Forge a path to success

"Please...you..."

Ji Huaisu instinctively grabbed the badge. Instantly, an inorganic electronic sound entered her ears.

"Outsider identification passed. Faction identification passed. Confirmed as an uncontaminated Allied member."

This is a communication from the headquarters of Dustless Land. Your city-state is in peril.

I expect you to obey all my commands unconditionally, because I am currently the only one who can save the Thorn Robe.

Chapter 340 Starry Chessboard, Dark Serpent Staff Rises (1)

"The next mission requires at least a level 4 combat capability. If you do not meet the requirements, please transfer your communication device to a trustworthy ally as soon as possible..."

An emotionless electronic voice rang out directly in his mind, and before he could think and draw a conclusion, Ji Huaisu had already taken action.

"I am Ji Huaisu, the detective of Huilong City, Supreme Path Point 4. Give me a reason to trust you."

The interrupted electronic voice showed no displeasure: "The Third Pulse is under threat from blood smoke bombs, which has trapped the Third Captain. Enemy hackers have paralyzed the communication network, preventing him from calling for help. Meanwhile, the Thorn Tree itself is being attacked by chaotic demons. Requesting divine support will result in demonic contamination."

"Enough, enough, enough!" Ji Huaisu shouted. "I believe you now. I'll tell you who it is and what I should do!"

"You can call me VV. Please receive the signal."

Vande stared blankly, having not received the communication from Dustless Land: "No matter how much pressure we're under, let's not go crazy!"

Ji Huaisu had no time to argue with it. Suddenly, pale blue lines appeared in her eyes, and the light of her spiritual energy formed a three-dimensional map of the third pulse sequence. The map zoomed in to mark a red dot at a location thousands of kilometers away, then zoomed out to a bird's-eye view to mark the route forward. A line segment running through all the buildings.

Without a word, Ji Huaisu switched to his steel armor and charged toward the target: "Arriving in 30 seconds. Explain the situation."

“The bombs buried throughout the Third Pulse sequence are not ‘time bombs’ in the conventional sense, because setting a countdown in advance would be detected by the Third Captain’s abilities. They used methods to evade detection, hiding unfinished bombs in advance and activating them with a ‘fuse’ sent at the last minute,” VV said. “The bomb is only truly completed the moment it receives the fuse, and it is also from that moment that it becomes capable of exploding. The danger of the bomb is obviously greater than sending a suspicious signal, so the Third Captain has to deal with the bomb immediately.”

"Fuck, I get it. As soon as Old Cui finishes dealing with one bomb, they immediately send the next signal. Old Cui can't spare a hand because he's busy saving people!"

Ji Huaisu was speeding through the air when she crashed head-on into a group of advertising airships. A direct collision with the airships would cause an accident, so she landed urgently, and to save time, crashed diagonally through five residential buildings, emerging from a family's living room.

A family of three, watching the water screen projection, stood dumbfounded, holding the remote control, while a fierce wind howled in from outside the wall, now just a large hole. From afar came Van D's scream: "We'll pay for it later!"

The distance to the light spot has been reduced to 50%. "I believe there is a main station transmitting signals in the city," VV said.

Are we heading towards that main station?

"No, sending a large number of suspicious signals throughout the city would be detected immediately, so the enemy set up multiple relay antennas to relay signals. These relay antennas are distributed throughout the Third Pulse sequence and move randomly without any pattern."

Ji Huaisu gradually realized: "Those bastards who caused the riot?"

"There are also some lurkers who haven't surfaced yet." VV signaled repeatedly, "Please receive intelligence."

10% away. Ji Huaisu flew over the art square like a great eagle, and the painters exclaimed as they pointed at her back. In the distance was the Delia Tower, one of the iconic buildings of the Third Order, a symbol of peace, where people were dancing around the tower, while others stood on the platform outside the tower conducting a band.

The map temporarily disappeared, and the light transformed into a photograph of the commander. Tiny texts appeared to provide reference information: "Particle 4, with its Sky-Bearing Wings, utilizes cybernetic augmentation to ascend, employs feather missile attacks, and will rely on speed to stall for time after the battle is triggered..."

3%. 1%. Ji Huaisu took off along the surface of the tower, the conductor casting his gaze upon her. Her wings unfurled, and VV's voice remained clear amidst the gasps of the crowd: "Time is of the essence, you only have 30 seconds—"

Ji Huaisu swung his fist, crackling with lightning. Fueled by rage, the punch shattered the enemy's chest. His blood splattered and evaporated like a burst tomato, and the intense heat completely carbonized Xu Lie's blood-producing heart into ash.

Ji Huaisu grabbed his clothes, soared over the tower, and continued flying, like an eagle swooping down and then soaring through the sky. The people below didn't even have time to react; they only saw a flash of lightning, and the conductor had vanished into thin air.

“And then?” she exclaimed.

“…You killed him.” VV’s response was a beat late.

"Damn it, if you wanted to capture him alive, you should have said so earlier! He detonated a bomb in the crowd, okay? Why keep someone like that around if you're not going to kill him?"

VV marked the next location, and Ji Huaisu immediately turned around. "Well done. It's just that I need to raise my assessment of your combat capabilities, and I was originally worried that your high moral standards as a detective would hinder the operation."

"Ha! You Wuchendi people actually talk about morality when dealing with evil and heretical sects?"

"Obviously not. I will be directing you as the assassin from now on, so be prepared." VV popped up a new marker, resembling a remote control, an antenna, and a wooden cylinder. "Find out if he is carrying similar items."

"Yes!" Ji Huaisu pulled out a cylindrical connector made of black iron. "What is this thing?"

"A special kind of tenon, a structure that a certain dust island used long ago to join wood, assemble buildings and mechanical puppets. I will reverse-analyze the signal as you travel, please inject energy into the badge. Electricity or mental energy, the more the better."

"Be careful this thing doesn't burst..." Ji Huaisu casually pulled out Vande, "Vande, come help me replenish my mental energy!"

"So you've made a pact with some kind of map-wide cheat demon, haven't you?" Vande muttered. "Tell it if it can give me a signal too."

“Okay,” VV replied.

"Oh!"

By channeling its mental energy into the badge, Vande heard VV's voice. It immediately became alert: "Trans-Dust Island ultra-long-range real-time communication? Using only this little energy… You're insane! You used Imperial technology!"

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures." VV said nonchalantly, "Analysis complete, reverse signal sent, please observe your surroundings."

·

At the same moment, somewhere in the third pulse sequence, Trek, who was a step late due to serious injuries, stared at the balloon that was about to burst in the distance.

"Sorry……"

With a "pop," the balloon deflated, turning into a tattered piece of cloth that fell into the crowd.

"Wow!" Trek exclaimed, turning around and throwing another bomb into the sea.

·

High in the sky, Ji Huaisu waited intently for a second: "Nothing happened!"

“Good, that means the bomb has been neutralized,” VV said. “Proceed to the next target.”

·

The cleanroom headquarters, VV Laboratory.

All useless experimental equipment was instantly teleported to the warehouse, freeing up a large amount of space to install virtual maps and verification devices. A panoramic map of the city-state of Jingsha occupied most of the laboratory area, and light beams indicating the scanning progress flowed continuously, marking densely packed red dots in the third pulse sequence.

Velbert Velus stood in the center of the laboratory, holding a cane, and operated the satellite above the thorns with her authority. People were constantly being transported into the laboratory and brought to the control panel, where they hurriedly began to act according to the instructions they had been given.

The secretary rushed in, shouting, "Boss, the Supreme Council has strongly condemned our hacking into the satellite. They believe it will cause a very serious diplomatic incident and demand that we immediately cease using public facilities to infringe upon the sovereignty of other countries—"

“The Supreme Council seems to have forgotten that I designed this satellite; they were only responsible for providing the money and materials,” Wilbert said. “Now they can’t leave the council room. Tell them that if they dare to touch the equipment, I will send classified intelligence from Dustless Land to the Empire. Then they can talk diplomacy with the real machines.”

Secretary Hill stared at the completely offline meeting room, her mouth agape: "Okay...okay..."

The scholar, bewildered, imported information in front of the big data missing persons module. He was one of the tutors in the next building, originally on vacation but arbitrarily teleported here to do odd jobs with high-level privileges. Hearing the absurd conversation behind him, he whispered to his secretary, "Your boss..."

Hill looked even more distraught than he did: "Our boss has always been like this."

"No, what I mean is, should we ask the chief about your boss...?"

"The chief said his electronic brain overheated and he's staying home to recuperate today... The boss is handling his regular work..."

"By the spirit above," he muttered in despair, sharing the analysis results on the large screen. Human figures appeared next to about two-thirds of the red dots.

"Analysis complete. 762 people have been identified. Most are extreme political activists, ordinary citizens with criminal records, and merchants moving between different factions, consistent with your assessment," the identification expert reported. "However, about two hundred people remain unidentified. We request access to the Jingsha City-State citizen database."

“I’ve completed the comparison; they are not citizens of the Thorn Robe.” Wilber pointed to his temple, “pulled” a list of mental energy from his mind, and tossed it over. “Try this.”

The expert frantically received and imported the data, and in less than three seconds he exclaimed, "Recognition successful! 90% are in this list! But... what is this?"

New portraits emerged, highlighted in blood red and enlarged at Vilbert's behest. The bizarre aura emanating from these figures sent a shiver down the researchers' spines; they resembled monstrous beasts draped in human skin. Above the names, numbers, resembling rankings, occupied even more space: NO.15…NO.26…NO.62…

“A list of assassins.” Vilbert tossed her secretary a new task: “Retrieve Ji Huaisu’s data from Dragon City, all of it.”

At the same moment, her mental energy was transmitted via satellite to the badge on Jing Sha's chest, where the girl's slightly loud voice boomed in her mind: "You're insanely awesome! How did you deduce that? I didn't find any trace of them at the scene!"

“I guessed,” Vilbert told her.

"So it was... your guess?!"

“From the planner’s perspective, if I were planning the attack, I would do the same. The first marker you went to was the most suspicious signal source I identified in the initial scan, and your success confirms my suspicions.”

She could almost picture the girl's furious face in the distance: "So you just guessed, huh? And you just happened to guess right!"

"If time allowed, I could guide you remotely to unravel the mystery or personally go to the scene to collect evidence. Unfortunately, I only have enough time to gain a preliminary understanding of the current situation in the Jing Sha City-State. There's no time for rigorous logical reasoning, Miss Ji."

Hill ran over with a stack of printed papers, and the real-life Velbert took the file. The file described the adopted daughter of Ji Qiufeng, the lord of Huilong City, a seasoned detective with extensive combat experience, and a valiant and skilled fighter, the "Pure Fire" of the third rank...

The forgery was obvious at a glance. She put the file aside and said, "Use my own authority."

"Boss, it's not a permission issue. We don't have any information on this person in our database. This is information I sifted through from satellite scans!" Hill said hurriedly. "If there really is hidden intelligence, then probably only the Chief himself can access it!"

Unexpectedly good news: this temporary collaborator's status is higher than imagined. In the current situation, a capable person with secrets is far better than an obedient mediocre one.

Vilbert continued speaking in her mind, and the sticky, musky voice took over from Ji Huaisu: "Let's not talk about evidence for now, as long as it works! VV, your speculation is correct. Tell us your plan of action, and we'll see if you have anything to add."

“Break down the relay antennas one by one, and I will use the reverse signal to disarm the bomb and locate the main station,” she said. “The more samples you get, the greater the probability of finding the main station, but the greater the probability of being found by the enemy. Unfortunately, the enemy this time are professionals. There are now more than two hundred professional assassins in the Third Pulse, among whom there may be more than three of them, the Massive Five.”

"So your ridiculous plan is to have me brave the attacks of 200 or so assassins and three point-based attacks to find an antenna that's nowhere to be found, is that right?" Ji Huaisu said.

"It is indeed very challenging. I usually entrust this kind of task to the person I trust most."

"Really?" Ji Huaisu was deeply moved. "We've never met before, and I'm so glad you trust me so much!"

Vilbert was taken aback, feeling as if a huge sun was rolling around in her head, shining brightly.

“I said that just now to put some pressure on you to improve your efficiency,” she said. “But your way of thinking is also very good.”

Chapter 341 Starry Chessboard, Dark Serpent Staff Rises (2)

In a secret room somewhere in the city-state of Thorn Robe.

Dozens of screens were stacked in a small space, each displaying a battle taking place somewhere in the Third Pulse. Six of the screens were playing a slow-motion replay of footage from a few seconds earlier, showing a flash of purple lightning obliterating someone in the center of the screen.

Guo Yutu typed on the virtual keyboard using his mental power, while the soldier beside him fed him a sip of cola. Xueyan's laughter echoed in the communication channel: "A total of 6 duds. Your signal is malfunctioning."

"Thanks for reminding me. I noticed it two minutes ago. Maintain the current distance and don't engage in a full-scale battle to wear him down."

Too many appetizers can make lunch boring.

“I’m telling you this one last time, there’s a chance that Jastry could forcibly teleport you to Starhold Mansa if he goes all out,” Guo Yutu said. “Personally, I’d love for you to be standing in front of the Commander-in-Chief the next moment, sentenced to a slow slicing and chopped into mincemeat, but this is a Blood Alliance mission, and I’m the Commander-in-Chief, so listen to me!”

"I suggest you hurry, Commander-in-Chief, before I can't resist going on stage."

Guo Yutu switched directly to another communication channel, and an image of a black-haired, blindfolded woman running appeared on the screen wall, with an indescribable, terrifying beast chasing behind her.

"Lelna Barry, stop dawdling, I have a new task for you."

"No, I've been bitten! That damn seal is still chasing me!!!" Lylena screamed in response.

Guo Yutu sighed deeply: "Little girl, I'll give you two choices. Either you go down now and switch to 'real fighting', or I'll send Chu Hengkong the B-movie you starred in, 'Blood Alliance Killers vs. Fat Animals,' tomorrow."

You can't!!

"If you don't want to embarrass yourself, then you'd better take this seriously." Guo Yutu covered his face. "Oh my god, I can't bear to watch anymore. I have to report to Wang Quan."

On the screen, Lylena dodged the giant claw's blow in a sorry state; her blood-stained longsword was swallowed whole by the beast the moment it was unleashed. The woman screamed as she scrambled to her feet, "I'll deal with that thing! Give me three more minutes! Please!"

"OK, three minutes left."

Guo Yutu cut off the communication, tossed the female assassin's image to the far corner of the screen wall, and casually marked a 180-second countdown on her retina. He was practically transported back to the night of the siege of Velus; that familiar sense of collapse returned once more. In this kind of mission, he would rather have three obedient Element 4s than these two idiots.

Fortunately, he still has many point masses 4 under his control.

Guo Yutu switched to the public channel: "Notify all antennas to switch to contingency plan 3. Hide among the nearest crowd, the more the better. Attention assassins ranked 200 and above, an emergency mission is now being issued to you..."

A photo and detailed information about the blonde girl flashed on the screen wall, including her background, common methods, and inferences about her strength.

Target: Ji Huaisu of Huilong City.

Requirement: Regardless of whether they are dead or alive.

Guo Yutu pressed the Enter key: "Start now."

·

"The 8th one!"

Ji Huaisu cleaved an athlete in two with her boundless sword, the latter being instantly disintegrated into microscopic particles by the high-frequency vibrations. She grabbed her jersey and leaped into the sky, leaving behind a chorus of screams from those who didn't know what was going on.

"I beg you to tone it down! You're practically a serial killer now! You wouldn't even have a chance to deny being sentenced to life imprisonment by Banningtik!" Vande screamed.

"The umbrella of poetry and literature is about to explode, and you're still worrying about these things? Go talk law with a bomb." Ji Huaisu pulled out the antenna. "VV, how about it?"

"Reverse engineering complete, one bomb has been defused. More than 10 more samples are expected to be needed to pinpoint the main antenna."

VV marked the next point, which was almost half the length of the poem's canopy away from their current location. Ji Huaisu questioned, "There's no reason for that!"

Based on the frequency distribution of thousands of explosions, the distance between the next target point and the other antennas is already far beyond the average estimate. VV explained, "The enemy has taken measures; the surrounding signals have been forcibly silenced, only the detonation signals from further away have been preserved. I can perform high-precision scanning, but..."

“There’s not enough time, is there?” Vande’s eyes stung. “This is obviously a trap. Their main fighting force must be rushing over there to surround us.”

Ji Huaisu calmed down instead: "But the signal is real. They can't possibly give up restraining Lao Cui for my sake; that would be putting the cart before the horse. Is it possible that they will restart the signal in the current area after I leave?"