Chapter 101-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
When Ye Zheng reached the borderland between the South District and the West District, she slightly narrowed her eyes, trying to make out the road winding into the thick fog ahead. At the end of the road was only a deeper, dense white, and even the tall mountains were reduced to vague, hazy outlines.
Sykes had dispatched a twenty-person squad to investigate the situation, while the rest of the people were ordered to stand by, waiting for the vanguard squad to return and report the specifics inside.
Ye Zheng stood outside the thick fog. She had a bad feeling; the twenty-person squad probably wouldn't return on time.
She looked up, her brow unconsciously furrowing. Compared to the Demonic Domains she had seen, this place looked more like it was simply shrouded in a dense fog. However, she quickly considered that a natural disaster couldn't achieve this level, not only enveloping the entire West District for a long time but also rendering all means of communication useless.
Was it a rare type of Demonic Domain, or was there some other special reason?
As the leader, Sykes stood upright at the very front, waiting for intelligence. Ye Zheng and Ryan, two members of the Royal Team, stood behind him. The Saintess was always a patient person, but Ryan next to her seemed more restless.
Ryan was the least noticeable member of the Royal Team, but his ability, [Mutant Beast Control], was extremely useful, especially in a Demonic Domain; even if he couldn't directly control the creatures, he could accurately detect their location.
After learning that the West District was enveloped in white fog, Sykes finally remembered Ryan, who hadn't contributed much, and selected him for this mission's team.
Ye Zheng turned her head to look at Ryan. He had his eyes closed, as if trying to sense the situation in the thick fog. His twitching forehead and increasingly wrinkled features exposed his strain. Suddenly, Ryan opened his eyes. He clutched his red hair, his expression helpless.
"What is it, Ryan?"
"N-nothing. It's just that the situation inside is a bit complicated."
Ryan spoke vaguely, subtly glancing at the Crown Prince standing in front.
Ye Zheng gave a low laugh. She moved closer to Ryan, her voice barely audible. "You didn't detect anything at all, did you?"
Ryan immediately turned his head to look at her in panic, also lowering his voice. "I was just trying casually. It's very normal not to detect anything before entering this Demonic Domain..."
Ye Zheng offered him a comforting smile. "Mhm, you don't need to rush. If this is a Demonic Domain, there will definitely be an opportunity for you to showcase your skills."
Hearing this, Ryan's mood improved slightly. If he continued to appear so useless in front of the Crown Prince, he would definitely be thoroughly despised by him! This was a good chance—besides his ability, who else could grasp the movements of Demonic Domain creatures in the heavy fog?
Ye Zheng took in Ryan's expression and actions entirely. After getting the information she wanted, she shifted her gaze from him and focused again on the greyish-white thick fog not far away.
What she had just said was not mere comfort for Ryan, but the truth—if the West District was indeed shrouded by a massive Demonic Domain, accompanied by eerie fog and lurking monsters.
Time ticked by. The people waiting grew subtly restless. It had been twenty minutes past the time the vanguard squad was scheduled to return.
The anxious, uneasy, and tense eyes of nearly everyone, including Ye Zheng, were fixed on the Crown Prince, their leader, waiting for him to issue the next command.
[Aren't you going to be the leader this time? I thought you'd treat him like you did Percy last time.]
The System recalled Ye Zheng's methods when she was secretly operating as Zhao Mei in the Cloud-Soaring Squad.
First, she demonstrated leadership skills superior to Percy's, causing the team's focus to shift to her. The subtle suppression even caused Percy to develop a twisted psychology inconsistent with his character design. Then, with the "glorious vow" under the moonlight and voluntarily accepting punishment in the maze, she made Percy fully rely on and trust her. After a slap and a sweet date, who wouldn't be confused? (A popular phrase describing a manipulative reward-and-punishment tactic).
Finally, the shocking seizure of the sword shattered all the beautiful fantasies Percy had built up about her, causing his character persona to begin twisting in a way even the laws of the world found difficult to correct.
In the original plot, Percy hadn't hesitated at all; the moment he learned Lucy was missing, he abandoned the competition and rushed straight to the West District.
But now...
"Percy?"
"I seem to have treated him quite well."
Ye Zheng thought back and didn't feel that anything was wrong; she had never targeted him, merely done her own things.
She lowered her head, concealing a fleeting smile, and continued to reply to the System in her mind.
"I understand what you mean, but Percy and Sykes are different."
"Sykes doesn't care about others' expectations or the worldly glory bestowed upon him. He is a tyrant who cannot be offended."
[The Crown Prince cannot be offended, yet you've offended him many times.]
The System couldn't help but complain.
"Precisely because he doesn't allow others to step into his territory, I must repeatedly trample on it."
Until she found that one, weakest spot—the fragile reverse scale (a Chinese term for a vital, sensitive weakness) that could be easily overthrown and controlled by her.
The look in Ye Zheng's eyes toward the very front held a barely noticeable interest and eagerness. The impeccable red uniform clung closely to the Crown Prince's cold and tall figure. His golden hair was dazzling, and a powerful energy fluctuation subtly emanated from him, making him appear so indestructible standing before everyone.
But she had a premonition that during this trip to the West District, she would get close to the weakness that could be defeated in a single blow.
Enough time had passed. Ye Zheng glanced at the time again. Although her tone with the System was relaxed, too many pending matters kept her constantly tense. She was about to step forward to urge him when Sykes turned around and made a gesture.
"Advance."
The team of hundreds lined up neatly. Disregarding his subordinates' advice, Sykes walked directly at the very front, stepping into the deep, thick fog. There was no trace of fear on his face; instead, there was a heavy emotion that was suppressed to the point of explosion. His golden eyes were almost dark.
The West District was the only clue he could find. Ye Zheng had better not be deceiving him.
She shouldn't think that just because she was the only one who could help him restore his memory, he wouldn't make a move against her.
Should he thank her for helping him recover his memories? No... he was so tormented he wanted to kill her! He should have killed her long ago!
The memories deliberately erased by others: a woman's loving lullaby, a transparent cage so solid it couldn't be shaken, non-human beings struggling...
Incoherent, chaotic fragments flashed violently in his mind. The final scene froze on him opening his eyes in the turbid water, a powerful, irresistible warm sensation coming from his neck.
The moment he regained consciousness in the murky water of the Blood Flower Demonic Domain, his first thought was surprisingly not to kill the person behind him.
Instead, it was that at the very beginning of his life, he seemed to have also been enveloped by water that warm.
His rigid will began to intensely waver. The power within his body surged restlessly. Sykes instinctively looked back. When he saw the unhurried girl behind him, a familiar indifferent smile on her face, Sykes managed to suppress the chaotic emotions once again.
He would definitely recover all the erased memories and the truth, and he would kill those who attempted to control him, whether they were the Royal Family or the Sei Curia!
Ye Zheng's eyes met Sykes's as he turned his head unexpectedly. A faint look of confusion surfaced on her face. Did Sykes need her for something? That look was like a mad dog about to break free from its cage.
"System, does Sykes have a lot of scenes in the West District plot?" she asked.
The System pondered for a moment, thinking of an answer that would not violate the excessive spoiler rule but would also inform Ye Zheng to the maximum extent.
[The PerSy and SyPer CP fandoms will go absolutely wild over the West District plot, with things like destined fate and a sense of destiny. You could say it completely established their 'couple empire' status.]
"I see. It looks like Sykes and Percy will have quite a few dramatic interactions, and their connection runs deep... Does Percy also have some untold past and a special identity?"
Ye Zheng quickly understood the System's hint; she hadn't wasted her time reading the forum all this time.
The System was greatly relieved, yet also a little disappointed. Ye Zheng was no longer the innocent girl who chased it asking what "couple empire," "fujoshi bait," and "momo" meant.
Even though Ye Zheng's mind was churning with a massive amount of information, her face maintained the Saintess's signature gentle expression.
She followed Sykes through a deep tunnel. The end of the tunnel led to a even denser white fog, but it was at least much brighter than inside the tunnel, and vague buildings could be seen not far away.
Suddenly, Ye Zheng's ears twitched, and her expression sank slightly.
She turned her head, and there were less than twenty people left behind her.
Out of hundreds of people, only this few had made it out of the tunnel.
Ye Zheng's eyes suddenly narrowed. She skirted around the uneasy knights and walked to the back of everyone, taking a few more steps toward the deep end—
Even the tunnel everyone had just passed through was gone. Behind them was only a flat, open road surface, hidden in the layers of mist.
Sykes walked up to her side, revealing an equally heavy expression.
"A Spatial Demonic Domain?" he asked.
"Perhaps." Ye Zheng replied.
The last Blood Flower Demonic Domain also randomly teleported people to different places within the domain. It was not uncommon for the inner space of a Demonic Domain, which was essentially an external heterogeneous space, to be chaotic, but Ye Zheng felt this time was different.
Sykes's pace suddenly moved forward, walking toward the depth of the road that had abruptly appeared.
The knights nervously tried to stop the Crown Prince. This place was too eerie. The sight-obscuring mist and the unknown chaotic space. The surrounding white expanse was so calm it resembled a silent graveyard, making it impossible to know how many dangerous monsters were lurking, waiting to strike.
Ye Zheng politely brushed aside the Knight Captain's obstructing hand. She followed behind Sykes, stepping further into the depths, which was the direction everyone had just come from.
Sykes suddenly halted, his gaze fixed on a spot on the road surface.
Ye Zheng walked up beside him, following his line of sight.
A strong smell of blood lingered in the air. Sykes must have smelled this odor and walked over on his own accord.
On the grey road surface, a pair of legs wrapped in red cloth lay across the side of the road, the soles of brown leather boots facing the two of them.
The upper half of this knight seemed to be hidden in the thick fog, so Ye Zheng walked two steps forward, only to realize that he no longer had an upper body. Blood was gushing out.
Ye Zheng folded her hands over her chest and softly uttered, "May the God of Hope guide your soul back home," before stepping back and exchanging a glance with Sykes.
Sykes's [Destruction] could destroy all tangible objects, but what about intangible space and time?
She finally understood the incongruity of this place. The spatial chaos of a typical Demonic Domain was like a mudslide crashing everywhere, but the confused space here was like a whirlpool that crushed everything, carrying a deliberate killing intent, neatly erasing everything with a clean cut.
"What exactly happened here?"
Ye Zheng's question was sincere. She vigilantly looked at the subtly flowing white fog around them. She suspected that the spatial displacement here was not due to the instability of the Demonic Domain's heterogeneous space, but was a killing move by the white fog itself.
Did the white fog have its own rules and consciousness, or was there a monster... or an ability user, controlling it from behind?
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