Chapter 142 Either Burn Everything to Ashes
"team leader!"
"The captain is here, get out of the way!"
Seeing Yuri coming, the Devil Knights who had arrived earlier made way for him, allowing Yuri to see what was going on inside.
There were two headless corpses, and judging from their clothes, they were Hogni's men.
"What's going on?" Yuri asked.
"They were killed." A devil knight replied briefly, "And when we rushed over, we found that their bodies...had changed."
As he spoke, the devil knight took the heads of the two corpses and placed them in front of Yuri.
This was the first time that Yuri saw the faces of these guys under the masks. Even though he was mentally prepared, his eyelids couldn't help but twitch when he saw the bumpy faces like mud puddles and tiny worms twitching in them.
"Captain..." the devil knight said softly, "Have we been traveling with these guys all these days?"
Yuri looked around and saw concentration and fear on everyone's faces.
After all, this group of people had been traveling with them in the contaminated area. Even if they could not be said to be comrades fighting side by side, they were not much different. It was just that everyone wore masks in the contaminated area and could not see each other's faces.
So the Devil Knights had not expected that their faces under the masks would look like this.
So they've been traveling with monsters these days?
Even the Devil Knight, who has been dealing with pollutants for many years, couldn't help but feel scared at this time.
"What the hell is going on?" A famous devil knight couldn't help but ask, "Have they always been like this, or were they infected later?"
"What do you mean by later? Do you mean we have a source of infection here as well?"
"…Don't forget what we pulled back from the abyss."
This sentence further increased the tense atmosphere.
Logically speaking, what they should be most concerned about at this moment is who killed these two people. Anyone who dares to kill people in the fifth district is really bold.
But the strange state of the two corpses now makes it difficult for them to prioritize who the murderer is. After all, as it stands now, it is really hard to say whether the murderer is a human or a monster.
Yuri turned and looked at a Devil Knight, who was now his lieutenant.
The other person came closer and whispered something in his ear.
But Yuri's expression didn't change much, because everyone's attention was on him now.
So he just nodded calmly, and then said to the other knights present: "That's it for tonight. I will take care of the rest of the things. You go back and rest first."
"Go back and rest? But Captain..."
"You heard my order, didn't you?" Yuri repeated expressionlessly, "Go back and rest... Of course, do a self-inspection of contamination before going to bed, so there will be no unified inspection."
The Devil Knights exchanged glances with each other, and finally obeyed Yuri's orders. Only two people were left to deal with the corpses, and the rest left.
At this moment, Yuri's expression finally became serious.
The adjutant just told him two things.
First, the Devil Knights he had sent to guard Hogni's men had been infected, and the polluted debris they brought back had almost disappeared.
Second, according to the report from the troops guarding the bridge, they saw countless shadows jumping into the river, passing over the bridge and directly entering the fourth area.
In other words, those heavy pollutants have already entered Tianqin.
He couldn't help but recall what Ina had said to him before - "You brought back things from the contaminated area that you shouldn't have brought back."
Now, it has come true.
"Captain, what should we do now?" the adjutant whispered, "This has never happened before. What on earth do those guys want to do?"
Yuri glanced at his adjutant, thought for a moment, and said, "Follow normal procedures and report to the Tower of Babel."
"…Just a report?"
"There's not much we can do before we find out the truth." Yuri looked at the backs of the Devil Knights who had already left and said softly, "No matter what happened, our people need to rest, even if it's only for a few hours."
The lieutenant knew Yuri was right.
After experiencing such a series of events and returning from the abyss, most of them have reached the critical point of their spirit. If they go one step further, it will really be an abyss from which there is no escape.
But the adjutant also noticed the key point of Yuri's words - "even if only for a few hours."
"Do you think something big is going to happen?" the adjutant asked in a low voice, "in the next two days?"
“Maybe it’s already happening.” Yuri patted the adjutant’s shoulder and whispered, “No matter what, be prepared. At least there can’t be any more trouble tonight.”
The adjutant nodded seriously, then left quickly.
Then, Yuri quickly returned to his home.
Sure enough, Ina was still waiting for him there.
"Just now you said you didn't have time." Yuri didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Now, I want to know everything."
Ina didn't say anything, and another deep voice sounded beside Yuri.
"Of course, we need your help too."
Yuri's body stiffened for a moment. He slowly turned his head and saw a middle-aged man walking out of the shadows.
Of course it was Gerard.
Yuri looked at Jellal, and Jellal was also looking at Yuri, which made Ina, who was standing aside and watching, a little nervous.
This is not only a meeting between the two captains of the Pioneer Corps. You must know that Jellal is still a wanted criminal in Lyra. As the captain of the Devil Corps, Yuri has the obligation to capture Jellal directly.
But Yuri didn't do that. He just looked at Jellal deeply and said, "Then you have to speak more clearly."
"Of course." Gerald nodded slightly, "I can tell you everything I know."
Ina heaved a sigh of relief.
Next, Jellal repeated what he had told Ina earlier, as concisely as possible.
After listening to this, Yuri's reaction was not as big as Ina's before, but he also fell into silence for a long time.
After a while, he took out a cigarette from his pocket. When he was biting it in his mouth, he thought of something and looked up at Gerard: "Mind if I have one? I think I need some help to digest what you said."
Gerald shook his head, but still said, "You actually know how to smoke?"
"I haven't smoked for a long time. The last time I smoked was probably ten years ago." Yuri lit up the cigarette that he didn't know if it was expired or moldy. "I just have the habit of bringing one or two with me when I go on a mission, and taking time to smell it. After all, the smell in that place is not very good, you should know that well."
"Indeed." Gerald nodded slightly, "The smell of smoke is always better than the smell of rotting corpses. Some people in our team did the same thing at that time."
“Maybe this is the inheritance.” Yuri said lightly.
Listening to the conversation between the two, Ina felt a little surprised. She couldn't understand how two men who should have been in a state of hostility could chat like seniors and juniors.
But she was wise enough not to say anything and just listened.
After taking a puff, Yuri's expression was noticeably more relaxed.
"To be honest, I would never have believed what you said a week ago." Yuri said, "But now, I am willing to believe it."
"It seems like you've been through a lot."
"Yes." Yuri looked into Jellal's eyes and said, "I met many... undead spirits of the Evening Star in the Abyss. I talked to them, so I am willing to believe you."
"……Yeah?"
"I don't mean anything else. I just wonder why someone who has given everything for Tianqin has to bear the reputation of a traitor in the end." Yuri said softly, "There must be something wrong... Now I know where the problem is, so what are you going to do? How can I help you?"
Seeing that Yuri trusted him so easily and chose to join, Jellal was a little surprised, but he did not show it. Instead, he pointed out directly: "Purify the source crystal."
"Purify the source crystal?"
"Yes, the biggest problem now is Oliver. He is the bishop of the Tower of Babel and the one who has the deepest connection with Lyra. I think it is because he is polluted that the situation has fallen into such a passive state." Gerald quickly stated his conclusion, or rather, it was Ian's analysis at the time. "He has the greatest authority in all of Lyra, so the new god also hopes to come with his power. Therefore, we must use the Purification Source Crystal to purify him and let him return to our side. Then there is still room for mediation... I think the Zhuxin Society also wants to take the Purification Source Crystal away because they know this."
After hearing what Gerard said, Yuri nodded slightly, obviously agreeing.
"But the Purification Source Crystal has been taken away, right?" Yuri asked, "Do you know where it is?"
"I know." Gerald replied briefly.
"Very good." Yuri didn't ask how Jellal knew that, he just nodded, "So what do you need me to do?"
"To be precise, I need more than just you." Gerald said, "I need the entire Devil Army."
Yuri said nothing, just looked at Jellal.
Jellal opened his pocket watch and let Yuri look at the time on it.
"It's four o'clock in the morning. In six hours, Oliver will hold a general assembly." Gerald asked, "Do you know what that is?"
"A general meeting?" Yuri thought for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "You mean the one that gathers all employees together to vote on a major resolution. If it passes, the result of the vote will be reported to my Lord... Is that it?"
"Yes." Gerald said, "This conference has not been held for a long time. The last time was a hundred years ago, when a resolution was made on whether to develop rail trains into Tianqin's main means of transportation."
"...I don't think they're going to discuss rail trains this time."
"Of course not. It doesn't even matter what we discuss." Gerald said slowly, "The key point is to report to the Lord. This report... is to wake the Lord up."
Yuri narrowed his eyes slightly: "You mean..."
"According to the current development, who is awakened, my Lord, or... someone else?"
Silence, a long silence.
Neither Yuri nor Ina, who just learned the whole story at this time, said anything.
The cigarette Yuri was holding had burned his fingers, but he didn't react at all, and no one knew what he was thinking.
At this moment, a confused voice sounded: "Dad?"
This subtle sound was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing ripples.
The three of them looked over and saw a little girl, who was pushing at the door and sticking her head out, looking sleepy.
Yuri's expression softened instantly: "Aina, why are you awake...Did Dad wake you up?"
Aina shook her head: "No, I just got up to go to the bathroom... Why didn't Dad come in when he came back?"
"Dad has something to discuss," Yuri said, "You should go back to bed first."
Aina said "Oh". She was not fully awake to begin with and was about to retract her head, but she suddenly remembered something and forced herself to be alert. She tilted her head and asked, "Is it a big deal?"
Yuri was silent for a while.
"No, it's just a small matter."
Only then did Aina go back with peace of mind.
Then, Yuri turned his head as if he had made some kind of decision, looked at Jellal, and repeated his previous words again.
"Go ahead."
"What should I do?"
…
Twenty minutes later, Ina brought Jellal to the bridge.
Now with Yuri's pass, Jellal could leave directly.
"Father." When Gerard was about to leave, Ina called him, "I'd better stay with you."
Jellal seemed to have guessed that Ina would have such a reaction, but he still shook his head: "No, Ina, you have to stay here. Don't forget that your mission is just as heavy... Although we are not in the same place, we are fighting side by side, aren't we?"
"But……"
Ina wanted to say something, but Jellal suddenly reached out his hand and rubbed her head like he did when they were children.
"It's just a small matter." He said softly.
Ina was stunned.
By the time she came to her senses, Jellal had already stepped onto the departing bridge.
The sun rose at this moment, and the dawn light painted a touch of red on Gerard's body.
Made it look like he walked into a fire.
She subconsciously wanted to call out to Gerard, but in the blink of an eye, he had already walked away.
“It’s finally here.”
In the morning light that seemed to set the sky on fire, Gerard heard Bai Wei say to him.
"Either rebirth or destruction."
"Either everything,"
"Burn to ashes."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
