NOVEL NEXT Chapter 318 Changes
"I knew that I might encounter other races and forces in the Abyss, but I didn't expect to run into Earth's 'Reincarnators'... "
After sending off the person from 'Redemption', Tao Yu also felt a bit of a sigh, with mixed emotions.
At first, I was quite delighted, but hearing that Earth had also fallen into a wasteland apocalypse left me with complex feelings.
In the past, my lack of experience was clear, and when I was with the rich girl I was always eager to ask about the things I wanted to know.
These tangential pieces of information, irrelevant to the current situation, had always been neglected in terms of deepening my knowledge, but joining 'Redemption' had its benefits, after all.
Theoretically, the main world is now captured by the Abyss, but it has not completely fallen and is in a relatively higher state of existence.
Knowing that I can feel the pressure even in the main world confirms this, as the Abyss devoured many of the main world's extended worlds first. Some of those powerful extended worlds temporarily hang above the Abyss like stars, waiting for the world to weaken or be devoured at the end of an era.
Occasionally, some top Pioneers attempt to venture into those intact worlds because some of them don't show much strength outwardly—perhaps only having a strong world consciousness capable of resisting external forces—but the risks are enormous.
There are countless top Pioneers who have stumbled, and usually, they are extremely cautious before making such a choice, first sending in some expendable informants...
"It has nothing to do with me for the time being, but the possibility of encountering Earth's Reincarnators is real. Who knows how many years have passed, and what has happened since."
Tao Yu felt some melancholy, considering that worlds like Great Tang and Wulin might have been captured after Earth entered chaos in its third season.
In that case, it would be normal for data and records to be lost...
And if there is an Earth, then other worlds could also exist.
"Right, the knowledge of the Magic World was traded for, wasn't it? That must be from an intact world too, and it's even possible that wars over resources could break out between these main worlds..."
Tao Yu then put these thoughts aside; they were not pressing matters and had nothing to do with him at the moment.
My current priority is to become stronger quickly and then unify the Martial World of Great Tang, bringing everyone here to serve as instructors.
"But I wonder if the combined strength of Great Tang might be too powerful for the current Development Zone?"
Tao Yu fell into thought, but it didn't matter—he had already taken the money!
And when it came to the Demon Sect and the Buddhist Sect, Tao Yu had no qualms about making his move.
"I'll go check on the Thieves' Guild again, see if you're still hanging on..."
Tao Yu picked up the beeper that only had receiving capabilities, checked the new coordinates, got dressed, and stealthily made his way out.
This time the Thieves' Guild wasn't in the sewers, but had taken over a secluded bar. The bar was in the fourth tier of the security zones, definitely not viable as a legal business—it must have been involved in dodgy dealings before.
The remote street was littered with garbage, a bit chaotic. If municipal workers from the Outer City didn't come here, there might have been incidents of them getting injured or killed.
Tao Yu looked at the rundown bar ahead, where only half of the sign was lit, and walked straight in.
The lighting inside was very dim, and at the moment, aside from the bartender, there were only two people sitting far apart, each engrossed in something.
"Where's the bounty mission?"
Tao Yu glanced indifferently at the bartender, who had been switched to one focused on mechanical augmentations. Tao Yu also faintly sensed a threat from a bomb—a very powerful human bomb.
"You must be joking, sir. Our establishment is most respectable," said the bartender in a deliberately synthetic voice.
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
Tao Yu's tone was harsh, but it was exactly this harshness that elicited a direct response from the mechanically-augmented bartender.
"There are no public bounties anymore, and there won't be any for a while. Sir, if there's a specific type of mission you're after, please do tell me."
"Assassination, high-level partner grade."
"We don't have assignments for assassinating high-level partners, sir. Please don't make it difficult for me. I'm just a backup with average abilities, temporarily filling in."
The bartender gave a wry smile, mentioning how he was dependent solely on the deterrence of his self-destruction to maintain order since being raided twice before. By himself, he was barely at the threshold of high-level partner and had very low resistance to certain abilities.
So, he wouldn't take on any senior partner tasks at all, and it seemed the same went for those suspected to be close in strength!
"Alright then, I'll take these two guys away and see if there's any reward offered for them."
Tao Yu's words left the two men cloaked in capes utterly confused. How had it come to this?
But they quickly came to their senses.
Shit!
Could it be this guy who had stirred up trouble at the Thieves Guild last time?
Please, no!
"Big brother, I'm not wanted. I have a legitimate identity."
"Me too! I'm a member of the security team."
One after the other, the two men expressed their positions without any intention of struggling.
"I don't care. I'll check first. If there's no reward, I'll let you go."
Tao Yu didn't care too much. He sealed their acupoints before they could think of escaping and then carried them away like carrying chickens, giving the bartender a cold look before leaving,
"I'm very vindictive. When you have new people over, I don't want any unpleasant things to happen."
He didn't cause trouble again; he felt that the Thieves Guild could guess it was his doing. This visit was merely a warning.
As far as he understood, the Thieves Guild, which was rather slick with information, should also know what to choose and what to forsake.
Issues like relentless vendettas were common with the Evil God Sect, but with the Thieves Guild, not so much...
...
"Really, no rewards. Are you guys even trying?"
Tao Yu disdainfully threw the two sneaky fellows out of the Night Watcher's hall doorway, eliciting a series of nods and apologetic bows.
Being caught and thrown out by Tao Yu and now having to apologize for their worthlessness, that's the advantage that strength brings.
After giving them another knock, Tao Yu felt it was about enough; he collected some recent news from the mission hall and then prepared to head home...
...
"Looks like they're gearing up for an all-out fight..."
Reviewing the small bits of information left behind by 'Lethal Bullet,' along with messages from Panda and Jack and combining them with some intelligence missions from the mission hall, Tao Yu noticed there had been some changes in the real world recently.
The main issue was that Gu Qiu, the head of the Chaoyang Society, had been ambushed by a mysterious expert and then retaliated by causing trouble for the Longxi Clan.
Afterward, other Inner City families intervened to point out that Gu Qiu had been too brazen lately, and even an Inspector from the Floating City suggested he tone it down.
That's what calmed things down for the moment.
But then, whether it be the Chaoyang Society in the Outer City or some core members of the Chaoyang Society, they all started to be targeted by some enigmatic forces.
Gangs in the Outer City were even trying to muscle in on the Chaoyang Society's turf, and Lin Chao's group, out in the new Development Zone, also encountered some inexplicable difficulties.
Some members like Stone, who were peripherals but hadn't joined because they hadn't awakened yet, received warnings or even found bloody messages left at the doors of their homes.
"But at least there's some sense in them for not stirring up things at my house."
Tao Yu sighed as he went through the information. The intentions of the Chaoyang Society were too blatant, too direct, and he wondered if they could wrap things up successfully.
"With Gu Qiu's strength, although the Chaoyang Society is having a tough time, it won't be annihilated or anything. The Inner City families don't want to provoke full-scale conflict either. They're still pressuring him, trying to suppress him but also afraid of driving him to madness if pushed too hard..."
However, Tao Yu just felt some regret. There was no room for him to intervene in this matter. If there was anything handy he could help with without an issue, then no problem, but for now, he didn't want to get himself involved...