Fireworks and a Grand Adventure (Seeking Follow-ups!)

"Gulu... Gulu..."

The sound of deep, rhythmic suction was hair-raising in the silent environment.

Scarlet blood vessels writhed, expanding rapidly now that they were no longer restrained.

...Just like that, Deputy Han drowned in his so-called "ideals" and "righteousness."

--Drowned by Bai Zhou, who held his head beneath the surface.

Bai Zhou respected everyone's life, and he had no intention of trying to persuade Deputy Han of anything.

He simply wanted Deputy Han to die; it was that simple, and there was no need to go through so much trouble.

--Those who devour others deserve to be devoured!

He turned his head to look at the Resting Mausoleum.

Every tombstone watched in silence as Deputy Han wailed in his final moments.

The man who had been holding his head high and chattering away just a moment ago was gone.

It went to show that no matter how eloquent a person might be, when faced with life, death, and agony, they could only utter a few monotonous sounds.

Instead of "convincing himself" that pain was a necessary part of the path to his ideals, or delivering a speech in front of the Legacy of Blood Thirst...

At this point, The first step of his revenge, and the thing that had to be done before leaving—

Had been accomplished.

His mind felt clear and unburdened.

It was as if his mental state had undergone a sublimation; a faint glimmer of Spiritual Light suddenly appeared, and he was only a hair's breadth away from grasping it.

That was...

The power of the "heart."

Bai Zhou rubbed the Dark Golden Ring on his left finger, his gaze finally settling on the tombstone of Section Chief Liu.

"Elder Brother, did you see that too?"

"Gulu lu..."

On the battlefield.

The smoke of war gradually dispersed.

Four severed heads rolled across the ground, one of them coming to a stop at the Major's feet.

Those wide-open eyes were filled with terror, unable to close even in death, as if they had witnessed something inconceivable and utterly horrific.

A secret unit that had arrived late—the Major's own hand-picked elite—surrounded the area, fully armed and on high alert.

"Go find Deputy Han."

Standing before a group of officers, the Major, dressed in a crisp uniform, put his sunglasses back on and pointed at the headless Corpses on the ground.

"These materials must not go to waste."

"Deputy Han, he..."

Behind the Major, an Officer hesitated, struggling to find his words.

He carefully observed the Major, his feelings of reverence and fear even stronger than before.

"Hm?"

The gaze from behind the wide sunglasses shifted toward him, making the Officer feel as if he were freezing to the bone.

"We haven't been able to reach Deputy Han for a while now."

"He should be at the Resting Mausoleum right now, 'trading'."

He reported quickly, exhaling only after he had finished in one breath.

Before today, he had thought that as a department head and an Officer, they were all eating at the same "table" and were essentially partners.

But today, he finally understood...

He was only allowed to eat at the table because the Major permitted it.

"Can't reach him?"

Hearing this, the Major furrowed his brows.

The matter at the Resting Mausoleum could not afford any mistakes; could the Blood Worship Cult be harboring ulterior motives?

"Move!"

The Major waved his hand, issuing orders with swift, decisive action:

"Let's go take a look!"

"Yes, Major!"

With a few crisp snaps, the uniform rhythmic clatter of military boots rang out instantly.

The secret unit set out.

This unit was an elite force the Major had cultivated using his own private resources; they were not "outsiders."

Whenever Deputy Han conducted trades and pulled followers for protection, he drew them from this very group.

Leading the squad at the front were five Level 3 Extraordinarys, accompanied by the inscrutable Major.

The air seemed to tremble.

The five officers' footsteps struck the concrete road heavily, like invisible hammers pounding down.

Their figures were elongated by the light, each tall and burly silhouette carrying a terrifying sense of oppression.

Every officer held a surge of pent-up energy in their hearts.

The powerlessness they felt when facing the Blood Worship Cult Elder made them desperate to prove themselves before the Major.

One officer left scorched, high-temperature marks wherever he stepped; another wore a military greatcoat, his gaze carrying a chill as cold as frost.

Each person's Mechanical Briefcase tapped lightly against their knees.

No matter who they encountered at the Resting Mausoleum, they would blast the target into dust without a moment's hesitation.

Six terrifying Extraordinarys, like six moving mountain ranges, headed toward the Resting Mausoleum.

The army behind them carried an aura capable of crushing everything in its path.

Barring any accidents, they would arrive at the Resting Mausoleum in half a minute—

They should arrive just in time to see Bai Zhou pull the [Legacy of Blood Thirst] on Deputy Han.

Fortunately, Bai Zhou was not unprepared for this.

"Click..."

Just as the army passed an inconspicuous gray building, a sudden change occurred.

"Whew—BOOM!!!"

As if welcoming the arrival of the Major and his men, suddenly, the entire base shuddered violently.

It was as if the whole world were blooming...

From all directions of the base, the sky above, the sewers below, and even the windows of the buildings on both sides, deafening roars erupted simultaneously!

—The base had exploded.

Countless sharp whistles rose from the ground, followed by an indescribable brilliance.

Countless flashes of fire bloomed from hidden, inconspicuous corners, shooting straight into the sky; the rising Flowing Fire and splashing debris flew straight toward the light strip at the top of the base.

These blast points had been carefully chosen to avoid the Black Room, affecting only a few buildings.

As for the front line, everyone had just defeated the invading Blood Worship Cult and was standing on the open, spacious battlefield, thus escaping the disaster.

But the sudden explosion that swept through the entire base still left their minds reeling, unable to understand what was happening.

...But on the other side, things were not going well for the Major.

They were on the front line of the explosions, where massive fireballs bloomed in overlapping layers, submerging the entire street along with the officers and the army.

One officer near the source of the blast was critically injured and fell on the spot, and the secret unit fell into chaos.

"Do not break ranks!"

The Major shouted calmly, his eyes erupting with a chilling murderous intent.

The life or death of the officers was irrelevant, but this sudden explosion was the greatest provocation against him.

For someone to have done this right under his nose without him noticing—

It was practically jumping in his face to mock his incompetence!

...But in the next moment, he didn't think so anymore.

Because the ground beneath their feet suddenly arched upward, as if a giant dragon were turning over.

"...?"

The Major and the group of officers all wore expressions of confusion.

"Oh no!"

Suddenly, someone's face turned to terror, a terror that bordered on despair:

"The place that exploded next to us was the public toilet, and beneath this—is the septic tank!"

The next instant.

"BOOM!"

A noxious, destructive eruption arrived.

The concrete ground beneath their feet was as fragile as paper, and terrifying biogas exploded forth.

Many elite soldiers secretly cultivated by the Major were blasted away by the great explosion.

Filthy liquid, mixed with yellow-brown and black, carrying countless indescribable chunks, surged from the ground and then rained down everywhere with a "swish."

"No!!!"

The Major's rage was so intense it could have set the entire base ablaze.

But in the next instant, he regretted opening his mouth...

Filth, as if flying from hell, struck him head-on, its stench, fermented to its limit, permeating everywhere.

This supremely arrogant Major, with his noble background and obsessive cleanliness--

was the undisputed center of this storm's baptism.

"Who! Who is it!"

The suppressed roar was not human; the Major had descended into a state of furious madness.

No matter how composed and elegant the Major usually was, he could no longer maintain his composure now.

Or rather, everything he was experiencing now...

For him, it was precisely the most terrifying thing, even more so than death!

Flames bloomed overhead, a beautiful sight, but this place had become a boundless hell of filth and stench, a stark contrast to the sky above.

While forcefully suppressing the urge to vomit, he clawed a few gritted words from his throat, his voice tearing through the foul air:

"Catch--him!"

"Whoever he is, I will hang him on the 'Federation Lover' rocket launcher and personally execute him!"

The casualties and wails of his subordinates were completely outside the Major's scope of thought; everything happening now inflicted the greatest real damage on his proud and clean self.

He twisted his head, but just as he was about to move, he found the mysterious liquid between his fingers stretching into sticky threads...

--The Major had successfully lost his mind.

He couldn't even tolerate himself now, feeling only that he was dirty... and beyond cleaning!

"But, Ma-Major..."

"We must immediately rescue our subordinates and organize personnel to salvage the base facilities..."

An officer reported tremblingly to the Major.

"Some secrets cannot be exposed, especially the Black Room must not be affected by the fire..."

Before he could finish, he was so intimidated by the Major's fiery gaze that he dared not speak further.

But his reminder made the Major forcibly calm himself.

There were priorities.

Things were happening one after another; with such a huge commotion for so long, superiors would likely be arriving soon...

Originally, it would have been fine, all live merits; but now, a pile of buildings had been inexplicably destroyed.

The Ordinance Hall might investigate something...

Preparations had to be made in advance!

"Now, you immediately take people to find Deputy Han and investigate exactly what happened."

The Major immediately issued new orders to the officer before him:

"Perhaps a group from the Blood Worship Cult has also infiltrated... I need to go back and see."

--And, of course, take a bath.

Wash ten times!

The officer left with his men.

But their marching efficiency was only one-third of what it was before.

However, with this delay, what awaited them at the Resting Mausoleum would no longer be Bai Zhou.

--But Deputy Han's mummified corpse, and the rampaging [Legacy of Blood Thirst]!

After a while, the explosion, which came from an unknown source, finally stopped.

The smoke filling the sky slowly settled over the devastated ruins.

In this foul air, A torn corner of a slogan, originally plastered on the wall, spun and slowly drifted down unhurriedly.

It lightly passed through the rain of filth, avoided the scorching air, and landed like a mocking snowflake beside the Major's filth-covered boots.

The Major looked down, And saw the neatly printed characters on it:

"No public urination allowed!"

Major: "...?"

Before the forest of tombstones at the distant Resting Mausoleum.

"What beautiful fireworks!"

Should one view rising fireworks from below? Or from the side?

Standing at the entrance to the Secret Passage of the tomb, Bai Zhou, who was about to be "buried," had his face illuminated by the brilliant firelight.

Bai Zhou grinned at the fireworks in the sky and gave a distant thumbs-up—

"Well done!"

Although he had no idea what was happening over there, Bai Zhou had handed the detonation authority for the ritual over to Ya in advance.

If things went as expected, Ya should have seized the opportunity to successfully stall the Major or any reinforcements arriving at the scene.

These brilliant fireworks were the signal that Ya had successfully created chaos and was now on the way back.

Then, Bai Zhou looked at Deputy Han, who was now nearly indistinguishable from a desiccated corpse.

To prevent any complications, aside from his severed left arm, his other three limbs had also been pinned down by bullets.

—The weapon used, of course, was the "Arbiter-300" enchanted pistol left behind by Section Chief Liu.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

The blood vessels had transformed into a Red-Refining Python over a meter long, coiling tightly around Deputy Han and pulsing with a scarlet light in rhythm with its breathing.

Yet, no matter how ravenous or bloodthirsty it became, it dared not approach Bai Zhou.

Especially when Bai Zhou waved his left hand, adorned with the Golden Ring, the Legacy of Blood Thirst would act as if startled, scurrying off to the side while still clutching Deputy Han.

—Deputy Han, who loved dolls, had now become a doll for the Legacy of Blood Thirst.

However, Deputy Han seemed to still harbor some hope, keeping his breath held and his bulging eyes wide open.

Until the fireworks bloomed.

The tremors shaking the entire base made Deputy Han realize what Bai Zhou had done.

Though he didn't understand how he had managed it, but...

By causing such a massive commotion, was he trying to lure people in from the outside?

"It seems the Major you were waiting for won't be coming anytime soon."

Bai Zhou waved at Deputy Han from afar.

A trembling hand rose, pointing toward Bai Zhou; the desiccated corpse wrapped in the python seemed to want to say something.

But in the end, his breath failed him, his head lolled to the side, and his hand fell with a "thud."

—He died with his eyes wide open!

Those peach-blossom eyes he had been so proud of were now embedded in that shriveled, skin-and-bones face, looking rather like a Toad.

At this moment, On the distant horizon, a familiar figure slowly appeared.

Ya had returned.

Only, her expression was somewhat strange.

"Why did you set the demolition ritual... in that kind of place?"

"What kind of place?"

Bai Zhou was puzzled. "They were all corners no one pays attention to. What's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing." Ya shook her head, expressionless.

"Let's go. People are coming from behind."

"Right..."

Picking up his briefcase and standing at the entrance of the Secret Passage, Bai Zhou suddenly looked back.

The familiar landscape of the base was laid out before him, and the forest of tombstones behind him seemed to be seeing him off in silence.

At the edge of the horizon, vague figures could already be seen, though for some reason, their pace was exceptionally slow and labored.

But there was no doubt: the Pursuers were coming.

In the foreseeable near future, Once the Major regained his composure and freed up his hands, he would never let Bai Zhou—who knew his secrets and was fleeing with the ledger—go.

The endless stream of Pursuers, whether from the base or from the conglomerates behind him...

Would hunt Bai Zhou to the ends of the earth.

Bai Zhou would pay the price for his actions today; perhaps starting from tomorrow's dawn, he would begin a life of suffocating flight.

These would surely be the most dangerous days of Bai Zhou's life.

-- Yet Bai Zhou was prepared.

He would never regret it.

"...I will return."

Definitely!

Finally, before the slowly descending secret passage door, Bai Zhou told himself in his heart.

...There was one thing he couldn't let go of.

Since the Major was like this, and even the entire base didn't treat people as people...

Back then, were those Evening City townsfolk who were carried away truly sent to the hospital for proper treatment?

After getting out, besides following the ledger to trace the Major's industry chain outside...

The whereabouts of the Evening City townsfolk was also something Bai Zhou was determined to investigate.

-- Therefore, he had to become stronger!

Strong enough to figure everything out, and then return in a different guise.

No longer a stray dog on the run, But to personally kill those who deserved to die, one by one!

-- Including, completing his final revenge on the Major!

"Actually, from the very beginning, there was one question I've always wanted to ask."

At this moment, Ya's voice came from beside him.

"What?"

"This ring on your hand... where did it come from?"

Ya looked strangely at the dark golden ring on Bai Zhou's left hand.

A ring with twelve spikes, shaped like thorns, tightly encircling Bai Zhou's left index finger.

-- It looked quite familiar.

"Yes, that's right."

Bai Zhou coughed lightly:

"It's what you think it is."

"But that's a long story..."

The voices of the two faded away in the secret passage beneath the tombstone.

This secret passage wasn't as dilapidated as imagined; instead, it was clean and tidy, with faint yellow lights on both sides.

It seemed they used this secret passage more frequently than Bai Zhou had thought.

"Where are you planning to go next?"

Ya asked casually, looking at Bai Zhou who was examining a map.

"Do you have any plans?"

However, Ya didn't expect Bai Zhou to have an answer.

Even this map of Tinghai City was "picked up" by Ya from the base beforehand.

What did Bai Zhou know about Tinghai City? Could he even pronounce a few place names in Tinghai City?

At this time, they still had to rely on the great Ya to lead the way...

-- But unexpectedly, Bai Zhou answered without hesitation:

"Dongxing Road."

Bai Zhou raised his finger, pointing to a spot on the map, and said to Ya:

"Let's go here. I find this place pleasing to the eye."

Dongxing Road.

Yongning Life Care Center.

-- The Dead Sea Scrolls!

Now was not the time to rest.

Time waited for no one, Bai Zhou had to cherish every opportunity that might make him stronger.

He had missed it last time he went to Tinghai City.

This time, if there was a chance...

Tonight, he wanted to go and investigate!

As they spoke, the two arrived at the end of the secret passage.

Climbing up a welded iron ladder, they pushed open a round iron cover—

Only then did Bai Zhou realize it was a manhole cover.

"Whoosh..."

The noise of the traffic outside immediately reached Bai Zhou's ears.

Outside the secret passage exit was a dark alley.

But unexpectedly, beyond this alley lay a bustling commercial district.

Even at one in the morning, traffic flowed like water, crowds surged like tides, neon signs blazed with dazzling light, and brightly lit shops made the night as bright as day.

The aroma of snacks wafted over, and the vibrant atmosphere of human life rushed towards him, a stark contrast to everything Bai Zhou had just experienced underground.

A gentle evening breeze, light and subtle, brushed against his skin, making him feel tingly and causing the noise in his ears to gradually fade away with the wind, his muscles involuntarily relaxing.

It was as if all the past experiences of "eating and being eaten" in the base were nothing more than a nonexistent nightmare...

His gaze involuntarily lifted, and at the city's skyline, Bai Zhou's familiar yet strange tallest building reappeared.

Though he was in a completely different location than last time, as long as he looked up, that landmark sign was still incredibly conspicuous.

For the first time, it shone before Bai Zhou in its nighttime neon glory.

It proclaimed—

"Tinghai Welcome You!"

"..."

Standing at the alley entrance, Bai Zhou, holding his suitcase, was momentarily lost in thought.

"What are you spacing out for?"

At that moment, Ya's voice reached his ear.

A pair of iridescent eyes met Bai Zhou's, brighter than the stars in the sky, shining brilliantly.

Like a young beast that had just broken free from its cage.

She tilted her chin slightly, first pointing meaningfully at the deep darkness of the alley behind them, Then pointing towards the labyrinthine streets deeper in the city, where light and shadow intertwined.

Finally, her fair fingertip pointed towards the surging, unfamiliar crowd not far away, enjoying the nightlife.

"Are you ready?"

She asked pointedly.

"To be honest."

Bai Zhou blinked. "I'm surprisingly not very scared."

Nervousness was inevitable.

...But the synonym for nervousness could also be excitement!

Since fate and darkness were always pressing in from behind, he would flee to the ends of the earth.

--At least he wasn't alone.

Ya offered no comment on Bai Zhou's answer.

Then, she and Bai Zhou, as if by unspoken agreement, both tilted their heads back and looked at the neon landmark in the sky.

"Caw—"

A hoarse crow's cry circled overhead.

August 29, 2030, 1:02 AM.

Tinghai City, this metropolis shrouded in the mundane, opened its arms to a returning wanderer.

"Flap..."

A mysterious black three-legged crow traversed the dark night sky.

It soared over the city, flying low over Bai Zhou's head, casting a shadow of freedom and unrestraint.

The mystery hidden in the shadows was about to intertwine with the apparent reality—

A grand adventure was about to begin.