Night’s Nomenclature

The golden lightning spread across the ground was even more spectacular than movie special effects.

Qing Chen's hair was blown upward by the surging airflow, and the lines of his thin cheeks looked particularly three-dimensional in the lightning.

The golden electricity surged toward the sky, turning a 500-meter radius into a death zone for the Rat Tide!

The so-called Three Calamities include the Lesser Three Calamities: war, plague, and famine.

There are also the Greater Three Calamities: fire, water, and wind.

And the first section of the Myriad Gods Thunder Technique Breathing Technique is called Supreme Dao, the second section is called Destiny, and the third section is called Three Calamities and Nine Misfortunes, meaning "Thunder is the ultimate law in the world, governing life and death."

Qing Chen was now using the fourth section of the Myriad Gods Thunder Technique Breathing Technique. He felt the thunder surging within his body, and gradually, golden thunder patterns grew on both sides of his cheeks, and his eyes turned completely golden.

It was no longer just in the depths of his pupils, but his entire eyes flowed with golden light, not like a human, but more like a god.

Breathing.

If the greatest function of the Knight Breathing Technique is to help Knights balance their physical functions during combat, producing a large amount of Endorphin, allowing Knights to utilize 100% of their physical fitness to achieve 200% effect, and making combat more durable.

Then the fourth section of the Myriad Gods Thunder Technique Breathing Technique is the other extreme; its function is to infinitely amplify the body's potential, allowing the surging thunder within to erupt in the shortest time.

One is a steady stream, the other is seizing the day; two extremes.

Behind the defense line, the Home Families watched as the god in the battlefield instantly killed tens of thousands of Rat Tide. Someone whispered, "Is this our Leader? Is this really our Leader?"

Xiao San nodded numbly: "To be honest, this is the first time I've seen Leader go all out. I'm now a little puzzled; how dare those bastards at A0 Base imprison him?"

The word Leader is mysterious and sacred in the Guardians' Union.

Everyone knows that it was Leader's plan to turn the lower three districts of various cities into a new world.

Everyone has witnessed this world gradually improving under their efforts.

When Xiao San cheered everyone on, he would always say, don't let Leader down on us, we must work hard.

At that time, some people would also think, we haven't even seen Leader.

And now, they haven't let Qing Chen down, and Qing Chen hasn't let them down.

Chen Zhuoqu and Hu Jingyi watched this scene silently.

Hu Jingyi said, "I heard you say that as long as you climb the last cliff face, you can follow him, is that right?"

Chen Zhuoqu nodded: "Otherwise, why would he spend so much manpower, material resources, and financial resources to cultivate us?"

Hu Jingyi yearned: "Then can I become as powerful as him in the future?!"

"You're thinking too much," Chen Zhuoqu sighed: "Even if you follow the same path as him, you won't be as powerful as him."

The golden lightning slowly subsided, and Qing Chen got up and walked slowly toward the defense line, his hands covered in mud.

He stretched out all four threads of the Marionette and offered the charred rat corpses as sacrifices.

Rat after rat turned to ashes, and where Qing Chen passed, the streets became clean again.

The reward for sacrificing one rat is minimal, but this is tens of thousands of rats; just one battle allowed Qing Chen's Marionette to grow a fifth and sixth thread.

The sixth thread was only a little short of becoming a complete body.

Behind him, Zhang Mengqian was panting, bringing the refugees.

Only half of the people came, while the other half felt that staying in the bank was quite safe, and they only needed to wait for the Federation Army to arrive for support.

Zhang Mengqian didn't argue with them, he only took those who wanted to leave.

He said to the refugees: "Rush over, you can have a good rest behind the defense line."

Qing Chen came behind the defense line and looked at Xiao San: "Are the casualties heavy?"

Xiao San's expression darkened: "Of the 12,000 family members, only more than 8,000 remain. Some couldn't be gathered from the city, some died on the defense line, and more than 1,000 people ran away in fear, sneaking into the Key Gate."

Qing Chen nodded and said: "Don't worry about those who ran away. Faced with this level of disaster, whatever choice they make is their freedom, as long as they don't stab us in the back. It's only been a day, and the Rat Tide has already entered the third stage; we still have tough battles to fight."

"Leader, when will the Federation Army arrive?" Xiao San asked expectantly.

Qing Chen looked at him deeply: "The closest Federation Army to us should be 710 kilometers away. Before I crossed over, I entrusted several people to relay the situation here. They couldn't possibly not know that a disaster is happening here. According to the speed of the Airship, if someone wanted to provide support, they would have appeared more than 10 hours ago. So, the fact that we haven't seen any reinforcements yet means there will be no more reinforcements."

In fact, Qing Chen had already made the worst preparations more than 10 hours ago.

This City 10 has become a lone city.

They must save themselves.

Xiao San murmured: "Why didn't anyone come to save us? Don't they care about the lives here?"

Qing Chen thought for a moment and replied: "We haven't been abandoned. I believe that if Qing Family and Li Clan don't have extremely important reasons, they will definitely come. The reason that could restrain both Qing Family and Li Clan is quite obvious. I guess Shendai and Koshima must have launched a war against the south, holding Qing Family and Li Clan in the main battlefield, unable to move. If it's even more serious, perhaps the Chen Family is also sending troops to the Central Plains. At this time, the gain or loss of a single city is not even important."

All the Home Families were filled with despair.

Qing Chen knew this would be the result; he could have deceived the Home Families, but he didn't want to do that.

These people entrusted their lives to him, trusting him unconditionally, so they have the right to know the truth.

Qing Chen said calmly: "I know it's hard for you to accept this reality, but I only give you two hours to compose yourselves. When you've had enough despair, straighten your backs and look at the refugees behind you. You are their heroes now."

Xiao San looked back blankly, but saw more and more young people from the lower three districts walking out of the ranks, picking up weapons and tasks from the Guardians' Union.

He rubbed his face and laughed: "Damn, I get it!"

He didn't say what he understood.

"The strength of the Guardians' Union is far greater and more powerful than I imagined," He Jinqiu said with a smile as he slowly walked out of the building, with the middle-aged woman and young people behind him.

Qing Chen looked at Boss He and remained silent.

He Jinqiu smiled: "Shall we continue that deal?"

"Continue," Qing Chen said: "Everything I said on Whale Island still counts."

In the seven days since he returned last time, Qing Chen had planned everything for everyone, leaving only a little time to make a backup plan for himself.

He wasn't sure if he would encounter any accidents, but his brother and sister-in-law's revenge must be avenged, so he had to make extra preparations.

In the eyes of Xiao San and Chen Zhuoqu, Qing Chen has become the standard answer of being resourceful, but only Qing Chen himself knows that he is still far from the realm of Shadow.

All he could do was make backup plans and take all variables into consideration.

Therefore, at noon on the last day of his countdown to crossing over, Qing Chen found He Jinqiu and proposed a deal: to exchange 36 Purple Orchid Stars for the Hu Family Intelligence Agency to find and escort Yuan Yang's widow.

However, unexpectedly, He Jinqiu didn't agree immediately. He said that the Hu family's intelligence personnel are also human beings; how could he let the intelligence personnel risk their lives to go to the city? Moreover, they might not be able to make it in time.

If they really wanted to save the widow, He Jinqiu would have to do it himself.

He was indeed in City 10, but he wasn't sure if he could kill his way to that building, nor was he sure if he would be in time.

Qing Chen wasn't sure if He Jinqiu was really having difficulty or just bargaining; he just wanted to leave himself a backup plan, so he asked: How can Boss He personally take action?

But He Jinqiu didn't agree, nor did he state his conditions.

Boss He only said: Try it, and if you succeed, then let's talk conditions.

At that moment, Qing Chen knew that if this deal succeeded, the price would definitely be high.

In this world, the things that are free are the most expensive.

This is the first lesson that the Outer World game field merchant teaches players.

But no matter how high the price was, this matter was too important to Qing Chen; he had to add another layer of insurance.

So, this is also why Qing Chen told Zhang Mengqian that "there's still a glimmer of hope." He bet that He Jinqiu was just trying to bargain, and the other party already had the confidence to complete this transaction.

Qing Chen asked: "What does Boss He want?"

"36 Purple Orchid Stars, and Forbidden Artifact ACE004, the Black True Sight Eye," He Jinqiu said.

At that time, Qing Chen was startled, because this Forbidden Artifact ACE004 is so precious; how could it be used to exchange for just a clue?

The content of the transaction between Zheng Yuandong and Qing Chen was that Qing Chen would find an orthodox Cultivation method for Time Traveler Academy, and Zheng Yuandong would exchange it for the Black True Sight Eye.

Therefore, although Qing Chen hadn't received the stone yet, it was only temporarily lent to Kunlun, and Zheng Yuandong had to give the True Sight Eye to Qing Chen within a month.

It already belonged to Qing Chen.

Now, He Jinqiu's goal is clear; he wants this thing.

He Jinqiu smiled: "Were you surprised? Don't worry, I'll only use this Forbidden Artifact for six months, and then I'll return it to you. So, the real condition is the six-month use of Forbidden Artifact ACE004."

Qing Chen: "Deal."

In fact, even if He Jinqiu really wanted this stone forever, he would give it.

"You two, tell him everything you know; this will pay off my life-saving grace. In addition, I'll also give you two 50 million worth of Gold bars, ensuring you'll have enough to live on for the rest of your lives," He Jinqiu said with a smile.

Yuan Yang's widow took out a photo from her pocket: "Yuan Yang never harmed anyone, but a mysterious person once found him to custom-order a neurotoxin potion, requiring a mixture of 68 neurotoxins, and the toxins must be able to kill A-Class Metahumans. However, Yuan Yang didn't agree to him, and things were calm for a while. Then, one time, Yuan Yang met him again at a banquet in City 10; he was a waiter at the banquet."

Qing Chen was stunned: "Did this person show his face when he saw Yuan Yang?"

A person like this disguising himself as a waiter at a banquet probably has a new assassination target; he's a professional killer, how could he show his true face to Yuan Yang?

"He was disguised," Yuan Yang's widow said: "Yuan Yang recognized his voice."

At that banquet, Yuan Yang was talking to a friend, and he heard a waiter nearby say to a lady: "Miss, your champagne."

Yuan Yang recognized the voice and his body suddenly stiffened.

The waiter looked back and noticed his reaction.

Yuan Yang didn't stay long at the banquet and left in a hurry, preparing to run away overnight.

He knew what a neurotoxin potion designed to kill A-Class and above meant: it was an assassination incident in the vortex of power!

Qing Chen took the photo; it was a screenshot from a surveillance video at a high-class banquet. The man in the picture was in his thirties, handsome, but his handsomeness had a morbid feel to it.

He was reviewing all the clues in his memory, and suddenly felt that some clues didn't match.

But he didn't stop him: "Continue."

Yuan Yang's widow said: "Yuan Yang lost contact after arranging for us mother and son; he told us not to try to contact him, because if we did, we would all die. The next day, I saw Yuan Yang at the bar where I worked; at first, I thought everything was fine, so I came to look for him. But I felt something was wrong; Yuan Yang and I had agreed that if he was safe, he would order a Godfather at the bar; if he was still in danger, he would order a Moriarty to tell me to immediately flee the city. But Yuan Yang ordered a Bloody Mary, which he usually ordered."

"I suspected that Yuan Yang was not himself, so I didn't dare to approach him, and that Yuan Yang was very strange, his speech was a little mechanical, not quite the same as his usual tone, like he was deliberately imitating, perhaps he could deceive others, but not me," Yuan Yang's widow said: "But strangely, I secretly went to observe Yuan Yang's workplace later, and I saw him go to and from work, just like an ordinary person. At that time, I resented him, thinking that he had made up a story to get rid of me and the child. But one day, I looked at him from afar, one second he was still there, the next second he disappeared."

Qing Chen breathed a sigh of relief, it matched.

In the clues in his memory, Shadow found all the Neurotoxin Experts, but he couldn't find the one named Zhang Cheng, so he suspected that Zhang Cheng had been murdered.

If Yuan Yang knew the inside story early on, Shadow should have been able to get something out of him.

According to Yuan Yang's widow's logic: someone found Yuan Yang to make neurotoxin potions, and Yuan Yang refused because he was afraid of being involved in disputes. Later, Yuan Yang recognized the killer's identity and was found again by the killer to be murdered, and a puppet was created.

The killer knew that Yuan Yang had a mistress but didn't know who it was, so he used the puppet to fish according to Yuan Yang's life trajectory.

Luckily, Yuan Yang's widow was more alert and had a code beforehand, so she didn't fall for it.

They could have directly killed Yuan Yang to silence him, but by doing so, Shadow would dig along this line and find Yuan Yang's mistress.

Therefore, because they didn't find Yuan Yang's mistress, they could only create that puppet to continue living according to Yuan Yang's life trajectory, as if nothing had happened.

In this way, even if the puppet was caught by Shadow, it would only be a normal Neurotoxin Expert, nothing unusual.

Shadow wouldn't continue digging into Yuan Yang's line.

Qing Chen pondered, based on what he had seen so far, he was still doubtful about Yuan Yang's widow's testimony, but at least he had a new target.

Moreover, this clue actually reminded him of something else: Qing Yuan, who could create puppets.

Given Qing Yuan's age, he certainly has nothing to do with this matter.

But what if the person who could create the puppet was Qing Yuan's father?

Qing Chen couldn't come to a conclusion for the time being, but he could find someone through the photo!

He looked at He Jinqiu: "Thank you."

"You're welcome," He Jinqiu said with a smile: "Fair trade, no cheating. I'm on Whale Island; remember to notify me when Zheng Boss gives you the Black True Sight Eye."

Qing Chen sighed: "Okay."

He called Xiao San: "Settle this mother and son, let them queue up with the residents to leave the city, and have the family members over there keep an eye on them."

"Understood," Xiao San nodded.

Qing Chen called Chen Zhuoqu again: "Have you done the inventory I asked you to do?"

Chen Zhuoqu, with her high ponytail, looked exceptionally neat and tidy: "I've counted; 99 teams of Time Travelers have only arrived, 8 teams have suffered casualties, but because the route planning was good, there were no major losses."

Qing Chen felt a little heavy in his heart; there were actually 57 teams that hadn't arrived.

At this time, Xiao San said urgently: "Could it be that they all had an accident?"

"No," Qing Chen shook his head: "I later planned 7 shelters for them along the way. If they encountered Rat Tide blocking the road, they would hide in them to avoid danger, not everyone will have an accident. Xiao San, I'll leave this to you; I'll go and pick them up."

Xiao San was stunned: "Leader, you just went through a battle! Let us go; I and Qin Shuli will take people there; you can command the battle here."

Qing Chen shook his head: "You're doing a great job commanding; I'm not needed here. Moreover, only I can remember all the shelters, and only I can find them one by one."

Xiao San became anxious; in the previous battle, Qing Chen was indeed ferocious.

However, after the three calamities, Xiao San clearly saw deep fatigue in Qing Chen's eyes. He had led more than 300 refugees to flee for so long and had just gone through a great battle; now, he was probably at the end of his rope.

57 teams, each team has 7 backup shelters; if they're unlucky, Qing Chen will have to search 99 places to find all the teams.

And now, the Rat Tide in City 10 has reached the third stage; if Qing Chen goes back again, he may not be able to return alive.

Chen Zhuoqu advised: "I remember all the shelters; I can take Xiao San and the others there."

Qing Chen was stunned: "You can remember them?"

Chen Zhuoqu explained: "Well, most of them are bank branches; it's easy to remember."

Qing Chen shook his head: "Even if you can remember them, you can't go; you're too weak."

Chen Zhuoqu nodded, acknowledging this reality.

Xiao San said on the side: "Leader, why don't you rest before you go!"

Qing Chen turned around and walked towards the outside of the defense line: "I'll leave this to you; the Rat Tide will probably return soon. I want to rest too, but the children from the Time Traveler Academy can't wait too long; time waits for no one."

More than 600 people from Kunlun were still trapped in the city, searching for a clue for his orders.

How could he rest.