Chapter 2649: Strange Happenings

Lu Yin pushed open the door to his quarters and entered the courtyard.

Cang Bi looked over. "Are you finished with your seclusion, Acting Bureau Director?"

Lu Yin nodded. "Senior, I am off to arrest a spy. Would you like to join me, or will you wait here?"

"Of course I’ll accompany you. Monarch Luo ordered me to remain by your side at all times, so that I can provide whatever assistance you need," Cang Bi replied.

Lu Yin said, "But I will be heading to the Transcendent Universe."

Cang Bi was startled. "To the Transcendent Universe? Right now?"

Lu Yin answered with a smile. "I’ve already been gone from there for more than a month. Given my long absence from the Transcendent Universe, it’s quite possible that some spies have started to reveal themselves again. Senior, let's go."

...

The Transcendent Universe had countless mining operations and other similar industries. There were refineries and other sites where raw materials were extracted and refined. After the initial processing, the refined materials would be distributed to various production processes.

Lu Yin, Cang Bi, You Lele, Xu Yue, and several others appeared outside a large mining facility that focused on extracting metal ore.

"Are you saying that there’s a spy here?" You Lele was surprised.

The others looked at Lu Yin, none of them having any idea how he had learned about this spy.

Of course, Lu Yin had been able to find spies by Possessing people in the Three Monarchs Universe. His current target was someone who was involved in the trades occurring between Monarch Mu and He Ran, and this person was actually responsible for overseeing the transportation of those resources. Despite the man’s decent level of strength, he had hidden himself well. He also knew where another spy involved in the transportation of resources between the Three Monarchs Universe and the Transcendent Universe was located.

Upon learning of these two spies, Lu Yin had grown even warier of Aeternus. Just how well did the Aeternals understand human civilizations?

Very few individuals were aware of the ongoing trade between the Transcendent Universe and the Three Monarchs Universe. Lu Yin was not even certain that the You family was aware of it, but Aeternus was unquestionably well informed about the details. It seemed possible that the Aeternals had a list, which they used to ensure that their spies were planted absolutely everywhere. If that was true, then the Aeternals might have even been aware of Zi Jing’s research direction for quite some time.

If that were true, then why had that research not been targeted yet?

Lu Yin dismissed his doubts and questions as he led his team into the mining facility, where he immediately arrested someone.

The person initially denied the accusations and put up some resistance, but after Lu Yin presented different pieces of evidence, the spy reverted to claiming to be controlled by Cheng Kong.

You Lele was utterly shocked, as she simply could not fathom how Xuan Qi had found this particular spy. There was no connection between this person and the arrested woman who had destroyed the research data. The two had never even crossed paths. Just what angle had Xuan Qi used to uncover this man?

You Lele could not make any sense of the situation, and You Fang was similarly confused.

The father and daughter considered themselves intelligent, but Lu Yin's process of unearthing spies was beyond anything that they could understand.

Xu Yue was rather impressed. She had initially despised Xuan Qi when they had met in the Sixverse Academy, and she had later developed feelings of guilt after she stopped him from obtaining an innate gift from a lightning tree in the Arboreal Sanctuary. After that, she had started to hate Xuan Qi due to his actions during the trial in the Origin Universe, but more recently, her feelings had been swayed by the young man’s determination, especially when he had stood up to Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples. As time passed, she had even started to develop a hint of admiration for Xuan Qi, as his ability to catch spies was truly remarkable.

From the spy, Lu Yin uncovered the spy in the Three Monarchs Universe that he had already learned of through logical deduction.

With two spies arrested back-to-back, Boss Guan and the others were going to be busy for the foreseeable future. They needed to investigate the spies’ various contacts and determine how many more spies were connected to the two. The Bureau members were well experienced with this process.

Lu Yin did not remain idle either. Capturing this spy in the Transcendent Universe was a way for him to avoid any suspicions when he arrested the spy in the Three Monarchs Universe. Without that, he would have struggled to justify arresting anyone in the Three Monarchs Universe.

With an arrested spy from the Three Monarchs Universe, Lu Yin could use that man’s confession as an excuse to quickly arrest two more spies in the universe, one of whom had even infiltrated the Mo Courtyard.

Cang Bi's face went pale.

The Three Monarchs Universe’s Mo Courtyard was famous throughout the Sixverse Universe, and everyone who had access to the Mo Courtyard all had powerful backgrounds. While the spy who had been arrested had only been a servant in the Mo Courtyard, he was not just any servant; the man just so happened to be related to Cang Bi.

"Is this spy related to you, Senior?" Lu Yin was genuinely startled, as he had been completely unaware of this detail. All he knew was that the spy was named Wu Tong and that the man had been recruited to Aeternus by someone whom Lu Yin had Possessed. Since he hadn’t Possessed Wu Tong himself, Lu Yin had actually been rather confused as to why Aeternus would want a servant as a spy.

While the Mo Courtyard was a prestigious organization, its members and their responsibilities were open for all to see. There were fifteen Demi-Monarch experts stationed at the entrance to the imperial treasury; that was all that the Mo Courtyard was, and nothing more. Taking the effort to place a spy there made no sense, especially when that spy could be easily connected to other spies.

Cang Bi was incredibly pale. "He is a descendant of one of my disciples. That disciple died on the Endless Frontier, but not before accomplishing several deeds of note. Due to his service, his descendant was allowed to enter the Mo Courtyard and was even given some guidance in his cultivation. While he isn’t very talented, he managed to become a Retainer. I never even considered the fact that he could be a spy."

In front of the two men, Wu Tong was kneeling on the ground and trembling. His eyes were filled with despair.

Cang Bi lashed out with a kick, but Lu Yin quickly pulled Wu Tong out of the way, preventing Cang Bi from killing the man.

"Don't worry, I won't kill him. If I did, I'd be suspected of being a spy myself," Cang Bi said.

"As long as you are aware of your position, Senior." Lu Yin did not make an effort to be overly polite to the Demi-Monarch.

Cang Bi glared at Wu Tong. "Speak up! Why did you become a spy?"

Wu Tong was absolutely terrified. Lu Yin released the man, and he simply fell to the ground. "Ancestor, I didn't want to! I was forced into this!"

"Who forced you?" Cang Bi roared.

Wu Tong proceeded to slowly recount all that had happened that had led to him becoming a spy.

His story was nothing special. He had been led out of the Mo Courtyard and then threatened to do something, which had left him with no choice but to become a spy.

There were a variety of methods that Aeternus used to recruit spies, but Lu Yin had known about this particular method from the beginning.

If Lu Yin were to be completely honest, he had also been nurtured by Aeternus. Many of Lu Yin’s actions lined up with what Aeternus wanted him to do. While Lu Yin was not a spy, he still ended up occasionally doing the work of one. This was precisely the scheme that Shaman God had developed for Lu Yin.

Through the merged Books of Destiny, Lu Yin had even seen himself slaughtering his own family and friends in the future with scarlet eyes of his own.

Not even Lu Yin could guarantee that he would not become a spy in the future, let alone anyone else.

Cang Bi let out a long breath. "After becoming a spy, what have you done to harm mankind?"

Wu Tong quivered. "I... I revealed the habits and regular schedule of several of the seniors in the Mo Courtyard."

"What else?" Cang Bi pressed.

Wu Tong shook his head. "There- there wasn’t anything else."

Cang Bi was caught off guard. "Nothing else? That's all you've done since becoming a spy?"

Wu Tong was terribly confused.

Isn't that enough?

"That’s right."

Cang Bi refused to believe the man. "You’re telling us that Aeternus took the time and effort to force you to become a spy, only for you to do so little?"

Wu Tong swallowed. "Yes... but, it’s the truth."

Cang Bi looked over at Xuan Qi, and Lu Yin asked, "Senior, what secrets could the Mo Courtyard hold that would be worth sneaking a spy in?"

Cang Bi considered the matter, but nothing about this spy made any sense. Developing a spy was not an easy process, especially one in the Mo Courtyard. None of the fifteen Demi-Monarchs there were pushovers, and even the smallest mistake could quickly expose a spy. Why would Aeternus put in so much effort to plant a spy into such a place?

Lu Yin squatted down in front of Wu Tong. "The person who forced you to become a spy has already been arrested by me, which is how I found out about you."

Wu Tong was not surprised, as the only person who had been aware that he was a spy was the person who had recruited him.

"Go over your conversation with him entirely. Give us every word, every hesitation, every expression. Don’t skip a single detail," Lu Yin sternly commanded.

Wu Tong glanced at Cang Bi and saw the man’s piercing glare. Wu Tong grew increasingly nervous, but he still nodded. "Alright, I'll tell you, I'll tell..."

It took half an hour before Wu Tong was done speaking.

While he had not interacted with his handler very frequently, he was still ordered to recount every conversation that they had ever had, verbatim and without changing even a single facial expression. This naturally took a bit of time.

Lu Yin commented, "It seems that he never had the chance to give you a mission."

Cang Bi came to the same conclusion. "Still, what could be in the Mo Courtyard that would interest a spy?"

Lu Yin chuckled. "There should be something there that’s of value to Aeternus. Fifteen Demi-Monarch-level experts, with Chen Le being on the verge of a breakthrough and becoming a peak powerhouse."

Suddenly, Wu Tong exclaimed, "Right! I remember now! I did encounter something rather strange."

Cang Bi and Lu Yin turned back to stare at the man. "Start talking."

Wu Tong said, "One day, I was supposed to meet with Man Ren, but the person I ended up meeting was not Man Ren, but rather a stranger who said something odd."

Man Ren was the first spy that Lu Yin had arrested in the Three Monarchs Universe, as well as the person who had recruited Wu Tong.

"What did he say?" Lu Yin was curious about this, but then he suddenly raised a hand to prevent Wu Tong from speaking. Lu Yin looked over at Cang Bi. "Senior, please leave us."

Cang Bi did not want to comply. "Why should I leave? Capturing spies is the duty of all humans, and Wu Tong is a spy from the Mo Courtyard. It's only right and proper that I learn about what's happening."

Lu Yin frowned. "This matter is now the Bureau’s business. There's also a possibility that you are a spy as well."

"You suspect me?" Cang Bi's eyes instantly flared.

Lu Yin replied, "I’ll tell you again: Senior, please leave, or else I will be forced to report to Monarch Luo that you're obstructing the Bureau. You should know the consequences of that."

Cang Bi glared at Lu Yin, but the young man did not flinch or look away.

With no other choice, Cang Bi finally withdrew.

Once the Demi-Monarch was gone, Lu Yin turned back to Wu Tong. "Tell me."

Wu Tong rolled his eyes. "If I tell you, will you release me?"

Lu Yin arched a brow.

Wu Tong hastily added, "The few things that I have done are barely even crimes, so as long as Ancestor Cang Bi and you don't say anything, no one will make trouble for me. On top of that, I promise you that what I’m about to tell you is valuable information."

Lu Yin thought for a moment. "Alright. As long as what you say really is important, I won't publicly label you as a traitor to humanity. However, you can't remain in this universe. You will need to go to a parallel universe."

Wu Tong was taken aback. "A parallel universe? I can’t do that! I’ll almost certainly die!"

Lu Yin snapped back, “You’re a traitor, and you should already know that nothing will end well for you.”

Wu Tong took a moment to think, and then gritted his teeth and answered, "Very well. Thank you, Senior."

If others knew that Wu Tong was a traitor, he would be immediately killed. It would undoubtedly be better to take his chances in a parallel universe.

He had managed to cultivate to the Retainer realm, which meant that, if he went to an average universe, he might even have a chance to dominate the entire place.

Not all universes had developed civilizations that focused on cultivation, and not even all cultivation civilizations were powerful.

In the Fifth Mainland’s Outerverse, there had been a long period of time when there had been no Semi-Progenitors, and even Envoys, which were as strong as Retainers, had been rare powerhouses. In many parallel universes, such experts should be even rarer.

Retainers were not weaklings.