第41章 代号,雷霆!

A secluded, old villa lay hidden within a mountain stream on the outskirts of Feng City, quiet and gloomy.

Deacon Nie stood before the bedroom, head bowed in a respectful manner. "My lord, the Blood Moon Massacre incident has begun to reach its conclusion. The Joker is dead, and those two Mythic Armaments have been successfully recovered. However, the person behind the Joker has yet to be found. A comprehensive search and roundup will be launched throughout Feng City in the near future."

The bedroom door was left ajar, and one could vaguely see a person lying on a hospital bed.

"Who killed the Joker?"

An aged, weak, and decaying voice rang out, yet it was filled with immense authority.

Deacon Nie fell silent.

"Gu Ci'an's son, right?"

The aged voice continued, "Those two Mythic Armaments were also taken by him."

Deacon Nie's expression darkened as he said in a low voice, "It is my incompetence, my lord."

The old man was surprisingly tolerant, saying indifferently, "Since he is Gu Ci'an's son, it is only natural that he possesses some talent. Killing someone of a higher rank twice in a row—he is quite a promising seed. It is truly a pity."

"Indeed."

Deacon Nie echoed, "It is a pity."

In the world of the transcendent, the descendants of the Gu family were indeed filled with talent, but unfortunately, they all bore a curse and were destined to die young.

It was only by the generation of Gu Ci'an.

That some problems began to appear.

And that led to the Blood Moon Massacre.

Sigh.

"For someone like me who doesn't have long to live, no matter how good those Mythic Armaments are, they mean nothing. You lost them, and I can choose not to pursue it. Even if that child is Gu Ci'an's son, we must still follow the rules. Since the items are in his hands, we can find ways to trade for them with other things later, even if we can't get them back, it doesn't matter."

The old man seemed to take a sip of tea before saying, "But the problem is, what exactly does he want by joining the Association?"

Deacon Nie remained silent.

"Today, I received a report from Minister Lu, a summary of the intelligence that child obtained."

The old man said indifferently, "The child claims that someone else was responsible for the Blood Moon Massacre. Because at that time, Gu Ci'an was trapped in the lowest level of the Kirin Immortal Palace. He said this was stated by the Joker himself."

Upon hearing this, Deacon Nie let out a scoff. "He just says whatever comes to mind. Does he have any evidence?"

"There is no evidence, but he will search for it slowly."

The old man said, "You must understand, if certain factions within the Association learn of this, they might also think to search for this baseless evidence to strike at the Tribunal faction. We cannot win this child over; he cannot be used by us."

Deacon Nie placed a hand over his chest and said in a deep voice, "Understood, my lord."

"Go, find the person behind the Joker, and be quick about it."

The old man said, "Gu Ci'an's son is a trivial matter; the priority is the interests of the Tribunal."

Deacon Nie bowed deeply once more.

A young man in a white suit walked over, gently closed the door, and gestured for him to leave, saying coldly, "Deacon Nie, the Saint needs to rest."

Deacon Nie nodded slightly and asked once more, "Councilor Zhang, how much longer can the Saint's body hold out?"

In the Ether Association, the Tribunal was the core power structure.

And as a deacon, he had only just squeezed into the circle of those who held power.

Above the deacons were the councilors.

And above the councilors were the Saints.

And the supreme leader of the Tribunal was one of the current vice-presidents of the Ether Association.

Rhine.

"Three months at most."

Councilor Zhang said coldly.

Deacon Nie was stunned, then sighed. "Understood."

With that, he turned and left.

Councilor Zhang watched him depart, then suddenly heard the aged voice from inside the room.

"Shouheng."

The old man's voice echoed, "I recall that the former Night Watcher Mu Feng and his subordinates are hiding in the Black Cloud Stronghold, are they not? Before Gu Ci'an went berserk, he had contact with them. For this operation against the Black Cloud Stronghold, you must have them brought back for interrogation."

Councilor Zhang adjusted his glasses and asked, "How should they be handled after the interrogation?"

The old man said indifferently, "A group of corrupted people—naturally, they should be disposed of. Do you expect me to keep them around to let them go mad?"

·

·

Today was a rare, beautiful day with bright sunshine and a clear blue sky.

The bustling commercial street was crowded with people. Commuters rushing through the morning peak hour crossed the streets, occasionally accompanied by girls in short skirts walking briskly along the roadside. With the morning news playing on the screens of the skyscrapers, everything felt wonderful.

A pitch-black Range Rover drove through the district like a ferocious beast, charging recklessly.

"Where are we going?"

Gu Jianlin asked curiously.

After finishing breakfast, he had been brought out, still wearing his hospital gown.

Lu Zicheng wore sunglasses and said indifferently, "The Deep Sky Technology Building. I have already reported the matter you mentioned to my sister, and she will upload it to headquarters. But since there is no evidence, don't hold out too much hope for now."

At this moment, Chen Qing leaned over from the passenger seat and handed him a bag of clothes. "Take these and put them on."

Gu Jianlin took them and saw a black shirt and gray slim-fit trousers inside.

He held them up to compare and found the size was just right.

"I measured your body proportions while you were asleep yesterday."

Chen Qing glanced at him, her red lips curling up in a rare smile. "Your physique is quite good."

Gu Jianlin was silent for a moment. "Sister Chen Qing, I am a male."

"You don't count as a male yet. You are still three months away from adulthood; you are a minor."

Chen Qing turned back and said calmly, "What is there for a child to be shy about? Go ahead and change."

Gu Jianlin said gloomily, "Can you move the rearview mirror, then?"

Lu Zicheng shrugged and was about to reach for it, but his hand was slapped away.

"The young master didn't rest well last night and his focus is scattered. Moving the rearview mirror might be unsafe."

Chen Qing said indifferently, "Just change as you are."

Gu Jianlin had no choice but to shrink down to the floor of the seat to change his clothes.

He muttered to himself, "Does the Ancient Martial Arts path not allow for rest?"

Among the various ancient paths, the energy used by Ancient Martial Arts was Qi. Qi could be used not only to fight enemies but also for self-cultivation. As long as they were alive, their bodies would always be in peak condition.

"Cough, cough!"

Lu Zicheng coughed heavily, as if warning him of something.

Chen Qing fell silent.

Just as Gu Jianlin was feeling curious, the green-feathered parrot in the birdcage beside him suddenly broke free from its muzzle.

"The taste of a female ghost is truly wonderful!"

Gu Jianlin turned his head in surprise and locked eyes with the green-feathered parrot.

Suddenly, the sharp, piercing sound of brakes rang out.

·

·

Eight-thirty in the morning, Deep Sky Technology Building.

Gu Jianlin stood on the street below the building, wearing his black shirt and gray slim-fit trousers, silent.

He had actually heard of this company long ago, as the foreign firm his Uncle Su worked for also collaborated with them.

But he never expected that this was an enterprise belonging to the Ether Association.

"Are you ready?"

Lu Zicheng said indifferently.

Chen Qing stood beside him, a balding, lethargic parrot perched on her shoulder.

"For what?"

Gu Jianlin turned to ask.

"The mission ahead might be very difficult and dangerous."

A faint smile appeared on Lu Zicheng's lips. "If you are afraid, it's not too late. Go home now, go back to your studies, and leave your father's affairs to me and Chen Qing."

Gu Jianlin didn't even think about it before replying, "I thought you were the type of person who didn't waste words."

Lu Zicheng shrugged, held his tablet, and tapped it.

At this moment, Gu Jianlin's phone rang.

"Deep Sky Network notification: A-rank Investigator Lu Zicheng invites you to join his squad. Do you accept?"

Gu Jianlin confirmed without hesitation.

"As of today, D-rank Investigator Gu Jianlin is officially serving the 13th District."

"Authority upgraded, mission module opened, district ranking opened."

Gu Jianlin looked at the squad interface that popped up on the Deep Sky Network.

Captain: A-rank Investigator, Lu Zicheng.

Ancient Martial Arts Path: Fourth Rank, Mad King.

Vice-Captain: B-rank Investigator, Chen Qing.

Spirit Medium Path: Third Rank, Grand Shaman.

Member: D-rank Investigator, Gu Jianlin.

Divine Priest Path, Zero Rank.

Gu Jianlin was stunned when he saw this. He had already advanced today, but the Deep Sky Network had not recorded it.

When he became a Zero Rank Divine Priest last time, the Deep Sky Network had recorded it on the spot.

Even later, when he consumed the Spirit Potion, the monitoring bracelet had immediately recorded it as well.

But this time, it hadn't.

Wait, he suddenly knew why.

The Non-Existent Lock!

Gu Jianlin had been wearing the monitoring bracelet when he advanced this time, but he was also carrying the Non-Existent Lock.

This Mythic Armament could not only erase his sense of presence, but it could even bypass the monitoring bracelet.

He hesitated for a moment and clicked on the district rankings.

The first section was the squad ranking.

The second section was the individual ranking.

The individual ranking seemed to only include newly promoted young investigators, with rankings based on merit from high to low.

Gu Jianlin was surprised to find that he was ranked tenth with three thousand and one hundred merit points.

And he was in the top ten.

No, he should say that out of the top one hundred, he was the only one at the Zero Rank.

Of course, he had already successfully advanced now.

"You killed the Joker. He was a Second Rank himself, possessed highly mutated abilities, and even wielded two Mythic Armaments. Three thousand merit points is actually on the low side for you. You probably don't realize what a feat you've accomplished. Your deeds should have caused a sensation throughout the entire district."

Lu Zicheng said indifferently, "But for certain reasons, the news has been sealed."

"Why?"

Gu Jianlin raised an eyebrow.

"Mainly to keep this operation confidential, because the exploration of the Kirin Immortal Palace is about to begin. The secrets and treasures inside the palace are extremely precious and will attract people from all over the world to fight for them. The Ether Association will summon investigators from within the district to clear out some black-hearted forces."

Lu Zicheng emphasized, "Most of them are those Fallen who cause trouble everywhere."

The Fallen!

Gu Jianlin no longer felt a chill down his spine when he heard this word.

After last night's events, he knew that every living Fallen was a precious resource needed for the Ancient God transformation.

As long as he could beat them, he would take as many as came.

The more, the better.

Although his current rank was very low.

But the power of the Ancient God transformation was too fascinating.

The only downside was that the side effects of the Ancient God transformation were too strong.

So much so that he still hadn't fully recovered, and his entire body still ached faintly.

If it weren't for Jing Ci's secret potion, he would still be lying in bed.

Lu Zicheng said with a smile, "By the way, in the Feng City district, your rank is the lowest among the young people at the top of the list, and the top nine are all monsters with extraordinary talents, especially the top three..."

Gu Jianlin looked down at the ranking displayed on the screen.

At the very top, and the most eye-catching, was only one name.

NO.1:

Tang Ling, B-rank Investigator, Sword Sect Path.

Third Rank, Sword Fanatic.

Codename, Thunder!

My sleep schedule is back to normal, so I'll be updating at 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM from now on!