"Hasar, listen closely to me. When Damos returns, I wish to meet him and personally reward him!"
The Pope's voice reached Hasar, who immediately snapped back to attention. He nodded quickly and said, "Your subordinate understands. This matter will be handled by your subordinate. I shall not disturb Your Excellency further and will take my leave."
With that, Hasar retreated from the grand hall.
...
The capital.
More than ten days had passed, and the funerals for Old Master Xu and the deceased members had concluded.
All members of the Dragon Group had launched a comprehensive search of the capital, but the results were disappointing.
Ever since Old Master Xu was murdered, Damos had seemingly vanished into thin air, with no leads found within the capital.
Even Ye Cangtian, with the assistance of the Dark Association, had no further information.
For a time, everyone suspected that Damos had already fled China.
However, they could not let their guard down. Until accurate news was received, they could not stop their efforts.
It was on the thirteenth day that Ye Cangtian received a call from Viper.
"Boss, I have some bad news for you. Damos has returned to the Temple of Light."
"Today, the Pope personally awarded Damos and held a celebration banquet for him..."
Viper's voice came through, and Ye Cangtian's teeth began to grind audibly.
Although he had some psychological preparation for not finding Damos in the past few days, hearing that Damos had received a reward for his assassination mission ignited a furious fire within him!
"Viper, can you confirm Damos's specific location?"
Ye Cangtian's anger simmered, and he finally managed to utter a sentence filled with killing intent.
"Boss, Damos has already returned to the Temple of Light. It's somewhat difficult to pinpoint his exact location via the network."
"However, he has performed meritorious service and should be highly valued. He should remain in the Outer Temple of Light, which is within the City of Light..."
Viper's voice immediately responded.
He naturally knew that Ye Cangtian wanted to eliminate Damos, but his current capabilities were very limited.
There were also drawbacks to searching for information online. As long as the target did not appear online and was deliberately protected, it was extremely difficult to ascertain their current situation.
At most, one could only determine their general area of activity. After all, people are not fixed points; they move, making real-time monitoring impossible.
Hearing Viper's explanation, Ye Cangtian frowned and said coldly, "Focus all your efforts on searching for Damos's specific location. Notify me immediately if you have any news."
"Boss, it's too dangerous for you to go to the City of Light."
"I suggest you lure Damos out before eliminating him. This way would be safer."
Viper responded, then hesitated slightly before making his suggestion.
The Temple of Light still had the Pope presiding over it!
And Ye Cangtian had not yet reached the Heaven-tier realm. If the Pope were to discover him, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Therefore, in his opinion, it was best not to take risks. He did not want anything to happen to Ye Cangtian.
"I understand. Hurry up and get to work!"
Ye Cangtian replied coldly, understanding the other party's concerns.
However, he had already decided. No matter what stood in his way, he would eliminate Damos and avenge Old Master Xu!
Moreover, even if he encountered the Pope, it was uncertain who would win.
Hearing Ye Cangtian's voice, Viper sighed softly. He understood Ye Cangtian's personality, and it was likely that no one could make Ye Cangtian change his mind now.
After a moment of silence, Viper slowly said, "Boss, if you're really going to the Temple of Light, remember to call the brothers!"
"Nonsense!"
"Viper, I warn you, if even one person comes, don't blame me for disowning you as my brothers!"
Ye Cangtian immediately became angry upon hearing this.
Let alone non-combat personnel like Viper, even he himself was not absolutely confident in this venture.
Under such circumstances, he could not possibly bring Rose and the others to take such a risk.
"Alright, Boss. I'll try my best to keep it a secret for you..."
Upon hearing Ye Cangtian's outburst, Viper immediately softened.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian's expression improved slightly. Without further ado, he hung up the phone.
...
After ending the call with Viper, Ye Cangtian hesitated for a moment and then headed directly to the compound for the families of officials.
This was his first visit since the death of Old Master Xu.
As expected, as soon as he entered the compound, memories of his time with Old Master Xu flooded back.
A wave of sadness washed over him once more.
Everything in the compound had returned to its original state, but the people had changed.
He was no longer greeted by Secretary Liu. The person lying on the lounge chair under the large tree was no longer Old Master Xu, but Xu Weiwei.
In the past, Xu Weiwei harbored much resentment towards Old Master Xu due to the death of her parents.
However, after Old Master Xu used his aged body to block a sword aimed at her chest, all that resentment had long since vanished.
Now, for her, that lounge chair still retained the aura of Old Master Xu. Lying on it felt like returning to Old Master Xu's embrace.
"Old Master Xu is gone. Your suffering now is futile."
"I believe that if he has a spirit, he wouldn't want to see you like this!"
Seeing Xu Weiwei's pained and vacant eyes, Ye Cangtian sighed and walked over.
Upon seeing Ye Cangtian approach, a flicker of spirit returned to Xu Weiwei's eyes.
She forced herself to sit up and said coldly, "What are you doing here? There is no Dragon Group leader here anymore. You don't need to report anything you do to this place. At the same time, I don't need your comfort."
Hearing the stubbornness in her words, Ye Cangtian felt a sense of relief.
His greatest fear was that Xu Weiwei would become dejected, but it seemed that she had not.
Thinking this, he spoke, "I'm not here to comfort you. I know you are very strong and can stand up on your own. However, there is something I need to tell you."
"Hmm?"
Xu Weiwei looked at Ye Cangtian in confusion and instinctively asked, "What is it?"
"Old Master Xu's greatest wish was for you to take over his position."
"This is also why he transferred you back from Yangzhou, to give you more opportunities for training..."
Ye Cangtian said slowly. These words were the truth, spoken by Old Master Xu himself previously.
Now, in order to help Xu Weiwei emerge from her grief quickly, he revealed this.
At the same time, the Dragon Group could not be without a leader for a single day. An unled Dragon Group was prone to disintegration, so someone had to step forward.
"I know all of that."
"But for me, this matter is not easy. I lack strength, I lack ability, and I also lack seniority. How can I take charge of the Dragon Group?"
Xu Weiwei looked deeply at Ye Cangtian, her face filled with bitterness.
These words had been spoken by Old Master Xu after he had transferred her back from Yangzhou.
At the time, she hadn't felt it was particularly difficult.
Because with Old Master Xu's physical condition, he could last for a few more years, and she could use that time to train herself.
Until she could naturally succeed him.
But now that Old Master Xu was deceased, and she had not yet grown, and the members of the Dragon Group were all elite soldiers and formidable generals, who would be willing to listen to a mere young girl like her?
"Have some confidence in yourself."
"Besides, we are here! We will all help you!"
"And we all believe in Old Master Xu's judgment. You will definitely be capable of this!"
Ye Cangtian said indifferently.
Currently, Xu Weiwei had consumed a Nine-Cycle Golden Pill. After healing her injuries, the excess medicinal effects had greatly boosted her strength, and she was now a peak Profound-tier expert.
However, leading the Dragon Group required not absolute strength, but intelligence.
In this regard, Xu Weiwei had gained considerable experience while serving as the police chief in Yangzhou, so he believed Xu Weiwei would be fine.
On the other side, Xu Weiwei's eyes flickered, and although her voice became more placid, it warmed her heart.
After a moment, she glanced at Ye Cangtian and asked, "Will you really help me?"
Ye Cangtian nodded, "Of course!"
With those simple two words, Xu Weiwei gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, I can try. But will the higher-ups approve of me?"
"Those are not things you need to worry about."
Ye Cangtian glanced at her and said, "What you need to do now is call Xu Shi'an back for me. I have something to say."
Hearing this, Xu Weiwei asked no further questions, nodded, and then picked up the phone and dialed.