Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

Since the calamity at the Ancient Capital, the Magic Association and the Enforcement Union had cooperated with the military, the Hunter Union, the government, and renowned families to seal off all possible exits. They were determined to take down the detestable Salan, even if it meant harming their economy.

Many of the Black Vatican's bases were destroyed. The remaining members of the Black Vatican disguising themselves as ordinary civilians were exposed, too. Salan only had limited places she could escape to, and was very close to being caught a few times.

Unfortunately, the lockdown had brought too many problems, especially to those with foreign identities.

The Enforcement Union insisted on not letting anyone with the slightest possibility go. Unfortunately, some authorities demanded that the pressure and loss were just too unbearable and proceeded to terminate the lockdown. Otherwise, their country's economy would simply collapse. As a direct result, foreigners were allowed to leave the country.

The Enforcement Union implemented strict protocols on verifying every foreigner's identity. They basically counted every strand of hair that every foreigner had, but Salan still managed to escape in the end.

The Enforcement Union flew into a terrible rage and argued fiercely with the authority that terminated the lockdown. Meanwhile, the authority put the blame on the Enforcement Union in return. They had sent out the highest number of people in history, yet they still could not catch the Black Vatican's commanding officer. The argument went on for days!

The truth was, it was just a matter of perspective. The Enforcement Union wanted justice to be served. The calamity of the Ancient Capital had shocked the whole world. If they allowed the culprit to remain at large, they would totally put their ancestors to shame. On the other hand, the authorities did not purposely let Salan go. They were more concerned about the country's economy. If the lockdown continued, countless people would lose their jobs and end up homeless!

There were many places in the country like Zhenming Town that had lots of foreign investors and a way to leave the country by sea. As soon as the lockdown was terminated, Salan immediately took the opportunity to flee the country.

Luckily, the Enforcement Union was not totally useless. They were able to set their eyes on Chongming Island after eliminating all other possibilities.

"I have something to say," Lingling pretended to be enjoying the fruits with an adorable expression, yet her voice did not suit her age.

Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue sat closer. They could tell that Lingling wanted to discuss something important from her tone.

"Salan only managed to escape from here because this place is privately owned by a foreigner, but considering how strict the procedures are, she would still have trouble leaving the country," said Lingling.

"I'm not too familiar with what happened." Mo Fan was clueless about the Enforcement Union's approach.

"I was already suspicious of it, but I wasn't too sure. However, when my sister sent us here, I'm finally convinced of it," said Lingling.

"Convinced of what?"

"There's something fishy in the Enforcement Union!" said Lingling.

Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue's mouth widened. They found it hard to believe.

"Are you telling me that the Black Vatican has infiltrated the Enforcement Union?" asked Mu Ningxue softly.

"Maybe, but not entirely. The Enforcement Union is split into different factions, too. If the conflict between the factions is huge enough, Salan could easily use it to flee the country. The truth is, Salan doesn't necessarily need to take the risk of turning someone into one of the Black Vatican. Everyone has their own desires and ambitions. With the right approach, many people actually did the Black Vatican lots of favors without them realizing it. For example, I believe most people in this manor aren't with the Black Vatican, but they have become Salan's accomplices unknowingly. I think it's the same problem that the Enforcement Union has," analyzed Lingling.

"But I feel like there's a chance for people of the Black Vatican to infiltrate the Enforcement Union, too?" said Mo Fan.

Mo Fan never believed a righteous organization was full of righteous people. He only believed that an evil place was surely full of evil people.

"The members of the Enforcement Union have to swear an Oath. The people of the Black Vatican wouldn't be able to overcome it," Lingling declared confidently.

"Oh, is that thing reliable?"

"A hundred percent. The members of the Enforcement Union have to renew the Oath periodically. It's impossible for the Black Vatican to implant spies in the Enforcement Union, so I think Salan only managed to abuse the conflict between the factions in the Enforcement Union. Therefore, the Enforcement Union has decided to hire outsiders secretly to wipe out the Black Vatican's remaining members on Chongming Island," said Lingling.

As they were talking, Zhao Pinlin came in with a few cups of black tea.

"What are you whispering about? You should try this specialty black tea. It's a must-try for everyone that comes here. You won't find it anywhere else," said Zhao Pinlin.

The woman called Carly entered the room and introduced the black tea to the group. Mo Fan was not too impressed by it, but Lingling and Mu Ningxue liked it.

"If you're feeling energetic, feel free to enjoy the facilities… I have to receive another batch of guests. Please feel at home, you can ask the people with red bowties if you need any help," Carly reminded them before leaving with a smile.

After enjoying the tea, a few maidservants came in and cleaned up the cups. The group discussed among themselves where they should visit first.

----

Carly and Butler Fu went to another hall. A group of ten was already seated inside the hall. They seemed to be in their uniforms.

"Sorry for the wait, we are willing to receive every guest warmly, but I believe you're not here for a holiday, based on your uniforms?" asked Butler Fu.

"We are the City Hunters here to investigate a case. There are rumors that someone has died from a poison that turned him into black ashes here. Why didn't you report the incident?" The leader was a scarface. He took out his City Hunter badge.

Butler Fu and Carly exchanged glances.

"Carly, go brew some tea. Please have a seat. I'll explain everything to you slowly. It's not like we didn't report the incident, but considering how it would start a panic among our guests, we just didn't reveal it publicly. As a matter of fact, we already told the local relevant department," said the butler cautiously.

"Oh, did you classify it as a demon creature incident?" said the scarface.

"Yes."

"But according to our investigation, there are quite a lot of cases of missing people and strange deaths here. If the police were unable to solve them, you should have reported them to the City Hunters! Humph, do you think I'm not aware of how businessmen handle their problems? They always try to hide the incidents to ensure their businesses can operate normally. Go tell your boss, we'll come again tomorrow. You better prepare all the documents we need. Otherwise, we'll force you to stop your business since it's endangering people's lives!" said the leader in an unfriendly voice.

"It wasn't as serious as you think..."

"Enough with your nonsense, I know most of your customers are rich people, but money isn't everything. If I find out that you're purposely hiding the truth, you will bear the consequences! Let's go!" The scarface rose to his feet. He brought his men and left before the tea was served.

Butler Fu's expression stiffened. He was lost for words for a moment.

----

In the other room, Lingling quickly returned to her seat with a troubled look after eavesdropping on the conversation next door.

"What happened?" asked Mu Ningxue.

"This is annoying. The City Hunters came. I wonder who their stupid commander is to send them here now, they will only alert the enemy. It's going to affect our operation!"