Cultivation Online

Chapter 2679: The Impersonator

"Evidence? Of course, we have evidence," said Ember City’s representative. "But before we get into that, I’d like to hear everyone’s thoughts on the subject."

"Honestly, there’s not much to think about, especially when we know so little about the Impersonator," said Spirit City’s representative.

"I agree with that sentiment. So far, all we know is that it can kill someone with the slightest touch—something every Void Specter is already capable of. What makes this one so special aside from its ability to disguise itself as a human?" the representative from Cloudpiercer remarked.

The other representative expressed similar thoughts.

The Supreme General, who was the last to speak up, asked while looking at the soldiers who had the encounter, "When you ran away from the Impersonator, did it chase after you?"

"No... it did not."

The Supreme General narrowed his eyes and continued, "So you’re telling me that even though it attacked you without provocation, it didn’t even try to pursue you when you fled? That doesn’t sound right at all."

"It’s an abnormal existence, so we can’t judge it by conventional logic," the representative from Ember City replied.

"So there’s a chance this Impersonator isn’t actually dangerous."

"How can you say that when it already killed two of our soldiers without provocation?" the representative from Ember City frowned.

"We don’t know for certain whether it was truly unprovoked," the Supreme General replied. "And I’m not someone who accepts claims so easily without evidence."

"Enough yapping and show us your evidence already," said the Heavenly Furnace’s representative. "This place is too cold, and I want to return home as soon as possible."

"..."

Nobody there but Yuan was puzzled by the man’s remark about the place being too cold, as the room was only slightly cool from the air conditioning.

"Alright. Allow me to show you the evidence..."

The representative from Ember City made a gesture, and a screen suddenly appeared on the table before each representative.

Soon, a video began playing on the screen.

"I’m Captain Heen, and I’ll brief you on this monster while we make our way to its location."

The video appeared to have been recorded from Captain Heen’s perspective as he addressed a squad of soldiers.

"This is a recording of our investigation on the Impersonator," said Ember City’s representative.

"A recording...?" Yuan muttered in a dumbfounded voice.

The footage flickered, and the next scene showed Captain Heen hovering above hundreds of Unknown Ores scattered across the ground, forming a clear trail.

"This is the place. Look at the ground. The Unknown Ores he left behind are still here!"

"It feels like a trap, as though someone deliberately left these ores behind to lure us in..."

"What should we do? It’s clearly inviting—provoking us."

"There’s only one thing we can do. Our mission."

"Stay alert, everyone. And don’t engage without instructions."

The footage showed the soldiers following the trail of Unknown Ores for a few moments before flickering again.

The next scene showed Captain Heen and the soldiers encountering soldiers from another city, and they appeared to be gathering the Unknown Ores on the ground.

"Those are my soldiers!" the representative of Spirit City exclaimed after seeing these soldiers. "And they have been missing for some time now!"

"Just keep watching. It will explain what happened to them."

"..."

Yuan observed the situation in silence. He could already tell where things were headed, so he began considering how he should respond once it was his turn to get involved.

Meanwhile, the recording continued.

"Soldiers of Ember City?!"

"W-We’re being ambushed!"

"Wait! We’re not here for you, soldiers of Spirit City!"

"What?"

"We’re currently investigating a certain entity, and we’ve been following the trail of Unknown Ores it left behind. However, the trail abruptly ended here, so we suspected that it might have entered this tunnel."

"..."

"..."

"Is that true?! A new type of Void Specter has been discovered?!"

"Of course it’s true. Why would we lie about something like this? This Void Specter has already killed two of our soldiers."

"What does this Void Specter look like? Any special characteristics?"

"You’ll probably find this hard to believe, but this Void Specter looks exactly like a human. Indistinguishable, too."

"..."

"..."

"Anyway, this Void Specter is currently disguised as a soldier from Gaia’s Heaven. He has a tall, refined build, long black hair tied into a ponytail, brown eyes, and a strikingly handsome face. If you encounter him, do not engage under any circumstances. Run away immediately."

"Oh, right. He’s also wearing the insignia of a corporal."

The reactions of Spirit City’s soldiers were clearly captured on camera.

"That reaction... did you see this monster?"

"H-He went that way..."

The footage flickered again, conveniently skipping over the Spirit Soldier’s mention of Yuan clearing the tunnel by himself.

"The first time we encountered him, he wasn’t alone."

"Are you saying that there are actually two of these monsters wandering this land?!"

"No...? That other individual with him is someone you should be familiar with, given her vast reputation."

"Who is this person?"

"It’s the Ironwoman."

"?!?!?"

After seeing her name mentioned, the Supreme General and everyone in the room turned to look at the Ironwoman.

However, none of them spoke up, as they decided to wait until the end of the video and returned to watching it.

As for the Ironwoman, despite standing still and appearing calm on the surface, she was sweating profusely inside.

’It’s over!’ she cried inwardly.

The recording continued.

"Why are you all looking at me like I’m crazy?! Think about it! Would a mere corporal really be able to survive in the Black Zone for this long if he weren’t actually a Void Specter in disguise?!"

"Do you mind if we come with you?"

"You can follow us if you want. However, keep some distance from us. With both groups together, we’d exceed ten people, and I’d rather not risk attracting the Void Hunter while we’re already dealing with an unknown Void Specter."

The recording then showed them following the trail of Unknown Ores and eventually reaching their target. Of course, it skipped some of their conversation, including the Spirit City soldiers expressing doubt about the subject.

"I-It’s him! It’s definitely him!"

The footage zoomed in on the Impersonator’s face and paused on it.

The moment the Supreme General and everyone from Gaia’s Heaven recognized it, they immediately turned to look at Yuan.

Colonel Gu could hardly believe his eyes. He stood there frozen, staring at Yuan like a wooden statue, but that didn’t last long.

"Y-You?!" Colonel Gu couldn’t hold his voice for more than a moment and cried out loud, drawing the attention of everyone there.

"What’s the commotion?" asked one of the representatives.

"H-Him! It’s him!" Colonel Gu didn’t hesitate and immediately exposed Yuan. "He’s the Impersonator!"

"What?!"

Realizing that he could no longer remain silent, Yuan removed his mask, revealing his handsome face to everyone present.

"It’s him! It’s really him! The Impersonator!"

The soldiers from Ember City cried out in terror, as though they had suddenly been forced to relive a traumatic experience.

The very next moment, almost every single soldier in the chamber withdrew their weapon and pointed it at Yuan.

Seeing this, Yuan shook his head and sighed, "Boy, this sure escalated quickly."