Chaos Hand in Hand
Thanks to the mysterious young man's unexpected "assistance," Jiang Yu's hand passed through the merchant's hastily set-up defenses without any hindrance and grabbed the rusty compass.
It felt cool and heavy to the touch, as if it weren't metal, but some kind of frozen time and space. The moment the compass left her hand, the list in Jiang Yu's arms burst forth with intense heat, resonating strongly with the compass.
"You!" The merchant was filled with shock and rage. His body under his robe twisted violently, emitting terrifying energy fluctuations, and he was about to pounce on Jiang Yu without regard for anything else.
However, at this very moment—
"Boom!!"
A section of the market suddenly collapsed, shattering the space like glass. A massive, twisted, indescribable entity, composed of countless discarded machines, broken limbs, and chaotic energy, "crawled" out from the collapse. It had no fixed form, and wherever it passed, all matter, energy, and even rules were devoured, crushed, and assimilated.
This is the "Scavenger"! The ultimate purification mechanism used by the Void Market to eliminate "violators" or "over-contaminated entities"! Its appearance means that something extremely dangerous has infiltrated the market, or... there is an existence like Jiang Yu with a high concentration of "external authority" that has been identified by the market's underlying rules as a "virus" that needs to be eliminated.
The Cleaner's countless compound eye-like sensors instantly locked onto three targets: Jiang Yu, who held a compass and possessed the authority of a supreme god; the merchant with a strange aura who had clearly violated regulations by intercepting high-risk items; and the mysterious young man who also emitted unknown authority fluctuations.
"roar--!!!"
A devastating energy shockwave swept towards the three of them like a tsunami.
"Damn it, we've been mistaken for one of them!" the young man cursed, his figure flashing like a ghost as he dodged the main force of the shockwave. At the same time, he shouted to Jiang Yu, "Hey bro! Get out of here once you've got the stuff. This thing's dangerous. Meet up in the 'alley'! I know about the 'key'!"
The merchant no longer cared about Jiang Yu. Facing the Cleaner's attack, he let out a strange cry, and his entire stall and cart instantly shrank into a single point and disappeared, clearly using a life-saving method to escape. Although he was powerful, he seemed extremely unwilling to confront the Cleaner directly.
Jiang Yu sensed the terrifying power of the Cleaner, a power that threatened his very existence, and dared not be careless. He immediately put away his compass, swung his machete, and cleaved through the energy shockwave rushing towards him. At the same time, following the flashing emergency exit arrow that instantly appeared on the map, he rushed towards a secluded corner of the market.
The Cleaner was clearly not going to let him go easily; its massive body crushed countless stalls as it relentlessly pursued him. Its ability to annihilate rules was enough to terrify Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu rushed into a narrow alleyway filled with abandoned shipping containers. The cleaners behind him were already close, their huge shadows looming over him. He turned around abruptly, planted his machete in the ground, and once again activated his "Messenger Authority" with all his might.
"No passage allowed!"
An invisible barrier, imbued with the power of the main god's rules, instantly formed at the entrance of the alley. This was his deeper understanding and application of authority after confronting the "Abyss Sacrifice Field".
The scavenger slammed into the barrier with a deafening roar, causing the barrier to shake violently and crack, but it actually managed to temporarily stop it.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jiang Yu rushed to the end of the alley, where there was an inconspicuous teleportation portal that rippled like water—the emergency exit indicated on the list. He jumped into it without hesitation.
In the last moment before the teleportation light engulfed his vision, he glimpsed the mysterious young man, who had somehow appeared atop a nearby container, smiling and waving goodbye, seemingly completely unaffected by the Cleaner. And the Cleaner seemed to... have ignored his presence?
This "colleague" is becoming increasingly mysterious.
After the dizziness of the teleportation subsided, Jiang Yu found himself in a dimly lit, cramped space constructed from countless twisted metals and discarded data panels. It seemed to be part of the underground pipe network of the Void Marketplace, the air thick with the smell of machine oil and rust, and the unsettling roar of the Scavenger could be faintly heard fading into the distance—he was safe for the time being.
He immediately examined the compass in his hand. The resonance of the list had subsided, but the compass itself seemed to be sealed by some force, its specific function remaining unknown. It would take time to decipher it.
"Not bad, newbie." A familiar voice sounded from behind.
Jiang Yu whirled around, his machete instantly positioned in front of him. The mysterious young man was leaning lazily against a rusty pipe, having followed them there without Jiang Yu noticing.
"How did you get here?" Jiang Yu's eyes were sharp. He had confirmed that the portal was one-way and random, and it was impossible for the other party to track it precisely.
The young man smiled, pointed to his eyes, and a subtle flow of data seemed to flash deep within his pupils: "A little trick, not worth mentioning. Compared to this, don't you think you should thank me? If I hadn't interfered with that old swindler, you wouldn't have succeeded so easily."
"What is your purpose?" Jiang Yu remained vigilant. This "colleague" was behaving strangely and his stance was unclear.
"Purpose?" The young man shrugged. "It's simple. I've noticed that 'Landlord' hasn't had any new recruits for a while, and then suddenly a fierce guy like you pops up. I find it interesting. Besides, those lunatics from 'Nullification Core' have been making more and more noise lately, so having more helpers is always a good thing."
He did indeed know about the "Nullification Core".
Jiang Yu's heart stirred.
"Are you an 'Executor' from the 'Order' side?" Jiang Yu asked tentatively, repeating her earlier guess about the starlight figure.
“Executor? Pfft—” The young man laughed out loud. “Those rigid guys? I’m not one of them. If I had to say, I’d be… a ‘free agent’? Or a ‘chaotic good’? Anyway, I’m not one of them.” He walked up to Jiang Yu, his smile fading, and became a little more serious: “Let’s get to know each other formally. My name is ‘Zero,’ a free spirit who’s rather interested in the secrets of the Infinite Game’s underlying workings.”
“Jiang Yu. The rent collector.” Jiang Yu’s words were concise and to the point.
“Rent collector… Haha, that’s a fitting title!” Zero laughed again. “But buddy, the work you’re doing now goes far beyond just collecting rent. Cleaning up pollution sources, searching for system keys… You’re practically the landlord’s imperial envoy!”
Zero's expression turned somewhat amused: "It seems that the situation of that 'main god' old man is worse than I imagined. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let someone like you... well, a 'newbie messenger' take the brunt of such a huge disaster."
His words hit the nail on the head, demonstrating a profound understanding of the divine system.
"Do you know where the Supreme God is?" Jiang Yu asked the core question directly.
Zero shook his head: "I don't know the exact coordinates. That old fox is very well hidden. However, based on my intelligence and analysis, he is most likely seriously injured and hiding in some 'unregistered' original copy or spacetime rift to lick his wounds. The 'Nullification Core' was very ruthless in that sneak attack; it almost stole the property certificate for this 'building'."
He paused, looking at Jiang Yu: "If you want to find him, the key is the 'key.' That key is not only a tool for repairing system damage, but it is also said to be the only beacon for locating the main god's true form."
The information matches!
Jiang Yu gripped the compass tightly in her hand.
"Why did you help me?" Jiang Yu asked the last crucial question.
Zero grinned, revealing his pearly white teeth: "Two reasons. First, I don't like the 'Nullification Core.' Their philosophy of 'all things eventually perish' is too boring. I still prefer this lively, chaotic, infinite game. The second one..."
He leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of slyness, "I think you're a promising investment. Investing in you might make me a lot of money in the future. For example, if you really become a 'sub-landlord,' how about giving me a discount?"
Jiang Yu: "..." This guy's way of thinking is indeed unique.
After providing crucial information, Zero seemed to have no intention of lingering. He patted Jiang Yu on the shoulder: "Alright, you study the compass first. This thing is murky, related to the legacy of the 'Void Weavers,' so be careful. I have other fun to find. Next time we meet, I hope you can tell me more interesting things."
After he finished speaking, the space behind him distorted, and he disappeared as if he had merged into a data stream, vanishing without a trace.
Jiang Yu remained alone in the dimly lit alley, processing the vast amount of information she had received from Zero. The Main God was severely injured and in hiding; the "Key" was crucial for repairing the system and finding the Main God; the "Core of Annihilation" was the ultimate enemy; and mysterious beings like "Zero" could become allies or variables.
The road ahead is still shrouded in mist, but at least he now holds a crucial piece of the puzzle.
He looked down at the rusty compass; now it was time to decipher it and find the next piece of the "key." Meanwhile, the turmoil at the market, and the clash between the "rent collector" and the cleaner, would likely soon spread to higher levels, attracting even more attention and challenges.
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