Gun of Ashes

He’s even sharper than Selyu imagined; ”Caterpillar” probably took himself as a kidnapper, vowed to fight to the death. Unfazed, Selyu immediately lifted her leg and kicked him in the midsection, probably his waist and abdomen, kicking him from the center of the carriage to the corner.

Listening to the pathetic scream of ”Wua,” for some reason, Selyu suddenly felt the scream was familiar.

She cautiously walked over, looking down at the ”Caterpillar.” He seemed to have also been suddenly kidnapped, his clothes filthy, but still bearing some identifiable markings.

An Ouroboros twisting and devouring itself on grayish-white clothing.

”Perpetual Motion Pump...”

Selyu whispered, something came to her mind, she pulled off the ”Caterpillar’s” hood with a sudden motion, revealing a rather pitiful face.

Looking at that pale face, Selyu felt her guess had been confirmed, gradually realizing everything.

”Mr. Nikola Tesla, I never imagined running into you here.”

Selyu smiled, her worries significantly reduced.

Nikola was breathing heavily, feeling as if he had been utterly dismantled, in immense pain, and then subjected to Selyu’s fierce blow, now he felt death might not be far away.

”Duke Stuart.”

Nikola managed a pained smile, responding with difficulty.

The last thing Nikola recalled was that deep underground fortress and those battalions. No one would have guessed that lurking in the darkest depths beneath Old Dunling, there lay such a place.

Is that the so-called ”Death Row?”

Before he could say more, Selyu untied him, then went over to the unfortunate fellow in the corner.

”I guess this unfortunate soul is also someone familiar.”

Selyu murmured, then pulled off the hood.

Her expression stiffened, as did Nikola’s, never expecting to find him in such a slightly awkward situation here.

”What a... peculiar encounter, Arthur.”

Even Selyu, her calm demeanor was slightly shaken at this moment.

Arthur, disheveled and utterly miserable.

He had awoken long ago, understanding everything from the start, because he had seen.

He had seen that familiar yet strange face.

Arthur should have forgotten him, yet now he had returned.

”Bluebird...”

Arthur whispered, and with it, endless memories and events unfolded before his eyes.

”Arthur? Damn, have we been captured by the enemy?”

Nikola seemed extremely frightened. He hurried to Arthur’s front, grasped his shoulders, and urgently said, ”Underground, beneath Old Dunling, there lies...”

”Don’t panic, Nikola, everything is under control.”

Arthur pushed him away, gesturing for him to stay calm.

”But...” Nikola couldn’t comprehend, looking towards the gaps in the metal, glimpsing the gloomy sky and the rainwater pouring through the gaps, ”You think this is under control? I don’t even know where I am.”

”No, I understand completely, it’s just you who don’t.”

Arthur exhaled deeply, guessing he had no decision-making power now... No, he had long made his decision, but like the Bluebird, had forgotten it himself.

Now everything proceeds according to the predetermined course, a story already written, and they, as characters, must steer the plot toward the end, as the author advances it.

”Where are we?”

Nikola questioned back. Being a Scholar, he had not faced extremely dangerous battles, hence he lacked absolute composure, compared to Merlin, quite a gap existed.

”Death Row.”

This time Selyu responded, moving her gaze from Arthur to meet Nikola’s eyes.

”We are on our way towards Death Row.”

”But... isn’t Death Row at...” Nikola tried to say something, but Arthur’s just-whispered name echoed in his mind, he whispered, ”Bluebird.”

Bluebird.

A once extremely familiar, yet forgotten name.

As it surfaced, many memories likewise buried emerged, surging in his mind.

”It’s a trap, everything about Old Dunling is a grand conspiracy, so massive that it encompasses us entirely.” Arthur sighed.

Selyu said, thrusting the dagger into the crack of the carriage. She twisted the dagger forcefully, expanding the gap slowly, then lifted it strongly, unlocking the latch hidden within.

The carriage burst opened wildly, the cold rain washed their faces, and they looked out at the world; Old Dunling becoming a gray silhouette at the horizon’s edge; looking forward, more steel awaited them.

In the drizzle, the plains swayed in the wind, gradually revealing the long-abandoned train station behind them. This platform hadn’t seen visitors for a long time, should have followed its destiny remaining deserted, remaining buried in time, joining the earth.

But now it had been rediscovered, a line of heavily armored trains stationed within, enormous cannons angled skyward, like a dense forest of swords. Technicians hurried between Ascalon, working on last-minute adjustments before firing, while Cleaners emerged from the shadows, exposed in sunlight, guarded this outpost.

The howling wind struck, followed closely by dark and heavy shadows sweeping over, a line of heavily armored trains left the station, not directed towards Old Dunling, but circled along the tracks, like hunting hounds, eyes locked on their prey within the hunting ground.

Selyu watched this, her eyes filled with horror, turning rigidly to the city receding behind.

”’Death Row’ was for detaining those sentenced to death, not preserving any spark of continuity.”

Selyu felt numb to everything, amidst the enormous shock, her mind drew blank.

”Old Dunling is the real ’Death Row.’

The train carrying Ascalon started moving too, dragging the heavy train cannons, wrapping Old Dunling tightly like a constricting snake, the barrels all aimed at that storm-shrouded city, no matter where the target appeared, their firepower would rain down relentlessly.

Selyu opened the passage through other freight cars, once opened, she found a group of similarly tied-up unfortunates, Nikola followed, pulling off their hoods, revealing familiar faces, mostly researchers, walking to the freight car’s end, were piles of heavy metal boxes filled with various data and records.

Looking at Arthur, he watched all this, silent, yet at that moment the train rolled into the station, slowly stopping; in the dispersing mist, Arthur saw familiar faces.

Arthur remembered them, many were once his subordinates, but after retirement, their records were archived and sealed, their existence erased by the Anti-Meme, even now, seeing them in person, Arthur’s memory slowly mended, recollecting their past.

Thus, more memories emerged.

Cleaners, Returnees...

Thanks to the Cleaners’ long-term self-seclusion, as a crucial department of the Purification Mechanism, their disappearance should have caused immense turmoil, yet Arthur only now slowly remembered this, unable to fathom, how much longer he would’ve been deceived if they hadn’t emerged voluntarily.

”So, do you have anything to say?”

Arthur stepped off the carriage, walked through the mist, standing before a stranger.

Zuo Tang smiled, he should have been by Left Garrison’s side, yet his Anti-Meme influence was so severe Arthur hadn’t noticed when he left Old Dunling.

”Allow me to introduce you to the real ’Death Row’...

Or perhaps, ’Mechanical Deity.’

Following Zuo Tang’s words, more armored trains departed here, laden with the impassive Anonymous and cold puppets, tightly encircling Old Dunling, preventing any Demon from escaping the net.