Book 6: Chapter 26: The Witnesses

“Black Rat, when I was dismantling the display screen, I found an unusual hole beneath the control stick of the mech…” Silver Sail, who had rested for a while, said with a furrowed brow. “I suspect that was the core of the Apostle Mech!”

“Yeah, I saw it too. It was probably taken out by someone!” Black Rat nodded grimly, then hesitated before asking, “Silver Sail, you’re the more cunning one. What do you think about the person who took it…?”

“It was another Apostle, without a doubt!” Silver Sail said darkly. “Look here, and that mech… Hah, this person is truly ruthless! If that little girl hadn’t hidden inside the mech, no one would have survived… Hey, where’s the little thing? How is she gone?”

A trace of doubt and surprise appeared on Silver Sail’s face. Black Rat flashed instantly to where Mina had been just moments before.

“No one around! She actually slipped away right under our noses!” Black Rat widened his eyes and shouted in disbelief. “That’s impossible!”

“This place feels deathly still and eerie. Black Rat, I don’t want to stay here any longer!” Silver Sail’s face turned pale with anxiety.

“Right, let’s check other areas. We might run into the Apostle who destroyed this place!” A vicious look crept onto Black Rat’s face. “Silver Sail, that person took only the mech core and killed all the Atlanteans here. Why do you think they did it?”

“Hmph, isn’t it obvious? To silence witnesses! The person could have dismantled more Dark Gold components, but only took the easily portable mech core and abandoned the entire mech here. They must have obtained something even more valuable!” A gleam of fervor flashed in Silver Sail’s eyes. “We must find them before daybreak!”

“The Dark Gold materials we’ve already dismantled are worth at least a hundred thousand Shattered Crystals. The entire mech’s value is probably no less than a million Shattered Crystals. What could be more precious than that?” Black Rat’s face showed greed. “Silver Sail, do you think they might have found the demiplane coordinates of the ‘Celestial Wheel’?”

“Possibly! At the very least, it shouldn’t be any less valuable than a Legendary Item!” Silver Sail sneered. “Black Rat, look at these dead Atlanteans. Tell me, what was your first thought upon seeing them?”

“My first thought after seeing them?” Black Rat frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, “These people were likely survivors in the city. Even if they weren’t combatants before, they’ve been fighting wild creatures for years now and can pilot mechs… Silver Sail, are you saying…”

“Exactly, you’ve got it. The most valuable thing in this warehouse isn’t the Apostle Mech. That thing is valuable, sure, but we don’t have Storage Space, so we can’t carry much material!” A sharp glint shone in Silver Sail’s eyes. “The most valuable things are actually these ant-like Atlantean natives.

There are plenty of abandoned mechs and weapons in this fortress. The only thing missing is energy, but we Apostles don’t lack magical items. Many Magicians can even recharge these mechs. Black Rat, think about it: if we had some Atlanteans piloting mechs, acting as shields and bait for us, how much would that increase our chances against other Apostles?”

“But we can’t possibly control so many Atlanteans. One Apostle can manage maybe five or six at best!” Black Rat said puzzled. “Even if we split them with the others outside, these survivors might not be willing to fight for us. That would mean forcing them to kill each other! They’ve been relying on each other and surviving together all this time…”

“Hah, Black Rat, I can’t believe such naive words came out of your mouth!” Silver Sail couldn’t help shaking his head and laughing. “Think about what we’ve gone through in the Quest Worlds… Do you really believe companions who rely on each other wouldn’t turn on one another?”

Black Rat slowly put away his smile and fell into an expressionless silence.

Silver Sail glanced at him and sneered, “Most ordinary people, when pushed to the brink, will do anything. So long as they can survive, they don’t care about anything else. We Apostles are the best proof of that.”

“But… don’t we Apostles have an unwritten rule? Battles among Apostles should avoid involving Sapient Races as much as possible…” Black Rat murmured in rebuttal, though in his heart he already agreed with Silver Sail.

“That’s different—that’s usually for intact Sapient Race civilizations! But what is this place? It’s the Metropolis Domination War zone! Once the Domination War begins, this becomes a battlefield for Apostles. Forget Atlantis, a fading civilization; even the urban management races we usually support, if they dare show up here, they’re just tools and items we can use.”

Silver Sail sneered coldly, “As long as it increases our odds in the Metropolis Domination War even slightly, no Apostle would be so stubborn as to pity these Atlantean natives. Being used as bait and shields is getting off easy. If they meet an Apostle with no scruples, their corpses might even be desecrated after death. Dying together like this might even be a kind of release.”

“I know you’re stating facts, but why does it always sound so unpleasant coming from you!” Black Rat shot his companion a displeased look.

“Hmph, that’s because you’re jealous of my intelligence!” A hint of smugness appeared on Silver Sail’s gloomy face.

“Get lost!” Black Rat picked up a charred piece of wreckage by his foot and threw it at Silver Sail, laughing and scolding. “Should we search one more time? Maybe we’ll find some unburned food!”

“No need. It’s getting late; dawn is in a little over an hour.” Silver Sail took a deep breath, stood up, and said, “Let’s keep looking for that Apostle. It’s best if we find them before daybreak. Otherwise, we’ll need to find a way to leave. By now, there must be at least twenty guys waiting for us outside!”

“Heh, then let’s stick to the old method—you be the bait, and I’ll cover you.” Black Rat chuckled lightly. His short figure gradually faded into nothingness and vanished from Silver Sail’s sight.

“Hey, wait! Wasn’t it your turn to be the bait this time?” Silver Sail grew anxious at once. Seeing that Black Rat didn’t respond, he could only stomp his foot in frustration and curse a couple of times under his breath.

This was one of the fishing tactics they had agreed upon: one in the open, one in the shadows, specifically to deal with Lone Apostles. Silver Sail was an Assassin, and Black Rat was a Rogue. Their professions were similar but had slight differences.

Silver Sail had the Silver Eye Technique; his scouting and offensive abilities were stronger. Black Rat’s Rogue skills leaned more toward concealment and stealth. Normally, they took turns being the bait during fishing operations. But this time, the massacre made them extremely wary of that ruthless Apostle. Having Silver Sail, with his scouting Eye Technique, act as bait obviously gave them a better chance.

However, they didn’t know their movements were actually under Qin Lun’s surveillance the whole time.

This was a flaw in their reasoning. In Black Rat and Silver Sail’s view, since the enemy had set the whole warehouse ablaze and slaughtered all the Atlanteans to silence them, they naturally wouldn’t stick around and risk being discovered.

In reality, when Black Rat and Silver Sail put out the fire and entered the warehouse, Qin Lun also returned to his hiding spot outside the warehouse and observed them from the shadows. Only after Mina transformed into an Apostle did he quietly leave and hide in an abandoned room.

Qin Lun took out the carefully made “Treasure Map” from his backpack. The smooth steel wall reflected the young man’s somewhat dazed expression.

“Your emotions are fluctuating. Not pushing it onto me this time?” A ferocious grinning face appeared in the blurry reflection.

“Didn’t you say it yourself? This is my sin, and I must bear it myself!” The grin quickly faded into indifference, and he spoke tonelessly.

“Heh, why did you let that Atlantean girl go? We all saw Anlis hide her inside the Apostle Mech!” The blurred face became distorted again with fierceness. “We know she has an item to transform into an Apostle. Why not take it? That little Lu-Lu Tribe kid back home really needs that kind of item!”

“You know my thoughts, so why ask?” Qin Lun muttered expressionlessly.

“Knowing is one thing, but not asking is unbearable! Hahaha, to think the ‘Dissector’ would have a day like this!” The blurred face burst into loud laughter.

“You’re the ‘Dissector,’ not me!” Veins bulged on Qin Lun’s forehead, his face twisting fiercely.

“Whether you are or not, you know best! Now… the first step of the plan has succeeded. You should calm down and not ruin it all. I’ll be watching you until you enter my room…” The accusatory voice gradually faded, and the surroundings returned to dead silence.

Qin Lun closed his eyes, took a deep breath, slowly regained his composure, and focused his attention back on the “Treasure Map.”

The slaughter of the Atlanteans and the burning of the warehouse were all within Qin Lun’s calculations. The Apostle Mech was made of Spiritual Equipment materials, not as fragile as ordinary metals. Qin Lun believed that, thanks to the law power in the materials, it could withstand the fire for at least half an hour.

Such a huge fire—never mind Black Rat and Silver Sail inside the fortress, even Apostles outside could probably sense the fire element fluctuations in the air. Half an hour was plenty of time for those two to find the warehouse.

Those two had been trapped in the Main Control Room most of the night and tricked by the alert system. Coming out now, they would be extremely resentful. Seeing such a big fire, there was a ninety percent chance they would choose to put it out and investigate.

As long as they entered the warehouse at the right time, they were bound to discover the Apostle Mech Qin Lun had deliberately placed in the center. Since Black Rat and Silver Sail were selected for the Metropolis Domination War, they weren’t likely to be fools. With the comparison of the two other burned-out combat mechs nearby, they would notice the Apostle Mech was special.

The massacre-like scene, the Apostle Mech worth over a million Shattered Crystals—the heavy smell of silencing witnesses was almost palpable. With a little thought, Black Rat and Silver Sail would surely reach the conclusion Qin Lun wanted them to.

A carefully thought-out plan, perfect timing, and subtle guidance—Black Rat and Silver Sail would never believe someone had voluntarily abandoned the Apostle Mech. They were to become the first witnesses of Qin Lun’s plan.

Qin Lun lowered his head, his gaze deep as he looked at the “Treasure Map.” Now the scheme had taken shape; all that remained was to place the most important piece. Then, this conspiracy would sweep through their Domination War zone like a hurricane, capturing all the Apostles in one fell swoop!