Chapter 433: The Cry for Help in the Wasteland

The Queen is actually calling for help?

Lu Xin could hardly imagine under what circumstances a being like the Queen would cry out like that.

Since he had heard her cry, it meant he was very close to the Queen.

He glanced at the doll by his side, took a deep breath, and started striding toward the town.

……

His footsteps on the withered flower field produced a soft, crackling sound.

Realizing the Queen was in trouble, Lu Xin instinctively quickened his pace.

This time, he didn’t deliberately detour around the people in the bottles—instead, he followed her call for help in a straight line. Every movement around him instantly triggered interference from the dark red mental radiation.

It was like a stream of red water gently trembling.

Those wrapped in mental radiation, living in a blissful haze, suddenly froze in their movements.

It seemed as though Lu Xin’s movement had disrupted the functioning of this false city.

Those who had been moving slowly stopped again, then slowly turned to look at him.

Their eyes, once tightly shut, were now half-open.

Be it the butcher in a crumpled suit, the woman clutching a decaying infant, the scarf-wearing clerk from the small restaurant, or the chubby girl out shopping with a friend—they all paused.

They turned their heads toward Lu Xin; their half-open eyes revealed just a sliver of white, cold and indifferent, with a hint of danger.

This looming sense of crisis made Lu Xin slow his step ever so slightly, though he continued forward.

He moved through waves of mental radiation, completely ignoring the halted steps and half-open eyes of those around him.

“Ding ding ding……”

Strangely, though he was simply walking through the wasteland, the sound of glass bottles colliding rang out.

Plink plink……

As Lu Xin brushed past a portly man, a glass bottle fell sharply to the ground with a crisp, musical note. Startled, the fat man sucked in a breath, toppled over, and collapsed. With his head bowed and shoulders trembling violently, guttural, beast-like sounds emerged from his throat.

“Sorry!”

Without turning back, Lu Xin quietly apologized.

He added, “Honestly, I didn’t even touch you. If you attacked me, it would be a false charge!”

Even as he spoke, he continued striding forward.

But his mind remained alert, ready to counter any attack from all sides.

Around him, the sound of clinking glass bottles echoed…

That crisp sound among the countless sleepwalkers in the wasteland signified danger.

To them, Lu Xin’s direct path was like rudely crashing into their world.

It shattered the fragile beauty of their existence, breeding an unseen hatred.

Yet Lu Xin chose to ignore them.

When interference was minimal, he would have considered their feelings.

But now that they disrupted his work, there was no time for niceties.

……

“Hey, hey, hey, watch it! Causing damage in the museum means you’ll have to pay…”

Just as the suppressed, mounting hatred grew more intense, an anxious voice suddenly rang out from nearby.

The silence made his voice sound exceptionally clear.

Lu Xin immediately halted and looked up.

Beneath layers of dark red radiation, he saw a man cautiously approaching. Each of his movements was as careful as navigating a corridor laced with red laser beams, skillfully avoiding the sluggish figures in the wasteland.

His actions were reminiscent of how Lu Xin had earlier maneuvered around the crowd, careful not to disturb them.

The man came within ten meters of Lu Xin and flashed a smile, revealing a set of snow-white teeth.

He appeared to be in his thirties, dressed in camouflage and sporting a beret.

Though large black sunglasses hid most of his face, a prominent scar remained visible.

At the sight of him, Lu Xin paused for a moment before his expression turned to disbelief.

“Is it really you?”

“……”

The man, looking much like a typical mercenary of the wasteland, was momentarily taken aback.

Then, the part of his face not hidden by his sunglasses broke into a slight smile as he said, “You know me?”

Lu Xin exhaled deeply and nodded.

He indeed knew this man very well—in fact, they had clashed more than a dozen times.

They had fought each other on numerous occasions.

Qin Ran.

From his first encounter with Qin Ran as the small boss of a transportation company in Second Satellite City, to meeting the Knight Orders leader who once pursued him all the way to Happy Town, Qin Ran had assumed many identities yet remained unmistakably himself.

Lu Xin hadn’t expected to see him here in the wasteland.

But on reflection, it made sense—the very first time he entered Happy Town was because of Qin Ran.

Seeing him now somehow eased some of his lingering doubts.

The Technology Church must have long known about Happy Town, even from far-off Qinggang.

So perhaps what they were doing now had been in preparation for a long time.

Lost in thought over countless possibilities, Lu Xin had so many questions for him.

For instance, why did Qin Ran seem unstoppable?

Or, what exactly were they doing in Happy Town?

Or, what is this museum all about?

After long contemplation, Lu Xin finally looked at Qin Ran and asked, “You want me to pay?”

“……”

Qin Ran paused, clearly surprised by Lu Xin’s blunt question.

After a moment, he replied, “I’m not really asking you to pay; it’s more of a point I’m making.”

“Frankly, these are fragile and precious items. How can anyone be careless with them?”

“……”

Lu Xin relaxed slightly and glanced around.

Earlier, his movement had set off a clatter of bottles that drew countless hateful stares; but now, as he stopped to speak, those people resumed their movements and slipped back into their daze. Only the fat man whose bottle had shattered remained on the ground, weeping in subdued sorrow.

Frowning, Lu Xin asked, “What are you all doing?”

Qin Ran smiled warmly, his voice soft and sincere, “We are healing the wounded.”

“Or rather, healing the world.”

“……”

“And you call that healing?”

Lu Xin looked around, his expression oddly unsettled.

But Qin Ran nodded seriously, saying, “Yes, we’re healing the wounds in their hearts.”

“Maybe you’ve noticed these people were brought here from Water Bay City—they are souls scarred by suffering.”

“Take Mr. Li, the butcher. He struggled his entire life, finally setting up a small butcher shop in Water Bay City, only for it to be burned down by local gangs. When we found him, he was on the verge of hanging himself.”

“And then there’s the kind, hardworking little girl, Pingping.”

“She met her husband on a blind date, and their bond was strong.”

“She believed that her diligence could run the small restaurant and secure a prosperous future for her family, but her husband fell gravely ill. She spent all her savings and even sold the restaurant, yet he eventually succumbed to his illness.”

“When we found her, she was sitting at the restaurant door taking customers—often abused for her poor service.”

“Like a salted fish that doesn’t even grumble…”

“Then there was the young mother cradling her child—once convinced she was the happiest person in the world, only to…”

“……”

“Stop.”

Lu Xin interrupted him.

Looking up, he saw the wasteland teeming with people—thousands upon thousands.

He was sure every single one had a story, but he didn’t have time to listen to them all.

Frowning, he said, “So, your healing is… placing them in bottles?”

“Please don’t speak with such an air of superiority.”

Qin Ran looked at Lu Xin, his tone earnest as he replied:

“You think they’re in bottles, but what is the difference from real life?”

“Our vast world, seen by those on a higher plane, is nothing more than a bottle.”

“All human memories and perceptions are just our mind’s response to the world.”

“So why not reflect something beautiful back?”

“……”

Lu Xin fell silent.

Suddenly, he thought of himself, and a sense of oppression washed over him.

On such matters, he felt innately at a disadvantage.

He never spoke with superiority; deep inside, he truly understood their pain.

Yet noticing Lu Xin’s silence, a knowing smile crept onto Qin Ran’s face.

Lowering his tone, he said softly, “Every life exists on a different level, and we all interpret the world in our own way.”

“Your ability to leave the museum proves your clear mind, so I believe you understand.”

“Our world is perpetually incomplete.”

“This world will never allow everyone to be happy.”

“Because some people’s happiness comes at the expense of others’ pain.”

“That’s why the bottled world we’ve created is the only way to bring happiness to this world.”

“So you…”

“……”

There was a trace of expectation in his voice.

Then, in Qin Ran’s gaze, Lu Xin suddenly looked at the doll and asked, “Did you understand?”

The doll, standing silently, glanced at him and shook its head quietly.

Lu Xin said, “I didn’t understand either.”

Qin Ran’s smile vanished in an instant.

“You seem to have a point.”

Lu Xin turned earnestly to Qin Ran and said, “But I can’t explain why—I just have this instinct that what you’re doing is wrong.”

“It feels like I’ve experienced something similar before…”

“Sorry, my memory isn’t great, so I can’t pinpoint exactly what it was.”

“But I’m here on a mission, and I plan to start my investigation next.”

“……”

Qin Ran paused, then softly sighed and asked, “Do you really want to ruin their happiness?”

“If they continue to block my way, then yes.”

Lu Xin nodded and said quietly, “Because I have to honor the suffering of the dead.”

“The suffering of the dead?”

Qin Ran visibly paused, frowning slightly.

“Yes.”

Lu Xin nodded and said, “I don’t know why you suddenly appeared and caused all this chaos, but you killed my colleagues—turning them into living corpses—and forced them to endure pain and fear beyond what ordinary people can imagine. Even amidst that terror, they still fulfilled their duty.”

“I pondered for a long time before understanding why they did what they did.”

“They only wanted to protect our way of life; because they believed it was worth it.”

“Honestly, I feel that while there is some logic in what you do, your actions conflict with those who safeguard what is even more vital than life itself…”

“In this wasteland, I’ve encountered the best of the dead and the worst of the living.”

“So, who do you think I trust more?”

“……”

Qin Ran seemed taken aback by Lu Xin’s response.

He paused, looking thoughtful as if he were recording every word.

“Besides, it seems you’re not just here to bring happiness to these people…”

Lu Xin looked at Qin Ran and slowly said, “If you’re here to heal, then why call this bottled world the Disaster Museum?”

“Inside these bottles lie the lives they yearn for—the most beautiful dreams. But their pain is most intense when that dream is shattered. So, can I take it as a kind of collection?”

“Using the most beautiful illusions to capture the most desperate pain.”

“I…”

At that, Lu Xin’s eyes narrowed slightly as he said, “I despise what you do.”

“That’s why I never intended to let you off from the start…”

“No matter what you show me or tell me, my purpose remains unchanged.”

“……”

Qin Ran’s expression darkened as he managed a warm smile that made Lu Xin uneasy.

Instinctively, he stepped back, his eyes fixed on Lu Xin’s every move, and muttered, “Looks like I can’t win you over. Even though I’m a knight of the Technology Church, I must admit—I’m only good at preaching with a gun to someone’s head…”

“Just like right now.”

“I can’t convince you to respect this museum, but I can ask one thing…”

“When facing a first-tier parasitic item, do you know what price must be paid to break it?”

“……”

“Never thought about it.”

Lu Xin spoke slowly, “I never considered the price of breaking this museum, nor how to break it.”

He continued, “I used to be unstoppable with my family’s help, but now I’m alone. Without them, how much of their abilities can I still harness?”

He sensed a faint power stirring within him—a force he could only partially tap into by imitating his Sister, Father, and Mom—even though he had confirmed many times that while some abilities could be activated, the overall effect was unsatisfactory.

So, can my current strength handle the situation at hand?

After careful thought, he turned to the doll, smiled, nodded, and said, “Let’s break it.”

……

Though his Family was temporarily unseen,

luckily, he had a muscle at his disposal.

……

The doll rarely spoke or drew attention.

Most of the time it simply stayed quietly by Lu Xin’s side. Even when faced with such a bizarre museum, it showed no sign of investigating or inquiring—in that sense, it wasn’t a very good team member.

But it was obedient.

So when it saw Lu Xin’s smiling face, it immediately understood.

Then it shyly smiled and stepped forward.