Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 142: Chapter 142: The End of Another Battle

Wu Jiu nodded, perhaps Mr. Tao from the story was exactly such a person.

He didn’t believe in prophecies, only in the future he was able to achieve.

Perhaps from the beginning, Mr. Tao didn’t have any expectations for the prophecy, so after witnessing despair, Xie Yingjie chose to head for the High Tower, while Mr. Tao only felt the betrayal of a good friend.

Wu Jiu no longer dwelt on these thoughts but instead turned to Bai Wu:

"Are these scientists... going to stay here?"

"Yes."

"Have you not considered waking them up and bringing them back? This place might not be safe."

"It is safe. With these eggshell-like protectors, the Evil Fallen cannot sense them, and the whole Xuanhui City probably doesn’t have any higher-level Evil Fallen. Jing Si must have done some purging back then. Besides, taking these scientists back would be troublesome for us to settle them. We will return here and take them to the High Tower... when we have the capability."

Bai Wu was not carried away by the excitement of this exploration. It was safest for these scientists to continue being sealed in the form of eggs within this building in Xuanhui City.

Bringing them back to the High Tower could ignite a chain of butterfly effects that was difficult to imagine.

Wu Jiu nodded, and Bai Wu continued to speak:

"There’s one more thing that both the Captain and I need to pay attention to, a warning we’ve gathered from this exploration."

"What is it?"

"Since I joined the Investigation Corps, the Captain and I have been consecutively exploring various zones. It’s like the difficulty in a game gradually increasing, but we believe that as long as we grow step by step, we would one day conquer the red and black zones."

"Isn’t that the case?"

"As of now... it’s hard to achieve that level just by exploring outside the tower. Ninety years ago, the wipeout of two legions in the red zone was a calamity, marking the first time humanity tried to go to the ’fifty-first floor.’ It is a realm completely different from the previous fifty floors."

Wu Jiu’s expression grew serious, and Bai Wu continued:

"Getting stronger is not wrong, but we must accelerate our pace of growth. Moreover... we should heighten our estimate of the dangers in the red and black zones to a level we might consider impossible."

The fifty-first floor of the Shen Ta is like a realm several times more powerful than the sum of the previous fifty floors.

Bai Wu, so far, had not truly experienced the red zone. He only felt his own insignificance while under Hong Yin’s protection in a temporarily constructed red zone.

Through the Heart of Jing Si, Bai Wu could feel that these six Evil Fallen, bearing the Jing surname, possessed a dominating force far stronger than the others.

Without absolute certainty, humans would only reset their long-accumulated strength in an instant if they sent out all their elites for investigation, just like they did ninety years ago.

Bai Wu had already perceived the warning this game of Shen Ta was conveying. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

For the foreseeable future, until Dwarf and he had moved up to a higher level and acquired more Sequences, they should avoid the red and black zones as much as possible.

Of course... that was the plan, but whether one might accidentally step into a certain zone was not something Bai Wu could control.

"Finally, about the sixth floor. There may be many powerful humans like Cain in the fifth floor, who possess longevity that ordinary people do not. Frankly, I don’t think the Captain is stronger than all of them. Perhaps there are some who are on the same level as the Captain."

Wu Jiu didn’t disagree:

"Securing the throne is not only based on the order of succession from seven hundred years ago. Captain Qin once told me that each ruler of the fifth floor possesses formidable strength not to be underestimated."

"But they are just the Demon Kings of the fiftieth floor. Compared to those on the fifty-first floor, the sixth floor, they seem insignificant. So we need to be wary not just outside the tower, but also of beings inside it."

Wu Jiu said,

"I don’t know what lies on the Sixth Layer, and there have always been many speculations about it. However, all these theories did not come from the Fifth Layer but rather are the imagination of the people from the lower three layers."

The things Wu Jiu did not know, naturally, Bai Wu could not possibly know either. Yet, the attitude of Jing Liu and Jing Si toward the High Tower, along with what Prayle’s Eye had once mentioned about the monster suppressed by the Teleportation Stele, all indicated that... the things on the Sixth Layer were certainly not benevolent.

"We should head back." Wu Jiu said.

Bai Wu nodded and activated the Return Roulette.

[Current area exploration progress: 94.5%. Evil Fallen remaining: 145. Doomsday Puzzle fragment for this area acquired. My assessment: Although many Evil Fallen have not been cleared from this district, its secrets have nearly all been unearthed by you. Perhaps by the next time you come here, the eggs might have hatched?]

...

...

At the base of the High Tower, Eastern Square.

The investigator responsible for the entry and exit records of the High Tower had been replaced by a new shift. During the handover, most investigators tended to grumble for a while.

Like how another fearless mercenary had entered the Blue District, or some weirdo had thrown people into the Blue District.

Under normal circumstances, the Blue District is synonymous with death, for the nobility of the upper strata as well as the miners of the lower strata alike.

However, the person who took over from the previous investigator learned that the up-and-coming new member of the Investigation Corps and Wu Jiu had entered behind the blue Stele, and his sentiment was the same as the previous recorder’s:

"How dull. They’re all returning from the Red District; why then venture into the Blue District? Lacking ambition..."

He genuinely felt this way, so much so that it made him quite uncomfortable. There were always such people who seemed to bask in the reflected glory of another’s legendary deeds.

If someone did something mundane, it made him feel uncomfortable as well.

He had been hoping that Wu Jiu and Bai Wu would return from the Red or the Black Stele, but... in the end, enveloped in a burst of white light, Bai Wu and Wu Jiu returned to the High Tower from a white Stele.

The investigator was completely thrown off.

Why would these two... return from a white area? He was so disappointed that he really wanted to go up to them and ask what had happened.

Bai Wu and Wu Jiu did not notice this emotionally rich investigator. He exchanged a look with Wu Jiu.

Previously, there had been transitions from one district to another, then entering through the White District and returning via the Blue Stele, or entering through the White District and returning via the Red Stele.

But this time... why did they return through a white Stele?

Before long, Bai Wu thought of an answer...

It’s like the fourth floor of the Ninth Hospital, a Red District wholly propped up by Hong Yin alone. Without Hong Yin, the district would be nothing but a white zone.

The same held true for that district in Xuanhui City; without the heart of Jing Si inside the technology building, it was merely a region infested by low-level Evil Fallen.

After realizing this, Bai Wu and Wu Jiu simply departed.

As for the investigator, he remained in a state of conflicted feelings, as if he had been eagerly anticipating some explosive scene for a long time, hoping that it would get him pumped, only to find out that the male and female leads were merely chatting about life goals. He got pumped—all right, his fists got pumped.

...

...

After returning to the High Tower, Wu Jiu then headed to the second layer’s branch of the Investigation Corps.

Bai Wu honestly revealed his Innate Force; now, according to Wu Jiu’s assessment of Bai Wu, he’s already considered a small six-sided warrior.

Survivability, Evil Fallen combat ability, analysis ability, adaptability, mindset, potential; Wu Jiu gave him quite high ratings.

However, in the investigation report, Wu Jiu still downplayed Bai Wu’s data, not reporting it according to Bai Wu’s actual figures.

He also didn’t press Bai Wu on how he managed to raise his Innate Force from the fourth to the fifth level without leaving the tower.

So, in the investigation report, Bai Wu appears to be someone who progresses very rapidly but not unbelievably so.

He hoped Bai Wu would be the second amongst the known experts to step into the eighth level, but before that, Bai Wu needs many more tower exits.

Wu Jiu was busy with the investigation reports, digesting some information he learned from this tower exit.

To some extent, Bai Wu’s initiative to invite him out of the tower indeed greatly alleviated the sorrow of losing Liu Mu.

...

...

Three days prior, within the Martial Training Area of the two armies.

After Wu Jiu and Bai Wu returned to the High Tower, the duel between Liu Mu and Nie Chongshan continued.

Nie Chongshan’s fierce offensive was one by one defended by Liu Mu, and Liu Mu’s Thorny Giant Shield Mutation Entry even caused Nie Chongshan to be injured by his own power.

The two fought incessantly in the swamp, and the traces of battle rendered the entire battlefield shattered and twisted.

Liu Mu’s body was constantly shattered by the powerful punches but repaired itself with an exaggerated speed.

Just when Liu Mu thought he could maintain an unbeaten position with his counter-injury and absolute defense, Nie Chongshan’s body mutated once more.

"Warm-up is over; I must admit, you’re stronger than I was when I first became Evil Fallen, but with your current strength, you’re only fit to be my guard."

"Who the hell wants to be your guard?"

Feeling Nie Chongshan’s bone wings flesh out and his Xie Mo horns become sharper, and his muscles appear more explosive, Liu Mu decisively launched a counterattack.

He used his entire body as a weapon, hurtling towards Nie Chongshan like a flung boulder. freewebnøvel.coɱ

But Nie Chongshan just gently flapped his wings, dissolving Liu Mu’s offense, and kicked the pitch-black Rock Giant more than a hundred meters away, his huge body piercing through one tree after another.

Liu Mu’s eyes revealed a look of horror.

Nie Chongshan’s strength and speed... had once again greatly increased.

However, Nie Chongshan was also surprised that a newbie transformed into an Evil Fallen had pushed him to use his trump card abilities.

True Demon Form, now Nie Chongshan, even larger than Liu Mu after his Evil Fallen Transformation.

He didn’t just gain speed and strength; his spiritual power, life force, reaction speed, all received a tremendous boost when entering this state.

There were even special Mutation Entries that could only be used while in this form.

This was Nie Chongshan’s final phase, which over the years, he had only used when joining forces with Hong Yin and Beauty Mark to fight against the previous Traveler.

"No matter how tough the shield is."

Nie Chongshan’s figure instantly moved in front of Liu Mu, lifting him up with an evolved demonic hand, his eyes sparkling with violence:

"Everything has its limit, and my power has surpassed yours,"

A powerful punch pierced straight through Liu Mu’s abdomen. It seemed as though Nie Chongshan had barely gathered any strength before delivering the blow, yet it was more forceful than any of his well-prepared punches before, easily shattering Liu Mu’s armor-like body.

Liu Mu clenched his teeth, the fighting spirit in his eyes undiminished.

But he couldn’t break free from Nie Chongshan’s demonic arm.

Nie Chongshan said,

"Rest assured, this attack will only inflict pain on you, but it won’t kill you. The moment you became an Evil Fallen, you became completely different from humans."

"Your heart harbors a violent desire that no matter how you vent, you will never be able to purge completely. All your memories will become twisted. Do you know why I went to great lengths to get a ticket for the Traveler’s Ship?"

Liu Mu couldn’t respond; this was Nie Chongshan’s rhetorical question:

"Being an Evil Fallen might grant you a lot of power, but if you can’t dispel the negative emotions inside, sooner or later, these negative emotions will consume you, turning you into a true monster."

This statement wasn’t absolutely correct, but Liu Mu discerned another meaning in Nie Chongshan’s words.

"Your potential is not bad, but you should know that as a human, you were no match for that Dwarf. Now that you have become an Evil Fallen, you’ve acquired power surpassing his. But if you meet him again, and you’re still weaker than he is, then that would be truly shameful."

"I’m offering you an opportunity. You can follow me and continue to battle other Evil Fallen. Or you can choose to remain here, letting various resentments consume you bit by bit. What will it be?"

Nie Chongshan released Liu Mu.

The devastating strike made it incredibly difficult for Liu Mu to even remain standing. Clenching his teeth, he said,

"Are you helping me? Why?"

The battle with Liu Mu allowed Nie Chongshan to realize what kind of existence Liu Mu was.

As a War Enthusiast, Liu Mu’s personality was more to Nie Chongshan’s liking than Gu Qingyu’s. But the real reason Nie Chongshan decided to recruit Liu Mu was that he had encountered an even more powerful being.

Not long after obtaining the Traveler’s Ship ticket, Nie Chongshan encountered another monster wandering outside the Tower.

An evil being that claimed to have bathed in the Well, although he was a true demon, even demons instinctively resisted and feared this monster.

There existed mysterious entities beyond the nine-level variants, and Nie Chongshan refused to be a second-rate weakling.

Liu Mu’s characteristics would make for good sparring.

"If you follow me, you will become stronger than you are now. Remember, you are no longer human, you are an Evil Fallen. The way for Evil Fallen to improve themselves is through constant battle and consumption. Staying in this place will only hold you back."

"And defeating you now would be meaningless."

Nie Chongshan turned and left, his departure crisp and decisive.

The world outside the Tower had no limitations on him. The Traveler’s Ship ticket would allow him to take a total of three Evil Fallen with him; the previous Traveler had three level eight mutant servants at his side.

Liu Mu didn’t hesitate for long, struggling to drag his battered body and follow Nie Chongshan’s footsteps.

The practice of life, for him, had already ended not long ago, but the practice of being an Evil Fallen had just begun.

One of Nie Chongshan’s sentences had decisively convinced Liu Mu.

The sword and shield of the Investigation Corps would undoubtedly meet again one day. When that day came, Liu Mu hoped that his shield would still be able to charge ahead of the sword.