Chapter 699: The Director Has Passed Away

'Dear little Leon, when you read this letter, I should already be gone.'

Seeing his own director's opening line—though technically correct, undeniably ill-omened—and after the bumpy nine-copper-wheel journey by boat and transfer back to the Cleanup Bureau, Leon's face darkened instantly.

'The Bureau's plan against Aquarius has already begun. Lord Taurus, along with the other two directors, is using the 【List of Directives】 to influence Aquarius, compelling him to submit to the 【Death Road Lantern】.'

'To ensure the plan proceeds without issue and to prevent Aquarius from leaving any escape route from the Death Realm, I plan to wait for a month or so along the Path of No Return—anyone entering the Death World must pass through there. Once I see Aquarius step onto the Path, I'll return.'

'...'

Six, so your opening line wasn't poorly worded after all—your person really is indeed 'gone,' isn't it?

And even though I don't know where the Path of No Return is, just the name 'Path of No Return Leading to the Death World' sounds like a place that kills people—you make it sound like you're just stepping out for a casual trip...

Fucking ridiculous.

Looking at the director's slightly sloppy handwriting, Leon imagined his red-haired boss, having knocked out the unlucky staff guarding the Path of No Return, drunkenly tossing empty beer cans around as he stumbled along the eerie, shuffling road of the dead—and his lips twitched involuntarily.

'Little Leon~ Your and Piony's mission should be the first completed, but knowing him, once it's done, he'll definitely go wander for a few days before coming back—so you'll be the first to read this letter.'

'When Emma returns from the Scale Gold Cult, remind her that, as usual, all her missions are suspended while I'm gone, and she's in charge of holding the Bureau.'

'To prevent the Central Bureau from issuing sudden orders, and since the 【Celestial Sphere Mirror】, which can only receive messages from the living, won't work on the Path of No Return, I didn't bring it—it's sitting in my office. Have Emma collect it.'

'Also, don't drink all the wine Lord Taurus gave you—I've found a way to bypass the Word-Spell restrictions and drink those fine wines myself, so be sure to save me some.'

'Love you~ (^_-)'

'...'

For some reason, I feel like the second-to-last line was the one you really wanted to say...

Looking at the tiny smiling face drawn at the bottom of the envelope, winking at him, Leon let out a sharp 'tsk,' then pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a faint pang of worry.

The airship attack mission went awry—Old Joshua ambushed us. Though no one was killed, neither the rebels nor Senior Piony knows where he sent them.

I rushed straight to the director's office upon returning, planning to ask her to retrieve them—and also update her on the situation in King Croc, to see if the Bureau could intervene.

But the director beat me to it—if the timing in the letter is accurate, her body is probably already 'in the underworld.' That's... uh... why is this mirror flickering?

Staring at the flickering silver mirror in the liquor cabinet, Leon remembered the director's mention of the 【Celestial Sphere Mirror】, frowned, then opened the cabinet and cautiously touched its surface with his finger.

【Name: Celestial Sphere Mirror (Star Palace, Image)】

【Appearance: A mirror that automatically changes its material and engravings depending on the communication target; currently, the frame is silver, engraved with a Iron Maiden oozing blood】

【Ability: Star Palace positioning, Image transmission】

【Cost: Paid collectively by the Central Cleanup Bureau at the moment of the year when the stars are dimmest; no individual cost required】

【File: After the Celestial Compass was shattered by the Four Supreme Pillars, the first-generation Lord Taurus reforged it into the Eighty-Eight Star Palaces, leaving behind fragments imbued with faint Star Palace power—though minimal, they were extremely pure.】

【Considering the Cleanup Bureau lacked long-distance communication tools at the time, the first-generation Lord Taurus forged hundreds of these mirrors from the fragments, distributing them to key members to ensure timely contact across worlds.】

【Evaluation: The Word-Eating Worm, the Celestial Sphere Mirror, and the Mudsha Book—these three mass-produced anomalies are typically only fully collected by Bureau Directors, hence nicknamed the Director's Trio; you already possess two of the three. Congratulations.】

【Corruption Value: Increases with total communication duration and distance to the target】

So... this mirror's function is basically a cross-dimensional video call phone—with the Bureau paying the annual fee?

Understanding the 【Celestial Sphere Mirror】's function, Leon watched the flickering Iron Maiden engravings on the frame and guessed—blindly—that someone was video-calling his director. He reached out and gently brushed his fingers along the silver frame.

'Hum~'

Amid a buzzing, bee-like vibration, the blood-dripping Iron Maiden engraving shifted and settled at the top of the frame. A familiar voice followed immediately.

'Olivia! You finally responded!'

Emma, pale and drenched in blood, appeared clearly in the mirror.

She was severely injured—her beige fitted dress was torn in multiple places; her right leg bore a wound like a bear trap's teeth had bitten through; half her bare shoulder showed scratch marks resembling snake scales.

Her right hand, gripping the 'mirror surface,' was twisted unnaturally—her delicate pinky finger bent backward against the back of her hand, as if forcibly snapped by an overwhelming force.

'The Scale Gold Cult set an ambush!'

In Leon's stunned gaze, Emma—sweating profusely from pain—spoke rapidly:

'Aquarius knew I was coming—he contacted the Scale Gold Cult in advance. They summoned the Serpent Spirit and bit my leg as I stormed the gathering.'

'Though the serpent wasn't my match and I drove it back temporarily, its rank is higher than mine—it's been continuously 'purchasing' my immortality through the wound on my leg. It's already bought over three hundred of my lives...'

As Emma spoke these words, a strange, shimmering coin suddenly appeared in her palm.

The instant the coin appeared, Emma's eyes dimmed, losing focus; her body froze, tilting slightly backward unconsciously...

'No! I can't die yet!'

With a dreamlike murmur, Emma—whose right hand was already dissolving—forced herself upright again. As her immortality activated, all her wounds instantly healed, even her broken finger snapping back into place.

But her condition lasted only an instant—the black, tooth-marked wound on her thigh reappeared like a malignant growth; fresh crimson blood trickled once more from the gash...

'Senior Emma?!'

Regaining his composure, Leon tightened his expression and shouted into the mirror: 'The director isn't in the Bureau! And I can't reach her right now—how long can you hold on?'

'Senior Emma? Say something!'

'Who else can I contact? Is there any way? Can I reach the Central Bureau through the Royal Family in time? Can you still hold on?'

'Senior Emma?'

Whether Emma had lost consciousness from her injuries and couldn't hear Leon, or whether Leon—being neither the mirror's owner nor authorized—couldn't truly 'connect' the video, he didn't know.

No matter how loudly he called, Emma gave no response—she simply stood there, eyes vacant, and even the image in the mirror began to warp slightly, as if about to cut out entirely.

No! I need to think of a solution fast!

He hadn't expected such an emergency the moment he returned to the Bureau. Leon clenched his fists, regretting he hadn't anticipated this.

If Joshua could contact the Scale Gold Cult and summon the Serpent Spirit to ambush him, he could certainly inform them of Emma's whereabouts. Now, with the enemy prepared and Emma unprepared, she'd been ambushed by that damned serpent—and the situation looked dire. He had to help immediately!

Carrying the 【Celestial Sphere Mirror】, Leon sprinted down the first-floor corridor of the Cleanup Bureau, searching for anyone else—but every office door was tightly shut. The Virgo Branch, as the director had said, was now entirely empty.

What a shitty director! Couldn't you hire just a few more people? Everyone's missions are back-to-back—there's no one to call for backup!

Suppressing a muttered complaint, Leon took a deep breath, placed the mirror beside him, and kicked hard at Emma's office door.

He couldn't handle the serpent alone—he needed help. Contacting the Central Bureau through the Royal Family was the fastest way to request aid.

But Emma's condition was poor—he didn't know how long she could last—so he had to prepare two strategies: while contacting the Central Bureau, he'd also disrupt the Scale Gold Cult's gathering to relieve some pressure on her.

Though he'd returned to the King's City and the Sheep Heart's blessing—its range now drastically reduced—had reconnected him to the prisoners, restoring his immortality, his strongest Sacred Amulet remained sealed. His current combat power was pitifully low—he needed to bolster it.

And in Emma's office sat a pile of anomalies that looked exactly like 【torture devices】. Since he shared her immortality, perhaps one of them was usable by him!

'Bang! Bang!'

Two heavy kicks shattered the cast-iron lock. Leon burst into Emma's office, confirmed no hidden 'anti-theft' traps, then reached out to touch the anomalies inside.

【Name: Executioner's Gear No. 9 - Wheel of the Hub (Flesh, Punishment)】

【Appearance: A massive iron wheel studded with iron thorns, featuring grooves for binding criminals, covered in deep brown dried blood, emitting a year-round stench of blood】

【Ability: Flesh erosion, Sin punishment】

【Cost: Suffer the same injuries and pain as the condemned】

【File: Senior Emma Alman, Level One Cleaner of the Virgo Branch of the Cleanup Bureau, commissioned this anomaly as part of her Executioner's Gear, which consists of 49 pieces, built upon her own immortality.】

【When activated alongside the 【Sin of the Sacred Flower】, 【Collective Guilt Codex】, 【Bloodthirsty Execution Platform】, and other anomalies, this device can drag up to 30, 00 lifeforms within a 20-kilometer radius into the execution ground, binding them to the instruments for a single Hub Punishment.】

【When combined with the 【Torture Music Box】, 【Heart-Scale Balance】, 【Penitent Thorn Crown】, 【Psalm of Agony】, and other anomalies, the condemned's suffering is amplified infinitely and cycled endlessly.】

【If the condemned cannot endure the dual torment of flesh and soul, and even a single thought of release arises, they are forcibly captured by the 【Coffin of the Dead】, linked to the 【Bloodthirsty Execution Platform】, and immediately sent to the Death World—never to return.】

【Evaluation: A mediocre law-based anomaly when used alone, with only a special bonus punishment effect for evil deeds—but when activated as a full set or paired with specific anomalies, it makes even demons in Hell tremble at its cruelty.】

【Corruption Value: 3. 】

'Hss...'

After reading the first anomaly's description, Leon sucked in a sharp breath, understanding why gentle, kind Senior Emma was nicknamed 'Corpse-Coffin Executioner.'

Unlike himself, still chasing the power of single anomalies, Emma's tools were a set.

Judging by the description, she used her immortality as the core to drag all targets into an inescapable execution ground, then endured the punishment herself—while everyone else suffered infinitely amplified, repeated torment.

Beyond that, the condemned were subjected to spiritual 'weighing,' forced to repent their sins, enduring both physical and psychological torment. If they broke down or confessed, they were instantly dragged away by the Death World-linked anomaly.

And this set didn't target one or two—it targeted thirty thousand!

Is this the strength of a Level One elite Cleaner?

Looking up at the chaotic pile of torture devices in the room, Leon shuddered slightly—for the first time, he felt a flicker of fear toward gentle, reliable Senior Emma.

No wonder she never carried her full set—even at Red Brick Hospital, she got caught off guard. Her anomalies activate indiscriminately and are too bloody to use casually.

If she truly brought all 49 pieces of the Executioner's Gear and fully extended the 【Bloodthirsty Execution Platform】's capture range, thirty thousand people would be dragged into the execution ground.

Each of those thirty thousand would endure 49 horrific instruments of torture without end, and under the anomaly's influence, weep and beg forgiveness for their sins...

It would be no different from a living hell.

Compared to that horrifying scene, Emma's nickname was almost conservative.

Shaking his head slightly, Leon looked around the room of torture devices, took a deep breath, and tapped his polished cufflinks.

Take them! Take them all!

(End of Chapter)