Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2398: Chapter 2399: Block

Angel asked in detail to understand the reason behind it.

Unexpectedly, while he was studying the Magical Energy Array, Nis had quite an eventful experience.

Hunting sequence, Mechanical Puppet. Sounds like it could be interesting? Unfortunately, it has already been destroyed, and further study is impossible.

Angel looked at Dangross: "When did the Mind Ribbon go silent? Before it went silent, did they say what they were going to do or where they were going?"

Dangross: "No one has spoken for an hour. Before that, that soul named Reynaud seemed to be leading them to..."

Dangross fell into memories, as it didn’t understand some of the topics within the Mind Ribbon, so its attention was somewhat scattered at the time.

At this moment, Toby suddenly chirped.

Angel looked at Toby: "Are you saying, the second level?"

Toby nodded, and on the other side, Dangross suddenly remembered: "Yes, yes! It’s the second level! I remember that gray-haired old man kept mumbling about how strange the path to the second level was before it went silent."

"What’s strange?" Angel asked.

Dangross was stumped; it couldn’t remember...

Angel sighed. Originally, he thought that since Dangross could speak, it would be more reliable. Now it seems, Toby is still the one to rely on.

Angel’s gaze shifted to Toby. Toby proudly lifted its head, glancing sideways at Dangross with its small eyes, and then chirped in an intonational rhythm.

Dangross was baffled, but Angel, a Master of Bird Language, nodded repeatedly.

"I understand now."

According to Toby’s communication, Angel learned what Nis said before entering the second level: "This path is very strange, you actually have to walk it twice, it’s like a maze."

Shortly after saying this, their voices cut off.

A strange path, to be walked twice? Angel squinted, having some speculations in mind.

"Did they run into trouble, that gray-haired old man might have died, right?" Dangross’s voice came over.

Angel replied offhandedly: "No."

Angel wasn’t too worried about Nis and the others; although the Mind Ribbon couldn’t hear their conversation, the Mind Ribbon itself wasn’t severed, indicating that Kanter was definitely safe. And if Kanter was fine, Nis would be too.

As for the strange words Nis said before going silent, it might just be some mechanism of the laboratory. Reynaud was very familiar with this place, and he didn’t say anything, which means they were on the right path.

Following this reasoning, it’s likely they are already on the second level.

Once on the second level, the Mind Ribbon couldn’t hear their voices, which could be the crux of the issue. Perhaps there are some Magical Energy Arrays between the first and second levels that can block the transmission of the Mind Ribbon.

Although this is Angel’s speculation, it’s not unfounded.

In such a huge, strictly confidential, and tiered laboratory, if cross-level communication could be achieved so easily, it would be absurd. If there were internal collusion and betrayal, they wouldn’t even need to risk going to the lower levels; they could know all the happenings below through the Mind Ribbon.

This situation is certainly predictable, so making an information cutoff between levels is very normal.

To find out whether this speculation is correct, one would have to take a look.

Angel stood up from the ground, patted the dust off, and walked towards the depths of the corridor.

"Where are we going now? Are we going to the second level to find them?" Dangross clung to the storage pearl on Angel’s cloak, curiously peeking half a palm from behind Angel.

Angel shook his head: "No, Reynaud isn’t here, and I don’t know how to get to the second level either."

"We’re going to find a control node of the Magical Energy Array."

Angel appeared to walk randomly, but in reality, he was tracing the flow of energy within the Magic Pattern. In his vision, the surrounding metal walls, gear structures, and energy transmission pipes were merely external constructs; he saw deeper into the Magic Patterns, which appeared and disappeared, complex yet with an exotic elegance, guiding Angel forward with a unique flow of information.

While walking, Angel also passed through a large experimental center, glancing at it before moving on.

The research projects in the experimental center did not align with his interests. Moreover, nothing in-depth was studied on the first level. So, instead of staying in an insignificant experimental center, it would be better to find the control node.

If he could find the control node, perhaps the issue with the Mind Ribbon could be resolved.

Following the vector of Magic Patterns on the first level for about ten minutes, Angel arrived at a seemingly ordinary narrow corridor.

At first glance, this place looks just like any other corridor, except the floor has a wood grain pattern, while the other three sides are either silvery-white or iron-blue metal. Ventilation ducts, valves, energy pipes... everything seems normal.

However, that’s just on the surface.

In Angel’s vision, the metal walls of this corridor are filled with numerous channels of Magic Patterns. If each line represents a torrent of energy, then the walls and floor here are almost entirely enveloped by energy torrents.

The presence of so many Magic Pattern channels for powering purposes indicates that deep within this corridor, there must be a control node of the Magical Energy Array.

And the control node of the Magical Energy Array is the central core of the first level of the laboratory, which anyone would predict carries inherent risks.

Indeed, that’s the case.

As long as one steps into this corridor, every step could potentially trigger the backlash of the Magical Energy Array. This backlash is definitely scarier than the backlash from taking more than three exhibits from the exhibition room; one would be identified as an enemy by the Magical Energy Array, which would then unleash the full force of the array to cleanse and destroy the intruder.

Such a dangerous corridor, ordinary people would definitely not dare to enter recklessly. Even internal personnel, including Reynaud, have never entered this corridor.

However, Angel did not care at all and, without hesitation, stepped directly in.

Though one wrong step in this corridor could lead to catastrophic consequences, with Angel’s current level of Magic Pattern proficiency, finding the accurate foothold was not difficult.

Simply put, this is essentially a contest of computing power and foundational knowledge.

The foothold changes dynamically, but as long as one’s Magic Pattern foundation is solid and computing power is online, one can predict the foothold position in advance.

For this short corridor of a few dozen meters, Angel seemed to walk casually, but in reality, each step was meticulously calculated. In the end, he came through unscathed.

Upon reaching the end, Angel saw a large door.

The door wasn’t locked, and one could clearly see the distinct Magic Pattern node beyond it.

However, he did not immediately walk in because he noticed a very inconspicuous magic pattern trigger point at the position of the door.

Under normal circumstances, as soon as you step through the door, this trigger point will inevitably be activated.

Although he did not know what was connected behind the magic pattern trigger point, or what would happen when activated, it certainly wouldn’t be anything good.

Angel decided to suppress this trigger point first, to avoid any mishaps.

The method to suppress it was quite simple, just as Angel did when entering the laboratory initially—by externally connecting a magic pattern platform to temporarily transfer the trigger point’s energy to the platform.

Two minutes later, Angel smoothly installed the external magic pattern platform to one side of the door.

As long as it is not actively touched, the trigger point will not be activated.

After finishing all this, Angel stepped through the door.

Upon entering, the first thing that caught Angel’s eye was not the dazzling magic patterns covering the walls, but an independent small cabin behind the door, covered in frost marks.

It looked like a coffin, standing there silently.

Angel walked over, gently wiping away the frost mist on the cabin wall, revealing a transparent glass wall.

Through the glass, a mechanical puppet could be seen inside, with its eyes closed. On its left cheek were two overlapping "X’s", while its right cheek bore a single number 5.

"Hunting Sequence, No. 5." Angel softly uttered its name.

Currently, this hunting sequence mechanical puppet was in a deep slumber. Even with Angel standing just beyond the cabin wall, it showed no signs of awakening.

Angel searched around the cabin wall and discovered a magic pattern channel connecting to the outer side of the door.

Seeing this, Angel understood in his heart that the trigger point at the door was likely connected to this mechanical puppet.

If he had just entered through the door then, he certainly wouldn’t be facing such a dormant puppet.

With an interest in exploration, Angel carefully studied the mechanical puppet for a while, but soon withdrew his attention and moved to the side.

He was quite interested in the craftsmanship of this mechanical puppet, but thoroughly researching it wouldn’t be accomplished in a short while. So, Angel decided to put it aside for now, and instead focus on the sub-control nodes.

Angel was very familiar with the sub-control nodes of the Magical Energy Array.

The room appeared to be filled with complex magic patterns, causing anyone who wasn’t a Magic Rune Mage to feel dazzled and overwhelmed, but in Angel’s eyes, even the most complex magic patterns could be deconstructed.

Now, these magic patterns have already been deconstructed by him into different blocks, with different blocks responsible for different functions.

Among them are several core blocks that include the "rules and penalties" discussed previously by Nis and the others, or rather: the ten thousand ways to trigger Magical Energy Array’s backlash.

Including the trigger backlash method of the corridor outside, which is also recorded in this block.

These core blocks are the pivotal aspects of the laboratory, with relatively complicated magic patterns. However, in Angel’s view, they are just so... If he had ample time, he could completely modify this core block and be the one to determine the "penalties" for the Magical Energy Array.

But if he were to do this, it would consume considerable time, given the degree of the Magical Energy Array, it would take at least ten days to half a month.

Angel didn’t have time to spend here, and even if the core block were modified, it would only be the core block of one layer, thus unable to influence the core blocks of other layers.

Therefore, Angel directly ignored the core block and searched within the numerous blocks he had organized to find the block responsible for information transmission between layers and sections.

Angel quickly reviewed the information, and soon he found his target.

...

Basement Level 2 of the laboratory.

In a semi-sealed room, Nis looked at the shadow that was gradually dissipating on the ground with a face of regret.

He suddenly turned his head, glaring at Kanter: "You did that on purpose! You clearly know the value of that shadow demon, yet you didn’t capture it, but directly blew its head off."

Nis’s voice was filled with anger.

"Shadow Demon ah! My Entering Shadow Technique ah!"

Kanter leaned leisurely against the wall beside him, saying flatly: "You understand the reason yourself. The power of the shadow demon had already invaded Reynaud’s Soul Body. To resolve it quickly, the only way was to kill the shadow demon. Or are you capable of clearing the power of the shadow demon that invaded Reynaud’s body swiftly?"

After five or six seconds of silence, Nis finally opened his mouth: "The contract clearly stated that all visible gains are mine..."

"The same question again, can you resolve the power of the shadow demon?"

Nis replied: "I can use the source power of a demon to arrange..."

"I said to resolve the power of the shadow demon swiftly."

Nis paused for a while, then said: "I can’t."

Kanter: "Since you can’t resolve it, are you considering giving up Reynaud?"

This time, Nis remained silent. If it were outside, Reynaud certainly couldn’t compare to a rare shadow demon, but inside this laboratory, Reynaud played a very significant role and was absolutely indispensable.

Nis understood this principle, but thinking about the shadow demon made his heart ache. The shadow demon held great renown in "Where is the Magical Beast?", being a magical creature that was nearly extinct in the Southern Domain, undiscovered for nearly a century, and the only shortcut for cross-line cultivation of Entering Shadow Technique.

Nis never thought about practicing the Entering Shadow Technique before, but if he could, he would be quite willing. But now, the hope was extinguished just as it emerged.

Nis couldn’t help but sigh heavily at the side.

As Nis sighed, a familiar voice resonated from the Mind Ribbon: "Is Reynaud alright?"

Nis was stunned instantly and exchanged a glance with Kanter, their eyes conveying the same information: "Did I hear that wrong?"

"You probably didn’t."

"So, it wasn’t an auditory hallucination?!"

Nis suddenly realized, asking through the Mind Ribbon: "Are you... Angel?"