Free Web NovelChapter 167: Chapter 167: Pulling Out Original Sin
In the blood fog, massive monsters continued to deploy various destructive methods.
These Mutation Entries were perfect-tier entries; they might not possess the eternal or fundamental forces like those of the Legendary Tier Entries, yet they had absolute destructive power.
Countless charges by the allied forces resulted only in tragic deaths.
Piercing thunderbolts swept through like a battle-axe, leaving limbs and broken bodies scattered across the path leading to the giant monster.
It was like the monster movies from my past life, where the colossal monsters were completely immune to any human method of attack.
The only ones who could punish the monsters were either superheroes, or... other monsters.
It seemed the sole purpose of human existence was to highlight just how powerful this one monster was.
Even though this was but a world of obsession, Bai Wu couldn’t stand to watch this suicidal charge. He wanted to say something, but then he suddenly heard someone else speak:
"Captain Gu... stop the charge... We are simply no match. Perhaps we... still have another way out?"
This person was the fourth squad captain of the Garrison Corps, a fifth-tier, second-level Innate Force.
The squad captain’s fists were clenched tightly, his eyes were reddening, watching his soldiers charging to their deaths. His emotional turmoil seemed to have approached a red value on his emotional gauge.
There was no fear, just pure sorrow.
Bai Wu thought for a moment that he first needed to understand what Gu Hailin’s obsession was.
From what he could see, it was to slay the monster and lead his men to safety... but there was a significant contradiction—
He was sending his subordinates to their deaths.
This wasn’t hard to analyze, but what was unimaginable was that none of the charging soldiers of the allied forces looked back.
Emotionally intense, they rushed to their deaths as well, be it the Guard Army or the Investigation Corps. At this moment, it seemed they had but one thing to do... kill that monster, or be killed by it.
Although not at the very front lines, Bai Wu had a profound intuition.
The allied forces were like those facing a fortress that must be conquered, one of great strategic importance. If they could take this fortress, humanity would have a bright and beautiful future, inspiring them to charge forward, risking life and limb.
Gu Hailin didn’t turn his head:
"Haven’t you realized our situation yet? We have no way out. Tell the captains to prepare; our boys have already gone on ahead to Huangquan, and we are next."
At the front lines, amidst the ruins of the city, select troops of the allied forces met with grim deaths. Hundreds were ruthlessly killed by Hydra every few seconds.
The colossal monster was not putting forth its full strength, merely toying with its prey.
Bai Wu also believed that the strength of the Investigation Corps and Garrison Corps ninety years ago wasn’t much greater than it is now.
They were facing the monsters of the Red Zone, and it was very likely that just one of them was strong enough to hold up the entire Red Zone.
This battle was nothing more than a one-sided slaughter.
"Laoqi! Get the horses ready!"
Get the horses ready? A fresh term to Bai Wu, he turned to look at the Laoqi mentioned by Gu Hailin.
[Investigation Corps’ seventh squad captain, Little Dwarf’s successive superior... He’s also a guy who’s half decent and not so bad, somewhat timid and cowardly, but Providence granted him a Talent most suited for a charge. Talent Sequence 150: One Man Army. At the last moment of his life, he was no longer a coward with cold feet but a warrior leading the charge.]
This Sequence, Bai Wu remembered from the Sequence list, could summon brethren adept at charging into battle, the more fearless their heart, the stronger and faster their charge.
The actual effect was something Bai Wu truly witnessed only at this moment.
Twenty-four sturdy warhorses formed from black energy appeared, as if burning with black Flame.
Captains from both armies mounted the black steeds, which neighed, raising their front hooves in anticipation.
The final charge was about to begin. The captain of the Investigation Corps’ seventh squad was right beside Gu Hailin, side by side.
Gu Hailin turned his head; Bai Wu saw the sharpness in his eyes, the resoluteness of his face. The Legion Commander possessed a true soldier’s iron-blooded temperament, but perhaps because he was too rogueish on normal days, Gu Hailin’s presence was authoritative without being excessively intimidating.
Bai Wu guessed that he must be playing the role of one of the warriors heading out to the Red Zone, but likely as some kind of support character.
Although it was Gu Hailin who made the call, just like the previous two times, he didn’t directly take on the role of the caller as Yin Shuang did.
The assault consisted of three waves. The first wave would be launched by half the team members to distract the monsters, followed by a second wave led by the captains’ Iron Cavalry Group. With the help of One Man Army, they would charge at Hydra at the fastest speed. Finally, the third wave would be led by healers and other supporters, who were not adept at direct combat.
They were the most powerful humans from the High Tower, but in the face of death, no one could remain truly unfazed.
Yet, it was the grief and indignation inside them that filled these people with a determination to die.
Gu Hailin declared in a loud voice:
"Let’s write off all past favors and grudges! Two days ago, although we shared the same mission, we were divided into two camps under the High Tower. But now, we are no longer the Garrison Corps, nor are we the Investigation Corps, our lives belong only to ourselves!"
"Good! Let bygones be bygones with past favors and grudges!"
The captains of the Allied Forces’ squadrons responded one after another.
Gu Hailin raised his right hand.
Bai Wu noticed what he was holding; it was the Return Roulette.
"Today’s battle is destined to be buried in the annals of history, but this fight signifies our stubbornness and dignity as human beings! We cannot flee, nor do we have anywhere to flee to. The world is vast, who decreed that humans can only cower within the High Tower?"
"To hell with the High Tower! If there really is a realm of You Ming in this world, we’ll wait for those bastards in hell, and in hell, we will see the vast territories that belong to humanity!"
"Brothers, follow me in the charge! Let us vent our wrath with the life of that monster!"
A cry filled with determination echoed through the skies shrouded in red fog.
Bai Wu saw an astonishing move; these captains of the Allied Forces, like Gu Hailin, picked up their Return Roulettes—
And smashed them down fiercely!
It was as if they were outlaws drinking their last cup before execution, or soldiers in a do-or-die battle with their backs to the river!
In that instant, the Return Roulettes were smashed to the ground beside their horseshoes, and not a single person looked back.
Even without Prayle’s Eye popping up a note, Bai Wu understood what was happening.
A hollow feeling surged within him once again, his index finger unconsciously bending.
The truth behind the devastating defeat ninety years ago... so that was it.
No wonder there were no survivors, no wonder there was no one left to tell the tale—because they couldn’t return!
Two armies joined forces; hundreds to nearly a thousand of the High Tower’s elite forces, representing ninety percent of the High Tower’s strength, staked everything to venture into the Red Zone, seeking to advance human exploration outside the Tower into a new era.
But the Return Roulettes they were equipped with—were fake.
At this moment, perhaps due to a very slight sense of empathy, a faint sense of regret, Bai Wu seemed to see the tragedy of two days past.
These fiery and elite individuals, under the instructions of the High Tower’s higher-ups and driven by their inner desire for achievements and freedom, came to the Red Zone.
But the biggest enemy they faced—came from within the Tower. All of the Return Roulettes were rendered unusable.
It may seem like an unfathomable event, but Bai Wu had no doubt that in an environment even darker and more desperate ninety years ago, the managers or even the rulers would indeed, for some reason—undertake a massive cleansing of the High Tower’s forces.
The likelihood of such a thing happening was high. In stories of conspiracy, the intrigues often skirt the edge of legality, appearing untouched; but in the real cutthroat world of business, it involves things like hiring thugs to steal company seals, chairpersons scaling walls to take clandestine photos, or CEOs being poisoned in water coolers.
Reality doesn’t follow logic; no one knows why the rulers would suddenly decide to purge the High Tower’s elite forces.
Over the course of two days, the soldiers of the Allied Forces were first shattered by Hydra, the massive monster.
As the High Tower’s strongest force, for the first time, they felt the immeasurable power gap between humans and the Evil Fallen.
Some felt their courage falter and harbored thoughts of retreat, while others, witnessing the death of dear friends, were gripped by an overwhelming sadness. But they had no way out.
The path to the High Tower had been severed, leaving this band of the Allied Forces with only two options—flee this area and wander outside the Tower.
Or engage in a fight to the death with this monster.
The latter was naturally akin to seeking death, and killing the beasts in the red zone was precisely what the High Tower intended. At that moment, they probably loathed the High Tower intensely and should have chosen the former.
To save the lives of his soldiers, Gu Hailin indeed chose the former, but Bai Wu had anticipated this.
Not everyone could be as lucky as Dwarf, who encountered only non-lethal negative properties during twenty-four days of survival.
Within less than two days, many soldiers from the Allied Forces died due to various negative properties.
After being betrayed by the higher-ups of the High Tower, everyone felt disheartened. They were no longer the returning heroes people longed for but like the criminals exiled outside the Tower for their capital offenses... they were abandoned.
Under such despondency and rage from abandonment, the more terrifying effect of the negative properties was the shattering of these brave warriors’ mental states, turning them into Evil Fallen.
In those two days, some died from negative properties, while others became Evil Fallen due to their negative emotions.
The High Tower delayed sending any rescue... and so, they finally realized something—there was never a choice.
For all choices led to one outcome—death.
During these two days, their understanding of the High Tower and the world underwent a monumental shift. It was precisely this shift that led Gu Hailin to make an important decision in such a desperate moment—
To kill the Hydra.
He gave a passionate speech, urging people to choose between dying insignificantly like criminals or dying heroically in battle against the monsters for humanity’s future.
The reason for battle was no longer the same. Facing the enormous Hydra once again was solely to prove to future generations that... the red zone was not invincible.
From that moment, these warriors finally found a reason to carry on. Not for the High Tower, but so that one day humanity might step out of the High Tower!
"We may die... and perhaps our death will go unnoticed, but rather than becoming Evil Fallen or dying a trivial death, it’s better to pick up a gun, mount a horse, and fight gloriously! Our bones will prove to the world that we fought, we resisted, and we never surrendered!"
The majority of the Allied Forces were young, their fiery blood perhaps doused by the harsh life at the bottom, but faced with life and death, after witnessing the tragic deaths and transformations into Evil Fallen of their companions, not one of them chose to avoid battle.
They were the first Heroes dispatched by the High Tower to campaign in the red zone, but at this moment, they became warriors striving for humanity to break free from the High Tower.
Hence, Bai Wu beheld the scene unfolding before them.
All the soldiers were gloriously embracing death... throughout the process, not one turned back even once, for in two days, all fantasies of returning had been shattered.
The war horses neighed once more.
"Charge!"
"Charge!"
Twenty-four squad leaders roared their commands. The black flame-like war horses trotted, racing with incredible speed, the strongest twenty-four from the High Tower ninety years ago charging forward!
The smallest and most timid squad leader of the Investigation Corps’ seventh division was unexpectedly leading the charge, second only to Gu Hailin’s position.
Gu Hailin raised his steel spear high, like an ancient knight coming with a howl to defend his honor!
Under the effect of One Man Army, each squad leader’s speed was surprisingly fast, each one like an arrow, instantly charging into the attack range of the Hydra.
The suicidal charge of the Allied Forces’ elite finally gave the squad leaders a chance to strike the monster!
The Hydra was surprised by the speed of the humans’ attack and felt a slight threat.
The human at the forefront suddenly disappeared.
Even with dynamic vision beyond human reach, it had failed to see the person’s movements.
Talent Sequence 59, Instant Shadow.
This was Gu Hailin’s surprise attack! With the aid of One Man Army, he charged to the forefront, and upon entering the teleportation range, his figure instantly appeared on the forehead of one of the Hydra’s heads.
The steel lance stabbed vigorously towards the center of the Hydra’s eyes, the entire motion executed in one fluid movement. From the start of the charge to the assassination, it seemed to happen in the blink of an eye!
"So strong."
This was the might of the fastest person from the High Tower ninety years before, Bai Wu watched this scene, unconsciously comparing this man to the captain.
But the next moment brought a surprising twist.
Gu Hailin’s steel lance couldn’t even pierce the Hydra’s tough outer skin. His actions appeared to have enraged the monster playing with them.
Terrifying thunderous punishment descended from the sky, and the ground began to show magma-filled channels, like a network of veins.
Destructive bolts of lightning struck down, and the time of death for the Human Allied Forces shortened at that instant.
Gu Hailin instinctively looked back, only to see the captain of the seventh squad of the Investigation Corps... being struck head-on by the golden thunderous punishment.
Immediately, the once-leading captain fell onto the lava-like ground, and his body quickly burned to ashes...
The captain of the Investigation Corps’ seventh squad was dead.
Following, one after another, substantial figures who once held status and name fell in the charge.
The captain of the Investigation Corps’ twelfth squad was dead.
The captain of the Investigation Corps’ fourth squad was dead.
The captain of the first squad of the Garrison Corps was dead.
The Wrath of the Hydra revealed a strength that drove everyone to despair, yet still, these captains... continued to face death, one after another.
Just like those soldiers before them who had already died.
Gu Hailin’s eyes reddened, his mouth cursing in foul language. This resolute man wept, continuously stabbing the now warped lance at the Hydra.
Knowing full well that even if they won, there would be no one to bear witness. Knowing that the original purpose of all this was simply to send them to their deaths, and even knowing that there was realistically no chance of victory.
Yet these people still chose to meet their demise. They underwent a transformation, no longer seeking answers from the high-levels, but rather seeking answers for themselves.
Would humankind truly be able to leave the High Tower? The price for an answer was excessively steep.
Watching countless soldiers fall, Gu Hailin uttered a cry of despair and collapse.
The lance he stabbed at was no longer aiming at the Hydra’s head, but instead, at the wall of freedom that for over six hundred years, people had wished to cross yet dared not—the wall that imprisoned their freedom.
The wall was too thick, and in the final moments of his life, Gu Hailin exerted all his strength stabbing at the wall, but could not leave even a slight mark upon it.
The battlefield resounded with mournful cries and shouts, which finally made Bai Wu understand what Gu Hailin’s obsession was about.
"It can’t be Evil Fallen. To defeat this monster, I must stand as a human. I can’t represent the High Tower to rescue them; what they yearn for isn’t salvation from the High Tower... but from another faction." freewebnσvel.cøm
The third charge began.
All the medical and support personnel also began rushing towards the impending doom. Bai Wu was at the very back of the crowd.
He harbored no sentiments of sadness, rage, or despair—just a calm walk toward the Hydra.
The last charge would be the end of this brutal battle, for because of the telephone booth, Bai Wu became the only witness.
Unlike the other charging support personnel and medics, he had no means of aid or healing—
He had only a knife.
Even when facing the God of Wealth in the battle casino, he hadn’t been willing to use this knife, even though it was just a replica.
Yet in this situation, even if it wasn’t an illusion, even if using this knife meant it would not be available outside the telephone booth, Bai Wu unsheathed the knife without any hesitation—the Original Sin.
