A chain of chaos and desperate plights (double-length chapter)

"The 'Marauders'... they actually just left!"

Inside the Convention Center, "Ren Gu" watched the "Marauders" members retreating from the Rooftop and said with some relief.

Although the Convention Center has not been captured yet, "Ren Gu" is somewhat uncertain about the possibility of another war, given that "Loquat Candy" was transferred away early, "Paper Kite" is in a coma, "Knight" is missing, and "Dionysus" just received an emergency notice to leave.

There is a severe shortage of manpower in Shenzhen, especially around the Convention Center.

Now that the "Marauders" have voluntarily withdrawn, the pressure on Ren Gu has indeed eased somewhat.

But...

"Ren Gu" also understands that although the situation has now given them some breathing room, it is by no means an "improvement."

After all, the "Marauders '" retreat was not due to a defeat, but rather a strategic shift made in response to a change in the situation.

The current "change in situation" is because the "Diviner" dragged all the "Player" in the Shenzhen into the [Instance]!

How could the shifts in the situation caused by the "Diviner" possibly not benefit the "Marauders"?

But the "Marauders" still retreated, which can only mean one thing...

They have ulterior motives.

Ren Gu looked at "Good Night" beside him.

"Captain Good Night, the 'Marauders' have retreated. Should we... send someone to check? Or perhaps... chase after them?"

Good Night looked at Ren Gu, initially intending to subconsciously agree, but then realized what she meant and shook her head.

"I think... we shouldn't send people to chase after them. The changes in Shenzhen are Xi Ba bizarre. We should first consolidate our manpower."

"The Diviner said that Living Beings from the Ten Realms will come here... I think that Xi Ba is definitely not talking nonsense."

"I've already given the order, Field Team is all heading here. Once we've integrated our manpower, we'll go to Xi Ba to meet up with the others."

Good Night paused for a moment, then said, "This is also the idea of 'Gambler' Comrade Li Hua."

Ren Gu was surprised and asked with some delight, "Li Hua is here too? That's great... Where is he?"

"I don't know either, but he should come looking for us in Xi Ba later, yeah, I guess so."

Good Night spoke, Ren Gu was about to agree when he suddenly turned around.

He looked towards the main entrance of the International Convention Center, where a figure had appeared at some point.

The figure looked like an ordinary person, standing at the misty entrance.

But that person was definitely not an ordinary person.

Because the figure was naked, without skin or facial features—his torso and limbs were completely covered by black, spiral-shaped patterns resembling seashells in black, white, and yellow.

Furthermore, these patterns are slowly rotating.

The moment the Ren Gu caught sight of him, it emitted a high-frequency, sharp noise, like the chirping of cicadas or tinnitus.

This noise has no offensive effect, nor is it imbued with any Supernatural Power; it is simply noise.

It's like a "warning".

Good Night also noticed the figure and immediately looked away. "Xi Ba, this thing is making my head spin, what is it?"

"This must be the 'friend' the 'Diviner' was talking about," Ren Gu sighed, reaching behind his head to tie his braid higher. "I've seen him in the Bestiary... the Third Island Lord of Mist Island... indeed, those who can befriend Diviner are no ordinary people."

Good Night exclaimed, "Xi Ba, you came Xi Ba fast!"

He pulled the keyboard from his pocket.

"However, since we're here... let's not go Xi Ba!"

"Ren Gu, give me some favorable Rule!"

With that, Good Night stepped onto the railing, climbed over it, and leaped down. Thick black smoke billowed from his body, and he crashed into the doorway like a runaway diesel truck about to explode.

Ren Gu watched Good Night's retreating figure, somewhat helplessly. "That's not how the Rule work... Oh well!"

He took out a megaphone, patted the back of it, and it made a "buzzing" sound.

"Here..."

Before Ren Gu could finish speaking, he was interrupted.

Because he was struck down to the ground by the Good Night that fell from the sky.

Thump!

Good Night sat down on Ren Gu's back, Ren Gu cried out.

"Hello! Hello! Hello!"

Good Night quickly got up from the ground and then hurriedly said.

"Sorry, sorry... Ren Gu, I think I've been Xi Ba... I don't know how, I suddenly ended up here!"

"That guy probably has some kind of 'spatial ability' or something, right? Xi Ba, those Mist Island guys are really..."

Ren Gu scrambled to his feet, his expression twisted, and said, "No... it's not 'space,' you weren't teleported here—because when you crashed into me, I could still see your... back!"

"The ability mechanism of this Third Island lord is more complex than we imagined!"

Good Night's expression turned serious. "Then what should we do? Should I try again? That method was almost ineffective against me—next time I'll be more careful, I won't sit on you Xi Ba."

"No, I'm afraid that won't work," Ren Gu rejected Good Night's suggestion, looking towards the door. "Because... the situation is worse than before—it probably threw you back just to buy time."

Through the mist at the entrance, beside the Third Island's owner, appeared a mysterious humanoid creature covered in wet seaweed and a figure dressed in an old-fashioned copper and iron diving suit.

"Xi Ba, do you know these two new Bikini Bottom residents?"

Good Night looked at Ren Gu and asked earnestly.

Ren Gu shook his head. "I don't recognize these two... but judging from the energy fluctuations, they are definitely not inferior to that Third Island lord!"

"Good Night... we are now probably in a very dangerous situation!"

"What bad luck! That damned Abyss monster!"

Inside a factory on the outskirts of the city, "Chongming," who was leading a team to besiege the "Marauders '" remaining personnel, cursed loudly.

Beside her, "Nicholas," who had just returned from special training, was fighting alongside her with eight reindeer, his expression relatively solemn.

"Haha... What a bunch of troublesome kids! Even a lump of coal wouldn't be enough to express how much I hate them!"

The fact that these two usually calm and optimistic guys are now showing such expressions is enough to illustrate the severity of the situation.

After all, they were almost able to take over the factory and capture all the "Marauders" inside.

Although those remaining here are mostly "Tier 2" and there aren't any particularly outstanding "Tier 3" fighters, it would still be advantageous to capture it—after all, this is the stronghold of the "Marauders"!

Only...

Just before victory was imminent, the "Diviner" dragged all the "Player" in the entire Shenzhen into this [Instance]!

Even now, "Chongming" and "Nicholas," along with their squad, are trapped in an encirclement!

Large swarms of Abyss monsters, resembling Sludge Monster, surrounded them, charging forward fearlessly.

Although "Chongming" and "Nicholas" could easily kill more than ten monsters, and each reindeer's charge and sweep could crush a large number of monsters, even ordinary "Night Watcher" and "Order" Field Team members were not very difficult to deal with.

But these monsters seem to be endless in number!

Furthermore, no one has met the [Clearance Conditions] because of this.

"Damn it, these monsters aren't 'living things', are they? Didn't we kill them?!"

One of the Night Watcher members muttered a curse.

"Hoo hoo... obviously not," Nicholas replied in his deep voice. "If it were before, I wouldn't have been able to answer your question, but now, I see what they are."

"These 'monsters' are indeed not independent life forms... They are part of Okfielst, the Second Pillar of the Abyss, a Pillar-level Demon, Doppelganger He created using magic, and therefore not independent life forms."

Chongming's face turned grim. "It really is Pillar-level Demon, what the hell... Why would Pillar-level Demon be here?"

"Clearly, he is the 'Diviner's' accomplice!"

"Nicholas replied."

"This is terrible! Now I know why 'Carrier Pigeon' and 'Good Night' both sent messages urging us to gather our forces as soon as possible... 'The Diviner' actually managed to get someone of this caliber into Shenzhen," Chongming paused, "No... this isn't Shenzhen anymore!"

Nicholas said, "Fortunately... the good news is that what came to deal with us was ultimately just an 'Doppelganger' —that Pillar-level Demon, who will probably have to support even higher-level battlefields."

"We only have two 'Tier 3' units on our side... but it seems like this has become an advantage for us now."

As Nicholas spoke, he swung the gift bundle, which resembled a heavy hammer, and slammed it heavily onto the ground, instantly killing many more mud-like monsters!

But...

The moment Nicholas scattered the monsters, the dissipated magic suddenly coalesced again, transforming into a large, black hand that exuded an aura of decay.

The magical hand reached out to Nicholas's body, and instantly, half of Nicholas's body turned bluish-black and cracked, as if it had turned into burnt ashes and a statue eroded by the wind.

"Santa Claus! Back off!"

Seeing Nicholas's miserable state, Chongming immediately threw out the chain in his hand and pulled him away.

The eight reindeer immediately abandoned their task of clearing out the monster in front of them and stepped forward to support Nicholas's body with their strong hooves and antlers!

The reindeer's antlers emitted a red light that flowed into Nicholas's body, temporarily suppressing the black and gray decaying aura that had already eroded half of his face, an entire arm, and a thigh, preventing it from further eroding his body.

Nicholas slowly straightened up, speaking in a trembling voice.

"Roar, roar... That was really dangerous!"

"But... why did they choose to deal with us first, instead of other battlefields? Demons, was the ' Diviner ''s' decision so wasteful?"

"To send the true form of a Pillar-level Demon... to kill two insignificant 'Tier 3' beings?"

As Nicholas spoke, the large black hand dissipated, reformed in mid-air, and transformed into a gray-black body resembling a giant worm.

The worm's enormous mouth was filled with sharp, interlocking teeth, and black sludge constantly dripped from its skin.

At the very center of its mouthparts, a ghostly blue light appeared, and at the same time, a tongue-like structure protruded.

But it wasn't a "tongue," it was a woman's corpse.

"Hehehehe... Error, human! Error answer!"

The woman stiffly raised her head and made a sound.

This decaying, visceral corpse seemed to have become some kind of "voice-producing organ" for the Demons.

She raised her arm and said, "First of all, you're not just insignificant 'Tier 3' individuals... you're important 'bounties,' and valuable 'material' for me!"

"Secondly, secondly... other battlefields don't need my support either!"

"The Diviner's helpers... are far more numerous than you imagine."

So... let's worry about how you guys will survive first!

As Okfielst spoke, he spewed out a large amount of decaying magic from his giant mouth, staining the surrounding mist with an almost crystallized blue!

Chongming sighed, "This is dangerous... Santa Claus, do you have any ideas?"

Nicholas straightened up, his voice low and menacing. "Then, there's no other way but to fight to the death!"

"This idiot 'Diviner,' who does he think he is? What does he think he's doing? I really... Ah! Ah! Ah!"

In Skinner's bar, the enraged Second Generation "Freud" stared at the organization members lying on the floor and unleashed a near-out-of-control tirade and roar.

She, who was usually Leng Jing and rarely showed any emotion in front of the organization members, was now trembling all over, her expression ferocious, and her neatly combed hair seemed to be swaying with her body, like a veil being blown by the wind.

Her face was also flushed, the redness spreading all the way to her neck and ears.

No one from the "Psychology Society" had issued any assembly orders, but now... almost all of its members are lying here.

Almost every one of them suffered injuries, some minor and some serious; some had even died!

The Demons from the Abyss, "Eighth Pillar Meiniedok," used his blood Doppelganger to injure all the Executive Commissioner of the "Psychology Society" who were recording various battlefields and preparing to join the battle at any time. He then chased the retreating agents to the "Psychology Society's" stronghold, the bar in "Skinner."

From this stronghold, Meiniedok's true form descended and continued its attacks on the members of the "Psychology Society's" Professional Committee Members.

After the changes in the entire Shenzhen, the Second Generation "Freud," who had just let the "Chancellor" escape, also gave up staying near the Cross-Sea Bridge and planned to return to the bar first—after all, she noticed that she could no longer contact the members of the "Psychology Society" through "Soul Resonance" after entering the [Instance].

Upon arriving at the bar, the first thing the Second Generation Freud saw was Meiniedok, a Pillar-level Demon, using Blood Magic to try and drain the blood of all the members of the "Psychology Society" within the bar.

This was completely unexpected for the Second Generation Freud —although she knew that she wasn't allied with the "Marauders" and the "Diviner" this time, she never imagined...

The "Diviner" actually dared to let in a Pillar-level Demon to attack the "Psychology Society"!

In his rage, the Second Generation Freud showed almost no mercy, and the result was...

In the recessed liquor cabinet behind the bar, amidst the shards of a broken replica bottle, a bat-like monster with six wings was pinned down by the materialized, pale blue-white soul of the Second Generation Freud.

"Meinie! Meiniedok! If you don't want to die here, explain yourself why the 'Diviner' sent you to attack the 'Psychology Society'!"

Meiniedok looked at the Second Generation Freud and made a sharp, hoarse, strange sound.

"Heh... because he's certain you'll attack the 'Marauders,' that's his judgment!"

"He is confident that in this [Instance], the 'Marauders' are the 'overwhelmingly dominant' side... Judging from the 'Psychology Society's' Principles, you will stand on the opposite side for the sake of 'balance'—therefore, prioritizing the weakening of the 'Psychology Society' is the right decision."

"Moreover, you and 'Schreiber'... have formed a temporary alliance— 'Schreiber' will almost certainly side with the 'Director'..."

"And the most important reason is the current cooperation between 'Copper Furnace' and 'The Marauders,' and he knows that you absolutely cannot tolerate the survival of the First Generation 'Jung,' and will inevitably retaliate against 'Copper Furnace' and even 'The Marauders'..."

Meiniedok answered, while the Second Generation Freud's eye twitched and his three moles almost twisted together.

"He's a complete... idiot. Does he really think he'd offend me for the sake of the First Generation 'Jung'? Does he think that damned traitor is more 'valuable' than me?"

"I'll kill you right now, then go kill him... With 'Grandmaster' and 'Feng Shui Master' working together, does he really think he's invincible just because he got his cronies from the Ten Realms to set up this crappy [Instance] and take over the main territory? Let's see if he can withstand the three of us working together!"

"You dared to accept his Contract? You're incredibly stupid—do you think you can beat me?"

The Second Generation Freud raised her hand, her five fingers slowly tightening in the air, and her Soul Power tightened accordingly.

Meiniedok let out a strange "clucking" sound, but he showed no fear whatsoever.

"Because... I have helpers too!"

As Meiniedok spoke, the Second Generation Freud suddenly felt his Soul Power being distorted.

Then, a loud explosion came from the roof of the bar.

A hunched-over man in a suit, carrying a brown leather bag, jumped down from the hole in the roof and stood on the bar counter, coughing violently amidst the smoke and dust.

"Cough cough cough..."

His breathing was heavy, like he was working a bellows; his face was sunken, his cheeks were sunken, and his eyes were sunken, as if he had just been wheeled out of the ICU and was about to die.

But his eyes were bright and piercing.

"Hiss... Heh... Long time no see!" Fluorvosamine... You... Hiss... Heh... You charlatan, you're doing better and better, aren't you?"

The Second Generation Freud looked at the man who had entered, but his expression turned cold.

"Who is Fluorvosamine? The First Generation 'Jung'? You're not only not dead, you've developed hysteria?"

"Didn't the Beast Master beat you to the point of near death? How come you're barking like a dog again?"

The First Generation Jung laughed, his chest heaving even more violently. "Ha, hiss... you stinking illiterate, academically fraudulent bitch, country bumpkin, country rat... ha... you didn't have the 'Death game' or the luck to be favored by those in Authority... ha... you'll be a mentally ill person at the bottom of society your whole life... ha!"

The Second Generation Freud frowned slightly. "A damned dog who relies on his master's power. It seems you've done a good job serving that lunatic at 'Copper Furnace' who calls himself the Emperor. He's actually willing to spend a fortune to treat a piece of trash like you... But what do you mean by coming to me to die?"

"You can't even beat a 'Tier 2' opponent, yet you dare stand before me? Have you forgotten how you died last time?"

As the Second Generation Freud spoke, he pulled out a baseball bat with many metal nails stuck in it.

The First Generation Jung immediately retorted, "Ha—and you still say you're not that idiot Fluorvosamine!"

"What, isn't there another baseball bat with spikes in the world?"

As the Second Generation Freud spoke, he stepped forward and swung a baseball bat from behind his shoulder, aiming it at the head of the First Generation Jung!

But before the First Generation Jung's head exploded...

"Bang!"

On the rooftop, a massive, ruggedly styled mechanical arm slammed down, blocking the baseball bat of the Second Generation Freud.

Then, a figure wearing Alchemical Mask fell through the hole in the roof again, while a smaller mechanical arm with a drill bit at the end lunged at the head of the Second Generation Freud.

"When!"

The Second Generation Freud gripped the drill with one hand and looked at the Exoskeleton Armor.

Who are you?

The other party did not respond, but simply swung its mechanical arm again to attack—after all, there were five mechanical arms connected to its exoskeleton!

Meanwhile, the Eighth Pillar Meiniedok, had also been freed from his Soul Power and was manipulating Blood Magic to rejoin the battle.

The Second Generation Freud... was immediately plunged into a fierce battle!

In the heart of Shenzhen's commercial district, at a crossroads surrounded by office buildings.

As the fog thickened, both sides in the battle—whether it was the "Swordsman" and "Bifang," or the members of the "Freedom Alliance"—began to gradually reduce the intensity of their fighting.

Although the "Diviner's" statement didn't interrupt this battle, which was second only to the intensity of the central battlefield, now...

Whether it was the "Freedom Alliance" or the Swordsman and Bifang, they all felt a certain vague unease.

They knew that most likely some high-ranking being from the Ten Realms had their eyes on them.

Within the Vortex near them, the energy had become increasingly pure—pure and powerful.

But... neither side knows what it is.

This fear of the unknown, ironically, makes people feel even more stressed.

Final...

On the "Freedom Alliance" side, Qianhuan was the first to stop fighting.

He suddenly abandoned manipulating all the Playing Cards, raised his hands, retreated to the edge of the battlefield, and shouted.

"Damn it, I'm really not fighting anymore! I don't care what orders you 'Order' and 'Night Watcher' have, you guys make your own judgment on the spot—in this situation, are you really still going to fight us to the death?"

"Don't you suspect that the leader's orders are Error? If we cooperate with the 'Marauders'... would the 'Diviner' have pulled us in?"

"Think about the records in your organization—the 'Tier 2' 'Master Thief' are all trapped in this damn [Instance]... Don't you really think there's a problem? If we were cooperating, would we agree to such conditions?"

"Swordsman" and "Bifang," you two aren't the type to be stupid—think about it, okay?"

"Even if we don't cooperate anymore, we shouldn't continue fighting around here—there's absolutely something right beneath our feet, waiting to 'reap the benefits'!"