Chapter 272 - 270: Main Altar’s Takeover

At the renovated old factory, Cao Wei arrived at the Celestial Platform, feeling somewhat apprehensive.

Sure enough, she saw the tall figure of her master, squatting calmly on the edge.

He wore a pitch-black, menacing helmet, his powerful torso bare. No raincoat, no umbrella.

There wasn’t a trace of disarray about him, only an aura of mystery and sharpness.

And to the side, Xu Bamboo stood with a sword held in their arms.

Yang Shen spoke without turning his head.

"First: if you haven’t decided whether to kill someone, at the very least, make sure they’re completely incapacitated before you consider anything else."

"Of the five people you just knocked out, two were faking it. They nearly escaped. It wouldn’t be a big deal if they had simply run off, but what if they had decided to attack you from behind?"

Cao Wei froze, lowering her head in shame.

"Second: it’s common for operations to encounter unexpected variables. Even I didn’t expect you to hit the jackpot with such an unreliable middleman."

"But you must have a contingency plan for when that happens. If you don’t, refer to rule number one."

These two points were not just for Cao Wei, but also for Xu Bamboo. It wasn’t out of the question that Zhuzi might also operate at night in the future.

In other words, on the perilous Cyan Blue, as Martial Artists who cultivated lethal techniques, everyone in the Yang Family could potentially face such a situation.

Anyone would be nervous their first time. Yang Shen didn’t want to lose a single person due to inexperience.

Cao Wei walked over to Yang Shen’s side, her spirits low. ’I’ve failed to live up to my master’s expectations.’

Yang Shen stood up straight and patted Cao Wei’s shoulder.

"In other respects, your performance was commendable. The moves you used were quite beautiful."

He had to admit that being a Nightwalker was indeed an excellent way for a Martial Artist to grow.

He was starting to understand Jiangti.

It wasn’t just a way to hone combat skills, but also a trial for one’s awareness and temperament.

Ten matches in the stadium’s Ranking Challenge might not lead to as much growth as a single night as a Nightwalker.

Hearing her master’s praise, Cao Wei gradually regained some of her usual liveliness.

’At least Master patted my shoulder!’

’And in front of Xu Bamboo!’

Cao Wei bit her lip. "Master, what’s the plan for wrapping this up..."

This was what she was most confused about. In terms of strength, she now had the basic qualifications to operate in the Jianghuai Night, but she wasn’t psychologically prepared.

Especially after stumbling upon so many "targets" by accident.

By now, the people on the Celestial Platform were all unconscious, clearly the work of Yang Shen.

Yang Shen said calmly, "I plan on having Long Jiu track them."

Cao Wei immediately volunteered, "Master, please let me do it."

Xu Bamboo said, "I’d like to go as well."

The two exchanged a look, not with a sense of competition, but with a shared drive for rapid growth.

Just then, Long Jiu leaped onto the Celestial Platform, her hollow eyes utterly placid.

"Found... three Gu Insects."

"Also... the Jianghuai Sub-temple... has been rebuilt."

Yang Shen smiled faintly. "That’s good."

’If they hadn’t rebuilt, things would have been more troublesome!’

"Take the doctor and the dart-thrower with you. The others are just small fry. When they wake up... they’ll find a way to contact their superiors."

Rebel Species at this level were extremely far removed from the "Dragonification Experiment."

Even Jiang Xingjian back then hadn’t been able to access the true secrets...

But they were a lead for the Yang Family to follow deeper into the organization.

***

Long Jiu was an expert interrogator, so she worked with high efficiency. The story she uncovered was not complex.

The doctor had been a peripheral member of the Rebel Species for a long time. He’d been unhappily married, his relationship strained because his wife was frequently unfaithful.

It was unclear why he didn’t just divorce her. Perhaps the doctor wanted more than freedom—he wanted revenge.

Like most members of the Rebel Species, he was dissatisfied with life, society, the world, or even the air he breathed.

It’s hard to say whether the Rebel Species ensnared the doctor or if he joined willingly. In any case, he obtained "Gu Insects" and "took care of" his wife.

However, after getting his revenge, he didn’t turn his life around. Instead, he fell into a whirlpool of his own desires.

So, he acquired another Gu Insect and targeted a new victim: a wealthy girl with no Martial Cultivation whose parents were both deceased.

This was the favorite type of prey for the Rebel Species...

The doctor had also lived through the period of Yang Shen’s most ruthless hunt for the Rebel Species, but his timid and cautious nature allowed him to escape the purge. Yang Shen had destroyed the structure of the Jianghuai Sub-temple, but he hadn’t killed every last member.

Interestingly, the doctor had also previously escaped a hunt by "Black Rope"...

You could only say he was incredibly lucky...

Last month, when the Jianghuai Sub-temple was rebuilt, someone sought him out. People like him, already involved in shady dealings but maintaining a legitimate public-facing job, were often the most afraid to betray the organization and thus the easiest to control.

There wasn’t much else to the doctor’s story. He was simply using his "new wife’s" property—this renovated old factory—as a gathering point for the Rebel Species.

He then decided that using the "Mind-Bending Gu" was too troublesome and planned to "send her on her way" for good so he could inherit their joint property... and then move on to his next target.

He was just about to remove the Gu Insect to prevent any future complications when Cao Wei stumbled upon him.

That was the gist of the story, but it wasn’t the focus of tonight’s events.

The fact that the Jianghuai Sub-temple had been rebuilt... that was the real news.

In a deserted, abandoned alley in the Vermilion Bird District, Yang Shen sat on a rain-slicked gasoline drum. It was the very spot where Wan Mengjie had been cornered earlier.

She had already escaped, however, without running into "Demon Cop Luo Sheng." As for the two Rebel Species members...

...they had, of course, been barbecued and carbonized into dust.

Yang Shen listened to Long Jiu’s report with perfect composure, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Direct leadership from the Main Altar?"

Long Jiu replied, "Jianghuai... is very important."

’So after the Jianghuai Sub-temple was destroyed... the Main Altar sent a direct representative...’

’In the past, they were probably constrained by the sub-temple system and couldn’t interfere directly. But with Jiang Xingjian dead, the Main Altar now has a legitimate reason to take control...’

"Will things be any different from before?"

Long Jiu gathered her thoughts, then said haltingly, "They seem to... like... making money."

Yang Shen was stunned for a moment. "Making money?"

’And here I was, thinking the Main Altar was sending some kind of ruthless heavy-hitter. Turns out they’re just here to make money...’

’Then again, that makes sense. Jianghuai certainly has a lot of money...’

’The Rebel Species is a large organization, and they’re running the "Dragonification Experiment," which must be incredibly expensive. No matter what a cult’s ultimate vision is, fundraising is always an indispensable part of it.’

’Without money, how could they support all their little minions?’

Yang Shen said, "This is good news for us. With the Main Altar in charge, we’re one step closer to the truth... How do they view Jiang Xingjian’s death?"

"Unclear... Rank... too low..."

Yang Shen nodded. "Understood. This is a long-term operation, so there’s no need to rush. More importantly, let’s not tip them off..."

As for the fate of the doctor and the dart-thrower, Yang Shen didn’t even need to ask.

Long Jiu wasn’t like Cao Wei.

She was the only one in the Yang Family with a KDA that surpassed his own—and likely by a wide margin...

If she had gone to school, he never would have had a chance to be the top student.

In the later hours of the night, Xu Bamboo and Cao Wei returned in succession.

Xu Bamboo and Cao Wei had confirmed the location of a new Rebel Species hideout. They hadn’t acted rashly, which would make it easier to investigate later.

Yang Shen said to Long Jiu, "Go clean up our tracks, then wake that woman up."

The woman had been anesthetized, but her life was no longer in danger. Once she woke up, she would undoubtedly go to the police to save her own skin.

With no complications or clues left behind, even if the police got involved, it would just be written off as an ordinary case: a "Rebel Species vermin’s" plot that failed and was unexpectedly interrupted.

After Long Jiu left, Yang Shen looked at the plastic bottle in his palm.

Inside, three Gu Insects lay quietly.

One was the doctor’s "Mind-Bending Gu," but it was a mature insect that had already hatched and been removed from a body, so it couldn’t be used again.

The other two were "Heart-Drilling Gu," which were used specifically for torture and were also the cheapest kind of Gu Insect.

Overall, though, finding three insects on a mere eight people was a much higher confiscation rate than before. ’It seems the Main Altar’s new leadership has some real substance...’

If this had happened during the summer vacation, Yang Shen would have burned them to a crisp. But now... his needs and the situation had changed.

...

「Early the next morning.」

Lin Yuebai stretched lazily, pushing open the small, carved window to greet a morning full of sunshine.

’Embrace the sun every morning~’

’Today’s going to be another energetic day!’

Only to find the Patriarch right outside her door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

Lin Yuebai quickly said, "Good morning, Patriarch!"

Yang Shen nodded. He had just returned and, hearing that Lin Yuebai was awake, had decided to wait for her.

"I have a job for you. I believe you can handle it, but it will require you to overcome a psychological barrier."

Lin Yuebai blinked. "What... is it?"

Yang Shen handed her the mineral water bottle containing the Gu Insects.

Lin Yuebai’s wide eyes focused on it for a moment, and then she jumped back.

"WAAAH!! BUGS!!"