Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 987: Chapter 774: Before Dawn_3

The armed soldiers, like a formation, charged straight into the Tanbo Inner Circle, ruthlessly suppressing all unrest, killing the members of the Extreme Path one by one.

When the survivors glimpsed the emblem on their bodies representing the Shogunate’s authority, they froze, feeling a sudden joy.

General, it’s the General’s guard!

”Self-defense force! The self-defense force is here!”

In the shattered houses, the elderly survivors were overjoyed, crying out in ecstasy, ”We’re saved! Saved!

This nightmare of a night is finally coming to an end.

Countless people broke into tears of joy.

Yet soon, they realized something was amiss...

Right before their eyes, those who had come to rescue them stopped, slowly turned around, and looked at their faces.

The eyes behind the masks were filled with indifference.

The muzzles slowly lifted...

The trigger was pulled.

.

.

At this moment, outside of Kyoto, in a resort hotel built in the mountains.

Ai Qing sat in the luxurious suite arranged for her, expressionlessly watching the live broadcast on TV, staring at the delighted expressions of the hosts and the good news that relieved the guests in the studio.

She felt not an iota of joy from them.

Instead, she didn’t even have the energy to sneer at their stupidity.

”Fools, do you still not understand...”

She closed her eyes.

Even though she had long foreseen such a scene, she no longer wanted to see those false smiles on the screen.

So, resume the deduction that could not be continued before the reboot.

That night, on the dyke by the riverside, the unfinished words to Liu DongLi—the deductions completed from the flaws Liu DongLi inadvertently revealed.

The truths he never revealed to others to avoid major disturbances...

He was indeed right about one thing: for the Tanbo Inner Circle, the Astronomical Society was not to be trusted.

The Astronomical Society never cared about the survival of hybrids...

Strictly speaking, allowing these beastified beings with Abyss Traits to continue living was already an extraordinary act of mercy after weighing all pros and cons.

And Liu DongLi’s time jumps precisely proved one thing—In the foreseeable future, the Tanbo Inner Circle would pose a threat to the Current Circumstances.

Next to Ai Qing, the ’beacon’ blinked once more.

[33].

This was the echo left on the timeline after a time jump.

As time progressed, it solidified in the ’Future’, gradually approaching the present, received by the beacon, proving the Rainbow Bridge’s past operation.

Such a staggering number of time jumps could only prove one thing; here existed an irreparable ’result’ caused by the time jumps.

When thinking from this narrow angle, the remaining possibilities become scarce in number.

The potential of Green Day triggering a war between the Current Circumstances and the Border has already been overturned, so it can be set aside.

And God City Future’s use of Matsumoto’s results and the combination of the Eternal Beast’s power to create the existence of the ’Marsh people’ verified her earlier guess.

But if that’s the case, it raises another issue: Even though the Marsh people are the flesh of the Eternal Beast, they inherently lack the ability to obstruct Liu DongLi’s time jumps.

The data provided by the lab director, Keer, proved that God City Future’s research had just been completed.

Liu DongLi had ample time if he wanted to stop it...

But why couldn’t he succeed?

The answer is so obvious.

Besides the Eternal Beast, there was also the presence of the Element of Destructive!

So start with the simplest elimination method...

Based on all the fundamental data at hand, which Element of Destructive is most likely present in the Tanbo Inner Circle?

A group’s Source Material Transformation hasn’t occurred, the souls of the hybrids haven’t transformed, maintaining their original form, and the Sea of Silver hasn’t detected any harmful memes.

Thus, ’Poxun’ can be eliminated.

Although somewhat extreme and distorted, stable structures like the Alliance still exist within the hybrids, the majority retain their reason, not devolving into a Chaos community.

Even if very pathological, this level is still within the normal range.

This eliminates the interference of ’Destructive Element·Piper’.

A week ago, the Man in Grey appeared in Egypt, his uncontrollability wouldn’t pause just because the target is a hybrid, let alone conspire, so he can also be ruled out.

Then, according to the favorite method of detectives in deductive novels, eliminate all possibilities, and what emerges is the sole possibility.

A society distorted by long-term external pressure, a jungle law of pure survival of the fittest...

Whose altar would this be?

—What Liu DongLi dreaded was the presence of the Ranch Owner!

At this moment, within the Tanbo Inner Circle, besides the Eternal Beast, there was also the interference and influence of the Ranch Owner!

This was the warning Ai Qing proposed to the Decision Room in her previous secret report.

It wasn’t without value to their profound trust and expectation.

Within a short half month, through her observation and intelligence gathering, Ai Qing had perfectly completed the task assigned to her by the Decision Room.

But, what if we push the deduction further?

Setting aside perplexing details, looking down from the broader picture of Yingzhou—throughout all of Yingzhou, who has the right, the qualification, the skill, and the patience to turn the Tanbo Inner Circle into its current state, step by step?

Who caused all this?

Three people.

The first, the head of the Yingzhou Branch, LeNe Yusheng; the second, the Former Emperor still seated in the Imperial Palace; the third, the Lord General.

When ’Marsh Man Syndrome’ appeared, Ai Qing once suspected LeNe, but quickly she concluded again—LeNe was merely simple bureaucratic incompetence.

Perhaps in the upcoming temporary meeting of the Five Constants, he had accurately predicted the resurgence of conflict between the Border Faction and the Sovereignty Faction and seized this political opportunity.

But as a pure bureaucrat, LeNe Yusheng may excel in turning a deaf ear, but would never actively touch things that would lead to his ruin.

This isn’t hoping for his ethical conduct, but trusting his bureaucratic instincts.

What about the Former Emperor of Yingzhou?

Impossible, right? The weakened Yingzhou Phylogeny would not dare to touch the bottom line of the Astronomical Society, attempting to grasp the law of the Eternal Beast or seize the power of the Ranch Owner, right? Would an emperor eager for revitalization be foolish enough to conspire with the Element of Destructive?

Even in decline, he still holds numerous chips. As long as he lives, he is the true master of the Yingzhou Phylogeny, with no need to gamble on a single throw.

Too foolish.

He’s only fourteen; he can afford to wait.

Then the last, only one result remains...

The former White House Knight, now the Ghost Duke.

The lord of the Yingzhou Wu Family—Douglas Arthur!

Let’s irresponsibly speculate a bit.

Ever since being exiled to this remote island country, for fifty years, this once strongest of the Fifth Stage endured the constraints of the Yingzhou framework, imprisoned by the Source of the Yingzhou Phylogeny on this narrow land.

Deprived of freedom, indulging in pleasures, living happier than anyone on earth, yet less happy than anyone else...

When everyone thought he was old, he suddenly bared his fangs again.

Willing to let the Element of Destructive complete a fusion in Kyoto to break the cage!

Could such a possibility exist?

When this speculation surfaced in thought, it could no longer be ignored.

If this is the truth, then the general’s guard now descending upon the Tanbo Inner Circle is the last straw creating a ’Hell on Earth’.

Now, the darkness before dawn was about to pass, but the sun had yet to rise.

As the gradually thinning rain subsided, the flames in the Tanbo Inner Circle slowly extinguished.

Along with the disappearance were the cries and sobs.

In this deathly silence spread vicious dogs ravaging.

Under the guise of suppressing riots, the massacre has begun!