118: Chapter 118 Give Him an Irresistible Restriction

The old capital of Neon.

The broken elevated bridge looked like a snapped spine, jutting diagonally into the black sludge.

Water pooled beneath the bridge.

The water was not clear.

It was a foul-smelling, dark red, like the pus and blood flowing out after a city had died.

The commercial street in the distance still had lights on.

They were not electric lights.

They were eyeballs hanging in the display windows.

Turbid eyeballs were embedded in the glass cabinets that once sold luxury goods, rotating slowly; with each blink, the shadows on the street would writhe in response.

They stared at those who were still alive on the street.

Or rather.

Those who were still temporarily alive.

A group of survivors, chained together, knelt in the pooled water.

There were men, women, the old, and the young.

There were elderly people.

There were women.

And there were a few children with pale faces who dared not even cry out loud.

Their bodies were strapped with blood bags, spirit energy lures were stuck to their backs, and their faces were smeared with gray talisman powder that could attract Strange Tales.

The talisman powder looked like ashes.

Sticking to their skin, it made people shiver with cold.

Someone wept.

Someone begged for mercy.

Someone cursed in the Neon language.

Then, they were kicked into the street block ahead by members of the Salvation Society.

"Run."

Salvation Society Vice-Leader Lu Chen stood on top of an overturned tram, holding a megaphone.

His voice, amplified by the megaphone, sounded exceptionally jarring in the deathly silent block.

"Run three hundred meters forward."

"Whoever lures out an A-level Anomaly gets a portion of clean food."

Someone below finally broke down and looked up, roaring.

"You are not human!"

"We have already worked for you for three days!"

"Those monsters will eat us!"

Vice-Leader Lu Chen looked down at him.

There was even a faint smile on his face.

Then, he raised his hand.

Bang.

A gunshot rang out.

The man who had been shouting the loudest fell into the water.

Fresh blood spread from the back of his head, creating a ripple of dark red in the pooled water.

The eyeballs in the display windows on both sides of the street rotated simultaneously.

They stared at the corpse without blinking.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen withdrew the muzzle, his tone as calm as if he were announcing the dinner menu.

"Now there is one less competition spot."

"Does anyone else feel like they have lived too long?"

No one spoke again.

The weeping was also forcefully choked back.

Chains dragged through the pooled water.

The survivors stumbled forward.

A child fell, but was yanked up by the woman beside him.

An elderly person could not run and was pushed forward by those behind.

No one dared to stop.

Because those who stopped might not necessarily be eaten by Strange Tales.

They might be dealt with by the Salvation Society people first.

A few seconds later.

The sound of an infant crying came from deep within the block.

At first, it was very faint.

It sounded like a newborn infant was hidden in some abandoned convenience store.

But soon, the sound grew closer.

And sharper.

The wall plaster began to peel off.

Street lamps bent.

Beneath the convenience store sign, a Strange Tale with seven infant heads slowly crawled out.

Its body was like a mass of flesh sewn together incorrectly, with a woman's spine dragging behind it.

The seven infant heads opened their eyes in unison.

Their eyes were filled with black bloodshot veins.

A-level Anomaly.

Seven-Child Grievous Mother.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen's eyes lit up.

"Close the net."

Inside the surrounding abandoned buildings, a dozen spirit energy chains shot out simultaneously.

The chains pierced through the curtain of rain and slammed into the Strange Tale's body.

The Seven-Child Grievous Mother shrieked.

Seven heads opened their mouths at once.

The infant cries transformed into ripples of black waves.

Three Salvation Society members had their eardrums burst on the spot and collapsed, vomiting blood.

Another Awakened had bloodshot eyes and rolled on the ground, clutching their head.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen did not move.

He was too lazy to even look at those people.

In the Salvation Society, useless people die, and that is that.

Only useful people are worth remembering the names of.

The next second.

A blue-black line of water swept past behind him.

The water line made no sound.

It was thinner than a blade.

Colder than a shadow.

It passed through the seven heads of the Strange Tale, circled the dragging woman's spine, and gently tied a knot in the air.

Snap.

The Seven-Child Grievous Mother was sliced into a dozen pieces.

Those pieces of flesh fell to the ground, attempting to reassemble.

But the pooled water on the ground suddenly surged upward, forming a transparent palm that grasped the Strange Tale's deepest core.

Bai Cang stood at the street corner.

His black windbreaker was dampened by the humidity.

His newly grown right hand was raised, and a weeping infant eyeball hovered in his palm.

Inside the eyeball, gray-black rules were still struggling.

Bai Cang took a look.

His expression was calm.

"Too weak."

He closed his five fingers.

Crack.

The Strange Tale core shattered.

A wisp of twisted rules was wrapped by the blue-black water flow and sealed into a silver container.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen immediately jumped off the tram and knelt on one knee.

"Leader."

All the surrounding Salvation Society members lowered their heads.

Even the few who had just vomited blood forced themselves to kneel down.

Bai Cang did not look at them.

His gaze fell on the group of terrified survivors ahead.

Someone knelt on the ground, kowtowing desperately.

"Thank you!"

"Lord Bai Cang, thank you for saving us!"

"We will work!"

"We can do anything!"

They thought they had been saved.

But the Salvation Society members just looked at them coldly.

Like looking at a batch of tools that hadn't been worn out yet.

Bai Cang's expression remained unchanged.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen walked to his side and lowered his voice.

"Leader, four A-level Anomalies have been cleared in this area."

"Further east are the ruins of the Old Imperial Palace."

"There are at least two quasi-S-level ones there."

Bai Cang nodded.

"Continue."

Vice-Leader Lu Chen glanced at the survivors and sneered.

"We are running out of people."

Bai Cang finally turned his head to look at him.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen immediately said, "These Neon people are too delicate."

"Let them go lure monsters, and they have a bunch of excuses."

"Saying things like the children are too young, the elderly can't walk, and the women will be targeted by Strange Tales."

"Laughable."

"Isn't it just having them risk their lives to lure a few A-level Anomalies?"

Vice-Leader Lu Chen raised his foot and kicked a corpse nearby.

"Without you, Leader, they would have long been gnawed clean by the Strange Tales on this island."

"Being able to live and eat our compressed biscuits now is already a blessing from their ancestors."

"They actually don't even know how to be grateful."

Bai Cang did not speak.

Only a trace of indifferent hatred flashed in his eyes.

"Indeed."

"They are just consumables."

"Do they really think of themselves as human?"

Vice-Leader Lu Chen laughed.

"Leader is wise."

Bai Cang turned around.

"Those two quasi-S-level ones at the Old Imperial Palace, box them up before tonight."

"Yes!"

Two hours later.

Two quasi-S-level Strange Tales were sealed into silver coffin boxes.

The surface of the coffin boxes was covered in water-pattern Seals.

Every time they vibrated, black blood seeped out from the gaps.

Salvation Society members stood in two rows.

No one spoke.

Because the two Strange Tales just now had eaten twenty-seven lures and torn apart six Awakened.

And Bai Cang had only used three minutes.

Three minutes.

The ruins of the Old Imperial Palace fell silent again.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen looked at the coffin boxes, his eyes burning.

"Leader, the harvest tonight is big enough."

"Sent back to Linhai, that one should be satisfied."

That one.

As soon as this title appeared, the breathing of the surrounding Salvation Society members slowed down a bit.

The Rancher.

The taboo existence on the East Sea that swallowed the half-king-level Mirage of the Sea Kingdom.

The monster that pulled Bai Cang back from the edge of death and bestowed upon him the prototype of the Sea Kingdom Authority.

Nowadays, the Salvation Society had tacitly accepted one thing.

Offering tribute to that one.

In exchange for power.

In exchange for the future.

Bai Cang did not answer.

He looked up at the sky over the old capital.

The sky of Neon was very low.

So low that it was like a pot, tightly covering this fallen old capital.

The people here were alive, but they were not like humans.

The Strange Tales here died, but they would not be quiet.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen followed his gaze.

In the distance, the advertising screen on a dilapidated building suddenly lit up.

It was not Neon characters.

It was a Daxia news push.

The signal was poor.

The image flickered several times before finally stabilizing.

[Statement from the Great Britain Royal Family: Queen Elizabeth will hold a public press conference in Linhai tomorrow at nine in the morning, inviting Salvation Society Leader Bai Cang to hold a tripartite talk regarding the core of the Foreign Language Tribunal, the review of the Night Owl wanted notice, and private historical legacy issues.]

There was a line of bold small text below.

[If Mr. Bai Cang does not attend, Her Majesty will assume he approves the disclosure of all historical details.]

Vice-Leader Lu Chen was stunned.

The surrounding Salvation Society members were also stunned.

Suddenly, only the sound of rain remained in the ruins.

A few seconds later, Vice-Leader Lu Chen slowly turned his head.

"Leader."

He asked cautiously:

"Is this a wanted notice, or a forced marriage?"

Bai Cang stared at the screen, his expression unchanged.

But his newly grown right hand had already crushed a piece of Strange Tale bone.

Crack.

The sound was crisp.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen immediately lowered his head.

Understood.

This was a forbidden zone.

Whoever brings it up dies.

Several Salvation Society executives also silently lowered their heads further.

Private historical legacy issues.

These eight words were more dangerous than a king-level Strange Tale.

A new piece of news popped up at the bottom of the screen.

[Emergency contact from the Linhai Investigation Bureau: Holder of the Foreign Language Tribunal core, please contact the Linhai Investigation Bureau within twenty-four hours.]

A string of numbers followed.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen frowned after reading it.

"Executive Jiang Xu is looking for you."

Bai Cang took out his phone.

He did not dial immediately.

He looked at the number and sneered.

"He can't find me, so he gets the Queen to issue a news report."

Vice-Leader Lu Chen was silent for half a second.

"Very Daxia style."

Bai Cang looked at him.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen added, "Mainly focusing on not playing by the rules, but it's effective."

Bai Cang dialed the number.

Three seconds later.

The call connected.

Executive Jiang Xu's voice came through.

"Bai Cang."

Bai Cang looked at the advertising screen in the distance.

"Executive Jiang Xu, you have to rely on international news to find a wanted criminal."

"Has the Investigation Bureau's budget been cut?"

Executive Jiang Xu did not rise to the taunt.

"Is the core of the Foreign Language Tribunal in your hands?"

Bai Cang did not beat around the bush either.

"Yes."

"Status."

Bai Cang raised his hand.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen immediately handed him a black metal case.

The case opened.

Inside lay an ink-colored heart.

The surface of the heart was wrapped in countless tiny letters.

It was still beating.

With every beat, the sound of turning exam papers echoed in the surrounding air.

"Rustle, rustle."

"Rustle, rustle."

It was as if countless examinees were opening their test papers at the same time.

A member of the Salvation Society standing slightly closer suddenly turned pale.

His lips moved slightly, and he subconsciously recited a foreign language word.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen's eye twitched, and he kicked him away.

"Shut up."

The member covered his mouth in terror.

Bai Cang lowered his head to look at the ink-colored heart in the case.

"It's alive."

There was a one-second pause on Executive Jiang Xu's end.

"The residual rules have already bound to a student."

Bai Cang's eyes finally shifted.

"A student?"

Executive Jiang Xu said, "She is now the second authority bearer of the Foreign Language Tribunal and has been promoted to A-level Anomalies."

Bai Cang did not speak.

Executive Jiang Xu continued, "Seven days from now, the rules will initiate a nationwide unified exam."

Bai Cang asked, "Scope?"

"The entire Daxia."

Bai Cang tapped the edge of the case with his fingertips.

"Status?"

"Potential King-level."

The wind stopped for a moment.

The members of the Salvation Society could not hear the full content of the phone call.

But they saw Bai Cang's expression.

The leader was not smiling.

This meant that it was a big deal.

Bai Cang repeated in a low voice.

"Ascending to the throne?"

On the other end of the line, Executive Jiang Xu said, "The core and the remnant still have a connection."

"The thing in your hand may determine whether she ascends to the throne or loses control."

Bai Cang looked at the ink-colored heart in the case.

The letters wrapped around the surface of the heart suddenly came alive, like a swarm of black insects, rearranging themselves on the heart.

[Proctoring core on standby]

[First authority missing]

[Take over the nationwide unified exam?]

Vice-Leader Lu Chen saw it too.

His breath hitched.

Nationwide unified exam.

King-level.

First authority.

These words strung together needed no explanation.

A light appeared in Vice-Leader Lu Chen's eyes.

It was not ordinary greed.

It was the fanaticism that members of the Salvation Society were most familiar with.

He lowered his voice.

"Leader."

Bai Cang raised his hand, signaling Executive Jiang Xu to wait a moment.

Then, he covered the microphone and looked at Vice-Leader Lu Chen.

"Speak."

Vice-Leader Lu Chen stepped forward.

"This is an opportunity."

"The Foreign Language Tribunal was born from nationwide emotions, and its rules cover the entire Daxia."

"If we master the core and let it devour the remnant."

"The Salvation Society can have its own King."

Several high-ranking members nearby suddenly looked up.

Someone's throat moved.

Since the establishment of the Salvation Society, it has relied on Bai Cang's madness and planning.

But they did not have a King.

No King who could truly suppress the world.

No ultimate trump card that could make all the old orders kneel and obey.

There wasn't one before.

Now, the throne was sitting right in the case.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen's voice was even lower.

"Leader, The Rancher is strong, but he is not one of the Salvation Society."

"Neither is Executive Jiang Xu."

"They are just using us."

"But if you ascend to the throne, the Salvation Society will no longer have to sacrifice to any entity."

"No longer have to look at the Holy Domain's face."

"No longer have to be wanted by the High Command."

"No longer have to hand over tributes to that monster in Linhai."

"We can build a new world ourselves."

As these words fell.

Only the sound of dripping rain remained in the ruins.

The surrounding members of the Salvation Society did not speak.

But their eyes had betrayed everything.

The throne.

Who wouldn't want to touch it?

Even knowing they might die, some people wanted to reach out and try.

Bai Cang looked at Vice-Leader Lu Chen.

After two seconds, he smiled.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen's heart sank.

The calmer Bai Cang smiled, the more dangerous he was.

"Good idea."

Vice-Leader Lu Chen lowered his head.

"Please make the decision, Leader."

Bai Cang reached out and picked up the ink-colored heart from the case.

The heart immediately extended fine letters, attempting to wrap around his wrist.

Lines of scarlet annotations appeared.

[High-level bearer detected]

[Rules adapting]

[Take over the first authority?]

The next moment.

A stream of blue-black water swirled.

All the letters were forcibly pressed back onto the surface of the heart.

Bai Cang said calmly, "What a pity."

Vice-Leader Lu Chen looked up.

Bai Cang said, "I have already fused with a Strange Tales core in my body."

"The Sea Kingdom Authority has also entered my rule system."

"To accept the Foreign Language Tribunal now would only cause the two King paths to tear at each other."

"It wouldn't be ascending to the throne."

"It would be suicide."

Vice-Leader Lu Chen was silent for a moment.

"Actually..."

Bai Cang looked at him.

"Do you want to try?"

Vice-Leader Lu Chen's words were stuck in his throat.

Several high-ranking members nearby stepped back half a step simultaneously.

They really had had that thought just now.

It wasn't betrayal.

It was that every Awakened, when they see a throne, will instinctively reach out.

But Bai Cang's words were like chopping off the hands they had reached out.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen lowered his head.

"This subordinate dares not."

Bai Cang put the ink-colored heart back into the case.

"It's not about daring or not."

"It's that you don't understand."

He closed the case.

"Without reaching the Semi-King level, one cannot survive ascending to the throne."

Vice-Leader Lu Chen looked up, his eyes flickering.

Bai Cang continued, "The rules will first eat your memories, then your body, and finally eat the part of you that believes you are still human."

"Do you think ascending to the throne is a coronation?"

"Wrong."

"That is letting the emotions of 270 million people nationwide sit in your brain all at once."

He paused.

His gaze fell on Vice-Leader Lu Chen.

"You find even the crying of 300 Neon decoys annoying."

"What makes you think you can listen to the whole country cursing?"

Vice-Leader Lu Chen's face turned slightly pale.

The surrounding Salvation Society high-ranking members went completely quiet.

Because they suddenly realized.

The throne is not a chair.

It is an instrument of torture.

Executive Jiang Xu's voice came from the other end of the phone, as calm as if he were reporting the weather.

"My purpose is very simple."

"Bring the Foreign Language Tribunal core back to Linhai."

"Let The Rancher devour it."

The ruins were instantly left with only the sound of rain.

Bai Cang narrowed his eyes.

"You mean to let him ascend the throne directly?"

He looked down at the black case.

"Executive Jiang Xu, this is not like the style of your Daxia."

There was a half-second silence on the other end of the line.

Executive Jiang Xu said, "Dahuang Prefecture might make a move."

Bai Cang's eyes darkened slightly.

"Old Fengdu?"

"Yes."

Executive Jiang Xu's voice remained without fluctuation.

"The scope of the nationwide unified exam includes the entire Daxia, so Dahuang Prefecture is naturally included."

"Once that student initiates the unified exam, it is equivalent to including Old Fengdu in the examination hall."

"The Ghost Emperor will not allow it."

Bai Cang sneered.

"Because her energy level is too low?"

"The rules gave her the path to ascend the throne, but did not give her the body and status to bear the throne."

"If she forcibly ascends the throne, she will surely die?"

Executive Jiang Xu continued, "Therefore, the only one who can consume this rule without collapsing immediately is The Rancher."

A strange look flashed across Bai Cang's eyes.

"You guys are quite trusting of that monster now."

"It is not trust."

Executive Jiang Xu said.

"It is judgment."

"So far, The Rancher has not caused irreversible damage to the human world."

"He devoured the Sea Kingdom and protected Linhai."

"He sealed the reservoir rift and did not let the abyss spread."

Bai Cang scoffed.

"That's because he treats you as a pasture."

"So we must put the boundaries of the pasture on him."

Executive Jiang Xu's voice lowered a bit.

"The potential of the Foreign Language Tribunal is King-level."

"But it is not an infinitely ascending divine path."

"If The Rancher devours it, he can ascend to the throne."

"At the same time, he will be constrained by this rule as part of the throne's structure."

"Examination."

"Order."

"Judgment."

"Scope."

"Rule consumption is not just a simple enhancement."

"It will become part of the throne's skeleton."

"He gains this power, but also bears this structure."

"This is not trusting him."

"It is giving him a restriction he cannot refuse."

Bai Cang stared at the black case.

After a long while, he said:

"Don't play yourselves into trouble."

Executive Jiang Xu said, "We are already risking our lives."

Both ends of the phone fell silent at the same time.

Rainwater dripped down the hem of Bai Cang's trench coat.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen stood aside, even holding his breath.

He knew the leader was weighing the options.

The Rancher ascending to the throne.

Old Fengdu interfering.

Nationwide unified exam.

Foreign Language Tribunal core.

Each of these words was enough to crush a city.

Now they are all squeezed into Linhai.

Bai Cang suddenly laughed.

"Fine."

"I'm going back to Linhai."

After speaking, he hung up the phone directly.

Vice-Leader Lu Chen looked up.

"Leader?"

Bai Cang closed the black case and turned to give orders.

"Load all tributes onto the ship."

"Block the shipping route."

"Clean up the tails."

"Return immediately."