Chapter 976: Old Mouse and Hope

“I… this is…”

Fang Liangye dry heaved for a long time before slowly standing up, his face pale and his body trembling uncontrollably.

Fang Liangye was, after all, an ordinary person. Chen Ling’s memories were too overwhelming for him. A gentle, harmless body coupled with extremely bloody memories caused a strong rejection reaction between his soul and flesh. Subjectively, he felt that these memories were nothing, but the instincts etched into his body could not accept them.

As Fang Liangye was still processing the memories, a figure emerged from the end of the dim corridor. Seeing him clutching the edge of the bed in pain, the person gasped and quickly approached.

“Liangye, are you alright?” Fang Liangye felt a soft hand gently patting his back, and a voice filled with concern spoke.

He turned to look, seeing a young woman in a purple dress standing behind him. Silver earrings swayed gently with her movements, and her dark eyes shimmered like glazed glass.

Seeing that face, Fang Liangye’s heart skipped a beat. “…Miss Wu?”

The young woman paused, looking at Fang Liangye with a hint of reproach. “Durand was right, your head really is messed up… Didn’t we agree you’d just call me Duoduo? Calling me ‘Miss Wu’ now sounds so formal.”

“Miss Wu, how… are you here?” Fang Liangye stood stunned, seemingly still disoriented. “Weren’t you already… when you were in the Mortal Realm?”

Wu Duo looked at him with a strange expression, then sighed deeply after a long moment. “You’re really quite ill…”

Wu Duo was a native of the Boundless Realm and had never been to any Mortal Realm. She had met Fang Liangye recently when, at Durand’s instruction, she reached out to civilian organizations within the Boundless Realm. After all, as witches operating in the shadows, they needed to unite with these visible civilian groups to protect the people.

During their interactions, they became increasingly familiar. Wu Duo had developed an affection for this gentle yet courageous young man. When Fang Liangye was previously arrested, it was Wu Duo who pleaded with Durand, leading the Rat Party to use its strength to rescue him.

But now, it seemed Fang Liangye’s memories were completely muddled.

“In any case, I should explain,” Wu Duo said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Due to confidentiality, I only told you before that I could use my witch powers to help you aid the people and resist. But actually, there’s an organization behind me, composed entirely of witches. We call ourselves the ‘Rat Party’.”

“The Rat Party…” Fang Liangye frowned. “That name… it’s quite unique.”

“Durand named us,” Wu Duo paused, a flicker of determination in her eyes. “He said the Boundless Realm is currently a dark prison, and only rats can truly be free.”

“Though weak, rats cannot make the sun rise again, but they spread hope in the darkness and dampness.”

Fang Liangye stood still, seemingly touched by the words. Deep within his bodily instincts, a sense of recognition slowly arose.

“…You are always doing great things, Miss Wu.” Fang Liangye looked into Wu Duo’s eyes, speaking sincerely and earnestly.

In his memories, Wu Duo’s figure overlapped with that of the blurry young woman in a long dress, carrying a suitcase. An inexplicable emotion welled up in his heart… Fang Liangye couldn’t quite describe the feeling, but among everyone he had ever met, the young woman before him was special.

Sensing Fang Liangye’s gaze, a blush spread across Wu Duo’s cheeks. She slightly turned her head away, no longer meeting his eyes:

“Um… oh, right… come with me, I’ll show you something.”

Wu Duo took Fang Liangye’s hand and briskly walked toward another passage.

Fang Liangye followed Wu Duo, navigating through a series of dim, intricate passages. The Boundless Realm’s underground drainage system was incredibly complex, like a vast labyrinth, complete with numerous ascending and descending stairs. After just three or four turns, Fang Liangye was already disoriented.

Fang Liangye felt like they were going deeper and deeper. After a few minutes, the space ahead suddenly opened up.

Massive pillars rose in the gloom. Nearly a hundred kerosene lamps hung from nearby walls, illuminating a large open area. With the extremely high ceilings, this section of the sewers resembled a grand palace.

In the open space, dozens of figures lay on the ground. They rested on thick, dirty bedding, their faces looking unwell. Some were even prostrate at the edge of their bedding, coughing up blood profusely.

Judging by their attire, they were all residents of the Boundless Realm, most still wearing factory uniforms.

Before them, an old man sat cross-legged, his hands moving over the young man who was coughing up the most blood. It looked as if he was performing a special massage, and simultaneously, milky-white light streamed from his palms into the young man’s body. The severe coughing began to subside…

“This is…” Fang Liangye said, a little surprised.

“The Silver Government forces young people into eighteen-hour factory shifts,” Wu Duo sighed deeply. “The physical condition of many young people has rapidly deteriorated, but because the work hours are mandatory, most don’t have time to seek medical attention. Even if they did, the Boundless Realm’s medical resources are simply insufficient. You should be well aware of this.”

“So, we secretly bring in some severely ill residents and treat them with ‘witchcraft’… But for some reason, as time passes, more and more people are falling ill, and we’re almost overwhelmed.”

“Eighteen-hour shifts, huh…” Fang Liangye wasn’t too surprised by the duration. After all, in his jumbled memories, many corporate workers at large factories before the Great Calamity also worked such long hours, and some students in certain regions would even study desperately under immense pressure.

“Putting the work hours aside, what kind of work makes people this sick?” Fang Liangye asked, pointing to the young man who was coughing up blood profusely.

“I’m not entirely sure either… Ever since the Silver King arrived, he’s forced all young people into production labor. Almost no one knows what exactly they’re producing, not even the workers in the workshops themselves,” Wu Duo shook her head.

“Not production, but processing,” a voice came from behind. Durand, clad in a black robe, swept his gaze over the many ailing figures on the ground, his hands clenching tightly beneath his sleeves. “Cobalt-60, Strontium-90, Cesium-137... they are processing large quantities of radioactive materials, and also explosives like trinitrotoluene.”

Fang Liangye froze at these words. He seemed to have realized something, his pupils constricting slightly…

Durand’s voice resonated again: “The Silver King is mass-producing dirty bombs.”