Chapter 2952: The Password in the Tower

'A shortcut?'

'So choosing this rendezvous point was planned all along? Deferring to the host really was the right move.'

Yuan Shan's remark in that moment left Fu Qian deeply amused.

Appraising the landmark building before him, he didn't stand on ceremony and simply followed her inside.

It seemed they were even going to save on gas money this time. There really was a reason the Night Watchers had managed to build up such a massive enterprise.

"Do you still remember the last time you came here?"

Shutting the door behind them with a heavy thud, Yuan Shan looked almost like a cat that had finally cornered a mouse, especially as she smiled and brought up the past.

"Of course I remember. How are that kid's injuries?" Fu Qian replied casually, knowing full well that Yuan Shan was referring to the old incident from when he first arrived in Shangjing.

Visibility inside the Tower was slightly better, but the uniformly black color scheme—identical from the outside in—created a uniquely oppressive atmosphere under the lighting.

Walking through it, he almost felt as if the dark night itself were collapsing onto him, a sensation he silently savored.

Back then, to find the stolen Blood of Thorns from the Restricted Zone here, he had tried a strategy of fishing with explosives and infiltrated the place in disguise. That had even been his very first meeting with Chief Yuan.

"The injuries healed a long time ago," Yuan Shan said with a soft sigh, seeing that Fu Qian actually remembered the victim. "She's just been a bit jumpy ever since, and her attitude toward work has become excessively serious. There's definitely some psychological trauma."

The "kid" naturally referred to the staff member on duty at the time. In all fairness, the young woman had been quite dedicated to her duties, so much so that Fu Qian had been forced to switch up his infiltration method.

"Then do you also remember how you ran all over the place back then, but I still managed to catch up to you?"

However, she had no intention of demanding compensation on the victim's behalf, quickly moving on to her true point.

"Of course I remember that too, although I have no idea how you managed to catch up."

How could Fu Qian forget something like that?

After spotting Yuan Shan busy inside the Restricted Zone back then, he had chosen to simply walk away.

Yet, despite being so careful, he had still been blocked before he could even make it out the door.

At the time, he had guessed that as the host, Yuan Shan probably knew some shortcuts.

But combining that with her earlier mention of a "shortcut," was there actually a deeper secret behind it?

"You did run very fast, and your route was logical. Honestly, you almost got away back then. Unfortunately for you, while you might understand infiltration, you didn't know the password," Yuan Shan said, smiling smugly as she signaled for Fu Qian to turn left at the upcoming fork.

...

'A password?'

Pairing that word with infiltration made sense, but applying it to a game of interception felt incredibly strange.

"The forks in the road?"

Seeing Chief Yuan keeping him in suspense, Fu Qian's gaze landed on the exceptionally complex internal corridors winding up and down before them. He seemed to realize something.

"Very smart."

Truth be told, ever since learning her mentor had a fail-safe, Chief Yuan hadn't really been able to contain her cheerful mood.

So in that moment, even though she was clearly quite surprised by Fu Qian's guess, she kept a smile on her lips.

"Exactly. The password lies in these intersections. The choices made at each position ultimately link together to form a password string.

"And once certain special passwords are entered correctly, specific effects will trigger."

Raising a hand to signal Fu Qian to head downward, she softly explained the underlying mechanics.

"For example, jumping ahead and ending up in front of me."

Fu Qian instantly understood.

The concept of a password might be a bit abstract to anyone else, but he was far too familiar with it.

Back in Laerdin, he had triggered a mission in a very similar manner.

Treating different intersections as nodes and making various directional choices ultimately acted like inputting a password into the world itself.

And that hadn't even been the only time.

Vivian and Niniane, the two mermaid princesses he had encountered in the Ash Sea, were trapped—or rather, sheltered—within a Miracle known as the Shattered Crown.

And the method to leave that place was also a password formed by navigating between different fragments.

Sure enough, there was a reason why the slightly larger Night Watchers bases came standard with this kind of special architecture.

As a top-tier faction in this world, they truly held quite a few secrets. It was even obvious what exactly the "shortcut" Yuan Shan mentioned was, when he thought about it.

There was more than one password. If some allowed you to traverse the building, was it possible others could let you travel even further?

"It looks like you already figured out how it's done. But don't overthink it."

Seeing that he was on the right track, Yuan Shan clearly didn't think she could hide the rest from Fu Qian, merely offering a smiling reminder.

"Because of positioning and the changing seasons, not only are the passwords different for every base, but they even change over time within the same base."

...

'It's that complex? It's even a dynamic passcode?'

Chief Yuan's reminder was perhaps a bit too preemptive.

But it also indirectly confirmed his guess about this landmark building.

It wasn't just built to display authority; it sounded like it even functioned as an express passageway to the Night Watchers Headquarters.

Except it was likely one-way—a tool strictly used for a one-click return to base.

Otherwise, when the incident with Ariel happened, Yuan Shan wouldn't have had to wait anxiously here for backup.

"Understood. But I don't really have any reason to run over there for nothing anyway, do I?"

He nodded slightly to show he had taken the lesson to heart, but that didn't stop him from firing back the question.

That did seem true... What kind of outlaw would be stupid enough to casually stroll into a Night Watchers base for no reason?

"We're here."

Instantly realizing the flaw in her own logic, Yuan Shan gave a light cough to cover her embarrassment, pointing forward a second later.

A single glance revealed it to be surprisingly familiar.

"The Restricted Zone?"

Fu Qian asked curiously, confirming his suspicion.

"Exactly. Let's use this as our starting point. From here on out, follow me and mimic my steps without the slightest deviation."

Yuan Shan validated his memory, stepping up to the entrance of the Restricted Zone.

"Are there timing requirements?"

With such strict requirements, it seemed it wasn't just a matter of choosing the right direction. Another element sprang to Fu Qian's mind.

"There are... Let's begin."

Yuan Shan nodded, even casting a pointed glance toward her mentor.

The latter gave no reaction, clearly set on leaving.

Since that was the case, she didn't say anything more and walked straight ahead.

...

'Interesting. This kind of thing feels very hard to discover just by trial and error.'

For Fu Qian, this game of follow-the-leader was incredibly simple, even with Chief Yuan's speed fluctuating wildly.

However, this erratic pacing made Fu Qian marvel inwardly even as he flawlessly matched her steps.

If it were just intersections, there was still a chance of stumbling upon it by coincidence. But by layering the element of time on top of it, the password's strength became quite astonishing.

Not to mention it was a dynamic passcode.

'If it wasn't discovered by chance, then how did this thing come to be? By reading the stars?'

The Night Watchers truly held no shortage of secrets.

"We're here. Get ready—"

Amidst his musings, Yuan Shan's warning rang out once more. At the T-junction the very next second, she slammed headfirst right into the opposite wall.