Chapter 579: The Clues Left Behind

    Sword of Heaven was dead.

    As soon as this earth-shattering news spread, the whole forum descended into a huge uproar. Even players who did not go online often suddenly showed up one after another to express their shock and bewilderment.

    What exactly did this death imply? To understand this, one needed to consider first what it meant to be a Legendary player in the eyes of others.

    Perhaps it was the prestige of holding the highest rank, or the special privileges granted by the Nightmare, or maybe the sheer, unparalleled power they held, the players had this unshakeable impression that the top four were no longer in the same realm as their own. Even calling them ’demigods’ or ’walking disaster’ wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Each and every of them was capable of turning the entire world upside down with a single wave of their hand or a single stomp of their foot, so long as they wished to. That was the extent of their power.

    Fortunately, the Legendary players so far had been restrained and conscientious and wouldn’t whimsically abuse their power just to see the world in chaos.

    In the players’ perception, the Legendary rank was the apex of power, a superior position they could only dream of attaining in a lifetime. And thus, it inevitably made them feel like these people were... indestructible.

    They could effortlessly cleave the earth in two and walk unscathed through an inferno of blades and fire. They were omnipotent beings who had transcended the limit of humanity. They were invincible.

    So how could they have fallen?

    But facts proved that their long-standing belief was no more than a mere illusion.

    No matter how formidable the Legendary players were, they still couldn’t escape and break free from the shackles of their mortal form. At the end of the day, they were still humans, and of course... they could die.

    This gave rise to an unnerving question that soon dominated the forum’s trending topics— how did the Sword of Heaven die? What kind of terrifying nightmare creature could have taken down such a powerful player? Or was there a conspiracy going on behind the scenes?

    Apparently, Shen Nianzu wanted to know this too, because not long after, Gu Luoxin received a message from him, stating that he planned to go to Song Yunshi’s residence to take a look and asking whether Gu Luoxin wanted to go as well. It was fortunate that Gu Luoxin no longer had classes for the day, so he quickly typed ’I’m in’ with trembling fingers.

    Then recalling the man beside him, Gu Luoxin briefly recounted how they had visited the old man once before and offered, "How about you, Senior? Do you—"

    Gu Luoxin hadn’t even finished his sentence when Noir firmly sealed the cardboard boxes with adhesive tape and stacked them on the table. "Let’s go."

    Stunned, Gu Luoxin scanned the messy studio, stammering, "How about your—"

    "Tomorrow," Noir interrupted him once more. "Didn’t you say your leader is in a hurry?"

    And so, Noir ditched his graduation ceremony altogether and tagged along with the SJG trio.

    As soon as they got into the car, Shen Nianzu slammed the accelerator and drove at the fastest speed within the allowable limit. His exquisite face was shrouded in a layer of gloom. "I’ve booked train tickets for us. That’s the fastest way we can get there." He reassured Gu Luoxin, "Don’t worry, I will send you back tomorrow morning before your class."

    To be honest, Gu Luoxin wasn’t even thinking about his classes at the moment. Grabbing the seat in front of him, he leaned his upper body forward and asked gingerly, "Xiao Shen, do you know what’s going on? Grandpa Song, he— he’s really dead...?" he bit down on his bottom lip, feeling a sudden urge to cry.

    Although they had only met briefly both in the Nightmare Cycle and reality, Gu Luoxin had truly become fond of the old man who had a warm and bright smile— he idolized him, even. And the mere thought that the other person was already gone sent a pang of sorrow to Gu Luoxin’s chest.

    He never expected that after Shang Hao, he would once again mourn for another person’s death within a short period of time.

    Jin Jiuchi, in a rare bout of conscience, did not make fun of Gu Luoxin’s tears and simply cast him a quick glance. Meanwhile, Shen Nianzu pursed his lips silently, his grip tightening around the wheel. "I don’t know," he let out a soft exhale, addressing Gu Luoxin’s first question. As for the second one, the leaderboard was the best proof there was; Gu Luoxin simply could not accept the cruel reality so soon. "If— If he really met his demise in the Nightmare Cycle, there would be a brief buffer time after he returned to the real world."

    Gu Luoxin’s expression abruptly changed when he keenly grasped the implication behind Shen Nianzu’s words.

    The buffer time before death in the real world— it sounded extremely cruel, like the Nightmare was forcing them to experience death for the second time. But there always existed some people who saw it as a silver lining, for example, to bid their family one last farewell like Ying’s twin brother did, or another example...

    ...to leave some clues behind.

    This was the reason why Shen Nianzu was in such a hurry.

    If Grandpa Song had truly left something behind, it would definitely be well-hidden since players were not allowed to expose the Nightmare Cycle’s existence. And the only ones who could decipher it would be fellow players.

    They had to secure the clues in case Song Yunshi’s family took care of his belongings and caused it to be lost.

    Alas, no matter how hurried they were, by the time they disembarked from the train and reached the mountain where Song Yunshi’s residence was, more than four hours had already passed.

    The sky was a vivid shade of pink, orange, and blue, signaling the arrival of dusk. Like before, the SJG trio and Noir took the cable car up the mountain— only to find that someone had beaten them to it.

    A familiar acquaintance stood waiting.

    "You guys are fast," Ying remarked in surprise. "Did you come directly as soon as you got the news?"

    Shen Nianzu breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it was Ying, of all people, which meant that their goal should align. "Yes, did he..." he trailed off, letting the silence speak for itself.

    Ying glanced behind her shoulder at the police car and ambulance parked in front of the residence. She led them a little further away and lowered her voice to say, "It’s a heart attack. Judging from the preliminary examination, it should be caused by the Nightmare Cycle. He didn’t even call for help, and by the time the cook called him for dinner, he was already not breathing."

    Both Shen Nianzu and Gu Luoxin’s faces sank. Jin Jiuchi was idly leaning against a tree, teasing a random squirrel on the branch, while Noir listened quietly without much presence.

    Ying continued, "Fortunately, we were quick to contact the local bureau and asked them to preserve the scene as it originally was. Mr. Song has passed away in his study, and in his grasp, he was holding this ball of paper." It was truly convenient having an ally in the police force. Ying unhesitatingly beckoned to a nearby officer and took over the crumpled piece of paper which had been sealed in the evidence bag.

    Shen Nianzu, Gu Luoxin, and Noir crowded around to see.

    It was a page which had been haphazardly torn from a certain book, discussing the philosophy of life. Gu Luoxin asked, puzzled, "Is this the clue Grandpa left behind...?"

    "Look." Ying turned on the flashlight on her phone and illuminated the paper from below. The harsh light accentuated every crease and wrinkle on the paper— but what caught Shen Nianzu’s sharp eyes were the faint, half-circular indentations which appeared quite peculiar at first glance.

    "Wait, these are... nail marks?"

    Ying shot him an appreciative look. "That’s right, only by pressing your nail into the paper with force can you create marks like this. We believe he used this method to leave a message, considering the limited mobility and time he had."

    On the small, torn, and crumpled piece of paper, a few faint grooves were imprinted on the bottom of certain words.

    Weakness

    Message

    Bred evil

    Cage

    Sky

    Nightmare

    Don’t trust

    "W-What does this even mean?" Gu Luoxin was thoroughly baffled.

    "Sky... cage... bred evil... the Nightmare’s... weakness?" Shen Nianzu muttered the words to himself before his eyes abruptly widened in realization. "Does it mean he had entered the high-level Cycle, House of Evil, to find the Nightmare’s weakness?"

    The two words ’Nightmare’ and ’weakness’ were simply too eye-catching, and one couldn’t help but connect the two together.

    Ying’s expression showed no surprise; it was apparent that she had considered this before. "You think so too?" she asked. "When I was on my way here, there’s just something I couldn’t figure out no matter what. For as long as we’re acquaintanced with each other, I know he’s not the type to challenge a high-level Cycle with no reason. So what was he doing there?" A wry smile tugged on the corner of her lips. "But if it has something to do with the Nightmare’s weakness, then everything makes sense."

    Gu Luoxin’s jaws remained agape as his gaze alternated between the two of them back and forth. He couldn’t even begin to fathom how the two of them could come to this conclusion so soon.

    "Hold on," he raised his hand like a good student he was, voicing his confusion. "I understand the thing about the Nightmare’s weakness, but... why ’House of Evil’ and not ’Battle of the Gods’? Look, the clue mentioned ’sky’ here. For all we know, it could have meant the evil gods! Plus how could Grandpa Song be in that Cycle? Isn’t it supposed to open in June?"

    Both of their arguments were reasonable, and for a while, they were caught in a deadlock, unable to determine which Cycle Grandpa Song had perished in.

    As for how Song Yunshi found himself in a high-level Cycle, Ying opened the Nightmare App on her phone and showed the privilege she had— Legendary players could enter high-level Cycles whenever they wanted without having to wait for it to open.

    Taking a deep breath, Shen Nianzu hesitated for a long while before suggesting, "Should we try asking the Divine Oracle?"

    Although he truly didn’t want to deal with that weirdo again if possible, they didn’t seem to have any choice. If they wanted to find out what exactly had happened to Song Yunshi, they could only ask for his help.

    Except that, they didn’t even need to look for him.

    Before the group could come to a decision, Ying’s phone rang, and after she listened to the words from the other side, her expression turned odd.

    Hanging up, she relayed, "The Divine Oracle just announced that he’s going to do a live streaming through the Nightmare App tomorrow. And the topic is..." she let out a rough exhale as though expelling the heaviness on her chest. Then she spat out each word with venom, a flicker of anger blazing in her eyes,

    "The scene of Sword of Heaven’s death."