Chapter 277: Ghosts and Gods, Combined

Cain did not speak immediately, instead using his gaze to size up Wen Xishu.

He certainly knew that Wen Xishu was the one who had truly defeated him; he, who possessed god-level power, was now easily controlled by a human.

Cain had also been guessing all along what kind of divine being this person was.

Now that he heard the other party’s intent was so obvious, he understood a little.

"Are you one of them too?" Cain asked.

Although he was required to answer everything, Cain could still express his own curiosity.

Wen Xishu was actually a bit disappointed by this answer.

Because it was clear that Cain did not know very much.

Wen Xishu sighed:

"That might be my sister. I have been searching for her. If you are willing to tell me about her, I think perhaps we don't have to make things so unpleasant."

Writing down a name meant certain death, but that didn't stop Wen Xishu from making empty promises. Of course, he didn't need to make promises; now, Cain would be forced to answer all his questions.

Cain was somewhat astonished. In his memory, that woman had indeed said that her younger brother was looking for her.

Cain was actually very eager to know the truth of the world from these true gods.

But at the moment, he was the one responsible for providing information.

"Yes, my reaching this point has to do with her. She told me that there is a power in this world called the Tower."

"This is not the tower we understand, but the name of a new power."

Wen Xishu became interested:

"Go on."

What Cain began to recount was something extremely fundamental:

"The method to obtain the Tower originates from creating obsessions and eliminating obsessions."

"These were the words she said to me. At the time, it sounded nonsensical."

"I was able to meet her because the people from the Intelligence Bureau were always guarding against me, putting a collar on me that only a dog would wear."

"The kind that can blow your neck off."

Wen Xishu couldn't help but exclaim, isn't this a coincidence?

The few killers also looked at each other, not expecting that even someone as strong as Cain had experienced such a scene.

Should one say... is this a characteristic of the rulers?

Cain said:

"They longed for me to push forward the Bloodline Project. I was the key core of the Bloodline Project, and they continued to control the human world by controlling me."

"I had a fight with them, but they also had some ability users under them similar to me."

"At that time, I didn't have as many followers as I do now, and I wasn't strong enough. So I was quickly captured and put in a collar; I had to obey them."

"They thought that was it, that everything was fine, and that they could command me through this method."

"But my ability gradually began to awaken. I started to realize that I had to bite someone and make this person do things for me."

"This was also the beginning of breaking the deadlock. The people from the Intelligence Bureau only hoped to control me, but they never thought of killing me; they were still counting on using me to rule the world."

"And I caught onto this point. In the process while they weren't paying attention, I bit many people, and these people all started working for me."

"And as the number of people I bit increased, my ability also grew stronger. Finally, one day... the highest decision-maker of the Intelligence Bureau and the Prime Minister of the Lionheart Kingdom were both bitten by me."

"The Bloodline Project was truly a good plan, but what I wanted to be was not the savior, but the person in charge of this plan."

"When I wiped out all my enemies... to be precise, after they became my servants, that woman appeared."

"It was also at that time she said a strange sentence: The method to obtain the Tower's power originates from creating obsessions and eliminating obsessions."

"She also said at the time: I advocate for eliminating obsessions and letting everything return to the right track, but it seems your style is indeed different from mine."

"She did indeed call herself Aries. And she told me to just call her that."

"She said I was very similar to the Cain in history, and I think that is a good name, because I am indeed a vampire now."

"Aries told me that the difference in everyone's obsession determines the difference in power after the apocalypse arrives."

"If someone longs for the happiness of others, then perhaps they will have the ability to let others obtain happiness."

"If someone longs to be loved but is not good with words, then perhaps they will obtain the ability to manifest their inner thoughts."

"And there are those who long for their brothers to be by their side forever, then when their brothers are by their side, they can become powerful."

"There are also those who long to be understood, so their feelings can be implanted into others like memories."

"And I, I long for blood. This is not purely an obsession, but also a habit."

This passage gave Wen Xishu a small shock.

Should he say it... he actually heard many of his old friends in this passage.

Is this really Aries's original words?

The one who longs for the happiness of others, could it be Morita Hitomi? The one who longs to be loved but is not good at expressing it, could it be Jack? The one who hopes for brothers to be by their side, should be the An brothers, right?

And the one who longs to be understood, so her feelings can be implanted like memories, could it be Tang Rui?

It really is very similar.

But logically speaking, it shouldn't be this similar.

So Wen Xishu couldn't help but make a bold guess.

What if the powers of these few people... are not Jack, Tang Rui, and the others?

For example, the one who longs for brothers to be by their side, and thus becomes powerful when their brothers are by their side...

Is it not referring to the An brothers, but rather—Gemini?

Wen Xishu felt it was a bit of a coincidence, and also a bit confusing, but he did not interrupt Cain's words.

"In eliminating obsessions and dismantling obsessions, I thought that letting you possess the legendary vampire ability was a form of... dismantling. After all, it was getting what one wished for."

"But I seem to have been wrong. I will continue to observe for a while in order to reach the correct conclusion."

"Keynes, you should be called Cain from now on."

Cain laughed self-deprecatingly:

"I actually quite like the name Cain, but I really hate her condescending attitude."

"But you should have guessed that the gap between her and me is huge... just like the gap between me and—"

Cain ultimately did not say the sentence "just like the gap between me and you."

After all, he also saw that this existence, which was comparable to a god, seemed to be satisfying those four killers.

Perhaps, this is also a way to dismantle obsessions.

Cain said:

"I am not her match; the power gap between us is not on the same level."

"She told me to follow my vision to save this world, to let humans survive, and to let thoughts that can think, can love, can hate, can dedicate, and can be selfish, continue."

"I was of course happy to reshape this world; what happened later was a carnival."

"I have liked blood since I was young. Do you know? It is said that three out of every one hundred thousand people are interested in human blood and will find it delicious."

"Humanity inherits generation after generation, seemingly wanting those three out of one hundred thousand people to die, but they always manage to survive. In every era, there is always a small group of people who act as beasts in civilized society."

"They feel a longing for the flesh and blood of their own kind. They also hope that one day, this world can freely drink blood. Even that drinking blood becomes a correct thing."

Wen Xishu suddenly really wanted to say, you had better really be talking about vampires.

Cain said:

"The world I longed for arrived. With Aries's help, I became the strongest vampire in the world."

"I was the savior of the Bloodline Project, and also the master of this project."

"In my kingdom, drinking blood is free, legal, and encouraged."

"Under my influence, parents drink their children's blood, and children drink their parents' blood. Friends drink each other's blood, relatives drink each other's blood, and strangers also drink each other's blood."

"At first, the blood production project could still provide enough blood, and the population of this city was also large; we could even have blood parties."

"Have you ever tried killing six thousand people and then bathing in a huge... pool full of blood and corpses?"

"That baptism made me feel incomparably happy. I still miss it to this day."

"But... not long after, the blood production equipment was all destroyed. Destroyed by that woman."

Cain was actually somewhat hateful toward Aries; he said coldly:

"She appeared again. This time, she told me that her experiment had been completed and she had already found part of the answer."

"She resolved my obsession, but because of me, she created more obsessions."

"She obtained quite a bit of the Tower's power, but this was not what she wished for. She would also avoid this method. I don't understand what this woman is trying to say. But after that..."

"Crystal City began to decay because there was no blood. And we, also, could not leave Crystal City."

Wen Xishu carefully thought about Aries's words.

He seemed to understand a little.

Cain obtained an opportunity, and this opportunity was very special, so special that only Cain, one of those three out of one hundred thousand, could obtain it. In other words, Cain possessed the qualifications to use the "Tower power," becoming an existence similar to a vampire.

Aries discovered this point and injected the Tower power into Cain, letting Cain become a vampire.

Cain's wish was satisfied, and the era of legal blood-drinking arrived.

But as it happened, the slaughter Cain committed created even greater obsessions.

These obsessions brought power to Aries, but they also went against Aries's original intention. However, Aries herself was also conducting an experiment.

Wen Xishu said:

"Did she ever tell you why it had to be a vampire? Your ability was bestowed by her; in other words, you were the person she actively chose. But why not bestow upon you a more... less evil power?"

Cain was somewhat surprised; Wen Xishu actually seemed to know the scene at that time:

"I really did say that."

"According to her, when the apocalypse descends, the Tower's power will seek out those with obsessions and aptitude. They often mutate and evolve, becoming people adapted to the apocalypse, such as... your friends."

"The Aries constellation can receive guidance and see these people. But there are too many people in this world with obsessions and aptitude. Her division of labor, or rather, what she is matched with, is not this type of person."

"What she is responsible for is all related to ancient myths, secret lore, and legends."

Wen Xishu’s fingers trembled; it matched up.

"She told me that besides human obsessions, this world also has a special kind of obsession that is not human."

"This kind of obsession is not emitted by any single individual, but rather the 'ghosts, gods, demons, and monsters' formed by the recognition of countless people throughout human history."

"In the Lionheart Kingdom, vampires are one of the concrete manifestations of these 'ghosts and gods'."

"And I, as it happens, obtained the recognition of this alternative obsession. In other words, I am the best vessel for vampires to manifest in the world."

"She also said that besides vampires, all kinds of demons and monsters might appear. The vessels for this type of obsession are often stronger than ordinary obsession bodies, though not absolutely. But generally speaking—"

"'Ghosts and gods' will be more powerful and more easily obtain 'awe'."

Wen Xishu couldn't help but ask:

"Is the 'Dragon' in the Dragon Hidden Project of Longxia also a 'ghost or god'?"

Cain shook his head:

"I don't know. I have been sealed for too long; no one dares to come here, and I do not leave this city."

"Everything I know was told to me by that woman."

"She said the Savior Project is actually a project centered on 'ghosts and gods'. It seems to always lean toward making humanity combine, but this combination is not unity, but rather a literal combination."

"The ghost or god corresponding to the Ark Project... is God."

"God demands the erasure of differences, making everyone... uniform. This is 'combination'."

This sentence made Wen Xishu think of the islands inside Sirius's heart.

"The Dragon Hidden Project is perhaps the same. I only know that the 'combination' there seems to be a fusion? I am not clear."

"As for the combination of the Bloodline Project, you should be able to understand by now. Below me, everyone is my blood-thrall; they all obey my every command. You could say Crystal City is united."

"Of course, there is also the Firmament Project, and the island nation's Savior Project, but I do not know their 'ghosts and gods' or their methods of 'combination'."

The two terms "ghosts and gods" and "combination" seemed to summarize all the Savior Projects well, manifesting the commonalities of these plans.

Wen Xishu pondered, feeling increasingly alarmed.

He had seen many ability users, some not very strong like the An brothers, and others with heaven-defying power like Tang Rui, Xiao Xing, and Xiao Tong.

But they were all individuals.

Compared to the Saviors... individual obsessions were minuscule.

The combination of the Savior and the citizens of their kingdom was clearly a more powerful attempt.

Cain of the Lionheart Kingdom had not fed on blood for too long and had become weak, but even so, he possessed power that was insurmountable for the current Wen Xishu.

If it weren't for the Land of Obsession, where he could use a "cheat" from the underworld, he would never have been able to defeat Cain.

And Cain, or rather the vampires of the Lionheart Kingdom, might be the weakest among the many "ghosts and gods."

What Aries is responsible for is things related to the ancient, and now Wen Xishu suddenly understood...

What exactly it was related to in the ancient past.

It was related to "legends" and "myths."

Thanks to the five assassins wanting to kill Cain, Wen Xishu was now curious: the Swan Project, the Dragon Hidden Project, the dragon, the god, and that product of Longxia described by these things...

What kind of monster is it exactly?

And what role does Mr. Jin, who is devoted to Longxia, play in all of this?

Wen Xishu let out a long breath:

"It seems I've asked what I needed to ask. Thank you for your answers."

Cain didn't say much else.

Because his body had already begun to dissipate bit by bit, like a vampire exposed to sunlight... beginning to burn, turn to ash, and finally crumble into dust.

The few assassins listened to the conversation between Wen Xishu and Cain, and for a moment, they didn't know what to say.

To them, things like Aries, "ghosts and gods," and "combination" were incredibly foreign.

It was as if the two sides were not from the same world.

Wen Xishu actually had a bit of a headache too.

Should he activate the invitation?

"He finally died. I didn't expect him to be so cooperative before dying; he answered all the questions you asked. I say... he wasn't hypnotized by you, was he?" Cannon asked.

Wen Xishu shook his head:

"How could that be? You heard it too. 'Ghosts and gods,' 'Savior'—these lofty titles are enough to describe his power. I can hypnotize some small fries, but I can't pull off hypnotizing an enemy of this level."

Canon said:

"I just feel like all of this is a dream. People like us actually killed the King of Vampires."

Shadow nodded:

"It's too dreamlike. I suddenly feel that my life has no regrets."

Cannon felt the same:

"Yes, we don't even need to go back to report, we are even free."

The few assassins had probably never been this happy.

They all felt that their life's mission had been accomplished.

All obsessions were dissolved at this moment.

This was actually the first time for Wen Xishu to have a "perfect" clear in the true sense.

Although he hadn't received any prompts and hadn't headed to the Desire Tower yet, Wen Xishu knew very well that his reward this time would be at least Level 6.

Even without relying on the reality-altering effects of the Desire Tower.

Rarely had he served an "obsession" in the Trick Tower as comfortably as this.

Although the assassins were people of the obsession world, they were unaware of this; to them, this was the real world.

Their realizations and experiences also had the most authentic feedback.

With the help of the Death Quill, Wen Xishu had resolved his powerful enemies and worries. In a sense, previous trips to the Trick Tower were all interrupted halfway to go to the real world.

Finally, he would rely on changing reality to reset the Trick Tower.

This time was different; this time he had truly thoroughly completed the current level and current mission. Wen Xishu was very curious if there would be any different rewards.

Cannon helped Cosmos up, Canon helped Night Demon up, and Shadow walked in the middle.

The five assassins walked toward the outside of Crystal City, their backs devoid of regrets.

Suddenly, Cannon looked back:

"King of Killers, coming with us?"

For the assassins, there were still many places to go in this world, but for Wen Xishu...

He had already completed his mission.

He was also a bit conflicted about whether to activate the invitation. Would changing reality cause the obsession to change? And thus, the perfectly cleared Trick Tower would no longer be perfect?

Wen Xishu suddenly asked:

"By the way, in your memories... is there anyone particularly... fond of playing pranks?"

At the seventh level, Wen Xishu had once heard Jin Zaimin mention someone, saying there was a high-level Corruptor who could convey information to lower levels.

Wen Xishu cared about this and had never forgotten it.

Now it was the forty-ninth level, which was also a level related to seven, and Wen Xishu suddenly realized...

A rope always snaps at its thinnest point, and one must pick the softest persimmon to squeeze.

In the Desire Tower, the Corruptor who toyed with everyone was, to Wen Xishu, the softest persimmon to squeeze.

With a single thought, the world opened up; he realized he didn't need to struggle with whether he could give the assassins a good ending in the Desire Tower.

He didn't even need to change history, but he could go and beat up the Corruptor.

(End of chapter)