Infinity: Our Zhongzhou team is really amazing!

Chapter 419 Old Qin's Resignation (Part 2)

Dajing City.

It is located in a high-end estate in the suburbs.

After passing through a series of checks and checkpoints, Zhuang Boshi arrived at an antique-style reception room arranged by a specialist, riding in a Hongqi sedan with license plate number 京A08080.

At this moment, an old man with white hair and a withered face, dressed in a gray robe, sat at the octagonal table, leaning against a wooden chair, seemingly lost in thought.

His face was as old as withered wood, his white hair was like weeds, and his clothes were somewhat unkempt.

This is Elder Qin.

The initial ceiling, a born demon tamer, capable of communicating with his future self and restarting his abilities.

He looks unkempt, like he just woke up.

Zhuang Boshi found it somewhat strange.

"Hello, Mr. Qin."

Seeing that Qin Lao didn't seem to be inviting him to sit down, Zhuang Boshi simply sat down opposite him.

"Young man."

Old Qin did not smile; his cloudy eyes slowly shifted to Zhuang Boshi.

"He is not a ghost tamer, yet he has the ability to deal with vengeful spirits."

"You guys are really impressive for being able to extinguish that starving ghost and deal with those invaders in such a short time."

Such a polite opening.

Zhuang Boshi felt that there was something wrong with the old man Qin in front of him.

I don't know how to start the conversation that I originally had.

He could only politely reply, "Not at all, it's all by chance. I'll need your guidance, seniors."

Old Qin nodded, then turned his gaze to the side again, showing no intention of continuing the conversation.

An awkward silence fell over the tea room.

One minute.

ten minutes.

half an hour.

Old Qin kept looking out the window; if it weren't for the occasional rise and fall of his chest and the blinking of his eyelids, he would have looked like a corpse.

There was no desire for dialogue, no desire for questioning, and not even a hint of curiosity about their true identities.

He looks like an Alzheimer's patient.

Something's not right. What's going on?

Zhuang Boshi envisioned many scenarios in his mind of meeting and exchanging ideas with Qin Lao.

Old Master Qin might question their origins, might question their influence on the higher-ups, or might believe that their arrival altered the original outcome.

Welcome, support?
Resistance, hostility!
Or should we just take action?
As a signal to drink tea and smash a cup, eight hundred ghost tamers poured out from behind the screen and chopped themselves into mincemeat.

But to their utter surprise, the old man completely ignored them, treating them like complete strangers.

Old Qin didn't care at all about this sudden change in the Zhongzhou team.

its not right!
The Central Plains team arrived in the country, influencing the headquarters' top management, intervening in the starving ghost incident, destroying the human skin paper, erasing the wishing ghost, and prematurely killing the king.

In theory, all of these would have a significant impact on Yang Jian.

But Old Qin never showed up, as if they didn't exist.

This is very unreasonable.

As the chief designer who arranged Yang Jian's growth, will Qin Lao let the script undergo uncontrollable changes?
Zhuang Boshi couldn't sit still any longer and broke the silence: "Mr. Qin, don't you have anything you want to ask me?"

Old Qin's gaze slowly settled on Zhuang Boshi.

"who are you."

Just as Zhuang Boshi was about to answer, he heard Old Qin say something else.

Does it matter now?

His tone was calm, revealing no emotion.

Zhuang Boshi's words were stuck in Qin Lao's throat, making him extremely uncomfortable!

How can it not be important!

Why does Old Qin seem so uninterested in everything, like he's just giving up and lying down?

You should be a very energetic senior citizen!

Bosch could only get straight to the point.

"We are travelers from other worlds."

"Old Qin, don't you care how much impact we've had on this established world?"

"Didn't we cause your layout to shift?"

Zhuang Boshi decided to be frank and not play the riddle game anymore.

He was not afraid of the old man. Although Qin Lao might have a strong ghost domain and the ability to communicate with the future, his destructive power was obviously not as great as Luo Wensong or Luo Qian.

Moreover, no matter how powerful Elder Qin is, he cannot predict everything.

For a moment, Qin Lao's dim eyes seemed to turn into a fierce ghost, but then returned to normal.

He seemed extremely tired: "I'm old, and I didn't want to get too involved in the affairs of you younger generation."

"I don't want to concern myself with your secrets. I don't want to waste my time trying to negotiate with you."

This isn't an act; they're really open for business!
This pillar of strength in the original work fought and schemed until the very last moment, pushing himself to the limit.

What made him so dejected?

"I understand."

Zhuang Boshi said seriously, "Since you don't care, could you take some time to talk openly and honestly and answer some questions I want to know?"

After a long silence, Old Qin said, "I will answer all your questions without reservation."

Zhuang Boshi nodded: "Then I'll get straight to the point."

"What is Yang Jian's current condition?"

"Although I don't know how you knew that," Old Qin's slightly narrowed eyes held a penetrating glint in them.

"But in my future, there is no person or ghost named Yang Jian."

？ ！！

Yang Jian is gone?!
"Then what about the gods?" Zhuang Boshi didn't shy away from Qin Lao's sharp gaze at all.

Old Qin was silent for a while, then chuckled and said, "If there were gods in this world, how could it be like this, with evil spirits running rampant?"

Not a lie.

However, according to the main god's quest hints, Yang Jian should exist.

In Qin Lao's understanding, why does it seem as if Yang Jian has never appeared?

Bosch put it another way: "So what about the future?"

Has the era of the paranormal come to an end?

Old Qin sighed, as if releasing all the remaining life force he had left.

He said slowly, "To end the era of the supernatural."

"What an outrageous idea."

"Since birth, everything I have done has been to prevent people from being harmed by evil spirits."

“But I’ve tried many things, including what you’ve mentioned: creating a god.”

"But they all failed."

However, Yang Jian is still alive and has successfully embarked on the path of a ghost tamer.

Why is it considered a failure?

"And what about Yang Jian?" Zhuang Boshi asked directly, "What about the arrangements you made on Yang Jian?"

"You really do know a lot."

Old Qin's face was indifferent, which was not only the result of being corrupted by the vengeful ghost, but also the indifference of a heart that is dead when all sorrow is gone.

"Yang Jian is one of the most promising young men among all the candidates to fulfill our long-cherished wish."

"Although I can't see that far ahead, among the possibilities I originally foresaw, he was the one most likely to succeed."

“We have sown many seeds of godhood like him.”

"Shen Lin, Zhang Jun, Jiang Heng, Li Hui, Liang Xingyang, Lin Qian, and Jiang Shan are all candidates to become gods."

Old Qin would pause after each name he uttered.

These names all sound so familiar!
Yang Jian wasn't the only solution!

Upon closer reflection, this is actually quite normal.

It's unlikely that a demon tamer with the ability to foresee the future would arrange something for just one person.

Those who possess the ability to foresee the future are best at leveraging opportunities and making strategic moves; they certainly wouldn't abandon their advantages without good reason.

Make more backup plans and leave more possibilities.

Old Qin sighed, "But many of them failed when they tried to contain their first vengeful ghost."

"Some young people who grow up very quickly will also be unable to survive the great calamity that follows."

"Are you referring to the King's Ark Project?" Zhuang Boshi asked thoughtfully.

"But the King's organization is basically crippled, with only the captain left. If I find him, I can kill him head-on!"

Old Qin shook his head, then nodded: "That's just a minor ailment."

"Then what about the most pressing threat?"

Old Qin chuckled bitterly.

"I can no longer see the future, my young friend."

"future--"

"No!" A look of despair appeared on Old Qin's face.

"It's not that far."

Five months later, all ghosts revived, and the world fell into ruin.

"Of the living, not even one in ten thousand survived."

"We can only eke out a living in the ghost realms of some powerful and vengeful spirits."

"The world has become utterly hell!"

"Evil spirits, rampant."

"The human world is like a prison!"

"No one can stop this."

“Five months.” Zhuang Boshi keenly grasped this word.

The end of the world is just five months away?
Could it be this?

Its complete resurgence led to the invasion of all vengeful spirits into the human world, resulting in the mass slaughter of humans who became food for the spirits.

Some humans were kept as livestock by vengeful spirits and turned into creatures like pigs and dogs.

No wonder I just saw Old Qin looking like a withered tree, utterly devoid of any zest for life.

It turns out that the ending was apocalyptic, with everything collapsing and all hope vanishing.

And he was powerless to change any of it, and could only watch helplessly as the end of the world drew ever closer.

"When did the change happen? I mean, the future you initially envisioned wasn't the end of the world, was it?" Zhuang Boshi looked intently at Old Qin.

"In the beginning, you didn't exist in the future." Old Qin took a deep breath, his cloudy eyes slightly unfocused.

"In that future, the starving ghost incident was dealt with by Yang Jian, and the master of the ghost eye in Hongfa Temple had also escaped."

"The incident involving ghost messengers and ghost paintings broke out in Dajing City. I suppressed it with my own body, but the evil spirit was revived, so I had to enter the golden statue."

"The Ghost Lake incident, the Peach Blossom Spring incident, and the King's invasion incident that followed—in the end, although I didn't see anyone suppress this world, I did see a glimmer of possibility."

This plot is from the original work, so what caused the future to change?
"But ten days ago, the future changed dramatically," Old Qin said in a complicated tone.

Ten days, why ten days?

Bosch's mind raced.

"Ten days ago, a terrifying and hopeless apocalypse appeared in my conversation with the future."

"I tried every method I could think of, but nothing worked."

“Some arrangements could even lead to a more desperate future.”

"Zhang Dong told me that after the worst comes the best, and things will eventually turn around. Facing a desperate situation is not necessarily a bad thing; the world will always bring about changes."

"Whether this variable is good or bad."

Old Qin said slowly, "From that day on, every time I see the future, it keeps changing."

"Sometimes things get better, and humanity can survive safely for decades to come."

"Sometimes it's even worse; humans only have a few months."

"And the last time I had a conversation with the future was three days ago."

“After that, I could no longer see the future.” Old Qin’s voice was filled with suppressed emotion.

"The future is already set."

"The ghost inside me will die on that day."

"No, all the vengeful ghosts in the world will disappear on that day."

"Disappeared?" Zhuang Boshi asked cautiously, "Is the calamity of the vengeful ghosts over?"

"No, humanity was wiped out long before that day..." Old Qin looked at the teacup in front of him.

"The disappearance of the vengeful ghost is not a sign of hope, but rather a sign of even greater fear." These words were so weighty that Zhuang Boshi felt an invisible pressure bearing down on him.

Zhuang Boshi noticed two key time points.

Ten days, three days.

Ten days ago was the day the Zhongzhou team arrived in this world!
Is it because of their arrival that the original future has changed?

No, it must be that the future changed, which is why they were sent by the main god to resolve this matter!
A constantly changing future, an ever-changing ending—what is it that can continuously traverse the timeline?

Only one being can do that.

That's Yang Jian.

The drastically changing future is nothing more than Yang Jian constantly traversing timelines, vying with some being.

The source of vengeful spirits.

Or is it a Golden Immortal?

Three days ago, the future was fixed and completely tilted towards the end of the world, which means that Yang Jian has completely failed.

In the end what happened.

The events of that day flashed through Bosch's mind like a movie.

The Zhongzhou team arrived in Dachang City, killed the starving ghost, made a deal with Yang Jian, drove away the wishing ghost, and the human skin paper's self-narration revealed that Zhao Ruikong controlled the ghost dream.
If we're talking about influence, then every single event could have influenced Yang Jian's birth.

But is Yang Jian's proof of his identity, once established, forever so fragile?

After interacting with the human skin paper, I was able to trigger two side quests: one to exorcise the source of the evil spirit, and the other to kill Yang Jian and wipe out humanity.

Does this mean Yang Jian has completely failed after the mission is triggered?
Is the Supreme God playing a cruel joke on us?!
Fortunately, the Zhongzhou team didn't act rashly or impulsively.

And was Yang Jian killed?
Was it completely erased from the timeline?

To erase a god from the timeline, what level of existence would be capable of doing that?

A tangled mess, like a mountain pressing down on Zhuang Boshi's heart.

Calling Chu Xuan! Calling Chu Xuan!!

"I don't know if your arrival is a possibility of salvation or a greater disaster." Old Qin rested his fingers on his chin, his gaze fixed intently on Zhuang Boshi.

"Especially your interference at several key points completely disrupted many of the original plans of us old fogies."

"But then I thought, the world is going to be destroyed anyway."

"Perhaps you are the only variable outside the predetermined future."

"I don't want to think about it anymore, and I don't want to get involved. Do as you please. Perhaps you can bring about better changes."

No wonder the Zhongzhou team attacked almost every minefield, and Old Qin didn't stop them.

It turns out he had seen it all and completely given up.

Anyway, the future is going to be destroyed.

I'd rather let you do whatever you want.

“Even if you don’t say anything, we will find a way to resolve this matter.”

Zhuang Boshi said earnestly.

"But the question now is, what exactly do we do?"

The information we have so far is limited, consisting mainly of fragments from the human skin paper and Qin Lao's words.

It's unclear who the enemy we're facing is.

"I cannot see the future now, but based on some reasonable deductions I have made from the future I have seen before," Old Qin said in a deep voice.

"In a very short time, maybe a month, maybe half a month, maybe even less, a large-scale paranormal resurgence will sweep across the country."

"Dozens or even hundreds of terrifying ghosts will resurface in various places, and at the same time, some ghost-controlling organizations will rebel. This is a major purge of lawful ghost-controlling individuals in the country."

With mixed emotions, Old Qin said, "A large number of ghost tamers have died, and more than twenty cities and several provinces have fallen."

"Corpses lay strewn across the fields, and the world was like a prison."

"Of course, this is just the beginning."

"The world is irrevocably heading towards its doom!"

"There is no safe place anywhere in the world."

“The terrifying and indescribable ghosts that have existed in history will be resurrected, and the living space for mankind will become smaller and smaller.”

"Until the day of the end."

Old Qin's words greatly exceeded Zhuang Boshi's expectations.

I originally thought the apocalypse wouldn't start for another five months, but it turns out the appetizers are already being served.

Five months later, even the vengeful ghosts disappeared, which proves it.

Is it about to wake up?

All the vengeful spirits merged into one.

Zhuang Boshi felt suffocated just thinking about it.

but--

there is always a solution to a problem.

Zhuang Boshi quickly regained his composure.

"Leaving aside what will happen in five months, the impending disaster of the resurgence of vengeful spirits should not involve just one or two S-class vengeful spirits."

"No."

Old Qin looked exhausted: "You can simply multiply the number by ten."

Damn, a dozen or twenty S-class vengeful ghosts?
Are you doing wholesale?!

"Of course, this is just speculation." Old Qin picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Things might get better."

"Of course, it could be worse."

"Is that all you can tell me?" Zhuang Boshi asked doubtfully.

If that's all there is to it, then it's far too little.

"I'm just an old man who can communicate with the future. I don't know about the future, and I can't possibly know about the present either," Old Qin apologized helplessly.

Zhuang Boshi asked directly, "Do you know where Guixu is?"

"Return to the Ruins?"

Old Qin shook his head: "I've never heard of this haunted place."

"You might be able to visit the old man in the old house; he might know some clues."

Zhuang Boshi felt a headache coming on. If even Elder Qin didn't know, then Zhang Dong might not know either.

If there is any being who knows all the supernatural knowledge and secrets of the past and present, it can only be Yang Jian.

But he has now vanished from history, leaving no trace.

"Then, what about the Lord of the Demon Eye beneath Hongfa Temple?" Zhuang Boshi continued to ask.

"Ignore it."

Old Qin said calmly, "He won't cause any harm."

"He might appear, but not now."

Zhuang Boshi was completely baffled.

I originally thought that talking with Mr. Qin would resolve some of my doubts, but unexpectedly, not many of my doubts were resolved, and even more problems arose.

Whether it's the disappearance of Yang Jian, the recent great resurgence, or the mass extinction five months from now, these are all matters that must be dealt with as soon as possible.

"I, an old man, can't control the more distant future."

At this point, Qin Laochao gave Zhuang Boshi a meaningful smile.

"Young friend—"

"The future rests on your shoulders."

Zhuang Boshi wanted nothing more than to curse. Even though he was a fourth-tier player and the Zhongzhou team had two fourth-tier players, he still found the current situation extremely troublesome.

"I feel like I'm falling into your trap, Mr. Qin," Dr. Zhuang sighed.

"It was you who wanted to come see me."

Old Qin finally laughed: "You are not a person of this world, so you originally had no need to deal with this cause and effect."

"In this respect, we need to thank you."

Zhuang Boshi smiled wryly, "Why thank us? Thank God!"

If it weren't for the supreme deity, who would be willing to risk their life?

"One last hint." Old Qin's voice suddenly turned serious.

"I can't see the future now, but I can remember one person who said something very important to me."

Seeing Qin Lao's serious expression, Zhuang Boshi straightened his back and asked, "Who is that person?"

Old Qin shook his head: "I don't remember. It seems like he was being weighed down by a huge mountain."

Mountains?

Zhuang Boshi was even more confused: "What did he say?"

"Hope lies not in the future, but in the past," Old Qin said slowly.

What does "又" mean?

Zhuang Boshi frowned.

However, Qin Lao's behavior suggests that this statement definitely involves some very serious matters.

Bosch Zhuang pressed further, "Could you please explain in more detail?"

"No, it's impossible." Old Qin shook his head.

“I don’t remember, but whenever I think of that scene, I feel an ultimate fear that is more profound than death.”

Old Qin's face turned pale, and fear appeared in his eyes.

But that's also a possible answer.

Zhuang Boshi felt a sinking feeling in his heart, and a very familiar feeling welled up inside him.

That was Chu Xuan's final admonition to himself in the Lord of the Rings world.

"Alright, I've told you everything I could and should have said."

"If you still have questions, then there's nothing I can do to help you."

Old Qin picked up a cup of tea, indicating that the guest should be seen off.

Zhuang Boshi stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your explanation."

Zhuang Boshi contacted Wang Xiaoming immediately after getting into the car.

"Professor Wang, the National Ghost Tamers Conference is scheduled for tomorrow."

"tomorrow?"

Wang Xiaoming's voice was deep: "Why?"

"Time is running out."

Zhuang Boshi's tone was heavy.

Many arrangements need to be made, and we must expedite them!
Wang Xiaoming hung up the phone and took a sip of tea.

"Why do you need to use me to reveal some information?" Old Qin looked at him.

“If you say it, he will believe it even more,” Wang Xiaoming said expressionlessly.

"Is that so?" Old Qin sighed deeply.

"I'm just an old man with one foot in the grave, and that's all I can do."

"Is there any hope?" He looked at Wang Xiaoming with a sorrowful expression.

"Hope." Wang Xiaoming pushed up his glasses in a cold tone.

"Now, there is no hope left."

Old Qin's greatest sorrow was the despair of a broken heart.

“But perhaps it still exists in the past,” Wang Xiaoming continued.

"Time...who can go back in time and change everything?" Old Qin said sadly.

Wang Xiaoming sneered: "Time isn't that simple."

"For some beings that can transcend timelines, the present is not the present, and the past is not the past."

"They traverse every point on the timeline, so the struggle will inevitably spread to every stage of the timeline."

"One side is close to victory."

"To achieve victory, we must ensure that every key moment is anchored to the outcome of victory."

"Only in the end can we achieve victory."

"you've changed."

Old Qin gave Wang Xiaoming a deep look and said frankly, "I feel that you have undergone some deeper changes."

"You're not like yourself anymore."

Everyone changes.

Wang Xiaoming's tone remained calm, like a bottomless pool.

"Just think of me as someone who has commanded a very terrifying vengeful ghost."

"One—"

"A vengeful ghost from beyond this world, beyond our imagination."

(End of this chapter)