### Chapter 0: Suspicion (3)
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The Alligator Monster wasn’t just some hot-headed brute who had managed to hold Black Stone City for years by throwing tantrums.
That magical beam from the sky didn’t damage Black Stone City at all, but rather opened his eyes to the schemes of the Demon Race. With a worried brow, he rushed back to the City Lord’s Mansion, spurring his horse on.
He still couldn’t wrap his head around why the Demon Race would ditch him to team up with Cold Wind City, but if his fears were true, then a fall of Black Stone City was just around the corner.
What to do next was a hefty problem that felt like a boulder crushing his heart.
Before long, the dreary sky was pierced by a ray of morning light, and soon, the entire sky transformed into a grim, pale facade.
The Alligator Monster slumped heavily into a plush chair. Winter sunlight slanted through the window, but instead of warmth, it only added to his growing irritation.
Perhaps he had just one choice left.
But before that, he should have a good, honest talk with Morris. What if he had misjudged the whole situation?
“Heh, what? Still holding on to delusions?” A voice suddenly chimed in, sprouting from the side.
The Alligator Monster slapped the table hard and took a deep breath. “If I rashly turn against the Demon Race, it’s like walking into a wolf’s mouth while having a tiger right behind me. Do I really want Black Stone City to be destroyed along with me?”
“Relying on others is like depending on a leaky roof. When you’ve drained your worth, they’ll toss you aside without a second thought,” the voice replied coldly.
“I get it! You’re mocking me for thinking I could single-handedly take on the Humans and the rest of the Monsters, aren’t you? Who the heck are you? Why are you always lurking around like some creepy shadow?”
“Heh, it’s not time for me to show myself yet. But the offer still stands. If you can clearly tell me about the clues you found on the 60th floor of the Sky Tower, I might help you shake off Cold Wind City’s siege and the threat from the Demon Race.”
The Alligator Monster fell silent.
He knew that since the Half Moon City had pulled out of Black Stone City, this person had been lurking nearby, watching his every move.
This person was incredibly patient and downright terrifying.
As for the incident on the 60th floor of the Sky Tower, he had drunkenly mentioned it to a lovely concubine one day. When he woke up the next morning, he had quickly disposed of the woman lying in his arms.
Yet, that information had somehow spread.
Without a doubt, that concubine had been a spy from the organization “An” where the lurker belonged.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t know he had secretly visited the 60th floor and taken what supposedly was a key to the 100th floor of the Sky Tower.
In fact, he didn’t even know what that key-like object was; he just boasted about it to the concubine, and then the stalker zeroed in on him.
He hadn’t agreed to the stranger’s deal yet because he wanted to play hard to get.
The Alligator Monster was also curious about what lay below the 50th floor. Otherwise, why would he lead his people into the Sky Tower after Half Moon City pulled out?
The Monster King’s avatar was imprisoned on the 50th floor, and the spaces from the 1st to the 50th floor were cramped, with only spiraling stairs extending downward.
The area between the 50th and 60th floors was nothing special, just a few weak underground creatures, which were quickly dispatched by the Alligator Monster and his gang.
But the 60th floor was different—it was like a naturally forming maze, and they quickly found themselves lost, spinning in circles without any idea where to go.
Just then, horror struck. Countless Undead Creatures suddenly appeared, howling and charging at them.
Even though these Undead didn’t seem strong, their numbers were overwhelming; just as they finished off one wave, another would come flooding in.
Before long, the Alligator Monster and his crew suffered heavy casualties, cornered into the maze’s recesses.
He deeply regretted his earlier decision—why couldn’t he just do his job as a city lord and keep a low profile? Now, everyone would likely be done for in this Sky Tower mess.
But no amount of regret could change the facts.
With his remaining subordinates, the Alligator Monster fled desperately, trying to find the path back to the 59th floor.
Alas, the maze was jumbled up, and the darkness of the underground caverns was dreadful; they had only torches for illumination. With heavy losses among the soldiers, only a few remained at his side.
The Alligator Monster was indeed fearless—he had taken down at least two hundred of those Undead Creatures.
He thought he could break through, only to find a powerful figure among the enemies: a fully armored d*ath Knight.
Its steed seemingly defied gravity, capable of leaping onto anything it could set hoof upon.
In no time, the Alligator Monster was tangled in a fierce battle with the d*ath Knight, while his subordinates were surrounded and swiftly wiped out by the generic undead.
Despair hung over him.
He pushed back the d*ath Knight with a slice, snatching up a torch and bolting away.
He wasn’t ready to d*e! He had just waited for Half Moon City to leave so Black Stone City could finally escape Human control—he couldn’t afford to kick the bucket at such a pivotal moment!
Fortunately, the Goddess of Destiny was still on his side.
Just when he thought he was at a dead end, with the d*ath Knight and its minions closing in for the k*ll, he spotted a long object embedded in the wall, glowing faintly at the maze’s end.
In that critical moment, he didn’t think twice and grabbed hold of it.
After all, even a fool could tell that anything found on the 60th floor of the Sky Tower would be anything but ordinary—he just didn’t know if it would help against the Undead.
And as he pulled out the key-like object, a brilliant flash of white light engulfed him, causing him to instinctively shut his eyes.
When he opened them again, he was astonished to see that the Undead, which had been ready to strike him down any second, had vanished into thin air.
The Alligator Monster let out a sigh of relief; he knew he was saved.
At this point, he wasn’t in the mood to probe any further; he hurriedly took the key and found the exit of the maze, escaping the Sky Tower.
To cover his tracks, he lied to the outside world, claiming that his team had gone on a mission and had been ambushed; none returned.
He hid the key in a secret location, known only to himself.
He thought he could keep this little episode to himself, but a week later, he found himself bragging after a few too many drinks.
It would be unbearable to keep such a life-and-d*ath legendary adventure to himself!
But upon reflection, the Alligator Monster was far from careless.
During a conversation with the concubine, he was slowly guided by her words, chatting away about the Sky Tower before being pinned to recounting his heroic exploits. Only then did he feel the urge to share his daring solo adventure on the 60th floor with just her.
Ha, what a ploy!
That woman’s end was definitely deserved!
