Cultivate Myself? Chapter 14

It had to be said that AI Standby truly understood players. Its efficiency was terrifyingly high.

"But what is Cassidy doing at the church?"

Ryan was quite puzzled by this.

She had specifically arrived in Berman City early, so she must have had some purpose. He remembered that in the game's storyline, Cassidy had come to Berman City to win over Mayor Bill. Bill had been classmates with her mother, and the two had a very good relationship. Cassidy's mother had even played a role in Bill becoming mayor.

But what Cassidy did not know was that Bill had secretly already pledged allegiance to the Second Prince. He would pull off something huge during Berman City's storyline, and in the end, he would be the big boss who had to be taken down.

He had hidden himself even deeper than Adler. Even now, no one knew Bill's true situation.

Considering the changes to the storyline, Cassidy might have already contacted Bill in secret. After pondering for a moment, Ryan simply decided to let 'Lin Qi' follow the storyline.

Since she was connected to Cassidy, 'Lin Qi' now had a legitimate reason to step into the open. He could not throw away the game's advantages. Since Ryan himself did not plan to follow the storyline, he might as well let 'Lin Qi' do it.

On the surface, she was a priest of the Gate of Janus and Cassidy's good friend.

In secret, 'Lin Qi' was Ryan.

If he latched onto the main storyline, gathering resources would become easier. Otherwise, cultivating himself would be far too slow.

"No rush. I'll settle the class advancement first."

At midnight, 'Lin Qi' heard the echo once more. Following the usual procedure, the Evil Spirit that appeared this time had reached Lv. 10.

After clearing out the Evil Spirit, she successfully obtained an Ancient Evil Spirit Fragment. Ryan set AI Standby and exited the game.

Over the next two days, the entire Bureau of Investigation threw itself into investigating the Black Ding Street No. 228 Incident.

During that time, Adler gave Ryan plenty of information on the Hand of Darkness so he could claim credit. They wiped out several of the Hand of Darkness's secret hideouts, and as the investigation progressed, the No. 228 Incident became increasingly clear.

On the afternoon of Cassidy's scheduled arrival in Berman City, Adler urged the Bureau of Investigation to close the Heretics' Sacrifice Incident, classifying it as an anti-Empire act of violence by the Mafia.

As the name suggested, the Mafia was a gang force that had entrenched itself in Berman City for a long time and was notoriously infamous.

They were simply perfect for taking the blame.

Jonathan did not express any opinion on this. Based on his and Ryan's meticulous deductions, the full sequence of events at Black Ding Street No. 228 should have been—Janus discovered the Sacrificial Ritual prepared by the Hand of Darkness, and the two sides had fought fiercely. The previously inferred third-party force was highly likely to have been people from the Gate of Janus lurking in Berman City.

This was because Jonathan had received news from within the League of Fire that High Priest Lia Mansdeka had personally promoted a nun to become a new priest. Clearly, that armed nun had made no small contribution at Black Ding Street No. 228.

Look, it all fit perfectly!

As for whether that was truly the case, Jonathan still needed time to investigate. But his superiors would not give him that much time, so closing the case first was necessary.

After the case was closed, Ryan's outstanding performance led the Department General Bureau to consider promoting him to work at the General Bureau. However, Jonathan rejected it. He immediately gave Ryan the position of Vice Captain of the Criminal Investigation Department and added him to the East District core personnel list of the Bureau of Investigation.

With that status, the General Bureau could not casually transfer him away. Of course, the main reason was Jonathan's forceful stance. As for how he had flipped the table on the General Bureau, Ryan had no idea.

In any case, a promotion and a raise were good things for him. There was no reason to refuse them.

"Come on, Ryan. Her Highness the Princess will arrive in Berman City soon. Come greet her with me."

Inside the Bureau of Investigation, Jonathan beckoned to Ryan and reminded him, "Remember to bring your gun."

Jonathan: This Priest Lady Is So Cold

"Move it, move it, move it! Keep up!"

"Stay sharp, every last one of you!"

Berman City Train Station was located in the East District, so the important task of welcoming Princess Cassidy fell to the East District Branch. Jonathan, the Director, personally led the operation. He temporarily handed on-site command over to Ryan while he went to arrange matters concerning the League of Fire.

As the Director's right-hand man and the Vice Captain, no one dared question Ryan's orders.

Still, some Police Officers who had worked with him for years could not understand it no matter how hard they thought. Just a few days ago, everyone had been squatting in the bathroom chatting together. How had he suddenly achieved Soaring Ambition?

He took off without bringing his brothers along, was that it?

"What are you thinking about? Keep your eyes open."

Ryan interrupted a colleague's daydream and said to the lined-up Police Officers, "Time is tight and the task is heavy. As long as we protect Princess Cassidy on the way to Aideburg, we succeed. Understood?"

"Understood!"

"Good. Spread out according to your assigned positions."

The Police Officers quickly dispersed around the Train Station. Some were responsible for surveillance, while others blended into the crowd to inspect suspicious people. The remaining dozen or so stayed with Ryan at the platform, waiting for Cassidy.

"Do you think Princess Cassidy will really come?"

"I doubt it. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't come—at least not openly."

"Yeah, the situation is so tense right now."

Several Police Officers spoke in low voices.

In fact, many people believed that Cassidy would not come to Berman City after all.

The reason was simple. As one of the Imperial Successors, although she was merely the Fifth Princess and her influence was weak, Cassidy's mother had been the Queen. Even after her death, the Old Emperor had never installed a new Queen. That favor alone was enough to make the other Princes wary.

Who knew? Maybe the Old Father would lose his mind one day. On his deathbed, he might have a final burst of clarity, see his beloved daughter, and directly order Cassidy to become the next Emperor.

Otherwise, why had Berman City been cracking down so hard on public security lately?

If Cassidy died here, they would be in serious trouble.

Naturally, the Bureau of Investigation hoped she would not come. If she did not come, nothing would happen. If she came and something happened, the entire bureau would suffer.

Ryan also hoped the Princess would not come, but according to the game's storyline, she would most likely still appear. So he had called 'Lin Qi' over in advance as well.

Looking into the distance, he saw 'Lin Qi' standing alone by the station railing in a white robe.

Her smooth, silvery long hair draped down her back. Her hands were folded together, and she looked quiet yet cold and beautiful. Her distinctive aura made passersby unable to resist glancing at her.

"Captain Ryan." A Police Officer ran over and said quietly, "That priest from Janus... should we tell her to leave?"

Positions within Janus Church were distinguished by clothing. A nun and a priest could be told apart at a glance. The back of 'Lin Qi's' white robe bore the silver moon pattern unique to priests.

While it was not impossible that someone was impersonating her, generally speaking, no one would dare stand there so openly.

'Lin Qi' was far too conspicuous. The Police Officer worried that if there were criminals around, they might take advantage of that.

"Leave her alone." Ryan waved a hand. "I'll keep an eye on her."

The Police Officer left.

After a while, Jonathan returned.

"Why is she here?"

The Director was somewhat puzzled. They were welcoming an Imperial Princess, so what was someone from the Gate of Janus doing here?

"Is everything arranged?"

"Yes, Director. Everything has been arranged according to plan. No suspicious people have been found for now, apart from that priest."

"I'll go talk to her."

Although Jonathan did not want to get too involved with Janus, at a critical moment, he still needed to find out what she wanted.

Once he left, Ryan decisively opened the game and entered 'Lin Qi's' perspective.

However, he did not Take Over 'Lin Qi's' controls, because Ryan had discovered that in AI Standby mode, she could perfectly embody her Character Setting. That was something Ryan could not do. Otherwise, how could she have gotten so close to Cassidy in such a short time?

So AI actually understood Walkthroughs better than humans did?!

"Tsk, that woman is really cold."

Jonathan returned. The conversation had not gone well. Somewhat depressed, he lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. "She's the coldest nun I've ever met... no, priest."

"What happened, Director?" Ryan asked helpfully. "Did she refuse to give you face? Want me to take some men and drive her away?"

"Stop thinking about solving everything with brute force. A priest of the Gate of Janus, do you think she's easy to provoke?" Jonathan waved a hand. "Forget it. Her being here is probably related to the Hand of Darkness. Our people are watching her too. We just need to stay alert."

"The League of Fire? Come to think of it, I still haven't met anyone else. Director, you didn't just make up a name to fool me, did you?"

"Why would I need to fool you?" Jonathan said irritably. "Once you become official, I'll take you to meet the others."

The requirements for becoming official in the League of Fire were not easy. It required strict screening and repeated tests. However, Jonathan felt that Ryan would definitely be fine. The only possible issue was Magic Potion compatibility, which was essential for becoming a transcendent.

If someone could not adapt to the power of a Magic Potion, they could not become a true Investigator.

Probationary Investigators were external staff who handled auxiliary tasks.

As they spoke, a commotion erupted near the entrance.

"What's going on?"

A Police Officer ran over and said, "Director, it's those Snake Mouth Gang people."

"Snake Mouth Gang?"

A gang force from the East District.

Jonathan raised a brow. "Drive them away!"

"I'll go take a look."

Ryan hurried over with several people.

It did not take long to figure out what had happened.

Because the Black Ding Street No. 228 Incident had been closed, Berman City's gang forces had become scapegoats. The relatives and friends of those used as sacrifices began retaliating like mad, and the Snake Mouth Gang suffered for it.

These days, gang forces had quite a few businesses under their names.

And those used as sacrifices had more or less possessed some influence themselves.

If things truly escalated, even a gang would not come out ahead.

Having suffered for no reason, the Snake Mouth Gang naturally could not tolerate it. The Bureau of Investigation could not just pin charges on them at random, could it?

That was the situation, but Ryan still felt something was off. Even if the Snake Mouth Gang was unhappy, they should not have come here to make trouble. After all, everyone knew Cassidy was about to arrive in Berman City. If they truly made Her Highness the Princess unhappy, then Snake Mouth or Rat Mouth, they would all be wiped out.

Toot—toot!

The train's whistle suddenly reached everyone's ears. Accompanied by the clattering rumble of the vibrating Railroad Track and billowing steam in the distance, a Black Train sped into the station.

"The Princess is here! The Princess is here!"

Outside the station, citizens who had come to welcome Cassidy began cheering.

At that moment, a streak of light descended from the sky and landed on the Railroad Track under everyone's watchful eyes.

Boom!

Within the blast radius, two sections of Railroad Track were blown apart as expected. The train crashed into the severed tracks, and the Train Head instantly flipped over.

Ryan raised his head and looked at the carriages tumbling through the air. At that moment, he suddenly thought of a classic movie scene.

"The train derailed! The Princess derailed!!!"

The Princess Didn't Derail

Did the Princess derail?

Of course not.

Although the Police Officers present had no way to deal with the situation, transcendent beings could make the airborne train carriages land safely.

Boom!

A massive cloud of dust erupted with a thunderous crash. Ryan looked toward where Jonathan had been standing and discovered that he had already vanished.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!"

The Police Officers shouted one after another.

Ryan immediately ordered everyone to draw their guns and load them. He was now completely certain that this attack had definitely been carried out by that Old Man Adler.

Otherwise, what gave a few Thugs from the Snake Mouth Gang the nerve to barge into Her Highness the Princess's Welcoming Scene?

Bang! Bang!

Gunshots rang out.

A Police Officer had opened fire. No one knew who he was shooting at. The suddenly rising dust obscured most of their vision, but the moment the gunshots sounded, the scene immediately descended into chaos.

The citizens waiting outside the station cried out in panic, and the Snake Mouth Gang's Thugs began yelling as well.

"Someone's been killed! The Police Officers are killing people!"