Chapter 119 (2): Wanted Dead Or Alive

Back at the Virtue Manor, Fang Che had returned to his study to read a book, but he remained on the same page for what seemed like an eternity, and it was clear that his mind was elsewhere entirely.

The crisis had been averted.

Yin Shengong and the three elders were truly gone.

Fang Che collapsed down onto his chair like a puppet with all of its strings abruptly severed.

With Yin Shengong around, he couldn't even display any grief.

He had always known that such a day would come, and he had thought that he was mentally prepared, but this had still been a devastating blow for him.

From the moment that Zuo Guanglie and his band of brothers were captured by Yin Shengong, their fates had already been sealed.

Regardless of whether he killed them or not, Zuo Guanglie and the others had no chance of survival.

Objectively, he knew this, but he was still unable to come to terms with the fact that he had personally put an end to their lives.

There were no excuses that could help assuage his crippling guilt and mental anguish.

Fang Che heaved a long sigh as he stared up at the ceiling with a blank and soulless expression.

Ye Meng carefully entered the study, then made her way over to Fang Che and began gently massaging his temples as she asked in a concerned manner, "Can you tell me what happened?"

Fang Che wound his arms around her, and only the feeling of her soft and warm skin made him feel a little more alive.

"I killed some people," he sighed as he buried his face in Ye Meng's hair.

A puzzled look appeared on Ye Meng's face.

You killed some people? What's new? Haven't you been killing people pretty much every day?

"I killed ten close colleagues of mine from the Hall of Protectionists," Fang Che continued as his body began to tremble.

Ye Meng didn't know what to say.

Is this why he was in so much distress the night before?

"I... I don't know what to say..."

"You don't have to say anything," Fang Che murmured with a weary look on his face. "I'm a demonic church member. It's only normal for me to kill Protectionists."

***

That day, Fang Che didn't go to work.

Instead, he slept the entire day, but was woken up countless times by harrowing nightmares that had him sitting up with a start, drenched in cold sweat.

Everytime, Zuo Guanglie appeared in his dream to interrogate him.

"Why did you kill us?"

I'm an undercover agent. We're on the same side. I'm doing this for the future, for the continent, for humanity as a whole. From the moment you were captured by Yin Shengong, you were already dead.

Fang Che could've given all of these excuses, but he remained silent.

Even in his dreams, he couldn't expose himself.

What if he sleeptalked? What if he were confusing dream with reality?

Besides, ultimately, these were still just excuses, and no excuses could mask the reality of what he had done.

Wallowing in guilt, torment, and despair, Fang Che suddenly really wanted to see Dongfang Sansan again.

He wanted to chat with him and tell him about his feelings, his pain, his suffering.

Dongfang Sansan was the only one on this continent that he could confide in.

Ye Meng was the closest person in his life, yet he couldn't even tell her.

He also wanted someone to blame.

Didn't Dongfang Sansan say that he could provide a list of moles for me to kill? Why has the list still not arrived?

Fang Che had never thought that pursuing this path would be so painful, and he was beginning to regret his decision.

Killing allies was something that he had never had to do in his previous life, and the pain was enough to drive him mad!

***

Night Demon has reappeared in the White Cloud Prefecture and killed ten administrators from the Hall of Protectionists, including a first-rank administrator!

This explosive piece of news spread like wildfire, and it quickly reached even the Guardian headquarters.

There were countless Protectionists dying every single day, so this was far from an uncommon occurrence, but what was so special about this incident was that the culprit was Night Demon.

He was widely recognized as the most potent threat among the younger generation of the Church of the Self-Righteous, and this was the first time that he had lashed out against the Protectionists.

If Night Demon were allowed to grow into his full potential, then he would undoubtedly become an enormous threat, and that was why this incident was taken so seriously.

At the Guardian headquarters, Dongfang Sansan heaved a faint sigh as he read through the report that had just been delivered to him.

The report contained three pieces of news.

Firstly, Yin Shengong had gone to the southeast. Secondly, Night Demon had killed ten Protectionists. Thirdly, Yin Shengong had already left the White Cloud Prefecture.

Dongfang Sansan strode over to the window and cast his gaze out toward the White Cloud Prefecture, his eyes full of concern.

It must really hurt, right? Don't blame me for not giving you people to kill. This is a hurdle that you had to overcome at some point. It's of the utmost importance to both you and the entire continent. If I had found some moles for you to kill, this ordeal would've been much easier for you to overcome, but that would've only spelled more pain for you in the future.

It's extremely important you display a genuine reaction of pain and struggle to Yin Shengong while killing your comrades. Otherwise, there's no way you would've been able to fool him with an act, no matter how convincing. My only hope is that you can get through this. Your greatest adversary here is yourself. I'm sorry I had to do this, but you can only overcome this on your own.

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Seeing as we've already reached this step, it's finally time for me to begin preparing for the next stage of my plan.

With that in mind, he returned to his chair and immediately began issuing a string of orders.

"Convey my orders to the southeastern headquarters: Night Demon has already outlived his purpose of drawing people from the main church to the southeast. Now, it's time to put an end to him! I want him captured as soon as possible, whether it be dead or alive! Place the entire White Cloud Prefecture under lockdown and trap him there! He must be hunted down at all costs!"

His orders were immediately conveyed to the southeast, and the hunt for Night Demon was quickly in full swing.

Everyone became much stricter and more vigilant in their vetting processes, and even though Night Demon remained elusive, many people that had been sent down to the southeast from the main church and previously managed to avoid exposure were discovered.

At the very least, several hundred of them had already been killed, and the hunt for Night Demon was still ongoing.

Once again, the White Cloud Prefecture found itself in a state of full lockdown.

***

At the One Heart Church headquarters, Yin Shengong's brows were tightly furrowed with concern and remorse.

Never had he imagined that his actions would trigger such a strong reaction from the Guardians.

What's so special about those ten administrators? Is it just because they were killed by Night Demon?

"This is only to be expected, Pope Yin," Mu Linyuan sighed. "The Guardians didn't bother to go after Night Demon back when he was a non-threat. However, now that he's begun killing administrators, they must've immediately thought of his performance during the Parasite Ascension Project and the threat that he poses.

“They're so intent on eradicating Night Demon because they view him as a potent threat, someone that could grow into a second Duan Xiyang someday. Now that Night Demon has appeared right in the heart of Protectionist territory, this is the best time for the Guardians to be targeting him."

"They're really going all out on this occasion," Yin Shengong sighed in a concerned manner. "You don't think Night Demon is actually going to be exposed, do you?"

The three elders were rendered speechless.

Aren't you responsible for all of this? You were the one who caused this mess in the first place!

The three elders were also very concerned. The order to hunt down Night Demon had come straight from Dongfang Sansan himself, and the entire southeast had been stirred up into a frenzy!

Under these circumstances, it was really difficult to say whether Night Demon would be able to weather the storm.

Yin Shengong began pacing and forth, his eyes full of anxiety and concern.

Never had he imagined that Dongfang Sansan would be personally on Night Demon's case.

If these orders had come from only the White Cloud Prefecture Hall of Protectionists or the southeastern headquarters, then Yin Shengong wouldn't have been concerned at all, but a personal order from Dongfang Sansan was most certainly nothing to be scoffed at.

If Dongfang Sansan had ordered for Yin Shengong's eradication instead of Night Demon's, then Yin Shengong would be living in constant fear.

In the end, he could only heave a remorseful sigh.

***

That night, Fang Che was walking through the night as Starlight, and he was finally feeling a little more like himself.

Brother Zuo, if there ever comes a day when we achieve victory over the Church of the Self-Righteous, then I'll visit your grave to beg for your forgiveness. If I die before that, then I'll just have to explain myself to you in the afterlife.

As soon as Starlight arrived at the Unmatched Escort Agency, Zhao Wushang and the others immediately emerged to greet him.

He had already been absent for four days, and everyone was beginning to miss him.

Particularly, the girls were growing a little anxious, with Zhou Mei'er the most apprehensive of them all.

Did I do something wrong while attending to Pope Yin the other day? I haven't caused any trouble for Helmsmaster Starlight, have I? Why has he been absent for so long?

Now that Starlight had finally arrived, he was immediately swarmed by all seventy-two women of the branch helm.

"What’s been happening the past few days, Head Escort?" Zheng Yunqi asked in a concerned manner.

"Nothing that should concern any of you," Starlight replied. "By now, you've probably already guessed who came to visit that day, right? Overall, Pope Yin is very pleased with our branch helm, and he's told me to keep this place in tip-top condition, particularly over the next three months, because the assessment team from the main church should be coming soon, and it may be a secret visit.."

Everyone could sense that he was not in very high spirits, and the overall mood was brought down as a result.