An hour later, the three mechs landed in a mountainous region.
The sky had just cleared, and the wind whistling through the mountain passes was bitingly cold.
Xian Xia's Chief, clad only in a thin silk sleepwear, shivered in the frigid breeze.
The skin on his right arm had been cut open. The removed locator had been tossed by Gu Ya into the mountains a thousand kilometers away, making it impossible for the Xian Xia army to find them for the time being.
Seeing the stubbornness of the man in his early forties,
Gu Ya knew that no amount of torture would make him speak.
After much deliberation, he pulled the Chief back into the mech's cockpit.
“Gu Ya, he was my leader for many years. If you're going to kill him, do it quickly. To be honest, seeing him like this, reduced to this state, I feel a bit soft-hearted,” Shu Feizhang said.
Gu Ya understood that Shu Feizhang and Ye Zhenjun had been well-taken care of by the Chief for a long time. They had defected because of Gu Ya and held no grudges against the Chief.
“Conceal the mechs well. When Xian Wangchuan comes to find us, we will execute my second plan.”
Four days later, in the early morning,
Following the coordinates sent by Gu Ya, Xian Wangchuan's Star Sink mech slowly descended into the mountains.
The four men exchanged brief greetings after meeting and then proceeded to the cockpit where the Chief was being held.
To the surprise of the four, the Chief, upon seeing Xian Wangchuan for the first time, flinched back and shrunk into a corner,
Crouching down and hugging his legs, trembling, he dared not look at Xian Wangchuan again, and whispered repeatedly, "You've come... you've really returned!"
The four were bewildered.
Soon, Xian Wangchuan detected something amiss. He walked up to the Chief and said coldly, "Why are you afraid of me? Or is it that you fear the descendants of the Xian surname seeking revenge from Xian Xia?"
Having starved for four days, Xian Xia's Chief had already descended into madness.
He spoke as if possessed, "They said you would reclaim Xian Xia and Black Star, and ascend to the pinnacle of the world! You've come, you've really returned!"
"Who are 'they'?" Xian Wangchuan asked coldly.
The Chief suddenly let out a mad, senile laugh, making it impossible to get any answers.
As everyone was at a loss, Gu Ya stated firmly, "He does intend to reclaim Xian Xia. This is my second plan."
“Brother Xian, I want you to learn all the Chief's habits, impersonate him, and control Xian Xia.”
“What??”
“What exactly are you thinking, kid?”
“Gu Ya, this is no joke. What if we get discovered…”
Gu Ya said coldly, “Brother Xian, with your intelligence, imitation should not be a problem.”
“The Chief doesn't need to die. Keep him hidden by your side, always as your ‘blood bag’.”
Xian Wangchuan rubbed his chin and paced to the side, facing the cockpit wall, contemplating calmly.
Shu Feizhang pulled Ye Zhenjun out of the cockpit.
“Old Ye, quickly persuade your son-in-law. I think he’s gotten too audacious now, and his mind isn’t right!”
“Look at this, holding the Chief hostage, interrogating him for information, and now wanting to find someone to replace the Chief! And after that, will he start mobilizing the Xian Xia army and Black Star…”
Shu Feizhang’s voice grew quieter as he spoke, as if he finally understood Gu Ya’s intention.
“Hiss! Hey, I say, Gu Ya, this kid is quite cunning!”
Ye Zhenjun massaged his temples and said, “The idea is good, but it’s very difficult to implement. Don’t forget, the Chief has a dual identity.”
“Oh, Old Shu, you and I are soldiers. We just need to be good pawns.”
“Let the young people ponder these important matters.”
Shu Feizhang glanced at him and whispered, “Shouldn’t you listen to what you’re saying yourself…”
Inside the cockpit,
Xian Wangchuan turned to Gu Ya and said, “The current critical difficulty is that we cannot obtain the information in his mind, right?”
Gu Ya nodded.
Xian Wangchuan said, “I’ve brought Miracle. He can help.” With that, he snatched the door open and left.
Not long after, Xian Wangchuan returned with a consciousness virtualization instrument and a palm-sized holographic system.
Opening the system, Miracle appeared in the holographic projection.
“Brother Gu, haha! We meet again! I am now in consciousness form, stored in this system,” Miracle greeted happily.
“Brother Xian thought very carefully. He was worried you might encounter a situation where you couldn't get the information, so he brought me.”
“I and twelve scientists haven't been idle. After hundreds of experiments, we've achieved the technology to enter the human consciousness space.”
Miracle's words completely dispelled Gu Ya's doubts.
Gu Ya said somewhat impatiently, “Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up! It’s already been four days, and the Xian Xia army should find us soon.”
Xian Wangchuan and Gu Ya secured the Xian Xia Chief firmly and then placed the consciousness transmission helmet on his head.
In the few seconds before falling into a stupor, the Xian Xia Chief's mind suddenly returned to normal, and he chuckled, “A bunch of greenhorn brats, don’t think you’ll get any information from me!”
With that, he fell into a deep sleep.
The waiting period was agonizing.
Xian Wangchuan remained contemplating facing the wall.
Shu Feizhang and Ye Zhenjun boarded their respective mechs, maintaining a constant state of alert.
Gu Ya stood guard beside Miracle and the Chief.
He was unsure if Miracle could outwit the cunning Chief.
This was something he should be doing, but without a consciousness upload machine, Gu Ya couldn't enter a conscious state.
Three hours later, Miracle finally emerged!
His image appeared on the holographic screen, injured and exhausted.
“Old undying…” Miracle cursed fiercely and said, “Playing dirty with me! Phew~ Phew~ But I was still stronger, I beat him into submission!”
Gu Ya rejoiced and said, “Chong Li Sect, Qi Hai Pre-recording, Mysterious Organization, and everything else! Tell me!”
Miracle chuckled weakly and said, “Let him tell you!”
The Chief slowly opened his eyes, the arrogance and cunning gone, replaced by an expression of utter weariness.
“Kunga Society…”
Gu Ya quickly repeated it in a low voice, memorizing it.
“Qi Hai Pre-recording is not a book, it is a string of mysterious code that appears in a random holographic system around the world each year.”
“No one knows where it originates. It cannot be deleted, nor can its source be traced.”
“The code exists for about a week. Even if this system is destroyed, the code will reappear in other systems and disappear on its own once its time is up.”
“Hundreds of years ago, the Chong Li Sect discovered and successfully deciphered the code. Then, we found that everything it foretold came true.”
Gu Ya nodded and said, “Good. Next, why did you choose to assassinate me at this time?”
The Chief lowered his head and murmured, “We strictly followed what Qi Hai Pre-recording said. It told us to kill you after you became powerful.”
“In order to… completely obtain the Divine Vessel of Mechanisms.”
Gu Ya frowned, pondered for a few seconds, and asked, “Where is Hei Yang now?”
The Chief shook his head slightly and said, “I don’t know…”
The most crucial piece of intelligence was lost, and Gu Ya felt anxious.
Gu Ya now suspected that Hei Yang and the Divine Vessel of Mechanisms were currently in Black Star's possession.
The invasion of the Black Star Empire proceeded smoothly. Lai Ling·Fanan was clearly evading, buying time.
Perhaps Black Star was researching how to use the Divine Vessel of Mechanisms!
Xian Wangchuan stared at the Chief and asked, “Why are you afraid of me? Why did you say I would ascend to the pinnacle of the world?”
The Chief gave a weak, bitter smile and said, “Qi Hai Pre-recording said… after me, it would be you…”
Gu Ya asked, “What else did it say? How will future events unfold? How will I die in the future?”
The Chief replied truthfully, “I don’t know. The firsthand intelligence is held by the Kunga Society. Qi Hai Pre-recording only states the outcome, not the process…”
“In this world, you are not the only one trying to escape predestined fate. Lai Ling·Fanan is also one of them.”
Xian Wangchuan coldly regarded the Chief and asked, “Is your fear of me also something mentioned in Qi Hai Pre-recording?”
The Chief shuddered immediately.
Xian Wangchuan understood at once that the Chief was hiding something. He fiercely grabbed the Chief’s collar, stared into his deathly eyes, and demanded, “Tell the truth!”
The Chief’s tone turned icy as he said, “I should have killed you back then! Let the Xian surname disappear completely!!!”
“But I was too cowardly… too trusting of Qi Hai Pre-recording…”
Xian Wangchuan smiled and released the Chief, saying, “Hmph, I see. The Xian surname has the ability to break the prophecy of ‘Qi Hai Pre-recording’.”