"You’re a good person, Lianyi."

Even while suspended, Fang Qingxue didn't forget to give Jiang Qianyu a thumbs-up with her remaining hand.

"I’m truly satisfied to have a friend like you. But, that Li Tianliao guy is incredibly powerful—an S-rank big shot. Maybe you shouldn't go? There’s no direct evidence proving he did this, and even with me as a witness, it’s useless. Can a General Headquarters Minister really be handled by people like us?"

"What is there to fear? That old thing has reached the end of his road, but I haven't reached mine yet." Jiang Qianyu paid no mind to the assimilation reaction surrounding Fang Qingxue. She walked to the side, picked up a basin, and used a wet towel to wipe Fang Qingxue’s cheeks and body.

"Endure it. Don't let the Corruption take over."

"Hey, hey, Eldest Miss Bai, look at me now. I’m trying my best to control it, but my body won't listen to me—what choice do I have?" Fang Qingxue looked down at the fox-eared girl cleaning her body, her heart flickering between a renewed drive to live and a sense of despair.

"How about you teach me some of your secrets, Miss Bai? We’re both Corrupted, so how is your mind so clear? You seem completely unaffected."

It was a joke, but also a sincere question; Fang Qingxue had wanted to ask this for a long time.

"I don't know. Perhaps it’s talent, or perhaps I’m just enduring enough."

As she wiped away the bloodstains, Jiang Qianyu was actually meticulously sensing the power within Fang Qingxue's body. According to Fang Tiandi, people like Fang Qingxue essentially originated from Thorned City.

The question then was: what was so special about Thorned City?

And what was the difference between Lu Yunzhi’s innate Triple Corruption body and Fang Qingxue’s situation?

As her fingers brushed across Fang Qingxue’s skin, Jiang Qianyu could clearly feel a force within her resonating with the Primordial Threads inside her own body.

***

"Once you're in Maple Leaf City, remember not to play around too much."

Seeing Meatball off to the car, Jiang Qianyu felt like a nagging old mother, giving thousand-fold instructions for fear that her "child" wouldn't live well in a strange city.

"Since I won’t be by your side, you must be extremely careful. Without me there to strategize for you, everything depends on your ability to adapt. You’re actually quite smart, but you spend all your brainpower on eating, drinking, and playing."

"Think more, plan more. Consider all your actions in advance and act only after planning—understand? Think about how I usually do things."

"If there’s anything you’re unsure of, call me anytime. I’ll tell you what to do."

Jiang Qianyu’s Moon God puppet looked 12 years old at most. Today she was dressed relatively maturely, wearing a large cream-colored sweater over light blue jeans, with her hair pinned up high in an elegant style.

After all, her true self was a woman. Certain lifestyle habits were subconscious and manifested through the puppets.

"In short, be careful. Try not to go head-to-head with the local Night Watchers. If an emergency happens and you must strike, remember to pull them up by the roots—leave no one alive, regardless of their status."

"Good luck, Meatball. I believe in you!"

Jiang Qianyu stood on her tiptoes to pat Meatball’s head. Meatball cooperatively leaned down, but after the words were spoken, she suddenly hugged Jiang Qianyu, pressing her face against her chest like a spoiled little girl.

"Waaaah! I’ll miss you, Mother Goddess!"

The tone was clingy, and the expression was a bit exaggerated and theatrical. If it were a daughter parting from her parents, it would be a normal goodbye, but Meatball’s reaction looked excessive—though her sincerity was clear.

The problem was that seeing a woman hugging a loli who looked years younger than her while crying and shouting "Mother Goddess" made her look like a perverted older sister.

Standing behind them, Fang Peng and the other Hunters were completely shocked.

This was the dignified Moon God Cult? The powerful organization stirring up storms outside?

The Moon God herself was the greatest source of anxiety for countless big shots. The only S-rank in Liu City, the cold-blooded mastermind behind the scenes.

Even Meatball was the legendary mysterious bandit who kidnapped the great hero of Liu City. And The Priest had a record of soloing the captain of the Ninth Bureau's Instructor Group Fourth Squad.

And behind the scenes... the vibe was actually like this?

It was beyond ridiculous.

They didn't know if this was a good or bad thing. On the bright side, it meant the Moon God’s temper was actually quite good, and the internal atmosphere of the cult wasn't overly oppressive.

A Moon God who was gentle internally but savage externally seemed like a pretty good deal. Especially when the Moon God wasn't wearing her ritual gear—she was almost too cute.

"Captain, what are you thinking?" a Hunter nudged Fang Peng. Fang Peng glanced at him.

"I’m envisioning the future."

Perhaps it was finding joy in hardship, but at least he was alive, and the treatment within the Moon God Cult was quite good.

Unfortunately, no matter how much he thought, he couldn't compare to Meatball or The Priest. Meatball dared to shout "Mother Goddess," but if it were him, even if the Moon God said nothing, The Priest would surely give him a harsh lesson afterward.

"Alright, hurry along." Once Meatball let go, Jiang Qianyu signaled the corpse doctors to open the car door. She practically shoved and kicked Meatball into the vehicle.

Accompanying Meatball to Maple Leaf City were 50 specially made Hunter corpses. These bodies had been modified by Primordial Threads and Meatball’s power; they didn't possess much strength on their own.

They were like a car assembled from countless old parts—it looked like it could drive, but it could fall apart at any moment. These corpses would last four or five days at most before livor mortis and decay set in. Once the Primordial Threads lost their power source, they would wither into a pile of rotten meat.

***

"What on earth does this Moon God want to do?"

Zhang Lu had just received his next task. After spreading the news today, starting tomorrow, they were to publicly announce that the officials had arranged for a group of Hunters to provide blood and flesh for the public's free use.

Even now, he couldn't figure out the key to this. What benefit could the Moon God Cult possibly get from this?

To him, the cult’s request was a minor issue. It wasn't even a matter of the cult providing "Hunters"—if they asked him to, he could find a group of Hunters willing to "donate blood" himself.

As Zhang Lu was pondering, he suddenly felt a wave of intense pressure. Just as he made a small move to look toward the door, Li Tianliao had already appeared behind him.

"Minister... Minister Li?" Zhang Lu’s movements froze, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

Li Tianliao’s palm pressed down on Zhang Lu’s shoulder. Under the suppression of his powerful Psychic Energy, the only things Zhang Lu could do were blink and move his mouth; he couldn't even turn his head.

Enveloped in thick killing intent, Zhang Lu only pretended to be alarmed. He had long guessed that Li Tianliao would come to demand answers.

"Zhang Lu, where is Li Huaizhen?" Li Tianliao suppressed his inner violence, trying to keep his mind calm.

But Li Huaizhen had been missing for over thirty hours. He had used every resource to track him, only to trace him back to the Liu City Night Watchers.

That was the last place Li Huaizhen was seen before vanishing. Communication had been artificially cut, and his GPS tracker was useless. It was as if he had evaporated.

He had sent men to the Liu City Night Watchers to inquire, but they gave only one answer: until they were compensated for all their losses, they refused to answer any questions and were considering legal means to seek accountability.

This answer nearly made Li Tianliao explode. If he hadn't been unsure of Li Huaizhen's life or death, he would have attacked them already.

Since Li Huaizhen vanished at the Night Watcher headquarters, he was likely not in mortal danger. Those people couldn't possibly be ignorant of his identity or the price of killing him. They were at most using him as a bargaining chip to trade for what they wanted.

But that didn't stop him from coming to cause trouble for Zhang Lu. Before Li Huaizhen left for Liu City, he had visited Zhang Lu; Zhang Lu must have said something to him.

"Minister Li, I’ve been dealing with the Liu City issues lately and have no idea where Huaizhen is. He did come to me yesterday wanting to join my plan for Liu City, but I didn't agree. I only told him the details of the current situation there. That was my duty; I couldn't hide the situation from him."

Zhang Lu didn't panic at all, shifting the blame completely.

"You didn't know he went to Liu City?" Li Tianliao’s hand gradually exerted force, and a cracking sound came from Zhang Lu’s shoulder—the cry of bones under stress. "You're going to play dumb with me?"

"I knew he went to Liu City, but that wasn't something I could interfere with," Zhang Lu sighed. "We both know Huaizhen's temper. Once he decides on something, we can't easily change it."

Li Tianliao was silent for a few seconds. "I haven't been able to contact him for over thirty hours. Zhang Lu, I’m giving you two days. Investigate this clearly for me. Who caught him, where is he, and is he dead or alive?"

Splatter!

Zhang Lu’s left arm suddenly exploded into a mist of blood. Shattered flesh and blood sprayed all over Zhang Lu’s face. In contrast, Li Tianliao was surrounded by a swirling current of air that instantly wiped away any blood flying toward him.

"I heard you want immortality?" Li Tianliao leaned down toward Zhang Lu’s ear. "You’d better find Huaizhen's whereabouts within 48 hours. Otherwise, I can guarantee you won't have immortality—only eternal sleep."

Li Tianliao snorted coldly and strode out of the office.

Reaching out to wipe the blood from his face, Zhang Lu watched Li Tianliao’s receding back. He clenched his fists tightly, then slowly released them as if deflating. His resentment was real, but what could he do?

However... was it his imagination, or did Li Tianliao seem even stronger?

Was the Moon God really Li Tianliao’s match?

The Moon God always acted under a veil of secrecy, which was a sign of a lack of confidence. Even if she was an S-rank, she might not be strong enough to rival Li Tianliao. If she couldn't kill Li Tianliao, the Moon God Cult would never develop.

The difference in backing was too vast; the cult didn't have even one-tenth of the power of the Maple Leaf City Night Watchers. Their chances of winning were basically zero.

Sealing the wound on his shoulder with Psychic Energy, Zhang Lu leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. He seemed to age ten years in an instant; his already cloudy eyes lost all their previous spirit.

Perhaps no one understood the importance of background better than him. He was seventy years old and had only been the Minister of the Oversight Department for three years. He became a B-rank Hunter at 35 and an A-rank at 55. He had spent decades working his way up, and he only got his current seat by boarding Li Tianliao’s ship and backstabbing the former Deputy Minister to earn Li Tianliao's trust.

Ironically, that old Deputy Minister was the mentor who first led him onto this path. Back then, he couldn't even dream of joining a high-class organization like the Night Watchers—even getting a meal was a struggle. Who would look twice at a man who only became a B-rank at 35?

He spent decades paying back that debt of gratitude, which made him one of the old Minister's most trusted subordinates. That status caught Li Tianliao’s eye and gave him his "chance to rise." That old Deputy Minister was a good person, much like Fang Tiandi.

After sitting paralyzed in his chair for a long time, Zhang Lu didn't investigate Li Huaizhen’s whereabouts. Instead, he dialed Meng Tianrui's number.

Meng Tianrui was also a genius, becoming a Minister in his forties. Given the Moon God Cult's recent style, they surely wanted to execute a group of influential figures to make a name for themselves in Maple Leaf City. To do that, they would need to capture big names.

Like the Minister of the Intelligence Department, Meng Tianrui.

Zhang Lu didn't even have to guess that the cult had high-level members inside Maple Leaf City. He might as well lure them out. Meng Tianrui was the bait.

If the Moon God was strong enough, then Meng Tianrui would be his token of sincerity. If the Moon God was just an arrogant clown, then the "big fish" she lured out could be handed to Li Tianliao to appease his anger while formally starting a war between him and the cult.

Once the Maple Leaf City Night Watchers lost two major Ministers—Meng Tianrui and Li Huaizhen—the organization would fall into chaos. As long as he used the cult to clear out key figures during that time, Li Tianliao would have to rely on him to wage a full-scale war.

The Moon God was an S-rank; even if she couldn't kill Li Tianliao, it wouldn't be easy for him to kill her either. In a fight to the death, Li Tianliao would need him even more. And if by some one-in-a-million chance the Moon God won, wouldn't he still be the one relied upon to lead a leaderless, chaotic organization?

Besides, he was just "kindly helping" to create an opportunity for the cult. If their plan to capture a Minister wasn't perfect and resulted in the death of important members, they could only blame themselves.

Meng Tianrui picked up the phone, his characteristically gruff voice coming through. "What is it, Minister Zhang?"

"Tianrui, are you back?"

***

"Mother Goddess, I have prepared everything. I only await your orders!"

As dusk fell, over three hours had passed since Meatball departed, and The Priest had yet to receive instructions for the next phase. Unable to wait any longer, he appeared outside Jiang Qianyu’s room again and knocked.

The title "Mother Goddess" was used similarly to "Mother." Jiang Qianyu didn't know what was wrong with The Priest and Meatball’s brains, but she didn't mind.

"Of course there's a task for you. Get ready; come with me to Huanshui." Jiang Qianyu opened the door, already wearing her Moon God attire.

"I can leave anytime, Mother Goddess!" The Priest knelt. As Jiang Qianyu walked past, he looked up. "Might your subordinate be so bold as to ask... what is the plan for tonight?"

"Massacre a city."

The words left Jiang Qianyu’s mouth as a light whisper. The Priest’s eyes widened instantly. He wondered if he had heard wrong. Nearby, Fang Peng, who was playing chess with a friend, jerked his hand and knocked over the board. He and the five A-rank Hunters behind him quickly knelt in salute.

Jiang Qianyu patted The Priest’s shoulder and smiled. "Just a joke. But... it’s not far off."

***

Lu Yunzhi received her first squad mission.

It was a complex mission: a corruption case involving officials that had surfaced from a missing persons investigation. If it were a simple corruption case, it wouldn't be her concern. The problem was that the case involved a group of Hunters and Corrupted.

Three days ago, a ballet troupe in Liu City vanished collectively. Two dance teachers and 24 students evaporated overnight. The students were between 12 and 15 years old—the junior class.

They had left for a performance three days ago. The school bus they chartered never returned. Of the road sections they passed through, only three cameras were functioning; all others had been destroyed.

A police station in the South District had received a distress call, but when they went to investigate, they were stopped by two Night Watchers who claimed there were Corrupted on the bus and that the case was under their jurisdiction. After the two officers reported this, they were killed by a Corrupted on their way back. That Corrupted was subsequently killed by arriving Hunters, and the trail went cold.

Who were the Hunters who blocked the road? Who made the cameras go black at the critical moment? Why were those two specific officers killed by a Corrupted? And how was that Corrupted killed by a Night Watcher less than ten minutes later? That Night Watcher was clearly innocent, as the event just happened near his jurisdiction.

Up to this point, it still wasn't Lu Yunzhi’s turn to act.

Until today, when a parent of one of the students received a distress text from their daughter. The tracked address was somewhere in Huanshui.

This result didn't surprise Jiang Qianyu. Fengzhou and Maple Leaf City were powerful and had other ambitions; they didn't care for the small profits of human trafficking. Huanshui was different. Its strength was mediocre, and it was marginalized by the other two major cities. With a cake as big as Liu City right in front of them, following the two "big brothers" only got them a sip of soup, so they naturally looked for other ways to make money.

Women, organs, children, young laborers—too many ways to profit. And because Maple Leaf City and Fengzhou looked down on such things, they could use that loophole to feast. The money earned could be used to buy resources later.

The Liu City Swan Ballet Troupe was famous nationwide. Plenty of wealthy people were willing to pay a fortune for them—including many high-ranking officials from various Night Watcher branches. They might be Hunters, but that didn't mean they lacked primal desires. In fact, their interests were often very different from those of ordinary people.

To put it bluntly, they were tired of common goods and needed "fresh delicacies" that were special and stimulating. Young boys and girls, lolis and shotas, animals, human modifications, and even celebrity corpses—there was a market for everything. In contrast, gold, silver, and ancient paintings seemed perfectly normal.

"Those beasts!" Inside the Swan Troupe's practice room, Lu Yunzhi looked at the bright, smiling faces of the children on the wall. Thinking of their current situation made her heart feel like it was being violently squeezed.

On the way over, Jiang Qianyu had told her a highly likely rumor. Some wealthy people didn't just like underage lolis; they liked collecting "works of art." And the legs of these excellent ballet dancers were "works of art."

"Liu City is in chaos, and too many people are exploiting the loopholes. People of different classes pursue different things," Jiang Qianyu’s voice rang in Lu Yunzhi’s headset. "I’ve already investigated for you. The most suspicious official is the Deputy District Head of the South District, Wang Guoping. But before you find him, I suggest you go to the Night Watchers and find Gong Liang, the captain of the Oversight Group's Thirteenth Squad."

"I’ll explain why on the way. I’m 90% sure this person is a problem."

"Thanks, Xiaoyu." Lu Yunzhi tapped her headset. After confirming there were no cameras in the room, she led her team away.

Her Tenth Squad had eight people including her. Aside from herself, the other seven were all B-rank rookies.

"Captain, what do we do?" a teammate stepped forward. "I heard the last place that bus was seen was Huanshui. We can't just go to Huanshui to investigate, can we?"

In a sense, this wasn't a good assignment. Even if they found the girls, how could they arrest these Hunters and officials without evidence? Getting the police to cooperate was useless; they couldn't even help themselves.

Most importantly, everyone in Liu City was paying close attention to such an atrocious case involving minors, corrupt officials, and Hunters. If it turned out to have links to other cities, and they failed to handle it, the public's vitriol would drown them. Liu City people had always looked down on Huanshui, considering it a barbaric place.

"Just follow me. Xiaoyu is our consultant, and she said we’ll definitely end this tonight!"

Lu Yunzhi followed Jiang Qianyu blindly. What she didn't know was that the "resolution" Jiang Qianyu spoke of was quite different from what she imagined.