506: Chapter 441: The Mark Backlash, Horn's Last Words

The golden and dark red intertwined light of the Anchor Point rotated slowly in the Void Realm.

Lin Zhou stood at the edge of the barrier, looking at the crystal that had been purified to zero pollution level, but his heart felt no relief at all.

The power of the Lord of Nothingness had been consumed by half, and its awakening was delayed by three years, but its very existence was like a ticking time bomb that could detonate at any moment.

"Captain, how is your memory recovery going?" Su Yueyao stood beside him, the moonlight sweeping gently over him.

"Most of it has returned. The memories of Transmigration haven't fully recovered yet, but I remember Earth, China, and the Hundred Schools of Thought." Lin Zhou raised his hand, and a wisp of Fire of Civilization appeared in his palm. "The Fire of Civilization is slowly rebuilding. It needs time."

"Three years is enough."

"Perhaps."

Lin Zhou turned to leave. But the moment he turned, the Fire of Civilization suddenly flickered—not an attack warning, but sensing an extremely weak presence. It was not the Lord of Nothingness, nor was it the energy of the Return to Ruins; it was... a human consciousness.

He stopped and looked back at the crystal. The dark red patterns on the crystal's surface had completely faded, and the golden core shone like a sun in the Void Realm. But in the deepest part of the core, there was an extremely tiny black dot, and something was sealed within it.

"Li Mo, there is a remnant inside the crystal core."

Li Mo's projection brought up the detector. "I can't detect anything. The energy of the core is too strong; it shields all signals."

"It's not energy; it's consciousness." Lin Zhou flew toward the crystal.

"Captain, that's too dangerous!" Qin Qing shouted.

"It will be quick." Lin Zhou flew to the crystal and condensed the Fire of Civilization into a needle, piercing it into the core.

The flame needle passed through the golden light and touched the black dot. The black dot exploded, and inside was the phantom of a person—not the phantom of the Lord of Nothingness, but an old man wearing the uniform of a Major General of the Expeditionary Force. His body was transparent, his godhead integrity was less than five percent, and his divine fire was almost extinguished. But Lin Zhou recognized him—Major General Huo En. Not a Puppet of the Void, but his true remnant thought.

[Major General Huo En · Remnant State]

- Identity: Former Logistics Minister of the Seventh War Zone, Major General

- godhead integrity: 5%

- Status: Near death, sealed in the core after being abandoned by the Lord of Nothingness

- Consciousness: Partially remaining

"You... finally came..." Major General Huo En's voice was weak, like a candle in the wind.

"You didn't die? Or is this your remnant thought?"

"A remnant thought... The Lord of Nothingness resurrected my body as a Puppet, but my consciousness escaped before the body was purified and was sealed here... It doesn't know..."

"Why tell me this?"

"Because... I am dying... There are some things... that cannot be taken away by the Lord of Nothingness..." Major General Huo En's body began to become transparent, and his godhead integrity dropped from five percent to three percent. "The Void Sect... has already controlled... three major War Zones..."

Lin Zhou's pupils contracted sharply. "Three major War Zones?"

"The Seventh War Zone... was cleared by you... but there is still the Third War Zone... and the Fifth War Zone... Their Commanders... and Vice Commanders... have all been polluted..."

[Major General Huo En · Revealing Intelligence]

- Polluted War Zones: Third War Zone, Fifth War Zone (Seventh War Zone has been cleared)

- Polluted High-ranking Officials: Commander, Vice Commander (specific names unknown)

- Pollution duration: At least ten years

- Objective: To prepare for a full-scale invasion of the New Universe after the Lord of Nothingness awakens

"Who is the Commander of the Third War Zone? Who is the Vice Commander of the Fifth War Zone?"

"I don't know... I only know the code names... 'Hammer' and 'Anvil'... they are already dead... There is also a higher-level one... 'Sword Forger'... also dead... but... there is still..."

"What else?"

"The Gate of the Return to Ruins... three years later... will open..."

Major General Huo En's godhead integrity dropped to one percent. His phantom was almost completely transparent.

"Where will it open?"

"New Universe... Core Area... The coordinates... are... are..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a dark red mark suddenly appeared on the chest of the phantom—the Mark of the Void. The mark had not been purified and had been lurking in his remnant thought. At this moment, it sensed that Major General Huo En was leaking secrets and began to backlash.

[Mark of the Void · Backlash]

- Target: Major General Huo En's remnant thought

- Effect: Completely erase existence

- Countdown: Three seconds

"The coordinates are—!" Major General Huo En's voice was cut off.

The mark erupted with a blinding dark red light, engulfing Major General Huo En's phantom. His body turned into gray-white light spots and dissipated. The mark also dissipated, leaving no trace behind.

[Major General Huo En · Completely Fallen]

Lin Zhou stood in the Void Realm, silent for a long time. Major General Huo En was dead; this time it was a true, complete demise. But the information he left behind was more lethal than ever. The Void Sect had already controlled the Third War Zone and the Fifth War Zone, and the Commanders and Vice Commanders of both major War Zones had been polluted. And the Gate of the Return to Ruins would open in the Core Area of the New Universe in three years.

Lin Zhou returned to the edge of the barrier.

"Captain, Major General Huo En said what?" Qin Qing asked.

"The Commanders and Vice Commanders of the Third and Fifth War Zones have both been polluted. The Gate of the Return to Ruins will open in the Core Area of the New Universe in three years."

Everyone's expression changed.

The Third War Zone and the Fifth War Zone were the weakest defended areas of the Human Expeditionary Force. The Third War Zone was close to the Core Area of the New Universe; if the Gate of the Return to Ruins opened there, the army of the Lord of Nothingness could directly invade the heart of the New Universe. The Fifth War Zone connected to multiple resource Star Domains; once it fell, the supply lines for the front line would be completely cut off.

"We must report this to the High Command immediately." Iron Face said.

"Report? The Commander of the Third War Zone is a General, and the Commander of the Fifth War Zone is also a General. Without solid evidence, the High Command won't believe us." Lin Zhou shook his head. "Besides, there might be their people in the High Command. Major General Huo En said 'the Sect has already controlled three major War Zones'—the Third, the Fifth, and what about the Seventh? But the Seventh has already been cleared by us. Perhaps there are others."

"Then what should we do?"

"Investigate it ourselves."

Lin Zhou turned and looked at the team. "Return to the fortress and prepare."

After returning to the fortress, Lin Zhou gathered the core team.

"Third War Zone, Commander General Zhao Wuji, General. Vice Commander Liu Zhenguo, Lieutenant General. Fifth War Zone, Commander Sun Haoran, General. Vice Commander Chen Yonggui, Lieutenant General." Lin Zhou pulled up the files of the four people. "General Zhao Wuji and Liu Zhenguo are both veteran generals from the Old Universe era, with outstanding military achievements. Sun Haoran and Chen Yonggui are the same. Their resumes have no issues."

"So, to investigate them, we cannot start with their resumes." Iron Face said. "We must start with their actions."

"What kind of actions?"

"From their attitude toward the Void Sect. If they have been polluted, they will definitely sabotage the clearing operations against the Void Sect in secret."

Lin Zhou pulled up the clearing records of the Void Sect by each War Zone for the past year. The number of clearing operations in the Third War Zone and the Fifth War Zone was significantly lower than in other War Zones. It wasn't because they hadn't discovered the strongholds of the Void Sect, but because they "did not report" them.

[Clearing Record · Comparison]

- Seventh War Zone: 37 cleared strongholds

- Second War Zone: 26 cleared strongholds

- Fourth War Zone: 22 cleared strongholds

- Third War Zone: 9 cleared strongholds

- Fifth War Zone: 11 cleared strongholds

"The gap is too big." Qin Qing frowned. "The defense areas of the Third and Fifth War Zones are even larger than the Seventh War Zone. How could there be so few strongholds?"

"So, they didn't fail to discover them; they deliberately didn't report them." Lin Zhou pulled up the recent itinerary of Third War Zone Commander General Zhao Wuji. "General Zhao Wuji has gone to the 'War Zone Edge' three times in the last six months—that place is far from the front line and has no military value. What is he doing there?"

"Perhaps he is meeting someone."

Lin Zhou looked at Iron Face. "I need you to conduct a secret investigation into General Zhao Wuji in the name of the Inspectorate."

"Investigating a General by the Inspectorate requires authorization from the High Command."

"Then apply for it."

Iron Face nodded and turned to leave.

Lin Zhou stood on the city wall, looking in the direction of the Chaos Star Domain. In the gray-white mist, the dark red light spots were almost invisible. The awakening of the Lord of Nothingness had been delayed, but the threat of the Void Sect remained.

"Captain, what are you thinking about?" Su Yueyao walked over.

"I'm thinking about whether we can hold them off when the Gate of the Return to Ruins opens in three years."

"We can. Because you are not alone."

Lin Zhou held her hand. "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for always being there."

Su Yueyao smiled. "I will always be here."

Lin Zhou looked in the direction of the New Universe. The Fire of Civilization of one hundred thousand towns was like a sea of stars in the night sky. As long as the fire exists, the people exist.

Three days later, Iron Face brought back the authorization from the High Command—a blank investigation order that could investigate any Rank of officer, including Generals. Lin Zhou took the investigation order and began to deploy.

"Qin Qing, you are responsible for analyzing the flow of supplies in the Third and Fifth War Zones. If they have been polluted, they will definitely transport supplies to the Void Sect."

"Yes."

"Wang Meng, you are responsible for training soldiers. The decisive battle in three years will require more Civilization Walkers."

"Yes."

"Li Mo, you are responsible for improving the anchoring device. During the decisive battle, we will need group anchoring."

"Yes."

"Yue Yao, you are responsible for the coordination of all races in the New Universe. If the Gate of the Return to Ruins opens, all races need to work together to resist."

"Okay."

"Iron Face, come with me to the Third War Zone. We need to meet General Zhao Wuji."

The silver-white light of the teleportation array enveloped the two. Lin Zhou and Iron Face disappeared from the fortress. The Third War Zone Command Headquarters was located in a giant fortress on the edge of the Core Area of the New Universe. The fortress's defense was even more rigorous than the Seventh War Zone, with layers of shields, patrols, and warning Formations. Lin Zhou showed his Major General Rank and his status as the Commander of the Seventh War Zone, and the guards let them pass.

General Zhao Wuji's office was on the top floor of the fortress. Two guards stood at the door, Godhead Rank LV800. Seeing Iron Face's Inspectorate uniform, they dared not stop them.

General Zhao Wuji sat behind the desk, over seventy years old, with white hair and a dignified face. His Godhead Rank was LV4500, and his aura was as deep as an abyss. Seeing Lin Zhou and Iron Face, he did not get up, just glanced at them faintly.

[General Zhao Wuji · Observation Data]

- Godhead Rank: LV4500

- Energy traces of Return to Ruins: None on the surface

- Fire of Civilization perception: Weak reaction

Lin Zhou's Fire of Civilization flickered slightly in his palm. He felt it—deep within General Zhao Wuji's godhead, there was a cluster of dark red light. It was of the same origin as Karon and Zhou Tianxing.

"Commander Lin, what wind blew you here?" General Zhao Wuji's voice was deep.

"General Zhao Wuji, the High Command has authorized the Inspectorate to conduct a routine inspection of the Third War Zone." Iron Face showed the investigation order.

General Zhao Wuji glanced at the investigation order, his expression unchanged. "A routine inspection? And Commander Lin of the Seventh War Zone is also participating?"

"I am the Co-Master of Civilization, and I have the right to inspect the promotion of the Fire of Civilization in any War Zone." Lin Zhou sat down. "General Zhao Wuji, the promotion progress of the seed of civilization in the Third War Zone seems to be lagging behind other War Zones."

"The Third War Zone is close to the Core Area, the concentration of the energy of the Return to Ruins is low, so we don't need that many sparks."

"The sparks are not used to resist the energy of the Return to Ruins; they are used to resist fear. Although the awakening of the Lord of Nothingness has been delayed, the fear remains."

General Zhao Wuji was silent for a moment. "Commander Lin, you didn't come to the Third War Zone just to inspect the sparks, did you?"

Lin Zhou did not answer. He placed a document on the table—a comparison chart of the clearing records of the Third War Zone with other War Zones. General Zhao Wuji glanced at it, his expression changing slightly.

"Where did you get this data?"

"Public information from the High Command."

General Zhao Wuji was silent for even longer. His hands trembled slightly.

"General Zhao Wuji, you have been polluted." Lin Zhou was straightforward. "Deep in your godhead, there is the energy of the Return to Ruins."

General Zhao Wuji's body stiffened. He looked at Lin Zhou, complex emotions flashing in his eyes—fear, anger, despair.

"You... how do you know?"

"The Fire of Civilization can sense it. Karon, Chen Tianchou, Zhao Lingyun, and Zhou Tianxing were all exposed by me."

General Zhao Wuji lowered his head. "What do you want?"

"Tell me, how many people does the Void Sect still have in the Third War Zone? Where will the Gate of the Return to Ruins open?"

General Zhao Wuji was silent for a long time. Then, he raised his head, a dark red flame flashing in his eyes and disappearing.

"I don't know the location of the Gate of the Return to Ruins. My Rank is not high enough. I just helped them transport supplies and cover their tracks. My superior was Zhou Tianxing. He died, and I was cut off."

"What about your Vice Commander Liu Zhenguo? Does he know?"

"He knows. But he was polluted earlier than me. He is already a Black-Robed Deacon of the Void Sect."

"How many more Black-Robed Deacons are in the Third War Zone?"

"Two. One is me, and the other is Liu Zhenguo. The others are Gray-Robed ones, about twenty people."

Lin Zhou wrote down the list.

"General Zhao Wuji, are you willing to cooperate with the Inspectorate's investigation?"

General Zhao Wuji was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I am willing. But... I have a condition."

"What condition?"

"My family... they don't know I've been polluted. I want them to live."

"As long as they haven't been polluted, they won't be implicated."

General Zhao Wuji breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Lin Zhou stood up. "From today on, you will continue to cooperate with the Void Sect's actions as the War Zone Commander. But every one of your actions must be reported to the Inspectorate."

"Understood."

Lin Zhou and Iron Face walked out of the office.

Iron Face said in a low voice. "Will he cooperate sincerely?"

"He will. Because he is afraid of death."

"People who are afraid of death are the most likely to betray."

"So, we need to keep an eye on him."

The two returned to the fortress. Lin Zhou stood on the city wall, looking in the direction of the Chaos Star Domain. Third War Zone, Fifth War Zone, how many more General Zhao Wuji are there? He didn't know. But he knew that in the decisive battle in three years, he would not only have to face the Lord of Nothingness, but also the enemies hidden in the military.

"Captain, what are you thinking about?" Qin Qing walked over.

"I'm thinking about how many people will betray us in three years."

"Not many."

"Why?"

"Because the Fire of Civilization is burning. Fear is fading."