Dawn City, Guard Tower.
"This operation, in a certain sense, cannot be considered a success, nor a failure. The You Ying Group has been plotting in secrecy for a full eight years. By the time we received word, it was already too late."
"Master Four is indeed dangerous. Eight years of secret scheming, and he truly deserves the fragment of the Qilin Wedge he acquired. Thankfully, it's just a single fragment; it can't be pieced together into the complete Qilin Wedge. We still have plenty of chances."
"Declare war! Immediately declare war against the You Ying Group! Sink every one of their ships floating on the East Sea! That Master Four is extremely dangerous—now that he has the fragment of the Qilin Wedge, he's bound to become a grave threat to the human world! Moreover, they've already broken the rules; they've betrayed humanity!"
"But as of this moment, there's no definitive evidence proving Master Four has genuinely betrayed humanity. Acting recklessly wouldn't be justified. Besides, this guy, even now when death is at his door, still refuses to use Divine Servant Transformation."
"How many times has he used the Sorrowful Corpse Cycle now?"
"Is there any chance that the fragment truly isn't in his possession?"
"Did you even use your brain when asking that question? Even if Master Four didn't take the fragment, this matter surely still ties back to him. Aside from Thunder and the Chair Killer, there's only him left alive in the underground ruins! Oh, and that Butcher invested in by Third Master. But do you think that guy's intelligence level could grasp the Qilin Wedge?"
"Fair point. If Third Master had obtained the Qilin Wedge, he'd have already been boasting about it by now. Instructor Wan and his team have been monitoring Third Master's party the entire time, so there's no chance of that."
"Furthermore, the statements from Thunder and the Chair Killer have been verified by us and contain no falsifications whatsoever."
"If Master Four's eight years of plotting ends in failure, he might as well go ahead and kill himself."
"Agreed. If the Qilin Venerable had acquired the fragment of the Qilin Wedge, how would Si Wei'an have survived? Master Four's Sorrowful Corpse Cycle may seem nearly impossible to unravel for us, but in the eyes of an Ancient Supreme, it's child's play. Unless the Qilin Venerable had completely lost his mind—but the odds of that happening are about as likely as Jupiter colliding with Earth."
"Wait a minute, who came up with the code name 'Chair Killer'? We're the Ether Association, the world's largest Ascension Alliance, and yet we allow such names? It's an affront to decorum! An affront to decorum!"
In the highest conference room, the upper echelons were arguing relentlessly.
Even in the adjacent lounge, the transmission of their heated voices could be distinctly felt.
Gu Jianlin sometimes felt genuinely fortunate for his aloof temperament.
Otherwise, he thought, he would've completely lost his composure.
The Ether Association had wiped out the underground ruins, marking the conclusion of their mission. Following standard protocol, they first underwent examinations by the medical department to ensure no physical issues before reporting their findings.
This process proceeded swiftly, since lying was not allowed. Question and answer, straightforward.
Naturally, this truthfulness regulation didn't bother him much.
Everyone who had just completed their missions and earned merit was allocated to their respective lounge rooms.
All that remained was the wait for their return; other mysteries weren't theirs to unravel.
Yet the upper echelons had been quarreling in the conference room for over ten hours nonstop.
The key issue was that the content of their arguments was utterly absurd.
Gu Jianlin massaged his forehead and let out a sigh.
The fragment of the Qilin Wedge now hovered deep within his consciousness.
But the blame had been pinned on Master Four.
Outrageous—this diversionary tactic was simply masterful.
Even Gu Jianlin hadn't anticipated this turn of events. After all, he considered himself such a gentle and kind person, someone who always adhered to the principle of "be kind to others." Doing something so irrationally malicious, so devoid of ethics—surely not something he would dare attempt.
However, as he recalled the scathing critiques on the Second Generation Kirin Venerable among the upper echelons, suddenly, he didn't feel like laughing anymore.
He even felt a touch melancholy.
"Ding, task reward settlement complete."
"Merit Value Reward: 25,000 points! Total Merit Value: 65,078 points!"
"Reward Item: Extraordinary Ritual Material Exchange Voucher."
"Reward Item: High-level Alchemy Weapon Voucher."
"Reward Item: Creation Angel Secret Medicine."
"Reward Spoils: Mythical Weapon, Doomsday Pocket Watch!"
"Special Reward: Investigator Gu Jianlin, due to your exceptional performance during the mission, you've been awarded one additional entry into the Soul Skywell. Details will be revealed later."
Gu Jianlin's phone displayed a notification from the Deep Space Network. The cascade of rewards left him entirely stunned.
"We've hit the jackpot! Hit the jackpot!"
The parrot screeched maniacally nearby.
Gu Jianlin thought silently to himself—indeed, they had hit the jackpot.
To begin with, amassing over sixty thousand Merit Value meant he could exchange it for a growth-type Mythical Weapon.
For example, Tang Ling's Extreme Thunder!
Next, the significance of those two exchange vouchers required no explanation; as long as it existed in the supply database, it could be redeemed.
Even if it were out of stock, they'd find a way to procure it for you.
This privilege was leagues above that of ordinary investigators!
Regarding the Creation Angel Secret Medicine, he consulted Deep Space Network for further details.
Creation Angel Secret Medicine.
Rarity: SSS Top-Secret Grade.
Drug Effect: Comparable to divine intervention. Regardless of how severe one's injuries are, consuming this medicine allows instant recovery and bestows sacred protection. For twenty-four hours, all negative conditions are delayed in effect.
Upon seeing the description of the medicine's effects, even Gu Jianlin couldn't help but feel a flicker of excitement.
In a nutshell, the medicine was equivalent to resurrecting from the dead.
No matter how peculiar the curse or how lethal the poison, it guaranteed survival for a day.