Chapter 735 - 24: Disappearance (Part 2)
"Is Chen Tiance coming for support...?"
Tu Shou’s eyes suddenly lit up at the words.
"Not sure, and it’s not something you should ask about. Leave quickly."
While speaking.
The apartment they were in shook violently once again.
Old Hong quickly urged Tu Shou to leave.
Tu Shou could only resist the urge to inquire further, turned with anticipation, and prepared to leave.
But he hadn’t even touched the doorknob.
Bam—
The intelligence personnel that had left moments ago suddenly burst back through the door, appearing before the two of them again.
The leading member panted heavily and said urgently, "Old Hong! Something’s not right! Something’s very wrong! Look outside quickly!"
"Outside... what’s happening?"
Old Hong froze for a moment, subconsciously asked, then reacted without waiting for a response and ran towards the window.
Tu Shou followed closely behind.
They reached the window, and upon seeing the scene outside, gasped in shock.
Black fog.
Endless black fog was pouring in from all directions.
It moved like a living creature, constantly consuming buildings, pedestrians, and vehicles.
Everything consumed by the fog disappeared without a trace.
Nothing remained but the withered, black ground and the ever-churning black fog.
It was as if.
The city was gradually vanishing.
And the apartment where Old Hong and others were seemed like a lone boat about to be swallowed by a giant wave.
Watching the black fog rapidly spreading toward the apartment.
Tu Shou’s eyes widened: "What the hell is this..."
"Stay clearheaded."
Old Hong stared ahead, dazed, until he heard Tu Shou’s words and snapped back to reality, suddenly turning and shouting: "No matter what happens next, remember to stay clearheaded. Celestial Strategy Mansion Headquarters will come for us, remember this point.
Whatever happens, do not..."
Before he could finish.
"Old Hong."
Tu Shou noticed the black fog had reached the window, anxiously reminding him.
Old Hong glanced back, quickening his pace: "Do not forget who you are, Chen Tiance..."
Before he could finish his sentence.
Swoosh—
The black fog enveloped the entire apartment and everyone inside.
Everyone vanished in an instant.
The Celestial Strategy Mansion’s intelligence personnel in Goryeo.
Disappeared.
...
Celestial Strategy Mansion Headquarters.
Chen Lusi soon met Ji Xin.
She was sitting in a wheelchair, rubbing her temples with a weary look as if pondering something.
Chen Lusi knocked lightly on the door. Once she looked up, he walked in with Lin Ying and asked, "So, what exactly happened?"
Seeing Chen Lusi, Ji Xin sighed and then said directly, "Over there in Goryeo... something happened. I thought the situation was under control, or at least before you arrived, I felt it was under control, but it turns out I underestimated the Roman Catholic Church."
She spoke while handing a dossier in her hand to Chen Lusi.
Chen Lusi took the freshly printed intelligence report.
Then, he slightly frowned and asked, "The nature of Yellow Springs has changed... What does that mean?"
"Our Yellow Springs System is unique in the world, though not the only one, it’s indeed one of the few systems that operate from the bottom up. Simply put, all our sources of power come from Yellow Springs.
Whether it’s Celestial God, Earth Deity, or Human Ghost, these beings’ power sources are Yellow Springs, and the power source of Yellow Springs is humanity, the multitude.
This is a closed loop.
The multitude of people, generation after generation, die and create the legends of Celestial God, Earth Deity, and Human Ghost. Souls of the dead reincarnate as part of Yellow Springs, providing the foundation for these legends.
Eventually, these formed Celestial Gods, Earth Deities, and Human Ghosts become our source of power.
In other words... the Authority Ability."
Ji Xin drew a circle in front of her with her fair fingers: "In fact, in ancient times, most power systems were like this, and the key had always been people. Even the one of the Roman Catholic Church is a product of ordinary people’s faith.
So there really is no such thing as the Holy Father, or perhaps there is, given everyone indeed has a father, but the facts are nowhere near as exaggerated as the legends... If such a Holy Father existed, the father of Emperor Shi, Ying Yiren, would be one too, but Emperor Shi didn’t have the religious enhancement."
"However, that said, the existence of religion has indeed changed some things."
Ji Xin lowered her hand and continued, "Long-term, unregulated, and even God-bestowed environments diminish the role of people, or more precisely, Yellow Springs.
Eventually, the leading factor will no longer be Yellow Springs created by the multitude, but a... god.
Yellow Springs will cease to be Yellow Springs and become a Hell derived from that god.
This is the difference between our power system and that of the Roman Catholic Church."
Chen Lusi: "..."
"You just asked what it means for Yellow Springs to change in nature, and this is what it means... Simply put, it’s fundamentally altering the power system of a piece of land, turning Yellow Springs into a Hell created by a Fallen Angel."
Ji Xin sighed: "And just now, the intelligence personnel in Goryeo observed that the Yellow Springs Branch over there has changed in nature and is filled with a divine aura."
Chen Lusi frowned: "So..."
Ji Xin continued: "So, the intelligence personnel suspect it was the Roman Catholic Church’s doing, though there’s really no need to suspect. It’s clearly them. No other force has the capability to change the nature of Yellow Springs in a land.
And frankly, this matter can be trivial or grave. If it’s in other places, like the Ancient Roman Pantheon being nearly wiped out by the Roman Catholic Church and the Ancient Roman Yellow Springs completely turned into Hell, those places are too distant for us to manage, nor do we really want to.
But now, the nature of the Yellow Springs at our doorstep has been altered, and it’s a main branch. We can’t afford to take it lightly, because if we’re not careful and the main is influenced too..."
At this point.
Ji Xin paused, then continued: "Although the likelihood is low, it would be a disaster."
"...Understood."
Chen Lusi was silent for a moment, then handed the dossier back: "So the situation is still ongoing? Do we have time to do anything?"
"I don’t know."
Ji Xin paused for a moment, shaking her head.
Chen Lusi paused: "Don’t know?"
"Mm."
Ji Xin took the dossier and lightly gestured: "The deliverers of this intelligence, along with the entire intelligence team from Celestial Strategy Mansion, have just lost contact.
Our intelligence teams operate in two batches, with some personnel serving as a backup unit, not engaging in main intelligence work, just as a reserve.
And right after the main intelligence team lost contact, I activated the reserve intelligence personnel and get the information that they couldn’t reach that batch.
Not only couldn’t they reach that entire intelligence team, they also found out... all the empowerers in Goryeo have disappeared."
Chen Lusi was slightly startled: "All...?"
"Yes, all."
Ji Xin took a deep breath: "Because they are backup intelligence personnel, they weren’t too close to Goryeo, which might have prevented them from being affected.
And according to their observations, even the empowerers of the Mujin New Church... have all disappeared without a trace.
Now, at the level of the Extraordinary Domain, Goryeo is completely empty."
Chen Lusi frowned even deeper: "So... what exactly happened?"
"I wish I knew... The change in Yellow Springs’ nature, followed by empowerers across the entire country disappearing simultaneously, no matter how you think about it, it’s not a trivial matter."
Ji Xin shook her head: "That’s also why I interrupted your vacation."
Having roughly understood the situation, Chen Lusi was silent for a moment: "And what do you want me to do?"
"I just had an emergency review with Shanli through Kunlun’s archives and database, and found that the current situation resembles the birth of Hell, but I dare not confirm it, while the reserve intelligence personnel aren’t strong enough, neither their experience nor capability allows them to investigate further.
So, I want you to take a trip to Goryeo.
At least... find out where our intelligence personnel have gone."