Chapter 92

"Snake" has many bases of varying sizes around the world. However, this ancient Necropolis in Australia is one of the most important core headquarters.

This is because it is the lair of the "Raven King" — Medusa-Uscgros, who sits atop the throne of the dark world.

The Necropolis is brimming with an indescribable ancient charm, with stone temples engraved with mystical patterns that bear the weight of centuries. Beneath it lies an underground palace that stretches for dozens of kilometers. However, with the substantial financial backing of the "Wise Snake," the underground palace has been transformed into a doomsday-level fortress.

Even if humanity were to be wiped out by a nuclear war and enter a mini ice age, the doomsday fortress hidden beneath the Necropolis would still have an ecological system capable of sustaining tens of thousands of people. Clean underground rivers provide water and fish; vast planting areas and pastures; and mountains of various supplies. There is even an independent nuclear power plant to supply energy.

Maintaining this fortress requires a large number of trusted personnel. In addition to a portion of the workers, there are "Knights" — the combat units of the "Wise Snake" organization, who have been selected through complete transformation technology. There are nearly five hundred such "Knights" stationed in the Necropolis.

While not every "Knight" possesses the same combat skills as the two transformed masters of internal strength who were killed by Chen Tianxin in China a few years ago, when equipped with military gear, the transformed Knights' overall combat capabilities far exceed those of elite special forces from various countries.

In addition to standard steel-core bullet rifles, they are equipped with specialized explosive ammunition launchers, high-molecular combat daggers, autonomous small spider mines, combat helmets integrated with a unique satellite system, next-generation reinforced Kevlar fiber armor, and neural stimulants. Their robust qualities, combined with the expensive equipment, allow each "Knight" to fight like an enhanced version of the lone hero Rambo.

The sheer deterrent power of these five hundred "Knights," who have been selected through transformation technology and hellish training, has forced the Australian government to secretly compromise with "Snake," recognizing their absolute control over the land and coast within a radius of over a hundred kilometers centered on the Necropolis. Moreover, "Snake's" influence is deeply rooted in the political and economic spheres. On the surface, this is still a historical relic development zone funded by a capital group.

A state within a state, the historical relic development zone.

The Necropolis, an impregnable doomsday fortress. This is what some informed figures in the Australian political and economic circles call it. The controller of this ancient city has the potential to overthrow the Australian continent — both economically and militarily.

The "Wise Snake" organization has two main headquarters. The Australian headquarters "Necropolis," controlled by the Raven King Medusa-Uscgros, oversees the organization's combat forces and fundamental guidelines. The European headquarters "Hydra Council," controlled by Duke Helman, manages resource allocation, expansion of influence, and technological development.

One is the soul and fist of the organization, the other is the skeleton, blood, and wisdom and wealth of the organization.

The close cooperation of the two is the foundation of the "Wise Snake." However, since Gal-Phoenix inherited the power of Duke Helman, the split between "Necropolis" and "Hydra Council" has gradually moved from the shadows to the surface.

Compared to the Raven King, who rarely leaves the Necropolis, Di Tiannia is more frequently involved in social interactions. Not only is he powerful, but he is also very adept at dealing with people, making him a highly respected leader among the younger generation. One is a legendary figure in the dark world who has been in seclusion for a long time, the other is a rising star like the morning sun. Therefore, even though the Raven King has a formidable reputation, about one-third of the organization's core members have sided with Di Tiannia — especially the technology team led by Little Moriarty. Another third remain ambiguously neutral.

— At least on the surface, both sides have temporarily reached a balance of power.

But the soul and fist are ultimately the soul and fist.

As the sun set, the Necropolis fortress, which rarely had visitors, gradually welcomed several guests.

"Thank you." In a room filled with abstract paintings and a sense of history, a man took a privately brewed rum from a maid dressed in Victorian attire with a cold expression and nodded to her with a smile. Then he drank the fragrant liquor in one gulp.

The man stood tall and handsome, wearing a pure white Tang suit with centipede buttons and cloth shoes. Beside him was a beautiful woman with fair skin, a curvaceous figure, and a gentle demeanor. She wore a red cheongsam embroidered with a colorful tiger, revealing a pair of long, full, and white legs. Her presence was charming and exuded the allure of a mature woman. She held a long, wrapped object, seemingly a sword or a knife, in her arms.

The couple was Long Taiyang and Hu Qinglan from Hong Kong, the leaders and aces of the "Eight Hundred Dragon Corps," the top Asian killer organization affiliated with the "Wise Snake." As top professionals, they would never consume anything in a place with "outsiders" according to their cautious habits. But here was an exception.

Because this was the Necropolis fortress, the domain of the legendary "Raven King" Medusa-Uscgros in the dark world.

Trust is respect. Moreover, the couple had more than just a little respect for this elderly king who had ruled the dark world for many years.

Across from them was a man dressed like a cowboy. With fiery red hair and a cigarette in his mouth (unlit), he had a laid-back demeanor, his eyes scanning the room, especially frequently looking at the maid and Hu Qinglan. But even Long Taiyang would not underestimate this seemingly unprofessional and somewhat lecherous young man.

There are many freelancers in the mercenary world, but this half-American, half-Japanese man named Fumotsubu Mugen is renowned in the world of mercenaries. He is skilled in various areas, including combat techniques, exotic weapons, driving, disguise and infiltration, and poisons. There are even rumors that he can control evil entities and sorcery.

Compared to Fumotsubu Mugen, the other Russian bald man had a much better appearance. At least from his looks, he seemed like a tough guy. He wore a black suit, black shoes, and black gloves, was about 1.9 meters tall, and had a lean, agile build like a leopard. His features were a mix of Slavic and Tartar, and his eyes were like glass beads, devoid of emotion. He even had a series of stripes on the back of his head, giving him a cold, iron-like presence.

Code name 47. A retired and rebellious assassin. As a cold-blooded monster cultivated by the European Assassin League using genetic technology, he personally destroyed his own organization a few years ago to gain freedom. But at the call of the Raven King, he still came here to await orders.

Whether it's Long Taiyang, Hu Qinglan, Fumotsubu Mugen, or Code 47, they are all well-known figures on the international police threat list, mostly at Level 4, with Long Taiyang even at Level 5.

But they all avoided one person, cautiously and deliberately.

The only person in the room who was dressed completely unlike a modern person, as if he had stepped out of a fantasy movie, was a masked man.

He wore a black cloak as dark as the deepest night, with a golden skull mask on his head. He was not the first to arrive, but no one in the room knew how he entered.

"Nightmare," the nightmare legend of the dark world. Although he is recognized as the first in the Assassin League, his targets are mostly those he chooses based on his own preferences. The only condition is that the target must be powerful enough.

So compared to "assassin," his prefix should include the word "serial" — serial killer. His biggest hit was accepting a contract to work with the two Level 6s of the "Wise Snake" — "Raven King" Medusa-Uscgros and "Mad Mage" Husim-Mazta — to assassinate the original top-ranked Level 6. Di Tiannia, Chen Tianxin, and Lian Tianhao's teacher, "War God" Duan Qianshan.

Since the last line of defense was established after World War II, in the nearly half-century that has passed, out of the seven billion people on Earth and all the wildlife on land, in the sky, and in the sea, there are only five Level 6s. After the deaths of Duan Qianshan and the original top-ranked individual, only three remain. The internal vote of the last line of defense in the United States has now filled the ranks with five new Level 6s — the five most powerful people in the world.

The first is a mysterious member of the last line of defense with the codename "Doomsday."

The second is "Raven King" Medusa-Uscgros, the supreme leader of the "Wise Snake."

The third is "Mad Mage" Husim-Mazta, a madman from Arabia, the leader of the Persian armed cult "Eternal Sacred Fire," who single-handedly opposes the powerful Islamic countries in the Middle East.

The fourth is "Freedom Eagle" Vena Charra, the youngest and the only female among the five, the pride of the last line of defense, a one-woman army, and the goddess of victory for the United States.

The fifth is "Thunder Sky" Lei Jiuxiao, the current commander of China's Qianlong forces.

— "Nightmare" is considered the sixth person closest to these five, the Level 5 closest to Level 6.

Long Taiyang and his wife, Fumotsubu Mugen, and Code 47 are all top-tier assassins capable of easily completing the assassination of a head of state. With "Nightmare" added to the mix, any one of these five could potentially take out the President of the United States, though the last line of defense would likely retaliate fiercely afterward...

But at this moment, all five of them, each with their own thoughts, were summoned by one person.

By the legendary old king of the dark world, the Raven King Medusa-Uscgros.

They had been waiting for thirty minutes, but none of them, including Nightmare, showed any signs of impatience. They waited quietly for the arrival of the dark noble.

With a "creak," the heavy wooden door, carved with strange patterns, opened on its own, and an old man and a young girl walked in.

No, to be precise, the old man walked. The girl behind him floated in the air at a leisurely pace.

The old man was the Raven King Medusa-Uscgros, and the girl was one of his carefully selected apprentices from around the world, Omega Yuriko. If Chen Xian had truly joined the Raven King, she might have to call her a senior sister.

In front of them, the Raven King was a mature man in a dark red cloak with a shoulder guard made of dull raven feathers, and an inner layer of hand-sewn ancient English clothing, as if from the Middle Ages. Despite being over a hundred years old, he looked like a gentleman in his fifties. Apart from his deep, sky-blue eyes, his features were ordinary, and he more resembled a scholar from an 18th-century noble family than a king of the dark world.

His voice was magnetic and filled with the沧桑 of age, with a hint of old English accent. He looked around at the people in front of him and smiled, saying, "I apologize for keeping you waiting due to a minor mood issue of my mischievous apprentice."