A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 720 - Chapter 720 Chapter 529 Heading South_1

Chapter 720: Chapter 529 Heading South_1 Chapter 720: Chapter 529 Heading South_1 As he watched Duanmu Huai standing in front of him, the man felt fear stab him to the marrow. Bathed in the moonlight, Duanmu’s face looked no less terrifying than a ferocious beast that was about to rip him apart.

Moreover, merely being under the man’s gaze led him to feel as if his courage, will and even the beliefs he’d been ready to die for all his life, are crumbling impossibly fast. He felt like a patch of desert sand getting whipped by fierce wind, or a pile of snow melting under sunlight. Suddenly, everything he had held close to his heart disappeared into oblivion.

In that moment, the man stared at Duanmu Huai, his eyes wide with incredulity.

“It’s, it’s you!”

“Oh?”

Upon hearing the man’s words, Duanmu Huai raised an eyebrow.

“You know me?”

“Of course …… you’ve ruined the plan at the cottage twice… I can’t believe you even know about a top-secret operation like this!”

Bearing witness to Duanmu Huai’s nonchalance, the man felt as though he was on the brink of madness.

“How is this possible? This was the most confidential plan. How do you know about it? Who leaked the secrets?!”

Huh?

Looking at the reaction on the man’s face, Duanmu Huai paused for a moment before he realized something significant. Judging by the man’s words, the two prior events at the Silver Dusk Cottage that he had accidentally stumbled upon were all part of a bigger plan. And the epicenter of this plan seems to be the Dark City?

So, they had misunderstood him and thought that he intentionally thwarted their plans after learning about them?

Yet, as far as Duanmu Huai knew, it had all been mere coincidences, or… maybe not.

At that thought, Duanmu Huai cast a silent glance at his coat pocket. Tutu, his lucky rabbit, was curled up in there, peeking out curiously.

It seems that his lucky rabbit has really done him some good.

It never crossed Duanmu Huai’s mind that the case in Fog City would be connected to the incidents on the train and airship.

But now…

“That’s none of your concern.”

Duanmu Huai snorted coldly, extending his hand and grasping the man by the throat, lifting him off the ground.

“All you need to do is answer my question, why are you doing all of this?”

“……you, you already know… ”

“Of course, that’s why I’m asking. You should understand that lying won’t work with me.”

This was certainly a lie. Duanmu Huai had no clue why Silver Dusk Cottage was acting the way it did. But deception wasn’t a difficult feat for him. While he didn’t possess the persuasive skills or charisma that many players had, he knew his strength lies in intimidation.

“Ugh… Ah…”

With only a little pressure from Duanmu Huai’s fingers, the man began to choke. Like a deflated balloon manifesting its final breath, the residual air escaped his throat due to the forced pressure, while Duanmu’s terrifying gaze seemingly threatened to eat him alive. This caused the man to completely lose touch with his rationality.

“The world, the world will be completely changed. We will reshape this world. The grand arrival of the ancient gods is near, the torch of the Tartar Gate has been lit…”

“Speak clearly.”

“Everything, everything is part of the plan. We know that the great ancient gods are wandering in the void, and we want to guide them to our world, to change everything. Opening the Tartar Gate is just the start, Miss Charlotte has already arrived at the gate with a torch in hand, ready to guide. What we have to do next is to break the seal and open the gate… The Dark City is just one of many. All around the world, Our brethren are fighting for this grand cause…Ah!!!”

Before the man could finish his sentence, Duanmu Huai’s grip tightened, and the man screamed in pain again.

“In other words, the previous occurrences that I interrupted were all part of your grand plan?”

“Yes… Opening the dimension gate to the Black Cave, invoking the favour of the Thousand-faced god, and lifting the seal of the Dark City…they were all part of the plan…”

“But one thing intrigues me.”

Duanmu Huai fixed his gaze on the man and asked calmly.

“According to Professor Capek, Miss Charlotte has already arrived at the Tartar Gate, so why are you still engaging in these foolish acts here?”

“Miss Charlotte … she … she is special. What she seeks is different from us. When she reaches the Tartar Gate with the torch, she can guide the gods to descend. But if the seals are not broken, the Tartar gate won’t open… Hence, we are here to help her… ”

“How many of you are there and where are all of you?”

“…………”

Faced with Duanmu Huai’s questioning, for the first time, the man chose silence. Duanmu Huai, however, chuckled softly, reached out his hand, and grabbed hold of the man’s arm. He lifted it up, swinging it before the man’s face, just like he was showing a toy to a child.