Free Web NovelChapter 140: Chapter 140: The Savior Exists
"How should we choose?" Wu Jiu also saw the task that had suddenly appeared.
Twenty-five minutes, time was ticking away second by second, but Bai Wu was not the least bit panicked; they currently had one hundred and seventy coins in hand.
"Let’s leave this place first, according to what was said previously, the merchant should be appearing now."
Tan Lei didn’t understand the conversation between the two and was preparing to follow Bai Wu and the others when they left, but Bai Wu stopped her:
"You stay here; it’s too dangerous above. If you follow us, we won’t be able to protect you. Staying here is the safest. We will rescue the others."
"Really? There are many Evil Fallen on the twentieth floor..." Tan Lei suddenly seemed surprised.
"Every word I speak is the truth."
Although they had just failed the game, Bai Wu’s mysterious persona didn’t collapse.
"Then I’ll wait here for your good news!"
"Don’t wander around, and do not leave the sixteenth floor," Bai Wu cautioned in the end.
As for the task of rescuing Tan Lei, Bai Wu was also unclear about its endpoint. After saving this woman, there was no prompt signaling the end of the mission.
Now Bai Wu guessed that either killing Jing Si to make the area safe again or rescuing the scientists to reunite them with Tan Lei would be necessary.
So it seemed Tan Lei must survive until one of those main quests was completed.
Bai Wu and Wu Jiu arrived at the entrance of the sixteenth floor.
As expected, the merchant was already waiting for them:
"Yo-ho-ho-ho, little fellas, have you accumulated any gold coins? This is the last time I will provide items for you."
"Before trading, I have a question: where is Black Gold Island?" Bai Wu asked.
"That’s not a place your little body can go to, and besides, you seem to have bigger troubles right now. Tell me, what items do you want?"
"Let’s start with an equipment upgrade coupon."
The merchant’s goods hadn’t changed; there were still some strange items, but Bai Wu had already clarified his thoughts.
Since it was the final showdown, and moreover a twenty-five-minute time-limited mission, the sudden pop-up of this task meant that he had already found all the clues needed to clear the game.
What was needed now was to figure out how to strengthen themselves.
Currently, apart from the Imitation Sin Weapon which couldn’t be upgraded, the strongest equipment Bai Wu and Wu Jiu had was the ’Evil Fallen Must Die’ in Wu Jiu’s hand.
Bai Wu directly upgraded the ’Evil Fallen Must Die.’
[Elite Dagger: Evil Fallen Must Die. Attack Power +9, upgradeable, durability 20/20. Cannot be sold.]
[Evil Fallen Must Die, a weapon capable of armor-breaking and corrosion against weaker Evil Fallen. Oh, this weapon, full of hatred towards Evil Fallen, seems to have become a bit sharper.]
The remark from Prayle’s Eye indicated that strengthening a weapon in the game indeed could enhance its real attributes.
But all this didn’t come from the merchant, but from the creator of the area, Jing Si.
"One more."
"It looks like you want to create a Divine Artifact? But I regretfully inform you that the goods are limited... this is the last equipment enhancement coupon," the merchant said, spreading his hands.
"What about level enhancements?"
"There are six left."
"That’s perfect."
Since they didn’t have infinite gold coins, Bai Wu could accept the limited goods.
The remaining gold coins were just enough to buy one equipment enhancement coupon and six experience-boosting scrolls.
And Bai Wu used all of these items on Wu Jiu.
Now Wu Jiu’s level had become thirteen. His own attack power was 14 points, and his life value was 34 points. But this was not the final attribute.
’Evil Fallen Must Die’ once again increased its power, attack becoming 15 points and durability reaching 40.
What astonished Bai Wu even more was that the knife in Dwarf’s hands had now become a true Divine Artifact.
[Evil Fallen Must Die, allow me to reintroduce this weapon, capable of breaking defense and causing corrosion for those weaker Evil Fallen; it has now become extremely malevolent. It is like the fangs of a vampire, able to bring some vitality to its master! Yes, it has acquired some life-draining attributes.]
As long as he kept attacking, Dwarf could give up defending and rely on life-draining to recover himself.
Of course, there was a condition: the life-drain ratio had to be high enough, and... they had to survive to leave the area.
"It looks like you’ve run out of gold coins, so then~ goodbye!"
This time the merchant didn’t leave any good items for Bai Wu. He left very swiftly.
Wu Jiu still didn’t quite understand why Bai Wu didn’t buy some of the strange items this time.
Bai Wu handed the "Temporary Save Device" to Wu Jiu.
"Captain, this is for you."
"Aren’t you holding onto it?" Wu Jiu was puzzled.
Bai Wu smiled and didn’t respond directly but counter asked:
"We are now faced with a choice between two options, within the twenty-plus minutes, either to save people or to kill the big boss. Captain, what do you think we should choose?"
"Save people."
"The current captain is very powerful, aren’t you choosing to kill the monsters?"
"Human life is of utmost importance, saving people comes first."
"Sometimes I really wonder, why would there be someone as righteous as the captain in a survival environment like the High Tower."
Wu Jiu didn’t know how to respond to that, and Bai Wu continued:
"I also think we should save them. So, captain, you go rescue them—the scientists are trapped on the twentieth floor. There are quite a few high-level Evil Fallen gathered there, but according to the information I saw earlier, their total number shouldn’t exceed forty. It might even be less than forty."
Wu Jiu grew even more perplexed, while Bai Wu hastened his speech to explain:
"What I’m about to say is very important, you must remember it all."
"Although we only have two cases as references, as long as it’s a rescue mission, once it fails, the entire game fails, so what we have to do is either not save them and simply refuse this mission or ensure their survival once we accept it."
"With the current durability of your weapon, captain, you could kill the monsters at headquarters with one strike. You need to calculate the path well, and when you kill the Evil Fallen, make sure you only kill those you must, and with your attributes far surpassing mine, it shouldn’t be a problem."
"If we fail, the Temporary Save Device will take us back to before we entered the building. At that time, you can tell me the layout of the Evil Fallen, and I will provide you with the best solution."
Wu Jiu caught on and asked:
"Are you planning to face Jing Si alone?"
Wu Jiu didn’t know who Jing Si was yet, but he guessed that since it was the target required to be killed by the mission, it clearly wasn’t on the same level as the Evil Fallen encountered along the way.
"Right, I’ll take on the boss; you handle the rescue."
"Why don’t I face Jing Si?"
"Because the scientists are more important, and the only one who can save them from all those Evil Fallen is you, captain."
"Then why don’t we rescue them together?"
"Because we don’t have enough time, and I don’t accept this multiple-choice question. There are no bad guys in this game—neither Jing Si nor the scientists—I intend to save them all."
There are no bad guys in this game—Wu Jiu still couldn’t understand this. However, Bai Wu’s words were firm, indicating a clear conviction in his heart.
Twenty-one minutes remained, and Wu Jiu said:
"We’ve come this far, relying on your judgment. You decide, then."
Wu Jiu trusted Bai Wu’s judgment, even if Jing Si seemed to be stronger than the Evil Fallen on the twentieth floor, but since Bai Wu chose this, he didn’t question it.
If all else fails, they could simply start over.
The two quickly reached the twentieth floor, and Bai Wu said:
"The creatures on several floors above and below should be all attracted by the scientists. Captain, as long as you save them, we can leave this place. Twenty minutes, no more, no less, you don’t need to rush."
Wu Jiu nodded:
"You too, be very careful!"
The two parted ways.
Bai Wu thought, if Dwarf had not been involved, and he faced the challenge as a solo player, the game would probably present a different scene.
...
...
Denglin Technology headquarters, twenty-fourth floor.
Just as Bai Wu had surmised, there were basically no monsters from the sixteenth floor upwards in the building.
All the monsters had gathered on the twentieth floor, unable to reach the higher levels.
The structure of the twenty-fourth floor was somewhat similar to that of the sixteenth but appeared more fortified in terms of facilities.
Such as doors.
The doors on the sixteenth floor were already thick, but those on the twenty-fourth were at least four times as thick.
Like other items, the Master Key could only be used once, but luckily, Bai Wu didn’t need it this time.
The visible thickness of the door was due to it being... breached by a powerful force.
Even after pixelation, Bai Wu could feel many "veins" running along the walls of the entire twenty-fourth floor.
Black veins, or rather, black vines, meridians.
They thickly covered the entire twenty-fourth floor, and Bai Wu noticed at the entrance of the floor that these veins or vines, these ribbon-like black objects, were continuously growing at a visible rate.
Bai Wu’s feet even stood upon these peculiar black substances. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
At the end of his sight, Bai Wu saw a face.
Despite the pixelated style, the face could still be vaguely made out as that of a man.
Looking at that man’s face, Bai Wu recalled Mr. Tao’s memoirs.
In 2115, Jing Liu was ten years old, Jing Si was twelve.
Now, thirteen years later, Jing Si had turned twenty-five.
What should have been the prime of life for a man, yet Jing Si had become a complete monster.
[Jing Si, Attack Power: 9999, Defense Power: 9999, Vitality 9999.]
What sort of power is needed to defeat Jing Si?
When the note popped up with this data, Bai Wu knew that the so-called timed mission was in itself a test.
"Did you make the wrong choice; are you ready to face death? Perhaps I could make you part of this city."
Jing Si’s voice sounded unreal, like a mixture of many voices.
Bai Wu had encountered this sort of situation when he met Hong Yin’s true form.
And the note given by Prayle’s Eye concerning Jing Si—
[He once believed in a prophecy, but he never saw it fulfilled. In the end, he recalled the happiest days of his life, which were in Ddnglin City. To cherish those memories, before being eroded, he extracted his own heart and went to another place.]
A heart...
So this still wasn’t Jing Si’s real body?
Bai Wu quickly recovered from his shock, and it made sense upon further thought. If Jing Si and Jing Liu, who have both been exposed to the Well, were perhaps the most powerful monsters he had ever seen.
This kind of monster, even if only a heart remains, is enough to severely distort a place.
This place naturally is not Ddnglin City.
Just as mentioned by the eye, the real Denglin Technology headquarters building has turned into a black area.
Becoming more certain of the speculation in his mind, Bai Wu said:
"If the choice you’re talking about is to rescue those scientists trapped in the shelter, I’ve already sent teammates there. I haven’t made the wrong choice."
Jing Si didn’t speak, that face connected to countless black meridians gave Bai Wu a chilling gaze.
"Hehehe... Arrogant humans, your Greed disgusts me. Do you think you can save people and kill me? You want to complete two tasks?" Jing Si’s tone was mocking.
Unmoved, Bai Wu replied:
"I believe there are people who make that choice, their psychological process probably goes like this: Loathing the choice, guessing the intentions of the one posing the question, speculating whether they can obtain more rewards, triggering hidden options, then carrying out both tasks simultaneously."
Jing Si was a bit puzzled.
"Aren’t you?"
"No, because from the beginning I knew, if you didn’t want us to win, we wouldn’t even be able to leave the branch building. The fact that you can turn me and my friends into these strange beings shows you have the power to distort reality. You are the strongest existence I have ever encountered."
Even if all of this is not Jing Si’s true body, and Bai Wu doesn’t know where the true body has gone, Jing Si’s heart indeed is the most powerful source of distortion Bai Wu has ever seen.
Even stronger than Hong Yin.
At least in Hong Yin’s Illusionary Realm... it’s impossible to convert the captain’s Innate Force into Game Attributes, to transform various Spirit Possession artifacts for other purposes.
It can’t turn those real living humans into NPCs in the game, nor can it control all the Evil Fallen in the area.
"I am not Greedy, I’ve given all my best equipment and resources to my teammates. I believe that until now in this game... my approach has been correct, the resources gathered are not few, so in terms of resources, my teammates should be able to save them. He is stronger than me."
Bai Wu slowly walked towards that face. These black meridians entwining the walls, the floor, and the ceiling emitted a gurgling sound, as if warning Bai Wu.
Bai Wu spoke:
"As such a powerful being, I have never thought about defeating you. Even if I had countless Resurrection Coins to spend an eternity with you, there’s no way I could find a method to kill you with the current resources in this game. Certainly others have tried, but the outcome is predictable."
Jing Si sized up Bai Wu.
Bai Wu said candidly:
"The scientists might be rescued, but what after that? As long as you are still in the ’predicament’, they will return to this game as we leave. Mo Cheng is still trapped in the nineteenth layer, waiting for someone’s rescue. Tan Lei will still set off in the night, and then be captured by Evil Fallen."
"The scientists, too, will be trapped on the twentieth layer, with no end in sight, until someone enters the sixteenth layer and starts the game. The next cycle will then begin."
Bai Wu has actually walked deep into the black meridians, now only three steps away from the pitch-black face.
His tone suddenly carried a hint of compassion:
"For seven hundred years, you’ve been trapped in this predicament. There have been those Greedy individuals who thought they could challenge you time and time again by simply stacking up combat power, as well as the kind and Just who have rescued the scientists over and over. But who will rescue you... Jing Si?"
This question dissipated much of the hostility that filled the twenty-fourth floor in an instant.
All the details were strung together by Bai Wu.
Why after choosing to save people, did the death of a person also lead to the failure of the entire mission?
Why were the scientists trapped in this place, living as mission objectives for seven hundred years? And why was Mr. Tao’s memoir found in the archives? Not choosing to save people, why was that considered a wrong decision?
Tan Lei, Mo Cheng, and Mr. Tao’s memoir all mentioned one thing, Jing Si had become irritable. And now Bai Wu also felt it, this being purified by "Well Water", was truly living in agony.
"I didn’t come to kill you, I came to save you."
"Save me?"
Countless "save me" echoed in the room, overlapping, each with a completely different tone.
"Yes, I am here to save you, the fifty-first floor of Shen Ta can be breached."
"You..."
Bai Wu’s words made Jing Si’s eyes suddenly widen.
"But that will take some time, those four people blocking the fifty-first floor are probably your brothers and sisters, right? You all take Well as a surname, maybe all of you come from the same well."
"Impossible... How could you know all this?"
As soon as the other party uttered the words "impossible," Bai Wu knew it was his turn.
But Bai Wu didn’t feel happy, he couldn’t feel sadness, so this calm was the closest he got to sadness.
Just like when he learned of Liu Mu’s sacrifice, Bai Wu’s expression was extremely solemn.
"I also just pieced together a story from some clues. At first, I thought that Mr. Tao, the master of this area, became Evil Fallen because of his unwillingness to accept defeat."
"But if you understand that memoir carefully, you will realize that such a great man wouldn’t be subdued by unwillingness, it would only give him greater motivation. There are some great figures in human history who all share a common trait, they stubbornly solve a problem, relentlessly."
"Every clue mentioned one thing, you became more and more irritable. I think this is not what you wanted, but being purified by Well Water made your consciousness become frantic."
"Jing Liu’s Innate Force showed you the future, humans will leave High Tower and return to this world, Mr. Tao’s efforts won’t be fruitless, all the distorted rules will one day collapse."
Pain and struggle surfaced on Jing Si’s face.
"These words were once the pillars of your faith, the anchor of your integrity. In 2115, your and Jing Liu’s voluntary submission to research in Denglin, it represents your inner goodness, your desire to save this world."
"All those words are lies! All lies!" Jing Si’s roar made the black meridians pulsate like serpents instantly.
Bai Wu had no doubt, this guy with battle stats of 9999 could easily kill him.
"Yes, to you these words are lies, because Xie Yingjie’s departure made you see that Mr. Tao’s vision was never realized. You doubted Jing Liu’s prophecy, thinking it was just a lie to keep you steady. In 2127, with the closing of High Tower imminent, you believed that once the tower completely shut down, everything would be over."
"No future, no savior, Mr. Tao and the scientists’ efforts were in vain, humans could never return to this world from High Tower. In such frenzy, you lost more and more of your true nature. It was during this that you made some mistakes, and because of these mistakes, you sank deeper and deeper... The prophecy from Jing Liu’s mouth seemed even more false to you."
"But you are wrong."
When he said these four words, Bai Wu took a deep breath.
Black meridians had already entwined around his neck, and at this moment, Bai Wu finally understood what this black substance was and why Jing Si was able to easily mutate the entire city’s population into the Evil Fallen.
In an instant, Bai Wu saw many illusions; it was as if he returned to his childhood when Mr. Bai, holding a silver needle, amiably did all sorts of cruel things to him.
Resentment...
The tangible form of resentment that could create negative emotions was so immense that it overflowed from Jing Si’s heart, eventually engulfing the twenty-fourth floor like ivy climbing up a wall—the black resentment tightly wrapped around it.
Even when facing Hong Yin, Bai Wu had never seen those memories that once caused him unbearable pain, but this time, he saw many memories that he did not wish to see.
However, those memories now... had no edge to them for Bai Wu, whose emotions were incomplete.
At this moment, Bai Wu and Jing Si were like two peerless masters clashing with their strongest moves.
An unimaginably intense wave of negative emotions poured into Bai Wu’s mind from all directions, his father’s image even becoming distorted, like a demon.
But he was not afraid; instead, he took another step forward!
His face seemed about to collide with Jing Si’s.
Forehead against forehead! Eyes meeting eyes!
Enveloped in endless resentment, Bai Wu’s voice involuntarily grew sharp:
"The prophecy is true, Jing Liu did not lie to you, the savior truly exists, he might have already appeared, or he might still be waiting for the right moment. The future that Jing Liu saw, the future that Mr. Tao longed for, will surely come!"
As if a ray of sunlight suddenly pierced through the endless darkness, Bai Wu’s body, which had been wrapped in layers of black substance, revealed a part of itself in this moment.
Shock appeared in Jing Si’s eyes.
The deadlock of his entire life was the future of despair that he had personally witnessed.
The top of that tower did not lead to a path of brightness at all, but to a world that was even more despairing and twisted.
The entire Shen Ta was a metaphor for his interpretation of that prophecy.
The whole game process was his deadlock!
Scientists who had been saved would get trapped again. And humans, who thought they had the power to rebel, would see a Demon King far more powerful than them at the summit of the tower.
The Evil Fallen would never be vanquished, and humans would never be able to leave the High Tower.
Under such a deadlock, the very nature of Jing Si... began to lose its way bit by bit.
Jing Liu became the one who deceived him, and the efforts of all those scientists became a mockery. In his despair, he discarded his own heart and finally succumbed to the darkness completely.
This heart, though it fell from Jing Si’s body, still had a part of Jing Si’s memory. freewebnøvel.com
It felt the same deadlock, the same pain and despair as Jing Si, but at the same time, it also held the good qualities that Jing Si had cherished while at Denglin Technology headquarters. Deep within this heart lay the kindness and hope that Jing Si desperately tried to hold onto.
Therefore, in this game of despair, there were many places that offered hope.
But for seven hundred years, this heart... never saw the world its owner had wished to see.
Reality instead moved closer to the twisted, despairing world described in the prophecy.
The hope contained within this heart... grew dimmer.
In this game, it provided many hints... though these hints were like hope and despair, where one could only be subtly concealed, wavering on the edge, while the other spread more brazenly, ceaselessly.
But it still wanted to hear someone tell it that Jing Liu’s prophecy was true.
Until a second ago, Bai Wu’s strident shout, filled with frenzy, caused the black face to look astonished.
"Haven’t you bathed in Well Water? Can’t you instantly turn humans into Evil Fallen? Then come, infect me!"
"The savior exists, Mr. Tao’s efforts were not in vain, and humanity will not be trapped in the High Tower forever! Taking refuge in the High Tower may be a betrayal to you, but we will not succumb to that tower. For seven hundred years, we have been looking for ways to get out! We’ve also been getting stronger, and we have found ways to deal with the Evil Fallen! And I, I am the best proof!"
"If you can turn me into an Evil Fallen, then try it! Come on!"
"One day, we will return from the High Tower, and all of the Evil Fallen who have occupied our territory will be driven out without exception!"
Although he was shouting at the top of his lungs, to Jing Si, the entire world seemed to have come to a silent halt.
The pixelated world around them began to peel away bit by bit. The faces of Bai Wu and Jing Si became real and clear.
Jing Si could even see his own astonished reflection in Bai Wu’s angry pupils.
In the end, the always angry and pained face began to lose its astonishment.
It did not possess the abilities of its owner, so it could not verify the truth of Bai Wu’s words.
But for seven hundred years... the heart’s deadlock had been waiting for someone to tell it—the prophecy is true, the savior exists.
And now, it had finally heard it.
[Main Line Quest—Go to the headquarters of Denglin Technology and rescue the scientists. Accept the quest?]
All the resentment began to dissipate.
The black substances that entwined Bai Wu like dark vines, were whisked away like ash by the wind.
In short order... along with Jing Si’s face, it all turned to dust.
The surrounding scene also came into view—this was indeed a technology building.
But it was not the headquarters of Denglin Technology. The real headquarters of Denglin Technology were in the Black Zone, whereas this place was once Mr. Tao’s workplace in Xuanhui City. It was the year 2115, the place where Mr. Tao and Xie Yingjie went to work together.
Jing Si had brought some scientists from Ddnglin City here, and after committing a certain mistake, he wanted to make amends to Mr. Tao.
So, before completely eradicating his kindness, he left that heart behind.
And for seven hundred years, this heart protected the human beings in this region, although these humans... lived as NPCs.
In the end, rather than seeing a mission accomplished message, Bai Wu saw a new task.
Looking at the mottled walls, he said to Jing Si’s heart that had dissipated into dust:
"I accept this mission."
