"Skill Proficiency improved with AI pills?"

Chen Miao's eyes narrowed, but he didn't speak. This sounded a bit like leveling up in standby mode. Taking AI pills to enter the dream state wouldn't affect the quality of sleep. It was like having a night of lucid dreaming—waking up without feeling too bewildered, with no significant drawbacks.

It wouldn't be a problem for two or three consecutive days.

As long as it wasn't for one or two consecutive months, there wouldn't be any issues with one's health.

Moreover, the most important thing was that in the dream state, anything could be conjured up with a thought, satisfying the need for some rather demanding skill training environments.

"Can you get this thing?"

"Not for now. I've only heard about this news, and I'm not sure if the source is reliable."

Zhou Shen shook his head, "But I'll get on that thing you mentioned about the site as soon as I can. That site gives a cut to a nearby gang every month to settle some matters that the Federation prefers not to handle directly—using the hands of a dirty gang to save face for the Federation."

"As for which gang it is, this area is not under the jurisdiction of the Western Third Law Enforcement Bureau, so I'm not certain. I'll ask someone when I get back."

"Hmm."

Chen Miao nodded his head without speaking and motioned with his hand that Zhou Shen could leave. Then, wrapped in his bath towel, he laid back on the bed, silent, enjoying this moment of tranquility.

He took a bath and had a simple massage.

Without doing anything else.

He feared being targeted.

...

As Chen Miao and the others set off for home, the sky had darkened. The city was lit up with countless neon lights, making Fengtian City look bustling and prosperous, even if it wasn't considered a top-notch city within the Federation.

But it didn't look bad, either.

On this trip home, Yuan Buping and the others had purchased quite a few tools, preparing to start their dungeon project as soon as they returned to the graveyard. Now that Miao had given his approval, Yuan naturally wouldn't just talk the talk.

The group slowly made their way back to the cemetery.

Along the way, Hungry Monkey, Yuan Buping, and the others excitedly discussed the fun they had at the zero-gravity site. With this new experience, their conversations became more varied, and their relationships seemed to grow closer.

But—

Just as they were about to enter the cemetery, the elderly security guard in the guardhouse at the entrance, who was as usual watching TV, suddenly asked in a hoarse voice, "Do you know why I have lived this long?"

His voice was somewhat jarring. Although it seemed like he was talking to them, the fact that he didn't lift his head made it sound as if he was talking to himself.

This was the first time Chen Miao had heard the old man speak. His eyes slightly narrowed, he stopped in his tracks and, leaning on his cane, turned to look at the stooped old man in the guardhouse, saying softly, "I'd be honored to learn from the senior."

After spending some time together, he had come to consider the old man as someone extraordinary.

But since the old man didn't seem to bear any malice, Chen hadn't approached to probe further, so as to avoid unnecessary trouble. Yet now, for some reason, the old man had started talking out of the blue.

Even Hungry Monkey, who was standing by the side, was slightly taken aback. Although he had only gotten permission to stay in the cemetery after speaking with the old man last time, the old man hadn't said a word then, just waved his hand to signal he could do as he pleased. This was the first time he had heard the old man speak.

His voice sounded awful.

Like the sound of nails scraping on glass, broadcast through a poor-quality loudspeaker set to maximum volume.

Unable to help himself, Hungry Monkey shuddered, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

This was the second time he had shuddered today.

```

...

Meanwhile, the old man sitting in the security room paid no attention to Chen Miao and the others' reactions. He continued to stare intently at the television, his cloudy eyes filled with a weary and hoarse voice, "A long, long time ago, I had an enemy."

"After enduring in silence for ten years, and surviving countless deadly situations in various secret realms, I finally became strong. Then, one day, wearing a hood, I wiped out my enemy's entire family—a prominent clan with 129 members."

"I waited until all of these people were gathered before I moved, for fear of missing a single one."

"That night, all of them died by my hand."

"Only a few children were left, I didn't kill them."

Hearing this, Chen Miao seemed to understand something and nodded slightly—he could understand that even when faced with a mortal enemy, normal people would still feel compassion towards children. It just seemed that as these children grew up, they must have caused the old man quite some trouble.

How does the saying goes?

"I can live with guilt for a lifetime, but not with constant fear," clearly, the old gentleman had made a choice that wasn't quite right.

It was as if the old man hadn't spoken for a long time, and speaking so much all at once seemed somewhat uncomfortable for him. After coughing several times, he continued, "If you were in this situation, what would you do?"

Chen Miao stood still and didn't reply.

However, Hungry Monkey spoke thoughtfully, "This is indeed a difficult problem. Although they are the children of an enemy, they are still too young to understand; to kill them without distinction would indeed be demonic. If one is morally sound and there's no risk of vengeance, it should be fine to let them go."

"After all, they're just children."

"You could give them a piece of candy and a knife to test the children's nature. If these children choose the knife, it means they harbor a will to kill and must not be spared!"

"Oh?"

The old man in the security room showed a glimmer of interest and turned to look at Hungry Monkey before asking again, "What if they choose the candy?"

"They must not be spared either. If under such circumstances they would take candy from an enemy, it shows that these children are extremely cunning and even more so must not be let go."

"What if they choose both?"

"Such greed, they will become a major threat in the future; they must not be spared."

"What if they choose neither?"

"Rebellious to the bone, they must not be spared either!"

"..."

The stooped old man in the security room seemed somewhat thrown off his speaking rhythm by Hungry Monkey, and for a moment, he wasn't sure how to continue the conversation, creating an awkward atmosphere.

Yuan Buping, who was standing to the side, scratched the back of his head. He was itching to express his thoughts but felt that this wasn't the right moment or place for him to speak.

After a moment of silence, the old man continued, speaking to himself.

"Everyone has their choices, and that night I hid myself away, lurking in the shadows."

"Finally—"

"Three days later, those children, who had been running and hiding, found themselves in a hidden cellar. I followed them there, and in that cellar, there were seven or eight women, the family's females whom I initially hadn't found."

"This time I killed the women."

"But I still didn't kill the children. I just left them some food and water before leaving."

"Three days passed, and some couldn't withstand it and came with covered faces to find the children, planning to take them away. I had been staying in the vicinity all this time, and naturally wouldn't let these people go. I executed them all together."

```

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com