I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 606: Extinguished by a Piss
After the Sin Evil Bishop was executed, Wang Lan’s system indicated he had received experience points and skill points, but these were very few and did not match the Sin Evil Bishop’s level. Therefore, Wang Lan speculated that the Sin Evil Bishop might not have been the mastermind, or at least not the only one.
Now, a certain Murraku had emerged, who was also the son of the Unparalleled Knight. Although Murraku was an ordinary person, his status was exalted. Without solid evidence, an arrest couldn’t be made.
"Although I said before that the mastermind might be in the high echelons of the Papacy, I never said there was only one, did I?"
"So, what do we do next?"
"It’s best not to tell the Pope for now. We should investigate secretly on our own. The Papacy can no longer be trusted. Frankly, their defense system is like a sieve, full of holes. The Hell Monarch has been planning for a long time and has already infiltrated everywhere."
Yulia hesitated for a long time before finally nodding. Then, she instructed Jiali to maintain the status quo and not make any rash moves, assuring her that she would arrange for someone to secretly protect her.
Jiali’s acting was indeed exquisite. After agreeing, she almost instantly slipped into a soulless state, blankly staring out of a window, her face devoid of expression.
「Back at the hotel after leaving the hospital」
Wang Lan immediately called General Dyson to discuss the matter. Upon learning that Murraku was already under the Hell Monarch’s control, General Dyson was taken aback. He sighed that God’s Country had truly fallen into decline if they had even managed to get their hands on the son of the Unparalleled Knight.
The task of surveilling Murraku was assigned to Xu Xiangwen and La, another Titled Strongman who was powerfully skilled and possessed a talent for reconnaissance. The two of them were responsible for secretly monitoring Murraku’s every move.
In seven days, it would be Christmas Day in God’s Country, the day the Pope’s authority was also to be handed over. Wang Lan had a feeling that the Hell Monarch would definitely cause trouble on this day.
Time passed silently. While Xu Xiangwen surveilled Murraku, he also sent back many photos of Murraku’s movements. 「Before they knew it, three days had gone by.」 In the eyes of God’s Country, the members of the International Security Council were simply guests at the hotel, spending their days playing cards, poker, and darts. However, among the high-level echelons of the Security Council’s support forces, intelligence was constantly being exchanged.
In a small conference room, Wang Lan met with six Titled Strongmen.
"We can now confirm that there is definitely something wrong with Murraku. This is his recent whereabouts." He then pointed at a few people in the photos. "These three are Murraku’s bodyguards, and they weren’t the ones by his side before.
"In the past half month, Murraku has been cleaning house, replacing people around him. But his actions have been subtle, merely getting rid of bodyguards, household servants, company secretaries, and so on.
"I have already checked these three bodyguards using facial recognition. All of them are individuals who went missing from St. State as children. So, it’s certain that these three bodyguards were either dispatched by the Hell Monarch to Murraku’s side or are there to surveil him."
"Then we can take action now, apprehend Murraku, and hopefully uncover the next layer of this plot," a Titled Strongman raised his hand and asked.
"We shouldn’t act rashly," Wang Lan replied. "Murraku is the son of the Unparalleled Knight. Considering the Unparalleled Knight’s status and reputation in God’s Country, any action we take would undoubtedly face a backlash from the entire nation."
"What if we release the evidence we have?"
"That would be useless too," Wang Lan shook his head. "God’s Country won’t accept our evidence unless the Pope personally investigates, and even then, he’d risk a complete fallout with the Unparalleled Knight.
"Right now is a critical moment for God’s Country; they won’t want any complications. They will definitely delay until Christmas Day is over. At the same time, God’s Country is deeply wary of us, as you all have sensed."
"Then why are we even bothering to assist?" one of the Titled Strongmen, Rien, interjected. "Let’s just go back and let God’s Country fend for itself."
"Rien," Mora, another Titled Strongman, responded, "we’re not here just to assist God’s Country, but to save the entire world. Whether God’s Country is willing to cooperate or not, we must fight to the end."
"Mora’s right," Wang Lan said calmly, leaning on the table. "Even if it means fighting alone, we must do so without hesitation. We are fighting for human civilization. Comrades, we don’t have much time left."
"What do you mean?"
"Two days from now is Christmas Day, the most important ceremony in God’s Country, and this year, it’s also the day of the papal transition. The Hell Monarch will definitely cause trouble. If we arrest Murraku now, it will just make the Hell Monarch act sooner. But we haven’t yet clearly understood the extent of the Hell Monarch’s power; acting prematurely could catch us off guard.
"What we need is to figure out the Hell Monarch’s plan so we can make targeted preparations. Before the plan begins, the Hell Monarch’s forces will surely be in frequent contact to ensure their plan can be carried out smoothly. That’s why I had Xu Xiangwen surveil Murraku—to trace the network of the Hell Monarch’s forces."
"Did you find anything?"
"We found some," Wang Lan said, switching the slides. The slides were densely packed with photos, only about twenty or thirty at present.
"These are all people who have had contact with Murraku’s bodyguards in the last three days. Their backgrounds and Murraku’s bodyguards’ backgrounds have no connection whatsoever, confirming that they are part of the Hell Monarch’s forces."
While Wang Lan was in the meeting, the door to the conference room was suddenly pushed open, and Yulia hurriedly appeared.
"What’s happened? What’s going on?" Wang Lan’s heart tightened, and he quickly asked.
"There’s been an incident—I’m not sure if it’s good or bad—but we just received news. Last night, the Holy Knights deployed in force and headed to Siberia."
Wang Lan quickly looked at the map, locating Siberia in the northwestern part of God’s Country.
"What are the Holy Knights doing in Siberia? Could they have discovered the Hell Monarch’s trail?"
"Yes. Under the scrutiny of the Holy Light, they finally discovered a Demonized Area yesterday afternoon. Knowing they were exposed, the Hell Monarch immediately activated a demon domain, and Demon City emerged. The Holy Knights, following the orders of the Justice Bishop, went there to exterminate them."
"Why hasn’t God’s Country informed us? Can the Holy Knights defeat the Hell Monarch all by themselves?" Wang Lan asked, annoyed.
"The Unparalleled Knight and the Saintess are in charge," Yulia explained. "With their combined strength, they should be able to put up a fight. The Saintess wields the Holy Grail, and the Unparalleled Knight is the Hell Monarch’s nemesis."
Wang Lan frowned and pondered for a long time before finally shaking his head. "No, this is likely a ruse to lure the tiger away from the mountain. If I were the Hell Monarch, my target would definitely be Christmas Day. What mischief are they up to in Siberia?"
"Siberia is deserted due to its perennially cold, icy, and snowy climate, making it difficult to detect the Hell Monarch’s Demon City there," Yulia replied. "Moreover, Demon City was very well-hidden this time. If the nation hadn’t activated the Holy Light and discovered it under extremely fortuitous circumstances, not even a trace would have been found."
"So you mean the Hell Monarch’s forces discovered this time are real?"
"From what the Pope said, it appears to be real. The reason they didn’t inform the International Security Council was to first contain Demon City’s forces. Then, after the new Pope’s succession ceremony is complete, they plan to mobilize the entire nation’s strength for a crusade."
Wang Lan’s brows furrowed deeply. God’s Country might have fallen for a trap. But after all, this was God’s Country’s affair, and even with the International Security Council’s authority, he couldn’t interfere with their decisions. They wanted to send the Holy Knights to attack Demon City. If Wang Lan said no, would God’s Country listen? Absolutely not.
Immediately, General Dyson and Yulia went to the Papacy to negotiate with the Pope. Officially, the team leader from the International Security Council on this mission was Level 7 Agent Dyson, who was responsible for communicating with God’s Country.
「The night quietly fell.」
As Dyson and Yulia explained the stakes to the Pope, it became clear that God’s Country, perhaps accustomed to self-reliance, trusted its own judgment more. So, no matter what Dyson said, God’s Country was unwilling to change its plan.
The City of Angels housed the First Holy Light Array, making it impossible for the Hell Monarch to cause any destruction there. Within the Holy Light Array, even the Pope alone could suppress the Hell Monarch. Furthermore, it was common knowledge that the Hell Monarch, lacking a physical body, could only remain inside Demon City.
No matter how one looked at it, their attack on Demon City was strategically sound. As for the threat to the City of Angels, even if the Hell Monarch had plans to disrupt Christmas Day, wouldn’t there still be the Holy Light Array and the Pope? There were also at least five Cardinal Bishops and a host of experts from the International Security Council—by any calculation, their defenses were sufficient.
Faced with this, Dyson could only helplessly accept their decision. He even detected a hint of anticipation in the Pope’s words, as if the Pope was almost eager for the Hell Monarch to come and create havoc in the City of Angels.
「Unwittingly, another four days passed.」
During this time, the International Security Council made significant gains. They uncovered and gained control over more than fifty enemy spy networks and hidden strongholds operating within the City of Angels.
"Lanzi!" Suddenly, Xu Xiangwen phoned. "Murraku has sneakily disguised himself and left."
"Oh? Where did he go?"
Tonight was Christmas Eve. Wang Lan had already discussed the action plan with General Dyson; they intended to act tonight, to nip the threat in the bud. As for the progress of the war in the Siberian Demon City, Wang Lan couldn’t spare any attention for it, figuring the Papacy would definitely seek support if any major changes occurred. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
"He used seven layers of disguise and diversion," Xu Xiangwen continued on the phone. "Anyone else tailing him would have definitely been fooled by his Cicada Sloughing Its Shell technique. Unfortunately for him, under my watch, all his efforts were in vain."
"Under your watch? Don’t you only have one eye?" Hearing Xu Xiangwen’s grandiose tone, Wang Lan couldn’t help but tease.
"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH... Alright, he went to a church in the eastern district of the City of Angels. But, in order not to tip off the enemy, we didn’t follow him further. However, once he entered the church, he never came out again."
"The church... That place wasn’t on our radar before," Wang Lan said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "General Dyson, I will personally lead the team to the church. Please direct the other operations."
"All right!"
The night was quiet and deep, already past three in the morning. Wang Lan, Jiang Xinyu, Xie Sisi, and Yulia flitted through the night sky, arriving at a dense patch of woods near the eastern district church. Xu Xiangwen and La, the Titled Strongman, met them there.
"What’s the situation inside the church?" Wang Lan asked.
"The situation is quite peculiar," Xu Xiangwen said, looking somewhat troubled. "Since ten o’clock tonight, a considerable number of people in black cloaks have been suspiciously gathering at the church.
"La and I both determined that this church must be an important base for the Hell Monarch. But around two o’clock, I turned away for a moment to... relieve myself, and when I looked back at the church, everyone was gone..."
Immediately, Wang Lan looked at Xu Xiangwen in surprise. Did he just squander a perfect opportunity to catch them all in one go, all because of a bathroom break?
"I didn’t expect that either!" Xu Xiangwen exclaimed. "But La is certain they haven’t left. He set up twelve sensory arrays around the area, and he’s sure the people are still inside the church. Either they’ve somehow blocked my detection, or they’re using some sort of concealment array."
Wang Lan thought for a moment, then checked the time. "General Dyson’s operation is about to begin. Never mind whether they’ve left or not, let’s go investigate."
The five of them—Wang Lan, Jiang Xinyu, Xie Sisi, Yulia, and La—moved swiftly, dashing into the church in the blink of an eye. Just as Xu Xiangwen had said, the church was now utterly empty, haunted only by the sound of their own footsteps.
