Free Web NovelChapter 308: Chapter 112: Returning to the Tower and Eternal Spring
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"Follow me, and respond when I talk to you," Zheng said.
Silently contemplating for a while, Zheng finally spoke, "Even though we can no longer see clearly through the white mist, we can still test the sincerity of Xie Yingjie’s intentions as of now."
The Eternal Spring did not appear to garner much interest from Xie Yingjie, who was not particularly insistent, quite the opposite in fact—he remained silent for a good while.
"I must say I’m lucky to have encountered one; even if I had died, it wouldn’t matter, for none of those on the Fifth Level remained. In the end, only eight of you were left after being ruled by twenty-seven administrators in their time," Little Bai said.
"Where did you learn about the Eternal Spring?" Xie Yingjie asked, his eyes widening in surprise.
"I want to drink from the spring waters of the Eternal Spring," Little Bai responded.
"What is it?" Xie Yingjie inquired.
"I might not necessarily give you what you want in return, but what I offer is not quite the ordinary," Little Bai explained.
"I guess I should offer you some extra reward," Xie Yingjie said.
Zheng, as it turns out, has the clout to bring together these two individuals at present.
Zheng knew that Little Bai, along with Jiuyan and another figure from the Investigation Tower, would certainly attract the attention of every family’s guardian. After all, Little Bai is one such person who shouldn’t be underestimated on his return from the Black Zone; every family would naturally try to keep part of their situation hidden.
Little Bai had brandished an even greater deterrent source this time.
Previously, Little Bai had used a snow bell to suppress the leader of Xie Yingjie.
"Just have Zero with you from now on as your designated guide, and set your mind at ease," said Old Plank reassuringly.
"Only when I truly master the tower’s protocols and can twist its rules, will I be able to harness the real science and technology. Zero has the true technology in hand—not just any technology, but the genuine technology," Ma Li explained thoughtfully. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Little Bai understood this.
"But I can’t seem to remember him," Little Bai confessed.
"Don’t you remember? Wasn’t it you who was looking for him?" Xie Yingjie prodded.
"I... I can’t seem to remember," Little Bai murmured.
"How do you recognize me and Zero?" Xie Yingjie asked curiously.
"I am hardly like those colossal stars from that era who, by mere virtue of their natural gifts, propel advancement in science with countless scholars’ collective efforts. Mine is not an age of technological improvement; it is the result of vigorous scientific inquiry and experimentation," Zhuang Yuming responded frankly, irrespective of whether Xie Yingjie understood his deeper meaning or not.
"It’s sort of a shortcut for you with respect to Mechanism City. But having this machinery on my person makes things even better for me. After all, to think that I managed to co-opt a part of my startup capital from you and Jiuyan—but it’s actually rather useful, these mechanical suits that Jiaxie has provided for me," Little Bai stated.
The sight of the biochip made Xie Yingjie resemble a sick person coming across a life-saving drug—it was instantaneous.
Little Bai didn’t haggle over the price; he directly handed over the biochip.
"You know I can bring things to light, so what is it you want from me?" Little Bai asked.
"Not at all, these matters need to be attended to within a week—but it’s the main reason for some delays on the way," Zhuang Yuming replied indifferently.
"I have been under extreme pressure for half a year now because I couldn’t complete the task I was assigned within a month... I never expected you’d actually come," Xie Yingjie coughed twice, and Little Bai stepped forward.
"Being in Mechanism City, having become friends with its master, and now we’ve mutually saved each other’s lives—it’s not so bad after all," Little Bai said, feeling that forming a partnership within the city had its strengths.
Little Bai couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration; this transaction really paid off. He gained more than he lost—a correct assessment, indeed.
"????" But this time, the data from his gaze completely transformed. Though he could still catch a glimpse of Little Bai, it wasn’t the same as the last time Little Bai was seen.
"Your harvest must have been quite substantial from your journey to Mechanism City," Xie Yingjie observed.
"You could say that," Little Bai responded.
Little Bai couldn’t help but chuckle as Zheng faced him again after exiting the white fog.
Little Bai bid farewell and as he walked away from the white fog, Jiaxie’s figure disappeared around a corner.
He had reached the twelfth level.
Little Bai smiled back, although Zheng didn’t have much to teach him, it was still very convenient.
"Actually, just call me Old Plank. It’s not about asking for a favor, but Old Plank gave me this name. Besides, you calling me Ancestor all the time feels too revealing of something, and it just feels wrong," said Little Bai.
"You want me to call you Old Plank?" asked Zheng.
However, all Zheng wished to keep in mind was that he might need Jiaxie’s help someday, as Little Bai was willing to assist Jiaxie.
Little Bai didn’t mind Zheng’s internal shift from good to evil; people change, and Zheng had already become more ambiguously defined. Little Bai didn’t expect Zheng to still be the same person by the time the Twenty-seventh Autocrat Elections came around, as he was now stationed at the Fifth Level Tower and had become part of the Routine Eight Powers.
"I also hope our cooperation can continue seamlessly," Little Bai said.
"Little Bai, I hope our cooperation can continue seamlessly too. You appearing in our Jiaxie clan is very important, and you can even ask Elder Ma for some requests," replied Zheng as he took the elevator.
Half a month had passed, but Little Bai might have seen this "Endless Potential" system operator again, who seemed a few years older and was now balding.
Zheng was the main attraction within the big building, as he wasn’t just from the original disciples, but also those who had been implanted later.
Zheng could be classified as a zero or at most a ten threat level, which amused Little Bai, for Jiaxie’s one-size-fits-all security check had lost its effectiveness against him.
The reason Little Bai had become the most sophisticated machine ever created by Jiaxie to date was not out of concern, but the opposite became true.
The most dreaded thing for Little Bai, from the very start of his journey in Mechanism City, was that Jiaxie, one of the Great Eight Houses stationed in the Tower City, had the strongest combat power. But this time, the outcome was different.
It was the Science and Technology personnel of the great building who had seen the many results obtained by Little Bai, which showed that he had been classified as a level seven the last time.
This time at Jiaxie’s Technology Building, Little Bai faced the threat of being classified as a level 1.
Little Bai had once again arrived at the Technology Building of Jiaxie.
Zheng and Jiaxie’s quick parting at the Fifth Level approached fast, just like his rendezvous with Jiuyan.
All they would report in this investigation was a summary of results; they were the ones to make the decisions, as watchdogs representing the three monitoring organizations.
It was also evident why they didn’t make things too difficult for Little Bai, as both of these people were selected by Jiaxie to be the candidates for the next session.
Jiuyan, indifferent to Zhuang Yuming, or perhaps just unremarkable in comparison to his other prominent traits besides his arrogance?
The fact that Jiaxie had selected Jiuyan and Zheng, two people with deep intentions, had cheered Little Bai up considerably, as this was an exceedingly lucky break.
How could a lazy person have any bad motives in their heart?
Although Little Bai couldn’t read through Zheng, at least he could sense that there were no evil intentions behind his indifferent facade, despite being his follower.
After drifting around in a sleep-like trance throughout the week in the black-zone area, Zheng had already calculated the encounter to mean that he would be taking responsibility for the report, bypassing blame onto Jiuyan and Zheng.
"Seriously, why do I never see you when shit hits the fan? Is Old Zheng trying to kill me, sending me to wrap up his reports? Is he being too annoying, or is it someone else... ah, Jiuyan? Your team leader is a pain, you know," complained Little Bai.
"Are you worried your team leader might face any danger? After this report, the Investigation Tower follow-up meeting will be hosted by each group’s leader. I think, as part of the monitoring organization’s original intention, you will be subjected to a third-tier exit tower security check. They might just want to test your strength, having spent so much time with me," Little Bai said to Zheng.
Little Bai looked again at Zheng.
Jiuyan did seem slightly happier, and while observing Little Bai’s sincere demeanor and tone, he felt earnest.
"Thank you, I trust you," said Little Bai with a nod.
Little Bai nodded in agreement.
Jiuyan, surprised, couldn’t help wondering why Little Bai would confide such a pact to himself. Aren’t their interactions nothing more than battles?
"Rest assured, there are no problems for now. But it will be a bit of a hassle when we come together to resolve some issues later," replied Little Bai.
"Did something happen to her? Is it serious?" asked Jiuyan.
Little Bai hadn’t done anything because he wasn’t quite fitting for such scenes. However, he wanted to get a deeper understanding of the situation and had thought of attending this gathering.
But the two had a transaction.
Although they had fought side by side twice, she had ultimately decided she no longer felt good about Jiuyan, distrustful of the surveillance team he belonged to, though she hadn’t quite forgotten him, which wasn’t beneficial.
Even so, Jiuyan had firmly decided not to involve himself, especially because he felt utterly incapable of resolving the matter, if he could resolve anything himself.
This person was extremely arrogant, very proud, but Jiuyan had already understood some of the arrogance, despite having limited contact.
Suddenly, Jiuyan’s mood changed as well, feeling that maybe this was indeed something serious. "Ah, Jiuyan heard."
"Wait for some time, I will come to find you," Jiuyan said strange words.
"How can you be so preoccupied with something so serious?"
Zheng Yuming asked Jiuyan.
There were only Zheng Yuming, Jiuyan, Zhuang Yuming still inside the giant elevator, descending directly from Level Four to Level Five’s one hundred and ninety meters mark, while moving toward the Investigation Tower on Level Five.
...
...
Prepared to leave for the high tower on Level Five were Zheng Yuming, Jiuyan, and the heroic Jiaxie teaming up, while Little Bai was almost ready.
The respective forces’ reception had arrived very quickly.
He was very uneasy seeing so many people watching him for the first time, especially since Little Bai had received no phone calls.
"You’ve made me worried."
He squeezed out an apologetic sentence, not knowing why in the end. He hadn’t said anything, but he heard Ruan Qingyin’s clear cry... Ah, truly, the woman made no sense, couldn’t communicate outside the tower... Jiuyan really wanted to tell her.
Even so, she was still panic-stricken, though it had been only a week this time.
When Jiuyan initially returned after twelve days, he found Ruan Qingyin in such profound grief, she might have thought he was already dead.
Many would have speculated about all the ordeals he had already encountered by surpassing forty-two hours.
The implication of passing forty-two hours was much more meaningful; Ruan Qingyin’s voice sounded cheery while crying, as such events from the Tower had never happened before.
"For the sake of this deputy leader, you vanished! How can you disappear like this for over a week without a single message from home! It’s been a whole week!"
The phone call was from Jiuyan to Ruan Qingyin.
Zheng Yuming still had that lazy, grandiose air from the Old Zheng household, and reluctantly answered the phone call from Zhuang Yuming, who was owed several days.
Zheng Yuming clenched one hand, on Jiuyan’s account. Feeling not a hint of opposition in the air, Jiuyan didn’t know what to make of it. Jiuyan’s expression was more solemn, even stern, quite calm in comparison.
Despite his pride, Jiaxie also seemed eager, likely due to completing Old Plank’s task.
As soon as Jiaxie returned, he began inquiring into details, while Ma Li was monitoring different places from the Jiaxie group. At that point, five or six people were handling the phones during this full-team standby.
Zheng Yuming hung up the phone.
"You’ll get a ’good job’ notice soon enough; I’m at Zhuang Yuming’s enjoying good wine and pretty girls, and I know you must be busy," Jiuyan declared.
"Brother Ming, I have some more things, I’ll visit your place another time," Jiuyan said to Zhuang Yuming.
But this was enough for Jiuyan to clearly understand that in the team, there were only a few bigwigs who had the main power, and Jiuyan himself was the main reason for this first-time return from the red and black zones—a fact that was clearly recognized by everyone.
"How tragic! To lose such an excellent man as Little Bai! Ai, my unfortunate Army Guard Town! How could Ma Li possibly know he would come back when I just heard that someone returned from the black zone?" exclaimed Mingliang excitedly.
Mingliang’s way of thinking was indeed unique, Jiuyan acknowledged with a nod.
"It’s just squatting on a stone pillar; finding people is the best way. Ah, harm to my precious Mingliang! It’s just a stone pillar."
"Are you not the captain of the third division of the Army Guard Town, always staring at tombstones, not just a specialist sentry? How come you have learned of someone returning from the black zone as soon as my front foot returns, before your back foot moves?" Jiuyan asked.
"My dear brother Bai, have I heard correctly that someone has returned from the black zone?" asked Mingliang with much agitation.
Zheng Yuming answered the call, feeling quite favorably toward Mingliang.
"The response came over the wire: clear and very prompt."
"There was a loud boom, of course."
"But ultimately, they are returning, wanting to not leave Mechanism City’s strong influence behind. The white fog did make them ponder on whether they should remain, but the booms had already been set off, and they could also make contact with the black zone on their eventual return, directly searching for...
...
"..."
"...’These folks seem rather average at first glance... but that’s okay... yeah, well, they’ve all grown long past my height, but that doesn’t mean they’re better than me...’
"’It doesn’t seem right...’
"’Is that stone monument really just for show?’
"’...I might have seen it wrong too... Probably...’
"’Did I see it wrong?’
The miners too turned their heads one by one, ready to step into the white mine district without pausing in their tracks.
No one expected that, not long after the red stone monument had been visited, someone from the black stone monument would return.
Many in the media from the second and third tiers called it an event so significant that it had already set off major booms since the return of someone from the red stone monument.
The astonished inspectors from the "Investigation Tower’s military group... black... black stone monument...?"
Finally, this was a piece of big news that could be considered lively enough to be seen by the inspectors who maintained records at the bottom of the tall tower.
...the bottom of the tower...
...
...
The Investigation Tower’s military group here was only meant to prevent the events from reoccurring, a measure from earlier times.
But to Jiuyan’s young mind, who knew nothing of the Jiuyan lineage, he looked upon this person who came uninvited and not particularly liked by his sister as nothing more than a madman, not quite distinguishable from the mad folks here.
It was the Third Level’s mental institution that should have had the primary responsibility of surveillance over Bai Wu and Jiaxie at this point in time, who were still mixing in Mechanism City. To the average personnel, he was just an outspoken strategist from the Family of Military Leaders at Fifth Level.
When confronted by the Investigation Tower’s military group ready to interrogate, he immediately shut the examiner’s mouth with a single line: this is a family matter of our ruling family at Fifth Level.
Zhuang Yuming finally knocked Jiuyan unconscious and forcibly took her away.
Although it seemed as if there were members or even leaders of the Investigation Tower’s military group with real power, or perhaps Army Guard Town, all of it was relatively weak compared to the many ruling families’ heirs, albeit stronger compared to the ordinary guards.
"Sorry, but you really can’t go. This is an order, and you could say, my responsibility," he said apologetically.
Zheng sneered.
But Jiuyan remained silent, her eyes revealing a strong decision against her brother’s brutality, though she did not verbally express it.
"Are you certain?"
He spoke in a calm tone that suggested a great deal of concealed indifference, peeling away from the pretense of kindness. Though Zheng could no longer hold himself, it was evident he cared deeply for Jiuyan, who had, for some reason, become uncharacteristically different. Yet, he could not figure out why she seemed so different in many ways.
"Brother, you should go ahead. But if that place were really unsuitable for me, I would have chosen a much more fitting place for myself... though there’s no need for me to return home."
Looking at the wolf-besieged mental institution from outside, looking inward, it was clear that Jiuyan’s heart was greatly troubled. It wasn’t easy, but she always smiled foolishly and helped herself up.
He never thought Jiuyan would reject him outright.
Jiuyan should have been overwhelmed with emotional tears, not just any sanctuary, but this kind of invitation was essentially a different kind of asylum. Though seen by Zheng as an offer, this was an outright order from Old Plank to return Jiuyan to Fifth Level.
"Don’t you want to go home?"
Zheng grew more confused.
