Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 196: Appendix: The New Captain and the New Vice-Captain

Wang Jue understood.

Within the eight great families, aside from the eight rulers who possessed formidable power, there were also a number of elite experts in each family.

The strength of these elites naturally could not compare to that of the rulers. The rulers saw humanity as overly frail compared to the forces outside the tower.

Therefore, it had always been the custom, including the rulers themselves, to deal with the forces outside the tower with a low posture.

However, from the words of Qin Ye, the ruler of the Qin Family, this incident seemed more severe than the one ninety years ago.

It was not that humanity had discovered a "deal" but that they had disrupted one, which implied that humanity now possessed the capital to constrain their business partners.

Not only should they not purge these individuals, but they should instead try to recruit and win them over. Even if recruitment failed, using the elite of the eight families to form a special team of rulers to participate in their exploration would be more useful than simply killing them.

"An interesting idea, I’ll consider it," Wang Jue did not agree immediately.

"But this matter must not be told to the senior Qin," Xie Yingjie said.

"You trust me that much?"

"It’s not that I trust you, I trust the thinking of a businessman."

"I didn’t expect you, a reticent person, to be observing so carefully. However, convincing me alone is useless; you also need to persuade at least two other people."

"After hanging up your call, I will inform the other two families, the Zheng Family and the Yan Family, and I will tell them that I contacted them first."

Wang Jue was truly surprised. Should she say that Xie Yingjie was being frank, or a fool pretending to be wise?

She now somewhat doubted whether Xie Yingjie had actually contacted her first.

Perhaps he had said the same thing to someone from the Zheng Family or the Yan Family.

But Xie Yingjie’s direct declaration of his intentions oddly made Wang Jue feel strange.

She suddenly felt that this taciturn scientist, who had been burying himself in research for seven hundred years, might be one of the smartest among the eight.

...

...

After Xie Yingjie hung up the phone, he indeed called Yan Zhao, the ruler of the Yan Family.

In the call, since the people of the Yan Family despised their political enemies, the Pang Family, Xie Yingjie switched his target of complaints.

When speaking with Wang Jue, he cursed Yan Zhao as a pervert and called the ruler of the Zhong Family a fat pig.

But facing Yan Zhao, he complained about Wang Jue and the Pang Family.

"I just don’t want to discuss things at the meeting with the piglet from the Pang Family and the fishwife from the Wang Family. That’s why, at the first opportunity, after thinking of a viable strategy, I contacted you because both of us are in the same field of scientific research."

One worked on biological weapons, the other on mechanical weaponry. Although their fields were completely different, as researchers, they found common topics of discussion. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

Yan Zhao quickly accepted Xie Yingjie’s suggestion.

Then Xie Yingjie called the Zheng Family, who despised the Qin Family, so over the phone, he said:

"That Qin warlord wants to conduct a thorough purge just because his business was delayed. Do you really think this is appropriate? Old Zheng, you have your people in the Investigation Corps and the Garrison Corps, right? We might do this..."

Zheng You inherently had little interest in purging the High Tower’s fighting force, considering it inconsequential.

But Xie Yingjie, with a few words, incited him, and quickly he recalled how this grand warlord had been opposing him over the years.

So the Zheng Family was also persuaded by Xie Yingjie.

The ruler of the Xie Family, who had always kept a low profile, seemed to have been focusing on weapons research for seven hundred years but had also been observing his old rivals.

Subsequently, he made his move, persuading five out of the seven families, leaving out the Qin Family and the Zhong Family, because an exploration squad only needed six people.

The most important thing was... there needed to be two villains left to face the wrath of the forces outside the tower.

That’s how business is, when a competitor drops out, the more of the cake you can get for yourself.

This was also the reason Xie Yingjie convinced the other five families.

Nobody truly believed that Xie Yingjie’s goal was to protect humanity. To the other rulers, that seemed too absurd.

But the Xie Family, Zheng Family, Liu Family, Yan Family, Wang Family, and Pang Family, each had a warrior who, beneath a few immortal monsters, was the strongest.

For years, these warriors hunted the Evil Fallen in special areas, enhancing their Innate Force and also enjoying the best resources.

Even in the previous "deals" of various families, these top warriors had received favors.

The people of the six families firmly believed that these individuals absolutely possessed far greater strength than the elite forces of the High Tower.

Xie Yingjie’s plan was to form a team of such six individuals.

A team on par with the field teams of the Investigation Corps, the Garrison Corps, or the Vanguard Group.

...

...

On the third floor of High Tower.

The Garrison Corps had been very busy recently due to the disappearance of three students from Noble Academy as well as a teacher from the same, causing great societal outcry.

The last clues of the three missing students pointed to the artist Mr. Xia. As the art teacher at the school, he was also popular in noble circles.

In Mr. Xia’s home, however, no bodies were found.

Only many bloodstains.

This led to speculation whether Mr. Xia had encountered misfortune along with the students or if he was the one behind the disappearance of the three students.

All remained unknown.

The cases on the third floor of High Tower were mounting—first the suicide that pointed towards the ruler’s administrator, and now the disappearance of the Noble Academy teacher and the three students, all happening within a short interval.

Even the Garrison Corps had received a message that the owner of Lilith Restaurant had also disappeared.

The numerous cases intertwined, leaving the security department of the Garrison Corps overwhelmed.

At this time, Ming Che really wished Bai Wu could come and lend a hand.

The crime scene.

This was the fourth time the security department of the Garrison Corps had come.

"It seems there are still no clues, boss, let’s head back. We couldn’t find anything the previous days, how could we possibly find anything now?"

The young Garrison Corps security officer looked helplessly at his middle-aged department head.

The department head’s name was Jiang Xuan.

At thirty-five, he was passionate about solving cases and had a certain reputation within the Garrison Corps. If Jiang Xuan couldn’t solve this case, due to pressure from some nobles, they would have to hire someone else to solve it.

Looking at the bizarre paintings, Jiang Xuan said,

"The owner of the house must be the murderer."

"But he has disappeared... These paintings do look very sinister. I, who know nothing about art, also find them unsettling, but they don’t prove anything."

Jiang Xuan nodded, sighed helplessly, and said, "Let’s go, prepare to get someone from the Investigation Corps to help us."

Following the retreat order from above, the group left.

Only Jiang Xuan remained in the house, seemingly intent on continuing the investigation for some leads.

To everyone, this was quite normal.

After all, the superior officer was keen on solving cases, and he had been known to go through files until very late, much to the approval of all the team leaders.

For that reason, Jiang Xuan had access to a lot of information.

What they didn’t know, however, was that Jiang Xuan wasn’t staying to solve the case.

His hand caressed the frames of those paintings, and a playful smile slowly formed at his lips.

"As the teacher said, death is only the beginning of the next journey. I thought it would be three kids accompanying me, but I didn’t expect there to be additional surprises."

"Pity about these paintings, to recreate them wouldn’t be the same, after all... I need to start getting used to a new journey."

Time rewound to several days earlier.

The three students, wanting to visit Mr. Xia, went to his villa. And someone, in search of a new journey, set his sights on the students.

He had everything planned in an instant.

To start a new journey under the guise of a student, graduate and join the Garrison Corps, and through a few excursions out of the tower or special intelligence, rise to become a team leader.

All of this would take no more than three years.

To him who had lived for over seven hundred years, time had already become just a number.

But what he didn’t expect was... there was a witness nearby!

So at the very beginning of this journey, the starting point changed again.

He no longer needed to be a student and slowly become a new recruit, then climb the ranks. He instantly got a perfect identity—the head of the security department.

Generally speaking, anyone who discovers a case holds a great deal of suspicion.

But not him.

The name "Jiang Xuan" stood for one of the few symbols of justice and moral principles within the Garrison Corps.

Who would have thought that Jiang Xuan, the one so persistent in solving the case of the disappearance of the art teacher and the students—was the true mastermind behind this case?

In the days of cracking the case, Jiang Xuan also used the convenience of his own identity to discover many interesting things.

The members of the Garrison Corps and the Investigation Legion who came back alive from the joint martial exercises made him regard Gu Qingyu with newfound respect.

But what truly caught his interest was that within the Investigation Legion, there seemed to be a "vessel" very much worth "taking"—a rookie named Bai Wu.

In his original plan, after abducting Yan Jiu, he intended to give Gu Qingyu his first impression with the guise of a madman.

Then he planned to approach him with another identity Gu Qingyu would never expect.

Someone who had fought against "Cain" together with him, someone with a sense of justice, a decent brain, and worthy of trust as a partner.

When he found Bai Wu, he felt that this was a vessel tailor-made for him.

Jiang Xuan didn’t stay too long at the crime scene. After looking at his past paintings, he treated it as a farewell ceremony and then returned to the third division of the Garrison Corps.

As someone with a decent ability to solve cases, Ming Che would usually try to recruit such a person to his fold.

But Jiang Xuan’s return wasn’t to report the progress of the case to Ming Che.

Mingyu Estate.

In Ming Che’s office, after Jiang Xuan reported on the case, he said something that puzzled Ming Che:

"To go to the Investigation Legion for training?"

"Yes, to my knowledge, both corps have slots for interchanging personnel for learning purposes."

"There are indeed, but ever since the commander introduced this rule, it hasn’t really been put into effect. Members of the Investigation Legion are eager to come to our side for learning because it’s comfortable. But I’ve never seen anyone actively apply to transfer to the Investigation Legion for learning. During the three months of learning, you have to live alongside the lower ranks."

Ming Che couldn’t understand. These past few days, Jiang Xuan had given him a feeling that seemed different from before.

But he couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was different. Now, with Jiang Xuan wanting to transfer to the Investigation Legion for training, it added to his puzzlement. Not to mention that no one usually wanted to go, it was mostly young people who applied.

What’s someone who is thirty-five years old looking for in such a place?

He planned to make Jiang Xuan reconsider:

"I must tell you something. Right now, the Investigation Legion’s interrogation department has no training slots available. Since the cases involving the hundred dead and the disappearance of the Yan Family, the funding for the Investigation Legion’s interrogation department has significantly increased. If you want to join for learning, you need to wait in line."

Pausing, Ming Che continued:

"Unless you go to the Vanguard Group of the Investigation Legion, that’s risking your life every day."

He assumed that, as a civilized person, knowing how dangerous the Vanguard Group was—a place where savages exchanged their lives for food—Jiang Xuan would back out upon hearing the name alone.

But Ming Che miscalculated. Jiang Xuan looked up, his face filled with excitement, and said:

"Great, I want to go to the Vanguard Group, I beg Captain Ming to give me this opportunity."

Ming Che was stunned. Had Jiang Xuan lost his mind?

Who would actually pass up on a spot in the security department, favored by the nobles, and run off to the outer tower to live life on the edge?

Ming Che planned to continue persuading Jiang Xuan, but Jiang Xuan seemed a completely different person than before, and he stubbornly refused to be swayed.

After a long and fruitless discussion, Ming Che was utterly frustrated:

"Fine, but I must tell you, if you go, you are not permitted to come back before three months are up, so don’t come begging to return!"

Jiang Xuan was not intimidated. For him, three months was ample time for a new journey to unfold.

...

...

Two days later, on the second floor of the High Tower.

All sixteen divisions of the Investigation Legion gathered at the headquarters. The staff of the Internal Affairs Group had been busy for many days and finally managed to organize a banquet.

Alcohol was a rarity in the High Tower, a liquid brewed from edible plants that existed only outside the tower, accessible only by venturing beyond the High Tower’s walls.

The Investigation Legion’s alcohol reserve wasn’t abundant. Even the concept of alcohol—for many members who were born at the bottom of society—was something they’d heard of but never seen.

But today, they brought out all their reserved alcohol to let the team members drink together.

Because today was the day Gu Qingyu, the strongest member of the Investigation Legion, was promoted to Deputy Legion Commander.

And because today was the day Division Thirteen and Division Seven welcomed their new captains.

All the members of the Investigation Legion were gathered together. Today, they had no assignments on the outside of the tower; all they had was to drink together.

Hearing the captain’s speech, Bai Wu suddenly felt a bit dazed.

"Dwarf... I no longer belong to Division Seven, huh. Strange, my heart feels strangely hollow."

From childhood to adulthood, apart from his deranged father, his incomplete emotions and twisted life experiences made his emotional responses and thought processes unlike those of others.

Yet at this moment, looking at Lin Wurou, Wang Shi, Xiaoyi, and Yin Shuang, with their mix of happiness and sorrow, Bai Wu felt slightly confused.

He suddenly thought, if back then, it wasn’t Yin Shuang who had picked up that call, but himself, would everything have been different?

Perhaps he would not feel as out of place with his emotions as he did now, unable to join in the joy of the others.

Bai Wu didn’t realize that the sentiment he was grappling with was called reluctance.

Reason told him that the captain would still often venture out of High Tower with his team, and he also knew that being promoted to Deputy Legion Commander was actually a good thing for everyone, especially for Dwarf.

He understood it all, so he should also be happy at this moment.

He laughed self-deprecatingly, suddenly feeling that he was indeed a freak.

The banquet was bustling. Though the Investigation Corps was but a ragtag army, under the arrangement of Liu Chengzi, Yin Shuang, and Ruan Qingyun, the event had the air of a grand networking party from Bai Wu’s previous life.

The lights were bewitching, with music catering to High Tower people’s taste in the background.

Bai Wu leaned in an inconspicuous corner, quietly waiting for the party to end.

Just before, he, the new captain of the thirteenth squad, and Wu Jiu had made speeches under everyone’s watchful eyes that were worthy of applause.

These were things Bai Wu was actually good at, and in some ways, he was more suited to be the Deceiver than Cain.

He could have livened up the atmosphere and made the party even more interesting. But Bai Wu didn’t do so, preferring to be alone.

Just when he thought he could simply let time slip away like this, a group of people suddenly approached him.

Yin Shuang, Lin Wurou, Wang Shi, Shang Xiaoyi, Liu Chengzi, Ye Weiming, Tian Xun, Yun Shu, Xue Ci, Jing Chu, and Bai Xiaoyu with Qin Lin all came close to him.

Gone were the reluctance and loss from their faces when Dwarf spoke; they came holding their wine glasses, clearly intending to express their good wishes to Bai Wu.

This surprised Bai Wu a bit, yet not really, because their actions were in line with his expectations. Perhaps what he didn’t anticipate was the change in his own heart.

"Congratulations, but don’t get smug, huh. I haven’t acknowledged you as the captain in my heart." Lin Wurou said this, but his face was happy as they clinked glasses.

He looked like a woman, and when he smiled, he was actually quite attractive.

"I believe under your leadership, Squad Seven will still be the strongest of all the squads," said Yin Shuang sincerely.

Then came Wang Shi:

"Don’t listen to Wurou’s nonsense. He admires you internally, and so do I! With you as the captain, though I’m not particularly clever, I’m always ready to charge into battle for you!"

"Can you not speak for me, Wang Shi, damn it!" Lin Wurou retorted angrily.

"Congratulations! Eh... as the youngest in the team, I’m not as good as you, Captain Bai. Please give me more guidance in the future," said Shang Xiaoyi, who was always somewhat shy and reserved.

Liu Chengzi was the happiest; her second pillar had become the Deputy Legion Commander, and her first pillar had been promoted to captain. As someone who thrived when the men around her were strong, Liu Chengzi’s joy had a pragmatically beneficial side, but was mostly genuine:

"Little brother, I really struck it lucky back then, spotting you at first glance."

Bai Xiaoyu was also very happy. He didn’t say much, just proud to be able to follow someone like Bai Wu.

Qin Lin felt the same. Compared to his past as a mercenary, he preferred his current identity. Who would want to carry out evil deeds if they could happily pursue justice?

Then came Tian Xun, Jing Chu, Xue Ci, and Yun Shu, who always viewed Bai Wu as belonging to the interrogation team. They too expressed their sincere best wishes, since as the captain, Bai Wu had even more reason to help deal with cases.

"Young and promising, young and promising! Captain Bai, you’ll need to support the interrogation team a lot in the future," Tian Xun said with a laugh, draining his glass.

Bai Wu didn’t really drink in his past life.

It affected judgment, but as each of these folks came up with their glasses, he found he couldn’t say no.

Seeing everyone so happy, he also smiled, without even realizing it.

It turns out that even a freak like him could be liked by others. Perhaps this world was just absurd, or maybe he wasn’t as unsociable as he imagined?

Finally, the one to come with blessings was Wu Jiu, already a bit drunk but still maintaining a serious face, as if Bai Wu owed him money.

"Bai Wu, from now on, we’ll need to work hard together. I’m entrusting Squad Seven to you. Even though you’ve only been here for over two months, your performance has earned the trust of Squad Seven’s people. You have to protect them."

"I’ll also protect the captain." As these words came out, Bai Wu felt they were unlike him.

Wu Jiu wanted to say that he didn’t need protection, but perhaps due to the alcohol, today’s Bai Wu seemed to show a hint of an emotion that was rare to see on his face.

This version of Bai Wu, somewhat out of sync with the emotions of those around him, was yet strangely sincere.

So Wu Jiu didn’t say anything. He just clinked glasses with Bai Wu and both men understood each other as they downed their drinks. Then Wu Jiu patted Bai Wu’s shoulder.

This gesture signified trust and approval of a subordinate, but given the height difference between the two men, Wu Jiu’s action seemed more like he was raising his hand to pat something.

Bai Wu laughed again, and as he did, Wu Jiu also inexplicably let go of his solemnity and cracked a smile.

At the tail end of a long summer, the Investigation Corps welcomed its youngest Deputy Legion Commander, and Squad Seven of the Investigation Corps also welcomed its youngest captain.

(End of Volume One)