Chapter 641: The Abyss of Flame

Sure enough, it’s Mom!

Lu Xin, who had a premonition even before answering the call, thought to himself quietly.

Inside the Flame Building, he suddenly received a call from Mom—a call that felt eerie and hard to understand.

Yet, for some unknown reason, Lu Xin didn’t find it strange.

After a brief pause, he softly said, “Where are you now?”

Mom chuckled gently, “I’m in Flame City too, but this place is a bit odd. We haven’t met yet.”

Lu Xin nodded without pressing for details and simply asked, “Are you alright?”

There was a slight pause, and with a soft crackle of static over the line, Mom replied:

“What if I’m not doing so well right now?”

“…”

After a moment of silence, Lu Xin declared, “Then I’ll rush over at once and set things right.”

Mom laughed—a sound full of joy and relief—and said, “There will be time. For now, don’t worry about me. Just finish what you need to, and then we’ll see each other…”

“Beep beep…”

The call ended with nothing but a busy tone.

After a short silence, Lu Xin hung up and turned to Xia Chong, “Not upstairs—underground.”

“The eighteenth underground level.”

“…”

“You…”

Xia Chong stared at Lu Xin intently.

She couldn’t understand how, after taking that call in the Flame Building, Lu Xin already knew where to find what they were looking for.

To her, it all seemed utterly illogical and unfathomable.

But when she saw Lu Xin’s composed face—as if everything were perfectly natural with no need for explanation—she felt a sudden surge of anger…

“Come on, let’s go!”

In a burst of irritation, she grabbed Lu Xin’s hand and strode toward the room door.

Fuming inside: What’s with this Qinggang guy? So secretive—if he won’t explain, then fine.

I’m pissed now—and if you want to explain, you won’t be listened to…

“Eh?”

Lu Xin was a bit surprised. Why had Xia Chong suddenly gotten so angry?

Oh well, sometimes girls get irrational. As a sensible man, he thought he shouldn’t ask at such a time.

So he obediently let Xia Chong pull him along as they hurried to the door.

Together, they plunged into the abyss.

They quickly descended. Near the ground, if one didn’t know the Flame Building had underground levels, it would seem like it soared into the sky. Once aware of the hidden floors, one would immediately notice gaps at the building’s base—like a giant’s ribs, each embedded with torn flesh revealing eerie voids.

Lu Xin and Xia Chong slipped through these rib-like gaps into the underground, where a series of dark red visions unfolded before them.

It resembled the massive skeleton of some monstrous creature, supporting a vast and eerie space deep in an unknown underground world.

Above ground, the Flame Building boasts a hundred floors…

Yet below, it stretches even deeper…

The very structure speaks volumes about Flame’s legacy and might.

“…”

“…”

They navigated the floors swiftly until they found a complete door.

Xia Chong listened intently, her expression growing grave.

She carefully inched the door open, as if worried someone might overhear.

She and Lu Xin entered a narrow, empty room.

Almost immediately, Xia Chong signaled Lu Xin with a shushing gesture and murmured something to the side.

Lu Xin understood; he noticed a frosted glass wall nearby.

Beyond the wall, a soft light glowed, and several long shadows were cast upon the glass.

Someone was in the adjoining room.

Mimicking Xia Chong, he quietly approached and pressed his face against the wall.

“…What do you mean by ‘the problem is solved’?”

Listening closely, he heard someone, suppressing anger, shout, “The Gate of Hell is about to open. Our ritual to please the Gods is reaching its critical moment, yet we haven’t caught the one who infiltrated Flame City—a foe who held off the Hell Regiment for nearly ten minutes before vanishing without a trace…”

“How can we confidently proceed when such a crazed, terrifying character hides in Flame City?”

“…”

“This mess isn’t entirely my fault, is it?”

A calm, polite voice responded with a laugh, “If I follow my own advice—launch the Hell Umbrella Series Plasma Missiles when he clashes with the Hell Regiment—our problem would be solved.”

“Then…”

Someone couldn’t help but exclaim, “But that involves thousands, even tens of thousands of lives!”

“So what?”

The polite voice continued, “That is precisely where you and many others within Flame go wrong.”

“You have ample knowledge and insight, yet you remain shackled by outdated beliefs.”

“You’ve chosen to create Hell but still can’t let go of earthly gains.”

“Some have already pointed you toward a noble goal, yet you cling to every cent.”

“…”

With a hint of scorn, the voice added, “What do you think your so-called empathy and compassion are?”

“They’re nothing but primal illusions—carved into our genes as a survival mechanism by our early ancestors seeking safety in numbers. They laid the foundation for our earliest collective subconscious. But if we truly wish to follow the Gods, we must shed these archaic weaknesses.”

“We need to grasp the true essence and nature of this world—and of humanity itself.”

“Only the Gods’ will matters.”

“The creation and opening of Hell is stipulated by our divine contract. We must execute it flawlessly.”

“Those genetic illusions can’t sustain you, but Hell can.”

“Only by faithfully upholding our pact with the Gods can we survive the Second Descent—and even become the masters of the post-Second Descent world, just as the contract predicted.”

“The Gods will govern this world, and we will serve as their shepherds…”

“…”

His words silenced everyone in the Control Room.

Even through a glass wall, the oppressive atmosphere in that room was palpable.

After a long while, an old voice finally broke the silence, “Even now, hearing you say such things fills me with dread. I still don’t understand how things reached this point…”

“It’s determined by your very nature.”

A little earlier, a man had laughed softly, “Unbridled capital harbors an inherent self-destructive urge.”

“Your Flame Mining Company wasn’t destroyed in the Red Moon Incident; instead, it seized a chance for abnormal growth. Amid the chaos, your vitality shone through, and in just over thirty years, you became powerful enough to challenge the entire Alliance—even the Research Institute. That is your advantage: unchecked growth and relentless exploitation…”

“But when you reach the zenith, problems arise.”

“Stop blaming the Black Box or my supposed cooperation for your predicament.”

“This deal wasn’t forced upon you—it was you who begged to join us.”

The polite voice turned cold and disdainful, laughing, “Capital always chooses what benefits itself. So when you learn that the Second Descent is inevitable, you’ll undoubtedly join the Gods’ camp.”

“You’ll surely join the Gods’ camp and become their lackeys.”

“If fate is unchangeable, why not choose to be worthy servants?”

“…”

“You…”

A trembling voice from the Control Room spoke, laden with anger yet unable to fully express itself.

“Do not show that kind of indignation to me again.”

The previously calm voice laughed, “You must understand—we’re dealing with Flame, not you.”

“Even if you’re the Chairman of Flame.”

“Heh, you know that if you choose regret or weakness now, you’ll be immediately shunned by all the other shareholders. Countless would jump at the chance to partner with me in your place.”

“…”

“…”

A long silence settled over the Control Room.

It was oppressive and chilling, yet carried an unyielding will.

After a long time, the voice that had sounded angry earlier returned, though much weaker, “Then… what do we do now?”

“…”

“You continue preparing for the opening of the Gate of Hell.”

The calm voice whispered, “The Gods require one hundred million Mental Entities, and they aren’t yet ready. If, in the end, we fall short on sacrifices, you’ll know what to do. And please, stop showing that fearful, hesitant look every time we discuss it. Since you’re chasing capital, then go all in—capital fears nothing except loss…”

“And you already know that trading one hundred million Mental Entities for the Gods’ heritage is an incredibly lucrative deal.”

“…”

“…”

In the adjacent room, no one knew how they took in these words. On the other side of the glass wall, Lu Xin and Xia Chong’s faces turned shockingly grim as they exchanged looks of disbelief.

“One hundred million…”

“One hundred million Mental Entities—what does that even mean?”

In such a brief time, it was nearly impossible for them to truly comprehend that number.

Yet, just then, after a door in the Control Room opened and closed, the gentle, polite voice paused before speaking again, “As for us, it’s time to meet these two friends.”

Simultaneously, the glass wall near Lu Xin and Xia Chong slid aside.

The door receded into the wall, placing Lu Xin and Xia Chong face-to-face with the person on the other side.

They maintained their attentive posture, listening intently.

Before them was a room resembling a Control Room, its far end lined with enormous floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

On the left was a large control console connected to various electronic instruments, with several screens hanging side by side on the wall at its end.

Facing them sat a man in a white Zhongshan suit on a black sofa. In front of him, a square cup held a golden liquid with two ice cubes floating in it. He calmly fixed his gaze on Lu Xin and Xia Chong and said with a laugh, “When the Hell Regiment failed to wipe you out, I knew we’d meet again.”

“I’ve thought long and hard about it—you, a man so crazy, cold-blooded, powerful, and cunning, would have no other choice but to come straight to me.”

“Looks like I wasn’t mistaken…”

“…”

Hearing the words of the Man in White Zhongshan Suit—or perhaps the Hell Designer—Lu Xin suddenly felt an awkward flush and wondered to himself, “Who did he mean?”