Crossing Swords

After arranging the work concerning the construction of the settlement during the first half of the night, Chen Miemie returned to Sixiang City.

During the second half of the night, she still had the “Great Church Basement Raid” planned with Fengling.

At two in the morning, the entire city was utterly silent.

The clergy inside the Sun-Moon Church were already fast asleep.

In a small artificial fountain by the church entrance, the circulating stream of water suddenly stopped. A beast formed from water rose from the pool.

The beast stood a full two meters tall, resembling a wolf standing on its hind legs.

The water wolf walked step by step into the church. It made no sound as it moved, leaving only a trail of damp pawprints behind.

It headed straight for the basement.

The basement had once been nothing more than a storage area for supplies, and thus not particularly important. But ever since Moretti had arrived, it had become the most heavily guarded place in the church.

The door alone had three locks. The outermost area was guarded around the clock, while the middle section contained numerous traps and alarm devices.

The water wolf moved silently, and its transparent body was difficult to spot in the darkness.

It was not until it reached the two guards from behind that saliva began dripping from its mouth onto their heads. The two men looked up in alarm and tried to shout.

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

Water sealed their mouths shut, and the wolf’s claws slashed across their necks in an instant. The two guards collapsed limply to the ground.

A small iron gate was no obstacle to the water wolf either. It simply squeezed through the gap.

The first barrier had been cleared.

Beyond it was a staircase leading underground.

Every step was fitted with a pressure-activated trap. One wrong step would cause hidden arrows to shoot from both sides while setting off an alarm. An ordinary thief, unaware of the proper route, would expose himself even if he could avoid the arrows.

But the water wolf was not human. It reshaped its entire body, temporarily changing from a wolf into a giraffe, and crossed the entire staircase in a single stride.

Next came a stone door that required a key.

The water flowed into the keyhole and filled the entire lock mechanism.

A key-shaped stream of water could not actually unlock the door, but a high-pressure water jet could destroy the interior of the lock.

After a faint grinding sound, the lock was broken, and the stone door swung open.

The second barrier had been cleared as well.

Beyond the door was the basement.

The water wolf walked inside.

Though the basement had been thoroughly cleaned, it still carried a faint moldy odor.

Most of the area was completely open. Only at the very back stood a small wooden door.

The water wolf stopped in front of it.

Complex blood-red lines had been drawn across the door, clearly forming a secret-art barrier.

This time, the water wolf no longer bothered to be gentle or discreet. It did not care whether it was discovered.

Its wolf claws transformed into water blades gleaming with cold light. Ignoring the blood-red spellwork on the door, it stabbed straight through the wood.

Under the force of the water blades, the door’s defenses were as flimsy as a sheet of paper. They were pierced instantly.

After a few more slashes, the wooden door shattered into pieces.

At the same time, alarms began ringing throughout the church.

The people who reacted even faster than the church staff were a team of mysterious operatives and city enforcers who had “happened” to be nearby. Shouting, “We have a situation!” they rushed inside and took control of the scene.

Moretti hurried over, wearing a priest’s robe over his pajamas.

“What’s going on? Who are you people?”

Fengling, who was leading the team, answered coldly, “The City Security Division. We’re pursuing an anomaly, and it fled into the church. We’re taking over the scene. Step back. We’ll ensure the safety of the clergy.”

Moretti did not overreact. He simply stood where he was and mocked her. “Since when does the City Security Division come equipped with reporters?”

“He’s an embedded reporter. Standard procedure for major operations.” Fengling lied without even blinking. The temporary task force’s personnel and equipment were whatever she said they were.

A group of mysterious operatives rushed into the basement. The sounds of a fierce battle—clanging and banging—soon rang out from below.

Ten minutes later, the team leader came back upstairs with a grim expression.

“Report. The anomaly has been eliminated. Also... also, we discovered a large number of blood-filled test tubes beneath the basement.”

Fengling feigned shock. “What? Why would the church basement contain test tubes full of blood?”

The team leader’s expression grew even more unpleasant. “According to the analysis, it’s... Prism Brew.”

Fengling’s face darkened as well. “All of it?”

“All of it.”

The corners of Moretti’s mouth curled upward. “Heh. It seems Officer Feng Ling is very disappointed.”

Fengling’s expression remained impassive. “Moretti, did you do this deliberately? Patients donated blood, and you turned it into Prism Brew. Why did you secretly keep some for yourself?”

“Officer Feng Ling, don’t make unfounded accusations. I merely wanted to make the greatest possible use of the blood and avoid wasting even a drop. When those patients come next time, I can provide them with another dose directly, making treatment more convenient.

“As for your claim that I secretly kept it, I’m afraid you’re mistaken. Long-term storage requires highly advanced technology, which ordinary families can’t afford. Why don’t you ask the patients whether they’d prefer to come back next time and receive another dose directly?”

Fengling waved her hand. “Fall back.”

This time, Moretti stopped her instead. “Don’t be in such a hurry to leave. Wouldn’t our reporter friend like to go inside and take a few pictures?”

Fengling shoved away the arm blocking her path. “We’re leaving.”

“Take care. Our church also has its own newspaper and bulletin board. Tomorrow, I’ll report on how hard everyone worked through the night.”

And so, a battle without gunpowder ended in less than half an hour.

After Fengling left and climbed into her car, the gloomy expression she had worn inside the church gave way to a smile.

Sitting in the car, Chen Miemie could not understand what Fengling was laughing about.

“Boss, you led a team into a trap, got played, and even helped him advertise for free. How can you still be smiling?”

“Chen Miemie, do you think I intended to take Moretti down tonight?

“How could that be possible? Someone like him, no matter what he had originally planned to do in the basement, would never continue committing crimes there and wait to be caught red-handed once he realized that people knew about it.

“The fact that he was secretly holding back blood has already been exposed. He has no choice now but to turn the rest of the blood into Prism Brew. Once he does that, he won’t be able to use it for anything else.

“He loves putting on a show, doesn’t he? After tonight, starting tomorrow, patients who learn that the church still has one more chance at treatment will flock here. They’ll use up all the Prism Brew he has on hand.”

Following that line of thought, Chen Miemie continued analyzing the situation.

“If he turns all the blood into Prism Brew, he won’t have any left for anything else. Any kind of sacrificial ritual will become impossible. On top of that, patients will learn that one blood donation can be exchanged for two treatments.”

Fengling nodded.

“Not only that, turning one bottle of blood into two bottles of Prism Brew requires more than just [Mystery]. It also consumes medicinal herbs. If he keeps using free treatment to buy a good reputation, the church’s finances won’t hold up for long.

“Going from luxury to frugality is difficult. When the time comes, he’ll either have to stop or start charging people. Whichever he chooses, his strategies of forcing people into faith and buying their loyalty will suffer a serious blow.”

Chen Miemie stared at Fengling strangely. “Seriously? What happened to the mystics of Sixiang City? Instead of settling things with a straight fight, you’ve started waging economic warfare?”

Fengling sighed.

“Between major powers, it isn’t all about fighting and killing. How many important figures are still personally risking their lives on the front lines? Conflict is merely the continuation of a struggle over interests.

“Don’t be fooled by the fact that the entire city is hostile toward Moretti right now. He is still a bishop of the Moon Church, a person with real authority in a colossal faction. Unless he has truly committed some heinous act that arouses universal outrage, how could they just kill him outright?”

Chen Miemie wasn’t listening to any of it. “Teacher, you’ve changed.”

“You think I wanted this? Who doesn’t enjoy rolling up their sleeves and getting into a good fight instead of spending every day scheming and calculating?

“Honestly, this is why I never wanted to take over the Feng family’s influence at city hall. I just didn’t expect that, after all those twists and turns, I still couldn’t escape it by hiding at school.”

Chen Miemie reached over and patted the little girl on the head. “No, I mean you’ve gotten smarter. You’re already half as clever as I am.”

Chen Miemie wasn’t mocking her. He meant it as praise. The “me” he was referring to included the entire think tank in his head.

Fengling, of course, knew nothing about that.

She was a dignified teacher, yet Chen Miemie had actually given her a head pat. Her veins immediately bulged with anger.

She knocked his hand away, raised her head, opened her mouth, and bit down hard.

“Ah! My teeth!”

Chen Miemie didn’t cry out. Fengling did.

Chen Miemie pulled his hand back. Aside from a little saliva, there wasn’t even the faintest mark on it.

“You picked the wrong time to bite me. The Eternal Moon is covering for me tonight.”

After the vehicle had driven some distance from the church, Chen Miemie got out.

He watched the little car disappear into the distance, then turned back to glance at the church.

It might have looked as though Chen Miemie and Fengling had been working together, with him even sending Pure Water to lend a hand.

In truth, once he had confirmed that Moretti hadn’t performed any bloody sacrificial ritual, he had returned to a neutral stance.

At the end of the day, Moretti merely wanted to expand the Moon Church’s influence. And the Moon Church worshiped the moon—its followers were, beneath the Eternal Moon’s radiance, one of his own.

“Moretti, huh? Interesting. I’d like to see just how far you can go.”