Chapter 199.1: Time Rewind Part 1

On top of the high wall, the burly, stubble-faced figure made no attempt to hide his hostility. The weapon in his hands was aimed from afar at the vehicle they were in. It looked like an ordinary rifle, but the moment the muzzle locked onto Ji Jue, he felt a chill run down his spine.

What kind of good stuff was this?!

His eyes lit up, and he couldn’t suppress his curiosity.

Ji Liu rolled down the window and slowly stretched his hand outside, waving it a few times. Then, he poked his head out and called toward the searchlight, “Mr. Tian, it’s me, Ji Liu!”

“Like I give a damn who you are!” Mr. Tian, the bearded man, said expressionlessly. “Where’s the verification? Hurry it up, or my bullets won’t care whether you’re Ji Liu or Zhang...”

Tong Shan took off his glove and extended his hand toward the base ahead. A complex spirit circuit appeared over his palm, countless strands twisting together before finally connecting with the spirit circuit extending from within the base.

Triple key verification complete. His identity, soul, and mark were confirmed.

“So you really are Cliff City’s advance team?”

The muzzle wavered slightly. Mr. Tian dragged his feet for a while before finally coming down from the high wall. After circling their vehicle several times, he waved behind him, and the gate opened.

The base wasn’t large. It had temporarily occupied the ruins of a stadium, and after the defenses had been rebuilt, the space inside was only about the size of several large football fields. Tents, wire mesh, spirit matter traps, and other defenses were set up everywhere.

In less than two months, the permanent advance team had rooted itself deep in the heart of Spring City and built a semi-permanent defensive stronghold. The camp bustled with activity, with people hurrying back and forth all over the place. When they saw reinforcements had arrived, they immediately gathered nearby with enthusiasm, watching curiously.

The situation, however, didn’t look good. Almost everyone was injured. Mr. Tian, who was leading the way, also had a bandage wrapped around his neck. A sharp smell of disinfectant and blood clung to him, and his eyes were shot through with red. Who knew how long it had been since he last rested?

Grumpily, he asked, “We sent the signal ages ago. Why are you only here now? Were the higher-ups waiting until we were dead so they could come sweep our graves?”

Tong Shan accepted the resentment that had built up over the long wait instead of snapping back. “There’s a time discrepancy between the inside and outside. The outpost only received your message yesterday. Is Madam Lou here?”

Before Mr. Tian could answer, Lou Feng, who kept his head lowered and pretended to be dead in the back, suddenly shuddered as if he had been electrocuted. He blurted out in shock, “Madam Lou?! Which Madam Lou?”

Tong Shan turned back, puzzled. “What do you mean? You don’t know? Isn’t Lou Yanyue the only commander at the Tide City Security Bureau? Is there another one? You hesitated so much when you joined that I thought you already knew...”

I knew nothing!

The corner of Lou Feng’s eye twitched wildly, and his face shifted between pale and livid. He even took a step back unconsciously, trying to use Ji Jue as a shield. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come!”

“Do you know this person?” Ji Jue asked curiously.

It was hard to imagine that Young Master Lou, who usually acted like he feared nothing and answered to no one, could one day hear a single name and react like a mouse seeing a cat. He looked terrified, as if he regretted not wearing a diaper today.

“What do you think?!” Lou Feng glared at him in irritation. He suspected this bastard Ji Jue was doing it on purpose.

In truth, he absolutely was! After all, Lou wasn’t exactly a common surname. Madam Lou and Lou Feng were clearly from the same family. Asking that now was like pointing at someone installing an air conditioner and asking what they were doing.

Ji Jue simply wanted to enjoy that wonderful expression on Lou Feng’s face a little longer.

After glaring fiercely at him, Lou Feng struggled to maintain his composure, but he couldn’t hide the tremor in his voice. “Where is Au—I mean, Madam Lou?”

“She got into a fight with those little bastards from the Heretic Cult last night and suffered a minor injury. She’s resting right now. If you want to see her, wait until dinner,” Mr. Tian said. “Did you bring medicine? The base ran out long ago.”

Tong Shan pointed at the mountain of crates piled up in the cargo compartment. “It’s all here. Two shipments’ worth. If it’s still not enough, we can spare some from our own share.”

“I brought some too.” Lou Feng’s uneasy expression turned tense, and he hurriedly rummaged through his bag. It was clear that, although he was scared to death, he was still quite worried. He had the same energy as a kid who had come home with a fifty-nine on his final exam and immediately rushed to pour tea the moment his parents coughed.

Ji Jue grew even more curious.

As they passed by the signal tower, he casually reached out and touched it. Wary, Mr. Tian turned back almost instantaneously. He had sensed the faint fluctuation of spirit matter, and his bloodshot eyes fixed coldly on Ji Jue without the slightest attempt to hide his hostility. “What are you doing?”

Ji Jue froze, then immediately let go in embarrassment. “Sorry. I’ve never seen this kind of equipment before—”

“This is a permanent investigation team base, not just any other place. There are rules here. Keep your hands to yourself!” Mr. Tian[1] barked at Ji Jue, then turned to Tong Shan and warned him, “Keep your people in line!”

“I will.” Tong Shan patted Ji Jue on the shoulder. “They operate in a high-risk environment year-round, so their nerves are stretched tight. Don’t mess around.”

“All right, all right. Break it up.” Mr. Tian waved his hand, signaling for the crowd gathered around them to scatter. The tense atmosphere gradually eased. After giving Tong Shan’s team one last look, he said, “Follow me.”

Ji Jue kept his awkward smile, nodding ingratiatingly at the cold, indifferent stares directed his way.

He carefully concealed the tremor in his hands, trying not to let anyone notice how nervous he was. Like this, he looked just like any other frightened Ember craftsman. His heart sank to rock bottom, plunging into a bottomless abyss where even an echo would get lost. Meanwhile, a torrent of curses surged inside him, on the verge of spilling out like a fountain.

In that fleeting moment of contact, the signal tower returned responses from two completely different systems. One was utterly silent, long dormant and no longer responding. The other was protected by numerous layers of security, completely closed to unauthorized access, with one exception: Deus Ex Machina. Ji Jue had only managed to pull up the most recent communication records.

What the hell are you doing? They didn’t lose so much as a single hair! We spent all this time setting things up, and it was all for nothing?

Impossible. I personally planted markers along their route. At least several Ferocity-Class remnant spirits and aberrants headed their way. Even if Lü showed up herself, she’d be in for a rough fight!

Yeah? Why don’t you just say that even Tao Cheng would’ve been killed if he’d shown up? Save your breath and go bitch to the High Priest instead!

If you’ve got time to stand around talking shit, get back to work. If I go down, you’re going down with me. Got it?

Fuck you. They’re here. Tell the people inside to get ready, now!

Stall them!

Ji Jue held his breath, and his step faltered for a second.

The entire base was a trap! It was a grave prepared specifically for the reinforcements that would arrive later!

But how long would it take before the dagger hidden within this carefully painted illusion to be finally revealed?

“Mr. Shan, be careful with the cargo in the truck,” Ji Jue said, glancing toward the lorry. “The equipment is extremely delicate. We have to be careful not to damage it. The last time that happened, Mrs. Wen got so furious that I nearly ended up in the hospital.”

1. The surname Tian (田) translates to "field" or "farmland". It is a prominent name in Chinese history tracing back to Chen Wan, a prince from the State of Chen who fled to the State of Qi and adopted the name. Today, it is shared by over 6 million people. In 2019 it was the 34th most common surname in mainland China. ☜