Chapter 173: Prologue 2 - Showing One's Face |
Shi Rang did not know A Wei very well. Although the man was his coach and bodyguard, they rarely communicated. Shi Rang only knew that the other party was not very talkative.
After walking down the street for a while, the streetlights flickered on in unison. Many residents were out strolling and visiting neighbors. It was yet another peaceful night in the Operations Zone's small town.
Shi Rang, who had only visited two or three small diners, took the initiative to ask, "Do you know where the crowds usually gather? I plan to go out and show my face."
"Over by the plaza," A Wei replied, pointing in a specific direction.
The two immediately turned toward that area, and soon found themselves walking alongside many others heading the same way.
People continuously sized Shi Rang up with unfamiliar and curious gazes, as if it were his very first day moving here. There was nothing he could do about it; at his core, he was still a homebody who disliked going out. The only time he had visited more places was during his investigation into the Duplicate.
Along the way, they also encountered several veteran employees from the purchasing department. Most of them forced a polite greeting to Shi Rang, while a few pretended not to see him at all.
A former leader who had already stepped down and never held much real power to begin with truly had no say. Shi Rang was not angry; instead, he felt quite at ease.
He was not the type to throw his weight around and bully others. Status aside, he was merely an ordinary man with rich emotions who longed for a peaceful life.
However, upon reaching the location, Shi Rang could not help but feel disappointed.
Having witnessed the prosperity of the Second District's Capital, he found this plaza, with its scattered shops and sparse stalls, to be utterly dull.
The surrounding area could not even compare to a fresh produce market, and one could finish browsing everything in less than ten minutes. The only places to buy things were two small convenience stores. Some of the snacks inside were almost as old as he was, giving him the distinct feeling of returning to the rural countryside of his childhood.
Shi Rang forced himself to muster some enthusiasm and browsed through the flea market set up by the residents. After buying two shiny little stones as a gift for Ying Shang, nothing else caught his eye.
"Is this all there is?" Shi Rang asked, stuffing the small gift and its packaging into his pocket.
The burly figure who had been following behind him, towering a full head taller than Shi Rang, replied, "Yeah, this is it."
"Sigh."
Shi Rang withdrew the unrealistic fantasies that had been lingering in his mind.
The Ying Shang he knew would never like a place like this. She was not the reclusive type of artistic painter. On the contrary, she loved binge-watching shows and playing video games. She would chat passionately online with others about her favorite works and frequently share interesting videos from anime conventions with him. Both of them were complete homebodies, yet neither could stand dull and desolate environments.
This small town was fine for a short vacation, but living here was simply far too boring.
Because the Bureau censored information, the television only had a few channels, and the internet connection was poor.
No wonder the streets were full of people every night. They were all completely unable to stay cooped up indoors and had come out looking for some excitement.
Disappointed, Shi Rang found an empty corner and sat down on a bench. When A Wei followed suit and took a seat, the wooden bench let out an overwhelmed creak.
"Do you not like this place?" A Wei asked.
The tall, broad-shouldered man rarely used honorifics, unlike Jing Zi, who was always so cautious and respectful. Truthfully, Shi Rang quite liked this trait of his.
"The place is nice, but it is just boring. Having lived in the Capital, looking at any other small city makes them feel like rural townships."
"It should be a good place for retirement. When I was a soldier, there was a similar town nearby."
"This is the first time I have heard you mention that. Where did you serve before?"
"Nanshan Province."
Shi Rang recalled the provincial divisions of the Second District. "The southern border. Were you in the army?"
A Wei showed a rare moment of awkwardness. After a while, he squeezed out a quiet reply, "..."
"... The navy."
Shi Rang could not hold back and burst into laughter.
A moment later, A Wei chuckled as well.
The Second District was an inland nation that did not border the sea at all. Its navy could only practice sailing ships in lakes.
Honestly speaking, there were not many places in the world with a developed navy. The open ocean was simply too treacherous. He had never heard of any district maintaining a large-scale fleet. Even if they did, who would they fight? The reefs exposed above the surface of the sea?
The coastal waters did have bustling commercial shipping lanes, but ships still had to evade sudden near-shore storms and the landfalling black tides. These natural disasters often affected coastal cities, causing severe losses of life and property.
Therefore, the most developed regions were always inland.
"With a physique like yours, how did you end up in the navy? I thought you were in the special forces or something."
"I was just confusingly drafted into it," A Wei vaguely brushed over the matter. "I didn't serve for many years. After I was discharged, I joined the organization."
"That sounds a bit like just looking for a job?"
"You could say that. After I accidentally learned the truth about the world, I couldn't just sit still anymore. I always thought about finding a place to do something. The Society treats its people well, so I've been working as a mercenary up until now."
This was probably the true portrayal of ordinary members in the Ascension Society. Many Ascenders had also joined peacefully. People like Jing Zi and Shi Rang, who had clear goals and spent all day carrying deep-seated grudges, were actually in the minority.
How one lived their life was still living, right?
Besides, the authorities had not even classified the Ascension Society as a terrorist organization.
No matter how much the three major organizations fought, they basically always resolved their problems in the shadows and covered them up afterward.
A strange thought popped into Shi Rang's mind. "Then why didn't you join the Pan-Continent Alliance?"
A Wei nervously replied once more, "I was screened out in the first round...
"
Shi Rang sat up straight in awe. Recalling how A Wei had effortlessly tossed him around like a child during their sparring sessions, it was simply unimaginable. "Are their requirements really that strict?"
"They only want the elite."
'Just how strong must Investigator Scarlett be then...' However, someone who could carry a heavy machine gun and lay down suppressing fire for so long was certainly not an ordinary person.
When Shi Rang had first learned how to use a gun, he got overly excited and wanted to experience heavy firepower. As a result, A Wei directly brought him an iron block of similar weight. Let alone holding the thing up to aim, Shi Rang could not even lift it for very long.
A question gradually surfaced in Shi Rang's mind, but with people coming and going in the plaza, it was not a good place to talk. He gestured for A Wei to stand up, and just as he planned to move to a quieter spot, he happened to catch sight of a food cart chugging into the plaza.
Glancing at the signboard, his eyes lit up, and he immediately ran over to order food.
He had finally found something that interested him.
The food cart Boss took a baked potato out of some aluminum foil, sliced it open down the middle with a knife, smeared butter on both sides, and sprinkled it with salt and black pepper. The butter melted in the steam rising from the potato, emitting a familiar fragrance that had accompanied Shi Rang for many years. Whenever he failed to buy discounted bread that was about to expire, this was how he ate to save money.
However, back then, Shi Rang had been too reluctant to use as much butter as the Boss was using now, let alone adding a handful of overflowing cheese into the middle of the potato and finally topping it off with meat sauce.
Now, he had finally found an opportunity to make it up to himself.
He bought a portion for A Wei as well, and the two of them held their paper cartons, eating as they walked back to their residence.
The baked potato with its skin still on was incredibly fragrant. A late-night snack bursting with calories could also bring a deep sense of happiness. Shi Rang unconsciously began to feel homesick again. He started to miss her, and a hint of melancholy unexpectedly washed over him once more.
'I wonder how Ying Shang is eating in the Bureau...'
Shi Rang ate quite fast, but when he closed his carton and looked for a trash can, he realized the packaging in A Wei's hands had long since vanished. He turned onto a small path leading to the edge of the town, tossed his trash into the bin, and took advantage of the naturally good mood that came from a full stomach to ask, "Have you ever killed anyone for the Society, A Wei?"
"I have," the burly man replied without any hesitation.
"How many?"
"Two. Both were Alliance Field Agents."
Shi Rang felt the food get stuck deep in his throat. He swallowed hard to force it down. "What happened at the time?"
"When I went out with the Deacon, we bumped into Alliance Field Agents killing an Ascender. The Deacon told me to open fire immediately. Unfortunately, we couldn't save that Ascender. His injuries were too severe, and he didn't survive long enough to reach the Stronghold."
Shi Rang fell into a heavy silence.
That was right. The Alliance's primary objective was to cleanse Anomalies... which included people who possessed anomalous traits.
"Without an order, I try my best not to open fire," A Wei said. "You probably won't get dragged into similar battles. After all, you belong to the Head. A big shot should just stay at the Stronghold or at home and wait for good news."
"I am not that kind of big shot." Shi Rang shook his head.
On the rest of the way back, they did not speak again.
Shi Rang was pondering the problems between the factions.
The Alliance and the Bureau both wanted to kill members of the Ascension Society, and the latter wanted to kill their people as well.
Were these three factions, all of which shouted slogans about protecting humanity, truly as incompatible as fire and water?
Was there really no way to get them to reach an agreement? Like how the Alliance and the Bureau, despite having completely different core principles, were still able to form a pact, at least maintaining a standoff and putting a halt to a state of open war?
He knew that he was mostly just using the Ascension Society, rather than truly belonging to it, but he still did not wish for the faction he was in to remain like this.
A somewhat whimsical idea, yet one with a very high probability of success, began to brew in Shi Rang's mind.
Upon returning to his residence, he initiated contact with A Piao to test out whether this idea was actually viable.
"If the Star Child Order never ends up taking the opportunity to loot the Eye of God, does that mean the alarm is lifted?"
A few minutes later, A Piao replied.
Its answer was unexpected.
"Quite the opposite. Over the past few years, the activities of the cults worshipping the Blood Red God have become increasingly frequent—it might be related to the emergence of more and more Anomalies, but their abilities are strengthening. As far as I know, they believe that the Day of Termination mentioned in their doctrine is fast approaching. Either way, it is not a good sign."
Shi Rang: "If the organization obtained the Eye of God, what would we use it for?"
"On this point, we are actually aligned with the Bureau—'containment.' That thing is far too dangerous; it could easily destroy the entire world just because of someone's casual remark. However, we are not as rigid as the Bureau. We are willing to use Anomalies to contain Anomalies."
Shi Rang pondered for a moment.
Given the defensive measures surrounding the Eye of God, if the Star Child successfully stole the Containment Object, it would prove that the Bureau's defensive forces had completely failed. That would undoubtedly be a disaster. Meanwhile, relying solely on the Ascension Society's armed forces to directly snatch the Containment Object was almost impossible, and there was absolutely no chance of cooperation between the Star Child and the Ascension Society.
If the Ascension Society wanted to enter the fray, they would definitely have to target the Star Child Order when their guard was down after successfully obtaining the item.
In other words, this plan essentially treated the Ascension Society as a group of "volunteers," utilizing them as a secondary insurance policy.
Shi Rang would not overlook the selfish desires involved in this. Ultimately, it was still about claiming a tremendously powerful and extremely dangerous Containment Object for themselves rather than leaving it in the hands of their enemies. The Ascension Society saw this opportunity and took action; that was the fundamental reason.
The main objective of the Ascension Society was to create a new world, not destroy it. Although the Eye of God was a wish-granting machine, it was impossible to use it to do good deeds.
With this in mind, Shi Rang finally made up his mind.
They might not have a common goal, but they could have a common enemy.
Perhaps he could quietly facilitate a "joint operation" against a common enemy from the shadows.
"I have a way to prompt the Star Child to make a move."
A Piao: "Oh? Not speaking your mind directly, are you starting to learn how to keep me in suspense?"
"No, I am just not completely certain, so I do not dare draw any absolute conclusions. Simply put, I want to apply some pressure to their Followers and give them a sense of crisis."
A Piao: "Do you need the Society to send people?"
"No need."
A Piao: "Then I will wait and see."
What Shi Rang said was completely true. He really did have a way to apply pressure to the Star Child. What could possibly make those Cultists feel a greater sense of crisis than the complete annihilation of their fellow Followers?
As for the source of his intelligence and the root of his confidence, that would be Agent Kyle.
The squad codenamed Alpha-10 was currently holding a pre-battle briefing at this very moment.
And their target was precisely the group worshipping the Blood Red God in the Ninth District—the Black Assembly.