Free Web NovelChapter 480: Chapter 97: Twisted Arrival, Doomsday Descends
Being destined to suffer a failure doesn’t mean you’re destined to fail.
Bai Wu, whose life was ebbing away like sands of time, heard these words but couldn’t even muster a response in his consciousness.
His body was plummeting thousands of meters from the sky, turning to dust. His consciousness, on the other hand, kept sinking deeper into the ocean until the darkness of the deep sea engulfed him completely.
When a person approaches death closely, he believes he’s already dead.
Death is but the beginning of the next journey, and Bai Wu, who did not fear it, simply felt regret at having to leave those companions from this part of his journey.
What Bai Wu didn’t know was—
Like sands gathering after scattering, that battered body began to mend as if it were suddenly filled with unimaginable life force—slowly repairing the very form that had disintegrated like sand.
This life force did not come from Bai Wu, but from some external force.
And with it, countless collapsed buildings in the Inner World were also being restored.
Bai Yuan stood at the edge of a chasm, watching the collapse halt, the buildings crumble and lean, then the reversal of their collapse, his expression turning from solemnity to a smile, and eventually as if everything were normal:
"Death is but the beginning of the next journey, yet clearly, you have a long way to go on yours."
...
...
As Jing Si went mad, many things evaded his notice.
In this duel, countless passengers on the flight either perished in the Twist or were wiped out by the Inverted Well Domain, which deemed them part of the Twist.
Bai Wu, before dying, had unleashed the Power of Twist towards Jing Liu without any regard for the cost. Jing Si, who reacted a beat too slow, ultimately couldn’t save Jing Liu.
Jing Wu was gravely injured in this battle, his body turned to ashes. To recover once more would take even longer than the time required after his defeat by Jing Si.
The Pursuer, however, was the luckiest—if Jing Si had remained lucid, he surely couldn’t have escaped. Or rather, if Bai Wu had survived a few more seconds...
Even as the Wells and Inverted Well continued to ripple outward, he would have been unable to escape.
Yet The Pursuer harbored doubts within.
If a Divine Revelation had called him here, then why had he come so close to death?
He couldn’t work it out but witnessing the war among several top-tier Twisters had also planted a seed of doubt in The Pursuer’s mind.
What role exactly was Bai Wu playing?
If this human had harbored such immense power, then why didn’t he ever attempt to kill him?
The Pursuer truly didn’t understand Bai Wu. In this battle, he was the furthest removed from involvement.
From deeming Bai Wu a Twister to ultimately watching Bai Wu burn himself out to exile Jing Liu, he had developed a measure of respect for Bai Wu.
It’s just such a pity... that this human was now truly dead.
People often have many misconceptions about Destiny, but if viewed from the big picture, these errors aren’t really errors but rather cogs that turn the wheels of Destiny.
Just like The Pursuer.
He believed his presence heralded a divine hunt, yet he never considered that the Divine Revelation might only be about bearing "witness."
Mad Jing Si’s focus was elsewhere, continuously emitting the Inverted Well, hoping to rescue Jing Liu from some form of Twist.
But Jing Liu had already vanished, and into which space, perhaps even Bai Wu himself didn’t know.
Under the stars, as The Pursuer left, he ultimately discovered... a coffin had disappeared.
And around Jing Si, there was a blue halo. It suddenly occurred to him—Reincarnation!
This was something many powers had been fighting over.
If he could touch Reincarnation, with the Ten Thousand Phantasmal Bodies, he would have the power of Reincarnation.
But The Pursuer didn’t do so—more accurately, he didn’t dare to.
The power shown by Jing Si had far surpassed his understanding of the Twist. The blue halo in the ever-expanding night sky—
Turned into a star, adding itself to the night sky and twinkling with blue light.
The Pursuer didn’t know if this meant Jing Si had devoured it, but he did know he had to leave this place! Otherwise, once Jing Si regained consciousness, no matter his attitude towards him, it would be an unpredictable variable.
In a place unnoticed by the starry sky, The Pursuer once again transformed his wings, dashing towards the distance, fleeing the battlefield.
This battle of Twist convergence was finally over.
Jing Liu was imprisoned completely, Bai Wu had died, Jing San had disappeared, and Jing Wu awaited regeneration within the ashes.
The Pursuer had a premonition that following this battle of Twist convergence, the world would undergo great changes, unprecedented, a true cataclysm.
...
...
High Tower.
Xie Xingzhi, in charge of the Refuge’s protective shield, received an astounding piece of news.
The news struck Xie Xingzhi like a thunderbolt. However, the messenger was the Emperor of the Mechanical City, Zero.
This made Xie Xingzhi unable to doubt the veracity of the information, prompting a swift return to High Tower.
Everything in High Tower was being rebuilt.
As Bai Wu put an end to the Qin Family, the Liu Family, and the Pang Family, High Tower ushered in a new era.
The barriers of class were broken, all things from the past seven centuries reshuffled.
The lower three levels of today’s High Tower no longer bore the immense sensation of a civilization gap, but flourished prosperously.
The buildings of the lower levels that were ruined during those dark days, with everyone’s efforts, were rebuilt into something even more beautiful.
The differences between levels, no longer castes and technology, had turned into divisions of labor.
For example, most of the fieldwork was on the first level, domestic administration on the second.
Of course, this was just an illustration, the specific allocations were still under construction by the ruling powers.
The Wang Family and the Zheng Family had laid great efforts to secure their place in the future, in strategizing and in seeking stability for the High Tower.
Everything was improving.
Not only the High Tower, but the refuge had also expanded quite a bit with the help of the original forces of Shudu Prison, the Investigation Corps, and people like Gu Hailin and Nie Chongshan.
The work of regional reconstruction was also being continuously completed, and the refuge was gradually becoming a community.
In time, within this twisted world, a true Land of Bliss for humanity would emerge.
But just at this time, Zero brought Xie Xingzhi an exceedingly distressing piece of news.
This news, he didn’t even know how to start telling Yan Zizai.
After arriving at the Yan Family Manor, in the Yan Family’s reception hall, Yan Zizai was waiting for Xie Xingzhi to speak:
"Since when have you become so hesitant? Aren’t the people of the Xie Family always as decisive as machines in their actions?"
Xie Xingzhi, having attempted to speak several times but failing to do so, finally clenched his teeth and said:
"Bai Wu, he’s dead..."
Yan Zizai first frowned, suspecting he had heard wrong, but then, as if the Eye of the Scales saw the pained expression on Xie Xingzhi’s face, he confirmed it again from the shape of his mouth.
Indeed, Xie Xingzhi struggled to add details:
"It’s the news brought by Zero. Bai Wu... he’s dead."
"The Angel Envoy was completely destroyed, and the last image sent to Zero was a pitch-black scene, with Bai Wu’s body disintegrating continuously..."
At that moment, Yan Zizai’s mind went blank.
He had stood up but then sat down again, and after taking several deep breaths, Yan Zizai asked:
"How did he die? Didn’t he say he was going to Ddnglin City? How could he suddenly be dead? How could such a person possibly die?"
It was not long ago that Bai Wu had returned Inside the Mist, crossing the Black Fog Border from the Black Fog and directly activated Return Roulette to go back to the High Tower in order to head to Huangquan Island.
At that time, Bai Wu remembered that in his Divine Revelation, he told Yan Zizai about his destination—Ddnglin City.
And according to Yan Zizai’s words, it seemed that he had died in Ddnglin City, at the hands of Jing Si.
Bai Wu had thought about merely changing his own trajectory, without changing the trajectories of others or objects, and before erasing causality and going to the flight—he claimed to Yan Zizai that he was going to Ddnglin City.
Thus, in Yan Zizai’s perspective, Bai Wu went to Ddnglin City and then...died.
Xie Xingzhi felt the heaviness in Yan Zizai’s tone and was also in discomfort:
"According to Zero, it’s very likely Jing Si, because the energy record of the Angel Envoy’s destruction matched the reaction of Jing Si’s energy during the incident at Baichuan City’s refuge..."
"Jing Si..."
That most powerful of monsters, Yan Zizai felt a sense of despair. Bai Wu’s strength was such that only a few at the Well Level were stronger than him.
But why Jing Si, of all creatures?
Recalling his experiences at the Baichuan City refuge, Yan Zizai even felt frightened.
Jing Er and Jing Wu were already realms beyond human reach, but it took only a moment for Jing Si to annihilate them.
How could one defend against such an opponent? How could Bai Wu have become his enemy?
Such a terrifying existence how could he ever avenge Bai Wu?
Xie Xingzhi sighed:
"At present, it’s unclear whether Bai Wu truly died in Ddnglin City, but since he told you that he was going there, it must have been there that he encountered Jing Si."
"Because everything around was pitch-black, and the Angel Envoy was completely destroyed. The recorded data only contained darkness and stars. Zero also expressed regret that no more data was available." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
"Is it not possible that Zero could be mistaken?" Yan Zizai looked at Xie Xingzhi as if hoping he would seriously consider that Zero might have erred.
"He might make mistakes, but you should know... that possibility is very low. We should... accept the fact."
"Hmm..."
Yan Zizai no longer knew what to say, his eyes slightly blank.
The world could do without anyone, including Bai Wu. As one of the Eternal Beings, he had seen countless life and death events.
Yet, Yan Zizai still found it unbearably painful, an unprecedented level of pain.
If one were to scrutinize closely, one would realize that the High Tower, the refuge, all the changes were driven by Bai Wu.
It was also because of such a person that those originally unrelated individuals and their chaotic destinies became entangled together.
Otherwise, maybe even after seven hundred years, he would not have known Nie Chongshan or Wu Jiu, and would have lived on with the Pride from the fifth level.
All because of Bai Wu, the High Tower underwent tremendous upheaval and the refuge was truly established.
Perhaps Bai Wu was influenced by many people, but likewise, so many were impacted by him.
Such a person might not be a savior, but he was certainly someone who could live for a long time, playing the game against those dark behemoths.
How could such a person just suddenly die?
He simply couldn’t accept this news.
Xie Xingzhi sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time:
"The problem now is what we should do, how we should tell the others... I honestly don’t know how to explain it to everyone, especially Gu Qingyu and Yan Jiu."
Bai Wu had many friends.
They were scattered all over, making it troublesome to notify them, but notifications must still be sent.
Yan Zizai said:
"I will tell Jiu myself. As for Wu Jiu... we’ll see. I have always felt that something big is about to happen lately. I never imagined it would be the death of Bai Wu..."
Xie Xingzhi also had this feeling; ever since the High Tower’s powers were reshuffled, he felt that everything was proceeding too smoothly.
People are sometimes this perverse, longing for peace and tranquility, but when it comes, one begins to feel... how could it possibly be this smooth?
The impending sense of a storm had not dissipated with the death of Bai Wu.
Yan Zizai remained silent, yet harbored immense fear for the future within his heart.
What in the world would happen in the future?
Would Bai Wu’s death change something? Jing Si and Bai Wu appeared in Denglin City, or at least were suspected to have appeared there, but why exactly?
Was it to obtain something? And did Jing Si actually get it?
"I suddenly feel... that his death is just the beginning," he said.
A look of concern covered Yan Zizai’s face.
Xie Xingzhi had never seen Yan Zizai like this before and asked,
"Beginning of what?"
"The beginning of a disaster."
...
...
Outside the tower, in an uncharted land.
When the melodious sound of the bell began, children filled with laughter started running towards the church.
A woman dressed as a nurse, wearing a kind smile, began telling a story.
Outside the church stood a man in a white lab coat, holding a ruby pendant in his hand.
This ruby pendant was almost identical to the one that hung on Dong Nianyu’s chest.
The man’s eyes were fixed on the church, void of much emotion.
Not long ago, he had sensed the disappearance of a certain presence.
Just as Jing Wu suddenly felt that Jing Liu was going to die, everyone at the Well Level felt something similar.
Yet Jing Liu ultimately did not die, but no one knew where he had gone.
The man speculated on what had happened but could never truly figure it out.
All he knew was that Jing Liu had made a move against Dong Nianyu.
And Dong Nianyu’s every move was at all times within his grasp.
The man gently caressed the ruby pendant around his neck.
Another pendant, far away at the world’s end, began to glow.
"When the time comes, from today onwards, prepare for the arrival of my Lord," he declared.
This message was sent through the ruby pendant on his chest to the pendant’s owner at the other end of the world.
After these words, the man in the white lab coat started walking towards the church.
As he entered the church, all the children gathered together, seeming very happy at the arrival of "Daddy."
The man first signaled for the woman to leave. A flash of terror crossed the nurse’s eyes, but at the instant she saw the man’s frown, she did not hesitate and fled outside somewhat frantic.
The church doors shut, and the melodious sound of the bell rang out again.
The children’s laughter, immersed in the sound of the bells, gradually faded away.
In its place came the roar of demons.
When the man stepped out of the church again, those innocent children from all over the world, each possessing some kind of talent—
Had all turned into grotesque, twisted creatures.
The girl with hair like flames, calling out in a twisted, sharp voice said, "Daddy... Mommy... help me..."
The child whose second face had grown at the back of his head and whose neck had become as long as a giraffe’s was also roaring in agony,
"Daddy... Did I... perform well today...?"
Behind them, some emitted countless parasites out of their mouths, some had eyes covering their foreheads, and others had hair writhing like tentacles, their features constantly contorting.
The man in the white lab coat, with no expression on his face, led the group of monsters towards the high walls.
The high walls that surrounded the farm—beyond those walls—
Lay the new world he sought to conquer.
...
...
Somewhere outside the mist.
Shen Shuyue saw the ruby pendant on Dong Nianyu’s chest glow.
"Is this the communication device for you and your companions?" Shen Shuyue frowned.
"You promised that you would let me meet Bai Yuan," Dong Nianyu said calmly.
On the other side, Wu Jiu was resting with his eyes closed, but he wasn’t asleep.
Ever since the battle outside the Magic Tower, Wu Jiu had been keeping an eye on the two. He still didn’t know the plans of Jing Yi and Jing Liu, nor was he aware if Dong Nianyu and Shen Shuyue’s encounter represented a confrontation between Jing Yi and Jing Liu.
All he knew was that neither Dong Nianyu nor Shen Shuyue should be appearing outside of the mist, because even the cat on his shoulder would often glance at the two women.
Therefore, Wu Jiu didn’t interfere with their plans; he merely followed them silently, so that if these two made some kind of move, he could offer some intelligence to Bai Wu in the future.
Shen Shuyue didn’t mind, and it would be pointless even if she did.
She couldn’t shake off Wu Jiu. If they truly started fighting, she was not afraid of him, but she knew she would be suppressed terribly in a short-term confrontation.
So, as long as he wasn’t disturbing Dong Nianyu’s actions, Shen Shuyue didn’t care.
She even occasionally threw seductive glances at Wu Jiu, chatting with him full of charm.
However, Wu Jiu’s expression, unlike that of Xi Yunzi, was almost unresponsive to Shen Shuyue’s beauty.
Wu Jiu, Dong Nianyu, and Shen Shuyue were now all together at a certain farmstead.
Not long ago, Zhao and Jiang Ling had already found the farm and were waiting for Bai Wu’s instructions.
However, Bai Wu had been consistently silent.
Shen Shuyue said,
"I will certainly take you to him, but you need to have some patience."
Dong Nianyu had already guessed Wu Jiu’s intention to ensnare her with Bai Yuan, and she said coldly,
"I have given you several days’ time. Since you and Jing Liu have broken your promise, you can’t blame me. I’m not a fool. I’m well aware of what you want to do—such a pity."
Shen Shuyue did not understand the meaning of "such a pity," but only smiled and said,
"Do you really think you can escape? Little brother, if she escapes, your Bai Wu will suffer terribly, but I trust you will help me, won’t you?"
Wu Jiu did not speak but imperceptibly nodded his head.
Both he and Shen Shuyue, one belonging to Bai Wu and the other to Jing Liu,
firmly believed their choices were correct, yet neither realized what had happened between Bai Wu and Jing Liu.
Dong Nianyu gently touched the ruby pendant at her chest, her gaze growing increasingly icy:
"I do not need to run. It seems you have forgotten that my existence’s purpose is to draw out High Tower."
Before she could finish her sentence, Wu Jiu and Shen Shuyue felt a surge of powerful psychic energy.
But by the time they wanted to do anything, it was already too late.
Dong Nianyu seemed to have released an excessively fierce spell in an instant and fell to the ground, her eyes lifeless.
Wu Jiu opened his eyes:
"What happened to her?"
Shen Shuyue shook her head, just as unclear as to what this woman had done.
But suddenly, she felt that something bad was about to happen.
...
...
Somewhere on Aulora Island, the sky suddenly began to pour rain.
On the thirteenth floor of a certain office building, a programmer looked out the window, muttering to himself, as if frozen in place.
Outside the window, humans and vehicles, ant-like in size, came and went, constantly crawling through the cold, rigid city.
"Why are you still standing here? Hurry back to your desk. We need to finish the maintenance values related to emotional detection in the West District within two days—stop fucking wasting time here!"
"We all have to work hard these next few days. The higher-ups are doing a strict inspection on those whose emotional values exceed the norm in daily life. We must rush to update the latest algorithms!"
The person who seemed to be the boss said to the roomful of employees buried in their work.
But the one standing by the window, looking at the scene outside... did not return to his desk.
He continued muttering, repeating something incessantly.
The boss immediately showed a twisted expression, enraged to the extreme... He suddenly realized his negative emotions had exceeded the limit.
But he just couldn’t suppress this anger—it was as if he finally remembered what anger felt like!
Enraged beyond control, he marched towards that employee:
"I’m telling you to get back to work!!"
The boss felt his anger engulf him, almost wanting to kill the programmer!
But soon... his anger was suppressed by fear.
"Overtime... overtime... overtime... overtime... overtime... I hate overtime! Hate overtime!"
He heard the programmer’s relentless murmuring and then saw in the window’s reflection—the programmer’s image—
That was not a human face at all! The programmer had turned into an Evil Fallen!
Countless code symbols appeared on that face; the eyes were purely white, and the eye sockets were grotesquely sunken; feeling the boss’s approach, he suddenly turned around.
The watch from Aulora Conquest displayed his negative emotions had surpassed three hundred! frёeωebɳovel.com
"I, hate overtime!"
Like a zombie attacking humans, the programmer turned Evil Fallen began to viciously bite his former boss.
Amid extreme fear, the boss also began to mutate...
And the programmers who witnessed this, one by one, due to the explosion of negative emotions, began to transform.
A young intern, who had always been strong-hearted and generally optimistic, panicked and fled from the building, desperately running downstairs for his life.
Several times he encountered other company employees who had turned into Evil Fallen.
Fortunately, these people had only just transformed into Evil Fallen, so their desire to attack humans wasn’t that strong yet.
Their forms were still in the midst of twisting, as if the transformation was not yet complete. They did not attack the intern.
But it was all a matter of time.
The intern, with all his might, finally escaped the building, thinking he was safe, only to discover...
The street scene was even more terrifying.
People who had suppressed their negative emotions for dozens of days finally experienced an emotional outburst.
Cars crashed chaotically on the streets as countless pedestrians roared, their bodies beginning to mutate.
At that moment, the intern’s fear broke through his limits, and seeing his hands twist, he finally realized something—
The twist has come, and doomsday has arrived!
(I will not prolong the buildup for too long. I will return to Bai Wu’s storyline as quickly as possible. But there is something I have to attend to tomorrow, as it’s my birthday, and I might take a break unless I return early.)
