Night World Players

Chapter 183 I am really jealous of you, Hiltina, jealous that you can have him (9k)

Wildfire Territory, the ruins of the Gustav Nuclear Power Plant.

Ingrid stood silently on the desolate ruins, with a forest made of steel behind her.

Broken steel and broken concrete lay at her feet. Above Ingrid's head, the huge cooling tower had long since collapsed, leaving only the broken curved tower wall. Behind the tower wall was the gray sky reflected in the distance.

Gustav Nuclear Power Plant, this was once the name of the largest nuclear power plant in the entire Granville Empire and even in the entire Western Continent. The tremendous thermal energy was generated through nuclear reactions in the core of the reactor, and then converted into electricity, supplying electricity to thirteen provinces in the northern part of the empire.

But, it was only "once".

Five years ago, in the largest nuclear accident in the history of the Western Continent, half of the secondary reactors of this giant nuclear power plant exploded, and radioactive dust rose into the sky.

Even before the core of the nuclear power plant's main reactor melted down, the control rods were inserted by a military team that risked their lives, preventing the worst-case scenario—a massive explosion that would have spread radioactive dust across half the empire—from happening...

But even so, the early nuclear leak alone has contaminated most of the Wildfire Territory.

This once prosperous and industrially strong province, which ranked among the top in the empire in terms of population and economy, was transformed into a deserted land in just five years. Countless people were forced to migrate, leave their homes, and become displaced.

As the source of the nuclear disaster, the Gustav Nuclear Power Plant has become a forbidden zone for life. Ultra-high-density radioactive dust is still floating between the sky and the earth today. Ordinary humans, even low-level extraordinary people, will suffer irreversible damage to their bodies due to radiation if they enter it.

But at this moment, Ingrid appeared in this deserted area.

She was wearing a sharp and solemn military uniform with a griffin pattern embroidered in gold thread on the collar. Her semi-long black hair fell down along her slender shoulders.

In the steel jungle, Ingrid is like a silent stone sculpture with nowhere to go.

In fact, she really had nowhere to go.

As a senior official of the Granville Empire's Ministry of Homeland Order, commonly known as the "Military Department," and the former director of the Supervisory Department... Ingrid knew better than anyone how ruthless and unscrupulous those hyenas in the Military Department and the Control Bureau were when hunting their targets.

Those people will repeatedly investigate and interrogate the target's resume and interpersonal relationships, and will never miss any clues...Now, all the people Ingrid can contact and all the places she can go to have probably been set up as a dragnet by those hounds, just waiting for her to jump in.

In three months, from the alliances in the parliament, the power game between the bigwigs... to the sniper battles between high-level extraordinary people on both sides in the shadows, the echoes of history from the imperial capital to the border, and then from the border to the night world.

Spanning most of the empire, and going through hunting and counter-hunting in seven different historical echoes... this life-and-death war has finally come to an end, and the winner is about to be decided.

The Empire, led by the Imperial Family, defeated the aristocratic alliance that colluded with secret organizations and cults like the Bronze Rose and attempted to overthrow the entire Empire... This was an established fact.

Or from a more macro perspective, the royal family, representing order, defeated the rebellious nobles who attempted to start a war.

This is a story about how "justice" will eventually triumph over "evil."

only--

Ingrid, who possesses the long rank of "justice", symbolizes the "evil" side in this story where good prevails over evil.

Now, this story of the incompatibility of good and evil is nearing its end. The hyenas of the military and the command bureau have already laid a dragnet to completely wipe out Ingrid, the remnant of evil who has nowhere to hide.

Ingrid's so-called accomplices, who came from noble families or secret organizations or cults... have probably begun to evacuate from the border one after another at this moment.

However, Ingrid rejected the invitations of those secret organizations and cults, and chose to stay alone. She came to the ruins of the Gustav Nuclear Power Plant, silently waiting for the arrival of the dragnet in this forbidden zone of life.

……

I don’t know how long this peaceful and unchanging scenery lasted.

Until one moment, the sound of light footsteps entering the steel jungle broke the tranquility in the ruins of the nuclear power plant.

"Senior."

A calm voice came from the entrance of the nuclear power plant.

Pure white and bright red contrast with each other, this is a girl wearing a red and white knight costume.

She wore a dark blue rapier at her waist, as bright as the night sky, and her bright chestnut hair flowed down, shining like flames in the gray sky.

"You are the only living being within a ten-mile radius... Hiltina, you truly are honest and keep your word."

"During the last historical remnant, I said I would come alone, and I actually came alone."

Ingrid turned sideways and looked at the young knight who was slowly entering the ruins from the entrance. "If I were in your shoes, I would have already forgotten the promise to come here alone."

"Then, using your status as a princess, you'll mobilize multiple sixth-rank experts to surround and kill me. Even if I really wanted to come to negotiate in person... at this moment, there would definitely be more than four heavy sniper rifles aimed at my head from a distance."

She looked around the entire nuclear power plant ruins, the jungle of steel and concrete, and her eyes paused slightly at several excellent sniper spots.

This is an almost instinctive habit of Ingrid as the Director of the Inspectorate and a soldier. Whenever she arrives at a new location, she will definitely observe the sniper selection points and counter-attack points in the venue.

But she knew very well that these sniper positions were empty and did not hide any battle-hardened snipers... Even with Hiltina's background as an imperial princess, the security level could not be too high, and equipping them with sniper protection was just the most basic thing.

Because Ingrid knew that this majestic young knight in front of her always kept her word. She would never waver in her determination and would definitely do what she said - even if deceiving the enemy on the battlefield was just the most basic tactic, no one would criticize Hiltina's morality.

This schoolmate of his, a young rapier wielder, had a soul that shone with such brilliance... so radiant that it would make those accustomed to darkness and the shadows feel it was too blinding and ashamed of themselves.

Ingrid lowered her eyes slightly and looked around: "Do you know why I chose to fight you here, Hiltina?"

"of course."

The rapier user's voice remained stern. "Five years ago, the Gustav Nuclear Power Plant accident occurred in Wildfire Territory... It was a major accident that shocked the entire empire at the time."

"At that time, after many auxiliary reactors exploded, the largest main reactor was also in danger, and the core of the nuclear reactor could melt down at any time."

"According to the Arcane Tower's subsequent simulations, if the core melts and the main reactor explodes... at least thousands of people will die directly in the nuclear power plant explosion, and the leaked radioactive fallout will spread to the adjacent sea, turning half the country into an uninhabitable nuclear contaminated zone."

"At that time, the military urgently selected from the army and temporarily formed an emergency mobile team composed entirely of extraordinary people."

"Under tight time constraints and wearing only simple chemical protective suits, he braved lethal levels of radiation and entered the core of the nuclear reactor on the verge of a meltdown... At the last moment, he manually activated the reactor's emergency cooling system, inserted the control rods, and prevented a nuclear disaster."

Hiltina spoke word by word: "And the captain of the emergency mobile team—"

"After all his teammates lost their ability to move due to excessive nuclear radiation, he entered the reactor core alone. While enduring nuclear radiation that was enough to kill a transcendent, he single-handedly turned the control valve 80,000 times and successfully activated the emergency cooling system manually..."

"The hero who inserted the control rod and prevented a nuclear disaster was you, Ingrid-senpai!"

Hiltina stared straight at Ingrid, her light brown eyes seemed to be filled with rage.

"Here, this nuclear power plant ruin, is also the starting point of your glory and dreams."

"This nuclear leak has made you a hero and made you a great contribution to the military."

"It was precisely because of this achievement that you, a junior who had just joined the military and was relatively young, were taken seriously by the military's higher-ups... and were promoted exceptionally, leading to your eventual rise to become the youngest Director of the Supervisory Department in the entire empire."

"And your heroic deeds in preventing the nuclear power plant explosion are still engraved on the Starry Obelisk to this day. Along with those predecessors who sacrificed their lives exploring the night world and preventing the twilight disaster, every new student will read your story..."

"Even after hundreds or thousands of years, the glory and honor engraved on the stone tablet will not fade, but will still shine brightly!"

As if to suppress her anger, Hiltina paused for a moment. "It is also because of this glorious deed that I have always considered you my role model... My greatest dream since childhood was to become a hero like my mother, like you."

"Even the fact that I rejected offers from other aristocratic colleges and chose to join Starry University was largely due to your influence."

"But, Senior Sister, why did you become like this now?"

She slowly closed her eyes, as if a strong emotion was brewing.

"They colluded with secret organizations and cultists, aiding them in human trafficking and staging blood sacrifices in cities. These blood sacrifices directly killed tens of thousands of residents... Furthermore, they repeatedly wielded their butcher knives against innocent people in order to maintain secrecy and help silence those nobles and secret organizations."

"Senior, do you know how much I couldn't believe my eyes when the people from the Bureau laid out all the crimes you committed before me, and I wanted to deny them, but couldn't refute them in the face of the overwhelming evidence?"

"I can't believe... that senior whom I've always looked up to as a role model, that righteous Director of the Inspectorate, would actually do such disgusting things."

"Senior, while you were doing these things, did you really not recall the glory and honor you felt when you became a hero who saved the nuclear power plant accident?"

Given Hiltina's personality, she's never the type to talk too much nonsense when facing an enemy...

Her fighting style has always been one of crushing her opponents into dust with the sharp edge of her rapier, just like her sequence "Chariot", crushing everything without mercy.

It is conceivable how much she admired Ingrid, her senior schoolmate, in the past, and how angry she was when her admiration was shattered.

"Of course I've thought about it... Over the years, I've recalled countless times the image of being the leader of the disaster relief team, turning the emergency system's valves 80,000 times despite the excessive nuclear radiation after all my teammates had collapsed."

"At that time, I had completely lost consciousness. I was relying entirely on my Night Blade, Yin Iron, to squeeze out the last bit of strength from the depths of my soul, constantly turning that damn valve like a robot."

Faced with Hiltina's questioning that was filled with suppressed anger, Ingrid's eyes trembled slightly, but her words remained calm.

"I often thought later... If I had died in the nuclear power plant, next to the core of the nuclear reactor on the verge of a meltdown, there would have been no Ingrid, the Inspector General."

Ingrid smiled. "That way, Ingrid's name...will be remembered by future generations as a martyr whose glory and justice will never be tarnished by anyone."

"Rather than being reduced to the miserable state it is today, despicable and ugly, hated by the world."

"But I can't help it."

Ingrid's voice gradually turned cold: "Xiaoxuemei, do you know anything about my mother and my hometown?"

"of course."

Hiltina's response was quick, but a hint of confusion lingered in her words. "Two years ago, your hometown, that remote village in the Scarlet Frost Territory... was destroyed by a twilight disaster of unknown origin."

"And your mother, who was unwilling to move away from her hometown to live with you, also died unexpectedly in that dusk disaster."

"But it was, after all, a natural disaster no one could have predicted... At the time, none of the night world entrances known to Starry University had experienced any anomalies. It must have been that the existence of an undiscovered night world somewhere had reached its limit, leading to a natural disaster of unknown cause..."

"How can there be so many unexplained twilight disasters?"

Ingrid said softly, "This isn't ancient times anymore. With today's technology, military satellites are capable of scanning and monitoring the entire continent in real time... If a normal entrance to the New Night World truly appeared, how could such a massive energy fluctuation and movement go unnoticed?"

"From the beginning to the end, those Star University dusk disasters that could not be traced back to their source and came without cause were all man-made."

She spoke softly, "It's not just the Twilight Disaster that destroyed my hometown and killed my mother."

"That also includes the fire that struck your hometown, Autumn Leaf Territory, Hiltina, wiping out most of the forest ranger families and causing your mother, Cecilia, to die in battle against the Fire Elemental King... That was also man-made."

"At the time, the late emperor was critically ill. Your father was the most capable of the several heirs, and the most likely candidate to succeed the imperial throne... The mastermind behind this was precisely the moment your father needed to rush to the border to provide assistance and command, and they caused the Dusk Disaster to erupt directly in your mother's territory, Qiuye Territory."

"Their plan is to put your father in a dilemma. If he chooses to save his wife, the border will be lost due to the commander's absence, and your father will fall far behind in the royal election. Then, they can push a candidate they control to win the election, and even support their own puppet emperor, turning the entire empire into their own hands."

“But your father, Aaron, actually chose to abandon his wife under those circumstances and went straight to the border, which thwarted their plans.” Hiltina’s delicate brows furrowed.

"But even so, this is no excuse for you to commit those crimes. If there truly is a mastermind behind the Twilight Disaster, we can join forces with Starry University to fight against that mastermind..."

"I told you, I have no choice!"

Ingrid slowly raised her eyes and looked directly into Hiltina's eyes without hesitation.

"That's my mother. My father died very young, so she's my only family... She raised me with great difficulty, shielding me from all the pressure. While my peers were helping with farm work, I was able to focus on studying the information in the general education textbooks without being distracted by external forces."

"If not for this, I would never have been able to leave the mountains, leave that little village with no name on the map, take the exam and qualify for admission to Star University. I might have just helped with farm work or worked in a factory, and then spent my whole life in that nameless town in a daze."

"I'll do whatever it takes to climb the ladder. I'll risk my life to achieve merit, gain power, pursue happiness, and change my fate... Half of it is for my mother. I want her to have a better life. She's always been reluctant to come to the capital, fearing it would affect my future. I've tried to persuade her many times, but to no avail. I wanted to find time to persuade her again, but I'll never have the chance again."

"So, when my mother died... revenge for my mother became my greatest wish."

She paused for a moment.

"The mastermind behind this is called the Gravekeepers. They are far more powerful than you can imagine. They are an unfathomable organization that seems to have been passed down from an earlier era. They possess their own entrance to the Night World and can even create twilight disasters at will in the present world."

"They possess an extremely terrifying background, enough to defy the foundations of the nations of the modern continent. They even possess certain means that can directly resurrect the dead... However, their members are unable to roam freely in the world for some reason. Therefore, in order to interfere with the real world and expand their influence, they choose to recruit helpers in the real world."

"Secret organizations like the Bronze Rose, the great nobles of the empire, and cults are all their helpers. Of course, this is just a nice way of saying it; in reality, they are more like minions, lackeys, or chess pieces that can be discarded at will."

Ingrid's words gradually turned colder.

"The one who murdered my mother was a certain Imperial noble who had connections to the Gravekeeper... At the time, I was competing with her for the position of Director of the Supervisory Department, and she believed that by using the Gravekeeper's power to kill my mother, she would cause me to mentally collapse and withdraw from the competition."

"Oh, but she didn't expect that after my mother's death, I didn't collapse. Instead, I devoted myself to the affairs of the military and directly became the youngest director of the Inspectorate."

"I know that I can't possibly fight the entire alliance of interests backed by the Gravekeeper, including numerous nobles, cults, and secret organizations. Even if I collaborate with the Imperial Family or Starry University, my revenge will be a distant dream. The enemy who killed my mother might even escape unscathed, leaving me powerless."

"So after that, I took great pains to contact the gravekeepers and became their collaborator."

Ingrid's eyes flashed with a bit of coldness: "White gloves, black gloves..."

"Or maybe it's dirty work like human trafficking, the slave trade, assisting cults in blood sacrifices, or silencing innocent people who accidentally learned information about the Grave Keeper to protect secrets... Whatever the nobles can do for the Grave Keeper, I can do it too, and I do it faster, better, more efficiently, and without complaint."

"Those cults and nobles are used to pulling strings and demanding things. They don't do much, but they always find ways to extract benefits and profits from the Gravekeepers. But I'm different. I want nothing, I ask for nothing—I just want the life of the noblewoman who killed my mother."

"And after I demonstrated my worth to the mastermind and became the most trusted pawn of the Gravekeeper, they finally agreed to my request."

Her voice paused slightly. "I still remember the day of my great revenge. That high and mighty Countess sat slumped on the ground, her skirt and the ground stained with muddy liquid. She watched in disbelief as she was murdered by the very person she relied on most."

"Since you have already taken revenge, why don't you turn back?"

"Return to Star University and face legal trial."

Hiltina remained unyielding. "With your previous achievements and your heroic deeds in saving the lives of the nuclear power plant victims... if you add to that the intelligence we've gathered on the Gravekeepers, it should be enough to atone for a significant portion of your crimes."

"Go back?"

Ingrid's voice paused slightly and became a little hoarse.

"Of course I want to go back. I dream of going back."

"But I know I can't go back."

"I'm the Director of the Inspectorate, and I'm well aware of the crimes I've committed... What you've uncovered is just the tip of the iceberg. Compared to those powerful networks of nobles and cults with numerous subordinates, the only person I can rely on is myself, and the only value I can demonstrate is myself."

"To gain the gravekeeper's attention and kill my enemies, I've done things far worse and more filthy than any secret organization or cult. I'm the most efficient pawn, capable of any evil."

The corners of her mouth curved slightly. "Unknowingly, the number of innocent people I've killed has already exceeded the number of people I've saved as a soldier by several times, even dozens of times."

"No hero can atone for the sins I have committed."

Xiltina was silent for a long time before she spoke again, "At least, I can guarantee in the name of Starry University that you won't die. This is the limit of what I can do."

"hehe--"

Ingrid's laughter grew louder again. "No need to die. What a generous expression."

"All my extraordinary powers were stripped away, and I was imprisoned in a maximum-security prison with shackles made of forbidden magic stone. I was sentenced to decades in prison... Oh no, considering my status as a high-level extraordinary, it should be hundreds of years."

"If it were you, Junior High School Sister, would you choose to lose all your powers and be imprisoned until the day you grow old, or would you choose death directly?"

"If I have committed a crime, I will certainly choose to accept the judgment of the law, no matter what the punishment is."

Hiltina answered without the slightest hesitation.

"Yes, of course you would do that. After all, you are such a perfect swordswoman...high above, shining brightly, like an apostle from heaven overlooking the world, always right."

Ingrid sighed softly.

"So, Hiltina, even though you said you saw me as a role model, as the direction of your life, the person you wanted to become..."

"But as expected, I still hate you."

"Because from the beginning to the end, we are two completely opposite types of people, like birds and fish. Perhaps we will never intersect in this lifetime - and the only time we intersect is when we are forced to fight to the death for survival."

Ingrid's voice gradually turned colder.

She raised her left hand and gently stroked the military uniform on her chest.

It was a black eagle pattern woven from golden threads. It was the symbol of the Granville Empire's military and the glory of Ingrid's life.

"Hiltina, junior sister... I've already struggled."

"I fought tooth and nail to get into Starry University, and I carried out missions in the military regardless of my life or death, all because I wanted to live the same life as you. I wanted to gain the power to change my destiny."

"I also want to be like you, basking in the sunshine with confidence, rather than hiding in shadows and darkness. I also want to not hurt others, but to rely solely on my own efforts to achieve happiness."

"After surviving the nuclear power plant accident at the cost of an arm, on the day I was awarded the Order of the Black Eagle by the military... my dream became a reality so vividly."

"I truly feel like I'm bathed in the sunshine. I, too, can pursue that brilliance and dreams, that honor and glory, just like you, the chosen ones of heaven, and risk my life for the justice in my heart."

"But the day I heard the tragic news about my mother, I knew there was no turning back."

"Glory and dreams, honor and glory... these things that are taken for granted are not something I can touch."

"Even though that glory once intoxicated me, it ultimately did not belong to me. It was too far away from me. Even just looking up at it was too dazzling. It was not like you, the chosen ones, who could reach out and touch it."

Ingrid lowered her eyes and looked at her right hand.

"I struggled, but I lost."

She slowly raised her right arm, a prosthetic limb made of pure metal, shining with a pale silver luster.

Ingrid's night blade "Yin Iron" can temporarily block her sense of pain, release her genetic locks, and squeeze out power that does not belong to her from the depths of her soul.

However, if "Yin Iron" is used for a long time, the price will be permanent and irreversible damage to the soul.

In the nuclear power plant accident, Ingrid certainly accomplished the almost impossible task and prevented the nuclear reactor core from melting.

The price she paid for this was that Ingrid kept the Yin Iron open for more than half an hour, which should have only been open for "one minute" a day, in order to gain the power to accomplish a miracle.

The excessive use of "Yin Iron" caused the part of Ingrid's soul corresponding to her right hand to be permanently damaged, and neither alchemical elixirs nor healing night blades could heal it.

The silver-white metal prosthetic limb she wore was also a heraldic ceremonial attire.

The matching of heraldic costumes also requires compatibility, and with Ingrid's talent and gifts that can only be described as mediocre, there are not many costumes that can match her, but this metal prosthesis is highly compatible with Ingrid.

It is called the "Shining Silver Arm", which allows Ingrid to unleash a virtual sword that exceeds the performance of ordinary heraldic equipment. However, the price is that every use will devour the soul of the heraldic equipment holder.

Its price is very similar to Ingrid's night blade "Yin Iron". For ordinary people, the "Silver Arm" is a double-edged sword that hurts the enemy a thousand times and hurts itself eight hundred times, but for Ingrid, she has long been accustomed to the cost of devouring souls.

"Hiltina, to be honest, I really dislike you... but deep down, I envy you, even jealous of you."

Ingrid stared at Hiltina in front of her and spoke hoarsely, "You were born with everything: a powerful talent, a forbidden-level Super Night Blade, and the noble status of the First Princess..."

"Furthermore, the empire's holy relic, the scabbard of the holy sword, was also buried within you by your father, right?"

"Since you have successfully gained the recognition of the Holy Sword's scabbard, then if nothing unexpected happens, when you ascend to Legendary status, you will become the master of the Holy Sword... and the next Empress of the Empire."

"Perhaps you don't want to admit it, but Her Highness Ophelia's appearance as the perfect princess is actually just a cover for you. From the very beginning, there has only been one candidate for His Majesty Aaron's successor."

"This is what I've always dreamed of, something I've pursued my entire life but never achieved. I've always dreamed of getting this... but you were born with it, and you're even able to calmly treat it as nothing."

"Of course, these are just external things."

"What really makes me envious, even jealous... is that someone like you, as aloof and proud as a swan, who should have been destined to be alone, can still have a companion like Luster."

"I felt a similar feeling from Rust. He's clearly the same kind of person as me...but he's willing to stay by your side, willing to understand you, support you, help you, protect you from behind, and become your soul mate."

"It's really enviable... Hiltina, so I really still hate you. From the bottom of my heart, I hate you from the bottom of my heart."

"So, there must be a battle between us."

"Since we are all Night Travelers, we should solve the problem in a way that is unique to Night Travelers."

Ingrid snapped her fingers, and a gem-like crystal drew an arc in the air and was caught by Hiltina.

Then, she slowly raised her silver-white metal right arm.

A touch of pale silver luster shone on the silver arm, transforming into an illusory sword of fantasy.

"That information crystal contains everything I know about the Gravekeeper and his lackeys. It should be of considerable help to the royal family."

"Of course, the premise is——"

"Hiltina, you can leave here alive."

The next moment, the shining mithril sword pierced through the gray sky.

(End of this chapter)