Chapter Sixty-Four: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

As Meng Rang spoke, everyone’s expression changed drastically, especially the head of the Meng family, whose face was filled with shock. “Rang, you—” he began.

Meng Rang grinned, looking at the Meng family head, and said, “Third Uncle, you don’t understand. This world is already sick—sick beyond any hope of cure.”

“This world, stricken with a terminal illness, needs purification. It needs to be completely destroyed. God will forge a perfect new world!”

“Enough!” the Meng family head shouted angrily. “Do you even know what you’re doing? You’ve lost your mind! You were educated so thoroughly as a child—what happened to all those books you read? Humanity is at the brink of survival, and you—you—”

Meng Rang let out a soft laugh. “Third Uncle, it’s precisely because I’ve read so much that I understand—this world truly cannot be saved. The entire world is sick, and only destruction can bring rebirth. Look, isn’t this apocalypse the best proof? It’s God’s punishment, God’s ending. Stop holding onto your illusions. The world will be destroyed, it must—”

Gu Sha pressed harder on Meng Rang’s broken leg, cutting short his monologue with pain that made his face contort.

“I don’t have much patience,” Gu Sha said coldly. “Tell me honestly where the members of the association are hiding. I might spare your life. Whether you survive will depend on the others—given the Meng family’s influence, you might still have a chance.”

Meng Rang burst out laughing. “What a joke! The world is diseased—everyone is sick. We, the healthy, are forced to become outcasts, misunderstood and rejected by society. But so what?”

As he finished speaking, a sudden mouthful of black blood spilled from Meng Rang’s lips. His eyes widened, and his breath ceased.

“Rang…” The Meng family head cried out in anguish, rushing forward to cradle Meng Rang’s corpse, overcome with grief.

The Yang family head shouted urgently, “Quick, get a doctor! He mustn’t die—”

“No need,” Gu Sha interrupted. “He took poison ahead of time. He was already prepared to die.”

The Yang family head gritted his teeth. “He—he really was one of the association’s—”

“He wasn’t,” Gu Sha said suddenly.

“What?” The Yang family head was stunned, as were all the others.

Gu Sha spoke slowly. “It’s all too coincidental, too easy. From the moment I entered the Law Guard office, Old Ninth died. Then we went to the detention cell—the warden died. Then we found Meng Rang, who admitted his identity and committed suicide without hesitation. Step by step, it all seemed orchestrated, as if we were meant to believe Meng Rang was the association member, so we'd lose the trail.”

The Yang family head frowned, puzzled. “What’s wrong with that?”

Gu Sha let out a soft laugh. He was uncertain how to explain. In his previous life, he had survived twenty years in the apocalypse and had dealings with the association. Their methods were never so neatly linked together—this sequence of events didn’t fit their style at all.

The association was full of madmen. If they were discovered, their response would never be to quietly commit suicide by poison, as Meng Rang did. Instead, they would go on a rampage, killing as many as they could.

So, whenever association members’ plans were exposed, they would always fight desperately—never preemptively take poison.

Conversely, when Gu Sha became convinced that Meng Rang was only pretending to be part of the association, he realized something was wrong from the very start. Each step led them straight to Meng Rang, everything unfolding too conveniently.

Peeling back this layer of appearances, Meng Rang’s actions became intriguing—a deliberate attempt to conceal and protect another person in the shadows.

“Meng Rang was merely a scapegoat, brought out to die in place of another. He used his death to shield the one truly connected to the association,” Gu Sha said.

“Who do you suspect?” the Yang family head asked.

Gu Sha glanced at his watch—it was already eight o’clock.

He said, “There’s no time. I have no interest in playing detective and chasing clues,” then turned toward the Meng family head. “Meng family head, you’d best confess.”

The Meng family head, still holding Meng Rang’s body, froze, then looked up in fury. “Gu Sha, what do you mean? Don’t go too far. Yes, you’re formidable, your fighting ability is unmatched and I can’t stop you, but don’t push your luck! You’ve already driven Meng Rang to his death, now you want to drive me as well? What grudge do you hold against my Meng family to pursue us so relentlessly?”

Gu Sha drew his blade and pressed it to the Meng family head’s throat. “I have no patience left. I’m tired of this detective game. I want an answer—now.”

“What evidence do you have?” the Meng family head demanded angrily. “Gu Sha, don’t get arrogant. You’re strong, but that doesn’t mean you can do as you please—”

Gu Sha’s blade struck the Meng family head’s face, leaving an angry red mark and knocking out several teeth.

The Yang family head and others rushed to intervene. The Meng family head’s status was far higher than Meng Rang’s. They could threaten Meng Rang, but to treat the Meng family head this way—if Gu Sha was wrong, it could cause turmoil in the enclave, where the Meng family held great power.

“Stay back!” Gu Sha stomped the floor, sending tremors through the ground and scattering the others.

He stared at the Meng family head, wasting no words. “I’ll ask one last time. If you refuse, I’ll kill you, then wipe out every Meng family member in the enclave. Trust me—I always keep my word.”

“Don’t go too far—” the Meng family head protested.

Gu Sha raised his blade. “Congratulations, you answered incorrectly.”

The Meng family head shouted frantically, “I really don’t know—”

Gu Sha’s blade fell—

“I’ll speak!” At that moment, the blade stopped at the Meng family head’s throat, breaking the skin, but held steady.

The Meng family head stared at Gu Sha in disbelief. “How—how did you figure it out? How are you so certain it’s me? There are plenty of Meng family members at the Law Guard office—why assume Meng Rang would protect me?”

Gu Sha shook his head. “I’m not certain. I just have no patience left. If I guessed wrong, consider yourself unlucky.”

He would never tell the Meng family head that it was his keen senses that picked up on subtle, suspicious reactions, which led him to lock onto the Meng family head.