novelraw Chapter 318: If we don’t empty the whole of Cangshan City, how can we hold our heads high in the future?
Chapter 318: If we don’t empty the whole of Cangshan City, how can we hold our heads high in the future?
"So, does this mean the idea is feasible?"
Alexander stared at the Ghost Energy crystal, not at all disappointed, but rather, his eyes gleamed with excitement.
Using his gift, he mentally connected to his first duplicate in an instant, and a flood of memories surged toward him. The entire experimental process appeared in his mind.
Indeed, as his first duplicate had claimed, the experiment was a success. The sphere in his mental ocean representing Unobstructed Social Communication Charm Syndrome could indeed be controlled and had absorbed the forbidden power.
The absorption was perhaps too complete—so complete that not only were the impurities absorbed, but also the pure forbidden energy and Ghost Energy were completely drained. Tens of trials had left the first duplicate with a scant amount of Ghost Energy.
The real catch? This occurrence was accidental. Repeating it another dozen times or so would not necessarily yield the same results. Tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of trials, would be needed just to entertain the possibility of success.
Alexander’s brow furrowed deeply. "Hundreds of thousands... Even if we use lower-quality ghosts, we’re still talking about hundreds of thousands of Ghost Imperials or Ghost Kings."
"Boss, what just happened? Why did I suddenly lose control of my body?" the first duplicate asked, startled.
Without wasting words, Alexander directly transferred the relevant memories to his duplicate using his innate sharing ability.
"Something is wrong with Zoe!" the first duplicate immediately said, frowning.
"You don’t say!" Alexander rolled his eyes.
"True, forgot you’re the original! But this ability is great!" The duplicate, never one for ulterior motives, felt pure excitement upon learning about this ability. "Now you can directly connect with millions of minions, and together we can empty the Blood Sea!"
"Is that all you aspire to, being my duplicate?" Alexander smirked, and added, "Emptying the Blood Sea? That’s nothing. With a million versions of me, if we don’t empty the whole of Cangshan City, how can we hold our heads high in the future?"
"Good thinking! But our time is—"
Before the word "limited" could be uttered, the duplicate’s eyes lit up: "Right! With this ability, you can link to all duplicates, share your vision, and your blink ability can take you anywhere within that range!"
"Exactly, you are indeed my duplicate," Alexander said, touched. "Now think, what else have we overlooked that can help us empty the entire Cangshan City?"
"Empty the entire Cangshan City? With Hell Warriors around, how could that be possible?" The first duplicate shook his head.
"What if there are no Hell Warriors?" Alexander added.
The first duplicate seemed to grasp something; his eyes sparkled. "I get it! When do we start?"
"Not too soon. Let’s find a place to hide first. Taking action ourselves is too risky. We’ll come out when the time is right," Alexander advised.
The first duplicate nodded eagerly, "Makes sense! Those Ghost Treasures couldn’t have just disappeared. The most likely scenario is they’re in the Hell Warriors’ camp. Why don’t we empty that too while we’re at it?"
Chatting with a duplicate is so comfortable! It’s like meeting a kindred spirit. Alexander immediately added, "And don’t forget the Hell Warriors’ armor and weapons. They might all be of Emperor-level quality. We can’t leave a single piece behind; we’ll strip them bare!"
"Exactly! And those paper lanterns and the like don’t seem ordinary either; they must be at the Hell Warriors’ camp!"
The two looked at each other and exclaimed in unison, "Let’s empty them out!"
In real life, if you suddenly came face-to-face with a duplicate or clone of yourself, the initial reaction would likely be panic. But at this moment, Alexander found that having such a harmonious existence was better than any confidant.
Just a few keywords or even a mere glance was enough for the other to grasp your meaning. This kind of interaction was just so...comfortable.
After all, in a world lacking true understanding, your best confidant might as well be yourself.
"Let’s go and see what else is out there!"
After briefly outlining their plan to empty out the Mist Instance, Alexander beckoned his first duplicate and headed for the next location.
Both Alexander and the first duplicate had disguises on. With another layer of disguise, aside from the number tag atop the first duplicate, they wouldn’t look odd walking together.
Their target was Dining Hall Number 9. It was the most information-rich area Alexander had found and likely the one with the most duplicates.
"Up ahead is an internet café cycle. Every day at six in the evening, the café experiences a fire. The cycle resets in less than half an hour. One of the locals inside became one of the minions during the last Instance.
According to him, a young boy was playing a game in the cafe. He got paired with two poor teammates, causing him to lose his ranking challenge. Furious, he set the cafe on fire," Alexander said as they walked.
"No need to think too hard about it. The way to fulfill his fixation is obviously to help him win the game. This cycle is easy; maybe a duplicate has already completed it!" the first duplicate responded.
"It’s true that the cycle isn’t difficult. But the greatest challenge is actually getting matched up with the boy! That’s probably why no one has completed this Instance so far," Alexander nodded in agreement.
"For us, though, we have Goodwill as a safety net. If the score drops below negative ninety, we switch people! If the cycle still hasn’t been completed, there might be more than one duplicate around."
Duplicate control allows Alexander to directly link with any duplicate. However, this comes at a cost. While it doesn’t consume Ghost Energy, it does drain Alexander’s mental energy.
Even as a Ghost Emperor, Alexander isn’t sure how long he can sustain a connection with all duplicates simultaneously. Hence, this connection must be reserved for the most critical moments, like racing against time to mass-produce Ghost Pills.
Alexander’s plan has to be disseminated one duplicate at a time, expanding outward gradually.
This internet café cycle is short and the breaking method simple. Although a Ghost Emperor-level entity exists inside, there’s no origin like Buou. Moving ghost corpses won’t cause the cycle to stop.
Such a place could provide an Emperor-level ghost corpse every hour, so many duplicates will likely head here, saving a lot of time.
However, upon arriving, Alexander was flabbergasted.
The entire café was empty, save for a young boy frantically typing away at a computer.
"Kid, where is everyone? Even the internet café manager is gone."
The boy looked up, his face filled with confusion. Clearly, he belonged to the same category as the old lady faking accidents and the No. 38 bus—a fixture in the cycle but also a part of the loop, perpetually reliving it.
Alexander glanced at the screen and finally understood why the boy kept failing.