Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 370: Chapter 174: The Happiest Time for the Clown

Outside the tower, Baichuan City.

"Can we find them? And how long until they arrive?"

Bai Wu asked again. It was the second time he had asked in two minutes.

The current situation on the battlefield was a stalemate: Jing Wu was held up by Lin Rui, and the coalition forces of Huangquan Island and Black Gold Island were restrained by the Clown’s laughter.

But Bai Wu was well aware that the enemy’s strongest monster had yet to appear, and if that monster reached Baichuan City, all would be lost.

So for the first time, Bai Wu eagerly awaited Zero’s miraculous descent from the sky.

Perhaps Zero was already on the way, yet the Mechanical Race’s movement trajectory and route remained a mystery to the teachers of Bai Can.

"Still no sight of them."

Bai Wu didn’t seem overly anxious.

Throughout the entire war, the only time his expression changed was upon receiving the news of Hong Yin’s death.

This battle was too important, and Bai Wu constantly reminded himself that anyone he valued, including himself, could possibly die. Thus, he had to stay calm; only by staying calm could all his strategies be fully effective.

Support from Zero was indeed delayed more than Bai Wu had anticipated, but he had considered all these possibilities.

Just then, something he hadn’t expected happened.

[My old friend, the long journey must eventually come to an end, but he might return. Perhaps you can break that almost endless karmic prison, but now... you must face a reality and take out the mask.]

What was happening? Why had Prayle’s Eye suddenly sent a message?

Bai Wu felt his heartbeat slow down for a moment as he instinctively thought of something.

He took the mask out of his carry bag.

The smile on the face of the smiling mask continued to look somewhat comical and evil, and Bai Wu realized that the mask had played a crucial role throughout his journey.

The mask, which would become damaged as he was injured, should have been intact at this moment.

But on the mask, there was a new crack. The crack wasn’t enough to render the mask unusable, but Bai Wu felt a strange sensation bubbling up within him.

It was as if the mask, which always wore a smile, was crying.

He stood frozen in place, at a loss for what to do.

After several seconds of silence, Bai Wu spoke with his usual calm:

"Can you help me check on... Lin Rui’s side?"

The Bai Cans had no idea what was happening; they’d been constantly using the Gaze of the World to look into the distance for clues about the reinforcements.

One of the Bai Cans nodded its head and quickly focused its vision on the battlefield where the two strongest beings were fighting.

But Jing Wu’s figure had already vanished.

All the Bai Cans saw was a body without limbs, its flesh continuously being devoured by a black substance.

It was Lin Rui’s body.

Bai Wu felt neither fear nor sorrow, but the teachers did. The twelve were interconnected, and soon all knew what one of them had observed.

For a moment, the teachers didn’t know what to say to Bai Wu.

The command center fell into silence.

About a minute later, Bai Wu guessed some of the truth, looking into the distance. The Bai Cans behind him remained silent, but he responded:

"Okay... I understand."

Bai Wu’s figure looked exceedingly bleak from behind. His hand gripped the mask tightly.

"It’s time for me to leave. The only one who can attract Jing Wu is me. There are no tactical arrangements left, everything that could be done, has been done."

This statement sounded ordinary, but some of the Bai Cans felt the impending collapse.

Man’s effort had reached its limit; all was left to fate.

For Bai Wu, this state of leaving everything to the will of heaven was something he greatly disliked.

But he had known before the war began that the sanctuary’s chances of survival were slim.

Hong Yin had died, and now Lin Rui as well.

Although Prayle’s Eye ultimately provided a riddle, it only mentioned a possibility. If even Prayle’s Eye could not give a definite judgment, it indicated that the likelihood of this matter was exceedingly small.

At least for now... Lin Rui was dead.

The most powerful hero of Baichuan City died at the hands of Jing Wu.

Bai Wu did not know Lin Rui’s real cause of death, he only knew... that the red door was faintly opening.

An emotion called anger began to surge, little by little, in his consciousness.

...

...

Outside the dormitory area of Baichuan Middle School.

Jiang Yimi was originally transferred to the command room by Lin Rui, but Bai Wu later arranged for her to go to the dormitory area.

Among the students who had transformed into Evil Fallen and could support, there were quite a few with the power to fight, and these Evil Fallen needed Jiang Yimi to mobilize them.

There were also many with weaker combat abilities, who needed Jiang Yimi to be ready to transfer at any moment.

Jiang Yimi did not know what the situation at the front line was, and she was anxiously waiting at this very moment.

During the endless night that seemed to have no end, for Jiang Yimi, as long as the Clown’s laughter continued, it should mean that the situation could still be stabilized.

But at that moment, an anomaly occurred.

In dormitory 404, countless shadows leaped out.

These shadows were those students who had been victimized, whom Jiang Yimi and the First Generation Mask had saved together.

Countless shadows walked out from dormitory 404; after sensing Jiang Yimi’s presence, they came to her side.

And Jiang Yimi also realized something... As shadows, these shadows were undergoing some sort of change...

They were gradually becoming dim.

The originally pitch-black shadows were slowly becoming transparent.

Jiang Yimi asked in confusion,

"Why are you appearing here?"

The shadows, now transparent, couldn’t respond to Jiang Yimi. They no longer acted on their own whims like they had at four in the morning, but instead surrounded Jiang Yimi, making gestures with their hands.

This silent communication tested the understanding between them, these students who had once feared Jiang Yimi, despised her, and now also liked her, finally had some tacit understanding with Jiang Yimi.

Jiang Yimi also figured out... they were spelling out their own names...

One by one, names that once belonged to the school were reenacted through the motions of countless shadows.

Jiang Yimi couldn’t remember these names, nor could she possibly remember them all, but a sense of parting sadness welled up in her.

"What... what are you all doing..." Her voice was laced with a sob.

But the shadows couldn’t speak; their final gestures... were farewells, they were expressing gratitude to Jiang Yimi.

At that time, Jiang Yimi finally realized what the problem was, and she ran frantically up the dormitory building to room 404.

At last, she saw that mirror...

The mirror was already shattered in pieces, and the reflected images appeared incredibly fragmented.

Jiang Yimi slumped to the ground, seemingly drained of all strength.

She struggled to look at the mirror, which only showed her own disheveled, ghastly face.

"How did it break... how could the mirror be broken..."

After the uncle left, Jiang Yimi always thought he was dead.

But she also remembered the uncle saying that as long as she was alive, that mirror would still be there, continuing to protect those students.

But now... the mirror was broken.

Her vision of the world, just like the shattered mirror, became fragmented and then blurred.

In the past seven hundred years, Jiang Yimi had also despaired time and again, but the mirror was still there, letting her carefully harbor hope.

She didn’t dare to be too proud, fearing that her expectations were too high, only to be let down in the end.

She just thought... maybe the uncle was still alive, that was enough for her.

But now, the mirror was broken.

Does this mean that maybe the uncle was really alive all this time but now... he was dead?

But if he was alive... why didn’t he come to see me?

Or perhaps he already came... but I just didn’t know?

At this moment, Jiang Yimi envisioned an extremely terrifying scene, and her entire body began trembling with fear.

She stood up and, looking utterly dispirited, dashed out of the dormitory area.

The shadows, one by one, became so dim as to be imperceptible, bidding farewell to Jiang Yimi, but she was no longer in any state to attend to these matters.

Tears streaked her face, adding to her haggard appearance, as she rushed toward the front lines in panic.

...

...

Baichuan City, outside the school gates.

Jing Wu furrowed his brow.

The laughter enveloping Baichuan City was something he hadn’t anticipated, not even the Judge’s Requiem and Death Worship could suppress this laughter.

Moreover, his battle with the Masked Strange Person hadn’t lasted long, but within such a short time, this laughter had managed to take control of all the Evil Fallen in Baichuan City, be they invaders or guardians.

"Quite the interesting ability, but those who block my path shall die."

His perceptual powers suddenly burst forth. Unlike mighty Evil Fallen such as the Judge, the Merchant, Nie Chongshan, and Gu Hailin, Jing Wu’s abilities existed on a completely different level.

His perceptual strength was several levels higher than these great Evil Fallen.

Soon, under Jing Wu’s perception, the source of the laughter was located.

In the distance, Clown and Yan Jiu had yet to realize that they had been targeted.

Jing Wu also unexpectedly sensed Bai Wu’s presence.

"Finally willing to show yourself? It’s time to settle the accounts of Mechanical City! But before that, I will let you understand the meaning of despair."

Jing Wu vanished from sight.

With speed not even Lin Rui could completely suppress, despite the great distance between Clown and Jing Wu, he could still arrive within the span of a few breaths.

Seconds later, at a location outside the North City District of Baichuan City, Yan Jiu watched in terror as Jing Wu approached at an exaggerated speed.

"Human? Or just a pure, powerless human?"

What surprised Jing Wu wasn’t so much Clown. Finding Clown and killing him posed no difficulty for Jing Wu.

But for a moment, Jing Wu couldn’t understand why there would be a human here.

Fortunately, this human had nothing special about them—no power, no talent, nor were they a Semi-Evil Fallen.

Jing Wu soon lost interest in the human. However, when he was about to kill Yan Jiu, Clown stood in front of her.

This action once again brought surprise to Jing Wu.

"Interesting. You possess such formidable power that I had thought to have you swear allegiance to me, yet you stand in front of a human?"

Clown did not speak but simply spread his arms as if protecting his own child, shielding Yan Jiu.

The gap between him and Jing Wu was as vast as heaven and earth, yet at the instant Jing Wu moved to kill Yan Jiu, Clown unhesitatingly blocked her.

But shortly after, Clown felt the gap in their strengths. After positioning himself in front of Yan Jiu, he realized that this sudden apparition could immobilize him with merely its presence.

This terrifying power was definitely beyond his capacity to confront.

Thus, at that moment, Clown began to emit laughter frantically, attempting to bewilder this Demon King-level entity before him with his laughter.

But to Jing Wu, such laughter trying to consume him was nothing but the delusions of a madman.

"Such noise... The sound of extreme joy, I didn’t expect that, under human obsession, such an interesting term would be coined. But since you cannot serve me, you shall die..."

With a slight movement of his finger, black material shot out like lances from his fingertips, effortlessly piercing through Clown’s throat.

The laughter ceased abruptly.

The next second, the black material began to spread rapidly, ravaging Clown’s body.

Protecting Yan Jiu, the creature in the ridiculous costume... finally couldn’t stay upright, falling backwards, landing in Yan Jiu’s arms.

Yan Jiu’s pupils shrank with fright as she clutched the Clown, whose body was rapidly decaying, her entire body trembling lightly.

Fear, sorrow, anger—all the negative emotions surged forth at this moment.

Jing Wu found he didn’t need to lift a finger; this human would likely be consumed by negative emotions, turning into a monster.

Indeed, Yan Jiu truly thought of Clown as a friend.

This person cared about their own life and death, would stand in front of her, and genuinely desired for her to be happy.

For seven hundred years, Clown’s wishes had been twisted in solitude, yet at the core, it simply yearned for everyone to achieve happiness.

Hatred and grief seemed ready to overwhelm Yan Jiu as her tears incessantly fell on the clown’s body that was fast approaching death.

But just when she was about to be consumed by negative emotions... the clown’s hand grasped Yan Jiu’s hand.

"Be... happy... Smile... Don’t cry..."

The clown, whose throat had by then been pierced, used the last moment of his life to think about making Yan Jiu happy, forcibly uttering these words.

He could no longer laugh heartily, and even uttering these few words took all his effort, his voice becoming more and more like corroded scrap metal...

The sorrow that the girl had been desperately holding back erupted completely at this moment; she began to vent those emotions, crying her heart out.

But perhaps infected by something... Yan Jiu, who was on the brink of an Evil Fallen Transformation, although still in sorrow, did not undergo any physical mutations. freeweɓnovel.cøm

She forced out an ugly smile, one that was even more awkward than any rehearsal of smiles she’s ever performed.

But the clown was happy.

He had longed for a lifetime for the audience’s happiness but never expected the most satisfying moment of his life to be receiving a girl’s tears.

The clown died.

The laughter that had spread across Baichuan City also dissipated, leaving only the girl’s crying, stirring not the slightest ripple in the dark night.

Jing Wu was surprised. This girl, who should have been easily consumed by emotions, had not become an Evil Fallen.

He had no mood to wait any longer, intending to kill the human girl.

But just as Jing Wu was about to do so, an extremely vast wave of black energy exploded in the center of the city!

Even from far away in the North City District, he could feel the overwhelming power of this force.

"Is there such an interesting existence in this city?"

At that instant, Jing Wu no longer paid attention to Yan Jiu, unsure whether the owner of this black power was friend or foe.

But he could feel a certain twisted power of fate. It was this force that hindered people like the Drunkard and Ice Bird while they were retreating.

The Power of Calamity.

Feeling a certain subtle threat, Jing Wu lost interest in Yan Jiu, and in the next second, he disappeared into the night.

...

...

The disappearance of the laughter made Bai Wu realize an even more terrifying fact— the clown and Yan Jiu might have encountered misfortune.

If there was no power to hold Jing Wu back, then this war was already lost.

For a monster of this caliber could easily slaughter the entire battlefield...

The evil spirits of Huangquan Island gradually regained consciousness.

The Judge blew the Requiem again, and Octopus declared that he did not want to make a hooting noise for half a year.

The blacksmith, Mirror Evil Fallen, Six-Arm Knife-wielder, Dandelion—all these powerful Evil Fallen readied themselves for battle, and at the same time... Hydra Gu Hailin and the Twenty-Four Iron Riders also prepared themselves for a fight to the death.

But no one noticed that in the open space not far from the tallest building in the city center, a girl shrouded in a black mist was crying sorrowfully.

Black Cat sensed a certain presence and was so afraid that he left his master’s shoulder.

Jiang Yimi.

She, who had been loss-ridden all along, finally saw the very scene she least wanted to confront. Perhaps it was the agony of unrequited hope; she even thought that she shouldn’t have expected him to be alive.

But when she truly saw Lin Rui’s body, limbs torn asunder, Jiang Yimi was still overwhelmed by profound grief.

Her cries were piercingly mournful, such despair and agony she had only experienced once before, seven hundred years ago, when the man who told her heroes never die, died.

Powerful Calamity started to surge wildly in her extreme sorrow.

Both sides of the conflict, who had just rid themselves of the laughter, were simultaneously subdued by this terrifying black force.

Centered on Jiang Yimi, waves of Calamity began to sweep across the whole city, but soon, this disaster seemed to be forcibly retracted by the will of its master!

In the distance, Bai Wu also saw the grand tide of Calamity surging in the night sky.

At that moment, he guessed an outcome; he didn’t know whether this outcome would bring good or ill fortune.

He just hoped that Jiang Yimi could still remain rational and fulfill Lin Rui’s last wish.

But whether the current Jiang Yimi was friend or foe, Bai Wu was unclear.

Because the merging disease had erupted.