Shepherds' Meeting (5,500 Words)

"This gift, or rather, this Unquenched Heart..."

What exactly is it?

Having received all the points he had been scammed out of, Xiao Xiao boarded the train back home without anyone stopping him. Even after he sat in his hard seat, looking at the exquisite gift box on his lap, he was still silently pondering the question.

Open the box, and he will see a real heart with tiny flames burning on it.

Strangely, the flames kept burning, yet they didn't burn the heart to a crisp.

The strangest thing is that even the cardboard box is fine.

But from the perspective of a stranger, whatever bizarre things one sees are reasonable. So, after staring at the heart for a long time, Xiao Xiao silently put the lid back on. Three Eye of the Seer flew out and then worked hard to merge, pushing the power of the Insight to its limit. This was equivalent to switching his perspective to the form of a native.

Then, suppressing his racing heart, he slowly opened the box.

"Whoosh..."

He suddenly closed the door again, remaining calm but warily scanning the people coming and going around him.

The hairs on his body stood on end slightly.

From the perspective of the indigenous people, this is still a heart.

Bloody, and having been removed for an unknown period of time, it still possesses a certain vitality, a beating heart.

Before meeting that mysterious girl, Xiao Xiao might have been startled by the scene before him. From the perspective of the natives, everything they saw was realistic and reasonable. Only occasionally, due to the influence of abnormal mental forces, would some people exhibit irrational behavior. But everything that existed in reality conformed to the world as understood by normal people and to the logic of reality...

But this heart clearly defies the logic of reality.

Whose heart can be taken out, stuffed into a box, and still beating after all this time?

More importantly...

... A huge question arose in Xiao Xiao's mind, "How did I just get through the security check?"

He forced himself to calm down and pondered silently.

This strange heart is the key element for me to enter the fourth stage of enhancement.

But how exactly is it used?

What changes will it bring to me after the enhancement is completed?

He had only glanced at everything about this heart on Bai Cheng's computer before, but the text on it didn't clearly explain the heart's function, neither its abilities nor its side effects were mentioned. So, if he wanted to understand this heart, he could only return to Black Gate City and ask the City Will to tell him... or directly strengthen it and figure it out himself?

The answer to this question is not easy.

Xiao Xiao still remembered that Lin Bo had once seriously told him about the special nature of the Fourth Element.

Strictly speaking, my current state is the most harmonious and comfortable one to coexist with the City Will, or rather, the Mysterious Source of Black Gate City. Black Gate City has given me the greatest authority and trust, and we will keep to ourselves.

But once you strengthen yourself, you begin to take that step that crosses the line.

How Black Gate City will react is something no outsider can predict in advance.

"Still haven't found your problem?"

After pondering for a moment, Xiao Xiao turned around and looked at Lin Bo in the back seat. "Is the Dante Organization really that unprofessional?"

Lin Bo was already listless, and hearing this made him even more listless...

He shrugged weakly and said, "I really don't know what happened..."

"I suspect that the guy who issued me the equipment deliberately targeted us and gave me faulty parts..."

"..."

"His line of thinking is not bad..."

Xiao Xiao was stunned for a moment, then decided not to tell him the truth.

When the two sides of Night's End City were cooperating, Lin Bo and others used the threat of shaking the original spiritual power of the entire city to help Xiao Xiao successfully force out the true form of Night's End City and communicate with it. However, unexpectedly, the level of this communication was too high. Therefore, apart from Chairman Cui of Night's End City himself, no one else could even perceive the existence of this communication.

The same applies to Lin Bo and others.

They thought their equipment had suddenly malfunctioned, and they've been discussing and reflecting on it ever since.

Seeing that Xiao Xiao had brought up the issue, Lin Bo felt a little guilty and looked at Xiao Xiao with a flickering gaze, saying, "Although there was indeed a slight accident, at least we were able to help, right? Chairman Xiao, don't you think we should..."

He twirled two fingers together as he spoke, his eyes full of anticipation.

"I am a generous person. Since you have helped me and I have successfully obtained the Unquenched Heart, of course I will not be stingy."

Lin Bo and the others did not know how Xiao Xiao obtained the Unquenched Heart, so Xiao Xiao could just say whatever he wanted.

But he also had some guesses, and said to Lin Bo, "But I'm still very curious, is it reasonable for your equipment to malfunction like this? Could it be that when the influence of your element is too great, it touches the City Will and triggers its rejection?"

"No, that won't happen."

Upon hearing this, Lin Bo immediately said confidently, "Didn't you see that in your Black Gate City before?"

"Neither the invasion of the Hell Organization nor our False Light has elicited any reaction from Black Gate City."

"You can think of it as a unique living entity, not on the same level as us. So some forces that we can't imagine are easy for it, but there are also some things that it can't interfere with. Otherwise, it could easily eliminate the Aberrant Creature born in the city with just a thought, so why would it need to rely on strangers?"

"Basically, many of the problems we've encountered confirm this."

"The City Will is to further influence the city itself through outsiders."

"..."

Xiao Xiao silently noted it down. Dante Organization was undoubtedly the most professional in analyzing and researching these phenomena.

Having witnessed the Mysterious Source, these principles could also help him better understand the form of the city.

"In any case, although you did not perform very well, you did help me after all."

Feeling slightly relieved, Xiao Xiao decided to discuss the matter with Yang Jia later. Since leaving Night's End City, his tense expression had eased a little. He smiled and said to Lin Bo, "I've said it before, I'm a generous person, so I should still give you the reward I deserve. Although I don't have many points left, I'm still willing to give you three... three thousand points."

He emphasized the words as he spoke, "As payment."

"Three..."

Lin Bo and the others were stunned for a moment, their previous worries vanished instantly, and their eyes lit up.

He asked in a trembling voice, "Three thousand?"

"My goodness, are they really that generous?"

"..."

Several team members were already on the verge of tears of joy. "We haven't seen points in the hundreds for a long time..."

Even Little Four, who was resting by the window, opened his eyes and glanced at them upon hearing this.

Seriously, these people are so happy with just 3,000 points...

People with hands and feet, can't they earn money themselves?

All he knows is how to take advantage of my Xiao Ge...

Lin Bo, at least a minor leader, didn't forget the important point despite his excitement. "There's one more thing..."

"I want to know what you did in the Night's End City..."

"..."

Xiao Xiao looked at his shining eyes and nodded. From the beginning, he had also planned to give this verification as a gift to Lin Bo and the others. Now it seemed that Lin Bo was not stupid. It seemed that he had already realized what his experiment in Night's End City was. Of course he would give it to him, but he would definitely exclude the native perspective and the Mysterious Source.

These two things are too mysterious, Xiao Xiao is unsure what the consequences would be if they were leaked.

Upon seeing Xiao Xiao agree, Lin Bo was almost moved to tears. "Now we can finally go back and report. Many people within the Dante Organization are actually quite dissatisfied with us for leaving the Mysterious Guidepost in your Black Gate City..."

"Alas, although we have given this matter much thought, some hardliners within the organization simply do not understand it."

"... You all need to be careful in the future. If you encounter them, a conflict might break out!"

"..."

"Hardliners?"

Xiao Xiao was also slightly taken aback, and asked seriously, "What kind of people are they?"

"This..."

Lin Bo thought about it carefully and said, "It's the kind of person I acted when we first met but weren't very familiar with each other yet."

"..."

Xiao Xiao recalled for a moment and suddenly felt it was very clear, "I understand."

"Oh well, I'll just make do with whatever comes my way..."

Lin Bo instructed his men to prepare for Xiao Xiao's account of his firsthand experience, based on the research of the Black Gate City's Old Chairman on the theory of the indigenous people and the verification in Night's End City. Xiao Xiao, meanwhile, was figuring out how to fabricate a story for them without touching on the core issues. Both sides were in good spirits. Lin Bo even shook his head and sighed, "It's good that we can get through this smoothly. Even if the higher-ups are dissatisfied, it's just a matter of incompetence. As for Yang Jia, with a troublemaker like her leading the way, if the hardliners want to punish someone, she'll be the first one..."

"Anyway, whatever you Black Gate City want to do, just do it as soon as possible!"

"This world may not wait for you forever."

"..."

"..."

As Xiao Xiao's train began its return journey from Night's End City to Black Gate City, a rare meeting was being held in Black Gate City, or rather, in the Black Forest Biological Laboratory. Countless projections were interwoven in the empty, spacious conference room. They all wore masks, and even their hands and necks were completely covered by black cloth, with only their badges showing on their chests.

In the very center of the conference room, a man draped in a black robe stood out from the others with his mysterious solemnity. Although he also covered his face and wore a black robe, his actions were nonchalant, and he was even wearing slippers.

"Everyone knows why we're holding this dangerous meeting."

The central projection, speaking in a distinctly altered tone, coldly declared, "We have received definitive information that Subject Zero recently traveled to Night's End City, even impersonating one of our company's Special Investigator. What does this signify?"

Everyone listened in silence.

When discussing matters concerning the mother, they were unwilling to utter a single word.

To avoid unnecessary information leakage and increase the risk of being contaminated.

In the midst of this silence, the Shepherd, sitting in the middle of the huge, empty conference room and the only person present in person, or rather, the Shepherds, spoke with a smile, "Don't be so nervous. This isn't about executing someone who's been contaminated, or about announcing some despairing information... On the contrary, it's good news."

"I don't know why Subject Zero went to Night's End City... I really don't know."

"But based on the information we have so far, what he did was completely unexpected..."

"Several points can be confirmed: First, he single-handedly confronted the corrupted armed forces of Night's End City, and even completely suppressed their ordinary armed forces in the confrontation with Night's End City's armed forces alone, demonstrating his powerful strength."

"Secondly, driven by some unknown force, he helped Night's End City complete its purification."

"Of course we don't know if this purification is thorough, but compared to the reaction of Night's End City, it's a pleasant surprise."

"Third, based on his whereabouts and behavior, we can deduce that he must have obtained something and returned to Black Gate City..."

"..."

Just moments ago, they had forced themselves to remain silent, unwilling to utter a single word. But upon hearing the Shepherds's points, especially the second one, they suddenly lost control, and low whispers began to circulate. There was even some signal instability, and despite everyone covering their faces, a few shocked words could still be heard. "Purification?"

"Can it really purify cities polluted by the mother organism?"

"Is there really a way to fight against the Matrix now?"

"..."

The Shepherds was pleased with their reaction, holding the paper in his hand, and chuckled as they interrupted his report.

"If he purified Night's End City, didn't the Night's End City's mother and those messengers stop him?"

After a flurry of whispers, a dignified voice suddenly spoke, "Why did he attempt to purify the corrupted armed forces of Night's End City? What was his purpose in going to Night's End City? Did he directly clash with the core forces of Night's End City?"

Upon hearing these questions, many people immediately looked up, waiting anxiously.

The Shepherds looked up, his eyes gleaming with excitement beneath his mask. "I don't know."

"..."

Many people were stunned for a moment, and then became very dissatisfied: What are you so happy about?

"The main problem is that the surprise came too suddenly..."

The Shepherds laughed and said, "It was so sudden that we didn't make any preparations, so our intelligence work was a step behind."

But instead of frustration, his voice was filled with even stronger excitement and agitation. "But as you all know, it's always been difficult for us to understand the logic behind most of those lunatics' behavior. They're capable of anything, including killing an innocent passerby without warning, or hypnotizing a millionaire into donating all his money to an orphanage..."

"When we first became aware of the existence of the Matrix, we even suspected that it would seize power and rule our world."

"As you've seen, they're not actually interested in power. At most, they'll infiltrate a few powerful people to make things easier for them, but the kind of thing that involves infiltrating all the high-ranking officials and tightly holding the power of an entire city is very rare."

"Of course, pollution is ongoing and will only get worse."

"..."

At this point, the Shepherds paused, then smiled and said, "I know that the reason you have devoted so many resources to the Black Forest and strongly supported our research is to find a way to effectively curb or purify this pollution. Unfortunately, there haven't been many results in this area. The Black Forest has developed many unexpected weapons, but none of them have worked."

"These weapons can kill some outsiders at most, but they are completely powerless against the Mother."

"..."

The atmosphere was somewhat tense, and some people even let out soft "humphs" from their noses, clearly expressing their dissatisfaction.

The Black Forest and some laboratories that serve the same purpose are truly blessed.

They have almost unlimited access to resources and permissions, but so far, they have not provided a satisfactory result.

"But who could have imagined it?"

The Shepherds's voice clearly carried a hint of delight. "So many seemingly reliable plans, not one of them is useful."

"But ironically, the Pioneer Project, which had been abandoned, suddenly gave us such a big surprise."

"As you have seen, although we do not understand the behavior of the Subject Zero, his actions have clearly demonstrated several characteristics: First, the ability to purify the city, which is the goal you have been dreaming of. Second, the ability to fight against the Matrix, which is a result we can analyze through their behavior, even though we have no evidence."

"There may be others, but this plan has been shelved for too long, and even I don't have accurate data."

"However, it's now certain that the Pioneer Project is the only path that can give us hope, isn't it?"

"..."

His joyful and excited voice echoed in the empty conference room.

Among those projected onto the screen, some had somber expressions, some were excited, and some seemed lost in thought.

"We need to admit that what you said is indeed true."

At this point, someone spoke up, "However, it seems that Subject Zero is just an isolated case."

"You can't prove that there are successful cases where patterns can be found in the Pioneer Project..."

"So, if we restart the Pioneer Project..."

"..."

"No..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Shepherds interrupted him, laughing, "Right now, the most important thing is not to restart the Pioneer Project. And you can see the background information without me having to explain. The 100% concentration of Agent 0 has been used up. We can restart the Pioneer Project, but we can no longer create another 00 sequence test subject. Therefore, I am no longer interested in this project."

Those around were somewhat surprised upon hearing this. "So what are you trying to say?"

What I wanted to say was...

The Shepherds smiled, then suddenly said, "Shouldn't you ask me to come back and continue doing this job?"

"If you are willing to return this power to me, then I think the second step of the Pioneer Project can officially begin."

"..."

"..."

"Are they coming back?"

At the same time in Black Gate City, Yang Jia, Ruan Ruan, and Red Eyes Ling Ping were sitting on the third floor of the Red Eyes Club. Upon learning that Xiao Xiao had begun his return journey, Yang Jia's expression was unusually surprised. "It only took less than two days. How did he manage to complete the transaction with that group of misers... He couldn't have killed everyone and just stolen their things, could he?"

"I was just thinking about having a good time for two days..."

Red Eyes Ling Ping, also frowned. "Is this chairman really that efficient?"

Slap Slap Slap Slap Slap

During their discussion, Ruan Ruan kept typing on the keyboard, her eyes fixed on the screen. Her gaze widened involuntarily, and she hissed.

Yang Jia quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

Ruan Ruan lowered her voice and asked, "How did you talk to him before he went?"

Yang Jia frowned and said, "I just told him to keep a low profile and try not to kill anyone."

"Some people from Night's End City on the forum said that he didn't kill anyone... at least not everyone."

Ruan Ruan's voice trembled slightly. "But he single-handedly tore apart the entire perfect defense system of Night's End City, stole their Unquenched Heart worth 100,000 points, extorted 200,000 points from them, and when they didn't give it to him, he took a chainsaw and killed them one by one, and in the end..."

"It even brought tears to the City Will..."