The next day.
Outside a hotel in the Vatican.
"Master, welcome back. Was the assassination attempt on Zhang Wei successful?"
The butler, who had been waiting at the entrance, looked around. Upon seeing the gardener and the胖子 (Pàngzi - Fatty) approaching, he hurried to greet them. He then apologized, saying,
"Master, this time we attracted the Pope, and all our companions died. Some were captured alive by the head of the Inquisition. But don't worry, Master, they won't leak any information. I've placed a curse of slander on them; if they reveal the truth, they will die instantly."
"Then how did you survive?"
The 胖子 glanced at the butler, surprised.
"You're quite something, surviving the Pope. He's a Zhen Guo level, and you're just a top-tier Gui Wang level."
"Uh, actually, it was pure luck. Thanks to my identity in the Society of Slander. It's a long story. Speaking of which... Mr. Shizhai, did you and Master's assassination of Zhang Wei go smoothly?"
The butler was somewhat curious. He noticed that the clothes of the 胖子 and the gardener were clean when they left and were still clean when they returned, which didn't seem like they had been through a battle.
As he spoke.
The gardener and the 胖子 exchanged glances, then sighed in unison.
Instantly.
The butler's expression changed drastically, and he swallowed the congratulatory words he had prepared.
It was at this moment.
The 胖子, with a dejected look, said,
"Forget smooth, we didn't even get a chance to make a move. We couldn't even get close to Zhang Wei."
As he spoke.
The 胖子 took out his phone from his pocket and casually tossed it to the butler. Then, with a pained expression, he waved his hand and said,
"Don't say anything else. Damn it, what bad luck. Sen Luo's intelligence was flawed. Fortunately, we discovered it in time, otherwise, both the gardener and I would have died there. Give me back my phone after you've looked at it. As for assassinating Zhang Wei, I don't care anymore, whatever happens, happens. I'm going back to my room to sleep."
The butler was stunned by his words.
Instinctively.
He picked up the phone and opened it, his pupils contracting instantly.
On the phone was a photo. It showed Zhang Wei lying in bed, and beside him were about a dozen figures. The men were handsome and dashing, and the women were beautiful and stunning. Each of them had two or three pairs of wings behind them, with wings of pitch black and holy white.
"Hiss! Are those Fallen Angels and Angels?!"
The butler recognized the identities of these figures. Aren't these Fallen Angels and Angels?
Not only that.
Upon closer inspection.
The Fallen Angels and Angels in the photo were clearly on opposite sides, yet in the photo, there was no animosity. They were smiling, seemingly chatting and laughing with Zhang Wei.
Faced with this mind-bending content.
The butler was stunned. At that moment, the gardener's voice drifted over,
"Go investigate why the Fallen Angels are with Zhang Wei, and it looks like they have a good relationship."
As he spoke.
The gardener, with a feigned look of recollection, murmured,
"No, that's more than just a good relationship; they're like bodyguards. The Fallen Angels are actually bowing to Zhang Wei. What is going on? Didn't they say Zhang Wei foiled the Fallen Angels' attack on the Holy See? Why are they together now?"
"This... Yes, Master. I'll go investigate right away."
The butler, without time to be shocked, quickly nodded. After handing the phone back to the gardener to return to the 胖子, he turned to begin his investigation.
Immediately after.
As the butler left.
The 胖子, who had previously said he was returning to his hotel room, came out. Seeing the departing butler, his chubby face broke into a smile.
"Gardener, you're quite cunning, even deceiving your own subordinates."
The gardener waved his hand upon hearing this.
"If you want to deceive Sen Luo, then the fewer people who know the truth, the better. You have to deceive your own subordinates too, don't you?"
"I agree."
The 胖子 grinned. Knowing the gardener's relationship with Zhang Wei, and having bonded with Zhang Wei last night through the Ghost Back Tattoo contract, becoming his companion, the 胖子 no longer needed to hide his true nature. He reverted to his original self and said,
"It's no wonder Gardener can be the second-in-command. You have a talent for being a villain. Now that you've deceived your subordinate, the next step is to explain to Sen Luo."
As he finished speaking.
The gardener nodded, and just as he was about to reply.
Ring ring.
The gardener's phone rang. Both the 胖子 and the gardener's eyes flickered as they saw the caller ID: Sen Luo.
"Speak of the devil."
The 胖子 said.
Then.
The gardener answered the call, and Sen Luo's voice came through.
"Gardener, is it convenient to talk now?"
"Yes, it is."
"Good. How did you and Shizhai deal with Zhang Wei? Haven't you dealt with him yet?"
Sen Luo inquired.
The previous night, before the gardener and Shizhai departed for the Vatican, to avoid exposure, the gardener had reported to Sen Luo that they were going to assassinate Zhang Wei that night. Sen Luo was very pleased. Because of this, he had been checking his phone early that morning, hoping to see reports of Zhang Wei's death.
However, after more than ten minutes of browsing, Sen Luo did not see the expected posts about Zhang Wei's death, and his brow furrowed. He called the gardener to inquire. Logically, given the efficiency of the gardener and Shizhai in the past, they should have dealt with Zhang Wei in his condition within one night.
At this moment.
Facing Sen Luo's inquiry, the gardener, who had prepared his explanation, replied,
"When Shizhai and I arrived in the Vatican last night, we began dealing with Zhang Wei. However, the progress was not as smooth as expected. We couldn't assassinate Zhang Wei at all. Your intelligence was inaccurate, Sen Luo. Zhang Wei is not only guarded by the Dragon Tiger Mountain old Taoist sent by the Wei Dao Division."
"Oh? Besides the Dragon Tiger Mountain old Taoist, are there others? The Pope? With your and Shizhai's abilities, it should be easy to lure out the Pope and others from the Holy See."
"If it were just the Pope and his entourage, I could definitely lure them out and seize the opportunity to kill Zhang Wei. The problem is, it's not just him. Let me show you a photo."
Subsequently.
The gardener sent Sen Luo the photo from the 胖子's phone. Like the butler, Sen Luo's face, hidden beneath his bronze mask, moved with rare emotion the moment he saw the photo, and he even thought he was seeing things.
"Did you guys take this photo?"
"Shizhai took it. Shizhai and I were nearby. Sen Luo, you almost got me killed. If Shizhai hadn't discovered the traces of the Fallen Angels in advance, once Shizhai and I made a move, even if those Fallen Angels couldn't surround and kill me, they could have delayed us until the Pope and his entourage arrived, and then we would have been collectively killed."
The gardener's tone was cold, with a hint of blame towards Sen Luo.
Even.
He even cursed as he spoke.
"Next time you have any missions, do your intelligence preparation beforehand, or tell me in advance so I can prepare the intelligence. I don't want to be sent to my death like this. Otherwise, don't give me missions anymore."
As he spoke.
The 胖子 beside him gave the gardener a thumbs-up. He didn't think the gardener scolding Sen Luo would expose his identity, as the gardener had always been so self-centered, and Sen Luo was already accustomed to the gardener's temperament.
In fact.
Sen Luo was not angry at the gardener's scolding; on the contrary, he felt a sense of lingering fear.
"Are those Fallen Angels very powerful?"
"Two Zhen Guo level, and most of the others are half-step Zhen Guo level. What do you think?"
"This was my mistake. I will be careful next time. Regarding the action against Zhang Wei, let's make long-term plans."
"I know. I've already sent my subordinates to investigate the intelligence, to see why Zhang Wei is so close to the Fallen Angels."
Afterward.
After a brief discussion, Sen Luo hung up the phone, fearing that saying more might annoy the gardener and cause him to go on strike.
"Why are the Fallen Angels so close to Zhang Wei?"
Sen Luo frowned, looking at the photo sent by the gardener.
"Fortunately, Shizhai is always cautious. Otherwise, there might have been trouble this time. If Gardener were in the Vatican, it would have been too much of a loss. It seems I can't let Gardener take missions casually anymore. Let's wait until she is promoted to Zhen Guo level."
Considering the importance of the Dragon Locking Well plan and the fact that the gardener almost died last night, Sen Luo felt a pang of fear. Fortunately, such a thing did not happen.
...