I'm not a drama god

Chapter 1571 Monologue

He was a quiet and haggard man.

The hair that was once as emerald green as willows in spring has now dried and yellowed. He lay quietly on the hospital bed, the fat on his body had been consumed and shriveled, and his skin was pale and bloodless... His heart beat very weakly, so weak that it seemed as if someone had taken away the most important thing in his body, leaving only an empty shell without a soul.

Lord of the South Sea, Chu Changqing.

Today, only a very few people in this world know that the King of the South China Sea, who was once full of vigor and vitality and spread life in the South China Sea, has now become a half-human, half-ghost existence. He is imprisoned in this dark underground space, like a life-saving tool that can be used by anyone.

Zang Yunjun staggered into the room, deliberately controlling his gaze. He did not look at the person on the bed, but lowered his head to the ground and moved slowly to the edge of the bed.

He held onto the back of the chair and slowly sat down.

"...Good evening, Lao Chu."

Zang Yunjun opened his cracked lips and spoke softly.

He reached out and pulled Chu Changqing's sleeve, rolling it up little by little...

As the cuffs moved up, fine scars came into view of Zang Yunjun.

It was as if someone had used a knife to cut his arm again and again. Although most of the wounds had scabbed over, perhaps due to insufficient vitality, even after the scabs fell off, dark scars were still left behind... Chu Changqing's originally fair and vital arm had turned into an ugly and shocking meat stick at some point.

Then, Zang Yunjun skillfully took out a piece of hose from a drawer beside him, tied it above Chu Changqing's elbow, and at the same time took out a sterilized scalpel.

He used the blade of the scalpel to cut open Chu Changqing's arm little by little, and the bright red blood immediately flowed down along the scarred skin... and then fell into the cup that had been prepared long ago.

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"Old Chu...my office was smashed again today."

Zang Yunjun's eyes reflected the blood-red ripples in the cup. This leader who dominated the situation in the entire realm seemed to have finally found someone to talk to. He spoke hoarsely,

"That person is a mother... I sent her husband to the Lingxu Realm, and he was shot by Old Wu today..."

"Now, her child has died of illness, so she wants to seek justice from me."

"Can……"

"What justice can I give her?"

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"Times have changed, Old Chu..."

"Two years ago, your only enemies were the Gray Realm and the Calamity. You protected the human realm, and you were admired heroes... Now, our enemies are the Calamity, the plague, hunger, and the hearts of the people... Thus, we have become dictators, tyrants, and the public enemy of the people."

"I told them we were doing this for humanity, but they didn't understand... They felt that every one of them represented humanity. If they were suffering, we would be their enemies, the enemies of all of humanity... They didn't care about humanity, the greater good, or the continuation of civilization. They only cared that if they were hungry or sick, the world deserved to die."

"But really, who isn't like this? People have a long-term vision, so long that they can predict what will happen thousands of years into the future. But their perspective is also narrow, so narrow that they can only see the gains and losses at hand... When life is good, they are willing to think long-term and strive for the happiness of their descendants. But when life is bad, people only live this life. What does the fate of mankind, future generations, have to do with me?"

"Humans...are still too complicated, a thousand times more complicated than meteorology..."

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"I know they are not wrong, I am the one who is wrong."

"It's me who caused their wives and children to be separated. It's me who caused the plague to spread throughout this realm. Their husbands, sons, fathers, everyone died because of me... but... but what can I do?"

"Yes, I am Qi Muyun, the Ninth Lord. I will not stand by and watch Old Wu fail. He is the one among us who has the best hope of completely annihilating Red Star. The future of all mankind rests on his shoulders... You, me, Lu Xun, Yang Xiao... except for Lou Yu, all of us have placed our hopes on him. Therefore, I will definitely support him until the end..."

"But I am also Lord Cangyun of the Cangyun Realm... This realm exists because of me."

"Do you know how I've been getting through these past few days? I see the new death tolls on the daily reports, and I see those mothers and elderly people lining up outside the door, cursing and questioning me. I'm really on the verge of collapse... If I put myself in their shoes, I'd want to stab myself to death... They're right, I'm the sinner of this realm."

"I haven't had a good night's sleep in over ten days, Old Chu... As soon as I close my eyes, those people who once trusted me and admired me will turn into vicious ghosts and tear me to pieces."

"On one side is the oath of the Nine Lords, and on the other side is the life and death of the people... How should I choose?"

"Old Chu, tell me! How should I choose???"

Zang Yunjun's eyes were bloodshot. He held his head in pain, and his whole body seemed to be on the verge of collapse, shaking continuously on the chair.

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Chu Changqing was as dead as a corpse, with only drops of bright red blood falling into the cup.

“You don’t speak…you don’t speak again!!”

"Why? Why are you the one lying here?! Why did you choose to extend my life?!"

"Yes, you made a mistake and you want to punish yourself, but have you ever thought about who is actually being punished if you lie down here?"

"Are you unconscious, without any consciousness or thoughts?!!"

"Fuck you!!"

"You're punishing me! I'm the one who can only survive like a dead dog, drinking your blood every day!!!"

The pain that Zang Yunjun had suppressed in his heart completely erupted in front of this body that could not respond and had no consciousness. His veins bulged on his neck and his painful roars were like those of a wild beast, echoing hysterically in the small room.

No one knew the depth of pain he harbored. The daily struggle of drinking his brothers' blood to stay alive, the agony of watching his people die, the bitterness of being the target of public criticism, the torment of waiting agonizingly for the success of the Akashic Tower, the struggle between the Nine Lords and justice... Apart from this small hospital room, there was nowhere he could confide his sorrows, nowhere to soothe his pain.

I do not know how long it has been,

Zang Yunjun's voice was hoarse.

He seemed to be completely hollowed out, and he fell to his knees with a thud, his bloodshot eyes hollow and exhausted...

He was silent for a long time like a sculpture. No one knew what he was thinking at the moment. He looked to the side, but finally stretched out his hands and took the cup full of scarlet blood with trembling hands.

then,

He raised his head, carefully...

He poured the warm blood still remaining in the cup into his mouth bit by bit.

The throat rolls,

Two lines of tears rolled down his cheeks and fell silently to the ground.