Embers of Embers

Chapter 625 Doubt
"I did nothing wrong."
Roger muttered to himself, as if he were crazy, and he repeated this sentence for a long time.
The cold wind after the rain has not dissipated, and from time to time, continuous filaments fall down and streak across the rough metal.
Winter is coming to Old Dunling, and no one knows when the first snow will fall, dragging the city into a cold abyss.
"This war has lasted for too long, and what is the difference between the choices we make now and those thousands of years ago? We are still struggling to survive, praying for the slightest hope.
But has hope really come?Who can give us hope?
Nothing, all in vain. "
Roger felt his stomach churn, and he vomited a large amount of blood, followed by sharp pain.
The scars left by consciousness are reflected on the body, which is on the verge of collapse. Even if he is affected by the Unspeakable, Roger is still no match for Edlen. He is the leader of the Demon Hunting Order, the Pope of the Evangelical Church, and the... The original Watchmen.
He was born a powerful warrior, and even though he was tortured and troubled, he was still so strong.
Roger's ridicule in front of him was all forced. Adren was fully capable of killing him, but when he mobilized all his power, the Unspeakable would take advantage of it.
This was a trap, but Adren was very alert and never stepped into it.
"Someone always needs to make changes. In this case, why not choose to embrace great sublimation? Perhaps this is the destined way out for mankind."
Roger seemed to be talking to someone, and seemed to be talking to himself endlessly.
His consciousness is hazy, and the part belonging to "Roger Cruz" has been contaminated many years ago. He has been distorted and crushed, leaving only a broken will, dominated by darkness, making the final resistance.
Roger knew very well that he had died a long time ago. "Roger Cruz" and "Edron Levien" were the same. They both died in the Well of Sublimation many years ago. The only person who walked out of it was They are just driven souls.
"Someone has to break the ice, somebody has to make a difference."
Roger slowly clenched his fists and tried to stand up, but the wind here was strong and howling, bringing a biting chill.
The majestic scenery came into view, and a vague figure stood on top of the solitary spire.
"It's so beautiful..."
Looking down at the old Dunling, Roger sighed.
He stood on the towering spire, which was the highest point of Old Dunling. From here, he could easily see the whole of Old Dunling, overlooking this complex and sophisticated city, and under Roger was Jingcheng. The core of the institution.
Shattered Dome.
Among the churning sea of ​​clouds, Roger could see the sneaking iron whales. They were swimming and hovering over the old Dunling, casting a glow, gazing at the earth and observing the people and things on it.
"Change is always unsettling, but as long as you adapt, it will be fine. Just like 'evolution', human beings are constantly evolving, discarding the useless and making use of all available tools." Roger said and made an amazing sound. A shuddering laugh.
"This is the eve of upgrading, the first step in the great sublimation of mankind. Maybe... maybe in this sublimation, self-consciousness is a bad trait that needs to be eliminated?"
Dots of black appeared in the whites of Roger's eyes, like humor dripping into clear water. It began to spread and infect, and the darkness continued to spread until the entire whites of his eyes were smeared into absolute darkness.
There was no light to illuminate it, as if Roger had lost his eyes, leaving only the dark sockets, and the end of this deep darkness was the lightless abyss.
"I'm right."
Roger stood up and stepped forward to the steep edge.
"If you think I am wrong, then kill me and deny me."
Sharp black armor enveloped him, and the accreted metal hardness formed sharp spikes in his hands. Roger jumped up, like falling thunder.
……
"Order the Mechanical Institute to speed up the arming of riot suppressors. All riot suppressors who have been protected by holy silver and antimemetics are immediately placed in various places in Old Dunling and are waiting for help."
Gareth walked quickly through the corridors, and the people around him followed his instructions, distributing orders one after another to various departments.
As the order was conveyed, the personnel left one after another, and finally only Gareth and Percival remained behind.
Although Gareth is a knight commander, in fact, due to his long-term stationing in the Broken Dome, his position is much higher than other knight commanders. It can be said that after Arthur was killed, he was the second in command of the Purge Agency. Commander, sitting in the Shattered Dome, continues to command the battlefield.
Therefore, Percival also had to follow behind him, waiting for Gareth's instructions.
"Every outpost has also entered a state of preparation for war. They have enough supplies. Once a wave of monsters breaks out, they will be responsible for sheltering citizens and establishing positions."
Percival followed Gareth, holding a stack of documents in his hand, waiting for Gareth's signature.
"How is it over there at the Platinum Palace?" Gareth asked.
"The Queen expressed that she would obey the arrangements of the purification agency and that there was no need for too much defense. She even said that we could completely abandon the Platinum Palace," Percival responded. "The Victoria family is troubled by the King's Curse and does not have a large population. There is no need Too much care.”
"Well, then place the excess power at Central Station, and we must ensure that no demon can escape Old Dunling."
Gareth didn't care either. In this case, the survival of the Platinum Palace was not important.
"But is this really okay? Treat the entire Old Dunling as a battlefield?"
Percival was very worried. The city was filled with the power of purge agencies, but there were also countless citizens living here. Once a battle broke out, they would not be spared.
"There is nothing we can do about it. Jiudunling is the city where the purge agency has the deepest roots. Only here, we have an extremely complete power system, and only here, at such a high price, can we lure the enemy deeper. .
Purification agency, Platinum Palace... We will live and die with the old dunling. "
A bloody battle was described in Gareth's mind. Old Dunling was caught in the flames of war. Bloodstained rioters were rushing through the city. Along with the sky full of fire, the iron whales fell one after another. , burning thousands of monsters until only their bodies are left.
He could already smell the smell of blood in the air, as if countless corpses were falling around him.
Unlike others, Gareth is a native of Old Dunling, and he has a deep affection for this place, not to mention that he has been stationed in the Broken Dome for a long time, watching the city constantly changing from the highest point.
"Ah... you look really busy. Have you considered going to the ground to take a look?"
Percival said casually that she was the most unorthodox among the knight commanders and always said some incomprehensible things. Fortunately, she was not as prone to illness as Lorenzo. Others were quite tolerant of her, such as Garret. s.
"The ground? Why are you going to the ground?" Gareth only had work in his mind and didn't understand what Percival meant.
Percival looked at him strangely, and then couldn't help but ask.
"How long has it been since you've been above ground? One year? Two years?"
"Four years," Gareth replied. "The knight captain I became four years ago has been stationed in the Broken Dome for a long time."
"Four years!"
Percival's voice became louder, "Are you going to live and eat here all the time?"
"Otherwise? You know the regulations. The Broken Dome has the highest level of confidentiality, and approval is required to go to and from the ground."
"So you're too lazy to go back? You've been lazy for four years?"
Gareth sighed and said, "Commanding and controlling the entire Old Dunling is not an easy job. What if something goes out of control when I leave?"
"You are really a workaholic." Percival patted his shoulder vigorously.
"Just dedicated and dedicated."
Gareth slowed down and looked at the city in the mist as he passed the window.
"What's the matter?" asked Percival.
"What a wonderful city."
Gareth looked at all the bustling things and couldn't help sighing, "And all of this will eventually fall into flames of war."
Percival didn't say anything. She didn't have much love for this city. In other words, to Percival, this was just a city. If there was anything special about it, it was the headquarters of her company, and nothing else. Something else.
But this was different for Gareth, and she knew this very well. Gareth liked the old Dunling, and even liked it a little bit crazy. A long time ago, she often used this to tease Gareth.
Gareth's background was very ordinary. His family had lived in Old Dunling for generations and witnessed the rise of this city. It was a pity that Gareth's family was not a noble, otherwise they could have named themselves a century-old noble or something like that.
He likes this city. Gareth grew up with this city. After graduating, he applied for a municipal-related career. Gareth had a great resume and passed all the requirements perfectly, but he only Something is missing.
Like luck.
Gareth's place was taken away by a guy who came in through the back door.
This happened a long time ago, but thinking about it now, Percival couldn't help laughing.
"what happened?"
Gareth turned around and asked doubtfully.
"It's nothing."
Percival waved his hand and continued reminiscing.
The ending was very simple. Gareth was unemployed. He squatted in the city hall for a week and finally found the damn guy. He dragged him into the alley and gave him a hard education with a stick. By the way, he let the guy Used a cane.
After three days on the run, Gareth was caught and imprisoned, and on the eve of his trial, he joined the Purge.
"Do you remember our first meeting?" Percival asked.
Gareth recalled for a moment, remembering those bad things, he had a sullen face, and seeing his expression, the smile on Percival's face grew wider.
"Wow, you were beaten so badly."
The guy Gareth beat up had some background. Of course, if he didn't have any background, he wouldn't be able to do things like go through the back door. He was almost beaten to death in prison. On the day before his trial, he didn't have "Percival" She met Gareth in the name of.
"We reviewed your profile, it's perfect, it's clean, except for this new charge you recently added."
Percival said to the bruised and bruised guy.
"Keep silent? You will be sentenced next. That guy has some background. You may be sentenced to a severe sentence. Although you will not die, it may be a few years later when you are free again. .”
Still silent, Gareth knew very well that he was just an ordinary person, and he could do nothing now. The only thing he could do was regret, and regret why he didn't kill that guy.
"Well... we can give you a new job, but of course the risk is very high, and you also need to sign a bunch of confidentiality agreements, as well as accidental death and the like.
In short, as long as you are willing to join us, you can escape judgment. "
Gareth raised his head and looked at the woman in front of him. He had heard these words to some extent, saying that some people who were tried would get a new opportunity to engage in certain high-risk jobs on the eve of the trial.
They said that this was the second use of these "scum" by the old Dun Ling. Gareth thought it was some urban legend, but today he actually encountered it.
"What job."
He was a little moved, after all, no one wanted to be locked up for several years.
"You're familiar with this, 'municipal' related."
Percival smiled.
After a brief silence, Gareth cursed angrily.
"Municipality! It's the fucking municipality again!"
If it weren't for the shackles that bound his hands, Gareth might actually get up and start a fight with Percival.
"We can add some additional conditions to you."
Percival opened the suitcase and took out a few documents, waiting only for Gareth's signature.
"for example?"
"For example, you can beat that guy again and break his other leg. Don't worry, there won't be any problems. After all, after signing him, you will also have a 'background'."
Gareth asked after a few seconds of silence.
"Where do I sign?"
Gareth joined the purification organization. On the night he was released from prison, a hapless man's home was invaded by gangsters. The thugs did not rob property or kill anyone. They just beat the hapless man. When the hapless man was discharged from the hospital, He left in a wheelchair.
Later, he also showed his value, constantly completing one dangerous mission after another. After being promoted to Knight Commander, he even showed off his "municipal" ability in the Broken Dome.
Under the command of Gareth, the complex systems of Old Dunling were carried out in an orderly manner, bringing every inch of the city under control.
"You are really optimistic." Gareth couldn't help but said, his eyes were full of depression and sadness.
"Soon, this city will be covered in flames of war, and many people will die, but these are necessary sacrifices."
Unlike the heartless Percival, Gareth was full of affection for the city, and he always felt that there would be a better solution.
A better... solution...
Suddenly Gareth stopped and a storm of thoughts exploded in his mind. He turned around slowly and looked at Percival with a gloomy look.
Percival couldn't help but take a step back. To be honest, she was frightened by Gareth's eyes. Perhaps due to the fatigue of the past few days, Gareth's eye sockets were sunken deeply, and in the shadows, he could see the eyes. The bloodshot eyes were all over the place, like a lone wolf chasing its prey day and night.
"What...what happened?" Percival asked.
"Do you think this death row plan is complete?"
Gareth questioned Percival, heavy pressure emanating from him.
"Is this plan really as perfect as we thought?"
(End of this chapter)