Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

“That is indeed a problem. The operation of the Heaven’s Origin Sector does not fit their usual pattern.

Copperhead pondered for a moment and said, “In the past, they had eliminated all the people who were likely to awaken as ‘observers’ without leaving any alive. Why did they choose to kidnap them instead of killing them directly? Is it possible that... this is a trap targeting us?”

“Of course, it could be a trap.

“However,” the grey mist said, “if the Heaven’s Origin Sector really wants to set up a trap that will catch us all in one fell swoop, why did they choose such a... weird bait as ‘Zhang Daniu’?

“Also, after the incident, the experts of the foundation hacked into the traffic monitoring system of Jiangnan City and obtained part of the whereabouts of the ‘Heaven Enlightenment Organization’s’ Awakener. They discovered that ‘White Night’ had already set off long before we were ready to take action. In other words, she wasn’t targeting us; she was targeting the target. Is such a target worthy for ‘White Night’, who is a ‘Deep Perceptive One’, to personally take action? If it is really a trap, who is the trap pointing at?”

The question silenced the other three awakeners of the ‘Ark Foundation’.

Right then, the young woman who had been pushing the stroller said in delight, “Ms. Gray Mist, the Mirage Falcons have found them. Their SUV has entered the underground garage of the Gold Eagle Plaza!”

“Very good. Ask the ‘Phantom Vulture’ to continue monitoring the sky and make sure that there are no replacement vehicles. I will send other people to check whether or not they have escaped on foot or snuck into other buildings.

The grey mist said, “In a moment, another twelve experts of the organization will arrive in Jiangnan City—ten ‘Deep Perceivers’ and two ‘Ultimate Perceivers’. If they don’t run away, take action at midnight!”

“Ten ‘Deep Perception’ and two ‘Ultimate Perception’!”

Tong Tou and the rest of them exclaimed again, “What a splendid team! Is the foundation finally going to do something big? The Gold Eagle Plaza is in the downtown area. It will be quite lively even at midnight. Aren’t we scared of being discovered?”

“According to the weather gauge, there will be a storm tonight.

“Besides,” the grey mist said, “the foundation has abolished the ban. You can use your abilities freely now.”

“Well—”

Tong Tou and the rest of them gasped and stammered, “So, the critical day has really come?”

“That’s right.”

The grey mist smiled coldly. “The ‘critical day’ is drawing near. The world is collapsing. It is unnecessary to hide your identity and abilities anymore. Only by doing everything you can and releasing endless possibilities and defeating the ‘Apocalyptic Organization’ and even the entire world can you shatter all the shackles and regain your freedom.

“Remember, this is ‘Red Pole’—this life is our best and our last chance. If we cannot defeat our enemy in this life, we will be completely suppressed and swallowed by our enemy. There will be no possibility of us awakening our true self anymore. Do you understand?”

“Understood!”

The three of them held their heads high and declared at the same time, “Long live the free will!

“Excellent. Let’s take action!”

The grey mist waved its hand and led the other three awakened members of the Ark Foundation out of the morgue.

Five minutes after they left, the body bag on the cold iron bed made rattling noises. The burnt body inside suddenly sat up.

Thankfully, no one came in. If a doctor or staff member saw this scene, they would definitely have a heart attack.

“Chi la—”

Li Yao opened the body bag from inside. The charred coal shells on his body fell off, revealing skin as tender as a baby’s. He sneezed a dozen times in a row.

“What ‘Observers’, ‘Deep Perception’ and ‘Ultimate Perception’, ‘Critical Day’, and ‘Beyond Reincarnation’? What are they talking about?”

Li Yao scratched his messy hair, only to discover that it had not grown back even though it had been burnt. He was now bald, too.

“Yes, I’ve become bald and strong!”

Li Yao waved his fists in the air. He could tell from the sound of the wind and the comfortable feeling of his blood flowing in his veins that his capability had significantly improved compared to half a day ago. Right now, as long as he had enough energy, it was possible for him to summon fireballs and electric arcs from his palm.

Of course, his stomach was rumbling, too, which almost pierced through his stomach.

Thankfully, this was a hospital where nutrition was abundant.

At first, Li Yao crouched down and went to the laundry room to steal a set of hospital clothes. Then, he went to the pharmacy and drank dozens of bottles of high-concentration glucose syrup. After that, he went to the inpatient department to steal a set of clothes that were suitable for him and left the hospital openly.

Originally, he wanted to take a taxi or a subway, but he didn’t have a cell phone, nor did he have even half a copper coin. It was better for him to obediently steal a shared bicycle!

First, he returned to the “Green Garden District” rented by Zhang Daniu and retrieved the bag that he had hidden in the bushes. From the bag, he took out the work clothes and rubber boots that he had originally prepared for Zhang Daniu and re-armed himself. Fortunately, he had the foresight to abandon his equipment before the battle. Otherwise, these things would have been burnt to the ground and it would have been troublesome to purchase new ones.

Then, he rode his bike and marched toward the Gold Eagle Plaza again.

The Gold Eagle Plaza was located in the newly-established central business district of Jiang Nan City. It was quite a distance away from the old district that Zhang Daniu had rented. Li Yao kicked his legs so hard that they were like fire wheels as he moved forward like a racer.

Twenty minutes later, just as the ‘gray mist’ said, dense clouds were gathering in the night sky. Earsplitting explosions were echoing in the sky from time to time. Lightning was gazing at the human world coldly like dragons that were ready to attack.

Very soon, spluttering noises echoed. Raindrops the size of beans splashed on the ground like hot oil. Unprepared, the entire Jiang Nan City was swallowed by the torrential rain.

“What a heavy rain!”

Li Yao had never experienced such a fierce and even crazy storm in his entire life. How could it still be rain? It was simply a flood that fell from the sky. It was also accompanied by hurricanes of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. The dense raindrops were like an iron wall condensed from waterfalls, compressing his field of vision to the limit. As far as his eyes could reach, the prosperous scene that was still lively a moment ago would instantly dim. The signboards that had been blown away by the wind were everywhere. The flowerpots that had been struck by the raindrops and the people who were fleeing with their heads in their hands were everywhere. From time to time, neon lights and electronic screens between the skyscrapers would emit crackling sounds before they were completely extinguished. After riding forward for a while, there was not a single passerby in sight. All that could be seen were the flickering lights struggling to hold on in the storm.

“This is not normal.”

Li Yao wiped off the hot rain on his face. He couldn’t tell whether it was rainwater, magma, or even plasma that was falling from the sky. He stared at the horizon in bewilderment. On the continuous shadow of the city, countless lightning bolts were falling at the same time, making the city look like a forest of lightning.

If the end of the world did exist, the scene in front of him was nothing more than that.

Could it be that, as the ‘gray mist’ of the Ark Foundation said, the entire world was collapsing?

Li Yao pursed his lips with great difficulty. In a trance, he felt that he had seen, experienced, or perhaps experienced, the collapse in front of his eyes countless times.

But this time should be different.

This time, it had to be different!

Taking a deep breath, Li Yao continued rushing forward in the middle of the storm.

It was already midnight when he arrived at the central business district.

The central business district, which was full of skyscrapers, used to be a city without night. Even in the middle of the night, the glass walls of the skyscrapers were still emitting colorful brilliance, as if they were a paradise enshrouded in an aurora.

But under the bombardment of the storm and the super thunderstorm, the Nightless City today was lifeless, like a ghost town drowned in a flood.

The Gold Eagle Plaza’s shape was very strange. It had a bit of the feeling of a trident. In front of the plaza stood an enormous golden eagle statue. Even under the onslaught of the pouring rain, it was very easy to find.

Li Yao did not rush in recklessly. Instead, he found a bridge not far away and crouched in a stinky corner. He took out the mini monitor that he had modified with electronic components and connected the signal amplifier to the earpiece.

The bridge was no more than a hundred meters away from the Gold Eagle Plaza in a straight line. Although it was heavily jammed due to the heavy rain, it shouldn’t be a problem for him to get his bearings.

As it turned off, the monitor shivered for about half a minute before it gradually stabilized. A lackluster light spot appeared in the upper left corner.

“Not the Gold Eagle Plaza?”

Li Yao was dazed for a moment. He adjusted the reception coil and the monitor carefully. “The building next to it?”

It made sense. Driving into the underground garage of the Gold Eagle Plaza did not mean that their nest was on the top. It was only reasonable that they had a lot of tricks up their sleeve.

The distance between the Gold Eagle Plaza and the Fortune Plaza was no more than a hundred meters in a straight line. It was still within Li Yao’s range of positioning and eavesdropping. Li Yao tapped his earphones softly and fiddled with the antenna to eliminate the interference of the storm. He listened to the sound coming from the depths of the earphones.

He had heard it. Although it was fuzzy, twisted, and occasionally interrupted, Zhang Daniu’s sharp and distinctive voice was unmistakable. Thankfully, the author was still alive!

He seemed to have been tied to a chair. Li Yao could hear the dull noises of the chair hitting the carpet. He could tell that he was in a highly-strung state and was shivering uncontrollably.

Right then, somebody else entered the room and sat down on another chair in front of him.

“Mr. Zhang... Should I call you ‘Mr. Zhang’, ‘Master Snail’, or ‘Master’?”

The man’s tone was very rigid, with barely any cadence. He should be a foreigner. His voice was gentle and cold, like a precise machine. “First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Smith. I am Hugo Smith. However, my friends and enemies are all used to calling me ‘Hunter’. I’m sorry that I invited you here in such a rough way. It can’t be helped. It was an unexpected and urgent situation. You don’t mind, do you?”