The villa.
After returning to the villa, Ye Cangtian poured Shangguan Yun a glass of water before heading to the rooftop on the second floor.
He took out his phone, searched for Hassall's number, and finally dialed it.
Thousands of miles away, in a luxurious bedroom, Hassall was asleep.
Suddenly, the ringing began. Hassall fumbled for his phone, mumbling, "Damn it, who the hell is calling me in the middle of the night!"
The next moment, he saw the number on his phone. Instantly, Hassall was wide awake.
This number hadn't appeared on his phone screen for at least half a year.
He had thought that as the conflict escalated and he was far from the front lines, he had faded from the other party's sight and had completely escaped their coercion.
But now, it seemed that wasn't the case! Everything had been too wishful thinking.
"Ye Cangtian, why are you calling so late!"
After some struggle, Hassall decided to answer the call.
No matter what, he would first clarify the situation. If it was a minor matter, he might as well help the other party, which would be better than directly falling out.
"Heh, I thought you wouldn't answer the phone!"
In China, Ye Cangtian's face immediately showed a mocking smile.
"What would you do if I didn't answer your call?" Hassall asked, clearly probing.
"Heh, I wouldn't do anything to you!"
"But I'll post a video of you killing your companions on the battle network for everyone to enjoy!"
"If you're not satisfied with that, I'll personally come to your doorstep to discuss our relationship after I deal with these petty thieves here!"
Listening to Hassall's voice, Ye Cangtian understood his meaning and didn't hide it, stating it directly.
He naturally wouldn't let the other party escape his control easily.
"You..."
With just a few words, Hassall's expression changed drastically, becoming extremely grim.
This matter had always been a knot in his heart. If the Pope found out he had killed a fellow disciple, although he considered it accidental, the Pope would not let him off lightly.
Therefore, he naturally did not want this matter to be made public.
As for Ye Cangtian's threat, he felt it was of little importance.
The two were on opposite sides of the ocean, and he didn't believe Ye Cangtian would personally come to retaliate against him.
If that were the case, who knew who would end up dealing with whom!
Although Ye Cangtian was stronger, this was the Outer Hall of Light, and the Pope was present.
If Ye Cangtian truly came here, he probably wouldn't gain anything.
"Ye Cangtian, just say what you want directly! Playing these tricks is meaningless, don't you think?"
Hassall finally asked, as he didn't want to fall out with Ye Cangtian unless absolutely necessary.
Doing so would bring him no benefit.
"Heh, since that's the case, I won't beat around the bush."
Ye Cangtian chuckled and then stated directly, "You're aware of the situation in the Chinese capital, aren't you? I need to know how many groups Bruny and Seladin have divided their teams into and their exact locations!"
"You're crazy!"
Hassall suddenly screamed, saying grimly, "Ye Cangtian, I can help you with general matters, but if I help you with this, it's equivalent to cutting off my own retreat!"
"What do you mean?" Ye Cangtian asked, confused.
Hassall quickly explained, "In the Outer Hall of Light, I'm the only veteran Cardinal. So, for these classified operations, I usually handle the coordination and report to the Pope..."
Hassall's meaning was simple: only a very small number of people knew the accurate information about this operation related to the inner hall.
If Bruny and others died mysteriously, someone would investigate, and it would be easy to trace it back to him.
If this matter were confirmed, even a king could not save him!
"Hassall, you must understand, you have no way out!"
"Even if you don't help me, I'll release the video online, and you'll still be dead! But if you help me, there might still be a way out!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian burst into laughter.
Hmph!
Hassall let out a cold snort and said fiercely, "Ye Cangtian, then go ahead and post the video online! I'm dead either way, so why should I bear the label of a traitor!"
"Besides, last time was just an accidental kill. If I explain properly to the Pope, even if he punishes me, it won't be too severe!"
"Heh, you think I can't deal with you, right?"
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian let out a cold laugh and continued, "Hassall, don't think I'm joking. If you want to break ties with me, I will personally come to kill you!"
"At that time, I'd like to see if the Pope can protect you!"
You...
With those words, Hassall's face turned ashen.
Even with the Pope present, he still lacked confidence.
He couldn't stay by the Pope's side every day. If he happened to be alone, it could be fatal.
Thinking of this, Hassall's attitude softened, and he said, "Ye Cangtian, I'll do my best to help you, but you have to consider me too! I can't risk my life for you!"
"Hmph! It's better to have this attitude from the start!"
Sensing the change in his attitude, Ye Cangtian let out a light snort and said, "Don't worry, this won't implicate you. I've already found out that you have an intelligence base station established on the Sky Net..."
Ye Cangtian didn't hide anything. Although he hadn't pinpointed the exact location of the base station in Sha City yet, it was only a matter of time.
It could be said that once the base station was found, the whereabouts of Bruny and others would be exposed.
Therefore, Ye Cangtian found a good reason for Hassall: the base station had a problem, and no one had betrayed them.
"This..."
Upon hearing this, Hassall was startled.
He truly didn't expect Ye Cangtian to have pinpointed Sha City within such a short period among countless regions. It was practically a miracle.
How did he find out?
"Hassall, I advise you to be more open-minded. People always need to leave a way out for themselves."
"Are you sure the Hall of Light will always have the last laugh?"
At this moment, Ye Cangtian's voice came again.
Hassall snapped back to attention, his expression changing.
The actions of the Hall of Light in China had repeatedly failed, and their losses were constantly increasing, indicating that China's strength was also rapidly rising.
In this context, China and the Hall of Light were destined for a struggle for dominance.
And judging by their respective foundations, it was still uncertain who would ultimately reign supreme.
If he could sell some favors to China while preserving his own life, then even if China won in the end, he wouldn't be implicated.
On the contrary, he might even gain more benefits.
With this thought, Hassall quickly spoke, "Ye Cangtian, I can reveal some of the Hall of Light's operations to you, but I have a condition."
"Let's hear it," Ye Cangtian asked directly.
Hassall didn't beat around the bush and stated directly, "My condition is that you need to create a false impression that Sha City's intelligence base station was invaded..."
Listening to this, Ye Cangtian immediately understood. The other party simply wanted to protect himself by shifting the blame.
The next moment, Ye Cangtian agreed directly.
Ten minutes later, after they hung up, Ye Cangtian gazed at the boundless stars and chuckled mockingly, "This is like one rotten fish spoiling a whole pot of soup..."
Muttering, Ye Cangtian sent the coordinates of the base station he obtained from Hassall to Thorn Dolphin and Viper respectively.
With their abilities, he believed they would find the target soon.
After finishing everything, Ye Cangtian, along with Shangguan Yun, left the villa.
...