hotmtlnovel Chapter 121. My Second Hometown
Chapter 121. My Second Hometown
Chapter 121. My Second Hometown
Two days later.
Jia Wuliang stood before them with a serious expression on his face.
"I'll be in your care from now on. Please make sure to call me Great Hero rather than Sovereign,"[1] Zhou Xuchuan said.
To summarize, all forty-five Pseudo-Phantoms, including Jia Wuliang, had chosen to come under Zhou Xuchuan.
Zhou Xuchuan had given them a day, and in the end, they reached one conclusion.
None of them could rebel even if they wanted to, and as long as the Phantom Sovereign had control, if they refused the offer, they would have had to live in the Hebei Branch for the rest of their lives.
Although they all harbored resentment toward the Valley of Phantoms, they had to set that aside for now, given the reality they were facing.
Revenge was important, but it wasn’t as important as freedom.
"Don't delude yourself. We have no other choice but to follow you and your dirty tricks. This isn't loyalty."
"I didn't expect that in the first place."
As soon as the Pseudo-Phantoms accepted the offer, Zhou Xuchuan gave them orders.
First, they had to protect the people around him. He even planned to give them portraits later so they could recognize who required protection.
Second, they had to keep his secrets. Those secrets mainly concerned the very existence of the Valley of Phantoms.
Third, they couldn't get interfere with his plan. He gave them explicit orders not to do anything that may harm his goals.
This third order mainly specifically applied to the Phantoms, as he needed them for his plans and couldn’t risk the Pseudo-Phantoms causing them harm.
While they were extremely dissatisfied with the third order, none of them voiced their objections. After all, complaining wouldn't change anything.
"Also, if you're going to use us, at the very least, don't make us work with them. I'd rather kill myself than help my enemy."
"I'm not using you; I'm asking for your help... whatever. Since you don't trust me, it's just a waste of time. Moreover, I have my own tact, too, so don't worry about that."
The Pseudo-Phantom's resentment toward the Phantoms was beyond imagination.
Of course, it was only natural, considering they had been treated like slaves all of their lives and were forced to endure all kinds of suffering under the pretext of training.
"No one can kill our hearts, and no one can take away our emotions. Even if you control our bodies and our flesh, our hearts and souls won't submit to you."
The Pseudo-Phantoms seemed obsessed with their minds, and it seemed that all of them suffered mental trauma during the process of Mind-Killing.[2]
“Little Ghost.”
“Yes, Great Hero."
"Just how the hell does Mind-Killing work?"
Unable to contain his curiosity, he called Little Ghost aside and asked, only to be astonished when he heard her explanation.
The process Little Ghost described was more cruel, inhumane, and demonic than he could ever have imagined.
"In case a Phantom gets captured, Phantoms must learn how to endure torture. So, we torture the recruits first to build their tolerance for it in the future."
From the start, the training wasn't normal.
"If a recruit survives the torture, we bring a trainee whom they have been with since childhood."
"Wait, you're not saying..."
Assassins usually learn not to form relationships from a young age. Personal relationships were just obstacles in the way of assassination.
However, the Valley of Phantoms was a little different. They intentionally left recruits alone, allowing them to develop relationships. They didn't get involved, even if some of the recruits became lovers along the way.
"Then we order the recruits who developed feelings for each other to kill each other, and then use drugs to..."
“Enough."
Zhou Xuchuan didn't want to hear anymore. He could already guess what would happen next.
Judging from Little Ghost’s tone, it seemed there was even more to the process, but Zhou Xuchuan wasn't particularly curious. It just made him upset.
Even though the Valley of Phantoms would become an indispensable force for peace, they could hardly be considered righteous.
‘The Three-Eyed Godly Thief. That bastard really was crazy, wasn't he?’
It was understandable that the Phantoms hated him so much. On the contrary, it would be stranger if they didn't.
The most heartbreaking part was watching Little Ghost, who was still a child, saying such things so casually.
Zhou Xuchuan couldn't even begin to imagine what she had gone through.
***
Zhou Xuchuan and Luo Xiaoyue decided to stay in the Valley for a while to get their bearings. Little Ghost took them deep within the valley when Zhou Xuchuan asked if there was anywhere to rest.
The Valley of Phantoms seemed to be untouched by human hands. However, there was a small residence hidden deep inside.
“This is really too much.”
Even though it was called a residence... this wasn't a place where people could live.
A wooden building stood in the midst of the valley. While it was spacious, there were no rooms, only bedding organized on the floor.
They burst into tears, relieved that they had safely escaped hell. No one laughed at them.
Zhou Xuchuan and Luo Xiaoyue said nothing. They could somewhat understand how the Pseudo-Phantoms felt.
“What will happen to us now?” Jia Wuliang asked, his eyes red from crying.
“Do as you wish.”
“Do as we wish?”
"Yeah. If I need you, I'll send a Phantom to find you. I'd be happy if you could stay by my side, but considering how long that would take, I can't ask that of you—not when you've just gained your freedom."
Jia Wuliang made a slightly surprised expression and closed his eyes. Dozens of thoughts passed through his mind.
The silence didn’t last long. He was the first to speak.
“To be honest, I, no, we don’t completely trust you yet.”
Though they had returned to the outside world they had longed for, things still didn't seem real.
They suspected that there had to be some kind of trap lurking somewhere. That was how exhausting and difficult their lives had been.
"This might even be a dream. So, we want to confirm it ourselves. If what you're saying really is the truth and you haven't lied to us, then we will accept your offer and help you."
‘As expected, this won't be enough to resolve their grudges with the Phantoms. Still, this much is still a success.’
Since Zhou Xuchuan had already set up restrictions for the Pseudo-Phantoms, it didn't matter if he let them go.
At the very least, he was promised an alliance.
He was satisfied with that.
"We'll be going now."
"Okay. If you don't have anywhere else to go, go to the Gold Will Merchants I told you about yesterday. I'll leave them a note, and they'll help you."
“... Thank you.”
With those final words, the presence of the forty-five Pseudo-Phantoms disappeared.
“They really left.”
"Yeah, seems like it."
"Are you really sure it's okay to let them go?"
Luo Xiaoyue was worried for Zhou Xuchuan.
If the Pseudo-Phantoms' grudge against the Phantoms ever turned against the Phantom Sovereign, things could quickly spiral out of control. Human resentment was scarier than one would think, and resentment in the gangho murim was even more so.
After all, this was a world of repayment, for better or worse. That much was clear just by looking at the past.
"I explained the restrictions I placed on them, right?"
"Yes, you did. But..."
She was still anxious. There was no such thing as a perfect restriction in this world.
Luo Xiaoyue had always been cautious, even as a child, only growing wiser as she matured.
"If I don't let them go, then what do you suggest? Should I lock their minds in the mind prison?"
"Well..."
Luo Xiaoyue couldn't respond right away. Her concern for her senior brother clashed with her moral compass.
She genuinely didn’t know what the right choice was.
"Yes, it's true; if I make a mistake here, I might end up getting stabbed in the back. Like you said, there's no such thing as a perfect restriction."
Zhou Xuchuan wasn't a genius. There was a very good chance that he had missed a weakness or loophole in his restrictions on the Pseudo-Phantoms.
The Phantoms had no individuality or emotions, meaning that he didn't have to worry about being betrayed, the Pseudo-Phantoms, however, were different.
A person's will wasn't an ordinary thing.
He knew well how great and scary it could be from the Era of War and Chaos.
"Then why..."
"Why did I let them go?"
"Yes."
Zhou Xuchuan turned his back and smiled faintly.
“I just wanted to.”
Seeing that smile, Luo Xiaoyue's eyes widened in surprise. However, she soon relaxed, returning to her usual cheerful self, a smile on her lips.
1. I know this sounds a little arrogant, but remember, Great Hero is a common way of addressing someone of Zhou Xuchuan's position. He's not telling them to stroke his ego or anything with this. ☜
2. You don't say. ☜
3. Roughly 7 am to 9 am. ☜