Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 627: Chapter 522: Waiting for Dusk (Extra for Heavenly White Fox’s White Silver League)_1

”Enough—”

The aged voice rose from behind the Doctor. Elder Pan Delong’s hoarse voice interrupted the pointless argument between the two parties. It was clear he was the one truly in charge; once he issued a command, the Doctor, though reluctant, ultimately did not retort. This gave Huai Shi an advantage.

The old man looked up, gave them an indifferent glance, and his gaze finally settled on Huai Shi. He nodded in understanding, ”It seems this gentleman is the new classical music teacher from the Ivory Tower, isn’t he? Worthy of being a former S-level operator of the Astronomical Society...”

”I still am, thank you,” Huai Shi added. ”You also forgot the titles Disastrous Musician, Abyss Kitchen Devil, Legendary Investigator, and Prince of Paradise, as well as the nickname Beheading King of Jinling. Remember to include all of them when introducing someone in the future.”

As he spoke, he took out a shining gold certificate from his pocket. ”Now, I suspect you are part of a premeditated and organized terrorist attack against the Jurisdiction Bureau. Immediately crouch down with your hands on your head. Cooperate with the upcoming inspection and judgment of the Astronomical Society, or I have the right to kill you on the spot—”

In Huai Shi’s hand, a heavy revolver spun nimbly on his finger, the dark muzzle sweeping past the face of each opponent. The intent to kill was present but not released.

”I’ve heard of the Judge’s reputation.” The elder shook his head nonchalantly. ”But, Mr. Huai Shi, surely you don’t think we’ll surrender just because you invoke the name of the Astronomical Society, do you? Besides, I am also an Inspector from the South American Branch of the Jurisdiction Bureau. Are you planning to scare me with a Black Envelope now?”

”I don’t need a Black Envelope. This is enough.” Huai Shi lifted his gun, aiming at the old man’s face. ”Don’t make me repeat myself. Hands on your head, crouch down. Now, immediately, right away—”

The response to Huai Shi was a diamond, as big as a fist, twirling nimbly on Elder Pan Delong’s fingertip. A massive amount of volatile Source Substance was confined within it. One could vaguely perceive the fierce light and Thunder encapsulated. Its destructive power was enough to burn the entire train to ashes.

”Are you sure you want me to let go?” Pan Delong took a step forward, countering mockingly, ”I don’t think everyone dying together is such a bad idea. After all, having lived more than eighty years, I’ve had my fill of life. But it would be a pity for all these students on the train.”

”Then let go.” Huai Shi’s heart remained utterly calm. Instead, he adopted Fly Brother’s signature expression. ”Go on, drop it. Let’s bet on whether it’s you or me who dies today.”

”That’s enough, Huai Shi,” Andrea finally said. ”Let them go.”

In silence, Huai Shi gazed indifferently into the elder’s eyes. After a while, he broke into a smile and retracted his gun. ”Just joking! Why so tense, old man? Everyone knows that I, the Prince of Paradise, Little Huai Shi, am the soft-hearted type. I can’t stand to see the old, weak, sick, and disabled bullied. Go on, go on. Be sure to visit more often in the future.”

Pan Delong said nothing more. He reached out and touched the Doctor. The figures of several people suddenly became illusory.

In the final moment, as if by accident, the diamond fell from his hand...

And, as if equally careless, the gun in Huai Shi’s hand was raised, aimed squarely at the old man’s face, and just happened to... misfire.

Amidst a terrifying rumble that could deter the Abyss itself, a violent light burst forth from the ultra-small Judgment device. This terrifying beam, potent enough to shatter Miracle Imprints, converged into a single line. It tore away half of Pan Delong’s face, pierced through the cabin wall, and shot diagonally outward. It was as if the Sky Dome itself had been sliced by a razor-sharp blade. The scorching light streaked past Fire City, long left behind, before gradually fading.

The screams came to an abrupt halt as they disappeared without a trace.

Before that, Raymond had already thrown out the Shackles in his hand. The iron ball at the end of the chain, covered in barbs, suddenly opened a large mouth, swallowing the about-to-explode Source Bomb.

A muffled THUD. Thick black smoke then spewed from Raymond’s mouth and nose.

”COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!!!” He choked and coughed, wiping his nose and gasping for air. ”This is a mock-up...” he wheezed, ”HISS... HA... but it sure packs a punch in taste.”

Huai Shi’s eyes were wide with shock. It was the first time he had seen someone swallow a bomb and survive, leaving him instantly filled with wonder.

How can this guy have such a strong stomach?

”Normal, normal, just a standard move,” Raymond said, wiping his face and eyeing Huai Shi’s The Fly King eagerly. ”Where did you buy this thing? Can I borrow it for a spin? I just want to touch it a little...”

”Dream on!” Beelzebub roared in anger. ”Stop dreaming, you damn brat!”

Before it could spew more curses, Huai Shi hurriedly stuffed it back into his bag and apologized to Raymond with a smile, ”Sorry, it’s a bit ill-tempered.”

”Blast you—” Before Huai Shi could finish speaking, a shrill voice raged furiously. It was Raymond’s Shackles. The barbed head of the Shackles opened its large mouth and started cursing... but it had only gotten half a curse out when Raymond grabbed a table and muffled it.

The two men looked at each other, their embarrassed expressions growing even more subtle. They gave each other sympathetic pats on the shoulder.

Life isn’t easy for anyone...

Before going to soothe the students and clean up the aftermath, Huai Shi sighed, ”Too bad, those bastards got away.”

”No matter.” Andrea extinguished the flame on her fingertips, her calmness laced with malice. ”They act like only those from Ivy Vine know how to launch attacks... Hmph. When I bombed Empire University and dealt with those little bitches, they were still in preschool.”

Huai Shi’s face twitched.

Is the academic world this crazy when you persecute each other?

* * *

Over the endless sea of fire, the eternal black clouds suddenly surged, and a crimson, massive airship burst through. Inside the airship’s salon, after a flicker, the troupe members appeared abruptly. Pant Delong fell backward, a torrent of hot blood spurting from the charred wound on his head. His mask shattered. He was critically injured! No, it would be more accurate to say... he was on the brink of death.

It was just one strike. The Scholars who rushed to give first aid all gasped. If they hadn’t returned quickly, he likely would have been dead within another thirty seconds.

”Don’t panic! Leave a few people here to give me first aid! Harry Quinn also needs surgery—” Elder Pan Delong, who should have died on the spot, was now instead giving orders. ”Doctor, you and the Colonel go and report to the vice-chancellor. The other teachers should be waiting. Do not delay.”

”Since the Ivory Tower has requested reinforcements, relying solely on our second wave of support won’t be enough. We should organize a third wave of reinforcements immediately. No matter what, the Town of Dusk cannot fall into the hands of the Ivory Tower, otherwise all our years of effort will be in vain.” At the last moment, his expression turned grim. ”Also, remind the vice-chancellor to be on guard against an attack by the Ivory Tower...”

* * *

The dip pen quivered, then moved away from the drawing. A face looked down from above, drew closer, and frowned. ”The character for ’strike’ in ’attack’ is wrong... Never mind, it’s good enough. It’s time for the exciting little Monster to make its appearance.”

Thus, the newly finished original draft was taken off the drawing board. Nearby, amidst the billowing heat of countless lava flows, the sound of an airship whistling by overhead grew distant.

Atop Stone Mountain, the sketching artist hummed a tune, flipping through his material book. His finger brushed over the design sketches of gigantic Monsters, eventually settling on a beast that resembled both a wolf and a dragon.

”Aha! Inspiration for the Witch’s Night. This one it is!”

Kelly Christian usually taught oil painting classes at the Ivory Tower. Having temporarily taken on the role of a comic artist, he happily nodded and picked up his brush again—

And so, in the midst of the raging inferno in the distance, a pair of enormous eyes slowly opened.

It was hungry.

* * *

After that, no other accidents occurred, nor did they experience any major upheavals. The only issue was that the deepening of Hell’s depth caused allergic reactions in many students. This wasn’t a major issue for Sublimators, however. It was akin to altitude sickness; a day or two of rest would likely suffice. If not, an oxygen cylinder and some medication would resolve it.

In this way, about forty hours later, the train smoothly passed through two boundary gates and beacons, appearing in the desolate temporary station.

They had arrived early. Yet, for some reason, even after a long stop, the platform remained eerily empty. Under the midday sun, not a soul was in sight. The Town of Dusk was particularly quiet at this moment. Only the silent fall of dust from cracks in the overhead weatherboard danced in the sunlight.

No one came to meet them, and no personnel were stationed there. The interference here was too severe, making it impossible to contact the division via radio. For a moment, no one knew what to do; some became bewildered and restless.

Amid the eerie silence, only dilapidated and desolate scenes remained outside the window. The entire station seemed abandoned; even after Raymond shouted several times with a megaphone, there was no response. They seemed to have been utterly forsaken. Just the thought of being in Hell, far from Current Circumstances, filled all the reinforcements with a profound sense of unease.

When Huai Shi volunteered to go out and investigate, Andrea held him back.

”Wait a minute, look at that—”

Andrea raised her hand, pointing to a sign hanging outside the window. As if to ensure they wouldn’t be missed, several signs were hung or planted at various spots on the platform. However, most had faded, making the writing difficult to distinguish. Interpreting them became a guessing game.

One sign read: ”PLEASE DO NOT GET OFF THE TRAIN AT ALL COSTS!!!”

The words ”DO NOT” in ”DO NOT GET OFF THE TRAIN” were highlighted in red and bold. A nearby stone tablet bore the same message, almost as if they wanted to paste the warning directly onto their faces.

But it had been too long since any maintenance. The signs were either dimmed and faded or outright rotted and broken. Very few were still legible; only faint traces could be made out on most.

Another read: ”NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, DO NOT LEAVE THE TRAIN. PLEASE PULL DOWN THE CURTAINS, MAINTAIN TEMPERATURE AND ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING.”

Other fragments included:

”DO NOT LEAVE THE TRAIN.”

”PULL DOWN THE CURTAINS!!”

”MAINTAIN TEMPERATURE!!!”

”MAINTAIN INTERIOR LIGHTING!!!”

Several warning slogans were written directly on the ground, but only dim traces remained, while the writing on the stone tablet was still clearly visible. Aside from emphasizing these points repeatedly, there was only the final solemn advice:

”WAIT FOR DUSK.”

* * *

The third update is complete. My heartfelt thanks to Lord Winter for the generous support, becoming my second White Silver League patron! I was so excited last night I couldn’t sleep.

Also, please vote with your monthly tickets!