In a dark, damp, and impenetrable setting, it could be ruins, an underground cavern, a mountain path, or a dense forest—in short, the terrain here must be incredibly complex, where one wrong turn could lead to getting lost and dying at the end of a remote dead-end. There would inevitably be traps and enemy ambushes, always capable of devouring multiple intruders.
And the villainous Boss, at the end of this “maze-like” scenario, would be plotting a disaster-level conspiracy.
This time, of course, was no exception.
In an inconspicuous, large machinery room in the sewers beneath Big Apple City, a well-dressed, tall, slender old man poured finely ground silver-glow stone into a nearby barrel. The liquid in the barrel was originally a large mass of muddy, unknown substance, but after the fine silver-glow stone was poured in, it began to emit faint glows, instantly transforming from ordinary black-grey to a dazzling black-grey.
A look of joy appeared on the old man's face. After a moment of thought, he picked up a pen, dipped a tiny bit of liquid from the barrel, and then meticulously drew a mysterious circle on the ground, adding a few patterns in the center.
He sighed, as if gazing at a magnificent artwork nearing completion, expressing a satisfied lament.
This old man was Contance, the newly appointed Earth Sector Bishop of the All-Unification Church. He appeared to be a kind, amiable, and distinguished old gentleman, much like an old scholar at a university, well-read and unpretentious.
It was hard to imagine this person being a high-ranking official of a cult, but upon closer consideration, it was understandable. Opening up a market these days wasn't easy, whether for a cult or a pyramid scheme; the first impression given had to be decent.
Leaving aside other things, just Mr. Contance’s appearance alone was worthy of being described as an idol for middle-aged and elderly women.
Mr. Contance, like a great scholar, smiled at the person beside him and said, “Indeed, only the grey oil from Lumot Planet can produce such a good effect with silver-glow stone. You’ve truly worked hard, Mr. Suna!”
Mr. Contance himself was already tall and thin, but the “Mr. Suna” he spoke of was nearly half a head taller than him, and even more slender.
This was also an upright bipedal humanoid, with yellowish-brown skin that was rough and hard, like rock weathered by the desert. Besides the two legs used for upright walking, it also had four arms. Coupled with a triangular head and an overly slender torso, it easily brought to mind the image of a praying mantis spirit.
This was a Luminar, one of the minority races belonging to the Blue Star Commonwealth, and also the most unruly and disobedient minority in the Commonwealth.
“I am not tired if it means the Commonwealth Government and military, who oppress our people, receive their just retribution! Whatever it takes, I am willing to do!” Suna said in a chilling tone.
Contance nodded, “Although I am from Earth, I deeply sympathize with your plight! Don't worry, in the face of justice, there are no races or nations. The universe spirit stands on the side of justice, please believe this!”
Suna, the Luminar, nodded with an almost wooden expression, stepping back slightly.
“Then, I will now prepare to activate the magic array! You’d best put on headphones first to avoid being affected,” Contance added.
“Such a magic array cannot affect a true Luminar warrior,” he said coldly, then stepped back another pace.
But at that very instant, with a “bang,” the communicator on one side of the mechanical core immediately blared a loud alarm.
Contance stopped his movements, frowning at the Luminar, who innocently said, “I didn’t do anything!”
The Bishop pondered for a moment, his gaze slowly becoming solemn.
As mentioned before, their location was one of the central machinery rooms in the Big Apple City sewer system. In this “technologically advanced” era, the city’s sewers, electrical circuits, communication networks, and so on, were all buried underground. They were maintained and adjusted daily by various automatic nano-machines. And the location of these nano-machine mothers was in the central machinery rooms of the underground network.
The reason for specifically creating such control rooms, similar to mechanical workshops, was naturally for human Engineers and technical workers. After all, even the most convenient machines still had to rely on human intervention to complete the final step of their work.
Machines that could complete all tasks through automated cycles could not exist in this Universe. This was an iron rule.
Not only that, but even in the underground sewers where various pipelines were laid, space was reserved for human passage, precisely for this reason.
Of course, the maze-like urban underground network passages were formed in this way.
In short, since this was a space for human work, there were naturally communication devices prepared for humans.
However, Contance remembered that before coming, he should have already turned off all these devices and blocked all external communications and interference.
The construction of the psionic array was very demanding on one's patience and meticulousness; he had to concentrate fully.
However, he could no longer concentrate now, and with a gloomy face, he whispered, “We have guests visiting!”
Suna, hunching his tall body, walked towards the door of the machinery room, his four arms spread out, and each hand, as if by magic, produced a high-carbon crystal battle blade.
Standing alone in the narrow doorway, he exuded an aura of invincibility.
However, this brave Luminar was not foolish. While cautiously on guard, he said, “There are only two of us here. If enemies really attack, I won’t last long! Where are your subordinates?”
“……”
“……You didn’t block their communications, did you?”
Contance was silent for a few seconds, then sneered, “This is all to ensure the plan proceeds smoothly! When I communicate with the exalted universe spirit, I don’t want anyone to disturb me.”
He paused, then added, “Of course, you are different from my subordinates; you are a guardian warrior recognized by the sacred universe spirit and the great Pope, unlike those fools.”
Suna was not at all pleased.
“No need to worry! Even if enemies really attack! I am prepared,” Contance said, walking over to a chessboard on the control panel and lightly tapping the black king piece.
“As the ‘Feeder,’ I have long prepared the most steadfast guards! Their bodies are the most advanced combat robots in the Universe, but their cores are spirits I personally cultivated! 32 pieces are 32 of the most Dreadnought warriors! In the complex underground sewers, they are enough to withstand tens of thousands of troops! Furthermore, if the situation turns unfavorable, we can also retreat immediately! I have already mastered the routes here, and we can definitely escape!”
But at this moment, the alarm suddenly stopped, transforming into a gender-neutral voice: “Heh, Contance! You actually dared to come to Earth!”
Suna cautiously held all four blades in front of him, but saw Contance’s mouth twitch, a clear look of tension appearing on his face.
“I seem to have warned you and your Pope long ago. Hiding in remote star sectors like rats in a gutter, I was too lazy to bother with you. But since you’ve come to Earth, then you can only be killed. Such a simple truth, why don’t you understand it?”
Contance trembled even more violently. He had, of course, heard this voice before, and he knew that this seemingly natural and vivid voice was actually a false voice simulated with psionic energy.
However, this did not prevent this voice from becoming the nightmare of the core members of the All-Unification Church.
“Black, Black Moon Count… Hmph, bluffing! Our plan has reached this point, and the Holy Sect’s great cause will never be shaken in the slightest! If you have the guts, come and stop me!”
Contance roared in exasperation, his previous calm, intellectual, and kindly scholarly demeanor instantly vanishing. Even the Luminar beside him showed astonishment, followed by a hint of disdain.
The old Bishop then realized he had lost his composure and quickly took a deep breath, stabilizing his emotions.
Yes, the place he was in was one of the central machinery rooms in the underground sewers, and the routes were extremely complex. Even a municipal maintenance worker who had worked in Big Apple City their entire life would get lost without a map or a robot guide.
Moreover, his 32 pieces had guarded all the passages! The terrain here was such that one man could hold off ten thousand! Even Black Moon Count absolutely couldn’t arrive anytime soon.
No! Not just unable to arrive! Now that he knew of his existence, with the pieces standing ready using the terrain, they might even be able to take the life of that “Undying Demon” here.
…This possibility wasn't very high, but a cult could have dreams, too.
Hmph! You’re too arrogant! If you had sneaked in, I might have fallen into your trap.
Bishop Contance decided to physically destroy the alarm and communication devices directly, then quickly activate the magic array. Once the array was running smoothly, he would act according to the situation.
The terrain here was very complex, and the routes were all-encompassing. He had, of course, already prepared his escape route.
“During this time, you entrusted your subordinates to collect a considerable quantity of silver-glow crystals and Atki crystals, and you also booked the last two hours of the rotating restaurant on the top floor of the Huitong Century Building, and even transported a large tapir stone up there. Clearly, the two hours you booked, from 11 PM to 1 AM, are the best time for the array’s effect. So, the will domain you are using must be the Loca configuration, or perhaps the Prot configuration?”
This time, the Bishop was truly stunned. The panic of his trump card being seen through overwhelmed him like a collapsing mountain.
One must know that both of these array configurations were quite rare psionic spell structures, and they hadn't seen the light of day for very long. The Pope had told him that even the masters of the Virtual Spirit Temple who were familiar with this type of array were not many.
But, how could a mere master thief possess such knowledge of array theory?
You see, even in the psionic domain, there was a difference between theory and practical application. Isn’t this like a top Engineer also being proficient in string theory? That’s too much of a cheat!
The voice on the other side paused, then continued, “So, combine these two array configurations with the map of Big Apple City’s underground sewers. As long as you know the connection points of the array core, it’s easy to find your location. Let me guess, which central room are you in? D9, D14, or D17… It’s just one of these places.”
“Boom!” Contance waved his hand, unleashing a psionic blast that shattered the communicator. The voice on the other side naturally ceased abruptly. But to the Luminar beside him, this was clearly a reaction of panic breaking through a critical point.
“We’ve been discovered. Should we flee?”
To his surprise, Contance instead calmed down and said in a deep voice, “No, if we flee, we’ll fall into his trap! He, he must just be bluffing! Even if he found us, it would still take time for him to get here! We must continue with the plan!”
The Luminar nodded slightly, retracting his previous disdain, and felt that there was indeed some reason why this fellow could become a core leader of the Wanling Sect.
Contance closed his eyes, sat in the middle of the drawn array, and began to make his psionic energy resonate with the array. He truly adopted an attitude of detachment from external matters now; his entire spirit was completely concentrated on the array before him, surprisingly gaining a sense of sacred transcendence.
It was only at this point that he truly exuded a bit of the demeanor of a high-ranking cleric.
Perhaps the Bishop’s solemn and dignified expression at that moment was so ritualistic that the Luminar was somewhat awestruck, and even when he smelled a faint, subtle scent, he hesitated whether he should remind the other party.
After hesitating for nearly half a minute, Suna cautiously reached out and poked the other person. Then, he saw the other person open their eyes, which were bloodshot and filled with pain and confusion.
This didn’t seem like a reaction to a spell interruption.
“Help, help me up, I’m a little dizzy!”
“??”
“These sons of bitches, they threw paralyzing gas! Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
The Luminar looked innocent. Their racial talent was strong resistance in this area! Of course, their senses in this regard were naturally a bit dulled.