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Chapter 57 Sacrificial Ritual and Underground Tunnel
🕑 Added 2024-05-24 16:19:12 +0000 UTCWilliams pushed the wheelchair, sliding into the dark room, "The big data analysis results are out, and it's indeed a dead body. Matthew, 27 years old, an indigenous Ember, did not enter the realm of the supernatural. His former identity was a biologist, employed by Norsen Biotech, a subsidiary of the Morgan Group. Seven years ago, he died from a viral infection contracted during an experiment, with no effective treatment. His family members and social relationships have been erased, so it's hard to find them right now."
"Even if we find them, it wouldn't be of much use, as anyone who could provide clues would have been taken care of beforehand. After all, it's a high-ranking member of the Necro Cult, they're not stupid enough to overlook something like that."
He paused, "Finding him is like searching for a needle in a haystack."
Mike pushed the wheelchair, "So you can't find him then?"
"I haven't finished yet. The difficulty of finding him is indeed like searching for a needle in a haystack."
Williams said calmly, "But only for ordinary people."
The door of the dark room opened, and light flooded in.
Mike let out an exclamation of admiration.
Because the walls of the darkroom were covered with newspapers and photos, densely packed like a thick wallpaper. Numerous clues were gathered together, with a circle drawn around them in the top right corner.
"The Necro Cult's primary target for proselytizing is the lowest class, the underground district. But the underground district spans a full 5,000 square kilometers. Based on the Necro Cult followers' reactions to various items and the remaining items in their homes, I've analyzed what they encountered before joining the cult. That is, the Necro Cult's methods of proselytizing are diverse, but also follow certain patterns."
Williams spoke softly, "Wherever one has been, there must be traces left behind. The Necro Cult's upper echelon is a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder, with very precise time habits. The time and place of their proselytizing follow a certain pattern, which is also in line with their highly educated talent."
Mike looked at the circle he had drawn, realizing it.
"So we need to start our investigation within this area?"
Williams shook his head.
He sat at the desk in the dark room and lightly tapped the desktop, causing a hidden compartment to pop open, revealing a metal helmet connected to cables.
"Since the incident at the orphanage, I've realized that the underground district has become a breeding ground for the Necro Cult. The people gathered there are pitiful yet hateful, ignorant yet foolish. It is always the mother lode of disasters, but some... people are forced to live there due to necessity."
Williams said seriously, "I've installed numerous surveillance cameras in that area."
He put the helmet on his head, letting the electrodes adhere to his temples, and casually introduced, "This thing was invented in Celestia City, originally just a prototype, but later it was deemed heretical technology, and production was stopped. I use it to access the Divine Intelligence network and steal a large amount of data processing power, so I can analyze all the videos from that area in the past few days."
Mike was shocked, as that area was at least 800 square kilometers.
Williams pressed the start button, and the helmet seemed to light up with red eyes!
The entire dark room was illuminated by the red glow, and his body in the wheelchair shuddered violently.
He even let out a sound of agonizing pain.
The massive data was assaulting his brain!
Until he coughed painfully, with fresh blood flowing from his seven orifices.
The helmet even showed signs of short-circuiting.
Mike unhesitatingly reached out and severed the cable, quickly removing the helmet. The bursts of electricity couldn't hurt him, because his metaphysical power not only allowed him to release lightning but also gave him resistance to it, as he was developing toward the domain of elemental monsters.
"No need to push so hard, is there?" he said impatiently.
Williams raised his blood-stained face and silently smiled, "I'm used to it. The Holy Mountain incident is very important to me... Don't tell Rose and Damon about this."
Mike frowned, feeling that this guy would one day get himself killed.
"But there's good news."
Williams wiped the blood from his face, "I saw him."
In the 13th district of the underground area.
"How's it going, Amber? Have you recovered pretty well?" David was busy handling the vegetables in his stall. After the black market incident, he took a day and a half to secure trading rights and management rights, using Mike's merit points to start a business.
His target was vegetables.
For the poor, vegetables are harder to get than meat.
Everyone wants to do this, but there is no channel.
But David could rely on Mike's military grandpa's identity to bluff and intimidate.
Coupled with his adroit interpersonal skills, his business took off quickly.
"Not bad, thanks to your care these days," Amber had received good treatment during her hospitalization and had now resumed her public duty, patrolling the underground district.
Today, the underground district was different from usual, with surveillance drones everywhere. The robots of the law enforcement department were wandering around, holding metal batons.
"Ah, you have to thank Mike for that."
David laughed, "If it weren't for Mike, we wouldn't be having it so good now. I'm planning to upgrade my status soon and apply to the Population Resources Bureau to get my daughter back."
Amber leaned on the stall, unable to help commenting, "That child is remarkable. I heard from my colleagues today that he made a great contribution to the outer mission yesterday. He's now an NCO-level officer. If I see him, I'll have to address him as 'sir'."
There was no hint of envy or jealousy in his tone.
He was simply pleased by the young man's progress.
He had originally been an orphan, but later studied hard and got into the police academy, becoming a civil servant.
He loved his profession deeply, and after arriving in Ember, he became an inspector. Now, he has no other wishes, only wanting to take a good look at this world and experience the miracles of the 500-year-old future.
"Yes, he's really impressive."
David suddenly asked, "But by the way, what happened today?"
Amber smiled and said, "You didn't go to the surface today, did you? So you didn't see the giant light column in the city center. The High Priestess is going to hold a sky-worshiping ceremony to replenish the divine power, and the entire city has been put under martial law. Even the normally unregulated underground streets will be strictly controlled today."
David suddenly understood - it was the High Priestess.
In fact, since his rebirth, he had heard of the High Priestess.
The grassroots citizens often complained bitterly about the unfairness of policies and the oppression of the upper class, but they rarely spoke ill of the High Priestess and even saw her as the hope of the new era.
The main reason, of course, was that the High Priestess had worked tirelessly to protect the world, and everyone could live safely thanks to the miracles she performed.
First, you have to be alive, and then consider how well you're living.
Secondly, Olivia the High Priestess was one of the few clergy willing to intervene in politics.
And her various proposals were more democratic.
The core of which was the distribution of resources...
"The era of the Sacred Sovereign is a good time."
Amber recalled the saying that had been circulating in the underground streets, and smiled, "Without the Sacred Sovereign, we can only hope the High Priestess will change this era."
A siren sounded on the street, and the vendors all raised their hands in fear.
The inspectors from the Law Enforcement Bureau strode over, "The gas pipeline on East Street is abnormal, everyone gathers and surrounds the site, and the repair team has rushed over!"
This was a serious matter because the various pipelines and cables on the surface were all buried underground, and if you looked up from the underground streets, you would see countless crisscrossing steel pipes and tracks.
Amber, however, raised a question, "Where is East Street?"
He was new here and didn't know the routes.
The underground streets were a complex maze.
The inspectors were also stumped, as they didn't usually come to this place either.
And the navigation system couldn't even pinpoint the roads here, as some places didn't even have roads!
"I know, I know!"
David immediately raised his hand, "I'll take you there."
The inspectors nodded slightly, appreciating the old man's cooperation.
David had already mastered this area and immediately led the inspectors to the end of East Street. Overhead, a harsh screech rang out, and a large amount of steam billowed out.
The street was littered with garbage, and the elevators to the dome were all rusted.
There was no sign of the repair crew.
"Where are the people?"
Amber suddenly felt something was wrong and reached for his sidearm.
But at that moment, the ground opened up underneath them.
"Shit!"
David's shout was swallowed by the silence.
Today is January 1st, Year 535 of the Holy Calendar, and the skies above Avalon City are ablaze with dazzling fireworks. The streets are adorned with golden sacred trees, and the faithful will be praying in the churches, witnessing the giant light column rise in the city center, a symbol of the sacred ritual.
The scene of the sacred procession making its way through the city's main thoroughfare, greeted by cheering crowds, is being broadcast on every household's television, as it arrives at the central square.
Mike witnessed the deserted streets.
No wonder Williams said that today's operation was audacious.
"Is this the popularity of the High Priest?"
He murmured, "How terrible."
"The average High Priest wouldn't be this popular."
Rose said proudly, "Our High Priest is the most legendary one."
Damon hummed, "He is also the oldest one."
"How old could he be?"
Mike shook his head as he descended on the elevator.
Today, Williams gave them the highest configuration.
Two senior adjudicators from the second layer.
And as many as thirty-two junior adjudicators.
Not only that, Williams also gave him three crimson crystals.
Mike didn't know what they were for.
But Williams just told him that there would be a surprise if he crushed them at a critical moment.
He could only treat them as bombs.
"You go investigate first, I'll follow shortly. If any uncontrollable problems arise, I will forcefully break through. But remember, the mission is secondary, and the safety of life comes first."
Williams' voice came through the earpiece.
"Understood, sir."
The adjudicators responded on the communication channel.
According to the clues found by Williams, the location was pinpointed in the 13th district of the underground street area.
That young man named Matthew was last seen in the vicinity, and he didn't even disguise his face, but walked openly on the street, only to disappear into the alley and never come out again. Afterward, about fifty people came to the same place one after another.
Their tracks were very suspicious, and there must be something fishy going on.
Mike's operation this time was very low-key, and none of them wore the adjudicator's uniform.
He even took off his military uniform and changed into a black down jacket.
But when they rushed to the scene, they found that East Street was surrounded.
The inspectors of the law enforcement bureau were wandering around, full of doubt.
"Strange, where are the people?"
"Damn it, the pipelines are leaking so badly, and they still don't hurry to fix it?"
"If the superiors blame us, who can bear the responsibility?"
Damon and Rose exchanged a glance, took out the adjudicator's credentials, and went forward to inquire.
The group of inspectors was dumbfounded, but they didn't dare to offend the two senior adjudicators.
They recounted the whole situation.
"A team of inspectors came here and mysteriously disappeared?"
Damon was stunned, "There must be a secret passage here."
Rose looked around, "I guess it's a magic trick."
Mike sighed, "Did you pass the Interrogator's examination?"
This kind of trick was too common. After scanning the surroundings for a while, he vaguely understood something.
"Have you heard of the urban legend in Southeast Asia from five hundred years ago?"
Mike suddenly squatted down and touched the ground, "It is said that a newly married couple went to Southeast Asia for a trip, and the wife suddenly disappeared while trying on clothes in the fitting room. The husband searched in vain for years but later saw his wife in a bottle in a curiosity shop... So how did his wife disappear? There was a secret passage in the fitting room."
Rose and Damon looked over as if they understood something.
Suddenly, Mike felt something.
Crack!
A large area of the ground suddenly collapsed.
Rose screamed and inadvertently fell.
Mike quickly grabbed her wrist, "Good girl, a bit careless, aren't you?"
Rose glared at him, "I think you're trying to get yourself killed!"
"The underground street area, there's another layer below?"
Damon immediately came over and found that it was a very simple mechanism.
Two huge wooden boards replaced the ground.
It was just that a piece of soil was stuck on the wooden boards, and the dust was glued on with glue.
A very simple illusion, but it works well in the underground street area.
Because this is an ungoverned area, no one usually pays attention to it.
If you didn't notice and stepped on the wooden boards, you would fall directly.
And on the far right of this underground passage, there was a ladder.
But there was a letter hanging on the ladder.
Mike took down the letter and opened it.
Williams, my dear Grand Adjudicator, the former seeker of the name of Sacred Sovereign, congratulations on discovering the first Easter egg I left for you. It's clear that you care about our existence and want to know the past of the Holy Mountain. After all these years, you have felt guilty and pain. It's time for you to be relieved. Please allow me to challenge you.
The stake of the challenge is the existence and destruction of this city, as well as our life and death.
—Necro Cult High Priest, Matthew
The group fell silent.
Especially when Mike read out this letter.
Williams' voice sounded through the earphones.
"When the tiger falls from the plain, it is bullied by the dogs. Now, it seems that anyone dares to challenge me."
He paused for a moment, "Let me go take a look."
