Chapter 322: The Targeted Outsider
“Is that so…” Ninglan Qiuyue understood that there was no point in saying anything more after hearing my direct inquiry.
The next moment, her tone became very sincere.
“Teacher Xiao Han, I want to ask you to help save Ninglan New City. I don’t want it to be destroyed by my father…”
“Ah… First of all, how do you know I can save Ninglan New City? You have to understand that I am just an ordinary outsider as well. Secondly, how do you know your father would destroy the entire city? Perhaps he is saving Ninglan New City in his own way,” I asked.
After all, the other party’s actions were far too unreasonable. Even if one wanted to seek help, what did it have to do with someone like me who was unrelated to them?
Even if they sought the strength of outsiders to guide those targeted outsiders to resist, that would be far more valuable than having just me.
Besides, shouldn’t the most anxious one at this moment be that Ninglan Qiuyu?
As the eldest son of the City Lord, and seemingly the only son, he was the next candidate for the City Lord position. However, based on my understanding of him, it seemed he didn’t particularly like outsiders, but he liked Dream Demons even less, considering that they brought greater disasters to Ninglan New City. His father chose the Dream Demons, so he should be very anxious.
“No… It’s different. I understand you also possess great power. Every outsider is a strength I am trying hard to fight for. But you don’t understand what that City Lord has done.” At this moment, Ninglan Qiuyue didn’t even mention the term “father” and instead referred to him as the City Lord.
“He used the power of the Dream Demons to transform those City Guards into what they are now. He said it was to deal with Nightmares and outsiders. But those City Guards who entered the dream have completely become puppets of the enemy. This is handing over the power of Ninglan New City to others.”
“Let me interrupt.” I had to speak up at this moment, “You keep emphasizing that your father’s actions harm Ninglan New City’s interests. So what do you plan to do? Overthrow your father’s rule, and you… take his place?”
“I…” Ninglan Qiuyue’s pupils constricted at my interruption, especially when she heard the term “take his place.”
“No way, no way, you wouldn’t impulsively think about resisting your father’s remaining power, would you? Do you think this is still your little family play? You dare to bring us outsiders to fight against your father?” My expression and tone were very serious at this moment. After all, the other party didn’t even have their ultimate goal figured out and was thinking about what to do. What is this if not child’s play?
“This is not an impulsive thought!” Ninglan Qiuyue defended.
“Oh? So you have been considering this? But I remember… every past City Lord of Ninglan has been male. I don’t know if there is any gender bias here, but historical inertia will pose a great controversy over your becoming the City Lord.”
My words seemed to strike a nerve with her, but I didn’t care. If she couldn’t withstand even verbal provocation at this time, how would she bear the greater pressures to come?
“Bored.” I looked at the silent Ninglan Qiuyue and disdainfully commented, then decided not to waste any more time with her and prepared to leave.
“Wait, don’t go! Where are you planning to go?”
“Since you mentioned it, I naturally want to go up and see the new scenery of Ninglan New City,” I said with a smile.
“No, please don’t! You are on the new wanted list for outsiders issued by Ninglan New City! If you go up, you will be attacked immediately!”
“Hmm? Wait.”
I stopped in disbelief and turned back to Ninglan Qiuyue to confirm once more, “I’m on the wanted list too? No mistake? Have I done anything to harm Ninglan New City?”
“I don’t know, but this wanted list must have issues. From what I’ve learned from Miss Tan Han, it covers almost all of the powerful individuals from your Extraordinary Academy.”
“Oh~” I nodded. From Ninglan Qiuyue’s comment, it seemed I understood somewhat; there were indeed traitors among our outsiders. Otherwise, it would be impossible to provide such a targeted list to weaken the power of outsiders.
They aimed to eliminate troublesome opponents first, but we’d have to see if they had the capability to do so.
“Now, I have a question. What exactly do the City Guards rely on to expel or arrest us outsiders? I’m really curious about this.”
“This… I’m not clear on the principle of it either, but the City Lord has mastered various methods. I’ve heard he can completely extinguish the soul material, causing outsiders to d*e completely.”
“Extinguish soul material?!” Upon hearing this, I was stunned and exclaimed. How could such a method possibly be mass-produced to deal with us outsiders?
To extinguish soul material means true d*ath!
“Yes, those City Guards who enter the dream fear nothing, and even if they d*e, their consciousness can be reconstituted. Even if you outsiders are strong, facing a dream where consciousness doesn’t perish would lead to a war of attrition. They have the capacity to consume your lives, but you don’t have the ability to consume theirs.”
“So it’s a method of infinite resurrection…” I nodded, realizing it resembled the “unlawful fourth scourge” tactic.
I had indeed overlooked one problem before: how d*ath operates in the dream. Now Ninglan Qiuyue told me that it meant resurrection—after all, this is a dream, not reality. However, they had mastered true harm, which was troublesome.
However… now I was also becoming interested in this method of extinguishing soul material. While called “extinguishing,” who knows what the real situation is?
If I could figure out this method, directly exterminating the opponent’s soul material would be a terrifying killing move.
That City Lord’s grasp on this tactic is likely around an 80% probability tied to those Dream Demons since they can also consume soul material.
Of course, it could also be a well-prepared plan from the Abyss Demon behind it. What a brilliant scheme! But does the Academy Head allow them to slaughter like this? This method is entirely one-sided, and we from the Main World have no means to fight back…
Oh, it might not be that simple. Nightmares traverse between dream and reality, so the deaths of those Dream Demons… do they count as complete deaths?
After all, the deceased Dream Demons showed no signs of resurrection. Even with Spirit Vision, I could see they died thoroughly, their bodies transformed into unrecognizable information that dissipated in the dream. The deaths of the two Dream Demons occurred within the dream. This made me certain that they definitely died!
At first, it seemed like a very fair life-and-d*ath struggle, even somewhat unfavorable for the Dream Demons. But now the situation had completely reversed.
Those Dream Demons figured out a way to hide behind the scenes, allowing the people of Ninglan New City to d*e in vain.
And what is more critical is the hearts of the people.
Those outsiders, used to being reckless, when faced with true d*ath—the contrast to their previous fearlessness could likely lead most to a significant psychological drop, making them become more “timid” and “fearful.”
After all, they were accustomed to not fearing d*ath. When they saw their comrades truly d*e, the impact on new students who had just entered the Extraordinary Academy is tremendous. Many of them were not prepared to face d*ath, even naively thinking they wouldn’t d*e. How could anyone d*e in the Academy?
Let’s not forget that a large number of them are new students without combat power.
Once this method of extinguishing soul material is linked with the concept of d*ath, it becomes a symbolic deterrent, an existence that cannot be resisted because resistance means d*ath.
It could be said to be defeating the enemy without a fight.
“Yes, so you must not go up to the surface now. Stay in the Underground City. At least you can…”
“Weren’t you also going to resist your father? Weren’t you going to use my power? But the result is to urge me to hide here,” I said with a mocking smile.
“This… Actually, I wanted to transfer the trustworthy people down to the Underground City. After all, even the City Lord would need to think carefully before launching a large-scale attack on the Underground City.”
“But the Underground City isn’t entirely under your control, is it?” I interjected.
“I naturally know that, but… I heard you applied for a project, the Nightmare Killing Weapon. You should have found a way to deal with Nightmares, right? In contrast to the City Lord, who compromises with the Dream Demons, the response method from the Underground City forms a contrast with him, making the Underground City naturally at odds with the City Lord…”
“That’s overly simplistic. As the daughter of the City Lord, do you think he would just let you act freely? I remember you have an elder brother, right? What is he doing?”
“My brother… naturally is the one who opposes my father’s actions the most. He has already turned against my father. Although the official families within Ninglan Qiuxiang Fort have also divided into two factions, there are not many who support my brother, nor are there any openly supporting him. Those Dream Demons not only bewitched the City Lord, but those factions did as well; such despicable means… it’s truly shameful!”
“So the core of all your efforts revolves around your brother?”
“Pretty much. If my brother cannot persuade anyone again, I guess he might…”
“Overthrow the current City Lord, take his place, and establish a new order?”
“Yes, from what I know about my brother, he can pull off such things, or rather… he has been waiting for such an opportunity.”
“Oh? I wouldn’t have guessed.” I recalled my earlier encounter and cooperation against that Ninglan Qiuyu; he didn’t seem like one with great ambition, rather more like a somewhat naive youth. Can someone like that really topple an old fox who has held the City Lord position for so long?
“Initially, I thought so too…”
“So what changed your perspective on him?” I continued to ask.
After all, since the old City Lord chose to ally with the Dream Demons, he had already become an object I needed to eliminate. I understood the weight of this relationship; after all, I couldn’t allow the Abyss Demon to gain any advantage.
Although I seemed to be arguing with Ninglan Qiuyue, what I needed to do was clear in my mind. I was merely testing Ninglan Qiuyue’s bottom line and her attitude.
From the looks of it, she still seemed somewhat naïve?
“When I saw him learn to hide himself…”
“Hide himself? Then that’s interesting.” Hiding emotions and thoughts, feigning weakness, and conserving energy indicates someone with great ambition.
However, the crime of patricide might be quite difficult to justify… But if the current City Lord has gone astray, it would be righteous to eliminate him.
“Now, how do ordinary people in Ninglan New City view the City Lord and outsiders?”
“Ordinary people… Many have been disturbed by Nightmares, and even if they haven’t, they’ve heard of the horrors of Nightmares. So the people in the city still greatly rely on the City Lord’s protection. Furthermore, the presence of outsiders has indeed caused much trouble for residents, and the City Lord’s handling of those reckless outsiders is met with approval…”
“Oh dear~ Losing power and losing the people’s hearts. Does your brother also intend to leverage the power of outsiders to resist?”
“Yes, so… the first step is to reveal what the City Lord has done.”
“A war of public opinion, but it’s very difficult. You can’t just expose the City Lord’s actions; doing so would directly shake the foundation of Ninglan New City and undermine the authority of your City Lord lineage.”
“As my brother puts it, the labor pains are only temporary.”
“Indeed, if Ninglan New City can recover after this bout of labor pains, or even advance further, then it’s naturally worthwhile. But that’s still a big ‘if.'”
“Alright, I won’t chat with you anymore. My attitude is just that I have no attitude. In any case, I must thank you for bringing me here. I generally don’t do things that aren’t rewarding. Most people are like this; only when you prove your value can you attract more to embellish it.”
“Is that so…”
“Yes, I just dislike trouble.”
“By the way, I want to ask you a question on behalf of someone.”
“Oh? Who? Tan Han?”
“Um, she… said she has some matters she wants to discuss with you privately and asked if you would be willing to give her this opportunity?”
“If it’s just a chat, then that’s fine. How about it? Do you plan to bring them down soon?”
“Yes, and she said if you refuse, I should clarify that what she wants to talk about is closely related to her. It’s not about asking you to do anything; that’s about it.”
“Is that so? Then it’s no problem. I’m not that hard to approach. I just simply don’t want to respond to foolish questions. Many questions already have answers once they’re spoken; that would make me look foolish, like a clown.”
“Is there anything else? If not, I’ll be heading back.” I said, after all, if Ninglan Qiuyue hadn’t suddenly come to find me, I would have been looking for Sister Bai by now.
But just as I hoped, I didn’t mind Ninglan Qiuyue frequently coming back to find me, as she could bring useful or entertaining news about Ninglan New City on the surface.
Even if she ultimately leads me to face troublesome dilemmas, like now, I don’t mind because these are not unduly difficult choices for me. I’m simply curious about how far those facing difficulties will go to achieve their goals.
This Ninglan Qiuyue doesn’t seem as simple as she presents herself to be.
“I might still have other matters to attend to here. In any case, this time, I was impudent.”
“Not impudent. Everyone has their own choices. If possible, I also hope you’ll share more about the situation outside with me; I’m very interested.”
“Um, I will. Next time, if all goes well.”
Watching Ninglan Qiuyue’s departing figure, I fell into contemplation. I initially intended to lay the groundwork for the development of the script, but it turned out that those Dream Demons had taken the lead over me. It seemed I would need to go up and take a look at the situation, but before that, I should have a talk with Sister Bai, hoping she can support me.
