Chapter 1111: Final Assembly
Dr. Zhao followed Yan Zhichun as she walked forward, lowering his voice to ask:
"Yan Zhichun… what exactly do you want me to destroy?"
Yan Zhichun turned her head back, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Is there… anything else here?"
Dr. Zhao froze, then his face instantly filled with terror, and his steps gradually came to a halt. "Are you out of your damn mind…?"
"I'm not crazy," Yan Zhichun said. "Dr. Zhao, even if you leave right now, it doesn't matter. We'll find a way to destroy it ourselves."
"You…"
"It's just that with you here, our chances of success are higher," Yan Zhichun added.
"Whether this succeeds or fails, none of us are getting out alive!!" Dr. Zhao reached out and grabbed Yan Zhichun's arm. "Who the hell are you…? Gathering so many people here to do something like this—it's utterly insane!"
"Running away now won't save anyone either." Yan Zhichun pushed his hand away. "The arrow is already on the string. Even if we do nothing in this cycle, someone will come to reshuffle us."
"What…?"
"The entire 'Land of Finality' is in chaos," Yan Zhichun said. "We can only gamble here on this faint sliver of hope."
As they spoke, the two had already arrived beneath the giant bell and the display screen.
Jiang Ruoxue and Zhou Mo were leaning against two enormous pillars, looking their way.
"Tsk, wearing high heels?" Zhou Mo asked. "Walking so slowly?"
"Fast enough already," Yan Zhichun said. "We need to start the 'Demon Sound Descends from Heaven' now. All plans will be based on our actions."
"Tsk, been ready for ages," Zhou Mo said. "Let's begin."
Jiang Ruoxue stepped forward and placed her hand on Zhou Mo's shoulder.
Yan Zhichun nodded, then turned around and said:
"Everyone."
Everyone nearby stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Yan Zhichun.
"I am both the Polar Path King and the organizer of this operation. Now, I will inform you all of the final objective."
The moment she finished speaking, the giant bell began to sway gently, and then a chaotic clanging erupted.
On the display screen, names of "Echoes" began to appear one after another.
"Dong!"
It seemed that even before the final objective was announced, all the members of the "Polar Path" were already eager to act.
"Although this road is long, for this plan, it is only the beginning. As long as we handle the opening well, everything else will follow naturally."
"Dong!"
More and more "Echoes" began to light up, the entire screen densely packed with text, so much so that they could no longer be identified one by one.
Dr. Zhao's heart was racing. He looked up at the giant bell but suddenly noticed something strange—on top of the building, there were figures standing.
He followed the dark silhouettes and saw people in black leather jackets standing on the rooftops along both sides of the road. They stood silently on high, expressionless as statues.
These people were clearly different from those below… Dr. Zhao felt like he had seen people in these leather jackets before.
He had been killed by them at "Heaven's Mouth."
"Next, you all must do everything in your power to destroy the giant bell and the display screen behind me," Yan Zhichun said with a grave expression. "After I say this, we will face countless obstacles. Every comrade beside us may die, but we will still meet at the end."
Upon hearing this, everyone present hesitated for a moment, and then more "Echo" sounds exploded forth.
"Dong!"
Seeing this, Jiang Ruoxue waved at Yan Zhichun. Yan Zhichun walked over to her, listened to a few whispered words, then nodded and continued:
"Everyone, if the task is fortunately completed, follow the nearest of the eight temporary leaders to retreat. They know the escape routes. Now, let the temporary leaders raise their hands to signal those around them."
One by one, people in the crowd began to raise their hands. These were the leaders Jiang Ruoxue had pre-selected through Zhou Mo's sound transmission.
Yan Zhichun scanned the area and saw Jiang Ruoxue, Zhou Mo, Old Sun, Xiaoxiao, Old Deng, Aunt Tong, and others raising their hands in various places, along with an elderly man she didn't recognize. Then Yan Zhichun herself raised her hand, taking on the role of the eighth team's temporary leader.
"The mission has been fully issued," Yan Zhichun said finally. "May fortune favor each of you. As long as I am alive, I will guide you all through sound transmission. But if I die, you must find a way to follow your leaders and escape. I hope we meet at the end."
The crowd was exceptionally silent. No one spoke.
"Everyone, long live the Polar Path."
"Long live the Polar Path!"
"Long live the Polar Path!"
Countless voices of agreement rang out from all directions.
Before the voices had even faded, a gaunt, disheveled old man suddenly appeared behind Yan Zhichun.
He leaned on a twisted, crooked wooden staff, wore ill-fitting white clothes, and stood there gazing blankly at the crowd before him.
The gathered people immediately panicked, all assuming combat stances.
But the old man just shook his head with a bitter smile, making no other move.
Yan Zhichun recognized the man as White Tiger. She quickly stepped back a few paces along with Zhou Mo and Jiang Ruoxue beside her.
"Remarkable," White Tiger said in a hoarse voice. "This scene right now is truly remarkable."
Aboard the "Train," Tengu suddenly widened his eyes at that moment. Sensing the situation was getting complicated, he quickly stood up from the round table.
"What's wrong…?" Tianshe paused to ask, but before Tengu could reply, Tianshe's eyes also went wide. "What!?"
"Not good… this doesn't look good…" Tengu scratched his fat cheek. "Tianshe… what do we do now…?"
"Just spit it out," Tianniu said, flexing her wrist. "What's the panic about?"
"Those 'Participants'…!" Tengu swallowed hard. "They've gathered a large group and are about to destroy the display screen and the giant bell!"
Upon hearing this, the many "Heavenly Grade" members were all taken aback, feeling somewhat unable to fathom the motives of these people.
Even "Participants" relied on the display screen and the giant bell's guidance to confirm whether they had obtained an "Echo." What benefit would destroying the equipment bring them?
"We need to go tell Qinglong…" Tianshe said, his gaze shifting uncertainly. "This is something we can't decide! But the giant bell and the display screen absolutely cannot be destroyed! I still need them to help me find my eyeballs!"
"But do any of you know where Qinglong is?" Tianma asked.
Everyone fell silent.
"Don't panic," Tianniu said. "I'll handle it."
Everyone turned to look at her.
"Something like this doesn't need to disturb Qinglong," Tianniu continued. "After all, these 'Participants' are going against all other 'Participants.' In their view, destroying the giant bell and the display screen means their own loss is greater."
"Then… you're going to…" Tianshe glanced at Tianniu and instantly understood her plan. "Brilliant… that's brilliant…"
"I'll immediately activate 'Amplify Voice,'" Tianniu said. "I'll throw out a little bargaining chip, and this matter will be easily resolved. For example… any 'Participant' who helps protect the display screen and the giant bell will receive a thousand 'Dao'."
(I'm here to apologize again. After a full day of event arrangements, I didn't get back to the hotel until after nine to start writing… Sorry for the wait, everyone. My apologies.)