Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 160: Chapter 160: Revisiting Married Women’s Manor

At the base of the High Tower, Eastern Square.

More than an hour had passed since Wu Jiu, Bai Wu, and the others entered the stone stele.

Since Wu Jiu and Bai Wu had taken longer in their previous explorations, the record-keeping investigator did not expect to see this group return before his shift was over.

His job of record-keeping today was still boring, as most of the comings and goings were miners entering the mining area through the white stone stele.

There were a few teams from the blue area, but to this investigator, they all seemed rather average.

He thought today was going to be another monotonous and equal day for all, until the red stone stele suddenly burst into light without warning.

The record-keeping investigator jumped up at once, his entire body suddenly entering a state of excitement.

However, to his surprise, the six people returning from the red stone stele were completely different from the six he had in mind.

The six included four members of the Garrison Corps, one miner, and one noble.

The investigator looked puzzled.

The six people who had come back from the casino were dumbfounded to find themselves returning through the red stone stele...

Remembering the scene where every single human being fell like dominoes, they thought it was some powerful Mutation Entry reaping everyone’s souls. Being able to return to the High Tower was like racing against the Grim Reaper and snatching back their lives.

The reaction of these few people was unusually consistent—they collapsed to the ground, legs trembling uncontrollably, completely ignoring the shocked expressions of the onlookers around them, totally immersed in the aftermath of fear and terror.

The commotion at Eastern Square was not over yet, for a few minutes later, the red stone stele lit up once again!

The investigator plunged into deep self-doubt. If there were six people who left the tower, why did twelve return?

Returning from the stone stele were Wu Jiu, Bai Wu, and their companions.

They too were surprised to return via the red teleportation stele, but their attitude was clearly different from the previous six individuals.

Lin Wurou was very puzzled.

Although the casino was a magical place, completely different from the areas they had explored before—

In the end, wasn’t it just a normal blue area where Bai Wu, with his average intelligence, won a few trivial gambling games and fought one bout with an easy target known as Evil Fallen before ending the exploration?

Was this considered the red area? Just this?

Obviously, Lin Wurou selectively forgot about the formidable power of the God of Wealth and also chose to forget how she trembled in fear at the sight of Bai Wu in his Evil Fallen form.

...

Unconcerned with the amazed gazes of everyone, Wu Jiu and Yin Shuang both realized that this trip to the casino might just have unveiled the Garrison Corps’ secret to "mass-producing" experts.

Before the great purge of the casino came, they watched many humans perish. These individuals serving the casino, up till they had life in them, looked like old men who had served the casino for a long time.

Although the casino itself was detestable to Wu Jiu, he didn’t see those serving as aliens when he realized they might have had no choice.

They appeared to be utterly devoted to the casino, yet the fear on their faces at the moment of death was so real.

Wu Jiu’s reaction was much stronger than Bai Wu’s.

If people in this casino could gain Sequence, lifespan, power, it was also destined that others would lose Sequence, lifespan, power.

Who were the ones losing? Were they the gamblers who came here, or the "merchandise" that never had a choice in the first place?

After all, the Vanguard Group had been following Wu Jiu for a while, and even without a word, everyone could sense their leader was in a very bad mood.

Lin Wurou was thinking about what to say but the first to speak was Wu Jiu:

"No one is allowed to speak of what happened today."

Everyone went silent.

Bai Wu remembered the question he had asked the captain before, whose response was very calm—

Don’t bother with these questions until you have the power to build a new system.

Although the team leader had said this, Bai Wu still detected anger in his tone.

This not-so-tall man must also have had the urge to rush straight to the fourth floor and confront the Garrison Corps Legion commander at the Pyramidal Black Tower.

But he couldn’t do that.

Bai Wu guessed that the upcoming tower exploration report would probably resemble a primary school student’s essay, full of concocted stories in line with the official narrative.

Without a doubt, the seeds Cain had wanted to plant had already begun to take root.

Yet, Bai Wu did not feel at a disadvantage. He had not been in this world long before he began to despise the higher-ups.

The team leader, who had grown up in the High Tower, must have seen much more darkness.

...

In the following hours, Wu Jiu and the others started to wrap up various loose ends from the tower exploration.

The six people who had escaped from the casino were taken into custody in the Investigation Corps interrogation rooms.

No matter what, returning from the red zone was a major incident, and these six might reveal something they shouldn’t.

As for how to deal with these individuals afterward, the real headache belonged to Qin Zong and the Legion commander of the Garrison Corps.

In the following hours, Wu Jiu and the others started to wrap up various loose ends from the tower exploration.

Yin Shuang took care of these more tedious matters, so Bai Wu did not get involved, as there would be no mishaps with her around.

He left the group without taking a rest and directly applied for secondary clearance to go to the third floor.

This time, however, Bai Wu was not visiting Yan Jiu; he was looking for Ming Che.

...

...

While on the elevator, Bai Wu reviewed the recent tower exploration.

The greatest gain was the improvement of the whole team.

The Innate Force was secondary. Before speaking with Jing Wu on the second floor of the casino, Bai Wu had allocated the Talent Sequence they had acquired according to their characteristics to everyone, including himself.

The Five Elements Cycle, Enhanced Vision, Iron Armament, and Double Strength were among the combat and perception enhancement Sequences.

And there was an extremely important combat Sequence, Talent Sequence 126: No-Motion Counterattack.

While in a defensive state, there was a chance to cause true damage to the opponent equal to 100% of one’s own strength value.

Unlike similar counter-damage principles, the damage from No-Motion Counterattack was linked to one’s own attributes. Most importantly, this was true damage from a weak point strike. And because there were no motions involved, the opponent could be countered upon contact.

This Sequence fit perfectly with Bai Wu’s current idea of advancement—focusing on strength and vitality.

Although Bai Wu himself didn’t feel much, in the High Tower, with his strength among the lower four floors, he counted among the top experts, and even at this level, he was outstanding.

Not just Bai Wu, Wu Jiu also acquired a Sequence that was extremely suitable for him—Talent Sequence 400: Overload Form.

A talent that could temporarily enhance a certain ability, but would cause the other four attributes to decrease.

This talent’s effect was not inferior to Extreme Shadow’s, but due to its significant side effects, it ranked lower.

Under the effects of Ultimate Balance, all the issues vanished, and the side effects of this Sequence no longer existed.

Clearly, Bai Wu’s aim was to make Dwarf, his crucial team member, even stronger.

Yin Shuang, Lin Wurou, Wang Shi, and Shang Xiaoyi also all received Talent Sequences.

Most of the Talent Sequences were not kept for himself by Bai Wu, as after thorough consideration, he realized that these Sequences did not offer him much gain, whereas his teammates were more suitable for them.

For example, Heart Like Still Water was just what Lilith needed, and it was available in the casino. Bai Wu gave it to Shang Xiaoyi. That way, when Xiaoyi saw Evil Fallen, he wouldn’t lose it like a mad dog anymore.

The main gains from this exploration were not just Sequences; the greatest wealth was probably a bunch of Mutation Entries, but this was also what puzzled Bai Wu the most.

After returning to the High Tower, all the powerful entries that he had obtained with a large amount of chips had disappeared.

He had noticed a detail a while back: when on the Death Flight, he transformed into Evil Fallen and acquired a rare Mutation Entry—Phantom Gaze.

But when he turned back into a human, he couldn’t use that ability. In other words, as a human, he couldn’t use the powers of Evil Fallen.

However, as Evil Fallen, he could use the powers of humans.

So Bai Wu wasn’t sure if these vanished Mutation Entries had completely disappeared like the Eye of Insight, or if—

he would be able to use these powers again the next time he became Evil Fallen?

The more he thought about it, the more he anticipated his next transformation.

...

...

The third layer arrived quickly.

Bai Wu had once heard a saying that a billionaire’s nanny looks down on a self-made millionaire.

On his previous visits to the third layer, the drivers of the rental vehicles were unwilling to stop for him, and even if he managed to hail a car and mentioned he was heading to the Asylum, they didn’t seem keen on chatting.

But this time was different. When Bai Wu spoke the three words "Mingyu Estate," the driver instantly turned into an experienced chauffeur.

The experienced chauffeur revealed the smile one would expect, gripped the steering wheel steadily, and began discussing topics that were best left sealed, like the doors of his car.

The place called Mingyu Estate was well-known among the nobility of the third layer. Even those who served tea and poured water there were not to be underestimated, as they might strike up a crucial conversation at the right moment.

"Kings’ relatives hold high rank, while the servants of chancellors are like appointed officials."

To the driver, Bai Wu seemed just like someone who would serve tea and pour water in Mingyu Estate. The driver was especially enthusiastic, hoping to have a chance to visit Married Women’s Manor, but Ming Che didn’t entertain just anyone.

Even among the third layer’s somewhat reputable nobility, if one had an unattractive wife, Ming Che might be too lazy to pay them any attention.

Of course, Bai Wu was an exception.

He had neither a title of nobility nor a wife, and during the mission to find Yan Jiu, Ming Che, who had been publically humiliated by Wu Jiu, felt quite embarrassed, but this noble son of the Garrison Corps was obviously still quite concerned about Bai Wu.

This pity for talent that cannot be acquired and the fondness for married women were indeed similar to that certain Cao someone.

After Bai Wu declared his name, a servant quickly led him to the manor’s study.

Mingyu Estate couldn’t compare to the Homestead Manor Bai Wu had seen outside the tower, but it was still quite distinctive. It exuded luxury on the entire third layer.

Bai Wu surmised that even if Ming Che wasn’t a ruler’s offspring, the family head of the Ming family must have been closely related to a certain ruler.

Inside Ming Che’s study, when Bai Wu entered, Ming Che’s smile was genuine:

"I just knew something good would happen today, and here comes Brother Bai."

Bai Wu also smiled and said,

"It’s been a while since I’ve shared man-to-man insights with Captain Ming. I had some free time today, so I thought I’d visit."

"That’s great! I happened to acquire a batch of excellent wine from Lilith Restaurant not long ago. Lilith Restaurant has been closed recently, so this wine is not available anywhere now. Come, let’s enjoy it together. It’s said that this wine, just like the proprietress of Lilith Restaurant, leaves a lasting impression."

Ah, this...

Clearly, Ming Che was interested in traditional topics of indulgence: wine and women. However, Bai Wu found it amusing for some reason.

Lilith Restaurant was closed because its proprietress had been tied up by himself.

A seven-hundred-year-old woman is not about lasting flavor; she’s overwhelmingly potent.

Bai Wu wasn’t particularly interested in Ming Che’s wine and, after some idle chatter, felt the atmosphere was ripe to touch on the actual matter at hand:

"Captain Ming, although we’re from different camps, ever since I saw your entourage last time, I knew I had to befriend you."

"Hahahaha, should I call him over for you?"

"There’s no rush, no rush, we’ll talk in the evening, in the evening. I came to find Captain Ming because I heard some news and wanted to confirm it with you."

"What news?"

"Not to conceal from Captain Ming, my team leader and I just returned from the red zone."

Captain Ming was startled:

"You’ve returned from the red zone again?"

"Yes, this time we went to a place called Xuanhui City. After a fierce battle, we encountered an intellect humanoid Evil Fallen, but what I am going to say next has nothing to do with this Evil Fallen, it’s about you, Captain Ming." freewebnøvel.com

The red zone is very dangerous. What exactly the seventh team’s Vanguard Group went through after returning from the red zone has always been confidential.

Captain Ming was, of course, interested in learning something about the red zone, especially since he had an inexplicable trust in Bai Wu.

It was like the deep friendship between two men who had frequented brothels together. Of course, this was just a one-sided feeling from the man of High Tower, Li.

"Interesting, how does your investigation outside the tower in the red zone relate to me?"

"Let me get straight to the point. Before dying, that Evil Fallen revealed some information—it mentioned the Harbinger."

Bai Wu didn’t go into detail when he mentioned the word Harbinger, nor did he deliberately observe Captain Ming’s reaction.

Yet, he immediately felt Captain Ming’s breathing become erratic.

From this, he was convinced that Little Mustache in the casino had been telling the truth.

In Mingyu Estate, the Harbinger scouts out some nobles and leads them to places like "Daughter Country," "Gourmet Restaurant," and "Casino."

But was Captain Ming connected to this Harbinger?

"I don’t know what the Harbinger is, but after questioning it, it told me that only by attending the gathering at Mingyu Estate could one find the Harbinger. The Harbinger can take people to specific areas."

Originally thinking it might be a coincidence, Captain Ming was now convinced that it was not, and Bai Wu had indeed come for the Harbinger.

"Did it say anything else?" Captain Ming’s expression turned grave.

This reaction was different from what Bai Wu had anticipated.

"I thought Captain Ming would know."

Captain Ming was not foolish and quickly realized that Bai Wu must have misunderstood something; he spoke earnestly:

"Brother Bai, I won’t deceive you, I’m also looking for the Harbinger."

Bai Wu remained unshaken, still looking at Captain Ming with a meaningful gaze, while Captain Ming met his gaze and said:

"It’s a legend in the noble circle, an open secret. Everyone who has attended my gatherings always ends up with an invitation from the Harbinger, with some disappearing afterward, and others as if they’ve gone to a land of extreme bliss."

"Some of them even came to thank me, asking for the contact information of the Harbinger, wanting to visit some strange places again, but I do not know who the Harbinger is. I host gatherings every month, but I have never found the Harbinger at them."

Bai Wu felt that Captain Ming did not seem to be lying:

"So the Harbinger just screens targets at your gatherings but doesn’t make direct contact? And the Harbinger has never contacted you?" freewёbnoνel.com

"That’s right."

Interesting. The matter had become mysterious.

If Captain Ming was not the Harbinger, then who was the Harbinger? One thing for sure, the Harbinger held one of the seven Traction Discs and was in contact with merchants.

A "smuggler" active between Evil Fallen and humans.

But regardless of the identity, Bai Wu was confident that no one could escape his own eyes:

"May I know when is the next gathering Captain Ming is hosting?"

"In a week."

"I think Captain Ming can invite me if you truly wish to find the Harbinger."