The most intelligent general in the world

Chapter 290 Gathering

Zhang Liang shuttled between the bustling skyscrapers. Whether it was day or night, there was an endless hustle and bustle here. However, the quietness tonight seemed particularly unusual. The originally noisy city seemed to be covered by a layer of mysterious silence. Zhang Liang held the special dagger in his hand tightly, looking for the traces of the gatekeeper with a sharp gaze.

After several days of exploration, Zhang Liang discovered that the laws of this world were like the changing seasons, with a moderate temperature difference, just like the pleasant climate of autumn, but the humidity was so heavy that it made people's skin sticky. At this moment, night fell, the stars retreated, the moonlight disappeared, darkness filled the entire city, and even the dead woods were shrouded in a dead silence.

Zhang Liang pondered over it. The gatekeepers of the first three levels had shown up on their own initiative to clarify the challenge tasks and pass conditions, but this level required him to find the answer himself. However, in such a big city, where could he find it?

He sat quietly on the street corner. Although he didn't need to eat or rest in this trial of inheritance, he still felt pain from the injury, which would heal in a few days. He had plenty of time, but the current situation made Zhang Liang confused. He needed to sort out his thoughts and make plans for the next step.

As the night deepened, darkness covered the entire city like a huge curtain. A strange mist filled the air between the tall buildings, with a hint of a familiar sweet and fishy smell. Zhang Liang opened his eyes alertly. Could it be that some strange phenomenon was about to happen again?

The fog was getting thicker and thicker. In the dim light, Zhang Liang could sense shadows moving around. They were small and sneaky, and sometimes made sharp howls. Some shuttled between buildings, while others crawled slowly along the ground. Zhang Liang observed quietly. Although the night was blurry, he could sense that a shadow was approaching him.

A chill passed over his forehead, and before he could see clearly, the shadow had passed by. In the darkness, vision and hearing became useless, which made Zhang Liang feel depressed, as if he was trapped in an unknown predicament.

Zhang Liang quickly thought about how to break the endless darkness. He waved his arms and two short swords appeared instantly. He held one in each hand, raised them above his head, and collided them with force, emitting faint sparks. With this little light, Zhang Liang could see the surrounding scene clearly, and he was shocked - this was simply a ghost carnival in the city!

Thousands of black shadows moved through the forest of tall buildings, making all kinds of strange noises, including babies crying, girls laughing, and terrifying roars. Zhang Liang clearly felt the hairs on his body stand up, the scene in front of him was too bizarre.

Just as he was shocked, several shadows rushed towards him with sharp whistles. Zhang Liang had no time to dodge, and when he came to his senses, the shadows had already passed through his body. Apart from a brief chill, he did not feel anything unusual. However, when he loosened his sword, the sparks disappeared, and darkness fell again.

What on earth is going on? The world of the fourth level is like a ghostly maze, and the gatekeeper is nowhere to be seen. Logically, when the challenger appears, the gatekeeper should appear. Zhang Liang came here, and he went back and forth hundreds of times, but he still couldn't find a way out. No matter where he went, he couldn't get out of this "dead wood forest".

Countless thoughts flashed through Zhang Liang's mind, but he rejected them all. How great it would be if someone could tell him the truth about this world. Tonight was different from the past. Zhang Liang reached out and touched the concrete wall behind him. The dead wood forest did not show any abnormality.

Zhang Liang remained alert all night long. The eerie screams gradually faded away, but he did not relax. Until the dawn, although there was no sunlight, the city was no longer so dark.

The daytime brought a little comfort. Zhang Liang put away the nine-tailed whip, rubbed his brows, chose an open space nearby, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes and reviewed last night's experiences.

During his meditation, Zhang Liang seemed to hear birds singing, but he immediately denied it, saying that there had been no birds flying here for at least ten years. He suspected that he was too nervous and had hallucinations. With this in mind, Zhang Liang continued to sort out what happened last night.

However, before he could calm down, the sound of leaves being blown by the wind came, accompanied by the cheerful singing of birds, and there seemed to be the sound of flowing water in the distance, and the air became fresher. This time, Zhang Liang heard an extremely familiar voice, which made him excited.

Zhang Liang opened his eyes, and sure enough, what he saw was no longer the gray ruins, but lush greenery! This was the world he was familiar with...

This is Zhang Liang’s fourth stage in the bustling city. For the first time, he feels free and relaxed, as if he is in an ocean of freedom, which is refreshing.

Zhang Liang took a deep breath of fresh air. After a moment, he found that the originally withered trees on the roadside came back to life, with tender green leaves swaying gracefully, and even the long-lost sunshine penetrated the clouds and spread all over the earth.

What's even more incredible is.

Zhang Liang quickly adjusted his mindset, realizing that staying where he was was not an option, and decided to explore deeper into the urban forest. He walked between the tall buildings, surrounded by a scene of prosperity, with no signs of crisis. Although Zhang Liang was immersed in this harmonious atmosphere, he did not relax his vigilance.

As he walked, Zhang Liang felt as if someone was watching him secretly, but every time he looked back, there was no one there.

At first, Zhang Liang thought it was his own illusion and didn't take it seriously. But the feeling of being followed lingered, forcing him to take it seriously.

Zhang Liang stopped and shouted to the surroundings, "Don't hide, I've found you, come out!" His voice echoed among the towering buildings, startling a group of pigeons to flap their wings and fly high, but no one responded.

Zhang Liang was sure that the stalker had heard his warning, but the stalker had not shown up yet. Was he waiting for the best opportunity? Then he could only find a way to lure the stalker out of his hole.

"Maybe I'm worrying too much. No one is following me." Zhang Liang muttered to himself and continued to go deeper into the city.

"It was a close call. Fortunately I didn't rush out." Not far away, a figure whispered in the dark.

Zhang Liang saw a wide road blocking the way forward a few dozen meters ahead. A plan suddenly flashed through his mind. He smiled and continued walking forward.

"Huh? Where's the person?" The figure who had been following Zhang Liang stood on the side of the road, muttering to himself in confusion.

"You've been following me." Zhang Liang had leaned against a lamppost without him knowing when, with his arms folded, glancing at the people on the roadside, and said lightly.

He is a human because he has human facial features and limbs, but other than that, he is not human at all. He is short, like a child, and wears a heavy straw hat on his head, as if it was born that way. His clothes are made of leaves, and his exposed skin is covered with bark-like patterns, and his skin color is very similar to that of trees.

He has a long nose, like Pinocchio in the fairy tale. A pair of round eyes that seem to be pasted on his face instead of being naturally formed. Long ears that are as sharp as a fox, just like the legendary urban elf.

"As expected, you discovered me. First of all, I want to make it clear that I am not following you. I am just observing you." The man on the side of the road stood with his hands on his hips and answered arrogantly.

"Oh? Observation? Mr. Long Nose, are you the guardian of this city?" Zhang Liang asked seriously. He has been looking for the guardian for a long time. Even if the guy in front of him is not him, he should know clues about the guardian or the pass.

"How uneducated! I'm not a long-nosed person. I'm an urban elf here!" It was the first time that the urban elf was called a long-nosed person, and he couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"So you are an urban elf, so you are not a guardian. Tell me, why are you observing me?" Before he finished speaking, the nine-tailed whip in Zhang Liang's hand appeared quietly, ready to attack at any time.

"Hey, don't be impulsive. I just want to see your strength. I don't intend to hurt you." The urban elf took a few steps back and said nervously.

Although he was an urban elf, his spiritual power was limited, and he had only been practicing for a short time. If he was not killed by this whip, he would be seriously injured.

"Okay, I'll believe you for now. Then let me ask you, even if you understand my strength, what is your purpose?" Zhang Liang put away the nine-tailed whip and walked towards the urban elf.

A small urban elf posed no threat to him, so even if it had any plans, Zhang Liang was not afraid.

"I am not the guardian of this city, but I can tell you the whereabouts of the guardian." The urban elf said without answering.

The whereabouts of the guardian? Yes, this is exactly the secret that Zhang Liang urgently needs to know.

"Where is he?" Zhang Liang approached the urban elf with a threatening tone.

"If you agree to one condition of mine first, I will tell you." The urban elf turned his head and avoided Zhang Liang's gaze.

Although he was already afraid of Zhang Liang, the urban elf did feel his invisible sense of oppression. However, he had to negotiate this condition, so he had to suppress his inner fear and pretended to be indifferent.

"What conditions?"

Seeing a turn for the better, the city elf immediately smiled and asked, "So you agree?"

"Well, as long as you tell me where the guardian is." At this moment, Zhang Liang had no choice but to agree to this condition in exchange for clues about the guardian.

He had been here for so long, but he hadn't even seen the shadow of the guardian. Zhang Liang had spent more than a decade or even decades in this city, and the only people he could communicate with were the poisonous spiders that could kill him at any time.

"Okay, let me tell you the story behind this city first." Although Zhang Liang was eager to know the location of the guardian, he temporarily put aside his thoughts on finding the guardian when he heard the secrets of this city. He did have many questions about this city that he wanted to answer.

"Please say."

The urban elves told a lot, and Zhang Liang's doubts and mysteries about this place were gradually resolved.

It turns out that the current state of the city was formed 100,000 years ago, and all the changes originated from that day.

That day, all activities in the city were as usual, birds flew in the morning and evening, fish played in the water, and leaves danced in the wind. The weather was clear and cloudless, an ordinary and peaceful day.

Suddenly, the sky darkened, and a flash of lightning split the sky, splitting the tallest skyscraper in two. Then, a huge spherical object fell from the sky and landed right in the center of the crack in the building.

Then, something strange happened: without any warning, the greenery and vitality of the city all gathered towards the big sphere.

That very night, the dry trees began to grow wildly, killing any living thing they encountered. Only the poisonous spiders near the giant sphere survived, as their tentacles did not dare to extend there.

That night, the smell of grief and blood filled the entire city...