Chapter 368
Of course, even if they looked up, they wouldn't see anything.
At that moment, a vague black figure appeared beside Xia'er, floating silently next to the clock tower, watching her intently.
A voice echoed in her mind.
"Do you need me... to kill him?" The chaotic voice resonated within Xia'er's thoughts. "There's not much time left."
"No, that's not necessary." Xia'er shook her head, glancing at the shadow beside her. In her heart, she thought, "Just pretend to resist for a bit, then let him drive you away... If you have any strength left, take Tara to a safe place."
Xia'er's goal was to leave false information for Qiangyin, leading him to investigate in the wrong direction.
If the Anworm pushed him too close, or even attempted to kill him, it could force Qiangyin to backtrack, rendering all of Xia'er's preparations useless.
But Qiangyin was quite resilient... Even though the Anworm was holding back, he had managed to endure for a full two hours. The ordinary people in the East District were nearly wiped out, yet he still struggled on, albeit with great difficulty.
"Is there any blood left? If not, I'm leaving."
The indistinct voice echoed in Xia'er's mind once more.
The prolonged battle had drained a significant amount of the Anworm's power. Even after extracting the blood and flesh of hundreds of thousands of ordinary people in the East District, it barely managed to sustain itself for another hour—after all, their blood was fundamentally different from Xia'er's, providing little energy for the Anworm.
Moreover, the Anworm couldn't completely exhaust Xia'er's blood; it still needed to take a substantial amount back to its realm, as that was a valuable commodity.
"None left." Xia'er shook her head.
She estimated that the time was nearly up; she couldn't push any further. It was time to let the battered Qiangyin return to investigate the traces of pleasure she had deliberately left behind.
"Oh..."
The shadow beside Xia'er gradually faded, and there was a hint of emotion in its voice, conveying a sense of "regret."
Xia'er couldn't shake the feeling that the Anworm's emotions seemed richer this time.
Strangely, she hadn't even activated the "Exceeding Gear" this time, so logically, the Anworm should have been more foolish. Yet, it had accurately located her position and come to demand blood.
However, it hadn't resorted to any forceful means, perhaps understanding the difference between a full meal and a mere snack.
Soon, in Xia'er's line of sight, the black shroud of the East District began to churn toward the eastern suburbs. Xia'er raised an eyebrow slightly, but soon, the shroud slowly dissipated in the small town of the eastern suburbs, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief.
Aivina and the others were still in the Ham Ruins of the East District. If the Anworm continued moving toward the eastern suburbs and crossed the edge of the small town, it would spell trouble.
The troops that had been gathering at Westminster Bridge received orders to head toward the East District. They needed to deal with the remnants of the riots—suppressing those ordinary people who had gone mad but were still alive.
About twenty minutes later, Xia'er spotted an elite knight squad from the Russell family swiftly carrying a stretcher toward the Russell estate. On the stretcher lay Qiangyin, his face half-torn and drenched in blood.
If it weren't for his distinctive white hair, Xia'er might not have recognized the tortured figure as Qiangyin.
Following that, two more stretchers carried Princess Vitalis and Princess Windsor, who were being taken to Vitalis Palace. From Xia'er's observation, it seemed that both of them were beyond saving.
At least they had been left with intact bodies; their deaths had been somewhat fortunate in that regard.
Now, all she had to do was wait for this simulation to end...
For some reason, a sense of unease crept into Xia'er's heart. She had a vague feeling that things were not as simple as they seemed, but she couldn't pinpoint the reason for this premonition.
Hopefully, it was just a false alarm.
Xia'er leaped down from the clock tower, landing steadily on an ethereal staircase suspended in mid-air. After a few more jumps, she landed firmly on the ground.
...
"Cough... cough..."
"Lord Qiangyin, please don't try to get up. You're seriously injured. The Royal Medical Society will be here soon; just hold on."
A steady voice reached Qiangyin's ears. Just as he was about to rise, a force gently pushed him back down.
"Cough..." Qiangyin, with his internal organs ruptured, spat out a mouthful of dark red blood. Through his blurred vision, he looked toward the source of the voice and said, "Charles... you really are something..."
"Lord Qiangyin, you know that without the assistance of the Royal Symphony, we can't breach the East District," Charles said, looking down at the half-dead Qiangyin with a troubled expression. "Only you can conduct the Symphony."
Qiangyin gritted his teeth against the pain coursing through his body, taking a slow breath and falling silent, waiting for the Royal Medical Society's treatment.
You were too greedy, Duke Russell...
After this, the Russell family would have to pay a price...
At least it was all over... that monster had been defeated by him...
He never expected the Holy Order to create such a terrifying thing... Had they really developed a stable ritual for summoning "Holy Spirits"?
All of this would need to be settled once he recovered...
For now, he had to return and confirm whether the crisis had truly been averted...
About three hours later, after undergoing a simple surgery that had pulled him back from the brink of death, Qiangyin, dragging his heavily injured body, staggered into Windsor Palace.
If the incident had been resolved, he would have to force a rewind and give himself a hint...
Because Windsor had died in this incident, he needed to ensure her survival in the next rewind...
Leading the return, Qiangyin pushed open the door to the estate, only to realize something was off.
Where were the servants left in the Windsor household?
Quickly, a pool of blood on the floor alerted Qiangyin.
Someone had broken into Windsor Palace.
This was bad!
He hurried toward the restroom on the first floor, stepping over several corpses, and pushed open a hidden door inside, revealing a concealed corridor.
The stone stairs led down to the basement, where Qiangyin found a room in utter disarray.
The wooden table had been burned, but an ancient notebook lay quietly on the ground.
A dagger was stuck into the notebook, and a piece of paper was attached to the dagger.
He pulled out the paper and, after glancing at its contents, his pupils constricted slightly.
[You are out of the game]
[—Keybearer]
He quickly took out the black box from his pocket, tore off a piece of freshly sewn flesh, and tossed it inside, activating the black box.
The black box greedily devoured the flesh, but nothing was regurgitated, as if it were empty inside.
The matter was not over yet...
Qiangyin raised a hand to grasp his head, feeling as if the chain was beginning to stir in his mind.
"Who is the Keybearer? How could they force me into such a predicament?!"
Is it that "Subverter"?
No, he needed to gather more information... Duke Russell!
Promise him more benefits, and let him investigate what happened here.
Qiangyin swiftly exited the underground chamber, mounted a horse, and despite the risk of his wounds reopening, rode back to the Russell estate.
Meanwhile, Xia'er, walking through the streets and preparing to cross the East District to meet Aivina and the others, furrowed her brow slightly and turned to look back toward the West District.
Once again, she felt the fluctuation of "uniqueness."
.
.
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PS:
SORRY!
Today was a bit of a mess.
Tomorrow! Don’t miss the Kun Tanji! 8K, see you then!
Hang in there, future me! You can do it!
Good night!
Chapter 202: The "Uniqueness" That Affects Reality (10,400 words)
Xia'er quickly summoned the system and checked the time.
It had been over five hours since the last reset, and it was nearing the time of the previous reset.
Could it be...
...
A long-forgotten sense of humiliation surged within Qiangyin.
A "Subverter"... just a mere Tier 3...
How could they force him into such a situation...
Good... very good...
The sensation in his mind, as if being stirred, surged once more.
Qiangyin's eyes were now bloodshot. He suddenly raised his right hand to touch his cheek, feeling an imaginary flame scorching the flesh that no longer existed on his face.
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