Chapter 558: Hong Zhuang’s Final Letter
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"The disaster-grade monster horde ten years ago…"
Lin Huang made some searched about the monster horde once he got back to his dorm. Hong Zhuang had given him many answers to his questions during the Union Government's interrogation. Although she answered his questions in detail, it was up to him to find out if she had told the truth. What was most impressive to Lin Huang was the first story that she had told him. It was her own story, and it did not sound like it had been fabricated as some of the details were personal. She would not have been able to make it up if she did not experience that. He could not imagine her despair when she was stuck under the destroyed house and had to eat a dead body.
The last thing Hong Zhuang said before leaving the room was in a carefree tone. "It's impossible for me to leave Building 33 alive. You're the only person that I know in the White Capital. Please pick my dead body up when I die."
Lin Huang's heart plummeted when he heard that. As he returned to the dorm, he could not help but feel curious. He wanted to find out if what Hong Zhuang said was real.
"It was winter 10 to 20 years ago. There was a Virtual Eye that opened near a C-grade foothold with a disaster-grade monster horde," Lin Huang concluded and started searching on the Heart Network. He found his answer a few minutes later.
"Two disaster-grade monster hordes happened in the entire Division 7 during that time. The one that matched what Hong Zhuang said with the opening of Virtual Eye and that particular season was foothold No. 7C125 in Hongling City.
"It was destroyed in the monster horde 13 years ago. In less than half a day, all of the 800,000 population was dead. Nobody survived." The disaster that happened in Hongling City was exactly the same as what Hong Zhuang had described. There were even photos of the disaster taken by the media. It was an obliterated city covered in snow. All of the buildings were damaged. Although the snow had covered the gruesome blood on the ground, there were dead bodies strewn everywhere. Within hours, the lively foothold was destroyed by the catastrophic attack.
The photos made Lin Huang recall the time when he had just traveled to this world last year. That day was the first time he realized how cruel this world was after reading about the aftermath of the monster horde. It seemed like his determination to get more powerful grew from that day on.
"I'm still not powerful enough…" Looking at the disastrous photo, he recalled being forced to see Hong Zhuang today. He was feeling more and more insecure.
"Even a holy fire-level, an immortal-level, and an imperial-level aren't powerful enough. It seems like one will only be invincible when he becomes a god in this world!"
It was noon when Lin Huang was done reading about Hongling City. Just when he was getting ready to head out for lunch, his Emperor's Heart Ring started buzzing. It was Liu Ming who was calling.
"Have you gotten back from the Union Government?" Liu Ming asked directly after he picked up.
"I'm at the college now. I'm just heading out for lunch."
"The case is being investigated. I heard Hong Zhuang has finally spoken. The Union Government investigators and monitoring personnel have left." Liu Ming gave him a piece of good news.
"Go for lunch first. Come to No. 101 battle training ground after that."
"Sure, I'll be there soon," Lin Huang agreed without thinking twice. Liu Ming was an expert in Sword Dao, and he had broken through imperial-level now. He should have broken through Sword Dao as well or else he would not have come back to the White Capital. To him, Liu Ming was the best person to train with.
After lunch, Lin Huang headed straight to the battle training ground. When he got there, the door was wide open. Upon entering, Liu Ming was standing in the middle of the ground waiting for him. He locked the door and dashed towards Liu Ming.
"Bro, aren't we training today?" Lin Huang noticed that Liu Ming did not have his sword with him when he walked closer.
Liu Ming sighed and took something out of his storage space, then passed it to Lin Huang.
"What's this?" Lin Huang thought it was odd that Liu Ming was passing him a Kraft paper envelope, but he took it anyway.
"Hong Zhuang left this letter in my office drawer. I've been hesitating to give it to you the past few days. I even consulted Mr. Fu, and he suggested letting you decide about this. I've thought about it. Hong Zhuang wanted me to pass this to you. It's inappropriate for me to keep it with me, and you have the right to know." Liu Ming explained where the envelope had come from, but he did not say what was in it.
"Take a look yourself."
Lin Huang opened the envelope and took out a folded paper. It seemed to be a letter.
"Hong Zhuang left me a letter?"
Lin Huang frowned as he opened unfolded the paper. There was nothing much on the two pages, but it took him almost ten minutes to read it carefully. Although the content was limited, it reminded Lin Huang how powerful Hong Zhuang was.
She entered the Martial Hunter College, left this letter in Liu Ming's office, created the monster horde and even staged her capture. Everything had been part of her plan whereby she took every detail into accurate consideration. She came up with this plan to escape from the Purple Crow, and she managed to achieve her goal. The reason why she planned all this was because she did not want to be a Crow Spirit.
From her letter, Lin Huang realized how powerful a Crow Spirit was in the Purple Crow. The Crow Spirit was not a formal designation in the Purple Crow but was a lessor of the world. As soon as one became a Crow Spirit, her self-consciousness would be taken away by the Crow God's will and her body would become the Crow God's temporary refuge. It was the spirit transfer that was always mentioned in novels.
However, because the Crow Spirit was too powerful, it would be damaging for its body to be trapped in another body, so the body could only be used for 10 to 20 years. When the time was up, the vessel needed to be replaced. The Purple Crow would select a new Crow Spirit now and then. Initially, Hong Zhuang was proud that she was being chosen as the Crow Spirit was an honor. However, the Crow Leader, who brought her into the organization, told her about the truth that nobody knew besides her and the leader himself. That prompted her to plan the mission.
She wrote this at the end of the letter.
"The Purple Crow has treated me well all these years, but I can't accept myself being a zombie and somebody's puppet after I die. My soul won't find peace even after I'm dead. To get away from the Purple Crow, I had to plan this so that I could be a free soul after I die.
"I have transferred all the valuables from my Emperor's Heart Ring to a fake Emperor's Heart Ring belonging to a 'Zhuang Hong'. They're yours now. I only have one request. Please burn my body after I'm dead and scatter my ashes into the Eastern Ocean. It was the place where my brother wanted to go when he was younger. If he's not in this world anymore, his soul must be wandering over there. I hope I could wander with him.
"Lastly, my real name is Zhuang Yuer and my brother's name was Zhuang Hong. I turned his name backward and used it as mine when I got into the Purple Crow. He was probably killed during that monster horde. He was probably eaten by the monsters since his body could not be found. For the past 13 years, I've been looking around for him, but all I got was disappointment… But if he's still alive and if you ever see him, please tell him that I never gave up looking for him…"