Endless Debt

Chapter 1238: Chapter 56: Office Battle Royale_2

"Mm." Mamo nodded lightly, and then asked, "Have you thoroughly familiarized yourself with the various aspects within the Ruins District?"

"I have," Bologue was quite dedicated to the operation, he almost memorized it, "but understanding from text never compares to real experience."

A staff member quickly walked over and whispered something in Mamo’s ear, after which Mamo said, "They’re ready, you can set off at any time."

Bologue nodded, and more staff members surrounded him, some fastening him with a gear belt filled with items Bologue would use, others injecting Alchemy Potion into him, ensuring he was in peak condition. freewёbnoνel.com

With his hands raised, Bologue felt as if he were a doll, being dressed up by others.

Mamo stood in front of Bologue, giving him his final instructions.

"The Ruins District has been out of control for too long, our records have been interrupted for many years, now no one knows the exact situation inside," Mamo said, "What I worry most is that the independent spaces of each department are fusing into one, falling into total distortion and mutation."

Bologue said, "And... if I get lost there, there’s a good chance I won’t be coming back, right?"

Mamo nodded heavily, "The space is completely chaotic, even time is distorted accordingly."

Bologue sighed deeply, and the huge winch started turning. Staff members drew a radiant line from it, wrapping it tightly around Bologue’s waist.

"What is this?"

Bologue examined the golden thread, its state exuding a sense of superposition, appearing as some sort of pure energy, untouchable yet seemingly possessing physical form.

"This is the essential Ethereal Line for exploring the Ruins District, composed of completely pure, intertwined Ether," Mamo continued, "Have you heard of the Minotaur’s labyrinth?"

"I have, so you’re saying this line will guide my path?" Bologue asked.

"Exactly, when the Ether reserve is sufficient, this Ethereal Line can theoretically extend infinitely, unaffected by external forces, even if space is distorted. When you return, just follow this line to find your way back."

As the staff members stepped away, Bologue turned around, the Ethereal Line had no sense of weight. If it weren’t visible to the naked eye, Bologue would almost feel it was nonexistent.

Checking his equipment, Bologue then picked up his Vengeful Saw Axe, inserting it into the sagging Sword Bag behind him. After hesitating for a moment, he still extended his hand and retrieved a mottled Hand Axe from a suitcase.

Vengeful Saw Axe.

Understanding the story behind the Vengeful Saw Axe made Bologue always wary of this bloodthirsty Hand Axe, but he had no choice, this was the price of power.

Inserting the Hand Axe into the thigh holster, Bologue was now truly fully armed.

"Your mission target is the containment zone, the safe passage to the Holy City is there," Mamo reminded.

"Containment zone... alright, I got it."

In the eyes of the Order Bureau, the crucial safe passage also requires containment, but no one expected the collapse of the Cultivation Room to drag that area into chaos.

The Cultivation Room was originally part of the Void Realm in the Holy City, so the two had some spatial overlap. Now Mamo is very concerned that the space within the Ruins District might be merging with the Holy City too.

No one has stepped into the Ruins District for too long, all the existing intelligence may be outdated, and this worries Mamo immensely.

"Don’t push yourself, Bologue." Mamo warned softly in the end.

"It’s fine, I’m an expert." Bologue looked confident.

"If you encounter a crisis that can’t be solved, remember to take refuge in the Safety House."

Mamo didn’t heed Bologue’s confidence, instead continuing to advise him. In order to safely operate in the Ruins District, the Order Bureau had set up many Safety Houses in sporadic low-chaos regions, and Mamo doesn’t know if they still exist now.

"I’m leaving."

Bologue strode forward, the elevator doors opened, he walked in, then turned around, waving at Mamo until the elevator doors closed again.

As the elevator doors closed, absolute silence descended inside the narrow elevator. Bologue’s emotions showed no change as he looked down at the row of buttons.

Like the elevator in the Pillar Courtyard, there were no floor numbers on the buttons, only one symbol after another. Many symbols dimmed, indicating that the elevator was impassable.

Bologue raised his hand, stroking a row of buttons, then gently pressed the button at the far end.

The button had a peculiar symbol, three faces arranged side by side, each one sealing eyes, mouth, ears.

This was the symbol of the Containment Department.

"Sorry, Mamo, mission priority."

Glancing at the list Mamo had given him, most of the targets were located in the Old Sublimation Furnace Core and the Old Logistics Department areas, which were contrary to Bologue’s priority targets. But this didn’t mean Bologue didn’t plan to help; he intended to find a safe route through the Ruins District first, then deal with these secondary objectives.

"Ding!"

A crisp sound rang out, followed by the slow opening of the elevator doors.

Bologue suppressed his breath, all his muscles tense, ready to handle potential crises. But as the elevator doors fully opened, a scene beyond his anticipation emerged.

What met Bologue’s eyes was a familiar office area, countless figures silently busy with their work. Everyone was surrounded by their task and job, the air filled with the buzzing of printers, the rustle of pens across paper, and soft whispering, creating an oppressive atmosphere.

Bologue walked out of the elevator perplexedly; there was no sense of space distortion here, everything was normal.

"Logistics Department?"

Bologue wondered inwardly if the elevator had malfunctioned, sending him back to the ordinary Logistics Department?

The office was tidy and clean, each desk had neat stationery and folders, white low walls partitioned each workstation, forming a personal space. The walls displayed white cloth paintings showing various work progress and deadlines.

The staff wore the familiar occupational attire Bologue recognized, each head bowed, in an endless sea of bobbing heads.

Everyone was silent, there was no laughter, each person absorbed in their own world, busily completing tasks, striving for work efficiency and quality.

Bologue slowly moved forward, as he approached a workstation, a staff member noticed Bologue’s arrival. He abruptly raised his head, revealing a blank face to Bologue.

The blank face exuded an eerie atmosphere that sent chills down one’s spine, its perfect smoothness devoid of any wrinkles or blemishes; it looked like a mask, flawlessly unblemished.

No eyes, no nose, no mouth, the face bore no features, the blank face akin to a blank canvas, skin smooth without a wrinkle or flaw, seemingly a perfect mask.

In that moment of Bologue’s stunned silence, its entire head split, transforming into a vertical gaping red mouth, with exposed sharp teeth, looking twisted and creepy, deep red light emitted from the mouth like a Demon flame, burning the surrounding air.

Suddenly, a maddening scream erupted from the bloody maw, the sound like a signal, the other "staff" halted their work, each raising their heads. Instantly countless blank faces turned toward Bologue, then split open, all letting out that overwhelming shriek.

Bologue felt as if his eardrums were being torn apart. He decisively drew his Vengeful Saw Axe, cursing inwardly.

Sometimes being too dedicated isn’t good because your boss will dump a lot of dirty work on you.

"The more capable, the more work, huh!"

Bologue growled, slicing off the creature’s head with one slash.