CHAPTER 369: CHAPTER 366 [SECRETS OF THAT YEAR]

Chapter 366: The Secret History of That Year

The two hundred and sixty-third escape attempt...

Failed.

Chen Nuo kept count in his heart.

The concept of time was completely lost. There were no points of reference, no coordinates, not even the sensation of time passing.

But Chen Nuo had a vague, unsettling feeling.

His most recent attempt to break free by releasing his consciousness energy had once again been forcefully blocked by Corot.

This time, Chen Nuo had come dangerously close to reluctantly using his hidden power. But at the last moment, a faint premonition of danger flashed through his mind. Instinctively, he aborted the release of power.

Immediately after, he felt Corot’s surrounding consciousness energy sharply increase! It was a full level stronger than during their previous two hundred and sixty-two confrontations.

This old bastard! He actually played a trick on me!

Chen Nuo was glad he hadn’t exposed his trump card—considering the intensity of consciousness energy Corot had just revealed, he would have failed regardless.

"You’re actually this powerful? You old bastard, were you hiding your strength when you stopped me before?" Chen Nuo feigned panic in his consciousness.

Corot’s reply was simple. "Just to let you know that I am far, far stronger than you. Don’t even think about getting out of here."

"Even if you imprison me for life, there should still be a crime and a reason," Chen Nuo asked helplessly.

"Because you are..."

"The Chosen One, yeah, you’ve said it hundreds of times! But why can’t the Chosen One leave?"

"..."

Seeing Corot about to fall silent and ignore him again, Chen Nuo suddenly had an idea.

"Corot, do you know the name Yun He?"

This time, although Corot did not answer, the subtle fluctuations of consciousness from all directions betrayed the old bastard’s unstable emotions.

"Yun He!" Chen Nuo repeated the name in the Huaxia language with clear pronunciation. "Qingyun Sect, Yun He!"

It was as if a moment of silence had passed, or perhaps a century had gone by.

Finally, Corot responded.

"I... know that name."

"Three hundred years ago, Yun He helped Noah’s Ark travel to Africa and eliminate a Mother," Chen Nuo said quickly. "At that time, there was a fierce battle. Three Controllers joined forces to attack a sleeping Mother. After a great battle, two Controllers fell, and Yun He returned home with serious injuries and soon passed away..."

Corot didn’t make a sound.

"According to the records left by Mr. Yun He, among the three Controllers in the battle to annihilate the Mother, there was a master from Noah’s Ark whose name was Corot... You old bastard, you’re also from Noah’s Ark, and your name is Corot as well. This can’t just be a coincidence, right?"

Corot still did not respond.

"Old bastard, if we keep dragging this out, growing to dislike each other more and more, it’s really boring! Why not lay it all out and have a good talk? I’m imprisoned here by you, but you should at least satisfy a little of my curiosity. How about this: you reveal just a little bit of interesting information to satisfy my curiosity, and I might become more compliant. Tell me some truths, and I’ll behave, stop resisting, stop trying to break free—how about that?"

Corot still did not respond.

"If both of us are worn down here, who knows how long it will take? Dragging this out and then fighting from time to time is really pointless. If you want peace, I’ll give you peace, as long as you satisfy some of my curiosity. I’ll be good, okay? You’re stuck here watching me, I’m stuck here being worn down—this stalemate is pointless for everyone. Why not try to coexist peacefully?"

Finally, who knows which of Chen Nuo’s words touched Corot.

The old bastard finally responded.

"You... how do you know about Yun He?"

"I..." Chen Nuo thought for a moment and slowly said, "The current head of the Qingyun Sect is my senior brother! How do you think I know!"

"You are a successor of Yun He?"

"That’s right!" Chen Nuo responded confidently.

Well... although he wasn’t from the Qingyun Sect, the Sword of Killing Intent left by Yun He had been given to him. That could make me his successor, right?

Finally, it seemed the identity of "Yun He’s successor" had moved Corot.

The old bastard was finally willing to communicate with Chen Nuo.

"Mr. Yun He was once a titular Judicator of Noah’s Ark."

"What is a Judicator? And what does titular mean?"

"...How much do you know about the Noah’s Ark organization?"

"I know quite a bit. I even collaborated with that old geezer, the Son of the Sun, to fight a Seed that was about to become a Mother in South America. Speaking of which, I’ve also shed blood and sweat for Noah’s Ark! How can you treat one of your own like this? Does your conscience allow it?"

"Anyone from Noah’s Ark is always ready to sacrifice for their beliefs," Corot replied.

"...I am not a member of Noah’s Ark."

"Then you are not one of us. What does it matter if we kill you?"

Damn it! That’s totally unreasonable!

Chen Nuo was about to retort, but Corot had already continued to project new thoughts.

"The Noah’s Ark organization—its very name reveals its implicit meaning. Before the world-ending catastrophe arrives, its purpose is to gather the capable people of this world and organize them to combat the disaster..."

After that, Corot finally revealed some valuable information.

When human civilization on this world was still very young, the Noah’s Ark organization appeared. It’s difficult to say whether the original founders were believers in the religion of the Cross, as the name Noah’s Ark obviously comes from the Bible. Of course, this isn’t important. In any case, a long, long time ago, this organization first appeared—likely the oldest and earliest organization of Ability Users in this world. They had a clear charter and a definite goal.

To Chen Nuo’s surprise, according to what Corot revealed, when Noah’s Ark first existed, the "Octopus Monster organization" wasn’t even around yet.

Who the original founder was is now impossible to verify, nor is it possible to know how that founder learned of the Mother. Perhaps, like Chen Nuo, they came into contact with a Mother unintentionally and then realized the great threat it posed.

Thus, the first leader of Noah’s Ark was codenamed "Ark." Within the organization, there was a more intimate term for such a leader: Captain.

Emmmmmm... Upon hearing this title, Chen Nuo couldn’t help but feel a bit odd. Okay.

The Captain would travel all over the world, on one hand searching for the Mothers sleeping in this world, and on the other, finding awakened Ability Users among humanity to recruit as companions. That is, to bring them into the fold to fight monsters together.

The first-generation Ultraman... Pfft!

After the first-generation Captain established Noah’s Ark, the organization began a tradition similar to that of a "secret society."

"Each Captain serves for life. After a Captain falls, someone else is elected from within the organization to take their place.

"But there are several restrictions for succeeding as Captain.

"First, one must possess the strength to command respect. Our organization’s purpose is to fight the Mother, eliminate the Mother, and destroy the Seed. Insufficient strength simply won’t do.

"Second is seniority. One must have been in the Ark organization for more than ten years to be eligible for election as Captain.

"Third is capability—for example, one must have accumulated sufficient merit within the organization to qualify for election."

When Corot said this, Chen Nuo didn’t find it strange—these were normal conditions.

"Our Kolo Family has always been a core member of the Noah’s Ark organization. Throughout history, members of the Kolo Family have also served as ’Captains.’

"For example, that Corot you mentioned, who fought alongside Mr. Yun He and fell in battle, was one of our family’s ancestors, one of our forebears.

"And that Lord Corot was, at that time, the incumbent Captain of Noah’s Ark!"

Uh... A legacy family.

"That ancestor, while serving as ’Captain,’ met Yun He during his travels through Huaxia. Yun He was a top-tier powerhouse from the East. My ancestor greatly admired both his strength and character, so he informed Yun He about the Mother and the purpose of Noah’s Ark.

"Yun He was deeply impressed. Although he was far in the East with his own sect to manage, making it inconvenient for him to formally join the Ark, he was still brought into its fold and assumed a nominal position."

Hmm... something akin to a senior advisor, Chen Nuo thought.

According to Corot’s ensuing description, what surprised Chen Nuo was the strength of the Noah’s Ark organization!

Initially, in Chen Nuo’s estimation, Noah’s Ark’s current strength was... rather pathetic. Being an organization of a "secret society" nature meant that it was destined to be challenging to grow very large. Whether in terms of influence or the resources they could mobilize, organizations with the nature of secret societies had inherent, significant flaws.

The Octopus Monster organization was entirely different in this respect, having essentially achieved comprehensive coverage of the modern Underground World. Their financial, material, and human resources, as well as their covert influence on the secular world, were all astonishingly profound.

But according to Corot, what shocked Chen Nuo was that Noah’s Ark had once experienced a period of remarkable glory. This period of brilliance was over three hundred years ago!

And the one who led Noah’s Ark to the pinnacle of its glory at that time was none other than this old bastard Corot’s ancestor—the "Corot" who had once fought side by side with Yun He.

"Back then, my ancestor was exceedingly powerful. Although our organization was not renowned in the secular world, and even within the Underground World, our top-tier experts were often very low-key.

"However, any top-tier powerhouse who knew my ancestor unanimously agreed that my forefather’s strength was unrivaled in that era!"

Unrivaled in strength in that era? An image immediately appeared in Chen Nuo’s mind of a woman with a large head, skinny body, and short hair—a popular meme expressing disbelief: Really? I don’t buy it! Claiming to be number one of the era behind closed doors? Has "the era" agreed to that?

"I know you must be skeptical, but I can tell you that under my ancestor’s leadership, the Noah’s Ark organization gathered a total of nine Transcendent, top-tier Ability Users—each of them a Controller!"

Chen Nuo was stunned.

Nine?! This was just absurd!

According to Chen Nuo’s knowledge, there were only about a dozen Controllers in the world today, at most. Moreover, some of them hadn’t shown themselves for a long time; heaven knew whether they were still alive. The Controllers still active in the world today numbered only eight or nine.

"Back then, the nine Controllers in the organization unanimously recognized my ancestor as superior to all of them!

"Moreover, everyone believed that my ancestor was the only one among all Controllers who had a chance to break free from the Controller’s shackles, escape the so-called ceiling, and enter the Lord Level—a realm that all Controllers of past generations had dreamt of but strived for in vain!

"My ancestor was universally recognized as the most promising candidate—the most promising in all of history!"

"Wait, you said in all of history? Does that mean no one has ever reached Lord Level before?"

"As far as I know, yes.

"The Controller realm seems to be the ultimate ceiling for powerful Ability Users among humans. It’s the end of the line, a cruel and unfeeling barrier that for millennia has trapped countless generations of gifted Controllers, preventing them from advancing even half a step."

Chen Nuo fell silent for a while.

With nine Controllers under its command, Noah’s Ark must have been terrifyingly strong back then. And a Captain whom all nine Controllers unanimously considered the strongest. Truly a glorious past! Even the current Octopus Monster organization probably couldn’t gather nine Controllers, could it?

The Octopus Monster organization could use its resources and influence to hire or commission Ability Users, even some Controllers, to work for it. But such conscripted Controller masters, when faced with life-or-death situations, would definitely prioritize self-preservation and wouldn’t fight to the death for the Octopus Monster organization.

But Noah’s Ark was different! Its members were supposedly always ready to sacrifice themselves for their beliefs. Nine Controllers willing to die for the organization! The mere thought is terrifying!

"So what happened afterwards?"

"My ancestor held the position for thirty years, leading the Ark organization to flourish. He was arguably the most outstanding figure among all ’Captains,’ his brilliance even overshadowing that of the original founding Captain!"

Although the transmission of consciousness was devoid of emotion, Chen Nuo could still sense a certain fervor in the old bastard Corot’s mental projection when he received this particular message.

"I’m asking what happened afterwards? Nine Controllers, plus your ancestor, that’s ten top-tier big shots. So how come there were only three of you when you went to Africa to hunt down the Mother? And one of them, Yun He, was external support."

"My ancestor presided over the Ark for thirty years; that was its most glorious period.

"But by the time of the expedition to Africa to hunt the Mother, it was already... well, by then, the Ark was already facing many problems and was struggling immensely!

"The time when nine Controllers were united under our banner was indeed a period of extreme glory. But everyone has their good luck and bad luck; Controllers are no different. Perhaps thirty years of brilliance were too much; by the later years, dusk had already set in.

"Of the nine great Controllers, some had grown old, some had died, some had perished in accidents over the years, or during their world travels.

"Another unfortunately perished while searching for a Mother.

"By the time the Mother in Africa was located, of the original nine Controllers, few remained with the Ark; they had scattered.

"In the end, my ancestor personally led the charge and also requested Mr. Yun He’s assistance.

"Nevertheless, they were still full of confidence then. Although the nine Controllers were no longer united, my ancestor possessed immense strength; he was the most powerful in the world. With him personally leading the battle, there was still considerable confidence in eradicating the slumbering Mother!

"However... unexpectedly, that battle became my ancestor’s swan song.

"It also marked the final twilight of the mighty Noah’s Ark.

"Fortunately, my ancestor managed to take the Mother down with him. He sacrificed himself, but in doing so, eliminated a Mother from this world, buying our civilization more time!"

As Chen Nuo listened, he increasingly felt that something wasn’t quite right. He carefully recalled the memory fragment he had seen when he obtained the Sword of Killing Intent, the one left by the ancestor of the Qingyun Sect, Mr. Yun He...

Suddenly, Chen Nuo realized what was wrong!

The old bastard said his ancestor, ’Corot,’ possessed unparalleled strength, unmatched in his era, and was on the verge of breaking through the Controller realm to reach the higher ’Lord Level.’ Okay, quick aside: these Westerners really lack creativity with names. But he was the supreme master of the era, the one to whom nine Controllers willingly submitted! The number one expert of his time!

Not to look too far, just take a reference point. His own wife, the Star Sky Empress, Lu Xixi. Lu Xixi was also one of today’s top Controllers. While her exact ranking was debated, she was unanimously recognized as a strong contender for the "number one" spot. Even if not first, she would rank in the top three. Chen Nuo was perfectly clear about Lu Xixi’s strength.

Therefore, that ’Old Corot’ from back then, the acknowledged strongest human, should have been stronger than Lu Xixi, at least. At the very least, he couldn’t have been weaker than the Star Sky Empress, right?

But judging from the memory fragment Chen Nuo had received from Yun He... From the battle scene in that memory... That Corot didn’t seem so strong!

In that memory, based on Chen Nuo’s extensive combat experience and keen eye, Corot’s strength was far from what was described. In fact, the main force in that battle wasn’t even Corot! Yun He played a much larger role than Corot! In the end, it was Yun He who engaged the Mother’s energy directly, while Old Corot provided long-range support with a bow and arrow. Contributions aside, in terms of combat prowess, Old Corot showed no sign of being stronger than other masters of the same caliber, like Yun He. They were completely on the same level. From the scenes in the memory fragments, his direct perception was... Chen Nuo even felt that Old Corot in that memory didn’t have a strong presence. The strength he displayed wasn’t even comparable to his wife, Lu Xixi!

The strongest human in the world? That was it?

For now, he suppressed the doubt in his heart—it wouldn’t be polite to question someone’s ancestor to their face.

"Well, I see Noah’s Ark has such a glorious history." Chen Nuo feigned regret. "But the Ark now..."

"It flourished greatly, only to enter a period of decline. Don’t you Easterners also have such theories?" Corot continued to reply. "Noah’s Ark’s period of decline lasted over two hundred years. Only in the past few decades has it slowly begun to recover a bit.

"At least now, there are Controllers within the Ark again!

"It’s much better now than during its most desperate times.

"Historically, during the Ark’s darkest period of decline, there wasn’t a single Controller to hold the fort. Even the incumbent Captain was merely a Destroyer."

A Destroyer as Captain... Hmm... I’m familiar with that scenario, Chen Nuo thought.

"There, you see, Corot, isn’t it good to have a conversation like this?" Chen Nuo continued to probe. "Having a nice chat, exchanging thoughts, is surely better than fighting and killing, right? Now, can you tell me why the Chosen Ones can’t leave? Why do you dread the Chosen Ones so much?"

"Don’t even think about it," Corot responded emotionlessly. "I won’t tell you about this matter."

"Why not?"

"If I told you, you would try to cause trouble over this." Corot’s answer once again revealed a surprising piece of information to Chen Nuo. "I’ve been duped once already! That bastard used lies and deception to trick me. He escaped from here and left me trapped!

"So, no matter what, I will not listen to any more lies!

"I only know that keeping Chosen Ones like you here is the best thing for this world."

Hmm? Chen Nuo’s mind raced. That fellow who escaped from Antarctica... he tricked Corot to get out?

"That guy who escaped, what’s his identity? You said he wasn’t a Mother... so what is he? A Seed?"

"...A Chosen One! Just like you! Damned Chosen Ones!"