Chapter 2: Through a special intelligence channel, Huxiro learned that a major upheaval was about to occur in District 5, one that could plunge the Western Continent into chaos.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao asked, "Huxiro, how much longer?"
"You're the one controlling the nodes, and you're asking me?"
"The next node will appear in District 5 as well."
Su Xiao wasn't sure if this speculation was accurate, but it didn't matter.
"That's really good news."
Huxiro's expression remained calm, still alert to their surroundings.
"How long can District 5 stay stable?"
"This damn place has never been stable."
Huxiro looked at Su Xiao with confusion, but inside, a storm was raging. His thoughts churned violently, such as: 'How does he know? Is he testing me? Could he have entered the underground of the Magic Association headquarters too? Can he also foresee the arrival of the Black Tide?'
Su Xiao didn't look at Huxiro. He pressed one hand on the temporary coordinate and said, "The nodes appear every six hours. Can we hold out until the sixth node?"
"What are you even talking about? Are you really talking to me?"
Huxiro looked around, pretending to search for someone else, but inwardly, he felt as if struck by lightning. He now desperately wanted to find Kaisa and beat him half to death.
"It seems we can't hold out. What you're hiding doesn't matter; I only need the nodes."
"There are six nodes in total, this..."
Huxiro scratched his head vigorously. After nearly a minute, he lowered his gaze and said, "The Black Tide is coming, right here in District 5, probably around noon tomorrow. This time, it's a Pillar Tide. It won't spread; it'll only spray Primordial Soul Energy downward within a few meters."
After saying this, Huxiro stared intently at Su Xiao. If he sensed anything wrong, he would immediately fight Su Xiao to the death. Even though the conditions for him to foresee the Black Tide were harsh, being able to predict such a thing was itself very dangerous.
Huxiro hadn't wanted to reveal this initially, but he had his principles. He could do anything—good or bad—except break his promises. If he lost that commitment, he would truly be dead. Having a nearly immortal body came at a cost.
"You were too direct. You only needed to say that many people would gather in District 5 before noon tomorrow."
Su Xiao glanced at Huxiro. The fact that he could foresee the Black Tide surprised him. If this secret fell into the hands of those craving Primordial Soul Energy, Huxiro would have nowhere to run.
"Uh~, you're right. Just pretend you didn't hear what I said."
"Mm."
As Su Xiao spoke, he pressed the temporary coordinate within the node and signaled Baha to dispel the spatial barrier that was blocking sound around them.
With a crackling sound, the spatial barrier covering a hundred meters shattered. Huxiro stared blankly, instinctively taking half a step back.
"Bai Ye, from the moment we met until now, I haven't offended you, have I? Think back. My memory's bad. If I did offend you, just say it outright."
"..."
"Don't stay silent. It's making me nervous."
"You pissed me off, gah gah gah."
Baha flew over and landed on a small building by the street.
Ten minutes later, the second node was successfully captured. Su Xiao didn't plan to leave District 5 tonight. He wanted to see if the third node would also appear here.
The current situation was that whichever side occupied four nodes would be the first to obtain the World Core. Su Xiao had already taken two nodes. If he took the third, fewer than four nodes would remain, and the Apocalypse Team and the Divine Stick Team would lose.
Even if those two sides occupied the remaining three nodes, they would only be harming each other.
At that point, none of the four participating factions would obtain the World Core. This World War would end, and they would have to wait for new nodes to appear in this world before a new batch of Seventh Rank Contractors, plus a few Eighth Rank Contractors, arrived.
Thus, the third node was crucial. If the Apocalypse Team or the Divine Stick Team got it, they would still have a chance to win.
As night deepened, time ticked by. When it was three seconds before midnight, a node appeared right on the street below Su Xiao, less than ten meters from the second node.
With a boom, a figure over five meters tall crashed onto a nearby building, collapsing it.
Thud, thud, thud~
A contractor who looked like a small giant walked toward the node. His name was Tianfa, an Eighth Rank Contractor from Apocalypse Paradise.
Not far from Tianfa stood a slender woman in a black dress, her eyes covered with a black cloth band. From the emblem on her dress, she was from the Healing Church.
"Is it them?"
The black-dressed woman stood on a half-collapsed wall, holding a straight staff adorned with several large gems.
Seeing this woman, Huxiro's eye twitched.
"It's them. I'll trouble you. You handle the Undying One, Huxiro. I'll take the other one."
Tianfa cracked his shoulders as he walked forward. An invisible chain shattered behind him, and his aura surged dramatically.
"Fine."
The black-dressed woman lightly leaped, her high heels landing on the street. She reached up and tore off the black cloth from her eyes, revealing a pair of ruby-like pupils.
"Bai Ye, let's switch. You handle the woman, and I'll take the 'gorilla.'"
"..."
Su Xiao didn't respond. He drew the long blade at his waist. At that moment, the masked man, Bas, led several secret mages out from a street corner.
"What a lively night."
From a shop on the right side of the street, an old man with a magnifying monocle over one eye walked out. His entire head was mostly metallic, and his left arm was a mechanical prosthetic. This was a member of the Steam Alliance, their representative in Smoke City: Iron Skull, Kiplin.
The Magic Association, Healing Church, and Steam Alliance had all arrived, along with the Apocalypse Team's Eighth Rank Contractor, Tianfa, and Su Xiao's side representing the Black Tower. Five factions had gathered.
The people from the Magic Association and Steam Alliance hadn't just arrived; they had been there since nine o'clock at night, hiding nearby.
Su Xiao speculated that these people weren't attracted by the nodes—otherwise, they would have come to District 5 earlier. It was the Black Tide, the impending Black Tide in District 5, that drew them here. They were waiting in advance for the Black Tide at noon tomorrow.
This also indicated one thing: Huxiro wasn't as special as he seemed. Others could also foresee the Black Tide's arrival, and their methods were more refined than his.
Iron Skull, Kiplin, walked slowly forward. Steam hissed from the mechanical prosthetic on his left arm. He surveyed the crowd and said:
"Old friend Bas, and the Red-Eyed Woman of the Healing Church, Bai Ye and Huxiro of the Black Tower, and you, friend, you're called Tianfa, right? Tsk, none of them are easy to deal with."
Iron Skull, Kiplin, sighed. In a narrow alley a few dozen meters away, the Saint Domain Divine Stick, whose teammate had died, leaned against the wall. He knew he had been sensed. Continuing to hide was pointless and would only make him a target. It was better to show himself voluntarily, making a grand entrance as the sixth faction. That would have more presence.
"Cough!"
The Saint Domain Divine Stick coughed dryly and stepped out of the narrow alley. Hearing his cough, Iron Skull, Kiplin, glanced at him.
"A small fry has arrived."
Iron Skull, Kiplin, dismissed him with a glance and ignored him. Noticing this, the Saint Domain Divine Stick felt a surge of anger, but after scanning the others present, he calmed down and silently retreated into the dark alley. If he had known, he wouldn't have come out.