infodatos Chapter 259 'The Fourth Person'
Chapter 259 'The Fourth Person'
Chapter 259 'The Fourth Person'
The ruins of an old warehouse on the banks of the Tasok River outside Backlund.
This place was originally the largest distribution center for goods in Backlund, storing goods transported from all over the world via the canals.
However, since Russell opened the colony, maritime trade began to flourish, and the cost of sea transport became lower and lower. In contrast, the cost of inland waterway transport became higher and higher, and the transport volume could no longer meet the ever-growing transport demand. In addition, Backlund was located by the sea, which made it increasingly dilapidated. Most of the warehouses were abandoned, making it a remote and complex regulatory vacuum.
Inside an unassuming old warehouse, Ian Wright, a tall man with rare red eyes, hides among a pile of goods, waiting for his trading partner to arrive.
He knew he was dealing with a Sequence 5 powerhouse, a higher rank than his revered direct superior, Colonel Evan.
But he felt no tension whatsoever.
Because the person standing behind him was the enigmatic Miss Sharon.
Some time ago, when he was ordered to expand Backlund's influence, he had personally witnessed how enemies he couldn't defeat inexplicably committed suicide in front of him.
Furthermore, Miss Sharon promised that if he successfully hunted the target, she would give him the potion recipe for Warrior Path Sequence 7 'Weapon Master'.
This potion recipe was supposedly discovered by Miss Sharon when she killed a gang leader with ties to the Fursac Empire, and it has been verified as genuine.
Evan told Ian Wright about his plans to form an army, and even asked Ian Wright to select physically strong, simple-minded, and fierce individuals to join in the future.
Ian Wright already knew Evan very well, knowing that he was lucky enough to have latched onto a very powerful patron, and he was not content to remain a black glove forever, wanting to step into the limelight, so he was very eager to improve his rank.
However, the standards for merit within MI9 were too harsh on an outsider like him, so this hunt was a rare opportunity for him.
Nearly ten minutes had passed since the agreed time, and Ian Wright was about to lose patience and think that the target would not come, when he suddenly sensed a barely perceptible movement. He gripped his pistol tightly and peeked out from the warehouse pile, seeing a blue-haired man with a film of water covering his feet walking towards where he was hiding.
At the same time that Ian Wright peeked out and saw the blue-haired giant, the giant also saw Ian Wright, gave a slight smile, and uttered the pre-arranged code!
"You're late!"
"Something seems to have happened in Backlund; the police have set up roadblocks, so there's been a slight delay!"
The blue-haired giant briefly explained why he was late, and then immediately urged Ian Wright to proceed with the transaction.
"Did you bring the goods? The person who contacted you this morning died because of what you have. Don't be ungrateful!"
"The men you sent this morning died protecting me, which proves your sincerity in the deal. Of course I won't cheat you; of course I brought the goods. But did you bring the money?"
The MI9 spot check during the morning's transaction was, of course, guided by Miss Sharon and Klein, mainly to eliminate that "arsonist" puppet and reduce Rosago's influence as much as possible.
However, this method can only be used once. If it is used a second time, even a fool would know that there is a problem, let alone a very cunning "fortune teller".
"Don't worry, you won't be shortchanged on your benefits. Let's begin the transaction!"
The blue-haired giant pulled an envelope from his pocket, patted it in his other hand, and said with a smile.
Ian Wright looked at the envelope, estimated its thickness, and then took a briefcase from the pile of goods behind him, saying:
"Then let's settle this with cash on delivery!"
The blue-haired giant wasn't afraid that Ian Wright would go back on his word; he simply tossed the envelope to him and then caught the briefcase that Ian Wright threw at him.
After receiving the envelope, Ian Wright, based on the environment he had previously scouted, fled without looking back.
The "fighter" was very fast; in the blink of an eye, Ian Wright had run more than thirty meters.
But in just a moment, Ian Wright felt his vision blur, his head go numb, and it felt as if a thick layer of glass had appeared around him.
My movements and thoughts became jerky and sluggish.
The blue-haired giant, carrying a briefcase, grinned maliciously and caused a gust of wind to sweep through the old warehouse, instantly transporting him to Ian Wright's side. He then raised his fist, as big as a casserole dish, and aimed it at Ian Wright's head.
Sailor's Path Sequence 6 - "Wind's Favorite".
If that punch landed, Ian Wright's head would shatter like a smashed watermelon.
But at that moment, the blue-haired giant saw the figure of Miss Sharon dressed in gothic clothing in his eyes, and his fist slowed down.
However, Ian Wright was controlled by the "spirit threads," making him even slower. Sooner or later, the blue-haired giant's fist would hit him. Even if Ian Wright avoided a head injury, he would still be severely injured.
Miss Sharon stepped down from the broken glass window of the warehouse and walked step by step toward the blue-haired man, but her steps were also hesitant and pausing.
It turns out that she was also controlled by Rosago's spirit thread from the shadows, and the two were locked in a tug-of-war.
Just then, Klein, who had been hiding in the distance, snapped his fingers, detonating the explosives hidden in the warehouse.
Just as the explosives were detonated, a ball of flame suddenly burst out from a corner of the warehouse, and then a figure appeared beside Miss Sharon, pointing at her with a finger and making a 'bang' sound.
Just then, the explosives in the warehouse were ignited, the roof of the entire warehouse was blown off, and the huge shock wave leveled the surrounding dozens of meters.
Debris from the explosion rained down from the sky, and smoke and dust filled the air. When everything calmed down, Miss Sharon appeared in the same spot, spotless, as if the explosion had not harmed her in the slightest.
The blue-haired giant who had just attacked Ian Wright was thrown more than ten meters away, and the scales on his body broke off in large areas, revealing charred flesh.
Among everyone present, Ian Wright, who was the weakest and lowest in rank, was completely unharmed. A semi-transparent armor appeared around his body, blocking the explosion. Even his clothes were not torn. It seemed that he could withstand two more explosions of that magnitude.
The origin of this translucent armor comes from the diamond necklace that Ian Wright wore on his chest, which was glowing and concealed by his clothing.
Throughout the entire operation, Ian Wright was the most dangerous person, serving as bait. Neither Klein nor Miss Sharon had absolute certainty of protecting Ian Wright's safety.
So in the end, Klein borrowed this extraordinary item made with the "Guardian" extraordinary property from Evan, using the amount of his debt of one thousand gold pounds.
Even if Miss Sharon hadn't intervened, the blue-haired giant wouldn't have been able to seriously injure Ian Wright in a direct confrontation.
Miss Sharon intervened because she knew her presence would be hard to hide from Rosago, as evidenced by the blue-haired giant's ruthless attack.
On the other hand, this extraordinary item, made with the extraordinary characteristics of the 'Guardian,' can indeed provide excellent protection; it can even withstand a single blow from a demigod.
However, Rosago's "Spirit Threads" is the most difficult ability to defend against below the level of a demigod, and can only be countered with the strength of one's spirit.
Miss Sharon worried that if she didn't intervene, Ian Wright, who was only at the Sequence 8 level and whose spirit body hadn't undergone any special enhancement, wouldn't be able to withstand Rosago's Mysticization of him.
However, none of the above reasons are the most important reason why Miss Sharon took the initiative to expose herself.
The reason she was so eager to reveal herself was to draw Rosago's self-awareness to herself, making him focus his inner danger on her and thus ignore the bomb hidden in the warehouse.
At the same time, Miss Sharon exposing herself had another advantage: it prevented Rosago from focusing his efforts on Klein.
This would allow Klein to successfully ignite the explosives hidden in the warehouse.
Because the "Master of Puppetry" can only control a maximum of three spirit threads, and Ian Wright, Miss Sharon, and the blue-haired giant already have three of them.
In this situation, even if Rosago discovered Klein's whereabouts were unknown, he would no longer have any means to stop Klein, who was far away from him.
The blue-haired giant was a Sequence 6 "Wind Favorite," and it was also his only Mystic. Given that he had clearly fallen into the enemy's trap, abandoning his Mystic would be suicidal.
Giving up the manipulation of Miss Sharon's "spiritual thread" would be tantamount to suicide.
Rosago, a high-ranking intelligence officer, determined in just one exchange that Miss Sharon was a "Prisoner" pathway Sequence 5.
The 'vengeful spirit' possesses the power to defeat the blue-haired giant in an instant.
The instant Klein ignited the explosives, Rosago also abandoned his decision to stop manipulating Ian Wright's "Spirit Threads".
Because of his "dangerous premonition" from the "Joker," he understood that Klein was going to detonate the explosives.
Knowing that even if he gave up manipulating Ian Wright through the "spirit thread," he still couldn't stop the explosives from igniting, Rosago ultimately chose not to stop Klein's actions.
Instead, he used "Flame Leap" to get to Miss Sharon's side, hoping to hurt her, the person he considered the most threatening, while simultaneously getting the blue-haired giant to kill Ian Wright at all costs, thus reducing one of his men who were lying in ambush.
Rosago hadn't anticipated that Ian Wright possessed such a powerful sealing artifact, which not only blocked the blue-haired giant's "Raging Strike" but also prevented the subsequent violent explosion.
As soon as Miss Sharon appeared, she completely ignored Rosago, who had just dodged the explosion with "Flame Leap" and "Substitute Paper Doll," and instead turned her gaze directly to the blue-haired giant who had stood up and released a violent gust of wind and a dense array of wind blades.
It's clear that Rosago wants to use this puppet to hold off Sharon, the most threatening one, and buy himself time to escape.
Miss Sharon had anticipated this, and directly "transformed into a vengeful spirit," unaffected by the gale and wind blades. She then used the blue-haired giant's pupils to possess his body, manipulating his physical form while simultaneously resisting Rosago's manipulation of the blue-haired giant through the "spirit thread."
The gale subsided, the wind blades disappeared, and the blue-haired giant reached out his hand with difficulty toward his head, only to immediately lower it again, repeating this process repeatedly.
It was clear that Rosago and Miss Sharon were vying for control of the blue-haired giant.
If it were a one-on-one fight between Rosago and Miss Sharon, Rosago would be manipulating Miss Sharon at the same time, but he doesn't know what kind of Rival he is facing and is eager to break free.
So after confirming that Miss Sharon was being held back by her puppet, she flashed with fire and tried to escape using the flames left over from the explosion.
But when he leaped out of the flames, he was greeted by a dozen tarot cards flying towards him, the cards gleaming with a cold light as if they were about to cut Rosago in two.
Magician 1—Using Paper as Soldiers!
Regardless of Rosago's sequence, he is always a fragile "player" who will suffer serious injury if hit by a Tarot card.
Fortunately, his "Danger Warning" once again saved his life, allowing him to dodge the fatal attack thanks to the agility of the "Joker".
Just as Rosago was about to use "Flame Leap" again to create distance, Ian Wright appeared beside him at some point and poured a large amount of spiritual energy into the necklace he was wearing around his neck, causing the necklace to emit wave after wave of dawn-like light, like a "storm of light".
They were densely packed and countless, forming a shimmering and violent hurricane that could sweep towards Rosago.
Having just escaped Klein's attack, Rosago had no time to avoid the deadly storm and could only use the paper dolls he carried with him to avoid the damage.
Unfortunately, "Light Storm" is an area-of-effect attack of the Warrior's "Guardian" path, not the Hunter's "Fatal Strike".
Even though Rosago used the paper doll substitute, he still couldn't completely avoid the damage. He was grazed by the dense storm of light and was seriously injured and on the verge of death.
However, the extraordinary individuals who "occupy the next house" would not give in so easily. Rosago touched his chest and transferred the serious injury to his left arm. He then burst into flames again, jumped onto a nearby fire, and dodged an "air bullet" fired by Klein.
Just as Rosago was manipulating Ian Wright and Klein's spiritual threads again, slowing their movements so he could escape the scene.
Miss Sharon's image appeared in his eyes, and he froze on the spot.
It turns out that while Rosago was preoccupied with his own problems, Miss Sharon had manipulated the blue-haired giant to snap his own neck and join the hunt for Rosago.
Rosago, however, was unwilling to surrender and began to manipulate Miss Sharon, who had possessed him, once again.
Meanwhile, Maric, who was on guard duty on the perimeter and ready to provide support, ran over from a distance.