Chapter 383

Is Camus half of the Aquarius Director?

Upon hearing this, the Red-haired Bureau Director hesitated slightly, still feeling this answer was a bit absurd. But out of trust in Leon, she continued to think along these lines.

Indeed, according to past records of the General Bureau’s use of the “Instruction List,” if no specific range is emphasized, it can only lock onto one target.

So if the two souls split off from the Aquarius Director have enough significant differences and the split occurred many years before the activation of the “Instruction List,” it’s possible they escaped its effects.

But souls are different from flesh; once gone, they’re gone. If slightly damaged, they might self-repair, but such an extreme split almost makes complete restoration impossible.

And I personally witnessed the strongest part of the “Evil Soul” entering the depths of the Deathscape. The remaining half of the Aquarius Director, even if it retains a True God-level rank, would see a drastic drop in power.

By logical estimation, his remaining Leon Value is likely just over 30, at most not reaching 40 points. The Leon Value for an ordinary Level 1 Cleaner is roughly between 30-50 points. So the current Aquarius Director is considered weak among Level 1 Cleaners.

As for my own strength, I rank highly among the Bureau Directors of the Zodiac Branches. When activating the Star Palace’s enhancement, my Leon Value can briefly exceed 70 points, almost double his.

Such a large gap isn’t something minor tricks can bridge, especially since I also have the empowerment of [Slaying Bloodhair] with code 013. Where does the Aquarius Director get the confidence to act under my nose?

…

“Leon, I feel something’s off.”

After thinking for a long time without understanding where the Aquarius Director’s confidence comes from, the Red-haired Bureau Director couldn’t help frowning and said:

“This time, he paid the price of half his soul, barely managing to pass through undetected, temporarily avoiding punishment from the General Bureau. Logically, he should lay low for a while.

But not only did he not hide, he instead risked being directly eliminated by me, gathering dreams in the Capital City. Even after encountering you, he made no attempt to conceal himself, claiming he must do something within three days. This seems strange to me.”

After taking a sip of cold tea, the Red-haired Bureau Director subconsciously tapped her fingers on the table, frowning deeply as she continued: “On the night of the third day, the Soulfall Black Abyss will completely overlap with reality. By saying this, he practically told us the exact timing of his move. But given his current state, there’s no way he could be my match. Where does he get the audacity to challenge me?

Also, based on my understanding of him, Aquarius is a very purpose-driven person who rarely does meaningless things.

Neither the Capital City nor our branch has anything worth coveting. The most valuable [Twelve Ant Nests], he can’t open, and my [Slaying Bloodhair], he can’t take. So what exactly does he want?”

What does Aquarius want…

After listening to the Red-haired Bureau Director’s analysis, Leon also furrowed his brow.

If Aquarius Director’s greatest obsession is replacing the Taurus Director and entering the Watchtower Palace, that path has been basically blocked.

The six anomalous items used to usurp the “Ascension Person’s” identity are still in the hands of me and the rebels; he can’t possibly gather them all. Moreover, the target, the Taurus Director, is currently self-isolating in the headquarters, giving him no chance to make contact. Even if he somehow gathered similar-effect items and infiltrated the isolated headquarters, he wouldn’t be a match for the three directors and would probably be killed instantly upon entry.

If he wants to continue pursuing that greatest obsession, he should first restore his strength, at least reaching the level of a small bureau director, then… wait! Restore strength?

What does Aquarius need most? After hearing Leon’s words, the Red-haired Bureau Director’s eyes unconsciously narrowed slightly.

That’s right. Regardless of what Aquarius Director ultimately wants, what he needs now is to compensate for the loss of most of his soul, which has caused his strength to plummet to rock bottom.

Only by restoring his strength to a level comparable to the Taurus Director can he possibly replace the Taurus Director and ascend to the Watchtower Palace through methods like body theft.

And when it comes to ways to heal his soul injuries and return to peak condition…Soulfall Black Abyss! Nightmare King!!!

Thanks to Leon’s reminder, after realizing the key point, the Red-haired Bureau Director couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath.

In most cases, trauma caused by soul damage is irreversible. But just as the rules of the Deathscape don’t acknowledge flesh, the rules of the Dream Realm similarly don’t recognize the existence of souls.

The foundation of the Dream Realm lies in memory and fantasy. Therefore, as long as a person’s memory remains intact and their cognitive abilities are normal, even if Aquarius Director’s soul is shattered, the Dream Realm will still recognize him as a “complete” person.

If the Nightmare King successfully descends and is willing to lend a hand, he can permanently swap parts of the dream and reality!

At that time, simply creating a “complete” Aquarius Director in the Dream Realm, putting the real-world Aquarius Director into a deep sleep, and having the Nightmare King intervene to permanently exchange the two.

Then, under the influence of the Dream Realm’s rules, the soul-damaged Aquarius Director would become a false “nightmare,” while the complete Aquarius Director in the dream would awaken in true reality!

As for why the Nightmare King would help Aquarius Director…the document allegedly from the Watchtower Palace, recording the locations of thirty-five Black Cult of Nightmares bases used to prevent the descent of the Soulfall Black Abyss and the Nightmare King, was personally delivered by the Aquarius Director!

…

It’s too late…

After taking a deep breath, the Red-haired Bureau Director leaned back in her chair, lowering her head slightly and sighing:

“No wonder Aquarius wasn’t afraid for me to know he was still alive. From when Emma left until now, it’s been almost two days. Discovering this now is already too late…”

What’s too late? Upon hearing the Red-haired Bureau Director’s sigh, Leon couldn’t help but pause, quickly asking what had happened.

And the Red-haired Bureau Director, rubbing her temples, succinctly stated:

“If I’m not mistaken, the Aquarius Director is likely cooperating with the Nightmare King. The document he previously submitted probably has issues. The marked locations are likely not the bases of the Black Cult of Nightmares. The descent of the Nightmare King may now be unavoidable.”

(End of Chapter)