Chapter 219: The Declaration of War by the Four Organizations

A faint black cloud rose in Xie Wei's room, enveloping him.

The black cloud simulated the previous scene, like an optical camouflage, causing all four cameras in the cell to see only Xie Wei, still comatose from severe mental trauma.

Xie Wei now opened his eyes, his gaze cold and mechanical; he began violently retching, retching four or five times, until a small fleshy ball spat from his throat.

The ball landed on the floor and unfolded into an irregular patch of skin, painted with vivid patterns—clearly a corner of some artwork.

The patterned skin, the moment it touched the ground, moved as if alive.

It absorbed ninety percent of the black cloud within Xie Wei, turning the entire patch into black cloud, then slowly writhed across the cell's door crack and vanished.

Xie Wei spat out what was in his mouth, his cold gaze turning vacant as he slipped back into unconsciousness; the surrounding black cloud reentered his body.

In the surveillance room, a duty officer wearing glasses sipped a milk tea while gazing at Xie Wei's cell.

Seeing no anomaly in Xie Wei, he shook his head and said to his colleague:

"Lao Hu, did you hear? This new guy's in terrible shape—severe mental trauma, almost killed himself. I bet he won't recover mentally for at least ten days or half a month."

Lao Hu manipulated his milk tea, pushing the pearls at the bottom one by one into the straw, and replied:

"I heard. He broke the record set by that woman two weeks ago—he's this year's unluckiest."

He chewed a pearl that had automatically rolled into his mouth and sighed:

"With the overall downturn and the proliferation of the extraordinary, mentally fragile people collapse too easily. Among just those recently locked up, he's already the third, right?"

The glasses-wearer said: "Who can deny it? If things keep going like this, another thirty wouldn't surprise me. Hey, Lao Hu, help me out—can't suck up this last pearl."

Neither of the duty officers noticed that in the corridor on the fifth basement level, a patch of skin wrapped in black cloud was slowly writhing toward a certain direction.

Director Gao and Lei Huo did not take Wu Chang to visit the sixth basement level; the sixth basement level was the most classified area of every regional bureau, opened only when necessary, never for tours.

The elevator returned from the fifth basement level to the surface; before leaving, Wu Chang stopped Director Gao and Lei Huo and reminded them that Xie Wei's case was not simple.

If Xie Wei had truly suffered a mental breakdown, filled with panic, how could he have avoided harming others while in a frenzied state?

He didn't seek wealth or take lives—he drew strange patterns with blood, his own blood.

If he wasn't insane, what was his purpose?

If he only wanted to paint that pattern on the wall, he could have chosen a secluded place—not the bank in Donghu District. He could have painted the entire facade of some suburban office building and still likely avoided capture.

Wu Chang's intuition told him Xie Wei was definitely hiding something, but he couldn't reveal that Xie Wei used emotional power; he could only say Xie Wei's actions were strange, based on what he'd witnessed.

After hearing his description, Director Gao also took Xie Wei's case seriously.

Although Wu Chang was weak in power, his intuition and instincts were remarkably accurate, and his mind was exceedingly meticulous—this had been acknowledged by both Jian Xing and Shi Ning.

Director Gao thought for a moment and said: "Later today, I'll try borrowing someone from Wanming City—they have a guy who specializes in treating mental disorders. Maybe he can wake Xie Wei up early and extract some answers."

Wu Chang had said all he needed to say; seeing Director Gao had recognized the issue, he said no more.

As for Director Gao and Lei Huo, they were highly satisfied with Wu Chang's performance—his approach, outcome, and final handling had minimized the impact of the Xie Wei incident.

As he left, Director Gao assured Wu Chang that if this incident truly concealed deeper secrets, he was guaranteed at least a Class-C Merit.

After leaving the bureau, Wu Chang did not continue patrol—he drove home first, put on his disguise mask, and headed straight for the commercial street in Heping District.

In the core area of the commercial street, he saw Yu Na's restaurant had completed its preliminary renovation and was now in trial operation, inviting interested customers to sample the menu.

Trial operation required advance reservations, but Yu Na had given him her phone number during their last meeting.

He called her; within two minutes, Yu Na stepped out of the restaurant and led him directly into a private room.

Yu Na linked arms with Wu Chang and smiled: "Want to try our signature dish? Last time I invited you to dinner, you said you had plans—no plans today, right?"

Wu Chang glanced at the menu—the restaurant specialized in creative summer cuisine, with some traditional summer dishes too, but few items cost less than four digits; certain expensive, labor-intensive dishes exceeded ten thousand.

The Jin Yu Village he once thought unattainable now seemed affordable compared to Yu Na's restaurant.

"If Boss Yu is treating, I'll definitely try it."

Yu Na stepped out to give instructions, then returned to the private room and asked:

"Why did you come looking for me today?"

Wu Chang said: "You've been in Wanghai City lately and have good connections—there's something I want to ask you."

He recounted everything that had happened that day, but in his version to Yu Na, he claimed he'd merely been passing by, curious after seeing bureau members on duty, so he peeked inside.

He asked Yu Na not out of strong responsibility to uncover the truth for the bureau, but because he'd seen Xie Wei's emotional power and suspected a connection to the Church of Quietude.

Both belonged to the Believers' Circle; the Apocalypse and the Church of Quietude were enemies—if the Church of Quietude had entered Wanghai City, Yu Na would have noticed.

If the Church of Quietude dared to stir trouble in his territory, he'd show them proper hospitality.

Ordinary folks visiting during holidays never came empty-handed—they brought two boxes of milk. These people came to Wanghai City—surely they brought a gift, like Lehman's eyeball.

Yu Na shook her head after listening:

"I received no reports of the Church of Quietude approaching. Besides, the area around Wanghai City is our Apocalypse's territory—other sects rarely extend their reach here."

"But about what you're curious about—I do have some information."

Wu Chang asked: "Do you know who they are?"

Yu Na said: "I don't know who's behind them, but recently, many similar individuals have appeared. They're like timed bombs, appearing indiscriminately in crowded places. Two days ago, one even slipped into my restaurant."

Wu Chang asked: "And then?"

Yu Na said, expressionless: "I subdued him, but his mind had already been shattered by emotional power—he couldn't give me any useful information."

A knock came at the door; Yu Na rose to open it, took the serving tray from the waiter, placed Wu Chang's portion before him herself, then continued:

"They've all been tampered with—souls torn to shreds. Even soul-searching yields nothing. We had to dispose of them."

Wu Chang understood Yu Na's meaning: "The opponent has been planning this for a long time—and their methods are thorough."

Yu Na nodded: "I don't know what the mastermind wants, but their scheme is certainly grand. And I'm almost certain it's not the Church of Quietude—they're crude and direct, not this meticulous."

Wu Chang frowned. He trusted Yu Na's judgment, but now the situation had become complicated. After eating, Yu Na wanted Wu Chang to visit her home, but she suddenly received a call. After hanging up, her face turned grim; without further delay, she hurriedly left the restaurant.

Yu Na didn't turn away from Wu Chang when taking the call—he faintly heard it was about the Apocalypse being attacked, and the victims were all those who had "disposed of that guy."

Even the Apocalypse dares to retaliate—this enemy is dangerous.

After finishing dinner, it was just past six. He strolled along the commercial street, reached the intersection, and his gaze unconsciously fixed on the sign outside the gallery where he once painted a portrait for Ailin.

Emotion.

He was now somewhat sensitive to those two words.

Inside the gallery, people came and went; as a popular check-in spot for influencers, many couples chose this gallery as their dating spot.

Many others, having heard the gallery owner was young and handsome, kind-hearted, and would randomly sketch portraits for visitors, came specifically for that reason.

Wu Chang had passed this gallery many times but had never actually gone inside; he hesitated for a moment, then decided to drop in.

As soon as he entered the gallery, he felt himself enter a certain state.

The interior design, layout, and carefully arranged lighting instantly immersed visitors in the atmosphere of art, as if their own taste rose in tandem with the gallery's aesthetic.

!

No wonder this place became a viral setting; just this one effect alone provided enough emotional value for countless "cultured people."

He walked further in and noticed the paintings' styles were far from monotonous—colors ranged from dull to vivid, from gloomy and deep to light and sunny.

But no matter the style or subject, each painting made visitors genuinely feel the emotion within.

More importantly, this feeling was not achieved through supernatural means.

Wu Chang sensed no trace of transcendent power from these paintings.

After circling the entire gallery, he felt nothing unusual; he chuckled at himself—it seemed he had become too sensitive.

He couldn't assume everything with "emotion" in its name was suspicious just because someone had recently used emotional power.

As he was about to leave, he happened to meet the gallery owner face to face.

The man wore a light blue suit and was sketching a portrait of a young woman.

If Wu Chang remembered correctly, the gallery owner's name was Lu Langfeng; his features, speech, and demeanor were all impeccably refined—a textbook example of a rich second-generation winner, looking nothing like a bad person.

Compared to Lu Langfeng, the young woman being sketched was remarkably distinctive, brimming with memorable traits.

The woman had long hair dyed red and white, with nose piercings, lip piercings, tongue piercing, and earrings—all present; in the center of her collarbone, she bore a tattoo of a butterfly with petal-shaped wings.

Beyond her striking appearance, as a model, her gaze locked fixedly onto Lu Langfeng, and occasionally a strange smile curled at her lips.

Seeing the woman's smile, Wu Chang instinctively felt discomfort—his intuition told him this woman was off.

Wu Chang stopped and studied her again, confirming the source of his unease: she was not a wild transcendent, but her body held an intense emotion, so strong it was nearly visible to Wu Chang.

He noted her down and sent the information to Zhao Yan, instructing him to arrange a deep investigation later.

The Butterfly Woman was still an ordinary person for now, but he had a feeling that if the mastermind behind this wanted to recruit followers, she would be a suitable candidate.

As for him, he had no time to waste on such matters.

Dealing with the Pillars of the World and the surge of transcendent phenomena had already consumed too much of his energy; in three days, it would be time to enter the dungeon, and he needed to prepare in advance.

The first thing he needed to prepare was to insert another eyeball into the vacant slot of the Commoner's Poison.

He took out the Eye of Leyman obtained from the Silent Passage dungeon and inserted it into the slot of the Commoner's Poison.

Since the Commoner's Poison had been custom-made for Leyman, the second eye slid in smoothly.

As the Eye of Leyman settled, a long needle protruded from the bottom of the Commoner's Poison's slot.

With a flash of light, the skill of the Commoner's Poison changed.

"Skill Name: Commoner's Poison"

"Skill Description: Gain energy by clearing a dungeon or absorbing Corrosion Cores. When the energy bar is full, activate Commoner's Poison to extract the divine source power through a divine vessel as a medium. Repeated use on the same deity increases toxicity."

"Toxicity Increase: Each consecutive extraction from the same deity draws a higher-tier divine source from that deity."

"Current Accumulated Energy: 0/50."

Wu Chang took out the Corrosion Core obtained from clearing the Silent Sea dungeon; after the Commoner's Poison absorbed it, the accumulated energy became 4/50.

When Old Anderson created the Commoner's Poison, he believed plucking one of Leyman's eyeballs was already the peak of mortal achievement—he never imagined someone could obtain two of Leyman's eyes in succession.

Inserting the second Eye of Leyman activated the passive effect of Toxicity Increase in the Commoner's Poison.

Divine powers also have tiers; among the many powers Leyman possessed, Chaos Power was the most basic. Wu Chang was curious what higher-tier power he might draw.

Would the newly drawn power grant him another unique class?

During these final days before entering the dungeon, he spent all his time in the training room of the Crimson Courtyard, further familiarizing himself with his abilities.

Three days passed in a flash—it was time again to enter the dungeon.

He arrived at the bar zone of the Public Plaza, about to inquire about recent developments or any major events, when he overheard two players at the next table say:

"Hey, did you hear? The Four Organizations have declared war on that mysterious new player."

Writing this transitional chapter was grueling—I kept hitting writer's block, and the updates have been sluggish these past two days, but once we enter the new dungeon, things will get better.

(End of Chapter)