Chapter 313

Chapter 313: Chapter 310: "Good job!In the scenes depicted by the Memory Stone, Su Rin congratulated Saya on achieving "immortality."

Then, as a member of the Soul Clan capable of transforming Saya into a higher being, Su Rin must have already attained "immortality."

Would his appearance no longer undergo any changes?

If we consider this possibility,

that "person with the same name as Su Rin, Su Rin’s grandfather" from sixty years ago,

——could it also possibly be Su Rin himself?

...After all, it’s unlikely that a grandfather would name his grandson the exact same as himself.

Deducing from this,

there might have never been a grandfather named Su Rin.

The Su Rin from sixty years ago and the current Su Rin could be the very same person.

Having gained "immortality," his features would remain unchanged, naturally he wouldn’t age.

This could also account for the old lady’s words of "you look almost exactly like your grandfather when he was young."

But of course, such matters could not be shared with others, it would be similar to revealing his identity as a member of the Soul Clan. He just smiled and tacitly agreed with the old lady’s statement.

Although Su Rin was almost certain that he himself was the Su Rin from sixty years ago, he had left Yun Shang City for some reason, arriving at the Yate Empire and became a fallen noble.

However, this secret could not be leaked; he could only pretend that the Su Rin who rose to Yun Shang City was his grandfather.

Still, he was somewhat concerned.

"Su Rin... my lord?" He expressed curiosity about this title.

Hearing this name, a blush emerged on the old lady’s wrinkled face.

Looking at her spring-blossomed expression, Su Ming’an had a bad feeling.

The old lady confessed, her words imbued with shy anticipation, "Sixty years ago, Lord Su Rin led half the residents of Pulaya to ascend to the City in the Clouds, made a deal with the deity. He negotiated the deity’s blessing for Pulaya’s Soul Hunters..."

Su Ming’an listened patiently.

"As for the details, I’m not too clear; I was just a teenager back then, busy with sending flowers with other kids, didn’t pay much attention to the rest, and with time, the matter faded. If you ask some of the elders, they might remember."

Through the old lady’s account, Su Ming’an gradually realized one fact.

...Su Rin was something of a public idol over sixty years ago, quite popular among the local females and some males.

Apparently, Su Rin was the leader of the incident six decades ago and was the source of Pulaya’s Soul Hunters’ rapid development.

Su Rin had negotiated with the deity, which brought the deity’s blessing to Pulaya.

...It sounded like Su Rin had done a great deed.

Su Ming’an stayed and chatted with the old lady for a while, discussing the local customs and traditions of Pulaya, and after she reminded him to not go out at night carelessly, she happily went back to her room.

As he closed the door, he overheard a woman’s voice from the old lady’s room, likely her granddaughter’s.

"...Grandma, I’ve already told you, don’t interact with outsiders. Those coming to Pulaya at this hour are here to attend the Maritime Banquet, they’re ruthless killers."

"Lele, that boy is a descendant of Lord Su Rin, he’s a good lad, it will be fine."

"...Su Rin? Never heard of him, some ancient figure? Anyway, call me if you’re going out in the future, I’ll accompany you."

"Our home is near the Soul Hunter Department in the Eastern District, what could happen? At night, grandma just won’t go out, but during the day, could the Soul Clan really kill people under the broad daylight?"

"...Grandma, you don’t know, the Soul Clan has been rampant lately, who knows the true background of the newcomers..."

The voices inside the room gradually diminished.

Su Ming’an took out the Blessing Potion and drank it.

After waiting for five minutes, he heard the system’s prompt.

"Ding-dong!"

Su Ming’an glanced over and saw that he was in Bright State, with his Health Points already soaring to 2210.

The boosting effect seemed to be substantial and would not diminish due to a change of state; the two points of Spirit added by the Bright State were already reflected in his body, and he could distinctly feel an improvement in his Perception.

"Ding-dong!"

True Damage is useful in any situation, and although 0.2 seconds of paralysis is short, it could be a Divine Skill if the attack speed is fast enough.

However, it’s a pity that his development path is not oriented toward Agility.

After resting for a while, Su Ming’an headed to the Eastern District’s Soul Hunter Department to take on a mission.

He entered the mission assignment area on the first floor of the building, where a red-haired woman was in charge of dispatching missions.

"Soul Hunter, this is the location of your mission," the woman said, pointing to the map of Pulaya on the table. "The entertainment area on Puchang Street in the Eastern District has seen a death toll that has exceeded the limit, reaching three times that of other areas, based on the reconnaissance by the second squad. The headquarters has estimated that there is a gathering point of the Soul Clan here, and it requires a Soul Hunter to go and eliminate it."

"Understood," Su Ming’an nodded, ready to leave.

"Sir, please wait a moment," the woman called out to him. "This place is... somewhat special."

She said, finding it hard to express, "You might need to do some disguising."

Su Ming’an: "..."

Su Ming’an: "No need, I have the ability to handle the Soul Clan."

"No, I’m not worried about your power," the woman hurriedly shook her head. "It’s just, the Soul Clan in Pulaya has covert escape routes that are extensive and interlinked. If you rashly proceed, someone may tip them off, and in that case, we will lose this rare opportunity to destroy a Soul Clan stronghold."

She spoke with a somber expression: "Every piece of information about each area is bought with the lives of civilians and Soul Hunters. If we miss this opportunity, we may have to pay a much higher price in human resources..."

Su Ming’an pondered for a moment.

He was confident in killing the Soul Clan in his way, but indeed, he had no way to stop all those who might flee.

If it was possible not to raise an alarm and capture them all at once... that would be for the best.

"I understand," he nodded.

Night fell.

In the residential area of the Eastern District, the lights in the bungalows were extinguished one by one, and the fishermen who had worked all day returned to their homes and locked their doors.

They put large furniture in front of their doors and placed weapons by their beds, falling into sleep with trepidation.

Once night arrived, Pulaya was no longer the clean and tidy Pulaya.

In contrast to the pitch-black, silent and quiet residential area, the bustling trade and entertainment district near the Central District was brightly lit at this time.

Bell-like laughter floated in this area, with the sound of rippling water by the river.

Wide waterways lined with boats carrying pink lanterns, the scattered light danced upon the ripples of water.

Three-story wooden pavilions leaned against the cobbled streetside, wafts of fragrant powder drifting out from within. Women in revealing clothing carried slender pipes, walking up and down the streets, exuding an inviting scent of peach blossoms.

Fragrance of powder, tobacco, and strong liquor—the various potent smells mingled together on this street, intoxicating the staggering passersby, while men and women embraced passionately in the corners.

This was the flower district of Pulaya, the most chaotic place at night.

Perhaps driven by hedonism or influenced by the belief of "no tomorrow after today," some indulged in sex and revelry here as if enjoying the last moments before doomsday.

This place was like a different world compared to the quiet residential areas, representing people with two distinct life philosophies.

Following his captain—a Soul Hunter NPC named Kaya of A-level—and coming to this street, Ming’an immediately smelled an extremely strong scent of fragrant powder.

He frowned slightly.

Behind him were the rest of team nine. Except for Ming’an who was a B-level Soul Hunter, the rest were C-level and D-level Soul Hunters, including Lin Yin.

Ming’an didn’t know how many Players had infiltrated team nine, but it seemed that the ratio was quite high. He thought these teammates looked shifty, lacking a sense of integrity, and none seemed like good people.

Originally, team nine was responsible for the Western District of Pulaya, but due to the latest updates from the second-tier Soul Hunter intelligence, the flower street in the Eastern District near the central area might be a hiding spot for the Soul Clan, and other teams in the East District could not be dispatched. Thus, headquarters urgently reassigned Soul Hunter teams seven to nine—thirty Soul Hunters in total—to this area.

At the front of their team, Kaya was briefing them on the mission.

"Attention, members of team nine, this operation is a ’blockade’ mission, not a frontal assault operation," said Kaya, as he brought the squad to a corner of the flower street, leaning against a pile of concealed sacks:

"Based on the clues provided by the second-tier Soul Hunters, the reconnaissance team has speculated that this area may possibly harbor a Soul Clan stronghold."

"Teams seven and eight have already sealed off both sides to prevent any Soul Clan from escaping."

"Although we cannot accurately assess the level of danger within this suspected Soul Clan stronghold with the current amount of intelligence, a rough estimate suggests that there is at least one high-ranking Soul Clan with strength equivalent to an A-level Soul Hunter."

At this point, some Players showed shocked expressions.

They had gotten used to banding together and overwhelming the weak during the last couple of days of operations, eliminating low-ranking Soul Clan members with Combat Power of around two to three hundred, which had made them gradually underestimate the difficulty of this instance.

Today, the mission for team nine had suddenly changed from the original district sweeping patrol to this special task. Their target for today was a major Soul Clan stronghold.

Moreover, there was at least one high-ranking Soul Clan member within, equivalent in strength to an A-level Soul Hunter. High-ranking Soul Clan members possess at least fifteen hundred Combat Power, certainly not an enemy this group of Players could handle.

"Captain." A female Player raised her hand: "If teams seven and eight are responsible for sealing off the two sides, then our team nine... Are we supposed to eradicate that stronghold? Isn’t the difficulty..."

"Do not interrupt me," Captain Kaya’s expression was stern, and his tone did not soften in the face of the interjecting teammate: "Nia, this is your first warning. A second time, and I will report you to the Soul Hunter Department for delaying the mission, bear that in mind."

The female Player immediately fell silent.

"Our mission for team nine indeed requires us to enter the flower street," said Kaya: "This is also why we took the precaution to disguise ourselves before we arrived."

At this moment, they were all dressed in the colorful and vibrant local attire, fitting in with the style of the flower street, with the female Players even having powdered their faces.

"But our task is not to directly confront that Soul Clan stronghold, instead, we are here to coordinate support," continued Kaya: "A formidable S-level Soul Hunter has already ventured deep into dangerous territory, infiltrating the most perilous area alone to investigate. Our role is to support him in completing this eradication mission—we don’t need to fight upfront. The fighting will be taken care of by that S-level Hunter; we merely have to provide him with strategic support."

"S-level Soul Hunter..."

Surprise gleamed in the eyes of the Players.

Even as an elite team led by an A-level Hunter and including a B-level, team nine was only tasked with "providing support" in such a mission.

"Report." Lin Yin raised her hand.

"Speak."

"Leaving the mission to one person seems imprudent," said Lin Yin: "If he fails in combat, those of us providing support will be trapped deep within enemy lines, and teams seven and eight will be implicated. Moreover, this location is crowded with people, and if a Soul Clan member were to break out and embark on a killing spree, the consequences would be unimaginable."

Listening to her skepticism, Kaya didn’t get angry but instead laughed softly.

He patted Lin Yin on the shoulder with an unquestionable tone:

"Nata, I know you’re a thoughtful child,"

"...but there’s no need to question the abilities of an S-level Soul Hunter." He said, "That Soul Hunter, he’s the descendant of the leader of ’that plan’, and he has even offered the Heart of the Soul Clan from a superior Soul Clan member. His Combat Power is beyond doubt..."

As he spoke, the communicator at his waist went "beep beep."

"Received." He hung up and stood up: "Team Nine, begin the operation."

Hearing the command to start the operation, Lv Shu was the first to walk out.

His mission this time was to pose as an ordinary resident coming to the flower street, acting naturally enough.

The others on the team also began to disperse gradually. With Kaya’s remote command, they each moved to their assigned areas and started to walk around naturally.

As the team member with strength second only to Kaya, Lv Shu and Lin Yin were assigned the most crucial task in the "support" phase—responsible for direct contact with the S-level Soul Hunter who had infiltrated and for obtaining the intelligence in his hands.

"Mil, Nata, do you see that three-story loft?" Kaya’s voice came through the earpiece.

Lv Shu let his somewhat long hair fall, covering the earpiece: "Seen."

In front of him stood a small wooden loft. Scantily clad women with smoking pipes stood at the door, the scent of perfume wafting from inside.

Inside, the red silk trailed on the ground and a sweet fragrance lingered, while women swayed their hips, their delicate and eye-catching whiteness exposed.

"Your mission is to go inside and directly liaison with the S-level Soul Hunter who has already arrived." Kaya’s voice continued: "We have preliminarily locked down that the Soul Clan’s gathering place is inside the Red Mansion. To avoid the Soul Clan detecting the communicator’s waves, I will not give you any further instructions after you enter the Red Mansion. It’s all up to you and Nata, be careful."

"Understood."

While pretending to bite a candy figurine in his hand, Lv Shu moved his mouth in response as he walked inside.

He didn’t know what this building was, but he faintly heard music.

It must be a place for singing and dancing.

He had previously learned about modern cities from the streets and could make some deductions.

With music and the smell of alcohol... Hmm...

—This must be a KTV.

"Damn." Lin Yin’s eyes lit up beside him: "The legendary Red Mansion—Lv Shu, what an excellent place! What a lively scene!"

"?" Lv Shu didn’t understand why Lin Yin was so excited about KTV.

He took half a step inside.

The next moment, he suddenly felt his hand being held.

A young and beautiful woman with fluttering red sleeves came up to him and gave him a sweet smile, her voice as sticky as sugar:

"Customer~"

What is this situation?

After some deduction, Lv Shu roughly understood.

—A special way of greeting customers at KTV.

Aside, near Lin Yin, a handsome and rugged young man approached.

Though his skin was somewhat tanned, his features were sharp, exuding a unique Western style of charm, dressed with his shirt wide open, revealing distinct muscles.

In an instant, Lin Yin’s attention was drawn away.

"Customer, would you like to come in and have a look?" The young man flashed his white teeth at Lin Yin.

"Yes, yes...!!" Lin Yin shouted out, repeatedly uttering monosyllables, seemingly excited without knowing what exactly he found so appealing.