Echoes

Quancheng? Ji Jue paused for a second, sudden realization hitting him. He recalled the message Lyu Yingyue had sent him earlier. [Someone will likely visit Quancheng in two days.] Quancheng, not Xinquan. The hint had been there from the very beginning. He had simply assumed she meant the small town he had built, overlooking the true behemoth right beside it. In a flash of insight, lightning-quick thoughts pierced through numerous mysteries. The strange look on An Neng's face when tossing him that severed limb, the words spoken while looking toward Quancheng... In this abrupt epiphany, question after question resolved itself at once. Why Pacquiao had first tried to borrow a path, only to deliver himself to their doorstep so readily under Ji Jue's pressure, even suddenly backed by an unheard-of Transcendent Rank teammate out of nowhere... And Chen Haiqiu's unexpected arrival right now. In other words, their objective wasn't... no, at least wasn't *just* Xinquan. What they truly cared about was Quancheng, which had long since fallen into ruin! Yet what was left in Quancheng? Just a heap of rubble. Even what little remained of value had been dug up three feet deep by scavengers. Surely they weren't after lingering corruption taint? The Security Bureau had already cleaned all that out. Or was it something from even earlier...? In less than a second, Ji Jue's thoughts raced. The moment he grasped the truth, he let out a soft sigh and looked at Chen Haiqiu. Chen Haiqiu was smiling as well, looking back at him. In that brief exchange of glances, a subtle, unspoken rapport suddenly took shape. Even if Chen Haiqiu hadn't intended to lay it all out, he had dropped more than enough clues. If Ji Jue still couldn't figure it out, he deserved to be treated like an idiot. Though Ji Jue didn't know why Chen Haiqiu was disclosing so much, if he still couldn't recognize this gesture of goodwill, he might as well find a rope and hang himself in front of Haian Industries' main gate. "Let's go," Ji Jue sighed softly, picking up his coat. "The road conditions have been terrible lately. If we're going to catch your airship, we'd better hurry." A few minutes later, Little Niuma had driven out of Xinquan. Once the newly paved asphalt ended, a dirt road thick with mud took over. Though it was the rainy season and a misty drizzle fell from the sky, fully loaded motor tricycles still bustled back and forth along the way. "All Haian products, I see." Chen Haiqiu glanced out the window at the wind turbines slowly spinning in the rain and remarked, "To expand so rapidly in just a few months is truly impressive." "It's just things nobody else cares about," Ji Jue sighed self-deprecatingly from behind the wheel. "As long as it's durable and cheap, it sells. No matter how awful the user experience is, people don't mind as long as it works. Unfortunately, the market is too small; nobody pays attention." Anyone with half a brain wouldn't start a company in the wilderness. A single quarter's sales in the city surpassed what could be sold outside in a whole year. In some places, buying a single rotor required installment plans, and collecting payment meant bringing a gun. As for profits... doing honest business out here would leave you utterly broke. The one stroke of luck was that without registering or operating inside the city, there were no taxes to pay, saving plenty of money. And at Haian's current scale, it wasn't worth the Midtown Tax Bureau dispatching troops. "Ahead, veer slightly to the right," Chen Haiqiu reminded him. Under the falling drizzle and the gloomy sky, Quancheng looked increasingly desolate and battered. When the wind howled through broken walls and mud-choked buildings, it produced faint, weeping sounds. Signs of destruction were everywhere along the streets. Most were scars left by scavengers violently tearing things apart, but quite a few were remnants from that massive clash between factions over six months ago. The wounds stretched on endlessly. Between several collapsed buildings, Chen Haiqiu got out of the car, opened an umbrella, and waved for Ji Jue to follow. After stepping over several strands of police tape that had long since fallen into the mud, they twisted and turned, entering an uncharted area. A place where no one else had ever set foot. Ji Jue blinked in surprise, bent down, and tapped the wet ground. The spiritus ripple of Dissociation Art spread faintly for a moment, causing no damage, just a casual flick. His eyes widened. It was a Phantasmagoric Maze laid down by Mirror, overlaid with a No-Man's-Land cast by Heart Pivot. Two common secret rites, perfectly concealed beneath the surrounding ruins and ground, operating steadily. Ji Jue hadn't noticed the slightest anomaly before stepping inside. Mainly, Quancheng was simply too vast. Amid boundless rubble, unless a high-order Aether conducted an all-out sweep, who could pace out the entire city step by step and deduce hidden spaces through measurement alone? As they advanced further inward, the lingering aura of past corruption gradually revealed itself. Several pieces of equipment used to isolate corrupted spiritus—the very kind Ji Jue had repaired and salvaged before—were planted in the open ground. They were clearly installed by the Security Bureau to absorb residual contamination. "There are eleven more sites like this in Quancheng," Chen Haiqiu explained openly, taking the lead and dropping his previous secretive demeanor. "However, this one is different from the others. Down below, there's another layer of equipment..." "Is it really all right to tell me this?" "With the House of An nominating you and Warden Lyu vouching for you, there's no need to hide minor matters like this," Chen Haiqiu said. "Besides, Xinquan is right next door; nobody is as conveniently situated as you. In a little while, the Security Bureau will probably hand over the maintenance of these devices for the next few years to you. Simple tasks, just replacing parts periodically. But what truly requires your attention isn't this... It's further ahead." With that, he moved forward slowly, holding an instrument that looked like a GPS. Ji Jue could feel the security protocols within the device; even Deus Ex Machina found no way to infiltrate it. It seemed to be receiving surrounding signals, verifying their location. After confirming his position repeatedly, Chen Haiqiu raised his right hand. Then, under Ji Jue's watchful gaze, he solemnly... pulled out a phone. "..." Before Ji Jue's speechless stare, Chen dialed a number. "Yeah, yeah, it's me. Over at Quancheng. I'm opening the door. Don't make a fuss, it'll just take a second." He raised his left hand and added, "Right away." *BOOM!!* In an instant, thunderous roars erupted, and violent gales blew outward in all directions. A straight pillar of light suddenly blazed into the sky above Quancheng, blindingly conspicuous. Amid the howling winds, something resembling a keyhole materialized in empty air. In Chen Haiqiu's left hand, a key-like object appeared. He inserted it and turned. A moment later, a shattering sound rang out. One of the countless Eternal Gates swung open. The world before them transformed abruptly, turning entirely different from before! In a flash, Ji Jue found himself standing in gloom. A miniature Border Realm! A Border Realm merely dozens of square meters in size, anchored to Quancheng—or rather, peeled directly from Quancheng and processed on the spot. Ji Jue was rendered speechless by shock, baffled by the excess: "Did you really need to make such a massive spectacle?" "Can't help it. No matter how good the lock is, someone will pick it eventually. To make sure nothing goes wrong, it's better to deliberately make opening the door a huge spectacle. That way, anyone with eyes will see it; you can't sneak around." Chen Haiqiu said to Ji Jue, "This is part of the subcontracted work. From now on, if you see this sign without receiving prior notice, don't hesitate—call the Security Bureau immediately." "I'm the watchman?" Ji Jue asked, bewildered. "Who told you to be the closest to Quancheng and the most reliable?" Chen Haiqiu grinned. "You're already involved. To avoid subsequent complications, we need to outsource this part of the job to you. But don't worry, it's just one procedure for absolute certainty; you won't be the only one watching. Besides, there's nothing critical inside—at most, just traces left behind from the past..." As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward midair within the Border Realm. Suspended in the void was a rift shimmering with a bizarre, dreamlike rainbow light. The scar that Lu Changsheng had once torn into the physical realm... "Pacquiao... no, that corrupted one..." In that instant, Ji Jue finally understood. "They came here for this?" Chen Haiqiu seemed lost in thought, falling silent. Only after Ji Jue looked back did he nod in confirmation. "That's right," he said. "Many natural disasters in this world leave behind messy remnants even after they end, like leftover files from malicious software. Even though they would gradually disperse under the pressure of the physical realm if left alone, some people just can't resist messing around." Ji Jue frowned instantly. "They wanted to reopen the Vortex?" A wave of lingering dread washed over him, setting his heart pounding. He was already considering moving again. If he had known Quancheng still harbored such a hazard, he never would have built Haian here. How was this any different from sitting right on top of a bomb? "Relax, that's impossible now," Chen Haiqiu sighed. "Those sin fiends were probably just clinging to false hope. But even if they got in, it would be futile. The abyss seed here lost all vitality long ago under Lord Tao's suppression; there's no way it could sprout again. Lord Tao sacrificed himself as a wedge, completely wiping out all future troubles. In two more years, not even this trace will remain. If Xinquan flourishes with people, sooner or later, this place will fall under the jurisdiction of the Law of Heavenly Overseer once more." He patted Ji Jue on the shoulder. "Though that depends on you." "I didn't do all this for Lord Tao," Ji Jue shook his head. "No need to flatter me." "It is precisely because it wasn't for Lord Tao that it's all the more admirable. Warden Lyu never misjudges people; her eye is impeccable." Chen Haiqiu smiled, no longer hiding his admiration. "From now on, as the host here, I'll trouble you to keep an eye out. By the way, if you run into that kind of corrupted one in the future—especially anyone carrying the scent of sulfur or burned ash—please be extremely careful." Ji Jue asked, "Should I take them down decisively?" "No, don't take unnecessary action. Just notify the Security Bureau," Chen Haiqiu shook his head. "After all, matters involving sin fiends are unusually dangerous. A crafts—" Halfway through the sentence, he choked on his words. He had originally intended to say *a craftsman like you shouldn't go deliver yourself on a platter*, but when he considered the blood on Ji Jue's hands, the piles of corpses beneath his feet, his debt of sin, and the low moral character that set a new benchmark for Embers... it felt like if they met, the one in danger would be the sin fiend! "In short, just keep an eye out. Don't be reckless." He gave a wry chuckle, waved, and led Ji Jue back outside. Just before leaving, Ji Jue couldn't resist looking back at that tiny rift. Whether it was an illusion or not, it seemed slightly smaller than before. Even if just a fraction. In that fleeting glimpse, behind the strange, dazzling rainbow rift, a dim wisp of flame seemed to flicker silently, releasing a final glimmer of lingering light like a dying flash. Then, it extinguished completely, vanishing without a trace. Extinguished. The gate closed, and they returned to the physical world. After going over the precautions, Chen Haiqiu said nothing more. He caught a ride back to Xinquan with Ji Jue, then left on another vehicle. Leaving the troublesome cleanup to Ji Jue. Ji Jue could only scratch his head and try to soothe the employees who had panicked over the earlier disturbance. Abnormal weather, electrical discharge phenomena, scientific marvels, physical anomalies... For the first time, he envied the talking-head experts on television who spouted nonsense with a straight face. His only disadvantage was having read too many books! Now he could barely even find theoretical backing to make up lies... *** Meanwhile, after leaving Xinquan by car, Chen Haiqiu changed clothes in Chaocheng and pushed open the door to a safehouse disguised as a civilian residence. He dialed a landline phone. "Any results?" the voice on the other end asked. "Confirmed again. The residual abyss seed in the Border Realm has been annihilated; it cannot reignite," Chen Haiqiu said. "That sin fiend was likely after it." "And besides that? What about the other matter?" "Warden Lyu's endorsement is completely sound," Chen Haiqiu replied decisively. "Through close-range contact on-site, there was zero reaction between Ji Jue and the abyss seed. The possibility of him being a latent sin fiend can be ruled out." "That couldn't be better." The person on the other end sounded relieved. Chen Haiqiu asked one last question: "Should recruitment efforts continue?" "No need to rush. If Little Lyu is right, with that kid's temper, he probably won't bother with us locksmiths," the old man sighed softly. "Watch for now. Long-term observation, gradual contact. Such an outstanding wedge is increasingly rare." "Understood." The phone hung up, severing the connection. *** "Whew! Mission accomplished!" At that moment, cheers erupted across the sea under the continuous rain. On an oil drilling platform temporarily converted into headquarters, excited smiles appeared on everyone's faces, as if an ordeal had finally come to an end. And it truly had ended. Massive chains and giant hooks hoisted the carcass of a merfolk hundreds of meters long slowly from the sea, heaping it onto the platform alongside other remains like a mountain. The last merfolk clan invading the Federation's coastal waters had been thoroughly wiped out. "Congratulations, Plant." Wen Wen tilted her head, lighting her last White Star. "After wrapping this up, you'll be heading to the Mid-Continent as regional head, right?" "Don't mock me." Tong Shan, equally drenched in blood, shook his head with a sigh, leaning against the railing nearby. After days of fierce fighting, he didn't even have the energy to wipe away the bloodstains. "I was doing fine at home, only to get kicked out to find my own way. Mid-Continent is a cursed place; friction has gotten worse these past two years. Who knows what massive mess awaits." "The capable do more work. Mid-Continent is actually great—punch whoever acts up, and nobody cares." Wen Wen pulled a flask from her coat and chugged it down, letting out a long sigh: "I wish I could trade with you. Too bad I can only retire to the second line..." Tong Shan glanced at her. "Didn't the doctor tell you to quit drinking and smoking?" Wen Wen sneered back, "Didn't your family tell you to find a partner and go on blind dates?" "..." Tong Shan fell silent. One person had been unhappy; now neither of them was. Clearly, he hadn't beaten his sister enough... He would give her another thrashing before leaving! After a long pause, he murmured softly, "What do you think this bizarre upheaval was all about? Those merfolk wouldn't just go wild for no reason, would they?" *Can't take the heat, so you're changing the subject, huh?!* Wen Wen laughed out loud, answering casually, "Didn't they say an active volcano probably erupted? Ocean temperatures rose much faster than past years, hunting season came early, starved out of their minds maybe?" "Yeah, maybe." Tong Shan looked down, overlooking the sea where dark green and crimson mingled. "I just find it strange." "Hmm?" Wen Wen looked puzzled. "They should have been berserk..." Tong Shan lowered his gaze, staring at the merfolk remains and the twisted expression frozen on its face. "Why did they look... more like they were fleeing for their lives?" No one answered. Only in the howling gale, the drizzle turned heavy and sharp. A storm was coming.