Chapter 290: City Guard Cannon

The massive stained-glass window filtered the outside light, casting colorful shadows on the polished marble floor.

The Pope sat upright in a high-backed chair, his face shrouded in the shadow of his hood, his voice deep and steady.

"...... The cooperation with the Old World authorities has been secured; according to plan, we should prepare some supplies within these seven days and have players who have awakened the Space Aberrant Arts deliver them there," the Pope said slowly.

"At the same time, we ought to announce the existence of Undead to the public in the near future, guiding players to seek refuge and guidance from the Church to prevent panic and the rise of heretical thoughts."

The Holy Maiden stood nearby, continuously clicking and swiping on the screen before her, appearing busy, and she simply nodded calmly at the Pope's words.

"However, the attacks on Tianmian City last night—Mutation contamination and orbital detonations—have you thought these would shake the public's trust in the Church, and announcing the existence of Undead now would exacerbate panic, right?"

"Isn't that obvious to you........"

The Pope seemed to sigh, a hint of helplessness, because ever since returning from the Chen Family they have been debating this, and neither side can persuade the other.

The Pope thought the plan's progress should be temporarily slowed, at least waiting until the unrest is fully pacified before announcing, which would take at most a few evenings.

Yet the Holy Maiden acted contrary to her usual demeanor, pressing the Church's progress unusually tightly this time.

Fang Zhiyan noted that the Holy Maiden's fingertip paused for a moment on the transparent control panel hovering in midair.

The panel displayed complex data and Runes incomprehensible to ordinary people, illuminating half of her cool visage.

She fell silent for a moment, sent the final command, and only then did the panel's light gradually dim.

"...... It's my fault," the Holy Maiden's voice was clearer than the Pope's, yet equally steady, "I was a bit too hasty."

She actually... spoke up?

The Pope's face beneath the hood showed obvious surprise.

He knows his sister too well; once she decides on something, it rarely changes.

Especially regarding "prophecies" and the Divine Oracle, she has always had an almost obsessive focus.

"Then, as you suggest, we'll observe for a few more days, wait until the city's unrest fully subsides and public sentiment stabilizes, and then formally announce the existence of Undead and the cooperation matters."

The Holy Maiden said slowly, her tone revealing no discernible emotion.

The Pope's gaze fell on the glaring silvery strands in his sister's hair, and he squinted.

The siblings' appearances were virtually identical, only their temperaments differed markedly.

The Pope's voice became even softer.

"Is something wrong with the Fourth Tribulation?" he paused, then added, "Usually you aren't this eager."

The Holy Maiden did not deny it.

"Min Tianyou's experiences indeed align with the prophecy, yet whether that step was truly completed remains unknown to us, like a stone dropped into water that creates ripples, but we cannot see where the stone finally sinks."

"Consciousness and oblivion still leave no trace, while the Mutation's activity and scale are growing and spiraling out of control at a rate far exceeding model predictions; the Black Stone Mountain Range will only be a beginning."

"Do you think the world can endure until the moment the gods are slain?"

The Pope's hand resting on the armrest tightened slightly, the knuckles under the white leather turning a bit pale.

"So," he began slowly, his voice tinged with strain, "you've been plotting a fallback all along?"

The Holy Maiden gave no direct answer; she looked up at the stained-glass window depicting divine grace, its colorful shadows flowing over her snow-white ceremonial robe, yet bringing no warmth.

"Do you know the story of Noah's Ark, brother?" she suddenly asked.

The Pope was slightly taken aback, then nodded:

"One of the Old World's mythic legends: before the Great Flood, the chosen built a massive vessel to carry the seeds of life and civilization... It was also what we read together as children when we secretly slipped into the library's Jinshuqu."

"From the moment of my birth, I was meant to safeguard the Divine Oracle of time and space, to ensure the spark can endure, in whatever form, to go... wherever."

The Pope stared at his sister's slender silhouette for a long time; he wanted to do something but couldn't, not even able to leave this Church.

"Whether or not your birth is recognized by this world's rules, you are my most important family; prophecies matter, the future matters, but... you are equally important."

The Holy Maiden said nothing, merely shaking her head gently.

The Pope understood her meaning, could only sigh inwardly, as he was about to say something—

Beep—! Beep-beep-beep—!

Accompanied by a shrill alarm, the panel before the Holy Maiden turned crimson.

——————————————————

The cannon mouth silently adjusted its minute angle, the internal energy circuit humming quietly, compressing and converting the last stray energy into a destructive beam.

Buzz—Boom!!!

A thick, solid-like white-hot energy beam ripped through the air, striking Fang Zhiyan's location with pinpoint accuracy.

Fang Zhiyan's dark-red pupils suddenly contracted; the tentacles behind him instinctively abandoned their suppression of Chi Jinan, interweaving in layers before him to form a dense defensive shield.

Boom—!!!

The white-hot energy torrent hit him with precision, the blinding light instantly engulfing the area; the blast's shockwave ripped the already shattered ground anew, and Chi Jinan was hurled far away by the residual force, landing heavily in the ruins, fate unknown.

This attack did not come from anyone present, but from above them—the Tianmian City itself, hovering in the sky!

At several hundred meters altitude, the base of Tianmian City, composed of countless Runes and metal structures, split open like petals, revealing hidden complex energy circuits within the fissures.

At the periphery, larger cannon mouths over three meters in diameter, with internal currents of white-hot and dark-gold interwoven energy, aimed at their position.

More pure-energy white-hot light pillars burst from those cannon mouths, blasting straight toward Fang Zhiyan.

Zzzla—!!!

A harsh energy-vanishing sound rang out, the tentacles' surfaces flashing wildly as they tried to analyze, disintegrate, and absorb the pillar's energy, but the destructive power within was terrifyingly immense.

It was a city-guard level weapon installed within Tianmian City, specifically developed against Aberrant Species.

The tips of the tentacles began to blacken and carbonize; the second, third... tentacles were sequentially damaged, and under such precise strikes, Fang Zhiyan's defense could not hold for long.