Zhou Ning's pupils involuntarily constricted. The double-headed eagle emblem with a gold base and white border looked somewhat similar to the Russian national emblem in later generations, but it was actually the unique insignia of the Blystone Kingdom's intelligence agency: the Sun Keepers.
Don't let the name Sun Keepers fool you into thinking they're like bodyguards working in a red-light district. In reality, they are the Blystone Kingdom's intelligence agency and extraordinary squad specifically designed to deal with supernatural powers.
Initially, they were solely responsible for handling supernatural incidents, but after the game's open beta, they primarily targeted players. Those who committed crimes were either killed or captured, striking fear into the player community.
He hadn't expected to encounter the Sun Keepers so soon after his transmigration.
The carriage stopped by the roadside, and a middle-aged man in a black top hat jumped down, walking towards the four with a powerful aura.
"Uncle Keen!" Little Fatty Alan Vester greeted him joyfully, "Are you here to pick me up?"
"Just passing by, little Alan. I'm glad you're still alive!" The middle-aged man said with a smile, taking off his top hat and bowing slightly. "My name is Keen West, a Sun Keeper, and also little Alan's uncle. Do you all have time to chat?"
Keen West? The future leader of the Sun Keepers, one of the top Meteorologists in the human world. He vaguely remembered that he was already a demigod when he first appeared. He hadn't expected the Vester Family to hide such a powerful figure.
Zhou Ning was secretly astonished. "It truly is you, Curse God Cult. You're useless at everything else, but number one at causing trouble." His thoughts raced, and he likewise smiled and nodded, "Of course, it's my honor."
Keen West chuckled, put his top hat back on, and said gently, "Then let's get in the carriage. Don't worry, it's just a chat."
The carriage was spacious, covered with a red velvet carpet. Zhou Ning found a spot and sat down. Little Fatty was the first to recount the day's events.
Alan Vester was quite articulate and quickly recounted everything in detail, except for the part where he was stunned by Marien's banshee wail and didn't see Zhou Ning pull out a shotgun to kill Marien.
But he seemed quite good at interpreting scenes, and the details he had seen earlier were enough for him to imagine a thrilling gunfight.
Zhou Ning:... The gunfight was so intense, and the twists and turns so dramatic, that even he himself was a little confused listening to it. Was he really that fierce?
Keen West, however, listened intently. Only after Alan Vester finished speaking did he ponder and say, "Are you saying they summoned a demon through sacrifice? Are you sure?"
"Yes, a giant spider-like demon," Little Fatty said, then added, "If it weren't for Brother Wayne, I'm afraid no one would have left here alive."
"I understand." Keen West nodded, elegantly extending his hand. "Mr. Wayne, the Vester Family will always remember your help."
[D-rank mission [Vester Family's Gratitude] completed. You gained 6000 experience points.]
[Vester Family's favorability towards you increased by 1800 points!]
[Vester Family: Respect (300/6000)]
[You can share the Vester Family's intelligence to a certain extent, and you will receive an 80% discount at all Vester Family stores and auction houses.]
Even having seen a lot, Zhou Ning couldn't help but feel a little excited.
The reputation of hidden forces like the Vester Family is the hardest to gain, but once successful, the rewards are also the greatest.
Perhaps because his reputation reached the 'Respect' level, Keen's gaze towards Zhou Ning became much friendlier. "You all should thank Wayne. According to the Sun Keepers' data, in the past two years, the Curse God Cult has conducted seventy-two sacrifices in the Blystone Kingdom, totaling 2592 people, and only twenty-seven people survived."
Indeed, they were very lucky... Hearing this number, everyone looked at Zhou Ning, their hearts filled with immense gratitude.
Thanks to you!
Keen didn't intend to make things difficult for them. He asked a few more questions, took a statement, then ended the interrogation and gave them a ride home.
Richard Pesa and Luke Shaw lived in the Old Town not far from here and got off the carriage midway. After a while, Little Fatty also got off the carriage and was escorted back to the Duke's Mansion by several guards, leaving only Zhou Ning and Keen in the carriage.
"Where to?" Keen asked.
"Vik University, I suppose," Zhou Ning replied. The original owner's memories were incomplete, but some basic information was there. His current identity was a senior student at Vik University, about to graduate, and he felt the pressure of finding employment.
The carriage turned and headed towards the Vik University Campus on the other side of the city.
The area around the Duke's Mansion was the most prosperous part of Daklan City, adjacent to the commercial district. Even though it was already past midnight, due to the good Weather, there were still many pedestrians on the streets. The ten-meter-wide streets, though not yet shoulder-to-shoulder, were still somewhat crowded as the carriage passed through.
Keen took out a bottle of wine from under the table, twisted open the cap, and said, "Ice Dew Wine brewed by the Northern Walrus People, with a bit of aphid juice added. It tastes great, want to try it?"
"No, thank you. I rarely drink."
As soon as he heard "aphid juice," Zhou Ning's face contorted into a mask of pain, and he politely refused. He was most afraid of insects and similar things.
Keen poured himself a glass and said with a smile, "Alright, now let's talk about business."
"Business?"
"Yes, I concealed part of the truth in our previous conversation."
Keen took a sip of Ice Dew Wine, his voice low. "The Curse God Cult did indeed conduct seventy-two sacrifices in the Blystone Kingdom, and the number of people was indeed 2592. The number of survivors was also twenty-seven, but supernatural events are never that simple. Why don't you guess what happened?"
"They all died?" Zhou Ning cooperatively stretched his imagination.
"A very good guess!" Keen said expressionlessly. "But the truth is even worse. Six of these twenty-seven people were from Daklan City, and they kept in contact with us after being rescued. But within three days, someone reported experiencing auditory hallucinations, as if a voice was constantly whispering in his ear, tempting him to do crazy things."
At this point, Keen's cheek twitched. "We didn't take it too seriously at first, thinking it was just auditory hallucinations caused by too much stress, until this person actually mutated into a Fallen One and caused immense casualties. This was the first mysterious event in Blystone's history related to temptation. Later, seventeen of the remaining twenty-six people successively experienced auditory hallucinations, either committing suicide or mutating. Only nine people were spared."
Zhou Ning's hair stood on end. In the game "Apocalypse," there had always been a setting where ancient gods were skilled at tempting people, but games were games. When it came to himself, it wasn't so pleasant.
"I'm telling you this because I hope you'll pay attention to your mental state. If you experience auditory hallucinations, come to me immediately," Keen said calmly.
"I understand," Zhou Ning replied very seriously.
Keen nodded, lifted his top hat, and said with a smile, "Alright, our conversation for tonight ends here. Go back and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, there might be a surprise. Oh, and there's going to be heavy rain soon. There's an umbrella in the carriage; take it with you."
The carriage stopped in the quiet campus. Zhou Ning, with an inexplicable expression, got out of the car with an umbrella, watching the carriage recede into the distance.
The sky was clear, with no sign of rain, but the Weather in this world was unreasonable. The moment Zhou Ning opened his umbrella, a torrential downpour began.
"This damned Weather," Zhou Ning stood stunned for a while, then couldn't help but exclaim.
He took out his pocket watch and checked the time; it was almost one in the morning. Although his predecessor's memories were incomplete, he had his student ID and dorm key. He vaguely remembered living on the east side of the campus.
He fumbled his way along the bluestone path to the student apartment, pulled out the key, inserted it, and smoothly opened the door.
His memory was indeed correct, Zhou Ning finally breathed a sigh of relief... Zhou Ning's dorm was on the sixth floor. He walked through the narrow, cramped corridor and opened the door. The room should be empty; he remembered his roommate, John, as a cheerful rich second-generation who even kept a dog in the dorm, reportedly a valuable breed, though a bit silly.
John's door was ajar. Zhou Ning glanced in; the person wasn't there, but the dog was. At this moment, the silly dog was even lying on John's bed, snoring away.
Zhou Ning:... Only John wouldn't care. If that silly dog dared to sleep on his bed, he would grab it by the scruff of its neck and throw it out.
Soon, after taking a hot shower, as Zhou Ning was about to go to bed, several notifications suddenly popped up before his eyes.
[Important Notice: Dear players, the closed beta is imminent, and the "Apocalypse" official forum has been opened.]
[Important Notice: The first episode of the "Apocalypse" TV series has been simultaneously launched on the forum and various platforms. This series is automatically generated by the optical brain. Players interested in understanding the game's background are invited to watch it.]
Game forum?? Zhou Ning was momentarily stunned. With a thought, he had already successfully logged into the forum homepage.