Big Data Hide-and-Seek

Rewind time by several minutes.

At the entrance of the Cloud Fang Royal Palace, Death Knell watched as Hairspring arranged for the last echelon to depart for the front lines.

Dozens of bipedal wyverns lined up in the square, their gray-green wings folded at their sides, their claws scratching the ground.

They had leather ropes around their necks and iron buckles hanging from the sides of their saddles.

The members of the Plundering Clock led the orcs to strap the packs to the backs of the dragons.

A large number of shamans began to ride flying dragons.

After the Hairspring were organized, he turned around and found the Death Knell was also there.

Her task today was to lead the team to complete the verification, but Abidaqi insisted on conducting a larger-scale search.

Anrelo and his entourage had completed the formation, and the dragons were ready to set off.

But the leader, Death Knell, looked rather uninterested.

Hairspring walked up to the Death Knell and whispered:

"Your work performance lately hasn't been quite right." "Still can't eat?"

The food culture on Water Chestnut Island is extremely rough, and even the half-orc "royal chef" can't describe what he makes.

The Death Knell shook its head.

"Things have gotten much better lately."

"Anrelo captured a human from the Pearl Duchy and gave him to me; his cooking skills are quite good."

"You should have said so earlier!" Hairspring laughed. "Let me go mooch a meal!"

On Water Chestnut Island, a food hell, the members of the Plundering Clock all know how to prepare special meals in various ways.

"So what exactly happened?" Hairspring asked seriously.

Death Knell turned and glanced at him.

My thoughts are a bit scattered.

She didn't hide anything.

"Because in a few months, Eden's army will be here." Hairspring frowned, not understanding the meaning of Death Knell's words.

"The territory of the supreme god is about to expand."

"This is the goal we've been working so hard to achieve for so long."

Is there a problem?

The Death Knell glanced around and lowered his voice to a whisper.

"So will we go back to a state like Eden, where even the freedom to eat is not guaranteed?"

Hairspring gasped in shock.

"You!"

The Death Knell shook its head.

"I meant no disrespect to the Lord God."

"But don't you think this current lifestyle is more comfortable than Eden?"

"You can't think like that!" Hairspring shouted sharply. "Everything we have is a gift from the great Jörmungandr!"

After speaking, Hairspring realized that her lecturing tone was inappropriate, so she changed her approach to persuading him.

"Having successfully conquered Taya, the Supreme God's next target will undoubtedly be Earth."

"I suspect that even if Taya was used as a springboard, it was a plan that had been in the works for at least several decades."

"It's even possible that we'll have to wait for the next cycle in which the three planes 'approach' each other."

"So even if the two-way corridor is completed, it won't summon us back to Eden."

Upon hearing Death Knell Ling suddenly felt a little relieved.

I'm less worried about certain things that will happen next.

She asked another question.

Is it possible that the Great God himself will descend upon us in this great battle?

"No!" Hairspring answered decisively.

"The divine intervention is unnecessary! We will win this war decisively and then eradicate any will to resistance from the beings here."

He described the scene at that time.

"The will of the Taya Plane Will will be devoured, and the wails of the inferior beings here will become nourishment for my god!"

"And those of us who have made outstanding contributions will enjoy the beauty of Eternal Kingdom of Heaven!"

Death Knell nodded, finally feeling a bit more motivated.

The dreamlike, Eternal Kingdom of Heaven was her longing since childhood.

Perhaps it's more because, as long as Jörmungandr descend upon this place, she will naturally have more freedom in her future life.

This is an acceptable scenario.

"I understand, you don't need to worry about me," said the Death Knell to the Hairspring. "You're the one who needs to be careful."

Even the Hairspring said:

"It's alright, it's just a delay."

"According to the ' Earthfire Plan,' even if Water Chestnut Island cannot be defended, the Taya Allied Forces will have absolutely no chance."

****

The Hairspring team then set off.

Death Knell also rode a flying dragon.

"What are our specific plans for today?" she asked Anrelo.

When Abidaqi was assigning the task, Death Knell was naturally present as well.

She just wasn't in the mood to listen.

My subordinates will remember that.

"The ground search will continue with the guards," Anrelo hurriedly reported. "Our task is to scout the entire city, with the adults identifying any anomalies, which we will then examine in detail."

The Death Knell nodded.

Although there were some grievances, checking the security of Cloud Fang City was not a useless task.

She pulled on the reins, and the dragon beneath her began its run-up, its wings flapping powerfully as it soared into the air, gliding along the outer wall of the palace. Cloud Fang City unfolded beneath her feet.

Animal pens, warehouses, and armories were stacked outwards in layers, followed by residences and markets.

The roads near the palace are fairly well-maintained.

But further away, the landscape gradually becomes like ravines carved out by the claws of a giant beast, crisscrossing and embedded among the gray-yellow city buildings.

The Death Knell lowered the dragon's altitude and pressed his hand to his brow.

Fine, arcane energy ripples spread from her body, transforming into countless threads that extended along the eaves, wall cracks, drains, stone pillars, and street shadows.

Anything containing energy would shimmer with different colors in her perception.

Death Knell's gaze remained calm; she hadn't yet detected anything unusual.

As someone who controlled the energy of the Olympia, it was understandable that Abidaqi would assign her this task.

"My lord," Anrelo began, "Lord Abidaqi seems to be taking this spatial anomaly very seriously."

Perhaps because she knew that Jörmungandr wouldn't descend directly, Death Knell's mood had improved considerably.

"The seventh fluctuation could indeed be something descending," she replied.

Anrelo didn't quite understand.

"But now, there's nothing around the landing point."

"Could it be that Lord Abidaqi is worried that the person who transmigrated here is actually a living person?"

"Death Knell shrugged."

"That's definitely what he's worried about."

"But there were no magic arrays to provide support at the time."

"If it were a living being, it would definitely be dead."

Anrelo thought for a moment.

"Lord Abidaqi, are you simply cautiously ruling out all possibilities?"

The Death Knell nodded.

"If we still can't find anything," then we can confirm that the fluctuation the day before yesterday was just a simple fluctuation.

Nothing arrived.

The Death Knell looked up at the city wall on the outskirts of the city.

"We'll sweep the entire city three times, then we'll call it a day."

She made a decision.

"Cloud Fang City is surrounded by warning totem formations."

"If they really came here, they would never have left so quietly!"

****

As soon as the Death Knell began ringing through the streets, Su Ming received an alarm from the dispatch center.

The three Clock Hand were consistently classified as the "highest risk" by the monitoring system.

Su Ming quickly retracted the solar charging cable, pressed the battery under the roof tile, and continued charging.

"Sorry, you'll need to sleep for a few hours," Jinxiu said to Yugan. As she cast her spell, Yugan closed her eyes.

Yuye was a little worried.

Jinxiu spoke with her for a few moments, explaining that it was just a normal sleep spell.

Leaving the Yugan here is the safest approach.

Jinxiu then left a brand on Yugan's forehead.

"If anything unexpected happens, I can quickly erase his memory of the last few days."

She explained to Su Ming, then burrowed into Su Ming's forehead.

Yise was already dressed and had packed any extra items into his backpack straps.

Su Ming also disassembled the functional parts of the satellite antenna.

Then the umbrella ribs were closed, the cover was rolled up, and it looked no different from an ordinary broken umbrella.

[Yuye, lead the way, let's leave this place!]

The group quickly left the slums, turning their clothes inside out afterward. Including Yuye, they looked like ordinary residents of Cloud Fang City.

[Yuye, someone is now searching for us throughout the city.]

Su Ming explained the current situation to Yuye.

[If anything unexpected happens, both your and your brother's memories will be erased.]

Yuye imagined that scene.

Will I wander aimlessly back to the slums?

Su Ming nodded.

Yuye paused for a moment, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

This situation means she will return to a normal life.

But this "normal" doesn't seem to have anything to be cherished.

Even for her and her brother.

**** Yuye suppressed her emotions and led the group to the vicinity of the main road of Cloud Fang City.

The area has convenient transportation, which allows for a wider range of possible directions for strain energy to be selected.

"The Death Knell is slowly flying in a circular pattern outwards from the city's inner perimeter, conducting a search."

Through the earpiece, Ling Wen reported the situation to Su Ming.

Su Ming frowned immediately.

Based on existing intelligence, the Death Knell's perception ability is quite powerful.

His unique spatial energy fluctuations could indeed be sensed by the other party from their elevated position.

Although Cloud Fang City is not small.

But with the method of searching using the Death Knell, it would probably take less than half an hour to plow through the entire city.

"After she passes by, you should immediately proceed to the area that the Death Knell has already searched," Ling Wen said.

"Understood," Su Ming replied softly into the earphones on his collar.

The street was very noisy, and this sound was quickly drowned out. But then Ling Wen reported some bad news.

"But Death Knell acts somewhat arbitrarily; she doesn't follow the rules."

"And judging from the way things are going today, she won't just raid once."

"You guys know quite a bit about her," Su Ming said.

Ling Wen explained.

"Over the past month, satellites have recorded numerous activity tracks of the Death Knell."

"We conducted an in-depth analysis of their behavioral habits."

"Therefore, you must continue to relocate, and be ready to move to locations where the Death Knell is even less likely to go."

Su Ming asked a question that had been troubling him.

"All we need to do is avoid the Death Knell."

"Shouldn't the other spellcasters also avoid this?"

[No need to worry, these people can only spot us at very close range.] Jinxiu interjected.

[And I will find them much earlier!]

In fact, Su Ming and Yise's perception was also ahead of most spellcasters.

But since the Star Fairy is here, it's naturally not their turn to make a move.

"But these people are numerous and widely distributed, which will block our movement routes," Su Ming suggested.

Katharine smiled gently.

That's how it should normally be.

"But last night's operation left Cloud Fang City's shamans and priests largely depleted."

While only three key personnel from the Plundering Clock left, many of the lower-ranking officers in Cloud Fang City departed, along with a large number of elite orcs.

"Good!"

Su Ming felt much more relieved upon hearing this.

"Keep up the good work on your coastal attacks tonight." "Sure thing," Katharine replied.

****

Satellite data indicates that a patrol team carrying the Death Knell" is passing through the area ahead.

Su Ming and Yise, a pair of half-cat people pretending to be shopping.

They lingered in a shop.

Once the Death Knell had left, the three of them immediately headed towards the spot where she had gone.

Yise suddenly felt a sense of nostalgia, like when he was a child playing hide-and-seek.

"If Death Knell knew how we bypassed her investigation, she'd probably be furious."

"How are your injuries?" Su Ming asked.

"It's alright." Yise gently patted his collar. "If there's no fighting, this kind of walk is very helpful for recovery."

She hasn't come out for fresh air for several days.

"I'm just a little hungry," Yise said. Su Ming looked around and saw food vendors on the other side of the street.

He asked Yuye to go and buy three portions.

But Su Ming was stunned when he got his hands on it.

It looked like a pastry, but it was wrapped in a thin, grayish crust.

The surface was sprinkled with some kind of bone powder-like seasoning, and then a layer of liquid mixed with various unknown substances of different colors was poured on top.

Steam billowed from the crack, carrying a fermented, fishy, and completely indistinguishable complex smell.

Su Ming was caught in a dilemma: whether to eat or not.

Yuye are quick to adapt.

She begged for two leaves, packed Su Ming and Yise's "bone powder cake" into a bundle, tied it with a straw rope, and carried it in her hand.

Then he started eating his own portion, his face showing great satisfaction.

"Actually, if I just forced myself to, I could still bite through it," Yise said.

"No, diarrhea would be a problem!" Su Ming warned. "We're fleeing." The scene was indeed too beautiful.

"Oh, right," Yise exclaimed, "How come I didn't think of that?"

Su Ming sighed, this was actually thanks to his experience of going to India on a business trip and installing equipment.

But the past is too painful to recall, and he has no desire to describe the specifics.

The group moved along in the flow of people.

During the day, the street scene of the orcs was even more rugged than Su Ming had imagined.

The ground was filthy, covered in mud, grease, and Bonebreaker.

There were many pedestrians.

There were half-deer people pulling carts loaded with slag, and burly half-tiger people carrying goods.

Most of the people were dressed in tattered clothes, and the vendors selling their wares also indicated that their standard of living was not high.

However, the bodies of orcs were still generally strong.

Even the laborers had solid muscles. Two orcs argued over the price of a pottery jar, and with one push, half of the shelf next to them collapsed with a crack. Su Ming silently watched this scene, thinking, "What an easy race to feed."

Ling Wen suddenly indicated a new location, and the group moved toward the target street as instructed.

"The Death Knell hasn't been to this area yet, has it?" Su Ming said, puzzled. "And shouldn't she be searching this area next time she goes around?"

Ling Wen smiled.

"Don't worry, there are certain photo spots she'll definitely visit nearby."

"Absolutely safe!"

****

On the other side of the Death Knell in the sky, several suspicious points of abnormal energy were successively found.

But Anrelo and his team's search revealed only some unregistered magic circles.

Its function is to "launder" stolen items, preventing them from being tracked by magic and allowing the owner to find them.

The patrol team dismantled the magic arrays without hesitation, dismantled the materials, and pocketed them.

"I knew those ' Black Claw ' thieves were impossible to eradicate," Anrelo laughed. Soon, they discovered another anomaly, with highly concentrated energy.

The Death Knell signaled for the guards to land and investigate, but Anrelo stopped them.

He whispered the report to the Death Knell:

"This is an intelligence outpost for the resistance organization ' Fang of the Wild,' and that's their long-range communication array."

The Death Knell was somewhat surprised.

"Since they've already made the decision, why not arrest them?"

"This stronghold has already been infiltrated by the Bell Masters," Anrelo replied.

"Currently, they're just reporting trivial matters to their superiors."

"At the crucial moment, the Bell-Breaking Priest plans to use them to send a false message, unleashing a massive Final Bone Mad Machines!"

The Death Knell nodded in appreciation.

"That's a good job!"

As they passed through a familiar area, the route of the Death Knell veered sharply to the left. Anrelo followed without any surprise.

There's a small shop here selling "Zhixiangyan Baked Cake".

The orcs' food was so-so, but it was Death Knell's favorite.

Anrelo quickly descended, went to the shop, grabbed two rock-baked flatbreads, put them in a paper bag, and brought them back to Death Knell.

The Death Knell picked it up and took a bite.

The dough puffs up slightly, with a hint of browning from the oven walls. When you bite into it, steam escapes from inside, carrying a delicate aroma of vegetable oil.

The warmth settled in his stomach, and the lingering weariness in Death Knell's eyes faded somewhat.

The pastries taste and smell best when they're fresh out of the oven, so it was worth the trip she made herself.

"By the way, I really like that slave of Ximina," said Death Knell to Anrelo. "Thank you for your thoughtfulness."

Ximina was a human that Anrelo had captured in Cloud Fang City.

The declaration of war and blockade by Water Chestnut Island and Taya happened quite suddenly, and the situation escalated very quickly.

At the time, many humans happened to be traveling or even residing on Water Chestnut Island. Naturally, they were all arrested.

Some of the people who tried to hide were all found in subsequent searches.

This matter was resolved a month ago.

Most of the humans were forced into hard labor in the mines.

Anrelo discovered that Ximina was a good cook, so he specially dedicated her to the Death Knell.

The Death Knell confined her to the house, making her a cook.

"I'm glad you like it, sir!" Anrelo said with a happy expression.

"But this slave has suicidal tendencies," said the Death Knell.

No matter how much I whipped him, he wouldn't repent.

"It probably won't last long."

Anrelo frowned; this was somewhat of a dilemma.

It's really hard to stop a slave from wanting to die. Erasing their mind or using magic to control them can solve the problem, but that would also ruin their cooking skills.

Anrelo thought for a moment.

"Should I go and find a new one for the important person?"

"We'll talk about it after Ximina dies," Death Knell said dismissively. "Her cooking is actually quite to my liking."

"Yes, sir!" Anrelo replied.

****

Su Ming and Yise stood on the street, watching from afar as Death Knell ate a pancake and led her team over the shops.

"So, the Death Knell was attracted by the pancake and deviated from its path?"

"That's her habit," Ling Wen said.

"Psychological experts believe that the character 'Death Knell' suffers from a certain degree of depression."

She explained in detail.

"So there's a noticeable decrease in appetite." Su Ming didn't quite understand.

"Death Knell's appetite has decreased, why is she still so fixated on this pancake?"

"Food craving, emotional eating."

Ling Wen explained.

"The craving for certain foods is a form of neurotransmitter compensation."

"It can temporarily improve a low mood."

Yise didn't understand the psychological terminology, but that didn't stop her from grasping the key points:

"So that pancake was delicious?"

Ling Wen wasn't sure either.

"Judging from the satellite imagery, that bakery's business is really not doing well."

Yise, however, said...

"This only proves that orcs don't like it." "But since Death Knell enjoys it, it must be delicious."

"Exactly!" Su Ming chimed in, "Why didn't you say so earlier about something this important!"

The three headed straight for the pancake shop.

The Death Knell had just passed by, so this was the last place she was likely to come back to anytime soon.

With few customers, Yuye easily bought three steaming hot pancakes.

The three of them grabbed it at the same time and took a bite.

It has a very soft texture.

Yuye hadn't eaten such delicate food in a long time, and she looked delighted.

But Su Ming and Yise frowned and exchanged a glance.

"This is what ' Death Knell Selection' produces?" Su Ming asked, dissatisfied.

If I had to give a rating, it would be something like a vegetarian steamed bun.

"It's absolutely awful," Yise complained. "It's terribly bland."

She poked the filling inside with her finger.

They're so stingy with the salt they can't bear to use it.

"And they're all filled with vegetables!"

Katharine laughed out loud.

"Idiot, the Death Knell is an elf!"