Chapter 551: The Almighty Surgical Knife
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Lin Huang had no idea who the black-robed leader was, but he was coming for him, and he was in rivalry with Liu Ming. Moreover, he had uprooted the building, confirming that the visit was an unfriendly one, so Lin Huang activated the Misfortune Card on him without thinking twice.
"Since you came uninvited, we shall see what the effects of the Misfortune Card are then." Lin Huang hid behind a building and peeped at the black-robed leader with half his head showing.
It was his first time using the Misfortune Card, so he had no idea what the exact effect was. As he crushed the card and aimed at his target, the card transformed into black mist and entered the black-robed leader's body. Despite his body being encompassed in a layer of black mist, he did not seem to notice. As the black mist lingered around his body, a portion of it went a meter above his head like dark clouds. It seemed like only Lin Huang could see the dark clouds while both the black-robed leader and Liu Ming who were fighting could not see a thing.
"What'll happen next?" Lin Huang was excited as he anticipated the changes. It would not take long to see the effects since the black-robed leader was jinxed with the Misfortune Card like a guinea pig. Black streaks and golden glow collided in the air while endless thunder rumbled in the sky. Although they were fighting thousands of meters above the sky, the Martial Hunter College was shaking from the impact. Energy waves swept the land like a typhoon, and many trees were uprooted. Fortunately, most of the houses in this world were well-built, or else, the houses would have been destroyed from their battle.
The black-robed leader did not notice anything wrong with his body. As he fought with Liu Ming, he had thoughts running through his mind.
"Lin Huang isn't in the Martial Hunter College today. It seems like we'll have to capture him next time. Liu Ming is much more powerful than I expected. It'll be difficult to be able to kill him in such a short period of time. Without the monster horde, the other imperial-levels should be here soon. Luo Wei and the rest should've escaped for quite a distance now. It's time for me to leave…"
As the black-robed leader was thinking of retreating, a voice came from behind. "Liu Ming, you've finally broken through to imperial-level! I always thought you'd never come this far."
The black-robed leader turned around. A silly, old man and a muscular middle-aged man appeared not far behind him.
"The Li family…" His eyes shrunk as he recognized both of them.
"Old Li, you're still alive! Many people in the White Capital thought that you're dead since you haven't been seen for so many years." Liu Ming smiled at the old man.
"Nonsense, I won't be dead before you go yourself!" The skinny, old man called Old Li replied.
"You guys have fun. I'm gonna make a move." The black-robed leader took this opportunity to run away.
"Where are you going!?"
The muscular middle-aged man next to Old Li grabbed the black-robed leader with his colossal hand.
The black-robed leader swung his sword in an attempt to scare the man away, but Liu Ming wirled his sword at the black-robed leader.
"Old Li, come join me! This guy might be the brains behind all this. Kill him together and extract his brains later!" Liu Ming shouted at Old Li.
Liu Ming had said that not because he knew who the black-robed leader was, but because of the fact that the black-robed leader wanted to take Lin Huang away. As Mr. Fu's No. 1 fan, Liu Ming took good care of Lin Huang. If Liu Ming let the black-robed leader go this time, he might come back for Lin Huang again, so he tried to kill the black-robed leader together with Old Li.
"Although it's sort of bullying, I guess there's no need to talk about morality since you brought the monster horde to threaten the foothold." Old Li then joined the battle and blocked the black-robed leader's way.
The black-robed leader did not expect the three of them to work together to fight him as imperial-level humans had their pride and would not work with anyone. He thought he could take advantage of that and escape, but he did not expect the three of them to work together to block his way.
"So, the imperial-level people in the White Capital are bullies…" The black-robed leader teased.
"Yes, we are, what can you do about it?!" Old Li jeered while he parried his sword towards the black-robed leader's face like lightning. The black-robed leader swung his sword to shove Old Li's sword away from his face. Meanwhile, Liu Ming's sword dashed towards the black-robed leader's neck silently. It was so fast that the black-robed leader did not have the time to block the attack with his hand. He then extended his left hand from his robe, golden circles forming on the side of his body. Although the golden circles cracked, it managed to block the sword attack.
Suddenly, the muscular middle-aged man dashed towards the black-robed leader's left chest with his fist. The black-robed leader managed to swing his sword in time. His sword collided with the man's fist. A resounding thud filled the air. The black-robed leader managed to defend himself from the three of them. Although Lin Huang could not catch their movements, he could tell that the black-robed leader was not on the losing end.
"The three of them can't fight him? He's so powerful!" Lin Huang was sure that the black-robed leader must be either one of the top leaders of the Purple Crow or the Scarborough Workshop, or else, it was impossible for him to defend against three imperial-levels at once. If it were Hong Zhuang, she would have been dead by now.
"He's using a sword as well…" Lin Huang thought of an idea while there was a card in his hand.
"Theft Card.
"Function: Once the card is activated, you can steal one skill from your target and make it yours.
"Remark 1: The target can be any creature.
"Remark 2: The target must be within the user's field of vision.
"Remark 3: The card's effect is useless on complete Godhead creatures.
"Remark 4: Can only be used once on each creature.
"Remark 5: Please make sure you have a vacant Monster Skill slot if you're stealing a Monster Skill, or else, the action will fail, and the card will be consumed."
Lin Huang smirked as he crushed the card after reading the detailed description.
"Target the black-robed leader's skill!"
"The card has been activated. Target is locked. Stealing skill…"
"Congratulations! You've obtained a new Skill Card - Almighty Surgical Knife."
Chapter 552: Activation of A New Function
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Skill Card.
"Skill Name: Almighty Surgical Knife.
"Rarity: Mythical-level (Pseudo).
"Type of Skill: Sword (Special).
"Status: Available.
"Remarks: This skill is a non-battle special sword skill that's mainly used for medical surgeries. It can always be used for modification of creatures.
"Card Remarks: Comparable with god skill!
"A pseudo mythical-level Skill Card!"
Lin Huang's eyes lit up as he read the card's detailed description. Although it was not a combat sword skill, it gave him a medical ability with special creature modification skills. Without hesitation, he crushed the card immediately and added the Skill Card into his slot. Just when the card disappeared from his hand, Xiao Hei's notification came through.
"New skill Almighty Surgical Knife has been detected. The skill can be used fix the system function. Would you like to authorize the skill to read the system core data?"
"This skill can fix the system?" It was the first time Lin Huang heard about a skill that could affect Xiao Hei.
"Yes, there's no way for the system to retrieve functions out of thin air. The system will usually have the possibility of obtaining new skills during the upgrade of authorization or under special situations such as absorbing the core source of other Goldfingers as well as what's happening right now which is fixing the lack of function of the system in terms of special creature skills."
"Will there be a new function activation after the system has been fixed?" Lin Huang asked immediately.
"Yes, I've been studying the modified creatures that you killed earlier for a while, but it didn't manage to activate any new functions as there's some key data missing. The skill that you've just obtained is a remedy to the missing data coincidentally. Of course, without the key data, the missing part will come out on its own. However, that would take years."
"Alright, authorizing skill to the system." Lin Huang did not hesitate after hearing Xiao Hei's explanation.
It had been a while since Xiao Hei last activated any new functions. Although Lin Huang had leveled up to holy fire-level two months ago, all Xiao Hei had gotten was an upgrade in its authorization, but not an activation of new functions.
"Permission has been authorized. Reading Almighty Surgical Knife's core data… Reading is complete!"
Xiao Hei became silent after reading the data, Lin Huang did not urge any further, but he waited patiently as he watched the fight of the four imperial-levels on top. Around three to four minutes later, Xiao Hei's notification came.
"Congratulations, new function Monster Card Integration has been activated!"
"Monster Card Integration?!" Lin Huang could not wait to know what exactly this new function could do.
"There are two ways of Monster Card Integration: the temporary integration and the permanent integration. The temporary integration is the integration of two or more monsters of the same rarity and combat level. After the integration's completed, there's a possibility for a temporary upgrade to a monster of higher rarity and combat level to fight for you
"The effect of integration depends on the monster's bloodline. The higher the similarity of the bloodline, the better the impact of the integration.
"The integration period depends on the monsters' harmony with each other. The more harmonious they are, the longer the integration time.
"The more monsters involved in the integration, the more powerful the integrated monster will be theoretically. However, if there's a monster of higher bloodline repellent in the integration, the higher the likelihood of the integration failing."
"The Monster Cards involved in the integration will be sealed in different ways until after the integration period is over, and they can't be summoned. The sealing time ranges from one to ten days, or even longer. The higher the effectiveness of the integration, the longer the sealing time. If the integration fails, the Monster Cards involved won't be sealed."
…
"Permanent integration will consume ten monsters of the same rarity. It's not limited to the monster type and combat level. The Monster Cards involved in the integration will be gone forever while the newly integrated monster will become a new living creature.
"The more similarities in the bloodline, the higher the success rate of the integration.
"The higher the rarity, the lower the success rate. The integration success probability is as below:
Normal to Rare: Success rate of 50%.
Rare to Epic: Success rate of 10%.
Epic to Legendary: Success rate of 1%.
"Legendary to Mythical will consume the Monster Integration Card and the success rate will be random."
…
As Lin Huang read Xiao Hei's new function, Lin Huang recalled that he had many normal white Monster Cards as well as a couple of rare Monster Cards with him. After leveling up to holy fire-level, those Monster Cards were useless to him as the normal and rare monster cards could not be upgraded to the same holy fire-level. In reality, there were hardly any monsters that never went through mutation or single mutation that could be improved to holy fire-level due to some peculiar reason. However, the standard and rare Monster Cards that Lin Huang possessed had stopped upgrading at gold-level rank-3 under Xiao Hei's system.
Xiao Hei had explained that phenomenon before.
"The possibility for normal and rare monsters to level up to holy fire-level is low. It's much smaller than the standards the system has set. For convenient management, the system has gotten rid of the way of upgrading whereby the success rate is meager.
"However, if you encounter such an unmutated or single mutated transcendent-level monsters, the probability of obtaining a complete card is the same with other monsters after the monster's been killed. However, the monster will only stay on the level that it was in. The most a holy fire-level monster can level up to would be gold flame-level. An immortal-level can only level up to immortal-level rank-9, and it can't go any further."
Compared to permanent integration, Lin Huang was more interested in the effects of the monster integration as it would be perfect for battles. If he could not manage to fight his enemy, he could get a powerful integrated monster to fight for him.
All of a sudden, his thoughts that were flying everywhere were interrupted by a loud bang. He looked up into the sky and was shocked by the scene before his eyes. A gigantic golden palace had appeared on top of the black-robed leader's head. The golden palace door was opened, and a headless body walked out with a massive halberd in its hand.
"A dead demigod's body?" Liu Ming and the rest were shocked to see the headless body. The dead body swung its halberd, rending a hole in the sky like a black scar. There was a bright red glow on top of the gigantic halberd. Liu Ming and the rest did not dare to avoid it. Instead, they defended it because if they were to prevent the attack, half of the White Capital might be destroyed. The red glow catapulted the three of them tens of kilometers away.
The black-robed leader scoffed and did not want to proceed with the fight. He stood up, kept his Life Palace and planned to leave. Suddenly, a golden card appeared in Lin Huang's hand.
Lin Huang crushed the card and instructed Xiao Hei, "Activate the Plunder Card and target the black-robed man!"
Chapter 553: A Bountiful Plundering
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Plunder Card
"Function: When the card has been activated, you'll be able to steal three items from the target randomly.
"Remark 1: The target can be on any creature.
"Remark 2: The target has to be within your field of vision.
"Remark 3: Items that don't belong to the target can't be stolen.
"Remark 4: The card can be used on the same target three times. Each interval has to be more than 24 hours apart.
"Remark 5: The card can't be used on god items and selected items with self-consciousness.
"Remark 6: You can't target creatures with a complete Godhead.
…
Lin Huang did not think twice as he activated the Plunder Card and targeted the black-robed leader just as he saw the person was planning to leave.
"The card has been activated. Target has been locked. Plundering in progress…"
A white glow shot out of the sky as Xiao Hei spoke. The black-robed leader was the focus of the light, including the golden palace and the headless dead body on top of his head. He attempted to run, but he could not move at all. It seemed like his movements had been paused.
Next, the headless dead body with a gigantic halberd in its hand shrunk into a red glow and shot into the white light in the sky. At the same time, the sword in the black-robed leader's hand, as well as his black armor, were taken away by force. They transformed into black and green beams of light and shot into the white glow too. As soon as the three glows disappeared into the cloud, the white glow shot from the sky disappeared. Xiao Hei's notification came into Lin Huang's ears.
"Congratulations, you have obtained Demigod Dead Body, Air Slicer, and Black Feathered Armor from the target!"
The black-robed leader regained his ability to move after the white glow disappeared. He was in shock.
"What just happened? Was that God?"
Although he could not move, he could see everything that was happening to him. His demigod Dead Body Puppet and two ancient relics, the Air Slicer, and the Black Feathered Armor, had been taken away by the white glow.
Without the black armor, his white coat was revealed. Fortunately, he had his mask on, so his face remained hidden. Without his most potent weapons, he did not even plan to retrieve the items that had been taken away from him. He was still stunned. He recalled his Life Palace without thinking twice and escaped far away…
"Hehe, this fella is such a scaredy-cat!" Lin Huang chuckled secretly as he saw the black-robed leader make his escape.
Meanwhile, Liu Ming and the rest looked clumsy as they were chased away by the headless dead body on top of the Martial Hunter College. Although they saw the white glow shoot into the sky from tens of kilometers away, they had no idea what just happened. By the time they got back, the black-robed leader had escaped, and it was too late to chase after him.
"Liu Ming, you saw that, didn't you?" Old Li queried in all seriousness.
"That's the demigod Dead Body Puppet from that battle." Liu Ming nodded as he frowned.
"He could drive the monster horde away, and he has the Dead Body Puppet. Could that fella be the remnant of a protoss?" Old Li asked.
"I don't think so. Mr. Fu told me a little about the protoss before. The monster horde that a protoss can drive would be way bigger than this. If it had really been done by a protoss, let alone the White Capital, the entire Division 7 would be destroyed overnight. As for the Dead Body Puppet, he probably got it from the battle ruins." Liu Ming shook his head.
"But I'll let Mr. Fu know what's happened and see if he knows anything about that," Liu Ming added.
"Let's inform Mr. Fu after the issue has been settled. Should we go after the fella?" The muscular middle-aged man replied.
"It's useless to chase after him. He has that Dead Body Puppet with him. We can't fight him. Let's search around for his partners. It'll be good if we could catch any one of them." Liu Ming shook his head.
The three of them spread out after that. Only when the noise had faded away did Lin Huang reveal himself at the dorm. He shook his head as he looked at the dorm that was now destroyed, then he summoned Kylie a while later. Kylie was shocked to see him in the white dress. The usually serious Kylie could not hide her smile this time.
"Bring me into the mini world." Lin Huang did not notice Kylie's smile as he was in deep thought.
Kylie waved her hand, and a black wave appeared. The both of them walked into it. Entering Kylie's mini world, Lin Huang just realized that he was still in his transformed body. He then deactivated the disguise and transformed back to himself. As soon as he transformed back, he reached his hand into the bottom of his storage space in search of his package.
"Ahh… There'd be trouble if this didn't come back to me," he sighed in relief.
After confirming there were no side effects from activating the Disguise Card, Lin Huang then looked at the items that he had stolen earlier. The three items were now in card form. He took out the cards to read the descriptions.
"Item Card: Air Slicer
"Type: Sword
"Item Level: Ancient relic
"Item Description: This is a battle sword that can be used as a surgical knife or a food cutter.
"Special Effect: Space attributes.
"Additional Attribute: Slicing
"Card Remarks: Good stuff
…
"Item Card: Black Feathered Armor
"Type: Defense
"Item Level: Ancient relic
"Item Description: This is just armor. What else do you expect it to be?
"Special Effect: Increase moving speed
"Additional Attribute: Wings
"Card Remarks: Good stuff
…
"Item Card: Dead Body Puppet
"Type: Puppetry
"Item Level: Demigod relic
"Item Description: This is a puppet made of a demigod's dead body. It requires a massive amount of energy for activation.
"Special Effect: None
"Additional Attribute: None
"Card Remarks: It's great stuff for your current situation. The only disadvantage is that it's burning money!
"A demigod relic and two ancient relics?!" Lin Huang did not expect to obtain something out of his imagination for the first time by using the Plunder Card. Although he had never seen such a relic, he knew it was an item of demigod-level. Meanwhile, the ancient relics were special items that would only fall out of rare king-level monsters of imperial-levels. They were much more powerful than supreme relics!
Naturally, Lin Huang knew very well that it was not by luck that he had managed to get the three relics, but also because the Misfortune Card had been activated on the black-robed leader. His extremely bad luck became Lin Huang's fortune in turn.
"Hmm, it seems like I must activate the Misfortune Card before using the Plunder Card," Lin Huang concluded as he looked gleefully at the three item cards in his hand.
Chapter 554: Peace That the Lie Brings
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The day was breaking when Lin Huang got out of Kylie's mini world. He had no idea if the chaos was over, but at least there were no loud explosions anymore, which meant that the areas nearby were safe. He was upset as he looked at the houses and he missed the flat land. Nevertheless, he felt much better as he thought of the three items that he had obtained from the black-robed leader just by activating the Plunder Card.
"Never mind then. I've earned something out of my expectations anyway."
It was 5.30 a.m. Lin Huang then walked out of the college. There was a store selling sumptuous soup and buns at the east gate of the college. It would usually be crowded when it was past seven in the morning, and they would be sold out before 8 a.m. He had only tried it a few times as the store was closed during the school holidays.
The store was managed by a middle-aged couple, and it was said that their child used to study at the Martial Hunter College. They had opened the store since the first year their child enrolled in the college, and they had been there for seven years. Their child became a hunter after graduation. Although they did not need the money anymore, they insisted on carrying on with their business. Many students loved their food which brought the couple immense pleasure.
The owners had just arrived not long ago when Lin Huang got to the store. They were busy making the meat filling. All of the buns were made fresh every morning and were limited as they had restricted manpower. They would leave after all of the buns were sold out at 8 a.m. every day. After that, they would rest, which meant that their working hours added up to less than three hours daily. The only downside to that was having to wake up early. However, that was nothing to them as they had gotten used to it, so the work was pretty easy for them.
The couple opened the store for lunch and dinner before their child became a hunter for extra income. They worked for more than 15 hours each day. However, they were much more relaxed as they were only open for breakfast now. Seeing that the couple was busy, Lin Huang did not disturb them and got himself a seat in the store.
"You're so early!" The lady boss was friendly. She did not know Lin Huang as he did not frequently visit, so she thought he was a student at the Martial Hunter College. He merely smiled and nodded.
"I didn't manage to get your soup and buns on normal days. Since I can't sleep today, I decided to come early, but I found out that you guys don't open this early."
"We usually get out of the house past 5 a.m. and get here around 5.20 a.m." The lady boss chatted with Lin Huang as she was preparing her store. Despite her chirpy talk, there was no delay in what she was doing with her hands.
"But you're too early. I've just turned on the oven. It'll take at least 20 minutes."
"It's okay. I can wait." Lin Huang then started reading the news on the Heart Network since he had nothing to do.
There was nothing about the monster horde attack in the White Capital on the Heart Network. It was evident that they did not want to panic the people. The White Capital was the No. 1 foothold in Division 7. If people knew that the White Capital had come under siege by a monster horde, that would mean that none of the other footholds in Division 7 were safe.
"Nothing on the Heart Network… Then, what does the Union Government have to say?" Just when Lin Huang was thinking to himself, the topic named "White Capital Thunder Phenomenon" popped up.
Lin Huang tapped on the topic and skimmed it roughly. The article was a fabricated story saying that the explosion in the White Capital in the middle of the night was called the Thunder Phenomenon, which had happened in a couple of footholds hundreds of years ago. It went on further to say that the phenomenon usually occurred in the wild zones and that it was a normal climate phenomenon causing strong gales and shaking on the earth.
"What a great made-up story! I'd definitely believe it if I had no idea what happened," Lin Huang laughed at the story. He then browsed for the Thunder Phenomenon on the Heart Network and found out that it had happened in a couple of footholds before. He thought about it and realized that the Union Government had covered up the truth of battles in the past by calling it a Thunder Phenomenon.
"People would take it seriously after being lied to for a couple of times…" Lin Huang smiled awkwardly.
However, it was not entirely a bad thing that the people did not know the truth. Just like the couple who was selling their buns; they had peace in their calm and carried on with their daily lives as they had no idea what had happened. Lin Huang knew that the regular people must be just like the couple. Although they did not know the truth, they were at peace with the lie.
Despite not knowing what happened on the Heart Network, many were talking about the incident on the Hunter Forum. However, most of them were discussing the monster horde in the southern border instead of the Thunder Phenomenon in the White Capital.
Some of the people who were stationed at the posts on the mountain described the white glow that was shot into the sky to be as bright as the sun when Lin Huang had used the Destruction Card. Some of them even posted photos of the lady of Lin Huang transformed into. They said the lady in white must be the person who had settled the monster horde since she appeared where the white glow was. However, there were differing opinions about the lady in the white dress.
Some of them thought she was the one who settled the monster horde as she was the only one there when the rest arrived. Besides, she left as soon as she was discovered. If she were the first one who arrived at the place, it was unnecessary for her to avoid the people who came after her. Some of them figured that the lady in white must have noticed the odd occurrence in the area as she was coincidentally on the way to the post. She might have left since the monster horde was over, and there was nothing worth staying for anymore. Moreover, it was normal for a lady to leave immediately as men were surrounding her and she chose not to talk to strangers.
The disputes of opinions caused chaos on the forum, and it did not stop since 3 a.m. It became even more tumultuous when the hunters from other footholds learned about the White Capital being attacked by the monster horde.
"Fortunately, I used the Disguise Card." Lin Huang was glad that he had not revealed his real face or else the entire world would be posting his photo everywhere.
"Your food's here." Just as he was reading the debate on the forum in excitement, the lady boss placed a tray of buns on the table.
"Thanks, lady boss." He then switched off the page and started gorging on the buns. He had the habit of giving all his attention to his food when he was eating. There were 12 buns on the tray, and it was enough for an average meal. It was past six when Lin Huang was done eating. By then, the store had become crowded. He bumped into two of his students when he was going out of the store to pay.
"Sir Lin, that's early!" The two female students greeted him.
"Morning." Lin Huang nodded with a smile. The two students asked him a couple of questions on Sword Dao, and he answered them patiently.
"Alright, you guys will need to queue if you don't go in now."
The duo then recalled why they were there and got themselves a table after bidding farewell to Lin Huang. He then left. As his dorm was destroyed, the only place he could go was the 24-hour library. His Emperor's Heart Ring started ringing when he was at the library around 8 a.m. It was Liu Ming who was calling.
Chapter 555: Following Up On the Incident
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Lin Huang turned on the soundproof barrier in the library cubicle and picked up Liu Ming's call.
Liu Ming looked distressed in the video call, but he was relieved as soon as he saw Lin Huang.
"Brother, where are you?"
"I'm in the library. Are you back in college?" Lin Huang replied and asked a question that he already knew the answer to.
"Yes, I just got back in the middle of the night. I wanted to spend more time on my trip, but I got a notification from the Union Government, so I got back right away."
Are you alright?" He asked Lin Huang in concern.
"I'm alright, but I don't know why the dorm has been destroyed." Lin Huang looked helpless, pretending that he had no idea what had happened.
"Well, I do know something about that…" Liu Ming rubbed his nose as he had witnessed how the dorm was destroyed.
"Are you free now? Drop by my office. There's something that I need to tell you, but we can't discuss that here."
"Sure." Lin Huang nodded and hung up. He flew from the library towards the office building.
Two minutes later, he appeared at the dean's office. As soon as he entered the office, Liu Ming took out a white sphere and pressed the button in the middle. A wave rippled and soon, the entire room was covered in a transparent bubble.
"Take a seat." Liu Ming then got up and gestured to Lin Huang to sit on the couch as he sat across him.
"What're you going to tell me that you don't want people to know?" Lin Huang smiled.
"You knew what happened during the middle of the night, don't you?" Liu Ming asked.
"I know about the monster horde in the southern border. I joined the battle as well," Lin Huang affirmed. "What's wrong? How's that related to my dorm being destroyed?"
"Actually, not only was there a monster horde last night. The city was attacked. Your dorm was destroyed by one of the attackers who wanted to capture you alive," Liu Ming explained.
"Capture me alive? Why? Who was it?" Lin Huang fired the two questions that he really wanted to know.
"I've no idea why he wanted to capture you alive, but I was fighting him. That's how I know he was coming for you. I have my own assumptions about who the person was, but I can't be so sure. The only thing that I'm sure of is that he's a chief-level from one of the top underground organizations."
"Do you mean he invaded the White Capital just for me?" Lin Huang frowned.
"No, it was just a convenience to capture you. Their main purpose was to get the Saint's first and second elders' dead bodies, which they managed to get." Liu Ming did not hide the truth.
"How about the monster horde? Was it orchestrated by the same group of people?" Lin Huang asked again.
"The monster horde was meant to stop the imperial-levels from entering the southern border while buying time for their partners in the city to escape," Liu Ming explained.
After Liu Ming's explanation, Lin Huang finally understood what had really happened. He had been speculating why would the imperial-levels want to get into the city, why would they drive the monster horde in only to reveal their identity… Now, everything made sense.
"So, did we get any of the attackers?" Lin Huang frowned.
"We killed one of them and captured another while the rest escaped. The one who's captured has had her identity confirmed. She's Hong Zhuang from the Purple Crow. She just became a core member of the Purple Crow. Although she's only on immortal-level rank-9, she's a dangerous lady…"
"Hong Zhuang has been captured..." Lin Huang had mixed feelings when he heard that. Honestly, he did not like the Purple Crow. However, after spending time together, he realized that Hong Zhuang was not as evil as he had imagined, but he could not eliminate the chances that she was remarkably skilled at acting.
"That lady called Hong Zhuang is just an immortal-level rank-9, but she fought with Shangguan Feng Ao using just a relic. If Shangguan Feng Ao did not have a demigod remnant, she might have escaped from the southern border…" Liu Ming kept rambling on about Hong Zhuang and did not notice Lin Huang's expression.
"How about the one that was killed? Who was that?" Lin Huang proceeded to ask. He wanted to confirm if the person was from the Scarborough Workshop.
"The one who was killed isn't from the Purple Crow. They're still identifying the person," Liu Ming said and recalled why he had asked Lin Huang there.
"Brother, do you know a lady who wears a white dress?"
"A lady in a white dress? What does she look like?" In his head, Lin Huang started making up stories about the lady that he had disguised himself as the night before.
"This lady." Liu Ming produced a photo. It was a front-facing photo of the lady that was taken near the post on the mountain.
"Isn't that the lady that everyone is talking about being a god on the Hunter Forum?" Lin Huang raised his eyebrow as he looked at Liu Ming.
"You don't know her?" Liu Ming asked.
"Of course not. Why would you ask that?" Lin Huang declined. He had thought about his reply if anyone asked him that question when he was in Kylie's mini world.
"But I saw her in your dorm last night. I asked her why she was in your dorm. She said she's a new teacher and that she swapped dorm rooms with you," Liu Ming explained.
"She must've lied to you. I've never swapped dorm rooms with anyone. I've been staying in the same dorm ever since the day I got the dorm room key." Lin Huang shook his head and smiled amusedly.
"I didn't overthink about it that time, but I only realized something was wrong later. I got Old Wang to send me the new teachers' details, but there's no such lady after flipping through the documents many times." Liu Ming smiled back awkwardly and nodded.
"But why would she appear in your dorm if you don't know her?" Liu Ming looked at Lin Huang doubtfully.
"How would I know?" Lin Huang shrugged.
Liu Ming fell into deep thought as he did not get anything from Lin Huang.
"Brother Liu, was the lady really the one who cleared the monster horde?" Lin Huang asked softly. He wanted to know what the Union Government thought about the lady that he had disguised as from Liu Ming.
"It hasn't been confirmed yet. The Union Government is still investigating it." Liu Ming shook his head.
"To prevent you from getting involved in this, I didn't tell the Union Government investigator about the lady claiming to know you. Don't tell anyone anything about this," Liu Ming added.
"I understand." Lin Huang nodded graciously as he knew Liu Ming had done that to protect him.
"Also, I heard from Vice President Zhang that you were close to Hong Zhuang when she was lurking in the Martial Hunter College. Since she's been captured, the Union Government might look for you. You can just tell them the truth about being forced to join the Purple Crow earlier. Mr. Fu will handle the rest."
"Alright, sure." Lin Huang frowned. He did not expect the news about Hong Zhuang knowing him to spread out so soon.
Chapter 556: Hong Zhuang's Request
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
It was 1 December. Lin Huang initially had class as it was a Friday, but he did not need to teach anymore.
His class had been temporarily suspended.
The other teachers who were temporarily suspended, including Qin Tianxing, were those who had spoken to Hong Zhuang before. Even Vice President Wang Zijun, who had interviewed her, was suspended temporarily.
Hong Zhuang's identity was sensitive. The Union Government found out that she was not only the core member of the Division 7 Purple Crow but also one of the candidates of the Crow Spirit. Many students and teachers had seen Lin Huang and Qin Tianxing frequently eating with Hong Zhuang at the canteen. Furthermore, because Hong Zhuang got into the college by disguising as Lin Huang's cousin, Lin Huang was now a suspicious person. They were now being watched by the Union Government personnel and would be interrogated almost every day. They were brought into interrogation whenever there was a new clue, and some questions were repeatedly asked.
A familiar knocking came from Lin Huang's dorm room door that morning. Liu Ming had assigned him a new dorm as his previous one could not be accommodated anymore. Lin Huang opened the door helplessly. There were a man and a lady at the door. The man was tall and skinny. He was almost 1.9 meters tall and wore a gray trench coat. The lady was lanky as well at nearly 1.8 meters with her heels. With her sky-high hair bun, she was no shorter than the man. She wore a beige trench coat, and although her style was different from the one that the man wore, they looked like a couple.
The lady smiled as she greeted, "I'm sorry to disturb you again."
"Please come in." Lin Huang nodded and invited the both of them to go into the living room. He then poured some tea for the duo. They were the investigators who were responsible for his case these few days. The man remained expressionless. He looked pointedly at Lin Huang after taking a sip of tea.
"You know the drill."
Lin Huang nodded forlornly as it was useless for him to be pissed. The man was just doing his job.
"Name?"
"Lin Huang."
"Gender?"
"Male."
"Age?"
"16."
…
"When and where was the first time you met Hong Zhuang?"
"September last year at the Fog Canyon."
"Why were you at the Fog Canyon?"
"To kill the Vile Marionette so that I could level up to bronze-level."
"You're saying that you only took a year to level up from bronze-level to white flame-level now?"
"Yes." Lin Huang had to admit the fact that he had a terrifying speed of leveling up since the Union Government found out anyway, or else there might be consequences.
"Who were you with at that time?"
"Yin Hangyi, but he's passed away."
"Who else was with Hong Zhuang?"
"Xu Qiang, her partner at that time."
"Describe Xu Qiang's appearance."
"He's very tall. I think he's 2.2 or 2.3 meters. He's very muscular, much bigger than an ordinary person. He had a buzz cut and looked like he's ready to kill. There's nothing significant on his face. If not for his hulking size, he looks just like everybody else whereby it's easy to overlook him in a crowd," Lin Huang described as he really did not have much impression of Xu Qiang. He only remembered he was big and had a buzz cut.
"So, Hong Zhuang and Xu Qiang from the Purple Crow didn't kill you when you first saw them?"
"No, Hong Zhuang asked me to join the Purple Crow as she knew that I'm an Imperial Censor."
"And you agreed?"
"Xu Qiang gave me two options. One was to join the Purple Crow while another was to die. To keep my life, I chose the former as I knew I couldn't escape from the two transcendent-levels that time," Lin Huang explained.
"So, you joined the Purple Crow after that?"
"I was brought to the Purple Crow training camp, but I escaped after spending almost a month there."
"How did you manage to escape?"
"I used a relic that Mr. Fu gave me to fake my death," Lin Huang lied as he knew that it was impossible for the investigator to confirm that with Mr. Fu. Even if somebody did look for Mr. Fu to substantiate that, he knew that Mr. Fu would side him.
Although some people knew that Mr. Fu had only taken Lin Huang as his apprentice after he left the Purple Crow, nobody knew when was the first time they met. It was not the first time Mr. Fu gave something expensive to juniors that he liked.
"Nobody from the Purple Crow came after you since you betrayed them?"
"Please allow me to correct you right there. I didn't betray them as I've never joined the Purple Crow. The official steps to join the Purple Crow will be a graduation ceremony from the training camp and you'll be brainwashed before being considered a reserve member of the Purple Crow. The people in the training camp are only considered captives." Lin Huang frowned as he corrected the investigator as it was not his first time rectifying that fact.
"The Purple Crow sent someone to come after me, but I killed them. Mr. Fu knew about this later on and spoke to the Purple Crow leader. Nobody came after me since then."
"Why did Hong Zhuang find you after she came into the White Capital? Also, why didn't you expose her identity and even allowed her to bring a threat to the Martial Hunter College?"
"I've no idea why Hong Zhuang came here to look for me." Lin Huang stopped and fidgeted.
"I know her abilities roughly, that's why I didn't expose her identity. The dean wasn't around, so there was nobody who could fight her. She told me that the students and teachers of the college would suffer if I were to tell anybody about her. According to the Purple Crow's action model, I know she has her partner with her. Even if Union Government were to send someone to fight her, her partner, who was hiding somewhere, would attack the college. Moreover, she guaranteed that the Purple Crow would not harm the college and asked me not to intervene in her mission. Since there was no harm to us, I chose to keep mum about it."
"Why was Qin Tianxing so close to Hong Zhuang?"
"Hong Zhuang pretended to be my cousin when she joined the college as a teacher. Qin Tianxing thought she really was my cousin, that's why he was extra friendly with her since he was told that we were close." Lin Huang did not tell the investigator that Qin Tianxing might have been interested in Hong Zhuang so that he would not get into trouble.
After the uncomfortable interrogation ended, the man in the trench coat stood up and stared at Lin Huang in all seriousness as the lady next to him was done documenting.
"Lin Huang, Hong Zhuang wants to see you."
"What?!" Lin Huang thought that was ridiculous.
"She hasn't wanted to say a word the past few days since she was captured. There's a special layer of energy guard on her consciousness that makes her mind unreadable. The people in Building 33 tried many ways, but they couldn't get anything out of her. The only thing she said was that she wants to see you!" The man in trench coat glared deadly at Lin Huang, hoping to see a flaw in his expression.
"See me? Why?" Lin Huang had thoughts racing through his mind, but the most significant possibility he could think of was that she might want to use Mr. Fu to get out of her situation.
"She didn't say why. She said she'd only talk if we let her see you."
"What if I don't want to?" Lin Huang frowned.
"You must! The only way to prove your innocence is to meet her face-to-face," the man in the trench coat said solemnly.
Lin Huang frowned as he had no idea what Hong Zhuang wanted to do, but he did not eliminate the possibility that she might harm him. However, it was clear that he had to see her even if he was unwilling to as the request came from the Union Government. It was useless for him to reject the man in the trench coat now as the Union Government would definitely send someone else later. He might even be brought to see Hong Zhuang by force.
"Alright then, I'll see her." Lin Huang agreed to see Hong Zhuang after some careful consideration.
Chapter 557: Hong Zhuang's Story
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Building 33 was the Union Government's underground department. It was meant for shady businesses. Lin Huang learned about it when he was in the Purple Crow's training camp. However, he only knew that the organization was located under the White Capital, but he had no inkling where the exact point was. He did not expect Hong Zhuang to be locked up in Building 33. However, the Union Government did not arrange their meet-up at Building 33. Instead, they were meeting at the Union Government's headquarters.
It was past nine in the morning when Lin Huang followed the two investigators to the headquarters. Standing at the door, Lin Huang could not help himself but to look at the massive building once again. The building was like a giant pillar standing tall all the way to the sky. It seemed unreal as the top part was shrouded in clouds. He had heard from Mr. Fu earlier that the building was actually a demigod relic.
Apparently, the Union Government was worried that accidents might happen, which was why the meet-up was arranged at the headquarters. Lin Huang had expected that to happen. He knew there would be more than one imperial-level human watching them. Although he had his mind flooded with thoughts about how things might go wrong such as Hong Zhuang harming him or the Union Government threatening him, he decided to walk into the building anyway.
As he entered the hall, he realized that the building was not as luxurious as he expected to be. There were not much extravagant decorations. It was similar to a typical office building. The only expensive decor might be the golden sword in the middle of the hall. The sword was more than three meters long. Although the aura was hidden, Lin Huang figured that it was a demigod relic instead of an ancient relic.
He only managed to peep at the sword before he followed the two investigators to the 101st floor by taking the elevator. They were silent in the elevator, and it took them a while to arrive at the floor. The duo brought Lin Huang into one of the rooms. The room was small. It was only 40 square meters large. There was nothing on the three white-washed walls. Dark glass replaced the top half of the fourth wall. Although he could not see the other side of the glass, he knew that there were people watching him from the other side.
There was a small metal table and two chairs located across each other in the middle of the room. It was simplicity at its best. Besides, the two chairs were placed in front of the glass wall where no secret gestures could be done as they would be scrutinized. Lin Huang looked at the door and sat on the seat that was closer to the door. As he took his seat, the door shut immediately. He did not turn around. Instead, he sank further into the chair, leaning on his back and closed his eyes. He looked like he was resting, but in reality, he was coming up with answers to possible questions that might arise later.
Around five to six minutes later, the door opened again. A somber man in a military uniform brought in Hong Zhuang who was dressed in white and her hands were locked in black chains. As Hong Zhuang sat down, the man placed his palm on the table. A black chain came out of the middle of the table and linked together with the chain on Hong Zhuang's hands. Lin Huang frowned as he watched that.
The man looked at Lin Huang expressionlessly, then walked out of the room and closed the door.
"I didn't expect you to agree to see me." Hong Zhuang smiled as sat across the table.
"I didn't want to come, but I know I can't decline this." Lin Huang shrugged his shoulders.
"So, tell me, what's the reason you wanted me to come all the way here to see you?"
"Nothing, I'm just bored and would love to talk to someone. You know that you're the only person that I know in the White Capital."
"Even if there are still people from the Purple Crow in the city, they wouldn't have the audacity to come to the Union Government to talk to me," Hong Zhuang added.
"I see that you're still joking around. That shows the Union Government has been kind to you while you're here." Lin Huang raised an eyebrow.
"You'd know what they'd really do to me if I take off my clothes. But they've done everything they can. It's not that easy to get me to talk." Hong Zhuang glared at the black glass with an insulting tone.
There were a bunch of men behind the glass just like Lin Huang and Hong Zhuang expected. Even the director of Building 33, Zhou Xiong, was one of them. He glared murderously when he heard Hong Zhuang's insult.
"Don't take off your clothes. There are people watching. I'd feel shameful even if you don't." Lin Huang smiled politely as he declined Hong Zhuang's suggestion.
"Let's talk."
"You idiot!"
"We shall see who is the idiot when there's nobody around!" Lin Huang said, but he soon recalled how powerful Hong Zhuang was. He might be the idiot even when nobody was around. Immediately, he felt dumb for saying that.
Hong Zhuang smiled and said nothing.
"What do you want to talk about?" Lin Huang felt awkward as she was staring at him, so he changed the subject.
"Don't you have many questions? You can ask now, and I'll see if I want to answer them. But of course, not all answers are the truth." Hong Zhuang leered slyly at him.
Lin Huang was happy to hear the first half of what she said, but as soon as she finished her sentence, he thought there might be questions that he would rather not ask.
"Alright, let me think about it…"
"The first question. This has been bothering me for a long time. Why did you insist on me joining the Purple Crow when you first met me? Was it because of my summoning monsters?"
"These questions…" Hong Zhuang looked like she was recalling her memories.
"I was born into a wealthy family more than ten years ago, but they weren't royalty. They're an ordinary, rich family in a C-grade foothold. I have a brother who's two years younger than I am. He was cute when he was a kid. He was just like you. He had dark eyes too. He looked adorable even when he was mad, so I loved tricking him. That happy life lasted until I was 16…
"It was winter. I remember it was snowing that day. A Virtual Eye opened near our foothold. It was a disaster-grade monster horde, and the monsters flooded the entire foothold. None of the people from the Union Organizations managed to handle the monsters and they fled. There were even transcendent-level humans who could fly among them. They didn't even try to fight and they left the hundreds of thousands of people behind.
"I was screaming for help under the collapsed house. None of the passersby helped me. All they cared about was to run for their lives. No matter the everyday people or the 'brave' hunters, the 'fearless' adventurers, I watched them being attacked and eaten by monsters, so I decided to fake my death. The monsters seemed to be more interested in moving objects. Thus I managed to escape death.
"There seemed to be nobody alive in the entire foothold after the monster horde was over. I couldn't move as I was under the destroyed house. I was famished. I pulled a male dead body next to me and sucked his blood from his neck that had been bitten by a monster and ate his flesh. To fight the cold, I tore off his clothes and covered myself with them. That went on for three days.
"On the third morning, a man in a black trench coat found me. He told me that I had potential judging from my survival skill and asked if I would like to join the organization that he was in. I told him that I'd rather die if it were one of the Union Organizations. He then smiled and asked me if I heard of a creature called the Purple Crow. I shook my head. He then explained to me that the Purple Crow was a weak bird monster in the abyss. Although it was weak, it was fearless and courageous. They would attack the prey's eyes when they hunted in groups, then drill into the prey's eyeball and eat the brains, killing it. Monsters of all sizes couldn't scare them. He asked me if I would like to join the Purple Crow. I agreed to without thinking twice.
"My spine was broken. I was paralyzed from the bottom down when he saved me from the destroyed house. I wanted to get him to save my parents and brother, but he told me that there was nobody else alive in the entire foothold. I was the only human that was still alive that he found. I didn't believe him, so he moved the debris, and I saw my parents' cold dead bodies, but I couldn't find my brother.
"I followed him back to the Purple Crow, fixed my spine, and joined the training camp, then became a reserve member. I then became an official member, an elite member, and now a core member. Throughout the years, I didn't stop looking for my brother. Perhaps he's dead, but I can't move on. Until I met you last year, I felt that I see so much of him in you, so I used the excuse to get you into the Purple Crow. However, I didn't expect you to fake your death and escape…"
Lin Huang became silent after hearing Hong Zhuang's story. He always thought that she had treated him differently, now he finally understood why.
"How was it? Isn't my story good? Doesn't it sound real?" Hong Zhuang grinned and asked.
"You made that up?" Lin Huang was shocked.
"Of course, I made that up," Hong Zhuang chuckled.
"The real reason why I wanted you to join the Purple Crow was simple. The speed of your leveling up is faster than anybody else's. The summoning monsters that you own seem to be more powerful than the those owned by other Imperial Censors. I heard that you're hiding a big secret. I want to know what that is."
"Erm…" Lin Huang's heart skipped a beat. He did not expect her to have such sharp instincts.
"Too bad there's no way for you to find out what that secret is anymore," Lin Huang thought to himself.
"What else do you want to ask? Ask now. You won't get the chance to after today." Hong Zhuang smiled at him.
"Alright then, the second question…"
Chapter 558: Hong Zhuang's Final Letter
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"The disaster-grade monster horde ten years ago…"
Lin Huang made some searched about the monster horde once he got back to his dorm. Hong Zhuang had given him many answers to his questions during the Union Government's interrogation. Although she answered his questions in detail, it was up to him to find out if she had told the truth. What was most impressive to Lin Huang was the first story that she had told him. It was her own story, and it did not sound like it had been fabricated as some of the details were personal. She would not have been able to make it up if she did not experience that. He could not imagine her despair when she was stuck under the destroyed house and had to eat a dead body.
The last thing Hong Zhuang said before leaving the room was in a carefree tone. "It's impossible for me to leave Building 33 alive. You're the only person that I know in the White Capital. Please pick my dead body up when I die."
Lin Huang's heart plummeted when he heard that. As he returned to the dorm, he could not help but feel curious. He wanted to find out if what Hong Zhuang said was real.
"It was winter 10 to 20 years ago. There was a Virtual Eye that opened near a C-grade foothold with a disaster-grade monster horde," Lin Huang concluded and started searching on the Heart Network. He found his answer a few minutes later.
"Two disaster-grade monster hordes happened in the entire Division 7 during that time. The one that matched what Hong Zhuang said with the opening of Virtual Eye and that particular season was foothold No. 7C125 in Hongling City.
"It was destroyed in the monster horde 13 years ago. In less than half a day, all of the 800,000 population was dead. Nobody survived." The disaster that happened in Hongling City was exactly the same as what Hong Zhuang had described. There were even photos of the disaster taken by the media. It was an obliterated city covered in snow. All of the buildings were damaged. Although the snow had covered the gruesome blood on the ground, there were dead bodies strewn everywhere. Within hours, the lively foothold was destroyed by the catastrophic attack.
The photos made Lin Huang recall the time when he had just traveled to this world last year. That day was the first time he realized how cruel this world was after reading about the aftermath of the monster horde. It seemed like his determination to get more powerful grew from that day on.
"I'm still not powerful enough…" Looking at the disastrous photo, he recalled being forced to see Hong Zhuang today. He was feeling more and more insecure.
"Even a holy fire-level, an immortal-level, and an imperial-level aren't powerful enough. It seems like one will only be invincible when he becomes a god in this world!"
It was noon when Lin Huang was done reading about Hongling City. Just when he was getting ready to head out for lunch, his Emperor's Heart Ring started buzzing. It was Liu Ming who was calling.
"Have you gotten back from the Union Government?" Liu Ming asked directly after he picked up.
"I'm at the college now. I'm just heading out for lunch."
"The case is being investigated. I heard Hong Zhuang has finally spoken. The Union Government investigators and monitoring personnel have left." Liu Ming gave him a piece of good news.
"Go for lunch first. Come to No. 101 battle training ground after that."
"Sure, I'll be there soon," Lin Huang agreed without thinking twice. Liu Ming was an expert in Sword Dao, and he had broken through imperial-level now. He should have broken through Sword Dao as well or else he would not have come back to the White Capital. To him, Liu Ming was the best person to train with.
After lunch, Lin Huang headed straight to the battle training ground. When he got there, the door was wide open. Upon entering, Liu Ming was standing in the middle of the ground waiting for him. He locked the door and dashed towards Liu Ming.
"Bro, aren't we training today?" Lin Huang noticed that Liu Ming did not have his sword with him when he walked closer.
Liu Ming sighed and took something out of his storage space, then passed it to Lin Huang.
"What's this?" Lin Huang thought it was odd that Liu Ming was passing him a Kraft paper envelope, but he took it anyway.
"Hong Zhuang left this letter in my office drawer. I've been hesitating to give it to you the past few days. I even consulted Mr. Fu, and he suggested letting you decide about this. I've thought about it. Hong Zhuang wanted me to pass this to you. It's inappropriate for me to keep it with me, and you have the right to know." Liu Ming explained where the envelope had come from, but he did not say what was in it.
"Take a look yourself."
Lin Huang opened the envelope and took out a folded paper. It seemed to be a letter.
"Hong Zhuang left me a letter?"
Lin Huang frowned as he opened unfolded the paper. There was nothing much on the two pages, but it took him almost ten minutes to read it carefully. Although the content was limited, it reminded Lin Huang how powerful Hong Zhuang was.
She entered the Martial Hunter College, left this letter in Liu Ming's office, created the monster horde and even staged her capture. Everything had been part of her plan whereby she took every detail into accurate consideration. She came up with this plan to escape from the Purple Crow, and she managed to achieve her goal. The reason why she planned all this was because she did not want to be a Crow Spirit.
From her letter, Lin Huang realized how powerful a Crow Spirit was in the Purple Crow. The Crow Spirit was not a formal designation in the Purple Crow but was a lessor of the world. As soon as one became a Crow Spirit, her self-consciousness would be taken away by the Crow God's will and her body would become the Crow God's temporary refuge. It was the spirit transfer that was always mentioned in novels.
However, because the Crow Spirit was too powerful, it would be damaging for its body to be trapped in another body, so the body could only be used for 10 to 20 years. When the time was up, the vessel needed to be replaced. The Purple Crow would select a new Crow Spirit now and then. Initially, Hong Zhuang was proud that she was being chosen as the Crow Spirit was an honor. However, the Crow Leader, who brought her into the organization, told her about the truth that nobody knew besides her and the leader himself. That prompted her to plan the mission.
She wrote this at the end of the letter.
"The Purple Crow has treated me well all these years, but I can't accept myself being a zombie and somebody's puppet after I die. My soul won't find peace even after I'm dead. To get away from the Purple Crow, I had to plan this so that I could be a free soul after I die.
"I have transferred all the valuables from my Emperor's Heart Ring to a fake Emperor's Heart Ring belonging to a 'Zhuang Hong'. They're yours now. I only have one request. Please burn my body after I'm dead and scatter my ashes into the Eastern Ocean. It was the place where my brother wanted to go when he was younger. If he's not in this world anymore, his soul must be wandering over there. I hope I could wander with him.
"Lastly, my real name is Zhuang Yuer and my brother's name was Zhuang Hong. I turned his name backward and used it as mine when I got into the Purple Crow. He was probably killed during that monster horde. He was probably eaten by the monsters since his body could not be found. For the past 13 years, I've been looking around for him, but all I got was disappointment… But if he's still alive and if you ever see him, please tell him that I never gave up looking for him…"
Chapter 559: Can't Think of A Good Title...
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Lin Huang completely changed his perception towards Hong Zhuang after reading the letter that she had written to him. He always thought that she was sly, unpredictable, and a devil who would do anything to get what she wanted. She was like a beautiful snake demon with a dangerous aura on her.
However, the letter gave Lin Huang an utterly different perception about Hong Zhuang. At least, she sounded like an ordinary lady made of blood and flesh in the letter. She loved her brother. She had never given up looking for Zhuang Hong for the past 13 years. She even reflected her love that she had for her brother on Lin Huang.
He whooshed out a long breath after reading the letter and looked at the envelope that was slightly bulging. There was an Emperor's Heart Ring in there. He immediately recognized that it was the ring that Hong Zhuang was wearing when she was in the Martial Hunter College.
"She's quite a pitiful lady actually. It's just that she has bad luck..." Liu Ming said as he noticed Lin Huang was silent after reading the letter.
"Yeah..." Lin Huang thought what happened to her was a pity. If someone were to save her from her situation 13 years ago, her life might be completely different. Perhaps she might be one of the Union Government or Hunter Association members. It was unfortunate that fate had sent her into the endless abyss.
Lin Huang felt lucky that he had met Li Lang, Yi Yeyu, and the rest who were kind to him when he arrived in this world.
"I didn't want to give you the letter as I thought Hong Zhuang is such a terrifying woman. Her planning is flawless. She even predicted that you'd be investigated, so she slipped the letter in my drawer. Not only did she know nobody would check my office, she even considered my relationship with Mr. Fu. In reality, not many people knew what Mr. Fu said to me."
"Initially, I thought she might use this letter to threaten you. Besides, I thought knowing this might not be useful to you. Instead, it might even bring trouble to you, so I had been hesitating if I should give you the letter," Liu Ming explained why he had kept the letter for so many days before giving it to Lin Huang.
"Although this letter won't bring any benefits to me, now I know what exactly happened and some of the answers to the questions that I didn't understand before. Thank you, brother." Lin Huang nodded to show that he understood.
"Whether what the letter says is the truth or not, you must know this. As long as Hong Zhuang is still alive, she still belongs to the Purple Crow." Liu Ming looked at Lin Huang in all seriousness.
"I know."
Lin Huang knew what Liu Ming said was to remind him that Hong Zhuang still belonged to the rival. No matter what her past was, she was still with the Purple Crow and one of the top management. The Purple Crow, who was infamous for their cruel mindset, contradicted the Union Government's belief system. No matter what one's stand was on this, the rivalry was still there.
"I'll try my best to complete her death wish."
Liu Ming was relieved to hear what Lin Huang said.
…
In the trial room in Building 33, Hong Zhuang was sitting across a middle-aged man. The man was asking all sorts of questions while she was answering all of them slowly with a smile pasted on her face. There were two persons behind the two-way mirror outside the room. One of them was a hunk peering at Hong Zhuang through the mirror with his arms crossed while another had gauze bandages on his neck.
"So, she's speaking now?" The man took a lollipop from his pocket and put it into his mouth.
"Yeah," Zhou Xiong replied as his eyes were locked on Hong Zhuang.
"But she didn't say a word when we did everything to her earlier. Now, she's so obedient after seeing that kid Lin Huang?" Wu Sheng rubbed his neck on top of the gauze.
"Why are you trying to say?" Zhou Xiong turned around and looked at Wu Sheng.
"I think there's something wrong with that Lin Huang. He might have a higher position in the Purple Crow since he managed to get this woman to talk." Wu Sheng took out the lollipop from his mouth and looked at Zhou Xiong gravely.
"Do you think the Purple Crow would get a white flame-level to be a Crow Leader?" Zhou Xiong looked at Wu Sheng with his eyebrow raised.
"Of course not a Crow Leader as the leader's abilities would have to be convincing to the people. But it might be a Crow Spirit. After all, nobody has ever seen any of the Crow Spirits for the past 800 years. Nobody knows about the criteria of the Crow Spirit candidate." Wu Sheng put back the lollipop into his mouth after speaking.
Zhou Xiong's pupils shrunk as he tore his gaze away from Wu Sheng.
"Lin Huang is Mr. Fu's apprentice. We can't do anything to him as long as we don't have any proof."
"Mr. Fu? No matter how glorious he used to be, he's just an old man now, and he won't live for long," Wu Sheng said without bothering Zhou Xiong.
"I've no idea what he has on his mind. He's already dying, but now he's got himself an apprentice. He has no idea how many people are waiting to cut open his and Lin Huang's heads. As soon as he's dead, there'll be people from countless organizations wanting to capture him. There might even be people from the core zone."
"But as long as he's still alive, nobody dares to do anything to Lin Huang," Zhou Xiong concluded expressionlessly.
"That's true…" Wu Sheng could not deny the truth. He went into silence as his fingers played with the lollipop stick.
"Oh yeah, how's your wound now?" Zhou Xiong turned around and looked at his neck which was wrapped in gauze.
"No biggie, but I can't fight for now, or else my wound might rupture open," Wu Sheng said helplessly.
"There's something special about the person's sword whereby I can't heal the wound with my Life Power. I can only wait for it to heal slowly like an ordinary person. I guess it'll take one to two months to heal and there'll be an ugly scar. I would've been dead if you didn't stem the bleeding on the gash the other day. You would be looking at a different thing now, for instance, standing at my grave with a wreath."
"Take a good rest. I'm here to look after the building. Let's wait for your wound to heal." Zhou Xiong patted Wu Sheng's shoulder.
"I shall wait for another two days. I want to hear from the woman to find out who that black-robed man was the other day. I'll look for him and make him pay for what he's done to me!" Wu Sheng glared savagely. Zhou Xiong frowned but did not say anything.
"Oh yeah, what did the management say about this woman?" Wu Sheng asked.
"We can do whatever we want to her after the interrogation, but the management said her dead body must be passed to Lin Huang," Zhou Xiong answered honestly.
"Mr. Fu has spoken?" Wu Sheng looked annoyed.
"Yes."
"Let me handle this." Wu Sheng crushed the lollipop in his mouth.
"But your health condition…" Zhou Xiong was concerned.
"I don't have to fight anyway. Don't worry. I'll handle it." Wu Sheng took the lollipop stick out of his mouth and crushed the remaining candy in his mouth.
"Alright then." Zhou Xiong nodded.
Chapter 560: A Loyal Dog
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In a dark secret room in Building 33.
Hong Zhuang lay naked on an operating table naked while her neck and limbs were bound. There was a young man in the room. Although he was wearing a green coat and the mask covered half this face, all of the staff of the Building 33 recognized that he was the deputy director, Wu Sheng.
"Such beautiful skin… Too bad it's useless now." Wu Sheng put on a pair of gloves as he caressed her from her thigh up. "But I could dissect you."
"Do you think you can scare me like that?" Hong Zhuang scowled at him with an insulting expression.
"I'm not scaring you. I just want to see what's your response when your body parts are being dismembered one by one while you're awake." Wu Sheng slid the surgery knife across her body softly from her belly to her busty breasts and stopped at her chin.
However, Hong Zhuang did not seem to feel the knife that glided across her body as she kept her head where it was. There was blood dripping out of her chin, but she remained unmoving as she looked at Wu Sheng with a mocking smile.
"I shall see how long you'll be able to hold that smile of yours!" Wu Sheng got pissed from seeing her expression.
The knife retreated from her chin, and he looked around her body. Soon, he targeted her hands. Her hands were soft and flawless, and her fingers were long like a pianist's. Her red nail polish gave her pair of hands an extra boost of glamor.
"What a beautiful pair of hands, just like an art piece. We shall begin our game with your hands then. Would you like to choose to start from your right or your left hand?" Wu Sheng gestured like a gentleman.
Hong Zhuang looked at him calmly like he was an idiot, which made Wu Sheng even madder. However, he suppressed his anger and proceeded.
"Since you want to keep quiet, I shall choose for you then. You're a right-hander, so as a humanitarian gesture, I shall choose your left hand instead. Of course, if you're not behaving, your right hand will be up next in the game."
Hong Zhuang remained silent with her expression unchanged.
"Among the five fingers on your left hand, which is your favorite?" Wu Sheng asked. He looked like he was talking to himself as she did not give him any response.
"Since you're still shy, I'll choose for you then. I suppose your pinkie is pretty useless for anything besides digging your nose. I'll get rid of this useless finger then…"
He looked at her, but her expression remained the same. Wu Sheng then pressed her left pinkie and sliced it off easily with a trickle of strength. As her combat level was sealed entirely, her flesh was just slightly stronger than an ordinary person's. No matter how strong, without any Life Power, her body was like a piece of tofu when a supreme relic was used against her.
Blood spurted out of her broken finger and flowed slowly. Throughout the entire process, not even did Hong Zhuang not make any sound, she did not even frown. Her mocking expression was maintained as she looked at Wu Sheng dangle her severed finger in front of her. He got even angrier now as he did not see any response from Hong Zhuang that he expected.
"Since you've no feelings about losing one finger, let's cut another two of them then…" Wu Sheng then looked at Hong Zhuang's left hand again.
"Your ring finger is useless besides wearing a wedding ring. Since you won't be getting married, I shall cut it off then. Let's cut your middle finger too since it's pretty useless besides flipping people off. What do you think?"
"It's decided then!" Seeing Hong Zhuang did not respond, Wu Sheng said to himself.
He cut both of her ring finger and middle finger together, then flourished the two fingers in front of her. However, Hong Zhuang did not move a muscle. Her expression was as if she thought Wu Sheng was an idiot.
Wu Sheng was getting more and more pissed at Hong Zhuang's attitude.
"It seems like you don't care about all of your fingers." Wu Sheng glowered at Hong Zhuang as he cut off the remaining two fingers on her left hand while he locked eyes with her.
Hong Zhuang had the same expression on her face as if she had lost all her pain senses.
"I want to see how far you can take this!" Wu Sheng then proceeded to cut off her wrist, hand, and her entire arm. Besides yawning, Hong Zhuang did not give any other response. Wu Sheng was furious. After cutting her left hand off, he then cut off her right hand, then both of her legs. She was now left with her torso and head. Hong Zhuang did not even frown throughout the entire process.
"Just like that? It seems like you didn't learn any skills from the man in glasses." Hong Zhuang mocked Wu Sheng as she observed his temper that was going to explode.
Wu Sheng's heart skipped a beat. He looked more and more upset.
"Tsk tsk. It's impressive that you managed to get into Building 33 and even become deputy director. You must've used some special technique to hide your memory. The man in glasses must have done all he can…" It was clear that Hong Zhuang knew that Wu Sheng was a spy.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Wu Sheng denied as his identity was exposed. Although there was no surveillance in the secret room and Hong Zhuang's Emperor's Heart Ring had been confiscated, he was careful about what he said.
"I'm good friends with the man in glasses. We've worked together many times. I recognize his work. I figured out that you're one of his Loyal Dogs among the other two when you cut my first finger." Hong Zhuang was getting more and more sarcastic.
"Do you think I'd let you go just because you're spouting nonsense?" Wu Sheng was panicking secretly as he did not expect to be exposed but he insisted on denying.
"I'm not talking nonsense. If I'm not mistaken, your memory shield has been switched on. From what I know, there's no way for this shield to be activated for the second time. As long as the Union Government investigates your memory, your identity as a spy will be exposed. How long do you think you can hide this for?" Hong Zhuang remained sarcastic.
"Don't you understand until now? From the day the man in glasses put you in Building 33, you've become a sacrifice is disposable anytime."
"Nonsense!" Wu Sheng's guard collapsed as Hong Zhuang taunted him.
"It's not nonsense. You know it yourself," Hong Zhuang smirked.
"I know a little about how the man in glasses trains his dogs. Ten years to train 10,000 orphans, ten years to kill each other, and the one who's left will live. The person will be brainwashed to think that being a Loyal Dog is an honor and he'll be the dog to the man in glasses willingly. You'd even die for him. But have you ever thought why he left you instead of his other two dogs in this place where you have nowhere to run?"
"It's because I'm more capable than them and I can complete the mission for my master!" Wu Sheng panicked and admitted his identity.
"Wrong! You have the answer yourself. It's just that you don't want to admit it." Hong Zhuang shook her head while smiling.
Wu Sheng did not know where to look. His clothes were soaking wet in his sweat.
"Do you want me to say it?" Hong Zhuang smiled even wider.
"No… No…"
"The man in glasses wants you to die here. Among the three dogs that he has, his least favorite is you!" Hong Zhuang revealed the truth cruelly.
"It's not like that… Nonsense!" Wu Sheng broke down onto the ground and started crying.
Hong Zhuang started speaking again after a while, "Instead of being eliminated by the man in glasses, why not get rid of him instead and find a new master?"
Wu Sheng was stunned when he heard that.
"I think you have great potential. As long as you're willing to serve me, I'll make you my only Loyal Dog…"
The tearful Wu Sheng was shocked as he looked at Hong Zhuang. She was smirking and looked at him, full of superiority.
"So, what should you call me now, my Loyal Dog?"
"Ma-Master!