Light Fortress
Chapter 727 - 2: Teacher’s Message

Chapter 727: Chapter 2: Teacher’s Message

East Continent, Da Du District.

The night on the river bank was as tranquil as ever.

The woman in red and white ritual attire was holding a sweet potato, eating it little by little.

This was the most delicious food she had had in a while.

Perhaps because she was about to "dissipate," the last meal always tasted the best... Chu Ling silently thought to herself.

So, she needed to eat slower, even slower.

The two strolled on the riverside, quietly walking along the bank, until Chu Ling found an old yet clean wooden bench and sat down. They snuggled together and watched the lights in the river world, one by one, going out.

Thousands of words lay in the silence.

Gu Shen felt the slight trembling of the woman in his arms.

It was like a cat fluffing up its fur.

That was actually the flow and dispersion of the Extraordinary Essence...

The "Prayer Technique" of Divine Temple Mountain had reached its limit.

The life of Chu Ling’s body was about to burn out.

In the night of Yinghai District, someone lit fireworks, the distant heavens bursting forth in sprays of light.

Chu Ling watched the fireworks in front of her.

She seemed to understand something, smiled softly, and murmured, "So this is what ’dying’ feels like ah..."

Chu Ling raised her hand.

The golden threads around her fingertips spilled out uncontrollably.

From this moment on, Chu Ling could no longer use Divination Skill because she was losing her physical body, and losing her physical body meant she could no longer pay the price to spy on fate.

Chu Ling was somewhat sentimental.

About the feeling of "death," Tie Wu had described it quite vividly, but it seemed he only got half of it right.

Chu Ling quietly extended her hand, trying to frame the night sky aglow with fireworks like a camera, leaving herself this last image before "death"... It turned out death was really like fireworks.

Only her death was more like separating the two characters of the word fireworks.

Scattering like smoke.

Withering like flowers.

It was a slow process... As the fireworks faded, so did she.

The two nestled on the bench, thus becoming one.

Gu Shen gazed at the red and white ritual attire scattered on the bench; the faint fragrance still hung in the air, while the girl who had traveled south with him had dissipated into the long night.

His expression was complex.

Gu Shen reached out with both hands to pick up the scattered robe; then, from within the robe, emerged the small head of an orange cat.

"Meow."

The orange cat looked puzzled.

It couldn’t understand how the nice-smelling girl who had just held it had vanished in an instant?

...

...

"Gu Shen!"

The tranquility of the night on the river bank did not last long.

A familiar voice called out from behind; holding the orange cat, Gu Shen turned around to look.

An old acquaintance.

"Big Year?"

He looked at the man who wore a motorcycle helmet and walked a bit unsteadily, due to its top-heavy weight, and could not help but smile.

After many days apart, Hu Danian still looked the same.

Only when he vigorously pulled off his helmet did Gu Shen realize he was wrong.

Hu Danian had grown long flowing hair, but paired with a tight brown motorcycle outfit, he resembled...

Gu Shen was pondering the adjective.

Hu Danian laughed heartily, "Tell me loudly, do I look like a majestic lion now!"

"No, more like a bear in heat."

Gu Shen sighed.

He stood up and embraced Hu Danian perfunctorily.

A reunion after a long absence.

Big Year was still the same Big Year.

"Headquarters said they needed to see you... but your ’Spiritual Link’ was closed to the outside."

Hu Danian scratched his head and said, "The madam and Mr. Xiao Cui gave me your location, I thought it wouldn’t be hard to find you... so I set off... but, what, you’re just here watching the moon alone tonight?"

Gu Shen chuckled bitterly.

Clearly, the madam and Mr. Xiao Cui knew he and Chu Ling were on a secret trip south.

That’s why they didn’t disturb him.

Only... this blockhead Hu Danian didn’t know that news.

"Hey wait, something’s off."

Hu Danian glanced at the bench, saw a set of women’s clothes, then looked at Gu Shen with a weird expression, "You didn’t..."

"Ah..."

Gu Shen sighed deeply.

What a headache.

Explaining this garment would be troublesome...

He stretched out his hand, signaling Hu Danian to come closer, and then flicked a thread of Chi Huo into the center of Hu Danian’s forehead.

Rather than explain,

Gu Shen chose to just erase this "bad" memory from Hu Danian’s mind with Chi Huo.

Direct and efficient.

Knocking someone down just after meeting, Gu Shen felt a bit apologetic.

However...it wasn’t deep.

After all, this wasn’t the first time for Hu Danian.

"Brother Danian, you should just get some good sleep," someone said.

...

...

Huazhi Building.

Gu Shen pushed open the door to the conference room on the top floor and, as he expected, a small emergency meeting was underway. All of his acquaintances were there: Lu Nanzhi, Cui Zhongcheng, and Chen San, a councilor from South Bay.

"Just you alone?"

Lu Nanzhi looked at this unexpected visitor, smiled, and took a sip of coffee. "Didn’t Miss Chu come with you?"

She was indeed here... and was watching you all.

Gu Shen smiled, resisted the urge to say the previous statement, and softly replied, "She went back first."

"Actually, the headquarters didn’t want to disturb your vacation."

Senator Chen San looked sincere, glanced at his wristwatch, and slowly said, "By all accounts... you should be sweetly vacationing by the river bank, shouldn’t you?"

"It would be sweet if someone hadn’t sent out the coordinates."

Gu Shen pulled up a chair, slowly turned it around, and said with a smile, "Mr. Xiao Cui, I hope you didn’t accidentally let Hu Danian see those coordinates... With his personality, it seems you’re the only one who would understand him here."

At that moment Senator Chen San understood why Gu Shen had come to this building.

It was the result of Cui Zhongcheng sending someone to "invite" him.

"Although the two councilors expressed a wish not to disturb you, I personally felt it was necessary to disturb you a bit, as this matter is best handled by me,"

Cui Zhongcheng’s fingers were interlocked, and he didn’t deny his actions but instead looked towards the large screen, calmly stating, "After all, the news transmitted back from North Continent this time might have something to do with your mentor..."

Gu Shen’s expression turned grave.

East Continent had entered a briefly stable period now, with Changye Great Capital both possessing perfect "helmsmen." In such a situation, the headquarters would notify him for only two reasons.

Either there was a problem with the Qingzhong Cemetery.

Or it involved the mentor from North Continent.

The super large disaster realm at Moon City Fortress had been expanding for a whole year, during which the Empress of North Continent had chosen to tolerate the expansion of the disaster realm with great resolve.

Unfortunately... no news of his mentor had ever come out of the Moon City disaster realm.

"Fifteen days ago, a squad from the Investigation Corps left from Gu Castle Fortress."

Cui Zhongcheng spoke slowly, "This squad is under the command of General Bai Xi, and every member is an elite from the Investigation Corps. The mission this time is named ’Labyrinth Thirty-Eight’ in the Deep Sea database."

On the screen.

A region was magnified.

It was a map north of Gu Castle Fortress, outside the giant wall, almost a vast fog, a "land of disorder" swallowed by Extraordinary Essence and covered by Black Holes.

Even the "Deep Sea" couldn’t extend beyond the giant wall.

For many years, humanity could only incrementally perfect the map beyond the giant wall through their own exploration... and within this mist, a narrow curving line meandered.

Gu Shen narrowed his eyes, focusing on this map, memorizing it into his mind.

He noticed that the destination of this map seemed to be a Snow Mountain Canyon.

"The mission of this elite team was to find the correct path out of this canyon..." Cui Zhongcheng said calmly, "however, the North Continent Army had already determined that the mission had failed."

"The mission failed?"

Gu Shen furrowed his brows.

"After leaving the giant wall, ’Deep Sea’ could not provide assistance, but the Investigation Corps of the North Continent had a sealed item that could sense the ’life and death status’... On the scheduled return date, the life status of all the Transcendents in the squad changed to deceased."

Gu Shen understood what Cui Zhongcheng meant.

’Deep Sea’ could not provide help, so information outside the giant wall needed to be brought back by the Transcendent squad.

And each exploration could potentially face a situation of total loss.

Once the entire army was annihilated.

Then the Investigation Corps inside the giant wall would need to make adjustments.

"That sealed item is called the ’Book of Life and Death’."

It was then that Gu Zhi, the gray-clad elder who had been quietly waiting by Senator Chen San, suddenly spoke up, "Every Transcendent leaving the giant wall must register in the ’Book of Life and Death’, and this registration means leaving one’s own blood. Each Transcendent’s Spiritual Imprint is unique; the ’Book of Life and Death’ can form a response with it... Theoretically, as long as the Spiritual Imprint is not erased, the Transcendent is still alive."

He had once participated in the giant wall mission of the North Continent Investigation Corps.

And the injuries he bore were also sustained at that time.

"So... the erasure of these people’s Spiritual Imprints is enough to prove that they are dead."

Cui Zhongcheng continued, "After the ’Book of Life and Death’ confirmed their deaths, ’Deep Sea’ determined that the mission ’Maze Thirty-Eight’ had completely failed. Just when the Investigation Corps was preparing to deploy another team for the ’Maze Thirty-Nine’ mission... something unexpected happened."

A picture appeared on the screen.

It was a blurry image sent back by the North Continent Army.

A man covered in blood was lying on a stretcher... Gu Shen remembered this man’s face, he was the captain of the six-man squad.

"Hong Zhong, a Spiritual Extraordinary with the ability ’Red Dice’, ninth level strength in the deep water area, served as the captain of the seventh elite squad of the Investigation Corps."

Lu Nanzhi, watching the man on the screen, said calmly, "He has returned alive."

This was the unexpected event.

Gu Shen fell silent.

Chu Ling, back in the Zero Zero One Spirit Space, also fell silent.

"This... is impossible."

After thinking for a long time, Chu Ling had her answer, "Putting aside all the irrational points, just the time to return to the North Continent from the mission target point, fifteen days are simply not enough."

Not to mention that this was a team that had encountered unexpected conditions.

"Don’t rush to be surprised, because there’s something even more incredible..."

Lu Nanzhi said, "He insists that he saw the ’Oasis’ and furthermore, he saw other survivors there. As evidence, Hong Zhong submitted an item to the North Continent Army."

"It was a piece of broken wood..."

On the screen, a piece of purple wood was continuously magnified.

"Through trace analysis and scent detection... the initial calculations by ’Deep Sea’ suggest this piece of wood has a 67% chance of originating from Zhou Jiren’s staff."

...

...

(PS: TAT is a major promotion period, I really want to add more updates, but the outline for the new volume is more important, so today there are only two Chapters. I will add more after I streamline the outline.)