Chapter 331 The Guardians' Residence

Lu Yuan's heart skipped a beat. From the moment she joined the branch until now, Margaret had been working in logistics, handling nuclear supplies, writing lists, and running resupply runs. There hadn't been a single moment when she seemed to have anything to do with combat. Klaus had hidden a Tier 4 in the logistics department so well that even he hadn't noticed.

Klaus continued.

"Externally, the Church—they recently appointed an archbishop. So the Church has at least one Tier 4 combatant in Bronze City. The Gray Pact Society's existence is also a threat to the Church, and I don't believe they aren't interested in the seeds in the Gray Pact Society's possession, especially given their existing cooperative relationship."

"The Earl's mansion has at least one fourth-rank official. The Gray Contract Society has openly acted in the inner city's main hall, threatening the Earl's rule. If we can persuade the Earl, we can at least borrow a fourth-rank official."

"The Guardians are here too," Klaus paused. "And we actually have two fourth-tier transcendents within our ranks; they'll be joining us this time."

He looked at Lu Yuan.

"I'll take you to the Guardians."

Lu Yuan nodded without asking further questions. Klaus had a direct relationship with the Guardians, so it was most appropriate for him to handle it. He himself had also had contact with the Guardians, so it made sense for him to go along.

Glock counted on his fingers. "So that's three lines: the Church, the Earl's Mansion, and the Guardians?"

"Four." Klaus glanced at him. "Including ourselves. Even if all the outside help arrives, we'll still be the main attackers. No one else will risk their life for the Night's Watch."

Glock shut up.

Lu Yuan continued.

"Both Jie and 9 have been severely injured, and their recovery status is unknown. Our chances of victory are highest if we attack before they fully recover."

He pointed to it on the map.

"Tracking markers can pinpoint the ring and the number 9. Launch a prepared ambush, not a head-on confrontation. The key is to prevent them from gathering; attack them separately and take them down one by one."

Klaus nodded. "J, Q, and the fourth-order variable in that pipeline are variables. We must consider their potential appearance at any time when we take action."

Rick straightened up from the doorframe. "Can the tracking markers determine if Ring and 9 are together? If they're separated, eat the one that's alone first."

"Yes. Once the markers are activated, they can determine the approximate distance and direction. If the two markers separate, that's an opportunity."

Klaus withdrew his hand from the map.

"The specific plan will be decided tomorrow. Let's get everyone sorted out their current tasks tonight."

He began to assign tasks.

"Margaret, recheck the pipeline-level supply reserves. Give me the list of diving equipment tomorrow."

"Okay." Margaret's voice was short. She turned a page of the list and wrote a few lines.

"Glock, double the patrol frequency at the pipeline level, and change the outer sentry posts of the copper wall to double-person duty."

Glock nodded, the communication crystal already lit up in his hand.

"Bohr, arrange for a messenger to deliver the rubbing of the inscription to Buren at headquarters."

Bor looked up from the map and glanced at Lu Yuan. "Leaving first thing tomorrow morning?"

Lu Yuan took out a folded rubbing from his inner pocket and handed it over. "The sooner the better. Remember to keep a backup copy and send it to Night's Watch headquarters."

Bohr took it and carefully tucked it into his notebook.

Klaus looked at Rex one last time.

"Let's see if Crystal reacts tonight."

Rex took the green crystal out of his pocket and twirled it between his fingers.

"No."

Klaus nodded. "Looks like they've been keeping it well hidden."

Neither of these is good news.

"We'll finalize the plan tomorrow. Everyone should rest tonight."

The crowd gradually stood up.

Margaret walked to the door, glanced back at Klaus. There was something subtle in her expression; her lips moved slightly, but she said nothing, opened the door, and left, closing it behind her.

Bor put away the map and left one after the other with Glock.

Rex paused at the door and looked back at Lu Yuan.

"Are you still rational enough to handle this?"

"It's alright, not to the point where I need medication."

Rick looked at him for two seconds, nodded, and went out the door.

Lu Yuan and Klaus were left alone in the conference room.

The light from the oil lamp cast a steady circle on the table. The map was still spread out on the table. Klaus stood in the same spot, his finger pressing on the copper wall.

"Don't tell anyone about today's events," he said in a low voice. "Not a single word of the Tower of Knowledge's deductions can be omitted."

"I know."

Lu Yuan walked to the door and opened it.

He paused for a moment when his hand rested on the door frame.

"Klaus."

Klaus looked up.

"The person on the wall said something. Although I couldn't say it exactly, I can relay its meaning."

Klaus looked at him without urging him.

"He said I would take the initiative to seek him out in the future."

The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds. The flame of the oil lamp flickered slightly in the faint airflow.

"So what do you think?"

Lu Yuan leaned against the door frame, his gaze fixed on the opposite wall.

"I don't know. But I'm wondering, what kind of situation would force someone to actively seek out something trapped behind a wall to make a deal with?"

Klaus looked at him.

"I hope we never have to know the answer."

Lu Yuan didn't say anything more. He walked out and gently closed the door behind him.

The moment the door closed behind me, a sliver of light from the oil lamp peeked through the crack in the door before disappearing.

When I walked out of the conference room, the only light in the corridor was the dim glow of the marching lights.

Lu Yuan took a few steps forward along the corridor. He heard the sound of a door closing behind him, followed by footsteps.

Klaus emerged from the conference room. He carried a dark coat in one hand and a trolley light in the other, though the light wasn't on. He put the coat on, walked past Lu Yuan, and didn't look back.

"Let's go."

The two exited through the side door of the branch office.

"The Guardians are so strong, why aren't they staying at the branch?"

Lu Yuan looked at Klaus walking ahead and asked the question that had been bothering him.

After all, placing the Guardians in the slightly central position of Bronze City is the optimal solution no matter what.

They can always act immediately when danger arises.

At least Klaus won't be attacked anymore.

"Guardians cannot stay in the city."

Klaus didn't turn around; he looked at the street ahead, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"Those that don't go berserk are called Guardians; those that go berserk are called Eeries."

"The inscriptions of the Bronze City are not only used to trap the strange, but also to restrict the guardians."

Lu Yuan understood and didn't say anything more.

The outer city was so quiet in the dead of night that only the sound of the wind could be heard. The light from the gas lamps fell on the gray stone walls, one lamp every few steps, and the dim yellow light cast long shadows of two people.

In the distance, the footsteps of night watchmen could be heard, but the sound of their footsteps on the stone slabs came from two streets away and then disappeared.

Klaus turned on his treadmill lamp, adjusting the brightness to just enough to illuminate the path beneath his feet.

Lu Yuan spoke first.

"Grey Contract was beaten like that by you, will he ever recover?"

Klaus took a few steps before turning back. "'9' is the most seriously injured, with cracked ribs and crystal erosion; he won't be able to fight at full strength for a while. 'Ring' is the most severely injured; I can guarantee that without special methods, Ring's strength will be significantly reduced in the short term. J is basically unaffected."

He paused for a moment, then walked around a loose stone slab on the road.

"What really worries me is that unseen one in the pipeline. If even Rek sensed the danger, it's highly likely he's close to the fifth rank."

Lu Yuan frowned slightly upon hearing this and replied, "Why are there so many fourth-tier cultivators? And isn't fifth-tier cultivator quite difficult?"

"The fourth tier isn't actually that difficult, especially the mutated extraordinary ones," Klaus continued.

"However, depending on the method and compatibility, the strength varies greatly. The difference in combat power between fourth-tier individuals may be greater than that between a second-tier knowledge transcendent and a third-tier knowledge transcendent."

"But the fifth rank is indeed a qualitative change, though it's not that easy."

"The copper wall is also deteriorating." Klaus's voice deepened slightly. "We can't delay, so the sooner we act, the better."

"How about tonight?"

After a moment of silence, their footsteps echoed one after the other on the empty street, their pace neither fast nor slow. As they passed a house with its doors and windows tightly shut, Lu Yuan spoke again.

"Margaret... a fourth-tier being hidden in the logistics department, I never noticed it."

Klaus didn't turn around. "She's heavily corrupted by her own methods; the fewer times she attacks, the better, but she's very strong."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

Klaus said Margaret was very strong, so her strength and methods must be extremely amazing.

The street grew quieter as you walked further down. The windows of the houses, which had been occasionally lit, became completely dark, and the gas lamps were spaced further apart, making the light thinner.

Lu Yuan asked the third question.

"How is the Guardian now?"

Klaus remained silent for an even longer time this time. He walked several steps, his footsteps echoing in the empty alley, before finally speaking.

"He's been in Bronze City longer than I have. He was already there when I arrived at the branch."

He only said that one sentence.

Lu Yuan didn't press further. Klaus had told him about the Guardians in the network, the predecessors of the Night Watch, true prodigies who had reached the fifth rank, but were about to become completely bizarre.

Lu Yuan glanced at Klaus's profile; the light from the marching lamps shone up from below, casting deep shadows on his face. Klaus's tone was unusually serious when he spoke of the Guardians.

Ahead, the outline of a stone building emerged from the night.

The tower is four stories high, with a large bell hanging at the top. The inscriptions on the bell have long since faded, and even the outlines are blurred. There are no residents around the bell tower, and the doors and windows of the nearby houses are all sealed up, indicating that they have been abandoned for a long time.

Klaus walked in that direction.

The stone steps outside the bell tower are very narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time.

Klaus walked ahead, the light from the marching lamps flickering on the gray stone walls. Moss grew on the walls, and the air smelled of old copper rust and dampness.

Lu Yuan followed behind, climbing up level by level.

The higher he climbed, the more he could feel the changes. The air became heavier, each breath heavier than usual. The light from the marching lamp fell on the stone wall, and the edges began to tremble slightly; the light itself remained the same, but the boundaries were shaking.

The last time I felt something similar was when I was carrying Klaus through the narrow alley. The guards rushed over from the outer city, and even from that distance, their breathing became heavier.

We're heading towards the source now, and with each step we take, the heaviness increases.