Gun of Ashes

From the Dunling Tower, the current view of Old Dunling presents a rather splendid scenery.

The lead-gray clouds are crushed by the golden sunlight, beams of light fall one after another, illuminating the streets and the still receding tides, the golden glow overwhelming the painful gray-blue, enveloping everything within a world of gold.

Though the sunlight isn’t scorching, it casts a warm sensation on one’s body, dispelling cold dread and offering some comfort.

In the sky, there’s still fine rain falling, softly and gently, but compared to the previous storm, it is undoubtedly much gentler, falling in light drops with a playful bounce.

Lorenzo sits expressionlessly on a mound of piled rubble, overhead the remnants of the Broken Dome, which shield him from the falling drizzle.

Behind him, the dry sound of rust rubbing together arises, followed soon by the sound of footsteps as the still active Upper-Rank Knights and the Anonymous arrive here, appearing very puzzled, not understanding why Watson had summoned them here.

Apart from them, others who did not come were mostly like Bola, injured and unable to move, leaving Watson to personally attend to them.

”Lorenzo?”

Eve notices Lorenzo sitting in the shadows, surprised to see him here, she hastens her steps wanting to greet Lorenzo, but suddenly stops, hesitant to proceed.

Behind her, Shao Liangxi and Rod follow, perhaps a friendship forged under the storm; they now move inseparably, like a true team.

Then they also come to a stop, unable to utter a word.

They gaze at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure before them, seeing Lorenzo’s body torn and tattered, covered in filthy blood, with visible cracks in his wounds where granulation tissue struggles to crawl, attempting to stitch the fatal injuries.

Lorenzo himself remains silent, seemingly contemplating something profound, just staring ahead at the golden scene, with no intention to acknowledge them.

His arm hangs down; the fabric over it has long since split, exposing skin as charred decaying wood, dry and cracked, with flames of flowing light rolling through the gaps.

Lorenzo stiffly turns his head, glancing at those standing in the shadows, then speaks.

”Let’s begin.”

Upon hearing his cue, Watson steps forward slowly, looking at everyone gathered, she speaks softly.

”Thank you all for your hard effort in battle. We successfully killed Adren Levien and Roger Cruz.”

Hearing Watson’s words, the newcomers appear somewhat perplexed, as if not understanding what she said, but soon, their expressionless faces crumble, overwhelmed by an irrepressible joy, they almost shout aloud.

Yet perhaps due to exhaustion, or perhaps the widespread pain, the intense joy flashes across their eyes, their faces shifting from stark numbness to a hint of a smile, which freezes even before it fully forms.

Crying and laughing, everyone’s face bears this strange expression.

”Could it... really be a success?”

Shao Liangye whispers, from the first moment they encountered the demon, he felt the battle wouldn’t succeed, at least not as expected in killing both, knowing how powerful they truly were, yet unexpectedly they won.

”And then? What to do next... how to handle all this?”

Night Owl asks weakly, supported by Blue Jade, their appearance is utterly disheveled.

”Now everyone in Old Dunling has witnessed the existence of demons, the corruption spreading throughout the city... we can’t keep the secret of demons anymore, unless you plan to share this fear with the entire world?”

Night Owl appears forlorn, although they killed those two troublesome individuals, they face a heap of problems to address.

”This isn’t something that can be passed off as a gas explosion.”

He forces a laugh, and hearing this familiar excuse, others can’t help but chuckle too, only Shao Liangye and a few Anonymous remain unclear about what they’re talking about, it’s considered ”jargon” within the Purification Mechanism.

”The plan is comprehensive and perfect, all of this was expected.”

Watson responds, to her these are not problems.

The story’s end was destined from the moment the pen fell, just like now.

”Oh? What will be done?”

Red Falcon can’t help asking, curious to see what method Watson will use to solve all of this.

After a brief calm, Watson begins to elaborate on the final plan.

”As early as half a month ago, the Cleaner Squad utilized the Furnace Pillar for large-scale Anti-Meme dispersion in Old Dunling, as expected, after the war ends, we will pour all Anti-Meme material into the Furnace Pillar which will operate at full speed, dispersing the excess Anti-Meme substance throughout the city.”

Upon hearing this, Red Falcon realizes something, glancing at Joey, he understands why Galahad was so coincidentally prepared to rescue him in the underground, as they originally intended to do this, pouring excess Anti-Meme material into the Furnace Pillar.

”It will be carried by vapor, overflowing from underground to the surface, turning into pattering rain, purifying the entire city... however, rest assured, it won’t greatly affect the citizens, they will merely become somewhat forgetful for safety’s sake, their cognition over the events of this past month will turn vague.

This is necessary; the Anti-Meme will not only erase these nightmares but also eradicate the entwined corruption, reducing Old Dunling’s Geiger index back to a stable range.”