Chapter 102 Gathering
Late at night, on the rooftop, heavy rain was pouring down.
This was the heaviest downpour in nearly a decade. The overloaded sewer system had ceased to function, and the streets were flooded with water like a river. Everything was blurred beneath the raging curtain of water, even the tall buildings in the distance looked like phantom beacons.
The man in front of the sniper rifle didn't move.
He had been waiting for three hours, not wearing a raincoat to prevent the slightest error. In such weather, even his muscles seemed to melt, and he was just a skeleton in front of the sniper rifle. Snipers don't like rainy days. Both wind and rain can bring fatal errors. The observer suggested retreating more than once, but he didn't respond.
Here it comes.
A whirring sound flashed through his earpiece, and a series of coordinates rapidly changed. He calculated the direction and fine-tuned the muzzle of his rifle. The heavy sniper rifle was trained on the office building window. His focus was intense, his eagle-like gaze piercing the glass, sweeping across the floors, like a bullet, towards the back of the building. The target was moving between buildings!
He fired simultaneously! Instantaneously, the gun roared, glass shattered, and a dazzling spray of blood erupted from the point of impact. He had succeeded! It was an unprecedented shot, a single, blind sniper on a stormy night, piercing through a building to kill his target. This was the only solution. Against that monstrous target, only such an absurd plan could possibly succeed!
The crackle of electricity. Voices. The observer's shout. His heart paused for a moment, then began beating furiously with a vengeance. The pounding of his heart threatened to shake him apart. He pushed hard against the gun, sliding across the flooded rooftop. He slid down through the only exit, water droplets flying from his hair, and landed with a javelin in his hand.
The elevator's indicator light flickered, and he leaped out the window, falling by inertia. A bloody mist spread across the distant rain, gathering like the fangs of a venomous snake. The man launched his claws, piercing a hole in the building across the way. He rushed into the tunnel blasted by the bullets, his face reflected in countless fragments.
The noise, the smell of blood, the distorted sound of rain—in an instant, he figured out the only possibility. He twisted his body and thrust his spear diagonally upwards. At the same moment, the ceiling collapsed, and stone chips fell like rain!
He saw a flash of silver knife!
“——!”
The man broke free from the nightmare, his lean body covered in sweat. He covered his face with his hands as if to tear his skull apart, the last bit of pain still lingering in his mind.
"Another nightmare." The girl next to him pressed against his back. "Why don't you buy a dream editing surgery?"
"No need." His voice was so hoarse that he surprised himself.
"Why would you live such a miserable life when you've achieved success?" The courtesan stood up and put on her clothes. "I can't bear to see my old patrons suffer like this."
The bedside lamp lit up, illuminating the woman's body, its paleness so vivid that it reminded him of the final flash of a knife. He threw a large pearl to her, then lay alone for another half an hour, listening to the incessant voices outside the window.
Six months ago, Sutton Harbor was a small town buried in the sand, quiet day and night, home to the impoverished and the observant prostitutes. After the reopening of shipping routes, speculators from the Shendong Realm flocked in, bringing with them their delusions, lies, and charts to the city of Huilong. Overnight, the town became wealthy yet vulgar, with guilds of commerce, gangs, assassins, and everything else resembling his hometown. The day the prostitutes stopped following the rules, that would be the day he left.
The man went to the bar downstairs and ordered a glass of iced milk. Three months ago, when the black-faced poet stayed, the place was packed, but now there were only a handful of customers. The milk was stale and had sugar added to it, so it was boring.
"Why don't you go find your mother for milk?"
The cup was snatched away, and the slicked-back young man made vulgar gestures of provocation, followed by a savage. "Remember Wrench Boy? The idiot you killed yesterday?"
He had no interest in listening to the endless chatter. "Listen, I don't care if you're a legend or some bullshit epic, this street is my territory..." He continued to chatter, but he ignored it, wanting to see what the thugs were capable of. The Zanshin behind him drew his sword. "My Liu Yao Yi Dao Liu is a demonic sword that kills without blood..."
A gunshot rang out. Two heads popped open like smashed watermelons, splattering red and white all over the table and smearing the grimy walls. The headless bodies staggered. The man pulled away the milk cup, and the unsupported bodies fell to the ground. A few scattered screams rang out.
It's meaningless.
The milk was dirty. He was about to ask the bartender for a new one when another man came and sat down at the table, stepped over the two headless bodies on the floor, and placed a new glass of milk on the bloody table.
"Try it," the short-haired man said. "It's imported from Jingsha City-State. It goes really well with the local mint tea."
He took a bite. "Not bad."
"I'm so glad to satisfy you, legendary gunslinger."
"Shax."
"I'm Wu He, a talisman master." The black-haired man introduced himself. He was wearing a dark blue navy uniform. "I received news of a 'stone seed' on a small dust island."
Interesting. The Stone Seed itself poses no threat. The Emperor is far away, and the Ancient Tree Council behind it is powerless to intervene. But once this information leaks, many profit-seeking individuals will inevitably set out to seize the opportunity. This is a bloody competition. The other party is looking for him to kill, his main business.
"Want to poach?"
"The purpose is confidential. I want to give it a try." Wu He handed him a piece of crystal. "I know you have no shortage of wealth or flowing beads. This is a deposit to show your sincerity."
Shax didn't move.
"You know my rules."
"If you don't find it interesting, you can cancel the deal at any time. I have no objection." Wu He smiled brightly. "Look at the deposit. I think you will like it."
Shaxx pointed at the crystal, a flood of information flooding his mind. Countless fluorescent blue lines sharpened, curved, and connected, forming the smooth, round outline of the device. His focus magnified as his will focused, revealing the graceful, orderly internal structure beneath the armor in every detail.
Particle 4 of the Floating Light Road, the design drawing of the World-Splitting Wheel.
"Produced by the C.E.W. Research Institute in Dustless Land, model number VV987, this year's latest model. It has a double-layer structure, both inside and outside. The deposit is for the outer layer design." Wu He crossed his arms. "The only better ones are their own private models or Imperial products. If I had that kind of skill, I wouldn't need to hunt for stone species."
The number was disgusting, but that was beside the point. Shakes drank the milk and reached out to his employer.
"Shax ibn uld."
"Wu He. It's a pleasure to work with you."
"The nearest boat leaves in ten minutes."
Wu He produced two tickets as if by magic: "You have five minutes to pack your luggage."
As he loaded the thing onto his back, Shax found himself smiling. Life was finally starting to feel a little more interesting.
The cruising dragon boat "Huanliu" arrived in Jinye City at 4:32 PM Shendongjie standard time, anchoring at the city's, or rather, the island's, sole port. This vessel, departing from Huilong City, stopped at several key hubs, including Qianri City, Wuchendi, and Qiuqu Paradise. It passed through 176 medium-sized islands and 312 small islands, making it the busiest route on the current nautical charts. Sailors boasted that a year on this vessel was enough to equal an adventure to the Senluo Secret Realm.
Qingye didn't believe the sailors' lies. She knew those obscure little places, even if bundled together, wouldn't be as valuable as her hometown, let alone the Senluo Secret Realm. The resurrected Ancient Dragon City likely prioritized this route because it was suffering from a lack of access within the Secret Realm. Their ultimate goal must be to gather elite troops and break through the frontier, thereby resuming communication with Longquan Township... or at least uniting with the Jingsha City-State.
"With the Kingdom of God now destroyed, there's no hope of success," she muttered to herself. "Unless Wushuang succeeds in his transformation... But if that legend were to do something, it wouldn't be surprising."
"Miss, it's almost time to go back to your room!" the old sailor shouted to her from a distance, "We're almost crossing the border!"
"Thanks, Grandpa. I'll get off right here!"
"?! But the ship is already——"
Before she finished her words, the girl had already leaped lightly from the deck. Standing on the surface of the sea with only her two feet, the crossed swords at her back gleamed in the sunlight. Demons from the shallow sea pounced greedily upon her, but she drew her sword and slashed away their shadowy forms, dashing towards the harbor alone, her figure fluttering like a butterfly.
"So he's a disabled person." The old sailor lowered his hat. "What an enviable talent..."
Two white lines rippled across the sea, one in front and one behind. The distant one was the dragon boat pulling anchor, the approaching one was Qing Ye, sword drawn. She brandished her sword, driving back the demon, and with a graceful gymnast-like front flip, she reached the harbor... But as she landed, her toe tripped on a white rock, and she nearly fell headfirst to the ground.
“Ooooooh!” Qing Ye managed to regain his balance in a panic. “Luckily, luckily, I almost flipped over… Speaking of which, with such a big rock left here, is there no one taking care of this port?!”
But when she looked down, the stone was gone. The harbor floor was smooth, a testament to the hard work of the ground crew. She looked up and saw the water train leaving the harbor. This small town had only eight stops, looping back and forth on an oval track. Ten minutes later, it stopped at the next station. The white stone had appeared, unnoticed, by the window of the police station across from the station.
On the other side of the wall was the interrogation room. Two policemen looked annoyed, and a middle-aged man with gray-blue skin was sitting at the table with his head down.
"You are suspected of being involved in three burglaries and one murder. According to the Migratory Waterway Act, we have the right to take measures against you..."
"I just want warmth." The man slurred his words, "I want something... something real... that can warm me..."
Frost spread from his feet and climbed up the officers' legs.
"temperature."
Thirty seconds later, a massive blast of ice erupted, transforming the Jinye City Police Station into an iceberg. A weeping man emerged from the cold, his tears thawing.
A block away from the police station, a square-faced monk lowered the curtains. A thick, shadowy circle formed across the room as he flipped open the pages of the Requiem.
"Hear my call. Lord of Nightmares, Shadow of War, Lord of Billions of Demon Slayers..." Bernfa called out a series of honorific names, "Vansalar of the Nightmare City."
The shadow formation rapidly contracted toward its center, its flat shadows instantly gaining form and depth, forming a beastly head resembling a hound. The slayer's mouth opened at a painful angle, its upper jaw twisted back as if broken, forming an opening resembling a petal. Amorphous shadows flowed out, transforming into a brutal outline.
"...A bone praying monk?" Shadow was incredulous, then furious. "Who gave you the courage to call me? You should at least find a priest!!!"
Shadows. Darkness. Shadows. Countless dark colors surged out, encroaching on reality. Rage pressed Bernfar against the wall. His expression remained calm as he closed his book. "I am an abbot."
"Even if you are favored by the gods, you are still an unqualified trash!!" Fansalar roared.
"I bring you news about a martial artist," Bernfa said calmly. "When he was a skilled warrior, he defeated an immortal machine. Now he has become a strong warrior."
The fury of the situation came to an abrupt halt, and the shadows cast countless question marks, with curiosity becoming the dominant emotion. Vansalar, having condensed into a human form, immediately understood the whole story upon hearing this.
"Ah. Interesting. If what you said is true, then fate is a deadlock. Eternal Time determined that he would die at the hands of Seismic Point 2, and now... haha... no Seismic Point 2 can kill him." Vansalar began to taunt, "What a masterpiece! I can't even count how many legends this funeral procession has created! Isn't that the fate of you idiots? Pronouncing death to those who are still alive and kicking, then waiting for them to struggle out and then knocking you over. It's the biggest suicide show in the world of Shendong!"
Compared to the one created by the Spiral Tower, Bernfar thought, all the miscalculations of eternity were as small as dust.
"There is no other possibility except you," he said.
"This is indeed interesting." Vansalar trimmed its shadowy nails. "If you say anything else, I will kill you."
"His friend is a Knight of Discipline," Bernfar said. "I think he's the last Knight of Discipline."
Suddenly, the room was silent.
Shadow tentacles converged toward the center, gathering within the slayer's corpse. A blurry shadow solidified, and a pair of black hands tore through the slayer's hide. Vansalar stepped out of the summoning circle, transforming into a blurry humanoid figure holding a black telephone.
"Olek! It's me. Send a spirit over here. There's a show you like."
He dropped the phone and patted Bernfar's cheek.
"Very good." Vansalar was very happy. "You don't have to die."
"From now on, I'll take over this matter."
We will be on hiatus from October 1st to 8th. A slacking off post will be posted later. Happy holidays everyone in advance!
(End of this chapter)
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