Late at night.
A person who felt no fear and another who was the very source of fear, lay on beds two and four of dormitory 403.
If ghosts, paranormal incidents, and all manner of terrifying tales truly existed in this world, encountering these two individuals would undoubtedly be a nightmare for those strange tales and specters.
Perhaps sensing sothing, Bai Wu didn’t hear the security departnt’s patrol this evening since nightfall.
They reported to the headmaster and had once assisted the headmaster in abducting nurous students, but after calamity struck, their unfulfilled desires prevented them from receiving the promised vast sums of money, and they were forever tasked with guarding students.
Now that the headmaster was dead, perhaps they felt sothing had changed.
The security guards of the security departnt, having a powerful strength bonus within the dormitory area, had beco the wardens of the students, who didn’t dare provoke them.
The hierarchy within the dorm was from highest to lowest:
Lantern Bearer—the terrifying tales within the dorm—security guards—students.
Should the guards enter the dorms, the tales were no longer rely tales but transford into real perils.
In a sense, the terrifying tales were protected by the students’ desires, yet due to the unfulfilled curses, they continually tornted the students.
In the depths of the night, as she thought about the students who simply could not sleep, each plagued by nightmares, Jiang Yimi was once again engulfed in guilt.
She planned to speak with Bai Wu before the Lantern Bearer arrived:
"Uncle,"
"Uncle?"
Bai Wu felt offended. He was not even twenty years old, and this was like calling Dwarf, who was one ter fifty-nine, as being one ter fifty-eight—it was an absolute offense.
Up until now, Jiang Yimi had always addressed Bai Wu with "you," because most of the ti she was the one who responded.
"Well, I can’t exactly call you ’Old Man’... even though you are quite old."
"..."
Bai Wu then rembered that one mustn’t ntion the na of the Masked Strange Person, seemingly marked by so power. Once spoken, the na might bring about trouble.
And to Jiang Yimi of those years, the Masked Strange Person was like the kind of uncle a young girl would yearn for.
Not a greasy middle-aged man, but an uncle with both a mature charm and great strength.
"What’s wrong?"
"When we obtain the final fragnt, will you turn everyone back? They’ll beco human again, right?"
"I’m still thinking about exactly how to do it. You can’t understand how important this area is for the people living in High Tower. I don’t know if there will be so kind of change to the Teleportation Stele within High Tower after completely purifying this area."
Jiang Yimi didn’t speak, listening seriously to Bai Wu.
"If such a change really happens, might it attract regional attention, and if it does, might it then draw the attention of those above? If everything truly unfolds in this way, might it cause many unfortunate events to occur, which may prompt the higher-ups to make so foolish decisions? Perhaps both the people here and those in High Tower with partial intel may be threatened."
Bai Wu’s concern was based on one fact—each color zone had its corresponding stele.
Lower East Square had a total of six steles: white, blue, purple, red, black.
And the sixth stele was obscured by curtains. In the existing history of High Tower, no one had ever returned from the black stele or from the one that was covered.
Even the return records for the red stele were brought by himself.
Bai Wu had a vague feeling that if soone returned from the black area, would the upper levels—the fifth layer—beco restless?
At that ti, might they commit so outrageous acts? Would it even be possible that just returning from the red zone could attract their attention?
The most crucial thing was the five zones corresponded to five colors, and even the Well-level entities, in Bai Wu’s view, belonged to the black zone. The sixth stele might be different from the previous five. It wasn’t placed on the other side of the black stele because it was more difficult.
It’s highly likely... that it represents the Pure Land.
Because there was no pure land in this world, the stele was initially discovered to be inoperative and thus, was covered with a curtain.
So if the area is completely purified, then upon returning to High Tower, would it be from the sixth stele?
Thinking of this, Bai Wu felt this might be an even more dangerous affair than exposing his Sequence.
"So... what does the uncle plan to do?"
"If I don’t restore all the areas, would you accept it?" Bai Wu asked.
"I don’t know... But without you, it seems impossible for to pass the test and lure out the principal."
"You’re going to leave the choice to ?" Bai Wu asked again.
"Mhm," Jiang Yimi replied softly.
In the days that the Masked Strange Person and Jiang Yimi spent together, it appeared that their feelings for each other, or at least Jiang Yimi’s feelings for the Masked Strange Person, were better than imagined.
Bai Wu could understand.
After all, Jiang Yimi had always been the cursed source that the world scolded, a blight. Suddenly, soone was willing to take her out of the mire and stand in front of her; she would definitely regard the person as dear family.
"I am a person who trusts in my intuition very much. In my view, intuition is like a divine stroke from the brain—it can quickly combine a lot of information, surpass the speed of our thinking, skip the process of verification, and directly provide an answer."
"In your intuition... do you see sothing bad?"
"Yes, during the day, I was like you, hoping that this area could be completely purified. But just now... when you asked this question, I suddenly felt that we should be more cautious about this matter."
Jiang Yimi didn’t speak.
Bai Wu was thinking, maybe this is a case of longing but not obtaining? Although everything was just his deduction and guesswork, once such thoughts appeared in his mind, he could no longer convince himself not to care about anything and to purify the area directly.
"Then... What about the others in the future? Will they turn back?"
"They will. Although I can’t completely purify the whole area, I will purify and restore most parts of it."
"Then, that’s good, I believe in you. I’ve been longing for everything to return to normal for seven hundred years. Uncle... you surely have your concerns, so it’s okay, I’ve waited seven hundred years, I don’t mind waiting a little longer."
This statent touched Bai Wu slightly.
Jiang Yimi smiled and said:
"But you have to promise one thing."
"Tell ."
"Uncle, you, you... you can’t suddenly disappear and leave behind again."
This was a question Bai Wu could casually agree to, but he just could not bring himself to speak.
If Baichuan Middle School really was a refuge, perhaps starting from this place and gradually expanding the area, it could be possible to save Baichuan City.
But this plan was just a concept, and for a long ti, he would still have to stay in High Tower. Although Jiang Yimi was a Semi-Evil Fallen, she too could not enter High Tower.
What he could do was to give Jiang Yimi a choice:
"I won’t disappear, but I have too many things to do. I will spend a lot of ti in High Tower, so the opportunities to see you will be limited. However... if you choose to beco human again, you can stay by my side."
Bai Wu made it very clear. He was adept at lying, but for so questions, he knew that the truth was the most efficient answer.
If Jiang Yimi was willing to beco human again, as long as she obtained the last piece of "fish," she would be able to accompany Bai Wu back to High Tower.
She would beco an important combatant in the Investigation Corps, and her kind-hearted nature would also enable her to beco friends with Yin Shuang and Lin Wurou.
Jiang Yimi’s final choice surprised Bai Wu, who also admired her:
"Turn back into a human... That should be a very happy thing, right? There are a lot of humans in High Tower, aren’t there?"
"Yes, many, many, countless tis more than the school."
"Then... will they despise ?"
"No, if you’re willing to co with to the High Tower, all the regrets of your past could be made right. There are so annoying folks up there, but there are also many worth befriending."
"That would be great... I really want to beco human, and I’d love to stay by your side, uncle, but I must remain here."
Bai Wu didn’t ask why.
Jiang Yimi seed to envision a brilliantly bright scene, tears filling her eyes, yet she said:
"I am a calamity, it was only with your arrival, uncle, that it was proven I also possess the power to protect everyone. This school needs , as do these students and teachers. They beca like this because of , so I have to take responsibility for them."
Bai Wu actually wanted to say that you were not alone at fault for losing control and being isolated seven hundred years ago; this blindly following and believing crowd also bears a great responsibility.
But Jiang Yimi already knew that.
"I always feel... that accepting a new life at the High Tower with you, uncle, would be like admitting defeat."
"I... don’t want to leave that way."
"Rather than receiving recognition from others, I would prefer to gain the school’s acceptance. Seven hundred years ago, my biggest wish was for them not to dislike , to accept , and maybe one day I could join them, sitting in the classroom, listening to the teacher’s lecture, hearing complaints from my deskmate."
"That was my original intent, and if I am denied, I will keep striving for it. I will always protect them, even if seen as a monster, even if I’m no longer human. So I can’t return to the High Tower with you, uncle, nor can I beco human, at least not yet."
Her final words once again stirred sothing in Bai Wu’s heart.
This girl... in fact, she wasn’t soone who always gave in.
She didn’t flinch when facing the principal, nor did she shy away when her beloved faced disbelief; despite facing everyone’s accusations and curses, she never chose revenge.
Her only weakness was that she fell into self-bla all too easily.
This was a kind of goodness completely different from that of Hong Yin, Yan Jiu, Bai Xiaoyu, and others.
Not long after arriving at the High Tower, Bai Wu felt this world was thoroughly corrupt, rotten from top to bottom, fraught with danger and deceit from the inside out.
Kind souls wandered holess outside the tower, while the corrupt rulers atop the tower lived forever, undying.
But thinking about it, he always seed to encounter souls that shined.
Dwarf, Hong Yin, Bai Xiaoyu, Jiang Yimi, Professor Tao... It was these people who made him feel that this apocalypse still held hope and was also worth saving.
"I’ll co to see you often, I promise."
"Okay, okay!"
If there was anything that made Bai Wu feel that his journey wasn’t in vain, it was Jiang Yimi’s reconciliation with herself and the school.
Although it was one-sided, even if this area was afflicted by a so-called curse, he believed that Jiang Yimi’s perseverance could change everything.
Three o’clock in the morning.
There ca a slow pace of footsteps from outside the door and the creaking noise of a swaying lantern.
The Lantern Bearer had finally arrived.
It knocked on every room three tis as usual, but when it passed room 405, it didn’t knock.
Under normal circumstances, when passing room 403, the Lantern Bearer would knock continuously because the mirror in room 403 was filled with students.
But this ti, there was no knocking; instead, Bai Wu heard the sound of the door handle turning.
The Lantern Bearer was unlocking the door!
He abruptly leaped up, on guard as he watched the front.
The door slowly opened, the light bright enough to reduce Evil Fallen to ashes shone upon Bai Wu’s face.
Wearing a long white robe, much like a white-robed wizard, the Lantern Bearer’s light began to slowly dissipate.
Bai Wu had originally thought he had to kill the Lantern Bearer and take the shards, which would be a fierce battle.
However, when the annotation popped up in his eyes, and he heard the voice of the Lantern Bearer, Bai Wu was utterly stunned.
[Mutation Level Nine, Perfect Mutation Entry: Annihilation Illuminating Shadow.]
An old employee who had been diligent and dedicated for seven hundred years ca into being under a violent explosion nad "cataclysm." Its sole purpose of existence was to take care of every student as the embodint of will, until the true master arrived.]
"Eight, nine, seven, two, nine, eight, eight, four, five."
A hoarse voice conveyed a sequence of abstruse numbers.
Even Bai Wu didn’t understand the aning of these numbers at first, but he felt the light from the Lantern Bearer’s lantern was fading bit by bit.
That light, like its lifeline, dimd, and its white robe covered with dust began to turn grey.
"Not a single one is missing."
After the hoarse voice finished the last sentence, the color of the grey-white robe darkened, and as the light faded, it ultimately turned black.
The black material started to slowly envelop it.
Bai Wu witnessed an astonishing sight: the Lantern Bearer, who originally had a human outline, turned completely black and fused with the misfortune substance on Jiang Yimi’s body.
Jiang Yimi’s expression was strange.
She stood there motionless, slightly stupefied, and after several minutes picked up the lantern that had beco ordinary, with no wick left to ignite.
"Uncle, is that a fragnt?"
Jiang Yimi pointed to a small object on the ground, which Bai Wu could make out clearly under the influence of Enhanced Vision.
It was indeed a fragnt.
The last piece of the four Doomsday Puzzle fragnts, the fish.
"Yes, now we have them all. I never thought the last piece would be so easy to obtain."
Jiang Yimi nodded and said,
"Because it has always been waiting for ."
"It?"
"Uncle, do you think sequences and entries might have their own consciousness?"
Any other person would answer no, but thinking of the "Poet Yan," Bai Wu felt inexplicably that it was possible.
"Perhaps it’s like , although it is an ominous power, symbolizing misfortune and disaster, it too has soone it wants to protect. During the rging crisis... it beca another guardian of the school."
Bai Wu suddenly understood:
"Could those numbers be..."
"The knocks on the door, every day for seven hundred years, every room, every student, it would use the knocking sound to check if they were all there. And indeed, it did... Not a single one is missing."
Jiang Yimi wanted to keep the Lantern Bearer, but it was like a part of her power that had separated from her body, ultimately returning inside her.
In fact, this seemingly frightening "Dormitory Area Overlord" was the symbol of Jiang Yimi’s utmost goodness.
It didn’t need to be killed at all; if one day Jiang Yimi could kill the principal, it would return to darkness when they t again.
Because its destiny was to protect.
Baichuan Middle School still had many fragnted urban legends, such as the headless person in the gym, the football team on the playground, the always present unpalatable food in the cafeteria.
It’s as if many areas simply had no fragnts to collect, and these areas were the sa, independent little areas under a larger area, which could be purified all at once after collecting the fragnts.
Of course, this doesn’t an that so small areas are not difficult. Sotis certain independent areas can be extrely dangerous.
Bai Wu didn’t need to consider these now; he picked up the Doomsday Puzzle fragnt, holding the flower, bird, insect, and fish in his hands.
"To create a refuge, there are still many places that need further verification, but at least now... our biggest trouble has been dealt with."
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