Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 491: Chapter 108: The Burden Bearer

The southern part of Denglin City was like a monochrome scene that had suddenly emerged against a colorful backdrop.

In the Hei Wu, not everything was completely deprived of color, but rather turned into shades of black and white, standing out starkly against the surroundings.

Wu Jiu cast his senses toward the south, feeling a few but very powerful presences.

"The fight just now should have been enough to convince those scientists of our abilities, right?"

Before heading south, Wu Jiu looked up at the technological skyscraper of Denglin City.

Although there were not many Evil Fallen at the end point, there were still quite a few obstructers on the road to the south.

These bizarrely shaped creatures, in other regions, could individually sustain a particular area as Guardians.

But in Denglin City, they had become mere cannon fodder.

Bai Wu was gradually beginning to understand why Jing Wu, Jing Er, and even Jing Yi had never sent anyone here.

"Hmm, it might be somewhat useful, but it’s hard to say, hope is a strange thing for scientists. They want it, yet are afraid to have it."

As Bai Wu walked, he continued:

"Those who were the most passionate in the past are now the most calm, and such calmness is a rejection of hope."

"But such people, once they reignite their confidence and find their faith, will never be destroyed again."

Bai Wu’s words made Wu Jiu think of Fu Lei.

That man was like the leader, appearing the most sober in the technology building of Denglin City, yet he resisted them the most.

The two did not say much more and killed their way toward the south, into that black and white world.

The scientists watched as the two men went against the tide of Evil Fallen, some feeling an excitement they hadn’t felt in a long time, while others felt nervous.

But soon, as one scientist became infected with a negative attribute—Mutation; everyone was made painfully aware of the brutality of reality.

Mutation was a contagious negative attribute that could rapidly infect hosts and those around them.

Vomiting, diarrhea, fever, mental confusion, convulsions— all the symptoms of sickness would appear on the scientists.

Normally in this situation, the scientists would end it all by death, using death to clear the negative attributes from their bodies, in exchange for a few brief hours of peace.

The outbreak of Mutation infected all the scientists on the twentieth floor.

Fu Lei opened his eyes, glanced around, and expected them to choose to inject themselves with drugs as they usually did.

Indeed, some intended to do so, but strangely, this time, Bi Haixia persuaded one scientist to wait.

"Wait... just hold on a bit."

The scientist named Zhang Zhian, like Bi Yunxia who was in charge of drug-related work, was in great pain with red rashes breaking out over his body that bled pus when scraped.

"Zhian... bear with it, we can’t die now, none of us can die!"

Hou Haiyan, who had been in so much pain not long ago and wanted to go to the High Tower, now stepped forward:

"We’re all infected with this attribute... just hold on! The longer we can bear it, the better."

Just hold on a bit.

Fu Lei had almost forgotten how long it had been since he last heard these words.

Why can’t this group ever learn from their mistakes? Just because those two below put on a show and fought for an hour, did they really have hope again?

Many, many years ago, they too held hope.

When they learned that they would ultimately be tormented to death by negative attributes, to prevent their deaths from strengthening the monsters through evolution—

Everyone would endure the pain, researching amidst the agony.

But eventually, people would fail to withstand the pain and die.

Gradually, some began to complain— fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Why do you die at a time like this?

Do you realize what kind of evolution your death brings to the monsters?

Is it just you who’s so precious? Everyone else can endure, why can’t you?

You’ve ruined my research with your death!

Such voices, such accusations, such negative emotions began to spread.

Hope was drowned out bit by bit in this way.

Yet even so, Fu Lei still hoped to hear that phrase—

"Cheer up! Hold on, we have hope!"

He looked at these people, beginning to regain hope for the sake of making the battle easier for Bai Wu and Wu Jiu, beginning to endure the torment, his fists clenched even tighter.

With hope in heart, yet with even more panic.

...

...

To the south of Denglin City.

Many buildings are still intact, only in the South District there is nothing but ruins.

Amidst the rubble, Bai Wu and Wu Jiu stepped on the scattered stones and reached the edge of the Hei Wu.

Wu Jiu felt a familiar sensation from this black mist, but couldn’t quite put his finger on why, so he turned to Bai Wu.

"A barrier made of black matter has formed here, passing through it means that you have entered the domain of twisted memories, where the monsters inside are not on the same level as those outside.

Of course, for you and Little Dwarf as you are now, nothing is really a problem, it’s just that your warm-up is over. Are you ready to break a sweat?

If you want to retrieve memories, you’ll have to kill those monsters.

Once you break through this area, you will encounter the strongest creature."]

The strongest monster?

It must be Professor Tao with the heart of evil thoughts of Jing Si implanted in him, which means, only by clearing the monsters in the black mist will they be able to see Professor Tao.

And this black matter should be some kind of aura from Jing Si.

Even now with the strength of Well Level, recalling the scene where Jing Si instantly killed Jing Er and Jing Wu, Bai Wu knew very well... anything associated with Jing Si was dangerous.

Bai Wu started to describe the creatures inside, and after listening, Wu Jiu said:

"Don’t be afraid, according to the rules given by the scientists before, we at least won’t fail. The creatures inside might be very dangerous, but death here is not the end."

Bai Wu smiled and said:

"Captain, when have you ever seen me afraid?" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Wu Jiu gave a start, realizing that he indeed had never seen Bai Wu scared.

Bai Wu walked ahead, entering into the black mist.

...

...

Nine human-shaped shadows began to awaken.

As Bai Wu and Wu Jiu stepped into the Hei Wu, the scene that unfolded before them featured nine vortices.

From the nine vortices, nine faceless people emerged.

Bai Wu had the feeling of being in a post-apocalyptic version of The Lord of the Rings.

The nine shadows were like nine judges, and although they lacked facial features, Bai Wu felt as if he could sense the gloomy expressions of all nine.

The oppressive aura tightened Wu Jiu’s grip on his knife.

Bai Wu said:

"The tactic remains the same, I’ll hold them off, and you, Captain, seize the opportunity to kill any monster that shows an opening with one strike."

Wu Jiu nodded.

He actually had two knives, but he seldom used both at the same time. After the battle with Zhong Xu, his weapon changed from "Evil Fallen Must Die" to—replicas of the Seven Deadly Sins.

The replica was of Pride.

Its power was even stronger than the original, but the downside was that it had a limited number of uses.

Once the limit was reached, it would become a knife with no special powers.

But it was incredibly sharp.

As for Evil Fallen Must Die, during Wu Jiu’s long days exploring outside of High Tower, in addition to gaining the Sequence Heart Net, his belongings also underwent Spirit Possession.

He had an item similar to Bai Wu’s original storage bag.

Wu Jiu’s hand rested on his knife, his muscles tensed, his upper body slightly bent forward, his left leg pushing back and slightly bent, his right leg stepping forward.

A certain white energy was gathering on the blade, and his eyes became extremely focused.

He was like an arrow nocked on the bowstring, ready to be launched at any moment.

As for Bai Wu, due to the rapid increase in his power, he still hadn’t reached a point where he needed to study techniques.

He swung the Envy Greatsword, cutting through the air with wild sword energy that churned the heavens and the earth, clashing with the nine shadows!

The shadows were powerful, and countless barriers of force appeared as Bai Wu closed in!

Yet each was slashed apart by Bai Wu’s sword, with a domineering and invincible stance.

Bai Wu could feel abilities similar to Obliteration Black Hole and Death Cold Light constantly emerging.

Nine shadowy figures controlled countless terms, and the chaotic elements interwoven amongst them devastated this space with a variety of energies.

Not only that, the power and speed of these shadows far surpassed that of ordinary ninth-tier Evil Fallen.

Faced with Bai Wu’s slash, they could dodge with ease while launching a counterattack.

One against nine.

After dozens of bouts, Bai Wu had the upper hand, but it was very difficult to restrain these creatures quickly.

"Indeed, they are not beings of this dimension. Fortunately, I can restrain them all by myself!"

No matter what term it was, as long as one could see through the opponent’s movements and predict the landing spot of the term, there was no need to worry.

And with Prayle’s Eye, Bai Wu could clearly see their moves and even arrive at the optimal solution directly.

These nine shadows were very strong. If Bai Wu hadn’t received Jing San’s body, he might still be suppressed.

But now, he didn’t find it too strenuous to cope with them; the task of killing the opponent, however, depended on Wu Jiu’s approach.

The warm-up was over. Bai Wu also wanted to know just how strong their captain was now.

Wu Jiu did not let Bai Wu down.

While Bai Wu was engaged with the nine shadows, Wu Jiu had been accumulating power, waiting for Bai Wu to find a weakness.

His slash was already very powerful; if a teammate could restrain the opponent, allowing him to concentrate fully on charging his power, his slash would be unstoppable.

A sharp gaze finally, in an extremely brief moment, locked onto one of the shadows.

Wu Jiu’s left leg tensed as he suddenly sprang forward, muscles in his right arm bulging as he gripped the handle of his sword.

His slightly slender figure burst forth with astonishing momentum, as if he was possessed by evil spirits. In that instant, Wu Jiu appeared like an Asura from hell.

Shoulder, upper arm, forearm, wrist, and even fingers all exerted force simultaneously in an instant.

The sound of the blade unsheathed was clear and resounding like a dragon’s chant!

In the grey ruins, amidst the battlefield of the nine shadows, a flash of white light suddenly swept across like a white thunderbolt!

One of the shadows was instantly decapitated by the white light.

Originally, Wu Jiu’s strike still had momentum to spare, and this white light that could sweep across the battlefield could have refracted several more times.

But after one of the shadows was slain by Wu Jiu with the force of a thunderbolt, Bai Wu and Wu Jiu fell into a trance.

Perfect Mutation Entry - Memory Explosion.

The trigger condition was death; upon dying, it would cause a spiritual power shock to the opponent, enveloping their consciousness with a segment of memory in an instant.

If the opponent died before the memory ended, then the owner of this entry would be reborn.

This was the real killer move of the shadows!

After Wu Jiu killed the shadow, both Bai Wu and Wu Jiu were affected by the Memory Explosion.

Therefore, Wu Jiu’s powerful slash... was forcibly interrupted.

The remaining eight shadows launched an attack on Bai Wu and Wu Jiu.

Now, immersed in memory, Bai Wu and Wu Jiu couldn’t bring their consciousness back to reality, leaving them utterly vulnerable.

But just as the shadows were about to touch Bai Wu and Wu Jiu—

Bai Wu and Wu Jiu woke up simultaneously!

Li You, far outside the fog, sensed the invasion of memory and instantly established some sort of connection with Wu Jiu.

It’s like using one’s own consciousness to control Wu Jiu’s body.

As for Bai Wu, it was even simpler. Deep inside his consciousness was a powerful Guardian from a past era—Bai Yuan.

"That was close."

By the time Wu Jiu came to, Li You had already shut down the connection.

Wu Jiu was aware that Bai Wu had a strong entity of persistence within him that often helped bail Bai Wu out of crises.

He did not know what that felt like, but now, Li You had given Wu Jiu that very feeling.

"Indeed, that was close," Bai Wu said, swinging his greatsword as he plunged back into the fight.

Wu Jiu also readied himself once again to draw his sword. Although his momentum had been broken, as long as Bai Wu was there, he could build it up again.

Even if they could kill only one at a time, there was no suspense in this battle.

But that episode of memory had left Bai Wu and Wu Jiu somewhat shaken.

In the moment the shadow died,

Bai Wu and Wu Jiu saw the same scene.

...

...

"What’s your name?"

Jing Si looked the same seven hundred years ago as he did seven hundred years later, but back then, his temperament was completely different from now.

"Just call me K," responded the person to Jing Si, a fellow wearing a mask.

Wu Jiu was quite familiar with this mask.

K and Jing Si were standing at the very top of the Denglin City building, like two people contemplating a jump.

A single step forward would lead to a high fall.

"Thank you for just now. Without you, I might’ve gone mad and caused the death of those scientists."

"No big deal, don’t worry about it."

"It seems my condition is getting more frequent. I’m really worried that I might do something... that I’ll regret for life."

"If it comes to that, I’ll definitely stop you."

The expression on K’s face coincided highly with the smile on his mask.

"There’s a scent on you... that’s very familiar to me," Jing Si said.

"Is that so? I also feel like I’ve seen you before when I see you, and I’m even a bit afraid of you. Hahahaha... It’s really a complex feeling."

"Can you take off your mask?"

"That’s quite an unreasonable request. Next time, I will take it off. I have to go now."

"Will you come back?" Jing Si sounded a bit sad.

"Of course, I should disappear for a few years. I’ve realized something, no matter how many people I save in other cities, it’s meaningless. Because the Evil Fallen will keep emerging endlessly."

K looked down at the crowd below the building, like ants, and continued speaking,

"It wasn’t until your and Jing Liu’s arrival that I realized that there might be a way to completely end the distortion."

"The savior?" Jing Si thought K was referring to the prophecy about a savior.

K neither nodded nor shook his head but said meaningfully,

"A savior is not someone you wait for. Sometimes, you can’t rely too much on your sister. Maybe she can see the truth, but that doesn’t mean she’ll tell it."

"I... I don’t understand, my sister is very good to me."

"Hmm, we’ll meet again next time. I’ll come back when you’re having an episode."

...

...

This memory ends here, the memory between Jing Si and The First Generation.

Bai Wu guessed right, but he didn’t expect that The First Generation’s encounter with Jing Si would be so early?

He suddenly remembered that indeed, The First Generation had disappeared for several years from history.

Before that, The First Generation had been active in different places, dealing with the Evil Fallen.

Once, Cain had to keep a low profile because of The First Generation.

But later, The First Generation disappeared, calamities kept occurring in other cities, and he wasn’t seen again. The reason behind it all...

Turned out to be because The First Generation had gone to Denglin City.

It turned out that Jing Si had so many episodes... it was The First Generation who had snapped him out of them.

He hadn’t disappeared but had taken on the most dangerous mission.

But why did The First Generation feel as if he had met Jing Si before?

Could it be the necrosis on The First Generation’s face?

Bai Wu knew that The First Generation was actually Lin Rui, completely destroyed... then reemerged as an infant on a farm under the influence of Temporal Power.

But wasn’t Lin Rui supposed to have died at the hands of Jing Wu?

"I must figure out what’s going on! Captain!"

"Understood!"

Wu Jiu was also interested in the latter part of this memory.

Asura’s return,

Memories hidden in the shadows will be revealed by the flash of a blade!