The fantastically absurd high-speed chase had finally co to an end.
By this ti, Huai Shi had been hanging in the wind for twenty minutes.
This truck ran roughshod over Newton's coffin board, laying waste to classical physics. It seed to need only a flat surface to drive on. When one wasn't available, it made do sohow, riding over everything except air itself.
In the midst of it all, it even perford a bizarre Thomas Flare on top of a high tower, topped off with a Golden Rooster Stand.
The whole scene was devilishly absurd.
According to Raymond, the truck's interior utilized the latest "quantum chanics" laws of the Current Circumstances. He claid that as long as one increased horsepower at the mont of collision with a building, creating an angle with its structure, sufficient thrust would allow one to leverage quantum chanics and gravitational repulsion. This would achieve the effect of climbing vertically up the building's surface.
As long as one maintained enough speed, one could continue moving forward.
That's fucking bullshit, Huai Shi thought.
He might not be well-educated, but you can't hoodwink people like that!
As they navigated forward through the abandoned skyscrapers, a huge pit suddenly appeared without warning.
It was a perfect square, roughly one hundred ters wide on each side, with precise asurents. Looking down from above, one could see the steel making up the walls, and faintly make out the machines moving slowly behind the gaps in the steel…
In the deepest darkness, nothing could be seen; it was impossible to tell just how deep this pit actually was.
The truck continued forward, as if it hadn't seen the deep pit at all.
By now, Huai Shi wasn't panicking. Even if Raymond told him that this vehicle could drive on air thanks to so bullshit chanics, he wouldn't be surprised.
But what happened next made his jaw drop.
As the truck reached the edge of the abyss, the entire vehicle seed to instantly transform into an invertebrate. When the wheels crossed the edge and stuck to the steel wall as if glued, the front half of the truck abruptly bent at a ninety-degree angle. Then, it proceeded downwards without any hesitation.
Huai Shi watched dumbfounded as the bend traveled from the front of the truck to its rear, finally disappearing completely as the entire vehicle hung from the steel wall…
What on earth just happened?
Why did the style suddenly change again?
"Don't ask. If you do, it's quantum chanics."
By the ti Huai Shi returned to the cockpit, he heard Raymond's explanation. He raised his hand, flipped a row of switches, and turned on the truck's headlights, using the high beams unapologetically in Hell.
In the glare of the headlights, the delicate crystalline lenses emitted a blinding light.
Within them, the Blessing Ointnt began to burn fiercely, dispelling the darkness, which was as thick and alive as a creature.
But it still couldn't prevent the cold that was gradually seeping into his marrow, chilling him to the bone, making his entire body stiffen.
"According to our current reserves, the ointnt can burn for a total of twenty-six hours... Hopefully, we find the control sub-center within those twenty-six hours," Raymond said.
"So, are we back to the grind being over too quickly? Just when we finally got so action, it feels like I burned through it in no ti…"
"If you're talking about enemies, don't worry, there won't be a shortage."
Raymond's jaw moved nimbly as he used an internal chanism to light his cigarette; smoke quickly filled his Helt.
"The Eye of Nightmare is like a wild dog that's caught the scent of blood; once it locks onto a target, it pursues relentlessly and never lets go easily. You and your Guard Team have your work cut out for you."
Huai Shi shrugged nonchalantly. "Then let's fight. As long as there are no Fourth Stage opponents, we don't need to worry about losing… Why don't you tell about your forr colleagues?"
Raymond scratched his head. "Judging by their style, this ti it's likely a division from 'Pale Hand.' Let think… The division leader should be an old acquaintance, Avery, but he's already Fourth Stage, so he probably won't make a move. Then there are the four company commanders: Oliver 'the Impregnable,' Gain 'the Battle-Hardened,' Angelil 'the Barbarian,' and the one we just t, Samson 'Blood Kiss.' They've all been Third Stage for over a decade. Because of so mishap, they haven't been able to advance to Fourth Stage, but they've pretty much completed their Soul fusion. Rember not to take them lightly."
Huai Shi was surprised. "A division? That's just one division? I thought that was all of them."
Raymond imdiately rolled his eyes. "If the entire Eye of Nightmare showed up, forget Ivy Vine going bankrupt—the Ivory Tower would definitely sound the alarm, summon all the White Pigeons, Red Deer, and Grey Storks, and reassemble the school guard."
"Is it that serious?"
"What do you think?" Raymond retorted. "A complete Eye of Nightmare is eligible to participate in battles of Genealogy and has a rcenary contract with Natural Enemy - Tear. Are you going to risk your neck? Great Grandmasters might leverage terrain and resources to fend off a few waves, but those of us who dare stick our necks out would be crushed instantly. In short, be careful and don't get reckless. The Eye of Nightmare is vicious—I know you're vicious too, but be careful not to get yourself killed."
"I get it, I get it."
Huai Shi felt the urge to scratch his head.
He understood what Raymond ant. As so of Hell's most professional War Dogs, even if individual mbers of the Eye of Nightmare didn't have outrageously high Ranks, their collective combat Ability was formidable, proven through countless wars.
They couldn't be treated like most of the pampered Sublimators in the Current Circumstances. On the contrary, every single one of them was a desperado.
"So, what exactly is the deal between you and them?" Huai Shi asked. "How co your forr colleagues draw swords and attack without even a greeting? Does the Eye of Nightmare have a rule like 'entry permitted, exit forbidden'?"
"Although getting in and out is a hassle, it's not that extre. And quite a few people retire each year. So can't fight anymore, so are tired of fighting, and so are simply on death's door, taking their retirent money and leaving…"
"Which one were you?"
"I was the one on death's door," Raymond answered nonchalantly. "I was in a tough fight. Everyone in my team died, and I was on the verge of death myself, so I just decided I didn't want to do it anymore. But the retirent pay they offered was too little. I had no choice..."
"Let guess." Huai Shi raised his eyebrows. "You took matters into your own hands?"
"How could I?" Raymond waved his hand, smiling sheepishly. "Before I blew the door, I did ask their opinion, though it was pointless, really..."
"And then?"
"Then I went and pulled off a huge score. At the ti, I figured I was a goner anyway, so I might as well go out with a bang. Turns out, I didn't die. Real sha, that."
"Regret it?"
"Yeah. If I'd known I wasn't going to die, I would've grabbed more..." At this point, Raymond slapped his knee in frustration. "You should have seen it! Their treasury was absolutely full of good stuff!"
"Exactly! You wish you could've hauled it all away, right? Just didn't bring enough bags."
Huai Shi knew this feeling all too well and empathized. "I was the sa way when I used to prey on other criminals... Alas, I was too young back then. I forgot I was with the Astronomical Society; otherwise, I would have gone over and officially seized everything."
"..."
Raymond looked at Huai Shi in astonishnt, a sense of unease creeping in. Preying on other criminals was one thing, but actually regretting not seizing everything... He'd thought he himself was pretty unhinged, but he never expected the most ruthless and vicious of all to be in the Astronomical Society. Is this guy even human?
"What's wrong?" Huai Shi asked, looking over in surprise.
Raymond awkwardly averted his gaze. "Uh, just now... I was kidding."
"...What a coincidence. So was I." Huai Shi's expression was calm. "Everything you heard about preying on criminals and seizures was a lie. As everyone knows, I'm an Inspector for the Astronomical Society. I would never do sothing like indiscriminately sending out Black Envelopes."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes, yes," Huai Shi nodded vigorously. "Where were we?"
"The Eye of Nightmare."
"Right..." Huai Shi cleared his throat and asked, "What kind of work did you do there? Transport as well?"
"Pretty much, though the vehicles I drove were different from this one. In the Eye of Nightmare, nobody uses surnas; sotis people add a nickna in front to differentiate. Because I was so rash, everyone called 'Undying Renault'."
Hmm? Huai Shi felt sothing was off. Was one of the words different?
Raymond shrugged. "You gotta have an alias in this line of work, right?"
"But your alias is so lazy! It's just one letter off!"
"Doesn't matter. That na's fake too..."
Huai Shi's expression twitched. "...Then what was your original na?"
"Forgot it," Raymond said with a shrug, nonchalant. And for once, he wasn't lying.
Unlike other large organizations, the Holess Cetery never appeared in the Current Circumstances. This was because this loose grand alliance itself is composed of countless desperados addicted to Hell. Otherwise, it wouldn't have faced such rejection and resistance in the Current Circumstances—nor beco a focus of the Astronomical Society's rigorous inspections—due to its excessive dealings with the Elent of Destruction.
It was more like a talent market and trading platform ford from nurous organizations of all sizes. Becoming a mber was simple: find one of their agencies in so remote Border region, submit an application, and swear an oath: never to settle in the Current Circumstances or any Border region, and to spend the rest of one's life accompanied by Hell. That was it.
As an alliance ford by so of the original Hell Explorers, these individuals, enticed by Hell, firmly discarded the Current Circumstances from their minds. They tirelessly sought the secrets of the Abyss, eventually establishing the rules that exist today. This was both an oath and a Curse.
Afterwards, the oath-takers would abandon their original nas to officially beco Holess, an Explorer no longer associated with the Current Circumstances. This is the aning behind the Tomb of the Holess.
Once you join, your forr self legally dies, and many of your troubles and disputes are resolved for you. But from then on, anything related to the Current Circumstances no longer concerns you. Per the oath, mbers cannot stay in the Current Circumstances for more than a month, nor can they dwell in any Border region for long. They will spend most of their remaining lives in the endless Hell.
Although there's now a subtle trend of misusing Border Relics and the organization becoming sowhat of a criminal syndicate, the Holess Cetery's principle of non-interference in the Current Circumstances has not changed at all.
Huai Shi, sensing the sensitivity of the topic, tactfully refrained from asking further questions.
As their intermittent chitchat continued, they ventured deeper underground. The depth gauge showed they had reached a depth of around 2,200 ters.
Here, the seemingly bottomless pit with its many offshoots abruptly ended. It was replaced by an underground cavern so massive its edges were invisible.
Supported by countless cylindrical pillars as large as buildings, the imnse underground space extended into the darkness. Howling winds blew from afar.
After making a ninety-degree turn, the truck drove along the cavern's vast ceiling. Far below, countless giant spinning gears and levers were visible. Myriad intricate machines operated silently, their deep and piercing sounds combining into an echo as profound as the roar of the sea.
Compared to them, Huai Shi felt the truck was like a tiny insect.
An insect that had accidentally burrowed into a colossal machine.
He scratched his head. "This is... going to be a bit tricky."
He sighed. A sudden sense of mortal danger washed over him.
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