Chapter 170 - 170 152 Great Summon

170: Chapter 152: Great Summon 170: Chapter 152: Great Summon From the moment the protected person died, this escort mission was considered a complete failure. The Bureau of Anomaly Management and the Special Service Team lost their face as well. But in fact, “losing face” was not the first or second time for them. Aside from a few people who had a history with Little Huang, other veterans quickly regained their composure. Lu Ping’an suspected that they had been mentally prepared for failure from the beginning. The atmosphere on the way back was a bit oppressive, with an exception of a new Gardener who seemed unconcerned and sat in the co-pilot seat. Since no one else was talking, he just silently read his book, occasionally glancing back to make sure the tied-up tree trunk in the back had not been lost. “…Has that side failed as well…?” The news soon reached the headquarters, but all they got was bad news, and much worse than before. While escorting on this side, the convoy on the other side had been ambushed, and the battleground was the airship station (airport). From the results, it seemed the main battle was on that side, as the Church of Life’s (Lady of the Forest) reinforcements were also there. The attack took place on the tarmac, which was open and suitable for confrontation. The Secret Keeper had prepared the battlefield from the beginning… Judging from the results, they lost again, but it was a very close loss. The bishop repelled the attackers and successfully escorted the “protected person” onto the airship. Then, the airship swallowed the retiree in one bite. Yes, swallowed. A medium-sized airship, after being “soul awakened”, suddenly woke up, its deck breaking apart, swallowing the retiree in one gulp, along with 141 ordinary passengers and two escorts inside. Fortunately, the escorts had not left. They reacted in time and killed the “giant magic monster”. In the end, about 43 survivors were dismantled from the “airship”, with less than ten unharmed lucky ones. The retiree, as the primary target, was killed on the spot. This was the era when there were too many professionals and Abnormal Ability Users, making destruction much easier than protection, and it was the reason why many “candidates” were willing to gamble on life and death to acquire abilities. It was like a kingdom with widespread firearms but no surveillance, where as long as there was one deranged person with a motive to commit a crime, it would be almost impossible to prevent them from suddenly going on a shooting spree on the streets someday. What could be done was probably just to hold the perpetrators accountable afterward and use the severe consequences to warn potential criminals. Why no surveillance? In fact, the damn Mechanical Spirit Awakening Skill was a major reason for this. During this era, machinery was not trustworthy. Information itself was a carrier, a dangerous carrier that could carry pollution. Not to mention the development of networks and telecommunications, every year within the Bureau of Anomaly Management, there were requests to ban the internet, and the evidence provided by them were the numbers of dead and victims. From the perspective of the Ancient City police and the Abnormity Management Bureau, it was already difficult for them to deal with a group of international terrorists with the standing forces of a small and medium-sized city. Even with reinforcements, their defensive capabilities were still obviously insufficient. Under normal circumstances, these “super terrorists” should have been fighting with tough guys in hotspots, international metropolises, key resource worlds, instead of causing harm to the garrison forces of a second-tier city, which were already at the shell with their forces withdrawn. “We know there is a ruthless six-tiered or above person on the other side who follows the ‘Mechanical Beast Taming’ path.” “Think on the positive side, at least there has been a six-tiered or above person on the other side taking action this time, so the higher-ups will surely send people.” Was this considered good news? Even the person who said that didn’t believe it. In a sense, the increasingly rampant superpowered crime was also the root cause of the recent crazy push for reform. Compared to protection, destruction was much easier, especially when huge gains could be made from destruction itself. Previously, this country had completely banned the spread of “polluting knowledge” to prevent such incidents from happening repeatedly. But some things could not be prohibited, especially when other countries had long lifted bans on the new era. When the number of cultists and Abnormal Ability criminals in the country overflowed to a certain degree, the full opening of taboo knowledge might be just a matter of time. Is this a good thing? Or is it the first step for the whole world to slide into the abyss? No one can say for sure. Most official Secret Keepers only know that if they continue to “keep watch through the long night” as they have for the past hundreds of years, everyone will be unable to bear it anymore. In a way, it’s like the gun crisis in another world, where innocent people’s safety is only a matter of luck when a child can easily buy a couple of guns just by stepping outside the door. The worst part is that there is a slim chance of completely prohibiting guns, though the probability is extremely low. But the endless Secret Realms, Churches, Exotic Realms, and Evil Gods in this world make it increasingly impossible to stop the “pollution” from spreading, turning it into an empty slogan. “Gun stores” are everywhere, and it’s not hard to get guns, so superhuman crimes continue to happen. The cost of maintaining a continuous society is too high, so high that even the near-infinite potential and combat power reserve of the government cannot be sustained anymore, forcing a new round of reform and a comprehensive expansion. If the defensive power of the Ancient City had been ten times greater this time, they wouldn’t be so passive, would they? “No, it’s the same. Although quantitative change can lead to qualitative change, a group of ordinary defenders with the highest rank of fourth-tier can’t deal with sixth-seventh tier opponents. High-ranking professionals are not that cheap.” The big cat, the instigator of all this, ruthlessly gave the answer. The expected answer made Lu Ping’an give up on relying on the government completely. It’s like the “stick together” mainstream gradually formed in this era. Since the large stable Order can’t provide security anymore, it’s only natural for small armed groups to protect themselves. Countrymen on the roof, armed communities, militias, local companies, and large landowners are all examples of this. However, in a certain sense, this has become a new unstable factor in the new era, where conflicts between “family rules” and “national laws” are inevitable in some situations. But who can go against the tide in this era? Faced with a world full of crises, who can resist the temptation of power and take control of their own destiny and the safety of their family? When power begins to be used privately, when power begins to be bargained, how many people are still willing to fight for “Order”… especially when retired Secret Keepers can’t even ensure their own safety! The solemn atmosphere of the convoy was not only mourning for colleagues but also more likely thinking about their own future. “I always feel that this is a slow death. Big cat, is there any hope?” Lu Ping’an had already seen through everything, but after thinking about it, the answer he got was hopelessness. This is not a problem of lack of power, nor will it be reversed by the appearance of a hero. It’s that the whole world has been dragged into the abyss, entering a vicious cycle of logic and reality. In Lu Ping’an’s eyes, the situation will only get worse, and all reforms seem to be a desperate attempt. “You think I’ve seen a lot of worlds, and they’re already beyond salvation. Since the Great Summon five decades ago, there is no hope.” The big cat casually threw out a piece of “sealed” history. “The Great Summon? What’s that? Sounds like a game.” Lu Ping’an felt something subtle and seemed to have a problem with the timing. “Hmm, for some beings, it’s probably just a game. The Twelve Gods… very impressive beings, even if I successfully ascend, I can’t face them, nor can some of the top powerhouses in your world. They jointly conducted an ultra-large-scale ceremony. The reason is unclear, but the result is that this world has been dragged away from its original track and has gotten “closer” to many other worlds. Within three years, the pollution density has increased by at least ten times, and the threshold to obtain power has been significantly reduced.” The big cat did not cover up the fact that the incident has always been a pain in many people’s hearts and influences countless people’s life choices. In fact, if it weren’t for that incident, he probably wouldn’t have chosen to ascend without hesitation, giving up on this world. Lu Ping’an nodded silently. He had also vaguely heard about the “Twelve-Pillar” in the big event five decades ago and the so-called “Seven Evildoers.” “At this point, is there really no hope? Even if it’s just barely surviving.” Lu Ping’an vaguely confirmed that only this cat could give a proper answer. “There is, if someone like the Twelve-Pillar god can single-handedly protect the world. But that’s basically impossible. Humans who are the strongest are too far away from them, too far, and perhaps distance shouldn’t even be used to describe it. It’s the difference in size between mortals and galaxies…” The big cat had barely concealed its loss. If the “Great Summon” hadn’t happened, perhaps it would still be a friendly international friend. Lu Ping’an pondered, and he already guessed the second answer. “The second method is what you did? Ascend yourself and then leave on the Ark of Doomsday? Go ruin the next world?” Lu Ping’an had already determined that if his courtyard continued to expand, it would truly become a complete small world. So how many people could live in it? Could a city? “Heh, if we don’t come, will your world not be destroyed? Humanity, don’t think too highly of yourself. Sooner or later, you’ll be like me… us, not so different. I’m looking forward to your choice…”