Chapter 675: Arxan Protocol (1)
Bayin shuddered as he hid behind the windows. He didn’t leave his station. The Arxan Port Bridge was located approximately 50 meters in front of the customs compound. That said, everything was dark, and he could barely see anything. Meanwhile, Xiao Guolong did the same form the other end of the bridge, leaning close to the window with gritted teeth as he gazed intently at the end of the bridge.
Both sides of the border crossing were already closed by now, and the lights on the bridge were all completely shut off. Only the guards and soldiers who were on duty were still standing sentry in the vicinity or patrolling about. Only the lights on each end of the riverbanks were still lit up like beacons in the snowy winter nights. The muffled footsteps of the soldiers trudging through the thick snow was completely drowned out by the howling winds around them.
Everything was silent, so silent that even the second hands of the clock sounded almost deafening to him. Dong, dong, dong… Just then, the clock chimed 12 times, causing him to jump slightly and jerk his head back. However, he promptly wiped the cold sweat off from his forehead, took a deep breath to suppress his wildly thumping heart, before staring intently at the bridge once more.
A split second later, his entire body suddenly trembled, and he nearly cried out in alarm!
It was very faint in the dim moonlit night, but he could’ve sworn that it was the silhouette of a man! He appeared to be dressed in Cathayan clothes, and more importantly… holding a little dog in his hands.
“Have the surveillance instruments been set up?” Despite his distance to the silhouette in the distance, he couldn’t help but reduce his voice to a hush, almost as though he was afraid that Qin Ye would hear him, “Remember… don’t ever head out, under any circumstances. Stay close to our national emblem, and have your Yin energy readers, and all surveillance devices--...”
No response.
Clatter!!! Just then, the windows around them suddenly opened wide, allowing a chilling gale to sweep right into the room. The woods outside stirred and rustled wildly.
It was as if they were warning him to stay right where he was, or perish outside.
This wasn’t the place for weak cultivators like him.
That the skies looked different.
This image was dressed in black and red garments, with sleeves that almost appeared to be formed from Yin energy. His eyes gleamed brightly with netherflames blazing half a meter high into the sky, and he stood right on the boundary bridge holding a dog in his hands.
“My god…” Xiao Guolong folded his hands and peeked out from beneath the windowsill.
It was a good thing he hadn’t sought assistance from the rest of the province. Otherwise… the investigators of the Inner Mongol Province would all be doomed to perish tonight in this place.
On the other side of the bridge, Bayin reacted in almost a similar fashion. He saw Yin energy converging on the bridge from every direction, and he had already scrambled to take shelter under his desk, not daring to even take a peek outside any longer.
The entire body of the carriage was gilded with gold and constructed out of bones. It was inlaid with the emblem of a grizzly bear with ribbons beneath. Exquisite lanterns lit with netherflames hung from the four corners of the carriage, and the coachman… turned out to be none other than Marquis Rumyantsev himself!
The only ones qualified to have a Marquis-class coachman… is none other than a Duke!
One of the three Russian gods of death… Qin Ye watched silently for dozens of seconds, before he slowly stepped forward and stepped out of the Array of the Nine Gods.
Surprisingly, Qin Ye didn’t feel in the slightest bit nervous. In fact, the anxiety in his heart wasn’t even a fraction of that which he experienced when he was negotiating with the Alkebulan Underworlds.
As soon as he crossed the bridge, the carriage doors opened up, and a skeleton dressed in ancient European aristocratic garments stepped out slowly, before courteously placing his left fist to his right breast and bowing slightly, “Pyotr Alekseyevich.”
Qin Ye smiled back. Even though he’d already prepared himself for this moment, he still couldn’t help but feel amazed by his presence.
The skeleton didn’t present himself with any unique features apart from a ring of white hair on his head. From time to time, Peter the Great’s image would surface on his skeleton, before promptly fading away. Seconds later, his elegant figure stood right in front of Qin Ye, and they shook hands. Peter the Great smiled and bowed gently once more, “Mr Harken, it’s been a while.”
Qin Ye naturally complied. As soon as they boarded the carriage, he heard the crack of a whip, and the scenery beside them immediately became a blur. Qin Ye’s eyes narrowed slightly - This direction… Are we headed straight for Khuree?
Hell, the Russian Underworld, and one of the P4 underworlds that was acting from the shadows were all on board the boat that was drifting along the stirring waves.
A peculiar smile crept up the corners of the Harken’s lips.
Hehe… Laugh while you can, because you might not be laughing in a little while…
“Of course not.” Peter the Great chuckled hoarsely, “On the contrary, I believe that there will only be more opportunities for collaboration in future, such as in the fields of Yin Talismanology, or even in the research and development of second generation Forbidden Arts. Believe me, I speak for my underworld when I say that the Russian Underworld will always be the best ally Hell can find.”
Do you think we’re idiots?
Because you’ll soon learn the hard way who the masters of the East Continent truly are.
“Prefect Qin.” Peter the Great turned to him with a jovial tone of voice, “Once again, the Tsar sends his sincerest apologies for what happened back there in Daehan. Rest assured, we have no intentions of supplanting your authority and dragging Liu Yu to our side. It’s just that the urgency of the times called for desperate measures. If one doesn’t excavate the Resentment Crystals soon after its discovery, they would once again sink back into the ground and vanish from sight. Once this all blows over, we’ll give Hell a proper account that will be satisfactory to you. Furthermore, we’ll give Hell our assurance never to interfere with the affairs of your vassal states again.”
Peter the Great leaned back into his seat. He was satisfied with the responses he’d got so far.
Naturally, this was quite different from a nod of approval, but… having come so far, they had no choice but to see their actions through.
There were currently already 50,000 Yin soldiers from the Queen’s imperial army and 300,000 Cossacks cavalrymen arrayed and waiting patiently. 1,000 KGB agents had already taken over all major hubs and nodes in the vicinity as well. As soon as he gave the command, the Mongol Underworld would vanish from the netherworld map in a matter of hours!
The number of Yin soldiers mattered not as well. After all, how many soldiers could they possibly have compared with the Russian Underworld?
They had remained allies with Hell all this while not because they were loyal, but because nothing of sufficient interest had come up just yet.
At least… not until now.
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