’No matter what, there was no escaping the torture. This was probably why Robert had fallen into complete despair, developing the extremist mentality of "spreading fear to help humanity find release." Now that things had come to this, it was likely impossible to turn the situation around.’
Robert didn’t reply again and cut the connection.
THUMP!
Director Vilanko slammed his fist on the table, his expression a mask of fury and anguish.
"Damn it!"
"Director Vilanko, things being what they are, we have no choice but to proceed with the original plan."
"...Right. All teams, listen up! Immediately initiate the forced return sequence for the Imperial Pioneers!"
Once Director Vilanko gave the order, the various teams at the space agency immediately began to carry it out.
Seeing this, Guan Tong decided against using Body Shifting to return to Celestial Water Star directly. If the ship could make the return trip, there was no need for him to expose that ability.
After all, Teleportation Items were unusable in space. If he just appeared back on the planet, everyone would know he possessed a long-range movement ability that worked in space. Even if some intelligence agencies had gathered combat data and knew he could teleport, they wouldn’t be able to determine if it was an item or an innate ability.
So for the next few hours, he watched as multi-limbed robots bustled around the control consoles, coordinating with the ground control center to complete the return procedures.
The return journey began several hours later.
Zhang Minglu made a point of telling Guan Tong to stay on high alert and protect himself if the return journey didn’t go smoothly.
He even joked that if push came to shove, Guan Tong should be prepared to "skydive from orbit."
Guan Tong knew Zhang Minglu was just trying to lighten the mood, but he didn’t let his guard down. ’No matter what happens, first I’ll wrap myself in a thick layer of Shadow Armor, then be ready to use Body Shifting at a moment’s notice.’
However, the situation that ground control had feared never materialized. Even though it was a forced return outside the designated window, thanks to the precise piloting of the intelligent aerospace robots, the Imperial Pioneers smoothly entered the atmosphere after a series of orbital maneuvers.
At this point, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Making it into the atmosphere was as good as being home; Guan Tong could now use his Teleportation Items to leave whenever he wanted.
He didn’t waste an item, instead choosing to ride the spacecraft down to its designated landing site.
The sky was just beginning to lighten with the dawn. Zhang Minglu was already waiting at the landing site and strode forward to greet Guan Tong as he disembarked from the spacecraft.
"Guan Tong, you’ve been through a lot. The plane back to North Star is ready. Shall we return together?"
"I can’t," Guan Tong said. "You go on ahead, Dr. Zhang. I have something I need to do."
"Something to do? Here in Soloma?"
Guan Tong nodded.
Although Zhang Minglu was surprised, he didn’t press the issue.
After they said their goodbyes, Guan Tong took out his phone. It displayed an address he had saved earlier.
On the way to the address, something occurred to him.
Throughout the entire process, from the end of the trial to his return from space, not a single person had asked him how he had "beaten the rule" and caused the Crimson Fear to recede.
He had expected someone to ask and had even prepared a cover story to hide the fact that his Title had devoured the other one.
But as it turned out, his cover story went unused.
Guan Tong didn’t think it was because they weren’t curious. He suspected it was a calculated decision made after discussions between the higher-ups of North Star and Soloma.
Both sides must have determined that pressing him for details would only antagonize him, as he clearly didn’t want to reveal his secrets. Rather than create an awkward conflict with no easy resolution, it was better not to ask. As long as the problem was solved, that was all that mattered.
As for how the governments of the two nations would deal with Robert and the Dream Ship One he now controlled—whether they would launch a barrage of missiles to destroy it—that was no longer Guan Tong’s concern.
The only thing that gave Guan Tong pause was Robert’s mention of "demons."
’If what he said was true, then the Wailing Furnace wasn’t a singular intelligent lifeform, but a member of a species. And if I tentatively call this species the ’Demon Race’ as Robert did, then it seems they also possess a desire for revenge.’
’Robert said the Demon Race would find humanity’s home world and take revenge... But wasn’t that individual demon captured by a Fire Thief? If they want revenge, shouldn’t they go after the Fire Thieves first? Unless... unless they considered the one captured by the Fire Thief to still be ’alive,’ but now that my Title has absorbed it, it’s truly and completely dead...’
Guan Tong didn’t feel any sense of responsibility for it, nor was he one to borrow trouble over things that hadn’t happened yet.
He was simply curious about the true nature of this so-called Demon Race.
Because according to the complete history pieced together from the Qimo Star Chronicles, the Qimo Star Giant Beasts that appeared in the Foggy Nightmare Beast Apocalypse Rule were "Gatekeepers" of their own civilization.
At the time, the general consensus among humanity was that these alien creatures appearing in the Apocalypse Rules were likely in the same boat as the Qimo Star Giant Beasts. Their home worlds had probably been destroyed by the Apocalypse Rules, and the surviving individuals were taken by the Fire Thieves as "collectibles" to be used in other Rules.
That was why when the Nanomite Swarm Intelligence appeared, many in the academic community believed its species was already extinct, with only a few isolated individuals having been repurposed by the Fire Thieves.
But now, the looming specter of the Demon Race cast a new, subtle shadow over humanity... assuming, of course, that the voices Robert heard weren’t deceiving him.
...
「April 1st, 9:00 AM.」
「Xinyue City, the Soloma Capital.」
In a suburb far from the city center, a car pulled up and stopped in front of an old house.
Guan Tong didn’t get out immediately. He sat in the car and waited as the Fire Thief’s voice rang in his mind.
[Congratulations on passing the trial of the seventeenth Apocalypse Rule.]
[Your reward has been sent to your storage.]
[The eighteenth Apocalypse Rule will be announced in fifteen days.]
The month-long seventeenth rule was finally over.
For many, this meant they no longer had to live in constant fear every time they went online.
And for those affected by the Crimson Fear, while the damage was done, as long as they were alive, there was still a chance to recover.
Guan Tong opened his storage and took out the new survival chest he had been awarded.
[You have obtained a random item: Mimic Windbreaker.]
[Mimic Windbreaker]: When used, allows you to blend into your surroundings and conceal your presence. Using an ability or taking damage will break this effect. Concealment consumes 10 Psychic Power per second. This item is tradable.
’Blending into the environment... it’s basically Invisibility, in a sense. But I can’t use abilities or get hit... it’s a bit lackluster. Then again, it did come from a Silver Level chest.’
Guan Tong wasn’t disappointed with the item, but he wasn’t exactly thrilled either.
In any case, a unique utility item like this was always better than a generic offensive or defensive one.
After getting out of the car, Guan Tong chose to equip it. A black, mid-length, single-breasted trench coat instantly formed around him, fitting his body perfectly.
He glanced at his reflection in the car’s side-view mirror. The style was quite minimalist, so he decided to keep it on.
Then, he turned his gaze to the old house before him.
It was called an "old house" not because of its age, but because of its dated style.
In a world-class, modern metropolis like Xinyue City, this house, built entirely of wood with no visible metal components, felt incredibly anachronistic.
He walked up to the wooden door, which was carved with intricate, ornate patterns of stars and constellations.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
Guan Tong rapped his knuckles on the door. A moment later, a voice called from within.
"Come in."
He pushed the door open, entered the wooden house, and parted a curtain hanging in the hallway. The first thing he saw was a wall covered in occult paraphernalia: divination cards, turtle shells, incense burners, wooden slips, ritual knives, and more.
A long wooden table sat beneath the wall, and behind it, a woman draped in a blanket patterned with the night sky sat in a chair. A Crystal Ball rested on the table in front of her pale face, and her eyes were gazing at Guan Tong through it.
This was the very person Guan Tong had come to see: the Divination Master known as the "Moon Key," famous not only in Soloma but throughout Ascender circles worldwide.
She had previously participated in a decapitation strike against the Fire Worship Cult. The operation failed: Adam’s wife, Amanda, was killed by a traitor, Peter, who was then in turn killed by Adam. After Adam disappeared, the Moon Key was the only member of the team to return to Soloma for debriefing and investigation.
Her presence here now meant that the investigation was over.
She placed the Crystal Ball on the table and met Guan Tong’s eyes. "Please, sit."