Chapter 1248: Chapter 63: Thief
In an instant, the battle erupted. Feeling the scorching air rushing past behind him, Bologue easily tore a path through the staff members. Ash flew around, and his silhouette accelerated like a phantom, sword and axe slashing through figures, obliterating them.
His strides were as swift as lightning, the blade cutting through the air with a sharp, piercing sound, the Rhombus Shield spinning intensely, like a whirlwind following Bologue. These staff members before him couldn’t resist Bologue, no matter how powerful they were. None could withstand his fierce assault of sword and blade.
Even though Bologue had mentally prepared himself, the Ruins District always managed to surprise him endlessly. He had no time to figure out the suicidal behavior of these staff members and the reason behind it. At the very least, he had no intention of jumping into the Forge Furnace Volcano, even though he was Undead.
"Secret laboratory, secret laboratory..."
Bologue muttered to himself while swinging his weapon. According to records, Mamo, to conveniently obtain energy to sustain the secret laboratory’s huge consumption, established the secret laboratory near the Forge Furnace Volcano. Bologue needed to find it before more enemies arrived.
"Move aside!"
This time Bologue cursed angrily. The material constructing the buildings was filled with the Ruins District’s Ether, resisting Bologue’s Command. But fortunately, the Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid could infinitely proliferate, providing Bologue with a continual supply of material for summoning.
Several Rhombus Shields suddenly soared high, racing towards the highest point of the Dome. When they reached their destination, they exploded with a roar.
The fragments transformed into countless sharp arrows, raining down, precisely killing all staff members within sight. One by one, the arrows pierced through them, pinning them to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, countless arrows appeared on the ground, densely packed, forming a terrifying forest of arrows, spiked like thorns in a forest, intimidating anyone who glanced over.
The whole scene became extraordinarily terrifying. A dead silence enveloped the entire space. Everything happened so quickly, it was almost unbelievable. Bologue’s power was beyond imagination, killing everyone around him mercilessly.
However, for Bologue, this was merely the beginning of the battle. He had sensed that frightening fluctuation; the walls cracked, constructing a brand new door, and the familiar Field Staff appeared again before Bologue.
Sword and Shield Staff and Gunner Staff made their appearance again. As they stepped through the door, their bodies swelled and distorted. Endless cannon fire boomed, and a steel flood surged towards Bologue, while the Sword and Shield Staff sprinted at high speed, extending numerous blades, making it resemble a rapidly rolling hedgehog.
Bologue adjusted his Command, the Rhombus Shield above like a fast-firing cannon, shooting down continuously at these two formidable enemies.
The arrows whistled through the air, like streaks of lightning across the black night sky, countless arrows pouring down like black torrents.
Every arrow carried a deadly power, like lurking venomous snakes, aiming at the trajectory of the two Field Staff, shooting with unbelievable speed, almost reaching them instantly.
The tips of the arrows glimmered with a cold light, their sharp heads exuding a terrifying killing aura. They shot into the air like needles, making a shrill sound, producing a horrifying resolute sound as they cut through the air when the wind blew.
The crisp sound of clashes was continuous, followed closely by continuous explosions. Red Mercury was mixed into the arrows, turning them into deadly explosive arrows.
In the unending flames, Bologue leapt off the long ladder of ash. The Forge Furnace Volcano stood like a giant wall; countless cables extended in all directions. Bologue couldn’t see the signs in the records, relying on his feet to measure this eerie place.
The sound of metal tearing came, the Sword and Shield Staff burst out from the fire, launching towards Bologue, followed by several Rhombus Shields descending from above, swiftly expanding, transforming into a Giant Sword striking in front of the Sword and Shield Staff.
It abruptly stopped its pace, the lethal Giant Sword embedded into the ground before its toes. The Sword and Shield Staff tried to bypass, only to have another Giant Sword slash down, blocking the way.
Boom, boom, boom—
Multiple Giant Swords fell in succession; they were like high iron walls, crossing to seal off the Sword and Shield Staff, forming a towering hexagonal cage.
The grating sound of tearing arose, the Sword and Shield Staff quickly turned, swinging densely packed swords and blades, numerous sparks flew. The hexagonal cage began to collapse amidst the commotion, yet at the moment of fragmentation, the solid and cold metal lost its original solid state, transformed into dripping iron melt, wrapping around it again.
This series of designs drastically slowed down the Sword and Shield Staff, and at this moment, Bologue had already escaped to the other end of the Forge Furnace Volcano. Just as Bologue thought he had shaken off these troublesome foes, a piercing bell rang.
Beep, beep.
Bologue raised his hand, seeing the timer on his wristwatch reach its end, he understood what this meant.
Two hours had passed; the Internal Security Division would intervene in this intrusion incident.
Just as Bologue realized all this, the ground beneath him started to stir, turning soft, similar to his tactic against the Sword and Shield Staff. The ground turned into a swamp, swallowing up to Bologue’s ankles, before solidifying once again.
Without any sound, countless sleek cubes extended in all directions, like puzzle pieces, completely blocking Bologue’s path forward.
Bologue swung his sword with great effort, slashing open the ground beneath his feet. Just as he escaped the trap, a chilling, oppressive aura came from behind.
At some unknown point, a staff member had already appeared behind Bologue. Like many staff members, its face was blank, leaving only smooth skin. Bologue tried to identify its role through its attire, but to Bologue’s surprise, it wasn’t wearing any known uniform from the Order Bureau, but rather the ancient, lavish ceremonial clothes exclusive to the Condensers.
Bologue had donned such splendid attire when he and Palmer traveled to the Wind Source Highlands; they referred to this garment as the traditional dress of the Condensers.
"Should I call you... security?"
In a deathly silence, Bologue spoke mockingly.
The security staff calmly raised its hand, and the next moment, everything spun wildly.
Bologue felt the space around him undergo a massive transformation; the entire environment began to twist and rotate, seemingly drawn by an invisible force, plunging everything into spiral chaos.
The straight walls started to bend constantly, their former precise angles replaced by bizarre curves, resembling an endless mist melding illusion and reality.
Within the spiral’s collapsing vortex, suddenly, sharp spikes shot towards him. Bologue reacted immediately, and with pinpoint precision, his Rhombus Shield blocked the attack. But just as he thought he had narrowly escaped calamity, massive stones fell like a giant’s stomp, with such force they seemed intent on flattening Bologue in an instant.
Bologue flung out the Silver Hand, swiftly dodging the stones’ crash site, and used his body’s agile nature to avoid the spikes’ strikes at incredible speed. He continuously switched stances, deftly evading round after round of assaults by the security staff.
Just as Bologue was about to counterattack, the tranquil ether around him suddenly grew turbulent, pure energy launched indiscriminate assaults on Bologue’s body, ripping open bloody slashes upon him.
Only then did Bologue realize the difference between the security staff and other staff members. This entity could directly manipulate the power of the Ruins District, acting like the consciousness vessel of this chaotic realm, mobilizing all forces to assassinate him, the intruder.
This was not an opponent to be fought with brute force. Even if Bologue was an Undead, he couldn’t stand against the entire Ruins District.
Evacuate.
Reluctantly, Bologue made this frustrating decision. Since setting foot in the Ruins District, he seemed to have been constantly fleeing, which was extremely painful for Bologue, who usually slashed his way through obstacles.
What was even more frustrating was the path ahead was blocked, and there was a fierce tiger cutting off the rear; Bologue had no idea how to escape.
A sudden flicker of green light flashed.
Bologue looked toward the spiral-twisted building, where a safety door stood quietly, its green light sign flashing.
Whether by coincidence or some deliberate guidance, whenever Bologue was in dire straits, a safety door would appear before him.
The twisted spiral began to retract, and within a few seconds, would completely collapse and engulf the area. Bologue gave the security staff a deep look, memorizing its features and appearance, followed by a full burst of Ethereal Amplification. He shot toward the safety door like a missile.
Open door, enter, close door.
Bologue’s movements were fluid, sealing the door like he was shutting off the entire world, with the feeling of spiraling distortion vanishing without a trace.
Back again inside the Void Lump, Bologue suspected this might truly be a safe zone, akin to the safe houses established by the Order Bureau within the Ruins District.
Bologue sat wearily on the steps, letting out a long breath, his mind constantly overthinking, sorting through the intelligence he had just gathered.
Not far away, at a forked stairway, another safety door abruptly opened, and a figure sneaked in. She was burdened with bags and embraced a heap of canned meat.
She had entirely overlooked Bologue’s presence, while Bologue stared absently at her.
With Bologue’s usual reaction speed, the moment she opened the door, his grudge strike would have severed her head, but Bologue didn’t do that. He didn’t even ponder why another person would appear in the Void Lump.
Simply because she was different from those staff members, her face wasn’t blank, but had a somewhat youthful look, with lively eyes and humming a tune. Judging by her attire, she seemed to have just raided a storeroom, having conducted a major shopping spree.
"Ahem."
Bologue politely, cautiously coughed twice to alert her to his presence, simultaneously silently sliding the Rhombus Shield toward her.
She heard Bologue’s cough, and immediately halted her steps, quickly turning her head to look at him from not too far away.
A scream of terror echoed.
