"Finally over..."
Paul lay sprawled on a bed in a rest room inside the experimental base, feeling as though he had been completely drained by the endless tests.
That Dr. Haisen had tested his abilities, claiming it would only take one day, but in reality, he had been tested continuously for two full days, barely getting any breaks.
Even when his Mind Power was completely depleted, Dr. Haisen still wouldn’t let him rest, instead preparing items that could transmit Mind Power, channeling the stored mental energy into his body to keep the testing going.
This method of treating a person like a machine nearly drove Paul to his breaking point. Several times during the process, he had entertained the thought of attacking Dr. Haisen, but he never dared to act on it.
He knew that a trusted subordinate like Dr. Haisen, working for Bruce, would definitely be equipped with items to guard against Mind Power attacks. If he launched an attack, the doctor would know, and what awaited him would surely be punishment far worse than the tests.
He didn’t doubt for a second that Dr. Haisen and Bruce were capable of such things, judging by the test subjects locked in cages. Expecting compassion from these cold-blooded people was nothing but a dream.
But then again, he didn’t really have the right to accuse others of being cold-blooded.
Paul let his thoughts drift into sleep, utterly exhausted, and he slept for a very long time.
When he woke up, Dr. Haisen was standing by the bed, smiling at him, which gave him quite a start.
"You slept for eleven hours straight. Looks like the past two days really tired you out," Dr. Haisen said. "Now that you’ve rested enough, your physical strength and mental energy should be fairly replenished. Let’s go."
Paul sat up, frowning with a hint of grogginess. "Testing again?!"
Dr. Haisen looked back at him.
Paul sensed a seriousness in those eyes that was different from before.
"Your task today isn’t testing. To be precise, the tests over the past two days were to figure out the details and limits of your abilities, all for the purpose of carrying out today’s mission."
Hearing this, a wave of tension rose in Paul’s heart. "What mission?"
"Don’t ask too many questions. Just follow me."
...
Paul watched Dr. Haisen walk out of the room, a vague sense of foreboding stirring within him.
......
During the last three days of the Rule Period, the Memory Market experienced a massive surge in trading.
Because, after the early verification by some "brave souls" over the past ten or so days, a conclusion had been reached regarding the extent to which implanting someone else’s memories would affect oneself.
There would be effects, but most people could continue living with them, with only a very small number of individuals who loaded certain special memories developing mental splitting.
For example, someone of a different gender loading memories of the opposite sex would create cognitive conflicts due to physiological differences.
But if the memory owner’s personality was similar to one’s own, it wouldn’t cause too much of an impact.
Take a well-known Ascendant, who in peaceful times was a sports enthusiast, but could never participate due to poor physical fitness.
After entering the era of the Doomsday Rules, this person got their opportunity, grew stronger, and became famous. Taking advantage of this chance, they publicly spent a high price to purchase a famous athlete’s match memories, to make up for that regret.
That kind of memory loading might cause minor conflicts, but actual conflict was unlikely, and there was still a long way to go before mental collapse or insanity.
Given all these examples, many who had been on the sidelines stepped up and bought some memories they really wanted.
Some Ascendants with few Ascension Coins, in order to afford what they wanted, would first sell off some of their own memories.
But the cruel truth was that many people’s memories weren’t worth anything and had no buyers.
Everyone’s memory is unique and precious to themselves. But to others, what value is there in an ordinary person’s unremarkable memories?
Many people might have only one or two shining moments in their lives, memories they would revisit time and again for ten, twenty years, even into old age. If they sold those off, the brain, missing a crucial piece of its spiritual puzzle, would inevitably become incomplete and impoverished.
Only the individual could decide what was more important.
However, these frequent buying and selling activities weren’t limited to the Memory Market on the Terminal Panel.
Many people, afraid of being cheated or scammed, would opt for offline platforms or use intermediaries to guarantee transactions.
As a result, those who controlled these channels saw a significant increase in income.
Guan Tong was undoubtedly one of the beneficiaries.
The Impermanent Tax Authority could take a cut, and Uenoshi’s Serpent Hair Society, along with the Black Star and White Star’s Twin Stars Bar, could all serve as intermediary guarantors and take their share.
But earning Ascension Coins wasn’t currently Guan Tong’s primary concern.
As the Rule Period neared its end, it meant the day of Han Qiu and Yishan’s wedding was drawing closer.
He had decided to go.
In fact, he had already made his choice before he went to see Moon Key.
It wasn’t just because he was worried about Adam going alone into a deadly situation, or because it was a chance to deal with an enemy.
But going in empty-headed and charging straight in on the day itself would be foolish. If the enemy could set traps, then Guan Tong could also try to dismantle them in advance.
Because the memories from these past few days were important, he had recorded them in detail, ensuring he wouldn’t forget any key points after deletion.
On the second-to-last day of the Rule Period, he went to the farm on the outskirts of New Covenant to meet Adam.
Entering the warehouse, he found several large screens set up inside, displaying many maps and the structural blueprints of a large building.
"These are the intelligence I’ve gathered over the past few days," Adam said. "The terrain around Wensilisa Castle, all the buildings, are marked out. I also had Wemban dig up the castle’s construction blueprints."
As he spoke, his demeanor was calm, not at all the anxious state Guan Tong had imagined.
Guan Tong realized he had underestimated Adam. Regardless, the latter was one of the world’s top Ascendants. Even if he was troubled by thoughts of his wife and daughter, he wouldn’t fail to prepare before a major operation.
"Moon Key told me you went to her for a prophecy," Adam said, looking at Guan Tong. "Seems like the result wasn’t good."
"What, did she advise you not to go to the wedding?"
"She only told me that Wensilisa Castle would be very dangerous that day. Although she didn’t directly advise against it, the meaning was pretty much the same."
Adam chuckled. "But I think both you and she know that there’s no way I’m passing up this opportunity."
"..."
Guan Tong nodded silently. "I won’t try to persuade you anymore. In fact, I plan to go with you."
A flicker of change passed through Adam’s eyes. "Shadow, actually, you—"
"This isn’t for you," Guan Tong interrupted. "Just because Joiessen and Andrew are dead doesn’t mean the array action is over. I told you, I won’t stop my revenge until Bruce and the other culprits pay the price... Besides, I still have scores to settle with Han Qiu."
Guan Tong actually didn’t have much issue with Han Qiu wanting to avenge his sister. Although Han Ling had committed suicide, she had indeed ended up that way because of him.
Even if Guan Tong had to do it all over again, he would still act the same.
But Han Qiu, instead of confronting him face-to-face, used Suzuki, who was recuperating at the withdrawal center, dragging an innocent person in and causing her death. That changed everything.
Even the fact that the people at the withdrawal center had initially called Suzuki’s death a "suicide" was undoubtedly deliberately orchestrated by Han Qiu. His aim was to tell Guan Tong that Han Ling had committed suicide, and so had Suzuki. This was his way of taking revenge.
This left Guan Tong with only one thought regarding Han Qiu: to eliminate him as quickly as possible.
"... I understand."
Adam didn’t say anything more. Sometimes, when companions have an unspoken understanding, thoughts don’t need words to be conveyed.
Adam walked over to the screens and said seriously, "I know the enemy will use this wedding to set a trap. Charging straight in on the day would be too foolish. My plan is to position ourselves in advance."
He pointed to one of the screens, which showed the somewhat complex structural blueprint of a building.
"Wensilisa Castle was built in the last century. Because of its historical significance, many of Suroma’s important figures use it as a wedding venue. This is its construction blueprint. Structurally, there’s no place to hide large war machines."
Guan Tong looked at the blueprint on the screen. Indeed, the castle’s structure was very clear. Although there might be some secret compartments or cellars not marked on the blueprint, such places were definitely too small to fit a mech like the "Red Demon."
"If the enemy wants to set a trap, it’s more likely they’ll hide a large number of elite Ascendants," Adam said. "And I suspect that to prevent infiltration by your Shadow abilities, these people will only be transported or teleported into the castle on the day of the wedding."
"Hmm, possible. What’s your plan?"
Instead of answering, Adam walked over to a chair, picked up a black-and-white robe draped over it.
Guan Tong looked at the robe and thought for a moment. "A pastor?"
"Suromans all believe in God. Weddings must be officiated by a pastor. It’s a tradition since the nation’s founding. I’ve already found out which pastor is officiating Han Qiu and Yishan’s wedding."
Curious, Guan Tong asked, "You want to impersonate that pastor?"
Adam nodded. "According to Suroman wedding procedures, the pastor only appears at the venue after the ceremony begins. Before that, he has to stay in his own room and cannot meet the couple, or it’s considered bad luck. My plan is to infiltrate the pastor’s room before the wedding, replace him after the ceremony starts, and then, before anyone can react, take control of Bruce."
Hearing Adam’s plan, Guan Tong felt it had many issues, some parts were rather naive.
For example, concerning tradition. Yishan was Suroman, true, but the groom, Han Qiu, was from Beixing and didn’t believe in God. What if the procedures were changed?
It wasn’t impossible. Silus had agreed to let Han Qiu marry his daughter. If he proposed changing the procedures, Silus might agree too.
Furthermore, if the enemy’s goal was to capture people, not the wedding, then any part of the procedures, any person, could be a bait.
"Shadow, do you have any other ideas?"
Seeing Guan Tong lost in thought, Adam asked.
"I’m just putting myself in the enemy’s shoes," Guan Tong said. "If I were Haisen or some other planner, and I was holding this wedding to draw the snake out of its hole, I would make sure that every link in the process was bait, just to be safe. In other words, every person attending the wedding would be like a secret service agent, including the pastor. Everyone would have to maintain communication at set times. If anyone went missing, they’d know exactly which node had a problem and immediately take targeted action."
Hearing this, Adam was momentarily taken aback. He hadn’t thought of it that way.
If every guest at the wedding was essentially an "undercover operative," then...
"However, there is one person I’m not sure knows this is a trap," Guan Tong suddenly said.
Adam frowned at first, then his eyes lit up. "You mean... Yishan?"
"Yes. The wedding might be a conspiracy hatched by Han Qiu or Bruce, but does Yishan know the inside story? If she doesn’t know anything about all this, then she’s the only entry point."
Ye Dang immediately picked up the thread. "She definitely doesn’t know! I know Yishan. She used to... well, she had feelings for me, and we tangled for a while. That girl is willful and spoiled, but she places great importance on things like weddings. If she knew her wedding was being used as a trap, she would absolutely refuse to go through with it! So I believe she knows nothing about it and is completely in the dark, being kept in the dark by Bruce and Han Qiu."