Operation

The post from the New York branch concisely described the mission and listed the fallen members' Spirit Realm IDs, levels, and years of service, free of impassioned declarations or emotional calls to arms. It read like a quiet, mournful obituary. In the comment section, Heaven's Punishment members from various branches left condolences: "May there be no strife in Heaven," "God bless you," and "Rest in peace," accompanied by endless clusters of white candles. There was no shouting or profanity in this thread, no rage or blame, no clenched-teeth vows of vengeance. Even through the screen, a somber atmosphere of mourning flowed. Zhang Yuanqing skimmed it, exited the thread, and browsed the forum's front page. The mood was starkly different there. Posts with titles containing "fuck" practically filled the screen, vividly showcasing the fury of Heaven's Punishment members. Losing eighteen Spirit Realm walkers overnight, including seven Saints and two Level 6s—as the strongest Orderly organization in the contemporary world, Heaven's Punishment had not suffered such a devastating blow in many years. On the forum, one faction of Heaven's Punishment members denounced the incompetence and ineptitude of the New York branch's higher-ups, much like the citizens of the Free Confederation railing against their government. They argued that Chief Executive Officer Sean Meade of the Enforcement Department should bear the blame and hoped headquarters would dispatch a more capable Dominator to replace him. Another faction believed that the situation in New York had escalated to the point where Dominators could enter the fray at any moment, and that headquarters should dispatch a commissioner leading an elite team to garrison New York. "New York may be a major branch, but the fighting between the Dionysus Club and the Merchant Guild is getting fiercer by the day. Plenty of top players from the evil faction are converging on New York to join the fray. Headquarters really needs to send reinforcements." "New York is the headquarters of the Sea God Church. Those arrogant Sirens aren't on good terms with us. If headquarters sends in a commissioner, I'm afraid they'll clash with them." "Who has Heaven's Punishment ever feared? The Sea God Church has been sitting on the sidelines the whole time. According to our internal Daily Post, they only cracked down on a few gangs for show. If the Sea God Church won't charge in, then leave it to Heaven's Punishment!" "Arrest Cocktail immediately, or hunt down the evil faction's peak Saints! Heaven's Punishment must avenge this!" As Zhang Yuanqing skimmed through the posts, he noticed a difference between Heaven's Punishment and the Five Elements Alliance. The Five Elements Alliance's forum was more like a spectator community, where people chatted, enjoyed gossip, and occasionally vented negative emotions. The Heaven's Punishment forum was different. Not only did they critique their superiors, but they also engaged in serious tactical discussions about what items to deploy against the Dionysus Club and what strategies to use. When disputes arose and neither side would back down, they would even post the attributes of higher-classified items right into the threads. Besides debating tactics, they loved lecturing leadership on how to deploy forces against the evil faction. Reliable or not, it had a distinctly academic atmosphere—though somewhat excessively free-spirited, given that much of the information and intelligence was never meant for social platforms. "The New York branch is under immense pressure, especially Sean Meade. Losing so many elites counts as severe negligence," Zhang Yuanqing chuckled with schadenfreude. Sean Meade had shown open hostility toward the Five Elements Alliance support team, giving them the cold shoulder and showing zero respect at every turn. Now, members from various Heaven's Punishment branches were clamoring for accountability, itching to be transferred to New York to battle the evil faction themselves. Sean Meade's stress was easy to imagine. *** Chief Executive Officer's office. Sitting on the guest sofa, Sean Meade wore a grim expression on his gaunt face, a storm brewing in his light blue eyes. Looking at the two fellow Dominators across from him, he said in a low voice, "I want to apply to use the Eye of the Sky!" Seated opposite Sean were Winni Berent and a gray-haired, middle-aged man named Channing Lu, one of the three magnates of the New York branch of Heaven's Punishment. Channing Lu was the Minister of Administration appointed by the board of directors, overseeing all of Heaven's Punishment's internal affairs, including but not limited to personnel transfers, financial management, item disbursement, and leave scheduling. Simply put, the Minister of Administration served as a check on both the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Prosecutor. The separation of powers was the creed of the Free Confederation. Channing Lu shook his head. "Cocktail has likely left New York or retreated into the Spirit Realm. Activating the Eye of the Sky would be pointless. Perhaps that's exactly what the evil faction wants to see. A Wind Mage who has lost his sight is like a tiger whose fangs have been pulled—when facing a hunter, death is the only path. Sean, do you want to become the first Dominator to return to the Spirit Realm in this battle?" Sean Meade frowned. "Minister Lu, is headquarters preparing to send someone to replace me?" Channing Lu replied calmly, "Headquarters believes your recklessness in pursuing glory led to the annihilation of two squads. You should have taken Minister Winni's advice and hunted Beast Haas instead. Furthermore, headquarters knows you recently suffered the loss of your beloved son and feels your current state of mind is unfit to command the Enforcement Department. They are already scouting candidates. Barring exceptional circumstances, the decision will not change." Sean Meade's facial muscles twitched. "The squads weren't wiped out because of my reckless ambition, but because there's a mole within the Enforcement Department. Very few people knew about last night's operation. I am already investigating the mole." Channing Lu nodded noncommittally. Such matters would naturally fall to Sean's successor; headquarters would not easily alter its stance. At that moment, Winni Berent spoke up. "Once the new Chief Executive Officer takes office, Your Excellency Meade may activate the Eye of the Sky. I won't object!" Essentially putting discarded waste to good use! She felt a sudden flash of gratitude for Jumang's sharpness. If he hadn't exposed Emma as a spy, she might have committed a catastrophic error and found herself trapped in a similar predicament, just like Sean Meade. Channing Lu sighed. "Let's talk more about the spies. Heaven's Punishment has plenty of internal issues. If we don't root them out, similar incidents will happen again. Besides, Beast Haas had just returned to the Spirit Realm when the evil faction slapped us right across the face. Sean, put North on the move. Let him pick anyone from the Class A wanted list." North was one of the two peak Saints in the Enforcement Department, possessing extensive combat experience and a profound arsenal of items—a seasoned powerhouse of the older generation. *** After lunch, Zhang Yuanqing left the bank building and summoned an avatar using the Yata no Kagami in a nearby public restroom. Bacchus and Hecate had decided to hunt the Five Elements Alliance team tonight and summoned him to Catherine's massage and wellness parlor at three in the afternoon to plot. After sending off his avatar, he returned to the office and overheard Yuan Ting vividly recounting the news of Sean Meade's impending replacement. Not only did Yuan Ting know Sean was about to be ousted, but he even knew the candidate list from Heaven's Punishment headquarters thousands of miles away. "Supposedly, it might be Winifred Elena. She's quite something—she was also one of the Demon Lord's mistresses, a Level 7 Wind Mage, or maybe already Level 8. Ever since the Demon Lord returned to the Spirit Realm, she took unpaid leave to stay home and cultivate her mind. Tsk, tsk, why does a scumbag like the Demon Lord still have so many women utterly devoted to him?" Yuan Ting looked around triumphantly, radiating the aura of an undefeated gossip champion. *Probably seduced into submission in bed... Mmh, Elena...* Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up. He knew about this woman; she had been one of the Demon Lord's favored mistresses and was suspected of possessing a treasure map fragment. She was someone he wanted to get in touch with, but she had been thousands of miles away, completely out of reach. *Suddenly, I don't feel like killing Bacchus and Hecate anymore. Better to just let Sean get kicked out—especially if his successor really is Elena!* Zhang Yuanqing muttered inwardly. If he successfully hunted down Bacchus and Hecate, Sean might not be dismissed after all. He might just receive a demerit and stay in New York. "Elena must be gorgeous, right?" Sun Miaomiao chimed in, enjoying the drama. As long as it didn't involve Yuanshi Tianzun, she was always eager to hear about the Demon Lord's romantic escapades. "We can question the Demon Lord's character, but we can't question his taste!" Yuan Ting said. "She's bound to be a great beauty. I heard Winni Berent has an intense possessive streak and regards all of the Demon Lord's mistresses as mortal enemies. If Elena comes over, there'll be quite a show to watch." *** Late at night. In Manhattan, inside a riverfront hotel room with the best view, Bacchus held a bottle of liquor in one hand and binoculars in the other, observing the distant bank building. Confirming he had a clear view, he lowered the binoculars, picked up his phone, and dialed the Dream Master's number. "In five minutes, I'll have my subordinates make their move. Keep your eyes peeled. The moment the Five Elements Alliance team heads out, report to me immediately," he burped. "Don't tell me what to do!" the Dream Master on the other end responded coldly and hung up. Bacchus looked at his phone screen, grinned, and turned to Hecate, who was fast asleep on the bed. "I really can't stand that guy. Let's find a chance to get rid of him." Hecate opened her eyes. "Then do it tonight. It'll just mean one less person to split the rewards with. A top-tier Saint-stage item each." Bacchus wore a cruel grin. "Splendid idea." He picked up the phone again and dialed his subordinate. "Move!" With that, he hung up and sat by the bay window, gazing out at the night view of Manhattan and the river in the distance, sipping his liquor. As Senior Deacons, Bacchus and Hecate naturally had no shortage of subordinates. Tonight, they had deployed enough hands to cause massive destruction across various parts of Manhattan. Heaven's Punishment would surely suspect it was a scheme by the freedom faction to lure the snake out of the grass, making them hesitant to dispatch teams recklessly. Instead, Saints would lead, with Dominators likely overseeing from behind. Consequently, Heaven's Punishment would inevitably face a personnel shortage. Since the Five Elements Alliance team was powerful and there in an auxiliary capacity, they were guaranteed to be deployed. Bacchus continued sipping drink after drink against the backdrop of the river view. About half an hour later, the lights on the 102nd and 103rd floors of the distant bank building suddenly flashed on. A few minutes later, fierce gusts of wind swept across the roof of the bank building. Figures riding air currents departed from the building, vanishing into the night. Shortly after, black commercial vans rushed out of the bank's underground garage, sirens wailing, merging into traffic as they sped toward the various police stations requesting backup. With a ding, Bacchus's phone received a text from the Dream Master. He looked closely: it was a license plate number. The Five Elements Alliance team was in that vehicle.