Chapter 66: Script and Portrait
Su Xiao opened his task list, and the content of the fourth ring of the main mission appeared before him.
[Main Mission: Seek (Fourth Ring)]
Difficulty Level: Lv.78
Mission Briefing: Find the Ultimate Insect.
Mission Time Limit: 10 Natural Days.
Mission Reward: Eighth Rank Deep Recovery Authority (One Use).
Mission Penalty: Forced Execution.
...
Seeing the content of this mission, even Su Xiao found it troublesome. The situation in the Western Continent, the indication that S-001 had failed, and the fourth ring of the main mission all pointed to one truth: the Ultimate Insect was still alive, hiding somewhere in the world.
The fourth ring of the main mission was a search-type mission, which didn't involve much risk of combat. Because Su Xiao only needed to find the Ultimate Insect to complete the mission. That is to say, just the search, without much fighting, had a difficulty of Lv.78. This gave an idea of how difficult it was to find the Ultimate Insect.
The mission reward was also generous. After constantly fighting powerful enemies, Su Xiao's body inevitably accumulated minor, irreparable injuries. The Eighth Rank Deep Recovery Authority (One Use) could help him solve this.
Regarding finding the Ultimate Insect, Su Xiao needed a helper, and Kingsley was the perfect partner.
The mission briefing was too simple; excluding punctuation, it was only four characters long. Su Xiao's solution was to use S-001 to accomplish this.
S-001 could tamper with a person's future. Of course, that person would also have to pay a price, even affecting those around them.
Suppose someone used S-001 to tamper with their own future, making themselves encounter the Ultimate Insect a day later. Given the Ultimate Insect's power, the price required to achieve this would be extremely severe.
But what if they compromised? First, assume the Ultimate Insect was acting through a host.
In that case, someone could use S-001 to tamper with the future, making themselves and the Ultimate Insect's host coexist in a certain city within 1 to 5 days.
With such broad possibilities, indirect involvement with the Ultimate Insect, and the fact that the Ultimate Insect was no longer as powerful as when it fought the Moon Wolf, the combination of multiple factors made the price of using S-001 acceptable.
Su Xiao didn't need to know the exact location of the Ultimate Insect and its host. With the intelligence channels he controlled, he only needed a very general range to find the Ultimate Insect.
To achieve all this, S-001 had to be used. As the Legion Commander of the Execution Agency, Su Xiao absolutely could not use S-001. This dangerous object held extraordinary significance for the entire Containment Institution.
If the Execution Agency members found out he had actively used S-001, it wouldn't just be a matter of being jointly impeached. All the Transcendents in the Agency would attack Su Xiao with grief-stricken hearts. Using S-001 was unacceptable to the entire Containment Institution.
Su Xiao had never considered using the dangerous object S-001 himself. He didn't use it, but that didn't mean the Eclipse Organization wouldn't. If the dangerous object S-001 was seized by the Eclipse Organization...
"Boss, what's your plan?"
"..."
Su Xiao gave a look, and Baha understood. It used a spatial barrier to envelop the surrounding few meters, preventing eavesdropping.
Tide Hunter, holding a cup of coffee, sidestepped and just entered the translucent spatial barrier. Lately, she had grown fond of this slightly bitter drink, though clear tea was her true love.
"To find out where the Ultimate Insect is, the dangerous object S-001 is key. I can't use S-001, but the leader of the Eclipse Organization, Kingsley, can. If the Eclipse Organization 'loses its mind' and launches a surprise attack on the Agency headquarters, seizing the dangerous object S-001, whether Kingsley uses S-001 or not is beyond my control."
"I see. Brilliant~ But boss, our headquarters isn't easy to attack. We just finished fighting in the Western Continent. The guys below get excited at the sight of blood. Our organization's members aren't exactly well-behaved, so you know~"
Baha expressed its concerns. It could be said that Baha's mind was sharper than before, thinking more deeply.
"I am the Legion Commander of the Agency, and Kingsley is the leader of the Eclipse Organization. We're cooperating. The Agency is the defender, and the Eclipse is the attacker. Is there any possibility of failure?"
"Right, that's how it is."
Baha suddenly understood. Failure was simply impossible.
Tide Hunter had been listening the whole time, appearing calm but inwardly shocked. She took a sip of coffee and said softly, "You guys are both dirty-minded."
"It's called strategy. What do you know, you... Granny, I was wrong."
Baha's 180-degree turn left Tide Hunter feeling stifled. Being scolded without being able to retaliate was uncomfortable.
Interestingly, when Tide Hunter had fought Emperor Tayatu earlier, she had been extremely ruthless. This was because she usually endured a lot of frustration with no outlet, so when she finally got a chance to fight, she naturally went all out.
Su Xiao didn't contact Kingsley immediately. He was organizing what he needed to do. First, the main mission. Second, the Fate Blood in the white-haired youth and Aichi. Third, cleaning up the Violator.
Regarding the Fate Blood, he had to thank Kingsley. The protagonist team had three members left: the white-haired youth, Aichi, and Nainai. The other two were dead.
Without Kingsley's protection on the brutal battlefield, neither Aichi nor the white-haired youth would have survived. The Devourer inside Aichi was growing rapidly. At this point, the Devourer, going all out without regard for cost, had become a force not to be ignored.
Su Xiao wasn't worried about this. He could forcibly command the Devourer three times, including ordering it to self-destruct. How could the means he released not have an ultimate failsafe?
The Fate Blood could be left to mature there for now. There was no rush to retrieve it. This matter was no longer a burden.
As for the Violator, Su Xiao no longer cared. This guy's running speed was the fastest Su Xiao had ever seen. Forget about cleaning him up; Su Xiao hadn't even caught a glimpse of him. Not only was he fast, but he was also extremely cautious.
Having sorted out what needed to be done, Su Xiao prepared to contact Spirit Dragon Alec. He had helped Alec increase his faction reputation, and Alec had promised to do him a favor. Now was the time.
Su Xiao contacted Spirit Dragon Alec through his brand number. The negotiation went as follows:
White Night: "Fulfill your promise."
Alec: "Only this once. What do I need to do?"
White Night: "Disguise yourself as best you can. Attack the Agency headquarters tomorrow evening."
Alec: "?"
White Night: "The specific details are up to you."
Alec: "First, I'm currently a mid-to-high-ranking member of the Agency. Second, when you say 'the specific details are up to me,' does that mean where I'm buried after I die is up to me?"
White Night: "..."
Alec: "How high is the risk?"
White Night: "I guarantee on my honor, the risk is not high."
Alec: "Brother, you just sank the Western Continent and killed every living thing that could breathe on that continent. You guaranteeing on your honor makes me a bit..."
Alec: "Simply put, this is impossible. Find something else."
White Night: "45,000 faction reputation."
Alec: "Let's talk about the details. I'm stating upfront that I'll bring a helper."
White Night: "Who."
Alec: "Holy Light Paradise's poison healer, Guangmu."
...
In a workshop in Jiaman City, Spirit Dragon Alec took out a dialer. A few minutes later, a figure in a black dress walked into the workshop. It was Guangmu.
"Why the rush to call me here? What's up? I still have things to do in Youke City."
Guangmu had returned to her usual expression. It turned out that as long as you reaped enough benefits, you could soothe the scars in your heart.
"Of course, it's good news for you."
When Alec said this, he suddenly understood how Black Rose felt when she posted a certain message on the World Communication Platform.
"Let's hear it."
Guangmu didn't suspect anything. Cooperating with Alec had been quite smooth for her.
"It's like this. Tomorrow evening, we're going to attack the Agency headquarters. Don't look at me like that. This is a feasible plan..."
"Wait, wait, wait."
Guangmu rarely interrupted others. She took a deep breath and asked, "Alec, have you lost your mind?"
"Not at all. This was planned by White Night. If we leak this, you can imagine the consequences. He's now the Legion Commander of the Agency. The Agency members won't believe us. The Eclipse Organization will also hunt us down. Part of White Night's plan is that there will be a 'drastic change' at the Agency headquarters tomorrow evening. The Eclipse doesn't want to go all out and won't kill during the fight... Guangmu, where are you going?"
"Farewell!"
Guangmu turned and left. Keywords like attacking the Agency headquarters and White Night awakened the scars deep in her heart.
...
In the office on the seventh floor of the Agency headquarters, Su Xiao checked the time and activated the communicator in his hand.
"What is it?"
Kingsley's voice came from the communicator, sounding slightly tired. Although he hadn't shown up in the Western Continent, he had done a lot behind the scenes.
"Kingsley, bring your people tomorrow night and attack the Agency headquarters. Seize the dangerous object S-001."
"Reason."
Kingsley's tone was calm, unflappable.
"The Ultimate Insect."
"More specific."
"Everything in the Western Continent originated from the Ultimate Insect."
Su Xiao was ready to reveal appropriate information. Otherwise, Kingsley wouldn't cooperate with him on this.
"Oh? So, if this thing called the Ultimate Insect isn't dealt with, the Eastern Continent or the Southern Continent might see the same scene as the Western Continent in the future?"
"Yes."
Hearing Su Xiao's reply, Kingsley was silent for a moment, then his tone changed as he said:
"White Night, you've gone too far. You actually tried to kidnap my wife and children tonight."
Kingsley changed the subject, mentioning something that had never happened.
"Yeah, around eleven o'clock tonight. Make the arrangements on your end."
"Alright, I'll throw a banquet. Don't release your blood aura and scare my son. Also, don't provoke my wife. Cough, the specific situation is complicated and inconvenient to disclose."
Kingsley was already setting things up. If you're going to act, you have to make it look real. Others aren't fools. Besides, he would be lurking in the shadows and mobilizing many dangerous objects. If Su Xiao really tried to harm his wife and children, it would be a bloody battle. Using a large number of dangerous objects, Kingsley was a completely different concept from their last encounter.
"Oh, by the way, at my memorial service... it feels strange to say this. Anyway, who made my portrait so big?"
"It was your nephew. Is there a problem?"
Su Xiao said this, remembering that he had indeed asked Kingsley's nephew to make the portrait bigger.
"That portrait of mine seems to have turned into a lower-level dangerous object. Its danger level hasn't reached the sequence level."
Kingsley said this with a hint of disbelief in his tone. He then continued, "That portrait of mine can't be used. Send it to your place for containment. Its characteristic is that whoever cries under it gets hit by it."
"Pfft~"
Tide Hunter almost spat out her coffee. Baha struggled not to laugh out loud. Bubu Wang was shaking with suppressed laughter.
"Not even B-class? A lower-level dangerous object is too weak. My place isn't a garbage dump. Handle it yourself."
Su Xiao hung up the communication. On the other side, in the Eclipse Organization's dangerous object storage vault, Kingsley looked at his towering portrait, speechless for a long time.