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Turning to look at Cui Ming and Mi Xiaonan, Wandering saw that both were dressed in doctor’s attire, their faces obscured by masks. As they approached, just as he was about to inquire, Cui Ming pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and placed it before Wandering. "Force Exobiology Research Department, Linfuski, requests to take this mouse."
Wandering was baffled and pondered for a moment before asking, "We haven't even determined the outcome yet. You can't take him."
Cui Ming placed a booklet on the table and said, "This is an internal treaty signed by the Alliance a hundred years ago. The Force Exobiology Research Department has the priority right to take any non-Eternal Sphere creature."
Wandering picked up the booklet and opened it, revealing nothing but blank pages. He feigned looking around at Bufon. "Old Bu, do you have anything like this?"
"Well... but the Force Exobiology Research Department has been disbanded for a long time," Bufon replied honestly. "How come I don't know about your department?"
Cui Ming explained, "A hundred years ago, the Force Alliance signed multiple agreements with Silent City. However, due to the assassination of the President and the murder of an elder from Silent City, cooperation ceased. But the first agreement signed was for joint research on unknown creatures from other realms."
Wandering suddenly understood how the play was meant to unfold. Closing his eyes slightly in irritation, he said, "So you're from Silent City. Only Silent City established this department specifically to study summoned Otherworldly Creatures." This department indeed existed; it was a project overseen by an elder from Silent City. Any Otherworldly Creatures summoned by mages needed to be evaluated for potential threats before a decision on their fate could be made. They weren’t afraid of the creatures causing trouble; they were concerned about them destroying Silent City.
"We've been keeping an eye on him for a long time," Cui Ming continued. "Why did I come to Hero City? It's because Silent City received word that he appeared near Hero City. According to the agreement, both parties are to jointly research and assess him. However, since your Force Alliance has disbanded this department, he belongs to us now. Is that right? Or do you and Bufon think that Silent City and Force Alliance are enemies?"
Wandering's face showed anger as he thought for a moment before responding, "I’m somewhat of a celebrity in the cultivation world. Even your elders must treat me with some respect; how dare you be so rude?"
Cui Ming replied coolly, "Since you already know I'm from Silent City, I have no need to show you respect."
"Is this mouse really that important?"
Cui Ming did not answer directly but asked instead, "I want to take him; you have no objections, right?"
Wandering shook his head. "Give me two more hours."
"Two hours?"
"Two hours."
Cui Ming's expression seemed skeptical. After a moment, he said, "Alright, let's take some samples first."
"Okay."
Cui Ming took out a notebook while Mi Xiaonan opened the box. In the Roni Islands, both Mi Xiaonan and Akali had learned some medical skills. The Force medical techniques, although not as professional as Ashen's, were sufficient for their needs. Mi Xiaonan stepped on the mouse, and Cui Ming coldly instructed, "Bone marrow."
Mi Xiaonan took out a syringe, applied Force to it, and jabbed it directly into the mouse's leg, piercing through the muscle and hitting the center of the bone. The mouse let out a terrible scream, trapped by the Force crystal. It was no different from an ordinary person. The sensation of having its bone marrow extracted filled the mouse with even more dread.
Nearby, Bufon, Wei Wei, and Wandering felt a shared empathy; the mouse's cries made them all stand up. Mi Xiaonan extracted the bone marrow and squeezed it into a test tube before placing it in a portable refrigerator. Cui Ming wrote on the first page and turned to the next: "Testicles."
"That's enough, that's enough." Wandering immediately intervened, sensing trouble brewing. "You Silent City folks are causing chaos on my turf. This is too much. Once we finish questioning, you can have him back to study in Silent City."
Cui Ming was about to respond when Wei Wei stepped forward to block them. "Leave Hunter Headquarters. Now."
The show was over. Next up was Wandering's game with the mouse.
Wei Wei escorted the two out and quietly asked at the door, "What if we can't get anything out of him?"
Cui Ming replied softly, "This mouse is strong. This method of assassination is something only the President could defend against. So if we can ask questions, we will; if not, we kill him. Besides, even if he admits to being a practitioner of Fire Cult, he can't be left alive. The Fire Cult is about to negotiate; they could easily find an excuse—like claiming the mouse is blaspheming against their deity—and demand to take him to their holy ground for execution. It's a matter of religion; you wouldn't want to interfere. Also, if the mouse is important to Fire Cult, I believe they'll call soon enough. Sister, one Lion Dog is enough; every little bit helps."
Wei Wei nodded slowly as Cui Ming whispered something in her ear before leaving with Mi Xiaonan.
Wei Wei did not return to the interrogation room but stayed quietly in the reception area on the first floor, waiting.
About an hour later, a Volunteer arrived, looking anxious. "Sister Wei Wei, is the President here?"
"Yes, what's wrong?"
"The Fire Cult called. They have urgent matters to discuss with the President and are still on the line waiting for him to answer."
"Wait a moment, I'll go get him."
"I'll go..."
Wei Wei raised her hand to stop him. "This is Hunter Headquarters; no entry without permission. I'll go."
Wei Wei walked toward the interrogation room. Wandering and Bufon noticed her speaking with the Volunteer and paused, waiting for her to approach. As she walked by the rat, she swiftly moved her left hand, and a Force arrow pierced through the rat's skull. Wandering and Bufon were taken aback as Wei Wei calmly said, "President, the Fire Cult called. They said they have urgent matters to discuss; you should head back to headquarters and take the call."
Bufon was clearly still processing what had just happened, pointing at Wei Wei.
Wandering quickly responded, "An unidentified individual infiltrated Hero City and attempted to assassinate a leader of the Alliance while refusing to disclose their motives. It is reasonable for the Alliance Hunter to execute them."
The rat did not die immediately; its limbs stiffened as if it were struggling against its fate, blood seeping from its teeth as it gasped for breath before finally lowering its head in death. Wandering added, "This rat might carry a plague; let's burn it. President, I’ll accompany you to take the call and see what urgent matters the Fire Cult has."
Bufon was not foolish; he simply took a moment to react. Nodding, he walked toward the door with Wandering while Wei Wei grabbed the rat's corpse and dragged it aside. She retrieved firewood from a nearby room and set it ablaze. Stepping back, she watched the flames flicker and sighed lightly. They really should not have sent Lion Dog for a sneak attack; if it weren't for Lion Dog's terrifying display of power, this wouldn't have ended in death. Li Qing had told Wei Wei that while Lion Dog sounded impressive, those who weren't present couldn't feel the pressure it exerted on everyone—a sense of life being out of one's control that was truly dreadful.
Cui Ming shared this dreadful sentiment as well. That day, everyone fell silent during their conversation, pondering how to counter Lion Dog's invisibility and trying to figure out how Lion Dog managed to easily evade Li Qing's flying kicks while invisible. The rat made another appearance in Hero City; although brief, it served as a stark reminder to human cultivators that Fire Cult Practitioners' assassins were far more powerful than those of the Alliance.
Cui Ming's longing turned into a murderous intent. With Mi Xiaonan's explanation of Ashen's medical skills and the state after the plague trap, Cui Ming recalled a saying: "A tree that stands out in the forest will be toppled by the wind." If they were merely experts like Vlad, the Alliance could easily handle them. However, the assassins' strength made it impossible for the Alliance to control their own lives and deaths. Their audacity to infiltrate Hero City and assassinate the Alliance leaders was a testament to their power. In other words, the mouse was likely a crucial member among the Fire Cult Practitioners.
As things stood, the possibility of befriending the Fire Cult seemed very low. For thousands of years, conflicts between the Fire Cult and heretics had persisted. What right did the Force Alliance have to shake their faith?
Kill him, eliminate him while things are still unclear, let the Fire Cult swallow this bitter pill.
Li Qing and Beiyue would become Alliance Hunters, undoubtedly becoming primary enemies of the Fire Cult Practitioners. For the sake of friends, they needed to eliminate the Fire Cult. For their own sake, they had to eradicate the Fire Cult as well. The assassination methods used by Lion Dog and the mouse put immense psychological pressure on Cui Ming. To take control of his fate, there were two options: one was to become stronger himself, and the other was to eliminate those who could control his destiny. The most important reason was that they were part of the Fire Cult; many experts existed within the Alliance, and Cui Ming did not worry about Wandering's strength posing a personal threat.
Cui Ming believed that Wandering and Wei Wei wouldn't think too much in such a short time, so he offered a hint. To collect interest for this hint, Cui Ming and Mi Xiaonan disguised themselves as people from Silent City, hoping to see if Wandering could extract more information about the Fire Cult in a limited time.
Wei Wei didn’t know his real name; he called him Mouse based on his appearance without any disdain, and he didn’t correct him. Thus, he vanished inexplicably. When Volunteer returned to look for corpses, Wei Wei told him, "Scoop some ash from the fire." When Mouse shot out his crossbow bolt, many people—including Wei Wei himself—hadn't yet entered a state of awareness and didn't realize this was the prelude to war. It was only when Wei Wei watched Mouse turn to ashes that he felt war was no joke; it could happen at any moment. Killing Mouse was an absolutely clear action; once war broke out, such assassins were nearly impossible to defend against. Beiyue criticized Cui Ming for being stingy but failed to see that Cui Ming was decisive in killing; when necessary, he would not hesitate at all. After all, someone from the Thieves Guild who harbored hatred towards it since childhood should be a heartless person. Fortunately, there were still people who taught him love and care, preventing him from losing himself; otherwise, his danger level would rival that of assassins like Joker Jack.
Those who use knives may kill a few with ease; those who use their brains can cause rivers of blood.
Wei Wei returned to the reception area to read magazines. Shortly after, Wandering came back and chuckled softly: "The Fire Cult says Mouse is their wanted criminal for defiling their deity... I told them I have already helped your deity execute him on-site." They were silent for a minute without saying a word.
Wei Wei asked, "Boss, are we really going to war?"
"Not necessarily. If Mouse kills me, then we might have to fight. But if I kill Mouse, they won't dare to start a war," Wandering Path replied. "Cui Ming is quite useful; see if there's any way to trick him into becoming a hunter."
"Huh?"
"As long as he becomes a hunter, he must abide by the hunters' rules. Then when I need him, I can just give an order." Wandering Path added with a laugh: "I’m just joking." He couldn't let Cui Ming lower the overall moral value of hunters. (To be continued.)
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