Chapter 707 Horse Racing·Gun of Morning Light
The weather was dull, and the entire New Manhattan was shrouded in a thick layer of fog.
The silhouette of the harbor looms like a ghostly presence from another dimension.
New Manhattan Junction Port, a huge hub spanning time, space and dimensions, is located on the southern edge of the city, close to the "Junction Gap".
Mist lingers in the air, bringing with it moisture and a hint of uneasiness.
The energy of the rift seems to distort the reality here, and the outlines of the buildings are sometimes blurred, sometimes as clear as a blade.
The architectural style of the port complements the speedy architectural style of New Manhattan, full of all kinds of bizarre designs.
The tall tower leaping from the ground stretched towards the sky like twisted steel vines. The edges of the building glowed with a strange light. The color of the neon lights blended with the energy escaping from the cracks. The wall seemed to be breathing and flickered, with tiny little sparks appearing from time to time. Arcs make the magnetic field in the air unstable.
These towering buildings are made of glass, steel and unknown materials. Each surface reflects the strange light from the intersection cracks, giving people the illusion of being in the future and intertwined with the supernatural.
The area near the junction port is divided into two parts: one side is the legal trade area, and the other side is the black market trading area full of danger and mystery.
In the legal trade zone, neatly arranged cargo ships are moored at the huge steel terminal. Containers are piled up like mountains, and robotic arms are busy moving goods into the ships.
The mist makes these huge machines look like giant beasts running silently, with a certain mechanical coldness and efficiency.
Ships from different worlds, spaceships from different dimensions, and merchant ships floating in space docked quietly beside these docks.
Their designs are different and full of features from other worlds. Some ships do not look like they belong to the physical world at all. Their surfaces are covered with runes and energy halos, and you can even see the faint distortion of time. Their surfaces flow.
The scene in the black market trading area is completely different. The buildings here are dense and chaotic, and the lanes are winding, like a huge maze.
The walls are full of graffiti with otherworldly characters, and the flashing signboards glow dimly in the mist.
The crowds in the black market are constantly shuttling, and the products traded are diverse, ranging from smuggled high-tech weapons to rare supernatural drugs, all of which illustrate the chaos and danger here.
The air of the black market trading area is filled with the smell of exotic spices and alcohol.
In this place hidden in the fog of New Manhattan Junction Harbor, there is an extremely secret and luxurious tavern - "Twilight Moon Shadow".
It is said that this tavern is run by an elf with a long life. Few outsiders know about it. Only a few people are qualified to enter this place after being recommended through many layers.
The architectural style of the tavern combines the elegance and mystery of the elves, and the exterior walls are woven of ancient vines and silver stones.
Everyone said that at night, the walls of the tavern will glow with a faint blue-purple light, like a forest at twilight, exuding a kind of tranquility intertwined with nature and magic.
Inside the tavern, tapestries handwoven by ancient elves hang on the surrounding wooden walls, decorated with their unique patterns and runes.
The soft light, coming from translucent crystal lamps, illuminates the pub like a dream.
Compared with the modern Terran architectural style, this place does not look like something from a century at all, whether it is the people or things inside.
However, this is a new world, and the themes of the new world are bizarre and fragmented painting styles.
Therefore, the New World has never lacked urban weird stories.
For example, this pub has a strange urban legend - no matter there are many people in the pub or there are few people in it, you must wait in line for fifteen minutes.
In a corner of the tavern.
Xia Xiu sat quietly at a round table carved from moonlight wood. Under the dim light, the silver cane and top hat were laid aside casually.
The blond young man held his chin with his left hand and gently fiddled with a black chess piece with his right hand, looking attentive.
The short golden hair was shrouded in the ambiguous afterglow of the light. The shimmering light added a touch of softness to his calm face, but the golden eyes were still deep and calm, revealing an unfathomable majesty. .
On the table, a game of chess is in progress.
White chess and black chess confront each other fiercely. Every move on the chessboard indicates a complex game in reality.
Across from Xia Xiu, four people sat quietly with different expressions.
The most eye-catching thing is a strong man with a pair of thick horns on his head, his skin has a bronze luster, and his body is as strong as steel and takes up almost half of the seat.
He crossed his arms and watched the chess game quietly, frowning slightly, as if he was thinking about something.
Next is the man with a precise mechanical arm in his right hand. The gears on his mechanical arm make a faint buzzing sound. He looks around calmly, and from time to time he uses his left hand to gently adjust the mechanical parts of his right arm.
The next person is a woman with a beautiful face. Long rabbit ears hang on both sides of her slightly curly hair, adding a touch of softness to her, but the sharp look in her eyes is impossible to ignore.
She stood tall and straight, placing her hands lightly on her knees. Her eyes wandered between Xia Xiu and the chessboard from time to time, as if waiting for his response.
At the end, a stern woman with a solemn face and horse ears appeared and disappeared in her black hair.
She was sitting in the corner, wearing a black hood, with a thick gun case on her right.
There is no doubt that three of the four people present are special agents of the Administration: Qing Niu, Mole, and Moon Rabbit.
And in the corner is Sophia Williams.
“You want to ask me, why don’t you let the Bureau control the situation?”
“Don’t let the operators interfere with the chaos in New Manhattan, liberate the infected there, and end this turmoil. ?”
Xia Xiu’s golden eyes lifted from the chessboard, lightly scanning the green ox and the moon rabbit, and then slowly returned his gaze to the chessboard, gently moving the black chess pieces with his fingertips.
His fingers were nimble and elegant, as if they were silently controlling the fate of the entire chess game.
“Catalina, Rowell,” he said softly, his tone steady but with irresistible authority, “Although you two are also infected with strange hoof disease, your origins are different.< br>
One comes from an imperial military family, and the other is a natural hunter. All of the operators you command are talented elites, and all of them have started with skills. However-"
The fourth sword-holder in the Kingdom of Heaven paused for a moment, his eyes as deep as a bottomless abyss, and his voice became a little lower:
“Most of the infected people you come into contact with are the strong ones in the group, and the real ones The infected people are not like that. They cannot be liberated by strength alone. What they need is...more."
Before he finished speaking, Xia Xiu gently pushed a white knight on the chessboard.
The moment the chess piece fell, the entire chess game seemed to have undergone a huge reversal, and Black's formation collapsed instantly.
Black, representing the Liberation Hooves and the Cultural Committee, was in trouble, and White took the initiative.
As these words fell, Xia Xiu's fingertips gently pushed a white knight on the chessboard.
The moment the chess piece fell, the entire chess game changed.
The black chess formation that originally had the advantage began to collapse. The move of the white chess knight instantly reversed the situation. The black chess, which represented the "Liberation Hooves" and the "Cultural Committee", was in trouble and was forced into a corner by the white chess, making it difficult to counterattack.
"What do I want to do? In other words, what does the Administration want to do?"
Xia Xiu chuckled, his voice still gentle, but with a hint of helplessness: "< br>
You should understand a very regretful thing.”
“A group of people who feel cold will flock to the sun to feel the power of the sun for the earth.”
He slowly raised his head, and there was a certain light shining in his golden pupils. The light was like a hidden flame, warm and hot, but hidden under the calm surface.
“For the sun, this is insignificant. Its light and heat are a gift to all things on the earth.”
“The gifts here are never equal, so It creates more troubles and disputes, and the sun can only bring fire, and the real light should be the passing of the fire of will - everything I grasp turns into brilliance, and everything I give up turns into coal. I must be a flame..."
The three special operators, Green Ox, Moon Rabbit and Mole, looked at each other, then lowered their heads and remained silent.
Sofia in the distance had a completely different reaction.
She stood quietly in the corner, her hood lowered, her eyes fixed on her gun case.
Following Xia Xiu's words, her fingers unconsciously grasped the gun case beside her, and her eyes gradually flickered with an unstoppable fiery light.
The hood covered her face, but the fire in her eyes burned stronger and stronger, and in these silent words she found the answer to her inner desire.
Xia Xiu was still looking at the chessboard, with the chess pieces turning slightly on his fingertips. The king representing the "Spider Mother" stands safely in the center of the chessboard, while the other chess pieces representing the "Liberation Hooves", "Social and Cultural Committee", and "Red Branches" have been surrounded by the black chess pieces in his hand and are isolated and helpless.
His eyes seemed to penetrate all of this.
This chess game is just the inevitable result of careful consideration.
Xia Xiu stood up slowly, elegantly and calmly, and the aura on his body was like the calm before the storm.
He looked at Sophia, with determination in his voice:
“Go, all the chess pieces are in place.”
“Now it’s time to clear out those captured Those who live in old skin and refuse to renew themselves, and the oppressors.”
"The Administration will help you rebuild their own homes, provide jobs and benefits to every infected person, so that they no longer have to worry about their livelihood;
You will no longer be enslaved and no longer suffer from illness. Abandoned; you will build your own bridges for the future, and everything - from the most basic survival to higher pursuits, will pave the way for you."
The Fourth Sword Holder in Heaven. When the person finished speaking, Sophia had already stood up silently, carrying her iconic gun case.
She stood there quietly, her eyes deep and firm, and finally took a deep look at Xia Xiu.
There seemed to be an indescribable gratitude and determination in his eyes.
Without any extra words, she turned around resolutely and disappeared at the door of the tavern, her figure blending into the thick fog.
"The mist is filled..., it is indeed a good climate for killing people."
Her back gradually faded in the fog, like a lone wolf hunting in the dark, with a restrained edge, but deadly Incomparable.
After her, other special operators also began to take action.
Xia Xiu has already preset a clearing mission for them through the [Adam] system, and the target is directly at the members of the Red Branch Organization hidden underground in New Manhattan.
There is a suspended ball floating in front of each operator. It is based on the peripheral lineage form ball developed by [Adam]. It emits a faint blue light and guides the direction for each executor.
Qing Niu, Moon Rabbit, Mole and other special operators saluted Xia Xiu respectfully, and a silent understanding flowed in the air.
The fourth sword holder of the Kingdom of Heaven waved his hand gently, indicating that there was no need to say anything more, and the operators left the tavern in a tacit understanding.
*
*
After everyone leaves.
Xia Xiu stood quietly by the window of the tavern, looking out at the street through the slightly yellowed glass.
The fog is like a thick gauze curtain, covering the entire streets of New Manhattan. Thick fog swirls in the narrow lanes of the city, sealing the land into another world.
As Sophia said.
"When the fog is shrouded, it's a good time to hunt." Xia Xiu's lips raised a slight smile, and then he placed the hat lightly on the top of his head and lowered it, covering the pair of Golden eyes like deep pools.
He held the silver cane in his right hand and tapped his left palm lightly. The tapping sound echoed rhythmically in the empty tavern, like a countdown drum, or like a conductor preparing to guide an upcoming symphony.
Every soft sound is the prelude to the drama that is about to be staged.
"Soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals, kings against kings."
He whispered to himself, with a hint of calm sarcasm in his tone.
He has laid out enough bait and set up the whole situation.
Now, just wait for the god who is stirring up the storm behind you - the "mighty" god from the Golden Court to come down to the kingdom of God and invest your divinity and realm.
The system of gods in the heavens and the world has long been carefully analyzed by the Terran academic community.
The authority and domain of the gods, whether they control conspiracy, war, betrayal, or natural phenomena, are symbols of their power.
According to Terran academia, this is a specific [information authority] and [crown]. The realm is not only a symbol of the power of the gods, but also reflects their belief system, code of conduct and how to pass These forces influence the real universe. Behind these powers are actually complex, flawed, and pre-conditioned "etheric information integration systems".
The gods of the Golden Court, no matter how powerful their domain is, still need to complete the so-called "information assimilation".
To put it simply, gods with "conspiracy" authority must gradually gain power through the tricks and betrayal of believers.
The more devout believers there are, the more conspiracies and betrayals are realized, the more powerful the god becomes.
The Terran academic circle believes that this is a specific "divine Meme pollution", while the scholars of the Nursery Academy of Heaven are more concise and crude. They openly criticize the gods directly - they say: The foreign gods in the universe are the source of pollution.
They usually directly contaminate a race's 'pan-consciousness cluster projection' in the ether.
Contaminate one or more races (the race is called faith). The more devout believers there are, the more powerful the god will be.
Not only is the number of believers important, but the piety (pollution level) of believers will also affect the power of the god.
The anatomy of the kingdom of heaven is more direct and cruel: "The gods in the heavens and the world are just the controllers who anchor the source of pollution. All divine authority depends on those polluted believers. . ”
The more believers there are and the more devout they are, the more powerful the deity will be; if the believers become distant or their faith collapses, the power of the deity will also weaken.
There is another source of power for these gods, and that is the divine kingdom of the gods, which is the source of their power and the plane from which believers' faith is absorbed.
In their own kingdom, gods are almost invincible - they can control the laws and dominate everything.
But once you step into the reality of Terra, the situation is different.
Of course, the power of some gods comes directly from the very concepts they symbolize.
For example, gods who control time gain power from the existence of time, and even without a large number of believers, they are still the embodiment of these fundamental forces.
“Domain, contaminated source group, divine kingdom, divine level...”
Xia Xiu murmured several elements that constitute the gods of the belief factions in the world.
1. Faith and believers (polluted group): Gods draw strength from the worship of believers. The stronger the faith, the greater the divine power; because it is a branch of the pan-consciousness cluster that pollutes the race, it is very easy to overdraw the race. /National potential - For example, in the extraordinary realm, even if you possess it, you cannot give birth to a powerful individual who is stronger than the belief in gods (the source of pollution).
2. Domain (etheric information authority/crown-like): The domain controlled by gods is also an important source of their power. Gods who control key domains are more powerful.
3. Laws and planes (Kingdom of Gods): The power of the gods is connected with the fundamental laws of the real universe, and the plane they live in is also the concentrated source of power.
4. Divinity (source of pollution): The fundamental source of power for the existence of gods, which gives the gods immortal essence and extraordinary power, and also gives them the power of pollution. This characteristic complements the domain, sometimes will also be treated as one.
The Ivy War is a huge change for both the existence within the plane and the existence outside the plane.
This war is not only a competition for resources and power, but also a war between gods of faith - the gods in the world are gradually strengthening themselves through the faith and strength of believers. , and every such war will eliminate those beings that are not strong enough.
The weak are devoured, and the strong gain new authority.
The Golden Court is just such a force, rising on the blood of countless believing gods.
Xia Xiu, as a reserve decision-maker of the Kingdom of Heaven, naturally has special tasks for himself.
He had done this task for himself.
On the surface, his identity is a promoter dedicated to the development of the education system of the Administration and the secularization of the Kingdom of Heaven, with a series of long-term tasks such as building schools and cultivating talents.
But those are just secondary axes, the real main axis has never changed, that is - the golden tree and the fateful confrontation with the Golden Royal Court.
The Ivy War is the touchstone for the top level of power in the Kingdom of Heaven, and Xia Xiu's mission is to accomplish one goal in this war: to kill the gods.
For him, the Ivy War is just the prologue. The real climax is the mutual nourishment between the gods of faith in the heavens and the world, and the divine war between the gods of faith in all planes.
Killing God, this is his ultimate goal.
He must completely curb the development of the Golden Court or even destroy it in this Ivy War.
In the Golden Court, although those gods of faith appear glorious and powerful on the outside, in the eyes of Heaven and Xia Xiu, the gods of faith are just puppets bound to the source of pollution, relying on the piety and piety of believers. Make sacrifices to survive, and you will be pulled off the altar if you are not careful.
The establishment of the school was not only for the secularization of the Kingdom of Heaven, but also for the convenience of uniting the nations of Terra to hunt and believe in gods.
Xia Xiu knows that the alliance between alien races and religious gods will be the most dangerous enemy in the future, but he also knows that the alliance between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdoms of Terra is their real nightmare.
Although everyone is usually at odds with each other, they can still distinguish the big and small kings.
In the past, Terra was still in the midst of the alien expulsion war, and the kingdoms and the kingdom of heaven behaved so sweetly.
During the alien expulsion war, Terra and Heaven faced the foreign invaders together and cooperated with each other tacitly.
Now, history seems to be going through another cycle.
The aliens came again, bringing with them faith in gods from other worlds, trying to seize power on the land of Terra.
The Edici Federation, this behemoth that splits the land and seals the territory, has long separated a realm called "New World".
In this new world, they single-handedly gave birth to the [Golden Tree], which was originally intended to open up a shortcut to the heavens and worlds and extract endless resources from it.
Their original plan was not to bring those gods of faith to Terra, let alone to worship these gods from other worlds.
The real purpose of the Federation is to exploit all living beings in the heavens and worlds connected to the [Golden Tree] - whether it is resources, wisdom, or even power including belief in gods.
In their view, the [Golden Tree] is just a tool, a source that can open up new wealth and power, not to allow those who believe in gods to take root and grow in Terra.
The fat-mouthed giants of the Federation have long been aware of all this. They looked at the infinite power of the God of Faith with greedy light shining in their eyes.
The appetites of giants are never small.
Once the time is right, these greedy giants will show their fangs and bite those gods who consider themselves sacred and inviolable.
"Supreme, Mighty, Heavenly Power, Shimmer... It's quite interesting that the Golden King's Court makes hierarchical classifications for its gods."
Xia Xiu came to the chessboard and brought A contemptuous smile.
"However, I still like the classification set up by the two houses: supreme god, powerful god, medium god, weak god."
He gently moved the last chess piece on the chessboard, his eyes cold. of light.
“Now, just wait for the big fish to bite the bait.”
Boom——
The chess piece fell, and the entire chess game was reversed instantly.
*
*
11:05AM.
The tired Mikhail Garcia came to the foggy new world and the port of the alien world, followed by They are among the few elite cadres of the Liberation Hoofsheng still alive.
The Liberation Hooves he led is no longer a simple rebel organization.
After days of fighting, they not only destroyed the two core strongholds of the Blood Network, but also successfully hunted and killed two ranger leaders.
The fighters who liberated Hoofbeat are no longer simple protesters, but have become the embodiment of revenge.
They use owl heads to respond to oppression, and use death to declare war on their enemies.
When the head of the last ranger leader was driven into a stake, Mikhail stood in a pool of blood with cold eyes and a bloody battle ax in his hand.
He raised his head and looked into the distance. It was the place of power that Adelaide Kurd once had, but now, that huge secret kingdom is falling apart.
He raised his hand, and the blood-stained palm seemed to be a symbol of victory. The members of the Liberation Hooves behind him burst into wild cheers, and their dream of revenge was close before their eyes.
Mikhail knew that this was not enough.
“We still need to find Adelaide Kurd, find that fat pig that deserves to be cut into pieces...”
The leader of Liberation Hooves showed a ferocious smile, “I He should have received the gift prepared for him”
*
*
11:45AM.
New Manhattan area, in a secret location near the Junction Port.
Adelaide Kurd, the director who once controlled the power network of New Manhattan, is now like a trapped animal, forced to have nowhere to escape by the offensive of liberating hooves.
Most of his blood network has been destroyed, and there are not many elite ranger troops left.
The government abandoned them and kicked them out.
He became an outcast in the hands of those in power.
Even one of his most trusted leaders, the commander of the Venomous Bees, was beheaded by Mikhail.
These cruel realities made him gradually lose control of the situation.
The fat, arrogant official now became thin and haggard in his own luxurious bunker, with madness and despair in his eyes.
He is in hiding and can no longer appear openly in public. His only hope is the Raven Task Force.
However, this cannot reverse the situation at all.
Kurd's heart was filled with fear and anger, but he no longer had any power to fight back.
"Escape, you must escape!"
This was the only thought in his mind. In order to ensure that his wealth and power would not be sanctioned by the federation and [Financial Street], the Kurds began to quickly sell off their assets and even sold most of their extraordinary items to raise enough resources to escape from Terra and go to an uninhabited outside world." Stay out of the limelight.”
"I want to leave here," he said to the only remaining confidants around him, his voice trembling, and his eyes full of fear and anxiety. "They can never find me again. When the news passes, I will definitely come back and make a comeback..."
Just when Kurd thought he was about to escape successfully, Mikhail's "fatal blow" arrived.
An inhuman subordinate who was tortured by the hooves of liberation was released by the hooves of liberation and brought a very unfortunate news to the Kurds.
Mikhail had already known the Kurdish plan to escape through information from internal informants.
He sneered and planned the final blow, and this time, his target was not the Kurd himself, but the Kurd's only weakness-his daughter.
The Kurdish daughter was secretly hidden in an aristocratic school on the border, far away from the center of the storm.
However, Mikhail's crazy methods have already clearly grasped her whereabouts.
Just before the Kurds were about to leave Terra, the raid team that liberated Hooves successfully kidnapped the Kurds' daughter.
When the news came, Kurd's heart almost stopped beating.
"They caught her..." Kurd murmured, as if all the strength in his body was drained away in an instant.
His hands gripped the table tightly, his eyes filled with madness and fear.
He couldn't imagine what would happen to his daughter, let alone accept that his only weakness was in Mikhail's hands.
Mikhail sent a video. He stood in a blood-red background, holding a sharp dagger in his hand, and said coldly to the camera:
"Ah Dredd, you think you can get away with this? We all know what you care about most...your daughter is in my hands. If you don't want to see her beheaded like your Rangers, you know. What to do."
This sentence was like a knife piercing Kurd's heart. He could no longer bear any pressure, and the heart-rending roar echoed in the empty room. His world completely collapsed at this moment.
"Mikhail!!!"
Kurd's voice was distorted and hoarse, like a desperate madman.
This bloody battle without a winner will finally usher in the climax of destruction.
……
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