113: Chapter 113 The Night Raven's Fury
Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen: Night Crow's Wrath
The city trembled as the night deepened; Jiangcheng was like a crouching giant beast, breathing uneasily amidst the surging undercurrents. I submerged my will into the [Swarm Monarch], and the entire city spread out before me like a massive sand table.
Every street and alley, every building, and even every breath was laid bare under my "Skynet." My six legs felt a slight chill—a premonition from the abyss.
I "saw" it.
In an abandoned underground munitions factory on the outskirts of the city, the entrance that had originally been blasted shut was now temporarily reinforced.
A high-energy psionic shield enveloped the area, attempting to block all prying eyes. However, in this world, the formations capable of blocking everything have never included my swarm.
My will, like invisible silk threads, penetrated those layers of obstacles and connected to a Mutant spider nesting in a corner.
Through the perspective of those multi-faceted compound eyes, I clearly "saw" the interior of the munitions factory, a temporary base illuminated by lights.
A pungent smell of blood rushed straight into my soul through the perception of the Swarm Network. It wasn't fresh blood, but clotted, old blood with a hint of metallic rust.
The air was thick with a dense Demonic Power, full of tyranny and oppression. My Demonic Power core trembled slightly; it was a fear originating from deep within my bloodline. This was the power of the Peak Demon Rank, over a hundred times more majestic than my own aura that had just entered the Demon Rank, like facing an active volcano that could erupt at any moment.
The man leading them was none other than the one codenamed "Night Crow." He stood quietly in the center of the hall, his figure tall and straight, his black robe embroidered with a dark gold Black Bird totem.
He didn't roar, nor did he show anger. On that sickly handsome face hung a heart-palpitating dead silence. His obsidian-like eyes were bottomless, as if they could swallow all light.
Before him, an Essence Rank Initial Stage member of the Xuantian Alliance was kneeling on the ground, his body shaking like chaff. His aura was mottled and chaotic, a manifestation of losing control under extreme fear.
"Useless."
Night Crow's voice was very soft, like a lover's whisper, but in this deathly silent underground space, it sounded exceptionally piercing. Every word was like an ice pick, stabbing ruthlessly into the soul of the kneeling man.
"I asked you to find two people. Three days. What have you found?"
The kneeling man's body jerked violently, his teeth chattering. He wanted to explain, making "uh-uh" sounds in his throat, but he was pinned down by Night Crow's cold gaze, making even breathing difficult. Cold sweat poured from his forehead, and his body had gone limp, as if he might faint at any moment.
"They... they seem to possess some special ability that allows them to bypass all our detection methods..." the man stammered, his voice filled with despair and helplessness. "We've tried our best... really, Captain..."
"Tried your best?"
The corners of Night Crow's mouth slowly curled into an extremely cold arc. That slight curve carried a sense of ultimate malice, like the smile of the Grim Reaper.
He slowly reached out his hand; his thin, long fingers were as perfect as a work of art.
His movements were elegant and slow, as if performing some sacred ritual. He didn't touch the man, but merely clenched that hand lightly.
"Crack!"
An extremely crisp sound of bone fracturing echoed clearly in the hall, like the most piercing funeral knell.
The Essence Rank Initial Stage member of the Xuantian Alliance stiffened. His head twisted on his neck at a bizarre, one-hundred-and-eighty-degree angle. No blood splattered because his blood vessels, along with his life, were completely crushed by a terrifying force in that instant, turning into a cloud of blood mist that was then instantly evaporated by that same force, leaving not a single trace behind.
His body slumped down, collapsing onto the floor like a pile of rags, dead as could be. In those wide-staring eyes, extreme fear and resentment still lingered.
Around them, the other Xuantian Alliance members were all as quiet as cicadas in winter, no one daring to make a sound. They didn't even dare to look directly into Night Crow's terrifying eyes, their bodies trembling uncontrollably as if the Grim Reaper would descend upon them in the next second.
Through the swarm's perspective, I clearly "saw" this scene. I could even "perceive" the fear and despair surging like a tide deep within their hearts.
My soul was shivering.
Under my carapace, my muscles tensed. This was pure, emotionless slaughter—an ultimate indifference. He killed without anger or fluctuation, only with a pure, detached... efficiency. It was as if he hadn't crushed a living human being, but an disobedient... insect. This was ten thousand times more terrifying than those bloodthirsty demonic beasts.
"Since searching passively is meaningless," Night Crow's voice rang out again, carrying a cold wind that seemed to blow from the depths of hell, "then we shall flush them out."
His gaze slowly swept over everyone present, his eyes looking as if he were selecting the next sacrificial victim, cold enough to be suffocating.
"Pass down my orders. From this moment on, stop all search operations."
"Change strategy. Actively create chaos."
"I want the entire Jiangcheng to become their... grave."
His tone was calm, each word carrying the weight of a thousand pounds, striking ruthlessly against everyone's heart. But the terrifying killing intent contained within caused the temperature of the entire hall to drop to the freezing point, and even the air seemed to solidify.
"Step one." Night Crow looked at one of the black-robed men, who immediately bowed, his body stiff, waiting for instructions. He knew he had been chosen by the Grim Reaper.
"The gas pipes at the South City Abandoned Steel Plant are too old. Tomorrow, make sure they... 'leak' on their own."
The black-robed man immediately took the order and vanished as a dark shadow. His retreating figure carried a sense of relief from escaping death, yet also an indescribable dread.
Night Crow's figure also slowly vanished from the spot. It was as if he had never existed, leaving behind only a bone-chilling dead silence.
I felt that powerful surge of Demonic Power racing toward the south of the city. My nerves tightened, and an ominous premonition arose.
What was he planning to do?
Soon, my "Skynet" gave me the answer.
The night was deep at the South City Abandoned Steel Plant.
A black-robed man slipped in silently. He was agile, like a ghost, avoiding all surveillance as he moved through the shadows of the abandoned workshops.
Finally, he arrived before a massive gas tank. He extended a finger, and a wisp of pitch-black Demonic Power condensed at the tip, emitting an evil aura that could corrode anything. With a light touch, the sturdy valve was silently corroded, forming a tiny hole.
"Hiss—"
A stream of colorless, odorless gas, accompanied by a faint hissing sound, began to leak quietly, permeating the air.
Having finished this, he immediately fled, disappearing into the night.
Watching all this, alarm bells rang in my mind. Even my carapace felt a wave of coldness. A gas leak? This seemingly accidental event, once ignited, would be enough to turn the area for several kilometers around into a sea of fire, and countless innocent lives would be lost.
Is he trying to... frame us? To force us to show ourselves for the sake of those innocent lives?
I immediately transmitted this discovery to Lin Qingzhi through the [Symbiotic Bond]. My will was anxious and rapid, carrying a hint of a tremor.
"He's forcing us to show ourselves," Lin Qingzhi's voice rang in my mind, carrying a sense of gravity and a trace of undetectable anger. "He knows we won't sit idly by. He's using us."
She didn't hesitate for a second: "Notify the Dragon Soul Bureau immediately! Use your most secretive method to let them handle it! Ensure that not a single person is harmed!"
I understood perfectly. My [Swarm Network] immediately sprang into action.
A Mutant flying ant, carrying a wisp of a special frequency vibration I had condensed with Demonic Power, flew silently toward the ventilation duct of a secret Dragon Soul Bureau monitoring station in South City. This was our unique "Emergency telegram," and I hoped they could interpret it in time.
Soon, the Dragon Soul Bureau's response came. Their actions were swift and efficient.
Several vehicles disguised as urban management departments arrived at the abandoned steel plant at the first opportunity.
Personnel in hazmat suits quickly set up cordons, conducted gas testing, and began emergency repairs on the corroded gas tank. Their movements were meticulous and well-trained.
An "accident" that could have caused a massive disaster was prevented in time, and countless lives were spared.
However, this was only the beginning. The ominous premonition in my heart didn't weaken in the slightest.
A few hours later, in the dead of night.
Jiangcheng, West City.
A small substation.
A black-robed man wearing a Xuantian Alliance uniform slipped in once again.
He didn't touch any equipment; he simply buried a bizarrely shaped black stone covered in runes silently beneath the core cables of the substation. That stone emitted a faint but destructive energy fluctuation, like a silent bomb.
Through a Mutant gecko perched on a utility pole, I clearly "saw" this scene. The gecko's compound eyes flashed green in the darkness, faithfully recording every subtle movement of the black-robed man.
It wasn't meant to explode, but to... short-circuit!
Once the substation short-circuited, the entire power system of West City would be paralyzed. This meant traffic lights failing, hospital power being cut off, and residents' lives falling into darkness. This would similarly bring massive chaos to the city and might even trigger secondary disasters.
He wanted to keep us running ragged and expose our weaknesses!
Fury burned within me. My Demonic Power core felt a wave of scorching heat. This Night Crow was even more cruel and insidious than I had imagined. He didn't just want to kill; he wanted to destroy the order of this city and turn it into a swamp of chaos.
I transmitted the intelligence to Lin Qingzhi through the bond again and simultaneously issued a warning to the Dragon Soul Bureau. This time, my instructions were more urgent, carrying an uncontrollable agitation.
The Dragon Soul Bureau's emergency team arrived immediately, cut the power to the substation, and successfully removed the bizarre stone. Their actions were just as swift and professional, avoiding greater losses.
Once again, a disaster was averted.
But my heart grew heavier and heavier. I felt a heavy exhaustion—not physical, but mental.
Night Crow was like a ghost walking in the shadows, using his invisible hands to tear at the city's nerves bit by bit, dragging us into his rhythm.
He hadn't moved against us directly.
He was like the most patient hunter, tightening his... trap step by step, forcing us to jump into his snare.
And we were like prey being toyed with in the palm of his hand, running ourselves ragged, our spirits highly strained.
What exactly did he want to do? And what was his ultimate goal?