pjbooks Chapter 387 Smoke Dragon Appears, Chenlong's 9th Key is Exposed
Chapter 387 Smoke Dragon Appears, Chenlong's 9th Key is Exposed
"Search... Chen Yifan."
The sounds of the five failed containers echoed repeatedly in the air.
Bai Zhi's hand stopped on the equipment, her knuckles turning white.
Shenhou stood at the entrance of the passage, six long metal rods hanging behind him. Just as he was about to rush out, Zishu's communication suddenly switched in.
"Shenhou, don't chase."
Shenhou paused in his steps.
"If you're even a fraction of a second slower, they'll have dismantled the core review area."
A few noises came from the rat's side.
"It can't be dismantled. Rabbit has already suppressed the third purification array, which can buy us five minutes."
What can you do in five minutes?
"Bring the star official to the maintenance floor."
Shenhou frowned.
"What mischief are you plotting now?"
The rat ignored him and kept its voice very low.
"Old line, abandoned maintenance level number seven. Do not go through the main elevator shaft, do not bring the technical officer, and do not bring ordinary members of the Penal Department."
Bai Zhi immediately looked up.
"Can't I go either?"
"You went, but no one is taking over the data at Maotu's side."
Bai Zhi gritted her teeth, pulled out the offline disk she had just copied, and tossed it to Shen Hou.
"Inside are copies of three sets of evidence: the purification device, the rotten star sea, and the Xia family's crime scene."
Shenhou caught it.
"You stay here and keep an eye on Chenlong."
Bai Zhi nodded and turned to Chen Yifan.
"Star Lord, your pollution level is still rising, don't try to tough it out."
Chen Yifan leaned against the metal chair, his face deathly pale.
"Bai, the tech expert, will you come back alive before we settle this score?"
Bai Zhi was stunned for a moment.
"What's so special about it?"
You owe me one.
Bai Zhi choked, and after half a second she cursed under her breath.
"What time is it? You still remember this?"
Shen Hou grabbed Chen Yifan by the back of his collar.
"Stop joking, let's go."
Chen Yifan staggered a couple of steps as he was lifted up, the half of the restraint ring on his wrist hitting the armor with a dull thud.
He did not struggle.
The star official was afraid of death.
The star deity has been corrupted.
The star official was targeted by the failed container.
But when the words "old line" entered his ears, his chest still clenched.
Wang Qingyun.
That name almost popped out.
Chen Yifan pressed the tip of his tongue against his teeth, forcefully suppressing the emotion.
We must not act rashly.
The rat is still here.
That mouse was annoying, but its ears were really sharp.
Shenhou led him into the side corridor.
This road is completely different from the main road of the Sky Dome.
There were no smooth alloy walls, nor any automatic patrol devices.
The paint was peeling off the walls, old-fashioned conduits hung down from the ceiling, a small red light flashed every few meters, and the sound of electricity could be heard intermittently inside the walls.
Shenhou walked ahead, cursing as he went.
"There are such dilapidated places in the sky?"
The voice of the mouse came through the communicator.
"You usually just bang on doors, of course you wouldn't know."
"Stop pretending, didn't you just find it too?"
"I've known for a long time."
"Then why didn't you say so earlier?"
"You didn't ask either."
Shenhou scoffed.
"Once this is over, I'm really going to tear down the door to your censorship area."
"Just survive tonight."
Shenhou remained silent.
Chen Yifan was dragged forward by him, his shadow stretched intermittently by the old red light.
He casually spread his heretical spiritual power on the ground, dispersing the shadow.
As Zishu had warned before.
Don't let Chenlong see your shadow.
You must remember this sentence.
Chenlong is now not only monitoring permissions and communications, but may also be following any causal clues to get closer to them.
The seventh maintenance level is very deep.
Shenhou pushed open a manually operated iron door.
The door hinges emitted a screeching sound.
There are no surveillance cameras inside.
There was only one old-fashioned communication station, with a faded serial number still affixed to its body.
J-07.
Upon seeing the number, Chen Yifan tightened his grip even more.
green.
The old file number for Yanlong is also J-07-Qing...
Zishu stood next to the communications station, huddled in his oversized uniform, his face even paler than before.
He did not approach Chen Yifan.
ten meters.
It just happens to be stuck outside.
Shenhou threw Chen Yifan against the wall.
"The person has been brought."
Zishu raised his hand and pulled down the manual switch on the maintenance floor.
Click.
Main power is off.
The red light only has emergency power left.
The communication station screen flickered a few times, first displaying a screen full of garbled characters, then a string of old-fashioned coded messages appeared.
Quiet down.
Shen Hou's face darkened.
"The old man hasn't even been born yet and he's already complaining about my noise?"
The mouse stood up a little straighter.
"They're here."
Grayish-white smoke billowed from above the communications station.
The smoke slowly coalesced into a blurry shape.
The figure was faint, with only half of its face visible.
He has stubble on his chin.
A hand holding a cigarette raised its hand first.
The cigarette was not lit.
But Chen Yifan was all too familiar with that move.
He lowered his head, his throat tightening.
It cannot be recognized.
He is now a star official.
The star official had no idea who Wang Qingyun was.
Shenhou put away his usual wildness and lowered his long staff behind him.
"Old Captain."
The rat also lowered its head.
"Old Captain."
A hoarse voice came from the other side of the illusory figure.
"You two are doing pretty well now."
Shenhou coughed.
"It's just average."
"I see you're quite good at cursing Chenlong."
Shenhou immediately puffed out his chest.
"He deserved to be scolded."
"Um."
Yanlong tapped the table with the cigarette in his hand.
"He deserves to be scolded, and he deserves to be beaten."
The Monkey King has regained his spirits.
"Captain, shall we fight now?"
"You're still so brainless."
Shenhou choked on the spot.
The rat gently delivered the final blow.
I agree with that statement.
"Shut up."
Chen Yifan stood in the shadows with his head down, his fingers still dripping blood.
He didn't dare look up for too long.
If you look at it for too long, it will be exposed.
The projection of the smoke dragon swept over him, pausing for only half a second.
"The Star Official storyline is still usable."
His tone was very indifferent.
It's like looking at a tool to see if it can be pushed forward any further.
The tightness in Chen Yifan's chest actually eased a bit.
They did not recognize each other.
Correct.
We cannot recognize each other now.
The fact that Wang Qingyun was able to intervene at this time is already the best news.
Shenhou glanced at Chen Yifan.
"Old Captain, he's heavily contaminated; he was just connected to a failed container."
Yanlong hummed in agreement.
"It's only useful if it's connected."
The rat raises its head.
"Has Chenlong's causal chain been entangled by an external consciousness?"
The hand holding the cigarette in Yanlong's hand froze in mid-air.
"It's more complicated than you think."
An image popped up on the communication station screen.
The golden causal line extends from the dragon pattern of the dragon Chenlong, with the other end plunging into the depths of the decaying star sea.
In the middle of that line, there were dark purple patches that seemed to be pulsating.
"Chenlong was not simply corrupted."
Yanlong speaks slowly.
"He lent himself to something outside the star gate."
Shenhou's face darkened.
"Proactive?"
"initiative."
The maintenance area was silent for two seconds.
The veins on the back of Shenhou's hand bulged.
"Is he insane?"
Yanlong did not respond to that sentence.
"He thought he could become a god by borrowing an external consciousness, and then turn around and devour the other party."
The mouse continued softly.
"The real version of the god-making project."
"right."
Yanlong switched the screen to the next page.
That's a model of the outer layer of Earth.
An ancient pattern encircles the entire planet.
As Chen Yifan looked at the pattern, the purple-gold pagoda in his sea of consciousness trembled slightly.
It was mentioned in the Pioneer Archives.
The dragon's voice continued.
"Long ago, Earth experienced a cataclysmic event."
"The powerful beings of the previous civilization used collective sacrifice to repair the outer seal."
"That blockade recognizes local life, but also excludes high-ranking outsiders."
Shenhou frowned.
"So, since the Outer Gods can't get in, they can only throw contamination in?"
"I can't get in completely."
Yanlong corrected him.
"Projection, parasitism, dreams, pollution—these can all find their way into the cracks."
The mouse looked at the model.
"The container project is about allowing foreign consciousness to infiltrate the shell of native life forms and then block them from the inside."
"This is the path that Chenlong has taken."
Yanlong raised his hand and tapped the center of the model.
"The first eight failed containers were just trial and error."
"The ninth one is the key."
Shenhou turned to look at Chen Yifan.
"The failed container just searched for Chen Yifan, which means that Chenlong has already changed the real key to him."
Chen Yifan spoke in a low voice.
"Lord Shenhou, I don't understand."
This sentence must be faked.
The star deities shouldn't understand.
The rat stood ten meters away and suddenly raised its hand.
"My mental state is normal."
Shenhou glared at him.
"Could you please stop reciting the names of the dishes all the time?"
"Habit."
Yanlong then looked at Chen Yifan.
The half of the face was blurry, but the voice was clear.
"Star Lord, you only need to understand one thing."
Chen Yifan lowered his head.
"Please give your instructions."
"Chenlong cannot be killed directly now."
Shenhou immediately exploded.
"Still can't kill him? The evidence is practically in his face, and he still wants to open the door!"
Yanlong tapped the communicator with the cigarette in his hand.
"Killing him will open the Star Gate faster. Don't forget, there's still a Holy Lord!"
Shenhou swallowed the rest of his curse.
The rat took over the conversation.
"Chenlong was tricked, connecting his own causal main line into the Star Gate. When a person dies, the main line breaks, and external consciousness will rush into the gate through the break."
Yanlong nodded.
"That's right."
Chen Yifan stood against the wall, his breathing erratic yet steady, as if he were enduring pollution.
But his mind works incredibly fast.
We must not kill them.
It cannot be placed there.
They need to force Chenlong to reveal his parasitic core.
Only when the parasitic core is exposed can the causal main line between Chenlong and Xingmen be severed.
This is also why Yanlong summoned them.
Shenhou held back for a few seconds, but still couldn't hold it in.
"Captain, what's the solution?"
Yanlong did not return immediately.
The core review area screen popped up on the communications station screen.
The five failed containers were trapped inside Line 3 by the purification array, but they were still climbing toward the stargate.
Even with their limbs charred and the runes on their chests cracked, they continued to repeat that phrase.
"Change the key."
Search for Chen Yifan.
"The Ninth Key".
Bai Zhi's remote signal was inserted.
"Lord Shenhou, the purification array can hold for another three and a half minutes!"
The rabbit then spoke.
"Chenlong is attempting to regain control of the lower-level access control."
The rat looked at the smoke dragon.
"He's getting anxious."
Yanlong hummed in agreement.
"If you rush things, you'll make a mistake."
Chen Yifan suddenly coughed twice.
Shenhou looked at him.
"You need to be resuscitated again?"
Chen Yifan leaned against the wall, his voice a little hoarse.
"I have an idea."
Shen Hou raised an eyebrow.
"explain."
Chen Yifan looked up, focusing only on the screen and ignoring Yanlong.
"The failed container is now mistaking its target, treating its subordinates as sources of contamination from the same source."
"Chenlong wants to find Chen Yifan."
"Could we turn it around and make him think that the Ninth Key has already been sent to the Stargate?"
Shenhou was stunned for a moment.
"You want to use yourself as bait?"
Chen Yifan lowered his head.
"I don't want to."
Upon hearing this, Shenhou almost laughed.
"Then why did you bring it up?"
"Because I don't want to be taken away and purified by Lord Chenlong in secret."
Chen Yifan took a couple of breaths and continued.
"If the subordinates are escorted to the bottom of the Star Gate in the name of the Tribunal, it is ostensibly to stabilize the failed container, but in reality, it is to set up an offline severing array."
"If Chenlong is truly waiting for the ninth key, he will definitely intervene."
"Once he intervenes, the parasitic core will be connected along the causal line."
"At that time, Lord Rabbit will be in charge of locking permissions, Lord Rat will capture the echoes of the mind, and Lord Monkey will take action."
After listening, Shenhou stared at him for a few seconds.
"You're about to die, and you're still pretty reckless."
Zishu also looked at Chen Yifan.
"This is not the usual style of a star official."
Chen Yifan suppressed his surface thoughts.
The star official was afraid of death.
The star official was abandoned by the dragon.
The star official was looking for a way to survive.
He raised his hand and touched the contamination test strip on his chest.
"Lord Zishu, I have already been discarded by the chief."
"If a discarded pawn wants to survive, it has no choice but to gamble."
The mouse paused for two seconds, pretending to be serious.
"Reasonable."
Shenhou turned to look at Yanlong with a smile.
"Old Captain, what do you think?"
The projection of the smoke dragon did not provide an answer immediately.
That half of her profile was turned towards Chen Yifan.
Chen Yifan lowered his head, his fingernails digging into his palms.
He could feel that gaze fixed on him.
It's not censorship.
It's more like finally confirming that someone you haven't seen in a long time is still alive.
But the next second, Yanlong spoke, his tone still calm.
"You've got guts."
Chen Yifan's Adam's apple bobbed.
"I'm just afraid of dying."
Yanlong hummed in agreement.
"Being afraid of death is a good thing."
"Those who are afraid of death will always have an escape route."
Shenhou sensed something was amiss.
"Old Captain, doesn't that sound like something you used to say to me?"
Zishu added a sentence.
"You never left yourself a way out before."
"You two insist on playing along today, don't you?"
Yanlong ignored them and switched to a temporary solution on the screen.
[Bait Escort Plan]
[Target: Star Official]
[Reason given: Failure to stabilize container due to contamination from the same source]
[Hidden Objective: To lure Chenlong into connecting to the parasitic core]
[Key Action: Severing the causal link between Chenlong and Xingmen]
Communication access for Rabbit.
She was clearly listening the whole time.
"The plan is feasible, but the risks are very high."
Shenhou snorted.
"I don't get the low-risk jobs."
Bai Zhi interrupted hastily.
"The Star Official's body is already polluted enough. If he is sent to the bottom of the Star Gate, he may not be able to withstand it."
Chen Yifan spoke in a low voice.
"White, the tech officer, put it in the books."
Bai Zhi was taken aback.
"What?"
"If I can't hold on, you won't have to pay back what you owed."
Bai Zhi was silent for half a second, then angrily slammed her hand on the device.
"Don't try to put up this ridiculous argument with me!"
The Monkey King was delighted.
"This kid is really annoying, but his annoyance is quite inspiring."
The rat suddenly said, "I have conditions."
Shenhou turned his head.
"You're here again?"
"I will stay with the team, but I won't get within ten meters of him."
Chen Yifan almost blurted out, "You'd better stay a hundred meters away from me."
He held back.
The permissions were quickly finalized on the Rabbit's side.
"I am responsible for the authorization of the adjudication committee and the access control at the lower levels."
"Bai Zhi is in charge of the offline severing array."
"Shenhou is responsible for suppressing the failed container."
"The Rat is responsible for capturing the core thoughts of the Dragon."
Yanlong added a sentence.
"There's one more thing."
The crowd quieted down.
Yanlong tapped the cigarette in his hand lightly on the communicator.
"The deceit and disguise on the star official must not be broken."
Chen Yifan's fingers tightened.
So these people already knew that the Star Official was an imposter?
Full-time supporting performance!
I kept hypnotizing myself...
Shenhou frowned.
"Can a mask fool Chenlong?"
Yanlong said, "I can't fool the full force of cause and effect tracing."
"But now Chenlong is tied up by the Star Gate, and most of his authority has been frozen by the Judgment Council."
"As long as the star official doesn't reveal any extraneous cause and effect, in Chenlong's eyes, he will still be that corrupted pawn."
The rat continues.
"In other words, Chenlong will think we are escorting a star official."
Mao Tu said in a deep voice, "But the failed container will continue to search for Chen Yifan."
Yanlong said, "That's perfect."
"This led Chenlong to believe that the star official held clues about Chen Yifan."
"He can't help but answer the phone himself."
Shenhou finally understood.
"As long as he connects the wire, we'll grab that wire and cut it."
Yanlong corrected.
"It's not about cutting."
"cut."
"Chopping it will blow up the door; after cutting it open, the gap needs to be patched up with the old sealing layer."
Bai Zhi immediately made a note of it.
Where are the access permissions for the old lockout layer?
Yanlong stopped smoking.
"I'll give it to you."
Shenhou looked at the projection.
"Old Captain, are you still using your old Dragon Leader candidate privileges?"
The smoke dragon did not meet the attack head-on.
"There's a little left."
The mouse whispered a reminder.
"Once you make the call, Chenlong will confirm that you are still in the Sky Link."
He'll confirm it sooner or later.
Yanlong spoke calmly.
"If we can't hide it tonight, then we won't hide it anymore."
Chen Yifan lowered his head, his heart jolted by those words.
I'm not hiding it anymore.
Wang Qingyun is going to return to the forefront.
The previous candidate for Dragon Head.
Smoke Dragon.
The old policeman at Jiangcheng Police Station finally pulled out the knife he had hidden for many years.
Shenhou stood up straighter.
"Captain, what do you need me to do?"
Yanlong looked at him.
"Don't kill him."
Shenhou was taken aback.
"Who?"
"Chenlong".
The monkey gritted its teeth.
"That's a bit of a difficult request."
"Bear with it."
The mouse coughed softly.
"I'll remind him."
Shenhou glared at him.
"Try reminding me once."
The Rabbit side has already begun issuing orders.
[A decoy escort mission has been generated.]
[Object being escorted: Star Official.]
[Destination: The bottom layer of the celestial dome, in front of the stargate isolation layer.]
[Authorization: Rabbit, Monkey, Rat, and supplementary signatures for old wartime privileges.]
Everyone paused for a moment when the screen flashed "Old Wartime Permissions".
Then, a gray stamp was applied.
【Smoke Dragon】
Bai Zhi took a breath.
"Permission granted."
Meanwhile, in the monitoring of the core review area, five failed containers suddenly stopped.
They raised their heads, as if they had received new instructions.
The same words were uttered again.
"The key... is in motion."
Shenhou raised his long staff.
"Okay, the fish has taken the bait."
Chen Yifan was lifted up again by the two men in black armor.
He bent down and straightened his already damaged Star Official uniform, pressing the deception mask down to its fullest extent.
The projection of the smoke dragon was dissipating.
Finally, the hand holding the cigarette raised itself and pointed to the passageway outside the maintenance floor.
"Send the star official to the star gate."
"To make Chenlong believe that his ninth key has arrived."