Chapter 3532: Surprise

The silver moon hung high, and the Treatment Institute, which usually had some vitality, was exceptionally cold and quiet at this moment.

Inside the main building on the inner side, Su Xiao pushed open the door to the director's office. After turning on the lights, he saw cabinets filled with various honors. These honors were awarded by the High Wall Guild. Compared to these honors, the sponsorship funds that came from there each time made the members of the Treatment Institute happier.

The scenes of the past shattered within a few hours, but there was nothing to be sentimental about. Su Xiao had only replaced this identity, not fused with memories or anything of the sort; looking at the temporary memories was more like watching a movie.

Sitting behind the slightly old-fashioned desk, Su Xiao began to think about what to do next. He opened the mission list, and both the promotion mission and the main mission appeared.

That's right, Su Xiao had accepted the main mission and was prepared to make it fail, but a small problem arose along the way.

【Main Mission: Seek Victory in Stability.】

Difficulty Level: 【Hidden】 Mission Brief: Survive until the God Sacrifice Day.

Mission Deadline: Until the start of God Sacrifice Day.

Mission Reward: 2 True Skill Points.

Mission Penalty: None.

……

The moment he saw this mission, Su Xiao's mood was quite unpleasant. This time, the main mission was ridiculously simple. With Su Xiao's current strength, a Lv. 63 mission difficulty was unlikely to threaten his life. Of course, the premise was that he could not be careless; things like capsizing in a gutter still happened occasionally.

The problem was that Su Xiao intended for the main mission to fail this time, so as to rely on his eight-star title to exempt himself from the forced execution, thereby obtaining 5 non-attribute seven-star titles. Subsequently, he would use these titles to refine an eight-star combat-type title and wear it to explore the Dead Silence City.

Undoubtedly, an eight-star combat-type title would definitely greatly enhance his combat power. This could be glimpsed from the two eight-star titles, 【Sky-Plundering Shocking Waves】 and 【War Overlord】.

The problem at hand was, not to mention how to make a survival mission fail, this time the main mission was, for the first time ever, not a forced execution. Su Xiao estimated that this was "squeezed" by the promotion mission.

Both the promotion mission and the main mission were the highest priority tier of missions after entering a world. As long as one accepted either of them, one could begin exploring within the mission world.

What would happen if both were accepted at the same time? The answer was that the one with the lower difficulty would be squeezed, resulting in an even lower difficulty. For example, if a hunter with top-tier eighth-stage combat power received a Lv. 63 mission, the difficulty of this mission, even if pushed to the limit, would only be at the level of the mid-to-early seventh stage.

Now he could only hope that the next stage of the main mission would be harder, at least giving a forced execution penalty.

Su Xiao discovered for the first time that it was actually so difficult to make a main mission fail, and it also depended on luck.

Setting this aside for now, his thoughts turned to the God Sacrifice Day three days later. Whether it was the Treatment Institute being plotted against, him being poisoned, or the promotion and main missions, the direction all concentrated on the God Sacrifice Day three days later.

The so-called God Sacrifice Day was a grand celebration to commemorate the "Ancient God." To be precise, the god worshipped by the Healing Church was the Ancient God.

In this world, the Ancient God did not refer to a type of god, but only represented the God of Immortality. It was said that in the ancient era, as long as one worshipped this deity, one could attain immortality.

No matter how one heard it, this was a bit far-fetched. It would be good enough to gain extraordinary power by worshipping a god; obtaining immortality directly after worshipping was truly hard to believe.

Compared to this ethereal legend, there was another view among the people: the High Wall City could have today entirely by relying on the protection of the God of Immortality. It was the God of Immortality who drove away the spread of dead silence within the city, allowing the land to become fertile again, the fresh water to become sweet again, and the fruits to recover their abundance.

In High Wall City, one could choose not to believe in the Healing Church, not to believe in the Steam God Sect, or even oppose the High Wall Council, but one must never show the slightest disrespect to the God of Immortality.

That was over a hundred years ago. A believer of the Healing Church claimed to be a divine messenger sent by the God of Immortality, bringing the god's will. The result, however, was that he was captured by the joint efforts of Healing Church members, Steam God Sect members, the Security Team, and the Vadi family guard team, and was put on the stake that very night.

With this person as a precedent, no one dared to claim to be a divine messenger sent by the God of Immortality again.

Su Xiao had two things to do right now: first, find a way to obtain more ancient gold coins; with this, he could exchange for titles in the title shop. Besides that, he also needed to appropriately investigate the sudden change on God Sacrifice Day three days later.

The reason he said "appropriately investigate" was that Su Xiao didn't actually expect to be able to drag out the mastermind behind this matter. He wasn't omniscient and omnipotent; he had just arrived in this world, and relying solely on the temporary memories he obtained, he couldn't control the overall situation.

Looking at the unknown force hidden in the dark, they must have been preparing for a long time, perhaps even years or decades. With such a disparity in intelligence, how could he clash with them in the initial stage?

Rather than courting humiliation in the initial stage, it was better to observe until God Sacrifice Day. Three days were enough to cultivate a Son of the World.

Su Xiao prepared to use 【Devourer·Black A】 + 【Will of the Betrayer】 + 【Three World Items】 to cultivate a Son of the World, letting the other party attract fire in the front.

As for the potential helpers, Su Xiao estimated that even if Sinias and Wood came to this world, they wouldn't show themselves before finding the Dead Silence City. Instead, they would hide in the dark, waiting for Su Xiao to clear the fog and make the path ahead clear. Perhaps these two scoundrels would both show up and head to the Dead Silence City together.

There was no news from Caesar at this stage; it was estimated that he was currently wreaking havoc on the finances of some force.

Su Xiao was just about to take out the glass pillar containing Black A so it could choose this time's "lucky one," when Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang suddenly became alert and looked toward the direction of the gate downstairs.

In the cold courtyard at night, a sturdy figure draped in a dark golden robe and wearing a hood walked in. In the darkness under the hood were a pair of dark yellow eyes; this light looked more like it was emitted by machinery.

This person's footsteps were steady. If one stood opposite him, one would feel as if an invisible mountain range was pressing over, making it hard to breathe.

Click, click~

Amidst the faint sound of metal clashing, the visitor walked into the main building and reached the office where Su Xiao was without any obstruction.

"I heard you died, so I came to take a look."

The visitor spoke, the voice deep and thick, with a faint texture of electronic synthesis.

"……"

Su Xiao didn't speak, just glanced at the wine bottle the visitor was carrying.

"This is wine to sacrifice to you. Since you didn't die, let's drink together."

The visitor casually took two wine glasses from the cabinet and sat opposite Su Xiao across the desk. After pouring two glasses of wine, he pushed one toward Su Xiao.

Su Xiao's hand pressed onto the sliding wine glass. He looked at the visitor. This man, whose body was over 70% replaced by machinery, had combat power that could not be underestimated. Su Xiao estimated that in a life-and-death battle, he had a 60% win rate, but fighting such a mechanical-type enemy would come at too high a price; these guys' moves to perish together were not just ordinarily strong.

Or rather, among the many power systems, the ability of the technology side and the mechanical side to perish together could definitely rank in the top three.

With such strength, the visitor's identity was naturally extraordinary. This was the leader of the Steam God Sect, whose name remained unknown to this day, so everyone called him the Mechanical Duke.

The Steam God Sect advocated the law of the jungle, where the strong were respected. Precisely because of this, the Duke and the previous owner of Su Xiao's identity had a fairly good private relationship. It couldn't be said that they interacted often, but they would occasionally drink a few cups together. They didn't talk much while drinking, and it didn't involve struggles between forces.

Simply put, the Mechanical Duke when drinking together and the Mechanical Duke as the leader of the Steam God Sect were different. The former was just a simple friend and drinking buddy, while the latter had to consider various interests and gains and losses as an iron-blooded leader.

"This time the wild beast invasion, it's a loss that you were able to block it. The Treatment Institute has made me look at it with new eyes again."

The Duke finished drinking the strong liquor in his glass in one gulp.

"Arranged by your side?"

Su Xiao picked up the wine glass. After speaking, he was just about to drink when his movement stopped. This thing was strong liquor mixed with gasoline.

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However, considering the opposite side was mechanical, drinking gasoline didn't seem to be a problem.

"Not to your taste? I originally thought that if you died, I could taste the fine wine of our God Sect. What a pity."

The Duke poured himself a glass on his own. After looking out the window and taking a big gulp, he said:

"This wild beast invasion was not planned by my side. I originally wanted to blow a gap in the No. 16 wall gate half a month after God Sacrifice Day ended, to lure the wild beasts in, and at that time let your Treatment Institute and the wild beasts fight until you were finished, which could be considered solving the hidden danger of the Treatment Institute. But the problem is, before I could make a move, someone else targeted you first."

After the Duke finished speaking, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of metal teeth.

"After the incident, I thought it was arranged internally by your Healing Church. But looking at it now, it doesn't look like it. Those two old things in the Healing Church would definitely not really want to kill you. I came this time to discuss this matter with you."

The Duke changed his relaxed tone from just now, and he continued:

"Bai Ye, three days later is God Sacrifice Day. At such a critical time, the department that responds most quickly to extraordinary events in High Wall City has actually been wiped out fighting the wild beasts. I feel... something is wrong. It's too coincidental, and it hasn't been found out yet which side planned the wild beast invasion."

The Duke finally stated the purpose of his visit tonight. It seemed like he was checking to see if an old friend had passed away, but in reality, he was seeking a certain degree of cooperation.

At this stage, the Treatment Institute could be considered temporarily collapsed. For the Steam God Sect, this was a god-given opportunity for the "Angry Hammer Agency." The Angry Hammer had wanted to replace the Treatment Institute for more than a day or two.

"……"

Su Xiao didn't answer immediately. In his view, the current Treatment Institute was indeed half-crippled. Less than one in ten of the core combat power remained dead or injured, and the peripheral members were even more panicked. With combat power and intelligence lost, the current Treatment Institute was just an empty shell.

Since that was the case, if someone was willing to stand up and hold the scene at this time, no matter how one looked at it, it was a good thing for Su Xiao. Although the Duke opposite him was ill-intentioned and seemed like a drinking buddy, the wine was mixed with gasoline.

"What do you want?"

Su Xiao didn't believe the Duke only came to negotiate tonight.

"Although my cubs have been preparing for a long time, if they were to suddenly take over the handling of extraordinary cases in the city, they would find it hard to find a clue. The Treatment Institute has been responsible for this aspect for many years, and there must be quite a few eyes and ears left in the four city districts."

The Duke finally stated the true purpose of his trip. Handling extraordinary cases didn't just require having a group of people. For so many years, the Treatment Institute had cultivated numerous eyes and ears in the four major city districts of High Wall City. Perhaps a random beggar on the street could be an eye or ear of the Treatment Institute.

The Angry Hammer Agency under the Duke lacked precisely this kind of foundation. Now that the Treatment Institute had collapsed, those eyes and ears lingering in the gray or black world were panicked. As long as they were given enough sense of security and benefits, it was quite natural for them to throw themselves into the embrace of the Steam God Sect.

Su Xiao recalled the temporary memories in his mind for a moment. He leaned sideways and pressed toward the floor next to the table leg. With a click, a secret compartment drawer popped out from the desk. Inside were three thick notebooks. After opening them, they were densely recorded with names and information, and messy photos were pasted next to each name.

What was recorded in this handwritten copy were the eyes and ears that the Treatment Institute had developed for so many years. Now that the old people were gone, with Su Xiao's current identity, he could naturally dispose of this thing freely, deciding whether to give it to the newly appointed director and deputy director of the Treatment Institute, or give it to the Duke.

For Su Xiao, this thing had no value in his hands. These eyes and ears were panicked, and he couldn't stabilize them by himself. The strength of one person couldn't compare to the sense of security that a force could bring.

"Make an offer, my... new friend."

The Duke spoke with a smile, even grinning to reveal his alloy teeth.

This sentence represented too many meanings. After hearing this, Baha gave a wink to Amu and Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang. Amu blocked the door silently, while Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang blocked in front of Ilia. Xiang Bubu had a good impression of Sinias, so naturally, he would take care of his daughter.

The "new friend" the Duke mentioned clearly meant he had noticed the difference between Su Xiao and the original deputy director. Although that was the case, the Duke didn't make a scene, but instead showed an attitude of continuing to cooperate.

This rough-spoken, wine-loving leader of the Steam God Sect was definitely harder to deal with than he looked.

"Are you sure you want to buy?"

Su Xiao spoke. He was also implicitly testing. The implication of this sentence was, did the other party really dare to cooperate with him without knowing his true origin?

"It's not something from outside the city, so why wouldn't I dare to buy it?"

After the Duke finished speaking, he drank the wine in his glass. The true meaning of this sentence was that he had already determined that Su Xiao was not a weird existence from outside the wall. Since that was the case, they could cooperate.

"The people in here have all served the Treatment Institute..."

"50 coins."

The Duke pulled a money bag from his robe and placed it on the table.

After Su Xiao opened it, he found that it contained a type of gold coin. The front of this gold coin was printed with a trident-shaped symbol, and the back was a sharp claw. This sharp claw looked a bit like a human hand, with sharp tips, but not too long.

Seeing this sharp claw, Su Xiao remembered that when he entered this world, he had an experience that was like a dream. At the end of the "dream," a giant hand claw lifted him out of the darkness. Looking at the sharp claw on the gold coin now, it was exactly the same as the sharp claw in his memory.

【You have obtained Ancient Gold Coin × 50.】

Su Xiao remained calm. In the title shop, a six-star title only cost 100 ancient gold coins, while the top three seven-star titles required between 500 and 650 gold coins.

"This isn't a matter of gold coins..."

"Bai Ye, this is just a deposit. After the list is verified, there will be a balance of 450 coins."

"……"

Su Xiao didn't speak. He had to stay steady at this time. He believed the Duke would offer a higher price.

The Duke opposite remained calm. He was certain that Su Xiao would definitely sell this list. The best destination for those eyes and ears now was definitely not the Treatment Institute. A batch of new people replacing the old, after the new blood of the Treatment Institute gradually took power, they wouldn't trust the eyes and ears left by these former members.

Furthermore, these eyes and ears wouldn't easily accept the new members of the Treatment Institute. They had deep feelings for the old members. However, if they worked for the Steam God Sect across forces, it would be different. For such a helpless job-hopping in this situation, the new boss would definitely reuse them.

"Since you are reluctant, then forget it. I am a person who dislikes forcing others the most."

The Duke got up and left, one step, two steps, three steps...

In front of the door, the Duke stood there silently. Su Xiao didn't speak either, and the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

"Add another 50."

The Duke squeezed this sentence out from between his teeth.

"You are so sincere, it makes it hard to refuse."

Su Xiao placed the thick notebook on the table. The Duke, who had sat down again, crossed his legs and flipped through the information in the notebook, becoming more satisfied the more he looked.

"If those two old immortals on your side knew you sold this thing, they would be so angry they wouldn't be able to hold their canes steady."

The Duke spoke with a slightly teasing tone. The old guys he mentioned were the two people currently in power in the Healing Church, namely Archbishop Luso and Holy Priest Antosha.

The Archbishop and the Holy Priest were at the very peak of power in the Healing Church, but these two people stayed in the cathedral all year round and did not go out.

Mentioning these two old guys, the Duke's expression changed. After all, he had grown up being plotted against by these two old guys. Although the Duke was over fifty now and was already a hegemon, in his heart, he hadn't forgotten the scenes of being plotted against by those two old things. The worst time he was plotted against, he was forced to kill his own younger brother.

Su Xiao naturally knew these two old immortals. His method of handling them was to not see them at all. Old people were cunning, and ghosts were slippery; those two old guys might not be as simple as being rotted into ghosts by time.

"The Treatment Institute has finally declined after all. Bai Ye, have you considered working for me? If you are willing to come, the entire Angry Hammer will belong to you to manage, and I will never interfere."

"……"

Su Xiao didn't answer. Seeing this, the Duke didn't ask any more questions and got up to walk out. Just as he reached the door, he seemed to suddenly remember something and said:

"I heard you have a conflict with the newly transferred director and deputy director of the Treatment Institute?"

"……"

Su Xiao picked up the sheathed Dragon Flash and looked sideways at the Duke.

"Since you find them unpleasant, I'll take the liberty of handling them for you. No need to thank me."

The hearty laughter gradually faded away in the long corridor. The Mechanical Duke was the same as in the rumors, doing things without following any rules.

Behind the corner of the corridor, the Duke restrained his laughing expression. He felt slightly disappointed in his heart. If Su Xiao had been provoked into making a move just now, he wouldn't have to pay the subsequent 500 ancient gold coins. This thing was one less for every one used.

In the office, after the Duke left, Baha said: "Boss, this guy is too arrogant."

"He did it on purpose."

Su Xiao chose to hand over those eyes and ears to the Steam God Sect, not just for the ancient gold coins. For the change on God Sacrifice Day three days later, it was best if someone could stand in front. Now that the Angry Hammer Agency of the Steam God Sect had taken the initiative to wade into this muddy water, Su Xiao naturally wouldn't stop them.

Su Xiao pulled open the drawer and rummaged through it for a moment. According to the location in his temporary memory, he pulled out a document cover. After opening it, a person's information appeared on it.

"Noble Son Klank, 27 years old, unmarried, eldest son of the Mechanical Duke. His talent is ordinary, and he is indifferent to wealth, beauty, and status. At the age of 17, he already held an important position in the Steam God Sect by virtue of his superior mind."

This son of the Mechanical Duke was both excellent and lacked strong extraordinary aptitude. In the Steam God Sect where the strong were respected, this was simply a contradictory combination.

Su Xiao felt that if he didn't arrange a play of "father kind and son filial," it would be a disservice to the Mechanical Duke who came to loot a burning house tonight.

Noble Son Klank is indifferent to wealth, power, and beauty? It doesn't matter, 【Will of the Betrayer】 specializes in treating this problem.

"【Will of the Betrayer: When the target becomes a Son of the World, they will inherit the Will of the Betrayer and have a high probability of carrying out betrayal behavior.】"

"【Will of the Betrayer: Those who inherit this will will feel unimaginable pleasure when betraying others.】"

For someone like Noble Son Klank who feels indifferent to everything, once he experiences the pleasure of the Will of the Betrayer, he will definitely be addicted to it.

Noble Son Klank is currently working under his father. If things go wrong, "Filial Son Klank" is about to go online.

Su Xiao's index finger tapped lightly on the desk. Originally, he wanted to find the new director and deputy director to talk and let those two take over the Treatment Institute. He didn't intend to continue taking over this mess; just hanging a name for now was enough.

As a result, before he could even contact them, they were wiped out by the Duke. The Duke had a keen sense of smell and knew that something big would happen on God Sacrifice Day three days later. Even if he acted too excessively now, as long as he didn't slap the Healing Church in the face in public, the Healing Church would at most settle accounts after the autumn, and wouldn't immediately turn against him.

He originally wanted to see if there were any talents among the newcomers, but now it had fallen through. Just as Su Xiao was thinking this, a breath suddenly approached. He looked into the courtyard from the window, and a ghost drifted in.

Seeing that there was such a good thing, Su Xiao made a move to catch it, keeping it to use as a mana recovery pack. But when he looked closely, he felt this ghost looked a bit familiar.

Picking up a document on the table, Su Xiao opened it and compared it. The ghost that drifted back was actually that unlucky new director. It had to be said that the position of director of the Treatment Institute had too high a risk, but 90% of the risk came from the deputy director, and the rest was external.

Seeming to notice Su Xiao's gaze, the ghost raised his head and looked toward the office. On his translucent, pale face, hatred gradually emerged, and he rushed straight toward Su Xiao.

Su Xiao opened the window and took a few steps back. A cold wind struck. Just as the new director rushed over with the cold wind and terrifying wails, a blood-red giant hand formed behind Su Xiao, and like pinching a frog, it pinched the new director in its hand.

After a ghost wail, the new director was almost pinched to explode. Presumably, this person was too unwilling in his heart, which was why he turned into such a grievance ghost and came back. He had taken the position with trepidation, only to quickly learn that Su Xiao, the deputy director, hadn't died, and this person immediately ran away.

Howbeit, while staying in a hotel and still in his dreams, he was personally sought out by the Duke. The Duke had come to find Su Xiao only after getting rid of him.

With a preliminary perception, Su Xiao discovered that this was a grievance ghost formed by negative emotions such as resentment combined with a strand of soul energy, and he lost interest. The blood-red giant hand tightened, and with a pop, it pinched it to explode.

In just over half an hour, people arrived at the headquarters of the Treatment Institute one after another. Su Xiao discovered that these were all new members. Thinking about it, the tragic deaths of the new director and deputy director made these newcomers a bit confused, so they all came to the Treatment Institute.

These people could be supplemented as new blood, naturally because they had all received corresponding training. Around 12 midnight, the headquarters of the Treatment Institute returned to its usual brightly lit feeling. Obviously, several high-level officials didn't intend to make this matter too clear, clearly intending to settle accounts with the Duke after the autumn.

After ordering a late-night snack and sitting around the desk, Su Xiao discovered that Ilia was still standing obediently to the side.

"Eat."

"Mm, I'm so hungry."

Ilia sat next to Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang, first muttering something he didn't know, and then started to eat.

Su Xiao learned that Ilia would leave this world at the earliest tomorrow, and at the latest the morning after tomorrow. This time her parents and grandmother let her come out, more to see what the outside world looked like.

Although that was the case, Su Xiao always felt that the reason they let Ilia come this time wasn't as simple as it looked.

Su Xiao had a feeling before that Sinias didn't respect the Pluto God as much as he imagined. Logically speaking, as the supreme ancient god of the Meteorite Star, when Sinias mentioned this existence, even if he wasn't respectful, he should at least have some awe.

The reality was not the case, which made Su Xiao have a feeling that the force Sinias belonged to seemed to be brewing something in secret, and the plot was huge. If things went wrong, they were all thinking about pulling the Pluto God down from the position of the supreme ancient god.

After promoting to the ninth stage, Su Xiao could go to the Transcendent Native World Meteorite Star. If there really was such a change, he wouldn't mind participating in it.

Not only this matter, after Su Xiao met Mage Sage Serphilia on the Demon Express last time, the feeling Serphilia gave him was no longer the unreachable one from before. Although he still felt he wasn't her opponent, Su Xiao estimated that as long as he promoted to the ninth stage and experienced 2-3 ninth-stage worlds, Serphilia would likely not be his opponent. The other party's combat power should be at the late ninth stage or the very late ninth stage. The Law-Extinguishing hammer caster had a natural advantage.

Su Xiao arranged Ilia in the bedroom connected to the office. He sat cross-legged in the office to meditate. There were still a few hours until dawn, so there was no need to sleep for now.

A few hours passed quickly. The first sun rose on the horizon. Just past 6 a. m., High Wall City turned into a scene of cooking smoke, as if the entire giant city had woken up again.

Su Xiao ended his meditation. He let Amu stay in the office and took Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang and Baha out.

Since the Duke had already started not following the rules, Noble Son Klank's side naturally had to be arranged.

Su Xiao took Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang and Baha out of the Treatment Institute headquarters and walked toward the east of the city. On the street with an endless stream of pedestrians, not long after walking, a communicator in Su Xiao's arms began to vibrate, which made him feel suspicious in his heart. It was too early for them to contact him.

Taking out the communicator, according to the interconnected positioning situation on it, he changed his direction of travel.

Nearly an hour later, Su Xiao stopped on a pedestrian street. A figure was waiting in front, it was Gulu.

For some reason, Gulu's left hand was wrapped in bandages covered with golden patterns. Having only been in this world for one night, Gulu already had dark circles like smoky makeup. This scene was familiar.

"Saint Poetry, look at who that is."

Gulu's tone was gnashing her teeth. She tore off the bandage on her left arm, and a red-lipped, thin-mouthed mouth appeared on her left palm.

"Don't make meaningless struggles, you can't escape..."

Just as Saint Poetry's words came out, her soul vision saw Su Xiao opposite. At this moment, Saint Poetry's mentality underwent a huge change. ===== CHAPTER 3533 =====