Chapter 473: A Barrage Flooding the Mind

Berses opened his eyes and looked at the cave ceiling, dimly lit by candlelight. In his mind, the scenes he had seen through the Beast of Inheritance’s consciousness using secret arts still lingered.

He sat up, holding his forehead with one hand, a mocking smile gradually appearing on his face. “Tch, people chasing after the real world? What a bunch of pitiful fools, actually stupid enough to treat the Beast of Inheritance as a deity.”

In Norse mythology, there are nine divine realms on the branches of the World Tree, but those only exist in haunting legends-no one has ever seen them with their own eyes.

The special space constructed by Qi Nanzhu, though relying on the projection of Hua City, to some extent already possesses certain features of the legendary divine realms.

After intercepting the Beast of Inheritance’s memories through the Soul-Absorbing Worm, Berses had once marveled at the exquisite methods Qi Nanzhu used to construct the special space, unable to find a way to invade it in a short time.

But now… he had found it!

Granted, with the Beast of Inheritance’s ability to copy haunting powers, without external assistance, it would still be difficult to invade that special space in a short time.

However, if it was dismantled from within, things would be different.

Although his control over the Beast of Inheritance hadn’t reached the level of a familiar’s mark, it was still easy for him to drive it like cattle or sheep.

Very soon, Qi Nanzhu’s legacy, and the secrets of how she constructed that nearly perfect space, would be fully exposed before his eyes.

“The elephant is about to be bitten to death by ants. Heh, I really have to thank this bunch of pitiful fools this time.” Berses muttered.

“Boom-!”

A thunderous roar suddenly erupted, echoing through the vast cave, as fine dust fell in a steady stream.

Startled by the sound, Berses snapped out of his excitement at the prospect of obtaining Qi Nanzhu’s legacy, rolled out of bed, pulled open the curtains, and looked outside in surprise and uncertainty.

From the direction of the cave entrance, dazzling streams of light burst forth as psychic energy fluctuations collided, and the sounds of battle and explosions kept coming.

“Bang bang bang-!”

Urgent knocking sounded, and a red-robed Eclipse Society member burst in, panic written all over his face.

“Lord Berses, it’s-it’s people from The Midnight Watchers Society, led by Secretary Golden Horn.”

“Damn it, they got here this fast?” Berses said gravely.

He had already guessed that The Midnight Watchers Society might track him through his corpse, but he hadn’t expected them to arrive so quickly, catching him off guard.

They must have paid a certain price for it, right? Berses grumbled inwardly, then looked at his subordinate and said in a deep voice, “Pass the word-initiate Plan One!”

“Uh?” Hearing that Berses wanted to initiate Plan One, the red-robed Eclipse Society member was clearly stunned.

So-called Plan One was the self-destruct protocol for this base. Apart from backing up important information and data, all equipment would self-destruct within five minutes.

By then, all the equipment inside the cave would become the most violent alchemy bombs.

Although the operators led by Golden Horn were almost all elites among the operators in the southwest region-

But with all the fixed defensive spell formations outside the base running at overload, unless those few catastrophe-class psychics came in person, it would be impossible to break through within five minutes.

If they insisted on forcing their way in…

Then they could just be blown sky-high along with this base.

Whether it was the Beast of Inheritance or evidence of the crimes, you won’t get a single thing… Berses thought, his voice cold. “Was I not clear enough?”

“Yes!”

The Eclipse Society member responded, then immediately activated a speed-boosting spell formation and hurried off.

Watching his subordinate’s departing figure, Berses’s gaze grew deeper.

Golden Horn, huh?

Then let’s play a game of cat and mouse.

This time, you won’t catch me!

As for why not face them head-on…

That’s The Midnight Watchers Society’s regular army-getting away smoothly is already a success.

—

Four minutes and fifty seconds later.

At the mouth of the huge cave, dozens of The Midnight Watchers Society operators poured out in single file.

“Retreat, everyone, retreat!”

Golden Horn, who was covering the rear, waved his arms and shouted loudly.

“Whoosh-!”

A figure moving at high speed shot out from the pitch-black cave entrance, stirring up a gust of wind.

The last operator exited the cave. Golden Horn was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when, at that moment, deep within the cave, the psychic energy fluctuations suddenly intensified.

“Boom-!”

A thunderous roar erupted from deep within the cave, growing stronger and stronger, as if some primordial beast was awakening from its slumber and rapidly approaching.

A terrifying explosion was brewing.

Suddenly, the earth shook, and the rumbling was endless.

A wave of heat swept over. Golden Horn turned back in horror and saw that on the mountain behind him, dazzling, ferocious red fissures spread out, flames ignited out of nowhere atop the earth, shrouding the entire mountain in furnace-like, astonishing heat.

“Boom-!”

With a deafening bang, the mountaintop exploded, waves of earth surged in all directions, and tens of thousands of tons of rock and soil were instantly blasted into the sky.

In an instant, firelight rained down from the sky!

Golden Horn looked up and saw firelight falling like a meteor shower, crimson storms bursting one after another into rosy clouds.

It actually looked pretty good, but…

Why is it getting closer and closer? Seems like it’s coming right at me.

He frowned, thought for a moment, calmly analyzed, reasoned logically, then suddenly realized.

Damn! The backlash is starting already?!

That night, in a secret little warehouse at the lime factory in West City, Hua City.

Gu Wei Bing was hunched over the workbench, holding a magnifying glass, carefully examining the crystals bestowed by the deity.

The crystals were about the size of pigeon eggs, dark red and multifaceted, glimmering faintly as if containing a cluster of stars. They looked like high-quality rubies, but unlike rubies, these held life within!

When his fingertips brushed their surfaces, he could clearly feel warmth and a faint pulse, like a heartbeat. After prolonged contact, he could even hear many strange, indescribably wonderful sounds.

So beautiful-these are definitely not man-made! Gu Wei Bing thought.

Creak-

The old iron door of the warehouse was pushed open, letting out a mournful groan.

Accompanied by footsteps, Gu Xinian came down the stairs and stopped beside Gu Wei Bing.

“Second Uncle, I went to the library this afternoon. The person who came wasn’t that kid from before, but a young woman…”

Gu Wei Bing pulled himself back to reality, looked at Gu Xinian, and gave a meaningful smile. “Oh? How does she look?”

“She’s alright…” Gu Xinian knew his second uncle’s temperament-always eager to ‘communicate deeply’ with female members-so he deliberately didn’t describe Wang Buliuxing’s appearance in detail.

In fact, in his opinion, Wang Buliuxing was already one of the prettiest girls he’d ever seen, second only to his own sister.

Too bad she has a mouth and knows how to talk.

“Alright? Then bring her over next time, let me meet her.” Gu Wei Bing said seriously, “You know me-I always care about newcomers, guiding them to enlightenment.”

“We’ll see about that,” Gu Xinian replied perfunctorily.

You really wouldn’t want to meet her. I’m worried you’re too old, your heart couldn’t take it…

“By the way, Second Uncle, you kept calling me this afternoon. Was there something urgent?”

“That’s right, I wanted you to…” Gu Wei Bing began, glanced at the dark red crystals on the workbench, then seemed to remember something, paused, and smiled.

“Haha, I wanted to trouble you to make a trip and deliver the gifts from the deity to all the uncles and elders.”

“Gifts from the deity?” Gu Xinian frowned in confusion.

“That’s right, these…” Gu Wei Bing stepped forward and gathered the faintly glowing, dark red star-like crystals on the workbench. “Wearing them close, you can see the real world more clearly.”

Gu Xinian looked at the crystals on the workbench, then at the tactical jacket fixed to the table, frowning. “Second Uncle, wearing these things…”

Is this really reliable?

These aren’t those crystals, metals, or health supplements from before-they’re things of unknown origin, Gu Xinian thought.

“To deliver the deity’s gifts to loyal devotees is the deity’s revelation.” Gu Wei Bing said with a hint of anger. “Are you doubting the deity?”

“Do you know how long everyone has waited for this day to come?”

“…”

Gu Xinian was silent for a moment, bowed slightly. “I wouldn’t dare. I’ll deliver them right away.”

Gu Wei Bing smiled, patted Gu Xinian’s shoulder. “That’s more like it!”

As he spoke, he bent down and took out a small iron box from under the workbench, carefully packed the dark red crystals inside, then hesitated and took one out to put in his own pocket.

“Go on!” Gu Wei Bing handed the iron box to Gu Xinian. “Once you’re done, I’ll give you a few days off.”

“Haven’t you been worried about Gu Qianqian lately? Take these few days to spend some time with her.”

Looking at the iron box in his hand, Gu Xinian opened his mouth to say something, but thinking of Gu Qianqian still wandering the streets, he fell silent again, bowed to his second uncle, and turned to leave the warehouse.

Watching Gu Xinian leave, waiting for the sound of the iron door closing, Gu Wei Bing impatiently took out the crystal he’d kept in his pocket, examined it under the light, his expression gradually becoming intoxicated and obsessed, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks.

—

One hour later.

On the road two kilometers from the lime factory in West City, Hua City, a taxi drove up from the distance and stopped by the roadside. As the engine shut off, the car was plunged into darkness.

In the darkness, an old man and a young woman sat in silence, the atmosphere eerie.

“Is it really not possible?” someone asked.

Her voice trembled, tinged with tears.

“How could it be? You take a cab, you pay-it’s only right. I can’t do it!”

“Do you really have to be like this?”

“…”

Lu Yibei was silent for two seconds, patted Zhang Shan’s shoulder, and asked in confusion, “Uncle, I’m already here, but you insist on taking me back and won’t take my money-what kind of trick is this?”

“Miss, as an adult, I have a duty to protect minors. This place looks unsafe, how could I just watch you go in?”

Uncle Zhang Shan spoke earnestly, his hands trembling as he tried to light a cigarette-“click, click”-he tried several times before finally lighting it.

Lu Yibei glanced sideways at Zhang Shan.

His face was pale, lips bluish, eyes darting nervously. Though he wore a thick jacket, sweat poured down his forehead-he looked utterly terrified.

She turned to look back at the road they’d come from-no streetlights, pitch black as far as the eye could see.

Then…

A sudden realization dawned in her heart.

“I get it! Uncle, you’re not scared to go back alone, are you?”

“…”

Yes, that’s right… Those stories you told were way too scary, almost like they were real.

With all my years driving a taxi in Hua City, how could I not recognize that the backgrounds of your haunting stories are all set in Hua City?

But as a grown man, how could I show fear in front of a young lady?

Zhang Shan took a deep drag of his cigarette, straightened up, and said seriously, “Who said that? What am I afraid of? I’m mainly worried about your safety!”

“Then…” Lu Yibei’s eyes darted around, “Why don’t you just wait for me here? I’m worried it might be inconvenient when I come back later!”

“This…” Zhang Shan hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping.

“Then it’s settled!” Lu Yibei said, paid the fare, and then deftly rummaged through the small box next to the passenger seat, pulling out a business card and slipping it into her pocket.

“Your WeChat is your phone number, right? I’ll add you in a bit. If anything happens to either of us, we can look out for each other.”

Before Zhang Shan could refuse, she quickly got out of the car.

With a “bang!”, the car door closed, and the interior fell into dead silence.

Only then did Zhang Shan suddenly realize what had happened, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Wait a minute! How did she know I kept business cards there?

And that line, “If anything happens to either of us, we can look out for each other.” What the hell does that mean?

If something happens, let it happen to you, don’t drag me into it! If you’re not going back, I am!

“Ding dong-!”

The friend request notification sounded, pulling Zhang Shan back to reality. He froze for a moment, looked up out the window, and realized that in just a few seconds, Lu Yibei had already disappeared, leaving only darkness behind.

In this relatively remote area, there were no streetlights along the road; the whole highway was tightly wrapped in darkness, and the headlights could only illuminate a limited distance ahead.

There wasn’t a single passerby or vehicle along the way.

In the midst of this dead silence, a feeling as if he’d been abandoned by the known world quietly rose in Zhang Shan’s heart, making him inexplicably anxious and uneasy.

“Gulp-!”

He swallowed hard, quietly pulled out the car key, reclined the seat, lay down, and closed his eyes.

It’s not that I’m afraid to go back alone, I’m mainly worried about that girl’s safety!

As a mature man, with a young lady trusting me like that, how could I betray her trust? Zhang Shan thought.

—

After getting out of the car, Lu Yibei followed the address of the West City Lime Factory she found online, walking along a secluded road.

According to the address marked online, from where she got out of the car, there was still about two kilometers to go before reaching the West City Lime Factory.

However, what surprised her was that this stretch of road was unexpectedly good, even better than the rural roads she’d passed earlier, as if someone had renovated it.

Could it be the Truth-Seeking Fellowship that renovated it? If so, I found the right place? Lu Yibei thought, unconsciously quickening her pace.

Ten minutes later.

Lu Yibei found the West City Lime Factory nestled at the foot of a desolate mountain.

The factory’s courtyard wall was very high; looking over it, she could only see the dilapidated rooftops of the buildings inside.

Staring at those buildings from afar, Lu Yibei frowned slightly.

When she compared the list at home, she’d seen photos of the West City Lime Factory, and she was certain that the old factory had a very tall, large chimney.

But now…

“That’s strange, why is there no chimney? Was it demolished? Or did it collapse from age?”

Muttering to herself, she walked forward and came to the corner of the factory wall, only then noticing that the courtyard wall had been renovated. Some parts of the wall were very dark in color, heavily weathered and damaged, but other parts were brand new.

It was as if, after the wall had aged and broken down, someone had come and repaired it.

Looks like people really do come and go here often, and they’re definitely not homeless drifters!

Homeless people come to places like this just to find shelter from the wind and rain, maybe pick up some scrap metal to sell, but they definitely don’t have the money or time to fix roads and walls.

As Lu Yibei pondered, she spent more than ten minutes circling the West City Lime Factory, finally stopping in front of a large tree growing close to the wall.

Looking up at the courtyard wall, nearly twice her height, she frowned slightly, “Guess I’ll climb in from here…”

While circling the factory, besides loosening all the manhole covers at the corners, she also carefully checked all the main gates at the entrances.

None of those gates were open, and the locks looked recently replaced. If she wanted to get in through the gate, she’d have to break the door or the lock.

But if she did that, it would be a whole different matter!

She was here to investigate, which was already close to being a thief. If there were other people inside and she made too much noise, she’d definitely get caught on the spot.

Have you ever seen a thief break down a door? That’s called armed robbery!

As for why she loosened all the manhole covers, that’s a story that would make her mother smack her-better not to mention it.

Arriving under the tree, Lu Yibei, like a monkey, used both hands and feet to quickly climb up the trunk and onto the courtyard wall.

Sitting on the wall, she peered down for a while, just about to jump when her body suddenly stiffened slightly.

It felt like something had slipped into her mind, like a vague thought, but it definitely wasn’t her own.

っﾟДﾟ)っ

Lu Yibei, “???”

What the hell? This isn’t even a hallucination! Who has hallucinations in the form of emoji?

Just as she was grumbling inwardly, her brow throbbed with pain, and the next moment, a flood of thoughts swept into her mind.

(╥╯^╰╥)

ヾ(o´∀‘o)ﾉ

……

Lu Yibei, “……”

Damn! What’s going on? Are you spamming bullet comments in my head? Can you stop?