Chapter 146: Mission Accomplished

Qin Yang knew he was cold-hearted and cruel, but even in the face of Yuwen Rounu’s accusations, he simply did not care about the extent of his own cruelty.

And so, after the seventh day, the guards of Kano discovered with despair that they seemed to have contracted the legendary Black Death. Even those within the royal palace were not spared, and Azarias was no exception. How fast does the Black Death spread? Anyone with a slight understanding of the virus knows: rapidly. Azarias never dreamed he would fall victim to such a disease, and even his troops stationed in Kano were not spared.

In an instant, all of Kano was gripped by panic. No one dared to keep their doors closed. Every household looked at a rat as if it were the most terrifying creature on earth. Yet, even so, the Black Death swept through the entire city of Kano and more than twenty surrounding towns at lightning speed. Everyone panicked. The guards of other cities, once they spotted outsiders, would fire warning shots and refuse entry to anyone—even those belonging to Azarias.

Most terrifyingly, outbreaks of plague erupted along the border between Daner and Nili, with the most virulent strain being the Black Death. The merchants who had originally come to buy gemstones fled as fast as they could, but upon returning to their home countries, they faced immediate quarantine. Anyone who sneezed was thrown into an isolation zone and would not be released until absolute safety was confirmed.

On the tenth day, the World Health Organization dispatched a large number of medical teams into Nili. Simultaneously, the civil war in Nili was declared over; no one had the heart to fight anymore. The armed rebels, who had previously looked at the foreign medical teams as if they were barbaric children, now greeted them as warmly as if they were their own ancestors.

However, the most terrifying thing was not just the Black Death outbreak in Nili.

Across Africa, Asia, South America, Europe, and Oceania, large-scale outbreaks of the Black Death appeared. Europe, in particular, had not forgotten the horror of the medieval outbreak that nearly wiped out the continent, even after several hundred years. This crisis swept across the globe with terrifying speed.

Was the disaster of the Middle Ages about to descend once more?

This was the question that left everyone trembling with fear. Although various countries tightened controls on the spread, they had acted a bit too late. China had prepared defenses early on, making it the least affected country; almost no carriers were found, and those that were had been contained. The top officials in China were deeply grateful to Qin Yang, as it was only thanks to his warning that they had managed this. The poor remaining countries, however, were miserable, especially Japan, where the high population density provided a naturally favorable environment for the spread of the Black Death.

This was destined to be a global catastrophe.

Although it did not cause a total global collapse, the Black Death was truly terrifying. By the twelfth day, the World Health Organization investigated the number of infected people worldwide and released a figure that chilled everyone to the bone: 890,000. Nili, the first place where the plague was discovered, accounted for only over 80,000 of that total. When Qin Yang learned this number, he was startled. "Those bastards behind the scenes are even more ruthless than me. I only infected 80,000 in Kano, and they managed to create ten times that."

However, there was one thing that made Qin Yang quite happy.

On the fourteenth day in Nili, he finally reached the Second-Level Hell.

The first benefit was that Qin Yang clearly felt his body further strengthened. Every cell in his body seemed to be infused with some kind of energy that promoted evolution. A boundless, cosmic force surged through his limbs and bones, while his internal organs felt as if they were being nourished under the sun—comfortable, refreshing, and powerful.

The second immediate benefit was the improvement of his Ghost Soldiers. After killing so many, these two first-level Ghost Soldiers should have upgraded long ago, but they had been stuck at the peak of the first level due to the restrictions of the First-Level Hell. With the birth of the Second-Level Hell, their strength grew like a whirlwind; Qin Yang even felt they were far more powerful than Qian Haoran. What made Qin Yang happiest was the prompt from Hell: because he had upgraded to Second-Level Hell, he was rewarded with 10,000 Soul Points. This was a complete treasure for him, especially since after reaching the second level, he could absorb second-level spirits, and the soul points required to convert their memories would increase significantly, sometimes requiring over 900 points. Having these 10,000 points was the icing on the cake.

"I feel fantastic right now," Qin Yang laughed heartily.

"Satisfied already? You are too naive," the Butler chuckled. "The benefits of the Second-Level Hell are not just about absorbing second-level spirits. From today on, reading the memories of first-level spirits will no longer cost you any soul points."

"Really?" Qin Yang asked with a grin.

The Butler replied, "Naturally. This will save you a huge expense. Also, starting today, you can lock onto the location of any spirit you know. Of course, this is limited to those below seventh-level, excluding the seventh-level themselves."

"An automatic positioning system? Hell is quite high-tech," Qin Yang remarked with amusement.

The Butler said quietly, "Well, the benefits of the Second-Level Hell have only just begun. When your number of spirits reaches 200,000, 500,000, and 800,000, new permissions will be unlocked respectively. Azarias's time is running out; don't waste any more time. If he dies from the virus, your mission will be judged a failure. You probably won't see the Hell Star Shard again until you open the Third-Level Hell."

Qin Yang nodded hurriedly.

The Hell Star Shard, mysterious powers—he didn't want to miss these. He quickly packed up, checked under the car to see that Walker was still alive, and dragged him out. Walker was on the verge of a mental breakdown, having endured car exhaust fumes every day and the constant roaring in his ears. Most spitefully, Qin Yang had dislocated his jaw and fed him just enough water and food every so often to ensure he didn't die of hunger or thirst. After seven or eight days of this, he was skin and bones.

The plan to assassinate Azarias was simple.

He had previously knocked out the members of the medical team and, after a disguise, looked just like a doctor in a white coat. Walker was stuffed into a large trunk. He pushed the trunk into Kano, and the guards at the gate checked him immediately. Seeing Qin Yang's medical credentials, they respectfully let him in, and one even kindly helped him push the trunk.

"There are precious medicines in here, be careful," Qin Yang instructed. "These are for your General. Now, take me to the palace."

The guard had no suspicions and led Qin Yang to the palace. Since there were medical staff appearing in the palace from time to time, Qin Yang's entry went very smoothly. He soon locked onto Azarias's location and walked toward his room with the trunk. Originally, two soldiers were guarding the door, but after seeing the various credentials and medicines Qin Yang presented, they let him through. They didn't dare enter themselves, for fear of being infected by Azarias.

Inside the room, seven or eight medical team members were constantly monitoring Azarias's condition.

The poor guy was suffering terribly from the Black Death. Subcutaneous bleeding could be seen on the skin exposed outside his clothes, and his face was the same; a large abscess had even formed on his cheek, which suddenly reminded Qin Yang of that ugly guy, Xiao Yi. Thinking of Xiao Yi, he thought of Liu Yan, and decided that when he returned, he would poach Liu Yan to work at his pharmacy.

He closed the door.

The medical team members didn't notice anything. One of them said, "Bring the penicillin."

Qin Yang smiled.

He waved both hands, and suddenly they smelled a strange odor. Each one was shocked before collapsing to the floor. Qin Yang pushed the trunk forward and sat down beside Azarias with a grin.

The weak Azarias saw a stranger and tried to shout, but he lacked the strength to make a sound. "Help, help."

"Stop shouting, no one can hear you," Qin Yang opened the trunk.

Azarias first saw his son dumped out of the trunk and sprawled over him. Poor Walker was as thin as a monkey, and his ten fingers had been cut off—a miserable sight.

Qin Yang removed his disguise and said with a smile, "Who do I look like?"

"A Chinese," Azarias said in terror.

"Exactly," Qin Yang laughed. "Your son was very arrogant. He piloted a plane and drove me into a corner, causing one of my brothers to sacrifice himself. I spent over ten days just to finish you off; it was worth it. Don't talk too much, save your strength for when I kill you in a moment. Tsk tsk, you’ve decorated this place nicely, haven't you? Priceless. Too bad you won't live to enjoy it."

"You, you are the Ningjinanga who killed Leausel?" Azarias asked weakly.

"That's right, it's me."

Qin Yang stood up, hauled a safe hidden in the room into the large trunk, and began scavenging other valuable, rare gemstones and diamonds from the room. He muttered, "You old man, you're truly extravagant. You’ve collected the super gemstones mined from the veins, but it's a pity you dared to keep them in your room—it's my gain. I happen to have a friend reopening a jewelry company who was almost killed by your people in Nili. Now you can consider it paying a debt. Don't look at me so stingily."

He closed the trunk.

Qin Yang walked back and said, "Alright, enough torture. I'm done playing with you. It's time for you to die."

"Wait, I can give you even greater wealth," Azarias said in panic.

"No need, I have plenty of money myself." Qin Yang pulled out a dagger, made a cut on Walker's forehead, then held it to Azarias's throat and said coldly, "You won't be lonely with your son dying beside you. The revenge for my brother is finally settled."

"Hell mission completed. Reward: Hell Star Shard. Reward: Night Curtain."

"What is Night Curtain?" Qin Yang asked as he rearranged his clothes.

"A basic ability of Ghost Soldiers; it allows you to disappear without a trace in the darkness," the Butler explained.

"Damn, isn't this useless? I have Ghost Soldiers, why would I need this?" Qin Yang said with some dissatisfaction.

"But that is the Ghost Soldiers' ability, and your Night Curtain is far superior to theirs, even with special effects for creating environments. You can try it when you have the chance," the Butler said. "Alright, let's go. They have already discovered that Azarias is dead. It's time to return to the country. As long as you can develop a cure for the Black Death, you can indirectly fulfill the last wishes of a large number of spirits, and the number of spirits you can absorb will naturally increase significantly."

"Back to the country. I'm tired of this place," Qin Yang said.