Chapter 431 Dilemma
After bidding farewell to Oriana for the time being, Chen Lun found a corner where no one was paying attention and returned to the dark world. He then turned back along the way and returned to the surface of the real world.
Intramuros Tourmaline Kloster.
It was late at night now, with the purple moon hanging high in the sky, and the building where the Imperial Judgment Corps was stationed stood under the night.
Chen Lun changed back into his black hat uniform, walked to the door with his silver cane, showed his identity plate to the two doormen hidden in the darkness, and walked in without any hindrance.
Even though it was already late at night, there were still many people active in the trial team's residence. Chen Lun lowered the brim of his hat, walked straight to the front desk of the lobby, and asked a staff member for a lounge.
"Mr. Jack Spate, this is the key to room 415. I wish you a pleasant rest."
The young woman in a yellow and white uniform handed over a key and said respectfully to him.
"Thank you."
After Chen Lun took it, he didn't stay long, turned around and went upstairs.
Because the time in Matthew's Land was opposite to that here, he had to wait until dawn before gathering the members of the investigation team. Although he had slept in the Tree Root Village, Chen Lun still felt a little tired. He guessed that this might be related to the underground environment.
Especially the ball of light called the Red Mother.
The light it emits always makes Chen Lun feel uncomfortable.
So he fell asleep again in the lounge of the Tribunal Building.
Early the next morning.
The team members who received the captain's summons gathered in advance in the restaurant on the second floor.
"Captain!"
"Good morning, Captain."
Larn, Xibei and others had already packed the food and were sitting around the dining table. When they saw Chen Lun approaching, they quickly stood up to say hello.
"Good morning."
Chen Lun nodded in response.
After a night's rest, he felt that his mental state had returned.
Seeing that he didn't have a plate in his hand, Larn offered to help him get the food. Chen Lun didn't refuse and thanked him with a smile.
"Captain Jack, I heard that the fifth investigation team failed in the dark world... The entire team of eleven people, including the captain, all died in the line of duty."
Wells hesitated and said in a deep voice.
Chen Lun was slightly startled. He immediately noticed that the other people's faces were very solemn, and knew that this matter was not a lie.
"This investigation is not simple. The dark world is full of dangers. If Captain Jack hadn't taken action repeatedly, we wouldn't have had zero casualties..."
Federica's voice came from beneath the black veil on her face.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Captain, I brought you toast, meatballs and salad, and the drink is hot milk. I don't know if you like it..."
Larn came back with a dinner plate and asked Chen Lun.
"Okay, thank you."
Chen Lun took it with a smile and immediately asked him to sit down.
Rahn picked up his fork and continued eating, raised his head and said:
"Captain, we have had a day's rest. When will we resume action?"
The rest of the team members also cast glances.
Although they had heard that many teams had suffered heavy losses, and based on their own experiences in the dark world, they knew it was quite dangerous, but everyone was still eager to participate in the action and complete the mission.
"Let's set off after noon."
Chen Lun looked at their eager eyes, took a bite of bread, thought about it, and said slowly.
The team members immediately smiled.
"Captain, the second group led by Hamilton, as well as the fourth group and the seventh group have temporarily stopped operations due to excessive personnel losses... Our first group is currently making the fastest progress and has advanced into the depths of the dark world. , and the information about the bronze door is the only one among all the investigation teams, and even broke the record of the first phase of the investigation..."
Rahn said excitedly.
"Chief McCollin praised us for this and said that His Majesty the Prince was quite satisfied after learning about the situation."
Chen Lun nodded.
"We have lived up to the empire's expectations, but we still need to continue working hard to investigate the source of the turmoil in the spiritual world as soon as possible."
"Yes! Captain!"
The team members responded seriously.
*
*
*
It was just after twelve noon.
Chen Lun took the members of the investigation team into the spirit world.
After everyone took the "potion of true seeing" and entered the dark world, he asked everyone to stand in a circle holding hands. Immediately, he put his hand on Rahn's shoulder and used the sequence ability Cloud Leap.
Whoosh!
Everyone suddenly felt a sense of space being pulled. When Rahn calmed down and released a small ball of light for illumination, everyone saw the huge bronze gate not far away.
They crossed a huge distance in an instant and returned directly to where they were before.
"The space transfer ability of Destiny Path is really convenient..."
Everyone was secretly stunned and looked at the captain with even more admiration.
"Let's go, let's go to the next level of space in the dark world."
Chen Lun said softly and strode towards the giant bronze door.
The team members agreed and followed his footsteps.
The dim mist continued to seep out from the door and floated in the air. Chen Lun held his breath and took the lead to step directly into it.
Wow!
Everyone walked behind the door in the next second.
Looking back, the bronze door still stands behind him, but the surrounding terrain seems to have changed somewhat.
The second level of the dark world is also extremely dark, and the feeling of depression and suffocation is even worse. The ball of light released by Rahn seemed to be compressed by invisible force, and the range of the light irradiated was far less than half of the previous layer.
Chen Lun held his silver cane and did some simple divination. After confirming the direction of travel, he called everyone to start taking action.
But this time, they stayed in the dark world for a full week.
*
*
*
During this week, the investigation team, led by Chen Lun, continued to explore deeper and discovered two huge bronze doors.
Their specifications are exactly the same, even the patterns on the door frames are the same. The only difference lies in some strange patterns, but none of the team members can see the meaning.
As the team continued to deepen, the frequency of the team's encounters with Didak bugs became more and more frequent, and they would even be attacked every half hour.
Fortunately, Chen Lun was able to detect it in advance every time and use his crushing strength to stop him, allowing the team to escape many times. But even so, the seven team members once again fell into a state of physical and mental fatigue.
The main reason is that you are in a deep dark environment and you need to be alert at all times, which is quite tiring. After a week, even if the team members are all Sequence Five Transcendents, they have almost reached their limit.
The fourth space of the dark world.
More than a dozen fist-sized light groups were scattered around the crowd, and they were able to give some outline of the environment. Everyone was standing on the edge of a "cliff" at this moment, because the land in front of them was cut off, leaving only a bottomless abyss. No light could shine further away, and no one knew what was going on.
"Captain, what should we do next? It seems we can't get through here..."
Rahn said softly despite his sleepiness and fatigue.
"It's such a weird terrain again, but compared to the previous times, this time there is no way to go... Even if a few of us have the ability to fly, we don't know anything about the situation ahead, and the risk of flying over rashly is too great. ”
Wells said solemnly.
Everyone looked at Chen Lun, wanting to see the captain's decision.
They were actually quite emotional. This week, they all experienced dozens or hundreds of insect attacks, and faced treacherous terrain several times. It was only through everyone's hard thinking and attempts that they finally overcame it and got here.
Captain Jack's decisions are just right every time, and he has gradually become the most indispensable core in the hearts of the team members. It can even be said that without him, everyone would have died several times in the dark world.
Chen Lun didn't answer, just stared quietly at the darkness ahead.
At this moment, he suddenly remembered the records in Mr. Byers's note.
‘Mr. Byers seemed to have just walked here, and then returned to the present world, ending his journey to the dark world...’
Chen Lun also hesitated.
Even if he passes [five senses], he cannot see the specific scene ahead, and the darkness can even blind all his senses... Only spiritual intuition tells him that he must not enter the front, otherwise he will definitely die.
But Chen Lun was a little unwilling.
I have led my team to explore the dark world for such a long time, so all our efforts should not be in vain...
"Let's go back for now."
After a while, he sighed.
"Everyone is also very tired... Larn, leave the spare 'Spirit World Anchor' here and leave the coordinates. After returning, take advantage of the break to look for some information and clues to see if there is any What method.”
Everyone looked at each other first, and then nodded solemnly.
It seems that even the captain has no good solution...
*
*
*
After returning to the world.
The investigation team soon heard some latest news in the Imperial Tribunal building.
After the fourth group replenished their manpower and entered the dark world again, they followed in the footsteps of the fifth group and were almost wiped out... Only one young male member escaped with serious injuries.
However, this person's mental state was not good, and it could even be said that he was on the verge of collapse. The interrogators could not get any valid information from him.
Subsequently, Dalal, the judge in charge of the group, dispatched a "psychological trauma team" to conduct closed treatment for him. This team is one of the logistics departments of the Tribunal. They are all Transcendents of the Star Faction and are good at mental healing.
But even so, the lucky man still didn't get better, and his condition even worsened rapidly.
Within a few days, it suddenly lost control and turned into a polluting creature... The Tribunal immediately suppressed it, and the news spread accordingly.
The investigating group is currently sitting in the restaurant on the second floor having a meal, and their expressions are somewhat serious and dignified. The atmosphere in the entire restaurant was a bit dead. Not only Chen Lun's table, but also the other members of the trial team who were dining there were all taciturn, obviously affected by the setbacks of the investigation team during this period.
"You guys have a good rest these days, Larn. Please summarize our progress and situation and present it to Chief McCallion again, and try to seek some advice and help from him."
Chen Lun ate the sliced sausage and slowly said to Rahn.
The latter nodded quickly.
"Yes, I know, Captain."
Chen Lun hummed.
Afterwards, everyone stopped communicating. After finishing their meal quietly, they dispersed and returned to their residences to rest.
Chen Lun also called Golov and drove him back to the Fengshen Church District in a carriage.
"Captain, you look a little tired. Are you having trouble with the empire's mission?"
After getting off the carriage, Golov, who was good at observing words and expressions, asked in a low voice.
Chen Lun nodded, then smiled and said:
"That's right...but there's no problem, don't worry."
"I believe there is nothing that can trouble you, leader... If you need anything, you can call me and the rest of the circus at any time. We will spare no effort to help you."
Golov said seriously.
Chen Lun's mood suddenly improved a lot, and he patted Golov on the shoulder with relief.
"Thank you."
The circus officials were very happy to return to the generous church area after half a month.
That night, Floy cooked a table of dishes by himself, making Chen Lun feel the comfort and warmth he had not seen for a long time. After some simple inquiries at the dinner table, he learned that the development of the Generous Church was smooth and smooth. Frey Akbin and others also played the role of priests very well and were deeply supported by the believers in the royal city.
Maggie and Connie have also been working hard on research and study. Each cadre has his own goals and is full of motivation.
The reputation of the Generous Church is getting better and better, and Chen Lun is very satisfied with it.
Late at night.
Chen Lun fell asleep in his apartment. Half asleep and half awake, he suddenly felt that he had come to a dark space, like a dark world, with no one visible around him.
He realized that this was his dream.
Perhaps because he has been exploring the dark world for a long time, his dreams have been affected, and he can restore the dark and profound environment in his dreams.
A light suddenly shone down, like a spotlight on a stage.
A blond man wearing a black and white striped suit appeared in front of him.
"Philip?!"
Chen Lun's consciousness suddenly became clear. He looked at the smiling man and blurted out.
"I'm sorry, Jack, to meet you in this way."
Phillip took off his hat, revealing his familiar big back, and nodded slightly to Chen Lun.
"I received your prayer before, but was limited by the dream world and could not respond... Fortunately, Ms. Sigh will leave the 'Gate of Sleep' briefly during this period recently, so I can take the opportunity to contact you."
Chen Lun was surprised that Philip came to his dream.
But he soon realized that this was an opportunity to ask the other person a question.
"Philip, I have encountered a problem recently. Can you answer it for me?"
"Oh, that's why I'm here. If you need any help, just ask."
Philip shrugged and smiled.
"This is a rare opportunity, Jack, otherwise the next time you see me, it may be hundreds of years later... After all, Ms. Sigh is a conscientious angel."
He said, half mockingly, half jokingly.
Chen Lun took a deep breath and told the other party about his recent situation, and said that when he was investigating the source of the turmoil in the spiritual world for the empire, he was blocked in front of the fault in the fourth space of the dark world.
Phillip listened with a smile, then raised his eyebrows.
"Pollution in the spiritual world? I do know some information... Its source is actually the ancient god 'Father of Darkness' Distedak, and its location is at the end of the seventh layer of space in the dark world." (End of this chapter. )