Chapter 242: Pyramid in the Rainforest, Source of the Curse

"That’s right, this is it." A middle-aged man stared grimly into the depths of the rainforest at the towering Pyramid.

They were members of a clandestine unit from the Xuan Empire. To the outside world, only their enemies knew this unit existed.

Countless enemies had died at their hands.

"The ’Chapter of Disease’—one of the four apocalyptic odes written by the Mad Poet after he read the Destructive Sacred Object, the ’Book of Revelation’—is inside this Pyramid."

"We must bring this Sacred Object back to the Xuan Empire. With it, we will gain a decisive advantage in our war against the Eternal United States." Fanaticism laced the middle-aged man’s voice.

Throughout the long war, countless nations had been annihilated. Now, only the Xuan Empire and the Eternal United States were left on the entire planet.

Yet, these terrifying acts of war did not lead the two nations to recuperate; instead, the conflict has raged on to this day.

This was because War itself had been unleashed from the Destructive Sacred Object known as the ’Book of Revelation’.

The war would not stop until all of humanity was extinct.

Sacred Objects, the primary weapons of this war, had mysterious origins.

Some were man-made, while others appeared out of nowhere.

Even the man-made Sacred Objects could not be replicated; it was as if they merely used human hands as a conduit to descend upon the world.

Hence, they were called "Sacred Objects."

And at the apex, above all other Sacred Objects, were the Destructive Sacred Objects.

Besides the ’Book of Revelation’, which had once appeared in the Eternal United States, the Xuan Empire also saw the brief emergence of a Destructive Sacred Object called the ’Miasma of the Six Heavens’.

However, the full descent of both the ’Book of Revelation’ and the ’Miasma of the Six Heavens’ was prevented; otherwise, humanity would have been wiped out long ago.

But the number of Sacred Objects born from these two Destructive Sacred Objects was immense.

The very Sacred Object the Xuan Empire’s clandestine unit now sought, the ’Chapter of Disease’, was one such item—a record of the Plague from the ’Book of Revelation’, which had itself become a Sacred Object.

"Captain, with our level of strength, trying to retrieve the ’Chapter of Disease’—a derivative of the Plague from the ’Book of Revelation’... We’ll probably die before we even get halfway there," one of a team members said with a wry smile.

The difficulty was off the charts.

Even if it was derived from just a fraction of the original, its power was not something they could withstand.

"The Empire has provided us with ample protection."

"Besides, obeying orders is a soldier’s sacred duty!" the middle-aged man said coldly. "You’ve been on missions for years. If you’re getting scared now, you might as well go find a corner and slit your own throat."

He wasn’t just saying that to provoke his subordinate; it was the truth.

Sacred Objects were bizarre and unpredictable. Sometimes, taking your own life was a way to escape torment.

If they were to encounter a Sacred Object that wouldn’t even let one rest in peace, eternal torment was the likely outcome.

Chastised by the captain, the soldier could only manage a sheepish grin and dared not say another word.

Every mission they undertook was a life-or-death gamble. Of course, the death rate on the front lines was far higher.

The clandestine unit had it relatively easy; at least there was some room to maneuver.

Once you were on the battlefield, you had no control over your fate.

"Let’s move. We need to get the ’Chapter of Disease’ as quickly as possible. The Empire is counting on us." With that, the captain prepared to lead his team forward.

"So, uh, would you mind explaining the situation in a bit more detail?" a voice suddenly interjected.

The pupils of the soldiers constricted. Their bodies reacted instantly, launching an attack toward the source of the voice.

As a clandestine unit, their nerves were perpetually taut, constantly living on the razor’s edge between life and death.

A strange voice emerging from their midst could only mean one thing: an enemy.

After all, deep behind enemy lines, anyone who wasn’t a teammate was an enemy.

Neutrality? It didn’t exist.

Thanks to the war unleashed by the ’Book of Revelation’, fence-sitters and turncoats simply couldn’t survive.

If you didn’t commit to a side, you died.

War was just that bloody.

And by this point in the war, everyone understood one thing: the enemy would never accept you. Even if you surrendered, groveling on your knees, they would still take your life.

Among the two surviving factions, there was no one left who could be considered "normal."

’This level of power...’ Qi Suian’s expression shifted slightly. This clandestine unit was strong.

’At least on par with Level 3 Fire Seed Armor.’

Qi Suian was certain they weren’t the top powerhouses of this Doomsday World; at best, they were mid-tier.

Furthermore, each of them seemed to carry a special piece of equipment that not only secured their power but also granted them unique abilities.

The leader transformed into a Flame Man, and while the others didn’t undergo such a drastic change, they each displayed unique traits.

’Of course, it starts on hard mode...’ Qi Suian’s expression soured.

But since he had dared to reveal himself, he was confident he could win.

The AI immediately severed Qi Suian’s external sight and hearing.

Then, the Tai Sui God began broadcasting the poetic contents of the ’Chapter of Disease’, synchronized in both the script and language of the Xuan Empire via sight and sound.

It simultaneously activated a Radiation Force Field, unleashing disease and radiation at the same time.

"Dammit! It’s the ’Chapter of Disease’! Who the hell are you?!" the captain’s expression changed drastically.

He had never seen it himself, but he was privy to certain secrets and recognized the poem’s contents.

After all, Sacred Objects that manifested as poetry were few and far between.

"This isn’t right! This isn’t the Sacred Object! Why is it taking effect so quickly—BLEGH!" The captain vomited a large mouthful of black blood.

The flames engulfing his body turned a sickly green, losing all their heat and appearing to wither.

The others were in the same state.

Fortunately, they had come prepared. They were here for the ’Chapter of Disease’, after all; it would be absurd if they didn’t have a Sacred Object to counter its effects.

The captain hastily pulled out a peculiar Bronze Monster Insect Statue. The moment it touched his body, its wings began to vibrate.

As the buzzing sound spread, the disease within each person’s body was gradually expelled.

That’s right—not cured, but expelled.

Once his sight and hearing were restored, Qi Suian watched the scene unfold with great interest.

’Sacred Objects really are unreasonable.’

’But it seems using a Sacred Object comes at a price.’ Qi Suian watched as the captain’s hair visibly turned white after using the Bronze Monster Insect Statue.

Qi Suian could confirm one thing: this Doomsday World, despite the existence of the Extraordinary, lacked an energy system.

It was just like the Power of the Limit in the Polar Day World—it simply burned one’s life force.

Therefore, to use a Sacred Object without an energy source to draw from, one had to pay the price themselves.

As for whether the price was always the same, Qi Suian had no idea.

He was a newcomer here; how was he supposed to know?

If he wanted to understand this world, he would have to rely on the men before him.

’What’s that? Did I just use a lethal attack? Would they have died if they didn’t have a Sacred Object to expel disease?’

’That’s ridiculous. They dared to come for the ’Chapter of Disease’, which meant they obviously had a Sacred Object to counter it.’

’If they didn’t, well, then they would have just died.’

It wasn’t as if Qi Suian had to get his information from them. He could just find other people; it’s not like they were the last ones left in the world.

"Fall back!" the captain ordered instantly.

He understood that they were no match for the mysterious Iron Armor Man before them.

Their opponent could unleash the ’Chapter of Disease’ again, but he couldn’t use the Healing Insect Statue a second time.

"Now that you’re here, why the hurry to leave?" As Qi Suian spoke, the Tai Sui God sprang into action.

This group was certainly skilled, but compared to the Tai Sui God, they were worlds apart.

Thus, they were overtaken before they could even take two steps.

"Fight to the death." The captain, sensing the vast gap between them, knew escape was impossible.

So their first move was... to teleport all their Sacred Objects back to the Xuan Empire.

This not only ensured the Sacred Objects wouldn’t fall into enemy hands, but it also served to transmit a message back home.

It would signal that their mission had failed and that they had died in service to their country.

Seeing this, Qi Suian immediately saw red.

"What the fuck, where are my things?!" In Qi Suian’s mind, the Sacred Objects these men carried were already his.

Once they were dead, their legacy would surely be his to claim.

But now, not only did they refuse to hand them over, they used some kind of Sacred Object to send everything away.

After all, to both the Xuan Empire and the Eternal United States, Sacred Objects were strategic assets.

A person could die, but the Sacred Object had to be returned.

Thus, a special Sacred Object was dedicated to remote retrieval, so long as death wasn’t instantaneous, they could always teleport their Sacred Objects back to the Empire.

"Yours? Heh. These are the Empire’s Sacred Objects," the captain sneered, launching a direct attack with all his might.

His attacks were indeed formidable. It was clear he was a seasoned killer, as every strike aimed for a vital point.

It was just a shame his strength wasn’t enough. Qi Suian took them all down.

"With your pathetic strength, you dare... Ugh, never mind. Interrogation is the priority," Qi Suian sighed. In truth, he wasn’t very confident he could get anything out of them through torture.

This group was clearly made up of professionals. With his own half-baked interrogation skills, there was no way Qi Suian could make them talk.

Fortunately, he had a professional AI.

He left the rest of the matter for the AI to handle.

Qi Suian wasn’t expecting to uncover any deep secrets. He just needed a general understanding of this Doomsday World.

As for the ’Chapter of Disease’ inside the Pyramid... well, it would be best if he could get that information out of them.

If not, it didn’t matter. He would just have his Floating Cannons clear a path.

It didn’t matter if the Pyramid survived or not, as long as he could seize this fated opportunity.

The AI directed the Tai Sui God to begin interrogating the soldiers, while Qi Suian returned to his research on the Low-level Poison Element Attachment Magic.

He was stuck on it, and the lack of progress was frustrating.

His progress was extremely limited. Without a proper environment, reference materials, or any related support, any headway he made was purely thanks to his protagonist’s halo.

Even Qi Suian himself wouldn’t dare claim his progress was due to his own "strength."

Fortunately, after his protagonist’s halo was enhanced to +7, his luck had improved even further, significantly boosting his learning efficiency.

Barring any accidents, even without killing the "Survivor Protagonist" and the "Doomsday World Protagonist," Qi Suian would be able to complete his study of the Low-level Poison Element Attachment Magic and move on to the research phase.

He was primarily interested in the Enchantment Array; the actual enchantment effect was just a bonus.