Chapter 4021

The murderer using the power of Wither had been taking detours since leaving the crime scene to avoid being tracked. For this reason, after entering the Lower City, Xia De and the three young ladies got off their carriage and ducked into an alleyway to continue the pursuit on foot.

Even if the deceased's bloodstains were re-imbued with life force, tracing the echoes they left behind in space-time was no easy task. Xia De had to observe carefully along the way; sometimes the bloodstains in space-time would be interrupted, and he had to explore in different directions to relocate those traces.

Fortunately, as the sunset gradually faded, the arrival of night not only enhanced the effects of Xia De's miracles, but the red marks in the darkness also became clearer and more distinct than they had been at dusk.

Around seven o'clock on Sunday night, the four of them had actually returned from the Lower City to the Outer City, and had arrived in the vicinity of the "Arcadia City Sewage Treatment Plant."

Like the morgue, the Arcadia City Sewage Treatment Plant was built alongside a tributary of the Sernier River. The plant covered an area of about 100 acres and served the million-level population of the Arcadia region. This was the most advanced sewage treatment plant of this era, featuring an internal semi-automated sewage treatment system centered on steam energy.

When the Old Continent Industrial Expo was selecting a site in Arcadia, among the three options, besides Candlekeep Library and Oakham Park, this place was also included.

Large open-air sedimentation tanks, sludge drying beds, lime reaction tanks, brick pump houses, and pipe networks worked day and night. However, at night, there were only a few night watchmen patrolling the sewage treatment plant, and lighting was limited to the main entrance and the control room.

"The target is right here."

Xia De said softly. Miss Luweiya nodded and looked at the two followers behind her:

"One stay, one follow."

The Ninth-Ring young lady then stayed on the outskirts of the factory, while the Tenth-Ring young lady continued to follow the two of them forward. The two night watchmen guarding the entrance to the sewage treatment plant hadn't gone to sleep so early, but they were playing cards and thus didn't notice anyone walking inside.

Xia De led Miss Luweiya and the Tenth-Ring young lady through the sewage treatment plant's massive factory building. Brass pipes wound like giant pythons, beneath their feet were slippery, rusted grates, and sewage surged and flowed in the dark channels beside them. Gears and valves creaked, a rumbling sound of water echoed continuously from beneath their feet and all around, the needles of pressure gauges jumped constantly on the walls, and water droplets dripped from the dense pipes overhead from time to time.

Inside the factory, there was a strange smell of mixed detergents and chemicals, which for a moment reminded the Outsider of the laboratories he had frequented during his studies in his hometown.

The interior of the sewage treatment plant was almost empty at night, but heavy cast-iron gates sealed off some important areas. The corridors inside were as complex as a maze, but fortunately, there were maps indicating locations at important intersections.

When he saw the mechanical pump room located underground, Xia De immediately thought of the scene when he fought the "Construct Master" this week, and was very worried about encountering a giant formed by large machinery standing up again.

But fortunately, they were just passing by and did not enter the area of the mechanical pump room. Finally, Xia De followed the bloodstains to the main sedimentation hall of the sewage treatment plant, which was used to settle the city's domestic sewage and was the most important step in sewage treatment.

Several giant sedimentation tanks emitting a foul stench gleamed with an eerie luster under the moonlight from the high windows. Those huge circular open tanks were dozens of feet in diameter, with walkways made of iron grating above them, and waist-high iron railings on both sides of the walkways.

In the center of the sedimentation tanks, thick iron pillars extended upwards, serving as support points for the walkways above, allowing people to walk directly above the sedimentation tanks.

At this moment, a night watchman carrying a kerosene lamp was walking on the narrow bridge above the sedimentation tank, and every step he took made a very loud sound.

The red halo Xia De was tracking finally landed on him; this was the target the three of them were looking for. But the three people hiding in the shadows by the wall of the sedimentation hall did not appear immediately. Although they were far away and it was unclear what the situation with the night watchman was, Xia De and Miss Luweiya clearly felt that there were more than just the three of them who were Ringed Shushi present here.

"There are others?"

Those who had arrived earlier than Xia De and the others also did not show themselves, and Xia De did not know what the other party was planning. But since the other party did not make a move, Xia De and Miss Luweiya did not intend to act either.

So the people in the darkness just watched the night watchman walk back and forth on the grating above the sedimentation tank. After waiting for twenty minutes, the sound of light footsteps came from the corridor outside the sedimentation hall, and then another group of people arrived here.

There were three new arrivals in total. When he saw that the leader was the Thirteenth-Ring "Construct Master," Xia De clearly felt Miss Luweiya beside him gasp slightly.

They had come here just to find traces of the possible existence of a demon, and before this, no one had expected to see this "Traitor."

"What are they here for? Do they also want to find the power of 'Wither'?"

The "Construct Master" Schluch Lake also sensed that there were already many people here when his party arrived. But he didn't care; the strength of the Thirteenth Ring was top-tier even across the entire material world. Since the previous group of people didn't appear immediately, it meant that the other party didn't have absolute confidence in resolving the matter here.

He didn't do it himself, but stopped in front of the sedimentation tank closest to the door. The Eleventh-Ring Shushi who followed him leaped up and flew, then landed on the narrow bridge above the sedimentation tank, blocking the path of the night watchman who was working diligently.

The night watchman was a man in his thirties with a scruffy beard, looking like the kind of unlucky middle-aged man whose life was very unsatisfactory, whose wife was at odds with him, and whose children didn't listen to him.

He was not at all surprised that someone flew directly here; on the contrary, his tone was very calm:

"Are you here to arrest me?"

The Eleventh-Ring Shushi who followed the "Construct Master" was clearly stunned, but as a former church Ringed Shushi, he still conducted the inquiry according to the original code of conduct:

"Before I take action, I can give you a chance to explain the purpose of all this."

The middle-aged man carrying the kerosene lamp sighed, his tone exceptionally dejected:

"I am a local of Arcadia City. In my youth, I lived in the Lower City with my parents, and my family had a small shop. Later, the shop went bankrupt, and our family moved to the Outer City to live. My studies were interrupted, and I began to struggle for my family. Then, like everyone else, I met an ordinary woman, married her, and gave birth to an ordinary child.

This year I am already 38 years old, working as a stevedore at the docks near Schluch Lake during the day, and as a night watchman here at night. My father's health is poor, my mother always tells me to have a second child, and although my wife is loyal, she always complains that I am incompetent. I gave my child the best educational resources I could provide, but he doesn't like to study, and he will probably leave school soon."

Everyone noticed that the ring on his right hand was emitting a red light:

"Although I am still alive, I feel that my life is already dead. I am no different from the cold machines here. Occasionally when I dream, dreaming of the ambitions and ideals of my youth, I can slightly feel that the fire of my life has not been completely extinguished."

"What does this have to do with what you are doing?"

The Eleventh-Ring Shushi asked. He confirmed that the other party was just an ordinary person, and the anomaly came from the relic ring on the other party's finger. But the danger level of that ring should not be high, at most it was only at the level of a Ringed Mage.

"Not long ago, when I was working at Schluch Lake, I heard a strange sound. I followed the sound to search, and picked up this ring on the beach of the Sernier River. It helped me ignite the fire of life, allowing my life, which had been almost dried up, to feel warmth again. I feel that I have come alive again.

I am obsessed with this feeling, even if I know that to maintain this burning, I need to deprive others of their lives, I am willing to do so."

The night watchman threw the kerosene lamp in his hand off the low bridge, letting it fall into the sewage sedimentation tank below:

"If I die because of this, I am willing. Rather than dying coldly, it is better to turn into ashes in the bloom."

The firelight on the ring, which had already turned into a ring of fire on his finger, spread to his whole body, thereby letting his body be surrounded by that firelight.

Almost everyone watching this scene frowned. That relic ignited his life force, transforming his life force into supernatural flames. This kind of relic that could only be used by burning life was extremely dangerous for ordinary people, and the life force he displayed in the raging flames at this moment was so vast, far exceeding the upper limit of an ordinary person.

The middle-aged night watchman raised his right hand, and the flames on his body surface turned into fireballs and flew towards the Eleventh-Ring Shushi. The flames condensed from life force contained whispers, and the power of this kind of flame far exceeded ordinary flames, but the speed of the fireballs was not fast, so the attack was easily dodged.

The middle-aged man rose into the air under the cover of the firelight, using the power of the flames to fly. But he was clearly not particularly proficient in using this power to fight. He tried to continue attacking with fireballs in the air, but the accuracy of those fireballs was quite poor.

If his opponent were an ordinary low-ring Shushi, he might have been able to fight back and forth, but fighting against a high-ring Shushi trained by the church, such power was really not enough.

Those dangerous fireballs never touched the Eleventh-Ring Shushi from beginning to end. The latter didn't even leave the walkway in the air, just simply dodging to avoid all the middle-aged man's attacks. He didn't know what this relic being used by an ordinary person was, but it currently appeared to have the ability to ignite life and allow the user to seize the life force of others.

After a simple assessment, the Shushi who had only been dodging officially launched an attack. Two metal rings on the index fingers of his left and right hands flew out. After colliding in front of him, the rings emitting golden light bounced off each other and turned into copper hoops, binding onto the long staff he had summoned.

?? PS: Spring Festival extra update 6/10.