Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 383 Whetstone

at the same time……

In the real world, the Sea of ​​Japan.

An island that doesn't belong to any map, anchored in a layer of pollution.

At the heart of the island stands a colossal villa, an extreme example of luxury that blends modern technology with Gothic style.

This is one of the many hideouts of Chang Wuyong, the world's number one terrorist and core leader of the old nuclear organization.

In the study at the deepest part of the villa, a figure sat behind a huge desk carved from a single piece of obsidian.

He was an exceptionally handsome mixed-race man, possessing the delicate features of an Easterner and the deep-set eyes of a Westerner.

He is Chang Wuyong, a name that keeps world leaders on their toes and makes them want to eliminate him at all costs.

At this moment, he was leaning lazily back in his chair, listening to his subordinates' report.

Standing in front of the desk were two men with imposing auras, clearly top-tier experts.

The man on the left, with a tall and straight posture like a pine tree and a cold and stern face, is Deng Tianfang, the captain of the back room troops under Chang Wuyong, a LV5 reincarnator known for his efficiency, ruthlessness and absolute obedience.

The man on the right is dressed in an elegant Zhongshan suit. He is Qin Song, the chief of staff of the rear guard, and is also a Level 5 reincarnator. He is known for his unfathomable strategies and profound understanding of meme contamination.

"Leader," Deng Tianfang reported in a low, emotionless voice, "According to the intelligence sent back by Mirano, it has been confirmed that Jiang Jin and his team doctor, Asakawa Reiko, are currently in the [Tales of the Strange, New Ear Bag] instance."

Chang Wuyong's slender fingers tapped lightly on the obsidian tabletop, producing a crisp sound.

He didn't immediately give instructions regarding Jiang Jin's intelligence, but instead recalled a divination he had performed not long ago. At his level, he had already mastered forbidden methods that allowed him to glimpse the tributaries of the river of fate.

“Jiang Jin…” A hint of interest flashed in Chang Wuyong’s eyes. “I recently did another ‘fate’ divination for him. Interestingly, the number of branches and variables in his future timeline is starting to decrease. Some uncertain possibilities are gradually collapsing and converging, pointing to a more stable and definite future trend.”

He paused, seemingly savoring the implications of this change: "Based on the current trajectory, there's a fifty percent probability that he'll reach LV4 within the next two to three months. But..."

Chang Wuyong's lips curled into an enigmatic smile: "It seems he might choose a... more difficult and dangerous path to advancement. If he takes that path, the advancement time will be longer, but once he succeeds, he will no longer be an ordinary LV4, but... a near LV5."

Upon hearing the term "near-LV5," even Deng Tianfang and Qin Song's expressions flickered slightly.

There is a huge dividing line between LV4 and LV5, while "near LV5" means that it has touched the threshold of LV5, possesses some of the power of LV5, and has great potential.

Qin Song adjusted his glasses and interjected, "Chief, Jiang Jin's growth rate is indeed astonishing. If he can truly reach near-LV5, he will be a huge threat to us."

Chang Wuyong remained noncommittal, casting his gaze toward the polluted sky outside the window, as if gazing at some grander scene.

"It is a threat, but my thinking has changed somewhat compared to six months ago. Right now, I'm more concerned about my own path, but the LV5 barrier is still difficult. So... I might as well keep it as a whetstone on my path to advancement!"

Chang Wuyong is still only a near-LV5. However, countless true LV5 reincarnators willingly submit to him and serve him, precisely because Chang Wuyong's strength far exceeds the simple classification of levels. Even at the near-LV5 level, he already possesses terrifying power that can crush most LV5s!
“Once I truly take that step and advance to LV5,” Chang Wuyong’s voice carried an almost fanatical calm, “I will not only be the world’s number one LV5 peak. I may surpass the theoretical limit of LV5 and reach the deepest layer of the Interdimensional Layer!”

Deng Tianfang and Qin Song both unconsciously held their breath.

To this day, 99% of the world's LV5 reincarnators can only enter the very shallow layer of the Interdimensional Realm. Only a very small number, such as Douglas Duncan from the United States, Mark Gray from Europe, and Rudranni Singh from India, can go slightly deeper.

But the deepest part of the Infinite Layer... is an absolute forbidden zone that no LV5 dares to tread lightly, a final abyss where reason is completely annihilated, rules are completely broken, and souls are forever condemned to eternal damnation!
Chang Wuyong's gaze swept over his two trusted confidants, and he said, word by word, "At that time, I will possibly... be immortal even if my SAN value drops to zero!"

Reaching zero SAN value without dying!
This is simply a miracle that overturns the ironclad rules of reincarnation!

“If I can do this,” Chang Wuyong’s eyes gleamed with a light that mingled madness and idealism, “I may be able to create, using myself as the foundation, an absolute realm where humanity can still ‘exist’ and even ‘survive’ even after suffering the deepest meme damage!”

However, Deng Tianfang and Qin Song both lowered their heads deeply, not daring to speak. They knew all too well that their leader did not intend to lead humanity towards the light; on the contrary, he preferred to… drag all of humanity into the abyss of memes, achieving his so-called “ultimate evolution” or “true liberation” in eternal madness and distortion!
A madman with the ability to save the world but who is determined to destroy it is far more terrifying than a mere destroyer.

Chang Wuyong seemed to see through their thoughts, chuckled, and steered the conversation back to reality: "Of course, that's the ultimate goal. As for Jiang Jin..."

He pondered for a moment and made a decision: "Let's put aside direct action against him for now. Let him continue to cause trouble in that Japanese horror dungeon. It'll be a good opportunity for us to test the strength and characteristics of the meme back room in the current Japanese rule-based ghost story dungeon, and... whether he's qualified to be my whetstone."

"Yes, Chief," Deng Tianfang and Qin Song replied in unison.

However, Chang Wuyong's brows furrowed slightly, and a genuine shadow of gloom swept across his handsome face.

"Right now, what worries me most is news about my 'old friend'."

He waved his hand: "You can go down now."

Deng Tianfang and Qin Song bowed respectfully and silently left the study, carefully closing the heavy door behind them.

Only Chang Wuyong remained in the study.

"Come out," Chang Wuyong said calmly to the empty corner of the room.

The moment he finished speaking, the space in the corner of the study seemed to be violently torn apart by an invisible hand!

A spatial rift with ominous, blood-red edges appeared out of nowhere, emanating a thick stench of blood and a chilling, murderous intent that sent shivers down one's spine.

Immediately afterwards, a figure stepped out from the blood-red spatial rift.

"Did you all hear that, Long Mingzhang?" This person was none other than Long Mingzhang, the former head of the Membrane Pollution Monitoring Department of Muxu City, who was once hailed as the strongest reincarnator in Muxu City!

Chang Wuyong didn't even look at him, his tone calm yet carrying an invisible pressure: "Long Mingzhang, Wang Qiusen has returned to the country and taken over the ministerial position you left behind. What do you think?"

Upon hearing the name "Wang Qiusen," Long Mingzhang's body trembled almost imperceptibly. He lowered his head and replied in a dry voice, "This subordinate... this subordinate never expected that he would choose to return to the country to take over this mess..."

"A mess?" Chang Wuyong finally turned his head, his pupils falling on Long Mingzhang. His gaze seemed to weigh a ton, making it difficult for this LV5 expert to breathe.

"Six months ago, I announced to the public that you, Long Mingzhang, had died at the hands of our old core. On the one hand, this was to give you time to secretly move your family, including the women and property you had hidden in various places, and leave the country safely. On the other hand, it was also to hope that by leveraging your former prestige and connections, we could attract more elites from the monitoring department to join our old core and weaken the power of the court."

His tone gradually turned cold, like a Siberian chill: "But what was the result? As soon as Wang Qiusen returned, the morale of the Muxu City Membrane Pollution Monitoring Department, which had been low because of your 'death in the line of duty,' actually regrouped? It seems that after all these years as minister, Long Mingzhang, you have no real authority whatsoever? Hmm?"

The last "hmm" struck Long Mingzhang's heart like a heavy hammer.

He shuddered violently, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

He was a level 5 powerhouse, a local overlord, but in front of Chang Wuyong, a near-level 5, he was like a cub facing its natural enemy, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"Your subordinate... Your subordinate knows his crime!" Long Mingzhang knelt down on one knee with a thud, his head bowed deeply, not daring to meet Chang Wuyong's gaze.

"You admit your guilt?" Chang Wuyong stood up, slowly walked to Long Mingzhang, looked down at him, and said in a chilling voice, "Tell me, what use do I have for you? Does my Old Core Organization lack LV5-level core members?"

These words, like a cold dagger, pierced through Long Mingzhang's last psychological defenses.

He knew that although he was a Level 5, he was by no means irreplaceable within the behemoth that was the Old Core. Especially as a "surrendered general" and a rather incompetent member of his inner circle, he was seen as a fence-sitter, and his trust was already limited. Now, his value had been greatly diminished.

Chang Wuyong stopped in his tracks, his tone leaving no room for doubt: "I'll give you a chance to make amends."

Long Mingzhang suddenly raised his head, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.

"Take the people who surrendered to the Temple and find a suitable opportunity to intercept and kill Wang Qiusen in the Terror Dungeon." Chang Wuyong's order was simple and cruel. "You are, after all, a former minister and the strongest reincarnator recognized by Muxu City. Can't you handle Wang Qiusen, who has only recently advanced to LV5?"

Long Mingzhang's heart sank to the bottom.

Intercepting Wang Qiusen? Leaving aside the fact that Wang Qiusen was once a prodigy in the Light Wheel team, and his strength would undoubtedly surge after advancing to LV5, the fact that he would be accompanied by elite guards from the monitoring department makes this an extremely difficult task! Moreover, there are far too many variables within the terrifying dungeon. It's more likely that sending him would disrupt the enemy's morale and undermine Wang Qiusen's authority as a newly appointed leader.

But he knew even more clearly that he had no right to refuse. Chang Wuyong's move was clearly a sure thing.

If successful, Wang Qiusen, a major threat, will be eliminated; if unsuccessful, it will still deal a significant blow to him. Moreover, he knows very little about the core secrets of the old nuclear system, so even if he is captured, he will not be able to provide much valuable intelligence.

Looking into Chang Wuyong's unwavering, abyss-like eyes, Long Mingzhang knew he had nowhere to retreat.

He gritted his teeth and forced out the reply from deep in his throat: "Yes! Your subordinate... will do his best!"

Chang Wuyong's gaze did not linger on Long Mingzhang for long, as if he had just given an insignificant order.

He tapped the table lightly, picked up the phone, dialed a number, and instructed, "Let Jiang Kou in."

A few minutes later, the study door opened silently again, and a middle-aged man with a cold face and icy eyes walked in.

His steps were steady, his aura restrained, yet he carried an undeniable air of melancholy and sharpness. He was Nobuhiko Eguchi, a member of the Strange Core branch of the Old Core Organization, a reincarnator renowned for his forbearance and precision, who had reached the pinnacle of the ninja profession at LV4 Jonin!
"Chief." Nobuhiko Eguchi bowed slightly, his voice as cold as his eyes.

“Jiang Kou,” Chang Wuyong’s voice was calm and even, “You will assist Long Mingzhang with his next task. Ensure… the target is eliminated.”

"Yes." Nobuhiko Eguchi agreed without any hesitation, without even glancing at Long Mingzhang kneeling on one knee beside him.

Long Mingzhang understood. Chang Wuyong's dispatch of Eguchi Nobuhiko to "assist" him was by no means a simple matter of increasing manpower.

Nobuhiko Eguchi was not a core member of the old core, but he had an irreconcilable personal grudge that pointed to the target of this mission—Wang Qiusen.

This feud stemmed from Wang Qiusen's wife, Noto Makiko.

Several years ago, Nobuhiko Eguchi's only daughter, Reiko Eguchi, and Makiko Noto were close friends. During the meme contamination crisis that occurred during the fall of Edo, Makiko Noto, out of fear of the increasingly severe Slit-Mouthed Woman meme, begged Reiko Eguchi, and the two exchanged "rules" from different sources of curses.

However, shortly after the rules were exchanged, an even more terrifying crisis struck, and Reiko Eguchi found herself in dire straits, encountering the Slit-Mouthed Woman. In her life-or-death moment, she desperately used every means at her disposal, calling and messaging Makiko Noto, pleading with her to change the rules back.

However, at the time, Makiko Noto, out of fear of the risks she would face if the rules were changed back, refused.

Ultimately, Reiko Eguchi was unable to abide by the rules belonging to Makiko Noto, triggering an instant death curse and dying tragically at the hands of the rule-based evil spirit, Kuchisake-onna.

Now, Makiko Noto has married Wang Qiusen, the newly appointed head of the Membrane Pollution Monitoring Department of Muxu City. With Wang Qiusen taking office as head, her status has become more prestigious.

The hatred for killing my daughter is irreconcilable!

Unable to kill the rule-based evil spirit Kuchisake-onna, Eguchi Nobuhiko could only blame his daughter's tragic death on Noto Makiko.

He couldn't tolerate the woman who indirectly caused his daughter's death, now enjoying peace and glory. This deep-seated hatred led him to extend his hatred to everything related to Wang Qiusen, turning her into a poisoned blade in Chang Wuyong's hand, aimed at him.

Chang Wuyong was well aware of this. By dispatching Eguchi Nobuhiko, he could both leverage Eguchi's resolute desire for revenge to increase the mission's success rate and further test and control Long Mingzhang.

This was a precise and ruthless move!
(End of this chapter)