Shadow advanced along the underground tunnel in the pitch-black darkness, exploring ahead. From the images it shared back, Guan Tong could barely see anything. Moreover, he discovered that this tunnel was far too long. Shadow extended forward for hundreds of meters and still hadn’t reached the end.
Not only had it not reached the end, but when it reached a certain point, it found multiple branching paths. Guan Tong looked at the dark, blurry images and vaguely made out seven or eight pitch-black intersections, each wide enough for about one person to pass through. He tried having Shadow randomly enter one path, advanced for about a few dozen meters, and then encountered another seven or eight branching intersections ahead.
He manipulated Shadow to turn back, return to the previous intersection, and then slip into another branching path. But as soon as it advanced a short distance, it again ran into many more forks. This made him realize this was no simple tunnel. At the very least, it was a complex network of tunnels, and it wasn’t even out of the question that an underground fortress or an entire underground city existed down here.
Guan Tong shared his discovery with Adam, who was stunned. “Why does Liruo’an City have such a massive underground space?”
“That’s a question I should be asking you,” Guan Tong said. “You’re from Suroma, and Suroma is so close to the Republic of Fahe. Haven’t you heard about this?”
“This… let me think.”
Adam fell silent, pondering for a moment, and then something came to him.
“I do recall that when I was a kid in history class, my history teacher once told me about something like this. The Republic of Fahe was once invaded by an enemy nation. Most of its important cities fell, leaving only Liruo’an City still resisting. If even this city were taken, the nation would face complete defeat in the war. Back then, the people of Fahe, determined to win this war of national defense, turned Liruo’an City into an oversized urban fortress. They paid an enormous price to finally defend it. Do you think that those complex underground tunnel networks might have been dug by the people of Fahe back then?”
Guan Tong said, “Highly likely.”
If the people of Fahe were determined to live or die with Liruo’an City back then, it would make perfect sense for them to build a large number of underground passages. That way, even if the surface fell, they could move their surviving forces underground and fight guerrilla tunnel warfare behind enemy lines.
“No wonder the Human Consortium bombed so many times and those cultists were still hopping around. It looks like every time the planes came, they all hid in the tunnels. The strange thing is, why hasn’t the Human Consortium gotten this intelligence?” Adam said.
Guan Tong thought for a moment and said, “The biggest characteristic of the Fire Thief Worship Cult members is absolute loyalty, which rivals that of the parasitized forms. It’s just that the parasitized forms are driven by spore instincts, while the cultists are likely under mental control by the Holy Father’s abilities. Even if they wanted to leak intelligence, they couldn’t.”
“Looking at it this way, the cultists should be hiding somewhere underground,” Adam said, feeling extremely troubled. “Just searching the surface is a huge hassle, and with the intricate underground tunnels and poor visibility, finding them is probably going to take a long time.”
“Troublesome though it may be, as long as it’s effective, that’s what matters.”
Adam mentioned, “If only you could ask that little girl with the sensing ability to come help.”
“You mean Chen Na? That won’t be necessary.”
Although part of the truth behind the attack on Guan Tong had been revealed—that the Beixing Countermeasures Research Office had nothing to do with it—their contact had nonetheless decreased. This came from an unspoken mutual understanding between both sides. The incident had already happened. Anyone who knew Guan Tong understood that he would definitely retaliate against those responsible. But on the other side, the office, following the inertia of an official department, was not inclined to support Guan Tong’s retaliation without solid evidence. Both sides knew that once they discussed this issue, it would only end in discord. So it was better not to discuss it, not to contact each other for a while, and to handle it coldly. That way, for the officials, if Guan Tong actually stirred up trouble, they couldn’t claim complete ignorance of his actions. For Guan Tong himself, he also preferred to represent no one and only be responsible for his own actions.
Under those circumstances, he naturally couldn’t casually borrow Ascendants affiliated with the official department, even if he and Chen Na had a close relationship. Besides, no matter what, this operation carried certain risks. The Holy Father had been opposing the Human Consortium all this time and still managed to survive to this day; he was definitely not someone easy to deal with.
“Then let me take a look at the items in the market,” Adam said. “Let’s see if there’s anything specialized for exploring tunnels… but I’ll say this first, if there isn’t anything, you’ll have to pay. I only have a measly few hundred Ascension Coins on me.”
“… When you were part of the Suroman officialdom, didn’t you save up a bit more?”
“No, I only took what I needed.”
“Then you really were honest. Anyone else would have skimmed some off the top for themselves.”
Adam shrugged in a place Guan Tong couldn’t see. “I just don’t want to owe anyone anything, especially that bastard Bruce.”
“Then take a look in the terminal market. I need to focus on exploring these tunnels.”
“Alright,” Adam said, and then suddenly thought of something. “Such a complex tunnel system must have blueprints or a map, right? It would save us a lot of trouble if we could find one.”
“Looking for a piece of paper in a city that’s already in ruins? Let’s not waste time.”
…
Two days before the end of July, Suroma held a press conference. Multiple observers attended the meeting, testifying that what they had observed at the time was the “Bright Moon” and they had no knowledge of the existence of “Shadow.” Andrew, as the holder of the “Carrier Array” item, appeared last. Facing countless cameras, he recited the script that Joiessen had given him earlier.
“‘Shadow’s’ accusations are completely false. As the one who activated the item, I cannot accept him fabricating lies to tarnish those heroes who gave their lives for the world. His actions are utterly shameful. I hope everyone will keep their eyes open and not be deceived by him. I also hope other nations won’t discourage their own Ascendants and will step forward to condemn this…”
After Andrew finished speaking, a burst of enthusiastic applause erupted. Then a reporter asked, “Mr. Andrew, would you and those observers be willing to undergo a truth-detecting item test? Beixing has proposed using a Mind Power-based truth-detecting item to verify the truthfulness of your statements.”
“A truth-detecting item?” Andrew’s face showed hesitation, clearly unprepared to answer that question.
“That’s completely unnecessary,” Joiessen, also present at the press conference, stepped forward to state. “Such items always have the possibility of cheating. Besides, we have no reason to cooperate with Beixing in meaningless tests. If they still have doubts, then they should produce evidence, rather than forcing our heroes to prove their innocence.”
“Well said!”
“That’s right! Who makes the claim should provide the evidence. We have no reason to cooperate with Beixing on any truth-detecting test!”
Amidst a chorus of support, the press conference concluded smoothly. Andrew returned backstage and found his back was soaking wet, his shirt completely drenched with sweat. He knew he had been too nervous. Facing so many cameras and so many pairs of eyes to tell such a huge lie, and then that unexpected proposal for a truth-detecting test at the end… it was just…
“Andrew, you did well,” Joiessen said, walking over with a smile. “Except for that last question, where you didn’t forcefully oppose it in time, everything else was fine.”
“…”
“Don’t overthink it. After this press conference, unless Beixing comes up with evidence, we don’t have to respond to anything. As for that ‘Shadow’…” The moment he mentioned that name, a deep wariness flickered in Joiessen’s eyes. “Don’t say his reputation is likely just fabricated. Even if he really is the World’s Number One Ascendant, if he dares to cause trouble in the New Covenant, he’ll only have death to look forward to. You don’t know this, but Suroma has many tactical weapons specifically designed to deal with Ascendants. I’m not afraid of this kid coming to make a scene.”
Andrew secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. If that was the case, he had nothing to fear.
After the press conference, the public opinion situation shifted somewhat. Suroma had sent the parties involved to explain themselves, and public sentiment believed that “Shadow” should continue to play the opposing role and respond to something. But “Shadow” remained silent until the last day before the thirtieth, when the new rule was about to be announced. This inevitably made some of his supporters feel a bit uncertain, wondering if he might have actually made a mistake this time. His opponents, on the other hand, celebrated wildly, stripping him of credit for some of the good things he had done, eager to trample him into the mud.
In reality, in Liruo’an City, Guan Tong had paid no attention to the public opinion at all. He and Adam had spent the past few days investigating the city, trying to dig out the hidden Fire Thief Worship Cult. But time was too short and the city too large. In just a few days, they had only managed a rough search of the surface, confirming that there were no cultist strongholds there. As for the underground tunnel networks, with extremely poor visibility and far too many chaotic, branching tunnels, even relying on Shadow to explore them wasn’t simple. It would require a much longer time.
On the night of the thirtieth, Guan Tong and Adam sat on the edge of a half-collapsed building, ending another day of fruitless searching.
“Although I already figured we wouldn’t finish this before the new rule was announced, I never imagined those cultists would hide so deep,” Guan Tong said.
Adam, sitting beside him, didn’t respond. He just stared at the night sky, a hint of melancholy mixed with confusion in his expression. “Shadow, what do you think my family is doing right now?”
“I don’t know.”
“If we find the Holy Father, will we get any clues from him?”
“I don’t know.”
“…”
“Get some rest early,” Guan Tong said, standing up and patting Adam on the shoulder. “The new rule will be announced tomorrow. First, make sure you can survive the rule’s challenge. Make sure you stay alive before you can do anything else.”
“That’s true.”
The night passed without incident.
On the morning of August 1st, the new Doomsday Rule was announced on time. Guan Tong and Adam faced the rising sun together and heard the Fire Thief’s voice echoing in their minds.
[The Twenty-First Apocalypse Rule has been announced]
[Doomsday Rule Twenty-One: Gamble – Hunt for Lives]
[Rule Content: After the rule is announced, the Demon – Hunt for Lives’ avatar will descend upon Tianshui Star. It will engage in a gamble with every individual. This rule will last for 24 hours]
[Success Reward: Everything won in the gamble]
[Failure Penalty: Everything lost in the gamble]
[Note: “Place your bets, hands off, no redemption – Hunt for Lives”]
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