Living in the Doomsday and Becoming an Immortal Alone
Chapter 63 - 49: Crystal Core Obtained

Chapter 63: Chapter 49: Crystal Core Obtained

"Cough cough! Ha, ha..."

In the somewhat low passageways, Kong Nu leaned against the slightly heated light-conducting pipes, his standard protective suit wrinkled from the constant battering against his subcutaneous fat.

Kong Nu gasped repeatedly for air.

Having crawled a considerable distance within the pipe, he now needed to recover his strength.

Hum, hum.

The familiar vibration sound.

Kong Nu opened his briefcase and took out his communicator from a stack of paper documents.

This communicator had nothing to do with his family, it wasn’t his wife or children checking in to report their safety.

Kong Nu felt that he had done enough for his family, having fulfilled his duty to them he had helped them escape to Fortress 82. What else could he do?

Kong Nu of course knew, with Professor Zhuang’s help from behind the scenes, that path was most likely safe.

Because Professor Zhuang was essentially a do-gooder in the world of spiritual energy science.

But what about after that?

To those high-ups, he, Kong Nu, was already of no straightforward value, merely a pawn in their contests. Going to Fortress 82 was still just entering the military’s cage.

All cages.

All these fortresses were cages!

Only by entering Spiritual Energy City!

Only by letting him enter Spiritual Energy City, reaching the true center for spiritual energy research, did he have a chance to become one of those influential figures!

Kong Nu’s fingers trembled as he turned on the communicator’s screen.

[Mr. Li: Vent T921 has stopped running, the pipe monitoring system in this area has been turned off. After you come out, turn left, there is a car waiting for you, the military aircraft ready to directly fly to Spiritual Energy City is already prepared. Move quickly! The command region might order the governor to kill you at any moment!]

[Kong Nu: Thank you, Mr. Li.]

[Mr. Li: Those things you’re carrying, when will you destroy them.]

[Kong Nu: Soon, as soon as I reach Spiritual Energy City, those items will destroy themselves due to the loss of my brainwave signal. If my pulse signal disappears midway, those items will automatically send themselves to the command center of the combat area.]

[Mr. Li: You better be honest, I’m already old and actually don’t care about your threats, it’s just out of regard for the reputations of my friends.]

[Kong Nu: Yes, Mr. Li, you have always been of high integrity.]

Kong Nu put away the communicator, a cold smirk forming on his lips.

He took out a syringe from the side pocket of his briefcase, gritted his teeth, and injected himself in the neck.

The journey ahead would be continuously uphill, and the airflow coming through other vents would also hinder his progress; he needed to squeeze out more physical strength.

Kong Nu still remembered the first time he had dug through this escape route, how exhausted and breathless he was.

He waited quietly for two more minutes, listening to any movements from the Spiritual Ability House.

The alarm he had left behind had not sounded, no one had entered his office for the time being.

This was great.

That indecisive governor was such a character; surely Zhou Zhengde and his spiritual ability user must be panicking by now.

Kong Nu took a deep breath.

He trembled as he stood up, a new burst of strength emerging from within his body, and he resumed his stooped climb forward.

Left turn, left turn, climb, move forward...

Kong Nu was getting closer to his route of survival.

Ahead, some naturally refracted light sources started to become visible.

His entire body was sweating, his protective suit making him feel stuffy, but these weren’t real problems.

Just a few more turns and he would escape this cage.

Kong Nu couldn’t help but smile.

The development of this incident had too many unforeseen elements—Zhou Zhengde’s identity, the precious combat power of the Mechanical Girl sent from the combat area, and that suddenly appearing spiritual ability user.

But now, he was about to leave this place, to enter a broader world.

Although it was a bit undignified;

Although it was very stiff.

That suddenly appearing Level E Spiritual Ability User was a fine topic, one he intended to use to solidify his footing in Spiritual Energy City!

’Turn this corner, take about fifteen steps, turn right and you’ll see that vent.’

He could already smell it, that dry soil scent!

Kong Nu’s slightly swollen face took on a sick, twisted smile.

Whoosh!

There was a breaking sound from far behind,

"Huh?"

Kong Nu twisted his head to look back the way he had come.

A hallucination?

Was it stones sucked in through a broken vent filter?

Kong Nu’s Adam’s apple trembled for a few moments, because his sudden halting step made his left calf twitch with a hint of cramp.

He didn’t dare to stop; the injected drug was time-effective, and there was still a small stretch of uphill before the exit.

Kong Nu hurried forward.

Whoosh!

It really was the sound of something moving swiftly through air!

Right behind him!

Kong Nu’s left leg suddenly went numb, his body uncontrollably falling forward, barely managing to stabilize himself by grabbing the heated pipe beside him.

A nut fell on the metal floor, making a slight noise.

A, a nut?

Kong Nu’s sweaty, swollen face turned extremely pale.

His Adam’s apple trembled continuously as he dragged his numb left leg forward, gritting his teeth and turning his head to look back.

It was him!

The black combat uniform, the smooth helmet marked with several scratches!

Mu Liang!

The one who caused the sudden destruction of the Black Fire Gang, who killed several of his spiritual ability users—Mu Liang was rushing towards him!

Whoosh!

"Ah!"

Kong Nu’s right leg bent sharply, and he heavily kneeled right before the turn.

The space here was relatively spacious, already accommodating two people walking side by side, and the light-conducting pipes had also become somewhat heated.

"Don’t, don’t come over here! Spare me!"

Whoosh.

The breaking noise this time wasn’t in a hurry, but the nut accurately hit Kong Nu’s Adam’s apple, causing him to painfully clutch his neck and cough continuously.

The voice came from behind the man’s helmet.

Kong Nu hadn’t expected that the first thing the man would say would be...

"Where’s Ye Zi?"

Kong Nu was still coughing, his body curled up, completely unable to answer.

Behind the helmet, Wang Jixuan’s eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Daoist Wang carefully sensed the surroundings and also didn’t dare to linger in this place for too long.

He bent down and yanked Kong Nu up, planting his left fist in Kong Nu’s abdomen as a strand of Qi infiltrated Kong Nu’s legs, making him face the wall and stand properly.

Zhou Zhengde’s reminder was naturally remembered by Wang Jixuan.

[When a Senior Researcher dies, the last scene they see is transmitted to the Spiritual Ability City by a brain chip.]

Therefore, Wang Jixuan had prepared a Soul Capturing Charm in advance.

He even specifically placed the Soul Capturing Charm at the back of Kong Nu’s head.

A shadowy figure slipped into the Soul Capturing Charm, causing Kong Nu’s body to wobble.

Wang Jixuan, quick and alert, pulled out a crumpled Soul Capturing Charm and stuffed a shadowy figure, already so faint it was barely visible, back into Kong Nu’s body.

The soul of Gu Wending.

"Walk out."

Wang Jixuan whispered into ’Kong Nu’s’ ear.

’Kong Nu’s’ eyes were full of confusion, and within that confusion was a hint of emptiness. He turned around, following the lingering obsession of Kong Nu, and trembled as he walked past the corner.

Wang Jixuan leaned against the metal wall, pulling out a small mirror to peer around the corner, closely watching Kong Nu’s retreating figure, his right hand gripping a silenced pistol.

He had discovered before coming here that all the surveillance cameras in this hallway had been turned off.

This must have been Kong Nu’s partner aiding him.

At the end of the hallway, beyond four huge stationary fan blades, was a long-missed stretch of azure sky.

White clouds lazily floated by, a gentle breeze flowed, and the warm sunlight painted a simple picture that included a desert and a distant military camp.

Wang Jixuan felt a slight ripple in his Dao Heart and then suppressed it, continuing to observe with the mirror, ready to fire at any moment.

If his guess was correct;

He wouldn’t need to expose himself.

Step by step, ’Kong Nu’ walked into the warm sunlight, the triangular opening formed by the two fan blades just needing him to duck to pass through.

"God..."

’Kong Nu’ murmured.

The soul within this shell had lost its capacity to think, retaining only the last shred of soul power.

Driven by an innate longing for the sunlight, ’Kong Nu’ used his stiff body and exerted a great amount of effort to lower his head and crawl through the air vent, whose filter had been moved in advance, and then took two steps outside on the cement pipeline.

"Light..."

Bang! Snap!

’Kong Nu’s’ temple burst open, spilling brain matter and blood.

Bang!

Bang!

From two other directions, the sound of sniper rifles—one far and one near—erupted, and ’Kong Nu’s’ not-yet-fully-collapsed body immediately had two more holes, helplessly collapsing onto the ground.

Wang Jixuan’s mouth twitched slightly.

He looked at the briefcase in his hand, from which continuous vibrations emanated. He took out his communicator, still wearing tactical gloves, and glanced at it.

[Mr. Li: You think such a handle can threaten me? I used to voluntarily leave behind evidence for those in power. Do you even understand politics? Politics is about picking sides, not personal conduct.]

[Mr. Li: Hopeless waste, instead of researching your spiritual abilities, you study human nature. What can you really understand?]

[Mr. Li: Idiot.]

Wang Jixuan wondered if replying with "I died horribly," would scare this old man into some sort of illness.

He crushed the communicator and tossed it aside, clutching his briefcase and sprinting back the way he came.

Capturing Kong Nu’s soul was just the first step;

Before the armored troops could station themselves at the Spirit Ability Users’ outpost, he wanted to try to take a few Beast Crystal Cores, used as infusion materials by the Spiritual Ability House.

’Why does the spiritual energy in Upper City seem even less than in Middle City?’

Daoist Wang found this slightly puzzling.

...

Half an hour later.

The office building of the Spiritual Ability House suddenly burst into dozens of balls of firelight.

The armored troops, who had not yet received the attack command, along with more than ten Spiritual Ability Users waiting at various checkpoints, were all startled simultaneously.

Zhou Zhengde, who had just arrived nearby, was stunned for a moment, then immediately shouted, "Control the situation!"

The armored troops almost immediately received the command and charged towards the front office building.

A few ominous thoughts welled up in Zhou Zhengde’s heart.

When he went to find his mother and the Governor, Mu Liang said he would keep an eye on Kong Nu.

This was actually very dangerous, as Kong Nu was accompanied by more than a dozen Spiritual Ability Users and a small armed force.

Zhou Zhengde knew that Mu Liang was a person whose mind was difficult to change. He agreed and gave Mu Liang a map of the third-floor surveillance distribution.

The explosion now occurring...

"Captain Zhou, over here."

Zhou Zhengde turned his head and saw a familiar figure, who had already removed his helmet and was wearing a mask.

Wang Jixuan confidently walked out from a corner, while the members of the Law Enforcement Team beside Zhou Zhengde immediately raised their guns, but Zhou Zhengde hurriedly pressed them down.

"He’s one of us! He’s one of us!"

"Here, this is for you. A supply vehicle left through gate nine, carrying the family of Kong Nu and Ye Zi, and it has been gone for a while now. See if you can stop it."

Wang Jixuan’s expression carried a hint of gloom as he tossed a file bag to Zhou Zhengde.

Inside were several quite primitive ’CDs’ and some paper materials.

Zhou Zhengde whispered a few instructions to a teammate beside him, who immediately turned and ran off.

Then Zhou Zhengde looked at Wang Jixuan and asked, "How are you doing, Mu Liang? You seem a bit lackluster."

"It’s nothing."

Wang Jixuan sighed,

"Just had a brief chat with a gentleman of questionable morals, got a taste of what darkness and evil are, and then felt a bit unwell."

"I’m thinking of heading back to the Thirteenth Floor to rest."

Zhou Zhengde hurriedly said, "Why don’t you rest in Upper City? I have a place here."

"No need," Wang Jixuan said with a bitter smile.

"Alright then, I’ll try to handle the subsequent issues as we discussed earlier."

Zhou Zhengde gave him a reassuring look,

"I can’t specifically say how this situation will develop, but Kong Nu is dead, hit simultaneously by three sniper rifles, and some rather dark information has reached the war zone command center.

"The Governor is currently in a frenzy calling a meeting with the ministers.

"I’ve already sent a message to my grandfather’s assistant, and I haven’t received a reply yet. What happens next mainly depends on the reaction of Spiritual Ability City, it’s still uncertain... Mu Liang, are you listening carefully? Are you alright?"

"No worries, no worries, just too tired."

Wang Jixuan sighed,

"Have your team member guide me, the checkpoints are hard to get through."

"Alright... are you really okay?" Zhou Zhengde asked, not without concern.

Wang Jixuan stifled a laugh, maintaining that weary demeanor.

He was now eager to return to the Thirteenth Floor to find a quiet corner to interrogate Kong Nu and, incidentally...

Ding, ding-ding.

A slight jingling emanated from his pocket.

Six diamond-shaped Crystal Cores encased in alloy collided, producing a pleasant and beautiful note.

To incidentally set up the Gathering Spirit Array!