Chapter 403 - 368: A Strict System

Chapter 403: Chapter 368: A Strict System

Guan Tong had never directly confronted the two hostile forces, the Parasites and the Fire Worship Cult, but he had been keeping a close watch on them for a long time.

To humanity, these groups were, to put it bluntly, like cancer.

If humanity let them run rampant for too long, the cancer cells would spread throughout the body, eventually reaching a point of no return and destroying it.

The higher-ups of every nation were perfectly clear on this point. The Parasites had barely announced the establishment of the "Seri Divine Kingdom" on the lands of the Black Banner Country—a nation for Parasites alone—when the Human Federation immediately assembled the Human Alliance Army to march against them. Their efficiency was remarkably high.

However, since humans couldn’t accurately identify the Parasites, they always adopted a strategy of containment and capture under the cover of suppressive fire, afraid of killing innocent people.

Otherwise, with humanity’s advantage in technological weaponry, the Parasites would have virtually no power to resist and would be swiftly annihilated.

The Fire Worship Cult had also suffered a blow. A long time ago, Soloma had carried out a decapitation strike against them, eliminating "Joel I."

It was only later discovered that this "Joel I" was not the real leader, but a puppet on a throne. The true mastermind was still hiding behind the scenes.

After the fifteenth Apocalypse Rule ended, humanity’s understanding of these two enemy factions deepened through continuous encounters with them.

Humanity now knew that the leader of the Parasites was a figure called the "Prophet." The surprise Ascender attack on the Landing Site, launched by the Parasites, was most likely orchestrated by this Prophet.

As for the internal structure of the Fire Worship Cult, humanity had also obtained a great deal of intelligence after a battle where Soloma dispatched its Annihilators.

Its internal hierarchy, from lowest to highest, is: Apostle Group, Priest, Bishop, Pope.

The Apostle Group consisted of the lowest-ranking ordinary followers, and the Priests, one level higher, were nothing more than high-level cannon fodder. The true core leadership consisted of the four Bishops and the highest-ranking Pope.

Cut off the head of the snake. If they could first defeat and eliminate the "Prophet" and the "Pope," it would be a significant boost in accelerating the extermination of these two enemies of humanity.

Currently, the North Star Strategy Research Room was focusing its main efforts on finding and eliminating the "Prophet." As for the remaining "Pope," Gao Liangwei wanted Guan Tong to handle it.

"We are all well aware of your strength, and your ability to manipulate shadows is well-suited for special operations and decapitation strikes," Gao Liangwei said. "That’s why I want to initiate this collaboration with you. Of course, we will provide you with all the necessary resources for the operation."

Guan Tong thought for a moment and said, "First things first. I can’t leave until I’ve finished my business in Sisiya. Even if I agree to cooperate, it will be some time before I can go to Fahe."

"Is the business you have in Sisiya related to the Governor of Sisiya?" Gao Liangwei asked in a low voice.

The intelligence department of the Strategy Research Room constantly gathered information on Ascenders of "Shadow’s" caliber, so naturally, they were aware of his recent activities in Sisiya.

In response to Gao Liangwei’s question, Guan Tong shook his head. "That has nothing to do with our collaboration. I’m afraid I can’t tell you."

"..."

"Um, Guan Tong," Zhang Minglu said, looking at the top of Guan Tong’s head on the screen. "You’re not participating in the competition for this Rule?"

During a video call, the nickname and points above a person’s head were also displayed. While "1 point" was very common, it all depended on whose head it was on.

It was normal on an ordinary Ascender, but on "Shadow," it was undoubtedly not.

One day of the seven-day Rule period had already passed. For powerhouses aiming to compete in the rankings, they should have at least dozens or even hundreds of points by now.

"No," Guan Tong said.

"Was that the Governor of Sisiya’s request?"

"No, it was my own decision."

"..."

This time, it was Zhang Minglu’s turn to be silent.

In fact, before the call, he had been thinking that Guan Tong would probably have a high score and had resolved not to act too surprised when he saw it. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

But now...

To be honest, the words Han Qiu had said to him after resigning had left a deep impression on him.

Whether North Star’s consistent policy of protection would really turn ordinary Ascenders into the "overprotected fledglings" Han Qiu had described was something no one could say for sure.

But to be on the safe side, letting capable powerhouses go out and become stronger through life-and-death battles was definitely beneficial to North Star as a whole, with no downsides.

Guan Tong was undoubtedly a prime example of this.

Even though his relationship with the officials had always been ambiguous, he was, after all, a North Star person, and he wasn’t a bad guy. Rather than pushing him too hard and causing him to side with another country or become some sort of mercenary, it was better to maintain a friendly, cooperative relationship.

Therefore, both Zhang Minglu and Gao Liangwei had tacitly agreed before the call to ignore Guan Tong’s participation in the ranking competition. They wouldn’t ask a thing no matter how many points they saw above his head.

In the end, Gao Liangwei saw the 1 point and managed to hold his tongue, but Zhang Minglu couldn’t.

"In that case, contact Dr. Zhang once you’ve finished your business in Sisiya," Gao Liangwei said. "It won’t be too late to begin our collaboration then."

Guan Tong nodded. "Alright."

The call ended.

Zhang Minglu said regretfully, "What a shame. He actually gave up this time. I feel like if he really competed, a spot in the top ten would be a sure thing."

"I, on the other hand, think this is a good thing," Gao Liangwei countered.

"Director, why is that?"

"If a powerhouse like him becomes unrestrained in his killing, he will only become a threat to humanity as a whole. Would you feel at ease cooperating with someone who would kill a large number of people he has no quarrel with just for points and rankings?"

Zhang Minglu was taken aback, realizing he had a point.

"Alright, Dr. Zhang. You can communicate with him again later. Sync some intelligence on the Fire Worship Cult with him in advance so he knows what to expect."

"Okay, I understand."

...

’The leaders of the Fire Worship Cult, the Pope, the Bishops...’

After finishing the call, Guan Tong thought about this upcoming job.

Previously, when Shangyuan Zi was in Icefield Town, she had overheard several cultists talking, and they had mentioned a Bishop.

It was clear that the Fire Worship Cult was also developing rapidly. In just over a year, it had transformed from a loose civilian group into its current form: a behemoth with a complete hierarchy of Pope, Bishops, Priests, and an Apostle Group that controlled an entire country.

Eliminating the leader of such an organization would definitely be dangerous. Especially since his several assassinations had already drawn the world’s attention, anyone who was his enemy would surely be on high alert. Pulling it off as easily as before would be difficult.

He thought for a moment, then shook his head and pushed the thoughts aside, getting up and walking out of the room.

In the short term, he had to protect Yelena and stockpile Psychic Power, so he certainly couldn’t go to Fahe. It wouldn’t be too late to make plans when it was actually time to go.

The room he was in was right next to Yelena’s study, which she now used as an office. He and Shangyuan Zi were living in the rooms on either side of it.

He checked the time; it was almost noon.

Yelena was still handling official business, but he had to make a trip to the Double Star Bar to retrieve the fully charged Psychic Power Crystals from Black Star.

He went to Shangyuan Zi’s door and knocked.

"Yuanzi, I’m heading out for a bit."

Shangyuan Zi opened the door. "Are you going to see Black Star?"

"Yes. I’ll be back immediately if anything happens."

"Got it."

Guan Tong nodded, and in the next moment, he vanished without a trace.

He didn’t want to waste time traveling back and forth, so just as he had left a shadow near Yelena to arrive instantly, he had also left a shadow near the Double Star Bar.