Chapter 104: Chapter 103: Lin Zhen’s Goal
"I heard you were looking for me?" Shen Sui, sensing the awkward atmosphere, took the initiative to speak. "It seems you are no longer Feng Lindu."
"My name is Lin Zhen," Lin Zhen slowly replied.
"Lin Zhen, oh, you’re Feng Lindu’s Soul Card Follower?" Shen Sui let go of the last trace of pity for this unfortunate soul.
Torturing one’s own Soul Card and being found by the Soul Card—seems well deserved no matter how you look at it.
"Possession? Is it because you don’t have enough power to pass through the world’s barrier?" Shen Sui curiously observed Lin Zhen’s state; such a specimen was indeed rare.
"Why are you so tense?" Shen Sui looked at Lin Zhen, still on guard, and said helplessly, "Clearly you came to find me, didn’t you?"
Lin Zhen’s muscles remained taut, ready to fight at any moment.
Ah, this... no need to be so vigilant, right?
What Shen Sui didn’t know was that in the Zombie-ridden Apocalypse World of Nineteen, one would have been dead long ago without enough caution.
"I know I can’t beat you." Lin Zhen looked at Shen Sui and, after a long moment, seemed to give up on certain things. He relaxed his body and sincerely said to Shen Sui, "But please don’t harm the body; killing him won’t harm me."
Shen Sui looked at Lin Zhen in surprise. After all, Feng Lindu was the one who caused Lin Zhen’s suffering, wasn’t he?
Did his words mean he intended to spare Feng Lindu?
No...
Shen Sui looked into Lin Zhen’s eyes—eyes filled with hatred and anger, there was no way he would spare Feng Lindu.
"Before you send me away, could you answer a question for me?" Lin Zhen took out the Dueling Device, and Feng Lindu’s deck appeared in his hands. Among these Followers were some old comrades, some former enemies, yet through Feng Lindu’s memories, Lin Zhen could clearly understand that these cards meant nothing more than a game to Feng Lindu.
For the sake of a game, bringing suffering to an innocent person so recklessly, Lin Zhen could not forgive such behavior.
If all the Life Card Masters in this world were like this, he wouldn’t mind killing them all.
Unfortunately, Shen Sui’s presence made him realize that it was an unattainable goal.
"What do they mean to you?" Lin Zhen asked, "You have them too, right? Those cards. In his memories, there’s a scene where he dueled with you."
"Meaning?...."
Shen Sui glanced at the Dueling Device on his wrist, took out his deck, and began to shuffle.
"Will you duel?" Shen Sui asked.
Lin Zhen paused for a long time, then finally nodded, "I’ve read his memories."
"Then how about a duel with me?" Shen Sui said, "Let this duel answer your question."
As soon as the words fell, Shen Sui gently tapped the Dueling Device, activating it and issuing a duel invitation.
At the same moment, Lin Zhen’s Dueling Device lit up as well.
This was not a forced duel; consent was needed.
But for Lin Zhen, it made little difference whether it was forced or not; he couldn’t beat Shen Sui anyway.
He clicked the consent button.
A dueling arena appeared between the two.
Lin Zhen had the first move.
Clumsily, Lin Zhen drew five cards from his deck.
The moment he saw the cards, a flash of sadness passed through Lin Zhen’s eyes.
He paid 5 Soul Points, and a beautiful black-haired girl appeared on his field. Dressed in a school uniform, wielding a long blade, her exquisite and beautiful face devoid of expression.
[Swordswoman Shen Qingzhou]
"She was my childhood friend. Before the Apocalypse, when we were still in school, I secretly had a crush on her," Lin Zhen looked at the girl on the field, his face full of nostalgia and sadness, "She was the school beauty, a celebrated figure surrounded by outstanding admirers. Compared to them, I was so insignificant. I hated my own incompetence—I had no special talents, and my grades were poor... After entering high school, we gradually drifted apart, but my affection for her never wavered."
"Do you know? During that time, I was often lost in self-pity and never noticed her efforts for me. I mistook her kindness for sympathy, always using the harshest words to attack her... Until the day of the Apocalypse, when she led me out of the zombie horde, only to collapse in my arms, grievously injured, did I realize her feelings for me, but by then it was too late...."
Lin Zhen poured out his past to Shen Sui like a rambling old man.
If it was before, Shen Sui would probably throw a few eggs at such a display, but seeing Lin Zhen’s sorrowful expression, he held back.
With each subsequent summon, Lin Zhen recounted his ties with each Follower Card.
However, every non-zombie unit follower he summoned, without exception, ended up dead.
One childhood friend, one wife, one girlfriend, two P.Y., and three comrades with mutual affections.
Lin Zhen’s romantic experiences seemed to be numerous, yet Shen Sui could find nothing to criticize, for Lin Zhen never juggled relationships, always devoted entirely to each, yet without exception met with tragedy.
"They’re all dead," Lin Zhen looked up at Shen Sui, "Once, I thought it was my lack of strength that couldn’t protect them. But on the day Yueya died, I finally understood. Every time tragedy struck, he was there by my side."
Lin Zhen spoke, pointing to his head.
"Feng Lindu, my best friend," Lin Zhen said, "The three of us grew up playing together. I never thought he’d harm me. So when I decided to act against him, I hesitated. He’s one of the few friends I still have alive..."
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
Come on, although I sympathize with you, can you stop being so melodramatic?
Shen Sui thought to himself.
Lin Zhen’s time for non-operation had elapsed, and the turn automatically shifted to Shen Sui’s side.
"Ah, sorry." Lin Zhen only then realized that he’d been talking for quite some time.
"It’s fine." Shen Sui drew a card and then looked at his hand.
He initially thought Lin Zhen’s Soul Card named Feng Lindu must have gone through a lot of suffering, simply through observing a single duel.
But he never expected Feng Lindu to be so ruthless, driving Lin Zhen to such isolation.
With that thought, Shen Sui looked at his own hand.
Ugh....
[Barbecue Technique], [Enchanting Speech]....
Why are these all cards targeting the opponent’s Followers?
Although Shen Sui wasn’t strictly a committed lover, in such an atmosphere, hijacking the opponent’s so-called love interests felt somewhat inhuman.
Thinking this, Shen Sui drew another card.
"My turn, I activate the effect of [Fish King Paiyiga] from my hand, liberating two of your Followers on the field to special summon it to your field from my hand."