【Interstellar Contract Magician】Ruyuanke

Chapter 323 [Empire] The more the better

"As for status, the more the better?" I raised a meaningful smile, my tone was light, as if joking, but there was a hint of coldness in my eyes.

Nightingale raised an eyebrow and looked at me, seeming to be very interested in my attitude. "Boy, are you trying to be a multifaceted person, or have you completely lost yourself?"

I shrugged and replied lazily, "What's so fascinating about it? Isn't it just a few more options? I can switch between them at any time depending on the situation. No one can catch me."

He smiled, lowered his head to light a cigarette, and the smoke rings blurred the expression on his face: "Interesting, it does look like me back then. But, having more identities also makes it heavier. You have to be able to handle it."

I didn't comment. Instead, I picked up the light computer on my wrist, pulled up the "Ayaji" information interface, and shook it. "See, I'm pretty used to it, aren't I?"

Nightingale stared at the screen for a few seconds, then smiled more meaningfully: "Ayaji, huh? That's an interesting name."

"Why, do you think it's inappropriate?" I asked half-seriously.

"Not really." He exhaled the smoke from his mouth and looked up at me. "I was just wondering, Lingzhi, are you a flower on the branch, or a sharp thorn?"

I smiled and shook my head. "Neither. I'm just a harmless-looking decoration."

He stared at me for a few seconds, then curled his lips and said, "Okay, very good."

The night was deep. I sat in the passenger seat of Nightingale's modified hovercar, watching the lights of Star City gradually dim through the window. Nightingale steered, seeming quite excited about the danger of the mission, her tone hinting at eagerness to try.

"This mission is not easy. It requires many merits but also great risks. Boy, you haven't regretted it yet, right?" He smiled, as if testing my bottom line.

I leaned back in my chair, closed my eyes, and replied, "As for status, the more the better." My tone was nonchalant, yet hinted at provocation.

"Tsk, it's starting to look more and more like that," he commented with a smile, his tone frivolous. "Don't forget, every new identity is a lifeline, but also a tripwire."

"That depends on who's going to tie me up." I opened my eyes and looked at him, my gaze was sharp, like a knife hidden in a joke.

He seemed amused by me and laughed unrestrainedly: "Okay, okay, this is interesting. It looks like tonight will be very lively."

The hovercar sped off into the night. Inside, the only sounds were his deep laughter and the faint glow of the dashboard. The distant lights of Star City gradually faded, as if this mission was taking me into uncharted territory.

Nightingale took me to a body of water. He stood on the shore, lit a cigarette, and said nonchalantly, "The mission location is underwater."

I frowned, gazing at the bottomless waters. The surface was as calm as a mirror, yet a faint sense of unease permeated my mind. This was clearly no ordinary lake; it was more like the entrance to some dangerous area.

"This task doesn't sound easy." I said calmly.

He blew out a puff of smoke, his gaze falling on the water. "'Success or death', you've heard that saying, right? This is a classic example. If the mission fails, you'll be wanted by an underground organization. The price to pay is enormous."

I scoffed. "The price is high, so why did you take it?"

Nightingale turned her head, her eyes filled with a hint of provocation. "Some missions aren't about whether or not to accept them, but whether or not you can return alive. For a fellow like you, who has many identities, this kind of situation wouldn't be the perfect fit, wouldn't it?"

"As for status, the more the better?" I smiled, my backpack ready to be ditched at any moment. My fingers gently touched the new optical brain bracelet, but my thoughts lingered on his words. This mission certainly sounded tough, but deep down, I felt a subtle anticipation, as if this was the place I was meant to be.

"What equipment is needed for underwater missions?" I asked, without taking my eyes off the water.

"Equipment? Tsk, that depends on how you define 'equipment'." He pointed at himself and flicked the cigarette butt into the water. "Sometimes, life is also a kind of equipment."

He dived into the water without hesitation. The splashing water caused almost no ripples. The water surface seemed to automatically make way for him in a straight channel, so deep that he could not see the end.

I hesitated for a second, then jumped in. The icy water instantly enveloped my body, and the sounds around me became muffled, as if buried under a thick blanket. A faint blue-green light shone through the water, extending along the path he had swum, as if paving a fluorescent path for him into an unknown world.

He swam incredibly fast, his slender figure gliding through the water like a nimble fish. The current gently pushed me along, as if tacitly allowing me to follow. I couldn't help but laugh, muttering to myself, "Even if this path is a trap, it's still incredibly alluring."

As I descended, the water gradually warmed, and the surrounding blue-green light grew brighter. I couldn't help but reach out to touch it, and my fingertips felt a slight chill. The light seemed to have life, gathering and dispersing around my fingertips, gently brushing against my skin, bringing an indescribable and strange feeling.

Up ahead, he turned his head to look at me, his gaze deep and unfathomable through the waves. He waved at me, as if to say, "Hurry up, don't fall behind."

My footsteps stopped in front of the metal door, and the scene in front of me made me stunned for a moment - this was an underwater experimental base. The steel material of the outer wall had a cold luster, and the door was densely covered with warning signs. The dazzling red light flashed with the security scanner on the door, as if sending a threatening signal to everyone who approached it.

Water flows slowly outside the window, blurring light and shadows through the thick glass into the corridor, creating an inexplicably oppressive feeling, as if one were in the depths of the ocean. Surrounded by cold metal structures, the occasional low sound of water pressure hitting the outer walls sounds like a somber symphony.

I gently nudged the person next to me and raised my chin to indicate, "Where is this place? Where did you get this mission?"

"Underwater Palace." Nightingale said with interest, a hint of amusement in her tone, "Or to be more precise, it's a hidden experimental base. Who knows what they're researching. If someone is willing to offer a price, I'd be happy to take you to see it."

I raised an eyebrow, staring at the red light flickering on the door. "Bring me here to see... or bring me here to die?"

He chuckled, pulled out a strange metal card, and waved it at the scanner on the door. "As for identities, the more the better. Don't you think identities are interesting, too?"

"The more the better?" I sneered. "Indeed, I now have so many identities that it looks like a character list in a script."

The door unlocked with a dull click. Nightingale turned to look at me, her tone cryptic. "So, Ayaji, are you ready to see where this identity takes you?"

I didn't answer, but took a deep breath and followed him into the deep unknown land.

There were only machines here, and even the air seemed to carry a mechanical chill. Nightingale remained remarkably calm. He paused in front of a row of control consoles with familiarity, his hands rapidly manipulating the screens. Occasionally, he would connect an instrument to a data line, as if interfering with the machines in some way.

"This place is too quiet." I looked around, walking lightly as if I was afraid of disturbing anything.

"Of course it's quiet. There's no one here, only the machines are running." Nightingale replied to me without even looking up, her tone revealing a bit of indifference as if she was used to it.

Countless codes danced across the screen, completely incomprehensible to me. But judging by Nightingale's focused expression, he was clearly trying to crack or implant something. Leaning in, I couldn't help but whisper, "Is this so easy for you to figure out?"

"It's not easy either." He shrugged and glanced at me. "But don't underestimate these machines. Their records are much more reliable than those of humans."

"For example?" I raised my eyebrows, speaking in a nonchalant tone, but listening very carefully.

"For example, your 'The More the Better' identity requires a machine like this to fill in the details for you." He smiled provocatively, his gaze returning to the screen. "Otherwise, how do you think you can clean up that string of legal records?"

His smile irked me a bit, but I had to admit he had a point. Identity, for example, needed a place like this to be perfect. I stared silently at the cold machine, feeling an indescribable mix of emotions.

The hidden door slowly descended, and I paused, greeted by a gloomy underground world. At the end of my sight were neat rows of "iron cages," resembling some kind of high-security prison.

These cages are not used to hold people, but plants.

The plants within the cage were incredibly active, their roots crawling and extending along the bottom of the cage, their leaves stretching out, trembling slightly as if breathing. Some of the more unusual plants even emitted a low humming sound.

"The things here are much more interesting than those easy-to-deal-with combat plants outside." Nightingale's voice behind him was tinged with a hint of teasing and pride. He casually pointed at the plants in one of the cages. "Did you know? These guys have all been specially selected. Some have even been 'raised' by humans."

I didn't reply, my gaze drawn to a plant in the cage. Its leaves had a metallic texture, faintly reflecting the dim light around it. Its slender tentacles slowly moved around the cage bars, like a predator observing its surroundings.

The metal walls gleamed coldly, guarded by layers of mechanical equipment. I noticed that some plant roots had tried to penetrate the cracks in the cage bottom, leaving deep scratches.

"Living combat plants." I whispered, my tone filled with suppressed complex emotions.

"That's right. They're all 'special species,' smarter and more dangerous than any you've encountered." Nightingale walked over to a cage marked with the highest danger level and leaned against it casually. "Of course, they're also more valuable."

The air was filled with the unique scent of plants, mingled with a subtle sense of unease. I involuntarily tightened my grip on the shoulder straps of my backpack. The seedlings inside seemed to sense the atmosphere, their leaves trembling slightly within the backpack.

"This is the real battlefield." Nightingale said meaningfully, turned to look at me with a smile on his lips.