Chapter 150

"The connection to the Spirit Whisper has been completely severed. It seems Blade has been taken to another celestial realm..."

Kafka slightly twitched her fingers and gently opened and closed her right hand. Looking at the thin purple lines that had broken off her ring and index fingers, she showed no surprise, but nodded as if she had expected it.

Upon hearing this, Silver Wolf looked up from the data terminal in his hand and shrugged as if sighing.

"It looks like it will take much less time than expected. I can't bear to imagine what Ren has gone through. But then again, that guy Bai Jun is a monster among monsters. Ren will probably just be used as a punching bag and tortured at will in front of him."

"If you say that to Blade, he'll be heartbroken."

"If it could really change that deadpan look on his face, I'd be quite happy to."

Silver Wolf chewed his gum, blew a bubble out of boredom, and then continued to observe the data terminal in his hand, casually asking Kafka about the next move:

"I've hacked into all the available surveillance and data centers around here. Now that Blade is in custody, what do we do next? I mean, what exactly is Elio's 'script'?"

Before this operation, Silver Wolf had asked Kafka about the "script" many times, but Kafka always maintained an air of mystery, refusing to tell her the specific plan and only saying that she would know when the time came.

Now that the time had come, Kafka naturally stopped hiding it and spread her hands with a bright smile.

"Actually, there was no 'script' at all. Elio just told us to go to Luofu and make a scene; the rest was up to us to improvise."

"Ha?"

Silver Wolf was dumbfounded by Kafka's joke, and made a very cute expression.

She never expected that Kafka, who was always meticulous and thorough, would give such a casual answer.

Just as Silver Wolf was about to complain, a strange aura suddenly crept up her neck. The sense of danger, as if she were being watched by some extremely dangerous creature, made Silver Wolf's expression change immediately. She stretched out her small hand to signal Kafka to be quiet, and at the same time, she quietly approached the other side of the alleyway.

"Shh, don't speak yet, let me gather some information..."

She leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice so as not to be heard.

The bustling streets remained peaceful, with no one glancing in their direction and nothing strange happening; everything proceeded as usual.

(Things have gotten complicated...)

But Silver Wolf continued talking to himself.

She surveyed the street scene, slowly moving towards Kafka behind her. "The street looks normal, but I think it's a little too normal... In my opinion, Kafka, we should move to another location quickly, otherwise I have a feeling something bad is going to happen."

You have a point.

A clear, crisp voice came from behind. Silver Wolf trembled, her petite figure suddenly freezing. With an incredulous expression, she slowly turned her head, her light gray eyes reflecting the face of a third person besides Kafka.

The young man in front of them was exceptionally handsome. His medium-length silver hair was tied into a short ponytail, which looked quite capable. Moreover, his fair and handsome face exuded an incredible sense of friendliness. Putting all that aside, anyone who saw him for the first time would be left with the impression of a calm and gentle young man.

However, Silver Wolf didn't think so; she simply found it utterly absurd.

Bai Jun moved intimately close to Kafka, his left arm casually draped over her shoulder like that of an inseparable couple. Even if one didn't want to admit it, from Silver Wolf's perspective, the two looked remarkably well-matched... well, that is, ignoring the long knife pressed against Kafka's neck.

"It took me quite a bit of effort to find you two. There's an old saying in Xianzhou, 'Isn't it a pleasure to have friends coming from afar?' I don't want to be rough with women. If you two can be obedient and cooperate with the investigation, I think you should be able to have a pleasant trip in Luofu... Raise your hands."

Bai Jun spoke slowly and deliberately, tightening his grip on Kafka's neck to signal her to behave her hand hidden in the shadows.

"Since Mr. Bai Jun is so enthusiastic, we naturally have no reason to refuse. We surrender!"

With her scheme exposed, Kafka smiled wryly and raised her hands, still clutching the grenade, above her head, giving up the struggle altogether.

The Silver Wolf, who was standing opposite and about to fight back desperately, was dumbfounded when he saw her like this. Seeing that the Silver Wolf was unwilling to obey, Bai Jun put his left arm around Kafka and walked step by step in front of her, looking down at the trembling silver-haired girl with his absolute height advantage.

Then, with slow but terrifying movements, he raised his right hand and smashed it down hard on the Silver Wolf's little head.

"Waaaaah! I... I surrender!"

Silver Wolf's eyes welled up with tears, and he let out a cute little squeal. He immediately covered his head with his hands, squatted down, and curled up into a trembling ball.

However, the expected pain did not come; Silver Wolf only felt a light touch on the top of his head.

It doesn't hurt at all; on the contrary, it gives you a gentle feeling.

"That's right, Miss Silver Wolf. You're very perceptive."

Lifting her tear-blurred eyes, she saw Bai Jun, who was bending down, with a gentle smile on his face. He lightly tapped the top of her head with a chop to the head, then extended his palm towards her as she fell.

Chapter 186 Everything is for you

The operation to capture the Stellaron Hunters was declared a failure in just a few hours.

It was almost dusk. There was no earth-shattering, dust-filled battle, no cat-and-mouse chase, and no detective game of unraveling the mystery. The actions, searches, and arrests were all so smooth and natural that it felt like a bad movie that started slowly but finished strong.

Not to mention the Vanguard and Cloud Cavalry who were completely bewildered by the current situation, even Bai Jun himself found it unbelievable.

In fact Artisanship Commission, he had previously considered that Kafka might do the opposite, deliberately escaping to the Divination Bureau and using the power of Spirit Whisper to escape the sight of those around them. If that were the case, even Bai Jun would not have an easy time catching them.

After all, the Stellaron Hunters is a notorious criminal on the top of the Interstellar Peace Company's bounty list. If he didn't have a cunning and quick-witted mind and strong strength, he would probably have been defeated by those hunters driven by high bounties long ago.

The order to search for Exalting Sanctum was given based on intuition, or perhaps a gamble.

But to his surprise, they actually hid in the most obvious and easily understood Exalting Sanctum area. By chasing the lingering aura of Spirit Whisper in the air, he was able to quickly locate the two Stellaron Hunters.

But in any case, as long as the result is good, other details can be temporarily ignored.

As the city was bathed in the glow of the setting sun, this farce, which ended with astonishing speed, officially came to a close.

Bai Jun personally escorted them back to the Divination Bureau for interrogation. He first ordered the Vanguard to bring out the ropes that had been prepared in advance. Kafka, in particular, received special treatment. Considering her Spirit Whisper, in addition to binding her tightly, her mouth also needed to be sealed.

As for Silver Wolf... it doesn't really matter if you don't tie her up.

The journey to escort the two women to the Divination Bureau was somewhat unexpected for Bai Jun, as bringing them back was much easier than he had imagined. They neither resisted nor spoke, nor did they make any scheming moves. They didn't even communicate with each other through eye contact or body language, as if they had completely given up and lost all will to resist.

Whether it was Bai Jun's imagination or not, he always had a vague feeling that Kafka was in a good mood, with a faint smile always on her face.

Just then, Kafka suddenly cast a glance at Bai Jun.

That look was familiar; it held neither malice nor mockery, but simply the gaze of someone admiring a treasure worthy of praise.

"If you have anything to say, please wait a little longer. You'll have plenty of opportunities to speak once we get to the Divination Bureau. Also, I have some questions for you."

Bai Jun remained unfazed, walking along one side of the middle of the group, glancing indifferently at the purple-haired woman in the black coat. Upon hearing his words, Kafka mouth was taped shut and unable to speak, responded with a silent nod, her slightly downturned eyebrows acting as a smile instead of a genuine one.

The journey was uneventful, and Kafka and the Silver Wolf were successfully escorted to the Divination Bureau.

On the high platform of the Divination Bureau courtyard, where busy figures were running around everywhere, Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan were whispering to each other. Having already heard about this matter through the communication device, the two who had been waiting in advance stopped talking as soon as they saw Bai Jun and went forward to exchange and discuss the information with him.

"Those two are Kafka and Silver Wolf, two Stellaron Hunters. I've had brief encounters with them before, but it seems that only the two of them are among the Stellaron Hunters who came to Luofu this time. I recall that the Stellaron Hunters in silver armor isn't among them, but we can't rule out the possibility that he's hiding somewhere else in Luofu."

Bai Jun pointed his thumb back at Kafka and Silver Wolf not far away, observing the busy figures nearby while briefly sharing his guesses with the two in front of him.

Having already discussed this matter beforehand, Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan exchanged a glance, and Fu Xuan, already confident in his answer, replied:

"No problem. The 'Matrix of Prescience' has been set up. Those within it cannot lie. Next, we only need to interrogate them to find out their personnel composition and purpose for this trip."

"Then, the interrogation target will be that woman named Kafka. If I'm not mistaken, she seems to be the leader of the Stellaron Hunters."

Jing Yuan immediately noticed the stark contrast between Kafka's calm and collected demeanor and the nervous, sweating Silver Wolf beside her. He gave Vanguard a look, and the latter immediately nodded in understanding. A large group of more than a dozen people, as if facing a formidable enemy, escorted Kafka to the center of the "Matrix of Prescience".

"Then I will go interrogate that Stellaron Hunters. The rest is up to you, Bai Jun. You should know what to do, right?"

After Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan had each given their speeches, Bai Jun, who had remained silent until now, moved his lips slightly:

"I understand, but after you finish interrogating her, Fu Xuan, I also have something I'd like to ask Kafka."

Fu Xuan and Jing Yuan naturally had no objections, and the matter was easily settled. Fu Xuan sighed softly, muttering with distress, "After being broken for thousands of years, the Abundance relics of the ' Ambrosial Arbor, which was originally dead and withered, have been reborn. Alas, it really proves the saying from some time ago, 'Walking will bring misfortune, but there will be no benefit.' I just hope that they are indeed related to the Stellaron..." He walked towards the Matrix of Prescience.

The people who had been leisurely standing in the courtyard were now only Bai Jun and Jing Yuan. Bai Jun, who broke the atmosphere first, waved his hand and, under the pretext of needing to settle Silver Wolf, turned around and walked to Silver Wolf's side. Amidst her screams, he picked her up by the waist and headed in the opposite direction from the cell where Ren was imprisoned.

He deliberately spoke coldly to scare the silver-haired girl along the way, and it was quite amusing to see her trembling with fear.

Jing Yuan hesitated for a long time, intending to have a chat with Ren, who was imprisoned in the Divination Bureau. At this moment, several Vidyadhara with panicked expressions arrived at his side, panting as if they wanted to ask him for something.

Their extremely tense actions made Jing Yuan vaguely sense that something was amiss.

Vidyadhara leaned forward and whispered a few words to Jing Yuan. Jing Yuan's expression immediately changed, but he quickly recovered and returned to normal. "Then take me to Scalegorge Waterscape right away." With a flick of his sleeve, he led a few Vanguard and left with Vidyadhara.

When Bai Jun returned, Jing Yuan was no longer in the central courtyard. Bai Jun assumed that Jing Yuan was busy with work and didn't think much of it. In the remaining time, he directed the diviners present to draw and weave the magic array while waiting for Fu Xuan's interrogation results.

Soon after, Fu Xuan, looking pale, emerged from the Matrix of Prescience.

She drew a crucial conclusion from Kafka.

First, the Stellaron Hunters who came to Luofu this time were only Kafka, Silver Wolf, and Blade; the silver armor mentioned by Bai Jun did not exist.

Secondly, the Stellaron Hunters are not enemies of the Xianzhou; someone else brought the Stellaron into the Xianzhou and activated them.

Third, the Stellaron Hunters arrived in Luofu to complete Elio's "script," but when Fu Xuan asked her what the specific script was, Kafka usually answered Fu Xuan's questions in turn, almost always answered "I don't know."

She seemed to have come to Luofu just for fun, and although she unintentionally got involved in the affairs between the Stellaron in order to complete the so-called "script"—she didn't participate at all. At least Matrix of Prescience can guarantee that she wasn't lying.

The information provided by Kafka during interrogation was mostly useless, with very little new and useful information. This greatly discouraged Fu Xuan. She casually waved her hand, indicating that Bai Jun could go in and find Kafka.

"Bai Jun, didn't you say you also had something you wanted to ask that woman? Let's go now."

Before entering the Matrix of Prescience, Bai Jun made another request. "Fu Xuan, please turn off the Matrix of Prescience for me. My conversation with her doesn't need the Matrix of Prescience's observation."

"Huh? What did you say? Why, wait--"

Before Fu Xuan could finish speaking, he casually picked up a chair from the central courtyard and then entered the Matrix of Prescience.

"Asking me about that is pointless—I don't even know what a 'script' is, so why bother asking me?"

The location was the spacious observatory hall of the Divination Bureau. Maroon sunlight slanted in from the walls, illuminating the magic arrays and talismans scattered on the floor.

A woman's soft laughter echoed in the center of the empty magic circle.

She was lifted into the air by invisible magic, her hands and feet bound by shackles. Unlike before, her face was free of makeup and colored contact lenses, losing some of her bewitching charm and gaining more of a pure and pretty look. Her dignified face, which proved her identity as Stellaron Hunters, was adorned with a light and indifferent smile.

They don't feel fear, they wholeheartedly follow their own beliefs, and they're the kind of smiling faces that are hardest to deal with.

"Oh dear, it's Mr. Bai Jun. I'm so sorry to have let you see me in such a disheveled state."

Don't pretend we're very close.

Upon seeing that the person entering the magic circle was not the short, pink-haired girl from before, but Bai Jun, Kafka's tone immediately changed. Bai Jun ignored her familiar tone as she tried to establish a connection, sat on a chair he had casually moved from outside, crossed one leg, rested his elbow on his raised knee, and stared at Kafka in the air.

"Okay, whatever you say. Let's just pretend we're not that close."

Kafka seemed completely unconcerned, her ever-present faint smile still on her face, and she took the initiative to speak, "You must have something you want to ask me, right?"

"Now that you know why I'm here, I'm curious, what exactly was that look you gave me on the way here?"

Bai Jun slowly voiced his doubts, and Kafka then told him the prepared script Bai Jun had already prepared.

"I didn't speak to you then because I knew you and I would talk alone here, and the presence of the 'Matrix of Prescience' would also prevent me from lying. So I thought, why not save everything for now? You seem to have a lot of questions for me."

It was that same confidence, as if everything was under his control; the woman's smile was so arrogant.

"Well then, please wait a moment before we officially begin."

"What?"

Suspended in mid-air, Kafka looked down, while Bai Jun, sitting in a chair, crossed his fingers and met Kafka's gaze with a puzzled look.

The two stared at each other for less than half a minute when a huge change occurred in the Matrix of Prescience. The talismans dimmed, and countless array lines connected like stars gradually went out. Kafka's reaction was the most surprised. She clearly realized that the Matrix of Prescience's ability to observe the mind had disappeared.

In other words, she can now lie at will.

"To be fair, let's talk frankly."

Why, aren't you afraid I'll lie to you?

"This is sincerity. I don't care whether you lie or not; I only need to know that I don't lie. However, as a fair return gift, there shouldn't be any lies in your words either... Besides, I have a feeling that even with the Matrix of Prescience activated, you can still tell lies."

Faced with a nearly dumbfounded Kafka, Bai Jun explained it this way.

Those calm, deep blue eyes, like a sapphire lake reflecting the human heart, were enough to see through all of Kafka's thoughts.

"Puha--Hahaha, you're quite an interesting person, Bai Jun. It seems that Elio's prophecy wasn't an exaggeration."

Seemingly attracted by Bai Jun's behavior, or amused by his foolish thoughts, Kafka laughed heartily, more happily than ever before, until tears streamed down her face. Only then did she manage to stop laughing and cast an incredibly appreciative look at Bai Jun.

"Alright, I admit it. Your Matrix of Prescience isn't that important to me. The crucial information has long been 'locked' by my Spirit Whisper, such as the specific information about the prophecy—I actually know it better than anyone else."

The answer to evading the Matrix of Prescience's surveying is "self-hypnosis."

On the way back to the Divination Bureau after being arrested by Bai Jun, Kafka took the opportunity to use her Spirit Whisper to hypnotize herself. Whenever someone mentioned the information about the "prophecy," Kafka's Spirit Whisper would force her to forget the information. In this way, no matter how accurate the Matrix of Prescience was, it would be impossible to extract the information from a forgetful person.

After all, Kafka had genuinely forgotten what the "prophecy" was.

Now, Kafka has voluntarily released the Spirit Whisper that bound her. She openly points to her forehead, indicating that she will not lie in anything she says from now on.

"You did this on purpose so I could catch you, didn't you?"

Then, Bai Jun asked the woman in front of him this question.

"The aura of the Spirit Whisper was deliberately left behind by you."