Chapter 60

When the oil in the oil lamp was replaced once again, Qin Ran stopped in his tracks.

"Right up ahead!"

Qin Ran said.

However, Baron Wayne showed no excitement. Instead, he gestured to Qin Ran and Sheriff John, indicating that the two should continue to explore.

Clearly, this cunning baron would not act rashly until he truly saw the treasure.

"Give me an oil lamp!"

Qin Ran said.

Then, a freshly refilled oil lamp was handed to him by one of the mercenaries.

The sudden light in his hand allowed Qin Ran to see the path ahead more clearly—although he had seen the blueprint and Gong Lansen had explained it in detail, it was entirely different from seeing it with his own eyes.

The stone steps were completely different from the wet and slippery ground they had walked on earlier.

The bottom step was mostly covered by dried mud, with only a small part exposed, covered in dust.

Unlike the previous stench and dampness, this place was dry and the air was much more pleasant.

Looking at the thick layer of dust on the steps and the corridor beyond, Baron Wayne couldn't help but chuckle.

Everything was as he had expected; Swok and Ruskan had not found this place but had gone to some unknown location.

Without someone who truly knew the way, getting lost at the forks in the path was not uncommon.

"Detective Qin Ran, please continue!"

Baron Wayne gestured.

"Watch your step!"

Qin Ran warned Sheriff John, then supported him as they ascended the steps. The hand that was supporting John's arm subtly moved forward, with his fingers resting on the other's palm.

Simple text began to be written as they moved forward.

Treu, who was walking behind them, did not notice.

Neither did Baron Wayne, who was even further back.

The corridor was not long, less than twenty meters.

But it was enough for Qin Ran to inform Sheriff John of some important matters.

And Sheriff John did not show any signs of suspicion.

The two led the group to the end of the corridor, where a hall appeared before everyone.

This was a square hall, with walls on all sides except the one opposite the corridor. On the remaining two sides, there were pillars, each with five steps leading down to the center of the hall, a spacious open area.

The floor was entirely made of square tiles.

These tiles had some patterns, but they were covered by a thick layer of dust.

However, everyone was looking at the wall opposite them.

Although it had faded somewhat due to time, anyone could see that it was a mural.

A rising sun!

The emblem of the Dawnlight Church.

On either side of the emblem, rows of small text were engraved.

Gong Lansen had already explained these words to Qin Ran, so he paid no attention to them, but Baron Wayne was captivated by the text.

Even Sheriff John was no exception.

"This is the former council chamber of the Dawnlight Church!"

"Originally, they hid their wealth here!"

"It was right under my feet all along!"

Looking at the text, Baron Wayne muttered to himself.

The secret information passed down within his family and the extensive investigations had already led Baron Wayne into the trap set by Qin Ran and Gong Lansen.

The council chamber before them was the true council chamber of the Dawnlight Church.

Built five hundred years ago by the last 'Son of God' Pope recorded in history.

Only the true upper echelons of the Dawnlight Church knew about it.

In fact, this upper echelon consisted of only three people: the Pope, the Holy Maiden, and the Commander of the Guardian Knights.

Gong Lansen was not the Commander of the Guardian Knights, but with the Dawnlight Church disappearing from history, Sister Monique, the former Holy Maiden, did not mind revealing more of the once-secret information to Gong Lansen.

Similarly, when Qin Ran proposed the plan to "lure the opponent into a suitable ambush location and strike to kill," Gong Lansen did not hold back and told Qin Ran about this place.

Qin Ran was overjoyed.

What place could be more suitable for storing the Dawnlight Church's thousand-year wealth than the council chamber before them?

And for destroying such a council chamber, Gong Lansen seemed to have no regrets.

As the Guardian Knight put it, "It's just a pile of broken stones, it will be destroyed sooner or later!"

Even when saying this, Qin Ran clearly saw a look of sadness on the other's face.

As for Sister Monique?

After Gong Lansen took over, the nun rarely appeared before Qin Ran, except for occasional meals, she mostly spent her time praying and teaching students.

For her, this was her entire life.

And she had absolute trust in Gong Lansen.

She believed that Gong Lansen could do the best.

In fact, that was the case.

When entering the hall, Qin Ran saw the mark left by Gong Lansen in the corner.

It indicated that the Guardian Knight was ready!

Now, it was his turn.

Qin Ran casually scanned the surroundings.

He saw Baron Wayne completely absorbed by the mural, with the mercenaries scattered around to protect the baron.

Only Treu, his subordinate, was still closely following him and Sheriff John.

Clearly, Baron Wayne had absolute confidence in this subordinate and was not worried about Qin Ran or Sheriff John causing any trouble.

And if you looked at their appearance, it was indeed so.

Even the relatively tall and muscular Sheriff John was smaller compared to Treu.

Not to mention Qin Ran.

Therefore, when Qin Ran suddenly turned and kicked backward, Treu was first taken aback, then sneered and lunged at Qin Ran.

Treu had no intention of dodging Qin Ran's kick.

In his view, Qin Ran's thin legs would not cause him any harm!

This would prove to be a costly mistake.

Whoosh!

Bang!

Qin Ran's left leg, with a whistling sound, struck Treu's shoulder.

The dull impact sounded like a hammer blow.

With the special effect of [Unarmed Combat: Proficient in Leg Fighting], Qin Ran's originally E-level strength suddenly increased to E+.

Such strength was already at the level of an absolute champion in weightlifting, just a step away from exceeding the human realm.

Although Treu was tall and had considerable combat experience, he was still within the human realm, at most slightly stronger than the average person.

Faced with such a kick, Treu felt a long-forgotten pain, and his body staggered, nearly falling.

At this moment, Qin Ran's second kick arrived.

Almost as soon as his left foot landed, Qin Ran's right leg kicked out, his right foot fiercely striking Treu's chest.

Treu, who had just suffered, instinctively tried to dodge.

But he suddenly realized that Qin Ran's kick was even faster than the previous sudden attack.

[Bessica Kick]!

Bang!

Without holding back, Qin Ran kicked Treu's chest.

Immediately, the already staggering Treu fell to the ground, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

The E+ level strength and agility brought by [Unarmed Combat: Proficient in Leg Fighting] + [Bessica Kick] made Qin Ran's two strikes effective.

"Run!"

Having removed the only obstacle, Qin Ran did not expand his victory, but pulled Sheriff John and ran to one side.

"Fire!"

Baron Wayne was first taken aback, seemingly unable to accept that Treu had been taken down by Qin Ran, then gave the order.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The muzzles of the flintlock guns burst into flames, and the smoke from the gunpowder quickly filled the entire hall.

However, Baron Wayne could clearly see through the light that Qin Ran and Sheriff John had already thrown themselves to the ground just before his subordinates fired, and after the shots, the two stood up and ran behind the pillars in the hall.

"Take them down..."

The consecutive mistakes made Baron Wayne very angry, and he growled.

But the sudden appearance of a flame behind him made Baron Wayne instinctively turn around.

He saw a tall, muscular old man holding a lit torch and carrying a box appear at the entrance.

Beside this old man was a young man he had never seen before, nervously watching the situation of Qin Ran and Sheriff John in the hall.

"Gong Lansen? You're still alive?!"

Baron Wayne quickly focused on the old man, his brows furrowing.

He was well aware of the legend of the last Guardian Knight of the Dawnlight Church.

But what made him even more uneasy was the box on the old man's shoulder.

What was that?

Baron Wayne asked himself.

"You, a scoundrel like you, is still alive, how could I die?"

Gong Lansen said with a sneer.

Then, he slightly moved the torch, and the fuse outside the box was immediately ignited.

"Your things, back to you!"

Gong Lansen threw the box forward with all his might.

Instantly, the box, as if launched by a catapult, crashed toward Baron Wayne.

The surrounding mercenaries rushed toward the box, hoping to use their bodies as shields.

Baron Wayne's face changed dramatically.

He already knew what was inside.

After all, he had given a batch of homemade explosives to Swok and Ruskan.

By now, if Baron Wayne still didn't realize that Swok and Ruskan were already dead and that he had been deceived from the beginning, he would be a fool.

"Scatter quickly!"

Baron Wayne rushed to one of the pillars, knowing that only standing behind sufficient cover could he survive.

At the same time, he loudly warned his mercenaries.

These mercenaries were his important assets, and he could not afford to lose them.

However, it was clearly too late.

Boom!

A massive explosion echoed in the underground hall, and eleven mercenaries, including the fallen and bleeding Treu, were torn to pieces in the flames and explosion.

The entire hall shook violently.

And the shaking became more intense as time passed.

The hall was about to collapse.

Qin Ran, Sheriff John, and Baron Wayne, who had also escaped the explosion, began to run rapidly toward the entrance they had come from.

"Hurry up!"

Gong Lansen shouted.

"Sheriff, Sir Qin Ran, hurry up!"

The young man beside him also called out anxiously.

But none of the five noticed the cracks appearing on the mural facing the entrance, like a spider web, spreading and overlapping with the shaking of the hall.

Finally—

Boom!

The entire mural shattered.

An incalculable amount of gold gushed out from behind the wall like a tidal wave.