Return of the Saint... What on earth was that?
A dead silence hung over the office, so heavy it was terrifying. Both Bai Zhou and Crow remained rooted to the spot, speechless.
Black ink on white paper—just four simple, bold characters, yet they sent a chilling dread straight through Bai Zhou.
It made him tremble even more inexplicably than when he had gazed into the crystal ball and witnessed the inverted demon clustered and engulfed by the boundless mountain of flesh.
This tremor felt like an instinctive reaction as a Destined upon seeing the word "Saint"—a reaction that seemed to stem from the Pathway itself.
After a long pause, Crow finally spoke in a faint, eerie voice:
"In the history of ordinary mortals, there are Sages of Confucianism, Sages of Poetry, Sages of Ci Poetry... and many others dubbed 'Saints' or 'Sages.'"
"Those of supreme virtue may be hailed as saints, and those of sublime wisdom may be hailed as sages. People bestow the title upon ancient paragons out of reverence, and at times, even imperial emperors have been addressed as such."
"But in the mystical world, 'Saint' is not a title that can be used casually."
Crow's expression turned solemn. "Major Luo shouldn't be ignorant of this, nor would he pick a codename at random."
"A 'Saint' symbolizes a transcendent existence—an unfathomable, indescribable super-entity."
"They symbolize perfection in thought and deed, an existence of utmost goodness—an infinite being within a finite world. Above, They comprehend the Dao and master the righteous principles of heaven and earth; in the middle, They enlighten the multitudes; below, They govern all creation."
"Their words become law; Their thoughts manifest reality; They are omnipotent!"
"—Such super-entities might truly have existed in the past, but even I know very little about them. The mystical world keeps such existences shrouded in absolute secrecy."
Crow's voice was exceptionally hushed, as though she dared not speak loudly of this topic for fear of disturbing something.
"At least in the tender, several-thousand-year history of our civilization, such super-entities shouldn't exist..."
"In the past, within the lost ancient civilizations, perhaps they once did."
The past?
Bai Zhou instinctively thought of a few existences.
The Scarlet Queen at her peak—that girl wearing Little Red Riding Hood who was paralyzed from the waist down—could she have been an existence in this realm?
If not her, what about the first king inside the Trojan Horse?
And of course, there was another existence that seemed the most likely of all:
Could the Emperor of the Xiluo Empire have been a "Saint"?
Merely a statue consecrated within the Senate possessed such unfathomable, sublime power, wiping out the entire rebellious Bone Tribe and intimidating so-called deities into not daring to show their faces.
Bai Zhou's heart almost skipped a beat again.
Because he remembered with absolute clarity that the thorny laurel crown resting upon the head of that imperial statue...
was cast in the exact same mold, identical down to the finest detail, as the crown ring on his own finger!
"I honestly don't believe Major Luo has any way to become a so-called Saint, nor do I think he can bring about the arrival of such a Saint in this world," Crow continued.
"Yet without a doubt, the Major's schemes are connected to it. Even if he only borrows one percent of such a super-entity's power, it would be more than enough for him to do whatever he pleases."
"The confidence of those Nine Directors and his ambitious scheme to dominate all of Tinghai are almost certainly tied to this!"
The more Crow spoke, the deeper and graver her voice became.
"Still... what intrigues and baffles me is that while this Major Luo was planning for a 'Saint' that symbolizes utmost goodness, he was simultaneously summoning and nurturing a demon that symbolizes absolute evil."
"Carrying out two diametrically opposed plans at the same time—what on earth is he after?"
"Is he preparing a backup plan? Or is there some connection between the two?"
"Just a few days ago, his demon-summoning plot fell apart, and immediately the Major made these moves—was he driven to desperate measures, or is everything falling naturally into place as he proceeds step-by-step with his original plan?"
The delicate timing led Crow to raise this question:
"The character 'n' on this document, and Deputy Director Liu's appearance here, both seem to indicate something..."
Saying that, Crow frowned and shook her head. "But the conflict between good and evil represented by a Saint and a demon is far too stark. Even tangential overlap seems impossible—how could the two possibly be connected?"
"Unless Major Luo could slaughter a dozen archdemons under the public gaze, becoming the savior of saviors, and be elevated by the faith of the multitudes into a living Saint!"
Slaughter a dozen archdemons? For real?
Was Brother Luo really that daring?
Bai Zhou blinked. A heavy weight settled onto his shoulders, and a growing sense of urgency tightened in his chest.
"Things having come to this, let's keep searching..."
Their brief discussion quickly wrapped up. Bai Zhou composed himself without delay, treasuring every single second.
Engraving every detail of this Ascension to Sainthood Project into his memory—even the exact positions and layout of the "[DATA EXPUNGED]" markers and redacted black boxes—Bai Zhou resumed his exploration of the discard heaps.
It was evident from Project Number 000001 alone that the Ascension to Sainthood Project was the most important plan in this office. But that didn't mean there was nothing else worth investigating here.
Project Number 000003, the Shepherd Project, revealed Major Luo's "ideal blueprint," while Project Number 000010, the Industrial Park Development Project, represented Major Luo's endeavors to realize that ideal.
These plans interlocked like links in a chain, gradually unfurling an immense web that enveloped Tinghai.
Then what were the other plans among the top ten project numbers besides 1, 3, and 10? Where did the worship and summoning of the School Demon rank, and what other covert conspiracies and schemes did the Major harbor?
As long as he pieced these puzzle fragments together one by one, Bai Zhou could deduce more information at the center of this great web.
—I need more clues to determine what this 'Ascension to Sainthood' and 'Saint' actually refer to!
Before long, Bai Zhou successively unearthed several projects with higher numbers.
The higher the project number, the fewer redactions it contained, and the more detailed the documentation became.
Project Number 000011: [Black Warrior Cultivation Project].
Project Number 000033: [Human Material Trading Feasibility Assessment].
Project Number 000037: [Flora and Fauna Extraordinaryization Experiment].
Completed projects, ongoing profit-generating operations... It was truly appalling to behold.
Looking through these files, Bai Zhou gradually came to understand how the Major had built everything he now possessed from the ground up.
While Human Material technology was the core, the fledgling underground empire Major Luo had ultimately constructed—that colossal framework—was pieced together bit by bit through countless projects, achieving innumerable phase-by-phase objectives.
Although the full picture of the "Saint" still eluded him, the documents in Bai Zhou's hands—
Bai Zhou's eyes burned bright, his spirits surging with excitement.
Though the wording was mostly vague, full of codenames or encrypted jargon, and never once mentioned the Major's name directly, some of them referenced specific addresses, and others involved specific institutions.
Compared to the encrypted ledger Bai Zhou had obtained from Adjutant Han—which contained only numbers and a handful of project names—these files pointed in unmistakable directions: they could be cross-referenced and corroborated against the figures in that encrypted ledger!
"These are the criminal evidence!"
A fire blazed in his chest. Bai Zhou pressed his lips together, his racing heart finally settling into a steady rhythm.
His purpose in coming here—or rather, the goal he had pursued ever since walking out of Special Control Bureau Branch 36 and acquiring the encrypted ledger—was right before his eyes.
If he could just secure this evidence...
Bai Zhou had an idea, but wasn't certain whether doing so would carry consequences.
So he turned to Crow, gesturing to indicate that he wanted to take these pieces of evidence with him, while conveying his concerns.
"Are you worried about spooking them prematurely, leaving traces that would let Luo Jiu know you were here?"
Crow spoke softly; only she was able to speak normally here.
"You make a fair point. It could even expose your presence directly, plunging you into inescapable danger!... Then I suggest you don't take everything. Just pick a few of the most representative documents to take as evidence."
Crow said, "There's so much waste paper here. That big-mouthed Luo Jiu will be shredding and devouring mountains of files all at once, gulping them down wholesale. Missing a few sheets shouldn't be noticeable."
"And even if this Luo Jiu really has some special trick to tally up all the documents inside his stomach..."
Crow's gaze sharpened, gleaming with the edge of a blade.
"Then let him find out!"
"There's always risk involved; that's unavoidable... But a chance to get our hands on this much evidence will only come once! In my view, we don't have the luxury of worrying about spooking the snake right now."
Crow's voice was resolute as she surveyed the mountainous heaps of discarded paper around them.
"All of this is going to be purged. The electronic originals vanished without a trace long ago, and after this, there probably won't be any backups left anywhere. Miss this chance, and there won't be another."
"Today is September 8. That man named Luo is on the verge of launching his so-called 'Ascension to Sainthood'—they're already conducting their final cleanup and evacuation here."
"I have every reason to suspect that Project 000001, 'Ascension to Sainthood,' is the ultimate culmination of all these interlocking plans! —We have to do something."
Bai Zhou understood immediately.
Whatever Major Luo intended to do had to be stopped.
The time remaining for Bai Zhou was already exceedingly tight. In these final moments, he had to bring Major Luo's deeds to light and rally as many people as possible to stop what the Major was about to do.
—Just like at Yuanmeng Middle School.
Only this time, Bai Zhou could do better and with less strain.
Because this time, Bai Zhou was no longer alone.
He had an ally named the Gem Witch.
Rustle...
Soon, Bai Zhou selected several of the most representative, cruel, and profoundly destructive project files from the discard heaps and stored them away inside the Trojan Horse in his robes.
Among them, the Shepherd Project was the very first Bai Zhou packed away.
Because unlike the others—which either used obscure codenames, spoke in nebulous riddles, or were littered with "[DATA EXPUNGED]" and blackened boxes—this document explicitly mentioned the words "Special Control Bureau"!
With this, combined with the encrypted ledger, what if the Special Control Bureau and the Statute Hall saw it?
As long as the Special Control Bureau wasn't rotten to the core, it would definitely take action.
Originally, Bai Zhou harbored no trust toward any official authorities, including the Special Control Bureau. Yet Crow had told him:
"I've dealt with plenty of high-ranking figures in the Special Control Bureau who pleaded for the people, and I've seen many heroes who sacrificed themselves for official institutions."
"Personally speaking, I am willing to believe in the Special Control Bureau, willing to view it separately from the Major."
"Even if the Major has co-opted and corrupted a minority, the vast majority should still be kept in the dark..."
When saying this, Crow's tone had been somewhat complicated.
Bai Zhou realized Crow must have had extensive dealings with official institutions, including the Special Control Bureau, in the past.
Someone intimately familiar with bounties and life on the run, yet still retaining such trust in the authorities?
It sounded rather contradictory.
It brought to mind classic, timeless tropes—the renegade legendary operative, or the great hero bearing unjust blame.
Just what kind of person had Crow been in the past?... Bai Zhou couldn't help feeling curious.
But things having reached this stage, Bai Zhou could only borrow the power of the Special Control Bureau and the Statute Hall.
Besides, the Gem Witch happened to be well-acquainted with the Special Control Bureau.
With these files in hand, the Gem Witch would serve as Bai Zhou's catalyst to break the deadlock!
If Bai Zhou hadn't just discovered that the Major's Ascension to Sainthood Project was imminent and backed by nine troublesome freaks...
Bai Zhou felt he would have breathed a happy sigh of relief right about now.
—All in all, the evidence was in hand.
This trip had not been in vain!
Even as thoughts raced through his mind, his hands didn't stop. Bai Zhou continued rifling through the stacks, looking for any other incriminating files worth packing away.
[Caged Bird Observation Log]
[Project Number: 000004]
The file that met his eyes was already yellowed and creased, the folder bearing signs of age.
Caged Bird? What was this?
But—such a low project number?
Bai Zhou's spirits lifted.
Another gem found!
Yet before Bai Zhou could flip open the folder—
"Bai Zhou."
Crow called out to the busy Bai Zhou, her voice tinged with hesitation.
"Perhaps... you should look at this..."
Bai Zhou turned his head.
From some obscure, forgotten nook, Crow had pulled out a slim folder containing only a few pages of material.
Based on Bai Zhou's experience searching through the discard heaps, such thin files were usually of little value.
Yet Crow's hesitation piqued Bai Zhou's interest.
He looked toward the title on the folder—
[Prying into the Ruin Realm Experiment Report—Research on Seizure and Decryption]
[Project Number]: 000020
[Project Classification]: Confidential
Prying into the Ruin Realm?
Clutching the observation log folder and stowing it away, Bai Zhou reached out to take the file Crow held out.
The very moment he saw the title, a strange sensation welled up unbidden in his chest.
Intuition told Bai Zhou that this experiment report might be related to him—to someone who hailed from Wancheng...
Opening the folder, what met his eyes was a color printout of a photograph.
The photo captured a display screen from an electronic device—red text against a black background, exuding an ominous aura of secrecy.
The text read...
File Name: [Prying into the Ruin Realm Experiment Report]
By order of the Cult's Supreme Council of Elders, the following document is classified as Level 1 Top Secret. Failure to input Bishop Credentials will trigger an alarm.
Credential Identified. Warning: Further authorization required. When shall the Blood Moon ignite anew?
Response: When the Night Crow sings of all things falling silent.
Welcome, Your Eminence.
Accessing file...
Project: In order to allow mortals of the present world to reach the graveyard of the [Past], at the border coordinates (1999, 3206, 7351), imprison and brainwash 128 qualified adult humans. Under conditions of erosion by the [Reflected Ruin Realm], cause them to breed descendants in an attempt to manufacture a [Nonexistent One], thereby reaching the graveyard deeper than the Reflected Ruin Realm—a place that theoretically does not exist.
Commencement: Year 1999.
Progress Log: Under the premise of non-interference with the daily life of the town, dispatch cultists to the border to conduct observations.
Latest Log: 03/07/2025: In operation to this day. The town maintaining total normalcy amidst the anomaly is like a miracle, yet there have been no tangible results. Is there truly any need to continue investing resources into it?
Appendix: [DATA EXPUNGED]
Note 1: This report was seized from the ruins of Wancheng.
Note 2: Decryption of this report aims to study the underlying intent behind the Blood Worship Cult's Wancheng Project, evaluate the project's feasibility, and determine whether the fugitive "Bai Zhou" possesses any special traits.
Note 2: This report will facilitate the progression of Project Number 000014: [Wancheng Subject Ward Experiment].
Note 3: Deductions failed 10,001 times. Confirmed that the project lacks feasibility.
Note 4: Currently suspected that "Bai Zhou" is a Sun Knight from the [Sanctuary of Sacred Relics] or a mid-level cadre of the Blood Worship Cult... This research is hereby terminated.
As he read on, a tempest of conflicting emotions surged through Bai Zhou's heart.
In the end, his gaze locked unblinkingly upon the words "Wancheng Subject Ward Experiment." He stood in absolute silence, his legs as if nailed to the floor.
Where were the townsfolk?
What was the true nature of this experiment?
Inside Bai Zhou's chest, a fire burned.
Just then, Crow suddenly spoke—
"Someone's coming!"
Crow had clearly sensed something. Her gaze shot toward the door, her voice turning sharply piercing, sending the hairs on Bai Zhou's neck standing on end: "They're back!"
"It's Luo Jiu, and that Deputy Director Liu—"
Halfway through her sentence, Crow's expression flashed with confusion. "And... Liu Zhen?"
Hearing that, Bai Zhou froze.
"Who?"
Chapter 172