Looking at Duanmu Huai in front of him, the man's body hair stood on end. Under the moonlight outside, that ferocious face looked like some indescribable beast baring its fangs, trying to tear him into pieces.
Not only that—for the man, merely being enveloped by that gaze made him feel as if his courage, will, and even the convictions he had held onto his entire life—things he would have willingly died for—were collapsing at an unimaginable speed. Like sand under a violent wind, or snow melting under sunlight, in almost an instant, everything he had clung to since birth crumbled to dust under that gaze!
At that moment, the man stared at Duanmu Huai and suddenly widened his eyes.
"It—it's you!"
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Duanmu Huai raised an eyebrow.
"You recognize me?"
"Of course… you've already sabotaged the Cabin's plans twice… I never imagined that such a secret plan would be discovered by you!"
Staring at Duanmu Huai, the man looked almost insane.
"How is this possible? This was the most classified plan—how did you find out? Who leaked the secret?!"
Hmm?
Seeing the man's reaction, Duanmu Huai froze for a moment, then quickly realized what was going on. Clearly, from what the man said, the two Silver Twilight Cabin operations he had encountered on the train and airship were actually part of one grand plan. And this Dark City seemed to be the core of that plan.
And because he had disrupted their plans twice in a row, they mistakenly thought he had learned everything and was deliberately interfering?
But Duanmu Huai knew very well—this was all just coincidence… well, coincidence… maybe not exactly.
At this thought, Duanmu Huai silently glanced at his coat pocket. Inside, the little rabbit was curled up, poking its head out curiously to look outside.
Seems like his lucky bunny was really pulling its weight.
Duanmu Huai hadn't expected that the case in Fog City would connect to the train and airship incidents.
But now…
"That has nothing to do with you."
Duanmu Huai snorted coldly and reached out, grabbing the man's throat and lifting him into the air.
"You just need to answer my questions. What exactly are you doing all this for?"
"Y-you… you already know…"
"Of course. That's why I'm asking. You should understand that lying in front of me is useless."
That was, of course, a lie. Duanmu Huai had no idea what the Silver Twilight Cabin was actually planning. But bluffing wasn't difficult for him. While he didn't have the high charisma or persuasion skills of some players, when it came to intimidation…
That was his specialty.
"Ugh… ah…"
As Duanmu Huai's fingers tightened slightly, the man felt his throat being crushed. Like a deflating balloon, the air in his lungs was forced out. Coupled with Duanmu Huai's savage gaze—as if he intended to devour him alive—the man completely broke down, losing all sanity.
"The world… the world will be completely changed… we will reshape everything… the great gods are about to descend… the torch of the Gate of Tartaros has already been lit…"
"Speak like a human."
"E-everything… everything is part of the plan. We know the ancient great gods are wandering in the void, so we want to guide them into our world and completely transform it. The Gate of Tartaros is just the beginning. Miss Charlotte has already arrived before the gate, becoming the torchbearer who will guide them. Next, what we must do is remove the seals and open the gate… the Dark City is only one part of it. All over the world, our brethren are fighting for this great ideal… ah—!!!"
Before he could finish, Duanmu Huai tightened his grip again, making him scream.
"So that means the incidents I encountered before were also part of your plan?"
"Y-yes… opening the interdimensional passage to the Black Cavern, calling for the favor of the Thousand-Faced God, and lifting the seal of the Dark City… all part of the plan…"
"I'm curious about something."
Duanmu Huai stared at him and asked calmly.
"According to Professor Čapek, Miss Charlotte has already reached the Gate of Tartaros. Then why are you still doing this pointless nonsense here?"
"Miss Charlotte… she… she is special. What she desires is different from us. Once she reaches the Gate of Tartaros holding the torch, she can guide the descent of the gods. However, without lifting the seals, the gate will not open… so we must help her…"
"How many of you are there? Where are you?"
"..."
For the first time, the man fell silent. Duanmu Huai chuckled, then reached out and grabbed the man's arm, lifting it in front of his face like a toy figure's limb and shaking it slightly.
"See this? This is your arm."
As he spoke, Duanmu Huai pressed a finger against the man's forearm—then suddenly applied force.
"Crack!!!!"
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"
In the next moment, the man's forearm bent in the opposite direction like a broken toy limb and snapped. Then Duanmu Huai grabbed the twisted, shattered arm and yanked it clean off his body!
"Now it's not."
Duanmu Huai tossed the severed limb aside and stared at him coldly. The man's face had turned deathly pale from pain. His legs instinctively struggled and kicked wildly against the ground, as if that might lessen the agony. But under Duanmu Huai's [Fear Aura], he couldn't even pass out—he could only endure the pain that was driving him insane.
"Answer me. How many of you are there? Where are they?"
"N-no more! There are only four of us left here! Čapek and Lorete have already failed, Charlotte has reached the Gate of Tartaros, and I'm the last member of the Čapek research group here! As for where the other Cabin guests went… I don't know! I really don't kno—AAAAHHH!!!"
Before he could finish, Duanmu Huai kicked out, smashing the man's knee into pieces. Then he stepped on the twisted lower leg and ripped it straight off—like tearing apart a roasted lamb leg.
"My patience is limited."
"A-Antarctica! They went to Antarctica!"
At last, the man screamed.
"I only know this much! They went to Antarctica, saying they would open the Gate of Tartaros from there… they said that long ago there was a mysterious ancient civilization there, and within its ruins exists the true Gate of Tartaros that connects to reality! That's all I know! I don't know where exactly in Antarctica they went! I don't kno—ugh…"
Duanmu Huai had no interest in listening further. With another squeeze of his fingers, he silenced him.
"…Right. One last question. How did you recognize me?"
"…The Cabin's guests all know… there's a bald man, with a ferocious and terrifying face, as tall as a monster, who has been interfering with us…"
Crack.
Before he could finish, Duanmu Huai grabbed his head and twisted it like opening a bottle cap—ripping it clean off his neck. His voice stopped abruptly.
As expected of a cult—spouting nonsense. Ferocious and terrifying face? Who are they calling that?
Although the man didn't say exactly where in Antarctica they had gone, Duanmu Huai already knew.
In fact, the moment the man said "Antarctica," he already knew where to find those damned cultists.
It was in the mountainous plateau south of the Ross Sea—a city buried beneath endless ice and snow.
The slumbering place of ancient beings who once ruled this planet, the Old Ones and their minions.
Also a famous "check-in spot" for players.
However, compared to other places, going to Antarctica would be far more troublesome—and far more dangerous.
This became obvious from Mary's reaction when she learned of Duanmu Huai's plan.
"Mr. Duanmu, are you really going to Antarctica?"
"For now, it seems there's no other choice."
Duanmu Huai nodded. He wasn't worried the man had lied—after all, in the system, he could clearly see that the man's [SAN] had completely collapsed, entering a state of total madness. In that condition, there was no way he could keep secrets.
"I… can I go too?"
"You want to go?"
"Yes. Because you said the Gate of Tartaros is in Antarctica. Maybe… maybe I could see Xia Li there…"
"Getting to Antarctica isn't easy. Can you even get permission?"
"Th-that…"
Hearing this, Mary's excitement instantly deflated. Just as Duanmu Huai said, Antarctica wasn't a place just anyone could go. Especially for a student like her—she had no qualifications whatsoever… unless…
"You're a History Department student, right?"
"Yes."
Though she didn't understand why he suddenly asked, Mary nodded.
"Does your department have excavation or field research expeditions?"
"Th-that… yes, we do."
Mary nodded again. As he said, the Royal Academy's History Department often conducted field research on ruins and relics, and sometimes students participated. But those were always top-tier members of research groups—not someone like her.
"No problem then."
Duanmu Huai snapped his fingers.
"Leave it to me."
"...??? "
Duanmu Huai didn't have connections—but he didn't need them. He had the Foundation.
After discussing with Mary, he returned to his room, logged into the Foundation's website, and commissioned them to check whether the Royal Academy had any Antarctic expedition plans.
The Foundation's intelligence capabilities spoke for themselves. Before long, he received a reply. According to their findings, the Royal Academy did indeed have plans for a geological expedition to Antarctica. However, as mentioned earlier, Antarctica wasn't somewhere you could just go. The cost alone was astronomical.
For an institution like the Royal Academy, even with royal backing, funding such an expedition was… unlikely.
However, such research projects weren't difficult to approve.
The only problem was money.
As long as someone paid, everything else was easy.
Just like now.
"Thank you so much for your sponsorship, Mr. Duanmu Huai."
Professor Pamar from the Royal Academy's Geology Department beamed as he shook Duanmu Huai's hand vigorously. In his fifties, with sun-darkened skin, he clearly spent years in the field. A decorated and respected scholar—but unfortunately, medals didn't pay for Antarctic expeditions.
Duanmu Huai did.
"I've always dreamed of going to Antarctica to study its geological layers, but circumstances never allowed it… thanks to your support…"
"No need for pleasantries, Professor Pamar."
Duanmu Huai waved him off.
"I only have two conditions. If you can meet them, I'll fully fund your expedition."
"What are they?"
"First."
He raised a finger.
"I've never been to Antarctica, so I'd like to join the expedition myself. No problem, right?"
"Of course not. I can add your name to the expedition roster… though I didn't expect you to go personally…"
"Nothing wrong with seeing the world. As for the second condition…"
He smiled.
"I want you to add someone else."
"Add someone?"
"That's right."
Facing Pamar's puzzled gaze, Duanmu Huai continued.
"Her name is Mary Clarissa Christie, a second-year History student at the Royal Academy. She's always wanted to go to Antarctica. If you could invite her to join your expedition team, I'd be very grateful."
"…Hmm…"
Pamar hesitated.
Wait… could it be…
Is Mary his lover?
This kind of thing wasn't uncommon. Still, someone funding an entire expedition just for his lover…
"No problem."
Pamar smiled and nodded.
"I've taught Mary before. She's an excellent student. If she's willing, I'd be happy to invite her into my research group."
Whether they were planning a honeymoon or something else in Antarctica, he didn't care.
As long as the funding was there.
Nothing else mattered.
(End of Chapter)