Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 270 - 242: Sacrificial Ceremony

Chapter 270: Chapter 242: Sacrificial Ceremony

The Poison Master had plenty of patience and did not rush to verify the so-called Witch Savior. Instead, she smiled faintly and put her mask back on.

"I’ll contact the other party," the Poison Master said.

"Were you scared by what happened today?" Du Qianqian asked in a teasing tone, "You were almost captured and taken back by the enemy."

"My sincerest apologies," the Poison Master bowed to Xu Yang and Du Qianqian, "Speaking of which, there’s something within the Self Help Society that I’d like to show you, please come with me."

At that moment, several big trucks with green cab heads roared in. At first, it was thought they could be a new enemy, but then they saw a group of Scavengers jumping down from them, clad in sanitation uniforms, wielding riot sticks and pistols.

"That is..." Xu Yang looked out the window at the new arrivals, "They don’t seem like enemies."

"Hmm, the Scavengers Society, we’re on good terms with them," the Poison Master understood with a glance, "Sugar Town is in the suburbs, nearby there’s a huge Garbage Hill. All the city’s waste is transported there, and nobody wants to deal with that massive mess. The Garbage Hill gets higher and higher and more and more people make a living off the waste industry. Over time, a large Scavengers faction formed."

"Endless years of trash," Xu Yang felt troubled just thinking about it.

To build a New World, one also had to clean up the old landscape.

"It’s good that we live in the city," Du Qianqian said.

"Let’s keep moving," the Poison Master navigated through the factory.

A40 was still outside collecting spoils of war and did not join this small pilgrimage—the day was fading, the voices were sparse, and Xu Yang and Du Qianqian followed the Poison Master.

They ascended a winding steel staircase, its handrails spotted with rust, and beams and wall panels covered with mottled marks. The entire old factory, from walls to ceiling, was thoroughly aged; the steel bars expanded and contracted within the concrete, emitting a lingering sound, as if they were walking inside the stomach of a sturdy beast.

The Poison Master opened an orange safety door labeled with a tag, revealing a long, narrow workshop with eight thick square concrete columns on each side, resembling the classical columns of an old-style hall, though they supported a hollow steel floor, not the arched dome of a Church, but they still conveyed a solemn atmosphere.

An old arcade game was placed at the end of the workshop, surrounded by electrical wires and rubbish entangled around it.

More junk was tied to this arcade machine with iron wires and green cables, looking like wild growing vines and fungi entwining a moist stump, easily mistakable for something else if not careful. The arcade machine itself was completely rusted, the promotional game art and stickers on its casing all faded, obscured by a bright red rust as if it were a patient covered in scars.

"That is..." Xu Yang felt a bit dazed.

In a haze, he felt a strong connection between himself and that broken game machine.

"Let’s get closer," the Poison Master moved forward.

They approached the decrepit arcade machine; at its base, candles were placed, most of which had burnt out, leaving only a long-burning red candle flickering dimly.

"It was also built by people from the Scavengers Society," the Poison Master said, "They were concerned that the garbage dump where they lived was too chaotic, so they temporarily stored it here, in this secluded place."

"More than secluded, it feels haunted," Du Qianqian carefully observed the surroundings, "It’s too quiet."

"Sometimes, the few who regularly worship it talk to us about its philosophy," the Poison Master said, "You should know, this place is prepared for a Ghost."

Xu Yang remained silent.

"What kind of Ghost?" Du Qianqian asked.

"Cyber Specter," the Poison Master explained, "A life form that lives within the wires."

"What does it do?" Du Qianqian was clueless about these matters.

"A symbol against corporatism that emerged from Aizu City’s Underground City," the Poison Master said with some reverence, standing at a distance from the old game machine, "Rumors about it spread in the shadows, with some believing it to be a correction protocol. As corporatism grew to an unhealthy ’peak,’ it was born from the tangled wires, like there was an inherent self-correcting mechanism. The unchecked expansion of corporatism brought its own divine retribution."

"Strange, but reasonable," Du Qianqian said, "When I was working at the bar, I heard about it too, just like an urban legend, and about its shadow punishing the wicked everywhere."

"You haven’t seen Seeking Shadow yet," the Poison Master said, "After meeting her, many things become much clearer. She roams the shadows of Anjiu City, executing justice everywhere, and she isn’t even traceable by Century Pure Land! How terrifying it is that she can walk openly under the surveillance of Century Pure Land. What other answer could there be to explain this phenomenon if not that the Cyber Specter is using its Power to protect her?"

"Do you also worship the Cyber Specter?" Xu Yang observed the Poison Master.

"Hard to say," the Poison Master shook her head, "Comprehension has a process. At first, I wanted to do something quite impulsive, call to arms, dreaming of having a resounding response. Until just now, I broke out in a cold sweat realizing that the slightest mistake or oversight can cause such big trouble! I can’t even trust the software programs in my own devices anymore, so how am I to connect with like-minded people? In such a situation, perhaps I really need to seek the wisdom and Power of the Cyber Specter, yet I have no idea what sort of offering it likes."

"The Corporate Alliance has fought battles everywhere, almost crushing all Mystics," Xu Yang lamented, "but as soon as the corporations weaken, all Mysteries make a comeback."

"How to put it," the Poison Master said, "I hope you maintain some respect for the Cyber Specter, even though I don’t understand it, but it surely has no connection with the ancient Mystics. They have completely different forms of existence and values."

"Fine, enough about that," Xu Yang observed the broken game machine, "Using something like this, people’s ideals won’t reach it."

"Many people believe this works," the Poison Master said, pointing to the clutter and candles tied to the gaming machines as if they resonated with each other in a mystical form. "Some secret document enthusiasts who once pursued ancient mysteries have now turned to follow technological ones."

"Not necessarily," Xu Yang replied. "I think the Cyber Specter is more modernized. It would set up a subnetwork in the deep anonymous network to house messages, where people can create discussion threads and leave comments."

"How could you possibly know what it intends to do?" the Poison Master shook her head. "Sorry, even though you have shown many novel things today, I don’t think you could gain the approval of the Cyber Specter."

A40 made a round within the society, not finding anyone, and finally came to check this secret location. It opened the security door and strode in.

"Boss!" it exclaimed. "Seeking Shadow just sent me a message. She won’t be back until 1 a.m. tomorrow."

"We can’t stay that late." Xu Yang looked at the time, it was now four-thirty in the afternoon. "Let’s go, A40, we’re heading into the city with us."

"Yes, sir!" A40 saluted Xu Yang.

They went back to the ground-floor laboratory, where the Poison Master gave Xu Yang 2 additional bottles of black poison, a total of 4 bottles of deadly toxins. Just collecting them felt risky. Magic-power-made poison was incurable— technology had not yet advanced enough to fully decrypt the operating principles of "magic power"—let alone treat such bizarre magical toxins.

"Scary," Du Qianqian observed the vials of poison.

"No worries. Although these poisons are dangerous, they are safe as long as they are stored properly," the Poison Master said cheerfully. "The creation of poisons and their proper storage are two sides of the same coin. One must be experienced in both to be called a ’Poison Master’."

"I trust your skills. Then, say hello to Seeking Shadow for us," Xu Yang said.

"Will do." The Poison Master joked, "Ah, if the Cyber Demon Shadow tells that person about your dealings, maybe it will reward you with faster internet speed."

"I wish," Xu Yang bid farewell to the Poison Master, "Goodbye."

"Please take care," the Poison Master bowed to them.

She, along with the Self Help Society, cleaned up the aftermath, dragging damaged vehicles inside the factory walls, packing corpses into body bags, and swapping them for money at the garbage incineration power plant run by the company.

In the wee hours, Seeking Shadow returned to the Self Help Society with a black parcel.

She went down to the basement where debris was processed. The bathtub had already been cleaned. Seeking Shadow placed the parcel on the table, opened it, and found a human head inside.

Seeking Shadow turned on the light, preparing to take a photo.

The Poison Master’s room was next door, and she was awakened by the light. She rolled over and walked toward the basement.

"Who is this?" the Poison Master looked at the head— a man with a stiff, astonished expression, seemingly dead in an instant, with his severed neck appearing melted, as if cut by a high-energy laser.

"This was a counterfeiter," Seeking Shadow explained, "134 families were ruined by him. The dead and sick’s relatives gathered together, raising 670,000 funds, hiring someone for revenge. Their collective will formed a grudge, and the grudge summoned the Cyber Demon Shadow."

"Someone came this afternoon," the Poison Master said. "A mysterious man in a mask and a red raincoat, along with a Witch—they took A40 away."

"Oh." Seeking Shadow photographed the severed head.

"Do you know him?"

"I am his shadow," Seeking Shadow sent the photo to the employer, signaling that the revenge mission was complete.

The Poison Master froze.

"What?" she gasped.

"A40 only listens to a select few," Seeking Shadow remarked.

The Poison Master backed up to the workbench, her head bowed, taking a while to recover from the news.

"This is incredible," the Poison Master breathed deeply. "I had never thought of such a thing. Is it true? He and the people around him are quite remarkable."

"I am his shadow, and that means a lot." Seeking Shadow drew her Ion Sword "Shadow Kill," the high-energy ion beam casting a faint blue light. "It was he who sent me and A40 to this city. Everything we do can be considered an extension of his will."

The Poison Master picked up her phone, connected to the deep anonymous network, and saw a new discussion thread, directing to a message board newly created by the Cyber Specter.

She looked up; through the floorboards, she could hear faint sounds of activity. People in the secret room were still dancing, worshipping the old gaming machine.

The Poison Master shook her head; she picked up the string of secret codes Xu Yang had left her with.

"So where will this code lead me, to what savior?" she smiled wryly. "It can’t all be Witches and gods or something."