Endless Debt-Chapter 989 - 74: Returning to the Old Place

This wasn’t the first time Bologue had fallen into the Abandoned Land. Familiar with the process, he quickly thought of a solution and contacted the Fourth Group, the Abyss Watchers stationed there.

The solution was simple.

The power of the Negative Power User was unleashed without restraint. While the power erupted, the dormant flesh buried under the ashes seemed startled, rising violently and charging towards Bologue.

Under the influence of the Serenity Defense Line, the Abandoned Land was completely enveloped in an ether vacuum, where not a trace of ether could exist. This greatly weakened the power of the Calamity in this world, subjecting it to severe hunger.

The emergence of Bologue’s power was like a plump fish entering a Forbidden Land. The hungry Calamity in this world launched an attack on Bologue, and this massive outburst of power also caught the attention of the Desperate Outpost.

The last time they had such difficulty in detecting Bologue was mainly because Bologue was too weak back then, still in a state of ether exhaustion. Now, Bologue was different; the power of the Negative Power User was as brilliant as a torch.

Before Bologue could engage with the Calamity, a giant arrow shot out of the dim darkness, piercing through the flesh of the Calamity in this world. The faint sound of the monster’s wail could be heard, followed by hot blazing winds and surging ashes. Numerous sparks rose from behind the high walls of the ruined city, as if a living volcano was brewing within.

After the commotion had passed, Bologue was already exhausted. Under the ether vacuum’s influence, he was nearly at the point of ether depletion. But before he completely collapsed, he saw those figures emerge from the dim ashes.

"It’s him again, when will he stop?" A familiar yet unfamiliar voice complained, "What does he take us for? A supermarket? Coming and going as he pleases."

"Leader, judging by his condition, he must have had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure."

"I recall that he’s the Undead, right? Even if he encounters a powerful enemy, he won’t die anyway. There’s no need to come to us, isn’t there?"

"Leader, you must understand that the Undead won’t die, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be contained, just like the monster we’re holding now."

The voice fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Is he still alive?"

Bologue felt someone prying his eyelids open, filling his vision with blinding white light.

"Still alive, with some consciousness," the person continued, "he might be a bit too exhausted. A period of rest should do him good."

"Damn it, I’m going to file a complaint with the Decision Room!"

After a moment of suppression, the voice turned agitated, "I’m fed up with this hellhole. It’s just ashes, ashes, and more ashes besides that monster. How long do we have to keep watch?"

"Well... Leader, I’d like to point out that you were the one who applied for a more leisurely position in the first place."

"Shut up!"

In his vague, dissipating consciousness, Bologue heard the two conversing. The voices were very familiar. Bologue seemed to have met them somewhere, but he no longer had the strength to recall.

In the ongoing battles with the Defenders, Bologue relied on his exceptional power to endure it all.

The Secret Energy from Xilin, the Gift of Immortality, and the Protection of Envy. Without any one of them, Bologue wouldn’t have been able to escape the Fog Abyss Fortress so smoothly, but to say it was smooth was actually a disastrous return.

This was a Devil’s conspiracy. Mammon was targeting not only him but also the Shadow King, and the King’s Shield Guard.

No one knew what they were planning, but it was clear that all the actions of the devils would ultimately lead to the destruction of the existing order, dragging the world into a chaotic madness of disorder.

Thinking this, Bologue’s consciousness fell into a coma.

...

When Bologue awoke again, the walls around him were made of pitch-black rock. He could faintly feel the flow of ether.

Bologue was certain he was no longer within the Abandoned Land. He muttered to himself, "Desperate Outpost?"

Based on various deductions, he hadn’t left the Great Rift yet, but he was no longer under the coverage of the Serenity Defense Line, so there was only one possibility.

At this moment, another voice confirmed Bologue’s words.

"That’s right, this is the Desperate Outpost," said a gentlemanly figure wearing glasses at the entrance. He continued, "This isn’t your first time here. Last time, you were in a coma the entire time until you left."

"Who are you?"

Evan introduced himself, "You can call me Evan."

"How long was I unconscious for?"

"About an hour," Evan glanced at his watch, "If you were any later, you could directly wake up at the Border Sanatorium."

"So... I shouldn’t have woken up, right?" Bologue said, "I know the level of secrecy here is very high, especially concerning those things held below?"

Even such hatred-inducing calamity in this world is merely one part of the seal. What truly strikes fear is the curse King Solomon left behind, that eternally burning light blaze.

Even after so many years, the blaze still burns, scorching the flesh of worldly calamity every second, casting tons of ashes, completely burying the ruins of the Holy City.

As if deliberately hiding something.

Bologue asked, "Do I need to pretend I know nothing?"

"No, not at all," Evan said, "You have the right to know."

"What?"

"You seem surprised, hasn’t the Decision Room informed you?" Evan motioned for Bologue to follow him, "Your permission level has been elevated, along with your Tier as a Negative Power User, many secrets within the Order Bureau will be open to you, such as the matters of the Abandoned Land."

"I haven’t paid attention to these things."

Bologue followed behind Evan; now he could be certain he was inside that mysterious Desperate Outpost, ascending along a spiral staircase, seeing a thin layer of ashes on the steps, with the air turning murky and prompting a low cough.

"Aside from work, I rarely concern myself with other matters," Bologue said.

"It’s noticeable."

Evan stopped, stood on the steps, turned back to overlook Bologue, seemingly able to see through all of Bologue’s disguises, and spoke.

"Focused, efficient, stubborn, meticulous... you’re an excellent Field Staff, not to mention, the Undying Body allows you to ignore many factors that could affect your work, enabling you to engage with a better posture."

Evan paused, and said helplessly, "If the team leader had even half your professionalism, that would be wonderful."

Bologue felt he heard some important news about the leader of the fourth team.

The two continued upwards, fierce winds filled the surroundings, leading Bologue to a lookout. As he thought, the Desperate Outpost was built along the cliff, above the Serenity Defense Line, like a small fortress, watching over the Abandoned Land.

From here, Bologue could just see the ruins covered by ashes, within the city a perpetual flame burned, like a giant furnace built there, with giant craftsmen tirelessly hammering anvils, sparking stars around.

Blazing ashes soared from beyond the high walls, with intermittent air waves carrying these ashes and sparks, forming deadly fiery winds, scouring the cliffs, creating uncanny wind erosion features typical of a canyon in these depths.

Below the lookout, large crossbows were set up, laden with black crossbow arrows, reminding Bologue how he nearly got hit by them before; it’s these volleys that could temporarily suppress worldly calamity’s power.

"You guys are really lucky..."

Bologue whispered, then looked at Evan, "For many, the Holy City is a pilgrimage ground to witness even in death. But for you, it’s just an everyday scene."

Evan asked, "Pilgrimage? Is it the same for you?"

Bologue thought for a moment, then shook his head relievedly, "It used to be, but not anymore."

"During my military days, my superior told me, once we captured the Holy City, the war would end, and I always awaited that battle... until it truly came."

Evan listened silently; Bologue’s identity as Undead in the Field Operations Department was already no secret, considering Bologue’s outstanding capability, many seasoned staff couldn’t compare to this newcomer.

Bologue walked a few steps forward, trying to find traces of the past on this ash-filled soil, regretfully finding nothing, all buried by ash.

"That was a mad battle, artillery tore open the hard ground, then tamped it again, blood stained it repeatedly until the soil turned dark red, stinking of foul blood fumes.

With every few meters we advanced, countless corpses were left behind, until reaching beneath that high wall."

Bologue extended his hand, pointing at that towering high wall, even after so many years, it still stands firm.

"It’s a pity, I couldn’t conquer this wall back then; now it seems powerless."

Once Bologue attempted to tear down walls as a conqueror, now he has become a defender, ensuring the wall’s height to prevent the escape of the blaze.

As time flows, recalling, Bologue only felt irony.