Free Web NovelInside the Li Gate, in a small, cluttered storeroom filled with bottles and jars, the dim yellow light flickered.
A man with a pale, haggard face, as if he hadn't had a good night's sleep in months, sat at an old, dusty wooden table, burying his head in a steaming bowl of plain noodles.
He ate with great care and seriousness; the moment he put down his chopsticks, not only were the noodles and vegetables completely gone, but not even a drop of soup or a single scallion remained.
Hunqiu Luming watched the man finish his noodles quietly, finally unable to resist complaining, “The dignified Eclipse Society President has fallen to such a miserable state; you’re truly one of a kind! Did you hear that? The former Chairmen are weeping!”
The man looked at Hunqiu Luming and gave a bitter smile, saying, “Excuse me, there have been too many trivial matters lately. I’ve been late for work several times and even took two days off. This month, my salary is less than two thousand yuan, and a good portion of it went to cat food, so I can only save on food.”
“...” Hunqiu Luming fell silent for a brief moment after hearing this.
Who would have thought that the infamous Eclipse Society President would be such an eccentric corporate slave, so poor he couldn't afford food and had to spend half his salary on cats?
If the former Chairmen of the Eclipse Society knew this, they would probably really cry!
“Alright, let’s get to the point, shall we?” Hunqiu Luming said. “You’re here, so you’re probably not just looking for sympathy, right? Let me state upfront! Stuck in this godforsaken place, I don’t have any money to lend you.”
“No need to borrow money. I just found a part-time job as a designated driver, starting tomorrow night. It should help with household expenses,” the man said unhurriedly.
His tone was particularly flat when he spoke, as if a humble corporate slave was telling an old friend how he had to work several extra jobs after work to earn milk money for his child, but then he suddenly changed the subject, astonishingly revealing that his part-time job was as a Syrian mercenary.
“I came to tell you, mainly, that Lu Yibei is about to advance to Calamity,” he paused, then added, “This is news from the Phoenix’s informant at the Tethys Laboratory, transmitted ten minutes ago.”
“According to that informant, the experimenters at the Tethys Laboratory responsible for observing that kind of fluctuation observed an abnormal fluctuation, and through analysis, discovered that the target of that fluctuation was precisely Disaster.”
Upon hearing the man’s words, Hunqiu Luming was slightly surprised.
Although he had long known that the Tethys Laboratory, under the control of the Eclipse Society Elder Council, had mastered the method of observing that mysterious fluctuation, what he hadn't expected was that in just a few years, the Tethys Laboratory had made new breakthroughs and found a way to analyze that fluctuation.
One must know that the Night Watch, which originated from the same source as the Eclipse Society, until he was imprisoned deep within the Li Gate, still required a diviner of Zhang Huainan's level to observe and analyze that fluctuation originating from the world's essence, and only by paying a huge price could it be done.
However, this was also to be expected.
Twin brothers, when they grow up, will still have completely different life paths!
After all, the Night Watch couldn't be like the Eclipse Society, resorting to all means when developing various technologies, completely disregarding the consequences.
Seeing that Hunqiu Luming didn't speak, the man thought he still had doubts about what he said, so he added another sentence.
“Furthermore, Unique also sent me a message, saying that more than ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) half of the secondary destruction factors they were monitoring had experienced varying degrees of unrest in the past half hour.”
Dolly von Unique, like Adelaide Phoenix, is also an important member of the Eclipse Society President's faction, but Phoenix's work focuses on scientific research and making money, while Unique has been engaged in intelligence work for many years.
“Heh, destruction factors?” Lu Ming sneered, “I don’t really like that term. It makes it sound like they are destined to cause destruction.”
“Isn’t that so?” the man asked, puzzled.
“Of course not!” Lu Ming denied decisively. “They still have the possibility of choosing to resist, or being forced to defy the guidance of fate, don’t they? Otherwise, there wouldn’t be the so-called Extinction-Bringer of Old Days.”
“Haven’t you always followed the so-called rules? The fact that those Extinction-Bringer of Old Days can exist until now shows that their existence conforms to certain rules. If so, why can’t Xiao Bei follow that set of rules?” freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
“Don’t worry! Xiao Bei won’t accept such a dubious gift. If you ask why... it’s probably because her Old Dad taught her well since childhood!”
Of course, it’s also because Xiao Bei has a pair of eyes that can see the truth... Lu Ming added in his heart.
“...” The man listened, then fell silent for a moment, quietly lit a low-quality cigarette, took a deep drag, and said expressionlessly, “Is that what you think?”
He really wanted to tell Lu Ming that it was precisely because of the repeated failures of those Extinction-Bringer of Old Days that the later factors for destroying the world became increasingly powerful and their abilities increasingly unpredictable, but facts proved that there were always people or urban legend who could stop them.
Although at present, with the progress of human civilization, this time's destruction factor is even more terrifying than those from more than three hundred years ago, if someone could stop the end from coming three hundred years ago, then he dared not assert that there would be no chance this time.
After all, that also conformed to the rules.
A negative rule that would invite severe punishment.
“What do you think he will choose?” the man asked.
“How would I know?” Hunqiu Luming’s body flickered a few times, as if shrugging, seemingly completely unconcerned about the outcome. “No matter what Xiao Bei chooses, she is my child, and I will support her.”
“Parents who overly interfere with their children’s choices are not good parents.”
The man frowned, “Aren’t you worried that she will be corroded by the world’s malice if she rejects that gift?”
“Why worry?” Lu Ming asked, puzzled. “It’s just the world’s malice... at most, life will be a bit harder in the future, but no one will die.”
“I’ll even be happy for her! At least under the influence of the world’s malice, she’ll have an extra life-saving charm and won’t die so easily.”
“Which parent doesn’t wish for their child to live a long life?”
Hearing this, the man fell silent for a moment, then finally spoke, changing the subject, “I’d like to stay here a bit longer, until the result comes out. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Ah! Why be so formal?” Lu Ming said indifferently. “Just treat this place as your own home. Stay as long as you want.”
The man, “...”
Although... from a certain perspective, isn't Li Gate my own home?
Why am I so humble in front of him?
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It was exactly like facing the director at the company.
----
Under the impetus of a force that seemed impossible to defy, Lu Yibei drew closer and closer to the figure enveloped in flames.
The surging Spiritual Energy within her body surged like a tsunami, and under the sudden impact of terrifying power, she vaguely felt her internal organs wailing, on the verge of bursting.
Holy crap! This has gotten out of hand... Lu Yibei thought in horror.
It was exactly like being driven by curiosity, following a big brother home to see something interesting, only to find out that not only was she forced to watch some unpleasant things, but also forced to do some unpleasant things.
She instinctively opened her mouth and let out a painful wail, but the moment she opened her mouth, the terrifying Spiritual Energy from the figure enveloped in flames surged in.
In an instant, it was as if she had drunk scalding molten iron; an intense burning sensation poured into her body from between her lips, incinerating her throat like raging fire, igniting her body, and sealing her painful moans within her throat.
“There is Zhong Mountain, there is a woman in Qingyi...”
“It is the mist that obscures the eyes, and also the star that guides the storm...”
“Born a divine spirit, speaking her own name, with dark ink as praise, singing 'Nine Shao'...”
“Driving the figures of steel...”
“Death, rebirth, redemption, cruelty, hero, Disaster...”
“...”
The murmuring voices describing different authorities, and the voices heard earlier when peeking into the hearts of those tribal warriors and Longxiang Army Armored Soldiers, resonated from the depths of Lu Yibei’s soul, echoing and gradually intensifying.
The next moment, her consciousness seemed to be thrown by an irresistible force to a height immeasurable by human units; countless phantoms layered upon each other, and in an instant all the murmurs “shattered.” freewebnøvel.com
Like being thrown into a blender by someone, they turned into fragmented, chaotic syllables.
Forced to listen to those chaotic syllables, she seemed to hallucinate, perceiving a large number of complex, incomprehensible images.
It was a very strange experience, as if seeing pictures or text, sounds would involuntarily echo in her mind, or hearing specific music, she would hallucinate and see specific scenes, but it was more subtle, more ineffable.
What she saw was flames, was wasteland, was blood, was destruction caused by extreme power, was abstract concepts symbolizing various things, exuding terrifying power.
Those “syllables” with peculiar rhythms continuously arranged, combined, merged, and split... seemingly condensing into a phrase, blurry and indistinct, and images symbolizing certain things flickered in Lu Yibei’s mind.
Suddenly, her intuition told her that when she heard that blurry phrase and saw that flickering image, it would be the moment she gained her unique authority and advanced to Calamity!
But...
Once she advanced to Calamity under these circumstances, there might be no turning back, right?
Damn it! Is there no way to resist?
What kind of forced malicious bundling is this? Lu Yibei thought.
The instant this thought popped into her mind, a low murmur describing an authority suddenly condensed from the chaotic and disordered “syllables.”
Although that description of authority was still vague, some content could already be roughly distinguished.
“A Disaster above Calamity, a Disaster that changes misfortunes...”
It’s over! Has it already begun?
The moment she heard that description of authority, Lu Yibei's heart instantly chilled by half, and a sense of powerlessness quietly rose in her heart.
However, at this moment, she suddenly felt a force coming from behind her, pulling her consciousness backward, away from the figure enveloped in flames.
That force was very weak, like a gentle breeze, but it gave her, who was about to lose heart, great encouragement.
It was as if a drowning person had grasped the last straw.
As that force came, she vaguely heard a whisper.
Weak, fragmented, indistinct, as if someone was whispering behind her.
That whisper said, “Disaster, Disaster, avoid Disaster!”
The moment she clearly heard that voice, a warmth spread through Lu Yibei's heart.
That was the slogan once shouted by the Little Freaks of the 【Messenger of Love and Peace · Model of Morality and Conscience · Demoness Warrior Group of Handsome Men and Beautiful Women】.
Yes, regarding “Disaster,” it wasn’t just the fear and destructive cognition from the tribal warriors and Longxiang Army Armored Soldiers on the battlefield in front of Yumen Pass. Long ago, she had already left a trace of beautiful symbols in the hearts of countless urban legend and humans...
Lu Yibei was overjoyed that the power provided by those Little Freaks prevented her from continuing to approach the fiery figure, but the next moment, her mood plummeted.
She found that although the momentum of continued approach had temporarily stopped, the power of the Little Freaks was too weak; individually, they were even weaker than an adult, and completely insufficient to help her escape her predicament.
Simply put, she was stuck.
Lu Yibei, “...”
