True Solution of the Sword Dao

Dark Alliance Shadow Cottage

This place seemed to be in another world.

The dim yellow sky lacked both the sun and white clouds; there was only an expanse of yellow. The pale yellow light enveloped everything in a faint hue.

Amongst a field of grass and a forest of trees, a wooden cottage stood quietly in the open space.

In front of the cottage was a stone human-shaped statue. The statue did not appear to be intentionally sculpted to resemble a human, possessing only a rough approximation of a human form, bare and devoid of gender characteristics or hair, with only three dark holes for eyes and mouth on the face. The features of the human-shaped face were twisted as if enduring immense suffering.

This was one of the bases of the Dark Alliance. Unknown to many, this place was also a base for the Shadow Tower within the Mage Tower Alliance.

Inside the cottage

Shaliye sat quietly at a desk, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, carefully transcribing something. Pale yellow scrolls and voluminous books lay open on the desk, illuminated by a faint white glow that emanated continuously from them.

"Regarding the issue with gold, what is your stance?" Shaliye whispered. His head did not lift, and though he was the only person in the room, his demeanor suggested the presence of others.

Above the desk, a skylight sent a beam of yellow light straight down, illuminating the scroll in Shaliye’s hands.

As soon as his words fell.

Outside the beam of light, opposite the desk and where there had been no one, a swirl of gray smoke suddenly appeared. The smoke twisted a few times, taking the appearance of a human face,

completely made up of gray smoke, as if a face was covered in a layer of ashen gauze.

The face seemed to have heard Shaliye’s question.

"They control Elisa’s Gate, which is the power resource we’re currently lacking. Whether we can uncover Energy Stone Resources within or not, the privilege to independently utilize teleportation between the Inner World and the outside is a worthwhile exchange for us. That way, we won’t need to depend on the meager spots allocated by the Tower of Wisdom every time," the face replied in a voice that sounded neither male nor female, seemingly genderless.

"Do you still remember the Energy Scepter?" Shaliye finished transcribing a few characters before slowly setting down his quill.

"The gold Elisa’s Gate controller has expressed a wish for us to release the Metal Scepter’s Contractor. What do you think?"

"Again, someone wants a piece of the Power of Inheritance?" The face said, either lamenting or mocking.

"Without trying it themselves, no one will give up. I hear there’s a newcomer at the Holy See also wanting to have a go. Just like Titan and Radiant Angel in the past, their arrogance and confidence cloud their judgment," Shaliye said indifferently.

"Since he wants it, let him have it. The Metal Scepter isn’t that important. We’ve studied it for so many years with little to show for it."

"Alright then, I’ll issue the command," Shaliye nodded.

"However, several of their high-ranking members intruded into our area without our permission; perhaps we should demonstrate the corresponding strength," the face proposed quietly.

"Of course," Shaliye smiled.

***************

Arlington Base Command Center.

A middle-aged man dressed in a white military uniform stood quietly in the center of the command center, facing a massive display screen on the wall.

On the screen, a figure shrouded in shadows and cloaked in a cape sat silently in a black metal high-backed chair. The figure was entirely concealed by a black cape, rendering any facial features indiscernible.

"The research on the Energy Scepter stops here, as decided by the upper echelons," the figure spoke in a deep voice, inaudible as any distinct sound characteristic, as it seemed to be processed through a computer into a mechanical voice.

"Why? All our research projects are at a critical stage. If we pull out now, all of our efforts these past four or five years will have been in vain!" the officer protested firmly.

"I’m not clear on the reasons myself, but it’s an order from above. If you have any objections, feel free to take them up directly with the higher-ups," continued the figure in the cape, "Research on the Metal Scepter ends here. Someone will soon come to rescue Kelan, and you just need to pretend to confront them and help them to leave."

"Cooperate?" The officer frowned. "This is a secret base, not a film set..."

"Regardless of how you cooperate, the requirement from above is to safely escort both the Metal Scepter and the people coming for it out of the base. How you do it is your concern. However, if you’re capable of stopping them, that’s your business too. The superiors will not interfere," the figure disappeared from the screen with a snap.

The officer stood in the control room, his expression changing continuously.

"So close... haha, they won’t interfere? Very well!"

"Huh..." He took a long breath. Still, he turned and exited the control room.

Click...

The metallic sensing doors automatically parted.

After the officer stepped out, they closed automatically behind him.

Walking down the black metal corridor, several passing personnel saluted with precise movements. Though they wore the attire of white-clad researchers, the essence of their conduct still bore the style of the military.

The officer walked past several rooms with automatic sensing doors.

Eventually, he stopped in front of a door labeled "Head Control Room."

The sensing door automatically opened, and he strode in.

Inside was a dense, massive space filled with hundreds of monitor screens arranged in orderly rows. A few staff members scurried about, apparently performing checks and maintenance.

"How are things?" the officer asked loudly.

"All quiet, sir!" a young lad came over and answered casually.

"All quiet?" The officer furrowed his brows. He surveyed the entire surveillance system once more.

The multitude of screens made the control room feel like an internet cafe.

"Are you certain?" he asked again.

"Of course," the young man affirmed.

The officer pulled out a walkie-talkie.

"Alice, come over."

"Ok," a crisp female voice responded from the walkie-talkie.

"Remember to bring your professional gear. We’ve got a job to do," the officer said flatly.

"Right away!"

The officer put down the intercom, his expression unchanged.

"If they’re not going to intervene, does that mean the higher-ups think I’m not a match for them?" he scoffed. He had a clear grasp of the intent from above; the top brass wouldn’t interfere. But if the enemy was too weak, so feeble they couldn’t even take a common secret base, then that was no longer their problem. It was obvious that the relationship between the party desiring the Metal Scepter and the headquarters was not very harmonious, or better yet, quite estranged, unfamiliar. They were still in a phase of mutual testing.

"In that case..." A cold smile played upon the officer’s face. "If I keep all the comers on the base, I wouldn’t be wrong, would I?"

******************

Inside an air duct.

In the darkness Merrill carefully lifted a ventilation cover. The metal cover made a clicking sound and was gently moved aside into the passageway.

"Below is the deepest corridor we can reach following the air vent. From here, if you go down and follow the tunnel, we’ll arrive at the research hall. That’s where the Metal Scepter and Kelan are located. Everyone, be careful."

"Okay." Several people nodded in agreement.

"Then let’s move out! Lin You, make sure to follow Chris’ lead, do whatever she does, got it?" Cheng Guang instructed somewhat apprehensively.

"Okay," Lin You nodded firmly.

The group of five moved quickly and jumped down.

A faint red glow lit up beneath their feet as they touched the ground, nearly silencing the impact.

Chris’s eyes flashed red for a moment, and the red light slowly faded away. Clearly, it was her doing. She had used the Fire System’s potential energy to create a rising heat flow, counteracting the force of their descent. Easy to say, but difficult to master.

With a slight gesture, Merrill pointed upwards, and the cover of the air duct was pulled back into place by potential energy.

The group, or rather four people and one cat, quickly started running deeper into the tunnel.

***************

Inside the monitoring room

On countless large screens, the images clearly showed Lin You and his group running quickly.

The officer stood in front of the screens with his hands behind his back, and beside him, a tall woman with long red hair was lazily toying with her hair.

All other staff had been ordered to leave temporarily. Only the two of them remained in the monitoring room.

"Give them a surprise," the officer remarked dispassionately.

"No problem," the woman said with a smile, her fingers outstretched as countless semi-transparent threads slowly spanned between them like a spider’s web.

***************

On the outskirts of Arlington Cemetery

The sky was slowly darkening, at the cusp of day and night. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

By the cemetery, just outside the underground parking lot where Lin You and the others had entered,

a tall figure slowly walked onto the lawn where they had been. Ye Yuhua dressed in a black ladies’ business suit, blended in like many other relatives who came to pay their respects to the deceased, nothing to draw attention. But in her hand was a long umbrella.

"This is where it ends."

A man’s voice suddenly came from behind her.

Ye Yuhua turned to look.

A muscular man wearing sunglasses stood on the lawn with his hands on his hips. A silver pattern on his right cheek shimmered faintly with silver light.

**************

At the same time

Screech!!!

Yuan Yicheng slammed on the brakes.

The black Porsche lunged forward with inertia.

Through the window, his gaze fixed on a huge pale red membrane that had suddenly appeared in the middle of the road in front of him.

It was a massive energy membrane that had opened suddenly, acting like a Barrier.

Because it had appeared so abruptly, Yuan Yicheng had nearly been enveloped by it too.

He squinted at the red energy membrane in front of him. The membrane, several tens of meters tall, was like a colossal egg, its surface subtly pulsing with a glow that brightened and dimmed like breathing.

It was a sight invisible to the ordinary eye.

The majority of the cemetery was enclosed by the massive red energy membrane.

Right in front, a figure walked out of the red Barrier at a leisurely pace.

The person looked commonplace, wearing a fitted white shirt and black pants.

"Welcome to the Dark Alliance..."

Sssss!

Two additional arms unfurled behind the man in an instant.

Yuan Yicheng’s pupils contracted. He could clearly make out that these were real flesh-and-blood arms, a full pair that seemed to grow straight out of the man’s back.

At the same time, another similar figure, also with four arms, emerged behind Yuan Yicheng’s car. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to join us at Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)