The Heretical Husband Is Too Good at Acting! - Chapter 17

That day, after completing a full day of surveying and mapping outside, they returned to the base only to find the atmosphere somewhat unusual.

The people at the base were all gathered together; their expressions were complex, filled with both anticipation and unease. When they noticed the trio’s return, the gazes directed at them were somewhat evasive.

“What’s going on?” Zhang Tao asked in a low voice, his brow furrowed.

Shen Junyao’s gaze swept across the faces of the crowd, but he remained silent. He perceived a faint, unusual hostility hidden in the air.

Chen Mo walked beside the two men, his mind also filled with doubt. At that moment, he saw Chen Zhiyuan push through the crowd and run to his side, whispering with a hint of excitement, “The Divine Messenger is here.”

“What Divine Messenger?” Chen Mo asked, puzzled.

“The messenger sent by the God of the Inner World!” Chen Zhiyuan hadn’t expected him to have forgotten this. Hadn’t everyone been waiting for this over the past few days?

Chen Mo was genuinely confused. “Didn’t they say the God of the Inner World doesn’t like the three of us staying together?”

Zhang Tao thought of something and suddenly smiled, saying, “He’s getting desperate.”

Shen Junyao also curled his lips into a smile.

Chen Mo noticed Chen Zhiyuan looking at his two companions with a hesitant expression, so he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Just as Chen Zhiyuan was about to speak, a loud, booming voice rang out from the open space in the center of the base.

“Is that Chen Mo?”

Everyone’s eyes turned toward the owner of the voice.

That person must be the so-called Divine Messenger. He was of medium build, draped in a black robe, holding a scepter, with a mask concealing his face. His voice was solemn and carried a certain sense of oppression: “Chen Mo, the God of the Inner World has recognized you. He grants you the right to settle here. You are permitted to select people, establish your own base, and enjoy the God’s protection!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion broke out among the onlookers.

The crowd’s gaze shifted toward Chen Mo, their eyes filled with awe and expectation.

To be recognized by God, to be allowed to settle, and to be protected by God!

Chen Mo had become their new hope.

If Chen Mo became their lord, those chosen would receive the same protection. They would no longer be displaced and would henceforth live a carefree and affluent life.

Of course, with the exception of the monster threats they had to fend off every night.

The crowd’s excitement did not infect Chen Mo; his feelings toward this “recognition” were not deep at all.

However, he was a bit curious: “Why was only my name mentioned? What about my two companions?”

The Divine Messenger’s head tilted slightly toward Shen Junyao and Zhang Tao, as if staring fixedly at them. Suddenly, he raised his voice and shouted, “Those two are heretics! They are not recognized by God and must be expelled. Everyone must keep their distance from them, otherwise, you will likewise lose God’s protection.”

When the word “heretic” came out, Chen Mo almost burst out laughing.

Who exactly was the real heretic here?

After hearing the rest of the sentence, his eyes instantly grew cold. He looked directly at the Divine Messenger and spoke in a calm tone: “I have no interest in any God of the Inner World, nor do I need His recognition. As for these two, they are my companions. I will not leave them, and they will not leave me.”

As the words fell, the surroundings became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was stunned. Someone couldn’t help but whisper in question, “But, the Divine Messenger has spoken…”

Chen Mo looked toward the speaker, his gaze indifferent, saying nothing more.

But his calm and determined expression already made his stance clear. The person who was stared at hesitated for a moment and then closed their mouth; no one else dared to say anything more.

After all, they had only just been forced to leave Yan Heng’s base because of their wavering attitudes, and now Chen Mo was their only reliance. If they offended him too, they might truly be completely abandoned.

The Divine Messenger’s face instantly darkened. He hadn’t expected Chen Mo to so forcefully and directly reject the “gift” of God. Wherever he went in the Inner World, he was accustomed to being sought after and flattered; it had been a long time since he had heard such disagreeable words.

“You—” He held his scepter high, as if about to do something to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo instinctively assumed a defensive stance, and the two captains immediately moved into a protective posture.

The Divine Messenger: “…”

The Divine Messenger gnashed his teeth, pointed his scepter at him, and said in a deep voice, “You will regret making this choice.”

With that, he turned and disappeared into the night.

He left behind the people who were looking at each other and whispering in small groups.

Chen Mo watched his disappearing back, then looked at his two companions and couldn’t help but ask softly, “Did that count as… incompetent rage?”

Zhang Tao let out a “pfft” and laughed.

Shen Junyao, however, had a look of total agreement and nodded seriously.

“I suppose it does,” he said.

In any case, the result was that Chen Mo had rejected the Divine Messenger.

This made the survivors who had left Yan Heng’s base to follow them feel anxious. Everyone became somewhat silent, and a heavy atmosphere pervaded the air.

Chen Mo had no intention of ignoring everyone. In fact, if he hadn’t personally witnessed that Shen Junyao had already calculated the transformation patterns of the Inner World, his rejection would not have been so blunt.

He hesitated about whether to explain their plan clearly to the crowd but decided after some thought not to say anything for the time being.

Based on his observations over the past few days, Chen Mo discovered that not everyone seemed willing to leave this place. Many people were quite satisfied with the status quo; after all, as long as they were under the protection of the strong, their lives were safe, and there were inexhaustible survival resources around them.

Leaving might not lead to such an easy and affluent life.

Therefore, a considerable portion of the survivors were actually quite resistant to the idea of “finding an exit.”

Chen Mo didn’t want to mess up Captain Shen’s plan, so he decided to wait until the exact location of the exit was determined.

When that time came, whatever choice these people made, he would not interfere.

Those willing to leave would go out together; as for those willing to stay, he had no obligation to keep accompanying them.

The three of them went back to their respective camps to wash up, and then ate dinner together.

Zhang Tao jokingly asked Chen Mo, “Why did you reject the Divine Messenger? Being a minor lord is pretty good—you’d have so many underlings at your command.”

Chen Mo glanced at him. “Would you be willing if it were you?”

Zhang Tao shook his head like a rattle.

If asked why, he couldn’t quite say.

In short, he felt this place was weird. It would be best to finish the mission and get out quickly; he didn’t want to stay for a single extra day.

Chen Mo felt much the same way. “I have no interest in staying here to be some lord. I just want to go home early. And…”

He turned his head to look at Shen Junyao and said with a smile, “Didn’t Captain Shen say before? It’s best if we don’t act separately.”

Shen Junyao was slightly taken aback, and then he also smiled.

He nodded and said, “That’s right, indeed.”

After a pause, he added, “You’ll be able to go home very soon.”

Although they hadn’t known each other for long, Chen Mo felt a strong sense of trust in this Captain Shen. Whether it was his formidable strength or his clever mind, he made people follow him involuntarily.

Since Captain Shen said they could go home soon, then it must be true.

They quickly put the Divine Messenger out of their minds. After a short rest, they went out again to continue surveying and mapping.

Because they had a relatively clear grasp of the direction, they went further this time.

It wasn’t until after nine in the evening that they started heading back.

On the way, they unexpectedly discovered a new base.

Compared to the base they were currently staying at, this one was much more dilapidated, having clearly gone through many difficult battles. The survivors in the base were each in a wretched state, their eyes filled with fatigue and despair.

Their identity as rescuers made it impossible for them to turn a blind eye.

The three approached the base, intending to ask if these people wanted to go with them.

When the survivors inside learned that they could find the correct direction and even take everyone to a safer base, they all became energized.

“That’s great, we’ll go with you!” Almost no one raised an objection to this decision.

They had just experienced a soul-stirring night yesterday, with several casualties occurring in the base.

No situation could be worse than the one they were in now.

Chen Mo did a head count; there were twenty-five survivors in this base.

There were men and women, with ages ranging between 20 and 60. He noticed that among the survivors in the Inner World, there were no very young people, like children, nor were there any very old people.

He wondered if there was a reason for that.

The twenty-five people followed Chen Mo and the others forward. When they realized these three could actually determine the correct direction, they couldn’t help but get excited.

They all started asking questions at once.

Zhang Tao stared at several people for a long time, then suddenly asked one of them, “Are you from Shen City? Did you accidentally enter here last December?”

The other person was stunned for a moment, nodded, and looked at him hesitantly. “Do you know me?”

Zhang Tao didn’t answer and asked several other people instead.

When Chen Mo and Shen Junyao heard their conversation, they couldn’t help but stop in their tracks.

The few people Zhang Tao questioned were actually all from Shen City, and the time they had accidentally entered the Inner World was all within the last three months.

He looked at the group and asked everyone, “Are you all from Shen City?”

Everyone nodded.

An outrageous suspicion surfaced in the minds of the three men.

“Are they all… the missing persons from this city?”

“Cheng Wei told me before that there are four to five hundred people in Yan Heng’s base, and everyone comes from dozens of different places, including many foreign friends. The time span of their accidental entry into the Inner World is also very large.” Chen Mo’s expression was complex as he whispered to his two companions, “What is the probability that twenty-odd people who went missing in Shen City in the last three months would successfully meet in the Inner World and join forces to build a base?”

Zhang Tao looked at Shen Junyao and said, “Captain, your math is good. You calculate it.”

Shen Junyao smiled and said, “It’s not clear exactly how many people are here, so it’s impossible to calculate. However, judging by common sense, the probability should be quite small.”

“So—”

This was not a coincidence.

All three were aware of this fact.

But observing the situation of these survivors, they were indeed ordinary humans, not some kind of illusion created by demons or ghosts. After detailed questioning, they had also just gradually met up over the past few days and joined forces to build a base to defend against the monsters at night.

Since there was nothing wrong with these people, then the problem lay with the consciousness of the Inner World.

The opponent’s intention to wave the white flag was very obvious.

Don’t you want to rescue the survivors? All the survivors from Shen City are being returned to you!

If all of this had originally been just their speculation, then the exit sign that immediately appeared in the air ahead of everyone was practically an explicit declaration.

Don’t you want to get out?

Go out then; the exit is right before your eyes!