Chapter 152: Complete Preparation
I spoke vaguely, half-truths.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't considered deceiving him, because An Xiaowei and Fan Buqiu were living examples. They were indeed looking for a way out at first, and later tried to establish contact with the evil god.
While Bai Zang was still digesting the shocking information I'd revealed, I decided to strike while the iron was hot. I leaned forward slightly and lowered my voice with a hint of warning: "However, communicating with 'gods' whose essence is destruction is inherently dangerous. They attempt to embrace the very thing that can completely dissolve them."
I changed the subject, my tone carrying a hint of elusive meaning. "But not all 'gods' are characterized by destruction alone. Within this chaos and upheaval, there are also...different possibilities. As we all know, opportunities often lurk in the eye of a storm."
Bai Zang was silent for a long time, and I didn't know what he was thinking. He lowered his eyes and I couldn't see his emotions.
Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, I stood up and stood at the door, and finally said, "I will be away from the base for a while in the next few days."
Bai Zang finally raised his head and looked at me with complicated eyes. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end he just nodded slightly and uttered two words almost stiffly: "...Be careful."
I didn't respond to him, temporarily putting the heavy topic of God and the end of the world behind me.
The moment the door closed, Bai Zang muttered to himself almost silently: "Chance...?"
…
When I returned to the room, I immediately locked the door, took out the somewhat worn leather-covered notebook, and turned to the pages with the topography drawings.
One of the pages is a topographic map similar to a port.
As I studied the contents of the notebook, I thought to myself that since this was a notebook left behind by the Apocalypse Sect, the things recorded in it must be related to "Gali", that is, it must be closely related to the "illusory" authority controlled by Gali.
Thinking back to the last experience in the cave under the pool, although it was safe, it did involve evil gods after all, and there was no telling what we might encounter, so we still needed to make some preparations before going.
The first thing is to determine my own condition. Although I can be sure that I have almost digested the power I absorbed before, there is no guarantee that there will not be any residual contamination. It is always good to check more often.
I leaned back in my chair, closed my eyes, and used Vipassana to sink my consciousness into my body, scanning for possible hidden dangers.
The power I absorbed before has merged with my own power.
I manipulated it carefully, letting the icy force, with its reality-distorting texture, flow through my body, as if sharpening a dangerous blade.
Each invocation was accompanied by a slight distortion at the edge of his vision, but the faint whispers of madness were gone.
After making sure there was no remaining contamination, I began to meditate on the cloud and thunder patterns in my mind to train my mental strength.
Mental strength is crucial. The stronger the mental strength, the more likely it is that I will accidentally absorb the power of the evil god like last time. I must ensure that under high pressure, the absorbed evil god power can be used at will, rather than backfire on myself.
Then, I needed a measure to support the bottom, so I took out the small makeup mirror from my pocket and smashed it.
The round mirror instantly shattered into pieces, reflecting my face into a shattered shape.
I picked out a few smooth and flat ones and copied my shadow in the mirror one by one.
The authority of "Gali" is also illusory, so I must always remain anchored in my own "reality", otherwise it is very easy to get lost in the maze of illusion and be killed by those false things.
These fragments that reflect my image are one of my "anchor points".
Finally, I need a set of diving equipment. What if I need to dive into the pool again like before? I don’t want to be drowned before I reach the destination. After all, I have mastered a small part of the power of the true God. It would be too embarrassing to drown.
Thinking of this, I got up and went out to ask someone to prepare a set of diving equipment for me.
Everything is ready, just waiting for action.
The next day, before dawn, the sky was about to break. I shouldered my packed gear bag and tiptoed through the quiet corridors of the outpost. Most of the people were still asleep, with only a few night watchmen casting wary, awe-inspiring glances at me.
When they reached the heavy gate of the stronghold, they were surprised to find Bai Zang already waiting there. He leaned against the outermost metal door frame, his arms folded, his figure almost blending into the shadows, only the faint red glow of a half-smoked homemade cigarette held between his fingertips.
"So early." His voice was low and his emotions were unrecognizable.
"Yeah." I responded briefly.
"Where you're going... requires diving?" His eyes fell on the backpack behind me, especially the conspicuous oxygen tank.
"Maybe, it's better to be prepared." I nodded.
He was silent for a moment, took a puff of his cigarette, and slowly exhaled the smoke, which quickly dissipated in the air.
"It doesn't sound like a good place." He said it in a flat tone, as if stating a well-known fact.
"I know." I said calmly.
He crushed out his cigarette, pulled something from his pocket and handed it over—not some impressive weapon, but a small roll of something carefully wrapped in tarpaulin.
"Here."
I took it, feeling a slight heaviness in my hand. I opened a corner of the oilcloth bag and found several high-energy compressed rations and... a small, sealed box of military-grade morphine injections. In the apocalypse, this was practically life-saving hard currency.
In addition, there was another map, though it wasn't complete. It appeared to show some of the places the Black Dragon Gang had explored before, mostly within Xinyan City. One section, seemingly newly added, depicted a simplified topography of Tiannan City. Beyond that, there were also a few markers for other areas, though they were few and far between.
This is normal. Even for the Investigation Bureau, it would be difficult for a single branch to explore several urban areas, let alone a wild organization like the Black Dragon Gang.
"For use on the road." Bai Zang didn't explain further, but added, "Don't ever, ever get close to the places marked with a red cross on the map. That's not a warning, it's... a dead line." His tone was more serious than ever.
I nodded and stuffed my things into the side pocket of my backpack. "Thanks."
Although I may not need to use these things at all for what I am about to face, it is better to be prepared than not to have any.
He stepped aside to clear the passage, and the heavy metal door slowly opened behind me, revealing a deadly ruin shrouded in a thin red mist. A chilling air rushed in instantly.
"Come back alive." He finally said, his voice almost drowned out by the wind.
I didn't answer, but just tightened the strap of my backpack and quickly disappeared into the oppressive red mist outside the door.
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