Free Web NovelChapter 126: Chapter 126: Catastrophe of Two Armies Unseen in 90 Years (10,000-Word Mega Chapter)
Several days later, the exercise between the Investigation Corps and Garrison Corps finally began.
In the Lower East Square, in front of the entrance to the blue stele at the location of the six massive steles, the vanguard and captain groups of both armies were queuing up to enter.
The emergence of blue light seemed to indicate that this was just a normal blue area. Under the teachings of Wu Jiu, most members of the Investigation Corps would not underestimate the blue area.
Do not take any adventure lightly, do not rely too much on experience.
The words of Wu Jiu were first taken to heart by several captains in the captain’s group, and later, everyone understood the significance of this statement in future explorations. Soon, the words spread throughout the entire legion.
But the style of the Garrison Corps was different.
Among them, the captain’s group was incredibly strong, and even the vanguard group included many experts. A few random teams could easily handle the blue area.
Now including the Investigation Corps, there were a total of twenty-eight teams. The Garrison Corps only worried that the number of Evil Fallen would not be enough for so many people to hunt.
The exercise between the two armies lasted three days; if both sides hunted an equal number of Evil Fallen, then it would come down to which side could last longer over two days.
As for the venue of the military exercise between the two armies, it was searched for by a special envoy from the fourth floor two days prior.
After an extensive search with a large number of people, it took a total of two days and three hours to finally choose the venue.
However, the day the exercise between the two armies unfolded was also the last day to enter that area, with only twenty-one hours left before the area was sealed off.
After twenty-one hours, the people from the Investigation Corps and Garrison Corps could use the Return Roulette to return, but others in the Tower would not be able to enter the area again.
To ensure safety, this time each team carried two Return Roulettes.
According to the special envoy’s sensory feedback, there were a total of about seventy Evil Fallen in the area, with no space-time rules to interfere with the team members’ return.
All of this was also verified by both corps commanders.
When it came to the number of Evil Fallen, both the Garrison Corps and the Investigation Corps felt that if they were all second or third-tier Evil Fallen, it wouldn’t be a contest of strength between both sides, but of luck.
If both sides hunted almost the same number of Evil Fallen, the final competition would also be luck. The environment outside the Tower is the greatest enemy of exploration; a warrior who could last the full three days would be afflicted with eighteen types of negative attributes.
Some negative attributes almost necessitate a forced return to the Tower, so this battle, in the eyes of the elite in the captain’s group and some vanguard groups, only considered strength as a factor at the level of four.
During the three days of the exercise between the two armies, both the bottom floor and the third floor of the High Tower also began festivities. For the bottom level, which didn’t have many recreational activities, this was a grand festival.
Miners returning from the White Stele area, many of them prepared to use their meager savings to exchange for three days’ worth of nutrition meals, to spend inside the Tower and meanwhile see who would be eliminated first.
When the Investigation Corps and Garrison Corps were entering the martial training area, a group of miners happened to return from the white area.
"The rain outside is coming down fiercely; I’ve worked outside the Tower for so long, this is the first time I’ve encountered such heavy rain, it’s like someone poked a hole in the heavens."
"Indeed, the weather changes too rapidly."
Lin Wurou, Wang Shi, Shang Xiaoyi, and Yin Shuang just happened to overhear this. Lin Wurou turned to look, making sure Bai Wu was not around.
"What are you looking at?" Wang Shi asked.
"I just feel that the change in weather they mentioned is a bit ominous. I checked, and the jinx isn’t here, so it’s not a big problem."
"Why so superstitious, the weather outside the Tower is different anyway."
"That’s true, but I still feel there’s something strange. This year’s exercise has too great a disparity in changes. Do you think those Garrison Corps members, with their noses in the air, might try to trip us up?"
"Afraid of what? Inside the Tower they can’t beat us, and outside they stand even less of a chance. They’re arrogant because the captain isn’t here," Wang Shi was completely unbothered.
Shang Xiaoyi said:
"The Garrison Corps has issues with us, but they wouldn’t dare do anything too outrageous."
Lin Wurou also nodded in agreement, that was indeed the case.
The queue quickly moved to the Vanguard Group of Team Seven, and before entering the stele, Wang Shi encouraged the group:
"This time we must make them admit defeat, both in spirit and word. We are better at hunting Evil Fallen than they are. With the captain banned from the match, let them see that without their captain, they are no match for us!"
...
...
Although there were some live broadcasting devices inside the Tower, they were not used for the exercise between the two armies, which meant that everyone could only wait for the members from the two armies to come out and ask about the situation and details of the battle.
The first hour passed.
Not a single person from the Garrison Corps or Investigation Corps returned.
All the citizens of the lower level were the best at filling in the blanks; they thought that this all indicated one thing — both sides were probing, and the climax was about to arrive! frёewebnoѵēl.com
The bets in the various gambling houses had become about whether the next hour would see the Garrison Corps’ people exit the battle, or the Investigation Corps’ people, or both, and who would lose more participants.
The third hour passed.
Even the non-contest participants of both the Investigation Corps and the Garrison Corps grew tense because, up to now, not a single person had returned to the High Tower!
Could it be that both sides were managing with ease? But after another hour, the negative attributes would descend.
Both the vanguard groups of the Investigation Corps and the Garrison Corps had twelve teams each totaling one hundred forty-four people, one hundred forty-four negative attributes. There had to be a few unlucky ones who would encounter the exceedingly rare, must-exit-the-battle negative attributes.
At this time, Bai Wu and Wu Jiu were at an Investigation Corps office branch,
Wu Jiu gave Bai Wu a mobile phone for communication, a reward for his outstanding performances during this period.
While not highly technical, few in the second layer of the lower tiers had such a device. Among the people Bai Wu knew, even Lin Wurou and Yin Shuang didn’t have one, but Liu Chengzi did.
Bai Wu wondered, if the device could undergo Spirit Possession, what novel functions it might have?
The fourth hour of the martial competition between the two armies arrived.
After that, every three minutes, an investigator would come and report the situation at the Eastern Square to Wu Jiu.
"So far, no one has returned to the tower!"
"Report, Captain! No one has returned to the tower!"
"Captain, no one has returned to the tower!"
"They... they still haven’t come back."
...
"Still no return, everyone is quite puzzled..."
An hour passed, and both Bai Wu and Wu Jiu felt that something was amiss.
"Even if the captains of the vanguard groups are strong, mathematically speaking, not all of the one hundred forty-four should be that lucky, right?"
Bai Wu looked at Wu Jiu, who was completely baffled.
Although he was once a lunatic who bore over a hundred negative attributes, he didn’t believe that everyone could withstand the first four hours.
"I think we should send someone to check ..." Bai Wu had an intuition that there was a problem.
Wu Jiu asked,
"How so?"
"With seventeen hours left until the area is sealed, Captain, over a hundred people haven’t returned, especially since they went to the Blue Zone, where there are about seventy Evil Fallen, at least that’s the official count. So they would all be engaged in combat."
"Even if the Evil Fallen aren’t powerful, the conflict between the two armies didn’t start yesterday. The victory rules, when the number of Evil Fallen slashed is even, comes down to who has more people left. Both sides will do everything in their power to eliminate the other. In fact, when no one came out in the first hour, I felt something was wrong."
"And now four hours have passed, with the negative attributes preventing them from exiting ... Do we not have to suppose that they might have encountered a problem, preventing their return?"
The Blue Zone capable of trapping the top fighters of both the Investigation Corps and the Garrison Corps?
Even Wu Jiu and Bai Wu were astonished.
But Bai Wu’s words seemed quite reasonable to Wu Jiu. Bai Wu said,
"First, confirm the situation inside. Let’s dispatch a Scout to take a look. His only mission is to return upon sighting any member of the Garrison Corps or the Investigation Corps. If he comes back safely, it means our worries were unnecessary. If he doesn’t return... I’m afraid it means there’s a significant problem with this martial contest."
"You mean the Return Roulette is malfunctioning? They might not be able to come back? That should be very rare, and just yesterday, the area was tested, the Return Roulette was functioning normally. To prevent damage to the Return Roulette, backup Roulettes were even prepared." Wu Jiu didn’t understand.
Bai Wu hadn’t figured out the process either, but he had a very bad feeling.
"Captain, you’ve said it yourself, don’t rely too much on experience."
Wu Jiu didn’t say anything else but immediately made a call to arrange for a third rank, third-stage Innate Force scout proficient in perception and speed.
As Bai Wu suggested, he was to go in, find anyone, and immediately return upon sighting someone.
After arranging all this, he and Bai Wu began to wait.
One minute passed.
Two minutes passed.
The gambling houses in the lower tier had exploded into a frenzy, and people in the Eastern Square were discussing the matter heatedly. Some, like Bai Wu, began to worry about the situation.
But most people still believed nothing would happen.
The two mightiest powers of the entire High Tower had assembled their strongest forces, yet they stumble in the blue zone? frёeωebɳovel.com
An hour passed...
An hour and fifteen minutes passed...
On the second level of the High Tower, at the Investigation Corps branch, Wu Jiu could no longer wait.
Just at this moment, Ming Che arrived at the Investigation Corps with a group of people.
Ming Che’s strength was above the fifth order, but he wasn’t chosen for the captain group this time, which also indicated the strength of the Garrison Corps’ captain group on this mission.
However, his position as the captain of the third squad remained secure. Those good at business and sharing women always seemed to have better luck.
But Ming Che wasn’t here for business this time.
In Wu Jiu’s office, Ming Che spoke frankly:
"Prepare to launch a rescue operation."
"What happened?" Wu Jiu asked.
"I don’t know what exactly has happened yet, but no one has come out in four hours, and I think there’s a problem. I sent two people in one after another—the first person’s mission was to locate the others and then return to report, but he didn’t show up after half an hour, so I immediately sent another one..."
Wu Jiu and Bai Wu’s expressions became serious as Ming Che continued gravely:
"The mission I arranged this time was very simple, enter the area around the tower, then come straight back. You don’t need to meet anyone. But I guess you already know the outcome."
Wu Jiu was shocked.
"So, are you saying that currently, as soon as someone enters the Martial Training Area, they can’t return?"
"It seems so at the moment. There’s a serious problem with this martial exercise; there must be something in the Martial Arts Area that’s caused the Return Roulette to stop working."
Bai Wu actually admired Ming Che’s rigorous logic but added:
"Have you contacted the Legion Commander? They are the ones primarily responsible. I’m not looking to assign blame at this moment, but regarding the inability to return, did the Legion Commanders have prior knowledge?"
No sooner had Bai Wu finished speaking than Wu Jiu directly called Qin Zong, while Ming Che also promptly contacted the Garrison Corps’ Legion Commander.
Over the phone, Wu Jiu shared with the Legion Commanders the probes made by himself and Ming Che, hoping they had prior knowledge of the situation.
But the response from Qin Zong made Wu Jiu’s heart sink:
"You’re sure? Damn, just now we received a report of a suicide in the residential area of managers on the third level."
"A suicide?"
The fact that Qin Zong was mentioning this at such a time clearly indicated that the report was related to the military exercise.
Wu Jiu switched to speakerphone.
"Yes, someone committed suicide. The victim was thirty-nine years old. There’s some information I can’t disclose. What I can tell you is that he was serving on the fifth level, working directly for one of the rulers, and not long ago... he was the one who suggested the trial outside the tower. But it seemed like he knew he would die—we found a line of blood-written words at the scene of the crime—’I don’t want to die.’"
Qin Zong’s words were heard by Wu Jiu and also by Bai Wu.
Bai Wu’s mind flashed with many thoughts:
"A person who could make suggestions to the rulers must possess extremely high authority. He pushed for the exercise to be held outside the tower, claiming it was a competition of skills in hunting Evil Fallen, which is indisputably a sound reason. As long as the Garrison Corps and the Investigation Corps took sufficient precautions... considering their strength, there truly shouldn’t be any problems in the blue area."
"But now both legions are stuck inside, unable to get out, while the person who made the suggestion ’committed suicide.’ I don’t believe that the Tower God Society could infiltrate to this extent, nor do I believe that someone who has climbed to this level would take their own life.
Even if the Garrison Corps and the Investigation Corps might suffer heavy losses due to the exercise outside the tower, if it wasn’t because of him, he should have at least fought for himself."
"Unless, from the start, he knew there would be problems with the exercise!"
"But in his home, the words ’I don’t want to die’ appeared, which means he was killed by some big shot and disguised as a suicide, to give the illusion that he killed himself out of guilt... but it’s too deliberate, way too deliberate. If I were the murderer, why would I ever allow him the opportunity to write those words ’I don’t want to die’?"
A conspiracy instantaneously unfolded in Bai Wu’s mind.
Ming Che said:
"This isn’t a suicide, he was murdered by someone."
Clearly, the Legion Commanders on the other end of the phone thought the same.
But Bai Wu didn’t see it that way; he kept his thoughts to himself since there was no evidence yet. However, his intuition told him –
That it was indeed a suicide.
The words ’I don’t want to die’ were also deliberately left by the man. His goal was to make everyone think that his suicide was a facade.
With this development, if both armies suffered heavy losses, people would investigate him, but he was already dead, silenced by someone, suspicions would then turn to his superior.
The ruler.
The thought was absurd, who would kill themselves to frame their boss? But what if he couldn’t die?
What if for him, death was just changing skins?
Wu Jiu said,
"But right now, we should go and save people first."
"Do you know what the situation is inside? What if you go in and can’t come back either?"
Qin Zong disagreed with Wu Jiu entering.
Wu Jiu glanced at Bai Wu.
Bai Wu instinctively also thought that if Dwarf went in, he would most likely encounter danger too.
This was all a trap, a trap specifically targeting Dwarf!
But if even Dwarf couldn’t save these people, who else could?
Wu Jiu seemed to have this realization too:
"Captain, I must go. Liu Mu is still inside, Wurou, Wang Shi, Yin Shuang, Xiaoyi are also there, they are all my friends. The elite of the Garrison Corps and the Investigation Corps are all inside, no matter what, we must find a way to rescue them."
The Investigation Corps’ sword and shield, besides indicating the two’s strengths and compatibility, also reflect their relationship.
In everyone’s eyes, Liu Mu and Wu Jiu were like brothers from different mothers.
As for Lin Wurou, Yin Shuang, Wang Shi, Shang Xiaoyi, each one was a rookie Wu Jiu personally mentored from the start.
Following the manager’s suicide or murder, almost everyone agreed on one thing, a crisis had arisen in the Martial Training Area.
If this crisis wasn’t dealt with quickly, every four hours, the members of the Vanguard Group and the captain’s group would be one step closer to death.
Especially now, it was still unclear whether there existed some strong Evil Fallen within the Martial Arts Area.
"No, you are not allowed to go!" Qin Zong’s resolute refusal surprised both Ming Che and the phone-bound Garrison Corps commander.
In Qin Zong’s opinion, perhaps this martial exercise was a purge plan from the beginning, and as for the reasons, he would investigate thoroughly with the commander of the Garrison Corps.
He suspected, perhaps the changes in this martial exercise involved matters more complex than he had imagined.
But Wu Jiu was fortunate, managing to avoid this crisis.
Letting Wu Jiu go on a rescue mission had less than a thirty percent chance of success, whereas the possibility of losing a valued commander upon entering the Martial Arts Area was sevenfold.
Qin Zong did not think it was a suitable decision for Wu Jiu to go in to save people.
Wu Jiu had always listened to his captain, but this time, he left the decision to Bai Wu.
"You make the call."
Ming Che was surprised, Wu Jiu actually held Bai Wu in such high regard? He vaguely understood why, despite his own generous treatment and enticing conditions, Bai Wu remained unmoved.
Now was truly a race against time; perhaps the Garrison Corps and the Investigation Corps were continuously losing talent.
At this point, Bai Wu had to make a choice:
"Dwarf is the strongest in the High Tower, if there is still one person who can save them, then it has to be Dwarf."
"If the person who died was Cain, then Cain’s purpose was to make Dwarf hate the decision-makers of this martial exercise change."
"Now, the only one who can break this situation is the captain entering the Martial Training Area to lead them out."
"Cain’s goal is to enrage the captain against the manager and the ruler, so if Cain chooses to kill members of Garrison Corps or the Investigation Corps in Dwarf’s presence after entering the area, it would backfire."
"But I still don’t know Cain’s true purpose; he must be hiding a stronger hand."
Bai Wu was panicked too.
The entire elite of the Investigation Corps, elite of the Garrison Corps, plus twenty-four captain-level masters, all fell in the blue area.
The severity of the situation could be said to be the most significant event since ninety years ago when the Investigation Corps and the Garrison Corps failed their exploration in the red area.
What surprised Ming Che even more was that it seemed even Qin Zong had agreed to let Bai Wu make the decision.
After nearly half a minute of silence, Bai Wu realized, no matter what, the probability of the captain saving people was lower than the probability of the captain and both elite forces falling altogether.
But this time, Bai Wu still made a decision that wasn’t too rational.
"Rescue. I support the captain in rescuing them,"
Wu Jiu didn’t speak; he simply hung up the phone.
After Wu Jiu left, Ming Che said:
"Aren’t you afraid of the consequences?"
Bai Wu shook his head. The choice made by Qin Zong before seemed to abandon everyone for Wu Jiu, but in reality, Qin Zong was just minimizing the losses.
If Wu Jiu were gone, Qin Zong would still do the same, and at that time, it might be himself who would be entrusted with a heavy responsibility.
Of course, Bai Wu’s decision to save people was based on Lin Wurou, Shang Xiaoyi, Wang Shi, Yin Shuang, and even Liu Mu, who had always wanted to poach him.
"I trust the captain; he will surely bring everyone back."
...
...
As Wu Jiu entered the Martial Training Area, the managers on the third and fourth floors who knew about this matter were all on edge.
Ming Che had originally hoped Wu Jiu would take action, and now that Wu Jiu had gone outside the tower to rescue them, his goal was achieved. Without further communication with Bai Wu, Ming Che seemed to have received instructions from the Garrison Corps’ commander and quickly left the headquarters of the Investigation Corps.
As time ticked away, Bai Wu’s anxiety became increasingly apparent.
In the office of the Investigation Corps, he was the only one present.
The usual bustle of the Investigation Corps headquarters was missing since most of the combatants had left, leaving it cold and quiet.
Bai Wu really disliked this tense, waiting feeling.
In fact, those who pose the problem are naturally at an advantage compared to those who solve it. Perhaps those who devise the problems are not smarter than the solvers, but if they are always the ones creating them, no matter how many times the solvers answer correctly, at best they are only drawing even.
On the other hand, if the solvers answer wrong just once... they lose.
Up to this point, because they couldn’t find Cain’s true body, both Bai Wu and Wu Jiu were solvers.
What they were facing this time was a puzzle created by Cain, the most damaging and longest-prepared by him.
While Bai Wu was thinking and waiting, the electronic screen monitoring Yan Jiu suddenly lit up.
Out of respect for women, Wu Jiu usually kept the screen off, but if there was any news from Yan Jiu, she could use the alarm system to turn the monitoring screen back on.
The moment Bai Wu saw Yan Jiu waving her hands, looking panicked,
he finally understood—this was Cain’s real goal.
...
...
Puzzle One.
Fourteen years ago, a young aristocrat of the third floor, who was on the rise in his career, finally acquired the qualification for a junior manager among a host of candidates through various means.
By flattering and scamming, he quickly gained the trust of a certain ruler.
This ruler’s surname was Pang, and together with another ruler surnamed Li, they jointly controlled all the combat resources of the High Tower.
One managed manpower, and the other managed equipment.
The young man, newly promoted to junior manager status, pleased the ruler every day with great enthusiasm and also displayed business abilities far surpassing other junior managers.
For fourteen years, he never slackened.
He did this to gather his own influence, to make a decision that could change the landscape of the High Tower.
He didn’t know what this opportunity would be, but not long ago, he received an unexpected surprise outside the tower, and thus a bold plan took shape.
A few days earlier, during the preparation period for the military exercises between the two armies, he suggested a revolutionary proposal—for the two armies not to face off, but to change to hunting outside the tower.
Despite the many uncertainties, he had been unable to influence the ruler for fourteen years, but he could sway some of the weaker managers whose opinions could somewhat influence the ruler’s thinking.
He knew that following his death, without exception, these people would be purged.
But what did that matter to a dead man?
Fourteen years of resources would be exposed all at once and the rulers would be more wary in the future; such an opportunity was hard to come by.
However, the experiences outside the tower were even harder to come by. After a series of coincidences, he could sense that both the Garrison Corps of Gao Ta Town and the Investigation Corps outside the tower would face an unprecedented major crisis that occurs once every ninety years.
As he wrote the words "I don’t want to die," he laughed with exceptional joy.
"Death is just a change of skin, that’s all."
This was the last thing he said before he committed suicide.
...
...
Puzzle two.
As the Return Roulette brought Bai Wu back, the good thoughts in Hong Yin’s mind were gradually suppressed.
Inside the vast mines, demons danced wildly, and the bodies of countless level six and seven Evil Fallen were arrayed throughout.
She felt increasingly excited.
Her brother had gone, she no longer needed to suppress her desire to kill; she could finally destroy at will.
Just at this moment, a Demon Evil Fallen stretched its wings and appeared before Hong Yin:
"Why let him make arrangements for us? Do you know the legend of the Traveler?"
Hong Yin shook her head, her fierce gaze warning the Demon Evil Fallen to back off.
The Demon Evil Fallen said:
"Don’t be afraid, I’m not your enemy. You like that human, right? A human who can survive here must be extraordinary, but one day, he will also be expelled from the tower by those damned administrators."
"What are you talking about!"
"The resentment inside you is beyond my imagination; the pain you must have suffered is perhaps far greater than the other level nine Evil Fallen, so you should understand better than I - humans are evil. Your friend will be envied for his excellence and may one day be banished, leaving the High Tower."
The Demon Evil Fallen did not move away from Hong Yin; instead, it moved closer:
"He might become one of us in the future, you never know."
Hong Yin said coldly:
"Then I will protect my brother."
"Of course, but do you also want him to stay curled up in one place forever? See that detestable Traveler? I hate crows the most. He has what we need; with that, we can explore the vast world at will. By killing him, we will become the new Travelers. You can take your brother anywhere in the world!"
"Come on, join forces! Let’s kill that Traveler together!"
The Traveler who had organized this gathering of the Evil Fallen could never have imagined that on the way to the Well, the four powerful Guardians he had selected were plotting against him!
Beauty Mark also heard the Demon Evil Fallen’s plan:
"Count me in. Let’s have a fair competition to see who can kill him first. Whoever succeeds first will take over as the Traveler, how about that? Of course, as a reward for joining forces, we’ll satisfy each other’s wish to travel to any place, with the new Traveler obliged to meet our demands."
"I have no objections," said the Demon Evil Fallen.
Hong Yin thought about it; she remembered her brother had said the world was vast... there were many places to explore.
So her brother definitely wouldn’t want to be trapped in one place, right? If she could kill the Traveler, then she could explore the world with her brother.
She didn’t yet know about the Travel Ship Ticket; she was just thinking that one day, if Bai Wu became an Evil Fallen, she could help fulfill his human wishes.
"I’m in."
And so, the Traveler’s gathering turned into the Traveler’s demise.
Three level nine Evil Fallen joined forces, and with the terrifying speed of the Demon Evil Fallen, the Traveler didn’t even have the chance to use space transference.
Hong Yin’s resentment directly backlash against the Traveler.
Beauty Mark even summoned a legion, heroically charging at the Traveler!
The vast mine, even under the maintenance of the Traveler’s barrier, could not withstand the fury of three level nine Evil Fallen.
In the end, the Traveler, who had lived for seven hundred years and had busied himself for the Well, died at the hands of three superior Evil Fallen.
The one who ultimately consumed the heart and brain of the Traveler was the Demon Evil Fallen. Although he had no Taotie, killing powerful Evil Fallen could also potentially result in the drop of formidable abilities.
For humans, it was acquiring innate talents, but for Evil Fallen, it was obtaining entries.
A new Traveler was born, and the Demon Evil Fallen did not forget the pact; even after growing stronger, he dared not deceive Hong Yin and Beauty Mark.
With the Travel Ship Ticket in hand, he fulfilled his promise.
...
...
Puzzle Three.
The white mining area’s mine suddenly cracked open, and gigantic rocks kept falling as miners howled and fled in every direction.
The masked strange person, who had been wandering the area planning to talk with a certain church’s leader, witnessed an incredible scene.
Through the dust and smoke, they saw a monster with wings spread out like a demon.
"Why would a monster like you appear in this area?"
"Humans? You have the scent of my kind on you," said the Demon Evil Fallen, frowning at the mask-bearing strange person.
A terrifying murderous intent swept through the whole area, and some of the weaker miners were even trapped by the murderous intent that seemed almost tangible.
The Demon Evil Fallen disdainfully said,
"A bunch of trash. Has the High Tower not produced a single decent warrior after all this time?"
For the masked strange person, those words seemed like the sentence they had been awaiting in their fate for a long time.
"Wonderful, wonderful, it’s not often that an Evil Fallen capable of releasing such an aura appears. You are stronger than I had imagined!"
The essence of an extortionist made him realize that the major plan he had orchestrated for over a decade had given birth to its most powerful piece.
Why did a super Evil Fallen appear in the white region? Could this Evil Fallen be the Traveller they had been searching for the past seven hundred years?
"You carry a Traveler’s ship ticket on you."
The Demon Evil Fallen was taken aback, as there were still humans who knew of the Traveler’s ship ticket.
"Who exactly are you?"
"Who I am is not important, but what is important is that I’ve heard your disdain for humanity, don’t underestimate humans."
This body was far from a match for the Demon Evil Fallen before him, and the Demon Evil Fallen clearly didn’t take the masked strange person seriously.
"In a few days, all the strong of the High Tower will gather in one place to hunt the Evil Fallen. There, perhaps, you may find a human that even you cannot defeat."
It seemed like he caught on to the Demon Evil Fallen’s character in an instant, and the words successfully aroused the Demon Evil Fallen’s interest.
"How about it? I’ve heard that Travellers have the Siren’s Song that makes people forget certain things, the barrier that prevents people from leaving the scene, and the ability to travel to any area... Want to witness for yourself the strength of humanity?"
Even though the Demon Evil Fallen could sense the strong enticement in those words, he still chose to know the details.
...
...
Puzzle Four.
It was still a few days ago, before a certain manager chose suicide. After an ordinary meeting ended, this subordinate manager—who had served the Pang Family for over a decade—did something peculiar for the very first time—
He handed a photograph of a woman to a servant of the Yan Family.
This servant was not lascivious, but he was in good standing with another ruler surnamed Zhong. This ruler with the surname Zhong, like the Yan Family, was one of the earliest inhabitants of the top floor of the High Tower.
They were among the first batch to awaken their Sequences, possessing lifespans and power common folk couldn’t reach.
The elderly man surnamed Zhong’s favorite indulgence was young, beautiful women, a preference that hadn’t changed in seven hundred years.
The woman in the photograph was exquisitely gorgeous. Although she was approaching the edge of youth, in terms of charm and beauty, she was second to none among all the women he had seen before.
Only the woman with the beauty mark by her eye, who had a lethal allure, could compare.
However, after discovering this woman might be related to the Investigation Corps, the ruler surnamed Zhong, hesitant due to his wariness of the ruler with the surname Pang, chose not to act.
Beauties were rare, but he, who had tasted countless women, knew one thing well: the so-called once-in-a-century beauties were just hype.
The longer you lived, the wiser you became, and even the most beautiful women would be replaced by new faces. Instead of escalating a conflict, it was better to wait.
What the elderly Zhong did not know, however...
Was that from the very beginning, that lowly, humble subordinate manager who had served the Pang Family for fourteen years, never intended to offer up this woman.
He merely wanted to hand out that photograph.
At the time of his suicide, besides the "I don’t want to die" written on the wall, he left behind a diary detailing every transaction he had with the Zhong Family.
The beauty didn’t necessarily have to be delivered to the Zhong Family; the woman only needed to disappear.
This was naturally a lie, but why would a dead man lie?
...
...
All the puzzle pieces made the entire event complete.
Bai Wu did not know the specifics of each piece; he didn’t know Cain had been lurking for fourteen years.
He was unaware that for this plan, Cain had exposed all his resources and arrangements on the fifth level.
Nor did he know that after leaving the mine, within the mine itself, Hong Yin and other ninth-level Evil Fallen had actually killed the Traveler.
He was even more clueless that Cain had encountered this new Traveler.
As for the process, Bai Wu was uncertain, he only inferred some truths from two outcomes...
The first result was that most of the elite of the Investigation Corps and the Garrison Corps were trapped.
The second result, after all the experts of the High Tower went outside the tower, although Dwarf’s Wife was near the Investigation Corps branch, apart from four bodyguards, the High Tower was unlikely to find many experts.
Cain’s true intention—was to leave Dwarf with a multiple-choice question.
"Bai Wu... quickly have Wu Jiu save her, save Ruan!"
Within the monitoring screen, Yan Jiu didn’t understand why Bai Wu was the one sitting in the office.
Just as he was pondering over what Cain had done, Yan Jiu received news—Ruan Qingyun had been kidnapped.
The kidnapper was a woman wearing a bronze mask, overpowering the four elite guards with her formidable combat strength and forcefully taking Dwarf’s Wife away.
Now, both the Guard Army and the Investigation Legion were focused on the martial training incident involving both forces, unaware of the current state of the Martial Training Area.
With all the masters gone to the outside of the tower, naturally, it was difficult to organize a rescue mission.
Bai Wu guessed that maybe if Dwarf entered the Martial Training Area, Cain would pose that classic dilemma—whether to save the woman or save friends.
This intense malice made Bai Wu’s hand tremble unconsciously; he was terrifyingly calm, and although he couldn’t feel anger inside, he felt intense disgust.
"Calm down. We can’t rely on the captain to return now. Those still in the Investigation Corps are mostly recruits weaker than myself... or civil servants from the interrogation group."
"Since it’s a choice, then at least if Dwarf picked one side, there would be some response. So, the worst outcome is Dwarf can only choose one side, either to save Liu Mu and Lin Wurou, or to save Dwarf’s Wife."
"But as long as I save Dwarf’s Wife! As for the plight within the tower, I can consider myself having solved it for Dwarf. For the outside, I can only trust in Dwarf and in his destiny as the High Tower’s number one."
In a moment, Bai Wu resolved himself.
"Yan Jiu, tell me, where is Ruan?"
"You’re going to save her? Can you... can you defeat her... that woman is formidable, she calls herself Lilith."
Lilith?
Could it be another disciple? Could it be that among the disciples, there are not only Evil Fallen but also humans?
"How many people abducted Ruan?"
"Just her alone."
"Tell me the location!"
Yan Jiu still wanted to persuade Bai Wu because, in her eyes, that woman had demonstrated superhuman strength.
She hoped that Bai Wu would bring reinforcements.
However, Bai Wu was certain that, without Dwarf or the elites from outside the High Tower returning, the current remainders of Investigation Corps, if faced with a possible disciple or high-level member of the Tower God Society, would undoubtedly be marching to their deaths.
Yet Bai Wu’s tone was too resolute.
"Alright... I’ve never been outside, I’ll draw it for you!"
Yan Jiu’s drawing speed was incredibly fast, it was as though her body automatically drove her arm, depicting the scene she envisioned.
In just a few short minutes, the drawing was completed!
Bai Wu memorized the contents of the drawing, stormed out of the door, and began the rescue mission.
At the same time, outside the High Tower, Wu Jiu was also about to face a fateful duel.
(There should be another update tonight, thanks to the Alliance Hierarch, book friend Agate for the reward, the fourth Hierarch already. Not much else to say, here are ten thousand words for now, I’ll continue writing tonight... but it will be quite late)
