Ark Chess Player

No matter who it is, once labeled as infected, it's like being branded with indelible evidence. Regardless of their past status or position, the final outcome is the same. Whether it's a high-ranking police superintendent in Lungmen or a governor in Chernobog, it's all the same.

Mephisto sighed deeply, "Just like Sister Talulah said, this city is utterly rotten and must be cleansed by the fire of the Reunion Movement. I will take on the role of cleaner, and you should be grateful. This is the best ending for you trash."

"—!?"

Chen's eyes widened, and he demanded, "Say it again, who said that?!"

“You know who it is, Commander Chen, you know who she is.”

Mephistopheles' eyes were full of laughter, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up, performing an exaggerated act like an actor.

"She was once the future heir of this city, but Lungmen ignored her, leaving her utterly disappointed. Fortunately, our great leader did not succumb to despair! She stood up and proved herself through her actions!"

"She is the leader of the Reunion Movement, she is the spiritual beacon of the Reunion Movement, she has developed the Reunion Movement from an inactive underground organization of infected people into what it is today! She is the spokesperson of the Reunion Movement, she is a pioneer, she is the future of the infected!"

"We must destroy this decaying land; we cannot allow corruption to continue to fester. We will destroy everything, we will burn everything, and we will rebuild countless rusted cities until they are reborn!!"

Mephisto waved his hand, and countless white dust particles spread outward from the Guard Bureau building, engulfing any infected they encountered along the way.

The Rhodes Island squad assisting Superintendent Swire around the Guard Bureau building also encountered danger. Fortunately, the squad had all the caster operators present and managed to erect a barrier to protect the Guard operators. Operators who were accidentally exposed to the dust were treated in time. The medical team collected the dust to study the nature of the spell units, the medium, and analyzed the attribute values ​​of the Originium Arts in order to find a solution.

"Come on, Commander Chen, join us."

Mephisto extended his hand to Chen Huijie, then looked at the Royal Guard officers who instinctively stepped back and laughed wildly, "These people aren't worth it! Don't you have any disappointment in Lungmen? Come, our leader is waiting for you! You're her only family, aren't you?"

relatives.

Chen's consciousness went blank for a moment.

The white dust took the opportunity to corrode her spirit, replaying her past in her mind.

That was her sister, that was her relative, who had once held her hand and led her through the streets and alleys of Longmen.

until--

"Come with me! Don't stay here any longer!"

—The girl with short, silver hair reached out her hand, which was stained with blood.

"Don't you want to leave here? Don't you want to get away from these people, away from this place?"

The girl let out a scream, as if she were accusing something, her angry voice soaring into the sky.

“It’s all his fault that everyone treated you and me this way! It’s all his fault! Our mother shouldn’t have married such a man… She’s gone mad, he’s gone mad, everyone’s gone mad! We can’t stay here any longer, come with me, quick, take my hand!”

The girl's outstretched hand received no response, and in the end, she was pulled away by the dark shadows, leaving only her back view.

"Little Tower..."

Chen Huijie let out a murmur.

She stood there blankly, a momentary lapse in concentration that could be a fatal mistake on the battlefield, potentially costing her countless lives!

"Crimson Sky!!"

Chen Huijie wielded her sword to cut off her hesitation and worries. She could not waver, she absolutely could not waver!

This time, however, Chi Xiao lost control; her wavering will was unable to control the Emperor's Sword Aura.

The condensed Originium Arts froze, and the out-of-control sword energy nearly hit the officers of the assault team, causing everyone to doubt Chen once again.

“It seems you can’t do anything.” Mephisto sighed in utter disappointment, his tone somewhat helpless. “You can’t kill me, and you’re unwilling to obediently join the Reunion Movement, which makes things very difficult for me.”

"Tch! Even if it means dying together with you, I will never join the Reunion Movement."

Chen removed his mask and spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm onto the floor in front of Mephisto.

She was injured, and the backlash from the Crimson Sky caused her internal injuries.

"So what if she's the leader of Reunion? With someone like you around, what lofty ideals can Reunion possibly have? Bah! I've never been convinced by Rhodes Island, but I have to admit, Rhodes Island is a thousand times stronger than you! If one day the future of the Infected changes, it will be Rhodes Island, not your Reunion, that will change everything!"

“I see.” Mephistopheles nodded dismissively. “If you don’t believe it, then forget it. If you can witness a miracle and survive, maybe you’ll change your mind, but by then… it’ll be too late!”

Mephistopheles took out the Holy Grail, which resembled a skull, and a blood-red eyeball.

No one knew what he was planning to do, not even Faust, but he suddenly felt very uneasy.

The next moment, he understood what Mephisto was doing.

The white dust, carried by the wind throughout Lungmen city and even reaching the slums, nearly drained the life force of any infected it touched, turning them into mummies. The corpses disintegrated, releasing even more dust, spreading more suffering and death. Only a few infected individuals with the ability to protect themselves were able to resist; the majority of the Reunion Movement's infected members became victims, dying in agony and despair.

The number of infected people that Reunion sent to invade Lungmen this time is approximately 2,800.

Under Mephisto's arrangement, these people spread out in a fan shape, dying one by one like pre-prepared sacrifices, becoming the source of the white dust contagion. In a short time, it swept across Lungmen, leaving behind a scene of utter devastation, as people watched helplessly as they turned into Originium sculptures and crumbled.

"Xiaomei! What is this!?"

Faust asked in astonishment, having heard the screams of his men.

On the rooftops of the East Second Floor and South Third Floor of the Guard Bureau, Faust's direct squad of Phantom Crossbowmen were covered in dust. Their magical skills of concealing themselves through air refraction were rendered useless in the upheaval, and their disguises were directly exposed.

"Faust, save me—"

"Faust!!"

The Phantom Crossbowman couldn't even hold his weapon properly and collapsed to the ground. He tried to retreat, but his body began to petrify, rendering him immobile. Even if he could move, what good would it do? The entire city was about to be engulfed in Originium dust; there was nowhere to go!

Faust, seeing this, anxiously tried to reach out and press his friend's shoulder, but Mephistopheles turned and glared at him, startling him so much that he took several steps back.

"Quiet."

Mephistopheles' eyes were bloodshot, and even his voice was hoarse.

Faust looked at Mephistopheles and suddenly felt that the other man was a complete stranger, as if he had become a different person.

"Only through exquisite darkness can one know eternal and endless pain. I will sacrifice my soul and offer the blood of this ritual."

Mephistopheles slowly inserted the crimson eyeballs into the eye sockets of the skull chalice, while simultaneously cutting his palm and pouring his blood onto it.

"Stop him!"

Chen Huijie tried her best to make a sound.

She plunged her sword into the ground, enduring the pain that was almost tearing her apart.

Two streams of blood flowed from Chen's nose without any regard for appearances, and a layer of mineral gradually covered Chen's shoulder, causing his clothes to bulge on one side.

Countless murmurs exploded in her mind, catching her off guard and nearly breaching her mental lake, directly transforming her into a herd.

"Quick!"

Chen angrily retorted that she had pinned her hopes on the Guard Bureau.

The officers in the assault team hesitated for a moment, but still charged forward with their shields raised.

They hadn't yet recovered from the deception of Superintendent Chen concealing a highly contagious disease with a 100% fatality rate and pretending nothing had happened. No one could accept that, in a modern world without any medical solutions, someone would be carrying a highly infectious disease and wandering around aimlessly.

However, now is not the time to pursue Superintendent Chen. What's the point if he doesn't survive until today?

Mephistopheles didn't even look up. Holding the barren, righteous Holy Grail that exuded an evil aura, he said calmly, "Faust."

Faust shuddered. He didn't know what Mephisto was doing, but his actions seemed to be using the Reunion Movement as leverage against Lungmen. Now, his squad members were suffering from the corrosive effects of Originium dust, and many more were being harmed.

What should he do?

A chaotic and sorrowful feeling filled Faust's heart. He no longer wanted to fight, or even seek revenge for the torture Lungmen had inflicted on him these past few days. All he wanted now was to take Mephistopheles away, and to take the Phantom Crossbowmen away.

"Faust!"

Mephistopheles scoffed, already feeling the officers from the assault team closing in on him.

Faust's mouth opened slightly, then he pursed it deeply, a thousand words condensing into one sentence...

"Yes."

The etched crossbow bullets exploded, their powerful impact and deadly corrosiveness striking the menacing Guards officers. One officer's shield was instantly shattered, and his severed limbs, trailing blood mist, flew off to some unknown corner.

"Kill them!!"

The task force did not retreat; they had nowhere to retreat, for behind them lay the Dragon Gate.

Faust numbly loaded his crossbow, pulled the trigger, and shot, repeating the process over and over. His face was pale, his eyes vacant, as if his thoughts had long since drifted away from the battlefield.

Mephisto raised the skull chalice high, and wisps of Originium dust were drawn into it, surging in like a vast ocean.

"This will be a grand celebration."

“It begins with the blood of the gods.”

Let us raise our glasses.

"Cast away your worries."

"Open your eyes."

The scattered seeds sprouted and bore abundant fruit.

The skull chalice was filled with the tainted blood of the ancient gods, which Mephistopheles drank in one gulp.

Once the ceremony is over, it cannot be reversed.

In an instant, leaden clouds spread from the southeast, obscuring the setting sun.

The sky was as black as ink. A bolt of lightning tore through the clouds and struck the ground with a deafening roar.

In a fleeting instant, the lightning illuminated a terrifying figure—it was…

The Great Old Ones.

Chapter 405 Amida (4K)

"Quickly, come in, hurry up!"

At the Lungmen slum shelter, Alexander Swell evacuates infected residents.

When the white dust drifted in from the city, the infected residents who were building their new homes initially thought it was just a bag of building materials that had broken. It wasn't until the dust clung to them, like locusts swarming across the fields, that a terrifying famine struck.

One infected after another collapsed amidst agonizing screams. Originium dust relentlessly eroded their Oripathy lesions, and these ordinary infected could only watch helplessly as their bodies turned to Originium, dying in agony. Their corpses even cracked and exploded after death, spewing out more Originium dust, constantly searching for the next source of infection.

By the time Swirl realized something was wrong, a large number of infected people had already collapsed and lost their lives.

Without hesitation, Swell immediately organized the residents of the slums to take refuge in the shelter. At the same time, he made the difficult decision to let several infected individuals who had volunteered to distract the dust leave. These infected individuals were elderly, and they knew they were already very lucky to have escaped the infected hunting operation by the Lungmen New Generation Organization and to be able to enjoy warm beds and hot meals in the newly built shelter.

Alexander Swail spent a day and a night earning their trust through his actions.

If Swir hadn't provided assistance, hadn't organized manpower and resources to build this shelter, then during the daytime downpour, these infected individuals, without food, drinking water, or shelter, would have had a high probability of their Oripathy worsening and dying.