Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 123 The Rebel in the Cage (6.8k)

Following the rainwater drainage network away from the Red River, Miao Xin did not linger but instead hopped into a car and drove away from Haiphong City.

The upgraded camouflage mode allows Little Troublemaker to appear as objects, such as a spare tire hanging on the back of a car or a connecting rod between train carriages, which means she doesn't need to expose herself in human form most of the time.

It might be monitored at some point, but with Su Ming's help, the little troublemaker can continuously develop new forms. What was originally a targeted pursuit has turned into a game of hide-and-seek with unpredictable twists.

As darkness fell, Miao Xin arrived in Hanoi and switched to her hunting dog mode. This form had also changed; her appearance and color were more realistic, and she was completely unrecognizable wearing a dog costume.

She wandered freely through the woods, mingling with the stray dogs roaming the streets. The Vietnamese language posed some challenges, but she eventually found the right train and hung from the bottom of the carriage.

After returning to China on a regular train, Miao Xin transferred to a freight train, and her appearance changed to that of cargo inside the carriage.
-
"Su Ming, can I interrupt for a moment?" Violet came to Su Ming from the white triangle.

Su Ming severed the connection with Earth and rubbed his cheek. He took a deep breath, composed himself, and then looked at the girl. "It's okay now. What's up?"

Instead, Zijin paused, carefully examining Su Ming. "Are you in a bad mood?"

Su Ming sighed. He had been worried about the vengeful spirit Miao Xin's emotions, but without realizing it, he himself had been overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness.

“Something has happened on Earth, a very big thing.” Su Ming didn’t hide anything. “My most powerful compatriots back home want to kill me.”

The events that had just occurred dealt him a blow far greater than he had imagined. Although Su Ming had been evading police pursuit all along, deep down, he had always considered these people as his support.

Zijin put down the book in her hand.

"My feud with the temple began twenty-seven years ago," the scholar suddenly began to recount his story. "At first, I didn't take it seriously, until a year ago, when these bastards seized an opportunity to issue arrest warrants for all necromancers, using the power of the entire world to hunt me down."

"I spent a year on the run in this desperate and resentful pursuit."

"Many people have helped me, but I have also implicated them."

Su Ming hadn't intended to chat idly, as he planned to use the break to review what had happened. Something seemed amiss; this was both intuition and a kind of objective sense.

But Su Ming was still quite touched. Even though he was slow to realize, he understood that Zi Jin was trying to comfort him. He raised his hand, "Just give me some time to calm down—I'm just sad, I haven't given up."

Zijin was gathering her emotions, intending to wipe the corner of her eye casually, when she heard this and became angry, "Hey, should I beat you up until you need comforting first!"

Su Ming laughed. He checked Miao Xin's condition and found nothing wrong; the journey would take another ten hours.

So there's still time, it's good for him to rest a bit.

Su Ming refocused his attention on Zi Jin. "Alright, I'm listening carefully. Please continue."

“What I mean is that being hunted down really makes me angry,” Violet replied. “Every day I think about how to take down this crappy Church of Light and overthrow this behemoth!”

“I can’t do that,” Su Ming said. “I have to avoid it.”

“Your logic is too mild,” Violet said. “Any organization will only try to solve a problem when they find that the person who created it is more difficult to deal with than the problem itself!”

Although there are some differences, Su thought that if he had more leverage, he wouldn't need to be so cautious about many things.

"For example, do you want to strengthen yourself and force the Church of Light to admit defeat?" Su Ming asked.

“No, I’ll fight them to the death!” Violet replied. “Even if things ease up temporarily, it’s just a tactical consideration; the objective will not change!”

Su Ming was somewhat surprised, "Are you really going to do that?"

"That was my thought back then. Not anymore. I've been quite comfortable lately," said Zijin. "When you encounter something, you deal with it. It's better to be relaxed. There's no need to force a trade with these people."

"Sure, if possible, before we leave this other world, I'll give the Temple of Light a big boost," Su Ming said.

That's what he said, but now he's actually a bit hesitant about Earth. He had always thought that going back would bring him a peaceful life, but that seems like wishful thinking.

At the very least, it requires considerable technical difficulty.

The scholar rested his chin on his hand, tilted his head, and looked at him. "Well, why don't you tell me what you want to do? I've told you, so you have to do something in return."

Is it Truth or Dare?

After thinking for a while, Su Xiang decided to voice the thought that had been weighing on her mind.

"I want to build sustainable interdimensional portals."

"A dimensional bridge!" The scholar's eyes widened. "You really dare to dream of that!"

The current dimensional transfer system uses short-term, explosive force to tear open temporary dimensional gaps. This technological approach is inherently unstable and unsustainable.

To use an analogy, their return to Earth is like two seasoned hikers trekking through a swamp. Difficult as it may be, with thorough preparation and training, it's achievable.

Su Ming, however, wanted to build a railway on the floating swamp.

"Can't I even imagine it?" Su Ming said, quite dissatisfied. "You're the one who told me to say it."

Having witnessed the magic and unique materials of another world, Su Ming couldn't help but imagine the magnificent scene of the two worlds' technologies colliding. He even wondered if he was just used to working a regular job, and sometimes he even wished he had some magic arrays or spells when he was in the factory.

“No, no, of course you can!” Violet chuckled. “This is a great pioneering achievement! You can become a new titled scholar—no, you should redefine the concept of the highest scholar!”

Stable interdimensional channels are not that simple. They haven't even started research on one-time interdimensional transfers yet. To say they're aiming too high is an understatement.

Moreover, if it were to actually happen, it would bring a series of problems. Of course, since it's still in its infancy, there's no need to worry about this.

Su Ming gave the girl a disgruntled look. "And what about you, Miss Violet? Why don't you take care of the temple and become the Pope yourself? Or, why not just unify the continent and become the Belladonna Queen?"

Zijin stretched. "I'm not that reckless. Being able to travel like this and see things I've never seen before is already the most wonderful thing!"

Remembering how Zijin had interrupted him at the beginning, Su Ming asked, "Why did you come to find me?"

“I’ve found something that can help with vengeful spirits,” Violet replied. “It will be delivered to your door soon.”
-
Ten hours later, Miao Xin, controlling the little troublemaker, got off the car on the outer edge of the city.

The sky was overcast and fine snowflakes drifted down; before we knew it, winter had arrived.

She put on a down jacket, a thick scarf, a woolen hat, gloves, a mask, and glasses, and walked slowly in the crowd.

This place is more than 20 kilometers away from Miao Xin's home, but Miao Xin did not use any means of transportation to get closer.

"Su Ming, my house is probably being monitored," Miao Xin suddenly said.

"I know," Su Ming replied.

"I'm actually fine," Miao Xin said. "I know you're worried about me, but I feel I can control this power."

Su Ming did not answer. Even within the realm of vengeful spirits, Miao Xin was an enigmatic figure. When Vietnam was on the verge of spiraling out of control, the demonic pressure that the vengeful spirit transmitted to Su Ming far exceeded that of the scholar's 'Six-Pointed Star Divine Decree'.

It's hard to imagine what the consequences would be if things really got out of control.

The situation also revealed another piece of bad news: Miao Xin and Xiao Citou were not two separate undead summons. When the Wraith Mark malfunctioned, Xiao Citou's Skull Mark was also collapsing simultaneously.

Su Ming reconsidered whether to resolve Miao Xin's matter first or continue seeking contact.

Indeed, Su Ming had sorted out many issues during this period, and perhaps through some contact—his thoughts suddenly broke down because he saw Ling Wen.

The woman, who identified herself as a customer service manager, drove a dusty car and stopped beside the troublemaker, rolling down the window. She hadn't even changed her clothes; there was a dark pool of blood on her collar.

Su Ming instinctively scanned his surroundings, and with the aid of his psionic vision, everything was calm and peaceful.

There was only Ling Wen in the car.

"No, can't you just let me catch my breath?" Su Ming was truly convinced.

"Trouble, get in the car!" Ling Wen looked terrible, clutching her abdomen with one hand. Clearly, the impact of yesterday's explosion was not so easy to bear.

Su Ming also lost his temper and said to Miao Xin, "Go upstairs!"

If we were to recklessly use the power of vengeful spirits, even with the ferocity of yesterday's battle, we might not be able to defeat them!
Su Ming has already held back enough!
Miao Xin opened the car door and got in. Ling Wen started the car, joined the traffic, and drove away from the city. She was breathing rapidly, and her face was extremely pale.

"Hey, internal bleeding can kill people." Su Ming was very confused. "Is your action team out of people?"

“I came here alone, sneaking away,” Ling Wen explained. “Something went wrong, a lot of things aren’t right!” She shook her head. “That attack—”

This sentence contains a lot of information. Why was Ling Wen able to win over the little troublemaker on her own?

Furthermore, Su Ming had already discarded all electronic devices, crawled through waterways and pipelines, and disguised himself all the way here—yet he still couldn't shake off the tracking?

“The CIA attacked me,” Su Ming interrupted Ling Wen. “I guessed it.”

This problem is not difficult; you just need to calm down and think about it.

Based on the explosive yield at the scene, the alloy rod that fell must have weighed at least a ton. Meanwhile, similar weapons here are only much lighter and experimental in nature.

Su Ming wasn't worried about the so-called secrecy and lack of public disclosure. The reason was very simple: the cost of getting such a heavy alloy rod into space, plus the supporting system, was equivalent to the price of ten crooked-headed express delivery packages.

Is it that hypersonic speeds can't penetrate defenses, or that waveriders are ineffective? Why equip such outdated devices when there are clearly more powerful and much cheaper alternatives?

Of course, this doesn't apply to countries where printing money is one of the largest industries.

“Although it’s not actually the CIA, it’s good that you understand these things.” Ling Wen gave a wry smile, “It saved me a lot of explanations.”

"so?"

“We have informants in the CIA. Those people didn’t understand the situation at all; they kept imagining some high-end robot sabotage team and never got to the right point.”

"Continue." Su Ming didn't waste any more words. He could tell that Ling Wen was in a bad state, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to speak. "How about I drive?"

Ling Wen didn't refuse. She pulled the car over to the side of the road, and the two switched places. Miao Xin couldn't drive, so Su Ming took over control of the little troublemaker.

“We’re still investigating who suddenly ordered the attack on you.” Ling Wen picked up her water bottle and took a sip. “But when it comes to matters involving high-ranking military officials on the other side, don’t expect informants to make easy contact. The puzzling part is how their high-ranking military officials suddenly knew your location. Especially, why did they deliberately miss?”

"Deliberately missed?" Su Ming asked in surprise. "It wasn't you who intercepted it?"

“How can we intercept a laser at fourteen times the speed of sound?” Ling Wen said. “It’s true that the laser’s speed is 300,000 kilometers per second, but the servo system that executes the aiming has that kind of precision.”

Current laser systems cannot continuously burn the same point when faced with objects moving at speeds exceeding the limit.

"Then the trajectory I saw changed—" Su Ming asked.

“It’s the thruster at the end of the metal rod that’s correcting the point of impact,” Ling Wen replied. “That thing was aimed at the building next door from the start.”

Su Ming didn't feel wronged by being shot by the US, after all, he had dismantled such a large warship, but was it intentional to miss?

"Don't ask me why." Ling Wen clearly knew what Su Ming was wondering. "I don't know either."

With the source of the attack largely clear, Su Ming decided to get straight to the point. "Alright, let's clear up our misunderstanding," Su Ming said. "What's next?"

Ling Wen suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and said, "Please stay away from us for a few days."

"What are your organization's requirements?" Su Ming asked, puzzled.

“No, it has nothing to do with the International Services Department. It’s my personal request,” Ling Wen replied. “Hide well and don’t let anyone find you. Just a few days will do.”

"Why?" Su Ming was full of questions. "You chased after me all this way, looking like this, just for—and you still haven't answered how you found me?"

“It involves discipline, so I can’t disclose it,” Ling Wen replied. Su Ming laughed angrily, “You chased me alone and took me away from your colleagues’ encirclement, and that’s in accordance with discipline?”

“If it doesn’t meet the requirements, I will take responsibility.”

The car had already left the city, and Su Ming stopped it. He didn't bother to argue, "I can wait a few days, you should go to the hospital quickly."

Based on his medical research over this period, he had a rough idea of ​​Lingwen's condition; if she didn't go to the hospital soon, she really would die.

“Perhaps,” Ling Wen suddenly said, “you can think about why you lost control back then.”

Suddenly, a dark sea appeared beside Miao Xin, then disappeared after rippling.

“I will consider it,” Su Ming said.

Su Ming handed control to Miao Xin and left.

【Um. 】

There's a lot of information, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. Firstly, regarding the situation in Vietnam, what Lingwen said actually aligns with his conclusion after calmly reflecting on it.

Secondly, the appearance of Ling Wen, who violated the rules, clearly indicated that he was still being tracked. Considering that she was able to catch up, but her teammates didn't know her location, the answer is quite simple.

Su Ming found a corner, activated the little troublemaker's original form, and then carefully searched it, indeed finding a very tiny attached tracker on its body. He didn't know how it had been tricked, but it must have happened during their rooftop meeting in Vietnam.

The tracker is made of white bone and is smaller than a grain of rice. It is completely undetectable unless you are specifically looking for it.

They also found two other burnt items. Su Ming recalled that these must have been stuck on earlier when their tracks were discovered. However, he had taken a high-voltage electric bath at the Dahlgren Test Center in the United States, which destroyed them at that time.

Fortunately, the two organizations did not cooperate.

Although he stumbled on something so simple, Su Ming was truly a blank slate. If he had a choice, he really wouldn't want to deal with these people and gain this kind of experience.

Finally, Su Ming was undecided about the matter of being asked to wait a few days.

He didn't trust Ling Wen at all. It wasn't that he was paranoid, but rather that what was happening was too strange. His transmigration to another world was chaotic enough, but how could these people from the physical world be creating things that were even more abstract than his own?

However, the long day had left him exhausted.

After removing the tracker, Su Ming had Miao Xin change her appearance and get on a truck.

Several cars marked "Insurance Claim" passed by the truck and headed straight for Lingwen's location.

Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief. These people weren't gods, and their methods of tracking weren't endless.
-
The connection was broken, and it was already late at night in another world. A deep sense of exhaustion washed over me.

It had been an extremely long day for him. So much had happened, but Su Ming didn't want to sort it out now. He went back to his room, crawled into bed, and went to sleep.

But he was woken up by the scholars early in the morning.

"Come to the work area." Violet said seriously.

Su Ming rushed over without even washing up. In the workshop, there were several pirates hanging from the trees. Judging from their skill level, they were all mid-level or higher combatants.

They were bound by thorn spells and several whip-like spells, struggling in agony under constant torment. They opened their mouths to scream, but due to a silencing spell, they could not utter a sound.

These spells that ravaged them originated from a mage-like figure beside Violet. This man had a scraggly beard, a deathly pale face, and a ring around his neck; judging from the patterns, it was an alchemical bomb made by a scholar.

“This is a necromancer of the spirit type, someone we found among the pirates,” Violet explained. “I got it from them.”

Upon hearing about Miao Xin's situation yesterday, Zi Jin also began gathering information. She originally intended to obtain some data from various chambers of commerce, but unexpectedly, she found a ready-made teaching example.

Violet immediately demanded the prisoner, and the merchant guild that had been holding him sent him over that very night, along with several experimental subjects.

"So what happened?" Su Ming asked.

"I described Miao Xin's situation to him, and that's it—"

The monk quickly replied, "My name is Seneca."

“Seneca said something’s wrong.” Violet finished speaking and gestured to the mage, “Hurry up and demonstrate!”

Seneca bowed to Violet, then intensified the spell, torturing one of the pirates to death.

He unfurled a long string of runes and began chanting incantations.

"Why have I never seen you chant any spells?" Su Ming asked, puzzled.

"This is a helpful technique to improve mental focus," Violet replied. "I don't need it."

"...Didn't you ever think that I might need it?" Su Ming complained.

About a minute later, the souls of the dead pirates were extracted and transformed into vengeful spirits before them. But the spirits appeared extremely thin.

“Lord Chestnut Owl,” Seneca said, bowing her head after completing the spell, “the selection of materials was too rushed, and this pirate has very little resentment, so this is all we could get.”

“Next step,” Violet said.

Seneca nodded and began chanting again. This time it was faster, and a pale, ghostly sea appeared around the vengeful spirit, though its area was narrow.

"Is this the kind of one Miao Xin has?" Zi Jin asked.

"It's somewhat similar, except Miao Xin's Nether Sea is much more solidified," Su Ming replied after careful observation. "At her most stable point, its range is also dozens of times larger than this."

Seneca was astonished. "So powerful!"

Zi Jin didn't give him a chance to waste words, "Explain the Dark Sea."

Seneca quickly explained, "Wraiths are very dangerous things. Once activated, they become ruthless and will destroy everything until their power is exhausted. Even their master will be attacked. So, they are usually sealed off. Unlocking them allows the resentment to overflow, making them ready to be activated at any time, which is what is called the Netherworld Form."

“Resentment will be continuously consumed, and the blockade is also to conserve energy,” Seneca added.

Su Xiang thought of Miao Xin's bottomless abyss. Consumption? That's wishful thinking.

He carefully recalled the scene at the time, "I did not lift the blockade on Miao Xin—and how could I lift the blockade?"

Seneca said, "Forgive my bluntness, but Lord Ainz knows nothing about the spiritual realm. Although he made a contract with a vengeful spirit, he didn't take any encryption measures. It's like an unlocked door; if you know how to turn the handle, you can open it."

"So I can't solve it, but someone who understands this can solve it easily?" Su Ming asked.

"Yes."

"Do you have anything like vengeful spirits on your Earth?" Violet asked.

Su Ming initially wanted to refuse, but then he thought of the heroic spirits, and it seemed that such things were hard to say. "I don't know."

He composed himself and began to ponder. According to Seneca, Miao Xin had been activated in her Netherworld form on the rooftop, which led to her subsequent loss of control.

Su Ming narrowed his eyes, and the events that occurred in the Vietnam Industrial Park were reconstructed.

Let's leave aside the insane CIA and the beacon military for now.

The International Services Department was clearly carrying out a mission and it was impossible for them to voluntarily free Miao Xin and bring along a large group of their own people.

But someone was in the middle of this group and plotted against them!
The feeling of almost being destroyed without knowing anything made Su Ming very unhappy!

Ling Wen must have sensed something, and went so far as to break the rules to stop Su Ming. Otherwise, he would have foolishly stepped into the trap, intending to make contact a second time.

If the person who framed him has any backup plans, the ending will be a spectacular display of fireworks!

"Can you guess who the enemy is?" Violet asked.

To be honest, it was always Su Ming who was asking Zi Jin this question. He never expected that he would be the one being asked it in return, which left Su Ming feeling speechless.

"It might not be targeting me; it could be an inside man. If he can't have it, he'll destroy the whole thing," Su Ming lamented. The sordid dealings between human factions didn't even spare him, a traveler already in another world.

Zijin had an idea: "The core of this matter is that Miao Xin is too fragile."

Miao Xin is now a super-powerful bomb that can be easily triggered. With the bomb's fuse lit up in the open, it's no wonder that someone might take the opportunity to ignite it.

Su Ming looked at Seneca, "Can the Dark Sea form be locked back in?"

“If Lady Miao Xin is as powerful as you describe, your current strength is insufficient,” Seneca replied.

"That means I need to be promoted," Su Ming said. "How much?"

Seneca did not speak.

"I don't think it's that far off. The fact that you were able to pull Miao Xin back from the brink of losing control is unusual in itself," Zi Jin judged. "Your spatial elements cannot be deduced using common sense."

"That's true." Su Ming felt a little more confident.

"How do you plan to solve this?" Violet asked.

"Let's play it safe for now," Su Ming replied. Playing it safe was a tactical mantra. "As for the people who betrayed me, I do have a solution."

He switched his field of vision with one eye to connect with Miao Xin.

Earth, late at night.

Miao Xin hid in an old factory building.

She kept a close watch on her surroundings, making sure she wasn't being followed. With the vengeful spirit's power unleashed, her sensory range had expanded considerably, especially at night.

"Miao Xin, are you confident you can cause some trouble and then escape?" Su Ming asked.

"Yes, you can," Miao Xin replied. There's a highway nearby; she can hitch a ride and escape, then avoid the surveillance cameras and jump onto another car.

After jumping several times in a row, they should be unable to be tracked. This was one of the methods the two came up with to eliminate their tracks.

The factory was deserted, but there was an old security guard. Miao Xin politely asked him to borrow her phone.

"Hello, is this 110? I need to report a crime!" Su Ming dialed the number and walked towards the factory. He stretched out his other hand, and a pillar of the abandoned factory was disintegrated into fine dust by his failed summoning spell.

Subsequently, half of the factory building collapsed with a roar.

Amidst the smoke and dust, the troublemaker nimbly leaped out of the collapsed area, returned to the guardhouse, and stood before the dumbfounded old man. "I'm sorry, I just collapsed one of your factory buildings."

Su Ming continued into the phone, "Please write down two sentences for me: 'Last time we met in Vietnam, someone framed me and caused me to lose control. Please clean up this mess!'"

This kind of thing should be investigated by the international services department themselves. Whoever framed him, if they make him suffer, he won't have an easy time either! Su Ming thought to himself.

"Then, 'I'm not some transmigrator from Earth. I'm human, at least for now!'"

Miao Xin returned the phone to the old man, and then disappeared on the highway after a few leaps.

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(End of this chapter)