Chapter Volume 9 Endless Days, The End NO.8: Mistake (1/2)

Volume 9 Endless Days, The End NO.8: Mistake

I lost. As expected, Charles is really strong! It’s a pity though…

At that time, it looked like he wasn’t himself anymore, so it doesn’t count as a true loss. I wonder, will he be okay after eating so many blood candies? You really can’t eat the things Bàba makes in large quantities.

Outside the railings, someone yelled in rage, “Why would you want to harm the family head?”

My entire body was tied up, so I could barely turn my head to look at him. That was Dong Fang Lei. Charles said that he is the head butler working alongside Curtis, but he doesn’t look like a butler in the least bit. Yup, Charles is still better.

“Our prestigious Elysees family head is so loyal to you, yet this is how you repay him? By delivering his most important brother figure into the hands of the Church, and then trying to kill him?”

“Gēge issued a command.” I calmly watched him, but I could not shake the nagging feeling that something was off.

Dong Fang Lei shouted furiously, “Are you saying that as long as he issues a command, you’ll do anything?”

“If Curtis ordered you to kill Charles, would you do so?”

Dong Fang Lei froze, and fell silent for a while. He then answered, “If the family head has done nothing wrong, then even the substitute family head cannot give the command to kill him. I would not follow it.”

I laughed, and said, “At first, you didn’t even like Charles, and would give him the evil eye upon seeing him. Your hatred level even reached eighty percent…”

Right, I know what’s wrong now.

Since when did all the system analysis disappear?

Shouldn’t there be a lot of numbers floating next to each person? Why is it that now, I can only see Dong Fang Lei?

What exactly is wrong with me? Could this be the result of not listening to Gēge’s orders? Is the chip broken?

“The family head changed my view of him through his actions.” Dong Fang Lei stated, as though it was a matter of fact. “At first, I thought the family head refused all responsibilities while still having command over the entire Elysees family. Afterwards, I found out that he was willing to put his own life at stake for the sake of the substitute family head and the family. Yet, he did not have any intentions of taking back his authority from the substitute family head. Therefore, I changed my mind. Is that not perfectly normal?”

I looked at Dong Fang Lei, wanting to know if what he said was the truth. If I just analyze him… But there was no need. Even without the computer chip’s analysis, it was clear that he was telling the complete truth.

***

The video feed showed that more than half the vehicles had gone past the inspection point. It was at this time that the young master finally made a move. The image screen moved forward some distance, then a cylindrical object suddenly appeared in the top part of the camera—that was a cannon!

That caused me to freeze up for a bit. At first, I was concerned that if X were truly inside one of the vehicles, it would be highly likely that the cannon blast would hit him. Thinking more on it, though, the choice of transport the Church would use to transport X would be no ordinary vehicle, and X himself was not that weak. He had even said that bullets cannot kill a vampire, and that had most likely been based on personal experience.

In short, I did not speak up to stop it, and watched as the barrel of the cannon started emitting light… Light?

A faint blue light was radiating from the barrel body, extending slowly until it reached the mouth of the barrel, as though gathering strength. The cannon shone brighter and brighter, until it shot out an eye-catching, bluish-white beam of light straight at the vehicle leading the procession. The vehicle seemed to have been particularly reinforced and was as thick as a city’s wall. The front of it was even pointed so it could knock away anything standing in its path.

The beam shot by the energy weapon ended in the front of the vehicle, where a similarly bluish-white shield had appeared. It was a little bigger than the vehicle, and once the laser beam hit it, a strange buzzing sound rang out as the laser turned to dust and was absorbed into the shield.

The current generation of modern technology is certainly eye-opening. I had originally assumed that energy weapons were limited to handguns, and I had never imagined the young master’s hair-like energy weapon. Afterward, I also managed to see many various types of energy weapons and defensive items in the recent battles.

In the past, one could only see such high-tech weapons in movies. It was unfathomable that they had long existed in real life but had all been hidden away because these organizations were unwilling to let others discover their true strength.

Ni Cai indifferently said, “Though the energy weapon being used is powerful and easy to carry around because it’s small, it’s very easy to detect. Additionally, it’s not very efficient, as the energy shield is also made of energy and is more effective blocking energy weapons than bullets.”

I assumed that the young master must be very aware of this, as he had personally modified his own weapons.

As expected, the young master answered as he ran to a new location, “I intended for them to detect the attack, as the objective of this mission is rescue, not elimination. The higher the body count, the harder it will be to deal with the aftermath.”

Hearing that, Ni Cai gave a “Hm” to acknowledge that he understood but then added, “But this attack is not strong enough to create the kind of chaos I need.”

Noise kept coming over the feed; it was the sound of metal colliding lightly with metal, like from fiddling with a weapon.

“This is just the alarm bell for the start of the war.”

The young master had just raised his second cannon, but before he fired, we heard various guns and cannons firing from all directions. Then, he too fired, this time aiming at the body of the car.

“You have so many helpers?” Ni Cai’s voice sounded a little surprised.

“Yeah. I’ll send over the others’ feeds.”

Ni Cai seemed confused as he asked, “But I only gave you two visors. How are you going to send over the others’ video feeds to me?”

“I don’t need any from you. I own a lot of visors. I’m now giving you the position and authorization of a host. You can connect to them yourself.”

“Very well, read it to m—” Ni Cai said, then cut himself off. Following that, he stiffly said, “I received it.”

Many images appeared on my visor. They were all from the viewpoints of our allies, so in theory we should not be able to see anyone. However, we could still see our allies on our screens. They were able to see each other due to their sheer numbers.

That was the adjudication squad. It seemed that even if the young master had a falling out with the Sun Emperor, he could still control the adjudication squad.

These adjudication squad members had actually come up from the ground. Seeing as a lot of the dirt on their bodies had solidified into clumps and was practically stuck on, they must have been hidden underground for quite a while.

Melody pulled up her visor, faced the screen—I guess it was a certain adjudication squad member—and made a peace sign. In another image, Mr. Bramble was leading Dell, May, and even a bunch of adjudication squad members to attack from the other side.

Suddenly, the image from the young master’s view was greatly enlarged. Beside him was someone who was dressed in a very familiar way, a little like how a vampire would dress—they were pretending to be me!

“Dark Sun, what a great strategy!” Ni Cai praised, “Working with you really saves me a lot of hassle.”

The young master did not reply. He and a few other adjudication squad members kept on relocating and attacking with a variety of weapons. The Church’s vehicle fleet went on the defensive, but large group of people marched out of the large door in the back, wearing heavy gear and armed with various weapons.

The people at the front were wielding giant shields, which looked like a defensive wall that even artillery fire would be unable to take down.

At that moment, we saw from the other smaller screens that adjudication squad members had started attacking from different directions. Their firepower was not as strong as the young master’s, most likely because they were hiding underground, but it was not to be underestimated. The fact that they did not fear death was the most headache-inducing, as some of them had even turned themselves into human bombs, using their bodies to break through the defense.

Immediately, the sound of explosions rang out through the entire abandoned nuclear plant. There must have been a lot more adjudication squad members than were displayed on the visor.

“Charles, you all get ready to move.”

The young master made this remark, then stepped out of his hiding spot. He was dragging a giant suitcase. Upon opening it, the Death Scythe was assembled and once again made its appearance in the world.

The young master was dressed in the standard attire of Dark Sun, wielding his giant Death Scythe. It seemed like he had absolutely no intention of hiding his identity, but, thinking about it again, it was fairly pointless to do so anyway. The Church already knew who he was, and trying to hide it was unnecessary.

Many people stood beside him, all from the adjudication squad, though one was masquerading as a vampire.

Just how many adjudication squad members are there? Is this all of them, or just a portion of their numbers? I did not think that the Sun Emperor had this many adjudication squad members under him. Of course, he definitely still had his own army, as the adjudication squad was only meant for assassination, storming fortifications, and rescue missions.

I vaguely felt that the situation did not look good, and decided that I should have Curtis clarify the current military might of the family when I got back. Now that the Elysees had appeared on the world stage, we could no longer afford to be as indifferent as we once were and must have the means to protect ourselves.

“Dark Sun, as expected, you’ve finally shown your true colors.”

A member of the Church spoke up at this time, attracting my attention. The young master looked over. He did not react or reply, but merely raised his Death Scythe and seemed to not move a muscle. From my perspective, he was likely directly commanding the adjudication squad members in his mind. They appeared to be endlessly changing formation, attacking and defending with impeccable movements.

“Hero? What a joke!”

That was Anceo. I immediately recognized this man at a glance. He had previously been a part of the Sin Elimination Committee’s squad that was tasked with chasing X all the way to Sunset City. That time, he was brazen enough to try groping the young master. Then, he did not recognize Dark Sun as human, causing the young master to be deeply saddened!

To think that now, he would dare to provoke him…

Ni Cai quickly said, “Charles, Lieder, the Sin Elimination Committee is starting to descend into chaos. Head out immediately; the route has already been uploaded. However, I can’t guarantee your safety. The Church knows that we have a hacker on our side, and they should have some hackers on their end too. I have already tried my best to eliminate the traps, but there’s no way to ensure the route is safe. If an issue occurs, you’ll all have to play it by ear.”

Lieder gave me a tug, and I brought my attention away from the visor’s feed back to the mission. Now was not the time to be angry. I had to save X as quickly as possible, which would allow the young master to retreat and no longer have to suffer or bear with that Anceo guy. That would be the best way to go about this.

“Move out!”

We stepped out of the storeroom. There was no one along the way, which made me a little puzzled. If not for the concern that we might be spotted by the surveillance cameras, we could have charged in without reservations.

“This is so much simpler than kidnapping Ri Xiang Yan.” Lieder still had time to leisurely smile as he said, “It sure was less relaxing than the situation right now. Though I don’t agree with calling Ri Xiang Yan the Sun Emperor, I can’t deny that he’s a lot stronger than a lot of monarchs throughout history.”

Absolutely. I fully agreed, even though I did not want to praise him. At the moment, the Sun Emperor was more an enemy than a friend, so I could only hope that he was weaker than we imagined, not stronger.

“Be careful, behind this door is the core zone. Additionally, the current situation doesn’t seem quite right.” Ni Cai spoke gravely and earnestly, “I tested many doors, but I could only open three. There must be traps set up beyond these three, given that our opponents are already on their guard. I can’t guarantee that the way through this door isn’t trapped.”

“I understand.” I was already plenty surprised that we had not run into trouble from the moment we entered up until now.

“I don’t think you fully understand. As soon as the door opens, you all might be shot to death in an instant. Do you get it now?”

Hearing that, Lieder laughed and said, “Even if I don’t understand, I don’t think I have another choice.”

I grabbed a blood candy from my pocket, swallowed it, and then said, “Please open the door.”

Ni Cai started counting down, “Opening the door in three seconds, please get ready.”

I warned, “Lieder, hide behind the door. Just cover me with your gun.”

Lieder froze, and then did as I said. He could not help but jab, “Didn’t you say that we aren’t friends?”

“Three…”

“Yes, we are not friends.” I kept my knees slightly bent, and formed a rapier in my right hand with my blood ability. My left hand gripped the energy dagger, and I prepared to dash forward at any moment’s notice.

“Two…”

Lieder raised both his guns, and exclaimed in disbelief, “I’m now really doubting your definition of the word ‘friend.’ Who exactly do you consider a friend? How about you give me an example?”

“One!”

The door opened, and the words slipped from my mouth, “Yue Gang.”

However, this was not an answer to his question. Instead, I was calling out a name.

The one who appeared behind the door was Yue Gang, who was equipped from head to toe. What he was wearing was exactly the same as the priests outside, and the equipment was clearly from the Church. Next to him was Father Alex, and for some reason, the two of them heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing me.

It cannot be… My heart sank. The suspicion that Yue Gang would turn around and oppose me never crossed my mind. Instead, I was worried that he was being controlled. Or, even worse, perhaps Father Yue was in trouble, and Yue Gang had been coerced into coming.

“Charles, charge right in!” Lieder shouted, “With your speed, no one can stop you.”

That is my only choice now. Thinking of X’s situation, there is no room for concern. I cannot hesitate any longer!

“Charge in, my ass—the heck, where did he go? Charles, don’t run!”

Sorry, Yue Gang. I really cannot stop here. X is at death’s door…

“Hey! The guy you’re looking for isn’t here!”

I froze in my tracks and hesitated for a moment. I could not confirm whether Yue Gang’s words were true, though I did not suspect that he was lying. It was more likely that he was being tricked by others.

“My old man has already left to chase them. He wanted me to stay here to warn you that this place is an empty shell, and E.X is in the motorcade.”

I froze, then instantly returned to stand in front of Yue Gang.

Yue Gang stared at me with wide eyes and shouted, “How can you run so fast? Are you teleporting?”

“I’m using drugs.”

“H-How could you take drugs? Do you think I won’t arrest you and throw you in jail, you idiot!” Yue Gang asked in worry, “What did you take? Snow? Obsidian? Zombie Hop? This stuff is all terrible! If you keep eating it, it won’t take long before you have to start wearing diapers!”

“Concentrated human blood.”

“… This doesn’t seem illegal.”

This was not the time for idle chit-chat. I anxiously asked, “Did you say that X was in the motorcade? How would the Church dare to transport him out of here? Were they not going to kill him at dawn?”

Yue Gang scratched his head and said, “You’re asking me so many questions, but I don’t have a clue either.” He looked at Father Alex.

I had actually wanted to hear Yue Gang explain it personally. Though Father Alex appeared to be an ally rather than an enemy, I found myself unable to fully trust him.

Perhaps he had known that, and that was why Yue Gang was here? If the person calling me had not been Yue Gang, I most likely would not have stopped, not even if it had been Father Yue.

Father Alex explained, “Charles, you can’t go in. All that’s left in the Sin Elimination Committee is the suicide squad. This place is a giant trap. The moment you step into the heart of the place, there will be an explosion and you’ll be blown to smithereens.”