Chapter 169: Preparing for the Deadly Journey
"Your trip to the Celestial Pool—will end in death!"
The cold sentence was written on the tablet as Wu Liang looked up to meet the eyes of the Zodiac Snake, whose gaze was as indifferent as if she were looking at a corpse.
Seeing the words she wrote, Minister Long slammed the table and said, "Impossible!"
"Sister, try to predict it again. I don't believe just investigating a case from five years ago can kill this kid! How could the Promised Land have such power!"
His voice was gritted with determination.
Yet the Zodiac Snake did not acknowledge his indignation and continued silently writing on the tablet: "My prophecy is not only about the outcome of your journey, but also about your destiny. Even if you give up going to the Celestial Pool now, you will still meet an untimely demise."
This means that whether Wu Liang goes on this journey or not, he will soon end up dismembered like the vision shown in the crystal ball.
Unexpectedly—
Wu Liang showed no sign of fear or hesitation at this outcome.
He merely glanced around at the countless crystal balls and calmly asked:
"Sister Snake, I want to know how you initially foresaw the fate of Chengyang City?"
Without waiting for the Zodiac Snake to write more, Minister Long spoke up and said, "Within Chengyang City, there are two brothers who are Awakened, and they will eventually lead to the city's destruction."
As soon as he finished speaking, Minister Long seemed to realize something and his pupils contracted sharply as he looked at Wu Liang.
Wu Liang just calmly pushed the crystal ball back in front of the Zodiac Snake.
With confidence to the extreme, he said with a tone almost arrogant: "You see, prophecies have been broken by me once before. It can happen a second time! I will come back alive to prove to you that the future is not predetermined."
In the Zodiac Snake's prophecy appeared the two brothers—Ghost Valley and Wu Xiaoyao, though whether they are Awakened still remains uncertain.
But Chengyang City ultimately did not face destruction!
Furthermore, Wu Liang had heard from Jiang Min, another person capable of predicting supernatural events, about many Fierce Ghosts emerging for slaughter.
Without exception, these prophecies were all related to him, yet not a single one truly came to pass!
Wu Liang wasn't sure if it was due to the special nature of the Ghost Compendium, but at least he was aware he possessed the ability to break prophecies!
"That's true, Chengyang City was my first prophetic error, since there's a precedent maybe you really won't die. Now let's talk about the supernatural calamity."
The Zodiac Snake was not like the stereotypical witch in movies who blindly believed in her own prophecies; she skillfully shifted the topic.
Then she continued writing quickly on the tablet:
"Such a vast-impacting prophecy as the supernatural calamity won't be wrong in the big picture, so the authorities have been preparing for it since two years ago. Currently, various extensive supernatural detection devices are being piloted in the Capital City and will soon be deployed nationwide."
"Next, there will be arrangements concerning the distribution of Awakened and Symbionts across different regions, so if you need anyone to accompany you to the Celestial Pool, remember to report it before departure."
"By the way, here is your Symbiotic Medicine, just one pill a month will suffice."
The Zodiac Snake took out a bottle of blood-red pills and handed it over.
Seeing the pills, a hint of curiosity flashed in Wu Liang's eyes.
He recalled that when Minister Long recruited him to be a 007 agent, aside from promising to apply to the Zodiac Department, there was also talk of the method to prolong the lifespan of Symbionts.
Are these small pills the answer?
Without hesitation, Wu Liang opened the bottle and poured a pill into his mouth.
The primary use of this stuff should be to regulate the corrosion effect of Fierce Ghosts on living people.
If others can eat a single Fierce Ghost, what's there to fear about having a group of ghosts on him?
Gulp—
As Wu Liang swallowed the red pill, he felt a strong warmth spreading from his abdomen to his chest, while inside the Ghost Compendium, the Fierce Ghost Minions were all conveying joyful emotions.
Through their transmitted information, Wu Liang was amazed to find that under the effect of this small pill, the recently acquired Thunder Ghost was beginning to rapidly level up to Red Robe Level.
"Whoa! What kind of miracle medicine is this!?"
The effect of this single red pill was equivalent to a minion independently absorbing a whole Fierce Ghost!
If there's a whole bottle of these pills...it could probably boost one of the Red Robe Level Fierce Ghost Minions to City-Destroying Level!
Seeing Wu Liang's shocked expression, Minister Long and the Zodiac Snake both had a "I knew it" look.
Both being Symbionts themselves, they understood that the first time swallowing this red pill, and feeling a body that was constantly eroded by Fierce Ghost symbiosis suddenly revitalized as though dead wood blossoming again, it was an overwhelmingly exhilarating experience.
Almost every Symbiont would be too stunned to speak on their first ingestion.
But they hadn't anticipated that the little red pill, originally meant to balance the Fierce Ghosts and live people, had become an unexpected miracle medicine for Wu Liang's Fierce Ghost Minions due to his total lack of corrosion.
"Alright, if there's nothing else, you can leave; I need to continue precisely predicting time."
After completing her task, the Zodiac Snake impatiently ushered the two out.
Stepping out of her secret chamber, Wu Liang was surprised to find the walls behind him sealed flawlessly, revealing no trace of a hidden door.
Even more eerily, his own Fierce Ghost Minions seemed unable to sense that such a large space existed behind the wall with a living person inside.
Seeing his astonished look, Minister Long couldn't help but say, "Stop looking, the door is no longer there."
"Hmm?"
"She, like me, possesses both the abilities of a Symbiont and an Awakened, and can place the door to that room anywhere in this building at her will, while the space itself essentially doesn't exist in reality."
Upon hearing Minister Long's explanation, Wu Liang understood why the Zodiac Rabbit said encountering Sister Snake was purely based on luck.
It turns out she could open a door anywhere in this building!
No one knew where she might appear next!
"By the way, here is all the information the authorities have on the Celestial Pool so you don't need to search the archives slowly. It's a pity we can't travel together. I wanted to personally uncover all the truths of the Promised Land!"
Saying this, Minister Long tossed a USB drive to Wu Liang.
On his face, there was unrestrained regret, because he genuinely wished to lead the charge alongside Wu Liang in the investigation.
But the elder's words today had confined him to the Capital City.
Their tasks differed this time.
One moves forward, the other holds the fort.
"Let's have a meal together before you leave tomorrow. Last time in Chengyang City, we were too busy to have a proper meal together," Minister Long said cheerfully.
He still felt a bit uneasy, after all, the Zodiac Snake's prophecies have only ever deviated once in all these years. What if this time...it doesn't deviate?
Then Wu Liang's journey would indeed mean heading to his doom.
"Oh, one more thing, the Zodiac Rabbit said she would come to twist your head off later and hopes this time you wear clothes properly."
"?"
This time Wu Liang felt like he was truly in deep trouble…
NOVEL NEXT