Thriller Paradise Chapter 152: Earth Wasteland Arc (Eighteen) - Novel Cool

Chapter 152: Earth Wasteland Arc (Eighteen)

Chapter 152: Earth Wasteland Arc (Eighteen)

The door to the Divine Edict Chamber slid open, revealing a man whose face bore a striking resemblance to Hawez—York Kouben. Standing beside him was a boy of twelve or thirteen, clearly his son. The Kouben family was easy to identify: their sharp facial features, identical hair and eye colors, and stout builds—though the latter seemed more a product of lifestyle than genetics—made them unmistakable.

Feng Bu Jue stepped into the room first, followed closely by Kuangzong Jianying and Hank. The moment Feng Bu Jue’s eyes swept the interior, he understood why the Kouben family forbade outsiders from entering. Far from the sacred, religious space its name implied, the so-called Divine Edict Chamber was a high-tech nerve center, its walls lined with control panels and glowing monitors—the heart of this starship.

[Hidden Task Completed]

A system prompt chimed in both players’ ears. The task had been fulfilled the moment they laid eyes on York Kouben.

“You’ve got an interesting expression,” Feng Bu Jue remarked. “You seem remarkably calm about finding us at your doorstep. Don’t you care whether Hawez is alive or dead?”

York replied evenly, “If you killed him, I suppose I should thank you.”

“Is that so…?” Feng Bu Jue’s lips curled. “So your relationship with your brother is that bad, huh? Did he steal a woman you wanted, or was it his throne as Chosen of God you coveted?”

“You’re clever,” York said. “And cruel.”

“Cruel?” Feng Bu Jue chuckled, drawing his pistol. With a single trigger pull, he blew York’s son’s head clean off. The three others froze in stunned silence.

Blood and brain matter splattered the floor as the boy’s body crumpled at his father’s feet.

Hank’s eyes widened in shock; even Kuangzong Jianying stiffened. This was just a game, but Feng Bu Jue’s cold-blooded decisiveness—his utter lack of hesitation—left them rattled.

The room fell deathly quiet for the next ten seconds, the only sound their shallow breathing.

“You’ve got an interesting reaction yourself,” Feng Bu Jue said, studying York’s face.

“You’re a madman…” York’s composure finally cracked.

“Confirming this was your son?” Feng Bu Jue gestured at the corpse with his gun.

“Yes.”

“You didn’t even flinch as I murdered him before your eyes,” Feng Bu Jue said, holstering his weapon. “But when you realized I’d done it just to test your reactions… you showed unease.” He shook his head. “With all due respect, Mr. Kouben, calling you cruel is like calling a hurricane a drizzle. Your moral rot runs far deeper.”

“A man who shoots a stranger without hesitation dares lecture me?” York shot back.

Kuangzong Jianying interjected, “I can’t say I disagree.”

Feng Bu Jue shrugged. “To me, he was just a stranger. To you, he was blood. Your reaction speaks volumes about who’s truly ruthless.”

“I won’t waste breath arguing,” York replied. “Since—”

“Since we’ve come this far, let’s talk terms,” Feng Bu Jue interrupted.

“You were expecting that?” York frowned.

“Did you really need to say it?” Feng Bu Jue countered. “Your brother dies, you’re indifferent. Your son dies, you’re unbothered. The only person you care about is yourself. ‘Preserve the mountain, and firewood will never lack.’ But realistically, you knew resistance was futile the moment we arrived. You were ready to negotiate the instant we walked through that door.”

He leaned closer. “But my actions just now shook you. You saw a madman who’d kill without reason, and panic crept in. Because you know—only a rational person bargains. Madmen burn everything down.”

York’s face paled. He hadn’t expected Feng Bu Jue to dissect his psychology so effortlessly. “Who are you?”

“Feng Bu Jue… yeah, I’d like to know that too,” Kuangzong Jianying muttered.

“Stop clowning around,” Feng Bu Jue snapped at him, then turned back to York. “Mr. Kouben, I notice the console behind you is destroyed. If I’m not mistaken, that was the only communication equipment linking Divine Protection Village to the outside world?”

“So?” York replied. Before Feng Bu Jue’s arrival, he’d smashed the monitor with a single punch from his modified arm.

“Fascinating,” Feng Bu Jue said. “You did this before we entered. You knew Hawez couldn’t stop us the moment that door opened. Your expression confirmed it.”

“Just how many things can you process in a single instant?” Kuangzong Jianying muttered. He’d given up trying to predict the situation’s outcome—now, he was just here for the show.

“Mr. Kouben, you’re clearly sharp-witted, if nothing else,” Feng Bu Jue said, circling around to inspect the ruined console. He sat on his folding stool (the one he always carried) and began examining the damage. “You were watching us the moment we reached the temple’s entrance, weren’t you?”

York said nothing, though sweat dripped from his temples.

“There are no photos in your village, no recorders. But I’ll wager this ship has everything,” Feng Bu Jue continued. “Surveillance is standard tech by modern standards. Yet in Divine Protection Village, it’s a secret only you control. You’d keep even the priests in the dark, sharing it only with blood relatives.

Surveillance is the perfect tool. The villagers feel watched but don’t understand how. It’s as if a deity’s eye follows them. Flawless, isn’t it?”

He paused, tinkering with the console. “Of course, you weren’t glued to these monitors all day. The village’s camera network is limited, but when you received that call about three intruders in the Fourth District, you raced here and locked onto our trail.”

He glanced up. “In the Fourth District, we faced scattered resistance. But those skirmishes told me everything I needed. You quickly realized our strength was overwhelming. Knowing resistance was futile, you crafted a plan.

You summoned your family. Your son joined you here in the Divine Edict Chamber while Hawez guarded the door. I don’t know what lie you fed your brother, but with his IQ, he’d believe anything.

Hawez had no idea our power was real. He died still thinking he’d outsmarted us. You played him perfectly. A classic killing two birds with one stone maneuver. Hawez’s death? Exactly what you wanted.”

Feng Bu Jue turned to face York. “Your son was insurance. A child makes people hesitate. Most wouldn’t shoot a man with a boy at his side.”

Kuangzong Jianying snorted. “So you’re admitting you’re not normal?”

“Don’t interrupt,” Feng Bu Jue said. “Mr. Kouben, your plan was clear. Even if Hawez survived—or even if he killed us—you’d have framed us for his death. But you knew the likely outcome: we’d kill him and come for you. And here we are.

You couldn’t let us contact outsiders. If the world learned of Divine Protection Village, your family’s dictatorship would collapse. You’d die before allowing that.

So you destroyed the comms. Then, you had to stall us while negotiating terms.”

York burst into laughter. “I’d clap if I could. But you’re no saint either, Feng Bu Jue. You’re bargaining with me—telling me all this—to gain leverage!”

He kicked his son’s corpse aside. “Fine. Take what you want. The women. The resources. I’ll even fabricate a story—tell them you’re divine envoys, give you residence in this ‘temple’.” He air-quoted the word, grinning. “Those fools believe anything. Show them a few gadgets they don’t understand, and it’s miracles to them!

What do you say? I know how outsiders think. My ancestors met a few. They tried convincing the villagers to rejoin the outside world’s ‘civilization,’ but they compromised in the end.”

Feng Bu Jue interrupted, “The foreigners repaired this chamber’s equipment, didn’t they?”

“True,” York admitted. “They built these comms, though we’ve never used them. Not unless we face another nuclear apocalypse. My descendants and I will never touch them.”

“You can intercept external ship signals, though?”

York’s face darkened. “You figured that out too?”

“It came to me on the Sharkfish Pod ride here,” Feng Bu Jue said. “I wondered how Scavengers found Crystal Lake Laboratory. Where did their coordinates come from? Simple: someone here—you, the ruler—tracked the signals of exploration teams.

Human expeditions occasionally visit Old Earth. Observe their signals, memorize their routes and stops, deduce the ruins they discovered, then relay those coordinates to departments. The orders filter down to Scavengers.”

Hank gasped. “So that’s how they found the ruins!” He’d always wondered—now, the answer was clear.

“You bastard! You Kouben Family’s lied to us for generations!” Hank’s voice shook with fury. “You’ve kept us enslaved, ignorant! Our whole lives—from birth to death—were controlled by you!”

“Truth?” York scoffed. “The village thrives without it! We gave you purpose. We gave you faith. From birth to death, you had homes, food, families—no confusion, no dissatisfaction. Isn’t that better?” He faced Hank, his voice rising. “You don’t know the outside world! Do you think it’s better? I’ve read Old Earth’s true history. Humanity hasn’t learned. They’re still the same—wherever there are people, there’s greed and war, whether on Earth or in the stars!

Only Divine Protection Village is paradise! The Kouben Family gave you this utopian paradise!”

(End of Chapter)

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