"Wait, are you really not a member of Crimson Night?"
The man in front of me shook his head frantically. I returned to my normal appearance.
"I'm the boss of Blackfang—Fang. You must have heard of me."
But the man still looked confused, so I let him go.
All night, I rescued several people but couldn't find any trace of them. Fear kept spreading through the area. Imperial Police were everywhere on the streets, arresting many suspects.
The area where Susan Zhou and her group stayed was completely destroyed. Because of today's raging flames, everything within several kilometers was scorched black.
It was already 4 a.m. I stood in the ruined street, looking at the huge crater. I heard that today, the flames erupted from underground.
Although this branch was likely wiped out, Susan Zhou once told me that there were twenty branches in Rachel Lan's area, and only one was destroyed today. They probably relocated elsewhere.
The only thing that reassured me was Zhang Jizheng. Thanks to the sacred power of the Vermilion Bird within Rachel Lan, he had recovered greatly and could feel things again.
I entered the now-solidified crater and looked around. Although there were traces of passageways on the walls, I had no idea how to find the Crimson Night members. I was out of options.
After opening a passage, I drifted inside, following the winding tunnel. Colors shifted along the way. I had passed several forks; maybe I was already in a trap, completely lost. My Ghost Thread could only reach twenty meters.
I kept drifting forward, not very fast. Suddenly, with a screech, sharp steel spikes shot out from the tunnel walls. Instinctively, I reacted, breaking the spikes. Sure enough, it was a trap, so I had to turn back.
Another fork. I looked left and right, thinking for a while. Then I noticed something different—black and white. With a whoosh, I moved over and saw a Yin-Yang symbol at an intersection. Without hesitation, I entered that passage.
As expected, after walking for a while, I found another Yin-Yang symbol. Gradually, I saw a glimmer of light. I had traveled over ten kilometers. With a whoosh, I drifted out—crowds of people were everywhere, busy preparing something.
"It's Fang..."
I saw people from the previous branch. Instantly, the noise stopped. I spotted Susan Zhou and hurried over.
"Miss Zhou, how's the situation?"
Susan Zhou shook her head.
"It's not looking good. We've lost quite a few people in today's events, and some outsiders have been captured."
A door opened in a nearby room—it was Zhang Jizheng, and Eli Lear was there too. I breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over.
After opening a passage, I drifted inside, following the winding tunnel. There were different colors. I had passed several forks; maybe I was already in a trap, completely lost. My Ghost Thread could only reach twenty meters.
I kept drifting forward, not very fast. Suddenly, with a screech, sharp steel spikes shot out from the tunnel walls. Instinctively, I reacted, breaking the spikes. Sure enough, it was a trap, so I had to turn back.
Another fork. I looked left and right, thinking for a while. Then I noticed something different—black and white. With a whoosh, I moved over and saw a Yin-Yang symbol at an intersection. Without hesitation, I entered that passage.
As expected, after walking for a while, I found another Yin-Yang symbol. Gradually, I saw a glimmer of light. I had traveled over ten kilometers. With a whoosh, I drifted out—crowds of people were everywhere, busy preparing something.
"It's Fang..."
I saw people from the previous branch. Instantly, the noise stopped. I spotted Susan Zhou and hurried over.
"Miss Zhou, how's the situation?"
Susan Zhou shook her head.
"It's not looking good. We've lost quite a few people in today's events, and some outsiders have been captured."
A door opened in a nearby room—it was Zhang Jizheng, and Eli Lear was there too. I breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over.
Later I learned that after Rachel Lan found a member of Crimson Night, she began tracking them daily. Eventually, she found the branch and started a massacre. Thankfully, Zhang Jizheng held Rachel Lan off for a while, letting many people escape.
"Fang, where have you been these past few days?"
Zhang Jizheng spoke helplessly. I shook my head and smiled faintly.
"When did those people leave?"
"About half a month ago. After you lost contact, they left in pairs."
I responded and sat down. Susan Zhou left—she seemed to be organizing the evacuation. Some Crimson Night members had been captured, all subdued immediately, unable to commit suicide. This place might be exposed. Susan Zhou told me they decided to move toward the area controlled by Phantom Sage, evacuating the Emperor God's territory, spanning over a thousand kilometers.
"Mr. Eli Lear."
I glanced at Eli Lear. He smiled kindly.
"Fang, it seems like your temperament has changed a lot since you went out."
"Can you tell?"
Eli Lear nodded. Zhang Jizheng left the room, having realized I wanted to consult Eli Lear about something.
"Mr. Eli Lear, you mentioned before that I am a Favored Survivor."
[SKIP: System-generated prompt for readers to continue to the next page.]
"Indeed, I said you are a Favored Survivor."
The fact that I'm still alive may be the best proof. But what is the next line to that saying? I wanted to know, and deep inside, I vaguely understood something.
"Favored Survivor must act according to Heaven's will..."
Eli Lear slowly stood up. I sensed that Eli Lear had been repeating we are Favored Survivors for a reason.
"The Way of Heaven is like drawing a bow: the high is pressed down, the low is lifted up; excess is reduced, deficiency is supplemented. The Way of Heaven reduces excess and fills the lacking. The way of man is not so; it reduces the lacking to serve the excess. Who then has excess to serve the world? Only those who follow the Way."
I quietly reflected on everything Eli Lear said; his words were brief but struck my current state of mind.
"That's how it is—everything has its own Way. The Way exists in people; without it, the body dies. Fang, what do you think? No one is perfect, no state is absolute. Because your Way is impartial, you've come this far. Even if your body is no longer what it was, your true self remains unchanged."
I nodded and stood up.
"Thank you, Mr. Eli Lear. What I have to do won't change."
I walked out. Susan Zhou was still organizing things. The people in front of me were carrying bags, starting to move into the tunnel.
"I'm sorry about Mr. Grant; there's nothing I can do."
Susan Zhou smiled at me and shook her head.
"It's fine. The boss has been caught more than once before, but he always escaped and brought back intelligence. Don't worry, Fang."
I nodded and started helping them pack. Now that Rachel Lan is acting this way, the only way to survive is to leave.
This is bad—everyone, hurry up! Many Emperor God police are searching above us. This place could be exposed.
That girl is tough to handle. In this world, ghost powers are suppressed, so fighting her is difficult, Qingyuan.
Zhang Jizheng whispered in my ear. I nodded.
"It's fine. If she comes, I'll stop her this time. When I first arrived here, I felt everything had nothing to do with me—I just wanted to do my own thing. But now, it's different."
Zhang Jizheng patted my shoulder and smiled.
In times of crisis, I'll find a way. My spirit has recovered a lot, and today I've absorbed a lot of Vermilion Bird's power. If I regain my strength, I can handle that girl's power.
I looked at Zhang Jizheng in surprise and immediately released my Ghost Thread. His body was filled with immense yang energy.
Previously, Rachel Lan had dealt with Crimson Night members more than once, always with ruthless methods. But now, she ignores those on the surface and directly destroys Crimson Night's underground base.
Eli Lear was preparing to leave. He nodded to me, and I smiled and waved at him.
"I'll go over first, and come back later."
Zhang Jizheng said, then quickly followed. Suddenly, there was a loud rumble overhead—the ceiling cracked, stones flew, and many people were waiting to evacuate.
"Move quickly!"
Susan Zhou shouted into a loudspeaker. Someone rushed over in a panic.
"Rachel Lan is here—it's bad! They've confirmed this underground is our base."
With a whoosh, I flew toward the entrance—a direct path upward. In an instant, I reached the hidden door and burst out. The night sky was lit with golden light, and all around were cries and chaos; the streets were jammed.