Chapter 58

Wu Xiaode stood still in his place.

Fog enveloped him.

After waiting for a while, until there was no movement in the entire hall, he cautiously looked down.

The entire hall was left with countless cracks.

Those arms that suddenly appeared had all retreated underground, their whereabouts unknown.

This technique was too terrifying.

If his blade had not been just a bit faster—

The consequences would have been unimaginable.

A deep concern welled up in Wu Xiaode's heart.

Who could deal with such a technique?

He suddenly thought of something.

The fairy armor could absorb souls!

But the armor had not moved at all just now. Could it be that the souls of those two people were unabsorbable?

—Ding ding ding!

His phone suddenly rang.

Without hesitation, Wu Xiaode crushed the phone and threw it with all his might, smashing it against the wall dozens of meters away.

At the moment he threw the phone, he had already leaped into the air, jumping seven or eight meters high in the thick fog, and used his fingers to firmly grip the intricate mural on the ceiling of the hall.

—He hung in mid-air, motionless.

The hall fell silent again.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

Splash—

A black arm emerged from where he stood and where the phone had fallen.

The palm opened wide, revealing a writhing eyeball, which looked around.

It turned out that the terrifying effect of this technique was due to something buried beneath the hall!

Wu Xiaode held his breath, motionless.

Time passed slowly again.

After seven or eight minutes.

The two black arms burrowed back into the ground, leaving deep holes.

Wu Xiaode emitted a deep gray mist, gradually enveloping the entire ceiling.

He did a pull-up, tightly gripping the uneven mural on the ceiling, and quickly moved, silently reaching the entrance of the hall.

In the dead silence.

He faced the hall, took a step back, and walked out, finally ascending the steps and moving away from the place.

It wasn't until he returned to the confessional that the tension in his heart eased slightly.

He moved the hidden door back to the wall, sealing everything off.

Outside was also quiet.

Wu Xiaode sensed a strong aura of death, thinking of Xiao Baihong, and quickly headed to the front of the church.

He soon arrived at the front of the church.

He saw Xiao Baihong squatting on a table, holding a black umbrella, and eating a bear-shaped cookie.

In the center of the hall, dozens of bodies were piled up.

"How... did you kill so many people?" Wu Xiaode asked in surprise.

"Ah, because they were a bunch of beasts," Xiao Baihong licked his lips, his tone slightly annoyed.

Wu Xiaode approached and moved the bodies aside.

He saw that among the bodies in the clerical robes, there were seven or eight children's bodies.

The children's deaths were clearly different, their bodies grayish-white, their faces filled with despair.

"Did the church kill them?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"Yes, they seemed to be performing some kind of sacrifice. When I came in, the children were already dead," Xiao Baihong said.

Wu Xiaode looked at the believers, seeing that their bodies were covered in long, thin wounds, their faces twisted in extreme pain.

Xiao Baihong had not let these people off easily.

Ding ling ling—

Xiao Baihong's phone rang, and he quickly answered it.

"Xiao Hong, is Wu Xiaode with you?" the emperor's authoritative voice asked.

"He is, Your Majesty, don't call me Xiao Hong," Xiao Baihong said, covering his forehead.

The emperor ignored him.

The phone's speaker automatically turned on: "Wu Xiaode, why didn't you answer my call just now?"

"I smashed it during the fight—Your Majesty, next time, could you check the situation with the camera before making the call ring?" Wu Xiaode complained.

"Ha ha ha, that's my fault. I'll get you a new phone later. By the way, how's the situation?" the emperor asked.

"There's something under the church," Wu Xiaode said.

"Something?" the emperor asked curiously.

"I killed the bishop, and before he died, he seemed to summon a monster from underground, which almost killed me," Wu Xiaode said.

The emperor seemed to think of something, his tone suddenly becoming tense: "What kind of thing? Describe it to me."

"Black arms, with an eyeball in the palm," Wu Xiaode said.

The emperor let out a big sigh of relief, muttering: "Scared me to death. It's just that thing. Alright, ignore it for now. Go back and rest. I'll send someone to seal it."

"Your Majesty, can you deal with it?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"Deal with it? I'll send people to seal it—this is the limit of what humans can do," the emperor said.

"What is it?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"Just a dark ritual to sacrifice human lives to a god," the emperor said with a cold laugh.

"God..." Wu Xiaode muttered.

"Yes, a god—ha ha ha, they all want to eat humans," the emperor said with a mocking laugh.

"Should we continue hunting these people?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"Not today."

"Today?"

"It's getting late. In a few hours, it will be midnight. Xiao Wu, Xiao Hong, go rest. Try to come back alive—but if you die, I'll build a monument for you," the emperor said.

Wu Xiaode glanced at Xiao Baihong.

Xiao Baihong looked annoyed but didn't say anything to the emperor.

The call ended.

A message appeared on the phone screen:

"Meet at the rooftop of the fifth high school in the south of the city at 10 PM."

—This was the new announcement from the S-Class Club.

"Let's go," Xiao Baihong sighed.

"It's only 8 PM," Wu Xiaode said.

"True, what do you want to do? Want to go to the internet cafe and play some games?" Xiao Baihong asked.

"What kind of games with just two people? I'm hungry. Let's go eat something while it's still early," Wu Xiaode said, rubbing his stomach.

"Sure," Xiao Baihong said.

Ten minutes later.

They were sitting in a noodle shop.

Xiao Baihong ordered a bowl of mushroom and pork intestine rice noodles.

Wu Xiaode glanced at the bowl of pork intestine, his eyes flickering.

"What? Do you have a problem with what I'm eating?" Xiao Baihong asked.

"I can't stand offal," Wu Xiaode mumbled.

At that moment, his bowl of braised beef noodles was served, topped with cilantro.

He was about to pick up his chopsticks when he saw Xiao Baihong take a tissue, frowning and covering his nose.

"What?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"You're eating cilantro! I think we should sit at separate tables," Xiao Baihong said, carrying his bowl to a nearby table.

The drinks were also served.

Xiao Baihong had a box of yogurt, and Wu Xiaode had a bottle of iced cola.

"Fatso water..." Xiao Baihong said with a half-smile.

Wu Xiaode glanced at the yogurt in his hand and muttered, "Kid..."

Both of them were a bit annoyed, glared at each other, and decided not to eat together again.

But then again—

You can't just judge people by what they eat; you have to look at their skills!

Wu Xiaode thought of the pile of bodies in the hall.

Xiao Baihong thought of... the nuclear bomb.

"Eat!" Wu Xiaode smiled at Xiao Baihong.

"Eat, we still have to meet up later," Xiao Baihong also smiled.

The atmosphere immediately relaxed, and they both buried their heads in their food.

A few minutes later.

A person pushed open the door of the noodle shop and walked in, standing directly in front of Wu Xiaode.

"Hey? What are you doing here?" Wu Xiaode asked in surprise.

The person was Zhao Junyu.

"I just happened to be free. Father said he broke your phone, so he asked me to bring you a new one," Zhao Junyu said.

"His Majesty bought me a phone?" Wu Xiaode looked incredulous.

"The latest model, not even on the market yet, a royal special edition. Whether it's live streaming or downloading, it's super fast," Zhao Junyu boasted.

Wu Xiaode took the phone and looked at it. Everything was fine except for a QR code on the back of the metal plate.

"Feels good, but why is there a QR code on the back?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"To make it easier for you to act—suppose you encounter any units of the empire, whether the police, the military, or some secret departments. If someone gives you a hard time, just have them scan this QR code," Zhao Junyu said mysteriously.

Wu Xiaode and Xiao Baihong exchanged a glance.

"I'll try it," Xiao Baihong said.

He took out his phone and scanned the QR code on the back of Wu Xiaode's phone—

Ding!

A soft sound.

Four large characters immediately appeared on Xiao Baihong's phone screen:

"Acting on Imperial Orders"

At the same time, the phone's volume jumped to the maximum, and various sounds of hammering and music played, followed by the emperor's authoritative voice:

"As if I were present!"

Wu Xiaode was stunned.

—What's going on?

A special imperial phone?

Zhao Junyu cleared his throat and explained: "This QR code is bound to you. Only when you hold the phone and the phone detects your bio-signs will scanning the code work. So yes, it is—"

"A special imperial QR code."

"Can I eat for free?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"No," Zhao Junyu said.

"Can I enter a club for free?" Xiao Baihong asked.

"No," Zhao Junyu said.

"Can I get free tuition? I'm about to go to college. Oh, and can I scan a free car, even a street electric scooter?" Wu Xiaode lowered his requirements.

"This is for important matters... be serious," Zhao Junyu said expressionlessly.

"Just joking. I'm really grateful for the phone. Don't leave, have dinner with us," Wu Xiaode stood up and sincerely invited him.

"Alright, I'm hungry too," Zhao Junyu said.

He went to the counter and ordered a bowl of noodles, then came back and sat at the table between the two of them.

"What is the Ladder of Heaven?"

Wu Xiaode asked while eating.

Zhao Junyu's expression was serious, a trace of fear in his eyes.

He recited in an unusual tone:

"The gods step down from the Ladder of Heaven, selecting the pure souls from the masses, freeing them from sin and returning them to heaven."