”

“They came to kill you! We’re here to protect you!”

“Don’t think I’m lying—I know every detail of your past!”

….

As Yenir recited Lin Rui’s entire life story, Lin Rui stood dazed in place.

Under Yenir’s incessant brainwashing and claims of his messianic destiny, the hot-blooded youth began to believe every word.

After all, in his eyes, he was just an ordinary student.

Yenir’s display of terrifying power—and the fact that he hadn’t harmed him—made everything seem genuine!

Moreover, after Yenir subtly unleashed his mental powers to let Lin Rui briefly experience this so-called force, Lin Rui was utterly convinced!

Could it be that he really possessed a special ability?!

Am I the protagonist?!

Swallowing hard and fighting to steady his excitement, Lin Rui barely noticed Anna’s uneasy expression from the sidelines.

Trembling with excitement, he asked Yenir with a quiver in his voice:

“So what do I need to do?!”

“Am I to help you stop the disaster?!”

“Exactly.”

“Just follow me. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Trust me—you’re destined to be the leader of humankind!”

With a slight smile, Yenir tilted his head, a flash of menace in his eyes as he glanced at Anna.

He noted that Anna’s face had turned pale—she clearly didn’t buy his story.

To her, he appeared as demonic as ever—a so-called righteous time traveler deceiving Lin Rui. How could it be possible?!

She knew full well what kind of deeds Yenir had done to her! With her sharp mind, she understood that if Yenir really had come back to help Lin Rui, he wouldn’t have marked her in any way. There was no way he was unaware of the relationship between her and Lin Rui!

Sensing Yenir’s barely concealed murderous intent, the girl shuddered and lowered her eyes, too frightened to look up.

She knew that if she dared to alert Lin Rui, Yenir would surely kill her and her father!

Meanwhile, convinced that his crush was afraid of the future, Lin Rui—now fully embracing his role as the savior—rushed to sit beside the girl, his eyes alight with excitement:

“Anna! Did you hear me? I’m going to be the leader of humankind from the future!”

“I’m going to be amazing someday!”

His gaze shone with both adoration and pride.

Although he had feelings for Anna and knew she felt the same, his own inferiority complex about their status gap was hard to shake off. But now? No! He was already fantasizing about reaching the pinnacle of his life!

Filled with gratitude towards Yenir for changing his destiny, Lin Rui couldn’t stop thanking him:

“I promise to follow your lead!”

“Saving the world is my duty! Whatever you say, I’ll do it!”

In the hall, every member of the team watched Lin Rui—with his newfound unwavering belief in Yenir—with a mix of concern and curiosity. If Lin Rui ever learned that Yenir had nearly betrayed him, would he still say those words?

Before anyone could dwell on it further, a sudden barrage of shrill, rapid explosion sounds erupted from high above.

Ever observant of the outside world, Ming Luo’s face paled as he immediately cried out:

“Yenir!”

“A massive fleet of fighter jets is coming our way—over sixty Class-A mechs are tailing them!”

“The Human Federation has caught wind of our presence!”

The moment his words faded, the entire team grew tense, instinctively turning their eyes to Yenir.

Was he going to use the same tricks and smooth talk to fool the humans here again? If they didn’t believe him, they’d be in serious trouble.

Unlike the others’ anxiety, Yenir calmly rose from the sofa, casually dragging an electronic tablet in his hand.

On its screen, streams of flashing red alerts updated relentlessly.

………..

“Cease resistance, unknown invaders! Release the Governor immediately—you are surrounded!”

“Warning! Surrender now and abandon all resistance!”

Stepping out of the manor,

Yenir silently stared at the incoming fighter jets, seemingly indifferent to the fact that they had been completely encircled.

Amid the barrage of airborne warnings, he raised his head and pressed the communication device in his hand.

“Enough talk.”

“I am Yenir. I’m opening communications with the Federation government.”

“If you don’t want to destroy this world, follow my instructions.”

“Beep.”

With that, a command was issued and the nuclear missile launch protocol for 720 warheads, unlocked by Yenir’s secret key on the tablet, initiated simultaneously.

There was no time to waste on earning trust.

For Yenir, there was nothing to negotiate.

Either they obey, or…

He would simply obliterate this world.

If brute force won’t resolve the problem, then surely more force is the answer.