Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 238: Chapter 42: Heading to the 5th Floor of the High Tower

"The soul-fusion technology of their science has already integrated into your being, a process that holds great peril. You are taking a great risk, Jiaxie,"

Qin, who was extremely stern, said to Baiwu finally,

"I’ve already taken care of the matters related to the Fifth Level for you, because I have my reasons for not being able to accompany you into Jiaxie. I can not physically enter Jiaxie with you, but I will inform you of your position in Jiaxie. However, you may or may not be able to get into Jiaxie, and even if you do, whether or not you’ll be able to see the person you wish to see in its entirety is another matter,"

Jiuyan smirked at one side as Baiwu nodded.

"You need to seize any good opportunity, Baiwu. This is the most trusted position I can give to one of my men, Jiuyan. You have been advising me all this time, but know that I will not block your path to the Fifth Level. Who knows, you might not have any political ambitions at all, Jiuyan,"

Finally, Qin sighed with a very serious expression, and Baiwu did not say anything.

Compared to the others of the Fifth Level and even the Sixth Level, Qin’s true self had his own definite ideas, which managed to persuade Baiwu despite him being merely a potential heir to the throne.

This conversation inevitably gave Qin some concern, as he was now determined to aim for the Fifth Level.

And should the ruler decide to act on certain decisions, things could become chaotic and the delicate order they had built up could dissolve into nothingness. This sentence suggested a completely different sentiment; it was quite tragic to hear that such a thing had come to pass.

Qin managed to maintain a good grasp of the Third Level of High Tower; he needed only to avoid provoking the authorities of the Fifth Level.

Baiwu seemed to understand these few words from Qin.

"I’m giving this to us, so we can do something about the situation. As long as we become too strong, they won’t be able to ignore us. Moreover, this will buy us some time to act on behalf of the people below, because they surely won’t care less about those below the Fourth Level,"

"You are certainly not just an ordinary person, I truly believe that. I trust that you will come to represent us three. We will not disturb those of the Fifth Level—only keep that in mind. The High Tower is showing signs of decay, and there could be a chance for change, but I have yet to reveal to you some information about Jiaxie, which are of the most dangerous among them with the potential of stirring the power of all eight," he said, full of praise for Baiwu and beyond, for handling certain affairs that even Qingyu couldn’t figure out.

Qin said, "The best possible protection for the true value of your information lies in Jiaxie, and it’s the least of all. Collectively, the Fifth Level has the strength of eight forces, though I haven’t told you about it yet. As for the activities below the Third Level, they will not affect this operation, and they are, after all, of such a value."

"As you cannot ask directly, of course, you can only make inquiries about the master of Jiaxie,"

Baiwu said, shaking his head,

"Why can only inquiries be made about Jiaxie in this case? Qingyu told me that you want to go to the Fifth Level because you uncovered something very valuable outside of the tower, and that’s why this thread of inquiry is exclusive to Jiaxie,"

Qin’s face took on a very stern look.

While Jiuyan was the youngest vice commander of the investigative army, Qin was the youngest army commander, and Baiwu was the youngest commander-in-chief. The exploits of these three were quite legendary.

Jiuyan, Baiwu, Qin.

Qin was looking out the window at the exterior scene, Baiwu having just arrived. Looking out from a window of the black tower that resembled a row of sharp, ferocious teeth,

Headquarters of the investigative army, Fourth Level, High Tower.

...

...

Down below, Baiwu would soon be met by Qin, who was ready to guide him to the Fourth Level.

After reassuring Baiwu with a few words, he soon departed.

Although Liu Orang had endured a tragic history along with Shen Shuyue and Li Qu, having Jiuyan there provided some solace, but it was not enough to set his mind at ease.

Seeing just how purely good Jiuyan was, Liu Orang’s emotions towards Jiuyan were a great help, somewhat filling the void left in Liu Orang’s heart, although it was only a part of Jiuyan’s love that had already reached deeply.

And it was not just a simple lack of love that Jiuyan lacked as a child; when he received a gift, his reaction was not one of surprise, but one of how to respond, while growing up lacking love.

Liu Orang wanted to ensure that Jiuyan would be able to correctly treat people with genuine emotions, which was originally his intention when he started to teach Jiuyan.

In the midst of silently observing everything, Baiwu watched as Liu Orang let out her suffering without showing any signs of distress, accompanying a crying Jiuyan.

Jiuyan wept, and Liu Orang cried along with her.

One day, there will be a gathering of the three sisters, he had already promised Li Qu, and this was not merely a lie he could not pass off—it’s not like he was making it up.

"Somewhere in this fabricated accident, I fear what’s hiding is the utterly indifferent and aloof appearance of Shen Yueyue," as Shen Yueyue’s face materialized from the white mist.

"Even then, knowing that the two former friends had turned into vile beings was extremely difficult. Liu Orange couldn’t help but care," he said regretfully.

"He only hoped that Liu Orange wouldn’t sink into a despair of self-blame and grief for the next few days."

As tears had already been jumping uncontrollably from her eyes by the time she heard the two names, it wasn’t surprising that Liu Orange would cry. She didn’t elaborate, she hadn’t exposed the entire truth of the tragic events that befell Shen Yueyue and Li Qu, and the white mist had not revealed everything.

"I’ve met Shen Yueyue and Li Qu."

"...It’s so hard for you to meet...you..."

Liu Orange asked with a trembling voice, struggling to breathe in the moment of chaos.

"Do you still remember calling out the names of Li Qu and Little Moon so vividly, seeing a phantom, before you were outside the fortress?"

Liu Orange felt that White Mist seemed to have something very important to say, with a tone that was still serious and out of character, not the usual playful teasing.

"I’ve encountered those two a few days before leaving the Tower."

Although Jiuyan wouldn’t worry about Liu Orange changing because he was not exactly like Liu Orange, he was completely different from Jiuyan in many ways.

The core essential of Sea Queen Wang Hai’s teachings was not tricks or skills but an inherent, loving attitude, which was the most basic core of everything.

While Wang Hai’s teachings did not intend to spoil Jiuyan’s nature, Liu Orange was currently pondering how to interpret the White Mist’s silent endorsement.

White Mist nodded and entered the room to sit in front of Liu Orange, who was waiting inside Jiuyan’s house.

"I was just practicing the art of conversation with Sister Liu Orange," White Mist said.

Jiuyan blinked his large eyes with a natural smile after opening the door and seeing White Mist.

How is it that every time he teaches Little Jiuyan to do mischief, White Mist is already there to catch her in the act, Liu Orange remained stoically unfazed?

Jiuyan stood up instantaneously from his seat as he knocked on the door, listening to the familiar rhythm before knocking.

White Mist smiled and shook his head, feeling that this was a verbal dodging rather than Liu Orange having a point.

It wasn’t clear if Jiuyan was genuinely surprised by this silent, nourishing object, given that she had a general understanding of Liu Orange’s high emotional intelligence. Although she didn’t display any excitement, she still made an appropriately surprised expression, but she only wondered at it.

"Oh, I was just thinking about that moment when I couldn’t bear to delete the message you sent, where you looked really happy. I was just flipping through old texts when I found it in my draft box. I happened upon it by coincidence before our meeting, and I was so shy about going out because of it, but I would have been too embarrassed to invite you over," she said.

"So I sent you another simple text — ’Single.’

Although she didn’t smile outwardly, she knew she should display a slight embarrassment that was not impolite at such a moment, and she nodded gently to herself, acknowledging her shyness.

"Oh, no need to worry about that. Ah," Jiuyan said awkwardly.

"It is not the main point whether you taught me how to resolve a private life crisis, Sister! This is my younger sister!" she said, her face revealing a stern expression.

"So you end up having dinner with someone else, and he’s definitely suffering greatly...ah, that must be why you broke up," Jiuyan considered.

"Could you please tell me what I should do now? Just when things were going smoothly with Erleipu, I sent a text message without thinking it through," Liu Orange said regretfully.

"So, I sent him a text saying, ’I’m really happy today, thank you for your generosity.’

"Even though I felt Mr. A didn’t care much and was just indulging in a nutritional meal at a specific restaurant by himself, it was still a pleasant atmosphere. But I hung up on him because it was just an image, yet I had to make him think I was pleased, so I immediately sent a text," Jiuyan reflected.

"Since I was not comfortable with how Mr. B turned down my offer today, I sought a reason to invite Mr. A for dinner instead," Jiuyan explained.

White Mist smiled without showing it outwardly as Jiuyan remained silent.

"What’s the rush, there’s no White Mist here, look at you! This is not an example! No, it isn’t!" she exclaimed.

"Orange Girl, I don’t need two male friends, just me," the white fog said.

"First, let me practice a bit. When I was pregnant, all of them were my friends, male alpha and male beta, it was a conspiracy; they found out about my trick"

"Oh, but how can we raise the stakes?" fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

"Negotiating this is very important, your body language could drastically change the odds of defeat into victory, even a slight whisper could lead to serious mistakes and intense conflicts"

Liu Orange Girl’s voice came out:

White Fog was still listening in on Liu Orange Girl’s tea ceremony class, wanting to know if she had some weird lessons on how to lure men, typical according to Jiuyan

...

...

Before preparing to talk with Liu Orange Girl, he didn’t want to mess up this situation any further, hoping to bring a bit of joy to White Fog who had discovered something new in the mental hospital

"How could she go crazy just like that? All these newcomers are her responsibility..."

Is it really because they walk on thin ice every day? Do they actually belong to the ruling class of the Fifth Level, with their own territories, giant families, long-term residency, and the residents of High Tower’s Fifth Level?

White Fog didn’t continue to be entangled.

But the woman was just pressing the elevator button to go up one floor, while White Fog had no idea at this point

"You’re a liar, I’ll take you to the mental hospital where all these newcomers belong," she said.

"I’m a newcomer."

"I’ve never seen you before, Zheng’s family has nothing to do with you."

The woman stared with wide eyes at White Fog, who’d been trying homes one after another, not Wang’s as they first said, not Liu’s, but the reverse, Wang’s again, never touching on Jia Qing’s until the very last, Jiaxie’s.

"I am actually from Liu family, that’s right to say."

"Don’t talk with people from Clock family, speak with the main person."

"I am from Clock family; I’m definitely not from Pang family, what a coincidence," she said.

"Don’t talk with people from Pang family, speak with the main person."

"Actually, I am from Pang family, it’s the right thing to say if that is what you’re trying to get to."

"Don’t talk with people from Qin family, speak with the main person."

"I am from Qin family, but actually not from Jiaxie, alright."

White Fog decided to think differently:

The woman said nothing.

"Who is your main person?"

But could this person truly be just a caretaker, following the cruel and relentless behavior of the ruling class, even if she’d gone mad out of the blue? Shouldn’t be thrown directly outside the tower, keeping secrets, not revealing too much?

In the end, he was indeed from the Jiuyan family. Could Jiuyan have been taken to the mental hospital for understanding? Was this person really not from the ruling class of some level, given the way White Fog had been finely honed?

"Don’t talk with people from Jiaxie, speak with the main person," he said.

White Fog was startled into a still silence because of the strange phrase said by the woman, just as they had reached the mental hospital on the Sixth Level.

Although she didn’t realize, just saying random things seemed rather amusing at the moment, even if White Fog had still to go from the Third Level to the Fourth Level, then from the Fourth Level to the Fifth Level.

"Are you from some family? Do I want to go see Jiaxie? I’m going to see someone from the ruling class on the Fifth Level; we’ve already stepped into the 900 meters above; this elevator has been repaired well," she said.

The woman’s eyes conveyed a vague expression... "Fifth Level."

"You’re also going to the Fifth Level?"

Decided, facing squarely towards the path ahead, Baiwu thought.

It seemed that this woman was obviously from the mental institution, given that the elevator had ascended into a certain level of High Tower, looking to become stuck. This same woman, encountered by Baiwu after the fog, said this sentence once again.

"This elevator has been broken before, it could ascend to nine hundred meters previously."

That "manager" said in the elevator the time before.

Baiwu had encountered this "manager" once before in the mental institution, before encountering him again at the time of the elevator opening.

It was evident that these two had fallen into a deadly loop.

"Aren’t you all mad, pretending to be normal people? You wouldn’t even put on an act."

The guards would say, rejecting Zheng Xuduo’s choice conclusively.

"I think you are simply mad; that’s why you need treatment."

The guards would say, as if Zheng Xuduo was pretending.

As it turned out, Zheng Xuduo had already proven he wasn’t mad by insisting on being a madman who requested an exit; he simply wanted to prove he wasn’t mad to the guards, which was the opposite of what had happened with Zheng Xuduo and the doctors before. In fact, such an act was viewed as a kind of betrayal, and in their teary, snot-bubbling eyes, it seemed like an earth-shattering event.

It was like playing a game of chess with two old men who couldn’t move the pieces anymore, having turned their cards upside down, as Baiwu, with his tearful, snot-running gaze, lost hope.

Every time Baiwu came forward, there was always someone who would stream tears and snot at his silly laugh; yet this time, the man cried with a face full of sorrow, as he no longer laughed.

This madman could only truly see by pretending to look at books, while in fact, he only needed to pretend to read, as he wasn’t actually reading a book at all.

This book had somehow transformed into "High Tower Era" today. Previously, this person had been reading a historical book titled "Pre-High Tower Era"; not only the book had changed, but he had also been given the book upside-down to read once again.

However, Baiwu had already observed these madmen several times and discovered many details about them. All of them were genuinely mad, and Erleipu had been watching these people without ever having a change of opinion.

Baiwu always discovered something different every time, as if the situation within the mental institution was harmonious and uniform, which Baiwu found quite interesting.

Baiwu, however, had to at least tell Liu Cheng about the situation with Li Qu and Shen Yue’s affair.

The reason Liu Cheng was teaching a "tea ceremony" class at Jiuyan was because he was heading to the mental institution.

It wasn’t necessarily because Baiwu knew something about the Fifth Level’s affairs from Jiuyan; he glanced at Jiuyan again and went forward to the Fifth Level before.

...

...

It might have been a very long-laid scheme, showing his own dissent from the left-right institutional rulers, and thus Baiwu had to hide his return to the Fifth Level. He needed to let them know.

Perhaps achieving this might grant him access to someone very significant, or at least he used those words to motivate himself, Baiwu thought.

He was about to step into High Tower’s Fifth Level, not bowing to flag-waving leaders, not aligning with established cliques, not responding to uninvited inspectors—this warm affection for the place had been cultivated in less than half a year.

The affair that had occurred to Baiwu was quite off the charts.

They wouldn’t dare to write about an affair concerning societal rulers for the Common People at the bottom, which is why it was considered relatively minor. The upstairs limit was too low, which is the reason they wouldn’t even mention how a fire started; in the High Tower Era, that’s how things were.

Managers... experience an insurgency, descending step by step from the nobility.

Sequence 7201—people of the quiet interval, waiting outside, etc.; Sequence 6201—sacred attachment information; Sequence 5201—like chosen people of heaven, or perhaps some individuals with their own fabricated schemes, strange golden fingers, and other hidden shapes, seeing through reading, unmistakable masters in the office relying on golden fingers like fish in water.

In fact, they quite liked observing various office legends, these elite individuals from the Third Level nobility said.

There certainly isn’t a "yy" talk in High Tower’s world.