The Heretical Husband Is Too Good at Acting! - Chapter 15

The indoor lighting was not like the warm sun of the natural world; although it illuminated every corner as bright as day, it inevitably appeared somewhat cold.

Today’s battlefield was exceptionally chaotic. Intense fighting had destroyed large sections of the walls; construction materials were shattered and broken, and the remains of monsters were scattered about. The air was thick with the heavy scent of blood and scorching heat.

“This is the first time I’ve seen the grand spectacle of five ‘Managers’ appearing at once. Should I say that everyone’s attractiveness is quite extraordinary?”

Yan Heng’s words held a hidden meaning, which those with a sharp mind naturally understood.

Many people had been trapped in the Inner World for a very, very long time; regarding these monsters, they had their own observations and speculations.

Ordinary humans attracted ordinary monsters to attack, while super-powered individuals often attracted high-level monsters—what they called “Managers.”

Based on past experience, “Managers” mostly acted alone.

This time, five had appeared at once. Although all were defeated by Chen Mo’s trio, who could be certain that these monsters hadn’t been provoked by them in the first place?

Originally, some had been moved by the sight of their extraordinary strength and contemplated joining them, but because of those words, they silently abandoned the idea.

After all, it was hard to guarantee that joining them wouldn’t mean facing the crisis of dealing with this level of monster at any moment.

Yan Heng’s gaze swept across the three of them one by one, carrying a meaningful smile.

When his gaze fell on Chen Mo, that smile gained a few more layers of calculation.

“Lord Yan.” Although Chen Mo had no good feelings toward this man, he did not intend to make an enemy of him.

After all, everyone’s common enemy was the monsters of the night. Even if humans could not join forces, there was truly no need for mutual destruction.

This was not just his personal thought; although Zhang Tao and Shen Junyao did not speak, their action of silently standing behind him indicated they supported him in doing so.

This gave Chen Mo some confidence in his heart.

Yan Heng came before Chen Mo and said candidly, “Little Friend Chen, my apologies! It is rare for someone as young as you to have such strength. I was rude before; please forgive me.”

He apologized grandly for his previous offense, which actually showed a bit of magnanimity.

Of course, this apology was purely because he had witnessed Chen Mo’s ferocity in killing the monsters. Had Chen Mo’s ability been even slightly weaker, this apology would have been forever late.

Chen Mo naturally understood this logic, so he did not take the apology to heart.

He maintained only a surface-level peace, as some people behind them still wanted to remain in this base.

Chen Mo did not wish to cut off these people’s escape route because of himself.

Seeing that his expression was flat and that he didn’t mind, Yan Heng turned his gaze from Chen Mo to Zhang Tao and Shen Junyao, smiling with feigned casualness as he asked, “These two… are they your friends? I see they are wearing the same uniforms. Did you meet by chance in the Inner World?”

His words carried a clear probe.

None of the three had an obligation to clear up Yan Heng’s doubts. Hearing this, they only gave a faint smile, neither admitting nor denying anything.

Yan Heng observed their expressions and reached his own judgment in his heart.

He laughed loudly and tried to put his arm around Chen Mo’s shoulder, but the latter skillfully avoided him.

Yan Heng’s expression stiffened for a moment before he forced a smile, saying warmly, “Little friend, don’t misunderstand. Whatever thoughts I had about you before have now been completely discarded. I have always respected the strong, especially talented young people like you.”

Chen Mo’s smile was equally strained. He looked at the survivors behind him and said seriously, “I naturally believe in your grace, Lord Yan. We have all seen your care for the people of the base. For instance, in the dangerous situation last night, we three encountered it for the first time and were inevitably flustered, but for the Lord, it is something experienced daily and grown accustomed to. I think everyone acted out of goodwill, hoping to relieve the Lord’s pressure, so they temporarily sheltered with us. I presume Lord Yan won’t mind these details?”

Yan Heng smiled. “Even ants strive to live, let alone humans. I can understand.”

He looked at the people behind Chen Mo, but his expression changed. “However, as for me, it is emotionally very difficult to forgive those who betray me. Even if I were to give in for your sake and agree to let them stay, once you are gone, if one day I am ‘careless’ and they lose their lives to monsters, I fear I would fail your kind intentions. How about this, Little Friend Chen: you stay here with me, and we manage this base together. You can look after them personally and won’t have to worry about their safety. What do you think?”

Yan Heng only extended an olive branch to Chen Mo, while completely ignoring Zhang Tao and Shen Junyao.

It wasn’t that he looked down on the strength of the latter two; on the contrary, he was very wary of them.

Although Chen Mo was strong, he was young after all. As long as he found his weakness, Yan Heng was confident he could easily manipulate him. As for Zhang Tao and Shen Junyao, they absolutely could not be kept—unless he no longer wanted any authority.

Unfortunately, Chen Mo had no interest in staying there to manage the base.

He only wanted to find a way out quickly; his parents and sister were still waiting for him outside.

Exchanging looks with his two companions, Chen Mo looked apologetically at the victims behind him. “Since that’s the case, we are afraid we must leave. Those who are willing to follow us, come along.”

The mother and daughter they had saved, and Chen Zhiyuan, immediately declared they would follow them.

The remaining people were somewhat hesitant. Staying at the base meant the Lord had explicitly stated it was “difficult to forgive,” yet following them out meant facing a fate of having no place to lean on and wandering aimlessly. It was truly a difficult choice.

Some secretly felt regret, rueing their momentary impulse from the previous night.

The crowd split into two groups. One part preferred to stay at the base; at worst they would fend for themselves. Dying in the base was better than bumping around aimlessly in the vast Inner World and dying a lonely, miserable death. The other part made up their minds to go out and take a chance with Chen Mo and the others.

Before they left, Yan Heng looked at the followers behind them and suddenly laughed, saying meaningfully, “Do some of you think that these three will receive the permission of God? Not necessarily.”

Chen Mo turned to look at him, his footsteps pausing slightly.

Zhang Tao and Shen Junyao also looked over.

They had indeed decided not to stay at this base because of the information given by Chen Zhiyuan.

Since the so-called “God of the Inner World” would send an envoy, they had a clear source of clues. There was truly no need to stay here for a lose-lose situation that would escalate the conflict between both sides.

Yan Heng was very satisfied with their attentive attitude. He curled his lips and smiled. “The master of this world does not quite like super-powered individuals huddling together for warmth or forming factions. I’ll give you a piece of advice: if you want to see the messenger of God, you might as well act separately. If the three of you stay together, you might never wait long enough to see them.”

The three were all stunned.

He didn’t like groups of super-powered individuals, but liked those who were solitary.

What did that mean?

Yan Heng said no more. He glanced at the group of people who stayed behind with a cold expression and walked toward his own rest area.

The lovers following behind him had varied expressions as they followed him in.

It seemed no one noticed that one girl in a yellow dress fell a few steps behind, landing next to Chen Zhiyuan.

The father and daughter blended into the crowd, following Chen Mo and the others out of the base.

Behind the curtain, Qu Wenhao said indignantly, “Lord, are we just going to let them leave like that?”

Yan Heng laughed softly and said, “Don’t worry about it. They are existences that this world cannot tolerate.”

A look of confusion appeared on Qu Wenhao’s beautiful face. “What does that mean?”

Yan Heng pulled him in by his slender waist and smiled. “It means we don’t need to lift a finger. They won’t get far.”

The ordinary people of the base could not be as relaxed as the Lord and his lovers, being able to return to their quarters immediately to rest. They had to hurry to repair the high walls to face the next night’s monster attack.

Zhao Jianjun and Chen Keqing were currently among those repairing the high walls, silently watching them leave.

Cheng Wei, however, walked over and asked them, “Can I go with you?”

Chen Mo looked at the two captains. Seeing that they had no intention of objecting, he said, “Let’s go.”

The group consisted of about thirty or forty people; walking together was quite lively.

Yan Heng’s final words had more or less produced an effect. Whether it was to show the people behind them or to encourage themselves, those who chose to leave encouraged each other, putting on a happy appearance as they strode outward.

After walking for only about ten minutes, the surrounding shelves seemed to undergo a subtle change. Looking back, the high walls of the base were already gone.

This meant they were lost once again in this endless supermarket Inner World.

Everyone had expected this result, so they were not panicked.

After a night of fighting, everyone was extremely tired. Traveling in such an environment didn’t have much meaning.

When they passed a home furnishing section for bathroom supplies, they decided to rest there.

Chen Mo and the others had many bloodstains and dirt on them. They collected a lot of bottled drinking water from nearby and used curtains to enclose an open space to clean themselves individually. After changing into clean new clothes, they took turns standing guard, and everyone slept for a few hours.

Continuing to explore in such a place didn’t seem to have much significance.

The group used ropes to lead each other to prevent getting lost or separated. They collected basic living supplies nearby and moved shelves, furniture, and other items to rebuild a high wall to fend off monsters at night.

Everyone was clearly accustomed to this task, and their efficiency was high.

Around six or seven o’clock in the evening, a high wall large enough to accommodate all of them was successfully built.

A few girls collected many ingredients and made a steaming hot pot.

Everyone enjoyed a wonderful meal, and their moods lightened considerably.

However, after waiting all day, the envoy sent by the “God of the Inner World” predicted by Chen Zhiyuan did not appear.

They couldn’t help but think about the words Yan Heng said before they left.

“The master of this world does not like super-powered individuals huddling for warmth or forming factions.”

“If you want to see the envoy, you might as well act separately.”

“If you keep staying together like this, it’s very likely you will never wait long enough to see the envoy.”

“Could it be that we really have to act separately?” Inside a large tent that was more than enough for three adults, Chen Mo asked the two captains opposite him in a low voice.

The lights had not been turned out yet, and the outside was very safe, so no special guard was needed.

They had some things that were inconvenient to discuss in front of others, so they took the opportunity while resting to communicate privately.

“I suggest not,” Shen Junyao said.

The past two days of interaction had made Chen Mo realize that this Captain Shen was truly a man of few words.

He seemed to be deliberately suppressing his presence, and in fact, he had succeeded.

Dealing with the people in the base was usually handled by himself and Zhang Tao. Captain Shen hardly spoke and indeed did not attract anyone’s attention the entire time.

An iron-clad proof of this was that, despite him being so good-looking, the lecherous Yan Heng never looked at him twice.

It was as if he completely failed to notice the existence of such a stunning beauty among the three of them.

Chen Mo did not ignore any hints from Captain Shen just because of his low profile.

He asked seriously, “Why?”

Shen Junyao’s lips curled into a smile that was not entirely well-intentioned. “Because regardless of whether we separate or not, the so-called ‘Messenger of God’ will come. The one who is anxious now is him.”

Chen Mo: ?

Who is “he”?