Dual Worlds: I Have a Doomsday World

When Lin Qi saw Wang Qiang, he was immediately reminded of Wang Qiang’s ability and asked, "Can you sense the positions of the remaining six Blood Moon Envoys? I suspect they’re going to make a move on the other camps."

Wang Qiang frowned at his words, then shook his head and explained:

"After our first clash today, my sense of them grew much fainter."

"What I sense is ’hostility’—hostility directed at me personally or at the faction I’m with."

"The feeling growing fainter means we aren’t their target for the time being, but the fact that it hasn’t disappeared completely proves they’re still waiting for a chance to strike."

As he explained, Wang Qiang closed his eyes, carefully trying to discern the faint directions.

After about ten seconds, Wang Qiang’s eyes flew open, a look of horror in them. "It’s in the direction of Hongshan Camp! It’s definitely coming from Hongshan Camp!"

Previously, Wang Qiang’s attention had been focused solely on keeping Lin Qi safe. He’d even breathed a sigh of relief when his sense of the enemy had grown fainter.

But now, with this reminder, Wang Qiang realized something was terribly wrong.

’The Blood Moon Envoys really went to Hongshan Camp!’

Wang Qiang grew anxious. "There’s a small nuclear bomb in Hongshan Camp," he said. "This is extremely dangerous!"

He paused for a moment before continuing, "It’s too late. More than ten hours have passed since my sense of them grew faint. They might have already taken complete control of Hongshan Camp."

"Lin Qi, nothing can happen to you. Even if it means sacrificing Ding Yang and all the others, you absolutely cannot take any risks. I suggest you evacuate immediately. Mo University Camp is too dangerous now. You can go to Changpu Camp, find Jiang Shangyang, and have him arrange for you to take a train to Headquarters."

"Leave Mo University Camp to me. I’ll stay behind!"

Wang Qiang hadn’t forgotten his original plan.

He had originally planned to use the nuclear bomb at Hongshan Camp, leveraging the chaos of the explosion to allow Lin Qi to perform the "golden cicada sheds its shell" escape.

Now that the nuclear bomb had likely fallen into the hands of the Moon Worshipers, this could be a blessing in disguise. He could simply proceed with the original plan.

’As for letting Lin Qi risk his life to save Ding Yang?’

’Not worth it!’

’Unnecessary!’

From the perspective of humanity’s survival, the value of everyone in Hongshan Camp combined couldn’t compare to Lin Qi alone.

’This is a worthy and necessary sacrifice...’

Lin Qi was rendered a bit speechless by Wang Qiang’s reaction. Ever since this whole affair started, Wang Qiang had been obsessed with convincing Lin Qi to prioritize his own survival.

Wang Qiang’s thinking was too one-dimensional; he always analyzed the overall gains and losses from the perspective of Headquarters.

The life or death of any single individual, including his own, wasn’t part of his calculations.

As long as Lin Qi survived, his mission would be a success.

After a moment of thought, Lin Qi surprisingly nodded. "Alright, we’ll do it your way. You stay at Mo University Camp and protect Wang Ziru and the others."

Wang Qiang had been ready to argue further, but he never expected Lin Qi to agree so easily. ’He agreed?’

Wang Qiang’s expression immediately grew suspicious. He wanted to add a few more words of persuasion, just in case Lin Qi was only placating him.

But Lin Qi didn’t give him the chance. "Just stick to your plan," he instructed. "I’m evacuating now!"

With that, Lin Qi didn’t even bother with the elevator. He went back into the conference room, opened a window, and vaulted out, dropping from the sixth floor.

It wasn’t a free fall; he used the pipes on the exterior of the building to slide down quickly, landing smoothly on the ground.

Wang Qiang rushed to the window but only managed to see Lin Qi’s retreating figure.

Wang Qiang stood stunned for a moment, a mix of emotions swirling within him, but a relieved smile soon spread across his face.

’Things are different now. The Moon Worshipers might have a nuclear bomb.’

’Lin Qi, having just launched a mini-nuke himself, is well aware of their power. It’s only logical that he’d choose to play it safe and protect himself.’

Wang Qiang felt an inexplicable pang of disappointment, but it was overshadowed by a sense of relief.

He turned, walked out of Lin Qi’s private conference room, and went to find Wang Ziru to finalize the arrangements.

Before he left, Wang Qiang closed the Door to Lin Qi’s private conference room.

...

「Ten minutes later,」 Wang Ziru met with Wang Qiang, who laid out the entire plan for him.

"The ’golden cicada sheds its shell’? And I’m the shell?"

This was not the outcome Wang Ziru had expected.

Frowning, Wang Ziru felt that this plan didn’t seem like Lin Qi’s style at all.

"Was this plan Lin Qi’s idea?" Wang Ziru asked.

Wang Qiang willingly played the villain. "This was my plan," he said. "Lin Qi’s importance to humanity is beyond anything you can imagine. He’s already on his way to Changpu Camp. Now, we must make a sacrifice for the survival of the human race."

The speech sounded a bit strange, but Wang Ziru focused on the key point. "Lin Qi has already left? How come I didn’t see him on the first floor?"

Wang Qiang replied, "He left via the sixth-floor window to be discreet."

’The sixth floor?’

’A window?’

Wang Ziru pressed on, "Did he take those briefcases with him?"

Wang Qiang’s emotions were still in turmoil, but he saw no need to lie to Wang Ziru. "Resources are important, but not more important than his life."

At those words, it all clicked for Wang Ziru.

’Of course!’

’Lin Qi definitely hadn’t fled!’

As someone who had been working for Lin Qi since the very first day Mo University Camp was founded, Wang Ziru knew exactly how much the Extraordinary Items meant to him.

’Lin Qi might not care about any other resources, but he would never abandon his Extraordinary Items!’

If Lin Qi were truly fleeing, he would have taken every single Extraordinary Item he had painstakingly collected. He would never leave a single one behind.

’And this plan Wang Qiang was talking about?’

’Based on my knowledge of Lin Qi, it was more likely that Lin Qi found Wang Qiang to be a hindrance. So he didn’t tell him the full plan, instead just leaving Wang Qiang behind at Mo University Camp while he went to act alone.’

Since that was clearly Lin Qi’s intention, Wang Ziru decided not to expose the truth, to avoid causing any unnecessary trouble for him.

Stealing a glance at Wang Qiang, Wang Ziru adjusted his mindset and began to act.

Looking as if all the life had drained out of him, he muttered, "But... but I don’t want to die..."

Wang Qiang frowned at his words, pushing his own complicated feelings aside. "The plan is already in motion. It’s no longer a question of what we want. As a university student, you should understand the difference between personal stakes and what’s best for the greater good..."

Wang Qiang needed Wang Ziru’s full cooperation to ensure nothing went wrong at the crucial moment.

In the plan, both he and Wang Ziru were meant to die; Wang Ziru would simply be dying under the guise of "Lin Qi."

Wang Ziru didn’t want to drag out the performance with Wang Qiang. As long as he could provide cover for Lin Qi, that was enough.

Wang Ziru quickly shifted his demeanor, his dazed expression turning resolute. "But since this is Lin Qi’s decision, I’ll respect it. If it weren’t for him, I, Wang Ziru, wouldn’t be alive today."

"It’s time I paid back this debt!"

As if moved by Wang Qiang’s words, Wang Ziru suddenly struck the pose of a heroic martyr.

’So what if it’s death?’

’A death can be lighter than a feather or heavier than Mount Tai!’

’Dying for Lin Qi makes it worth it!’

Wang Ziru’s performance was filled with genuine emotion; the only flaw was how abrupt the change had been.

After all, he had studied management in college, not drama.

But given the emotional weight behind it, it was more than enough to fool Wang Qiang.

Seeing Wang Ziru’s stance, Wang Qiang felt a great sense of relief. He clapped him on the shoulder. "Wang Ziru, rest assured. If humanity has a future, history will remember us. The choice you’ve made today will be a pivotal turning point in the destiny of our species..."

Wang Qiang had been worried that Lin Qi might have been deceiving him, but after this whole display from Wang Ziru, those stray thoughts were temporarily swept away.

His mind was filled with grand notions of duty and country; he felt he was finally fulfilling his purpose.

Listening to Wang Qiang’s speech, Wang Ziru could feel goosebumps breaking out all over his skin.

’It’s so damn corny. I can’t stand this kind of talk.’

He’d already become immune to these pie-in-the-sky corporate speeches back when he worked in the corporate world before the apocalypse.