Chapter 102

Chapter 102

Amos hummed an off-key tune as he stood at the edge of the rooftop, thick fog emanating from the array beneath his feet, gradually shrouding the streets of Arkham.

The fog served no particular purpose; it was merely ordinary mist that couldn't be dispersed by the wind, lingering within the city until Amos ceased his actions.

He lifted his gaze to the sky and sighed wistfully, "It's a shame I can't turn the moon red. That would have made it perfect."

Eugene also stood on the rooftop, though at least three or four meters away from Amos. In the brief days since their last meeting, Eugene appeared several years older, his skin rough and face gaunt—a consequence of overusing his abilities.

Peering down from the rooftop, he could see the ground below where the abnormalities roamed, attacking those they could see while the unseen ones watched in confusion as their companions were decapitated.

The ability to see these abnormalities lay in the cookies and candies they held.

Amos had obtained partial memories from the petals he plucked from Soren's soul, which naturally included the location of the inheritance. However, after acquiring the inheritance, he showed little interest in its contents related to the Dream World, merely skimming through them superficially.

What truly piqued his interest was how to enable ordinary people to see these abnormalities.

Soren had once been stumped in his research on accumulating the energy needed to unlock the Dream World.

He had entertained various theories, such as attempting it at specific times and locations. However, most of these energy-rich geomantic sites were already occupied by other factions, and acquiring those unique treasures was no easy feat.

This problem alone had stumped him for quite some time until Sauron finally found inspiration from the taboo array and the bizarre creatures.

The taboo array could convert human life and souls into equivalent amounts of energy. Humans, as expendable resources, were abundant, making this option much simpler than the previous ones.

Moreover, there were the bizarre creatures, natural executioners that would be triggered to kill once they were perceived by humans. There were numerous ways to make humans see them, such as the array Sauron had set up around Arkham previously. There were also many discarded ideas, like the one Amos was currently using.

He had mixed potions that temporarily enhanced inspiration into candies and cookies produced in a factory, which were then sold to citizens, leading to the current situation.

After witnessing the pedestrians being slaughtered by the bizarre creatures, Eugene's knees trembled as he clutched his mouth in horror.

"Ugh!"

With nothing left in his stomach, Eugene retched repeatedly, almost vomiting bile.

His lowered gaze fell upon a pair of black leather shoes.

"Why such a strong reaction, Eugene?" Amos asked, perplexed. "You should've considered the consequences when you agreed to help me."

"I... I regret it."

"What?"

Saliva still clung to Eugene's lips as tears streamed down his face. "Working with you is the biggest regret of my life."

Amos sighed. "You truly disappoint me, Eugene."

He reached out and grabbed Eugene's hair, forcing his face up. "If you were going to be a dog, why didn't you have the resolve to dirty your hands completely?"

"You're nothing but a madman," said Eugene expressionlessly.

The overuse of his abilities had left his head aching, making every thought a struggle. It was a vicious cycle, and it was only now that he finally understood this man's intentions.

He wasn't helping him at all; his plans were far more insane and audacious.

He wanted to recreate the legend of Arkham City.

For that, everything in Arkham City was just a stepping stone for him. He had no intention of destroying the Kamui tribe—he wanted to turn Arkham City into ruins, and then, on those ruins, create a god.

"Thank you for the compliment," Amos replied with a slight smile as he met the man's gaze.

"You're that certain that 'He' will resolve everything?" Eugene asked coldly.

"Absolutely," Amos's eyes crinkled, a fleeting madness flickering beneath their surface. His expression was one of confident obsession. "For 'He' is the entity I have set my sights upon."

But Eugene looked at him with a cold stare. He seemed to have shaken off the weariness and desperation from before. The fog in his eyes dissipated, replaced once more by a composed clarity. Perhaps because he had accepted his inevitable death here, today, at this man's hands, Eugene had regained his composure and returned to his usual self.

He turned up the corners of his mouth into a mocking smile. "Do you truly believe He will accept you after learning all that you've done?"

"He will need me," Amos said. "Only I will do whatever it takes to help him."

Eugene chuckled, shaking his head as he did. "No, They won't. They have no shortage of believers. Once, I thought the same, as did many others. But, oh, the Gods are lofty and never spare a fraction of mercy... I truly look forward to the day when you meet my fate."

The false smile on Amos's face gradually faded. "You won't live to see that day."

With one hand resting on Eugene's shoulder, Amos activated the power of his Soul Eye, and he could vaguely perceive within Eugene's soul a Phalaenopsis with slightly withered edges.

As anticipated, it's a situation of neither gain nor loss, a tasteless morsel that's better not discarded.

Yet, his capabilities were decent at the very least.

Just as he was about to make his move, a sudden pang of foreboding surged from the depths of his soul.

Amos darted sideways abruptly, but it was too late. A bullet grazed past his shoulder, instantly igniting a searing pain that was exacerbated by the burning golden flames.

Amos turned toward the direction the bullet had come from. "I didn't expect you to still be alive."

The blond man emerged gradually from the stairwell. "Stay away from him."

"Truly touching, considering the camaraderie?"

Albert dismissed Amos with a lack of interest. He had laboriously traced the factory's footprint to arrive here, only to find that he seemed to be too late.

At the very least, they had to keep Eugene, who was surely privy to many of the Bureau’s secrets.

With this thought in mind, Albert fired at Amos once again. The Desert Eagle in his hand seemed to be gilded with a layer of gold against the backdrop of golden flames. Bullets formed of fire poured towards the direction he aimed.

Upon transcending the third tier, Albert's abilities underwent another evolution. His mastery over the Golden Flame of Judgment grew even more profound, allowing him to manipulate it across space and time without harming himself. Furthermore, he could now compress the flames into bullets, injecting them into humans or creatures before they detonated within.

The two engaged in a fierce fight on the rooftop. Amos was no coward when it came to facing Albert, but he found the situation troublesome. After exchanging a couple of rounds without finding an opening, screams echoed from the crowd below.

Albert paused in his movements.

" Aren't you going to save them?" Amos asked.

Albert's cold gaze shifted between Amos and Eugene. Suddenly, Amos smiled. "Let me help you make a choice then."

He grabbed Eugene by the collar and, without hesitation, pushed him off the rooftop while the latter was still in a daze.

Albert's eyes narrowed, and he immediately followed, leaping down with his gun tucked away. He caught Eugene's body mid-air and scanned their surroundings, eventually focusing on a balcony on the second floor.

As their bodies brushed past power lines, Albert reached out without hesitation and grabbed hold of the high-voltage wire. Using the momentum, he swung down, landing with both of them on an unknown family's balcony railing.

At this height, neither of them, being Beyonders who had ventured deep into the Third Layer of the Dream Gap, would be killed by the fall. Albert felt a sharp pain in his calf, though it wasn't severe enough for a fracture.

Looking up at Eugene, he saw that the latter had hit his shoulder and forehead, possibly causing a concussion. However, Albert didn't have time for a thorough check. Panic-stricken screams from the street below drew his attention. Briefly assessing Eugene's condition and confirming that he was unable to move, Albert left him behind and jumped from the second-story balcony to rush to the rescue.

In Arkham, screams and chaos began to spread gradually.

At the Central Plaza.

After the Kamui's performance, there was no awkward silence as expected; instead, a small minority of ethnic groups, gathered due to the divine presence, spontaneously offered them applause. A smile finally graced Carmen's face.

Then came the main event.

With the Kamui's act concluded, the God Among Men reappeared on stage, standing at the edge of the altar on a lectern at the feet of the stone deity.

Surveying the sea of people below, he noticed that players were no longer as conspicuous amidst the diverse crowd. However, he knew they wouldn't miss such a spectacle.

"I am honored to be here once more, seeing so many of you gathered because of me. This fills me with both pride and a sense of responsibility.

Many of you likely know that I hail from Arkham, and you might also be aware of the recent disputes that have arisen in our city…"

As the God Among Men spoke, buying time, he scanned the crowd, knowing that The Strongest Man was aiming at him.

If he were to die here and leave a 'last will' hoping that future arrivals would inherit his wish to spare the Kamui, the entire performance would come to a close without much difficulty.

Norman King's card would fade from public view in this situation.

Hm?

Player Channel:

Nian Nian: Damn, I've got a weirdo here!

...

The divine figure's speech paused ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly, before resuming as if nothing had happened. The deity's eyes scanned the surroundings.

There didn't seem to be any suspicious shadows around. Was it an illusion?

Among the crowd below, the Strongest Man, holding his pistol, was eager to stir trouble. He glanced furtively left and right, noticing that everyone's attention was fixed on the divine figure's speech, not him.

Perfect, an opportunity.

The Strongest Man raised his gun, aiming at the divine figure, envisioning his character card being recorded as one of the world's most heinous criminals in history.

To think that he had yet to set foot in a prison in this world; he was rather curious about what it would be like. Hehe, he was looking forward to it.

Of course, the live stream was still ongoing. Many people in the forums were eager to witness the divine figure's earthly farewell and were enthusiastically flooding the chat with messages.

"Keep it going, keep it going."

"The streamer is so brave, actually standing in an area with minorities, as if hoping someone will miss if they shoot."

"What do you know, upstairs? If not for the streamer being here, everyone in this area would be focused on the speech. With the suspicious behavior of the streamer, they would've been discovered long ago."

"Fire already, you're driving me crazy!"

"The streamer's aiming too high, it'll be hilarious if they miss."

"Hurry up, hurry up! I can't wait to witness the master's divine moment."

"Promotion in motion, merchandise on sale, let's make it textbook stuff."

"It's all set up, isn't it? Hilarious! Allow me to predict: when the master is on their deathbed, they'll forgive the strongest man with a saintly demeanor."

"Then the mightiest man, in his prison cell, bawled his heart out, showing deep remorse, following the steps I've laid out for you!"

"Divinity on Earth is somewhat of a symbol of peace. Once he's gone, chaos will likely ensue."

"Yay! Can players now proudly join the freeloading squad?"

"I'm so nervous, hahaha! Excited yet anxious."

Not only were the viewers tense, but the strongest man also felt their anxiety, starting to feel jittery himself. He took a deep breath and was about to pull the trigger.

Suddenly, a buddy beside him pointed in a certain direction, screaming as if he had spotted some horrifying, unimaginable creature. He then crashed towards the strongest man.

The strongest man lost his balance, redirecting the gun. He too caught sight of the scaly oddity and instinctively fired a shot.

"Shooting: Critical Success"

The strongest man: ...

Live stream chat: ...

A peculiar grand success struck in the most unexpected of places.