Chapter 293: Trust

The other survivors were all dead, which meant the three of them were the last survivors of District 3... This city would not remember that the wind of District 3 had ever blown here; only the three of them would remember those poor souls who silently froze to death in the frost and snow.

They were also the only ones who could take revenge for them.

Chen Ling was silent for a long time, not knowing how to comfort Zhao Yi, and could only speak in a hoarse, chilling tone:

"The dead cannot return to life... Then, let's drag more people down to be buried with them."

A bone-chilling wind, as if from the netherworld, swept across Century Avenue, making the members of the three major chambers of commerce tremble. They looked in terror at the three figures standing side by side in the distance, as if a scorching, fierce fire were burning brightly.

"Hey, hey, hey... an Arbiter, the Twilight Society, and some unknown monster? What kind of combination is this??"

The Squinting Man was also seeing such a bizarre scene for the first time, and his heart began to drum.

Sweat seeped into the palm of Yuzi’s hand as she gripped her dagger, quickly freezing into frost. She watched the three with extreme vigilance and lowered her voice: "Don't go head-to-head with them... just buy time for the Chairman. The train will be leaving soon."

"...I hope we can hold out until then."

Just as the two were about to move, an incantation flashed across Zhao Yi’s pupils. He let out a roar, his body catapulting forward like a cannonball, carrying terrifying power as he smashed toward their faces!

The Squinting Man took a deep breath and slashed his long scythe hard against the nearby building. The tall, magnificent structure was instantly sliced into countless heavy bricks. As he lifted his fingertip, these bricks piled up into a giant hand that blotted out the sky, crashing down toward the incoming Zhao Yi!

Soldier God Path, [Myriad Control] path.

Boom—!!

The giant hand, weighing hundreds of tons, slammed down, carving exaggerated spiderweb cracks into Century Avenue and crushing the black monster into them.

After a brief pause, an even greater explosion erupted from beneath the ground. A large hole was gouged out of the center of the giant hand, and dense incantations immediately spread wildly to the surroundings. Zhao Yi’s figure was outlined from within...

At this moment, Yuzi’s figure flashed out of thin air behind him, her cold-glinting dagger tearing through the air at an astonishing speed, stabbing toward the back of his head!

"Judgment."

As the two words were softly uttered, Yuzi’s pupils contracted sharply. Her figure vanished again as she retreated, barely avoiding a beam of gunfire that decomposed everything it touched.

Within a few short seconds, a gap appeared in the two's interception. Han Meng lowered his gun expressionlessly, wisps of blue smoke drifting from the muzzle...

"Go."

"What?" Chen Ling asked.

"The path has been opened for you," Han Meng said calmly.

"We will deal with everyone here. Yan Shang’s life is in your hands; don't let him leave Aurora City just like that... He has too many sacrificial artifacts on him, you should be able to handle it."

Chen Ling turned to meet his gaze. "You trust me that much?"

"The famous [Heart of Red 6] of the Twilight Society doesn't miss when he kills." Han Meng paused for a moment. "The Arbiter Chen Ling I know wouldn't let a beast who feeds on human blood go, either."

Chen Ling was stunned for a moment, then gave a helpless smile, his gaze shifting to the direction in which Yan Shang had fled:

"Yan Shang won't be leaving Aurora City."

A sharp glint flashed in Chen Ling’s eyes; he already had a plan. He turned and walked in a certain direction.

……

Arbiter Headquarters.

"Teacher, I've brought the person you wanted." Chu Shiduo walked to the office door and knocked gently.

Tan Xin’s gaze was fixed outside the window.

"Bring him in."

As the office door opened, several Arbiters brought in a disheveled figure—it was Wen Shilin, who had been arrested earlier at the Aurora Base.

"So you are Wen Shilin?" Tan Xin waved his hand, signaling the escorting Arbiters to withdraw. "I've heard much about you."

As the other Arbiters left, Wen Shilin finally had the chance to tidy up his clothes. He spoke in a deep voice:

"You are the Deputy Chief, and I am just an ordinary reporter. I can't afford the honor of that phrase."

"Ordinary?" Tan Xin chuckled.

"What kind of ordinary reporter can investigate their way into the Aurora Base?"

Wen Shilin did not answer Tan Xin’s question, but stared straight at him.

"How many things have you been hiding from the citizens of Aurora City?"

"Many," Tan Xin said calmly. "Didn't you see it all with your own eyes at the base? Human experimentation, extending the life of the Aurora Lord, and also..."

"That's not what I'm talking about!"

A sharp glint flashed in Wen Shilin’s eyes. "I had long guessed that the Aurora Lord’s lifespan was coming to an end, and your human experiments were within my expectations... But tell me, what are the explosives on the second floor of the base for?"

"I found the list of materials you consumed on the second floor. If the consumption figures are accurate, the explosives you've already manufactured are enough to destroy Aurora City three times over... After processing such a massive quantity of explosives at the base, you sent them all back to the surface. What exactly are you trying to do?"

Wen Shilin’s focus was completely different from Chen Ling’s and the others. His keen reporter’s intuition told him that the most dangerous thing in the base wasn't the human experiments, nor the missing Aurora Lord... but the explosives that had been processed on the second floor and then disappeared without a trace.

"It has to do with the 'Hand of Redemption' project, doesn't it?"

Tan Xin watched Wen Shilin quietly.

"Do you... want to know?"

When these words were spoken, Wen Shilin was taken aback. "What do you mean? You can tell me?"

In Wen Shilin’s understanding, the "Hand of Redemption" was the highest secret of all of Aurora City; even among the top brass of the Arbiters, only one or two people knew about it... Yet now, Tan Xin’s casual words made it seem as if he could tell him anything, provided he asked.

"I can tell you. Not only that, but you can also record it and write an article."

As Tan Xin spoke, he took a pen and a notebook from his drawer and placed them in front of Wen Shilin.

Wen Shilin looked at the two items, seemingly unable to react. These were his belongings, which had been confiscated when he was arrested... Now, Tan Xin was actually giving them back to him?

"Why?" Wen Shilin’s eyes were filled with confusion.

"The low temperatures and snowstorms have destroyed our communication systems; we have completely lost contact with other realms... But there are some things, some words, that I still want to pass on." Tan Xin took a ticket from his coat and handed it to Wen Shilin.

"This is the ticket for the last Inter-Realm Train.

As long as you promise me that you will record everything with your writing and deliver it to the other realms, I will tell you all about the plan."

Wen Shilin stared blankly at the ticket being handed to him, and at Tan Xin’s serious and earnest eyes.

After a long silence, he nodded heavily.

"Fine, I promise you."