stjorthotic Chapter 192 'The Schemer'
Chapter 192 'The Schemer'
Chapter 192 'The Schemer'
"I'm sorry, Colonel, I didn't mean to!"
The staff member who brought the materials was woken up by Evan's scolding. Seeing that his hand was already outstretched and about to touch the materials in front of Evan, he quickly apologized with a look of horror.
"It's not your fault. You're just a Sequence 9 Extraordinary, so it's normal that you can't resist the influence of this material."
Okay, I've checked this material, there are no problems, you can leave now.
Hunting black spiders is the main material for "The Schemer". Using it to make magical items can reach the level of "Level 2" sealed artifacts. Even Evan was slightly affected by this material. It is not surprising that a Sequence 9 Extraordinary would be affected by it.
The staff member breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that Evan didn't blame him, and after receiving Evan's permission to leave,
He glanced at the materials on the table again, then left without looking back.
Seeing the staff leave in a hurry, Evan chuckled, then took out a small mirror he always carried with him and used it to complete the arrangement of the spiritual wall, then resealed the materials.
As Evan left with the small box containing the materials, he bumped into the action team that had come underground to collect the '1' level sealed artifact. He feigned dissatisfaction and left with a cold snort, fully displaying his depressed mood. Then, very rudely, he didn't greet the leaders and the other people who had attended the meeting with him, and simply walked away.
"Captain, Colonel Evan is clearly very unhappy about not being able to lead the team this time. Do you think he might be deliberately causing trouble by leaving now?"
At that moment, a member of the action team leaned close to his captain's ear and whispered a sinister guess.
"No, doing that would only harm others and oneself, and the risk is too great. If such a thing really happens, even his brother, Congressman Robert, won't be able to protect him. His future would be ruined, which would be the least of his worries."
When the captain heard his subordinates' guess, he was intrigued, but then thought it unlikely, because the benefits and risks were simply not proportional.
"What I mean is, if something unexpected really happens, we might be able to pin this on him. No matter how ridiculous the reason is, I believe there are many people who dislike him and will give him a push."
A glint flashed in the squad leader's eyes. His subordinate's words reminded him that Evan's brother had now gained the support of the entire political arena for his reorganization of MI9 through the matter of Duke Negan. Everyone in MI9 felt a chill run down their spines.
If Colonel Evan makes some mistakes at this time and these mistakes are seized upon by a powerful figure who is feeling guilty, could they become a powerful tool to restrain Congressman Robert?
So, wouldn't he, who helped the truly powerful figures catch Evan's weakness, also gain a lot of admiration?
When the time comes to accumulate merit, he can take another step forward.
Thinking of this, he pretended to be serious and reprimanded his subordinates:
"Stop thinking about unnecessary things all day long. Focus on doing your own job well first, within your capabilities!"
The subordinate who came up with the idea understood immediately. He had risen from a lowly rank to a high-ranking officer in MI9 through flattery and offering advice; he knew perfectly well what the job entailed.
This is to let him act according to circumstances.
As for acting within one's means, it means that he should seize the opportunity to cause trouble if he can, and not act rashly if he cannot.
After leaving with the materials, Evan first went to the villa located in the West District.
Previously, the Dark Saint of the Aurora Society gave Evan a brain of a lion-man, and now he has obtained a compound eye for hunting black spiders from MI9. He has now gathered both materials needed for the "Conspirator" potion.
Evan still needs to go to Helen to obtain the Extraordinary Properties of the Witch of Pleasure from her. Before that, he decides to first concoct the Schemer's Potion.
After returning to the villa, Evan instructed the butler not to let anyone disturb him before going to his bedroom and retrieving the materials he had previously stored from the hidden safe.
After arranging all the materials in order, Evan took a deep breath and, without hesitation, picked up a large crystal wine glass that had been prepared.
First, he put the blood of the lion-man into it, then he threw in the venom glands of the hunting black spider that he had collected in advance, 10 grams of crushed amber powder, and two white oak fruits.
These spiritual materials melt instantly upon contact, accompanied by disgusting and nauseating black foam.
Without stopping, Evan immediately added the two most important ingredients and then watched the potion's reaction.
With a hiss, a blood-red mist filled the crystal glass, but quickly receded. All the related materials rapidly decomposed and blended together, and the color of the potion deepened.
As the main ingredient dissolved, the potion began to 'boil,' with bubbling bubbles rising and bursting one after another. Finally, the potion in the crystal glass turned iron-black, with a large amount of iron-red rust floating on the surface.
Holding the crystal glass in front of him, looking at the deep black, surging blood-red potion, even Evan felt a wave of disgust.
After setting the prepared potion aside, Evan closed his eyes and meditated for several seconds to get himself into the best state. Then, he decisively poured the potion into his mouth.
The potion had a very strong rusty smell, and it was icy cold when it entered my mouth. As it slid down my esophagus and into my stomach, it felt as if a slippery snake had passed through my digestive system, making me feel extremely nauseous and uncomfortable.
But that feeling was secondary. This time, unlike the previous times when he took the potion, he didn't feel like he was being burned by flames. Instead, he felt his whole body was ice-cold.
At the same time, his brain felt a sense of fatigue, like the feeling of frantically doing practice questions before the college entrance exam in his previous life.
Overworking the brain, resulting in a splitting headache.
But at the same time, he felt that his past memories and actions were transformed into tangible pictures stored in his brain. Details that he had not noticed in the past appeared vividly before his eyes and could be retrieved at any time.
Evan can now clearly recall what he was doing on a certain day, month, year, hour, and second, which reminds him of a term he had heard in his previous life—visual memory.
The pain in his brain gradually spread throughout his body. Ivan was drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through, and he looked as if he had been pulled out of the water. But he clenched his teeth, his veins bulging, and refused to utter a sound of pain.
Evan lay on the bedroom floor, rolling around like a venomous snake, writhing wildly.
Suddenly, the image of the City of Calamity appeared on Evan's body, his pain lessened, and he gradually calmed down.
After a while, Evan finally got up from the floor, threw himself onto the bed, and gasped for breath.
Although the process of taking the potion and becoming a "schemer" was painful, the pain was actually less than he had expected and was still within his tolerance range, as evidenced by the fact that he did not utter a sound throughout.
It wasn't just this time; Evan felt that as his sequence level increased, the pain caused by the potions was decreasing, and he seemed to be becoming more and more compatible with them.
It is reminiscent of the description in the original work that evil spirits can directly consume potions that are compatible with their own path, and they do not need to prepare an ascension ritual.
Evan guessed that as his sequence advanced, he would begin to wield power over the City of Calamity, becoming increasingly "inhuman" and more and more aligned with extraordinary traits.
This was beneficial to Evan, but he also had doubts, because according to the Aurora Society's doctrine, everyone possesses the divinity of the Creator, and all extraordinary characteristics are tainted by the Creator, yet Evan felt nothing about it.
During the process of Evan digesting the potion, what affected him the most was actually the spiritual imprint left by the previous owner among his extraordinary traits, but he did not feel the influence of the creator's divinity.
Especially after fully digesting the potion, if it weren't for the reminder from the original text in his mind, he would have even forgotten the potion's side effects and acted as if nothing had happened.
After thinking for a long time, Evan finally came up with a not-so-reliable guess: the Creator's influence in the potion did not disappear, but rather it was too compatible with him for some reason, so the negative effects were not manifested.
Thinking about this, Evan felt that this conjecture was too unreliable. Even if he had some secrets about being able to travel here, it shouldn't be at a level that could affect the "Primordial" Creator.
Evan has always believed in accepting what comes his way. If he can't figure it out, he won't dwell on it. He won't waste his energy on internal conflicts. Things will work themselves out. If this is a gift from fate, he'll accept it calmly. There's no escaping it. He doesn't care about the hidden price; he'll deal with it when the time comes.
Setting aside his doubts about the potion's effects and withdrawing his thoughts, Evan began to focus on examining the changes in himself after his ascension.
After consuming the "Conspirator" potion, Evan's insight increased, his thinking became more agile and clear, and his ability to lie, fabricate reasons, mislead, confuse, and deceive his targets became stronger, and he also possessed mysterious characteristics.
When Evan engages in "conspiracy" activities through actions and words in the future, he possesses a certain ability to counter-divination and prophecy, making it difficult for others to detect and for the target to have any spiritual awareness.
As with previous potions, taking the "Conspirator" potion enhanced Evan's physique to some extent.
This also improved his finesse in manipulating flames, allowing him to create different shapes at will, such as whips and sabers, instead of just fire crows, fireballs, spears, fire snakes, and fire walls every time.
The difficulty of repeatedly compressing the crimson flame to form an incandescent flame has also been reduced, and the required time has been significantly shortened.
This varies from one to three seconds, depending on the specific shape of the flame and the density of its energy.
It allows one to briefly merge with flames, using fireballs or similar objects to quickly relocate, escape enemy attack range, or close the distance between oneself and others.
Spirituality has also been enhanced. Improved information gathering abilities have led to enhanced physical senses and spiritual awareness.
In summary, the Schemer skill enhanced Evan's fire-based combat abilities and his capacity to devise schemes, but for Evan, who was essentially a dual-path Extraordinary, the overall strength did not improve significantly.
Of course, this was expected. After this general upgrade, Evan will be able to choose one of the abilities of Sequence 5, "The Reaper".
For Evan, who can also use the "assassin" approach to deliver a fatal blow, "harvest" is actually a skill that can be repeated to some extent.
When Evan was promoted to "Arsonist" last time, he had already chosen "Precision" from the three abilities of "Reaper", so this time he could only choose the last ability - Observe Weaknesses.
Weakness detection: It can discover the target's weaknesses and defensive vulnerabilities from a mystical perspective.
Combined with the assassin's "Fatal Strike," it can achieve the same effect as "Reaping."
After this upgrade, Evan was no longer passively forced into the City of Calamity, but he could still feel his control over the City of Calamity increasing.
Evan had absolute control over the prisoners released from the City of Calamity; he could control their lives and thoughts, and this control could even disregard spatial distance.
Therefore, even if Natasha were to enter the mirror space of some angel or witch, with sufficient mysticism to conceal it,
At most, it can only block Evan's connection to her, but it cannot stop Evan from controlling her life and death. After all, Natasha is essentially a prisoner of the City of Calamity. As long as this attribute does not change, she will never be free.
However, this complete control placed a great burden on Evan. Even with Natasha, who was previously a higher-ranking Extraordinary than Evan, Evan could only control one before. The number of lower-ranking prisoners released was measured in thousands.
This is also why Evan had to return here for a promotion before he went to see Helen. Without a general promotion, Evan would be unable to "capture" Helen.
After being promoted to a Sequence 6 "Conspirator", Evan can release three Sequence 6 prisoners of the same rank, or release one Sequence 5 prisoner.
One reason why Evan was so eager to get promoted was that during this period, Ian Wright's organization for homeless children, Sharon and Maric's efforts to control the mob, and O'Sullivan's efforts to rebuild the union were all gradually unfolding.
This confirms the saying that the best way for an organization or force to expand its sphere of influence is to throw money around, using carrots in one hand and a big stick in the other.
The underlying structure of Backlund is undergoing a massive transformation, but neither the Church of the True God nor the highest levels of the Kingdom's government have noticed it.
In fact, many gang leaders are actually the black gloves of various forces, but none of this can escape the eyes of Evan, the intelligence colonel of MI9.
So, during their development, Miss Sharon, Ian Wright, and O'Sullivan seemed to have a cheat code, keeping their distance from all potential conflicting forces.
When their power fills the gaps in the power structure at the bottom of Backlund, that will be the day when Evan integrates all the power structures at the bottom of Backlund. That day is not far away.
Therefore, Evan urgently needs to promote the general, release more prisoners, and corrupt more people to deal with the rapidly expanding power.
After resting for a while, a ball of flame erupted from Evan's body, evaporating all the sweat on his body and burning away all the clothes that were twisted from the pain of taking the potion, leaving not a single ash. Then he went into the bathroom connected to the bedroom to take a shower.
After taking a shower and changing his clothes, Evan went downstairs and found that the housekeeper had already arranged for dinner to be prepared.
The abundant food was a feast for the eyes, which whetted Evan's appetite, and he ate heartily under the butler's service.
After finishing his meal, Evan gave the butler some instructions, then left the villa with the things he had prepared.
Since Evan moved into this villa, he hasn't lived here seven or eight times out of ten. He spends most of his time secretly visiting Natasha and Helen, so the housekeeper is used to it.
To evade the search by MI9 and the three major churches, especially Robert's pursuit, Evan specifically bought an apartment for Helen in the Hilton district.
When Evan arrived at the apartment and knocked on the door, he found Helen waiting for him in full military uniform, with even her collar insignia and shoulder boards on, looking very formal.
The crisp military uniform looked particularly good on Helen. Her upright chest stretched the thin top tightly, as if it were about to burst open at any moment. The hem of the top was bound by a thin leather belt, which made her waist look even more slender.
Her long, shapely legs were concealed by the tight-fitting military skirt, round and pert, exceptionally alluring. Adding to this, Helen wore a tilted boat-shaped hat and, turning to the side with a serious expression, asked, "Sir, who are you looking for?"
Upon seeing Helen like this, Evan was definitely "excited"!
With a single stride, Evan bent down, grabbed Helen's thigh, and hoisted her onto his shoulder.
Then, without a second thought, he rushed inside and casually placed the things he was carrying on the shoe cabinet by the door.
Helen had anticipated this, and while shouting, "Sir, what are you doing! I'm going to call for help!" she used spider silk to close the apartment door to prevent unsuspecting people from coming to investigate.
Thunder rumbled, the clouds dispersed, and the rain stopped. Helen lay there, panting heavily.
Sweat beads condensed on the ends of her hair kept dripping down, but she had no time to pay attention to them.
After a short rest, Helen's slightly hoarse voice came through: "You seem really agitated today. Did something happen?"
Evan felt the delicate body in his arms seem to have recovered, its temperature rising again. He smiled, straightened up, leaned against the headboard, adjusted Helen's position, and said:
"As you know, I digested the potion through Tingen's deception, and the effect was very good. I have now completely digested the 'Witch' potion and haven't felt the influence of the high-ranking person for a long time."
You mentioned before that you have a Sequence 6 Witch's Extraordinary Trait, and I've also collected all the other auxiliary materials recently. Why don't you give me that Trait so I can level up ahead of time?
That way, we can both use spider silk, which will make everything much easier.
After Helen adjusted her position, she released two strands of sticky, soft yet strong spider silk, which connected to the roof.
He held the other end with both hands for leverage, while enduring Evan's unbridled behavior.
"That won't do. The Gnostic has rules; extraordinary abilities cannot be granted lightly. You must perform great deeds before you can receive one. If I were to grant it to you without authorization, I would be punished."
Helen spoke haltingly. Although she enjoyed being with Evan, and now she enjoyed it even more, she maintained basic rationality. No matter how much Evan interrupted her train of thought, she remained rational and did not give in.
Seeing this, Evan said nothing more, grabbed Helen's waist with both hands, and then, relying on the powerful physical abilities brought by the "Hunter" pathway, he made Helen crumble once again.
When Helen's grip weakened and she unconsciously dropped the spider silk, Evan turned around and pinned her down, launching his final assault.
Helen's body temperature rose higher and higher, and she became weaker and weaker. Just as she was immersed in it, she suddenly felt her nose was itchy, and then her throat began to itch.
When Helen realized what was happening and tried to struggle, Evan suddenly straightened her up and punched her in the stomach, slapping her back down. At the same time, he grabbed Helen's hands and legs with his large hands.
Helen then realized that Evan was wrong. Although she was seriously injured by Evan, she did not give up resisting.
While directing the surrounding spider silk to attack Evan, she also used the Mirror Substitution Technique to try to break free from Evan's control.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't connect with the mirror in the bedroom.
Helen was in a great hurry. Without thinking about why the mirror magic had failed, she immediately used the wand substitution spell.
She was mentally prepared for the authorities to come knocking on her door, so she hid a wand under her bed and made various arrangements in the room.
Unfortunately, no matter how much she prepared today, it was all in vain.
Moreover, while lying in bed and being completely held hostage by Evan, Helen discovered that all the spider silk she had directed to attack Evan had inexplicably been ignited, causing black spider webs to appear in the air.
"Arsonists? A witch's cult!"
Helen was shocked to see this. She recalled what Evan had told her and her mother before, that the Witch Cult had used a high-sequence seal artifact of the "Hunter" pathway to preserve his male body. So she thought that Evan had been corrupted by the Witch Cult and that this time the Witch Cult had sent Evan to hunt her.
Evan immediately knew that Helen had misunderstood something. He just chuckled and punched Helen in the stomach again. This time, Helen couldn't take it anymore and spat out blood, which sprayed all over Evan.
Even the black flames and frost spears that had just appeared on the side had disappeared.
But Helen did not give up. She had deliberately sprayed blood on Evan to use the connection with blood to unleash the cruelest curse upon him.
But just as she uttered the curse, the infection in her lungs worsened, and her throat swelled even more, rendering her unable to speak. She could only helplessly watch Evan act recklessly, watching the strange red light emanating from Evan's body begin to erode her.
Looking at Helen, who was staring at him with vicious eyes but growing weaker, Evan lay on top of her, kissing her cheek, and finally whispered in her ear:
"You once said that the witches of the Gonnosekkai are loyal to love, so they wouldn't betray me, which made me feel safe infiltrating the witch cult. So, wouldn't your current state be considered dying for love?"