Who says a sickly daughter can’t break through the weirdness?

Shen Qiyin turned her head, her serious eyes sweeping across everyone's face before she slowly said the second half of the sentence: "In other words, their 'gods'."

"..."

Tang Miao crossed his arms over his chest, his voice lowering as he said, "Shen Qiyin called the extremely terrifying world we were dragged into the 'Inner World'. The Inner World is a reflection of the most terrifying things deep within people's hearts, so everyone's vision and environment may be different.

After facing fear or eliminating the "carrier" of fear, one will return to the "surface world".

In the 'surface world' we are trapped in, the city streets and surrounding environment are almost the same as the real world. The only difference is that the place is filled with thick fog that cannot be dispelled even during the day.

Furthermore, the entities that attacked us were roaming in the thick fog."

"Thick fog..."

Lin Qiutang on the side couldn't help but look at Kana not far away, and then his gaze fell on Shen Qinyin's face. Both of them saw suspicion in each other's eyes.

She asked, "Do you think the fog in the real world is connected to the fog in the 'surface world'?"

"I couldn't sense it before..." Tang Miao shook his head, then added, "But after facing my fear in the 'surface world', I felt a certain level of sublimation. After that, I could sense the aura within it, and it was indeed very similar to the thick fog in reality."

As he spoke, Tang Miao looked at Shen Qiyin: "You think so too, right? Qiyin?"

"Yeah." Shen Qinyin nodded slightly.

"It seems that the 'creature' that has enveloped the entire Earth is indeed more than just a physical entity or a strange beast. Its power not only affects the entire real world, but can even pollute the spiritual world at the idealistic level."

Lin Qiutang rubbed his temples, looking exhausted. "Damn it! What on earth are we humans fighting against?"

“Buzz—buzz!”

Just as everyone was silent, the roar of a car engine came from far away and finally stopped outside the stronghold.

Shen Qinyin frowned. Although she did not deploy a reconnaissance network, after Tang Miao's "Popess" was upgraded to the maximum level, she had an almost instinctive perception even if she did not actively activate this ability. However, she did not notice any trace of the other party's vehicle.

Considering that the owner of the car came straight to their base, it means that the guy knew they were there from the beginning.

I'm afraid there are not many people who have this ability.

With this thought in mind, Shen Qinyin vigilantly opened the curtains and looked out the window.

A vintage Beetle from the 1980s was parked at the gate of their temporary base.

The car's paint is mottled, the parts are old, and some parts are damaged, but it still exudes a strange elegance.

The car door slowly opened, and an old man in a yellow robe and a stained yellow suit stepped out.

He was dressed like a down-and-out English gentleman from 18th-century England, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and holding a brass cane inlaid with strange runes.

Although his robe was old, it did not diminish his majesty and elegance at all.

"Ah, it seems I've arrived at the perfect time."

The old man took off his hat, revealing a wrinkled, calm face with a faint smile on his lips: "Excuse me, but is there any kind lady who is willing to give a hot meal to a poor old man like me?

If possible, it would be nice to give my car a little cleaning.”

His voice is deep and magnetic, as mellow as aged whiskey.

Shen Qiyin's eyes instantly became sharp, and her tone was heavy: "It's him, huh, that's right, apart from him, I guess no one else can find us so easily..."

Kana's expression also became serious at this moment.

Unlike others, she had an instinctive sense of crisis about this old man. Although he looked kind, she knew very well that this guy was definitely not as simple as he seemed.

Of course, even if she didn't say it, everyone else would know the answer.

You know, it’s impossible for an old man to drive around in the apocalypse without any skills.

Lin Qiutang and the others had only heard Shen Qinyin mention each other a few times. Strictly speaking, this was the first time they had seen this mysterious "traveling merchant" in person.

"Don't worry, he means no harm." Shen Qiyin gave everyone a reassuring look, then opened the window and waved to the old man, "Long time no see, old man, I didn't expect you to find your way here."

"After all, I'm an art lover." The old gentleman raised his head politely and said with a kind smile, "Wherever there is art, there I am."

Shen Qiyin shrugged, turned around and whispered to everyone, "Let's go down first. Xiaoxiang, please bring some food down, thank you."

"Master, I will prepare a luxurious meal with the etiquette for guests."

"Well, it doesn't have to be too fancy."

"Hmm? You don't have much of a relationship with this old man?" Xiaoxiang's electronic eyes flickered a few times, as if switching to a new strategy. "I see. I'll try to make this meal as unpalatable as possible!"

"Idiot, I mean just treat them like ordinary guests. There's no need to make a big fuss."

Shen Qiyin sighed and left the house with Tang Miao and Lin Qiutang.

Of course, Kana did not go down with them. She felt a sense of crisis and resistance towards the old man, so she wanted to stay away from him and naturally would not take the initiative to get close to him.

In the open space outside the base, Tang Miao looked around the Beetle several times, then said with admiration, "Grandpa, this car is probably almost as old as you are. It looks like it needs some maintenance. We have a lot of car parts in our base. Would you like me to help you replace them with new ones?"

"You really can't judge a book by its cover. This lovely lady actually knows car repair." Upon hearing this, the old man's smile deepened.

He slowly walked to the front of the Beetle and gently stroked the mottled hood as if caressing a lover. "Beautiful girl, I appreciate your kindness. But to me, the most precious thing about this car is that it has retained its original appearance.

Just like a famous painting that has gone through vicissitudes of life, if it is restored to look brand new, it will lose its most moving soul.”

"Oh? But..."

Tang Miao originally wanted to say that the car might not be able to be driven for long without replacing parts, but when she saw the look in Shen Qinyin's eyes, she immediately understood and shut her mouth.

"Ah, I smell the aroma of cheese and potatoes!" The old gentleman's face lit up and he sniffed. "Hmm, and the aroma of tomato soup?"

Shen Qiyin shook her head helplessly: "You have a really good nose. Please come in, I just happen to have something to ask you."

"I'd be happy to, but..." He lowered his voice mysteriously, "My consulting fees are not cheap."

"Don't worry, I have already prepared the reward you want."

Shen Qiyin took him into the base, and Xiaoxiang brought him fresh and hot meals.

After the old gentleman finished his meal, the others left the room on their own initiative, giving the two a chance to talk alone.

"This should be the item you want." As she said that, Shen Qinyin took out the crystal dropped by the Black Tide clone and pushed it in front of the other party.

"Yes, that's it." The old gentleman's eyes lit up, and he picked up the crystal with a smile, rubbing it in his palm. "The sign of disaster, the regret of the living, the lament of the dead..."

After a while, he put down the crystal and pushed it back to Shen Qinyin.

"You don't want to accept it?" Shen Qiyin raised her eyebrows.

"Haha~" The old gentleman laughed dumbly and said slowly, "My hobby is indeed collecting art, but some works of art are enough to just look at. If you collect them, they will have no value."

"...You're really weird."

"I can't help it. The older I get, the more paranoid I become. Haha..."

Shen Qiyin shrugged helplessly. It didn't matter if she didn't have it. It just happened that she was in urgent need of Lust Stones. This thing was worth 5000 Lust Stones. With Lin Qiutang's bonus, she could get 7000 Lust Stones after the conversion. This was a huge sum of money!

"So, what do you want to consult?"

The old gentleman stared at her with a smile.

Shen Qiyin was silent for a while, then asked, "I need you to tell me how to kill Hei Chao."

Her question contains a lot of information.

On the surface, he was asking how to kill Kuroshio, but in fact, he was exposing the old gentleman's true colors in disguise.

You know, a disaster of the Kuroshio's magnitude can easily destroy a country.

If we can get information from him that even the officials are currently unclear about, then we will know without any hesitation how powerful this old man is.

"Oh, this is a really complicated question," the old gentleman stroked his chin, sighed with a wry smile, "Oh, this is really difficult for me. I thought it was a simpler question."

"I think you know the answer."

"Why are you so sure?"

"intuition."

"Wow!" His eyes lit up, "That's really good!"

"If you don't want to answer, forget it." Shen Qiyin shrugged indifferently. It was just an attempt anyway. If she could get some information out, that would be the best. If she couldn't, there was nothing she could do.

Unexpectedly, the old gentleman smiled slyly and said, "Little girl, I asked you a question last time. Do you agree with 'sacrifice the minority in exchange for the majority'?"

"..."

"You don't have to answer. The trolley problem is inherently 'unsolvable,' or rather, it always has a solution. It just depends on how much sacrifice you are willing to make.

There are certainly many people in the world who want to find the best of both worlds, but unfortunately, reality will not give you the opportunity to find a third answer.

The world is being swallowed by the fog, and people are dying every minute. You are very lucky, child, you don't have to face this difficult choice."

The old gentleman's words seemed to have a hidden meaning. Shen Qiyin's eyes flashed, and she quickly asked, "You, what do you mean by this?"

"Sometimes, a chess player must sacrifice a few pieces in order to win the entire game. In other words, the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of people in exchange for the survival of tens of millions is not cruel, but a necessary compromise."

"..."

"Someone has already paid the price for his choice. Perhaps human history will describe his 'sin' as 'executioner'..."

The old gentleman stood up and politely bowed to Shen Qiyin and said goodbye: "Well, see you next time, little girl."

As the old gentleman finished speaking, the familiar "page turning effect" once again emerged in Shen Qiyin's mind -

Soul Resonance: Moon

【Level: 2 stars → 3 stars! 】

[Ability Acquired: Artist's Mindset (Lv.3)]

[Effect: Greatly increases your mental strength and resistance to mental pollution. Even in a state of severe pollution, you can maintain a high degree of sanity.]

Obtain Desire Stone: 300

[Current Desire Stone: 1790]

Chapter 159: Get Rich! Information on White Flame Ore

The old gentleman's obvious "riddle" shocked Shen Qiyin greatly.

Shen Qiyin speculated that this old man was not an ordinary person with ordinary qualifications. There was even a possibility that he might not even be a human being.

Aren’t there always those classic characters in fictional works like games, movies, and novels?

A guy who wanders around dressed as a businessman in a doomsday environment, always hanging around the protagonist team, creating encounters in a series of seemingly coincidental ways, and giving clues with riddles.

Shen Qiyin thought that this old man had such a personality, and it usually took some effort to get him to speak.

For example, this time, if I hadn't found the signs of disaster for him, this old guy would never say a word even if he died.

If his hints weren't nonsense, then to completely destroy the Black Tide, at least millions more people would have to die...

Shen Qinyin couldn't help but recall the horrific scene that night when she saw a black ball of flesh made up of hundreds of thousands of corpses floating above her head.

Even she didn't want to think about that scene that could be called hell on earth.

Is that really the only way to kill Kuroshio...?

Although she is not a state department, and the Black Tide clones in the southern region have been killed, and she does not need to worry too much about the remaining clones and the original body, Shen Qiyin is still clear about the truth that "where will the hair be attached if the skin is gone?"

If we can reduce casualties and kill Kuroshio, that would of course be the best.

Shen Qinyin looked at the Titan placed inside the stronghold and couldn't help but clench her fists secretly.

It's almost there...

It won't be long before I gain the power to kill the Black Tide...

A few days passed quickly.

Through cultivation, Shen Qinyin and her friends now have black soil that can cover an area of ​​about 50 square meters.

The increase in black soil has also expanded the types of crops they can grow. Now, in addition to potatoes and sweet potatoes, Tang Miao has also found some fruit seeds, such as watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberry, etc.

Although it is winter now, the season does not matter to the black soil. As long as there is enough water, it can grow any crop.

The only problem is that there is no meat source...

They didn't encounter any living animals along the way. If they did, they might be able to try to raise and cultivate them.

As for the Desire Stone, Shen Qiyin finally saved up a full ten thousand.

After the crystal of the Black Tide clone is converted, 7000 Desire Stones can be obtained. After the death of the entity that attacked them, more than 1,000 can be converted. Adding to the original savings, Shen Qinyin currently has exactly 10400 Desire Stones.

Such a large amount of Desire Stone is enough for her to deal with most crises.