Chapter 1114: Dawn Breaks
In order to reduce casualties among the Spiritualists, the Big Sister, at Shang Yuanqi's suggestion, decided to eliminate Yang Haoran by "borrowing a knife to kill someone."
If Yang Haoran's strength had been mediocre and the external aid he could call upon equally unimpressive, the Big Sister naturally wouldn't have bothered with such "borrowing a knife to kill someone" tactics. She would have simply launched a direct assault, killed Yang Haoran, annihilated the Gu Mo City Underworld Office, and razed the Death God Temple, without needing all this trouble.
However, Yang Haoran not only displayed considerable strength himself, but the external forces he could deploy were also formidable. Under these circumstances, if the Big Sister wanted to minimize casualties and successfully eliminate Yang Haoran, this Emissary, then "borrowing a knife to kill someone" naturally became a viable strategy.
How to "borrow a knife to kill someone" was the question. The Corpse Driving Sect, initially incited, had already been wiped out by Yang Haoran, forcing the Big Sister to be cautious, lest she "fail to steal a chicken and lose the rice for bait. " Although she had entrusted this matter to her second-in-command, Shang Yuanqi, she herself had not worried any less.
After the disappearance incidents in Gu Mo City began, both the Big Sister and Shang Yuanqi felt a surge of joy, believing it was an excellent opportunity. If seized, it would certainly allow them to eliminate Yang Haoran, this Emissary.
Thus, rumors began to circulate within Gu Mo City that the disappearance incidents were actually Yang Haoran's doing. Because they were meticulously planned, these rumors spread with astonishing detail and plausibility, as if Yang Haoran truly were behind it.
However, the Big Sister had indeed only spread these rumors; the disappearances in Gu Mo City truly had nothing to do with her. Furthermore, her Spiritualists were also victims; they had lost not only many ordinary Spiritualists but even a Spirit Master.
As for how many of these missing Spiritualists and Spirit Masters were the work of Yang Haoran and his subordinates, and how many were caused by the true mastermind behind Gu Mo City's disappearances, the Big Sister herself wasn't clear.
Regardless of whether the disappearances in Gu Mo City were Yang Haoran's doing, the Big Sister didn't truly care. All she wanted was to eliminate Yang Haoran and kick the Gu Mo City Underworld Office out of the game once more. That was the ideal outcome in her mind, and as long as she achieved it, whether Yang Haoran was behind the disappearances was utterly irrelevant.
The third day passed, and it was far from peaceful in Gu Mo City. Fighting and bloodshed continued throughout the entire day, not ceasing even late into the night. In contrast, the Death God Temple, where Yang Haoran resided, was remarkably quiet that day. No one came to cause trouble, nor did the conflicts between other factions spill over into their Underworld Office.
But everyone knew that this was merely the calm before the storm. As soon as dawn broke the next morning, this tranquility would surely be shattered.
Inside the Death God Temple's conference room, Yang Haoran sat in the main seat. Before him rested a wine glass, half-filled with wine.
Everyone was present except for Shui Ling; Huang Sha and the others were all there. Wine glasses also sat before each of them, though no one touched theirs except for Xiang Chuan, as they were not in the mood.
The conference room was quiet. Since Yang Haoran had not yet spoken, none of them dared to open their mouths.
Yang Haoran took a drag from his cigarette, then unhurriedly picked up his wine glass and took a small sip. After setting the glass down, he turned his gaze to Yao Guozhi.
"The believers, you've made sure to notify them all clearly, haven't you? " Yang Haoran asked.
"All have been notified," Yao Guozhi respectfully replied. "No believers will come to the temple to worship today."
"That's good," Yang Haoran said with a faint smile. "If they were to come to the Death God Temple to worship today, I'd worry they might lose their lives here."
What Yang Haoran meant was clear, not just to Yao Guozhi, but even to a rough fellow like Lu Wu. Huang Sha and the others were, of course, no exception, as they were far more astute than Lu Wu in such matters.
Under Yao Guozhi's arrangements, ordinary people within the Underworld Office's territory still had duties, but also periods of rest. Typically, during their rest, they would come to the Death God Temple to worship. Yang Haoran's decision to prevent them from coming today was, naturally, to ensure their safety.
Shui Ling had not returned yet, and whether she had found strong evidence to clear his name, he didn't know. However, he had to prepare for the worst. If Shui Ling failed to find compelling evidence, a fierce battle would be unavoidable today.
If fighting erupted, believers who lacked strength would only distract him. At that point, he likely wouldn't be able to spare enough power to protect them, so forbidding them from coming to the Death God Temple today was the best course of action.
"Are all the Night Watchers in position? " Yang Haoran withdrew his gaze from Yao Guozhi, then looked at Lu Wu, asking with a smile.
"All Night Watchers of the First Division are in position and waiting outside, ready to obey Lord Emissary's command at any moment! " Lu Wu respectfully replied.
Yang Haoran nodded with a smile, acknowledging he understood, and then continued.
"Heh heh, there might be a fierce battle today. Remember to act strictly according to my orders; absolutely do not act on your own initiative, nor can you slack off or cut corners. Once this is over, you will certainly be rewarded. The prerequisite, however, is that you must survive. So, I hope all of you will strive to stay alive."
The several people present immediately responded with affirmative replies, even Xiang Chuan. However, Xiang Chuan remained his usual self, his boisterous and carefree demeanor giving an unreliable impression.
Yang Haoran made these arrangements in advance partly out of concern for Lu Wu. That fellow wasn't particularly bright normally, and when he got angry, his brain worked even less effectively, so it wasn't impossible for him to act recklessly.
On the other hand, he was worried about Xiang Chuan. Xiang Chuan was the exact opposite of Lu Wu; he was very clever but had a somewhat lazy disposition. Precisely because of this, Yang Haoran was concerned that Xiang Chuan might "slack off and cut corners" at a critical moment. After all, Xiang Chuan was not following him voluntarily but had been coerced, making it entirely possible that he would shirk his duties when it mattered most.
Considering these two points, he decided to give them a preemptive warning. As for Huang Sha and Yao Guozhi, he wasn't worried that either of them would act in such a manner.
Besides giving the two of them a warning, Yang Haoran also made some other arrangements for the group. Time passed bit by bit, but Shui Ling still hadn't returned to the Death God Temple. Not only had Shui Ling not returned, but the Second Division she led also hadn't appeared.
"Lord Emissary, dawn is about to break, and Shui Ling still hasn't returned. Has something happened to her? " Lu Wu asked Yang Haoran.
"Heh heh, it shouldn't be anything serious," Yang Haoran said with a smile. "She carries the Death God Pendant I bestowed upon her. If anything truly happened to her, the pendant should have shattered, but I can currently sense that it is intact. Therefore, the likelihood of her being in trouble is small. As for whether she found strong evidence for me, that I don't know."
Upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, Lu Wu visibly relaxed. Yang Haoran, observing Lu Wu's reaction, couldn't help but ask with a chuckle.
"Heh heh, when Shui Ling was around, I noticed you always seemed to be picking on her. Now, why are you suddenly concerned?"
Lu Wu's face flushed red with embarrassment. He stammered, hastily trying to explain.
"I. . . I argued with her because. . . well, because sometimes our opinions clashed. But she and I are both Night Watchers under Lord Emissary, after all, so of course, I don't want anything to happen to her."
Yang Haoran nodded with a smile. He didn't expose Lu Wu's true feelings, instead adopting an "I see" expression.
Just then, the darkness receded, and the earth welcomed its first ray of light. At the same time, Yang Haoran sensed a surge of power emanating from the plaza—a power fluctuation caused by spatial tremors.
"Heh heh, the guests have arrived. Come, let us go out and give them a proper welcome; we mustn't neglect these esteemed guests."
Yang Haoran rose with a smile, glancing at the cigarette he had just lit. He didn't extinguish it, instead holding it between his fingers with one hand while the other slipped into his pocket. Leading the others, he departed the hall and headed towards the plaza where the Death God statue stood.
Comments