Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 527: Chapter 144: The True Protagonist Returns

Eternal Bank.

As the safest bank under the Pride Consortium, there is nearly no possibility of breaching it from the front.

The 168-meter-tall building has a total of forty-two floors, each equipped with a large number of security personnel—all of them power users.

And they are equipped with the most sophisticated technology of the Pride Consortium.

Even infiltration is hopeless.

To rob or steal an item from the safety deposit box in the Eternal Bank, the difficulty is almost impossible.

"Wu Jiu" began to explain the risks inside to Bai Wu:

"Almost all the security personnel are top-notch power users, each one of them a character that poses a huge headache for the Rebel Army."

"But that’s not all, the location of the Eternal Bank is close to the Order Supervision Institute. Once an alarm is triggered, the Order Faction will arrive within two minutes. They would immediately seal off the scene."

"As for infiltration, it’s even less possible. The surveillance of the Eternal Bank is practically flawless. And these surveillance feeds appear not only in the bank’s internal monitoring room, but also in other institutions of the Pride Consortium."

Bai Wu frowned, it seemed that the Eternal Bank really had no weak points.

"What about infiltration by cutting power? Is there any room for maneuver?" Bai Wu asked.

"Wu Jiu" shook his head:

"Forget it, it’s only possible to interrupt a part, and even if the whole thing was cut off, it would be useless."

"Because the person in charge of the Pride Consortium has command over Sequence 101 Legion, and many under him have gained a part of his abilities."

"To my knowledge, there are four individuals who possess spy satellites. These people can observe the visuals of the Eternal Bank from thousands of miles away."

"That is to say, there is not a moment when the Eternal Bank is not under surveillance."

Even the Jack of Spades frowned:

"This level of security almost eliminates any possibility of infiltration or forced attack. It’s troublesome, Little Bai, it seems there’s no way you can get your stuff back."

Jing Liu was curious:

"He mentioned Sequence but did not mention Evil Fallen. What is the connection between the power structure of this world and the real world?"

Bai Wu relayed the question. "Wu Jiu" responded:

"Just as humans represent a certain parameter of the real world, following complex rules, this world operates similarly."

"However, it’s certain that the stronger you are in this world, the more terrifying you will become once you return to the real world."

"As an outsider, if you become a power user from an ordinary person in the Well World, you might already be a top-tier, powerful being when you return to reality."

"Just like the outsider from seven hundred years ago, you start with a set of decent abilities, but to gain true power... you must continuously improve in this world."

Bai Wu asked:

"There are no Evil Fallen?"

"There are, but here, Evil Fallen are extremely pure creatures. Their forms are bizarre, yet they emanate no twisted aura."

"Evil Fallen, being kind in nature, mostly do not wish to be enemies with humans. Hence, they were driven out to the Pure Well Area."

Well then, Evil Fallen have become pure creatures.

Bai Wu thought of the creatures encountered in the upper spaces of the Well and got a rough understanding.

In the real world, humans are driven by the Evil Fallen to desperately survive within the High Tower.

In the Well World, the Evil Fallen become small animals that are easy to bully.

Of course, just as Wu Jiu had mentioned before, while many things might be inverse between the two worlds, the overall correspondence is quite complex, and it’s not a matter of simply understanding it as a reversed world.

"There are also a few Evil Fallen in lower layers, these Evil Fallen are relatively powerful, and they correspond to some parameters too, but because they are too powerful, they are beings that modern technology and power users find very difficult to kill."

"Lower layers?"

""

Bai Wu vaguely remembered something but couldn’t grasp it. Upon seeing this, 10 of Spades said:

"We will stay on this layer for a long time, and there’s no need to consider moving to the next one for now. However, it’s clear that deeper secrets about the Well lie on the next layer."

"You need to know how to move on to the next layer, but not right now."

"The Eternal Bank is tough to break into unless you can retrieve what belongs to you."

of Spades emphasized each word: "Prayle’s Eye."

"Only by getting that back will you be able to see the flaws in the seemingly flawless Eternal Bank."

"It is the very tool that helped you defeat your Sister Six."

Jing Liu glared at 10 of Spades. But she had to admit that Bai Wu possessed a Sequence ability that could see through cause and effect without any cost.

"With it, you can see through the guard’s layout, spot all the blind spots in their surveillance, and even decrypt the vault’s combination in an alternative way."

"To infiltrate the Eternal Bank, you definitely need your Mischievous Eye."

"But here lies the paradox, the Sequence and the prop are stored in the Eternal Bank. You can’t retrieve your Sequence without robbing the bank, and you can’t rob the bank without retrieving your Sequence."

"Tsk tsk... what to do in such a situation?"

These words from 10 of Spades were undoubtedly a reminder for Bai Wu to change his approach.

Bai Wu indeed felt inspired and showed a thoughtful expression.

"Wu Jiu" did not disturb Bai Wu; his original plan was to have Bai Wu kill some people on the list and gradually work his way up in Well City. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

However, Bai Wu apparently did not intend to advance so slowly.

Although he had no memories, Bai Wu’s intuition told him that many important people were waiting for him in another world.

Bai Wu went over all the information he had collected these days.

"First, a projection as Zero sought me out, insisting that I must assassinate the person before me."

"Then, the person projected as the Captain is most likely the real Rebel Army, and many people on this floor might also be part of the Rebel Army."

"But this person in front of me hasn’t exposed himself."

"Which means that I, as of now, hold the most information. I know that Zero is a fake from the Rebel Army, and the Captain is the real Rebel Army."

"If Zero is a fake Rebel Army, he must belong to one of the seven financial consortiums."

"And earlier, the Captain mentioned a Legion with Sequence 101, which seems to be an ability to project one’s own Sequence outward. Pride Consortium has four spy satellites; does this imply that the spy satellites originated from the Pride Consortium?"

"So it’s very likely that the person projecting himself as Zero is a core figure of the Pride Consortium."

"Zero wants me to find an opportunity to kill the Captain because he thinks the Captain belongs to another consortium... But what if Zero found out about the Captain being part of the Rebel Army?"

"Wouldn’t Zero then want more information?"

"The Rebel Army commits murder and arson; they embody evil in Well City."

"The seven financial consortiums fight each other but would never truly go to war, so isn’t it all just a struggle for prestige and assets?"

"If Zero could eradicate the Rebel Army, he would certainly want to trace the vine to remove the Rebel Army or use them to strike at his opponents."

"And since the projection is Zero, as 10 of Spades said, Zero in the real world takes unusual care of me, so the Zero in the Well World... must also be quite fond of me."

"I have to use all this to my advantage. I can’t retrieve all my belongings, but at least... I can get my eye back. With the Sequence, the rest of the work should unfold smoothly."

Bai Wu saw the light.

The hints dropped by 10 of Spades proved to be a very correct enlightenment for Bai Wu.

"You’ve been silent for quite a while, have you thought of something?"

"I have indeed thought of a few things. I want to betray the Captain."

Considering Bai Wu’s initial self-inflating statements during the interview, "Wu Jiu" was no longer surprised.

"Go on."

"The person who hired me to assassinate the captain owns a spy satellite sequence, so there’s a high probability they are from the Pride Consortium."

"At the same time, this person’s projection is someone I knew in the real world, a person who, despite being Evil Fallen, does not belong to Evil Fallen."

"So perhaps this person is a breakthrough point. And I need you, Captain, to provide me with some material that could lead someone to associate you with the Rebel Army. This material should not be enough to determine that you are in the Rebel Army, but it should be enough to make someone suspect you."

Wu Jiu understood:

"Plan to use this material as bait, change their assassination plans, and at the same time demonstrate your own value to seek a reward?"

"The captain is really too clever."

Black Spade Ten watched this scene unfold and smiled without saying a word, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

Bai Wu continued:

"I have to get something back. Once I have that thing, not to mention the Eternal Bank, I’d dare to break into any bank in heaven and earth."

"But by doing so, you would undoubtedly increase the risk of exposing your own identity, Captain. It’s like a gamble."

Wu Jiu also fell silent for a moment, then said:

"When I leave later, I will hang the keys to the conference room on the door, and there will be some documents on the conference table. Since the spy satellite is watching you, I can’t give them to you openly."

"Understood, understood."

In another world, Bai Wu and Wu Jiu began to cooperate once again.

Jing Liu looked at Black Spade Ten:

"You seem to enjoy all this?"

"Can’t a con artist have a private life and trust someone? To me, Little Bai is like a son."

"Yeah, right."

"Actually, now you really are a ghost... Besides, why does nobody ever believe me when I tell the truth?"

...

...

The next day, in the sewers.

It had only been two days, and Arcas was already taking Bai Wu to the sewers.

Seeing the box that Bai Wu was carrying, Arcas thought it was the head of the person who had been causing the consortium such a headache.

He found it incredible, had the other party really completed the task so quickly?

But it was only after he opened that door in the darkness and saw Zero that Arcas realized it wasn’t a human head.

"You didn’t complete your task, yet you came here. Do you know there’s a risk of exposure?" Zero looked at Bai Wu.

Bai Wu smiled:

"As a member of the Rebel Army, don’t you think your base is a bit clichéd?"

Zero frowned: "What do you mean?"

"It’s quite simple. The real Rebel Army is hidden in plain sight, perhaps nestled within upscale office buildings."

"The fake Rebel Army, on the other hand, chooses the sewers based on their own stereotypical image of rebels. Please, they’re the Rebel Army, not the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

Bai Wu acted nonchalantly and then threw the box to Zero.

"Sir, I don’t mind going undercover, but could you not insult my intelligence? You say you are with the Rebel Army, yet you have me target the Rebel Army?"

This time it was Zero’s turn to be surprised:

"What are you talking about? You’re saying the assassination target is in the Rebel Army?"

"The evidence is in the box. Didn’t you also have me under surveillance? Though you told me not to concern myself with other materials, in fact... I’m just a disobedient person. Fortunately, this time there was an unexpected surprise."

Zero started to go through the documents in the box.

The contents of the file were cryptic, but they indeed proved some things.

Because of the existence of spy satellites, all the major consortiums started researching cipher paper, a kind of paper that could block the initial line of sight and mislead it.

So the spy satellites of the Pride Consortium weren’t omniscient, either.

At this moment, "Zero" realized that the content of these documents, which on the surface appeared to be insurance information, was actually some sort of trade.

The nature of these trades... would cause losses to the interests of all the major consortiums.

Even to the Sloth Consortium, where "Wu Jiu," according to "Zero’s" deduction, was employed.

If the deed "Wu Jiu" had done wasn’t harming just a few consortiums and benefiting his own but was, instead, harmful to all consortiums... did it mean that "Wu Jiu’s" real identity was with the Rebel Army?

Everything made sense then.

But "Zero" was not foolish, this projector, though not as capable as the Zero in the real world who could calculate everything in Mechanical City, was still a top figure in the Pride Consortium:

"Just these alone aren’t enough to prove anything."

Bai Wu, of course, knew that if he hammered the captain to death with one blow, what was the point of him being a double agent?

He said with a smile:

"So you are not the Rebel Army. If you really were, how could you possibly not know?"

"If you were from the Order Faction, you could have just said so earlier. Honestly, in the real world, I am a law-abiding citizen. Suddenly coming to this world and playing the role of a rogue named Bai San is something I’m really not used to."

"Zero" thought for a while and knew that continuing to hide would be pointless, and might even make the person before him feel that he was not worthy of the organization’s trust.

And this person before him, although he hadn’t eliminated the target, had brought back important intelligence, and that was just in two days... Bai Wu had shown quite a high value.

This solidified "Zero’s" intention to recruit Bai Wu.

"That’s right, we are not the Rebel Army."

"That must be tough for you guys... to play the role of the Rebel Army, you guys picked such a place."

"Zero" didn’t know whether he had just been bantered by Bai Wu:

"This was mainly considering that you came from the real world, and you might be more willing to join the Rebel Army."

"I don’t want to hand over a token of submission to express my thoughts, but I’m not an idiot. When I realized the assassination target might be from the Rebel Army, my first reaction was elation, because I figured that you were most likely not from the Rebel Army but from one of the seven consortiums."

"I’m just an opportunist, I don’t like the trope of triumphing with lesser strength; I would rather my backer be strong enough. Because only a strong enough boss can afford a salary expensive enough."

"Next, I will help you gather enough evidence, but I have a small request."

"What’s the request?"

"I need to get my Sequence back. I can do without my memories, do without my weapons, but I need to have an ability that I’m familiar with, an ability which, to my understanding, shouldn’t be of much use to others."

Everything was going smoothly, and if his direct superior wasn’t "Wu Jiu," Bai Wu couldn’t have obtained these materials.

Similarly, if his direct superior wasn’t "Zero," Bai Wu would not have had such smooth sailing in the next phase.

At five o’clock in the early morning of the third day, under the guidance of Arcas, Bai Wu arrived at an abandoned warehouse.

Sequences existed in a special form in this world.

It was like a piece of paper filled with Sequence text, which, upon reading... the text would vanish from the paper.

But it didn’t mean that just anyone could understand the contents.

Only the corresponding person could read it and instantly grasp it without any barriers.

Attempting to forcefully read a Sequence not belonging to oneself would take an extremely long time.

However, Bai Wu wasn’t concerned about these things for the time being.

When he finally got his Sequence back, and saw the note suddenly popping up in his eyes, he revealed an enchanting smile.

[ohhhhhhhh! My audience friends, I’ve missed you to death! Congratulations on making the best decision of your life, let your secretary see your next itinerary, okay, found it! Next, we’re going to rob a bank! The Robber Navigation System will navigate for you the entire way!]