Book 6: Chapter 30: Pursuit

More than two hours later, Qin Lun returned to the ruined building where he had rested the night before. He peered through the broken wall. This abandoned tower had twelve or thirteen floors. About three or four hundred meters straight ahead stood the fortress of the “Celestial Wheel” branch.

Qin Lun had escaped the military fortress over ten minutes ago. He had thought he would need to use his coveted Sixth Tier “Shadow Cloak” scroll, but unexpectedly, less than half an hour after sneaking back into the fortress, the entire situation had undergone a drastic change.

Unlike Qin Lun’s infiltration the previous night, the warehouse fire had pointed the way for the thirty-plus Apostles who entered the military fortress that morning. They quickly found the Apostle Mech, mostly intact. Naturally, they also saw the remains of over a hundred Atlanteans reduced to charcoal in the flames.

Seeing the Apostle Mech worth a million Shattered Crystals, these Apostles instantly understood what those fragmented blueprints in their hands truly were. With the mech present, the scene of slaughter suggesting killing to silence witnesses, and the supporting evidence from Black Rat and Silver Sail, these Apostles almost completely believed in the authenticity of the Treasure Map.

While initially blind to the blueprint fragments’ strangeness, now everyone employed various identification methods to examine their pieces. They finally discovered the fine, silken circuits concealed within the paper.

The one thing Qin Lun failed to predict accurately, however, was what happened after the Apostles uncovered the Treasure Map’s “secret.” Their tense stand-off, held together by fragile alliance, instantly dissolved into nothing. The encirclement against Qin Lun crumbled. Instead, each Apostle grew fearful, afraid others would attack them for possessing a fragment.

Including the swordsman and the sniper, all the Apostles fled the military fortress at top speed. No one wanted to trigger a free-for-all under such circumstances. Everyone preferred to use stealth and surprise over the coming two weeks, targeting other fragment holders.

Whether these Apostles immediately started tailing each other upon leaving remained unknown. But at that moment, every Apostle present realized their initial, cautious patience had utterly failed.

Everyone understood the Treasure Map could never be made whole again. Yet, the more fragments one possessed, the closer one got to the treasure location. Once the treasure was accessed by any single Apostle, it likely wouldn’t reappear for the entire duration of the Domination War.

Therefore, those determined to seize this “Celestial Wheel” branch Demiplane, or the treasure itself, could wait no longer. Only through early killings could one amass more fragments.

In a way, this was equally fair. Crucially, after leaving, these Apostles wouldn’t keep this discovery secret. They would deliberately spread the news among all participants.

They couldn’t remember every face from the thirty-plus Apostles present. Randomly killing among the over two hundred Apostles was impossible. Everyone understood: The storm needed to engulf all two hundred. The fewer survivors, the more concentrated the fragments would become.

What those thirty-plus Apostles planned next was to exaggerate the treasure’s value even more. They aimed to turn this Domination War zone into a true Apostle meat grinder, forcing everyone into the killing, until the fragments slowly gathered in the hands of a select few.

Qin Lun sighed, mentally taking stock of his remaining supplies. His plan wasn’t finished, yet his scroll reserves were nearly depleted. Even his Flesh Golem had been consumed.

Compared to when he first entered the Domination War zone, his overall reserves were now only one-third. The “Sacrifice” glove was reloaded with one last Sixth Tier “Light Body Technique” and one Sixth Tier “Earthen Wall”. Additionally, he had one Seventh Tier “Wood Prison Totem” scroll, one Seventh Tier “Shadow Cloak” scroll, three ounces of the ancient Elf tree sap, and slightly less than half a flask of Walnut Wine.

He touched the wound on his shoulder. The ancient Elf tree sap was truly potent. He had only consumed about an ounce, and the bloody hole had healed swiftly, the speed akin to surgical stitching.

“He still didn’t stay!” Qin Lun glanced back at the long-extinguished campfire, a strange glint flickering in his eyes.

The orphan he had brought back had still left, not waiting for his return. However, the leftover rabbit meat on the spit had been completely cleaned off, not a single shred or crumb remaining.

“Don’t die,” Qin Lun murmured expressionlessly, gazing into the distance through a gap in the ruins.

After a long while, Qin Lun hesitantly reached into his clothes. He pulled out the tattered doll he had found yesterday. He dusted it off and carefully placed it at the corner of the ruined wall.

“Giving up on it?”

“It wasn’t mine to start with!”

Qin Lun’s facial muscles twitched slightly. He strode towards the gap in the ruins, leapt down from the broken wall, and gradually disappeared into the maze of rubble.

More than an hour after he vanished, a little squirrel with a bushy tail cautiously poked its head out from a corner hole in the ruined room. The squirrel nimbly circled the room, stood up on its hind legs, and sniffed the air almost humanly, as if testing whether Qin Lun had truly left.

The squirrel quickly confirmed no one was in the room and immediately scampered back into its little hole. Moments later, from that same gap, the large head of the little orphan boy peeked out. The boy’s large, dark eyes darted around. They quickly landed on the tattered doll lying by the wall.

He silently entered the room. Picking up the worn doll from the corner, the boy’s eyes flickered incessantly, revealing deep confusion and uncertainty. Unconsciously, large teardrops began rolling uncontrollably down his cheeks. They carved two white tracks through the grime on his dark, soot-stained face.

…

Three days rushed past. The Domination War zone where Qin Lun found himself grew even fiercer. Traces of battles were visible almost everywhere. During these three days, the news about the Celestial Wheel branch fortress Demiplane had, to varying degrees, reached over two hundred Apostles inhabiting the area.

Initially, this news met with disbelief. But the steadily increasing number of clashes, combined with circulating fragments of the Treasure Map and parts of the Apostle Mech, gradually pushed rumors toward fever pitch.

The first major eruption of conflict occurred yesterday afternoon. It started among five Apostles who had been witnesses to the initial “Treasure Map” discovery. It swiftly engulfed several other Apostles who happened to be exploring the same cluster of ruins at that time.

By the time the fierce melee ended, over sixty Apostles—nearly one-third of all participants in the zone—had become involved either as combatants or spectators. Sixteen Apostles died outright or were forced to tear their Invitation Letters and quit; three of these fatalities were witnesses to the original blueprint discovery.

After this vicious battle, the entire Domination War zone plunged into white-hot intensity. Now, regardless of whether the remaining Apostles believed the rumors or actively sought combat, as soon as they entered another Apostle’s line of sight, they had no choice but to be ready for an immediate fight.

Even Apostles who had initially resolved to lie low found themselves ambushed or stalked while searching for food and water. Being psychologically unprepared for sudden assaults, they were more likely to be caught off guard and eliminated quickly.

During these three days, however, Qin Lun experienced relative peace. His “Detection Aura” combined with his “Heavenly Insight Eye” allowed him to bypass traps and ambushes alike, sensing other Apostles long before they drew near. Moreover, pre-packed military rations and water retrieved from his large canvas bag, consumed sparingly to meet only his minimum needs, provided sufficient fuel to last him through the first week entirely.

Naturally, Qin Lun had his own worries. For instance: two specific individuals persistently showing up within the range of his Detection Aura.

“…Third time now. That seems to rule out coincidence. These two are actually targeting me!” Within Qin Lun’s clock-face pupils, the three needles slowly clicked. “How are they doing this?”

Not far in front of the ruined building where Qin Lun was hiding, the swordsman named Long Feng was scanning the vast expanse of shattered masonry. Beside him stood his companion: the one-eyed sniper bearing the massive high-caliber rifle.

Currently, an eerie, multicolored glimmer flickered within the sniper’s single eye. Like some spectral neon lamp, its colored illumination washed over every nook and cranny of the broken landscape.

Qin Lun had already changed his hiding spot twice in three days. Yet, these two were like maggots clinging to bone; they had trailed him persistently, closing the distance each time without fail.

“Scent trail? No, impossible,” Qin Lun pondered. “The ruins are saturated with wild animal dung. I eat only military rations and drink purified water—even the finest bloodhound couldn’t track that. Then how…?” His right hand pressed against his left shoulder, where a dull ache remained. “Could it be the lingering effect of that shot?”

…

“Qin Ba, are you certain he’s in this area?” Long Feng inquired. He wore a traditional ancient Chinese robe, the front panels hitched up and secured at his waist. In his right hand, he gripped his slender sword, the Yue Yin, fingers resting lightly on its hilt as he frowned at his one-eyed companion.

“Hmph! You know the effect of Nanite Crystal alloy rounds!” retorted the one-eyed sniper, Qin Ba, giving Long Feng a glare brimming with irritation his visible eye conveyed sharp irritation. “Unless he completely reconstructs his Law Body by returning to the void or gets himself cremated, there’s no clearing his system. Those nanite crystals are lodged deep within his bloodstream. Throughout this Domination War, they’ll keep circulating, impossible to remove unless he gets out entirely.”

“That’s not entirely accurate. A high-energy electromagnet might extract them,” Long Feng countered, turning slightly away and muttering almost inaudibly. Yet, he conceded his companion’s main point; it was highly improbable Qin Lun carried such specialized equipment.

“I can’t zero in on him,” Qin Ba stated flatly. “The guy probably has an Eye Technique or some other detection skill himself. He’s intentionally avoiding our detection scans.” He paused. “I’ve told you before: Maintain considerable separation when looking near my cover position. Acting as a solo piece. We carry fragments too. Only split up will he sense an opening to strike.”

“Alright,” Long Feng finally assented. He added, looking troubled as he regarded his companion, “Judging by those two warframes deployed over the supply warehouse ruins,” he gestured vaguely behind him, conjuring the memory, “our quarry favors close-quarter blades combined with potent spellcasting. Very capable speed-based duelist. If you encounter him solo… extreme caution is paramount. Maintain maximum engagement separation if viable.”

“Adapt as circumstances unfold,” Qin Ba murmured noncommittally, brow furrowing slightly as his focus intensified through the high-magnification scope. Suddenly, his good eye flared with renewed intensity. A distinct flicker caught his peripheral vision amidst scattered brick pile near a busted sewer pipe stub at zone northwest quadrant. “Perimeter check interrupted… definite movement sector seven? Possible subterranean cavity access tunnel mouth? Something stirring over there—shift pattern inconsistent with vermin or rodent activity…”