Trickster Hunter.

Chapter 451 The Land Beyond
Chunming City, the "Useless" Tavern.

Sun Hang was still sitting in his old seat, and opposite him was Zhulong, who had just gotten off the plane.

Zhulong picked up his wine cup, took a small sip, and said, "Ah... it's still this familiar taste. It's so nostalgic."

"Aren't you going to the victory celebration banquet in Tianfu City either?" Sun Hang asked.

"Have you forgotten that I sacrificed my vacation to help you?" Zhulong smiled gently. "Now that the predicament in Tianfu City has been resolved, of course I have to come back to continue enjoying my remaining vacation time... On the contrary, you, why did you call me here in such a hurry? Is there something you need?"

"If I told you that Pei Zongjun is dead, would you believe me?" Sun Hang said calmly.

The smile on Zhulong's face froze instantly, and a suffocating chill emanated from him, drawing the attention of the other customers in the tavern. It was the height of summer, and the air conditioning panel in the tavern showed a temperature of 22 degrees Celsius, but around Zhulong, the tables, chairs, floors, and bookshelves were all covered with a thin layer of frost.

Some timid customers had already quietly gotten up and moved around Sun Hang and his companion's table towards the tavern's entrance. The rest of the customers, however, stared at the two of them with excitement, seemingly afraid of missing out on the upcoming spectacle.

Zhulong stared at Sun Hang for a full twenty seconds, then suddenly stood up and said, "This is not the place to talk. Come with me."

The frost instantly melted away, and the temperature inside the tavern gradually began to rise.

Zhulong turned and walked straight towards the tavern's entrance, startling the customers who were planning to slip away, who scrambled back to their seats.

"Sorry, boss, I've caused you some trouble." As Zhulong passed the bar, he turned to the owner behind the counter and said, "All the losses incurred by the store today, including the customers' spending, will be charged to my account... Do I have enough money in my account?"

"That's enough." The bar owner raised his eyelids and glanced at him, then lowered his head again to look at the book he was holding, seemingly unaware of the strange events that had just occurred in the bar. "You didn't break anything, so you don't need to pay for it. Just pay for the drinks for both of you."

"Let me pay everyone's bills, as a small apology for the fright they've all suffered." After saying this, Zhulong glanced back at Sun Hang, then pushed open the door and walked out without looking back.

Sun Hang immediately followed.

Zhulong silently weaved through the bustling streets. Among the crowd of passersby dressed in short sleeves, shorts, and skirts, he stood out conspicuously, wrapped in a heavy trench coat and wearing a hood. Fortunately, Chunming City was large enough and had enough people. Everyone was used to seeing all sorts of "weirdos," so they weren't surprised by Zhulong's out-of-season attire—at most, they would glance at him with surprise as they passed by.

Zhulong led Sun Hang through three blocks to an old-style residential area with a less commercial atmosphere and fewer pedestrians.

"This is a base for hunters belonging to the Tian Shu Tower." Zhu Long said to Sun Hang as he opened the door with the ancient bronze key. "The security measures here are the most complete... You should never say those kinds of things in public again. Whether they are true or false, the consequences are something we cannot bear."

The two entered the old house. After locking the door again, checking all the windows, and drawing the curtains, Zhulong quickly walked to a sofa in the shadows in the corner and sat down.

"Sit down." Zhulong pointed to the other sofa opposite him.

A dim light shone down from the ceiling onto the sofa.

"Why do I feel like this spot is for interrogating prisoners?" Despite saying that, Sun Hang still sat down in front of Zhulong.

"Then I'll turn off the light." Zhulong reached out to the side of the sofa, and with a "click," the light that had been illuminating Sun Hang disappeared, plunging the entire room into darkness.

Sun Hang's nostrils twitched slightly as he caught a whiff of the stale wood that was typical of old houses in the darkness.

It's a scent that makes you feel at ease without even realizing it. Combined with a dark environment and sitting on a soft, comfortable sofa, it's easy to relax and let down your guard.

But at this moment, Zhulong, who was sitting opposite Sun Hang, was sitting upright with his muscles tense, as if he would pounce on Sun Hang and tear him to pieces if Sun Hang made a single wrong word.

"How...did Old Master Pei die?"

"You just believe me like that?" Sun Hang asked, somewhat doubtfully. "Aren't you going to confirm the authenticity of the information with me first?"

“If someone else had told me this, I wouldn’t have believed it. But I believe what you said,” Zhulong said with utmost seriousness. “Moreover, the tone you used when you said that was completely different from your usual joking tone. I believe you are telling the truth.”

"Okay... So if I told you that Pei Zongjun died a long time ago, would you believe me?"

Zhulong took a deep breath and fell into silence for several minutes.

A few minutes later, Zhulong slowly nodded from the shadows: "I believe you."

"What's the reason?"

"Elder Pei hasn't shown his face for a long time. Although it's publicly stated that he's old and needs life support, as far as I know, he was already a high-ranking figure in the Heavenly Pivot Tower 150 years ago... With the current technology of the Xia State Federation, even the most advanced life support equipment would struggle to keep a normal human body alive for so long without the aid of the strange meme," Zhulong said slowly. "What I want to know is, if Elder Pei passed away a long time ago, where did the holographic images we've seen during this period come from? Were they synthesized later using software, or were they recorded by Elder Pei before his death?"

"Which possibility do you think is more likely?" Sun Hang asked in return.

“I’m more inclined to believe it’s a composite, because Elder Pei couldn’t have predicted what would happen in the future. I’m more inclined to believe that other high-ranking members of the Heavenly Pivot Tower used Elder Pei’s prestige to make his holographic image a symbol of the core of the Heavenly Pivot Tower… You and I are different; you probably can’t understand what kind of existence Elder Pei is to us…”

Zhulong paused, then said, "What you just said to me in Wuyong was no different from telling me that the sky has fallen."

"Have you recovered yet?" Sun Hang asked again.

“No, I find it hard to accept this fact, but I have no choice but to accept it,” Zhulong sighed. “I will try my best to stay calm… Now, can you tell me more about Elder Pei?” “Actually, what I just said was only half true,” Sun Hang said.

Zhulong's eyes lit up instantly.

“Pei Zongjun did die very early, but only his physical body died,” Sun Hang said. “He transplanted his brain into the main brain and survived as a brain in a vat. The holographic projection of Pei Zongjun that you see is indeed derived from his own consciousness.”

"So... Elder Pei's consciousness is still alive?" Zhulong's tone was filled with barely concealed excitement.

“No, his consciousness has vanished, just now.” Sun Hang shook his head. “That’s why I’m telling you, Pei Zongjun is dead.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhulong's figure became extremely dejected, as if all his strength had been drained away. His body slumped down, and his two slender arms hung limply between his legs.

"Is it due to technical reasons? Or did something unexpected happen?" Zhulong asked. "Besides you, does anyone else know about this?"

“The mainframe told me that it would notify everyone who is qualified to know about this, but I’m not sure who exactly,” Sun Hang said. “In addition, before Pei Zongjun’s consciousness faded, he gave the mainframe a final instruction, transferring control of the mainframe to me.”

"Control of the mainframe... is being transferred to you?" Zhulong's breathing quickened slightly. "Do you know what this means?"

“I know,” Sun Hang nodded.

"What are you planning to do next?" Zhulong raised his head again, staring intently at Sun Hang.

“In his last words, Pei Zongjun told me that the mainframe would handle everything, and I just needed to act as usual… If the mainframe malfunctions, that’s when I need to intervene,” Sun Hang said. “As for Pei Zongjun’s cause of death… do you know the true nature of the core mainframe of the Tian Shu Tower?”

“I have never seen the core brain in person. I only know that it is an unprecedented supercomputer... It is not just an electronic device, but also seems to incorporate some cutting-edge biotechnology... Combined with what you just said about Elder Pei implanting his brain into the core brain, this means that the core brain is likely a biological computer that integrates electronic and biological technologies... It is alive.”

"You guessed most of it right." Sun Hang nodded, and then told Zhulong about the origin of the main brain.

“Half of the Sphinx’s brain possessed the ability to foresee the future, but using this ability came at an unimaginable price… and Pei Zongjun’s consciousness was erased as the price for peeking into the future,” Sun Hang said.

He did not tell Zhulong the contents of the prophecy because Sun Hang was not sure whether Zhulong would be killed by the Three Apes like Pei Zongjun after knowing the contents of the prophecy.

Sometimes, the less you know, the safer you are.

"...So, Elder Pei foresaw what would happen in the future, which is why he decided to transfer control of the mainframe to you?" Zhulong stared at Sun Hang with intense fervor. "This means that in the future, you will..."

"No, don't be so absolute," Sun Hang quickly said. "I just think Pei Zongjun's actions are a huge gamble. Because of some so-called prophecies, he has placed all his bets on me. It's too risky. He might end up losing everything."

“But he saw the prophecy! He even paid with his life for it!” Zhulong’s voice became excited again. “This shows that he believed…”

“There’s nothing to believe in prophecies. It’s easy to prove that a prophecy is a joke. I’ll just shoot myself dead, and then the Sphinx’s prophecy will be nothing but bullshit,” Sun Hang retorted.

“No, Elder Pei doesn’t believe in prophecy… but in you who appeared in the prophecy.” Zhulong shook his head repeatedly and said, “Even if he’s gambling, you are the option with the best chance of winning that he sees.”

“I feel like you’ve caught Pei Zongjun’s influence,” Sun Hang said helplessly. “This isn’t one of those American blockbusters that like to show individual heroism.”

"Getting back to the point, what's your next move? Are you really planning to go to Egypt to find the other half of the Sphinx's brain?" Zhulong asked.

"Hmm... I'm not sure if this counts as Pei Zongjun's last wish. But I think a complete brain is always better than half a brain. If we could put the other half of the Sphinx's brain into a glass tank, the main brain's performance should be more than doubled, right? Maybe the predictions would even be more accurate."

What Sun Hang actually wanted to say was that after piecing together the two halves of the Sphinx's brain, he might be able to try and compete with the three apes—even if he couldn't beat them, at least with the help of his prophetic abilities, Sun Hang could recover some of his past memories.

Just like the memory of him being shot by the sheriff.

Pei Zongjun suffered a backlash and was killed by the Three Apes in order to present this scene to Sun Hang. If Sun Hang himself interpreted this prophecy, the Three Apes couldn't possibly kill Sun Hang as well, could they?

Even if the Three Apes want to erase Sun Hang's memories, at least in the period before the memories are erased, Sun Hang will have a chance to glimpse a corner of the truth... Perhaps, he can even use this to find a way to counter the Three Apes.

“If you’re going to Egypt, take me with you,” Zhulong said. “To be honest, not counting the time I came to find you, I’ve carried out four missions to explore the occupied territories… These are things that should have been kept strictly confidential…”

Zhulong smiled bitterly: "But there's no need to keep it a secret now. Besides, with your access, you can easily find these records on the mainframe."

"Which occupied areas did you visit? What did you find?" Sun Hang immediately became interested and asked.

“Twice, west of Lake Baikal, in the former Siberian Federation; once, in Jeju Island, formerly part of Goryeo; and once, in the Taklamakan region,” Zhulong said. “The Taklamakan region is completely desertified, and its environment is similar to Egypt. My experience might come in handy for you. Besides that, there is another very important matter.”

"Tell me."

"That time, the exploration team consisted of six top-level hunters and one superhuman, but in the end, only me and another hunter returned alive to the Xia State Federation... We encountered a worm-like creature in the desert region that was later named the 'Sand Giant Worm'. According to the memetic samples we collected, a related species of this creature had appeared in the desert of Egypt before the fall of Egypt and had fought against the local Egyptian army and hunters."

(End of this chapter)