Chapter 130 |
This time, he was truly prepared.
Han Su had been closely observing the changes in the mechanical fragment's pointer, which now hovered between "1" and "2".
If his guess was correct, then in just a little over a day, The Flash would descend.
For Wei Lan, this was an incredibly exciting operation.
While this operation was perhaps destined to be one whose progress others could not perceive, Han Su had indeed made thorough preparations this time.
Noticing the resolve in Han Su's eyes, Wei Lan asked no further questions, though her expression remained somewhat complex.
Before leaving, she suddenly stepped forward and gave Han Su a light hug, whispering, "I don't know what we're up against."
"But don't shoulder everything yourself; you're too exhausted."
"You know what? You're actually quite handsome. If you had a sex change, you might even pass the preliminary trials for our organization—"
"..."
After seeing Wei Lan off, Han Su checked himself in the mirror: What's this about light or no light? Whose eyes look like light bulbs?
His eyes were clearly no different, aside from being a little bloodshot...
And wasn't he full of fighting spirit right now?
Whether it was the hidden nooks and crannies the black cat had led him through on his last visit to the Dark Castle, or the various rescue plans that had emerged in his mind concerning the secret passages, everything had fueled a powerful sense of anticipation and a desire for challenge this time around.
The Flash had descended countless times, yet this was the very first time he actually felt a strange anticipation about returning to the Dark Castle.
Returning from the base this time was precisely for this purpose. Since he was currently in training, he didn't need to worry about being assigned missions. Therefore, he spent the remaining time meticulously refining the action plan in his mind, piece by piece.
There was so much!
After leaving the Dark Castle last time, he had begun to repeatedly memorize the locations of all the hidden passages and monsters throughout the castle.
Beyond the plans he had devised himself, he even attempted to construct a rough mental map of the Dark Castle's layout and its various passages.
Then, he simulated, over and over, how to bypass the monsters within the Dark Castle, how to successfully rescue the children, given that he now roughly knew the monsters' positions, movement patterns, and the rescue targets' locations and states.
He refined it repeatedly, with more focus than any previous attempt, and his objective was clearer than ever.
Everything else was clear, except for the Brass Key's current unknown location, which could be on any monster.
After meticulously refining his thoughts countless times in his mind, Han Su's eyes snapped open, a hint of ruthlessness flickering within them:
He had to save them!
Qinggang City, even with the protection of Zhang Chiguo and Ai Xiaojie, held too many uncertainties. Instead, Xu Ji and Wei Lan were the ones most worthy of his trust, even to the point of entrusting everything to them.
Only by rescuing them would he truly be able to survive better in this world.
Therefore, no matter what he faced returning to the Dark Castle this time, he would execute the plan he had finalized in his mind. Unlike previous times, which were primarily focused on escape, this time, he was going in to save people!
Pondering this, Han Su, sitting alone in his apartment, glanced at the countdown on the mechanical fragment; it was now just a few minutes shy of "0".
He quietly straightened his posture.
...
...
And just as Han Su had completed all his preparations, waiting only to return to the Dark Castle once more, in a certain building in the center of Qinggang City, on the highest floor, a humanoid vessel slowly opened.
As dark brown sewage flowed out, the surrounding staff, despite already wearing respirators, couldn't help but take a step back.
The liquid within the vessel was truly unbearable due to its hazardous nature and pungent odor. Even if one couldn't smell it, a mere glance was enough to induce a strong psychological discomfort.
Yet, after that single step back, they forced themselves to hold their ground.
They all knew that the entity inside had a bad temper, and they knew even better that this transformation process had encountered several unforeseen complications, not only extending the transformation time but also leaving them uncertain if the pre-transformation effects had even been achieved.
Hiss...
As the last of the liquid drained away, the humanoid figure inside remained motionless.
Just as the staff outside grew anxious, even somewhat fearful, the hand inside finally began to slowly lift and move.
"Quick, quick..."
The white-coated individual overseeing the operation immediately grew nervous, frantically waving their hand. The staff behind them instantly pushed forward a huge cage. Inside the cage were live chickens, ducks, sheep, dogs, and even coiled snakes.
They pushed the cage in front of the vessel, then, suppressing their uncontrollably pounding hearts, lowered their heads.
The entity within the vessel, hearing the movements of the living creatures, increased its range of motion. Slowly, it lifted its hand and gripped the side of the vessel.
Suddenly, the hand exerted immense force. The fingers, swollen from being steeped, seemed to turn to steel. In a flash, he bolted directly from the vessel and into the cage. The next moment, the staff hastily ripped off the black cloth covering the cage, lest outsiders witness what was happening inside. All that could be heard was a chaotic scramble within the cage, accompanied by the bleating of sheep, and a strong, metallic stench of blood permeated the air.
For a long, long time, the commotion inside quieted, until a soft tapping against the bars emerged. The staff outside exchanged glances, then hastily pushed the cage to the adjacent room, where a massive swimming pool awaited.
With a "thump," something slipped from the cage into the pool. Traces of blood, mingled with chicken and duck feathers, floated on the surface.
Ten minutes later, something finally crawled onto the shore: a tall man with a pallid body, utterly naked, with a slender build and not a single hair, including on his head. His physique possessed a near-perfect, marble-sculpture-like state.
But looking at his body, the staff were suddenly slightly alarmed.
This nearly perfect body, however, bore two undeniable flaws: one was his chest, which had a terrifying gash, from which blood faintly seeped.
The other was his right eye, which was actually incomplete, as if it had been pierced through by something, the eyeball shriveled.
Ignoring the gazes of those around him, the man walked directly to a full-length mirror. Staff immediately came forward to wipe his body, then presented him with a pure white suit to change into.
Someone had even anticipated his lack of hair and brought him three specially made wigs, trying them on one by one, keeping only a golden one.
As for his blind eye, preparations had also been made long ago; a black eye patch was placed over it.
His leather shoes were laced up, his white suit adorned with a red tie. Finally, a snakeskin briefcase was placed in his hand by a staff member. He then slightly raised his head, looking at his reflection in the mirror.
Appearing somewhat satisfied, he gave a slight nod. Turning from the full-length mirror, he faced the surrounding staff and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Thank you, everyone. You've all worked hard during this period."
"Is there anything you need to tell me?"
"..."
The staff exchanged glances until the elderly individual overseeing the work nodded. Only then did an assistant hastily step forward, presenting a document to him, and simultaneously whispered, "Someone from the Disaster Management Bureau has just obtained an Investigator's Credentials."
"Song Chu Shi, he infiltrated Qinggang once and killed someone..."
"The Queen Organization's beauty pageant will soon begin its official competition. Not long ago, they even held a banquet at Lilac Mansion with this as the theme, causing quite a stir, yet no one reported it to the Disaster Management Bureau in the end."
"Furthermore, Zhang Chiguo visited not long ago, saying he suspected... suspected that we here had once released a signal that affected the Anchor of the Dead Sea."
"..."
The man read the contents of the document in silence, his gaze fixed on the photograph of the person within the file. Slowly, his lips curved into a strange, eerie smile:
"So fast..."
"I merely rested for a month, and he managed to exploit such a huge loophole?"
"Song Chu Shi, heh heh, this old friend of mine, quite decisive in his actions..."
"..."
Accompanying this eerie smile, everyone in the room felt an invisible dread, their hearts trembling. Yet, unexpectedly, he merely pushed the document aside, his expression suddenly turning exceptionally cold:
"I know all these things."
"Also, send someone to tell Zhang Chiguo that I did not influence the Nail of the Dead Sea. Although my consciousness did experience a leap and traveled there, my thoughts immediately returned to my body after being obstructed."
"As for who is using the Disaster Management Bureau's authority to harm people, tell him to investigate in a different direction!"
"..."
As he spoke, he carried the snakeskin briefcase and slowly walked to a spot on the top floor near the floor-to-ceiling windows. Overlooking Qinggang City, an endless urban sprawl, he subtly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his calm expression contained an endless madness:
"Of course, I wasn't the one causing harm that time, but later on, I can't make any guarantees..."
"Who told him to finally abandon the protection of reality and ultimately enter this circle?"
"Now, whatever I do, it won't be a violation of the contract, will it?"
His smile grew even more insane, and he suddenly stood up, his expression sinister and terrifying: "Now then, give me the Crystal Skull's data. We'll deal with those madmen first!"
...
...
At the same time, in Qinggang City's Eastern District, an apartment.
As the pointer on the mechanical fragment finally, slowly and arduously, moved towards "zero," Han Su suddenly heard the familiar ticking sound of machinery.
Not only did the mechanical fragment before him emit a ticking sound, but he also experienced a similar auditory hallucination in his ears.
It was only at this moment that all his conjectures were finally confirmed.
His eyes slightly parted, revealing an unprecedented determination: "Old thing, let's see if you can stop me this time!"
No more extra chapters today. I'll update after midnight. This time, the Dark Castle plot is quite concise; I'll finish it in one day so you don't have to wait. Isn't that sincerity?
(End of Chapter)
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