Free Web NovelChapter 508: Chapter 125: The Dawn Here is Silent
"How can three people like this be able to block by themselves?"
It was one woman, one short man, and another that left an unpleasant vibe, not like the others.
Well Wu was somewhat annoyed by this, but the white fog didn’t appear out of nowhere.
He wanted to make Little Bai witness the death of each of his former companions.
But Little Bai was still alive, which was precisely why he assumed.
"Where could Well Qin possibly fear? Even if you face death at the hands of another, you’re not afraid of your arch-enemy.
Well Qin had already decided that Little Bai would become his arch-enemy, maybe because Little Bai had defeated him time after time.
"Little Bai? Why has he died?"
Well Wu looked towards Wu Jiu.
Though Little Bai held the strongest hand for the moment, it wasn’t enough to unleash his full power, but Well Wu recognized that Little Bai could undergo many transformations in a short time, almost ready beyond recognition here.
Although he had suffered severe injuries before, he had become even more familiar with disassembling and reconstitution of myriad objects through the life-and-death grind, helping him greatly.
If Little Bai was not on this entire battlefield, then nobody could withstand his own domain.
But he didn’t care too much. freёwebnovel.com
He could feel the dangerous vibe from Li Xi, although there were no words, Well Wu kept observing Li Xi.
Two imitation Buddha corpses.
Well Wu, being short of a certain spiritual aura, felt a kind of sensation, although it was hard to say exactly what was wrong.
...like merchants and iron craftsmen. Wu Jiu only realized this at the moment.
Wu Jiu was not too far from Well Wu, only a few tens of meters away from Li Xi.
Li Xi, who had been beside him, now appeared right next to him, and Wu Jiu didn’t let his guard down either, reacting almost instantaneously as her figure flashed.
"I’ve said they will be blocked,"
Li Xi said with a commanding tone.
That’s why he was one of the strongest human types, so difficult for Chu Qing to traverse that vast gap, because he encountered either Linshi beasts or Mechanism City, or even met Well Si in the forest market.
Up to this point, he had not had a single convenient encounter.
Wu Jiu certainly had no fear of Well Si’s level, despite having slain many evils to reach this point. "He is very dangerous, and unlike any other evil fallen, he’s completely different."
"What are you afraid of? You willingly came to me, a king versus a king, force against force,"
Li Xi gave Well Wu a long, silent look.
"You shouldn’t be so tense," said Li Xi.
It was just the beginning of the battle, said Wu Jiu at that moment.
Well Wu was fully focused, his whole being concentrated on the knife he held.
Although Little Bai had been meticulously training outside the tower, he wasn’t lacking much compared to his opponent, and although he didn’t need Well Wu’s help, he still felt an enormous threat from him.
As Chu Qing was extremely cautious, he couldn’t let his guard down just because the highest level of Well Si was not present.
Wu Jiu looked at his own reflection in the mirror of the opposing giant ravine—a frown forming on his forehead.
...
...
Although compared to his own dimension, this person-shaped evil fallen was definitely not a match, it was nevertheless a major transformation for a mere consultant like Chu Qing, though not as strong as the opponent in the end.
They automatically submitted, becoming his vassals just from the release of his powerful aura, much like any other evil fallen, standing in his territory to survey like some noble king.
Innumerable giant evil fallen bodies made way for him as Well Wu slowly advanced forward.
The consultant would have prepared quite quickly for such tenseness.
Iron craftsmen, merchants, and Well Wu.
Three figures appeared, at the front of the battlefield in the last segment, emerging from the giant mirror of the opposing realm.
He wasn’t necessarily a consultant because he avoided each battle, not facing the toughest opponent to confront.
"The most difficult enemy has appeared,"
Qin Zong exclaimed in quite a panic, his eyes widening as he clearly saw the figure at the very front.
Qin Zong quickly looked forward, after preparing a telescope for Qin Zong to observe.
"How could these weird evil fallen transmit a war alert?" asked the consultant. "The evil fallen hasn’t launched an immediate attack, though...
This made his vision field even better because the sky had already brightened.
The short respite was already over, and the morning dew had not yet dispersed.
Tall towers outside...
...
...
Turning immediately, he walked toward the bottom floor of the eastern section.
It was as if he was speaking words of parting, facing towards the white fog.
"My task is already finished; I must go up to the high tower next," but the banquet remained uncertain, as the teleportation stone had a time limit, and the white fog should still be in the tower.
The banquet was anxious about encountering danger, as they had already exchanged some information.
Little Bai, who was ahead not long before, was already aware of the situation on the Sixth Level.
Yan Ziban looked up, his mind was on higher levels, but his eyes saw the brilliant patterns on the Fourth Level’s celestial board.
But he knew that the real progress was to leave the high tower — very much like Chu Qing.
There was a kind of retreat, a kind of compromise, as if everyone had agreed to leave the high tower.
His smile, which was nothing but pure joy, didn’t mean anything else; it wasn’t at all a grin of suffering.
The laughter echoed emptily in the deserted streets. Yan Ziban, acting as a guard, suddenly laughed.
The footsteps were clear, walking on the street above.
Suddenly, the street was empty of people, although it had been busy with passersby.
It boasted various old-fashioned tower buildings, including amusement parks, high-end restaurants, and movie theaters.
There were many old-fashioned tower facilities here.
The Third Level was the busiest place on a typical day.
Yan Ziban, who had gone upward to the Third Level, was looking at those wickedly sharp towers, and it was eerily silent within the high tower at this time.
The banquet manor, once bustling with life, was now eerily quiet, emptied even of servants.
The high tower still held many riddles, but these were merely the riddles that had gone unanswered; now, it had become a place to shun.
Once the high tower’s population count began to move, Yan Ziban breathed a sigh of relief, unable to respond at all.
Unfortunately, some still carried forward the much-needed, real Spiritual Possession items, ignoring the useless trinkets lying around as if they were nothing more than cast-offs.
At this time, wealth was being shed like outer garments, while treasures from Common People’s Bay were picked up from the leaking port.
All that remained in the high tower were people surnamed Bai gathering whatever they could, pots, bowls, basins, and ladles.
The great rumbling and violent commotion began inside the high tower, right at the dawn of the high tower battle.
This was crucial.
Those who evacuated first had the advantage of better access to resources; but what was more important, was survival, a concept some still clung to.
Naturally, there were not a few who wished to fight on the battlefield for the survival of the high tower.
Many spoke with conviction, but in their hearts, there was only money; everything else was just lip service.
But Yan Ziban was blatantly toying with them, and it was clear he had already gambled on staying in the high tower.
"If I’m not a man with a heart of iron, then let’s stay here in the high tower together," Yan Ziban continued, after having already rethought his best residential area. "You all have already moved forward to the Evacuation. Aren’t you the ones with true faith in the high tower?"
But then, Yan Ziban followed up, "The high tower will fall imminently" — a sentiment that made people feel an immediate, tangible dread, if only for a moment, as even a few generals turned pale.
But there were still many wounded, and not a few who had died. freёwebnoѵel.com
Under the command of Li and Ninety-Five, there was a lot of pressure on the vanguard, but it grew much weaker.
"If they are not fighting wholeheartedly, we won’t even be able to come back alive... It’s terrifying," as though it was a mouth of a monster, those black mists just looked like they were... only a few yards away from us.
A few of them, who had returned to the high tower after a brief cessation of hostilities between the two armies, began to recount the terrifying events that occurred in the charge.
Some of the frontline troops still followed, despite missing limbs or broken bones.
When facing complete corruption, they were much more frightened than when facing brash adversaries.
All notions of dark conspiracies, eternal falls of the high tower, or distribution of wealth were thoroughly shattered...
... after Yan Ziban peered through binoculars to see all sorts of bizarre figures in life, gazing up into the boundless sky.
Where had he ever seen a battle as grand as this?
They too had been conscripted as protective forces, dredging white zones for minerals.
Legs shaking with terror upon seeing a tide of corruption storming in from far away.
Ultimately chosen to be "collar sleeves" from the Third Level down, a few of these people were supported by trusted associates from Common People’s Day, truly experiencing the harrowing reality of battle.
He allowed his own people from the high tower’s rear-guard action to proceed forward.
He let a few Common People from the lower Third Level out of the tower just last night; his method was very simple.
If the high tower safeguard couldn’t even figure out any problems, then he shouldn’t have entrusted Yan Ziban with staying to defend the high tower in the first place.
Well was full of questions.
For at the end of the day—these questions were still unresolved.
They were the undercurrent behind the picketing, various strikes, and parades below the third level in those days.
"All of it was just a sham to hoodwink us, to make us lay down our arms for their redistribution of wealth!"
"Who would believe such nonsense? The ancient tower destroyed by some monster?"
"Are there really people so naive as to think they’d fight for the tower? What sort of defensive wars are those?"
While the others would inevitably be assigned to that so-called unavoidable duty, the old masters, clinging to the old customs of the tower, would remain above.
Some even believed that every plot unfolding was in fact about wealth and resource distribution.
Many from below the third level had started to rise, enticed by these whispers.
This seemed to be merely a thin veneer masking a fundamental truth: there was no need for a powerful force to maintain the wall of classes, it just needed to accumulate quietly over time.
Only by shattering these age-old thresholds could people make a stand after seven hundred years of hard work.
They would swallow that old trick, but then again, many places were not truly as they seemed.
This rhetoric managed to occupy the moral high ground, something that seemed to lend it even more weight.
"The tower is ours just as much as it’s yours! We won’t be driven away from our tower!"
"You want us to give up... all this?"
"Look! Look at my people, who have been striving for generations for seven hundred years! At last, the day has come to rewrite the destiny of those at the bottom! Those sitting on high have no more privilege!"
"Was all of our hard work in vain? You want us to leave, but we are still here."
"In those dark days, we persisted in the lower third level, ready to rise in place of the nobility. At long last, our careful planning and hard work paid off in Mechanism City."
It wasn’t long before Well would find someone to talk through his "sleeves," a term that apparently had something similar.
The situation at the banquet grew more tense, becoming a kind of fortification, a visible resistance.
There was plenty of gossip within the high tower.
Not a few people sneered at the thought of Well’s unavoidable duties.
It was unlikely that anyone would willingly abandon the tower they had inhabited for centuries in a flash.
People fear any drastic change in their environment.
And these obstacles began with the mysterious white fog. Of course, there were many other hindrances along the way.
Little Bai started to lay hands on this task not long after he returned from the white fog.
It was Well who was now poised to guide these people through their transition.
Many of them were from the lower working class of the tower, or miners from beyond the sixth level; not a few were involved but not participatory.
All those with life companions above the third rank had joined the external tower defense battle.
The tower was busy with the so-called "old guards," especially during the grand battle outside the tower when everyone had to move.
...
...
Being prepared for this confrontation was crucial, and now every preparation had to be even more carefully considered.
As remarkable as those stories from Little Bai were, a large-scale search seemed even more crucial to discern how to survive, especially after so many perilous experiences.
"We must be due for a tough fight next. Let’s all take this chance to rest up a bit, we won’t be able to slip away from this," Qin said, very swiftly following up on the preparations of Squad Seven’s three members.
Wang nodded without a word—it was indeed the right thing to do.
"Only a change in protective team formation—nothing more than that, it’s a pity that we can’t be together anymore. And after the great battle is over, who knows what will come next for them," smiled Wang, always so absurdly optimistic.
Li had joined Common People’s military inspection team for the first time when he was still under interrogation, while Wang from Squad Thirty had immediately struck up a good relationship.
In truth, Squad Thirty’s relationship with Liu’s Squad Seventy had been quite good from the start.
"It’s such a shame. The team just can’t seem to get along with Liu’s squad... but then, everyone in Liu’s squad is like that..." Li muttered as he gazed at Squad Seventy with a hint of regret.
Even though he was just a lad and he regarded Wang as no match for Little Bai, who had surpassed the white fog, Lin Rouwu still agreed with him on this point: the Captain had a certain charm.
Wang said, "That’s why everyone wants to defend him and he wants to defend everyone. That’s the charm of the Captain. Though his character isn’t entirely flawless, not shying away from using himself as a shield shows he doesn’t lack a willingness to protect Liu’s squad."
Little Bai scratched his head. "Isn’t that what being in a protective squad means? Always at the forefront, always..."
And yet, in the end, it was Little Bai’s formidable strength revealed in the fight at the white fog that truly mattered.
Although inside he regarded the Captain as more trustworthy, Lin Rouwu couldn’t help but admit there was something more formidable about the white fog, despite its dangers.
"But I have to admit, I like the Captain more, though that doesn’t mean the white fog is not dangerous. You see, Merchant Li, the Captain is really tough, and so are they..." Wang retorted, a bit annoyed.
Merchant Li chuckled as he watched Wang and Lin Rouwu start another playful argument. "Well, the Captain is obviously more formidable."
"The Captain has no dangers like the white fog?"
"He’s definitely the most dangerous, aside from the team leaders; however, the white fog is also quite lethal,"
Wang chuckled, "Heh heh,
"I actually admire the white fog quite a bit. It should fight just like him, very effectively. Ah, that you can never predict where it’s going. *Cough cough*, but no, it’s me who lacks the strength,"
Lin said softly.
Wang was not averse to a bit of gossip about himself. He just wanted more comrades-in-arms in this strange environment, looking away from whatever taboos existed.
"Although team leader Liu and I have different styles, we’re fundamentally the same kind of people. But after I joined the Seventh Squad, things have been pretty good,"
"I was always the vanguard, protecting the team in the rear... Actually, I’ve been way too complacent since the Third Level, always acting like a hero,"
Wang said, shaking his head.
Lin, Wang, and Little Bai were having a trivial conversation unrelated to the tower.
They were three grown men gathered together.
The Seventh Squad’s vanguard team hadn’t formed up completely; they were missing because Qin Lin and Little Bai were somewhere else, and Yin Frost was in the middle of something.
Little Bai also looked over at Wang.
"Think of it as a life experience, kid. Remember, your old man was once on the Third Level," Wang said, looking at Lin.
They could still feel the usual tension; this would be a real battle.
Perhaps humans would be pushed to their limits, their environment could drastically warp, and the world might enter a twisted state after this battle, which would be unimaginable.
They could explore or contemplate things, be calm or have moments of sadness...
Was there something more important than all that?
—Protecting the existence of human civilization beyond everything else, they had to guard the tower even though many people did not know why they had received the command to protect it.
What were these strange creatures attacking the tower for?
Would it truly be destroyed?
Was it some kind of extraterrestrial inscription, or was it human writing?
Where did it originate from?
Staring at the bizarre code on the tower’s walls, people, or at least those who considered it a spectacle or odd curiosity, would always produce endless conjectures.
The tower seemed to have infinite floors.
Its height was so vast that even craning their necks, they could not see the top; none of them had ever imagined a tower so tall.
In reality, everyone was somewhat concerned with the tower.
The group was half alert, half relaxed, speaking every other sentence about the sky above.
They had also replaced all their equipment with new ones and replenished their ammo and medicines in full supply.
Even though a few moments had passed, ninety-five’s motivation, which had been unwaveringly increasing to the point of becoming an obsession, remained in his heart.
Although he did not feel tired, he had finally initiated the mirror domain.
This was the very front, facing the crowd, where the evil mirror had always been.
Not lacking in a kind of sarcastic charm, Li, somewhat shocked at these words, was provided with considerable comfort.
"Don’t worry, I won’t be a burden to you if I encounter danger," ninety-five nodded.
"Only if I encounter danger will I not save you; you stubbornly want to show off knowing full well you’re not really capable, meddling in affairs too much," Li glared fiercely at ninety-five.
His words came out bluntly, but there was a certain taunting meaning to them.
In reality, this sentence from ninety-five was utterly sincere, despite his outward indifference, "Who do you think you are not looking after?"
"You haven’t been hurt, have you?" ninety-five asked.
Li and ninety-five, still finding breathing somewhat difficult, couldn’t catch a break.
Although the pressure made everyone feel oppressed, it was still noticeable at night, but quite different from during the day.
At night, the evil breath seemed boundless and inexhaustible.
During the day, the power of the evil presence was weaker, noticeable only to people.
Although it was still an overwhelming dark pressure, just borrowing mortal eyes could reveal so many strange, powerful, and vicious nuances within it.
Looking into the far distance, planning strategies as daylight slowly encroached, "Is this... Does it mean they’ve already died off so much that their invasion has slowed down?"
The tower was sturdier than most people’s imaginations; although it would occasionally be breached like a net catching fish, it remained perfectly intact.
—After a long night of arduous defense, a colossal protective barrier, enhanced by Li and ninety-five’s joined hands, remained.
As the dark blue of night slowly faded away, giving way to the clear pattern of the tower as dawn approached,
