Endless Debt

On the dim underground long bridge, two people stared blankly at the approaching tiger, and after a long pause, Bologue finally asked, as if belatedly realizing.

"Geoffrey?"

Lebius's Blade-Biting Wolf was too recognizable. To be able to interact closely with this Blade-Biting Wolf without being attacked, Bologue thought the person must also be from the Order Bureau. Coupled with previous rumors, he easily guessed the person's identity.

The tiger took off his mask, revealing a familiar face—it was Geoffrey.

Unlike the two who were in a sorry state, Geoffrey's attire was impeccably neat, with hardly any stains of blood, his expression relaxed. In what was hell for Bologue, Geoffrey looked as if he was out on a picnic.

"Geoffrey!"

Before Bologue could continue questioning, Palmer shouted emotionally, spreading his arms wide, running toward Geoffrey, determined to give him a loving hug.

"Before today, I never thought I'd look forward so much to your arrival!" Palmer's voice was almost at the point of tears.

For the unlucky ones, today was a killer day, with one danger following another, and by the end, Palmer's mood had become numb—even nonsensical praises for the Crimson Queen kept pouring out.

Geoffrey slightly sidestepped, easily avoiding Palmer's embrace of love, while Palmer, unable to stop, fell to the ground like a dog eating dirt.

Bologue staggered over, already aware of Geoffrey's return to the field, but recalling that scene just now, he couldn't have imagined Geoffrey would be this strong.

To be honest, Bologue's impression of Geoffrey underwent a slight shift.

When he was released from prison, Geoffrey always maintained the image of a good guy, perhaps with an odd middleman quality, frequently introducing him to jobs that involved slaying demons... Okay, now that he reflects, it was indeed a bit odd.

In any case... the power of the Negative Power User.

Bologue began to feel a sense of anticipation for power. He yearned for greater strength, knowing that only then would he have some bargaining power with the devil, and he could possess the ability to protect himself in conflicts, instead of being chased by these monsters all over.

"Did both you and Lebius come for this operation?"

Bologue asked, now somewhat understanding the surprise Palmer had mentioned.

"Yes, Lebius is hunting others, his secret energy is well-suited to wide-area pursuit." Geoffrey glanced at the Blade-Biting Wolf beside him, explaining.

Lebius's true form wasn't here, but in some hidden corner, where he commanded the Blade-Biting Wolf, running through the vast maze to hunt those fleeing enemies.

Few could survive Lebius's hunt.

"King's Shield Guard are a new group of opponents; we know little about them, so we can only set traps like this... I've been pursuing that guy, Lebius dealt significant damage to him, but I didn't expect you guys to take him down."

Geoffrey said halfway, then glanced at the bloody corpse, "Negative Power Users are too dangerous; the first thing we do after starting operations is to eliminate these guys."

Bologue nodded. It was precisely with the Blade-Biting Wolf that he had left a black blade at Latis's heart, achieving the execution of Latis.

"Wait a moment, so this credit should count under us, right?" Palmer suddenly got up, eyes shining, "This Negative Power User, it counts as us killing him, right?"

"Hmm? Sort of."

Geoffrey hesitated for a moment but nodded in agreement.

Bologue and Palmer, these two unfortunates, had been tormented by this task enough, and it was time to give them some reward, such as being recognized as Condenser-level slayers of a Negative Power User... Although the Negative Power User was severely wounded, that's not important.

Palmer cheered, while Bologue didn't understand why he cared so much about this matter; he thought Palmer wasn't the type to cling to rewards.

But Palmer said something right; Bologue didn't care about these honors, but he was quite concerned about the triple salary, especially support equipment post Sublimation Furnace Core.

Every time after dangerous operations, one major motivator for Bologue was that afterwards, the Sublimation Furnace Core would send quite good alchemy armaments as rewards.

The Bright Light Blade was already shattered, and Bologue felt quite distressed; such lethal alchemy armaments were rare.

"What should we do next?" Bologue asked, "Apart from the still-growing corrupt roots, the power of the Crimson Sect should be completely dismantled."

The Crimson Sect was the biggest unfortunate group in this chaotic battle, with successive battles severely depleting their manpower. Even the Crimson Bishop Latis perished in the subsequent conflicts; they virtually suffered a total defeat.

"No need to worry about the corrupt roots; someone will deal with them later. The main task now is to suppress King's Shield Guard... this is the task of the Violence Suppression Action Group."

Geoffrey spoke, signaling the two to follow him.

"I'll first take you away from here; let the subsequent operations be handled by others. You guys should go for healing and rest."

The two unfortunates had completed their mission goals, and it was unnecessary to continue exploiting them. Geoffrey had also worked for several years in the Logistics Department, knowing well the approach of sustainable extraction.

"Oh, right, Geoffrey."

Bologue called to Geoffrey, suddenly remembering another extremely important matter he hadn't mentioned to him.

"What is it?" Geoffrey turned around, only to see Bologue taking out a spherical object encased in hardness from behind.

"Did I get it?" Bologue said.

"What?"

Looking at the strange object, Geoffrey couldn't immediately recognize what it was.

A swarm of snakes twisted into a Sheep Horn Hammer, Bologue forcefully pried open the outer proliferated hard shell, revealing a container full of cracks, and an eerie voice echoed.

"I've reclaimed the Immortal Heart."

Bologue's voice was soft but struck Geoffrey's chest like a Heavy Hammer.

Since the beginning of the operation, the connection between Bologue and Geoffrey had been severed. Neither knew the other's actions, and Geoffrey's important goal in pursuing Latis was to retrieve the Immortal Heart.

Having seen the dead Latis, he knew clearly that the Immortal Heart was not with Latis. If Latis had owned the Immortal Heart, they would now be facing absolute maddening Hell.

But in any case, Geoffrey never thought the Immortal Heart would be in Bologue's hands; this expert had controlled it from the start.

After a moment of shock, Geoffrey looked around; in the endless darkness below, it seemed as if countless hands reached out, trying to drag the people on the Long Bridge into the Abyss.

"We need to leave quickly," Geoffrey's voice became urgent, "This place is terrible."

Geoffrey didn't know how Bologue and Palmer had stumbled upon this place, but he knew very well why Latis came here.

The Crimson Bishop realized that victory was hopeless, so he wanted to sacrifice himself.

Offering all the flesh and blood to the Abyss and the existence beneath it.

There's no time to clear off the flesh; the most important thing now is to leave here with the Immortal Heart as quickly as possible.

Having barely gotten to safety, Palmer was puzzled by Geoffrey's tension, while Bologue, without asking much, listened to Geoffrey and became alert.

"I'll carry it."

Geoffrey reached to take the container; as a Negative Power User, it was most fitting for him to bear this responsibility.

But just as Geoffrey was about to grasp the container, the roaring Ether surged in the dimness.

In an instant, the ground shook, the Abyss stirred, and massive, crimson appendages rose from the darkness below, entwining around the bridge pillars. In a blink, they climbed up the Long Bridge, and the rotten crimson and color filled every corner of the vision.

Palmer's face turned pale; each appendage was as enormous as that crimson great serpent, with a faint light shining beneath the flesh, making the flesh appear like translucent red Amber.

"How is this possible?"

Geoffrey's eyes flashed with Canyin light; that monster was supposed to be asleep, how could it awaken now?

Yet the truth was undeniable, and in an instant, Geoffrey unleashed the power of a Negative Power User, the Ether surged, and the overwhelming power enveloped Geoffrey.

He was ready to perish with this beast; under no circumstances could the Immortal Heart fall into its grasp, and meanwhile, Geoffrey roared into the Whistle.

"Calamity has awakened! Inform the Abyss Watcher!"

With the message sent, a brief calm enveloped the Heart Core Net, followed by a storm of information exchanges.

Some cursed how Calamity could be awake, others questioned why the Abyss Watcher hadn't issued a warning, and some warned Geoffrey to hold on, the wolves are moving towards him, this was Lebius's statement.

"Bologue! Take it and leave, I'll buy you time."

Geoffrey stood with his back to Bologue, the light in his eyes nearly coalescing into daylight.

As a child, Geoffrey had been taken to the zoo by his family, where he saw a tiger for the first time. Though caged, confronting the tired, listless Tiger Eye, young Geoffrey felt only enormous fear, unable even to move.

From then on, the image of a tiger's eyes carved deeply into his heart.

Later he became a Condenser and rose through the ranks to become a Negative Power User, with his Secret Energy continually optimized and growing more potent.

"Your Secret Energy is intriguing, a type not recorded by the Order Bureau. They've given you the naming rights."

The words of Lebius from back then echoed in his ears, continued with,

"Medusa's Gaze? It feels like this myth suits your Secret Energy well."

Geoffrey thought it over, shook his head and denied it, for he had long named this Secret Energy.

Secret Energy·Tiger Eye.

The Canyin light swept past, and all things froze wherever Geoffrey gazed.