Chapter 1 Prologue The Explosion Begins

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Once, companies acted as countries in disguise; now they don't. -——

Elf calendar year 7702, June 23, 22:00, Tuesday

The night after the rain, dim, trance, fishy; Peicheng's decadent today is getting closer and closer to the end.

It will continue tomorrow.

In a narrow alley where no pedestrians pass by, a brand new car is still not turned off, the steam turbine is slowly breathing, and the six surrounding electronic lights in front and behind the car illuminate the curling steam in the alley, which also makes the remaining raindrops on the car body as crystal as dewdrops. In the shadow of the high-rise building next to it, two security guards in black leather jackets stared at the streets and alleys vigilantly, as if looking forward to something.

"It's past the time agreed with the young master," Paul glanced at the gradually dimming steam lamp outside the alley, and changed his mouth to hold a cigarette, and couldn't help urging: "Why don't we go over to check on the young master's situation?"

"Are you worried, or does the young master scare you?" Winder asked with a slight smile on his face.

Paul didn't want to fall into the language trap. He had been working as a bodyguard for thirty years and was already an old hand. He had protected hundreds of people. Even the "young master" was just a person, and he had seen "people", whether good or bad, dead or alive.

"It's nothing to be afraid of, it just feels wrong." Paul rubbed his hands gently, the leather of the old gloves was polished smooth, and there was no sound when rubbing. "The protesters are just four blocks away, and they may come at any time. It's better to go back to the upper city as soon as possible."

"It's a bit cold here..." Indeed, a smelly water vapor filled the pressure relief port of the steam pipe well, and Winder used his legs in vain to drive it away. These pipes, which are like spider webs, spread underground and transport steam from the suburban thermal power station in Peicheng to every corner of the city, bringing power and convenience, but the lingering bloody stench in the steam will inevitably make people have bad associations, and also make the surrounding atmosphere always have a sense of solemnity and danger. "It's just as cold four blocks away. Their affairs won't affect us. As for the young master, I believe he's warm over there and won't be cold at all."

"Can you confirm his location and condition?" Paul asked curiously, "Have you replaced the new shadow follower (an energy body attached to the user, providing various special abilities)? When did you replace it? How come I don't know?"

"How can I afford to replace that! No matter how good the shadow follower is, it's not as good as a smart brain." Winder pointed to his head and said, "Every time the young master goes to the Tiger Boy Building in District 8, it's related to women, and he always wants to show that he is strong and has enough endurance, so he must If we go up to find him, he will get angry and think we underestimate him, and he will delay it even longer next time. Besides, even if we add time, those women dare not ask him for more money, so why are you in such a hurry? Just wait!"

"You know so much?"

"Because I also want to know what the women in Hutong Building are like - aren't you curious? But they are too expensive, and they only receive people like you."

"I heard that many of them are not human..."

"Why did you suddenly lower your voice? This has been an open secret for a long time. You are so cowardly to be so careful." Winder snorted. He looked around. There were only two of them in the narrow alley between the buildings. There was not even a mouse within the range of the car's electronic lights. No one would eavesdrop on their conversation. "Not only are they not all human, I heard that everyone there is called a container."

"Container - sounds creepy - what does that mean?"

"I heard it has something to do with defective products in the film industry. As you know, the quality of film followers varies greatly, and there are always many scraps that can't be sold - someone has set their sights on these defective products. Take them and mix them up..." Winder used his index finger to stir the palm of his other hand, then raised his eyebrows and said, "You need a container to do this, do you understand?"

"Tsk! Really shameless, doing such a heinous thing! Being possessed by defective film followers, how can those people be good?"

"Keep your voice down! We have been working as company security guards for so many years, haven't we seen enough of this kind of thing?" Winder sighed and said, "To put it bluntly, either you become a prince or a consumable. And we... are standing on the edge of a cliff, and if we take a wrong step, we will be doomed."

"What a damn day, what a damn place..." Paul extinguished his cigarette butt fiercely on the wall beside him and threw it out with force.

"It's quite cunning, but it depends on who you compare it to." Winder licked the corner of his mouth with his tongue, raised his chin, and said, "Paul, do you know what the chaos over there is doing?"

"I don't know, I just know that some people are protesting. I don't know what they are protesting specifically."

"To do this job well, you must be well-informed. You can't do this - I'll teach you a lesson." Winder waved his hand, asking his companions to get closer, and then said, "Do you know our magic crystal factory in the East District?"

"The one that was closed because it didn't make money before?"

"What do you mean it's not making money! The business is very good, but it was closed to clean it up for easy sale, which involves the exchange of interests between our Scarlet Company and Today Group - it's all the intention of the top, but it's not important." Winder said, "The key is that it closed too quickly, and many people lost their jobs at once. It stands to reason that they should give a severance pay, but the money has more important uses, and naturally it should go to more important places, such as the pockets of people like the young master. Think about it, can the people below not make a fuss?"

"It's this kind of shit again! How many times has it happened!"

"Anyway, those who are causing trouble are handled by the PCPD (Peicheng Police Department), so we don't need to worry about it. Hey, it seems that the young master is here."

A series of frivolous footsteps came from the depths of the alley. That was the back door of the Tiger Boy Building, which was more in line with the young master's preferences. Winder and Paul glanced over there and confirmed that it was him, so they quickly straightened their collars and pretended to be energetic, capable and loyal.

Minnimo Dix, the "young master", was born into a wealthy family. He was the biological son of a director of the Scarlet Company headquarters and the sixteenth child in a family with many children and grandchildren. Although this ranking is not important, he can "be free" and is still considered to be the kind of person who was "born with a silver spoon in his mouth". Although it seems that his intelligence and emotional intelligence have a sense of heavy metal poisoning, it does not prevent his little finger from being thicker than other people's waists, which can easily make most people in the world stumble.

Excluding the influence of his wealth, Minimo Dix is ​​also a handsome young man, tall and thin like a knife, with a white face and long hands, clean-shaven beard, wearing a precious black leather windbreaker, and golden short boots. He just turned 20 years old, and he is still immature, full of ambition, and has great ambitions but little talent. This is reflected in his flowing messy curly hair, erratic tired eyes, floating mocking smile, and the swaying corners of his long windbreaker. His walking posture is unforgettable, it is a dangerous posture with a shaking belly but not falling; watching his limbs sweeping back and forth, it seems that he is always collecting the surrounding debris to his body, but his chest and abdomen are still empty, revealing an irrepressible feeling of vanity and hunger.

It can probably be summarized as a multi-layered meaning of arrogance, asking for a beating, but not being able to be beaten.

This outfit is popular in Peicheng.

"If you have a chance, you should try the service of Nifujia women. It's really amazing - but you are unlikely to have such an opportunity in your life." Young Master Minimo shook his shoulders and nodded his head left and right, responding to the rhythm of the music in his mind.

"We can only rely on imagination and hands, young master." Winder smiled and gave a response.

"Imagination and two hands? Then your thing must be very big?" The young master laughed, but his face quickly became gloomy: "I don't like to hear such jokes. Is the car safe?"

"We have been watching it, no one comes, and we won't let wild dogs and cats touch it."

"It's best to be like this! If there is a problem with the car, even if it's just scratched, you will lose your head!" The young master snorted, put his hands in his pockets, and staggered towards the car.

This is a T400 steam-electric hybrid six-wheeled commercial vehicle, the latest model of its kind, and the price on the open market is 265,000 yuan. The young master's car has additional armor to resist direct impact, and there is also an energy-conducting rune layer underneath that can transfer the shooting energy of the "Shadow Gun" harmlessly. Its interior has also been modified by the master, which can perfectly integrate luxury, safety and comfort. These modifications can at least double its price, so overall, it is definitely a low-key but high-end gift.

This is a birthday gift prepared for his father. Minimo took it and tried it out to prevent any flaws that have not been found. By the way, enjoy it first. It is now his father's and will be his own in the future. This is a natural thing, so he has no burden at all.

"There is something else tonight, you can follow me to do it." The young master adjusted his belt, came to the back of the car first, and said: "Open the trunk."

"The special key for the trunk is with you." Paul said.

"Huh? Oh, yes, yes." The young master searched around and found a silver key in the third pocket of his coat.

The key twisted gently in the lock, and with a crisp click, the trunk of the car opened, and in the middle of it was a square silver-white metal box. The box was about one meter square and a quarter meter thick. It was smooth and had no edges and corners. There were rib-shaped support structures on each surface to increase strength.

Mysterious runes were densely engraved on the box, and dark red spots moved slowly between the complex lines. In the middle of the front of the box was a brass nameplate with two lines of words engraved on it, one in larger black text "Box of Light No. 623" and the other in smaller red text "Property of Scarlet Group 6" below.

"Box of Light?" Paul hissed, his heart pounding. He covered his chest and asked, "Sir, is this a shadow follower?"

"Need I say that? The shadow follower brought from the shadow world must be locked in the box of light, after all, it has not been tamed yet." The young man gently stroked the box, and his movements were exactly the same as when he stroked the body of the woman he coveted. "The six departments asked me for help, I reluctantly helped them solve the problem, haha!"

"That's because you are so powerful, young master, the six departments came to you for help." Winder said with a flattering smile, but he had another idea in his mind.

The Scarlet Group is one of the four major corporate groups. No matter how the situation changes, it has never fallen out of the top ten for more than a hundred years, and has long occupied the top five positions. The group's main business is biopharmaceuticals, organ modification, living therapy and shadow transplantation. The existing "individual strongmen" are generally inseparable from the Scarlet Group.

The six departments of the group are responsible for research and development, with the highest level of confidentiality, and have always been one of the most mysterious departments in the entire group. What the six departments bring out is often dangerous, unproven, and powerful, especially when it is related to shadows.

Shadow followers are like ghosts, with various shapes, mostly in the shape of aerosol. They are energy creatures that belong to another world - the shadow world. After being domesticated, they can be combined with the human body to provide a variety of special abilities, including flying in the sky and escaping the ground, breathing fire and shooting ice. It can also be combined with some electrical devices to control current and produce a variety of functions. The stronger the Shadow Servant, the harder it is to tame it. The Box of Light is a device to imprison and tame the Shadow Servant, and it is the most powerful device of this type.

The Box of Light of the Sixth Department of the Scarlet Group can be said to be the container of the most dangerous shadow servant in the world today. How did this thing get into the hands of the young master? He himself has a brain problem, are those researchers going crazy too? This young man has no abilities other than being born well and should not be exposed to things of this level.

Wen De felt that something was wrong, but he did not dare to ask. He knew the master's temper very well. If he said something wrong, in addition to being scolded, he would definitely leave his current position - this was how his three previous partners left. Once he leaves, his income will definitely drop sharply, and he still has a family to support.

You can't ask about this, just get over it quickly. He winked at Paul and then asked: "Sir, this is a good thing. Where are we going next? Don't worry, the two of us will be extra careful."

The young master snorted and said: "Hey, you are right to be careful. If you don't work hard and something happens, it will be easy for you to peel off your skin. Don't worry, leave the operation of the Box of Light to me. , you don’t need to take action.”

It's just because you're in charge that we're worried about it, okay? Paul and Wende exchanged helpless looks and shrank their necks at the same time.

"Look at how cowardly you are, what are you afraid of! There is a basic truth in this world, you have to pay a price for whatever you want. The more powerful the shadow follower is, the more obvious its weaknesses are. Even if it is difficult to tame, it will not It’s difficult to imprison. The Box of Light is absolutely safe, and nothing will happen to you even if you smash it a few times.”

After saying that, the young master raised his fist and beat hard on the box of light. Paul and Wende hurriedly stopped him. "We believe you, Young Master, we believe it completely. We have little experience, and now that I hear what you say, I feel confident."

The young master slowly raised his palm, and the current attitude of the two followers finally made him smile with satisfaction. "The job tonight is simple. Go around the troubled area over there and let the Box of Light do its job. You two just need to drive."

If they were just driving, it wouldn't be difficult. Wen De and Paul were afraid that the young master would cause trouble for them. The mysterious sixth department, the box of light that exudes a dangerous aura, and three novices with no experience in shadow slave domestication, this combination is not reassuring no matter how you look at it.

The two of them were a little worried, but the young master was urging them hard, so they had no choice but to go ahead. They closed the trunk, one opened the door for the young master, and the other increased the steam pressure in the car. The finest pure black coal ash is mixed with a combustion accelerant extracted from whale oil and sent along the pipe into the combustion chamber, where it turns into a blazing flame and further boils the water tank. People call the trembling sound of high-pressure steam in the pipeline "the roar of water and fire", and they always control this originally contradictory force with pride.

The carriage shuddered at first, then moved forward slowly and steadily. Paul and Wende, who were sitting in the front row respectively, looked at each other, nodded, and took it into their arms in a tacit understanding. They took out two silver "shadow guns" from their pockets and put them on their fingers.

The shadow gun looks like half a finger tiger, with only two rings on the index finger and middle finger. It is a weapon that shoots with the help of shadow followers. It can fire "ghost energy bullets" with simple tracking and fatal killing effects. Shadow guns vary in power and size, with the smallest being the one that fits on two fingers. Because it is easy to carry and can be used with one hand, it is also called a pistol.

When approaching a nearly chaotic crowd with valuable items, only being equipped with weapons can make people feel at ease. Paul and Wende put the "Half Finger Tiger" on, and a stinging sensation came from the pistol. It first touched the heart and then penetrated into the brain. They gritted their teeth and endured it.

Although the shadow is good, it was captured from another world. It is "restless and resisting" all the time. There is a price to pay for using it. This kind of stinging pain is already the mildest symptom. It only happens violently when first equipped and disappears quickly, but continues to be increasingly tiring after that. At the least, it can make a person's physical condition deteriorate and make him more susceptible to diseases; at worst, it can make his mind unable to relax and lead to serious personality and mental problems.

If you want to reduce the harm caused by shadow followers, especially the damage to the spirit and personality, you must "domesticate" shadow followers, that is, eliminate their wild nature. The shadow followers in Paul and Wind's pistols are domesticated. According to them, they will only "bite" when equipped and then "suck some blood". They will certainly not turn people into psychopaths.

This is a Shadow Pistol made using regular methods. It is issued uniformly by Scarlet Group and its quality is guaranteed. If it were the kind of black gun of unknown origin circulating on the street, the potential threat would be much greater. But many times the gun is used to save one's life. Even if there are subsequent troubles, one can only endure it.

The method of completely taming a shadow follower has always been a secret of the top group companies, and it is also the main reason why they can monopolize the "super shadow follower". The more powerful the shadow follower is, the more "wild" it is, and more complex means are needed to suppress and tame it. The most famous of these devices is the Box of Light, which is specifically for the strongest shadow follower. So far, Scarlet Company, one of the four major groups, has only ranked the top Box of Light up to No. 623, which shows how rare the number of "super shadow followers" is.

The two people in front nervously put on their pistols, and the silver-white half-knuckles reflected the luster of the metal. The young master sitting in the back row naturally saw it. He just felt that the two people were useless, without any courage, and did not look like they were doing big things, and they were even more incomparable to himself.

"You guys, with this little bit of temperament, the best you can do is become the captain of the team security. To get something, you have to pay. Everything is an exchange." The young master crossed his legs, raised his eyebrows, and said arrogantly: "The higher the level of the shadow follower, the simpler the method of taming it. Its anger is no different from human emotions. As long as it is hedged and enough people share the damage, it will be satisfied and accept taming."

The idea of ​​using people to share the damage of the shadow follower and reduce the wildness of the shadow follower has a long history. Paul and Winder heard that many shadow followers on the black market were "tamed" in this way. As for the effect... Hundreds of examples of using this kind of shadow follower leading to physical decay and mental madness are enough to illustrate the problem.

Even if it is not safe, this primitive and irresponsible method is indeed effective. At least it can tame the shadow follower to the extent that it can be "used", so those non-group shadow follower products can be sold on the black market. But the shadow follower products on the black market are simple things. To put it bluntly, they are not very wild, and this method can still be used to deal with them. Can a super shadow follower who needs the Box of Light to suppress also use such a primitive and unreliable method?

Paul and Winder were uneasy, trying to control their emotions, and parked the car safely in the alley behind Jianxin Road. From the three-meter-wide alley, they could just see the oblique side of the protest team. They turned the rear of the car towards the protesting crowd, turned off all the lights, and let the shadows provide them with protection. Many protesters were crowded together, standing or sitting, and cast angry eyes on the office building of the Peicheng Division of the Scarlet Group opposite them. Many PCPDs set up cordons on the street, protected themselves with shields, and pointed electric batons and various guns at the protesting crowd.

It seemed that the situation was under control. The crowd did not try to rush through the cordon, nor did they clash with the PCPD. Everyone was at peace for the time being, which gave the young master the opportunity to use the Box of Light. He lit a cigarette in the car, breathed hard, and got out of the car while exhaling smoke. He leaned against the cold concrete wall and squinted his eyes to look at the situation across the alley. Today, the Peicheng Division of the Scarlet Group has informed the PCPD that there is no need to drive them away violently or frame them. Just let those people make trouble honestly.

"Humph, they don't know what's going on yet..." The young master smiled lightly and swept the crowd with contempt. Those people were pale and thin, and the only thing that could be called full was the anger caused by grievance, which was just right to absorb the wildness of the shadow. Well, those old men and women, uncles and aunts, I'm afraid they will lose a layer of skin this time. The young and strong have a stronger tolerance, but they will definitely get seriously ill.

"I hope your sequelae are all sexual dysfunction." The young master was inexplicably amused by his own joke and laughed. His laughter made Paul and Winder shudder, and their hands that were carrying the Box of Light from the trunk trembled slightly.

"Hey, did you see that guy? It's particularly conspicuous." The young master pointed to the crowd in the distance and said.

Winder quickly looked over and looked for the young master's finger among the crowded protesters. He soon saw an interesting young man, perhaps the one defined by the young master as "conspicuous".

"The one with the rainbow jacket, yellow shirt, green pants, and the hanger?" Wend asked.

The young master nodded and said, "It's him, you have good eyesight. He propped up the work clothes with a rack and held them high above his head. I glanced at it before and thought he was holding a living person! I thought, this guy has good physical fitness, can he climb on the rack, will he use the shadow to enhance his strength? Hehe, it turned out that I was wrong, it's just a work clothes model."

Paul also found the target in the crowd. The protester holding the work clothes model looked about 20 years old. He was a little far away, and he could only see that his skin was slightly yellow, his eyebrows and eyes were sharp, and he should be handsome.

"Put the box at the back of the car." The young master flicked his finger, and the cigarette butt with sparks drew an arc in the air, and fell into the pool of water on the side of the road with a click, and immediately dimmed and sank, just like the young master's last sympathy. "There are two general resistance-enhancing drugs in the refrigerator in the back seat of the car. Each of you can drink one tube to reduce the influence of the shadow."

"What about you, young master?" Wend asked.

"Idiot, I must have drunk it!" He waved his hand, and took advantage of the gap between the two people to touch and press the Box of Light.

Shh... cold gas overflowed from the gap opened in the Box of Light, sank and spread along the surface, condensing a layer of frost on the surface of the pool. The young master retracted his hand, rubbed his cold fingers, took a deep breath, and suddenly opened the Box of Light.

The Box of Light is the most advanced electric rune device. The delicate and rigorous rune parts are densely stacked in the box, guarding a transparent round tank in the center. The tank is made of special laminated glass, and the inner layer is a dense silver conductive filament that is almost invisible to the naked eye. Under the control of the rune circuit, the current running at a unique frequency flows inside the glass, forming a constraint barrier, trapping the shadow in the center.

The shadow imprisoned by the Box of Light No. 623 is a fist-sized, black and white cloud, rolling slowly, forming a vortex in its center. The three people looked closely and saw the mirror image of their pupils in the center of the vortex. The eyeball that is exactly the same as their own contains both fire and ice, and the ice and fire continue to explode in the collision, as if to destroy everything around in this way.

"The institute said that this shadow follower has little power but a very bad temper and is extremely difficult to tame. It is a very strange thing. I see that they are stupid staying in the laboratory all day. Wildness must be tempered with wildness. As long as there is enough manpower, there is no shadow follower that cannot be tamed." The young master said while operating the mechanism inside the Box of Light to change its restraint state.

Few people can operate the Box of Light, and the young master is no exception. It completely relies on the operating process instructions on the top cover of the box. This is a thoughtful arrangement by the staff of the institute. The young master was complacent about being able to come up with a way to tame the shadow follower. He didn't think about a problem at all: the Box of Light has set up a function specifically for this kind of taming, and the institute clearly often uses this method! He is just a tool man. In the eyes of the institute, he has a similar status to Paul and Winder in his heart.

Accompanied by a buzzing sound of electricity, the Box of Light lowered part of the restraint net to release the wildness of the shadow follower. In an instant, the young master and the other three immediately felt cold all over, and a sense of killing emerged from the sweat hair behind the neck, along the back of the head and straight to the top of the head. Before they could even shiver, the cold air flow penetrated from the ceiling, penetrated their whole bodies, and entered the ground through their heels.

"Huh... exciting!" The young master said with trembling teeth.

Shadow No. 623 continued to expand its influence, and a faint shadow passed through the alley, pounced on the PCPD and the protesting crowd, and enveloped everyone's face.

Steam dimmed the moonlight, and fatigue obscured the lights. Except for the instigator, no one knew that there were shadows in action. The atmosphere at the protest site quickly became wrong. Under the influence of the shadow, everyone's temper began to swell, and they began to curse, push, and move towards the PCPD cordon - everyone became more and more excited and more and more difficult to control.

The workwear model that was lifted high before fell to the ground with a snap, followed by the sound of the cordon being broken. The protesters and the PCPD fought in a group, and they also fought with themselves. Crying and shouting came one after another, and the sound of fists and fists, metal and metal hitting each other was a mess.

"Young Master" lit another cigarette and prepared to relax for a while.

Suddenly, the Box of Light shook violently, and then bounced up and down and left and right in the trunk of the car, like a big fish that had just been thrown onto the shore. Shadow 623 struggled frantically, and the shadows it released became thicker and thicker. Winder and Paul's eyes were red, they screamed, and then they waved their fists at each other. And Young Master struggled to pounce on the Box of Light and slapped his palm on the red button representing emergency stop.

He felt that he had successfully slapped the button, and he found that his vision was blurred and blocked by the warm red liquid.

But...

The chaos caused by Shadow 623 became more and more serious, and everyone's emotions were aroused, and the desire to fight overwhelmed everything. The protesters generally had a big goal-the office building of the Scarlet Group was in front of them, and rushing in "definitely" could take back everything they had been deprived of. In order to fight this impact, the PCPD not only used weapons, but also called for support from the riot strike team.

In a corner of the chaotic scene of red and blue flashes, fists, sticks, boots and blood, next to the overturned trash can and the body with half a skull missing, a young man sat on the ground with lifeless eyes watching the battle drama gradually approaching its climax. Ghost energy bombs brushed his ears, shattered the wall tiles, and the flying stones left blood marks on his face, but he remained motionless like a corpse.

Ever since the "work clothes model" fell from his hands, Zhuang Xuteng fell into a trance, as if he was out of the world in front of him. He was pushed and hit, and fell beside the trash can, fortunately avoiding the core of the riot with only minor injuries. His brain kept reminding him to leave this place of trouble quickly, but his body seemed to have lost power and would not move at all.

He thought he might be paralyzed, or perhaps injured in the back of his neck, otherwise he could not explain his current state. Now it is very similar to the out-of-control state he once was when he was a zombie (a dangerous side job of lending his body to others), except that the body and mind are reversed, the mind is intact, and the body cannot move. He watched the people around him fight, bleed profusely, and then become cold and silent; he watched a red blood mist cover his limbs and then get under his skin.

An explosion occurred in the alley not far away, and many figures rushed in. Zhuang Xuteng spit out a few mouthfuls of blood, and the sense of touch in his hands and feet gradually recovered, and he felt that he could move again. At this time, the riot strike team arrived to support, they were dressed in black and fully armed; they came from the air, and every time they raised their arms, they would release a large amount of ghost energy bombs; they quickly controlled the situation at the scene.

A pair of cold handcuffs locked Zhuang Xuteng's hands, they were very tight, biting the flesh tightly. He and many people at the scene were taken away because someone needed to be held accountable for today's events.

Including the explosion that occurred in the alley.