Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon

"But we can’t keep this up for long, right?" Zhou Zhi shrugged helplessly. "Everyone saw it; you were the one who took him away alone. It’s fine for one night, but if Franwick still doesn’t show up by tomorrow, that bunch will definitely get suspicious."

"Let’s get through tonight first. After all, now that the affair has involved the Evil God, it never hurts to be cautious," Kokomoqi seemed unconcerned. "Decisions made by divinities are not always understandable to every mortal; that’s why Yu doesn’t like to get too close to the believers—what’s right in Yu’s eyes might seem like a mistake to them."

"So the reason we are keeping him confined alone here is to lure the Envoy of Mist?"

"That’s just one of the reasons." Ailuodi looked towards the unconscious man. From her perception of vitality, she couldn’t sense anything unusual—he was a completely normal person with considerable vigor, to an extent that was unusual for someone in their sixties. "He’s also hiding secrets. It’s better to keep him isolated until we can fully investigate."

She said this both to inform the others and to reassure herself.

"Do we need to keep watch over him?" Zhou Zhi asked again.

"Of course. If he wakes up and starts shouting too loudly, you might have to manually control him."

"Just put a cloth over his mouth, I get it..." He paused midsentence, "Wait, you want me to stay here and watch?"

Seeing the Angel’s ’who else if not you’ expression, Zhou Zhi muttered deflatedly, "Fine, I’ll keep watch."

"Don’t forget, the Envoy of Mist appears as a little girl, not much different from you. If you see someone like that, remember to notify me immediately and tell her not to blow the Fog Horn." After giving instructions, the Angel left the cave with Kokomoqi—they heard Zhang Zhiyuan’s call for support, as the enemy had breached the trench zone on the beach. Without new forces, the worker battalion would be at a severe disadvantage.

...

Chaoyang also saw the changes on the battlefield; the distance of the firefight kept shortening, from an initial two hundred meters to now engaging at three to four meters. The security team and the gang each controlled a trench, yet every position cost them several men. Those once easily commanded slaves had now become a tough bone to gnaw on.

However, what the enemy was unaware of was that the Enkui squad, which had left the city early that afternoon, was now slaying their way back to the outskirts of the Northern Suburbs. In at most thirty minutes, they could stab the enemy in the back like a sharp knife. Whether it was the field artillery units scattered in the streets, the command center in the affluent district, or the Governor’s Mansion, all would be exposed under this counterattack. By then, with Ailuodi’s frontal assault, Ransu Company’s defeat was only a matter of time.

Most of the workers and their families would survive, Franwick Yuss had been subdued, the Envoy of Mist would be detected as soon as she appeared, and as long as they uncovered the hiding Heretics in the city, everything would settle down.

And Chaoyang was the central hub of these simultaneously unfolding battles. By connecting the perspectives of every contractor, he could oversee every little change in the situation without moving a muscle, as if he was observing the entire City of Defense from above.

Right... and Cui Zhen’en.

He switched to her perspective and saw Cui Zhen’en, now disguised as a maid with Baili’s name tag, had successfully infiltrated the Governor’s Mansion. There were only half as many Guards as usual, clearly indicating that the prolonged assault had put significant pressure on Governor Haiboman.

"The office is on the third floor, go up the stairs on the right. Be aware there might be guards by the staircase."

"Understood."

Cui Zhen’en ascended to the third floor quietly and fortunately, there was no one in the corridor. She quickened her pace and turned into the hallway leading to the office.

The door was tightly shut with a Guard standing at the doorway.

"Hey, this isn’t a place for you," the guard said with a frivolous smile upon seeing her maid’s attire. "If the Governor catches you, you’ll be getting at least a couple of spankings... wait, you are..."

"Someone new you haven’t seen, right?" Cui Zhen’en raised her hand and fired a shot. The suppressor on the long barrel made the gunshot sound more like chopping wood; the brief sound wave dissipated after rushing down the hallway. The guard collapsed against the door, lifeless, with a small bullet hole in the center of his forehead.

"The door’s locked. Damn, he doesn’t seem to have the key on him either," Cui Zhen’en said in frustration after feeling around the man’s waist.

"He’s just a door guard; of course, he doesn’t have the authority to carry the Governor’s key," Chaoyang had anticipated this. "There is a Skeleton Key in the pouch on your right; it’s no trouble to open these old locks."

"Wow, you’ve prepared quite thoroughly." She whistled softly, pulled out the key, tinkered with the lock for a moment, and quickly opened the office door. The Governor was not there; the room was empty. As she entered, she also dragged the Guard’s body inside.

"Alright, what am I looking for?"

"Not sure yet, go through his desk and pay attention to letters or similar items."

"What? You don’t know?" Cui Zhen’en seemed a bit surprised, "And here I thought Mr. Host knew everything."

Chaoyang could only respond with silence.

Gathering intelligence at the Governor’s Mansion wasn’t part of the main plan, otherwise, he wouldn’t have delegated the task to Cui Zhen’en, but rather sent Ailuodi herself. Now that the movements of the company’s suppression forces were essentially clear, and the task of the rear observation post was no longer as critical, it seemed better to let her search the Governor’s Mansion. Even if she failed, there would be no loss.

Cui Zhen’en rifled through the desk, then opened drawers one by one, "What’s this? A ruby the size of a thumb? And what’s this... an emerald ring? Does this guy just toss jewelry into his drawers? "

"Get to the real work!"

"Got it, got it, I’ll start by sorting out the letters first; there’s a notebook here as well." Cui Zhen’en spread out everything with written words on the desk—she knew that Chaoyang could see these items through her vision and that he could browse them at an alarmingly fast speed.

"Top left, the fourth letter."

She followed his direction, picked out the letter, and spread it out on the desk.

What attracted Chaoyang’s attention was the seal on the envelope—it was a stamp of General Fales Ben.

This was actually a letter from General Fales to the Governor of Ransu Company!

He hadn’t expected these two to know each other...

Chaoyang quickly scanned through the letter, his brows tightening slightly. The letter also mentioned the term "new energy," and, in the context, it seemed more like the General himself was informing Governor Haiboman. Another familiar term appeared in the letter, "Fog Horn"—if he remembered correctly, this was a First-Rank Miracle Construction belonging to Frontier Expansion Company.

"...What you are seeking is of utmost importance to the Kingdom; it may even be the key to breaking the cycle of mundane political succession. Likewise, it can help Ransu Company escape its current predicament and win this commercial war against Steam Construct."

"...Regrettably, I cannot offer you any operational assistance. His Majesty the King is already displeased with my questions concerning the Goddess of Abundance, and many noble houses in the southeast have taken a stand against me. But I can assure you, if you find the miraculous creation indicated by ’Fog Horn’, and uncover the veils on divinities and Miracle Constructions, the Second Prince will indeed offer the greatest support to your company.

"Our hopes lie on the other side of the ocean."

"Aish, what does this mean..." Cui Zhen’en clicked her tongue, "So Ransu Company came here all thanks to the blessings of the Kingdom’s General? And from the General’s attitude, he seems quite optimistic about this company... If Miss Elise knew about this, she would probably be quite upset, don’t you think, Mr. Host...?"

"Hello? Anyaseyo..."

"Hey, Mr. Zhao, at least say something back."

However, after calling out several times, there was still no response from the other end.

Just then, the sound of unlocking came from outside the door.

"You’ve got to be kidding me?" Cui Zhen’en first frowned, then sighed helplessly, turned around, and drew her gun, "Seems like today isn’t my lucky day... Mr. Zhao, if you don’t make a sound soon, I won’t be able to hear you anymore." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The other side remained silent still.

"This is probably a situation an agent is bound to face," she muttered to herself.

At the same time, the heavy door was pushed open, several people appeared at the doorway, and their gazes met Cui Zhen’en’s instantaneously—

"Who are you!?"

"Damn it, some wench has broken into the office! Take her down!"

In the moment that they shouted, Cui Zhen’en pulled the trigger.