Yama Rising

Chapter 568: VIP Express of the Dead (2)

Chapter 568: VIP Express of the Dead (2)

Qin Ye put away the map and was just about to respond when he suddenly noticed an obscure golden light glowing from the palm of his hand.

In an instant, the entire vicinity around them turned absolutely silent. The hidden entities that were staring at them from the shadows scattered with a cacophony of shrieks, almost as though they were rabbits darting back into their burrows as soon as a tiger appeared.

“Shut up!” Qin Ye glared back at Wang Chenghao. He was already clothed in his Hell’s Emissary State, and he searched meticulously through his robes, only to discover Fate writing on the robes with great jocularity once more.

“This expedition to Daehan was a learning journey - and an astounding one at that. It was Mr Dogballs’ first exposure to the ever-stirring tension on which international relations are built. Quite apart from the usual straightforward economic sanctions or an overt display of military might, this was the little tango between two powerful underworlds, each of which were fervently testing and probing at each other’s bottom lines through the pretext of operations in another third-rate underworld.”

“Furthermore, what about the millions of living dead that entered Gonjiam Asylum without even causing the slightest stir in the nation?”

Qin Ye nodded deeply.

Firstly, the script of death wasn’t written at a whim and fancy. It wasn’t the result of a sudden thinking at the spur of the moment to create a particular Yin spirit.

Where will it be born? Where will it go? Where will it peak? And most crucially, who would be the chosen one? Who was to fill the role of the ultimate villain, and have his name go down forever in the annals of history?

For instance, Tsar Arturo or Marquis Rumyantsev could have easily resolved the problem of transporting the living dead to Gonjiam Asylum with their supernatural abilities. But, they didn’t.

Not once did the Russian Underworld have their emissaries take any overt action or send powerful evil ghosts out to wreak havoc in the mortal realm.

A macro perspective on the script of death would reveal that the parties involved, whether Choi Tae-min, Choi Soon-sil, Ms Park, or others, were all like individual pearls on a pearl necklace. Meanwhile, the script of death itself would be the thread that ties the parties together with the other pearls that would include the MV Sewol, Gonjiam Asylum, as well as the Train to Pusan, forming a perfect string of pearls.

In other words, the author of the masterpiece known as the script of death had remained absolutely silent through decades on end. There were hardly any traces that things were being strung together by a hidden mastermind from behind the shadows. And even if there were, nothing would point them towards the identity of the mastermind!

Shelving these thoughts in his heart, Qin Ye read on.

Qin Ye: ……

“Secondly, if negotiations fall through, they’ll still need to keep Hanyang around as a backup plan. After all, most issues that undergird international relations don’t end up with a clash of swords and spears. Rather, they tend to be resolved by way of a battle of the wits. Incidentally, this was also one of the things that the great, handsome and domineering Second King Yanluo was trying to impart to the weak and timid Third King Yanluo.

“Meanwhile, the Russian Underworld has been secretly collecting information about a certain Dogballs and company. They are keeping close tabs on whether Hell is now but a fraction of its former glory and strength. After all, it is only natural for one to question Hell’s existence after a hundred years of lockdown and absence from the international arena. Meanwhile, Yanluo Qin has done nothing more than to skirt around the peripheries of the script of death. Both sides were clearly content scouting each other out and probing at the other’s abilities during this period of buffer.”

“And right now, he is but a single step away from discovering the whole truth about its mysteries!”

Whoosh… The words below suddenly turned scarlet, causing Qin Ye’s pupils to shrink in an instant.

Qin Ye tapped his finger gently on the last statement he had just read.

Why would negotiations fall through?

Nevertheless, Qin Ye put these thoughts on the backburner and continued reading ahead. That said, he couldn’t help but feel as though he’d overlooked something of great importance.

“Meanwhile, countless rifts have already opened up in Gyeonggi Province, bridging the gap between the Hanyang Underworld and the mortal realm, and Liu Yu can send his troops pouring into the mortal realm in an instant. Things in Gwangju City are going to be on a completely different scale from what Yanluo Qin had ever witnessed before! The script of death can never be desecrated. Marquis Rumyantsev will do everything he can in order to protect the administration of the Tsar’s script of death!”

“You are treading on the peripheries and threatening to encroach on another god of death’s primary function!”

“The international arena is just like the ocean. The winds might be calm, but the undercurrents beneath might just stir up a huge wave in the very next second! The perceived silence might be nothing more than the calm before the storm!”

Just then, Qin Ye suddenly jerked his head up, while both Wang Chenghao and Oda Nobutada quipped at the same time, “Brother Qin…” “Someone’s here…”

It was dense and dark, just like a thick fog that instantly blotted out all sources of light. Even then, the dysfunctional street lights suddenly lit up all at once.

Clop, clop, clop… An ancient carriage slowly emerged from the depths of the fog. It was completely black in colour, and pulled by a series of headless skeletal horses. The coachman was dressed smartly with a long black tailcoat and a top hat. The entire carriage behind was constructed out of skeletons and bones, while four screaming human faces were situated where the spokes of the wheels usually were. A hollowed-out skull hung loosely at the front of the carriage, acting like a lantern that illuminated their path.

Unfortunately, it was also in that instant that Qin Ye finally noticed what he had previously overlooked.

Hell’s persona on the international arena!

He wasn’t just an Abyssal Prefect, but a negotiator sent by the Russian Underworld! In other words, Marquis Rumyantsev was going to be the first foreign underworldly ambassador that he was going to deal with in his capacity as an Emissary of Hell!

The former was a declaration of Hellish hegemony across the entire netherworld. Preeminence within, and supremacy without.

The abruptness of the sudden appearance of crossroads caused Qin Ye’s forehead to percolate with cold sweat. He knew full well that his choice right now would determine the attitude of the Russian Underworld towards Hell moving forward. Unfortunately, he wasn’t prepared to make such an important decision right now!

The coachman dismounted from the coach and bowed respectfully, “Esteemed Mr Earl, Marquis Rumyantsev, ambassador at large of the Russian Underworld, cordially invites you to dine with us at the first banquet hall. Kindly grace us with your presence.”