Countless lightning bolts flashed across the sky whilst deafening thunderclaps boomed one after another.
Heavy rain poured down. It had been a while since it rained. Tang Ling stood at the edge of the Patrol Ground and suddenly thought of that ominous night.
As though a long time had passed, the light in Safety Sector No. 17 had evolved dramatically. The veil of mystery and a myriad of questions followed him as he grew stronger, drawing a clear line that separated the past and the present for him.
However, at times, it felt like yesterday. Whenever he was in a silent space, he could hear his grandmother’s uneasy coughing before she slept whenever he closed his eyes. He could also feel the little movements from his bed as his sister crawled under the blanket and into his arms. She would clutch his shirt before she could sleep.
The balance of the battlefield ruins had been broken. The Underground had launched a full-fledged invasion!
Squadron after squadron of warriors slid down the iron belt in silence. They entered the battlefield with firearms that could rival the enemy, forcing the situation into a temporary stalemate.
The warriors were nervous as they fought because they were not fighting unorganized beasts or brainless zombies anymore. They were facing real monsters!
The monsters were steaming hot as they appeared. The softest touch of its body would burn one’s skin, and the scariest thing was that its strange outer form that resembled a human was just an external vessel!
After destroying the vessel with multiple attacks, rat-men would jump out. They were no less than a powerful doe.
What is this? What the hell is all of this?
All the warriors on standby questioned the situation deeply. They were either gathered at the Patrol Ground or the war passage, waiting for the order to be deployed into the battlefield.
Was there any good news? Strictly speaking, there was something hopeful.
Since both sides possessed firearms, as the bullets and explosives were detonated toward each other, the fiery scene frightened the beasts and mutated insects that occupied the battlefield all year long. Even the zombies dared not go near to the conflict area.
There was also another piece of good news. There seemed to be a limit to the strange monsters. After two hours of continuous battling, they stopped coming out of that despicable crevice since they had limited troops.
The rain was pouring in torrents, and since it was the end of summer, it brought a chill.
Yang Kong walked over and looked at the Fierce Dragon Squad standing in the rain with a strange bleak smile on his face.
“The Underground is a race that lives 50 meters under the surface. The old civilization did have something on them, so some people discovered their existence in a deep cave in the past. For reasons unknown, the Underground hid very well in the old civilization and even the time before them. However, when the Purple Moon Era came, they stopped hiding and started to extend their claws to the surface.
“They, too, should have their own civilization, but no one has ever been to their kingdom to see what it was like, at least, not in our times. Maybe there were people who dove deep underground, but Safety Sector No. 17 never received any news about it.
“Their way of battling differs from humans. As you can see, they have two bodies. The bigger exterior that resembles a deformed human is known as their Prosthetics. You can view it as their armor but not entirely.
“Based on what we know, unless absolutely necessary, they won’t remove their Prosthetics underground. What we humans know about the Prosthetics is that the environment underground is harsh, so they have to rely on the Prosthetics to survive.
“As for the Prosthetics they are equipped with, it is exactly as you guys saw. The Underground will gain increased strength and a high-temperature skin as a defense, but it won’t affect their speed at all. As for their true form, they can no longer adapt to the environment on the surface. The bacteria, the virus, and sunlight…All the things on the surface can be an obstacle to stop them from surviving up here.
“But since they decided to show up in our era, their ambition speaks for itself. They eyed the surface, wanting to return to the light. They have something to support their goal too—the Purple Moon. The Purple Moon accelerates their ability to adapt to the environment on the surface. If they get close to the Universal Source Rock or move around it, they can move around on the surface longer.
“The bad news is that if they are allowed to walk the surface, 80% of the entire Underground race will be able to adapt to the environment here in less than a year. The last and most important thing is that they are thieves. They stole something from the old civilization—a piece of advanced technology to be exact—and when the Purple Moon Era arrived, they somehow got their hands on a bunch of firearms.
“Hmph, see that? Using human’s achievements to fight humans. This is the truest side of the battlefield. I suppose I don’t have to explain the details, do I?” Yang Kong lowered his head after he finished. He removed his glasses and wiped the water droplets away. His face screamed of exhaustion while his gaze at the battlefield held a profound meaning.
Did they eagerly launch their invasion on this day? The day when the purge started? This is just to pressure the castellan.
He already could picture the scene in which the Agnes family appeared like the hero and saved everyone from the calamity. They would then use the credit, plus a little boost from the faction behind them, to rise in the ranks and ultimately succeed in the transfer of power.
But…since when did life in Safety Sector No. 17 become this worthless? Should life not be cherished?
Even if the population exceeded the production rate, the extra population would be sent to the settlement and extra resources would be given to them to aid their survival. The late castellan once said that there was an abundance of resources in this era despite there being a serious lack of human population.
Unfortunately, human life had become worthless.
Since when did it change? Was it the day the settlement got destroyed? Or today, when the Agnes family decided to use human lives to pile up their credits in this conflict just so they could rise in the ranks? Was it all for a perfect performance?
“Why did you hide it from us?”
While Yang Kong was carried away by his thoughts as he gazed at the battlefield, behind him, Yu reacted vehemently, even more so than Orston. He strode up and said loudly, “The Underground race is just right in front of our eyes, yet you still hid it from us?”
It was infuriating. The Underground race was right in front of their eyes, or rather beneath the ground that they stepped on, but they had never heard of their existence until now. Why?
Yang Kong turned around to Yu. He did not want to and should not answer the question. As a dutiful instructor, he ought to suppress the anger in kids’ hearts, but an impulse rose within him. It urged him to spill the truth. As for what the kids would think of him, it was all up to their imagination.
“After we entered the Purple Moon Era, humans were segregated into different factions and forces, but there was a powerful organization that set the rules for us. Everyone in this particular organization governed themselves because those who were accepted in the organizations governed cities, and at times, whenever they reached an accord, they would set the rules for the world to follow.
“At first, there were only three rules and it slowly increased to five…or was it seven? Nevertheless, it is still unknown whether the rules will continue to increase, but one of the rules is that normal people, and by normal people I mean those who don’t have a contributing occupation, have no right to know about the existence of the Underground race. Take you guys as an example. Before anyone of you became a rank 1 Purple Moon Warrior, none of you should’ve known about the Underground’s existence.” Yang Kong wore his glasses and sighed softly as he remained calm.
“How can you say that?” Orston stepped up. Yeah, how can you say that? It’s a hostile race under the ground that we are standing on, so why is it kept a secret from the normal people? Don’t normal people have the right to know?
“It’s not about what I say. It’s the rule. As a matter of fact, there are many things the rules have kept secret from normal people. I’m an instructor, so I’m not allowed to misguide you. I’m afraid the real answer is only known by the higher-ups, but I can share my opinion. Under the circumstances whereby all resources are limited, or at least development is limited, whenever things get really, really, bad, the lesser the people know, the more they can live a steady life.
“You guys can take it as an excuse or view it as a protection. You can even call it a despicable act. Whatever it is, this is the only explanation that I, as an instructor, can give you.” Yang Kong went silent after that as he pocketed his hands and gazed at the battlefield.
An argument danced on the tip of Orston’s tongue, but he decided to swallow it. Frustrated, he punched the ground vehemently to vent his emotions. At that very moment, he seemed to have matured suddenly.
He knew that both him or Yu, or even Christina had no right to throw a tantrum. They sided with the higher-ups because they had more resources compared to the others and they enjoyed the privilege to receive education, so it was only a matter of time before they gained the right to know such secrets.
What would the three of them become if they were a lot more matured? Would they deny the current system? Or would they automatically become a protector of the current system?
At least…the blood in them was still warm.
Tang Ling coldly watched over everything. He knew about the Underground race a long time ago and he had kept it a secret from his friends as well.
No one was more familiar with keeping secrets from normal people than him. Just think about what the people in the settlement had been through. Even until their last breath, they doubted the existence of the old civilization and knew nothing about the world.
The more they knew, the more anxious and impatient they would get. Would they be able to reproduce and hunt in peace if they knew the truth? Would they be able to provide batches of new blood to the troops in Safety Sector No. 17 in peace?
It might not be possible anymore!
Maybe the safety sector did have a merciful side. It was barely kept alive by maintaining the scale of the population in the settlement, but such compassion was limited, and from that night onwards, the mercy was crushed to smithereens.
Until today, the reason for the zombie attack remained a mystery. No one knew what role did Safety Sector No. 17 played in that onslaught, but one thing was for sure—the settlement was used as a pawn in a deal to secure benefits.
So, what else could Tang Ling look forward to?
Thankfully, he was still grateful. He observed Yu’s silence, Orston’s rage and Christina’s sympathy towards the sacrifices made on the battlefield. He was grateful for meeting his friends while they were still young. Had it been five or ten years down the line, the pure friendship and the naive mercy would not have existed anymore.
The Underground went on a rampage on the battlefield. The leader of each squadron was briefing the whole squad and filled them in with some last-minute details.
Tang Ling felt nothing but irony because he had sketched the outline of the whole conspiracy in his heart. A traitor had appeared in Safety Sector No. 17.
The traitor was backed by powerful support and this faction behind the traitor must have close ties with the Underground race. It would explain why during the garage mission, a sea of zombies had been hidden underground. Who else could move underground better than the Underground race themselves?
Fei Long had been strangely captured as a hostage by the Underground. He claimed that he was treated as a bargaining chip.
The invasion by the Underground was a sign for the traitor of Safety Sector No. 17 to appear under the light.
Who is this traitor? Tang Ling was just a small fry as a New Moon Warrior. The gap in receiving information blocked his analysis, but it did not matter since he could still deduce something with the breadcrumbs left behind.
What exactly were the breadcrumbs?
The door back in garage No. 19 had been sabotaged.
Back then, only a small group of people could have done it—the Summit Squad. They had every reason to do it because they had a conflict with the Fierce Dragon Squad.
As for the truth?
When Tang Ling further analyzed the situation, he had a question about why the Summit Squad was able to retreat unscathed.
The Summit Squad had given an official reply in response to that. They said they had forgotten to bring their bacteria control potion and someone in the squad was infected, so they were forced to retreat.
The one who had forgotten to bring the bacteria control potion in the Summit Squad was someone well-known for being careless. The excuse might seem flawless, but something was not right about the details. The person-in-charge of the potion should have been the leader. Why would such a task be assigned to a notably careless person? Why did they not double-confirm the supplies before they went out?
After a quick analysis, the answer came afloat.
The leader of the Summit Squad was Andrew who was a delicate and smart person with high EQ. He would never have made such a lousy mistake no matter how perfect the excuse might seem.
Even if he destroyed the evidence, he could not remove people’s suspicion of him, and Tang Ling was clearly suspecting him.
Andrew. Andrew Agnes.
So, who would the traitor be then? Surely, it was the Agnes family! Otherwise, Andrew could not have gotten the insider tip and retreated beforehand.
When Tang Ling connected himself to the incident, everything seemed fishy.
Why would Lionel Agnes have targeted him during the first exam?
Why did Andrew feign the determination to accept the garage area mission? He would have appeared less suspicious if he had not accepted the mission.
Could Tang Ling assume that Andrew accepted the mission just to target him? Andrew actually had a high chance of killing him without anyone knowing about it during the mission.
However, Tang Ling’s speculation lacked key information. He could not link himself to all the conspiracy that he just uncovered.
For example, Andrew had tons of chances to put him through hell, so why the garage area then? What was Andrew so afraid of?
The same thing happened with Lionel Agnes who seemed to target Tang Ling due to his conflict with Su Yao, but it was just an excuse for him to target Tang Ling out in the open. After the excuse was invalidated, Lionel did not do anything to Tang Ling anymore.
What did that mean?
Everything pointed towards a single explanation. There was a hidden power surrounding him. It was not the power from Su Yao but from someone else, hence the Agnes family’s fear of him.
Tang Ling had evidence to support his speculation. Back then, during the garage mission where he seemingly died, he was saved by a mysterious person. He still had the piece of paper with him. The piece of paper was evidence!
However, figuring out the whole incident was exceptionally difficult.
The rain was endless. Lightning would flash across the sky frequently and Tang Ling winced when the thunder clapped in his ears.
Who am I? What else was more painful than not knowing who he really was? The anxiety in his heart rumbled fiercely, stopping him from thinking clearly.
“Stop thinking, stop thinking. I’ve been preparing for the past month and a half for this very day when everything comes together. I’m prepared for the Underground race too.” Tang Ling breathed deeply, comforting himself. The gap in receiving information was disturbing to him, yet Su Yao had deliberately kept the secret from him.
Is the answer coming soon? Tang Ling was on the brink of exploding.
Since the Underground race had moved out, the traitor would be prepared to come on stage. The safety of Tang Ling’s life would no longer exist since the traitor would no longer need to hide or be afraid of him.
The hidden power around him, including Su Yao, would surely make a move in reaction to the traitor’s revelation.
As for his true identity and the memories that he lost, everything would be revealed at some point. Tang Ling was afraid. He was afraid that he would lose himself after knowing the truth about his identity.
For reasons unknown, Yang Kong turned around to the Fierce Dragon Squad and decided to spill the secret, “Actually, the safety sector isn’t safe today. The purge has started.”
Although there was a lag in information between the Hope Barrier and Safety Sector No. 17, people would know about the purge sooner or later.
“What?!” Yu, Orston, and Christina were shocked to their core. The purge? No one was more sensitive to that word than the nobles.
Dumbfounded, Tang Ling knew his speculation was about to come true. Since the Underground race launched an invasion, it was almost certain the traitor in the safety sector would seize the opportunity and do something from within.
“Don’t worry. Your families are fine.” Yang Kong looked at the three of them. Their families had always been neutral forces. Only Yufeng’s family leaned slightly towards a certain side, but they had the option to step away and remain neutral to secure their own safety.
As combatant families, the three families were considered the pillars of the middle class of Safety Sector No. 17. The traitor would not want to take over an empty Safety Sector No. 17, would they?
“The purge has nothing to do with you guys. I’m just letting you know that every one of you is fine,” said Yang Kong. His eyes intentionally paused on Tang Ling and he exchanged a gaze with him.
He could sense the anxiety from Tang Ling. Judging from the explosive tension building on his expression, he knew that Tang Ling was worried about Su Yao.
It was at that moment when Yang Kong gave Tang Ling a hint. A person as smart as Tang Ling would have easily gotten the hint—Su Yao was fine.
Tang Ling must keep himself safe! He must! At least judging from how things had turned out in Safety Sector No. 17, there were still no signs about the traitor targeting him. Seeming to understand the hint, he slowly calmed down and that explosive tension slowly faded away.
He waited patiently for his turn to be deployed into the battlefield.
No one counted how many warriors had been deployed. There were still around 300 to 400 Underground soldiers running wild on the battlefield, and two to three thousand warriors were required to barely hold them off.
The funny thing was that due to the size of the battlefield, no troops could be deployed at the moment. If the battlefield was flooded with troops from the Hope Barrier, those beasts and mutated insects that had stepped out of the ring of conflict might come back in and the warriors would put themselves at risk of friendly bombardment.
Therefore, the Hope Barrier decided to send squadron after squadron of warriors into the battlefield as if they were trying to hold off the enemy with the warriors’ lives.
What about the Purple Moon Warriors? Where were they? Despite it being a Class 1 defense situation, none of them showed up?
The warriors started to lose their morale. What else was more insulting than this? Were the Purple Moon Warriors not showing up during such a critical situation? Even the troops stationed in other camps came over as reinforcement.
Yang Kong furrowed his brows as he failed to understand how far these people, who looked up to the Agnes family as their leader, would go and when they would stop. Had the warriors not died enough? After the garage mission and now the invasion from the Underground race, Safety Sector No. 17 had lost at least one-fourth of its troops. What was the Agnes family doing behind the scenes?
While everyone was in doubt and anxiety was rife, a series of neat footsteps came from the main war passage of the Hope Barrier.
Everyone turned around towards the footsteps. The Purple Moon Warriors had finally arrived, and there were hundreds of them, which was the equivalent of half of the total Purple Moon Warriors stationed in Safety Sector No. 17.
The leader of the group of Purple Moon Warriors was an elderly man in a black cape. Those stationed in Safety Sector No. 17 would surely know the man—Clyne Agnes.
He was the leader of the Agnes family, the living legend, the strongest and the ex-general captain of the Purple Moon Warriors of Safety Sector No. 17.
Nevertheless, he was no longer the general captain, so why would he don his Purple Moon armor today. Furthermore, the black cape on his back was a symbol of the general captain of the Purple Moon Warriors.
Fei Long? Where’s Fei Long?
Worry appeared on Yang Kong’s face. It seemed like things had deviated from the expected. According to everyone’s prediction, Arhan should have been the one who took over the general captain’s position from Fei Long, but now it was Clyne Agnes?
Yang Kong was worried about Fei Long’s safety. When he left the room, Fei Long had been passed out drunk on the sofa!
Time did not allow Yang Kong to think as Aber Agnes, who was beside Clyne Agnes, stepped up.
The noble young master, who had always shown disdain towards the Purple Moon Warriors’ duties, was in his Purple Moon armor as well. He even wore the red cape which was a symbol of a unit captain.
Getting impatient after a little advantage? Or it is time for the usurping to take place on stage? The Agnes family must be desperate to pocket this credit. That’s why they ignored the rules and shamelessly seized the command of the Purple Moon Warriors. Fei Long…
The distress on Yang Kong’s face got heavier. He could only stay calm when he thought of the castellan. Will the castellan compromise to this extent and abandon Fei Long?
It was at that moment that Aber stepped into the sight of the confused warriors looking at them.
As the rain continued to pour down, he spoke.
