Chapter 1 You're Really Going to Wait Three Days?

The old district was shrouded in night. On the rooftop of an abandoned building, Old Qin, cloaked in a black windbreaker, squinted, his gaze drifting towards an ancient alleyway in the distance.

That alley was Lion Lane.

"How could I?" Tie Wu chuckled. "Am I a fool? How could I wait three days in Dadu? The flowers would have withered."

Killing a person didn't take that long.

If Hua Zhi decided to make a move on Lu Nanzhi, then… one night would suffice.

He just wanted to see… how the Zhao Clan would choose under the pressure exerted by Zhongzhou.

"Beep."

A soft communication alert.

Tie Wu listened silently for a moment, then hung up, shaking his head and sighing, "Zhao Xilai contacted the Zhongzhou Council, hoping to withdraw the Apostle through the council…"

Old Qin frowned. "He should know that's impossible…"

"The old man is getting senile. I came by the order of the Divine Seat. How could the Council call me back?" Tie Wu scoffed. "But this also shows that the vegetable in Changye City is still asleep. Otherwise, Zhao Xilai wouldn't have come up with this idea."

Connecting with Zhongzhou, hoping they would stop the Apostle's actions.

It sounded… rather comical.

Actions at this level were carefully planned. There were no misunderstandings, and they wouldn't be easily canceled.

"Or… is this a warning?" Old Qin frowned. "Assuming Dongzhou is preparing to retaliate, linking the Zhongzhou Council and requesting the withdrawal of the Apostle… it could be considered a legitimate warning."

"You, you just think too much…"

Tie Wu didn't think so. He glanced down at the time, rubbing his hands together. "I was originally going to wait another day, but now, I can't wait a second longer…"

Not far away was Lion Lane.

At the end of Lion Lane, the old residence's lights were always on. An invisible force shielded it from external perception. It seemed to be a unique sealed item. Without entering the courtyard, it was impossible to see the true situation inside.

Many guards were gathered near Lion Lane.

After reaching a cooperation agreement with Nan Wan, Chen San dispatched several of his elite subordinates to be responsible for protecting the safety of Lion Lane.

"Wait a moment."

Just as Tie Wu was about to dash off the rooftop of the abandoned building, Old Qin suddenly reached out and pressed his shoulder like lightning. A burst of force erupted, slamming Tie Wu's suspended feet back onto the ground.

"We might as well wait a little longer… someone is about to make a move."

Old Qin calmly pointed to a streak of black flowing in the distant night… A rather hidden supernatural aura flowed there, and a murderous intent could be faintly sensed.

Tie Wu staggered, holding the hem of his windbreaker, and floated back up, swaying.

He looked into the distance, muttering, "Is that… someone from Hua Zhi?"

"I saw this woman when I came to Dadu before… She's a supernaturalist under Zhao Xilai." Old Qin said woodenly, "It seems that Hua Zhi has made its decision. We might as well just watch from here."

…

…

"Last mission, Old District, Fulin Lane…"

"Completed."

Gu Shen walked out of an old residence in Fulin Lane. The task prompts on his holographic glasses were automatically checked off one by one, then disappeared. This meant that the tasks assigned by Deep Sea based on computing power had come to a temporary end.

Three men were lying face-up in the courtyard, a bloody hole burned into their foreheads, and unexploded fire thunder tubes around their waists… The scene wasn't bloody because the temperature of Blazing Fire was too high, directly incinerating all the blood in their foreheads.

All three were supernaturalists.

However… the battle in the courtyard lasted only five minutes, four of which were spent by Gu Shen absorbing the supernatural source substance of the deceased.

Insufficient mental power, being hit by Blazing Fire, was almost an instant death.

"Congratulations, another 'thrilling' battle."

Lu Nanjin, leaning against the courtyard door, yawned lazily and said, "It seems that the tasks Teacher has chosen for you… are a little too simple."

As a "backup," she accompanied Gu Shen to carry out the task of annihilating members of the Evergreen Foundation… It only took half a day for her to go from worry to surprise, astonishment, and now to being accustomed to it.

If it took Gu Shen more than five minutes to deal with supernaturalists of the same rank… then she would be surprised.

Gu Shen smiled.

These tasks seemed simple, but in fact… they were really suitable for him. The battles with low-level supernaturalists had significantly improved his control over Blazing Fire, and the scattered supernatural source substances had accumulated, making this afternoon a "fruitful harvest."

Teacher knew the characteristics of Blazing Fire.

It could devour dark spots and needed a large amount of source substance… and the task of eliminating Foundation members was an excellent opportunity to collect scattered source substance.

Gu Shen wasn't picky.

Senior Sister was also very cooperative. After the battle, she would silently return to the door, watching the wind for Gu Shen… Every supernaturalist had their own secrets, and if he had secrets, then of course Little Junior Brother was no exception.

She had inadvertently caught a glimpse of Gu Shen collecting the "supernatural source substance" of the dead…

This was actually something that violated people's understanding of supernatural source substance!

If it were exposed to the outside world, it would definitely cause a huge sensation!

However, Lu Nanjin was only slightly surprised and didn't have any other thoughts.

Now… she wouldn't be surprised by anything that happened to Gu Shen.

The Dongzhou Council classified Gu Shen's Blazing Fire as a mental ability on the supernatural spectrum, but Lu Nanjin knew that the little flame had its own entity and scorching temperature.

This was definitely not a mental or natural power.

Supernatural abilities were mutations, bizarre, and unpredictable.

And it was reasonable for a special trait ability user to do things that violated the laws of supernatural abilities…

What was wrong with absorbing supernatural source substance… Zhongzhou's Fire Thief could even steal other people's supernatural abilities!

"Mission completed, thanks for your hard work, Senior Sister."

Gu Shen slowly exhaled. Today, he had run half of Dadu District, from Jiangtan to the old city. He didn't dare to take any battle lightly, and now he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Continue tomorrow." Lu Nanjin nodded, turned around with her sword, and was about to leave.

"If I remember correctly… Fulin Lane doesn't seem to be far from Lion Lane." Gu Shen suddenly smiled and asked, "Want to go for a sit?"

Lu Nanjin was slightly startled.

Judging from her back, she seemed to be hesitating.

"Been busy lately."

Lu Nanjin shook her head and said, "I'd rather not."

Although she had been away from Dadu for ten years.

But after returning here, many thoughts… had changed.

She was beginning to slowly understand her sister and had thought about finding an opportunity to have a good chat with her.

However, now was the critical moment for the handover of alternate councilors, and the final battles over the bill, as well as the sanctions of the Zhao Clan, required a lot of thought to deal with.

At this time, it was better not to disturb her.

"Then I'll go see Brother Crow." Gu Shen continued to shamelessly extend an invitation. "Do you want to come with me, Senior Sister?"

Lu Nanjin: "…"

"Let's have some supper together." Gu Shen stroked his chin and said, "The Lion's Awakening Wine he hoards is a good thing…"

The Senior Sister holding the sword slowly turned around and said seriously, "Just to be clear… I'm just hungry."

"And a little thirsty."

…

…

"Attention, do not harm innocent people."

In the night, a small team was advancing rapidly.

Leading the team was a tall, slender woman wearing a night-action leotard. A black veil was tied around her forehead as a headband, but even so, a faint fluorescence still lingered, as if condensing into… an eye.

Mental ability, Spirit Eye.

Four team members followed closely behind Liu Yi, and a faint fluorescence also lingered around them.

Liu Yi's Spirit Eye expanded and shared the vision between them.

"This mission… is to enter the old residence in Lion Lane." Liu Yi said calmly, "I will use the Spirit Eye to plan the optimal route, avoiding combat as much as possible. If a conflict occurs, just stun them."

Not only were there Nan Wan faction supernaturalists patrolling here, but also federal officials from the Third Precinct. They had three layers inside and three layers outside, guarding Lion Lane and the surrounding streets. Because of the dilapidated facilities in the old district, they temporarily dispatched drones equipped with Sky Eyes to defend the area tightly.

"Southeast, two patrolmen."

One person said in a low voice.

The corner of the alley, the lights had just shone out.

Liu Yi pounced out like a night cat, her figure graceful. She instantly stretched out her hands, pressing them on the faces of the two patrolmen respectively. The headband fell off on its own as she pounced, turning into a taut silk ribbon, wrapping around her palm. In an instant, darkness enveloped the eyes of the two patrolmen.

But this was actually a form of "protection"!

Without the cover of the headband, the Spirit Eye on Liu Yi's brow suddenly burst into a strong blazing light!

In an instant, the alley was flooded with holy light. The two patrolmen, whose eyes were covered by the headband, only felt a burst of light, and all that remained in their ears was a buzzing sound.

Liu Yi's expression was calm. She instantly retracted the headband, raised her hands, and gathered the silk ribbon behind her head. The light of the Spirit Eye slowly dissipated.

The two patrolmen at the corner had already lost consciousness and collapsed limply.

This was not only a mental hypnosis, but also a direct strike on the material level.

The state of unconsciousness would remain very stable for eight to ten hours.

"Go."

After doing all this, Liu Yi spoke in a low voice. Time was tight, and there was no time to deal with the aftermath of these two patrolmen… If they were discovered, it would mean that her group's attack had been exposed.

The only thing she could do was ensure that the two of them would not wake up temporarily, causing even bigger trouble.

However… this mission wouldn't take too long.

Cut into Lion Lane, break into the old residence, and that would be a success!

Under layers of protection… exposure was inevitable, and a forced breakthrough would definitely be necessary in the end.

Two more corners, and the outline of the residence could already be seen. In the distance was a seemingly empty four-way intersection, but in reality, that was the most heavily guarded position. Not to mention the well-trained officials of the Third Precinct, just the supernaturalists of the Sincerity Society in Nan Wan, who didn't have formal positions, were enough to cause a headache.

"…Scatter."

Liu Yi silently leaned against the wall by herself. She made a gesture, signaling the four who were following behind her to scatter.

The five-person team became five single-person teams.

Liu Yi closed her eyes and completely opened her Spirit Eye. The headband was almost transparent under the blazing light.

As if an invisible soul had left her body, she softly turned her head, her vision rotating one hundred and eighty degrees, trying to see the true scene of the old residence behind her…

However, Liu Yi's ever-victorious Spirit Eye was blocked here.

Stone lions guarding the house, warding off ominous signs, banyan trees supporting the sky, preventing prying eyes. A hazy mist filled the air above the courtyard, as if something was burning, isolating all perception.

The Spirit Eye completely lost its function. Even if she tried her best, the only thing she could see inside the courtyard was blurry.

Except… for the few black crows perched on the wall of the courtyard.

Wait a minute… crows?

Liu Yi's expression changed slightly.

She realized… this residence was missing a key figure. Intelligence said that Song Ci had been guarding the old residence, loyally protecting the peace of Lion Lane. This was a more terrifying existence than the Third Precinct officials, and also the biggest obstacle in this mission.

This was also the reason why Mr. Zhao sent her to carry out the mission.

To enter the residence… they had to rely on the power of the Spirit Eye, because with Song Ci's presence, forcing their way in was almost an impossible task. Even with powerful sealed items to cooperate, they needed to lock down his position in advance.

Liu Yi took a deep breath.

First, she took out a very small copper bell from her bosom. The surface of the copper bell was covered with ancient talismans. Even though it had experienced bumps during the removal process, it was still eerily silent.

This copper bell was the A-grade sealed item prepared by Hua Zhi for this operation, the Soul-Locking Bell. After the user completed the mental lock, it would forcibly drag the selected supernaturalist into a dream.

Then, Liu Yi took out a piece of tattered cloth… It was Crow's old clothing.

In fact, it didn't necessarily have to be clothing. As long as there were items with residual supernatural aura, the Spirit Eye's locking function could be activated.

The aura on each supernaturalist was unique.

The Spirit Eye could lock onto a strand of supernatural aura within a large range… As long as it existed within this range, it would definitely not be able to escape perception.

A commotion sounded in the distance.

Liu Yi knew that it was the team members she had sent out, who had been successfully discovered, causing chaos… The patrolling officials and the Sincerity Society supernaturalists would be attracted.

And now… was the moment to lock onto Crow's spirit and activate the Soul-Locking Bell.

The black headband was torn apart by a ray of light.

Liu Yi's expression was solemn. The corner of broken clothing in her palm suddenly shattered and disappeared into ashes under the scorching light. The Spirit Eye's vision began to surge wildly. In an instant, she seemed to soar to a height of ten thousand feet, overlooking the entire old district like a god. This was a very mysterious microscopic feeling, because every street and every detail was imprinted in her mind.

Then the vision rapidly descended.

This was the Spirit Eye locking onto the supernatural aura and beginning to adjust the viewing distance!

Falling!

Falling again!

Liu Yi's face turned pale. First, she saw a huge crow screaming and flying up from the night, then she saw a swarm of black tides covering the sky, flapping its wings and crashing into her vision. After being washed by a black tide—

The Spirit Eye found the owner of this corner of clothing and locked onto the viewpoint.

The final vision stayed at the top of her head. She saw a top-down view of herself leaning against the wall.

She wanted to see the Crow.

But she saw… herself.

Liu Yi's back was covered in cold sweat. She slowly raised her head and looked in the direction of the Spirit Eye's projection.

Above the wall, a shadow that had been squatting for a long time slowly stood up and opened his mouth lazily.

Song Ci stared down at Liu Yi expressionlessly.

"Sister Liu, it's really… been a long time."