Chapter 44

"What?" Deng Wei's expression changed dramatically, his voice trembling, "Explain yourself, what exactly happened!"

Mao, who had been bullying the lower-level warriors and was known as "Big Brother," now had to show respect to Deng Wei. He bowed slightly and said, "Someone sneaked in through the back door of the toilet in the living area. The two guards at the gate have disappeared; I suspect they have been killed. The intruder then killed Dinte and continued deeper inside. I believe she has seen the ledger and knows our secrets."

"Have you identified the intruder?" Deng Wei's expression grew cold and hard, like a stubborn stone buried under frozen soil.

"According to the patrol team, they saw the intruder, a female ranger with a longbow. However, she was very agile and quickly escaped the pursuit," Mao lied without changing his expression.

Of course, he could not tell the truth—that he had been overcome by lust, used a sedative to lure a beautiful woman from the market, and planned to have his way with her. But she managed to break free from the ropes and the aphrodisiac, escaping and killing Dinte and the two guards in the process.

Mao knew that at such a critical moment, his mistake due to personal desires would bring down a torrent of anger from Deng Wei, possibly costing him his life. He would be tied up and thrown into the Blue Water River to feed the fish. So when he discovered that Shelley had escaped, he could only fabricate a lie to shift all the blame—after all, the people who knew the truth were already dead, and the truth depended only on his words.

"What are you still doing here? Why haven't you organized a search party to pursue the intruder?" Deng Wei exhaled a deep breath, his voice harsh, "She is likely an enemy of the family. She may have caught wind of something; we cannot let her live and interfere with today's important events!"

"I have already organized ten patrol teams to search for her."

"Not enough!" Deng Wei shook his head, "Go, mobilize half of the men to join the search!"

"Yes, sir." Mao felt relieved that Deng Wei completely believed his lie and then left to carry out the order.

"Truly a bunch of incompetents, always making mistakes, never giving me a moment's peace." Deng Wei watched Mao's back and couldn't help but curse.

After some thought, he felt it was still not right and boarded a cargo ship.

Deng Wei knew he had many flaws, such as being quick to anger and often letting his emotions control him, leading to rash actions. This was why he had boldly brought gifts and a Love God priest to propose to Sienna, and impulsively paid someone to assassinate Gordon.

However, the reason his father chose him as the family heir instead of his brother, who had the talent of a sorcerer, was because Deng Wei knew he had at least one strength that his father recognized: the ability to learn from failure.

After his defeat at Gordon's hands, he had learned to be cautious.

Today's operation to secretly transport all the weapons out of the city was crucial, determining the rise and fall of the Rite family. Although he had sent Mao to capture the intruder, he still felt uneasy.

"Magician Haolin, can you help me catch the annoying vermin that has infiltrated the sewers?" Deng Wei entered the cabin and explained the situation to the magician, who was sitting on the bed with his eyes closed.

Haolin opened his eyes, got out of bed, and said in a hoarse voice, "I am willing to serve you, Mr. Deng Wei."

After being defeated by Gordon in a duel, Deng Wei sold his remaining assets and disappeared in Blue Water City. However, he did not leave but instead joined the Rite family and hid himself.

His hatred for Gordon gnawed at his heart, turning him into a sinister snake, lurking in the darkness, waiting for the opportunity to strike his enemy with a fatal venom.

Although he had been disowned by Augro, Haolin's power had greatly increased in a short time. This was because he had joined the Three Saints Baptist Church.

As a curse mage who often dealt with the Abyss, Haolin knew the origins of the Three Saints Baptist Church. The so-called Three Saints were not the Platinum Dragon Bahamut, Lady Dawn Meridia, or the Just Saint Heryon, but the three Demon Princes: Acatu, Demod, and Azur.

By venerating demons as saints, the nature of the Three Saints Baptist Church was clear. However, for Haolin, whose heart was consumed by the fire of revenge every moment, gaining power was more important than anything, even selling his soul to demons.

In fact, he had sold his soul for a good price.

Although the Three Saints Baptist Church worshipped the three Demon Princes, they did not exclude followers of other evil gods. In the luxurious mansion of the Rite family, a high-ranking member of the Three Saints Baptist Church, a necromancer named Mendoza, and a beautiful but insane woman, a follower of the Goddess of Pain, Lovita, performed a magical ritual for Haolin.

If he were to take off his clothes now, Deng Wei would see that Haolin's body was covered in shocking scars and magical runes. His body was empowered by the forces of demons and evil gods. Each scar increased the power of his spells, and each magical rune served as an additional spell slot, allowing him to cast more spells.

Although still a third-level mage, Haolin's strength was no longer what it used to be.

Every day, he endured the pain from the Abyssal and Lovita's powers, which made his voice hoarse and his face increasingly pale, but he did not care. As long as he could one day drink the sweet wine of revenge, he was willing to pay any price.

After hearing Deng Wei Rite's request, the curse mage took a pinch of white powder from his sleeve. This was a popular drug in the southern regions called "Pure White Heaven." Haolin, of course, would not use it himself but only as a spell component.

He chanted an evil incantation, and the white powder in his palm turned into even finer particles in the chaotic magical energy, then rose up.

In the cabin, a strange shadow with a disorienting hue appeared before Haolin.

The spell Haolin cast was called "True Insight." This third-level divination spell summoned an unknown evil entity. The caster could ask it questions, but the answers would only be "yes" or "no." Each answer cost 100 gold coins.

"Is the intruder moving south?" Haolin asked.

"No," the shadow replied in a trembling, cold voice.

"Is she moving north?"

The shadow repeated its previous answer: "No."

Haolin looked at Deng Wei and said, "It seems the intruder is heading west."

The sewers led east to the Blue Water River. After eliminating the other possibilities, the answer was clear.

Deng Wei nodded, "Very well, I will send people to search the western part of the sewers."

Haolin did not end the spell but continued to ask, "Is the intruder alone?"

"No."

"Is she my enemy?"

"Yes."

Haolin's eyes twitched, and a possibility formed in his mind. He gritted his teeth and asked the final question, "Is it Gordon Freeman?"

"Yes."

Just hearing that name almost filled Haolin's mind with rage. Fortunately, he managed to control his emotions.

"Gordon! It's Gordon again! Every time, he opposes me! Every time, he prevents me from achieving my goals!" Deng Wei panted, almost grinding his teeth.

Haolin waved his hand, canceling the spell. His eyes glowed with venomous light, and his voice was as deep as if it came from the Abyss, "I will personally deal with this trouble. Gordon Freeman must die!"

...

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Shelley drew her bow and released three arrows in rapid succession. The three warriors who charged at her with sailor knives were each pierced through the throat and fell to the ground.

As Gordon chanted in Draconic, the magic scroll in his hand turned to ash, and three silver-white force field energy orbs illuminated the dark, eerie sewers, then exploded on an armored warrior, tearing him to pieces and killing him instantly.

A system notification in his mind informed him of 20 experience points, signaling the end of another small-scale battle.

"Quite a challenge," Gordon exhaled. Although casting spells did not exhaust his physical strength, the continuous high-intensity focus on incantations left him somewhat fatigued. The Rite family's reaction speed was unexpected. Gordon had planned to find an exit quickly, leave the sewers, and get within the communication range of his badge to send a message to Dorn. However, the pursuers seemed to have some kind of foresight, not only finding him quickly but also blocking all possible exits with heavy forces.

The mage and the half-elf ranger moved west, repelling several groups of pursuers. They hoped to send a message quickly and have Dorn bring reinforcements. However, the frequency of encounters increased as they moved. Gordon realized that the enemy was conducting a thorough search to compress his space.

Sooner or later, he would be cornered with no way to retreat.

Fortunately, Gordon had the foresight to prepare many magic scrolls and potions. His mana was almost untouched, and he remained in good condition.

"How are you holding up?" Gordon asked Shelley with concern.

The green-haired, silver-eyed girl panted heavily, her chest heaving with each breath. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, walked to the three bodies she had killed, and, suppressing her nausea, pulled out the arrows and returned them to her quiver.

"I'm a bit tired, but I can still hold on. However, my arrows are running out," Shelley frowned, her expression worried, "Gordon, we need to come up with a plan."

"Whatever plan you come up with, it's too late."

Without giving them a moment to catch their breath, more of the Rite family's private soldiers poured in from several intersections. The leader, a man with hair like a mane, spoke.

Gordon looked at his long, horse-like face and suddenly remembered him as one of Deng Wei's subordinates who had spread rumors in front of the store.

Shelley recognized the man's face, her eyes filled with a sharp, murderous intent, and she gritted her teeth, "You filthy pervert, you will pay for this!"

Mao laughed, giving Shelley a clumsy nobleman's bow, "Hello, beautiful lady. Unfortunately, I can't enjoy your body now." He straightened up and pointed at the two, ordering, "Attack, leave no survivors!"

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