NOVEL NEXT Chapter 341 He's Already Dead_2
However, Xiao Yi also discovered a problem.
"Speaking of which, others have said that the Tower emerged from the Capital. I had thought it came up from beneath the ground. Otherwise, how could such a huge structure hide in someone's house? It wouldn't fit. But since it came up from underground, why... is the earth not destroyed at all? So, where did this Tower actually come from? Does it even comply with the law of conservation of energy?"
This was indeed a problem worth pondering, so Xiao Yi decided to stop thinking about it, to disregard the matter, and to continue wandering around, trying to find the entrance to the Tower.
After all, speculating without sufficient knowledge usually leads to conclusions that provoke ridicule.
As the saying goes, "Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous."
"But then again, where is the entrance to this Tower?" Xiao Yi gazed up at the dark mass in the sky, "I don't see anything that looks like an entrance. Am I supposed to blast off in a rocket to break through? This design is not user-friendly at all; at least make an elevator or something..."
"Indeed, Mr. Xiao Yi... As you said, the Tower indeed has a structure similar to an elevator."
Suddenly, just then, Xiao Yi heard an unfamiliar voice, and soon saw a strange man approaching him.
"There really are still people alive here..." Xiao Yi immediately showed a joyful expression.
"Yes..." the man immediately answered, "Ever since the Tower descended, all frequencies here have been restricted, we lost vital means of contact, and with numerous monsters besieging us initially, physically leaving the city was difficult.
But luckily, thanks to Mr. Xu foreseeing a possible crisis and leaving behind emergency measures, we acted immediately. We not only quickly guided most people to underground shelters to survive, but also set up a city-wide intelligence network right away. We were able to detect your presence from the start, Mr. Xiao Yi, and came here... hoping to assist you somehow."
"You mentioned Mr. Xu..."
Just as Xiao Yi had thought, Xu Yingguang could not have remained inactive, and this also meant that Xu Yingguang was still alive.
Thus, Xiao Yi immediately asked:
"So, Old Xu is really fine then, where is he now..."
However, Xiao Yi received news that left him momentarily stunned.
"Mr. Xiao Yi..." The other man's expression suddenly became sorrowful, he slowly said, "Mr. Xu... is no longer here. He... has died."
"...What did you say?" Xiao Yi frowned tightly, "Old Xu... he's dead?"
"That's right..." the man said, "Truth be told, at the very moment you entered Analog Horror and subsequently disappeared, Mr. Xu suddenly fell to the ground... According to the preliminary diagnosis, it was due to overwork."
"...Death from overwork?" Xiao Yi involuntarily bit his finger, "Given Old Xu's state, that seems like the most likely cause of death... In the end, he still died from exhaustion."
A thought entered Xiao Yi's mind... If he had persuaded him to rest earlier, or had forced him to rest using strong measures, could the outcome have been different?
But now, thinking such thoughts was futile.
Once a person had died, his world had ended, and since the world had ended, all regrets and meanings were meaningless to the deceased.
"We are... too incompetent," the other's voice trembled involuntarily, "If only we could have helped him a bit more, maybe things wouldn't have..."
"Never mind..." Xiao Yi said, "Let's not talk about that for now. Where is Old Xu's grave? I want to pay my respects."
"This..." But for some reason, the man hesitated at such a reasonable request.
"...Hmm? What's wrong?" Xiao Yi asked. "Could it be... you worried that I'm going to dig up Old Xu's grave and steal his offerings? If so, your heart is too dark. You only see darkness, whereas even I still retain a bit of humanity. Considering Old Xu once took care of me, I just wanted to at least show him some respect, nothing more."
"No... That's not what I meant..." He wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued, "It's just... Mr. Xu doesn't yet have a grave. His body... we currently can't touch it at all."
"...Ah?" Xiao Yi was somewhat confused. "What do you mean by that?"
"Actually…" he said, "When we were planning the final arrangements for Mr. Xu, suddenly an intense white light appeared. Right then, Mr. Xu's body was absorbed by that light, and... from within that light, a tower began to appear and has now become the towering structure that covers the sky."
"...Ah? Are you saying that after Old Xu died, he merged with that white light and evolved into the tower above us?" Xiao Yi's mind raced, "Could it be! That tower is actually Old Xu's doing! He is the hidden boss! A traitor planted by Analog Horror within Blue Star! After being a traitor for so many years, preparing to close the net, so using his own death as a starting point, he finally revealed his true form? Hmm… what a deep concealment…"
"No... I don't think it's like that..." The man wiped his sweat again, "Mr. Xu was always committed to resolving the issues of Analog Horror. I don't think he would be a traitor, nor that kind of person... and, if I may say, even you, Mr. Yi, should not speculate in such a way that slanders Mr. Xu!"
"But…" Xiao Yi said, "Him becoming the hidden boss is better than him being dead, right? As long as he's alive, even as an enemy... It might be a bit cliché, but at least we could talk him into redemption. Once dead, there's not even a sliver of possibility."
"This..." The man found it difficult to counter and even felt that Xiao Yi made a lot of sense, so he could not help nodding, "You're right."
"Anyway…" Xiao Yi looked up again at the tower, "Old Xu, whether dead or alive, is in that tower, right? Then, we must quickly enter that tower to figure out what exactly is going on... So, where's the entrance to the tower? Tell me…."
"Yes!" He responded immediately, "At the very center of the tower's base, there is a standard elevator structure. However... our observations show that countless monsters also guard it, making it impossible to break through and use the elevator structure with the firepower we currently have... But, with your power, Mr. Xiao Yi, you should be able to break through, right?"
"Not should be, must break through," Xiao Yi said. "Lead the way."
"...Yes!"
Under the man's guidance, Xiao Yi promptly arrived at the elevator leading directly to the tower's interior.
The so-called monsters naturally could not trouble Xiao Yi, and he quickly cleared them out.
That man then operated the elevator structure for a while, finally activating the elevator for Xiao Yi, and then he immediately left, watching as Xiao Yi entered the tower.
"...It's so dark."
Inside the tower, it was pitch black, and just as Xiao Yi was about to look for a light source, he suddenly heard a voice.
"Xiao Yi, you have finally come..."