Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 156 The Secret of the Puzzle Pieces

Before the fog gate, the five members of Dragon Soul hesitated for a moment.

They couldn't be sure what was inside the door, or why the shadow would enter without hesitation. Weren't they worried about the risks involved?

"Captain, let's go in!" Black Shark said. "If Shadow isn't afraid, why should we be?"

“I think it’s very dangerous inside, Captain,” Eagle said calmly. “This mist is coming from this door, and there’s likely more mist and monsters inside. Most importantly, we can’t be sure if we can come out after we go in.”

“Flying Eagle is right, we cannot act rashly,” Dragon Soul said.

He secretly wanted to get inside. If he were alone, he would have gone in without hesitation, like a shadow.

But he wasn't alone; he had four teammates. If he took all four of them in and something happened, he couldn't bear the responsibility.

Moreover, these five individuals represent not only themselves but also the official investment. A massive amount of Ascension Coins have been invested in them; since they chose to accept this, it meant their lives were no longer their own, but rather the official's.

"...Captain, I also disagree with going in. But it's up to you to decide," Silver Fox said.

"Withdraw," Dragon Soul said. "Join the armored forces and deal with the giant bird monster together. We can't afford the risk of our team being destroyed."

"Yes."

All four obeyed the Dragon Soul's orders.

Furthermore, they had already guessed that Dragon Soul would make this decision, because the latter has always been very conservative in terms of team decision-making.

Just like on the Holy Grail Island, it was Dragon Soul, as the captain, who made the decision not to participate in the struggle for the Holy Grail.

That decision ultimately led their team to a third-place finish, which was a very good result.

Therefore, Dragon Soul has made a conservative decision.

“However,” Dragon Soul added, “after eliminating the Nightmare Beast, we must return to guard the Fog Gate. If the Shadow comes out from here again, we must stop it immediately.”

……

Didn't those official team members come in?
After Guan Tong entered the fog gate, he found that no one followed, realizing that the others must have chosen not to enter.

This is actually a safe choice, because no one knows what's behind the door.

With no one chasing after her, Guan Tong could finally relax and focus her attention on the inside of the door.

He found himself in a cave, and to his surprise, there was no fog in the cave.

"If there's no fog here that the fog gate connects to, then where does the fog come from... hmm?"

Guan Tong realized in the blink of an eye that the fog gate he had come through was gone.

Does this mean there's no return? Or does it mean we'll go back by some other means?

The reason he wasn't particularly worried and could enter the fog gate without hesitation was actually related to his ability to "shift between forms".

Inside the cave, he could feel that the connection between himself and his mental entities had not been severed.

This means that if needed, he can teleport back at any time.

"It looks like there's only one way out of this cave... Let's go then."

Guan Tong walked forward along the narrow path inside the cave.

Perhaps because there was no fog, there were no monsters in the cave.

He traveled without being attacked by any enemies or monsters.

After about ten minutes, he reached the inner chamber at the end of the cave, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"This is……"

He saw a wall covered with murals.

These murals mostly depict bizarre and varied creatures, giving Guan Tong a strange feeling of reading the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" before his time travel.

At first, he couldn't figure it out, but after looking at it for a while, he found that several of the creature images were similar to some of the monsters that had attacked him in the fog before!
The difference lies in the fact that the creatures in the murals possess organs that the monsters do not have.

One of the designs, featuring four arms and wings, closely resembled the ferocious beast that attacked Guan Tong when he first descended the mountain.

But apart from its arms and wings, the beast only had a tube-shaped body. However, the mural also depicted a head with an eye and a mouth.

Guan Tong frowned: "Could it be that what's depicted in the murals is what those creatures originally looked like... that they were corrupted by the mist and turned into monsters?"

His speculation is related to witnessing Yu Hong transform into a monster.

At that time, most of Yu Hong's face had already been corroded. If it continued, her entire face would definitely be dissolved by the mist... No one knew what she would end up looking like.

Guan Tong also noticed that some of the creatures in these murals were extremely large.

The largest of the paintings, from the bottom to the top of the wall, depicts its extended form. One of the paintings features a five-legged creature, which closely resembles the giant, monstrous beast that Guan Tong encountered shortly after descending the mountain, the one whose legs were the only visible part of its body.

There were countless creature murals; Guan Tong roughly counted them, and there were tens of thousands of them, large and small. This reminded him of his home planet, Tianshui, and an idea began to form in his mind.

Could these monsters... be native inhabitants of some planet? And then, somehow, they were corrupted and transformed into monsters by that eerie mist?
But why were they included in one of the rules of the apocalypse, and then somehow transported to Tianshui? What was the purpose of the Fire Stealers doing this? Were they merely monsters to be used to kill humanity?
As Guan Tong was thinking, the mural carved on the wall suddenly began to emit light little by little.

He took a few steps back and looked around cautiously.

The light started as a small point, then slowly expanded to cover the entire wall, and finally quickly contracted.

After the light receded, the walls became empty, and the murals vanished without a trace, leaving only a small piece of the puzzle lying quietly on a stone on the ground.

So this mural is a piece of a jigsaw puzzle? Guan Tong looked at the piece and picked it up.

He immediately heard the voice of the fire-stealer in his mind.

[You have obtained: Yahoo! Chronicles - Fragment 3]

Chronicles of Yamo Star...

Guan Tong immediately opened the storage box and selected the puzzle piece.

[Chronicles of Yamo Star - Fragment 3]: A mural recording part of the history of Yamo Star. There are a total of 5 puzzle pieces. After piecing them together, you will obtain the complete "Chronicles of Yamo Star". The holder of the fragment can sense the location of other fragments. This item cannot be destroyed and is tradable.

"I see……"

After reading the item details, Guan Tong finally understood the meaning of the puzzle pieces.

When the five fragments are put together, the complete "Chronicles of Yamo Star" can be obtained, which should be the complete mural.

The complete mural should be a record of the past of this planet called "Qimo Star".

Perhaps this will explain why all the creatures on this planet have been transformed into monsters...

Guan Tong remembered that the hidden rules mentioned that this fragment was "a piece of the puzzle behind the apocalyptic rules." In other words, what happened on the planet "Yimo" might also be related to the apocalyptic rules.

"To understand the whole puzzle, I need to get the other four puzzle pieces," Guan Tong said resolutely. "I have to get them!"

He wasn't particularly interested in power, wealth, or beauty; his only motivation to live was curiosity.

Therefore, for him, the greatest reward would be to learn more about the rules of the apocalypse, about other planets, and about the fire-stealers.

“Fragment holders can sense the locations of other fragments… This is important, as it helps me find other holders.”

Guan Tong was filled with excitement and couldn't wait to collect all five fragments as soon as possible in order to find out what exactly happened on the planet "Qimo Star" and what its relationship was with the rules of the apocalypse and the Fire Stealers.

Just then, a fog gate reappeared in front of him.

Guan Tong retrieved the terminal and stepped inside.

……

"fire!"

Boom boom boom boom!
The armored battalion bombarded the giant bird-like monster for more than five minutes, but still failed to kill it.

This creature is different from ordinary monsters; its enormous size not only grants it increased strength but also terrifying defensive capabilities. Even the bombardment of tank main guns cannot shoot it down, making it a major headache for the commander.

Unable to breach the monster's defenses, their own seven or eight armored vehicles had already been destroyed or overturned. Although the soldiers inside survived by evacuating in time and hiding in other vehicles, this situation could not continue indefinitely.

"Dragon Soul, can you think of a way to deal with this guy?" The commander had no choice but to ask the Ascended Squad for help.

The five members of Dragon Soul had just returned, and seeing the current situation, they were not optimistic.

Although all five of them received a significant increase in their mental power limit under the Eighth Rule (and were also bound by the Mind Lock), in terms of destructive power, no matter how strong they were, they could not compare to an armored battalion.

If the armored battalion's firepower couldn't kill the giant bird-like monster, then the five of them, with their abilities and tools, would also be unable to kill it.

Dragon Soul preferred to play it safe and wanted to suggest a temporary retreat, but then an unexpected change occurred.

A sharp howl came from high above, followed by a violent flapping of wings.

The flapping of its wings was so powerful that it even dispersed much of the surrounding mist, allowing people to look up and see the enormous bird, which was so large it almost covered half the sky, flying rapidly into the distance.

It actually left on its own!
Everyone was mesmerized, but Chen Na said, "It's really strange that this big bird actually has a beak and can make sounds."

Upon hearing this, the Dragon Soul members were all taken aback: It really is true!
They were all astonished by the bird's terrifying size, but forgot about this.

It's important to know that none of the monsters encountered in the fog have facial features like a mouth, nose, eyes, ears, or eyebrows. They don't make any sounds; the only noise they make is the sound of airflow when they move or attack.

But why could that giant bird let out a howling cry? Was it not a monster? What was going on?

No one knew the answer, but Dragon Soul shuddered: "Quick, let's go back to the Fog Gate!"

He and his teammates immediately returned to the spot they had marked where the fog gate had disappeared. A new fog gate had appeared sometime earlier, but they didn't see anyone going in or out.

Dragon Soul: "I guess the shadow must have left after it came out. The giant bird flew away after making a cry, which might be related to something inside the fog gate."

"...Captain, let me go in and take a look!" Black Shark finally couldn't help but say. "I know you're trying to play it safe, Captain. If I go in alone and something happens, I'll take full responsibility!"

After a few seconds of silence, Dragon Soul nodded, and Black Shark immediately rushed into the door. Less than ten minutes later, he came out again, looking completely bewildered.

Silver Fox asked, "What's it like inside?"

“It’s just a… cave.” Black Shark scratched his head. “A cave with nothing in it. There’s only one path inside. When I got to the end, there was an empty chamber and a fog door. I went in and came out again.”

"This……"

“There should have been something in the cave, but the shadow must have taken it,” said the night owl.

Flying Eagle sighed: "Alas..."

Dragon Soul said, "This is my responsibility, and I will take it on."

"Captain, you must be joking." Silver Fox shrugged. "We agreed not to go in before. Besides, if Shadow takes the stuff, so be it... Judging from his destruction of the Yongzhou base, he shouldn't be a bad person. It's better for him to take it than for some unscrupulous people to get it."

　Day 26 of my daily check-in challenge. Wishing all the experts a happy weekend.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)