Free Web NovelChapter 215: Chapter 19: Destiny Convergence
The thick fog of the unsolved case never cleared from beginning to end, evoking countless speculations.
Placed in that opulent zone, she could possibly become a prized ornamental object, due to the exceptional beauty of Ruan Qing, who had the greatest potential. If Ruan Qing were not rescued from the white fog at that time, she would have been sent to Fifth Level’s bell tower, where her fate could ultimately reduce her to one of those warm spring women who sank into moral corruption.
It was a military deception, a ruse involving two armies, where Assassin initially started as a decoy in this "gambling house"-type setup, going after these young women who seemed to be in the same situation as him.
A case of missing young women from the lower levels.
Soon after entering the high tower, White Mist mentioned his own history, having just encountered a case. The top six of the strongest unit, the tactical military team, would regather.
After the five-nine call from White Mist, on his first return to the Seventh Unit’s office, Assassin discovered Lin Rou, a small-business owner with no prospects like Wang Shuangyu, right there in the office.
Second Level’s high tower, military investigation unit, accountability.
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"This case will be cracked for sure, but I still don’t know if you guys understand the finer details of this incident," said Chu Qing.
White Mist shook his head,
The counterparty must be even more unpredictable than previously assumed... possibly much more so.
She was not just an ordinary criminal, fearful of these kinds of events. She had come to an understanding of what it meant to be involved.
Ruan Qing’s hands were shaking; thinking about those women who had fallen into evil and were desperately seeking rescue.
"Could we still break the case of the missing women from the lower levels... To what extent are the people who establish such a place? It’s an ice mountain on one side, and just looking at it gives us goosebumps. Just considering the hundred or so that go missing each year, there are probably tens of thousands over the span of six to seven hundred years."
White Mist shook his head and said,
Ruan Qing’s voice was tinged with fear and anger. "... Is that what’s beyond those daunting fortifications? Are those the places where countless young girls are hidden away?"
"Let’s hurry and forget about this incident; it’s what you need to do right now," Liu Cheng comforted Ruan Qing. "You don’t need to ponder so much. They’re not there,"
Chu Qing was not at Destiny, not at Second Level, not with White Mist—but even Shen Shu Yue wasn’t there, and absolutely not Chu Qing within its core; what was there, was merely a personification of evil degradation.
"Could they really be there... what you said, I thought I heard Li Zi’s and Yue Liang’s voices... Hmm?"
Perhaps, Liu Cheng and the diminutive sister-in-law were also dazed and confused, not having yet entered the fortification. If indeed so, they might not be strong enough, just as a companion might not be forceful enough.
Even assuming it was a suitable defense, the exotic plants outside of the color zone acted as an additional emotional burden, able to induce illusions in people. The purple thread grass outside of the color zone,
Liu Cheng nodded.
"You shouldn’t have been responsible for auditory hallucinations, White Mist. Could you have heard something that you were supposed to hear?"
"I didn’t hear anything. I’ve just come out of the tower... it doesn’t add up, little brother, Sister Ruan," Liu Cheng said, as he walked toward the tactical military group unit up ahead. Three people arrived at Second Level soon after a moment, with Liu Cheng looking lost and overwhelmed.
"With such real and dreadful oddities inside, the flavor zone and the color zone are also imposing. This area may get completely annihilated before it fully develops, which seems quite intentional,"
"There’s a significant correlation between the flavor zone and the dreadful evil, with all the women in the color zone following suit... The flavor zone is the disposal area for the color zone,"
"But these evil transformations can be eliminated to a great extent... However, every woman subjected to the transformation process will ultimately become ugly and degraded. In reality, there is some correlation, as these women who go through the degradation transformation process seem to suggest, according to eye-witness accounts,"
White Mist made plans for a short break with the diminutive sister-in-law and Liu Cheng before heading up to Second Level. They still needed to wait a while before venturing out of the tower next time, considering the fortification’s inherent dangers.
Leaving the meeting in haste, Liu Cheng and Destiny walked away, their eyes filled with anger that all but ignored the man trying to catch their attention.
That man had never expected there to be anyone around who could resist the allure of such a scene, yet there was a man who looked upon it and felt nothing, utterly indifferent.
The white mist seemed extraordinarily polite, almost to the point of servility. "I’m afraid I can’t divulge the finer details," it said with a hint of resignation.
"What on earth is going on?"
"Mist Domain is indeed one of the most beautiful places, with its lavish fortresses filled with endlessly charming women bathing in the mystical water mist, yearning for the day I’d return and enjoy the exotic flavors of their food. But now, sadly, I have important matters to attend to, and I can only apologize for leaving so abruptly. Hopefully, we can interact more next time. After all, the warm springs of my hometown still draw me in irresistibly."
Even a subtle smile of apology from the man was enough to calm the white mist quite a bit—which, when compared to Liu Cheng and Destiny, was significantly more peaceful.
"It’s truly regrettable. I suddenly remembered something very important and have no choice but to leave, I’m extremely sorry for that. I hope this won’t affect our future interactions," he said, feeling a twinge of regret.
"Why did you suddenly come back?" the man asked, curious.
Liu Cheng and Destiny didn’t pay much attention to the man’s expression, which couldn’t have been more different. She discovered that she was busying herself, as if she were living out a white daydream.
She found herself looking forward to his return from Mist Domain, hoping to see "Dad" again. With that anticipation, she would willingly wait at the original spot, right where the white mist lingered around the stone monument where they parted ways.
As the white mist watched them depart, a sense of inexplicable emotion emerged. Yet, even when the man tried to approach, he couldn’t draw near, and after only two minutes in Mist Domain, he returned.
Ruan Qing’s expression was hard to read, while Liu Cheng had the look of pear blossoms drenched in rain upon her face.
The tall tower, its foundation deep.
In front of this mysterious masked figure, Liu Cheng saw various masks that seemed quite similar to "That Mask," the very one he was wearing. It was because he wore "That Mask" that he had become so terribly evil. ƒrēewebnovel.com
But this person wearing the mask was someone he had seen in the past, somehow different from the mysterious masked creatures he encountered before. Liu Cheng gazed at the strange masked figure in front of him and felt a sense of déjà vu.
An unknown area, beyond the tower...
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The incident wasn’t concluded just yet, but it certainly pertained to the events of this piece of land.
Indeed, it was a certain masked creature that proved to be an unstoppable force, an indomitable presence.
Ten years ago, despite all efforts, this patch of land was cloaked continuously by the blood-red mist, a phenomenon created by a group of assassins killing the main figure enveloped in the mist.
The giant nine-headed snake returned to its deep slumber; in its wake, the Scaled Serpent’s "knights" all fell into a deep, silent meditation, their voice enveloping the entire region.
It was indeed a mighty nine-headed snake that spoke those final words.
"Sleep now, my lords. I shall awaken you once again."
"...Will that person who promised to meet us come back after nineteen long years? Do we still have to wait for him... or have we been deceived?"
"Wait for the morrow... nothing more."
"She might have been deceiving us all along," another voice of doubt chimed in. "It was just an excuse to let me linger, barely surviving, gasping for breath."
The leader’s voice trembled slightly as he rode on top of some unknown ferocious creature, glimpsed through the thick blood-colored mist at Forty-second Street.
"Will we finally be able to conclude our wait, the meeting with that woman who talks of the future is imminent?"
Sometimes, in this peaceful and quiet area, strange conversations would emerge, particularly at such moments as these.
They only concealed the giant nine-headed snake in Mist Domain; indeed, there were still others in this real-world territory. freewebnøvel.com
But they were all summarily rejected by the nine-headed snake.
Serpent Scaled was fully aware that within this region, recognition was based solely on the Nine-headed Serpent, but to everyone else, he was just one of the three Black Crows.
Several months ago, it had encountered one of the three Black Crows who had invited it to move forward to a certain place. However, it had resolutely refused.
As it slowly woke up, the movement began to stir, and along with its awakening, the roar of some massive, wild beast began, as if imitating it, and the division on Scaled Serpent’s back started to open.
Amidst the thick, blood-red mist, a single, enormous Nine-headed Serpent slowly opened its eyes.
The world beyond the tower was unknown to it.
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This familiar command excited some of the members of the vanguard group,
"Converge at the eastern part of the bottom floor, at four o’clock in the pre-dawn light. Plan your own methods, you still have the appropriate gear, but there are also some specifics," said Assassin, after distributing the specifics.
Long queue, Chu Qing, Wang Sheng, Lin Wurou, and the small vendor Yi all selected a mask; Destiny also reached out to take a different mask, watching these varied colors with a smile.
The masks that Long queue took out were only slightly different in the color hue of their patterns compared to Destiny’s smiling masks; an unexpected event that Destiny hadn’t thought through.
"You’ve thought of this a day earlier than I anticipated; will there be any need for another’s identity? You must conceal your own at all costs, there won’t even be an army inspection tomorrow, I had already thought about that before. Your mask is correct," said Destiny in response.
Assassin also agreed at the same time,
Assassin reminded Destiny to be extremely cautious and fully prepared for this operation, but it wasn’t a flat rejection from Destiny.
"This is a very dangerous matter, going against the rulers—strictly speaking, we are not capable of bearing the consequences of being identified as enemies of the state, and there is no need for that if this is just a mere act of pure justice. However, even if that’s what you genuinely want to execute, it’s no less than an army inspection," Assassin said, turning to look at Destiny after a moment of silence.
Everyone knew the terrifying power of these rulers; it was no different from the numerous rumors heard about several of them.
Already seen as a god within his domain, Wang was largely recognized as part of the Fifth Level.
Every person wouldn’t act just like Destiny if they went to the wonderful Sixth Level—ultimately, only one would remain, utterly overwhelmed.
In the era of the High Tower century, every rebellion against the tyranny, every insurrection against the regime had sprouted from the Bottom Level, Second Level, and Third Level.
In his resistance against the rulers, Wang wielded great power as he lived among the aristocracy, the symbol of these three characters Chu Qing.
Assassin frowned slightly, and Yinsu’s eyes were wide open.
"We are facing the very pinnacle of power, the rulers of this High Tower, so it’s not merely about residing in the Fifth Level. One of them is the ruler, our adversary," said Wang Sheng, looking towards Long queue.
"So this is just one pure act of righteousness, Lin Wurou?" "Is there any follow-up?"
"This time the risk in leaving the tower is the biggest question, considering that if we truly destroy this place, it will have many repercussions. It’s precisely the most critical piece of information I have yet to speak of next," Destiny nodded affirmatively.
"Do you have any information about who is behind the scenes of this matter? Have you found anything?" asked Assassin.
The small vendor’s expression changed, "I’ll also do my part...Me."
"You fundamentally lack the temper for it; I would definitely need to go if you weren’t here," said Lin Wurou.
"I will go too," Yinsu said, barely containing his anger.
"Wang was furious as soon as he heard the word ’leave’!"
"This case has spanned several centuries, and since I joined the investigation team, there has been no solution. But now there might be a clue at last, though I still have no idea how to solve it. All members of the vanguard were visibly angry when they heard about what was inside their fortress."
It seemed that Chu Qing’s follower, Purple Orchid, was just strolling through a grand manor.
(Chuanbai would have a fortune amassed by now, up to twenty or so points.)
They didn’t know that this chance encounter was just a manifestation of some sort of Destiny.
What they encountered was just a minor detour, a strange encounter with an odd figure, compared to Liu Mu and Nie Zhongshan’s discussions.
Liu Mu, who never said much, seemed to have grown accustomed to calling Nie Zhongshan a ’trash person’ who enjoyed cursing over this incident.
"Hmph, they’re nothing but trash that only runs away," he muttered.
Nie Zhongshan snorted coldly.
"This is the first time I’ve seen someone so quick, and even I doubt whether he really is a Level 95. If his voice doesn’t match that of a Level 95, it could mean trouble," said Liu Mu after the masked figure disappeared.
Nie Zhongshan and Liu Mu, surprisingly, lost the trail of the masked figure... it wasn’t long before they were shaken off by the disguised person.
The speed of the masked figure was astonishing, not at all like an ordinary person!
But what Liu Mu saw next was absolutely startling...
Nie Zhongshan, flapping his wings with a single stroke, started chasing frantically after the strange person in disguise had started to flee.
Where this person appeared from, he had no idea this time.
In one case, a masked figure saved his own life by passing the mask to another before dying, and by contracting some sort of space-time illness, he would appear out of nowhere after a certain kind of sleep.
During his lifetime, he had encountered two different masked figures, and the mystery was somehow still linked to his own masked identity.
Sometimes, he could just narrowly avoid stumbling into a random place that seemed like Hu’s same old location, feeling like he was caught in a maze that would suddenly appear.
But this illness seemed so profound that the masked figure, who was generally quite gloomy, was unable to make his presence known, only disappearing unseen.
One kind of awakening might have allowed him to appear three years ago in Chuanbai City, while he was still on subterranean iron rails seventeen years ago even before this sleep consciousness.
This was his illness—a space-time disease that would only manifest non-simultaneously with time.
Although he didn’t recognize the two people before him, he was already quite familiar with such scenes.
As the masked person began to bolt, a voice dropped down.
"Sorry, sorry! I was just passing through, why the heck would I suddenly appear here, huh?" he apologized.
Unlike Liu Mu, who was good at fighting despite being constrained by these bodily shackles, Nie Zhongshan didn’t have any restrictions against human-kind and even despised them beyond evil.
Nie Zhongshan’s entire body, like pitch-black rock, was currently being consumed by some wretched large-legged creature while Liu Mu stood by.
It unfolded its black wings and a certain kind of fighting spirit bubbled up in its eyes.
The one speaking was not Liu Mu, but the one behind Liu Mu, Nie Zhongshan.
"There’s something unsettling about you that makes me very uncomfortable. Have any idea why, ’human’?" it mused.
He didn’t possess the vile aura at all, and although he was wearing a mask, he didn’t exude the same essence as those inherently hidden and completely different.
