Either Burn Everything to Ash

"Team leader!"

"The captain's here! Make way!"

Upon seeing You Li arrive, the Devil Knight who had arrived earlier quickly made way, allowing You Li to see what was happening inside.

Those were two headless corpses, and judging from their clothing, they were Huo Ge Ni's men.

"What happened?" You Li asked.

"They were killed," a Devil Knight replied briefly. "And when we arrived, we found that their bodies... had changed."

As he spoke, the Devil Knight took the heads of the two corpses and placed them in front of You Li.

This was the first time You Li had seen the faces of these guys under their masks. Even though he was mentally prepared, his eyelids still twitched when he saw their faces, which were pitted like mud pits and had tiny worms twitching inside.

"Captain..." the Devil Knight said softly, "Have we been traveling with these guys all this time?"

You Li looked around and saw a mixture of tension and fear on everyone's faces.

After all, these people had been with them since they were in the Contamination Zone. Even if they couldn't be called comrades-in-arms, they were close enough. It's just that everyone wore masks in the Contamination Zone, so they couldn't see each other's faces.

So the Devil Knight never expected that the faces beneath their masks would look like this.

In other words, they've been traveling with monsters all these days?

Even the Devil Knight who deals with pollutants year-round couldn't help but feel a lingering fear at this moment.

"What exactly is going on?" one of the Devil Knight couldn't help but ask. "Were they always like this, or were they infected later?"

"What do you mean by 'afterwards'? Do you mean there are sources of infection here as well?"

"... Don't forget what we pulled back from the abyss."

One sentence further intensified the tense atmosphere.

Logically speaking, what they should be most concerned about right now is who killed these two people. To dare to kill someone in the Fifth District, they must have a death wish.

But given the bizarre state of the two corpses, it's difficult for them to prioritize who the killer is. After all, it's hard to say whether the killer murdered a human or a monster.

You Li turned to look at a Devil Knight, who was now his adjutant.

The other person leaned closer and whispered a few words in his ear.

But You Li's expression didn't change much, because everyone's attention was on him now.

So he simply nodded calmly, and then said to the other Knight present, "That's enough for tonight. I'll take care of the rest. You can all go back and rest."

"Go back to rest? But Captain..."

"Did you hear my order?" You Li repeated expressionlessly. "Go back and rest... Of course, do a self-check for contamination before bed; there won't be a unified check."

The Devil Knight exchanged glances, but ultimately obeyed You Li's orders, leaving only two to handle the bodies while the rest left.

At this moment, You Li's expression finally turned serious.

The adjutant just told him two things.

First, the few Devil Knight he had sent to guard Huo Ge Ni's men had been infected, and the contaminated debris they brought back had almost completely disappeared.

Second, according to the report from the bridge's guards, they saw numerous dark figures jump into the river, cross the bridge, and directly enter the Fourth District.

In other words, those heavily polluting substances have already entered Lyra.

He couldn't help but recall what Ina had told him earlier—"You brought back things from the Contaminated Land that you shouldn't have brought back."

Now, the prophecy has come true.

"Captain, what do we do now?" the adjutant whispered. "This has never happened before. What... what are those guys trying to do?"

You Li glanced at his adjutant, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Report to the Tower of Babel according to the normal procedure."

"... It's just a report?"

"There's not much we can do right now until we figure out the truth," You Li said softly, glancing at the departing figures of the Devil Knight. "Whatever happened, our men need rest, even if it's just for a few hours."

The adjutant knew You Li was right.

After experiencing such a series of events and returning from the abyss, most of them have reached the critical point of mental despair. If they go any further, it will truly be an abyss of no return.

But the adjutant also noticed the key point in You Li's words—"even if it's only for a few hours."

"Do you think something big is about to happen?" the adjutant asked in a low voice, "In the next day or two?"

"It might already be happening." You Li patted his adjutant on the shoulder and said in a low voice, "In any case, be prepared. At least tonight, there can't be any more trouble."

The adjutant nodded solemnly, then strode away.

Then, You Li quickly returned to his home.

Sure enough, Ina was still there waiting for him.

"You just said you didn't have time," You Li said bluntly, without beating around the bush. "Now, I need to know everything."

Ina didn't speak, but another deep voice sounded beside You Li.

"Of course, we also need your help."

You Li stiffened for a moment, then slowly turned his head and saw a middle-aged man emerge from the shadows.

It's Jie La Er, of course.

You Li looked at Jie La Er, and Jie La Er was also looking at You Li, which made Ina, who was standing to the side watching, a little nervous.

This is not only a meeting between two former Pioneer Force, but also because Jie La Er is currently Wanted Criminal in Lyra, and You Li, as the captain of the Devil Squad, has an obligation to capture Jie La Er directly.

But You Li didn't do that. He just gave Jie La Er a deep look and then said, "Then you need to be clearer."

"Of course." Jie La Er nodded slightly. "I can tell you everything I know."

Ina immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Next, Jie La Er recounted as concisely as possible what he had previously told Ina.

After listening, You Li's reaction wasn't as strong as Ina's before, but he still fell into a long silence.

After a while, he took out a cigarette from his pocket, and only when he put it in his mouth did he realize something. He looked up at Jie La Er and said, "Mind if I have one? I think I need some help to process what you've said."

Jie La Er shook his head, but still said, "You smoke?"

"It's been a long time since I smoked. The last time was probably ten years ago?" You Li lit the cigarette, which he didn't know was expired or moldy. "I just have a habit of bringing one or two with me when I go on missions, so I can take a moment to smell it. After all, the smell in that place isn't very pleasant, you should know that."

"Indeed." Jie La Er nodded slightly. "The smell of smoke is always better than the smell of rotting corpses. Some people in our team did that back then."

"I suppose this is what inheritance is," You Li said calmly.

Listening to their conversation, Ina was somewhat surprised. She couldn't quite understand how two men who should be adversaries could chat like seniors and juniors.

But she wisely remained silent and simply listened.

After taking a drag, You Li's expression visibly relaxed.

"To be honest, I would never have believed what you just said a week ago," You Li said. "But now, I'm willing to believe it."

"It seems you've also encountered a lot of things."

"Yes." You Li looked into Jie La Er's eyes and said, "I encountered many... Night Star spirits in the Abyss Land. I spoke with them, so I'm willing to believe you."

"...Yeah?"

"I didn't mean anything by it. I was just wondering why those who gave everything for Lyra end up bearing the stigma of traitors," You Li said softly. "Something must have gone wrong... Now I know where the problem lies, so what do you plan to do? And how can I assist you?"

Seeing that You Li trusted him so easily and chose to join him, Jie La Er was somewhat surprised, but he did not show it. Instead, he stated directly. "Purification Source Crystal."

"Purification Source Crystal?"

"Yes, the biggest problem now is Ao Li Wei. He is the bishop of Tower of Babel and the one most deeply connected to Lyra. I think it is because he has been corrupted that the situation has become so passive." Jie La Er quickly stated his conclusion, or rather, Ian's analysis from back then. "He has the greatest authority in Lyra, so the New God also hope to descend through his power. Therefore, we must use the Purification Source Crystal to Purification him and bring him back to our side. Then there will still be room for negotiation... I think the New Pursuit Society know this, which is why they took the Purification Source Crystal with them."

You Li nodded slightly after hearing Jie La Er's words, clearly agreeing.

"But the Purification Source Crystal has already been taken, hasn't it?" You Li asked. "Do you know where it is?"

"I know," Jie La Er replied briefly.

"Very good." You Li didn't ask Jie La Er how he knew, he just nodded. "So what do you need me to do?"

"To be precise, it's not just you I need," Jie La Er said. "I need the entire Devil Squad."

You Li didn't speak, he just looked at Jie La Er.

Jie La Er then opened his pocket watch and showed You Li the time on it.

"It's exactly four in the morning. In six hours, Ao Li Wei will be holding National Congress," Jie La Er asked. "Do you know what that is?"

"National Congress?" You Li thought for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "You mean the one where all employees are gathered together to vote on a major resolution, and if it passes, the results are reported to my My Lord... is that it?"

"Yes," Jie La Er said. "This conference hasn't been held in a long time. The last one was a hundred years ago, to decide whether to develop rail trains into Lyra's primary mode of transportation."

"... I think this time they're not going to be discussing rail trains."

"Of course not, and it doesn't even matter what we're discussing," Jie La Er said slowly. "The point is to report to the Lord, and this reporting... is to awaken the Lord."

You Li narrowed his eyes slightly. "You mean..."

"Given the current trajectory, is it my My Lord who has been awakened, or... someone else?"

Silence, a long silence.

Neither You Li nor Ina, who only learned the whole story at this moment, spoke.

You Li's cigarette had burned his fingers, but he didn't react at all, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Just then, a groggy voice rang out. "Dad?"

This subtle sound was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples.

The three of them looked over and saw a little girl peeking out from behind the door, her tiny head sticking out, looking sleepy.

You Li's expression softened instantly. "Ai Na, why are you awake... Did Daddy wake you up?"

Ai Na shook her head. "No, I just got up to use the bathroom... Why didn't Dad come in when he came back?"

"Dad has something to talk about," You Li said. "You should go back to sleep."

Ai Na gave an "Oh," she said, still half asleep and about to pull her head back in, but then suddenly remembered something, forced herself to stay awake, and tilted her head to ask, "Is it something important?"

You Li remained silent for a long time.

"No, it's nothing."

Only then did Ai Na feel relieved and go back.

Then, as if he had made up his mind, You Li turned his head to look at Jie La Er and repeated what he had said before.

"Go ahead and tell me."

What should I do?

Twenty minutes later, Ina escorted Jie La Er to the bridge.

With You Li's pass at this point, Jie La Er could leave directly.

"Father," Ina called out to Jie La Er as he was about to leave, "I'd better stay with you."

Jie La Er seemed to have anticipated Ina's reaction, but he still shook his head. "No, Ina, you have to stay here. Don't forget your mission is just as important... Even though we're not in the same place, we're fighting side by side, aren't we?"

"But..."

Ina wanted to say something more, but Jie La Er suddenly reached out and ruffled her hair, just like he did when they were children.

"It's nothing," he said softly.

Ina was stunned.

By the time she came to her senses, Jie La Er had already stepped onto the bridge and was leaving.

The sun rose at that moment, and the dawn light painted Jie La Er with a touch of red.

It made him look like he had walked into a raging fire.

She instinctively wanted to call out to Jie La Er, but in that moment of distraction, he had already walked away.

"It's finally the end."

In the dawn light that seemed to set the sky ablaze, Jie La Er heard Bai Wei speak to him.

"Either be reborn or be destroyed."

"Either everything,"

"Burn to ashes."