Hearing He Ao’s words, Virrus’s expression changed slightly as he stared at He Ao’s aged cheeks and spoke in a measured voice, "Mr. Lin En, it seems you know more than I had imagined." "It might also be due to your very own form of existence," He Ao looked at Virrus, his expression calm, "being just too special." "It appears you have figured out the source of Virrus’s strength." Virrus’s gaze remained serene as he watched He Ao, "But I am indeed surprised that you are aware of the Abyss." "There are always various ways to gather information in this world." He Ao replied calmly, "I don’t know much, though." The slender Hawk Claw Knife fell into his palm and unfolded in his hand. He looked at the young man and asked slowly, "But I am curious, why did you choose to come to this city directly in human form? Is it because you don’t wish to be constrained by human thoughts?" The moment he saw the young man, he had placed a mark on Virrus. Different from the previous emaciated man’s mind, where two sets of thoughts were jumbled together, Virrus’s mind harbored only one type of thought, with no remnants of human thinking, just the incomprehensible, background noise-like ’alien’ thoughts. "Mr. Lin En, you are very intelligent," Virrus looked at He Ao, his tone calm, "Relying on human hosts reduces the consumption from detaching from the Abyss, but in return, we must forgo some of our autonomous thinking. We can only influence the host’s thoughts, not control them, and we might passively merge with the host’s thoughts and lose ourselves. "For those low-level Abyssal Creatures with hardly any intelligence, this isn’t much of an issue." "But for someone with high-level intelligence like you, this is unbearable, isn’t it?" He Ao looked at Virrus, picking up on his words. "Yes, I’d rather experience the human world with a purely autonomous mind," Virrus sighed, his gaze sweeping over the silent buildings, "Honestly, I’m quite fond of your human world—communication, assistance, the rich and colorful life centered around intelligent beings is much more preferable than the boring madness and killing in the Abyss. His gaze returned to He Ao, "the invisible bloodthirst and oppression among your own kind, under the peaceful façade, can sometimes be even more cruel than the Abyss." "The progress of civilization always moves forward step by step," He Ao spoke with an even voice, "just like everything else is constantly developing." "Honestly, I like you, Lin En," Virrus watched He Ao intently, "The deeds you’ve done have shown me another spirit of humanity—life, born frail and insignificant, can establish a lasting civilization in a dangerous world." "But clearly, you’re not prepared to stand with me," He Ao smiled at him, "I’m afraid the being that sent you here has given you a position that is opposed to mine." Virrus gave off a feeling to He Ao that did not reach the level of an Angel or a Fake Angel, roughly around B-level. He Ao did not know whether there were clear boundaries between the Abyss and the Copy World, but clearly, the transition from the Abyss to the Copy World was not that easy, at least not something a B-level or below could do easily. Otherwise, the Copy World’s variety of creatures would have included a new category—Abyssal Creatures. Even if an Abyssal Creature happened to cross the boundary by chance, it should be randomly distributed. Considering that none of the cities and events He Ao had previously encountered had any signs of Abyssal power, this probability must be exceptionally small. The clustering of Abyssal life forms in Yilan City and their establishment of their own organization most likely meant they were sent over by a Higher Being in one single act. And this Higher Being, most likely had something to do with the ’Abyss Guhuo’ in the main storyline mission. "You really are clever, and you also know, there are many things in this world that are unavoidable, the rules of the Abyss are different from human rules, I can’t go against the will of the unseen," Wills looked at He Ao, sighing slightly, "However, if there were many ’clever people’ like you in the Abyss, it would certainly never be boring." His response basically affirmed what He Ao had said. Then he turned his head to look at He Ao, "But I’m also curious, why are you here?" His tone paused slightly, as if he realized something, and he laughed, "It seems there was a problem with my Beheading Squad in the east, did you guess my plan?" The shadow behind him twisted and expanded further, "But how did you guess that I was in the Low-rise District, that I would take this route?" "This is the fastest route, isn’t it?" He Ao lifted the Hawk Claw Knife in his hand, "And don’t you think that the Prisoners’ Gang’s evacuation last night was a bit too quick? The arrival of the City Defense Army was completely unexpected, and the annihilation of the Prisoners’ Gang was a sudden event, no one had prior knowledge of it, "But in such an urgent situation, the main Transcendents of the Prisoners’ Gang still managed to evacuate quickly," The sharp blade spun a flower in the elder’s hand, "Unless there was a big shot from the Prisoners’ Gang right near the place where I battled Virrus, who issued the retreat order the moment I defeated Virrus, only then could the main forces of the Prisoners’ Gang disengage so quickly, and even have time to destroy the files." "Quite a nice deduction," Wills looked at He Ao, "So you figured out I was living in the Low-rise District? It seems I was indeed panicked yesterday, in wanting to preserve my main force, I instead gave myself away." Then he changed the subject with a laugh, "Given that, why didn’t you think I would follow the Beheading Squad east? With three B-levels, wouldn’t it be easier to break through the defenses of the South City Command Center in the east?" "If you really want to ask me, then I can only reply that I guessed," He Ao straightened his collar, speaking calmly, "Judging by the arrangements of the warehouse, chemical plant, and mechanical factory, it is quite apparent that the planner of all this is someone very keen on using ’ingenious strategies’ to achieve ’quick success,’ which also fits the requirements of this operation. "But all ’ingenious strategies,’ once seen through, lose much of their effectiveness, and can even lead to total defeat. Therefore, to have a fail-safe option in case of exposure, the planner of this strategy would likely embed another layer of ’insurance’ on top of it. "If you had followed the eastern Beheading Squad to attack from the east, in the event your plan was exposed—like it is now—you would encounter the City Defense Army laying in wait in the east, "You might be able to suppress these troops with your extraordinary strength, but you would also be tied down by them. Once you’re mired in a protracted battle, your ingenious strategy and desire for a swift victory fail. "The Consortium’s Mercenary Corps, unable to breach the defenses after a long siege, might even abandon you to preserve themselves, and you would then face certain death. "So I guessed you would layer another plan on top of the original, which is distinct from the ’northern onslaught’ and ’eastern beheading,’ a ’third-layer plan.’ "The core of that plan is you. You don’t accompany the Beheading Squad to attack the east, but instead start from the Low-rise District, taking shortcuts to attack the west side of the Command Center on your own. "If your original plan had not been exposed, the Beheading Squad, centered around two B-levels, could have just barely breached the eastern defenses without your involvement, and with you in the west, you could rely on your strong combat force to hold off the defense troops in the west from reinforcing the east, easing the burden on the Beheading Squad. "And if your plan had been exposed, with the Beheading Squad meeting City Defense Army ambushes in the east, under the situation where attacks occur on both the north and east, and with war breaking out outside the city, the defensive forces at the Command Center in the west would certainly have to be partially withdrawn, greatly weakening their defensive capability, "At that point, you could fully utilize your own powerful, extraordinary strength to break through or infiltrate the Command Center from the west, completing the beheading mission alone." Having said this, his tone paused slightly, and he looked at Wills with a smile, "Looking at the current situation, it seems I guessed right." "I had thought it was a checkmate situation, Lin En," Wills sighed softly, "With the South City Defense Army attacked by the Mercenary Corps in the south, forces pressing hard from the north, and Beheading Squads from the east, no matter how they arranged it, there was no way they could leave enough manpower in the west to block me." Then he lifted his head to look at He Ao, "But I didn’t expect you to be here. From what I’ve seen of your human history, a core figure like you should be hiding inside a fortified stronghold, heavily protected." "And then wait for the stronghold to be breached and be killed when defeated?" He Ao looked at him with a smile, "What soldiers need is a leader to follow into battle, not a leader to follow orders." "But you must understand," Wills’s gaze paused slightly, and sharp bone structures, like jade, pierced through his clothes. "You are the core of this war, the reason the Mercenary Corps are laying siege outside is to kill you." "You managed to kill Virrus, which indeed shows some ability, but the gap between Virrus and myself is beyond your imagination," His voice was ice cold as he stared at He Ao, "If I kill you here, then everything comes to an end." "If the South City Command Center gets beheaded, the moment the city falls will also mark the time of my burial," He Ao calmly looked at him lifting his Hawk Claw Knife, "But death has never been the end. Everyone has their day to die, but once the flame starts burning, it never stops. I’m just an old man standing on this path, a little more conspicuous than others." "I’m starting to like you more and more," Wills lifted his gaze to look at He Ao, his body gradually twisting into a ferocious form, "If I had the right to vote, I’d definitely cast my vote for you, too bad I haven’t gotten hold of your human world’s social security number, I’m still unregistered." "You could also send a text message to your Prisoners’ Gang underlings, have them support me, vote for me." He Ao said with a smile. Wills nodded, glanced at the bracelet on his wrist, then looked towards He Ao, opened the briefcase he was holding, and reached inside. A mass of twisted and enormous bones burst through his clothing in an instant, one end plunging into the ground, the other stretching towards the heavens, forming a thorny mass of skeletal monster tens of meters high, made up of numerous bone columns. Skulls hung at the very tips of each of those upward-facing bone columns, with eerie green flames burning fiercely within those skull’s eye sockets. A terrifying shadow instantly covered the entire street. The skulls hanging on the bones turned their gaze to He Ao, their jaws opening and closing, silent, icy voices mingling with the roaring gunfire resounded under the pitch-black night sky, "If you can survive." Wills’s original flesh and blood body also rapidly ossified, turning into an abnormally thick bone among the cluster of bones while his originally fleshy arms also transformed into branch-like bone arms, growing on that massive skeleton. The silver briefcase was also brought into the air by that stack of bones. He Ao looked up at the briefcase in the air. From the very beginning, he could feel the briefcase’s pull on him, or rather, on his body. As he continued to watch, a red jewel was taken from the briefcase by Wills’s now skeletal hand, glittering with a strange glow under the dim night sky. From its displayed state, it seemed to be a B-level Extraordinary Item. Feeling his own heart beating rapidly, He Ao instantly activated Super Memory, leapt up, and reached for the red gem in the air. "Your strength is too weak." Watching He Ao’s actions, the thorny giant bones unfolded their body, and numerous bone columns, like twisted long sticks, blocked in front of the Ruby, swinging densely at He Ao in the air. He Ao looked at the near-at-hand Ruby, a slender Dagger fell into his hand. He raised his hand, and the Dagger collided with a bone that had swung close by. A faint green glow flashed at the point of collision. With a crisp sound, He Ao’s body was repelled, and the slender dagger also showed some fine cracks. The surrounding dense bone columns instantly struck him. And in this instant, He Ao suddenly lifted his right hand, the slender Hawk Claw Knife flew from his hand towards the red gem in the air. A bone column immediately bent over to block the Hawk Claw Knife. But the sharp blade of the knife suddenly veered slightly before hitting the bone column, circumventing it, and under the slightly surprised gazes of the nearby skulls, struck the red jewel. The gem, flickering with an eerie glow, was instantly knocked away, slipping from Wills’s grasp, and the Hawk Claw Knife continued forward to knock the Ruby further away. At that moment, above the thick bone columns, rows of skeletal arms suddenly grew out, resembling clouds made up of piled bones, instantly grasping the ruby in midair and reaching out for the Hawk Claw Knife beside it. Seeing the failed strike, the sharp Hawk Claw Knife did not hesitate for a moment. It swiftly spun around, changing direction, passing through the gaps between the bone columns, and flew back into He Ao’s hand, taking his body further back in retreat, landing on the other side of the street. He Ao, standing upright once more, clutched the Hawk Claw Knife and glanced at the other dagger in his hand. This dagger, obtained from Fren, the captain of the Mayor’s Guard who had betrayed him, was not of high quality, but it was barely considered a C-level weapon. After a simple fortification by Divine Sense, its hardness had also been greatly improved. Yet even so, this dagger developed cracks all over it with a mere light clash against the bones. He Ao could distinctly feel that the inside of the dagger was damaged and that it could only endure one more collision at most. However, the cracks did not seem to be solely from the collision. They appeared more like the influence of some special "Extraordinary Power." He looked up at the towering bone columns that stabbed into the ground, resembling thorny bushes or the spines of a hedgehog. Under the field of view of Divine Sense, dense energy flowed within those bone columns, as if they were not simply bones, but flesh and blood shaped like bones. And between those towering bone columns, the skeletal arms held the red gem aloft. The skulls hanging on the bone columns slowly opened their mouths, and a chilling voice echoed under the night sky, "Law: Prohibit Jumping." It was as if some invisible force swept around them. And the large bone column not far in front of He Ao suddenly pressed down, swinging towards him. He Ao’s mind sank. He rose, preparing to jump to the side to dodge, but in that instant, some invisible force seemed to affect his consciousness, dragging his thoughts, preventing him from jumping. It was as if two trains of thought appeared in his mind, one urging him to jump, and the other obstructing him from doing so. Ultimately, he forcibly suppressed the obstructing thoughts in his mind and jumped to the side, narrowly dodging the main body of the swinging bone column. But the thick bone column still grazed his body, flinging him out, and a pale green light flashed momentarily across the surface of the column. He Ao spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered up from the ground, feeling the changes in his body. He was still able to overcome that invisible force by sheer willpower, but his jumping ability was limited by that force; its range and height were reduced by a third. The Hawk Claw Knife spun in his hand, and the elderly man raised his head to look at the red ruby being held up high. He still had to take down that ruby first. At that instant, as he thought this, he looked down at where the bone column had struck him. A ghostly green glow spread across the blurred surface of his flesh, devouring his life force. Was this some kind of "Extraordinary Power" that weakened life force? A Curse? The roaring sound of artillery fire erupted from a distant direction behind him, on the eastern side of the wisdom center. Corvey’s ambush troops were also engaging with the Beheading Squad. Amidst the roaring artillery fire, He Ao straightened up and looked toward the giant bone column monster. In fact, there was one thing Wills didn’t fully articulate—if the city fell today, it wouldn’t just be him who would die. Corvey, Lante, Kewis, Tucker, Sena, and even that little boy from the Low-rise District, Klin... Everyone in this city who supported Mr. Lin En or even felt pity for him would die. The skulls in the sky bowed their heads, coldly observing the elderly man below.