Chapter 448 2 Entering the Palace
Chapter 448 Entering the Palace for the Second Time
The dark red moonlight illuminates the earth.
He Xiaoqi paced a few times, rubbed his rough cheeks, walked forward and looked carefully at the bloody severed head of Marquis Bart.
The dead tiger's might was still there, and Marquis Bart's eyes were wide open with anger on his stiff face. He was a peak gold warrior, and with just a long-range attack, he was able to severely injure an elite colonel of the empire on the spot. But at this moment, Marquis Bart was undoubtedly dead.
He Xiaoqi secretly glanced at someone and felt that the other party was mysterious. Even though Wujian Fortress could not figure out the exact strength of this person, it would definitely not make mistakes in the basic information.
A person can hunt down a golden peak before he reaches the crown. Even if this extreme situation really exists, it will only happen to the owner of a famous gun.
Once you hold a famous gun, unless you are promoted to the heroic level, you will never be able to get along with the gun on an equal footing. Not only will the cost of firing the gun be extremely high, but it will also be difficult to focus on yourself in your cultivation.
The top ten famous guns are all spiritual and will choose their holders.
"The car is gone, what should we do?" Yu Jianyue asked vaguely. She was pouring wine into her mouth, and her voice was real bubbling.
Jiang He was a little confused: "Is it not allowed to walk into the Cangwu Fortress?"
The speed of a golden warrior running naturally cannot be slower than that of an ordinary alchemical vehicle. The damage to the military jeep should not be something that needs to be dealt with.
Yu Jianyue turned around, raised his hand to his forehead and looked out, and said solemnly: "I estimate two hundred miles. I rarely walk this far."
Beside him, Si Chuan helplessly reminded: "Miss Yu, this is not Cangwu Province."
He Xiaoqi chuckled a few times. Even when he was in the Wujian Prison, he arranged for a female major to serve him. In exchange, he provided her with some protection. Usually, he turned a blind eye to some extraordinary behavior.
Jiang He was too lazy to comment. After all, differences in living standards also affect habits and cognition. However, he walked a few steps and then stopped, remembering an ability he had almost forgotten.
Whoosh!
Under the gaze of the three people, a gray warhorse appeared with the surge of energy. The warhorse was extremely ferocious, and its eight legs were like tree trunks.
Since the practice of the Gray Horse Breathing Method was not compatible with its own system and the progress remained at the silver level, the status of the Gray Horse's skills was strictly speaking around "perfect".
"Cool!" Yu Jianyue whistled.
"Who will hold the horse?" He Xiaoqi's eyes were vague. He was not very willing to do so. Boss Jiang probably felt the same way. That would make things difficult for Si Chuan. Strength equals status. It was a naked reality.
"It's a bad habit."
Jiang He jumped onto the horse, squeezed his legs together, and the eight horse legs were immediately crossed. His horsemanship was pretty good.
Yu Jianyue secretly made a face. She ran up a few steps, spun around with her stomach hugged, and sat sideways on the horse's back with great precision.
"Boss, where are we?" He Xiaoqi shouted.
"Run forward."
……
Cangwu Fortress, built between the Dawn Canyon.
This is where the Dawn Source is disordered. After the new recruits from the empire arrive, it takes some time just to adapt, but it can also help to hone the quality of the Source to a certain extent.
The disorder of the Dawn Source Force means a natural resistance to dark magic, and there are large source mines underground, so this canyon has become the only choice for forging a fortress.
Approaching the fortress, a towering thousand-meter-long city wall comes into view. Made entirely of huge black stones, its surface is bumpy and full of traces of war.
There is a watchtower on the city wall at regular intervals, equipped with a heavy source-power cannon. In the center is a solid fortress, with the outer wall reinforced with refined source stones. The huge muzzle is aimed at the plains outside the Great Wall. The epic source-power cannon has a comprehensive construction cost and long-term maintenance cost of about tens of millions of source gold.
The gray warhorse arrived at the gate of the fortress. The gate was not closed and two majors at the peak of the silver level were standing guard.
"Stop anyone who comes."
Yu Jianyue stuffed her finger into her throat, dry-heaved a few times and spat out a certificate. She was the eldest daughter of a noble family and a super genius of the empire. This identity was invaluable.
"Don't stop me, I have a bad temper." Yu Jianyue made a joke with a smile. The Yu family is the leader of the aristocratic families in Cangwu Province and one of the main investors of Cangwu Fortress. For her, coming to the fortress is like going home.
"Please come in." The major guard handed back the ID with a strange look in his eyes. He looked at the other three people who were traveling with him, then shook his head slightly, holding the source gun and remained silent.
The gray warhorse passed through the city gate. He Xiaoqi and Si Chuan were still running forward. The interior of the fortress was like a modern city, with the roar of source power machinery coming one after another.
The streets are relatively crowded with people. The number of humans living on the Dawn side of the Everlasting Darkness Continent is actually no less than that of the Empire itself. The total number of humans can reach hundreds of billions, so that they can compete at all levels and support a sufficient number of heroic creatures.
"Let's find a place to rest temporarily." Jiang He said.
"Walk straight to the end of the street and then turn left." Yu Jianyue pointed the way.
The gray warhorse crossed the street and turned left. A bar appeared in front of the four people. He Xiaoqi couldn't help but slap his forehead a few times. He knew that his niece couldn't pick a decent place.
Si Chuan glanced at someone with a little concern. The other person was the one with a really bad temper.
"Tasteful." Jiang He sniffed and smelled the scent of rice coming from the bar. This should not be a traditional bar.
Si Chuan was speechless. Two drunkards were too unfriendly to the team.
"We are truly fellow travelers." Yu Jianyue smiled and patted the other person on the back, his eyes suddenly froze.
Ignoring the boiling dawn energy in her body, she stroked her chest and said with a wicked smile, "Nice figure."
Jiang He turned around expressionlessly.
Yu Jianyue dismounted calmly, shrugged, and said, "It's just a small advantage. My identity is a pass to enter the empire. It won't cause us to break up. We are close friends who have been in jail together."
The gray warhorse disappeared and Jiang He pushed the door and walked into the bar.
He Xiaoqi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If a fight really broke out, he was confident that he would not disobey someone's orders. The imperial military had already alienated itself, and orders from superiors were everything.
The four of them walked into the bar one after another, and it was very quiet inside.
It was obvious that the drinks brewed by Yuan Dao were not very popular in the military fortress. Behind the bar, there was a well-mannered old bartender with a head full of silver hair. When he saw the red-haired girl, his eyes were a little surprised.
"Did you go to the dark region to play this time?"
"What are you doing? I almost couldn't come back." Yu Jianyue knocked on the table, "Four cups of super rice wine."
"Twenty taels of gold, thank you." said the old bartender.
He Xiaoqi's face changed. He finally understood why this bar had so few customers. It was not because the style and taste were incompatible with the fortress, but because the prices were too expensive.
For an imperial colonel like himself, not counting gray income and expenditure, the normal monthly salary is roughly composed of a basic salary of 500 taels and an additional 500 taels of maintenance money. One tael of source money can buy one stone of rice, and twenty taels of source money are enough for a family of three in the empire to live for a year.
"Put it on the account." Yu Jianyue waved his hand.
Not long after, four glasses of white wine were pushed onto the table.
The wine was exceptionally mellow. Jiang He picked up the glass and took a sip. A hint of sweetness blossomed on the tip of his tongue, and the strong aftertaste flowed back into his mouth from his throat. Every aspect of it was perfect.
"Another drink." Jiang He said casually, "Put it on her account."
He Xiaoqi also finished a cup, and felt a strong dizziness coming over him, causing him to shake his head and say, "Boss Jiang... drink less."
"It's home-brewed, not too strong." The old bartender said with a smile as he pushed out another glass.
Beside him, Si Chuan fell backwards and fell unconscious.
Yu Jianyue hooked his arm around someone's shoulder and introduced him, "This is Jiang Wuyang, a far cry from adulthood, a potential alchemy master. Judging from his alcohol tolerance, you can probably guess a thing or two."
The old bartender remained noncommittal. Alchemy is a rigorous profession and alchemists are usually logical creatures. However, some research and breakthroughs require wild inspiration, so drinks that can temporarily confuse logic become the preferred supplement.
Their crazy pursuit of truth made these guys not care about the so-called cost of alcoholism.
After seven consecutive cups, Jiang He's face showed a hint of drunkenness.
Because it took twenty days to escape from Wujian Fortress, there are still ten days left until the deadline for the main task ① Return to Cangwu Province.
The value of an Immortal-level skill-enhancing scroll is self-evident, and it is still quite precious even now.
Jiang He has already planned to use it in the ultimate spell, Shining Heaven and Earth. The six energy properties are combined with its characteristics. Once it is promoted to Immortal, its power will be close to that of an epic spell.
Of course, due to the influence of factors such as energy, status, and density, it is difficult for the promoted World of Glory to cause damage to the hero, but the effect of bullying the gold elite should be very good, as the skills contain a lot of true damage.
And the most crucial thing is that the World of Eternal Darkness is not the World of Ashes, and the Golden Elites are not those who have broken through their limits and become the strongest people in the world. The essential gap between the two will greatly reduce the difficulty of killing them.
Jiang He drank the wine in the glass. If he was Dragon City or Knight King, his future in this world would be very bright.
Bang!
The door of the bar opened, and a group of imperial soldiers walked in one after another, all armed with live ammunition.
The Empire has been able to mass-produce source-force guns below the Ultimate Level, because the source-force bullets and the cultivator's source-force come from the same source, but are clearly different. So when a hail of bullets hits a strong person, it can cause the target's source-force to become rigid, or sealed.
This is one of the reasons for the existence of the lower-level soldiers in the imperial army.
Deng Deng Deng!
The sound of military boots stepping on the floor could be heard.
A middle-aged major general from the empire walked into the bar, with more than a dozen military medals hanging on his black uniform, his aura of peak gold was fully revealed, and the long sword at his waist shone coldly.
He Xiaoqi was not drunk at all. As a general, he had already reached the threshold of high-level in the empire, equivalent to the helmsman of a middle-class family. He was qualified to lead a million-strong division and stationed in Fenghuo City.
"Second Lieutenant Jiang Wuyang, Colonel He Xiaoqi, and Si Chuan, a branch of the Si family, come with me."
After the middle-aged major general finished speaking, he saluted the old bartender and said, "Sir, this matter has nothing to do with you. As long as they answer honestly, I guarantee that their lives are not in danger."
He Xiaoqi's heart sank. This was just an excuse.
The old bartender smiled and said, "I only care about the money for the drinks. I don't like bad debts, especially those from acquaintances."
Yu Jianyue's face was solemn, and he said, "At least give me a reason, don't force me to find you in the end."
"The reason is, there is no reason." The middle-aged major general waved his hand, "As for the bad debts, things in the world often go against one's wishes, don't they?"
The imperial soldiers took the three men away. Yu Jianyue and the old bartender looked at each other and both realized that something was wrong. The major general would not be so arrogant.
The two colonels casually carried the drunk Si Chuan and almost dragged him along the ground, but they were quite friendly to He Xiaoqi, their colleague in the military. The imperial colonel was not some street vendor.
The middle-aged major general pushed Jiang He forward. He didn't say anything about the guy's calm expression. He just reminded him:
"Now, think about what you have seen."
"Ah."
……
Cangwu Fortress, core prison.
"Name."
"Jiang Wuyan."
"age."
"eighteen."
"gender."
"..."
Across from the interrogation room, someone who had changed back into the blue and white prison uniform had a strange expression on his face. To some extent, the public file of the prison doctor was indeed correct. His recidivism rate was 100%. First he escaped from prison, and then he was imprisoned for the second time.
The core prison of the empire is much worse than the Infernal Fortress. The reddish-brown walls are difficult to clean, and there are remnants of human tissue on the floor in the corners. The entire cell has only a skylight the size of a human head. It is narrow, damp, and dark, and more like a tomb.
Jiang He had ultimate-grade Originium shackles on his hands. Since there were only ten days left before the deadline for the return mission, he was not as relaxed as he looked. He kept having the thought of killing directly, but reason told him that standing completely against the empire was not a wise choice for both survival and development.
[Countdown: 9:04:33]
"Lieutenant Jiang Wuyang, we need to know your role in the Winter Offensive Silhouette Plan."
Across the table, the middle-aged major general asked indifferently.
"I don't know what the Silhouette Project is." Jiang He said.
This is the truth. The identity of a second lieutenant was a plug-in that was loaded into this world after he arrived. When he appeared in the Infernal Fortress, the winter offensive had already ended.
This kind of interrogation is not difficult to deal with. "Role playing" is just a false question. What the other party really wants to know is whether the prisoner knows about the so-called silhouette plan.
Boom boom boom!
There was a knock on the door.
The general's secretary brought a document. After reading it, the middle-aged major general was a little surprised, and then sneered: "Second Lieutenant, if you confess, I can get you parole. Si Chuan has confessed. If you continue to conceal it, you will be sent to the Dawn Grave for life imprisonment. He just killed a prisoner for you in the vampire prison. You don't need to protect him like this."
Jiang He looked normal.
According to the current situation, possibility one: Sichuan is really related to the Silhouette Project, possibility two: the military has obtained some marginal intelligence and mixed it into the hypothetical answer to increase its authenticity.
"I do not know."
boom!
The table was broken by the palm of the hand.
The middle-aged major general sneered: "Stubborn."
The interrogation lasted three hours.
There was still no useful record in the confession.
The middle-aged major general felt the situation was difficult, and when he saw the other party's cold eyes, he felt annoyed. This guy had an extremely sharp vision, which made all kinds of rhetoric ineffective.
On the other hand, Jiang He roughly deduced the reason why he was targeted. During the winter offensive, there was a little-known silhouette plan. The people behind the major general wanted to silence those who knew the truth, but they were also worried about Yu Jianyue and the old bartender.
After the offensive failed, only four people escaped. To be on the safe side, these people should be executed secretly, but the presence of Miss Yu among them made the situation complicated. Killing someone now requires a price to be paid and the aftermath, which would be unnecessary if these people didn't know.
Knowing the truth - killing.
Unaware - let go.
How to define killing and releasing? The answer is naturally - trial.
In a failed war, a plan that is not known to the public is almost synonymous with muddy waters.
"Someone, turn off the alarm." shouted the middle-aged major general.
The cell door opened, and an inspector major walked in. He saluted meticulously, then said solemnly: "Major General Yuan, the military may not lynch citizens of the empire without trial. The investigation of suspected espionage does not mean you can do whatever you want. If you insist on doing so, please let me take him back to the mainland for trial first."
"Okay, okay, Yu Jianyue is really capable." Major General Yuan laughed angrily twice. He kicked the broken table with his leg, stood up, pushed the inspector major away, and left the interrogation room without looking back.
The inspector major didn't even look at anyone. He was just entrusted by someone and had no interest in getting involved in this mess.
The two left one after another.
Half a day later, the prison food was delivered.
Jiang He looked at the two earth cakes on the plate and showed a rare look of surprise. He was very familiar with this thing.
“Excellent products are widely recognized, which is normal.”
Jiang He chewed a few bites of the earth cake curiously. The taste was as good as its name said. It was obvious that the Wujian Fortress was not a solid block. After the vampires retracted their eyes and teeth, their appearance was no different from that of ordinary people. Therefore, the underground spy war between the two sides has always been brutal.
……
[Countdown: 8:12:30]
The deaf-mute old man who came to deliver the food repeatedly pointed at the earth cakes on the plate, and then gestured as if to break them apart.
Jiang He broke open the earth cake as instructed, and found a crumpled note inside. The handwriting was bright red like blood, and the strokes were quite delicate. There was a big X on the word "inspection", followed by a slightly urgent "Run!". On the back of the note, the route to the entire prison was clearly written on the paper.
The deaf-mute old man opened the cell door, urging with an anxious look on his face. In his hand, he held a wine glass with a hint of the strong aroma of super rice wine, which served as a token of trust.
Jiang He remained indifferent.
"I am not guilty and I have no knowledge of the crime. Why am I running?"
"Tell Yu Jianyue that I am waiting for a fair result."
The deaf-mute old man distinguished the other person's lip movements, and a look of panic and pleading appeared on his face. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed frantically until his forehead was covered in blood.
After a moment, a handsome young man walked in from the cell door. The uniform of the Imperial Investigation Corps looked neat and handsome on him.
He raised his leg and crushed the deaf-mute old man's head, then sat directly on the corpse and said with a smile: "Let me introduce myself. I am Yan Liang from the Yan family in Jinxi Province. I came here specially from Jinxi Fortress. You might as well guess how much Duke Merrick has spent to reward you."
Yan Liang raised a finger and said with emotion: "An entire Undying class battleship, in good condition and 90% new."
"Did you dig up his ancestral grave?"
Jiang He said nothing. It was nothing more than the destruction of almost all the prisoners in the fortress, and the death of several earls and marquis who were relatives.
Yan Liang sneered. According to the current information, it is still unknown whether the construction of Wujian Fortress can continue. But if Duke Merrick does not take revenge, no one will take him seriously in the future. Not to mention the Duke's majesty, the other party will never be able to hold his head up in this life.
(End of this chapter)