Chapter 1924: Bright Then Returning to Obscurity

"A reasonable suspicion. Otherwise, it's hard to see what those two stood to gain from attacking us."

Tucked securely behind the shield without a speck of dust on him, Professor Fu wasn't surprised by Excellency Stoss's statement and casually confirmed it.

This was indeed one of the most likely answers to the question Fu Qian had initially considered.

As mentioned earlier, the purpose behind the Marr brothers' actions remained deeply baffling.

On one hand, even if they actually managed to wipe out this formidable expedition team, what would be the point?

It would bring nothing but the Night Watchers' frenzied retaliation.

Could this place serve as their foundation? As long as it remained intact, they could resurrect infinitely, but if it was destroyed, they would cease to exist?

It sounded reasonable at first glance, but the Night Watchers clearly weren't here to destroy the place—this was merely an investigation.

In fact, if the brothers actually succeeded in killing the team, it would only accelerate this place's destruction.

They might not have been right in the head, but they surely wouldn't commit such an obvious act of suicide.

On the other hand, even with The Ark enhancing their concealment, could they truly pull it off?

It was overly confident—unless they never intended to succeed in the first place.

The thought that followed was what had prompted Fu Qian to intervene three times, stopping Old Man Stoss from acting impulsively.

Back on Layer 1, the passageway leading downward had suddenly sealed shut right after Su Gao discovered the Marr brothers and the Old Man unleashed a major attack to steal the kill.

At the time, his assessment of that change had been: "This ship seems angry."

Could that have been their goal all along? To attack, assassinate, and hide, forcing the expedition team to wreak havoc on The Ark to root out the threat, otherwise the investigation couldn't proceed.

That process would provoke The Ark's hatred and hostility, escalating the conflict.

It was an unconventional way to sow discord, though it was hard to say what they stood to gain from the fallout.

Although he wasn't certain, it hadn't stopped him from using his role as a consultant to guide things in the opposite direction.

For example, while repeatedly preventing the situation from escalating, he had ultimately suggested that Su Gao execute the discovered Marr brothers.

Compared to Old Man Stoss, her strikes were far more precise and less likely to cause collateral damage to their surroundings.

The final outcome—the fact that the Marr brothers had seemingly given up all resistance—proved his guess to some extent.

...

Not far ahead lay the epicenter of the Marr brothers' self-destruction.

Blowing themselves to bloody pieces after taking a single sword strike hardly fit the mindset of an assassin.

Not to mention, the explosive power had been pathetic. When Old Man Feng Yunhong created a similar scene back in the day, the same technique had instantly obliterated a Peak Tier 4 expert.

Once again, it strongly suggested their earlier actions had been calculated to sow discord.

"Was the brightening light a fake too?"

Just as the group, led by Excellency Stoss, fell into deep thought, Su Gao turned her head to softly verify his idea.

As a frontline operative who had entered The Ark twice, she was clearly more sensitive to certain details.

"Most likely."

As gazes immediately converged on him amidst the group's dawning realization, Fu Qian nodded.

"It seems our experience was exploited. The light growing brighter represented the degree to which we were being corrupted by this ship, but it could also mean the light simply grew brighter... This setup must have been arranged after they realized someone had entered.

"I have to say, it was a rather clever arrangement. We can't even prove it now, but once you accept that those two were trying to provoke a conflict between us and the ship, it becomes much easier to understand."

Fu Qian gestured toward his own eyes.

"Since they could use this ship to hide themselves, completely evading our strenuous efforts to find them, it's entirely possible they could slightly manipulate the time flow between the inside and outside. Pair that with a small optical illusion, and a tense atmosphere was successfully manufactured."

"As for their goal? Under a severe time crunch, our options would suddenly become extremely limited due to the risks. Our actions would grow more drastic, making us far easier to manipulate."

...

"That makes a lot of sense... And even if you had told me this earlier, I probably wouldn't have listened."

The exchange between Su Gao and Fu Qian offered an alternative interpretation of the overall situation since boarding. In the profound silence that followed, Excellency Stoss finally spoke in a slow voice.

Not only did he acknowledge Fu Qian's theory to an extent, he even openly admitted his previous bias—meaning that if he hadn't asked on his own, and Fu Qian had just offered the idea unprompted, it likely wouldn't have convinced him.

But now, certain things had undeniably been proven...

Examining the mess before them, the Old Man clearly didn't feel this pathetic display warranted being called a final trump card either.

"But there's still a small issue here. Why go to such unnecessary lengths? If they hadn't manipulated the internal and external time flow, wouldn't the urgency have been more authentic?"

Of course, that didn't mean he was completely without doubts.

"Good question. It's hard to say."

This time, Fu Qian shook his head decisively.

"Perhaps they would still suffer corruption despite their apparent affinity with this place. Or maybe, once our corruption synchronized to a certain degree, we would no longer be able to deal substantial damage to The Ark, making us useless for provocation."

As he answered, Fu Qian also looked in the same direction the Old Man was staring.

The shockwave from the Marr brothers' self-destruction had undoubtedly ravaged every inch of the visible area—yet it hadn't caused any real structural damage.

Toward this ship, their blast had been as gentle as a spring breeze.

"Su Gao, what do you think?"

This scene faintly supported Professor Fu's opinion. However, knowing that listening to all sides brings clarity, Stoss turned to confirm the thoughts of the nominal leader of this investigation.

In any case, if their earlier conjectures were true, their time limit should have suddenly become much more generous.

Furthermore, Su Gao's performance along the way had been nothing short of impeccable.

"They aren't hiding anymore. Their remnants are merging with the ship."

Su Gao didn't stand on ceremony, gesturing in another direction.

"And the scythe and the Feather are both disappearing."

Indeed...

Prompted by her reminder, the group clearly noticed those two earlier threats.

Not only was the bloody mess left behind by the assassins' self-destruction rapidly seeping into the ship, but both the Feather and the scythe were also being swiftly suppressed. It looked as though the ship were being healed.

But to what end?

Even if their original plan had failed, there was no need to go out of their way to do this, right?

"I still can't sense a way out—"

As they pondered, Demigod Su delivered another piece of pessimistic news.

"The ship is moving."

And then, after a brief pause, a faintly even less optimistic piece of news.