Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: After the Rain Clears (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)

"It’s no use... I begged that person to make Dandelion stop hating humans... But Dandelion simply wouldn’t listen. I couldn’t persuade him. He never listens to me."

Before leaving the dark room, Prometheus looked very dejected. For seven hundred years, he had also tried to make Dandelion stop the slaughter.

But far from stopping, Dandelion became even more insane.

Bai Wu had already guessed the reason.

Cain.

This forefather of villains from the Bible had deceived two children. He didn’t convey Prometheus’s wishes and also incited Dandelion’s hatred towards humans.

Under Cain’s misguidance, Prometheus gave up trying to convince Dandelion.

And Dandelion firmly believed he was helping Prometheus get justice.

"Tsk, tsk, he’s truly worthy of the name Cain, a genuine bad seed. However, his plan failed to account for my possession of Prayle’s Eye," Bai Wu mused.

Though the information given by these eyes wasn’t comprehensive, it sufficed for Bai Wu to deduce the entire event.

Without Prayle’s Eye, it would have been impossible to detect the connection between Dandelion and Prometheus, let alone persuade the latter to defect.

Bai Wu’s smile grew even wider, in Prometheus’s imagination, it was a warm smile, not some crooked, sinister grin:

"Some things, you have to say to him in person. The great one you speak of might not be honest."

...

...

Bai Wu took Prometheus out of the house, and everything in sight shifted from darkness to a twisted jungle. But no matter where Bai Wu looked, the information was consistent:

[Level 7 Mutated Evil Fallen, Mutation Entry: Telekinesis. Rare Mutation Entry: Environment Camouflage. Perfect Mutation Entry: Absolute Regeneration, Gigantism. Affliction: Weakness.

Although it’s one level higher than the prankster, the affliction limited its speed and strength, so it could only tie with the prankster for now. But you don’t have Little Dwarf by your side, so I’ll give you three pieces of advice: go back to the city, go back to the city, go back to the city.]

Once Dandelion merged with the surroundings, Bai Wu could see that everything in this area was part of Dandelion’s body.

Indeed, genuine as ever, always three real pieces of advice, every single time.

Bai Wu was curious, who had Dandelion fought against? Both its first and second stage forms had the affliction of Weakness.

Was this perhaps left by an even more powerful Evil Fallen?

The healing abilities of the Evil Fallen were not weak, and the affliction on Dandelion’s body seemed like a permanent wound.

And this kind of Evil Fallen that could transform into a vast area itself, capable of instantly killing all its prey, was only a level 7 mutation...

So, what kind of concept would a level 9 mutation like Hong Yin be?

Now that he thought about it, Bai Wu had confirmed something – to enhance the Innate Force outside the tower, finding a way to extend continuous survival time outside was essential.

Having been imprisoned by Cain for seven hundred years, Prometheus naturally had ventured outside the tower numerous times, though each visit was brief.

Enhancing the Innate Force primarily depended on time spent outside the tower, but staying outside for three days straight without returning to High Tower yielded significantly different results.

This was why there were so many miners at the bottom who mined for four hours every day and, despite years passing, their Innate Force barely reached second-rank.

If the Innate Force reached fourth-rank, one would be a master in many senses. After that, simply accumulating time outside the tower would almost make no difference for further breakthroughs.

Only by trying to refresh the record of one’s survival time outside the tower could one continue to advance.

...

...

When Yang Zhen and the other two finally saw Bai Wu emerge, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Who is this child?"

"There’s no time to explain. Follow me; the ground isn’t safe."

Bai Wu and Prometheus together leaped onto the branches of a giant tree.

Despite Qin Lin being afflicted with Sluggishness, his own strength was much greater than Bai Wu’s, so he managed to keep pace.

Yang Zhen had already adapted to the chaos in the fight with Dandelion. Liang Yu, thanks to a reagent, temporarily suppressed her corruption.

All three were in a relatively stable state. Following Bai Wu, they sprinted westward, traversing the branches of the giant trees, somewhat bewildered.

Until the originally quiet ground suddenly began to spurt out a colorless corrosive solution, like a fountain.

By the smell, Yang Zhen guessed it was acid rain and exclaimed in shock,

"Why would acid rain be coming out of the ground?"

The scene truly startled the trio, and Bai Wu said lightly,

"Be careful not to fall in, or all my efforts would be in vain."

It wasn’t long before the ground was covered in puddles. The highly corrosive solution made it seem as if the people were walking on a bridge, with roiling lava beneath it.

If the three of them fell, Bai Wu thought it would at least lighten his workload.

He was there to save people, but if they courted death themselves, that was not his concern.

Of course, Qin Lin, Yang Zhen, and Liang Yu weren’t going to fall.

Yang Zhen regained his senses and realized that Constantine must have learned some secret in the room, which allowed him to predict the environmental changes in advance.

It was imperative to keep up with this man now. Yang Zhen even felt that the clue to the treasure entrusted by the wealthy businessman was in that dark room. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

But now, it was impossible for him to return to the dark room, which frustrated him.

Two days earlier, a wealthy businessman had initiated the assignment, offering an unimaginably high reward for Yang Zhen to retrieve a treasure.

The sizable down payment alone made Yang Zhen appreciate the treasure’s value.

However, unexpectedly, that very night, the businessman died violently at home. The mission, naturally, was aborted.

In his heart, Yang Zhen still coveted that treasure; the businessman’s death didn’t mean the end of the task for him. He had to take advantage of the effective period of the area code and find that treasure within this area.

As for the cause of the wealthy businessman’s death? Leave it to the Garrison Corps.

"What on earth is going on with this area? Why is rainwater coming out of the ground?"

Bai Wu did not answer.

Carrying a rice cooker and many other odd items, his cloak puffed up at the back, making him look hunched.

He didn’t think much of it at first, but during the rapid jumping, the wobbling and odd appearance became evident.

Qin Lin noticed this "bumpy hunchback" and asked,

"Sir... what is that big pack you’re carrying on your back? Is it a tool that can save us?"

This question was significant.

Bai Wu certainly had not expected that the Wheel of Sorrows and Joys, of all places, would make him pose as something he was not.

Right after Qin Lin’s remark, the bulging pack on Bai Wu’s back... suddenly vanished.

"Sir... are you a Sequencer?"

Qin Lin was stunned by this instantaneous disappearance trick.

"A Spatial Sequence? Spatial Transposition?" Yang Zhen was horrified.

"Is it Telekinesis? A sixth-order Senser?" Liang Yu gasped in astonishment.

Yang Zhen and Liang Yu failed to discern the truth and began reassessing Bai Wu’s strength.

Bai Wu greatly admired their imaginative capabilities. Indeed, in the Talent Sequence, there were Sequences capable of moving objects with the mind. And a Senser at the sixth order could indeed utilize special telekinetic attacks.

But the reality was... the items had undergone Spirit Possession.

Just as Qin Lin was commenting on Bai Wu’s large pack, it simply disappeared.

Even Bai Wu himself was quite surprised, not realizing what had occurred until the dialogue box popped up.

The backpack carrying the rice cooker, water purifier cup, and camera suddenly became as light as if it contained nothing.

[A pocket essential for traveling out of the tower. Objects placed in the pocket will not occupy any space as long as they are not larger than the pocket itself, but there is a weight limit of 20.5kg. Don’t get any sly ideas, though, as living things cannot be stored. Spirit Possession level, 15s.]

A backpack that had come into existence only fifteen seconds ago, fresh out of the oven.

In simple terms, as long as something could fit in a bag, it could be stored indefinitely without taking up any space. However, the item’s weight must not exceed 20.5kg.

It can’t be ruled out that there might be upgrades in the future to increase the weight limit. It’s a pity living things cannot be placed inside, or it would solve our country’s people’s housing difficulties.

This was naturally a treasure that could solve many problems; he wouldn’t appear cumbersome when leaving the tower in the future and could even hide many surprising and crucial items.

But Bai Wu was still not happy.

He had come all the way from the tower to take the blame when it was the pot that should have undergone Spirit Possession. Yet, it went awry again—last time it was a camera, this time a backpack.

His obsession with the pot undergoing Spirit Possession deepened. At the same time, he felt more acutely the lucky effect of the Wheel of Sorrows and Joys.

If Talent Sequence 666 and 777 indeed possessed a combined effect, able to siphon others’ fortune, then all of Qin Lin’s luck was built upon a mountain of countless bones.

"The acid rain on the ground is getting more frequent... will we be submerged?" Qin Lin was very afraid.

"We are in a monster’s stomach; don’t ask so many questions—wait until we’re back in the High Tower, where there will be specialized places for questions and answers. For now, just be careful not to fall off," Bai Wu comforted.

Yang Zhen had no idea that the question and answer place was an interrogation room, and listening to Bai Wu made it sound advanced, as if he had grabbed a strong thigh for support.

Then they realized the important point—the stomach of a monster. While on the run, they couldn’t help but glance at each other, their faces etched with horror.

If this area really was the stomach of a monster... how enormous was the monster?

The three of them stopped talking, clearly intimidated by Bai Wu’s comfort, their gaze turning to the young man running alongside Bai Wu.

Bai Wu’s attention was also on Prometheus.

Even without that notebook, there was some kind of connection between Dandelion and Prometheus.

Of course, they were not conjoined twins, but it was undeniable that inside the wicked Dandelion, there was a kernel of goodness, and this lone goodness belonged to Prometheus.

Prometheus had been secretly hidden in the High Tower, becoming the means by which the teacher controlled his disciple.

Now, with the help of that notebook, the connection between Dandelion and Prometheus was even stronger.

Prometheus was muttering something silently. Bai Wu couldn’t hear these words, but Dandelion could.

The entire area began to twist, as if the stomach was contracting.

Acid rain not only gushed from the ground but also poured from the sky.

The torrential downpour was incomparable to the earlier rains combined.

The volume of water rapidly began to rise.

Yang Zhen, Qin Lin, and Liang Yu all sensed the breath of death. Under the ferocious rainstorm, the group had to stop their advance.

At that moment, Bai Wu and the others were temporarily taking shelter from the rain under a giant tree, which, despite the severity of the rain, remained impenetrable.

But the speed at which the water was rising far exceeded expectations. Bai Wu could calculate that in less than ten minutes... they would all be dissolved by the acid rain.

He was not in a hurry.

The weirder and more twisted the area became, the more intense was the fluctuation in Dandelion’s emotions.

Prometheus looked very pained, and Bai Wu said softly,

"Don’t rush. Just express your own will. Dandelion is a partner you can trust, you just need to tell him your true thoughts."

Dandelion was clearly trying to persuade Prometheus.

Bai Wu didn’t think his smooth talking could sway an Evil Fallen corrupted by Cain for seven hundred years; Elijah was just an exception who had trusted the wrong person.

To break the situation, only Prometheus could do it.

...

...

Dandelion’s anger turned into an endless rainfall.

In Cain’s plan, this investigator who had intruded would make a choice.

He was eagerly looking forward to seeing humans betray each other out of hypocrisy... Cain also promised him that if the investigator chose to save another self—

As long as they left the area following the predetermined route, they would all meet again in the near future as Evil Fallen.

But if the investigator abandoned the chance to save another self and chose to save those ugly humans, it would mean it would take more time. Yet, Cain promised that the two brothers would ultimately be together forever as Evil Fallen.

But now Dandelion discovered... Cain had lied to him!

For seven hundred years, it had believed that what it was doing would make that poor human happy...

But everything about this was wrong...

"It seems like... we really are going to die..." Qin Lin’s voice carried a sob.

"The Wheel! While the monster hasn’t reacted, pass me the Wheel. I’ll bring reinforcements to save you all!" Yang Zhen shouted in panic.

Bai Wu rolled his eyes and said:

"Be quiet."

The artistic style of the Masked Strange Person, Constantine, did not fit with the foul environment at all.

He was as calm as if this place wasn’t a strange jungle with acid rain pouring down, but a vacation resort.

In Bai Wu’s view, this area was finished.

He reflected on this short journey out of the Tower and realized that in this area, aside from Qin Lin and himself, there was no normal person.

Yang Zhen was full of malice, Liang Yu harbored ill intentions, while Qin Lin, in truth, was just a tool, like Prometheus.

As for the two most abnormal people, they were Dandelion and Prometheus.

Let’s not talk about Dandelion, a natural-born wicked being who doesn’t believe in human love. Parents, girlfriend, mentors; none, in his view, truly liked him.

And Prometheus?

He was indeed kind-hearted, but could a person who has gone through a cycle of inhuman torment really maintain his kind nature?

Bai Wu thought that this child was actually more twisted than Dandelion.

Prometheus... perhaps had already become incomplete the moment his brain was dissected.

He seemed like a child who was incapable of hatred, possessing only kindness and innocence.

Therefore, Bai Wu really hoped he would survive, stay by his or Wu Jiu’s side, because a kindness that is twisted is better than an evil that is twisted.

Bai Wu even guessed that Cain might dangle the carrot of turning Prometheus into an Evil Fallen, to live with Dandelion forever, as a lure for Dandelion.

But unfortunately, Cain couldn’t do it. If he could have, he probably would have done so long ago.

Bai Wu was not wrong.

Cain had tempted Prometheus for seven hundred years, but Prometheus... never once held a grudge against humanity.

He also tried to use fear and sorrow to cause an Evil Fallen Transformation in extreme emotions, but Prometheus always fantasized about some kind people, like that nurse...

Time and again, those fantasies prevented Prometheus from undergoing the Evil Fallen Transformation, and even gave rise to a hint of doubt in Cain.

Cain later attempted to use the serum of the Evil Fallen, trying to directly mutate him on a biochemical level.

But damn that Endless Nirvana, it kept returning Prometheus to his peak state time after time! Just like now, despite many negative states afflicting Prometheus, they were never able to take his life, nor cause him to transform into an Evil Fallen.

In the end... Cain had to give up on the child, letting him become a pawn to test the new "seed" he had set his sights on.

The irony was that the potential of this "seed" was also extraordinary, directly eclipsing Prometheus.

...

...

The downpour seemed to be getting fiercer, the sound of the rain was the only thing audible.

Just when Liang Yu, Yang Zhen, and the others thought they would be devoured by the acid rain...

A wail of despair, like a light powerful enough to shatter all darkness, burst through the layers of rain clouds!

"Dandelion, I want to live as a human! Please, let me go! I don’t want to be locked in a dark room anymore! Let me go!"

The desperate scream condensed the desires of seven hundred years of Prometheus.

The tug of war between two twisted young men... was decided at this moment,

Despite the eruption of countless negative emotions, the downpour... suddenly stopped.

Bai Wu watched the rain clouds dissipate in the sky and began to smile.

(I’m a bit rushed, came back too tired, took a nap, will post now and edit later.)