Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 416 - 388 - Peeking through a hole

Chapter 416: 388 - Peeking through a hole

When Ming Zhuo saw me, his expression was as if I owed him millions. In reality, he owed me quite a bit. Back then, his defeat pledge included handing over a substantial amount of material compensation to me. However, I couldn’t think of what material compensation to ask for at the time, so it was temporarily set aside.

I am quite curious why he would appear here now. Could it be that he also wants to participate in the battle at the base of operations of the Human Bureau?

Initially, when Fa Zheng mentioned that besides the two of us, two other Impermanences were needed for this battle, I assumed one of them would definitely be Jian Feixian. It seems, however, that Fa Zheng had no plans for Jian Feixian to participate. Perhaps it’s because recently Xuanming and Xu Gou attacked two Governance Ideology bases, and Fa Zheng felt someone had to stay home and guard.

I wasn’t surprised that Divine Light would come. Fa Zheng had mentioned this to me last night. Apart from wishing to utilize Ying Lingyun’s technology powered by the Divine Seal Fragments, Divine Light seemed interested in the Divine Seal Fragments that Ying Lingyun possessed. The agreement with Fa Zheng was that if an even number of Divine Seal Fragments were found at the base of operations, they would be split; if odd, Fa Zheng would get more.

During the battle, the Divine Seal Fragments that fall into Fa Zheng’s hands nominally belong to the Governance Ideology faction. Fa Zheng, Jian Feixian, and I only have usage rights.

Speaking of which, the last time we met, Jian Feixian gave me a token, saying I should visit when I had time. I, however, completely forgot about it.

Oh well, we’ll talk about it later.

"Ming Zhuo, like Divine Light, is also interested in Ying Lingyun’s technology, so he will participate in the battle," Fa Zheng explained to me proactively.

The revival technology researched by Ying Lingyun should be of no use to Ming Zhuo, considering what he lacks is not revival technology but life extension technology. Still, both technologies belong to the realm of life and death, so they aren’t entirely unrelated. Plus, with Ying Lingyun’s technology being a blend of science and mysticism, it might spark some new inspiration for Ming Zhuo.

The hope for Ming Zhuo to gain progress from this remains slim; then again, he probably finds himself in a situation where he has to personally grasp even such a slim chance.

"...Hmph."

Ming Zhuo still looked disgruntled, not responding, just standing by and making a sound through his nose.

"I’ll briefly explain the contents of this operation."

Fa Zheng, unfazed, continued, "This time we need to use the connection between Zhuang Cheng and his thermal energy marker within the base of operations as a medium, and with the power of the Divine Seal Fragments, forcibly create a space-time perforation in the independent reality space of the base. You can see it as directly opening a Teleportation Door.

"During the operation, Divine Light will provide technical and logistical support, remaining outside the base of operations to maintain the Teleportation Door. It is predicted that once the independent reality space no longer borders the outside world, it will become another closed reality where the power of the Divine Seal Fragments can run rampant. The mere existence of the Teleportation Door is indispensable, and only Divine Light, who has the deepest mastery over the power of the Divine Seal Fragments, can sustain it for long.

"As for my task, it is to sever the retreat for Ying Lingyun and other key figures of the Human Bureau externally. They likely have realized their situation, preparing escape protocols. If they attempt to flee outside, I can attack swiftly. Even if they teleport to different regions, I can intercept them on the level of fate and causality.

"Lastly, the task for Zhuang Cheng and Ming Zhuo, you both are the main attackers, responsible for assaulting the interior of the base of operations."

Hearing this, I immediately questioned, "Me and Ming Zhuo?"

"Me and Zhuang Cheng?" Ming Zhuo also voiced simultaneously.

At Luo Mountain, I might team up with anyone, but not with Ming Zhuo, and Ming Zhuo probably had similar thoughts.

"I know what you’re thinking." Fa Zheng seemed well-prepared, "The reason is simple. The primary objective of this operation is to eliminate the Human Bureau. Merely destroying the base is useless; all key members must be eliminated or detained. Thus, people must blockade their escape route externally, and someone must maintain the Teleportation Door externally.

"Leaving aside the irreplaceable Divine Light, neither of you would willingly want the job of blocking the enemy’s retreat routes, would you?"

I have to infiltrate the base of operations to rescue Changan, so my role will surely not change. As for Ming Zhuo...

"You will substitute for me in collecting technical data inside the base of operations. We agreed on this at the very start, right?" Divine Light addressed Ming Zhuo, "The base of operations might have protocols to self-destroy all data if conquered, so you can’t wait until the operation is over to collect technical data. You wouldn’t want to end up empty-handed, would you?"

"You don’t need to tell me. Of course, I understand such things naturally." Ming Zhuo said gloomily.

I looked at the demon hunters dressed like Black Evil nearby and asked, "What about their task?"

"They’re my people, tasked with assisting in collecting technical data," Ming Zhuo said.

The highest ranking among these demon hunters is merely achieved level, which might not ensure their safety in the perilous unknowns of the base of operations. Usually, they would need at least one Great Success Rank Impermanence leading them, yet now it’s just Ming Zhuo himself going into battle.

It seems that all the Great Success Rank on his mountain have indeed been wiped out by me. But I have no intention to apologize for it.

Ming Zhuo noticed me observing those men, apparently having the same realization, and his expression turned even sourer.

"I should have killed you the first time we met," he spat venomously.

"That’s your mistake for missing. But speaking of our first meeting..." I recollected, "When you saw Mazao’s dream, you seemed very surprised by the scenery there. Why is that?"

Ming Zhuo looked at me for a long time, finally saying, "...Her dream was exactly the same as the world after death."

The Doomsday Era and the world after death being the same—this was merely speculation on my part based on Ming Zhuo’s reaction, and now Ming Zhuo finally admitted it outright.

Then, almost as if talking to himself, Ming Zhuo said, "The architecture there... it looked like Luo Mountain from over a hundred years ago."

"What?"

I couldn’t help but be surprised by his words.

The last time Mazao and I entered the Doomsday Dream, we entered a place that was barren and vast courtyard.

Mazao said it was a structure from the Evangelical Institute, the largest human force on Doomsday, yet Ming Zhuo not only thought the Doomsday Era resembled the after-death world but also found the architecture of the Evangelical Institute similar to Luo Mountain from over a hundred years ago?

Over a hundred years ago... I recall this time period was when Qing Dynasty ended, which was the time Luo Mountain’s force withdrew to the Living World due to Gua Tianshi’s prophecy of the imminent destruction of the world after death. Why would buildings from this period suddenly appear in the Doomsday Era?

Or could it be that a horrific event involving the world after death spilling into the Living World indeed occurred in the future of the Doomsday Era, alongside the Luo Mountain architecture left behind over a hundred years ago spilling into our world of living?

But then why is the place occupied by the Evangelical Institute? Could the Evangelical Institute be what’s left of Luo Mountain in the Doomsday Era?

This hypothesis does have some logic; supposedly, after the Doomsday descended, some ordinary people sustained themselves. Luo Mountain, being a force teeming with demon hunters, couldn’t have been obliterated entirely.

However, why would Mazao, who has spent a considerable amount of time in the Evangelical Institute, be completely unaware of Luo Mountain in the beginning, to the extent that she seemed unfamiliar with the term demon hunter?

Gua Tianshi had said before, Doomsday doesn’t occur in the future, but in the past...

I couldn’t help but spawn absurd thoughts: maybe the Doomsday Era that Mazao experienced was not in the future but in the past, over a hundred years ago; perhaps Mazao didn’t traverse from the future to now but from the past to now...

No, no... There are still too many unexplained things. The most apparent point is Mazao’s initial attitude towards modern appliances, although she couldn’t be said to engage with them regularly, she was not completely clueless. She admitted to me that modern appliances were occasionally accessible in the Doomsday Era.

I attempted to inquire Ming Zhuo again, but Ming Zhuo seemed to detest speaking with me, shutting up after a few curt responses.

Fa Zheng and Divine Light moved towards the center of the clearing.

The ground at the center was etched with intricate, profound arrays in grooves. Fa Zheng took out two Divine Seal Fragments and hurled them, embedding them in two different positions on the array. Then, Divine Light stepped into the center of the array, white light blooming from his hands.

The dazzling white light flowed onto the ground like liquid, as if time accelerated, quickly filling every groove in the array.

Not only was there mana fluctuation from Divine Light, but the venue also emitted the mysterious fluctuations solely belonging to the power of Divine Seal Fragments, reminiscent of the vibrations transmitted when Dr. Silver Mask wielded the Power of Reset in the past.

"Zhuang Cheng, it’s your turn," Fa Zheng said, "Step into the array and focus all your attention on sensing the thermal energy marker you left within the independent reality space."

"Alright."

Unable to pry Ming Zhuo’s mouth open for now, I followed Fa Zheng’s instructions and walked into the array, then began attempting to sense the thermal energy marker I had left in another space.

As I closed my eyes, the power of the Divine Seal Fragments emanating from the array began to converge onto me, slowly strengthening and clarifying the initially elusive connection between me and that thermal energy marker.

Gradually, I began to see the scenery of another space.