Suspicions of a Traitor

Gradually, as everyone approached within about a kilometer of the stronghold, the atmosphere began to tense up.

Up to four hidden sentry posts were discovered in the jungle surrounding the house. Command center personnel synchronized the data, "Sentry points have been marked."

"Roger!" Yise replied in a low voice.

Following the instructions on the information screen on her wrist, she carefully observed the location of the hidden sentry and realized something was amiss.

"These sentries are deployed very professionally, and their positions are too close to the main building, making it impossible to eliminate them silently," Yise reported to Su Ming.

"Then let's launch a direct assault." Su Ming made a decisive decision. He glanced at the clock; there were only five minutes left until 2 a. m. "All squads, get into position immediately! 0200, launch the general offensive!" he ordered.

"Receive!"

All the attackers on site immediately began their pre-arranged tasks, holding their breath and making final preparations for the battle. The only sound in the jungle was the faint scraping of equipment.

The Clock Hand quickly struck the designated moment, and the combat command was officially initiated.

The artillery positions at the rear launched the first attack. At the command of the artillery officer, fifty 122mm "White Steed" blitzkrieg rockets took off one after another within three seconds. They accelerated suddenly in the air, drawing a sharp arc that kept straightening, and rushed towards the main building of the stronghold.

This rocket is completely different from the one used in the battle against the goblins. In order to target the superhumans of the other world, Su Ming specifically requested that the speed of the rocket be increased, even at the cost of sacrificing the warhead charge. Even though it is only the short-range version of "White Steed", its terminal sprint speed has exceeded Mach 3.

The reason Su Ming set up the launch site so far away was that under these conditions, it would take a full 23 seconds for the sound of a rocket launch to travel from the launch site to the enemy stronghold; while the "White Steed" blitzkrieg type could complete the entire process from launch and acceleration to crossing the distance in just 18 seconds!

The sentries in the jungle caught a glimpse of a cluster of lights suddenly appearing on the horizon. Before they could even process what was happening, those lights streaked across their heads like shooting stars, and the next second they crashed into the main building in the center of the stronghold. A series of thunderous explosions followed, and the spreading shockwaves engulfed them.

Amidst a series of explosions, a mushroom cloud, piecing together smoke and flames, shot into the sky, turning the entire night sky crimson.

Only then did the roar from the distant launch site and the sharp whistling of rockets breaking the sound barrier catch up, once again engulfing everyone's eardrums.

"Aren't we here to capture Janet alive?" a member of Star Sand asked, looking on in confusion.

"Otherwise what?" another member beside him replied calmly, "For a necromancer, obtaining the target's corpse and soul is no different from capturing them alive."

"----It can be like this?" The man had no way to refute it.

****

Thirty minutes ago, Death Knell took out the brocade box that Kulandeer had given her, took out the pill inside, and swallowed one.

She immersed herself in the warm bathtub, letting the water envelop her body and relax.

Having spent more than ten days in the Gravel Scale Desert, even as a superhuman, one must endure the constant dryness and high temperatures. Especially affected by the "Seven Absolutes Concerto," Death Knell's skin was sensitive to sun exposure and prone to dehydration, making these days quite uncomfortable.

Death Knell slowly tilted her head back, immersing her long hair in the water and letting it flow freely, her thoughts drifting away.

At the meeting and banquet just now, the two new Quarter Hand recited hymns to the Lord God Jörmungandr and meticulousness, which made her feel deeply moved.

Once upon a time, she, like these two, was filled with the glory of God. After all, since she could remember, the great mark of God Jörmungandr, had been present in every corner of the Eden world. Every moment of her life was filled with prayer and rituals of worship.

Especially during the grand Dream Prayer Gathering, when she witnessed Jörmungandr's vision of heaven to the believers: a paradise like a dream, where legendary, deceased, and outstanding priests lived carefree lives.

At that moment, she was completely shaken.

The Book of the Divine Kingdom, published by Jörmungandr, states that those who dedicate everything to God and have a devout faith can enter the Kingdom of Heaven after death; the more outstanding their contributions, the happier and more fulfilling their life in the Kingdom of Heaven will be.

From that moment on, Death Knell's heart was filled with longing; she yearned for that flawless, beautiful, and perfect world.

Death Knell became the most devout follower of the main god, throwing herself into study and training with fervor. Fortunately, she was exceptionally talented, standing out from countless followers and ultimately becoming the most outstanding executor of the Plundering Clock.

Until Qingming betrayed her, and she was chosen by the main god and promoted to the new Sequence Two Clock Hand.

However, during the twenty years since arriving in the Taya Plane, due to the heavy workload, those meticulous prayer rituals have gradually become perfunctory and even forgotten.

No, rituals are never important; the Death Knell murmured softly in my heart.

When she first left Eden, an environment filled with devout faith, she held herself in high esteem, considering herself a descendant of God's kingdom and looking down on the "ignorant" beings of the Taya world.

The world's beliefs are complex and diverse. Some pursue immortality, while others accept death and eternal silence with equanimity. But in general, the vast majority of people live for themselves and would not burn everything in their lives for the sake of heaven after death.

She didn't know when it started, but a sense of envy crept into Death Knell's heart, and then a question gradually arose: Is there such a thing as eternal beauty in this world? Does the heavenly scene of everyone singing and dancing, where everything is in harmony, really exist?

Or even in such a world, without desire, without sorrow, without greed, without sin, without hatred, without suffering—would it really be "good"?

****

A priest entered carrying a communication stone and respectfully reported from outside the bath curtain, "Lord Death Knell, Lord Hairspring requests to make contact."

"Put it down." Death Knell slowly raised her head from the water, wiping the water droplets from her face with her fingertips, and said calmly.

"Yes, sir!" The priest put down the communication stone and quickly retreated.

Death Knell raised her hand and unleashed a wisp of pale red Magic Power, which landed on it. The large Magic Power communication array beneath the building lit up, Magic Power patterns spread rapidly, establishing a communication link with the distant Water Chestnut Island.

"I heard things are going well on your end?" Hairspring's voice came through the communication stone.

"Yes, we successfully met up with Kulandeer and Matiasu," Death Knell replied. "When will you arrive?"

This opportunity for the Final Bone Mad Machines to unleash their full force is extremely rare. If they can combine the strength of herself and Hairspring, regardless of how the cooperation with the Divine Covenant Faction Sect progresses, they will have a chance to inflict heavy damage on Su Ming's side.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to get away for a while," Hairspring said, her voice tinged with weariness. "The orc rebellion on Water Chestnut Island hasn't been suppressed yet."

"How did things escalate so badly this time?" Death Knell asked, puzzled.

They had controlled Water Chestnut Island, which was mainly inhabited by orcs, for many years. However, due to years of exploitation, the middle and lower-class orcs lived in dire poverty, and sporadic rebellions had never ceased over the years, which the two had long since become accustomed to.

"This is a large-scale operation, and the rebels are incredibly resilient," Hairspring said through gritted teeth. "I've found out it's all Xialike's doing. He supplied the orc rebels with massive amounts of supplies and even personally sent people to guide them."

"So that's how it is." Death Knell couldn't help but frown, her tone troubled. "I finally managed to settle things with the Temple of Light, but then the Star Empire came to cause trouble again."

"It's all because of Su Ming and Bay Owl's framing!" Hairspring said angrily.

Whether it's the sea monster incident, the spread of the world-destroying evil scripture, or the massacre on the Sacred Mountain, these two people relentlessly smear the Plundering Clock of Calamity wherever they go, causing endless trouble for their actions.

From the very first encounter with these two, the scale of the Plundering Clock's losses has been steadily expanding and escalating.

"I have already ordered the cessation of all trade between Water Chestnut Island and the Western Continent," Hairspring continued, "To completely sever the Star Empire's tentacles of interference in Water Chestnut Island's affairs."

"This will affect our plan of attacking other planes!" Upon hearing this, Death Knell's heart tightened, and she reminded him.

The will of the Taya Plane is now being entangled with Jörmungandr, the conflict deepening, and the time for launching a plane invasion is drawing ever closer. At that time, the army of Eden will descend on a massive scale, sweeping away the will to resist of the beings on this planet.

In this way, the original will of the plane would dissipate like a rootless duckweed, Jörmungandr thus gain control of the Taya Plane.

However, the landing point this time was far too remote, which meant that the two of them needed to prepare a large amount of supplies.

"The procurement of supplies can be handled through the Chamber of Commerce in the Central Ocean Archipelago, so the impact will be minimal," Hairspring replied. "I've already made arrangements."

"That's good."

Afterwards, the two turned the conversation to the topic of "Child of Calamity".

"Not counting the Broken Wing Against the Wind," there's also the otherworldly visitor Su Ming, whose identity has already been revealed. Hairspring's voice held a hint of contemplation. "The Painter is relatively easier to find, but the Wallfacer, the Doll, and the Traitor —we're clueless about those."

"There are Traitor," said the Death Knell, "Qingming."

Upon hearing this, Hairspring paused, clearly not expecting Death Knell to bring up this person. He remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "I've worked with Qingming before; her ability is Forbidden Corridor," and it has nothing to do with Shi Yu Jian—besides, Qingming is already dead.

"I see." Death Knell nodded gently, a hint of melancholy in her voice. "I used to hate Qingming for betraying the God, for stabbing her colleagues in the back." She paused, hesitated for a moment, then continued, "But now, perhaps I understand her a little."

"Watch your words!" Hairspring's voice suddenly turned stern. "Death Knell, are you out of your mind?!"

Qingming was the first vanguard sent by the main god to the Earth Plane fifty years ago. However, thirty years later, when Alituo, the Twelfth of the Temporal Sequence "Messenger of Misfortune," arrived on Earth with a support team, she suddenly attacked Alituo and his group.

If it weren't for the chief god Jörmungandr sensing the anomaly and using the mark on Qingming's soul to kill him, Alituo's support team would likely have been completely wiped out.

"Sorry, it was just some sentimentality." Death Knell raised her wet hand and gently rubbed her cheek.

"Even someone as powerful as Qingming couldn't break free from the World Serpent Mark on his body," and was ultimately torn apart by the main god. Hairspring's tone was serious. "I'll pretend I didn't hear anything you said today!"

****

Suddenly sensing something unusual, the Death Knell abruptly looked out the window.

The distance was far and the effect was subtle, but Death Knell had absolute confidence in her perception abilities. She immediately snapped her fingers, and a wave of Magic Power energy spread out, waking up everyone who was sleeping in the stronghold.

"Everyone prepare for battle immediately! There are attackers!" Death Knell quickly ordered.

With the activation of her telekinesis, her clothes and armor flew over and attached themselves to her body, quickly completing her attire.

She tucked two short blades into her waistband, sensed the movements of the others in the stronghold, and found that everyone had reacted quickly and completed their battle preparations.

The Death Knell turned its attention outside; the four sentries were still positioned around the perimeter. She neither reminded them nor moved them—"—hmm."

This would reveal that our side was already prepared.

Wait for the attackers to strike these sentries first, sacrificing their lives to reveal the enemy's location and strength. Then, our side can launch a surprise attack!

But suddenly a patch of light appeared on the horizon. When Death Knell looked up, the nightmare-like encounter from the last battle against the Super Crystal Dragon was instantly and completely awakened!

She instantly understood what those points of light were!

"All units, defend!!" Death Knell shouted sternly.

The next moment, the entire house was engulfed in intense flames.

****

At the rear firing position of the Final Bone Mad Machines, the operators quickly cooled and cleaned the launch tubes before loading new "White Steed" ammunition. Each of these 122mm rockets weighs over 60 kilograms. A total of 150 were carried in this operation, enough to support only three salvos.

But this amount of ammunition alone accounts for half of the entire assault team's carrying capacity.

At the front line, all assault personnel have been mobilized simultaneously, armed with light and heavy weapons, and are rushing towards the target stronghold.

As soon as they got closer to the outer perimeter, they opened fire with their rifles. Although the accuracy of shooting on the move was worrying, the sheer number of soldiers made up for it, and the four sentries were quickly riddled with bullets.

A commando shouldered a rocket, aimed at the outpost's annex, and pulled the trigger. The rocket whistled through the ventilation shaft with a deafening roar.

Shock bomb!

Su Ming chose to show mercy to the ordinary servants in these strongholds—although stun grenades could cause serious injury, their chances of survival were much higher.

The second rocket penetrated the annex in the same way, except this time, the warhead was filled with alchemical smoke. Large plumes of grayish-white smoke filled the room, flooding every corner, and within moments, everyone inside had fallen unconscious.

The commandos observed for a moment and found that no one had escaped from the annex building. Otherwise, they would have been ordered to carry out a lethal attack.

On the other side, towards the main house, the assault team arrived at a distance of about 500 meters, established a temporary battle line on the spot, and aimed their weapons at the ruins of the main house, ready for battle.

There was no unusual activity in the target area. The flames and various interferences caused by the explosion were so severe that neither ground personnel nor the detection equipment of the drones hovering in the sky could capture any useful information.

"Whoa, it's my turn!" Qiluo cheered from behind, a large clump of grass swirling around her as she dashed forward with abandon.

She revealed her true form as she ran, taking to the air and bathing in the moonlight. Azure light condensed into magical wings on her back, and the unicorn soared higher and higher, the moonlight converging on her, growing ever more dazzling.

"Your favorite ' Silver Moon Emblem ' is here!" Qiluo said in a clear voice. The unicorn on her head lit up, and a thick circular halo spread out like waves, sweeping across the ruins of the main house shrouded in smoke and dust.

Amidst the ruins, three red humanoid figures standing together were marked, along with a dozen or so green humanoid figures scattered throughout the ruins.

In the spell effect of "Silver Moon Emblem," targets without hostility are marked in green. However, judging from the situation on the ground, these dozen or so green targets are clearly not friendly forces—they weren't detected as hostile simply because they were already dead!

Through his telescope, Yise keenly noticed the anomaly. There were three other enemies beside the three red humanoids. The waves of the "Silver Moon Emblem" illuminated them, but then swept past without leaving a mark on them.

It was as if these three people didn't exist!

"Three suspected Saint Rank targets have appeared!" Yise was shocked and quickly shouted into the channel.

"!" Upon hearing this, Su Ming's heart sank. He had considered that the enemy might have combat power close to the Saint Rank, but he never expected that there would be three of them!

"Attention everyone, switch to Plan E!" He quickly regained his composure and gave the order.

Even in such an impossible situation, a contingency plan was formulated in advance— Su Ming was extremely Katharine for teaching him such meticulousness!

"Roger!" all combat members responded.

****

Death Knell's brows furrowed deeply, his face grim.

After being ambushed by the enemy she least wanted to face in her life—the Final Bone Mad Machines —she believed that her strategy and reaction were already perfect.

First, she immediately organized the four Quarter Hand to deploy a defensive shield against physical impact, perfectly withstanding the sudden attack of the rocket and protecting Princess Janet was of the greatest strategic value among the remaining people.

Furthermore, she deduced that the attackers were unaware of her presence—in that brief moment of thought, Death Knell surmised that these attackers were likely following Janet, rather than tailing her from the Gravel Scale Desert.

This would likely lead to a misjudgment of one's own strength from the opponent's perspective!

Therefore, Death Knell ordered everyone to remain still, conceal their presence, and wait for the enemy to approach, attempting to launch a lightning-fast attack and catch them off guard.

But fate is cruel. The Death Knell glared resentfully at the shimmering silver pony with its magical wings flapping in the sky. Why did this damned unicorn have to appear?!

Although the "Silver Moon Emblem" unleashed by this unicorn was insufficient to mark these Saint Rank experts, the inability to mark them was, in some situations, the most conspicuous marker!