Millennium Witch

After a quick disguise, Yvette and Liana were about to leave when they saw Zero, who had just been lying on the sofa, suddenly appear like a ghost, squeeze between them, and shove Yvette aside.

"Let's go," she said with a smile, taking Liana's arm.

……

There were no surveillance cameras or security guards inside the Hive. Walking inside, the sky overhead was fragmented by the messy building structure. The only light came from countless neon tubes and light screen advertisements that cascaded down from above, making the dense magical cables look like a huge network of blood vessels, exuding a depressing atmosphere.

Frowning, they walked through a narrow path reeking of rotting kitchen waste, then climbed a greasy iron staircase to a cheap little supermarket. Liana went to buy daily necessities, while Yvette, lacking experience in this area, waited at the door to trade with digital currency. Zero was also waiting at the door.

Waiting alone in the corridor, Yvette glanced at Zero, who was lounging around with a smile that seemed to never leave his face, and casually asked, "What did you go through before you got here?"

From the older sister's perspective, asking her younger sister this question is perfectly logical. Of course, the real reason is that she wants to understand why Zero has become this inhuman being, which will also help her understand herself.

Zero glanced at her, a slight smile playing on his lips, but remained silent.

This means they don't want to talk about it. They can ask Liana later, but Liana seems to have been in a protected position throughout the process, so the information might be incomplete... Yvette thought to herself, and then she heard Zero suddenly say, "Do you want to know why I want to kill you?"

"Why?" Yvette looked over.

"I won't tell you." A malicious smile appeared on Zero's incomparably beautiful face.

Yvette wasn't angry. Her words, though seemingly just a provocation, actually revealed a clear signal: Zero really wanted to kill her. Given Zero's casual killing style, this was definitely true.

But why would she kill herself? If it was for the same reason as everyone else, was it necessary for her to mention it to herself separately?

Or is her murderous intent towards herself based on entirely different reasons?

Chapter 122 Hunting

After buying many essential daily necessities and some food that could be stored for a long time, Yvette and her two companions walked through narrow paths full of garbage, crossed several "plank bridges" between buildings made of illegal structures, bought some freshly baked bread, and then returned to their rented room on the first floor.

Firefly has cleaned up the remaining space and is constantly connected to the internet, monitoring everything around the hive and keeping an eye on the movements of the police and military in Fusjiang.

This is indeed the area where the Mech race has an advantage. Rune hacking is easier for them than for Yvette, and Fireflies are more tireless, able to monitor 24/7, greatly reducing the probability of everyone being discovered.

At the kitchen table, Zero and Liana sat on stools and began to eat. Since they had different jam fillings, they shared their bread with each other, letting each other taste their own.

Feeling Yvette's gaze, Liana asked, "Sister, would you like to try my bread?"

Yvette glanced at Zero's dangerous gaze and said, "No."

Then she thought for a moment and asked, "After you escaped from the Black Tower, what places did you pass through?"

She had never asked these questions before because of a lack of trust.

“After we left Ish Island, we stayed in Agasher for a while. Later, the Black Tower’s armed forces kept chasing us, so we took a roundabout route and went to Renoir, White Maple City… and finally to the border… I didn’t do much; Yvette did all the work… At the border, we saw smugglers leading people across the border, so we followed them, took their car to the human traffickers’ park, and then left…” Liana tilted her head, thinking as she spoke.

Yvette noticed that, apart from Agasher, she had not explored any of the other cities since the apocalypse. Furthermore, the cities she had explored, such as Cux and other small towns, did not reveal the existence of the Dream Mist.

Could this lead to the hypothesis that only cities passed through by Zero could potentially give rise to the dream fog in reality?

She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Have you ever seen a 'divine metamorphosis'? What does it look like?"

Liana shook her head: "We were all injected with strange drugs and gained special abilities. I haven't seen it with my own eyes. You'll have to ask the 'doctor' in charge of the experiment."

"PhD?"

"His name seems to be 'Dillon Dempsey,' an old man. According to Firefly, before Yvette gained her powers, he used 'Divine Metamorphosis' to create many mutated creatures, both animals and humans, which were all buried in the forest behind the mountain."

Upon hearing this, Yvette's heart stirred.

The corrupt forest in the Ish Mountains has a far stronger aberration force than Gray Harbor and Luya City. She had never thought about the reason before, only taking it as a coincidence. But now, looking back, it might be related to the fact that the place is an aberration landfill.

She then looked at Firefly: "Firefly, do you know anything about 'Dilron Dempsey'? What kind of person is he?"

Before Zero mastered the ability to infect mutants, Dr. Dillon was already able to create mutants, which made her feel that the source of the apocalypse might not necessarily be Zero.

Although she currently appears to be the prime suspect.

“Dr. Dillon’s information, like the God’s Transformation, has the highest access level in the base’s database. For a long time, I was worried about being discovered and dared not touch this information,” Firefly said. “But according to my understanding, before the Immortality Project, Dr. Dillon was a senior scholar with a very good reputation in the academic circle. He also issued a statement to resolutely oppose experiments that break ethical taboos, such as human experimentation, and he also condemned the Holy Spirit Cult many times.”

"Later, he started conducting human experiments himself?" Yvette asked.

"Yes," said the firefly.

Yvette shook her head, offering no comment, feeling that such things were perfectly commonplace.

Then she thought, since Dr. Dillon was able to gain the ability to create mutants from the "divine transformation," then the "Erosion Seed" of the Qilin Beast, as well as other large companies that control this mysterious substance, must also be able to do so.

Furthermore, even if the apocalypse was indeed created by Zero, Black Tower Pharmaceuticals is still implicated, and certainly not as innocent as "Aiselin Omega" claimed in her suicide note.

……

That evening, online, Yvette tried to spread the fact that the Reincarnation High Priest "Lind Benedict" was the "General" of the Ghost Hand Society.

She did not attempt to contact the requiem priest Hoyle, because who knew if he was currently in a state of being possessed at any moment.

However, it turned out that the results were not ideal.

Because RustyBone Freedom is a local area network, all messages are strictly controlled. Any information that is unfavorable to the general is blocked as soon as it is sent out, and it cannot be spread at all. It will also be debunked by the media.

It might be somewhat useful in the world outside the wall, but there's little hope of it putting pressure on the general for the time being.

So, after trying for a few days, Yvette turned her attention back to finding the general himself.

Although the necromancer's methods are bizarre, her true form is still that of a regular mage. Once her true form is captured, she can quickly kill it with a significant advantage, thus eliminating the current trouble.

But how to find it is another problem. If she really went through all the surveillance footage, she would be exhausted. At most, she could outsource it to Firefly to search for it, but that would also take time. And it's not certain whether the General himself will appear on the surveillance footage, or if he will be recognized.

Thinking of this, Yvette glanced at the 150 million digital coins remaining in her account and suddenly had an idea. She messaged the Firebearer, "Do you have a way to find a hidden necromancer?"

"Miss Nameless, are you referring to the High Priest of Reincarnation, 'Lind Benedict'?" After a while, the Firebearer replied.

"It seems you are aware of my current situation."

“With such a commotion, it’s hard not to notice,” the Firebearer said. “But in accordance with my principle of not selling knowledge, I will not tell you the relevant soul magic knowledge.”

"Then what can you do?"

“I can give you his exact location directly,” the Firebearer said, surprising everyone.

“…?” Yvette was a little confused. Even as a top-notch rune hacker and with a smart AI like Firefly, she couldn’t find the general’s exact location. So how did the Firebearer obtain it?

Is there a mole within the Holy Spirit Cult who would betray information?

Or perhaps the Firebearer possesses some kind of mysterious soul magic, allowing him to trace back the origins of the dead using the mental power the general employs when controlling the undead?

"This will take a little time, but not too long. Would you like to place an order, Miss Anonymous?" the Firebearer asked.

"How much?" Yvette suspected that this order must be very expensive.

“No money required, Miss Anonymous,” the Firebearer explained. “Money, or rather—this amount of money is not important to us. The reason we charge is not only for the expected value, but also to deepen our understanding of you and assess your sincerity during our interactions. Now, we believe we can begin a more in-depth collaboration with you.”

"cooperate?"

“Yes, we will continue to provide you with assistance in the future. In return, I hope that you will lend us a helping hand when we need it and participate in some of our missions,” the Flame Bearer said. “Of course, the core purpose of all our missions is the same: to ensure that the flame of civilization can be continued.”

Yvette was silent for a moment, then replied, "I agree."

“Very good, thank you for your recognition, Comrade Anonymous.” The Firebearer sent a smiling emoji. “It will take about half a month to a month to locate Lind Benedict’s location. Please be patient during this period.”

……

Curious about how the Firebearers managed to pinpoint the general's exact location, Yvette kept a close eye on the latest news regarding the Holy Spirit Cult and also learned about the movements of various factions.

First, the information Yvette spread outside the Great Firewall gradually gained traction. The fact that the mastermind behind the fraud park was actually the Reincarnation Priest of the Holy Spirit Cult was considered explosive news in New Eden. Coupled with the large-scale martial law imposed by Fusjiang and the siege of the hero "Nameless" who exposed all of this, it aroused fierce resistance from netizens. Many netizens bypassed the Great Firewall to come in and hurl insults, which also added considerable pressure to Rustbone's speech control.

Then, Federal President John Tito Lokivid also took notice of the matter and, in diplomatic settings, exerted pressure on the Rustbone Free State from afar, demanding the lifting of the large-scale martial law in Fusjiang, taking a tough stance.

Furthermore, in Fusjanne, the highly respected and well-regarded requiem priest Hoyle expressed strong dissatisfaction with the martial law, and thus took sick leave, handing over all his work to his deputy.

It's not hard to see from these events that the martial law imposed considerable pressure on the Holy Spirit Church itself, and there was even dissatisfaction within the official and military forces, though they dared not openly defy the church's wishes.

Then, a month passed quietly in this state of observation and waiting.

One evening, Yvette finally obtained the exact location of High Priest Lind of Reincarnation from the Firebearer; it was in a mansion on a wealthy street not far from the Church of Soulfire.

After holding back for so long, her hunt can finally begin.

Chapter 123 Soul Brain

In the dead of night, the lonely stars cast their light, draping the three-story mansion like a veil. On the second floor, in a study, Lin De paced back and forth, his brow furrowed, looking like a salaried worker anxious under the pressure of KPIs.

His identity here is that of an ordinary wealthy businessman who runs several drinking water factories. As a necromancer, fighting using summoned creatures rather than in person is a principle that every necromancer should adhere to.

After a while, the communication terminal placed on the sandalwood table suddenly activated, and a phantom figure materialized out of thin air.

The other party was dressed in a pure white sacrificial robe, but its head and body were composed of surging, pitch-black fog, like a personified darkness.

"Saint...Saint Sir!" Lind immediately knelt down, his voice trembling.

That's right, this is his direct superior, the "Soulfire Saint," one of the three Saints of the Holy Spirit Sect, a walking strategic weapon, and one of the mages at the pinnacle of individual combat power in the Origin Civilization.

Legend has it that if he so desires, he can instantly strip the souls of hundreds of thousands of people in a town, casting them into an endless hell from which they will never be reborn.

Looking at Linde kneeling on the ground, the black mist face of the Soulfire Saint could not be read with any emotion. Only a neutral voice could be heard: "The experimental subjects who escaped from the Black Tower, have you found them?"

"I...I'm incompetent, there's still no progress..." Lin De was sweating profusely. As the high priest of reincarnation and a general of the Ghost Hand Society, he hadn't felt this terrified in a long time. "Please grant me a little more time, Your Excellency..."

“His Holiness the Pope has reached an agreement with President John. If you cannot find them in at most half a month, the government forces of New Eden will come in,” Soulfire Saint said calmly. “At that time, we may not be able to get either of the two test subjects.”

“New Eden?” Lind paused for a moment, then immediately understood.

Because the two important experimental subjects leaked by the Black Tower escaped into the Rustbone Free State, and Rustbone is entirely the territory of the Holy Spirit Cult, which even the Eight Great Companies find difficult to enter, the Black Tower would have to ask the Holy Spirit Cult to help them find the two experimental subjects once they entered the area.

This is also why Linde, as a general, was commissioned by the Black Tower to cooperate.

However, because these two test subjects were too important, the government of the New Eden United States was also eager to take action, and even had the idea of ​​waging a war on terror. Under the pretext of "rescuing the nameless national heroes," they sent troops into the Fus River to find the two test subjects before the Black Tower and the Holy Spirit Cult.

At that time, regardless of whether Black Tower Pharmaceuticals can obtain either of the two, the Holy Spirit Cult will most likely have wasted its efforts, with President John directly reaping the benefits.

"Your subordinate... Your subordinate will definitely find them within half a month!" Linde took a deep breath, "But it may require some... large-scale measures. I hope the church can approve my use of 'Soul Brain'..."

Necromancers are not good at one-on-one combat or direct confrontation, but they have many methods for large-scale destruction, especially in manipulating souls. He had previously worried about the great impact and dared not go all out, which was why there had been no results for so long. Now that the deadline was approaching, he naturally couldn't care less about that anymore.

"approve."

"Thank you, Lord Seiji..."

A moment later, the projected image transformed into starlight and scattered, and the study fell silent.

Linde took a deep breath and quietly pulled a small white skull from his clothes.

This is a special vessel that seals the "soul brain." The "soul brain" itself has no physical form; it is a special magical device born from the fusion of all understandings of the Holy Spirit Cult's necromancy. It can be simply understood as a "magical terminal made with a soul."

It has countless benefits.

For example, it does not need to be specially worn; it can directly reside in a spirit body and become a second layer of spirit body on the spirit body.

It can also deploy AI and various software, and take over the body by taking advantage of its spiritual nature. Even without cybernetic modifications, it can still achieve effects such as body management.

Most remarkably, it can amplify mental power, giving it unparalleled advantages over ordinary terminals in both spiritual defense and spell manipulation.

But why is something like this not well-known outside of the public?

The reason is simple: it has two fatal flaws.

The first drawback is that its raw materials are very scarce, requiring a large number of soul runes. Of all things in the world, only the human spirit is the strongest, possessing thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of millions more soul runes than other creatures. Even so, countless human souls are still needed to refine a single Soul Brain, which means that Soul Brains are evil objects that cannot be mass-produced.

The second drawback is that there is currently no technology that can perfectly separate the spirit body from the memory body, which means that a large number of memory fragments are bound to remain in the refined soul brain.

These memory fragments will gradually infiltrate the holder's spirit during use, until they reach the innermost memory, eventually affecting the holder's personality, thinking, self-awareness... until they become a cyberpsychotic or a personality stitched-together.

Therefore, even a high priest like Linde is forbidden from using the Soul Brain at will, and can only apply to the higher-level Soulfire Saint when there is a need.

“I should be able to use it for at least 20 minutes without being affected…” Calculating his spiritual strength and the rate at which the memory fragments permeated, Lind made an estimate and pressed a button under the small white skull.

"Please enter your security password," a mechanical voice came from the small white skull.

"&*（￥%……" Linde uttered a string of safe words, all composed of Rustbone dialect, and then saw the top of the small white skull open from both sides, revealing a small space of about one cubic centimeter inside, where a small ball of phosphorescent fire was burning quietly, like a drop of green tear.

Looking at this incredibly precious item, Linde carefully raised his hand and touched the green phosphorescent flame with his fingertips. Then, a white tentacle appeared silently beside him, and with a gentle twitch, it rolled the skull-shaped storage box and the soul brain inside to the side.

Linde stood there dumbfounded, turning his head in a daze. He saw a black mass suddenly writhing in the shadows of the study, and the next second, the figure of a silver-haired girl appeared.

She held the small box in her hand, examining the green flame inside, and asked curiously, "Is this the Soul Brain?"

“You…give it back to me…” Lind trembled, his voice filled with unspeakable rage, then he roared, “Give it back to me now!!”

boom!

A chilling, bone-piercing green flame erupted in the study, spreading outwards. Yvette flashed out of the study and onto the corridor, unwilling to take the brunt of such an undefendable soul attack.

Immediately, she touched the brain in the box with her finger and felt a cool sensation enter her mind, along with a slightly dull AI female voice.