The man's smile vanished instantly, and his voice deepened. "When did he lose contact? Were there any signs beforehand?"
Chen Shu shook her head. "None at all. He had been under our surveillance the entire time, dutifully working, dating, and living his life. He forgot his true origins and firmly believed he was a member of the Benevolence Society.
"Yet just the night before last, he invited several friends to go fishing by a suburban lake. He didn't return home the next morning. When our surveillance personnel rushed to the lake to check, they found no signs of a struggle and no fishing gear—there was nothing by the lake. When they questioned Abbe Marshall's friends, they said Abbe had claimed he wasn't feeling well that night and headed home early in the middle of the night."
"A premeditated escape!" The man's tone was certain, his voice grave. "The Palace Master has already hypnotized him. It's impossible for him to regain his senses and break free of the control on his own. I reminded you many times that Abbe Marshall is a crucial chess piece. He could help us uncover the truth behind the collapse of March Mountain. Losing this piece leaves a dead zone on our chessboard—an extremely disadvantageous situation."
Chen Shu raised an eyebrow. "Are you blaming me?"
"My fault, my fault!" The man hurriedly admitted fault, putting on the air of a good older brother who wouldn't argue with his younger sister. "Someone took Abbe Marshall. The best-case scenario is that Heaven's Punishment took him; the worst-case scenario is that the evil faction found him. If it's the latter, once Marshall's hypnosis is broken, the connection between the Benevolence Society and me will be exposed, and you'll be in danger."
The man thought for a moment and said, "Notify the members of the organization to lay low for now."
Chen Shu, however, furrowed her brow. "If we lay low, what about you? Who will gather intelligence and provide funds for you? Who will help you forge alliances and win over comrades from the shadows? Who will do your bidding, and handle the tasks you can't conveniently show your face for?"
The very reason for the Benevolence Society's existence was to serve this demigod.
Without subordinates and an organization, a demigod was merely a commander without an army, possessing immense personal strength and nothing else. And a demigod without subordinate forces would inevitably be toyed to death by the enemy faction's demigods.
Because they would already be behind on intelligence gathering—and setting up schemes, entrapping foes, or deploying strategies all required hands on the ground.
Now was a state of war, and the Merchant Guild could not be completely trusted. If the Benevolence Society's members also went into hiding, the President would be as good as half-blind.
"Listen to me. Hide well. Abbe Marshall losing contact at this critical juncture gives me a bad premonition," the President said, his voice soft yet solemn.
"Fine. I'll stay in New York County a bit longer." Chen Shu didn't object further, changing the subject. "I saw Guan Ya today. I wasn't very impressed. You know the Palace Master is the wife I chose for him. Aside from her, I won't acknowledge any woman."
"As if he'd listen just because you don't acknowledge her..." the man muttered under his breath.
"What did you say?" Chen Shu's brows knitted.
"What I mean is, with my mantle-inheritor's situation, he either becomes the Lord of the Sun or returns to the Spirit Realm. Dreaming of a wife, kids, and a warm hearth simply isn't an option. If he returns to the Spirit Realm, why would you care who your daughter-in-law is? And if he becomes the Lord of the Sun, then as his mother, broaden your horizons! Build him an apartment building and fill it entirely with your daughters-in-law," the man expounded with easy eloquence.
Chen Shu scoffed coldly. "My husband wasn't allowed three wives and four concubines, and neither is my son!"
Just then, the phone in the pocket of his shit-yellow pajamas rang. The man pulled it out, glanced at it, and chuckled. "My mantle-inheritor is calling. In any case, you and the members of the Benevolence Society lay low for now. Give me at least a little time to confirm Abbe Marshall's status."
With that, he slipped the phone back into his pocket, snapped his fingers with a sharp crack, and vanished from the hotel suite.
***
In an abandoned house somewhere in Kings County.
In the eastern master bedroom, the sofa's dust cover had been tossed aside. Zhang Yuanqing sat cross-legged on the sofa, brow furrowed as he listened to the unanswered phone ringing.
*What's going on? Is the President busy and unable to take the call?*
This was the first time a call had gone unanswered; Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help feeling a bit worried.
Suddenly, he heard a ringtone behind him. With a swift turn of his head, he saw a man in shit-yellow pajamas wearing a silver mask, standing by the window. Through the crisscrossing wooden boards, he was looking out at the city engulfed in night.
"I happened to be in New York County, so I came straight over," Mr. President said.
Zhang Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief and cut straight to the chase. "Mr. President, I need to report some recent intelligence to you. One piece of it is quite peculiar and very important."
Hearing this, Mr. President turned around and appeared on the sofa opposite Zhang Yuanqing, straightening his posture and steadying his gaze.
Zhang Yuanqing spoke in detail, laying out his recent encounters for the President: entering the divine realm of the Covenant of Freedom and discovering that the evil faction's god was an extraterrestrial visitor from 1900;
Stephen Simpson, the *Petrel*'s sole survivor, fleeing with the demon seed and hiding to this day, highly likely to be an executive of the Biological Alchemy Society;
the overt and covert struggles of the Port Battle; Channing Lu's betrayal; the Hunter Guild's plot to have him seduce Donna; the acquisition of parts of the Thunder God set; the final fragment of the sacred disk; and the map to the Holy See's treasury...
He concealed only the matter of having his avatar deploy a honey trap to get thoroughly acquainted with Catherine inside and out.
Mr. President sat frozen in silence for a long time, speechless.
After about a quarter of an hour, he let out a long sigh. "Your intel has resolved many of my doubts—I mean regarding the extraterrestrial visitor. No wonder the Covenant of Freedom has been able to calculate every move and stay ahead at every turn: behind them stands a god. A god knows all the secrets of the Spirit Realm, while the orthodox faction lacks an administrator. So that was the truth of the March Mountain summit."
With a god stepping onto the field to guide them in person, of course the Covenant of Freedom could stay ahead at every turn and hold every advantage.
"That really is not playing fair!" Zhang Yuanqing nodded, then asked, "March Mountain summit? The one from the '07 earthquake?"
He had heard of this matter from Pluto.
Mr. President hummed in acknowledgment.
"Back in 2007, the Marshall family convened notables from all walks of life across the First District for a conference at the summit of March Mountain, claiming they had discovered a secret—a secret capable of changing the world order. But on the day of the conference, March Mountain collapsed, and everyone attending died. No one survived. The Covenant of Freedom did it, and to this day, none of the major orthodox organizations know what secret the Marshall family actually discovered. The Covenant of Freedom is always one step ahead of us.
"Having a god directing behind the scenes is an advantage the orthodox faction simply cannot match. There are many similar incidents, and even more hidden beneath the shroud. *Sigh,* truthfully, the only one who can truly play chess against a god is that Lord of the Stars in the capital. But I cannot decipher his game. Over all these years, he seems to have done nothing, yet also seems to have dabbled in a bit of everything.
"Forget it, let's not dwell on him. I'll keep an eye out for the pieces of the Thunder God set for you. If they exist in the Spirit Realm, I'll retrieve them directly. If the cost is too great, then never mind."
Some equipment appeared directly inside Spirit Realm instances, while other equipment existed in a hidden state, only rewarded to Spirit Realm walkers during settlement if their clear rating met the standard.
For items that appeared directly in instances, he could seize them by force, but at great cost.
A Saint-stage item—no, even a Dominator-stage item—was like a chicken rib to a demigod, hardly worth the price of taking by force. The loss would certainly outweigh the gain unless the item had a special function.
"Thank you, President!" Zhang Yuanqing beamed, thinking to himself that having a powerhouse as a backer truly was great.
Immediately after, he probed, "Then regarding Donna's mission..."
Mr. President asked in return, "What are your thoughts?"
Zhang Yuanqing had considered this question many times, and he answered without hesitation, "I think we can take this opportunity to wipe out an important stronghold of the Covenant of Freedom and destroy the Golden Bed."
"But if you do that, you won't be able to continue undercover in the Covenant of Freedom," Mr. President pointed out.
Zhang Yuanqing shook his head.
"If the operation succeeds, there won't be any need for an undercover operative. From the intelligence Channing Lu gave up, the Covenant of Freedom's large-scale expansion of spies only began after Ling Tuo advanced to demigod and became half a Lord of the Lunar. And their spy management model relies on one-way contact through Dominators. In other words, as long as we hunt down the evil faction's Dominators, we will gradually root out the spies lurking in the orthodox organizations—we don't strictly need a roster. Unless, Mr. President, you want the roster of those original founding elders from back then.
"However, I believe those elders weren't numerous, and after more than a century, most have already returned to the Spirit Realm, died of old age, or perished in infighting. By comparison, destroying the stronghold is more important. Not just that Golden Bed that can distort cognition—Channing Lu mentioned that at the Covenant of Freedom's gatherings, people can indulge their desires to their hearts' content. Donna is the foremost beauty of New York County, so quite a few Dominator-level figures will certainly attend. If we take out both these Dominators and the Golden Bed in one fell swoop, the payoff will be far greater."
The President listened in silence, then simply let out an "Oh."
Zhang Yuanqing waited a moment, and seeing no follow-up, asked blankly, "What does 'oh' mean?"
"'Oh' means 'oh.' Did you think it meant 'ah'?" The President shrugged. "You are the future Lord of the Sun. Since you've made up your mind, follow your own thoughts. Don't consult me on everything. We expect you to be a comrade, not a subordinate."
*Still, a patron's opinion has to be consulted!* Zhang Yuanqing said, "Then it's settled!"
Mr. President smiled. "Well then, good night!"
Both snapped their fingers simultaneously. One transformed into starlight, while the other vanished on the spot.
***
The next morning, at ten o'clock.
Zhang Yuanqing attended the internal meeting convened by Miss Chris, where they drew up the operational plan for the next three days.
By now, the evil faction's Saints had suffered a massive defeat, with their peak Saints nearly wiped out. In New York County's current state, the three major evil organizations had no more than three peak Saints remaining in the open.
The orthodox organizations intended to strike while the iron was hot, launching cleanup operations to hunt Saints and force Dominators to show their hands.
Put simply, they were using Saints as bait. Whether the bait survived depended entirely on the skill and power of the Dominators holding the fishing rods, as well as the Saints' own survival capabilities.
As Jumang, who possessed two Dominator items (on paper), he was the most suitable bait.
In his astrological deduction, the role of Jumang had been shrouded in perils; this was part of the reason.
Zhang Yuanqing agreed readily, taking the opportunity to request Heaven's Punishment's help in searching for the components of the Thunder God set as an exchange, which Chris granted.
At eleven-thirty that morning, having just finished lunch, Zhang Yuanqing received a call from the Sole Heir Knight.
"Bring your people to No. 15 Kings District on Flat Island. Today we tackle the labyrinth." Zhai Cai's voice was heavy with tension yet laced with excitement.
"Understood!" Zhang Yuanqing hung up.
Flat Island was a long, narrow island in the suburbs of New York County, located at the mouth of the Hudson River, surrounded by numerous small islands of several hundred or several thousand square meters.
To the east, one could faintly make out the famous Statue of Liberty, while to the west lay part of New York Harbor.
Flat Island was a resort area with scenic views, spacious roads, cable cars, sprawling standalone villas, and lush vegetation. Flat Island was not open to the general public; its villas were reserved for vacations by the Free Confederation's wealthy elite, and few people lived there on regular days.
However, a property management company was stationed permanently on the island to maintain the facilities and luxury residences.
Zhang Yuanqing brought Guan Ya, Sun Miaomiao, Zhao Chenghuang, Brother Red Chicken, and Tianxia Guihuo along, boarding a yacht to the island and then taking a shuttle from the property management company to arrive at No. 15 Kings District.
From a distance, Zhang Yuanqing spotted the Sole Heir Knight—wearing a black mink coat in the sweltering heat, a slim cigarette dangling from his lips—waiting at the villa's entrance.
When the shuttle stopped, Zhai Cai stubbed out his cigarette, tossed it into the trash can by the entrance, and scrutinized the members on the vehicle.
"Everyone's here. When do we begin the operation?" Zhang Yuanqing asked directly.
Before coming, he had already briefed his teammates on the mission and introduced the figure of Zhai Cai to them. Zhang Yuanqing's exact words had been: *Zhai Cai, level-seven Dominator, loves wearing mink coats, speaks like he's begging for a punch, but you'd better not provoke him—after all, the man's a Dominator.*
"First, thank you all for helping. Certain stages of the labyrinth require cooperation among multiple people. But let me warn you once more: any little fellows at level four can go home now. For level fives, your lives will be at risk, and I can't guarantee your safety, because the villa you are about to enter is called Pan's Labyrinth—a Dominator-grade rule-based item," Zhai Cai said.
"It's not too late to turn back now."
Pan's Labyrinth was the item belonging to Winnie's grandfather. After Old Brent retired from Heaven's Punishment, he had lived in seclusion in his villa. Precisely because of this item, combined with having Winnie—the Chief Inspector—as his granddaughter, even the Covenant of Freedom dared not lightly make trouble for him.
Seeing that no one was leaving, Zhai Cai nodded in satisfaction.
"This time, we are infiltrating Old Brent's labyrinth to steal things. I only want the fragment. Any other items, antiques, and everything of value will belong to you."
Brother Red Chicken and a few others were already rubbing their hands in excitement.
"Wrong, wrong!" Zhang Yuanqing corrected. "It's only valuable materials, items, and the like that Old Brent has no use for that we're allowed to steal."
According to the intelligence Winnie provided, Old Brent liked to use the labyrinth as a storage room, tossing sundries into it whether they were valuable or not.
After all, inventory slots were limited, whereas the labyrinth's interior space was practically boundless.
Therefore, the labyrinth held many treasures that Old Brent had long since outgrown, though naturally, there were also valuable, Dominator-quality materials.
Those could not be touched. For one thing, they worried Old Brent would be so enraged he'd hunt them down; for another, Master Tianzun still retained a shred of moral scruples.
Stealing the sacred disk fragment was a necessity born of helplessness, and scavenging someone else's discarded junk was fine, but taking Dominator-quality treasures was going too far.
Zhai Cai didn't refute Zhang Yuanqing, adding, "Once the deed is done, I will personally subsidize you all with ten million Federal dollars."
Brother Red Chicken's eyes lit up. "Now that's loyal! Jumang, this guy in the mink coat isn't nearly as punchable as you made him out to be."
Chapter 733