Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 53

In the silent study, Ai Qing silently stared at the phone on the table. The light on the screen intertwined into an invisible screen in the air, revealing a man sitting at his desk with a dull expression.

She said, "I want to inquire about the progress of my report."

After a moment of silence, the dull clerk moved his gaze away from the computer screen and replied, "Your reinforcement application has been approved. According to the Sublimator Management Law of your country, it has been communicated to the East Asian Social Security Bureau and will be approved within one working day.

It is the duty of every inspector to eradicate threats in the realm. Please continue to pay attention to the situation and ensure that the situation does not deteriorate until the event is resolved."

Ai Qing sighed.

In recent years, as the pressure outside the border has gradually weakened, the United Nations has further restricted the rights of the Astronomy Association. Now, frontline inspectors like her no longer have the qualifications to retain even the military department in countries with strong sovereignty, and the personnel establishment has become increasingly scarce, gradually evolving from the original operational agency to an observation agency.

As the Five Powers began to demand more rights and resources from their proxies, conflicts became inevitable. At this rate, she would end up working in the Special Affairs Department someday, right?

But holding a conservative attitude towards events involving destruction elements is still indulging, right? Or do they want to let the situation deteriorate and come out to clean up the mess in the end?

There are too many possibilities, and it is difficult to guess.

She rubbed her forehead and stopped thinking about this strange problem, and asked, "What about the other application?"

After the clerk operated the computer, he looked up and replied, "Your 'Relic Application' has been approved."

Saying that, he pulled out a form from the vacuum tube next to him and checked the content and approval: "The applied border relic is No. 1752, the S-class threat erosion object, Faust."

He looked up and said, "You will be allowed to question it three times. Please follow the relevant regulations and read Articles 6, 7, and 19 carefully. Confirm when finished."

A text appeared on Ai Qing's phone.

As usual, she glanced at it and said, "Confirmed."

The clerk nodded and lightly tapped his finger in the air, pulling out a text box out of thin air and turning to Ai Qing, "Please read the following text and ensure compliance."

Ai Qing calmly read the text aloud, "I will ensure vigilance and suspicion towards the border relic Faust. I will ensure that questioning Faust will be kept within the scope of the event.

I will ensure compliance with the regulations.

I will maintain rationality and, if necessary, give up personal freedom and accept the control and personality correction of the technical department. That is all."

As she finished reading, her signature appeared on the text box, which then turned into an A4 paper and fell into the clerk's hand.

"Three questions, please use them carefully."

The clerk picked up the seal next to him and stamped it.

Snap!

The crisp sound of the red seal falling on the paper seemed to burst a bubble, echoing in the room. The invisible sound seemed to roll up the space, causing everything to ripple like water. Authorization approved, realm deployment initiated.In the blink of an eye, Ai Qing felt a weightless sensation as if she was on a slide or in a racing car, but the strange feeling abruptly stopped. The screen projected by her phone had disappeared. A phantom slowly materialized in the silent room. It was a delivery from the border.

[B·I·F·R·O·S·T], also known as Rainbow Bridge if translated directly, was one of the three major blockades surrounding the realm. It was also the one with the most widely spread intelligence information established by the Astronomical Society to prevent the world from being destroyed. One of its most direct functions was to rely on the hundreds of thousands of routes and countless transfer stations set up on the realm to deliver anyone to any corner of the realm at any time.

Although many restrictions were implemented to prevent abuse, it still inevitably became the most commonly used means of transportation in emergencies.

A clangorous voice came from the suit of armor. It was a person whose age could not be determined, with a beard covering his face, wearing heavy armor, holding a flame-shaped sword in one hand, and having layers of tattoos on his bald head. Although he looked majestic, his face was terrifying, with his eyes sewn shut and his ears dried up from being filled with molten iron. Even his lips showed no trace of a tongue.

This was the guardian of the border relic, Faust, who would decapitate the user in case of a control failure or violation. He held the sword in one hand and a huge and heavy book in the other, with a steel cover and lock, as if it was bound layer by layer. As countless iron chains were loosened, the lock opened, and a viscous liquid boiled as numerous words flew out of the book like flies, flying aimlessly in the air. Finally, they gathered together to form a stooped old man who coughed violently upon landing, spewing sparks, black smoke, and black liquid from his lungs like an outdated engine.

Before the things hit the ground, they were pulled back into the book by an invisible force.

"Phew..."

The old man in a Roman robe slowly straightened his waist, propped up his cane, and said with a sigh, "Finally, some comfort... Rare freedom. Who summoned me?"

He looked around with sinister and eerie eyes, finally landing on Ai Qing, showing a mocking smile, "Ah, an interesting unfinished product, a broken soul. Remember what I said last time, little slut? We meet again."

As he spoke, he leaned in and smelled Ai Qing's hair almost recklessly, "The fragrance of a virgin, such a pity. It has matured, but no one picks it. Or is it that no one cares? If you want to appreciate the beauty between the sexes in this life, it's too desolate to do it alone. Do you need me to help you?"

Snap!

The sound of an electric shock gun flashed by.

The old man convulsed and fell to his knees in front of the wheelchair, twitching violently. After a while, he stiffly raised his head, whether it was relieved or painful, and said, "Oh, oh, oh... Is this announcing the master-slave relationship to me? To a book? Hahaha, how pitiful."

As he spoke, Faust grinned, showing a mocking smile, and spread his arms."Devil Faust, summoned here, please ask your questions, my... 'master', if you can bear the price required to reach omniscience."

At that moment, the armored man behind him tightened his grip on the sword hilt.

Rule one, no question will receive a direct answer, but a price must still be paid.

Rule four, nothing shall be asked of Faust.

Rule nine, questions with too broad a scope cannot be asked of Faust, and answers must be sought indirectly to reduce the price.

Ai Qing closed her eyes and began to think, ignoring the devil's mocking laughter.

After a long time, she opened her eyes and asked:

"Is the Savior's current action truly of his own will?"

Faust smirked, extending his hand and opening his palm. "The price for this question is one Odysseus coin, the one you have on you."

Ai Qing frowned and looked at the armored man, who had no reaction or objection.

Depending on the question, Faust would demand things from the questioner's surroundings, even beyond their own possessions... In most cases, the price would vary according to the difficulty of the answer, but there were exceptions.

Faust always demanded things of great significance to the questioner, such as the lives of their family, the sacrifice of a child, or even their own sacrifice.

The consequences of this were countless.

Otherwise, why would the armored man be guarding this book for Tianwen?

After the price exceeded the limit, Faust would simply cut off the questioner's head to prevent the deal from being completed.

One Odysseus coin was still within range.

Ai Qing remained silent for a moment, then took off the golden coin locked on a silver chain around her neck and handed it over without saying anything else.

Faust laughed triumphantly, holding the coin and greedily licking it as if craving the sweat and scent on it, then swallowed it whole.

He then answered her question with satisfaction:

"Like a bird that cannot stop a storm."

So, after Wang Hai, someone else was still behind all of this, brewing some plan?

Ai Qing frowned.

She had exchanged something so precious to her for just one sentence, and even though she was prepared for it, she still felt extremely unhappy.

She remained silent for a long time, took a deep breath, and suppressed her anger.

She then asked her second question.

"Will their plan cause any changes in the depths of Hell, the Demon City?"

"Ah, an interesting question." Faust laughed and looked around. "Let me think, what should be the price for this question? What should I take away, or rather, what should I leave behind to make you feel unforgettable pain?"

Soon, his gaze fell on a framed picture covered in dust on the wall.

He turned around and looked at Ai Qing's pale face, smiling with satisfaction.

"I want that."

The swordsman had no reaction.

Ai Qing remained silent, gripping the armrest tightly, and the veins under her pale skin pulsated with anger. After a long time, she closed her eyes.

"Take it."

Faust laughed and snapped his fingers.

The frame began to burn, the dust falling to the ground, and in the dancing flames, a silhouette holding a child could be vaguely seen.

As if holding the world's most precious treasure.

She smiled brightly at the camera.

The smile disappeared in the flames.

"...Answer me."Ai Qing spoke softly, "Answer my question, Fou Shi De."