Ren Yi exhaled slowly.
He finally understood the true meaning behind the phrase "coexistence of the People of the Abyss and Anomalies."
Theoretically, with this "artificial sun" providing a constant stream of energy and even suppressing certain Anomalies, the place would remain unaffected even after "Pops" had suddenly moved to seal the Mouth of the Abyss completely a few days ago.
The Deep Abyss had long since transformed into a completely self-sufficient, independent underground kingdom.
It was clear that the People of the Abyss had meticulous plans for a rainy day.
By sealing off the opening above, they were making their final preparations for a break—and a war—with the surface and the Sky Eye Organization.
As for the "Sword-man" in the black tactical trench coat beside him...
Well, this high-altitude traffic offender clearly lacked any sort of grand strategic vision.
He likely hadn't given any of these complexities a second thought; instead, he simply opened his mouth wide and let out a massive, unceremonious yawn.
Noticing Evans lingering at the edge, he tilted his chin up with a bit of swagger and sighed with the weary tone of a man who had seen it all.
"Stop staring. Even I don't understand what Pops is thinking, so how could you?"
"Stop thinking so hard. Overworking your brain cells makes your hair fall out, and trust me, I've been there."
He smugly flicked the fringe of hair over his forehead as the long sword beneath his feet erupted with a dazzling green light.
"Let's go. We're heading down."
He made a move to steer the flying sword toward the "Dyson Sphere city" of rock and steel below.
"Wait! Hey, stop right there!"
Evans finally snapped back to reality.
Seeing the guy about to hit the gas while looking at the sheer drop of several thousand meters before them, the veins on Evans's forehead pulsed as he snapped back, "How am I supposed to get down?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I forgot about you again."
The Sword-man paused his movements and rubbed his chin.
He stared at Evans for a moment with an exceptionally vacant expression before muttering hesitantly, "...Wait, I recall you can't be killed by a fall, right?"
Evans remained silent.
Half of his body was already beginning to take on an inky hue, as if he were recalling some very unpleasant, recent memories.
Ultimately, under Evans's nearly tangible death stare, the Sword-man finally lowered his head, shrank his neck back a bit, and deigned to allow Evans to hitch a ride.
However, Evans still wasn't allowed "on the sword"; he could only hang from the bottom.
"Hold on tight! This Sword Immortal is about to floor it! If you fall off, I'm not coming back for you!"
Swoosh!
The long sword transformed into a bolt of green lightning, piercing the darkness as it plunged toward the world of pale light below.
Evans, hanging from the hilt, remained expressionless, while Ren Yi took the time to enjoy the experience.
He had to admit, this brand of extreme sport mixed with Immortal Cultivation was quite thrilling.
Flying swords were undeniably cool. As for the guy riding it... well, as long as he kept his mouth shut, he was fairly cool too.
As their altitude rapidly dropped, they fully entered the massive city built around the Heliocenter.
While flying past the layered, dark gray stone buildings, Ren Yi spotted many residents of the Deep Abyss.
At the same time, he noticed something peculiar about the place.
Logically, they should have been on a wartime footing since the Mouth of the Abyss had been sealed.
Yet the People of the Abyss below—whether it was the teenagers racing skateboards on alloy overpasses or the explorers drinking themselves into a stupor with high-proof alcohol outside taverns—all shared a strange aura.
It was a sense of living as if there were no tomorrow, a desperate urge to indulge now and worry about the future when it comes.
Everyone was venting their energy frantically.
Fresh graffiti adorned the outer walls of buildings, and the roar of strange musical instruments intertwined and echoed through the subterranean hollows.
From the city's edge toward its core, the stone and steel structures became denser and more magnificent the closer they got to the massive white orb of light.
Just as they were about to officially enter the grand structure surrounding the light orb, a massive plaza appeared ahead, constructed from dozens of alloy deck plates.
At this moment, a huge crowd had gathered in the center of the plaza, forming layer upon layer of spectators.
"Nice! Burn him! Crank up the heat!"
"Blast him! Weren't you acting all tough just now?"
Waves of hyper-excited cheers, jeers, and the sound of people slapping their thighs erupted from the center of the crowd.
The Sword-man, who had been drifting through the air, perked up immediately upon seeing the commotion.
"Oho? A show!"
With a practiced motion, he pressed down on the flying sword and came to a sharp, drifting halt just a few meters above the ground.
In the process, he "unloaded" Evans, who had been hanging from the sword, onto the floor.
The Sword-man landed, and the long sword automatically returned to the sheath at his waist.
He rubbed his hands together excitedly and whispered to Evans, "Pops isn't in the Core District right now. Word is he went to inspect the deeper levels of the Deep Abyss."
"So... since there's a show going on, we might as well watch! Let's go!"
After saying that, the guy showed absolutely no self-awareness of being a dangerous figure. Like an old lady rushing for discounted eggs at a market, he grabbed Evans and dove into the sea of people.
It had to be said that this Sword-man was quite the celebrity in the lower levels of the Deep Abyss.
The crowd parted automatically, allowing them to squeeze to the front with ease.
During this process, Ren Yi drifted along, hidden within Evans's clothing.
At the same time, he keenly noticed several dark gazes lingering on Evans for a second or two.
Those looks contained scrutiny, surprise, and indifference, but they quickly looked away as if nothing were out of the ordinary.
This reminded Ren Yi of what Evans had mentioned on the road regarding the "hands-off" attitude the People of the Abyss had toward him.
It seemed that was indeed the case.
Some knew he was the pivotal S-099, but until the final node was reached, the People of the Abyss kept their promise and left him alone.
It was a bizarre sort of unspoken agreement.
"We're here! Front row seats!"
The Sword-man squeezed into the very front, even pulling a handful of nuts from his trench coat pocket and starting to crack them open.
In the very center of the crowd, a space roughly the size of a basketball court had been cleared out.
The steel floor of the clearing was now pitted and covered in dense scorch marks and large patches of water.
Standing at opposite ends of the arena were a man and a woman.
Both were pale, their eyes locked onto each other with intense focus. It was clear they were out for blood.
As Ren Yi's perception swept over them, the Assessment System unexpectedly triggered two Anomaly files at once.
Rate on N.U.
