Absolute Gate

Chapter 49 The Ragged Society

Wu finally understood that all mercenary groups were essentially just affiliated with a platform and were just trying to make a living.

The organization that can truly be considered part of the organization is the operator that maintains the platform.

So if you fantasize about joining a mercenary group and talking about cooperation, the result might be that you and your partner get captured.

“De Biao, I have something I want to talk to Brother Xia about alone,” Wu Zhong suddenly said.

Yang Chunsha paused for a moment, then said "Oh" and stepped back.

Xia Heng squinted and followed Wu Zhong to a place far away from the tent, where they smoked on the empty grassland.

"What do you want to ask?"

Wu Zhong said seriously, "Brother Xia, I want to know if your organization can help me resolve this matter at Mount Lu?"

Xia Heng calmly replied, "My organization? The Free Mercenary Club? The operators behind it may be, but I am not."

Wu Zhong was stunned and said, "Brother Xia, there's no one else here, so just give me a straight answer."

"What you said about teaching last time..."

Xia Heng interrupted him solemnly: "I do not belong to any organization. You must have misheard me."

Wu was completely puzzled. Last time, Xia Heng had clearly said that he would recommend him to join a church.

But now they're denying it?

Why? Is it because he didn't perform well? No, Xia Heng himself said he was very satisfied, so it doesn't seem to be the reason.

Or was he worried that Luo Yi would hear him?
Wu Zhong frowned, suppressing his confusion: "Okay, I must have misheard. So what should I do now? I need to have a goal, right?"

“Hiding isn’t a solution. I want to get rid of the cyclone in Lushan, get rid of the ghosts and gods, and stop 985 from hunting me down.”

Xia Heng sighed, "Actually, you don't need to worry about this. Just focus on improving your strength and surviving."

"In this world, just surviving is already difficult enough."

Wu Zhong sighed, "I know, let's focus on staying alive first and improving our strength. Once we're stronger, the path we can take will be wider."

"But Brother Xia, just tell me, which forces might be able to help me?"

Xia Heng curled his lip: "The five major powers and other containment organizations each have their own sphere of influence."

"Things outside their own sphere of influence are usually left unattended; everyone tends to mind their own business on their own turf."

"In the eyes of the major powers, the Lushan incident is not as serious as you think. It is just a new calamity that was sealed by 985 three days after its birth, nothing more."

"Even if they weren't sealed, they were still considered to belong to 985, because they were born on 985's territory. No matter how much you boast about fighting the Five Elders Peak, in the eyes of the larger organizations, this is also 985's internal affair."

"That's why 985 has remained calm. They haven't issued a public arrest warrant for you, and they've kept silent about the truth, neither admitting nor denying the rumors."

"On the one hand, they may genuinely think that capturing you is a piece of cake, and on the other hand, they may not want to make a big fuss and show that you seem very important, so they might as well just hunt you down secretly."

"That way, even if you escape their control and end up in the territory of other organizations, they can send out small elite units to secretly find you, instead of being subjected to strong interference from other major powers."

Wu Zhong blinked: "Each has its own sphere of influence? They generally don't care about the strange creatures in other territories?"

"Only small, miscellaneous groups like mercenary bands would travel all over the world like that?"

Xia Heng stroked his chin: "Not entirely. There's a containment organization that doesn't have its own territory and considers the whole world to be their 'containment area'."

Wu Zhong said, "Wow... it's the Free Mercenary Club, right?"

To everyone's surprise, Xia Heng shook his head: "No, didn't Yang Chunsha tell you? The mercenary club's operating sites are only established outside of the five major powers."

"Mercenaries are mercenaries, and clubs are clubs; they should be viewed separately."

"The only organization that has no territory, has abandoned the so-called division of spheres of influence, and claims that 'wherever there are calamities, that is their containment area' is called the Blue and White Society."

Wu Zhong tilted his head: "Blue and White Society? I've heard you mention it once or twice. Is it that powerful? Does it want to manage everything?"

Xia Heng's expression was strange: "I used to think they were just putting on airs."

"And now?" Wu Zhong was taken aback.

Xia Heng sighed meaningfully, "Now? Now it's idiots..."

Wu Zhong scratched his head. What do you mean by "what I used to think was pretentious, now it's just idiots"?
"What does this mean? What's going on with this Blue and White Society?"

Xia Heng scoffed, "Claiming to have the entire world within its containment range and to eliminate all catastrophic creatures—isn't that just showing off?"

"The five major powers and various containment organizations sat down together after the war to discuss the division of power and finalize the scope of containment. From then on, they would only contain people in their own territories and would not interfere with or oppose each other on the surface."

"Everyone agreed except for the Blue and White Society, who firmly opposed dividing the human world into several containment zones and refused the territory that should have belonged to them."

"In the end, they were excluded, completely disowned, and became a homeless organization with no territory. What is this if not idiotic?"

Wu Zhong chuckled: "It is pretty stupid."

But then she wondered, "But why? Why pretend like that?"

Xia Heng suppressed his mockery and frowned as he recalled, "Actually, they weren't pretending; they were genuinely serious."

"They considered that partitioning conference to be a ridiculous farce and the saddest choice humanity could make."

"The so-called non-interference and confrontation is itself creating confrontation."

“Dividing the country into individual containment zones, each managing its own territory, is essentially a complete fragmentation of humanity’s containment capabilities.”

"If this continues, it will become a natural competition. Everyone will control the calamities they can utilize, while pushing the extremely dangerous calamities to other territories. This will weaken other forces while also shedding their own burdens."

“During this period, all the contradictions will continue to accumulate, and the conflicts and frictions caused by the problems in the jurisdiction will become increasingly serious.”

"This makes it even harder to unite, ultimately leading to a cataclysmic war."

"Even without war, the birth and chaos caused by strange and inexplicable objects in the universe will not be spared."

"With all containment forces wary of each other and scrambling to keep up with each other, a lot of resources will be wasted, the civilization as a whole will be extremely fragile, and all conflicts and hidden dangers will erupt."

"One day, humanity will inevitably face an unstoppable apocalyptic catastrophe and head towards extinction."

Wu Zhong pondered, "Could that be?"

Xia Heng looked up at the starry sky: "Yes, on this point, the Blue and White Society's judgment is indeed correct."

“Every now and then, strange objects appear around the world, and most of the old ones cannot be destroyed. It’s like a pressure valve that keeps expanding.”

"If this continues, the power of the calamities will increase day by day, and the doomsday prize pool will continue to accumulate until it reaches a critical point that humanity cannot withstand."

"Blue and White Society calls it 'End of Control'."

"That day may be far away, or it may be... very close at hand."

"Only when all of humanity's containment capabilities and wisdom are united, and no matter where a disaster occurs, we do our utmost to solve it without distinction between us, can human civilization continue to thrive."

"Unfortunately, no matter how eloquently they put their theories, it doesn't change anything. Some people believe them, and some don't, but whether they believe them or not, they can't change the current situation."

"The very act of trying to change the current situation is exacerbating what they call 'internal friction,' which could very well make the situation worse."

"Therefore, there is no solution. The only way to prove their point is for this apocalypse to truly arrive..."

Wu Zhong's lips twitched: "Huh? If it really comes, won't it be too late?"

Xia Heng said meaningfully, "Yes, it's too late."

Wu Zhong always felt that Xia Heng was acting strangely.

He tilted his head and asked, "So, Brother Xia, you believe in the Blue and White Society's stuff?" Xia Heng calmly replied, "I may believe it, but it's meaningless."

"Blue and White Society... Ha, even if I jumped off Mount Everest, I would never join the Blue and White Society."

Wu Zhong was taken aback: "Why? Do you have a grudge?"

Xia Heng scoffed, "Have you ever wondered how an organization without territory and not recognized by any power has managed to survive until now?"

“Yeah, they’re being ungrateful. They deserve all sorts of suppression.” Wu Zhong stroked his chin.

Xia Heng explained, "Because these people specifically target dangerous and chaotic anomalies, roaming all over the world. Containing and resolving some of the major powers' headaches is more harmful than beneficial, extremely costly, and they are troublesome and bizarre, trash anomalies that no one wants."

"It's practically a garbage can, and it's jokingly called the 'Junk Society' in the industry."

"Ah, this..." Wu Zhong was stunned. So this was the way Blue and White Society survived.

He nodded and said, "Collecting scraps? I understand, they've found their 'niche'."

"Just like in nature, all species have their own ecological niche to ensure their survival. And the Blue and White Society's ecological niche is the 'scavenger' of the Disaster Realm."

"All the major powers need such a cleaner, so although they don't acknowledge it, they tacitly accept their existence and dump all the garbage they can at the Blue and White Society."

"Hey, this actually confirms the Blue and White Society's theory that everyone will push extremely dangerous disasters to other jurisdictions."

"However, Blue and White Society thinks that instead of you guys pushing each other, you might as well give it to me and I'll be the dumping ground."

"In this way, it is equivalent to other forces indirectly accepting the existence of the Blue and White Society, and even indirectly acknowledging the implicit claim that 'their containment scope is the whole world'."

"It's just that others can contain people within their territory, while they have a limited range of types of people they can contain."

"As expected, no organization that can establish itself is simple. This is just too... too tragic, isn't it?"

Xia Heng shrugged and said, "So, all the Blue and White Club members are masochists."

"In this world, as long as you can endure hardship, there will be endless hardship, and the Blue and White Society is the base camp for cattle and horses."

"These people love to keep busy, so let them work themselves to death. In my opinion, all their efforts are meaningless."

Wu Zhong rubbed his nose: "Brother Xia, you look so pessimistic."

"Actually, I don't think there's any need to worry unnecessarily. The world is so beautiful. Even if things really turn out as they say, it's still a very distant future."

"Their propagation of doomsday theories is, in my view, nothing more than creating anxiety and a means of recruiting believers, just like marketing to attract people."

Xia Heng smiled noncommittally: "As far as I know, there are probably fewer than fifty official Blue and White Club members now."

"Huh? So few? And they're still considered a first-rate force?" Wu Zhong exclaimed in astonishment.

Xia Heng curled his lip and said, "You think this ecological niche is so easy to occupy? Why don't other organizations take it?"

“The mortality rate among their members is very high, and the costs and consequences of maintaining containment measures are increasingly outrageous.”

"But every member is indeed a top-notch individual, with the highest average quality."

"Think about it, can someone who is willing to join such a lousy society be an ordinary person? It's truly a case of 'those who are afraid of death should not enter this door.' If you don't have any dreams in your heart, you'll just stay far away."

Wu Zhongxin said, "Of course! People actually join this kind of organization; they must really have ideals."

He said, "In short, they're still a top-tier force, right? If I don't join, can they help me cooperate with 985 to deal with the ghosts and gods first?"

"According to what you're saying, Blue and White Society should also be willing to take care of this kind of thing."

Xia Heng curled his lip: "Of course they'd like to take care of it, they'd even love to, but the Lushan cyclone doesn't fall into the category of garbage."

"Especially if they guess that you can solve it, 985 will not allow Blue and White Society to interfere in this matter, and will not tolerate Blue and White Society controlling you."

"Don't forget, 985 even believes that this anomaly was created by a hostile organization, and you and I just happened to run into the line of fire. A series of coincidences made them think there was a conspiracy behind it, which is why they have always suspected that we know each other."

Wu Zhong asked impatiently, "Then what should we do?"

"You said that if there's a powerful force backing you up, things can be resolved peacefully. But why can't the Blue and White Society do that?"

Xia Heng shrugged: "Blue and White Society is possible, but not now. You have to wait until the Ghost God of Mount Lu makes 985 feel a headache, and they really can't think of a way to solve it, and they can't catch you, and the cost of maintaining it is too high to bear."

"That naturally falls to the Blue and White Society... 985 will actively seek their help."

"If the ghosts and gods get out of control and break through the existing seal, the Blue and White Society will rush to take over."

"At that time, you will be of great importance. Once you show up and resolve the issues, the Blue and White Society will help you, and everything will fall into place naturally."

"Otherwise, you'll be a 'fugitive disaster,' getting entangled with the Blue and White Society too early, and 985's reaction will only be more intense."

Wu Zhongyi thought it made sense; he was like the key that closed the Heavenly Gate of Mount Lu.

985 was already aware of the key's existence, but it didn't notice that the key had run away... It's okay that it ran away, we can just chase after it again.

But the Heavenly Gate of Mount Lu is located within their territory, and they will never allow any other force to obtain this key, unless they themselves no longer want it.

Wu Zhong sighed, "I understand. They have already sealed the cyclone and don't need the Blue and White Society at all. I was just adding icing on the cake."

"So all I could do was hide, and even after 985 we still couldn't deal with the cyclone."

"But how is that possible? Don't they have some kind of Best Metal? It's indestructible, and they successfully sealed it. Now there's no more air leakage."

Xia Heng looked up at the stars in the sky: "That would be for the best."

“Yes…it would be best if that were the case.” Wu Zhong said bitterly.

If 985 could seal the cyclone forever, that would be ideal, but that wouldn't be good for him either, because he would also be hiding forever.

But what can we do? There is still one way: to be strong enough.

As long as his own strength is undeniable, he can naturally control his own destiny.

"Brother Xia, now that I have a reputation, could I apply for admission through the Multi-faceted Academy?" Wu Zhong asked in a low voice.

He's being targeted by ghosts and spirits, and he's incurring a lot of hatred for no reason, but his fame has also grown, so he might as well take advantage of it.

Xia Heng pondered for a moment and said, "Of course."

Before Wu Zhong could even feel overjoyed, Xia Heng added, "But the Multiverse Academy has good relations with the five major powers. As long as 985 makes a deal with them, the Multiverse Academy will personally send you back."

"Ah, this..." Wu Zhong's face turned ugly; this reputation was toxic.

Xia Heng continued, "Actually, I recommend you join the mercenary club, start from scratch, establish your own identity, and call yourself 'Plant' to the outside world."

"With your current top-tier level among the Mad Blood Clan, if you work hard and do your job well, you should be able to rise to the rank of Gold Mercenary, and then participate in social recruitment to enter the Multiverse Academy for further studies."

“This kind of unconventional approach can be taken simply by studying, without joining the multidisciplinary college organization, and paying tuition.”

"Almost all those who become Golden Mercenaries through other skills become Enlightened Ones in this way."

Wu Zhong clenched his fist: "Becoming a Gold Mercenary, is that right? Can I register as a mercenary now?"

Xia Heng shrugged: "I'm not a club operator, so I can't help you connect to the Dream Network."

"But registration is very simple. After we leave the territory of 985, we can just register on any mercenary site in any country."

Wu nodded in agreement. The most urgent task was to leave the territory of the 985 university.

……

　P.S.: Sorry. I've been revising my drafts lately and decided to be a 4K writer for a couple of days, which is perfect timing since my editor said I'm going faster. Forty-odd chapters and that's already two hundred thousand words.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)