Gun of Ashes

He seemed to have made a decision.

”Go ahead, Galahad.”

...

”The Scavenger Department is not actually a retirement department. We are the dark side of the Purification Mechanism, responsible for becoming the ’Mechanical Deity’ when an event gets out of control, resolving all issues, then casting the antimeme into the Furnace Pillar to erase everyone’s memory, ensuring our secrecy and safety.”

Several people walked briskly, and along the way, Galahad explained everything related to the Scavenger Department to Watson.

”With Jiuxia’s assistance, we heavily utilized the antimeme to build all this,” Galahad described his shadowed kingdom, ”The Returnees appeared after that, some excellent soldiers suffered fatal erosion, they would become idiots after receiving a frontal lobe surgery and stay in a nursing home until they die.”

”Returnees, on the other hand, will give them a brand new path, forgetting some things and continuing to live in the shadows.”

”Are you and Joey both products of the Returnees?” Watson asked.

”More or less,” Galahad raised his head, ”It’s not a good feeling hiding in the shadows.”

His words did not sound too disheartened, immediately followed by a slight smile.

”You know? Mr. Holmes has always used the Black Angel, it was originally my ride, and it was thanks to that armor that I became what I am now.”

There was no reaction under the cold mask, actually, Watson was also learning about this for the first time, unexpectedly, these few had intersected long ago.

”He’s here.”

The silent Joey spoke at this time.

They stopped, the figure of an outsider gradually becoming clear in the distance; three in total, striding towards here with synchronized, sharp strides.

The three wore consistent smiles, in this dim underground, only evoking an inexplicable chill, the leading person arrived in front, the two behind stood in silence like guards.

”Hello, everyone.”

Mr. Cai, the leader, spoke.

Hearing the person from Jiuxia speak, Galahad seemed quite surprised, ”You can talk? I always thought you were a bunch of mutes, unable to do anything but smile.”

”Each Mr. Cai’s defect is different; some cannot speak, some cannot see, some cannot hear, I’m just a relatively lucky, intact person.” Mr. Cai replied with a smile, a smile insincere, like cold machinery.

”Why are you all called Mr. Cai?” Watson asked curiously.

She didn’t understand whether it was a name or a title, and why they all used it unanimously.

”It’s like you being called Scavengers, the name is not important, on the contrary, sometimes it can be a hindrance.”

Mr. Cai maintained the deliberate smile, making one uncomfortable, if Lorenzo were here, he’d definitely want to punch Mr. Cai in the face to see if he had other expressions.

These guys were all wearing the same uniform and expressions; if not for different appearances and builds, they would seem like twins.

”So, shall we begin? The antimeme weapon is ready, ’Death Row’ and ’Mechanical Deity’ will proceed in parallel, now we just need to release the bait and attract the target.”

Mr. Cai said, in the darkness, these guests from Jiuxia had already completed many tasks, crafted the grand stage with their own hands.

”Should we now disclose the information about [Echo of the End] being here?”

Mr. Cai awaited the group’s response.

”Let me think about it...” Galahad stopped.

”Are you hesitating?”

Watson looked to Galahad beside her, his scar-covered face hard to read any expression, as if he had become expressionless after his injuries.

”This is a big matter. Once such news is leaked, both Roger and Ed Dunn will be drawn to Old Dunling. This great city will become a battlefield, and our chances of winning are slim,” said Galahad.

”What are you trying to do?”

Joey reacted more strongly, the information he knew never included this, it was supposed to use the new Pope and Lawrence as bait to buy time.

”This is part of the ’Mechanical Deity.’

Watson said.

Mechanical Deity, the most abrupt plot twist, annoying, but the premise of a twist, requires conflict to exist, now Watson and the others must create conflict, at that irreconcilable critical moment, reverse everything.

”The reality is actually completely opposite to what you’ve conjectured,” Watson said, ”Ed Dunn won’t hunt Roger at all, though they are enemies, the real disaster is only the Inexpressible under the Well of Ascension, Ed Dunn must ensure that Roger’s actions do not stir up the Well of Ascension.”

”Roger’s goal is only the Inexpressible, whereas Ed Dunn’s objective is completely contrary, surely at the moment, Static Holy Temple is heavily guarded, maybe Ed Dunn oversees it personally to fend off any chance of Roger approaching. He will not leave the Well of Ascension, Ed Dunn is firmly stuck there, tied up.”

”So, the message sent to the new Pope was actually sent to Ed Dunn?”

Joey awoke to realization, under the dual manipulation of Lorenzo and Watson, seemingly everyone had been deceived… perhaps this was the original plan, fool the enemy, fool ourselves.

Two sets of plans proceeding in parallel, no one knows when they will intersect, bursting the fiercest flames.

”Yes, [Echo of the End] as the only weapon that can threaten the Inexpressible, Roger will not let it go, unable to conquer the Static Holy Temple, he will certainly choose to destroy us first.

And this thing, to Ed Dunn, is also extremely tempting, as Lorenzo said, actually we are of the same camp with Ed Dunn, he will also come to seize [Echo of the End] to end this all.”

Watson disclosed the enemy’s trajectory.

”What makes Roger troublesome is that we can’t locate him at all, he can wander in anyone’s mind, becoming an assassin in the shadows, and this time, we must expose him to the sunlight, he will come to Old Dunling, face our resistance, our resistance will be fierce, pinning Roger in Old Dunling.”

”Then Ed Dunn realizes Roger is in Old Dunling, being withheld, this elusive enemy finally appears, just waiting for himself to slay it, and there’s also [Echo of the End]...” Joey muttered.

This kind of lure, making two monsters clash with each other.

”With his intensity, traversing the [Gap], it won’t take him many minutes to arrive here.”

Joey felt momentarily breathless, ”You are going to draw these two monsters to Old Dunling, ignite a bloody battle?”

Once such a bloody battle erupts, Old Dunling will be hard to escape unscathed.

”We also considered setting Thunderous Cape as the battlefield, but that’s too obvious, Roger would easily realize it as a trap, only here, numerous citizens, layer upon layer of systems and steel, the core of the Purification Mechanism and Ingwig, only such value can erase his doubts.”

Galahad spread his arms, embracing the darkness, seemingly holding up the skyscrapers of the surface.

”This is why the ’Death Row’ exists.”

Joey followed, raising his head, looking into the depths of the darkness, at the sanctuary being forged, where it will not protect the citizens, nor the data and technology, but a legion, that will climb out from the darkness in the end of the battle, delivering them a fatal blow…

He recalled something, his gaze full of suspicion, mumbling.

”Fool the enemy, fool ourselves…”

Joey stared at Watson’s silver-white mask, attempting to see through the metal, discern her mind underneath.

”Is what you’re saying true? Is this the entire plan?”

Watson did not answer, only points of dim light swirling in the dark.

Layer upon layer of lies and misdirection, besides the ”outsider,” no one knows the truth of it all.