Chapter 58: Analyzing the Composition
A dozen or so hours later, at the periphery of the ancient ruins, over a hundred contractors walked into the ruins. They were dressed in various styles—some wore suits, others were clad in leather armor.
A Mage Lord walked at the front of the group of contractors. He was the same fire-type Mage Lord who had competed with Su Xiao for the [Sacred Oak Branch].
The fire-type Mage Lord was named Yan Chen, which was his real name, not a nickname or alias.
For Yan Chen, there was no need to use a false name. Most contractors used pseudonyms out of fear that their identity as contractors would be recognized in the real world, thereby endangering their families or friends.
Yan Chen was different. He had no family; his family members were mostly dead, killed by his own hand, except for his biological sister, whom he hadn't killed.
When Yan Chen killed his relatives, he only felt exhilaration. Moreover, to him, these people were essentially strangers—no, they were enemies.
Yan Chen grew up in an orphanage and had no familial bond with those people. Besides, for the sake of a large inheritance he was set to receive, they had done too many horrifying things, including hiring people to kidnap him and subjecting him to torture.
Now, Yan Chen's only relative was his sister. However, she was also a contractor. What was even more astonishing was that she was both his trusted subordinate and his bed partner.
That's right, Yan Chen had a special hobby known as "German Orthopedics," which is to say, a sister complex. Perhaps because he had never experienced familial affection, or for other reasons, Yan Chen was a siscon. When he learned he had a sister, his first thought was that he had to sleep with her.
Clearly, Yan Chen succeeded. Not only that, but he also thrived in Reincarnation Paradise, forming a large adventure group named the "Mingmen Adventure Group." This was the only large adventure group on the Reincarnation Paradise side in this world war, as second-rank large adventure groups were rare.
"Finally, it's about to begin. That woman, Xi, has been quite active lately."
Yan Chen held a gold-quality staff and wore three pieces of dark purple-quality set equipment. His intelligence attribute was as high as 80 points, and his stamina attribute was 71 points.
Yan Chen wasn't just a Mage Lord; he was also a rare magic tank among mages.
"Brother, can I kill people?"
A girl with twin tails spoke up; she was Yan Chen's sister.
Hearing his sister's words, Yan Chen frowned. The other contractors nearby changed their expressions.
"You may."
"Great!"
The twin-tailed girl raised both arms, and a blood-red war scythe appeared in her hands.
The OL-dressed beauty under Yan Chen's command leaned close to his ear.
"Boss, is this... okay? If Xixi goes on a killing spree, she might attack us."
The OL beauty spoke with lingering fear, glancing at the twin-tailed girl, Xixi. In a certain derivative world, she had nearly died at Xixi's hands.
"No problem." Yan Chen turned his head to look at Xixi and continued, "Xixi, don't kill our own people."
"Mm, I'll try my best."
The war scythe spun in Xixi's hands as she hopped and skipped toward the ancient ruins.
"Kill one, kill two, la la la~"
Watching Xixi run off into the distance, a smile appeared on Yan Chen's face. The OL beauty beside him sighed helplessly. She was a charm-specialized contractor, relatively safer in the team, so her mind was normal, and her worldview wasn't twisted. As a psychologically normal person with a neutral worldview, the OL beauty felt utterly hopeless. Her boss, Yan Chen, wasn't quite right in the head, and his sister was a monster wearing a beautiful skin.
The members of the Mingmen Adventure Group gradually delved deeper into the ancient ruins. Meanwhile, a ghost-like figure emerged from underground.
"A total of 186 people. These should all be subordinates of 'Mage No. 1.'"
The ghost-like figure was Liuli. She had used a special ability to enter the ancient ruins early.
"Another group? This time... two people."
Liuli vanished into the broken walls. Two female contractors entered the ruins.
"Seriously, I told you to add salt, but you insisted on adding sugar. I'm so done with you."
A female contractor wearing black gloves and a tight combat suit walked in, flipping a gold coin in her hand.
"I like sweets, what can I do?"
A sleepy-eyed, soft-looking girl in a one-piece pajama with a hooded cloak walked in. At the edge of her hood, a slender antenna poked out.
"Hm? Someone's watching us."
The soft girl stopped. Several insect-like legs emerged from the ground near her.
"It's fine. I noticed it long ago."
The two women walked deeper into the ruins. They were the fake Goddess of Fortune, Aida, and the insect girl, both of whom had clashed with Su Xiao before.
...
Contractors from Reincarnation Paradise entered the ruins one after another. Their destination was the same: the Twilight Palace at the center. The map Su Xiao had posted in the war channel made their objective clearer.
Under the threat of forced execution penalties, the contractors of Reincarnation Paradise didn't take the full 24 hours. After only 20 hours, all contractors had gathered within the ancient ruins.
Over seven hundred contractors assembled near the Twilight Palace. Among them were nine adventure groups: eight medium-sized and one large. As for small adventure groups, none had been seen yet, though there were many spontaneously formed teams of solo contractors.
In such large-scale battles, the leaders of the adventure groups naturally took command, given their numerous subordinates. Of course, some powerful solo contractors also had a say.
On the seventh floor of the Twilight Palace, several dozen people had gathered, including nine group leaders, three solo contractors, and the trusted aides of the group leaders.
These dozens of people stood or sat in the seventh floor. Some were fiddling with cards, others were disassembling firearms.
"What's that weird smell?"
A contractor spoke, his brow furrowed and face scrunched up, likely due to a cleanliness obsession.
"Yeah, I noticed a strange smell when I came in earlier."
"It seems to be coming from the throne area."
"Should we check it out?"
"This... probably not a good idea."
The contractors murmured among themselves. A solo contractor stepped out from the crowd, unconcerned with the group leaders' orders.
"Gray Bear, who allowed you to approach the throne?"
A golden-haired mature woman spoke. Her name was Nasha, the leader of the Fantasy Village Adventure Group. She had once competed with Su Xiao for the [Sacred Oak Branch], and her younger brother was the youth Su Xiao had tricked, Tie Zhu.
"Tch."
The solo contractor Gray Bear glanced at Nasha, ignoring her. He approached the throne, not focusing on the skeletal remains but searching around it. Soon, he noticed a suspicious puddle of liquid on the side of the throne.
"What's this?"
Gray Bear crouched down to examine the suspicious liquid on the ground. This guy had guts. Most contractors were cautious around unknown things, but Gray Bear was different—he had gotten by on sheer audacity.
"Could this be something that flowed out of the throne?"
A contractor behind Gray Bear stared with curiosity. They had examined the skeletal remains on the throne and preliminarily judged that thing was not to be trifled with.
Gray Bear dipped his finger into the puddle of liquid and said seriously, "No corrosive properties, no toxins."
After making this preliminary judgment, Gray Bear put the finger stained with the "unknown liquid" into his mouth. His oral cavity had been enhanced, allowing him to analyze thousands of elemental compositions.
"What does it taste like? Does it add any attributes or rewards?"
Tie Zhu leaned in, his Bull Lord arm bracers very conspicuous.
"Salty. Let me analyze it carefully."
Gray Bear closed his eyes to perceive the composition of the unknown liquid. As he sensed it, his face gradually turned green, and veins bulged on his forehead. Urea + Uric acid + Creatine and Creatinine + Amino acids + Ammonia + β-Hydroxybutyric acid + Inorganic salts + Water + Trace elements = Urine!
"Damn it!"
A roar echoed through the seventh floor of the Twilight Palace, followed by a burst of laughter.