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Little Lu replied slowly, "I understand. For the sake of friends and loved ones, I don't care about my reputation. I will stay with you for now, but please don't leave immediately. Let's wait until Mundo departs from Thunder Sound City." He was worried that if Cui Ming and the others achieved their goal and left, Mundo might go insane, and he wouldn't be able to defeat Mundo. That would be disastrous. Although Cui Ming said that Mundo wouldn't go mad over the witch, Little Lu was not Beiyue and couldn't unconditionally trust Cui Ming's judgment.
"Of course," Cui Ming responded. "I will keep my promise to friends."
"We're not friends," Little Lu corrected him.
"Alright, let me put it this way: I will keep my promises as long as they are not to a demon, even if it's to an enemy," Cui Ming added. "But she is a demon." Cui Ming's strategy was to give false hope only to crush the opponent's spirit later. He also admitted to breaking his promise and found a reason for it; he would not let the witch go.
The car was quiet as they arrived at the inn. Cui Ming instructed Raefus's people to withdraw; it was all clear now. He planned to stay a few more days. Closing the door, he entered the room with Beiyue. "This area is too vast," he said. "Wei Wei's team is investigating the situation with the Fire Cult Practitioner, but they can't even find a foothold. How can we locate my dad?"
It was difficult; the territory of the Fire Cult was too solid. If they infiltrated and were discovered, they might face overwhelming odds—one kill at a time. Moreover, they could justify it under the pretense of destroying faith, as there were countless Witnesses. The dead wouldn't speak, and even if there were survivors, there would be no evidence. The alliance had also requested that practitioners refrain from entering the Fire Cult's territory without permission.
However, entry was still possible. This time, the alliance had reached an agreement with the Fire Cult: alliance members could enter the Fire Cult's sphere of influence after notifying them but could not engage in any illegal activities according to local laws. They needed legitimate reasons and would be subject to monitoring and accompaniment. There was also Crow, a top-tier expert recognized even by Wandering.
"We need to find leverage or benefits," Cui Ming said. "We must convince the Fire Cult to release your father. Infiltration is not feasible; it's too dangerous and lacks leads."
"Liu Meier?"
"I've considered her. But she's not a suitable candidate for several reasons: first, it would disrupt Wandering's long-term plans; second, it's difficult to kidnap her now since she has become close friends with Leopard Woman, and has the protection of the Liu Family, being very close to Ye Wen. Thirdly, if we're not careful and end up kidnapping the Eternal Goddess of Charity Liu Meier, it would not only be dangerous but also invite sanctions from the Force Alliance and condemnation from the Eternity alliance. Therefore, we cannot use brute force against her in her current position."
"Beiyue, there's no need to rush. The alliance is already wary of the Fire Cult, sending people to gather information on their practitioners. We should pause for now, collect all available information before devising a proper plan. I suggest we first gather intelligence on the Fire Cult in the area around Twilight City. The North Moon Group must be mobilized to prepare for any unexpected situations."
Without intelligence or information, there was little that Cui Ming could do. Until now, he hadn't regarded the Fire Cult as a true opponent—at most, they were rivals of the alliance, and he merely contributed some peripheral ideas to help them out. He never expected that suddenly they would become adversaries. This left him feeling somewhat uncertain yet excited at the same time. Defeating an unknown powerful foe would feel exhilarating.
On the Ninth Day, Mundo had long vanished without a trace, but Little Lu still followed the two. Early in the morning of the Ninth Day, Cui Ming and Beiyue were reading when a server knocked on the door. Upon entering, he said, "The woman's body is gone."
Gone? I had it burned the day before yesterday. You tell me today that the body is missing? Raefus's subordinates are really unreliable. Even with this thought, Cui Ming still inquired further.
It turned out that the driver had placed the body in the trunk and was preparing to head to the power plant when he encountered soldiers conducting a checkpoint inspection. The driver diverted to a nearby gas station, got out of the car, and approached the checkpoint to find out why the soldiers were stopping vehicles. At that moment, an attack occurred; a young man opened fire on the soldiers. The soldiers received orders to capture this young man, leading to a gunfight that lasted quite some time since they were instructed to take him alive. Eventually, they successfully apprehended the young man.
Due to the battle occurring amidst traffic, one civilian was killed and seven others were injured, including the driver who was shot in the abdomen. The driver was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment and only regained consciousness the next morning. He immediately contacted his accomplices. When they checked at the gas station parking area, they found that their car was missing. After calling the traffic police, they learned that their vehicle had been towed due to illegal parking. This unexpected complication left them in despair; by the time they managed to retrieve their car on the morning of the Ninth Day and opened the trunk, the body was already gone. What worried them even more was that the trunk had been violently tampered with; handprints were imprinted on the metal panel as if someone had forcibly pulled it open.
Because Ray Intermediary had strict rewards and punishments, Cui Ming offered some words of comfort and instructed the server to relay his name to Raefus, advising not to make things difficult for the driver—he hadn’t done anything wrong; he just had bad luck. It was no big deal.
After sending off the server and closing the door, Cui Ming sat beside Beiyue. "It's highly likely that Mundo is involved; he must have some special way of locating witches."
Beiyue replied, "The witch is definitely dead. When I retrieved the chain, her pupils were dilated—there's no doubt about it."
"I think so too; after all, witches are human." Cui Ming pondered for a moment. "Could Mundo be trying to extract materials? No need to overthink it; we can't be overly suspicious. Besides, if we encounter a witch from Three Continents, we might not even fear her."
On the Tenth Day, Cui Ming, Beiyue, and Little Lu met with a contact named Name, who would serve as their temporary liaison for passing messages if needed—such as if Mundo suddenly appeared in Thunder Sound City causing chaos or if Cui Ming caught wind of Warden's whereabouts.
Cui Ming and Beiyue packed their belongings and set off for Twilight City with the aim of finding Ye Family. As a longstanding loyal family in Twilight City with a history of conflict against Fire Cult that spanned generations, Ye Family’s understanding of Fire Cult had never ceased. Even now, an ordinary member of Ye Family held a position as Mushroom Leader in Twilight City. They never let their guard down; even during centuries of peace, they remained vigilant.
They sought to uncover what exactly Fire Cult was about by consulting Ye Family.
...
Traveling to Twilight City without concealing their identities, they rented a car heading towards Dawn City. From there, they traveled across land to reach the easternmost part of Western Continent before taking a ferry to Eastern Continent and then making their way overland to Twilight City.
On the road, the soldiers at the checkpoint conducted an inspection. After reviewing the practitioner's credentials, they immediately reported to their superior and asked them to wait. About ten minutes later, an officer drove up, apologized to Cui Ming and Beiyue for the delay, and then tied a purple silk scarf to the rearview mirror outside the driver's seat.
After that, no one else stopped their vehicle, and they traveled smoothly all the way to Twilight City, where Cui Ming saw Vlad. Vlad was with Ding Lan, and beside them was a black luxury sedan. Cui Ming and Beiyue got out of the car and walked towards Vlad and Ding Lan. Cui Ming shook hands with Vlad, saying, "No need to be so polite," before shaking hands with Ding Lan as well. It was clear that Ding Lan was quite friendly.
Vlad politely responded, "It's only right. The competition champion is coming to Dawn City; my Ding Family must host you for a meal, otherwise it wouldn't be appropriate. Please get in the car; we won't go to Ding Family; there's a restaurant in Dawn City that I really like. Let's go try it together?"
Vlad felt helpless inside. The soldiers had relayed information back to Ding Family, and Ding Nuo had responded with a tone of disdain, questioning why they were even coming. Vlad was at a loss; indeed, why were they here? He wondered if it was for some sort of reception or inquiry. Moreover, Beiyue himself was present—Beiyue was a hunter and also the captain of the Competition Match champion team. It was only natural for Ding Family to send someone to receive them.
Ding Nuo had listened to Vlad's words but stated that he was busy and left it up to Vlad to handle things.
There were indeed matters at hand that concerned Vlad. As the second-in-command of Ding Family, he always prioritized the interests of the family. He was very much against Ding Family getting involved in the internal strife of Dawn Empire, especially with the current president's conflict with the Elder Council. It seemed that Ding Nuo and others had long favored the Elder Council. At the same time, Vlad felt sidelined; among all the members of Ding Family, only Ding Nuo supported him and appointed him as manager because he recognized Vlad's capabilities. Aside from Ding Nuo, there was only Ding Lan; other core members of Ding Family were very polite but Vlad knew he did not belong to Ding Nuo's small circle.
Vlad could not discuss such matters with Cui Ming and the others. As they drove slowly, he patiently introduced Dawn Empire and its current internal troubles—the division over political and military management.
"The morning news just came out today: when the president was a governor, he had an affair with his secretary but denied it during his presidential campaign; now it's been confirmed by the secretary. With this scandal exposed, he might face impeachment."
Cui Ming did not understand: "Personal life? Is it really that strict?"
Vlad explained, "It's not about personal life; it's mainly about credibility. If the president had admitted or neither confirmed nor denied it during his campaign, there wouldn't have been an issue. But by denying a fact, he lied to the public—this is highly taboo. Each time he lies to the public is equivalent to overdrawing government credibility."
Beiyue remarked, "I don't quite understand, but I feel that even if we change presidents, it won't help if people think there's something wrong with the Elder Council."
"Indeed," Vlad replied. "The Elder Council has significant problems: first is ideology; their views are outdated and lack ambition for progress in military technology. Second is their outdated perspective on having a large number of soldiers who burden taxation since soldiers do not produce anything. Third is their old-fashioned style; they are unwilling to disclose any matters related to military affairs." Vlad continued, "From my personal view, I believe we should start over—on one hand learning from Twilight City's advanced military technology while on the other hand reducing personnel; additionally, we should transfer war powers to the president. The most awkward part is that while the president hopes to resolve tensions with neighboring countries through peaceful means, the Elder Council does not cooperate and instead pressures neighboring countries with heavy military presence. Even when an Elder Council spokesperson accepted an interview with reporters, they made provocative remarks claiming that within five hours and under a hundred casualties, they could occupy neighboring countries." (To be continued.)
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