Please don't question multi-week players

Chapter 469. The Southern Expedition of Canglan (Three-in-One)

It was another sleepless night.

Baili Song tried to find clues between the fragments of memory and the gaps in reality, but even as the faint light of dawn shone through the basement ventilation shaft, she still couldn't figure out the source of this series of changes.

Exhaustion, like a thick, damp cocoon, finally wrapped around me.

She covered her mouth and let out a long yawn, and the data streams and symbols on the computer screen in front of her began to sway slightly.

Alright, let's leave for now.

She finally turned off the constantly running computer screen and lay down on the simple single bed.

Almost instantly, they were dragged into a deep sleep.

When I woke up again, it was already dusk.

The small window in the basement framed a sky interwoven with orange-red and indigo, with the twilight light slanting in, and dust particles slowly floating in the beams of light.

A good night's sleep washed away the mental sluggishness. Although the mystery remained unsolved, at least my mind was much clearer.

Baili Song felt he needed to get some fresh air and see what the outside world had become.

Stepping onto the street, a strange sense of emptiness washes over you.

At this time of day, when fraudsters are usually busy trading, only a few figures can be seen hurrying past at the end of the long street and quickly disappearing around the corner of the building.

The sparse population was unsettling, as if a silent tide had just receded, leaving only a damp and desolate mudflat.

The wind whipped up dust and scraps of paper from the ground, swirling them across the road and making a monotonous rustling sound.

Most shops were closed, their neon signs silently glowing, appearing somewhat bleak in the deepening twilight.

An indescribable heaviness permeated the air, like a taut string or a low-hanging, moisture-laden cloud before a downpour, pressing heavily over the city and on the hearts of everyone still walking on the streets.

Baili Song adjusted the collar of his coat, slowed his pace, and carefully scanned the familiar yet unfamiliar street with his gaze.

"Om..."

In the distance, the lighthouse continued its regular flickering, and the long, drawn-out whistles of ships pierced the damp sea breeze, intertwining with the rhythm of the waves lapping against the shore.

Baili Song strolled toward the nearest pier, hoping to dispel the lingering heaviness in his heart by gazing at the open sea.

On the docks, members of the Gunmen's Guild were busy at work.

They wore distinctive harbor-style vests and shouted as they hauled in the nets.

The images posted online are of various mutated sea fish.

There are many such small forces in the southern part of Haidu, scattered here and there, not listed in the faction map, but they have strongholds and are developing their own businesses.

The gunmen mainly operated around the docks, engaging in illegal activities and also doing some fishing.

Besides the members of the Gunners Guild, there were also some black-clad assassins from the Assassins' Guild standing on the dock, gazing into the distance.

Even when they have no missions, these assassins in black occasionally appear here, gazing at the horizon like ordinary people, as if enjoying a moment of peace.

The Assassin's Guild has strict age requirements; eighteen years old is considered old and should be retired.

Their career peak corresponds to the age of ordinary people in junior high and high school. Once they pass this age, their reaction speed, concentration and other conditions will decline, and they can only face retirement or transfer to clerical and administrative positions that do not require them to go out on missions.

Bai Lisong stood on a low slope by the dock.

Two tall, upright young men stood by the railing overlooking the sea.

They were in the prime of their lives, their silhouettes somewhere between adolescence and youth, and under the splashing orange-red sunset, even the edges of their figures were tinged with a fuzzy golden light.

The killer profession imparts a certain quality that makes them appear more composed than ordinary teenagers of the same age.

"...I've fallen for a girl from the Fantasy Series."

One of the boys, who had a small gold assassin badge on his shoulder, spoke up, his voice soft and carrying a rare gentle smile:
"She works at Ideal Thirteen City. Later... I might go there too."

Upon hearing this, his companion suddenly raised his hand and punched him on the shoulder with considerable force.

"A dreamer from beneath the Dream Pavilion?! No way... How could such an amazing girl have fallen for you?"

He paused, his voice lowering as if he were swallowing back some more intense emotion, and finally just gave it another light tap:

"...Never mind. I wish you happiness."

The conversation was brief and dissipated in the sea breeze.

The brilliant sunset poured down on the entire dock without reservation, and countless startled seagulls took flight into the burning sky. Their white wings formed a flowing ocean of light, skimming over the sea, over the ship's side, and over the two black figures standing side by side.

Baili Song stood on the hillside, the sea breeze ruffling her hair.

The scene before my eyes has a beautiful, poetic quality.

Suddenly, her eyes narrowed slightly.

In that white ocean of swirling, surging seagulls, a single, incongruous flash of azure light suddenly appeared.

"Splash—!"

Without warning, towering waves suddenly erupted from the calm sea.

The white wall of water, carrying immense force, rose to a terrifying height of ten stories, like the slap of a giant beast crashing down on the entire dock.

The cracking sound of wood breaking, the shrill whistling of metal twisting, and the short screams of the crowd were instantly drowned out by the deafening roar.

Just before the shadow of the giant wave loomed overhead, Baili Song activated the pollution tool at his fingertips.

A faint buzzing and pulling sensation came from the space. The next moment, her figure disappeared from the hillside and appeared on the edge of the rooftop of a commercial building hundreds of meters away.

"Om——"

The deep, continuous sound seemed to come from the depths of the ocean.

Below the high-rise buildings, as far as the eye can see, there is a turbid and churning ocean, with broken planks and debris floating in the whirlpool.

And atop the still-unsettled waves, a figure floated silently.

He was wearing a sharp black executive jacket and holding a silver thermos. His face appeared calm and indifferent in the backlight of the setting sun, as if what he had just stirred up was not a catastrophe, but merely a ripple in the teacup.

His voice wasn't loud, but it pierced through the echoing waves with crystal clarity, reverberating in the suddenly deathly silent dock area:
"The Canglan Republic's expeditionary force marches south to unify Haidu. Any local forces that obstruct it will be killed without mercy."

"Civilians who voluntarily surrender will not be harmed in the slightest."

Baili Song's gaze swept downwards.

The two young assassins who had just been standing on the beach were being lifted up by a gentle yet irresistible current of water. They raised their hands, their black robes soaked and clinging to their bodies, their faces showing a desperate attempt to maintain composure.

Further out in the water, members of the Gunmen's Guild were struggling desperately, trying to swim towards or climb the only remaining dilapidated structures above the water, looking utterly disheveled.

The setting sun shone through the mist, and the young man in the executive jacket hovered on the crest of a wave, taking a sip of tea from his thermos, waiting for the armed forces of this land to make their choice.

Bai Lisong has lived in Haidu for a long time, and according to her understanding, the Assassin's Guild will definitely not stop the Canglan Republic.

But the gunmen might not be so sure.

Its illicit activities include the sex industry and smuggling of contraband, and it used to collaborate with the heir of the former Black Eye Pharmaceuticals.

However, after the latter's demise, the new Parallel Family, which controlled the area, cut off all of Black Pupil Pharmaceuticals' illicit activities, shifted to a pure medical approach, and refused to continue cooperation. As a result, the Gunslinger Society had to develop on its own.

Canglan, the water system tycoon, has always prohibited prostitution and contraband. When he first occupied the northern part of Haidu, he quickly investigated and dealt with brothels and male prostitutes. Given the conflict between the two, it is certain that they will fight.

Sure enough, the moment his words fell, a sharp whistling sound tore through the air, shattering the brief silence.

In the distance, several shells trailing flames pierced the twilight, their target clear—the young man in the executive jacket standing on the crest of a wave.

"Crack-!"

Almost at the same instant the shell entered the visible range, the seawater in front of Yin Ju suddenly rose and condensed.

A massive, thick, transparent wall of water, gleaming with the deep blue light of the sea, rose out of thin air, standing between him and the incoming artillery fire.

"Boom! Boom boom!"

The ammunition slammed into the water wall, exploding with blinding flashes and deafening roars.

However, the impact, powerful enough to tear steel, was gradually dissolved and dispersed by the massive flow of seawater, ultimately exploding into a sky full of white spray, like a sudden rainstorm. The shattered seawater turned into countless droplets, shimmering in the setting sun, splashing and spraying in all directions, slamming against the glass curtain walls of nearby buildings with a crackling sound.

Baili Song stood on the edge of the rooftop, and was also drenched by the spray of water that carried the fishy smell of the sea.

This is no longer a minor skirmish between street factions, but a direct clash between opposing warring factions, a frontline battlefield capable of destroying entire neighborhoods.

She's a con artist; it's unwise for her to stay here.

Without hesitation, Baili Song wiped the water off his face and activated another pollution tool in his hand.

A familiar sense of distortion and pulling came over her, and the space around her rippled.

The next second, her figure vanished from the perilous dockside war zone, leaving only a faint water stain on the wet rooftop.

"Om-"

The slight dizziness subsided, and my feet were now firmly planted on the ground.

The landing point was below a clock tower with a huge gear sculpture in the main urban area. The sudden spatial fluctuation startled a young man who was looking up at the clock, and he took two steps back.

"Wow...! It's you, ma'am."

Andor patted his chest, took off his floral hat, and took a deep breath to regain his composure.
"How did you...fall from the sky?"

Baili Song recognized him and remembered that this person had kindly helped him get instant noodles at the convenience store last night.

Her face was expressionless; she offered only a lukewarm reminder out of basic morality:
“There are water-based war giants fighting outside the main city. It’s best to stay away from fountains, pools and the like. If they invade the city... if they’re far from the sea, they’ll use the inner city’s water to fight.”

"If those things suddenly fly by and you're in their path, you'll get pierced through."

These are all experiences summarized by predecessors. When the giants of the war factions fight, the dust and stones fly, and the scene is magnificent and shocking. The factions without combat capabilities can only survive in the cracks. Naturally, a lot of relevant experience has been summarized.

After saying those two sentences, she didn't linger. Her fingers twitched slightly in her pocket, and another contamination tool was quietly activated.

The space rippled again, and her figure quickly faded and disappeared before Andorr's eyes.

He was left standing there, clutching his flowery hat in his hand. After a long while, he slowly put the hat back on and turned to look at the horizon outside the main city.

In the distance, one can see a semi-transparent wall of giant waves that stretches to the sky and connects to the sea, standing silently in the deepening twilight. Its outline is occasionally illuminated by the still-burning flames of explosions at the distant dock, giving it a cold and oppressive feel.

Andorra had never seen anything like it before. He looked up, his mouth slightly agape, deeply shocked.

"Oh my God……"

He muttered to himself, his voice drowned out by the ensuing clamor:

"So this is what war is like in this world. Indeed, wars everywhere are terrifying."

Before the words were even finished, countless white ballistic trajectories streaked across the sky, tearing through the dim heavens.

In the distance, the sounds of explosions and deep rumbles continued, like a giant beast roaring from the ground, causing the ground beneath our feet to tremble incessantly, and even the huge gear sculpture on the clock tower seemed to groan softly.

Andor stumbled, suddenly remembering the woman's warning. He immediately scrambled back to the solid base of the gear sculpture, gripping the cold metal relief tightly to hold himself in place, while warily glancing at the musical fountain not far away.

"boom--!!"

With an unprecedented roar, the towering, transparent wall of water in the distance slowly but irresistibly advanced toward the inner city.

The sea roared, and crimson flames and bluish-white waves alternated in front of and behind the wall-like water curtain, illuminating half the sky in a bizarre and surreal way.

After an unknown amount of time, the massive water barrier, imbued with destructive power, finally came into clear view of Andorra, carrying a damp and oppressive aura.

"Om——"

"Buzz-"

"Om——"

As if summoned, the silent musical fountain in the distance suddenly emitted a low-frequency resonance.

Immediately, all the water jets suddenly went out of control, as if gripped by an invisible giant hand, twisting into thick water dragons that shrieked as they shot into the sky, precisely colliding with several guided missiles attempting to breach the water wall.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Water and metal collided and exploded in mid-air, turning into a rain of mist mixed with the smell of fuel and gunpowder, which poured down.

Amidst the chaotic light and shadow, the flashes of explosions, and the splattering sewage, Andorra, huddled in the shadows of the statue's base, gasped for breath as he looked around.

He saw that the other people who were taking refuge on the street were also clinging to the walls of buildings, hiding in street corners or behind sturdy bunkers. No one approached the drains, the puddles on the street, or any exposed water sources.

On the faces that were tense, numb, or wary, there was little surprise, only a habitual caution in the struggle for survival.

It seems that everyone who has survived in this city to this day, regardless of their social standing, knows to stay away from water.

The roar of artillery shells and the howling of the waves seemed endless, the earth trembled, and sewage kept falling from the sky.

Leaning against the sculpture, Andorra felt a mix of frustration at being "abandoned" and panic, which finally made him angrily pull out his communicator and press speed dial.

The call was answered almost immediately after the first ring.

"You bastard!"

Andorra practically yelled into the microphone, his voice sounding slightly distorted between the explosions:
"You left me all alone in this godforsaken place! There's a war going on here, a full-blown conflict! Are you satisfied now?!"

First came the sizzling sound of grease hitting a heat source from the other end of the communicator, probably from grilling sausages, followed by Edric's flat, monotone voice:

"Hmm... Didn't I leave you emergency funds and mark the coordinates of Rose Transportation's highway entrance? As a registered employee of Rose Group, it wouldn't be a problem for you to just make a private call to Rose Transportation's dispatch center and have a car sent to pick you up, would it?"

He paused, seemingly turning the sausage over, a hint of understanding in his voice:
"Come to think of it, you're the one who prefers to stay there, aren't you?"

Andorra was speechless for a moment, feeling a pang of guilt.

He was indeed attracted by the unique folk customs of southern Haidu and originally planned to stay for a few more days.

But he immediately cleared his throat, forcefully steer the conversation back on track:

"Well... anyway, it was your oversight this time! It's all your fault! Next time, no matter where you go, you absolutely cannot leave your handsome and reliable young master behind again! Do you hear me?"

"Ok."

Edric readily agreed, his response surprisingly straightforward.

There was some background noise on the other end of the phone, which sounded like the clinking of cutlery and a girl's voice.

A moment later, Edric's voice became clear again, with a hint of relaying:

“My sister said you don’t need to worry too much. Just stay away from any place in the city that can be called ‘water’—fountains, pools, puddles, even open water pipes. When Yin Ju’s troops advance, you should just raise your hands obediently, or better yet, wave a white flag or something.”

He is not harming civilians who have clearly surrendered; his main focus now is on clearing out local resistance forces.

There was another pause on the other end of the phone, as Edric was clearly continuing to receive and relay his sister's real-time analysis:

"Oh, she also said it will be soon. Notice how the air humidity is rising noticeably? Once the ambient humidity reaches a certain critical point... well, in about half an hour, we'll enter the invincible water system."

At that time, theoretically, even the strongest enemy could be quickly suppressed or even instantly killed.

"Instant kill?"

Andorra repeated unconsciously, his eyes widening as he gazed at the distant wall of water that stretched to the horizon.

"Water-based systems... can also have such an exaggerated burst of power?"

Edric seemed to move the communicator further away; in the background came the girl's brief, somewhat academically-sounding words, which he then repeated:

"...Anyway, you're right here on the front lines. You'll see the actual combat effects with your own eyes in a bit, won't you?"

Before Andorra could react, a busy signal came through the communicator.

Clearly, Edric thought he had conveyed enough information, and his sausages were probably about to burn.

Andor held the communicator that was emitting a busy tone, paused for two seconds, and then shrank even more into the shadow of the sculpture's base.

He raised his head, trying to feel the air—

It seems... to be getting increasingly stuffy, and the damp, sticky feeling on my skin is intensifying at a noticeable rate.

　I am coming!

　　I'm going to bed now, kids, go to sleep early too!
　　(End of this chapter)