Full-Scale Upgrade (Six Thousand Words)

Xiao Xiao spoke as if he were joking, with a joking expression, describing things as if he were joking.

But everyone present could tell that he wasn't joking.

... He was actually conveying his plan to everyone: to hunt down the Mysterious Source.

They even used the remains of the Mysterious Source to form the skeleton of their upcoming Noah Project. This was simply bizarre to everyone. Indeed, when they first heard that the Noah Project required a million points, they found it unbelievable. It was not a total of points that they could earn. But, was their plan to hunt down the Mysterious Source feasible?

So, has our Chairman Xiao really gone mad?

In a silent and oppressive atmosphere, everyone stared blankly at Xiao Xiao, remaining silent for a long time.

Only Little Four, after pouring water for Xiao Xiao, squatted down next to the water dispenser with the water bottle, looking somewhat puzzled by everyone's reactions:

Did you find out he was crazy on the first day?

After remaining in a daze for a long time, everyone slowly came to their senses and reluctantly looked away. Although the guild leader did seem crazy and the plan did seem like a joke, he was, after all, the guild leader of Black Gate City, and clearly a guild leader who didn't listen to advice. So, since he wanted to hunt down the Mysterious Source, the others had to seriously think about how to hunt down the Mysterious Source.

There is no answer to this question.

So everyone simply changed their blank stares to puzzled ones and turned to Xiao Xiao once again.

Faced with the unified questioning gazes of everyone, Xiao Xiao simply gave a very simple answer:

"Lure it, trap it, and kill it!"

"..."

Everyone suddenly realized, and awkward but polite smiles appeared on their faces: That makes perfect sense!

After exchanging bewildered glances, Red Eyes Ling Ping who held some of the highest prestige in Black Gate City Mister Ye and Yang Jia, looked up at Xiao Xiao and asked, "If we really want to carry out such a plan, then my first question is actually quite simple..."

"... What exactly is the Mysterious Source?"

"..."

Looking at Ling Ping's eyes, which were always slightly red, Xiao Xiao knew that he was serious about this question. Red Eyes Ling Ping, was actually a very composed person. However, he had a conflict with Xiao Xiao when Xiao Xiao was still a newcomer, so he was reluctant to discuss things directly with him. The question he was asking now represented his opinion.

If you want to hunt down the Mysterious Source, then at least you know what the Mysterious Source is, right?

If you don't know, this is just a joke, so please stop scaring your own people.

If you really know, then as the president, everyone should respect your opinion.

After all, everyone knows the term "Mysterious Source," that it is a general term for the City Will, and that they can personally feel its existence. However, they do not have a clear concept of its definition or nature. For many outsiders, the Mysterious Source is like the blind men touching an elephant; they know they are touching an elephant, but they cannot give a complete and specific description.

Just before this day, Xiao Xiao was also unclear about the answer.

But having already spoken with the Shepherds, he looked earnestly at Ling Ping and answered softly:

"There's no need to be so scared."

"The Mysterious Source is actually Aberrant Creature."

"..."

"Whoosh..."

Upon hearing Xiao Xiao's answer, a sudden uproar erupted around them, with some even displaying absurd expressions.

Everyone knows about the Aberrant Creature, and the Mysterious Source knows about them too. But one is dirty, twisted, and bizarre, its prey, an existence that must be eliminated upon encountering it. The other is high-dimensional and transcendent, like an ethereal god to it, a transcendent being to which it must be loyal, even an indescribable being. How can they be equated?

Seeing their astonished expressions, Xiao Xiao took a deep breath and slowly explained, "That's true."

"Sometimes, we are too close to certain issues, which makes them difficult to describe."

"However, the Old Chairman's research in some materials is very clear. He believes that the Mysterious Source is a more powerful Aberrant Creature. They all have characteristics such as pollution, parasitism, and assimilation. The only difference is that one is chaotic and disorderly, spreading only according to instinct, while the other is stable and powerful. We see it just like the indigenous people see Aberrant Creature..."

"... To add to that, in the eyes of the indigenous people, Aberrant Creature are just chaotic and disordered spiritual entities."

"..."

Xiao Xiao is not yet planning to tell them about his interactions with the Shepherds.

That means a lot of explanation is needed.

So the Old Chairman can only compromise and try to make his image even more impressive!

It was clear that this was the first time anyone had heard such a theory, and they were so shocked that their eyes glazed over, and they wanted to refute it but didn't know where to begin.

Mister Ye, however, reacted faster, asking over the office phone, "Why do you say that?"

"Because..."

Xiao Xiao paused slightly and said, "The Old Chairman has done a lot of research, whether it is the theory of outsiders or the theory of natives, so he has figured out some clues. In our eyes, Aberrant Creature are divided into D, C, B and A. Among them, the first three are not uncommon. The highest level of danger that our Black Gate City has dealt with is only the Class B Rotten Kingdom, but what about the higher levels?"

"For most outsiders, Class A or higher Aberrant Creature seem to exist only in other people's cities."

"Or it's just the boasting of those people on the forum."

"But in reality, we all know about Class A Aberrant Creature, and we've even seen them. That's the Mysterious Source."

"Once Class B Aberrant Creature breaks free from the city's constraints and escapes into the Mist Sea, becoming a solitary individual, it falls into the category of Mysterious Source. However, even in the Mist Sea, this lowest-level Mysterious Source is merely a predator. Mysterious Source that can survive relatively safely are basically already classified as S-level..."

"S-class is theoretically the highest level of Aberrant Creature that we outsiders can handle."

"Similarly, it is also the weakest of the Mysterious Source in theory..."

"You can think of Class A Aberrant Creature as somewhere between Aberrant Creature and the Mysterious Source. If it stays in the city, it can only be considered Aberrant Creature; if it escapes to the Mist Sea, it becomes the Mysterious Source. Of course, it's the kind that's easily devoured..."

"..."

"..."

Xiao Xiao's narration was clear and his speech was eloquent.

Knowing his own identity and having met the mysterious girl from Night's End City, he found it easy to accept these things.

But for the other outsiders in Black Gate City, it was nothing short of a fantasy. Some were already instinctively about to accuse Xiao Xiao of talking nonsense, but when they heard him repeatedly refer to the Old Chairman, they suddenly thought of the old man who had indeed spent a long time understanding this world. They felt that what he said made sense, and when they thought about it more deeply, they felt a chill run down their spines...

"No wonder the Old Chairman was able to come up with such a wildly imaginative idea as the Noah Project back then..."

"We all know that the Old Chairman's strength and knowledge far exceed our imagination, but now we realize that he is even more powerful than we thought. If such a theory is publicized, it will probably cause a huge uproar on the forum, right?"

"..."

Lin Bo, who was listening to the Black Gate City meeting from the side, was also momentarily stunned.

"That Old Chairman in Black Gate City is really something..."

"But this theory sounds a bit like the rhetoric that Dante Organization collected from indigenous people?"

"Could it be that once the understanding of the world between indigenous people and outsiders reaches a certain level, they become increasingly self-consistent?"

"..."

Xiao Xiao gave them time to digest the theory before slowly saying, "Of course, we shouldn't underestimate it."

"The information left by the Old Chairman makes it very clear that although the two are essentially the same, their levels are completely different. For example, a Class D Aberrant Creature, even if killed, will only give you a dozen or so points, while Class C creature will give you hundreds of points, and Class B creature can even reach several thousand. Correspondingly, a Class A Aberrant Creature is said to be worth tens of thousands of points."

"..."

As he spoke, he thought for a moment and slowly recounted the information the Shepherds had given him, speaking in the name of the Old Chairman.

This theory is consistent with the power levels of the Mysterious Source.

If Class A Aberrant Creature is only worth tens of thousands of points, then Aberrant Creature that can survive in the Mist Sea and is regarded Mysterious Source is probably worth at least hundreds of thousands of points, and a slightly stronger one would be worth millions of points.

When everyone first heard about the connection between the Mysterious Source and the Aberrant Creature, they inevitably lowered the perceived prestige of the Mysterious Source.

It wasn't until I finished listening to this theory that I suddenly realized I had indeed been presumptuous.

Regardless of whether it is Aberrant Creature in essence, it can already reach tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of points. How can it be underestimated?

The Rotten Kingdom of Black Gate City, a Class B city, had already caused everyone a lot of trouble for a long time.

What if a Class A enemy comes along? Can we handle it?

... No, judging from the current strength level of Black Gate City, Class A is indeed not a big problem.

Moreover, theoretically speaking, Black Gate City had already dealt with the Class A mutation incident. The man who was favored by death was actually Class A Aberrant Creature. However, his nature determined that he did not want to corrupt others, so he became a unique weapon. Until Xiao Xiao detonated this weapon, it instantly killed hundreds of members of the Hell Organization.

Therefore, strictly speaking, the level of danger of that aberration event was indeed unimaginably high.

But it is actually the Hell Organization that pays the price.

But does this mean that Black Gate City, which has only recently found peace, is about to face an even greater danger?

With the keen insight of an observer, Xiao Xiao discerned everyone's thoughts and offered a comforting smile:

Things may not always go as smoothly as they seem.

"Even the lowest level of Mysterious Source is equivalent to an S-level Aberrant Creature."

"But what we are hunting may not just be weak beings like S-class."

"..."

Mister Ye's deep voice rang out from the side, corroborating Xiao Xiao's words. "That's indeed the case."

"The lowest-ranking Mysterious Source are only fit to wander the Mist Sea, occasionally corrupting a few people, or cooperating with a pirate group. But what we are facing is a mystical source that already possesses its own Branders, and these Branders can even move freely between cities. Compared to us outsiders, it has a clear Mysterious Source of power. Its rank is..."

"... Unimaginable."

"..."

Everyone understood the question, but their faces turned pale.

Yes, that Mysterious Source is the one that left its mark on Yang Jia.

Everyone already knows Yang Jia's strength. She is a well-known strong person in the outsider circle. She once wiped out a dissenting organization without blinking an eye, thus earning the name "Black Hand Yang Jia". So, how strong must the Mysterious Source behind her be?

In fact, how many Branders are as strong as Yang Jia?

With just a simple comparison, the strengths of both sides become immediately apparent.

At present, how many Yang Jia can Black Gate City fight at the same time?

This was a problem that only grew more hopeless the more one thought about it. Perhaps sensing that something was wrong, someone unexpectedly spoke up, breaking the deadlock. Old Zhou Under the Bridge usually kept silent when discussing matters in Black Gate City, suddenly looked up at Xiao Xiao and asked, "According to your plan, how do we lure it over?"

Xiao Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and answered seriously, "The first step of the three-step plan is easy to complete."

"We don't need to do anything special; it will definitely come."

"Now look at me... the thing that doesn't like our Noah Project is that Mysterious Source. Yang Jia was just controlled by it through the brand. As Branders, they can't fight against the will of the Aberrant Creature, so they will definitely come to Black Gate City again."

"They used every means to come to our Black Gate City."

"..."

"So, while we talk about hunting, we're actually just playing defense and counter-attacking?"

The crowd's lips moved, but they swallowed back many words, instinctively joining Old Zhou Under the Bridge in asking:

"And what about the next two steps?"

How to trap a powerful, Mysterious Source?

"And how do we kill it?"

"..."

"That's something we need to work together on."

Xiao Xiao had been waiting for them to ask this question, so he smiled and said softly, "Mister Ye and I will both consider this issue and find some feasible solutions. However, if any of you have any methods, you can also share them. Of course, what we all need to do right now is to improve our own strength. Only in this way can we have the possibility of realizing the plan."

As he spoke, his gaze swept across everyone's faces, and he said, "I know you all made a fortune in that bet with the Hell Organization. So now, I suggest that you all, apart from setting aside the portion needed to train new people, don't skimp on the rest."

"Black Gate City's strength needs a major boost."

"..."

Mentioning this issue made everyone feel a little relieved.

In the previous bet against the Hell Organization, everyone had indeed made a great profit. They had collected a whole box of points cards. According to the unwritten rules among the outsiders, they could keep the points on these points cards, but the cards themselves had to be returned to the Hell Organization. They were currently stored at the Red Eyes Club, and they hadn't found an opportunity to return them yet. As for the points, everyone had already kept them safe.

But he was really hesitant to use it, worried that Xiao Xiao would use his position as chairman to force them to hand it over.

Judging from the current situation, it seems that Xiao Xiao has indicated they can use most of it on themselves?

Normally, this would definitely be a cause for celebration and a reason to have a drink.

However, the emergence of the plan to hunt down the Mysterious Source has dampened everyone's enthusiasm...

... Of course, their decision to keep their points in preparation for handing them over was indeed an underestimation of Xiao Xiao. With so few points, there was no need to hand them over. Even when Little Four voluntarily handed over his points last time, Xiao Xiao wanted him to keep them for himself. There was absolutely no need to do this.

... After all, if they hand over their points, what if it also leads to me having to use them for public purposes?

... You guys earned at most a few thousand or tens of thousands, but I made over a hundred thousand!

Having reached this point in the discussion, there was no need to continue. Under Mister Ye's arrangement, everyone left with heavy hearts. In the end, this plan was not really meant to be discussed with everyone, but merely a notification. Xiao Xiao had no intention of discussing with these people whether or not it was necessary to hunt down the Mysterious Source, nor did he really expect them to offer any valuable suggestions.

Ultimately, the only ones who can help are myself and Mister Ye.

"I will not try to stop anything that is beneficial to the plans left by the Old Chairman."

After everyone left, Mister Ye Xiao Xiao with a serious expression and said, "But I must also remind you, even if Black Gate City can collectively improve its strength by one level, it will still be difficult to contend with the Mysterious Source. The strength of the Branders is truly terrifying..."

Xiao Xiao frowned and said, "You seem very worried?"

"I have quite a few points now, which should be enough to exchange for many powerful weapons."

"..."

"For you at this moment, the only weapon that can be considered powerful is Class A."

Mister Ye immediately said, "But if we're fighting against the Mysterious Source, Class A weapons are probably not very useful. Unless there's some kind of innate logical countermeasure, even if you stack up all the Class A weapons, it'll be hard to beat a single S-grade weapon. Judging from Miss Yang Jia's strength, this Mysterious Source has subordinates whose strength surpasses Class A, and may even be close to S-grade, just like her..."

"... I'm afraid it won't be less."

"..."

"This is indeed a problem."

Xiao Xiao replied calmly, "Since it's a problem, let's think about how to solve it."

"But I will definitely do this."

"..."

He did not explain to Mister Ye why he was determined to do it; he simply expressed his firm stance.

Mister Ye indicated his understanding with silence, but before disappearing, he suddenly thought of a question, "I don't understand..."

"Before I arrived, you were not at a disadvantage in your fight with Yang Jia."

"I could sense that Yang Jia had already used the limits of her power as Branders at that time..."

"Theoretically, you are still far from being her match, so how have you managed to hold on?"

"..."

"This..."

So much happened that day that even Xiao Xiao hadn't seriously analyzed the problem yet, and was taken aback upon hearing this.

Really.

At that time, I didn't even summon the Butcher; I simply relied on the Thorn Hound and the Record Player Miss to fight against Yang Jia. At the time, neither of them seemed to have any effect on Yang Jia, but I did manage to survive Yang Jia's all-out pursuit...

Why is that?

What kind of power would allow one to fight against Branders is going all out?

The image of my heart pounding at that moment flashed clearly through my mind, followed by a clear feeling of the entire city merging with me.

Xiao Xiao also found it somewhat unbelievable...

... Could it be that I am also a Branders?

Mister Ye seemed to see through Xiao Xiao's thoughts and said softly, "Theoretically speaking, unless your personal enhancement has reached the forbidden level... which you obviously haven't, I can tell... otherwise no one can be a match for the Branders, unless you are another Branders yourself. Of course, I have no intention of prying into your secrets, I just need to ask this question and you find the answer yourself."

"I will gather as much information as possible regarding the plan to hunt down the Mysterious Source."

"President, please think about all of this carefully."

"..."

After he finished speaking, he quietly left the office telephone.

Xiao Xiao, on the other hand, sat on the sofa for a long time after being reminded of this. He could feel that the reason he was able to resist Yang Jia's capture was because of the Unquenched Heart. But what role would this Fourth Element obtained from Night's End City? What was it that gave him the qualifications and power to contend with a Branders?

He felt vaguely lost, but Xiao Xiao quickly forced himself to stay alert.

Now is not the time to focus on these things, because the plan to hunt down the Mysterious Source and rescue Yang Jia is serious, so I still need to make a lot of arrangements, communicate and discuss with the Shepherds, which will take up some of my time.

Furthermore, if we want to hunt down the Mysterious Source, wouldn't it be necessary to seek guidance from our friend... the White Devil of the Hell Organization?

After all, the Hell Organization had once killed the Mysterious Source.

It would also be worthwhile to find out more about "Mister Du" behind the door by contacting Dante Organization through Lin Bo, wouldn't it?

Yang Jia is a member of Dante Organization, and they cannot stand idly by.

As for the rest...

Xiao Xiao took a deep breath, slowly stood up from the sofa, put on his coat, and silently walked downstairs.

Thorn Hound, Record Player Miss, Butcher...

I currently have over 100,000 points, and I obtained the Unquenched Heart without spending any money. So, it's reasonable to use these points to give these old friends who have always followed me a comprehensive upgrade, right?

Of course, except for the Record Player Miss.

She's so sensible, she'll complete the enhancement on her own.