Chapter 1275: Chapter 1275

1275: Chapter 1261: Intelligence Network 1275: Chapter 1261: Intelligence Network Lu Ping’an tossed the fragments into the courtyard, yet again he had to wait several days for them to be consumed.

From the looks of it, it seemed even tougher to crack than the first time.

“…Alright, time to deal with the aftermath.”

Lu Ping’an sighed; the remaining battlefield could hardly even be called ruins.

Not long ago, mere hours earlier, there had been a city here.

Now, aside from some remnants of forests, various large pits, and scraps of metal, there were only chunks of flesh that were disintegrating.

In Lu Ping’an’s view, even rebuilding in the short term was impractical…

The residual energy here was too dangerous for ordinary people.

The traps and “automatic aggressive magic plants” that Lu Ping’an had left behind would all become no-go zones for them.

Yet Lu Ping’an himself found it difficult to clean up completely.

Not to mention the distant concerns, those fragments from the Hungry Ghost Blood Pool, those bizarre magic plants that had assimilated new powers—although most had been collected again, a portion had already burrowed underground.

“Guess I’ll notify the city next door…”

At that moment, that was the only response Lu Ping’an could have; yet, looking at his familiar friends, he still managed a smile.

Both battles for fragment recovery were incredibly dangerous wins.

To be precise, what was won were “experience” and “wisdom,” outmaneuvering the opponent’s “naive ignorance” under circumstances of being absolutely overpowered.

The fragments were evidently evolving.

If they had arrived a bit later, perhaps others could have handled it, but it might not have been possible for a “newbie” like Lu Ping’an.

“…Did any Big Shots fall?”

After returning to the city and communicating with the local Lin Nu’s Church forces, Lu Ping’an got hold of the latest intelligence.

One eighth-tier and three seventh-tier had perished in this battle for fragments.

Before the eighth-tier Big Shot disappeared, his last words were “I’m going to look for the meteorite,” and then he was gone.

Another seventh-tier died on a battlefield against the Exotic Races, one also died in “pursuit of a meteorite,” and the last one’s cause of death was unknown…

but Lu Ping’an surmised that the deaths of these three were more or less related to the fragments.

As far as he knew, once professionals reach the Rule-level, not to mention their strength, their bodies and souls undergo complete transformation.

Losing might be a possibility, but escaping seemed quite realistic.

The “Avatar (Contamination Transference to Physical Body)” among Decree-level’s Four Techniques is a basic skill for them, significantly bolstering their Basic Attributes and regeneration ability.

As long as they want to escape, it is very hard for them to die completely.

“…Killed by a blast of Authority in an instant?”

Lu Ping’an estimated that this was the most likely scenario.

Even seventh and eighth-tier Big Shots, if they face the “Hand of Desire,” could accidentally get killed instantly by a wish-granting strike.

Authority, stemming from the world’s privileges, can deliver a “crushing” effect even to those Rule-level powerhouses.

“…There are probably more high-level casualties than just these four,” he said.

There are likely many more “missing,” vanished into the vast ocean, dead without a trace.

If this is the case for Rule-level professionals, not to mention the victims at the Decree-level…

“Decree-level should have no right to participate in struggles of this level.

Even if they happen to get the information, anyone with a little sense wouldn’t join voluntarily.”

If they won’t join voluntarily, then perhaps there is coercion?

Like those mercenaries, they probably went to their deaths without knowing what hit them.

In the face of such beings, even the Rule-level professionals, who are akin to deities in the eyes of mortals, are too fragile, let alone ordinary people.

“Sure enough, there’s no news of a ‘fragment’ being successfully recovered…”

But where there are losers, there are also winners.

Aside from Lu Ping’an himself, there were definitely many Big Shots who had successfully recovered fragments.

Whether they could absorb them or had some other use for them was beyond Lu Ping’an’s current knowledge.

“…But you should have a new source of information soon,” said Big Cat mysteriously.

And indeed, after resting for three days at the inn, Lu Ping’an understood what she was referring to.

The morning he woke up, he found a gray-faced owl hanging silently outside the window…

He was wondering from whence this Earth creature came when the other party spoke first.

“Interested in joining the game?” asked the Big Xiu Yi Clone.

Me?” Lu Ping’an said.

Then the other party revealed what it had come for, with two screens.

One was like what Lu Ping’an had seen before at Elder Liu’s place, a chat record of the High-level Big Shots, but after glancing through it, Lu Ping’an felt it uninteresting.

Some were blatantly spouting nonsense, others pretended not to understand the nonsense to probe for information, and yet others chatted away about completely unrelated matters.

Clearly, as the “struggle” intensified, this chat bar also became a place for mutual probing and deception.

It was the other item, however, that surprised Lu Ping’an.

It was a leaderboard, with an attached chat bar below.

um, tied for seventeenth?

Or ranked between seventeenth and thirty-first.”

Lu Ping’an glanced over the list, where most were anonymous, and next to his own name, the word “Anonymous” was also indicated.

“You can choose to reveal your identity.”

“No need, I’d like to live a few more years.”

Lu Ping’an had already made up his mind; he would remain anonymous to the end, whether in that chat bar or elsewhere.

Most on the leaderboard were anonymous as well, with those holding one fragment ranked all the way down to sixty-third.

The first place was right before his eyes.

[Xiu Yi: Eleven Fragments (purchase, exchange for Element Avatars, Planting-type fragments).]

This Big Shot wasn’t just ranked first, he wasn’t anonymous at all, and he was even using his position as a billboard.

And those on the leaderboard were mostly engaging in fragment “trading” anonymously, but while there was a lot of talk, none seemed to finalize any deals…

Lu Ping’an watched for a while and saw not a single one, just a bunch of “anonymously coded” individuals dragging each other around, always fishing for information.

Those who weren’t anonymous were mostly eight or nine-tier superiors.

“Is it possible to not be listed at all?”

“It is possible,” was the reply.

“Has anyone chosen to do so?”

“Yes,” answered the Clone.

Quite candidly indeed, but after some thought, Lu Ping’an decided to be anonymously listed, allowing him to gather information under the guise of “Anonymous 101” in the chat below.

Before, Lu Ping’an didn’t qualify for such high-level “chat,” but now, having acquired two fragments, he was certain to get involved…

Xiu Yi even sent a Clone to follow him, which was a direct recognition of strength.

And to Lu Ping’an, the most crucial point was that the blackness of this world had suddenly become much clearer.

The “precious” intelligence on High level, War Zones, and resources, were but casual topics of conversation amongst themselves.