Chapter 72: The Sinners' Scheme

Chapter 73: The Sinners’ Scheme

[This is a carefully prepared letter, meticulously recording a dangerous and mad plan.]
[Within the letter, you learn that the sinners’ escape was no accident, but a conspiracy long in the making.]
[A mysterious figure known as the “Devourer of Kin” orchestrated this calamity by bringing down the great raven, thus setting the entire disaster in motion.]
[Their plan is to lure all prison hunters to the Land of Dim Light, and there, amidst the disasters that plague that place, devour them one by one—gaining power that transcends mere flesh and blood!]

Chen Qi paused. These people weren’t just planning to flee—they intended to slaughter every last prison hunter. The prison hunters were the terrifying blades the Eighth District of the New Metropolis thrust outward, the very nightmares of the district; to trap and annihilate them all was an act of utter madness!

Normally, in an escape, the criminals would scatter like sand, but with the help of this Devourer of Kin, he had gathered them into one formidable force.

A palpable air of insanity… Chen Qi read on to grasp the full scope of the plan.

[You continue reading. The letter details a land called “Mist City,” situated at the border of the Land of Dim Light. Once, when daylight’s flames still burned strong, it was a thriving place. But as the daylight suddenly waned and the power that suppressed disaster faded, frenzied cultists—infected by the Cup and Lamp Disasters—devoured the land, transforming it into a city of catastrophe! The Devourer of Kin told the sinners he would use the mists to slay the prison hunters; they would turn from prey into hunters, shedding their identities as sinners to become truly undying beings! Each of them would be exalted by the corpses of the prison hunters!]

Chen Qi’s gaze fell upon the letter’s final words. The letter was highly provocative, and for these desperate criminals, it was a potent lure.

A highlighted line appeared:
[You have obtained important information: The Sinners’ Counterattack Plan.]
[You have unlocked a special location: Mist City, now recorded among special locations.]

Chen Qi pondered. The plan was to drive all the sinners toward Mist City, luring the prison hunters there, and then use the disaster to destroy them. No matter where the criminals went, the prison hunters—who treated orders as sacred—would pursue them to that land.

A plan both simple and brutal.

Mist City…

Chen Qi committed the location to memory. This must be a major quest area—perhaps worth a try.

He continued searching for items.

[The Puppeteer La watches as you take away his hard-won treasures, struggling incessantly—his wooden legs creaking.]
[You slice open a bundle wrapped in silk threads with your long blade.]
[You have obtained a special item—Necklace of Snow’s Protection!]

This is… Seeing the name, Chen Qi was startled.

[Snow’s Protection:
Attribute: Ice
Description: Crafted by an artisan on the verge of freezing to death in a blizzard, shaped by his final will. When you gently stroke it, you hear his furious roars at the monsters of the storm.
Value: In snow and ice, this is truly priceless!
Equip Requirement: None
Effect: Wearing it greatly increases your resistance to cold, and keeps most snow-dwelling creatures away from you.]

Oh my… Chen Qi’s delight grew—so he’d been hiding something this valuable! Whether in sewers, the deep sea, or now amidst the blizzard, resistance to cold was true defense! With blizzards raging across the entire Eighth District, despite its modest description, this was sure to be a powerful artifact for the times.

Excitedly, Chen Qi clicked into his inventory and donned the necklace without hesitation.

[You put on the Necklace of Snow’s Protection. A faint glow envelops your body, steadily dispelling all sense of cold! Warmth spreads through you—you feel you don’t even need your heavy wool coat.]
[Your cold resistance has been raised to “Extremely High”; you could now swim in icy rivers with ease!]

Chen Qi exhaled deeply. With the artifact on, he felt immensely more comfortable.

He continued searching for items.

[You have obtained the Proof of Sin.]
[Proof of Sin:
Description: A token of identity, engraved with the name of the Puppeteer La.]

Even identity items—Chen Qi couldn’t help but marvel at how organized these criminals were.

[You continue your search.]

Another highlighted line appeared!

[You have acquired a mysterious bone key!]
[Bone Key:
Description: A finger bone key tainted with madness, bearing marks scorched by black fire. It seems able to unlock certain corresponding places and also serves as a symbol of status.]

A bone key… What could this open?

Chen Qi was momentarily confused.

Suddenly, a message appeared.

[Upon careful examination, you sense the aura of black prison fire upon it—this key was forged in hellfire.]

A key forged by black fire… Chen Qi pondered. There must be a deep connection between the key and the prison fire. This was surely a valuable item.

He kept searching.

[You have found the Puppeteer’s Plan.]
[Seeing you take out the plan, Puppeteer La roars, slipping further into madness!]

He had a plan too? Chen Qi clicked to inspect the item.

[You leaf through the plan.]
[The first pages recount his love for his puppets and his memories of life aboard the Threadspun Train.]

[The final pages tell a tale, and his scheme.]
[You read the story…]
[During his previous escape, the Puppeteer successfully tricked a dying treasure hunter out of a relic. That relic hinted at an extraordinary treasure, and whoever obtained it would gain the power to become a true monster! In the Puppeteer’s memory, the powerful disasters of Mist City had long been wiped out by the old Death Squad. It was impossible, he believed, for any disaster capable of killing the mighty prison hunters to remain! The Puppeteer trusted neither the other sinners nor the Devourer of Kin or the disasters themselves! Everyone would die at the hands of the prison hunters—except him… He believed, as a puppeteer, he could use the Devourer and the others to find the treasure for himself!]

[Inside the plan, a tattered map is tucked away.]

A message bright as starlight appeared!

[You have obtained a legendary map to the Tomb of the Disaster Hunter!]
[Disaster Hunter’s Treasure Map:
Description: A burial map belonging to a disaster hunter, showing the grave of a member of the Death Squad and the peerless treasure he brought back from beyond the New Metropolis!]
[Lamp Aspect triggered! Staring at the battered map, the light within you blazes brighter!]

Chen Qi was astonished. The appearance of two prompts proved the map’s importance beyond doubt. Opening it, he was amazed to find it quite vague, marking only a single location—and that location was right at the edge of Mist City!

What a coincidence.

The treasure map’s spot was exactly the one chosen by the Devourer of Kin—Mist City.

Or perhaps, this enigmatic “Devourer of Kin” was also after the treasure, and used the hunt as a pretext to lure both hunters and sinners into Mist City?

All the clues pointed to a convergence: both the criminals and the prison hunters would meet in Mist City, where disaster, the hunters, and the organized criminals would clash in a terrifying battle!

If so…

For something worth such effort, even the prison hunters were being used—its value must be unimaginable!

Chen Qi swallowed, organizing the intelligence and items, and continued reading.

[Puppeteer La watches as you examine his plan—greed, jealousy, anger, and now despair all burning in his eyes…]
[You turn to face him.]
[Puppeteer La slashes his hand open with silk threads; his body grows ever colder as snow and ice begin to condense in his grasp.]

A chilling blue message appeared!

[He is answering the call of the blizzard!]

(End of Chapter)