Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 364 The Third Day

Entering the "dream," taking the subway to and from get off work naturally integrates into Ethan's new life. He feels that he has a chance to run for the title of the Empire's Advanced Worker, and he continues to work even after falling asleep.

Today's task has been determined—to advance the project of the three professors in the underground research facility in the western suburbs. His intuition tells him that the progress of this "black technology" research is the time anchor point that will drive the City of Truth toward destruction, and everything is currently in its infancy.

He habitually opened his phone on the subway and started browsing today's news.

Judging from the news reports alone, the City of Truth is in a state of peace and prosperity, and the Democratic Parliament has held several meetings to discuss the issues. The results of these discussions can be summarized as stabilizing the somewhat restless public sentiment by making grand promises. They have seen the problems and have put reforms on the agenda.

As for the specific measures and schedule for the reform, they resorted to their usual vague approach.

Ethan saw a news report in the relevant push section that was almost identical to the one from a few months ago. Unlike the saint of the Truth Society who wrote the City of Truth, he did not appear on the top floor of the "Consensus Monument". Instead, he took the subway to the West End early in the morning.

The scene inside the subway was no different from what he remembered: a lifeless crowd. Using their phones to relieve work and mental stress had become part of their daily lives. They began to become irritable and easily angered, initially by attacking indiscriminately online under the cover of nicknames, and then their irritability would transfer to real life.

A suspected revenge killing occurred in Dongcheng District. The perpetrator, armed with a long knife, committed suicide after causing injuries and deaths to four people. The case is still under investigation, but sources familiar with the matter revealed that the perpetrator may have lost hope in life after losing his job.

The moderates in the North District chose to commit suicide by drowning, causing little trouble for the police officers of the City of Truth.

Of course, there are also some cases that cannot be verified, which come from commuters whispering about them on the subway. Perhaps the people discussing these cases don't care about the authenticity of the information; they are just looking for an outlet for their emotions so that they don't have to become radicals in the East District or moderates in the North District.

Ethan ate his way through the gossip, gaining a lot of knowledge and experience along the way.

However, as one of the few true "insiders" in the city, he felt that the residents had no need to be so pessimistic and anxious, because the city would soon be destroyed for unknown reasons, and then the leaders they hated, the class contradictions they resented, or the wealth gap that tormented them would all vanish.

If a nuclear bomb were to detonate in your city, everyone, regardless of their wealth or poverty, whether they are beggars, big bosses, or members of a democratic parliament, would be reduced to ashes.

Ethan's current research focuses on identifying exactly what kind of "nuclear bomb" landed in the City of Truth.

On this day, the three professors from the West Suburbs Research Institute witnessed a different Ethan. He seemed much more confident than the day before, and after just one night, he produced a detailed plan.

The professors could only sigh inwardly, "No wonder he's a PhD from Mochi Science and Technology."

"HEV protective suit?"

Professor Sun was the most interested among them, as he had led the research on the teleportation experiment. He carefully reviewed the plan drafted by Ethan, and his inner shock was beyond words.

"That's right. If the biological body cannot complete the process of teleportation and disintegration, then we may be able to help them get through this process through some kind of device."

Ethan said.

If they were talking about quantum physics or general relativity, he would naturally be embarrassed, but yesterday's experiment made Ethan realize one thing: the West Suburbs Institute project was not a real physics exam, and he could incorporate some fabricated elements into his research.

This is similar to the state of many programmers when writing code. They don't understand what the code means, but it magically works. Ethan believes that as long as he can produce a finished product, these learned professors will naturally figure out the underlying principles, without needing him to explain them.

He returned to his area of ​​expertise, and naturally, he spoke with much more confidence.

Winter is also used to "modern life". After sending her husband off to work in the morning, she also makes a plan for the whole day. The morning is movie time. While watching the movie, she can multitask and use ice element magic to clean. Afterwards, she can take a nap to recharge for the afternoon.

Today's episode of "Heartbeat Kitchen: Cooking Works More Than Confessions" featured braised cabbage with shrimp. She glanced at the comments section and found that this episode was very well received.

She was going to the market downstairs to buy some cabbage and fresh shrimp, and then stroll around the streets. This unique city held a strange attraction for her.

"Ding-dong, ding-dong."

Just as Winter sat down on the sofa, the doorbell rang.

This immediately put her on alert, because Ethan had said that he didn't have any close friends here who would make a special trip to visit their house, and that she should be very careful if a stranger came to the door while he was at work.

In fact, Zhuang Xiao's heart was in her throat when she rang the doorbell of Ethan's apartment.

She found out Ethan's address early this morning, drove to the apartment building, and waited until Ethan went to work and guessed that he had already arrived at the laboratory before she mustered up the courage to go up to the top floor of the apartment building.

This could be the last day of her life.

Because the woman living in this apartment is definitely not a harmless, naive girl, but a witch who can freeze the entire city at any time by activating her domain magic.

This witch also has another identity.

The goddess worshipped by the guild is also the one who bestowed power upon them in the "other world".

In reality, they never truly communicated with the goddess on an equal footing; the distance between them was simply too great, an insurmountable chasm between gods and humans.

A short while later, the apartment door opened.

This may be the first time Zhuang Xiao has faced his goddess alone at such close range.

Today, the "god" was wearing a loose white shirt and tight black jeans. His red eyes expressed wariness and doubt. He was holding half a lychee-flavored crushed ice cream in his hand, while the other half was held in the paws of the black cat in the living room, making Zhuang Xiao worry that the cat might get diarrhea.

She quickly delivered her prepared message, “Hello, I am the HR manager of Pioneer Technology. Your husband is an important employee of our company, and this is a routine home visit.”

Upon hearing the words "your husband," Zhuang Xiao noticed that Lin Dong's brows relaxed considerably. He even opened the door a little wider and took a pair of shoe covers from the shoe cabinet, handing them to her.

“My husband didn’t mention that anyone from the company would be coming to the door today.”

“Oh, this is the procedure at Pioneer Corporation. Your husband works in an important department of the company. Pioneer Corporation is a humane company, and we will ensure that every employee in an important position has a good living environment... Hmm, you don’t seem to have any financial problems, but there are still some procedures to go through. If you have any needs, you can let me know.”

Zhuang Xiao took out a prepared investigation list from her briefcase. She and Merlin had spent the whole day drafting the questions on the list, hiding the information they wanted to know in these seemingly ordinary questions.

She has achieved initial success.

Winter didn't seem to recognize her, nor did she show any hostility. However, the black cat in the living room stopped eating its popsicle as soon as she entered the door, raised its head, and stared at her with its beautiful heterochromatic eyes.

She only made eye contact with the black cat for less than three seconds before looking away, and she always had a strange feeling that the black cat could see right through her.

According to the information she had, when Ethan left Darkhearth, this "stray cat" that appeared out of nowhere followed him around, so the answer was obvious.

This is very likely the inexplicable being that Ethan encountered in Darkhearth.

The cat is just its disguise. Considering its connection to the ghoul case, the black cat's true form is very likely a terrifying being that could scare people to death with just a glance.

The cat seemed to have gotten the information she wanted, and then lowered her head to lick the lychee-flavored popsicle again.

"Filled out."

Time passed quickly. Zhuang Xiao glanced at the completed list and, combined with Winter's reaction to her, her and Merlin's guesses were vaguely confirmed—Winter and the goddess seemed to have some differences, and she seemed to have lost some of her memories and was not in her complete form.

"This is my business card with my phone number on it. You can call this number anytime if you need anything."

To avoid arousing suspicion from Lin Dong, Zhuang Xiao knew she couldn't stay here too long. She had to maintain a professional facade. The initial contact would make it easier for her to create opportunities for a private meeting with Lin Dong in the future. She could orchestrate a chance encounter or arrange for her to participate in activities under the guise of Pioneer Technology.

What they need to know first is Winter's real name.

There were no clues related to "Winter" in the shelter. Merlin believed that if they could find out the name Winter used during her time in the shelter, they could uncover the tip of the iceberg of the secret.

……

"That HR manager is dishonest."

After Zhuang Xiao left, the cat on the coffee table said quietly, "She knows about Dark Furnace City and me."

If Ethan hadn't repeatedly warned her not to hurt anyone, the HR manager would have been a cold corpse by now. She didn't care about the other person's motives or thoughts; anyone who approached Ethan with ill intentions deserved to die.

"But she's terrified of you. What did you do to make her so scared?"

The black cat tilted its head in confusion, staring at Winter with a look that didn't seem like the fear between humans, but rather like the fear of facing a natural enemy.

"do not know."

Winter shook her head, but this black cat had the ability to read minds, and even Ethan would fall into her trap every now and then, so she trusted the black cat's judgment.

She examined the business card more closely.

A plain piece of cardboard confirms that this is not a cursed object imbued with black magic.

Since she knew about the existence of Dark Furnace City and Little Dark, she must be from the same world as them. Winter had long been prepared for this.

Although this is the "contaminated zone" created by Ethan, other people may accidentally wander into it.

Winter casually remarked, "Perhaps it's because I killed her husband or some other relative."

During the two years she was away from the Empire, while she was a member of the Dream Eclipse, she and Rowena committed numerous murders both within and outside the Empire. Some of their targets were remnants of the Violet Commune who had betrayed it, while others were confidants of Pope Julius. Her superior, the Nightmare Witch, a seasoned follower of the evil god, provided her with a very good strategy.

The Papacy's power in the Empire is deeply entrenched, and overthrowing Pope Julius is not a task that can be accomplished overnight. She can weaken Julius's power through assassination, while simultaneously instilling fear in their hearts.

That was the peak of her feuds.

"She seems more interested in you than Ethan... So, she's here to get revenge on you?"

The black cat tilted its head, seemingly lost in thought.

This is also one of the main reasons why Zhuang Xiao was able to survive; she never showed any hostility towards Ethan, and as for Winter…

Handle your own affairs.

"She'll come back again. You decide what to do."

"Ah."

........................

The moment Zhuang Xiao returned to the HR manager's office, she turned around and locked the door. Her heart was still pounding, and her breathing became rapid, all of which proved that she had survived.

Without hesitation, she immediately arranged the list on her desk.

Before long, her excitement cooled down, and the investigation results were unsatisfactory.

Not only has Winter lost her memories of the guild and the goddess, but she also seems to know nothing about the existence of the shelter. She really does seem to be just a northern girl living in the empire.

Zhuang Xiao wasn't going to leave empty-handed.

She wanted to finish what she hadn't done yesterday. She waited quietly in front of the Consensus Monument building, keeping track of the time until night fell, estimating when Ethan would be home.

This is her third day in the "dreamland," and she has already figured out the timeline when this world will come to an end.

When Ethan falls asleep, the time in her "dream" is frozen, followed by a buffer period of about 30 seconds, after which an unbearable headache will cause her to fall into a coma.

During those 30 seconds, everything in the world will be completely still, and no one will remember what happened during those 30 seconds.

Therefore, if she manages the timing well, she can make good use of these 30 seconds to enter the restricted area of ​​the Democratic Parliament without being noticed by anyone.

Fortunately, Ethan is a person with a regular schedule.

Following the pattern of the previous two days, Zhuang Xiao entered the "Consensus Monument" building. She avoided the security personnel on the first floor and slipped into the elevator.

There are surveillance cameras in the elevator, and she will make good use of these 30 seconds to bypass the cameras and security personnel.

The elevator numbers kept jumping upwards, which was a risky move.

If Ethan is unable to fall asleep on time tonight for some reason, she will have to explain to the security personnel at the Consensus Monument her trespassing into the restricted area, which will inevitably arouse Chen Qi's suspicion.

Fortunately, luck was on her side tonight.

As the elevator doors slowly opened towards Zhuang Xiao, the security personnel from "Consensus Monument" were already waiting outside. They stared at her sternly, seemingly ready for an interrogation.

Time stood still.

Those stern expressions were frozen in that moment forever. Zhuang Xiao rushed out without hesitation. She passed through the gates of the Democratic Parliament and entered that forbidden area that only the city's highest ruler could enter.

However, the next moment, she was stopped in her tracks by a familiar face that appeared in the restricted area.

She had seen the old man at the shelter.

One of the committee members, a senior member of the shelter.

A headache pulled her back to reality, and she quickened her pace, rushing towards one of the computers that was working, determined to memorize any potential clues.

Assessment: Empire, the Henry Clan, and the Way of Faith.

She saw a document on her desktop, prominently displayed.

There was another document after that.

The concept of divine factors.

(End of this chapter)