Simultaneous Transmigration: We Share a Role-Playing System

Chapter 198 Hidden Mission Begins, Mission Objective: Survive

Charles stood at the highest point of the central deck, looking down at the vast crowd below.

The cries of the common people, the quarrels of the upper class, and the screams of children mingled together, like a pot of boiling water.

A cold wind, carrying the smell of rust, swept across the deck, along with the faint roars of the Devouring Beasts echoing from the ground in the distance. The lighthouse's metal frame creaked under the strain, as if it might fall apart at any moment.

Charles, however, stood ramrod straight, his face expressionless.

I thought back to a few months ago when he stood here, giving a speech to the same crowd.

That day, Mark went berserk and lost control, his blood staining the deck red. Nearly a thousand people perished there, and he also lost his left arm and an eye forever.

Today, he stands here again, but the lighthouse beneath his feet is no longer suspended two thousand meters in the air, but hangs less than a hundred meters from the ground, teetering on the verge of collapse.

With helium reserves running low and the power system paralyzed, countless Devouring Beasts on the ground are raising their heads, waiting for their prey to fall from the sky.

But in this life-or-death moment, Charles's eyes showed no panic, but rather burned with an almost blind confidence.

"Citizens of the Lighthouse! I am Lord Charles!"

The loudspeaker carried his voice throughout the entire floating city, and the noisy crowd gradually quieted down, with all eyes focused on the figure standing high above.

Immediately afterwards, a chorus of exclamations suddenly erupted.

"The city lord's hand! His hand has grown back!"

"His eyes are fine! His eyes are all healed! The blind eye has actually recovered!"

"How is this possible? When did the medical department acquire this technology? How many risks would this involve!"

"Could it be the Lord of Light and Shadow protecting us?"

"What's the use of having the best technology!"

"Yeah, we're about to fall to the ground! I can hear the monsters screaming down below! We're all going to die!"

"Don't talk nonsense here! The city lord is here! Peace will reign in the lighthouse! The city lord is here! Justice will prevail!"

Looking at the still noisy crowd, Charles frowned in displeasure and glanced sideways at Senger, the city defense commander beside him. Senger immediately understood and snapped his fingers, signaling the city defense soldiers wearing gravity suits to take control of the scene.

Faced with the city's garrison, who were very good at reasoning, the noisy crowd quickly quieted down and waited for Charles to speak.

Charles nodded in satisfaction, cleared his throat, and continued, "I know everyone is terrified. We've been plummeting from two thousand meters in the air. Although our helium equipment will only last us a few more months, rest assured, the Devouring Beasts hovering below the city won't keep us waiting that long. So our reserves are more than enough."

The moment the words left his mouth, the entire lighthouse fell into a deathly silence.

The wind stopped, and the distant roars of the Devouring Beasts seemed to vanish as well. Everyone stood frozen, their minds blank. A full three seconds passed before anyone realized what they had just heard.

"—What did he say?"

"Has the city lord gone mad? He actually said the Devouring Beasts wouldn't make us wait three months?"

"Great Lord of Light and Shadow, am I dreaming? Please let me leave this nightmare behind."

"Charles, you're a madman! You don't deserve to be the city lord! If you hadn't forced Captain Mark away, the Lighthouse wouldn't be in this state now!"

"It seems that this time, human civilization is truly in grave danger."

Curses, cries, and desperate screams erupted instantly, ten times more intense than before. Although the city defense troops had tried their best to maintain order, they were still unable to stop the angry crowd.

Sengge, sweating profusely, watched the scene spiral out of control. He instinctively turned to look at the Lightbringer beside him, only to see her standing expressionlessly in the shadows with her hands folded in front of her, like a cold sculpture.

A chill crept up Seng's spine.

Something's not right, something's really not right.

In the past, these fanatical followers of the Light and Shadow Society would have already charged forward waving their sticks, showing these people what it means to preach with attitude and to wield a stick with force.

But today, they all just stood quietly, coldly observing the riot, without even a hint of stepping forward, and instead looked down on them.

No, what gives them the right?

Charles looked at the people at his feet, spitting and cursing, but instead of showing any anger, he revealed a pleased smile.

He patiently waited until everyone had finished their tirade before slowly speaking, his voice carrying clearly through the loudspeaker to every corner: "Because all of this is a revelation from the Lord of Light and Shadow!"

The crowd's cursing suddenly stopped.

"He guided us to fall, guided us back to this earth! Under the leadership of the Lord of Light and Shadow, we will crush the Mana ecosystem and tear apart all the Devouring Beasts! We will let this planet know!"

Charles opened his arms wide, his voice suddenly rising in a frenzied, almost manic fervor: "Who! Is the true master of this planet!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire deck fell into an eerie silence.

It is neither a quiet of reverence nor a silence of conviction.

It was that kind of deathly silence, like hearing the most absurd joke in the world and not knowing how to react for a moment.

Someone opened their mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't utter a word.

Yes, some people believe in the Lord of Light and Shadow.

But now the lighthouse is suspended a hundred meters in the air, and below it are monsters waiting to devour people. Instead of saying how to repair the engine, how to find supplies, or how to fight the Devouring Beasts, you are shouting here that "the Lord of Light and Shadow will lead us to victory"?

Are you really treating us like fools?

Just as the crowd's anger was about to reach a breaking point and was about to overturn the city's defenses, a sharp, piercing metallic scraping sound suddenly tore through the sky.

The sound was extremely strange, like countless sharp blades scraping against a steel plate at the same time, drowning out all the curses and cries.

A mortal at the edge of the crowd subconsciously turned his head and looked in the direction of the sound, only to find that several jet-black birds were standing on the railing at the edge of the deck, tilting their heads and coldly scrutinizing them with eyes burning with purple soul fire.

"What is that?"

His voice trembled slightly, causing those around him to turn their heads.

Among the crowd, a man responsible for managing the old books in the archives suddenly froze. He stared intently at the black birds, his lips trembling, as if he had witnessed something absolutely impossible.

"This is—a raven?" he exclaimed in shock. "How is this possible! Didn't ravens go extinct along with the old ecosystem?!"

He stretched out his hand, trembling, pointing to the black creatures preening their feathers in the wind. The ancient texts clearly stated that ravens were messengers of death, symbols of wisdom, and harbingers of hope.

This miraculous scene made him instantly forget all his anger.

When everyone looked up, they were horrified to discover that, without them noticing, these black ravens had spread all over the lighthouse.

They stood on metal railings, at pipe joints, and on hanging poles above everyone's heads, densely packed yet eerily quiet.

Just then, a raven flapped its wings and slowly landed on Charles's shoulder.

Charles tilted his head slightly, as if reciting the most sacred verses, his voice proud and resounding throughout the entire lighthouse: "Behold! This is the messenger of the Lord of Light and Shadow! And the great Lord of Light and Shadow is about to descend upon the world!"

As soon as Charles finished speaking, all the ravens took flight at the same time.

Countless black wings flapped, converging into a black storm that blotted out the sky, swirling and howling in mid-air.

Black feathers fell like snowflakes, carrying a cold and sacred aura. The storm slowly subsided and landed where Charles had originally been. Charles, who had voluntarily given up his place, was filled with fanaticism, letting the gale whip his priest's robes flutter wildly.

A few seconds later, the ravens scattered and flew away.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, a figure dressed in black armor appeared out of thin air beside Charles.

"What the City Lord said is true! The Lord of Light and Shadow has truly descended!"

"Didn't you just say—"

"You're talking nonsense!"

More and more people knelt down, their prayers, cries, and cheers mingling together and echoing throughout the lighthouse.

But a few people in the frenzied crowd remained standing. They gazed at Locke's pure black armor, at the shadows surrounding him that seemed to devour all light, and murmured, "Lord of Light and Shadow, protect me! Lord of Light and Shadow, protect me!"

With Locke's stunning entrance, most people believed Charles's words, but a few others, looking at Locke's unsettling image and color scheme, muttered to themselves, "Is this really the Lord of Light and Shadow? Why do I feel—it's so dark."

Locke clearly felt a vast, ocean-like power of faith surging into his body from all directions, and the faith bar in front of him was growing rapidly, as if it would be filled soon.

He looked down at the crowd below, some fervent, some anxious, and his calm voice cut through the noise, reaching everyone's ears clearly: "My believers, have no doubt. Where there is light, there is shadow. Light and shadow are two sides of the same coin."

I am the Lord of Shadows, and also—the Lord of Light.

As soon as he finished speaking, he slowly raised his hand and removed the black mask from his face.

Beneath the mask, there are no human features, only a deep and dazzling starry sky, with countless stars flowing and flickering within it, as if the entire universe is contained within this face.

Charles was jolted, staring intently at the face etched deep into his soul. All his doubts and reservations vanished in that instant.

He knelt down with a thud, his forehead pressed tightly against the cold deck, becoming Locke's most devoted follower.

At the same time, the black feather cloak behind Locke began to dissipate, turning into countless shimmering points of light, which then coalesced again into a transparent cloak with flowing starlight patterns.

His black armor melted away like ice and snow, revealing a completely transparent golden body, a stark contrast to his previous dark form, yet perfectly integrated with it.

【Light LV50】

The next second, endless soft light burst forth from Locke's body.

People instinctively closed their eyes, yet felt no glare. The light penetrated their skin and flowed into their souls, instantly melting away all their confusion, fear, despair, and repression, like snow meeting the blazing sun.

When they opened their eyes again, they saw only an intense light, and the Lord of Light and Shadow was smiling and reaching out his hand to them.

In a dark, unnoticed passageway on the central deck, Morgan, the former city lord who was under house arrest and recuperating, sat dazedly in his wheelchair. He stared blankly at the Lord of Light and Shadow before him, muttering repeatedly, "Charles, my child, I wronged you, I'm sorry, my child."

Beside him, former city defense commander Victor stood behind Morgan, staring blankly at the blinding light at the end of the passage.

Looking at the figure bathed in light and shadow, he didn't even notice the cigarette falling from his hand, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "So—it's all true, there really is a Lord of Light and Shadow."

Just then, a tiny speck of golden light drifted into the passage along with the airflow and gently landed on Morgan's forehead.

As Morgan slowly regained consciousness, he heard people's devout and fervent calls echoing in his ears: "Light nurtures all beings, all beings follow the shadow; light cleanses my soul, shadow shelters my body; with the Way restrain desires, I revel in pleasure without indulgence; even if my body is mutilated, I will not abandon light and shadow!"

At the same time, less than 100 meters from the lighthouse, all the Devouring Beasts felt the wave of faith that erupted from the top of the lighthouse, a wave even hotter and purer than the midday sun.

They became more frenzied than ever before.

Snake-dogs, thorny eels, and chubby beasts converged from all directions like a black tide, piling up and climbing on each other to form ever-rising beast mountains.

Sharp claws scratched at the air, and deafening roars echoed, causing the ground beneath their feet to tremble.

They piled up like arhats, desperately reaching upwards, trying to tear apart the source emanating such intense emotional fluctuations.

Just then, a soft golden beam of light poured down from the top of the lighthouse.

The colorful ribbons of light, like flowing aurora borealis, slowly rotated around the entire floating city.

Countless golden specks of light drifted down from the band of light, like a warm spring rain sprinkling onto the earth below.

The miracle occurred when the first golden light fell on the snake-dog in the front row.

The Devouring Beast, which had been about to pounce with its gaping maw, suddenly froze.

Its scarlet eyes gradually lost their ferocity, and its wildly twisting body slowly calmed down. Then, the second, the third—all the Devouring Beasts that came into contact with the golden light seemed to be soothed by some invisible force.

They stopped roaring and climbing, retreating from the Beast Mountain and slowly dispersing towards the distant ruins, causing it to crumble and recede at a visible speed, gradually revealing the two-jawed beast that formed the main body of the Beast Mountain.

The Beast merely glanced at the lighthouse above its head before turning and leaving.

Because at this moment, the will of Mana's ecology is focusing all its attention on the other side.

In the western part of the continent, after a violent explosion, the hunters successfully blocked the attack of the Devouring Beast Tide. Bai Yuekui, along with his elite Awakened Walkers, secretly followed the convoy. Sui Xing, with long hair and a bow and arrow, drove the car, staring incredulously at Uchiha Sasuke sitting on the roof of the last car in the convoy, and asked Bai Yuekui in the passenger seat beside him.

"Boss Bai, was that giant we just saw really something that could be developed from potential? Could it be some kind of cutting-edge technology from an ancient era?"

"No, I have never seen similar technology, but if it is developed through potential, I don't think humans can withstand such a huge amount of energy. Perhaps our understanding of the potential of the source is too narrow."

Bai Yuekui's thoughtful gaze fell on Uchiha Sasuke. She could now understand why Mana's initial body had reacted. Perhaps, these people would be the key to saving humanity's future.

Just as the convoy was still basking in the joy of escaping disaster, a few kilometers away, on their only route, a dark cloud flashing with lightning suddenly descended to the ground, and amidst the flashing lightning, a clear and enormous humanoid silhouette was slowly outlined.

At the same time, the God Squad also received a notification about a hidden mission.

[Hidden Quest Unlocked]

[Mission Objective: Survive the pursuit of a Transformation-level Devouring Beast]

[Mission Rewards: Two A-rank side quests, 10000 reward points]