Chapter 283
"Duplicate time 13:05:13, personnel suspected of being from other organizations within a two-kilometer radius have been dispersed. The target location has suitable lighting, temperature, and no high-decibel noise, which is within the human physiological comfort zone."
"The Eighth Apostle, Baser, and the Mind Master, Loka, entered the downtown area where their target, Xie Xubai, was located. They were on the same level. There were pedestrians, vehicles, stalls, and other obstacles in between, and the distance between them was approximately 982 meters."
“The target’s shoulders were relaxed, and his posture was casual. He was very relaxed, or perhaps he felt that he was in a safe environment.”
"13:05:43, no abnormal response from the target."
"13:06:13, no abnormal response from the target."
...
"The target has moved! He's noticed Bartholomew and his companion!"
“Look here, everyone. The target first straightened up, tilted his head, then his pupils dilated and his eyebrows were slightly raised. This is a sign of curiosity; he doesn’t recognize Bartholomew. Just as we guessed before, the target is most likely suffering from amnesia.”
"It's not just amnesia. He only noticed a stranger approaching when he was 27 meters away, and his sensory abilities have also degenerated to those of an ordinary person!"
"There was no obstruction during the process of reading thoughts, nor was there any fluctuation of mental power higher than normal... Could it be that White has really lost his power? God, what happened?"
In the secret operations conference room of the Joint Bureau, a group of experts gathered to conduct an intense analysis of Xie Xubai's micro-expressions and demeanor.
Hearing Xie Xubai praise Basel in his heart, their lips twitched and their expressions became strange. Before they could react, the alarm suddenly went off and the red lights flashed.
Everyone's expression froze.
"There's a massive energy reaction; it's an evil god. The evil god is nearby... Wait, something's wrong. The energy is aggressive. Is it treating us as enemies?"
"Damn it, we have no chance of winning if we start fighting now. Should we retreat?"
"We can't retreat!" Lilith ordered decisively and calmly. "We'll only have a chance to contact White after a week. After that, multiple forces will get involved, and the situation will become more complicated. The evil god will definitely be even more vigilant. Don't forget that there are still quite a few defectors trying to interfere with the progress of clearing the game. We must hurry."
[Loka, the evil god hasn't explicitly launched an attack yet; there's still room for maneuver. Avoid conflict with your target. Engage in tentative conversation, slowly releasing your mental energy to help him relax. Once he trusts you, then try to delve deeper into the topic.]
[And Bartholomew, stop basking in your own glory, keep a close eye on White and the evil god's movements!]
However, the power fluctuations unleashed by the evil god were so terrifying that more than twenty expert observers in the command post were startled and jumped up, let alone the two people in the center of the vortex.
Xie Xubai noticed that Roca's face had turned pale as if he were having a hypoglycemic attack, and he looked like he could collapse at any moment. He instinctively reached out to help him up: "Are you alright?"
The moment the hand was extended, the latter recoiled as if electrocuted.
Meeting Xie Xubai's suspicious gaze, Roca realized he had overreacted and smiled apologetically: "I'm sorry, I have a fear of contact and I'm not comfortable with being touched by others."
He spoke fluent Chinese.
A sudden, inexplicable sense of unease arose in Xie Xubai's heart.
He was unaware that Loca had exerted cognitive interference; even though the two of them exuded a bloody aura that was completely out of place in a society governed by the rule of law, to outsiders they would appear perfectly normal.
All he could feel was a sense of unease, layers upon layers of unease, which, after accumulating to a certain point, suddenly ignited a fuse in his mind called alertness.
Almost subconsciously, Xie Xubai's gaze fell on Roca's face, scanning it with the precision and speed of a satellite radar.
This investigation took less than 0.1 seconds, and in an instant, it condensed into a sharp point of suspicion.
Xie Xubai: [The lip movements don't match.]
Yes, the lip movements don't match.
Loca's fluent Chinese comes from the language translation package in the system store.
Players from different continents who want to communicate will most often choose to buy a translation pack for instant, accurate translation, rather than painstakingly studying word meanings and grammar over three, four, five, six, seven, or eight years. Even advanced players with strong learning abilities prefer to spend some points rather than waste time on such trivial matters.
The only drawback is probably the lip-syncing mismatch caused by the middleman's translation, which is usually overlooked.
Who knew that these details, which many people considered insignificant, would reveal the truth at this moment.
Loca was startled, but his advanced player's composure prevented him from showing it. He quickly added multiple layers of cognitive interference to his words; even if Xie Xubai became suspicious after the slip-up in the first sentence or two, he could simply dismiss it as a figment of Xie Xubai's imagination.
However, he was unaware that Xie Xubai's thoughts were generated extremely quickly.
Xie Xubai: [When they walked through the crowd, they subconsciously avoided getting close to others and maintained a distance of at least half a meter from buildings. This wasn't simply a case of contact phobia; they were unfamiliar with the area and were wary and resistant to the people and things there. However, their clean hair, tidy shoes, and neat, wrinkle-free clothes indicated that there were places nearby where they could rest and shower, and that there were professional laundry workers to iron their clothes. They walked straight ahead with unwavering focus and clear purpose, showing no hesitation of a newcomer; they had stayed there for at least two days to adapt.]
Xie Xubai: [Their attire appears casual, and the fabric isn't particularly fine, but the tailoring is impeccable, suggesting it's custom-made. The person speaking even waxed their shoes; such meticulousness means they wouldn't compromise on staying in a discounted community hotel costing 70 or 80 yuan a night. The nearest star-rated hotel is over four kilometers away, and there's a farmers' market less than a bus stop away. Even if they wanted to experience local life, they wouldn't go to such lengths to wander to this remote district.]
Xie Xubai: [They're not here for tourism, but for a specific mission. Their heightened tension suggests the mission is extremely difficult, or they're under surveillance. The burly man on the left is as large as a polar bear, a force even Xie Xubai fears, indicating a high probability of extremely violent conflict, even life-threatening situations. His companion, or colleague, is a polite and unassuming young man with no calluses on his hands or signs of professional training. He speaks politely and subtly softens his facial features with makeup, exhibiting characteristics of a sales elite and a diplomat. This suggests their mission involves not only combat but also negotiation—a classic case of using both soft and hard tactics. The fact that the seemingly more assertive burly man is positioned further back suggests a preference for negotiation?]
...
Despite Xie Xubai's extensive thoughts, his inner thoughts were conveyed to the crowd in just three seconds. The words rained down like a storm, comparable to the sonic boom of a fighter jet. In the blink of an eye, nothing could be seen, leaving only a faint trail of exhaust fumes high in the sky, leaving the onlookers in awe and disbelief.
Xie Xubai's gaze grew increasingly sharp; if his powers hadn't vanished, the golden light would already be a blade pressed against their throats.
Loca's palms were sweating profusely, and the command post was in an uproar.
"Once you've seen through something, cognitive interference becomes ineffective!"
"We can't let him continue analyzing like this!"
"Interrupt him, Loka! Say something to interrupt him!"
The plan certainly included a pre-set narrative to salvage the situation.
Lilith knew that Xie Xubai, a good boy who would hand over a found wallet to the police immediately, would definitely run away and call the police if Basser and the other two showed any potential to harm others. Therefore, the topic had to be positive, friendly, harmonious and just.
At the same time, Xie Xubai is outrageously harsh on himself, and the only people who can soften him are the vulnerable and his relatives and friends. However, Xie Xubai is extremely meticulous, and any pretense risks being exposed, so it is best to use the latter as a breakthrough point.
Loka adjusted his expression and speaking speed to make himself appear honest and friendly: "Actually, we came for Professor Xie Yuchun."
As expected, Xie Xubai's clamorous inner thoughts stopped, and he was taken aback: "Professor Xie?"
Loka said, “That’s right. Professor Xie was scheduled to attend the launch event for SDH’s latest aerospace materials last Friday, but she inexplicably interrupted her trip and settled in this remote town, even dismissing 80% of her bodyguards. Her student and International Federation Commissioner Lilith Knomachia called Professor Xie Yuchun, but the professor was vague, there were many noisy voices in the background, and she hung up the phone after a few words. Commissioner Lilith was very worried that her teacher had encountered some trouble, so she asked us to come and investigate.”
The answers to Xie Xubai's earlier questions were found in Roca's words.
As an ordinary citizen, he naturally had no idea what major secrets were happening internationally, and therefore had no way of verifying them. He could only follow the other person's lead with hesitation:
Are these statements credible? Could they be spies trying to steal state secrets?
The thought had barely formed when Loca produced a stack of compliant travel documents: "I know what you're worried about. Please believe us, we mean no harm. We serve Middle-earth."
Given the strictness of the Central Continent Customs, trying to enter the country undetected is nothing short of a pipe dream.
Ultimately, Lilith took the lead in reaching a short-term cooperation agreement with the top player organizations in Central Continent. A significant portion of the upper echelons of Central Continent were monitoring this operation in real time.
Upon hearing that it was a legal action, Xie Xubai's expression softened even more.
He asked Roca if he could take photos, and after receiving permission, he sent them to Xie Yuchun, Pei Yuheng, and Cen Haiyue.
The first two people didn't reply immediately, probably because they were busy, but Cen Haiyue replied instantly: 【It's true.】
Xie Xubai was surprised. Had they come to a conclusion so quickly?
A few seconds later, the other party sent another message: [What happened on your end? Are you in trouble? Should I come over now?]
The strange feeling that had just subsided resurfaced.
It wasn't that Xie Xubai doubted Cen Haiyue's ability to discern, but rather that his friend, who had been acting strangely and keeping a close eye on him these past few days, hadn't immediately asked why there were special agents around him.
The reaction was off; the second message seemed more like an attempt to cover up the truth.
Xie Xubai looked at the fruit shop owner next to them. The owner, who had been standing in front of them, had now shrunk into a chair and was idly warming himself by the fire while watching videos.
They kept mentioning Xie Yuchun and Zhongzhou International, and the usually gossipy boss didn't seem curious at all. Putting the boss aside, among all the passersby, did even one person pay any attention to this conspicuous couple?
Something's not right.
On the rooftop of a tall building not far away, Cen Haiyue glanced at the chat page with one eye, while keeping a close eye on Xie Xubai's tall and slender figure in front of the fruit shop downstairs with the other.
He could tell the documents were genuine without even looking at them, because he had held them in his hands a week earlier and examined each one personally.
That's right, he is the nameless S-class Ghost King who revealed the location of the final BOSS Yan Shuo.
Cen Haiyue knew that he alone could not shake the evil god in the slightest, and that the only way to regain Xie Xubai's power was to seek external cooperation.
He had heard the names "Peak" and "Apostle" from Xie Xubai, which were human organizations that Xie Xubai trusted. So Cen Haiyue took the initiative to approach this group.
So far, this group has not disappointed him. They have locked onto Yan Shuo and Shengtian Group based on just a few clues, and are also fearless in their direct confrontation with the evil god.
only.
In a field of vision imperceptible to others, let alone bright sunshine, the sky was so dark that one could not see their own hand in front of their face. Dark tentacles, carrying damp and cold water vapor, were like dragons weaving through lightning and thunder, stretching for tens of thousands of meters across tall buildings, as majestic as rolling hills.
The black mist seeped into every inch of H City, shrouding the entire city in the domain of the evil god's demon king.
From the moment Basser and his companion began their operation until now, Cen Haiyue's eyes have never left Xie Xubai.
As the player approached Xie Xubai, the calmly churning black mist suddenly exploded with ferocious spikes, threatening to erupt several times—he knew that Yan Shuo was probably quite provoked.
Cen Haiyue felt both exhilarated and suspicious.
If Yan Shuo truly wanted to imprison Xie Xubai, why did he give himself the opportunity to unite with these outsiders? Why didn't he nip them in the bud before they entered the country? And why did he allow them to get close to Xie Xubai?
Loka was on high alert.
It was like being forced into a difficult situation—he had just made a contract with a deity and was forced to grow from outside the top ten in the mental system to the top three.
Why would so many top-tier players choose him? Because those top-tier players are all god-level players, and they have all sparred with White to some extent.
In other words, he did not retain the memory of his time with White, and he was not discouraged or lacked the will to fight back because he had been crushed by overwhelming mental power.
Now Roca feels he's almost there too.
Xie Xubai asked, "Since you know where Professor Xie lives, why don't you just visit him?"
Loca: "After investigation, we have reason to suspect that Professor Xie is indeed held up by something or someone, and rushing to his door risks alerting the mastermind behind it all."
Xie Xubai: [A lie.]
Xie Xubai asked, "Why did you come to find me?"
Loca: "You are the only person Professor Xie has frequently contacted since settling here, and we suspect you may know the inside story."
Xie Xubai: [A lie.]
Xie Xubai asked, "You have the ability to thoroughly investigate Professor Xie's recent interpersonal relationships, but you don't have the ability to contact her?"
Loca: "We tried to arrange a meeting with Professor Xie, but there was a force preventing us from getting the message through."
Xie Xubai: [Half true, half false.]
Using mental skills requires a strong belief, but this belief is teetering on the brink under Xie Xubai's increasingly sharp analysis.
Roca had no idea how Xie Xubai could tell he was from Spain just from his bow tie. Had this man really lost his memory and abilities?
Xie Xubai suddenly asked, "Why are you looking to the side? Is there someone there?"
Loca's pupils contracted.
Lilith snapped, "Don't move! He's bluffing!"
Loca had considered this possibility.
In the blink of an eye, Xie Xubai's thoughts vanished without warning, leaving only a blank!
The skill failed? The target saw through and cracked it? They were exposed?
At this moment, Roca's mental walls began to crumble, and he couldn't help but turn his head to look in the direction where his companions were lurking.
Xie Xubai understood: "Your target isn't Professor Xie, it's me."
Otherwise, why would there be any need to launch a massive ambush against an indirect figure?
As if finally being pushed onto the guillotine, the gleaming guillotine rose high, and Roca froze abruptly.
Xie Xubai pressed forward, asking, "You're just following orders. If I were the target, someone would be directing you. Where's the earpiece hidden?"
Loca took a step back uncontrollably.
Xie Xubai: "You don't have contact phobia, you're afraid of me. Why? Tell me. What's unusual about me that makes you afraid?"
The inner voice suddenly fell silent, then suddenly reappeared.
Xie Xubai: [He's convinced I'll hurt him.]
Xie Xubai: [They were fully armed; they wanted to attack me.]
Xie Xubai's hand stealthily reached for his waistband, his thoughts suddenly turning cold and sharp: [Since that's the case, why not strike first and deal with the person closest to us—]
Loca could no longer bear it and frantically dodged to the side: "Bathes, protect me!"
drop.
Xie Xubai took out his phone, scanned the QR code to pay for the fruit, and reminded everyone, "The money has been scanned."
The boss, still caught up in the tension of Huanhuan being exposed for adultery, didn't even look up: "Alright, got it! The strawberries are sweet today, grab a few and try them!"
Xie Xubai was already quite familiar with the boss, so he didn't stand on ceremony. He casually grabbed three strawberries, turned around and met Roca's stunned and incredulous gaze, and smiled slightly.
"It's a bit unbelievable," Xie Xubai thought to himself, "but you obviously know what I'm thinking."
Xie Xubai: [Superpowers?]
With a sharp crack, the guillotine that had been hanging high fell, and Roca felt a chill run down his spine.
The command post fell into a deathly silence.
They had guessed that Roca would be exposed, but they didn't expect it to happen so quickly. Staring at Xie Xubai's face on the monitor screen, as if they were seeing this person all over again, many people were horrified.
—This is the supreme commander who was once appointed to lead the entire Apostles Guild in a time of crisis and shouldered the responsibility of the salvation plan.
Xie Xubai looked at the tense Basel: "I've pushed your friend to this point, yet you haven't made a move against me. Do we know each other?"
Bartholomew remained expressionless.
Xie Xubai kindly handed over the strawberries: "Want some?"
Barthol looked down, unmoved.
Xie Xubai: [Is he afraid of me too?]
The word "fear" was like a steel needle, piercing a crack in Basel's indifferent face. His brow twitched violently, and he took the strawberry and popped it into his mouth.
The next second, Xie Xubai said: "[They actually ate it. They trust me quite a bit.]"
Bartholomew: "..."
Xie Xubai: [Oh no, I forgot to wash the strawberries. This little bit of pesticide shouldn't kill anyone, right?]
Bartholomew: "…………"
Half a piece of strawberry was stuck in my mouth before I could swallow it. I couldn't swallow it or spit it out. It felt like a fishbone stuck in my throat.
Xie Xubai's eyes crinkled into a smile.
He handed another strawberry to Roca, who waved his hand repeatedly. Roca didn't insist, took the strawberry tip in his mouth, bit out the sweet juice, and ate it slowly and deliberately.
He lowered his eyelashes, appearing calm, but his heart was in turmoil, with many images flashing through his mind.
Why did Cen Haiyue uncontrollably hug him and cry bitterly?
Why is it that he, an ordinary person, is surrounded by so many extraordinary people, even scientific geniuses?
Why is it that he doesn't recognize many people, yet everyone treats him with extreme warmth and affection?
Why are prices so low, yet the economy continues to rise defying logic? Why, with countless desires and evil thoughts among the people, is the crime rate absolutely zero?
...
That makes sense.
"Congresswoman Lilith, what should we do?"
"..." Unlike the anxious observer, Lilith suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back, rubbed her sweaty palms, and said with a sigh of relief, "It's alright, the alert is lifted."
As if responding to those words, everyone caught a glint of light in Xie Xubai's eyes through the monitor screen.
That's not an illusion.
As the light spread, Xie Xubai's pupils were tinged with a brilliant golden yellow.
The person was still the same, but his temperament had completely changed. Something that had weathered the vicissitudes of time and accumulated countless tears and blood emanated from the depths of his soul, captivating the heart.
Xie Xubai stuffed the last bite of strawberry into his mouth, looked up and smiled at Roca, or rather, at everyone in front of the monitoring screen: "Everyone, can you hear me?"
Loka paused, listening intently to Lilith's instructions, and said to Xie Xubai, "I am Lilith, I can hear you, please speak."
Xie Xubai said, "Time is of the essence, so I'll briefly explain the conditions for clearing the final instance. First, quell the evil god's wrath; second, prove humanity's strength. Achieving both of these will suffice."
"Your explanation was far too simplistic." Loca repeated Lilith's questions in detail, tinged with a hint of reproach. "How do we quell the evil god's wrath? How do we prove our strength? At least give us a hint. And why aren't you in charge of this instance? What's with your amnesia?"
Xie Xubai shook his head and raised his hand. In an instant, the world changed color, the air surged, and golden light burst forth from his palm, like a storm sweeping across the entire city.
The hurricane was so strong that people couldn't open their eyes. Lokabasser subconsciously raised his arms, only to find that the golden light was not harmful at all. It even felt like a gentle breeze when it landed on him.
In no time, all players heard a "ding" notification sound.
[Congratulations! You have obtained the function buff provided by "Xie Xubai", which allows you to check the rage value of "Evil God ■■" at any time!]
As darkness fell, as if some cognitive limitation was lifted, countless players looked up at the sound and exclaimed in surprise.
Ten thousand meters above their heads, tentacles surged like dark clouds pressing down, creating an oppressive atmosphere.
But what stands out even more is a huge gold box marked with a long string of dynamically changing black numbers.
Quick-thinking players have already started counting.
Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands...
"One hundred million?!"
Many people were so angry at these outrageous figures that they almost laughed: "Are you kidding me? Even during the financial crisis in Weimar Germany, there wasn't this much inflation!"
The twelve apostles were among the few who knew about the ambiguous relationship between Xie Xubai and the evil god.
At first, they thought it was just a simple family conflict, after all, the evil god only lost control because of Xie Xubai.
Hill curled his lip, expressing strong contempt for the tantrum-throwing evil god; the little lamb was shocked that their husband-husband relationship was so disharmonious; the Sixth Apostle watched the spectacle with great interest and exclaimed "Wow!"; the Second Apostle sighed helplessly.
Seeing that Xie Xubai was alright, Lilith relaxed and had the leisure to joke: "What heinous thing did this guy do to make his wife so angry?"
Barthel wasn't as "open-minded" as they were, and because he was used to arguing and going head-to-head with Xie Xubai, he immediately questioned in an extremely aggressive tone: "If your mistress wants to get angry, that's your family's private matter. Do you think you can bring it into the open..."
Before he could even utter the words "How ridiculous!", Basser's vision went black, and excruciating pain gripped his entire body. He seemed to hear the cracking sound of his bones breaking as he was thrown backward by the immense impact, crashing through the stone wall!
The noisy communication channel immediately went silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was stunned by this sudden change.
Basel was dizzy and vomited blood from his serious injuries. It took him a long time to stagger and get up from the rubble.
Judging hastily from the violent fluctuations of divine power, he realized he was being attacked by an evil god. His unfocused, trembling vision swept outwards, finding no one around. Baser thought sarcastically, "The evil god is quite good at controlling his landing point."
He was not afraid, and it was impossible for him to be afraid. Even if the difference in strength was as vast as an insurmountable chasm, even if he were crushed and slaughtered, he would not yield. That was his personality.
Basel looked up angrily, but froze on the spot.
He lay in a pit with a radius of over fifty meters, unable to discern what buildings had originally been there, as they had all been washed away to dust in an instant.
A tentacle hovered less than half a hand's width away from him, its killing intent so thick it was almost tangible.
If it weren't for a ray of golden light holding it back, Baser would probably have been pulverized long ago.
But that's not why Bathur was frozen in place.
Everyone in front of the monitor, including him, suddenly widened their eyes and stared at Xie Xubai, who had stumbled and fallen into the center of the tentacles.
Xie Xubai gasped for breath, his face pale, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. His white knuckles gripped the ever-tightening tentacles as he tried to stand up, but the buffs he had given to the players had already exhausted all the strength he had accumulated over the past few days of recuperation.
His constant struggle and eventual exhaustion left him looking quite pathetic, like a frail old man on his deathbed.
But no one laughed at the monitor screen, and no one even made a sound.
Because after Xie Xubai "awakened," he not only broke through the cognitive interference of the evil god, but also broke through the disguise that the other party had placed on his soul.
And so the players finally saw the shocking scars beneath that rugged, iron-willed body.
boom--!
Seawater surged back, the earth shook violently, and a ghastly white lightning bolt ripped through the sky.
Countless players looked up in astonishment and saw the rage value in the golden box explode and surge wildly.
The entire instance was affected, with magnetic fields becoming disordered in various places, space collapsing to varying degrees, and climate disorder causing the sky to change color, with scarlet mixed with purple lightning, resembling the twilight of the apocalypse.
The air distorted as the Sixth Apostle used Hermes' [Messenger] ability to teleport everyone to the scene. A dozen figures hurriedly landed and quickly moved forward.
Now everyone knows it was never a family farce. It's a pure miracle that Xie Xubai is still alive after his soul was shattered to such a terrible state.
The last time the evil god went berserk, he killed countless high-dimensional extraterrestrial gods, and the system fled in all directions after the game restarted. It only dared to operate secretly through the void, and dared not expose its true form, nor dared to set foot on Earth again.
Under the icy, chilling gaze of the colossal being, Lilith lowered her head: "Evil God, please calm your anger."
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