154: Chapter 154 Keeping Ghosts in Captivity

Chu Xuan stared at the three messages sent by [Future Tang Zheng]. While his thoughts were churning, his fingers did not stop.

[The future me is not the real me, but a monster born from the Fusion with the S-rank Specter inside my body. All of this should be related to the madness on June 20th, and that unknown powerhouse was the trigger! Who is he? It's been three years; do you know his identity?]

[Tang Zheng: I don't know. That unknown powerhouse might have left after fighting you, or he might have been killed by you when you returned on June 21st.

I'm not clear on the specifics because I had already gone to the Night Watchers headquarters in the capital for training on the night of June 19th. I encountered some issues on the way, and by the time I learned about the Haicheng incident, a long time had passed. I could only learn a thing or two from word of mouth from insiders, archives, and related video materials.

On June 20th, a massive explosion occurred at the villa where you lived. Amidst the dust and smoke, your battle lasted no more than a minute before you fled wounded. As for that unknown powerhouse, no one ever saw his true form.]

Chu Xuan's attention first landed on the middle paragraph, and he couldn't help but ask: [What training and learning?]

[Tang Zheng: Major changes will occur across the globe in the coming days. The capital headquarters intends to launch the Seed Project, and both of us are on the list. But strangely, no matter what, you were unwilling to leave Haicheng and wouldn't allow me to stay, strongly demanding that I must participate in this Seed Project.]

Seeing this sentence, Chu Xuan's heart skipped a beat, and he had a faint, ominous premonition.

Because Tang Zheng, who possessed the [Fighting God] talent, was an extremely powerful combatant. Whether for survival or killing enemies, he was very effective. Unless absolutely necessary, it was impossible for Chu Xuan to let the other party leave his side.

Chu Xuan took a deep breath, setting this matter aside for the moment, and returned to the previous question: [Did everyone in Haicheng die? What happened to the Night Watchers?]

[Tang Zheng: Although they didn't all die, it was close. There are fewer than a thousand survivors in all of Haicheng! As for the Night Watchers, the intern members all died. Only a few official members and those at the team leader level or above survived until the headquarters arrived for rescue.]

Seeing this, Chu Xuan felt a slight chill in his heart. Out of Haicheng's population of over twenty-five million, fewer than a thousand survived in the end?

If this happened, the entire world would likely be shocked by it.

After thinking for a moment, Chu Xuan posed the next question:

[Among those Night Watchers who escaped from Haicheng, were there any problems? I suspect there was a mole in the team, most likely that unknown powerhouse! Especially Captain Ming Xiucheng—he is the most suspicious. How was his situation over the next three years?]

[Tang Zheng: That's hard to say.

Not long after, various places fell apart. Some of these people disappeared, such as Luo Xiaotian, Old Mo, and Bai Yunfei.

Additionally, Qin Qing died, and Han Feng went mad...

Also, Zhao Hongchan and Zhang Qiang both turned into Strange Creaturess. I can't be sure if these two had issues long ago or if they were corrupted by the strange later on.

As for Captain Ming Xiucheng, he is now a major tycoon and one of the main combat forces against the Gloom Invasion, possessing extreme strength.]

The future was actually so cruel!

Chu Xuan couldn't help but be shaken, but in that case, the identity of the mole remained uncertain...

No!

A doubt suddenly rose in Chu Xuan's mind.

[Chu Xuan: In the original timeline—the one where I died in the dormitory—how did things develop? If there was no mole in the Night Watcher team, why did you want me to bring the message 'Don't obsess over the truth, there is only hope if you stay alive' to Qin Qing?]

[Tang Zheng: It's a long story... In the initial timeline, I awakened the Fighting God talent and bound the System. I charged all the way downstairs only to find that all the doors and windows were sealed shut. Unable to leave, I had no choice but to go back up, intending to try and climb down from the roof using the drainage pipes.

Although there were some thrills and setbacks, fortunately, I made contact with Qin Qing on the 10th floor. Under her lead, we escaped by jumping from the building. But the other students, unfortunately, all died, becoming sacrifices for the Night Demon to ascend to S-rank.]

Chu Xuan's brow furrowed even deeper: [Two questions! After the Night Demon ascended to S-rank, how did you deal with it? Also, didn't you encounter the S-rank Specter inside me that worships the Final Phantom God?]

"Hehe!"

The Phantom Demon's laughter suddenly rang out: "If that little fellow truly succeeded in its ascension, how could I be so stupid as to come out through its Domain?"

Chu Xuan said impassively, "What do you mean?"

The Phantom Demon smiled but said nothing.

However, [Future Tang Zheng]'s next message cleared his confusion.

[Tang Zheng: If the Night Demon had successfully ascended, it would have been impossible for the S-rank Specter inside you to enter the real world through a Domain. Because it has no physical form, under the Night Demon's S-rank Forbidden Domain, it would be absolutely controlled and exploited, or even directly devoured.]

So that was it.

Chu Xuan understood. These Strange Creaturess from the Dark World might have competitive and hostile relationships, though as fellow predators, their primary goal was still to consume humans.

[Tang Zheng: As for how the S-rank Night Demon was dealt with... it's actually quite simple. Ming Xiucheng had planted a Death Mark inside it long ago. Just as it ascended to S-rank and before it could fully expand its Domain, it was slain by Ming Xiucheng.]

??!

Chu Xuan was stunned for a moment, then realized the information potentially contained in these words. His pupils constricted as he thought to himself: Good lord, that's ruthless!

[Tang Zheng: You probably didn't expect this, but the conflict between the Night Watchers, the Investigation Team, and some of the local forces in Haicheng was actually orchestrated by Ming Xiucheng.

Members of the Investigation Team like Tao Jiajia targeted the Night Watchers everywhere, creating obstacles and fighting for credit, causing the Night Watchers' Specter hunting to be hindered at every turn. The biggest reason was that Ming Xiucheng constrained his team members to, at most, ignore provocations but never use force, and even to hide their strength.

On the surface, Ming Xiucheng's explanation was that they needed to build momentum and wait for the restructuring of Haicheng before settling scores in one fell swoop to thoroughly clear the obstacles.

But in reality, his fundamental purpose was to allow the Specters to run wild and eat people! In other words, he was keeping Specters in captivity, and the vast, prosperous population of Haicheng was the best blood-food for them!

Because the stronger the Specter's power, the more spirituality value is obtained from killing it.]

As the paragraphs of text arrived, Chu Xuan felt shocked. Simultaneously, the Phantom Demon's unrestrained laughter suddenly echoed in his ears.

"My friend, do you see? You are still too soft-hearted. This is what a true powerhouse looks like; he is the object you need to worship and learn from!"