Enforcer Manual
Chapter 735 - 733: Old Acquaintance_1

Chapter 735: Chapter 733: Old Acquaintance_1

In the past few days, the "Emperor" had been staying in the sewers, his intuition telling him that the end of the labyrinth must lead to some unknown place.

And now, he had finally mapped out the changes in the underground sewers.

A holographic screen materialized in front of him, and he observed that the structure of the sewer changed at regular intervals, which was why ordinary people who wandered into the labyrinth could never find their way out again.

Every pathway here looked identical, invisible to the human eye and to non-military-grade artificial eyes, leading those who strayed inside to become lost until they stumbled upon a tree hole at the heart of the maze.

He was currently marked as being in B2 Zone, with a vast, unexplored area ahead.

His instincts told him that he was getting closer and closer to his destination.

Because the labyrinth not only changed but also seemed to possess its own consciousness, which made exploration of B Area incredibly difficult as the maze’s consciousness seemed determined to prevent him from crossing B Area to reach the other side.

"Almost there."

This was not a solitary exploration; the voice in his mind reminded him from time to time.

The path ahead became narrow and rugged.

Plants with barbed hooks blanketed the path ahead, and every turn was sealed off with cobweb-like thorns, discouraging any sane person from venturing into this perilous area, yet the "Emperor" walked over the hooks, pushing his way through the thorn-blocked passages.

The rougher the path became, the closer it proved he was to the end.

He did not know when the labyrinth had been built or where it led, but according to the operating system’s map, he had left The First Region far behind and was now deep in the sea surrounding it, the map no longer serving as a reference.

The concept of space became extremely vague; with every step he took forward, his physical coordinates could shift.

Guided by a voice, the "Emperor" passed through the last stretch of thorny territory.

It was hard to even call it a path anymore because he had carved a way through the barbs, thorns, and the man-eating flowers that continuously assaulted him.

At the end of this path, two statues of ancient trees stood tall beneath the grand steps.

And the map now showed his location—the deep sea.

He was deep in the inland sea of The First Region, at a depth reachable only by submarines, with the whole world shrouded in darkness and the maze’s dome nowhere to be seen. He turned on his artificial body’s lighting and looked up, faintly seeing something enormous flitting through the "sky" above.

In that endless dark abyss overhead, it seemed as if many eyes were watching him.

Climbing the stairs, the "Emperor" finally found light sources within the Holy Temple.

The lights emanated from the wall’s retro-style sconces, burning with inconceivable flames that seemed to last forever without any fuel.

At the end of the path was a spacious garden.

In contrast to the thorny, man-eating-flower-filled maze, the garden was a visually pleasing sight filled with the faint scent of fresh air.

Fresh flowers surrounded a vibrant, heart-like blossom that throbbed, its shape highly similar to the core of the man-eating plant the "Emperor" had discovered in the maze, yet now the "heart" had a sacred aura to it.

"Welcome."

A graceful figure was surrounded by colorful petals, seemingly aware of the "Emperor’s" arrival but not turning around, instead tending to the flowers with dedication.

The "Emperor" wondered if he was hallucinating as he felt emotions emanating from the plants.

The flowers seemed to express a "happy" mood.

All of this could only be described as eerie.

He braced himself for battle, for at the end of a rugged maze, there should not be a garden, nor a woman who devotedly cared for the flowers within it.

A fragile woman should not have been able to reach this place, and her behavior confirmed his suspicions.

Even with gravity many times stronger than usual, her actions remained unaffected as she calmly watered the flowers.

He walked towards the woman.

"I need to pass through this garden."

The "Emperor" declared his intent to her.

"Did the person in your mind tell you that?" the woman asked without turning her head, her voice as light as casual conversation.

At her words, the "Emperor" suddenly froze.

Before this, no one knew this secret—not the company, family, nor the Review Meeting. From the moment he appeared, he had felt something odd, like even in his silent nature, the woman could see right through to the deepest secrets of his heart.

"My name is Trian, a plant scholar," the woman seemed to read his thoughts once more, saying, "And you also can’t cross here to the room on the other side."

The "Emperor" immediately became defensive, not giving her a chance to continue.

However, the next moment, all his movements came to a halt.

He clearly saw a crack appearing in the statue of the Old Tree beside the stairs under the influence of gravity, and before him were the steps leading to the Holy Temple.

Above his head, the space remained pitch-black, but this time the large shadow swimming in the "sky" paused. It seemed to have noticed the presence of the "Emperor," watching the tiny human from above, and this time, he finally saw the true appearance of that shadow.

A fish floating in the air.

It was of a colossal size, large enough to cover an entire city block, making the airships of the United Government seem like mere toys in comparison.

Apart from the giant shadow, the "Emperor" noticed other creatures as well.

Or, more accurately, their eyes.

They hid deep within the darkness, but from the size of their eyes alone, one could imagine their colossal forms, making even the vast sky feel narrow and crowded.

He quickly understood his predicament.

Space had jumped again.

Just like with the labyrinth and the plant at its very center he had first encountered, each time the thought of "attack" surfaced in his mind and he tried to translate it into action, he would end up somewhere else. However, until now, he had not figured out the conditions that triggered the spatial transfer.

In the past few days, he had launched a total of 12 challenges towards the labyrinth’s center, and without exception, he was transported to other areas of the labyrinth every time.

Luckily, this time he hadn’t gone very far.

Two minutes were enough for him to return to the garden and face the woman who called herself a plant scientist again. At least compared to the plant in the center of the labyrinth, there was still a possibility of communication with Trian.

"You really don’t know how to give up."

This time, just as "Emperor" approached the garden, Trian’s ethereal voice came through, "I’ve given you more than one chance to leave. You know what you’re going to face."

He saw Trian put down the watering can, facing him.

"Then you should also know my answer."

As he spoke, "Emperor" carefully observed the garden, looking for flaws.

The more powerful the ability, the stricter the conditions for triggering it. The plants must have used some kind of method to transport him elsewhere, meaning if he could find the common ground between the garden and the tree pit, he might unravel the secret of this strange power.

"Go back."

Trian once again patiently tried to persuade him, "At least with your current self, you are not capable of reaching the place behind me."

She watched "Emperor," discerning his inner thoughts.

"’How will I know if I don’t try?’ Such thoughts will only lead you to your death."

Trian sighed, "Since our last encounter, you’ve actually been treading water. In the realm of Spiritual Energy, you can’t find a way to become stronger, which is why you started looking for other paths, accepting cybernetic replacements, modifying your body, until you turned yourself into what you are now... Is this her promise to you?"

"Have we met before?"

"Emperor" examined Trian; his memory should not have deteriorated to the point where he couldn’t even remember people, especially since his operating system was equipped with a storage function. In terms of memory, machinery was much more efficient than the human brain.

"No, but you tried to save me once, just like I’m doing for you now."

"You must be mistaken; I don’t remember anything like that."

"Cloud Biological Pharmaceutical."

Trian mentioned a name that "Emperor" was familiar with, "Once, my team and I lost contact with the company, and you were the only Six Stars rescuer who came for us. We were so close; I could hear your voice. You were about to find us."

"Emperor" fell silent.

He recalled that rescue mission when he had happened to be investigating in the Forest Sea Area in the "outside world." Upon learning that a research team from a company had gone missing, he participated in the rescue operation at once.

But after nearly a week in the forest, they hadn’t managed to find Trian and her team. They disappeared without a trace, as if they had vanished into thin air.

It wasn’t until this moment that "Emperor" had a sudden realization.

Perhaps the research team had also been transported to underground or other interstices by a mysterious spatial ability.

"I’m glad you survived."

In response to "Emperor," Trian merely smiled.

The two made eye contact for a long while, then she said, "Go back. Pretend you never went through the labyrinth."

"If only I had found the labyrinth back then, things might have been different."

"Emperor" looked beyond Trian, his gaze resolute.

Everyone has to go through a process of growth among failures, and the Six Stars rescuers were no exception.

"Not everything in this world can go as one wishes."

Trian said, "That’s true for me as well."

Despite her genuine intention to persuade "Emperor" to leave, it was clear she couldn’t easily change the heart of a Six Stars rescuer.

Resilient and powerful—that was the nature of "Emperor."

These qualities had driven him to forge through the thorny path and come this far.

"So..."

Both understood each other’s intentions, "if you still manage to survive, don’t keep obeying the voice in your head. That’s my advice to you."

"She’s lying; kill her!"

The voice inside his head suddenly interjected into the conversation, abruptly conveying a new command to "Emperor."

When "Emperor" snapped back to reality, the scene before him had twisted yet again.

But this time, instead of the statues of Old Trees and grand staircases at his side, he found himself engulfed in profound darkness, as if he were high above in the sky or deep beneath the sea.

The gigantic shadow that had previously hovered before him now confronted him, baring its fangs.

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