Necromancers are frantically stationing troops in the apocalypse.

Chapter 1042: Something Happened to Wu Heng
Claudio's face instantly turned ashen, his knuckles clenching until they turned white.

The association's worst fears have come true.

The Vatican's previous compromises and concessions were merely a pretense for its later plans.

"So, you chose today to attack Wu Heng." Claudio's voice was serious, tinged with anger.

The Pope calmly set down his teacup, his expression remaining serene.

There's no need to hide it anymore; the plan is set in stone, and even if the association finds out, there's nothing they can do.

As I said before, as long as he's alive, the association will try to protect him.

But if a person dies, who will truly seek justice for a dead person?

"Perhaps it's just fate?" the Pope said with a benevolent smile.

"He is the registered leader of the association!" Claudio roared. "You now completely disregard the association."

The Pope gently stroked the gold-embroidered holy emblem on his sleeve, his tone remaining calm, "It's just a personal grudge, why escalate it to the association level?"

When he looked up, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. "Claudio, you and I both understand that the Holy See and that blasphemer are destined to have only one survive."

Even though Claudio's words were tinged with anger, he didn't believe that with Wu Heng dead, the Association would actually do anything to the Vatican.

Claudio's breathing suddenly became heavy.

Staring intently at the Pope's 'merciful and gentle' face, he suddenly realized that any argument at this moment would be futile.

"The association will remember this day." Claudio abruptly stood up and left.

The Pope smiled and raised his teacup, saying, "Please give my regards to Chief Hadaray."

He took a sip of tea and added, "By the way, we will be holding a triumphant celebration next week. If you have time, please do us the honor of attending."

Bang~!

The heavy doors slammed shut, and the Pope finally let himself let out a victorious smile.

……

Local association.

Claudio's footsteps echoed dully in the association's corridor.

Members who came to pay their respects along the way bowed their heads and made way for him. Everyone could see that this usually calm leader's face was now filled with hidden anger.

Claudio pushed open the dormitory door, sat down at the table, and unfolded the letter.

He quickly wrote down the entire conversation he had just had with the current pope.

Take a deep breath, then put it in an envelope and seal it with wax.

If I had known things were this serious, I should have followed Lilith's advice and brought a portable radio with me.

Leaning back in the chair, I waited for the wax seal to solidify.

I also started to think about this matter.

The three Vatican heroes had planned this operation in advance.

Moreover, during this period, they must have prepared various props and strange items specifically targeting Wu Heng.

Putting aside newly arrived heroes like Wu Heng, which veteran hero in the association would dare to say they could escape unscathed in this situation?
In any case, given the situation of being surrounded by three heroes, all he could think of was using his accumulated experience over the years to find a way to escape first.

The Vatican's meaning is quite simple.

Wu Heng is dead, so what can the association do to the Vatican?

After pondering for a moment, Claudio got up, opened the door, and handed the letter to the servant at the door. "Send it to headquarters. Let's leave now."

"Yes!" The attendant bowed and quickly left.

After handing over the letter, Claudio returned to his room and glanced out the window at the eagle perched on the roof in the twilight, watching him intently.

……

In front of the notice board in Chelu.

The latest notice was once again posted in the most conspicuous place, and the bard mechanically read the contents of the notice, but his voice grew softer and softer.

"The leader of Wuheng... killed three..." The bard's Adam's apple bobbed. "Heroes of the Holy See!"

The crowd froze, like a sculpture.

The square, where any notice posted would usually elicit a few curses, was now completely silent.

The Week of Courage turned into a murder trap, the Vatican betrayed them, and the youngest hero, while ambushed, single-handedly killed three heroes.

Everyone wore expressions of horror.

Heroes... they're not just ordinary professionals.

Three people died in the Kingdom of Yeko at once.

In his entire life, the Kingdom of Yeke had never seen so many heroes.

The bard swallowed hard and continued, forcing himself to speak, "From this day forward, all Vatican members within the territory shall be expelled..."

The crowd's eyes widened again.

……

In the bedroom!
The twilight streamed in through the glass window, casting dappled light and shadow on the carpet.

Brittany sat on the couch and said, "The latest announcement has been posted. The Week of Courage will resume tomorrow."

As she spoke, her big eyes looked at her expectantly, "Will you participate again?"

Wu Heng said with a smile, "The original plan wouldn't have made a difference of a couple of days."

Brittany said happily, "That's great! With you here, no one will question the contents of the announcement anymore."

"Yes!" Wu Heng nodded with a smile.

The two chatted for a while, then a maid came in and whispered, "Your Majesty! The bathwater is ready."

Brittany reached out her hand, and the little maid helped her to her feet. "I'm going to take a bath first."

“Okay!” Wu Heng nodded, and Brittany went to the bathroom.

Wait until Brittani leaves.

Wu Heng took out three spatial rings that he had seized from the heroes of the Holy See.

The Vatican has substantial capital, and these three individuals have considerable potential; they are the kind of entities that are highly sought after but difficult to acquire in the market.

"Uncle, quickly see what's inside!" Xiao Xiao urged.

The other three souls also floated beside him, giving the feeling of waiting to open a blind box.

Wu Heng began to take everything out of the package one by one, including a large number of gold and silver coins, gold bars, papal clothing, books, ritual items, props, scrolls, curiosities, and various miscellaneous items.

It filled the entire room.

"Wow! So many things!" Xiaoxiao looked at them one by one.

"Pick whatever you like," Wu Heng said generously.

The empress complained, "Why are you being so generous when you're taking other people's things?"

"What do you mean 'other people's'? They're all mine now!" Wu Heng emphasized.

Xiao Xiao chimed in, "That's right!"

The ghosts picked out items that seemed to like them, not minding the various symbols of the Church carved on them, as long as they looked nice.

After exchanging a few words with the Empress, Wu Heng began to examine the strange objects he hadn't seen before.

He scanned the array of strange objects.

His gaze fell on a longbow.

【Bow of Collapse (Rare Item)】

[Effect: Super-vision lock, matter disintegrates.]

[Side effect: Sensory erosion]

(Description: A longbow crafted from the withered branches of an ancient oak tree, a wood elf. Every person who wields it will become a top-tier archer.)
Wu Heng narrowed his eyes.

He recalled the arrow that pierced through his 'Mirror Image' clone and the chair on the viewing platform.

Besides the Stand shattering, the chair also melted like lava.

Its power is quite significant.

Examine the two effects of the strange object carefully.

【Long-Range Lock-On】: The holder has the ability to lock onto targets at a greater distance, and the bowstring automatically calibrates, guaranteeing a hit.

Good guy!
It self-calibrates and is guaranteed to hit the target.

This has the same effect as the lock-on cheat in the game.

[Matter Disintegration]: Any matter that comes into contact with the target hit by the arrow begins to dissolve.

Everything begins to dissolve!
In other words, this bow.

It can lock onto a target from a distance, and then dissolve the target upon impact.

I rely on!

If you're not prepared, you might get wiped out in one fell swoop.

They were clearly well-prepared for this trip.

Both of these effects make it easy to imagine the consequences if one were to be hit.

Luckily, I had prepared in advance!

Our gaze turned to the final side effects.

[Perception Erosion]: After use, perception will be clouded, greatly reducing the effectiveness of perception.

Perceived side effects.

It doesn't seem too serious.

It's not so bad, actually. Now that I own this weapon, I can just shoot anyone I don't like from a distance. The effect should be pretty good.

Looking further back, my gaze fell upon a wooden box, which, when opened, revealed a shriveled tumor.

[Hemvermotoma (wonderful object)]

[Effect: Soul rebirth.]

[Side effect: Life drain.]

(Description: A product of midwifery, representing both death and new life.)
Upon seeing the strange object before him, Wu Heng frowned again.

A strange object reborn from a ghost.

It can be almost certainly identified as the reincarnation artifact used by the previous religious leader.

When the Queen went to save the pregnant woman Liz, who was the vessel for the rescue, she described it, but it was described as bright red and covered with blood streaks. Now it is grayish-white and shriveled.

Thinking of this, Wu Heng's eyes narrowed slightly.

They brought this strange object with them, and Brittany happened to be pregnant at the time.

These people can't be that bad, can they...?

"Your Majesty!" Wu Heng called out to his side.

The empress, who had been mocking Xiaoxiao for not knowing how to pick out valuable items, turned around upon hearing the sound. Her gaze fell on the lump of flesh on the table, and her eyes flickered.

"They brought this too?" The Empress flew over.

Wu Heng asked, "Is it the same one?"

"Yes!" the Empress replied.

Wu Heng smiled and said, "In the end, this thing actually ended up in our hands in this way."

The empress then said, "This strange object looks rather evil; it's best not to use it."

“I know. If you want to be resurrected, I’ll help you find a way,” Wu Heng said, nodding.

"Yes!" The Empress nodded.

Let's not even talk about the fact that his own ghost has no intention of reincarnating.

Even if such a method existed, it's unlikely anyone would use it—a life for a life—to be reincarnated.

After briefly looking at the rest of the items, Brittany returned wearing a bathrobe. She glanced at the area and the things scattered on the floor, pointed to the bedroom, and went in first.

Wu Heng inventoried the contents and packed them away according to their different categories.

As it grew darker, I went back to my room to rest.

……

Treasure Island!
The train whistle sounded, and the railway tracks appeared out of thin air.

The ghost train stopped at the beach, the doors opened, and an elderly man dressed in a black butler's suit stepped out, his black umbrella 'whoosh' unfolding as he waited in front of the door.

Then, a small leather boot lightly touched the ground, and Lilith, in her Lolita form, stepped off the train and stood under an umbrella.

With a whoosh, the doors closed, and the train disappeared again.

Lilith stood still, looked around, and then took out her phone.

Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong!

A series of notification sounds rang out, and several unread messages popped up on the screen instantly.

These were all sent to her by Wu Heng, two of which included pictures, showing her participating in the Courage Week in the Kingdom of Yeko.

snort!
Lilith snorted and put her phone away again.

The old butler asked, "Miss, shall we go straight back to the mansion?"

“No rush!” Lilith continued, “Let’s go to the port and see what changes have occurred during this time.”

The two determined their direction, and the butler, holding an umbrella, walked together toward the port.

Arrived at the residential area.

The noise hit us like a heat wave.

Pedestrians strolling the streets, busy workers, and some sailors playing cards around a wooden crate.

"I'll trade my 'Elurria' purple card for a damage dealer of the same tier! I'm willing to make up the price difference!"

"Dream on! That card is worth three times the price at the tavern! Unless you add a few more cards to it."

"I have a few blue cards here, I can exchange them for two drinks at the tavern."

Lilith paused in her steps.

Through a gap in the crowd, I caught a glimpse of a pattern flashing across the card: a woman and a swordsman!
New card?

Lilith glanced at him, and the old butler squeezed through the crowd, walked up to the man who was going to the tavern to exchange for drinks, and bought the blue cards.

He returned and handed the cards to Lilith.

Lilith flipped through the cards, raising an eyebrow.

As expected, Treasure Island has released new cards.

Moreover, they are sisters from the Wood Elf race.

In other words, the order issued by the association did not affect the development of Treasure Island.

The promotion for the new hero has already begun here.

Lilith casually put the cards away, her gaze continuing to sweep across the entire port.

The entire port has also undergone significant changes, with huge and more sophisticated cranes and some new equipment that has never been seen before.

It seems that the port has seen new developments recently.

“Let’s go back!” Lilith said.

The steward summoned a carriage, and the two of them rode back to the mansion.

……

Arrived at the residence.

The old butler directed the skeleton to begin cleaning.

Lilith sat at the stone table in the courtyard and took out a pitch-black iron coffin from her spatial ring.

Click!

The coffin lid slowly slid open, revealing an elderly woman sleeping peacefully inside.

After waiting with the coffin lid open for a while, the old woman slightly opened her eyes and then walked out of the iron coffin.

"Chief Lilith!" the old woman bowed.

Lilith nodded. "We've arrived at Treasure Island. Stay here for now, and I'll take you to see Wu Heng when he returns."

"Oh, okay!" The old woman nodded, her gaze unconsciously drifting towards the door again.

Lilith glanced at it too and said, "After we finish eating, I'll take you out for a walk."

"Thank you, chief!"

……

The Kingdom of Yeko.

The three-day competition came to a close amidst deafening cheers.

In the fierce competition, the three children finally emerged victorious.

"The winner, step forward."

The three children knelt on one knee, their skin armor still bearing unhealed wounds.

The youngest girl was still trembling, but her eyes were unusually bright, looking left and right.

Brittany awarded them the kingdom's prize.

Then, Wu Heng continued to promise, "The promise remains valid. If you reach level 18, the Church of Spiritual Enlightenment will help you become heroes."

"Thank you, Chief." The three children, behaving like adults, expressed their gratitude.

The viewers cheered.

……

Courage Week is over.

In the courtyard at dusk.

Wu Heng, holding the train conductor's hat, said, "I'm going back now. Be careful here, and leave immediately if there's any danger."

Brittany's eyes showed a hint of reluctance, but she still smiled and said, "Yes, sir, have a safe journey. Please give my regards to Sister Sanella when you get back."

"Okay, take good care of yourself and the baby too." Wu Heng hugged the other person.

After Brittany took a few steps back, she put on her hat, boarded the ghost train, and disappeared.

……

Treasure Island.

Lilith sat upright in the living room, with the latest Treasure Island movie playing on the television in front of her.

Liz was sitting nearby, also watching TV.

Just then, the old butler came down and said, "Miss, the association's radio station has something important to discuss with you."

Lilith nodded and said to Liz, "See?"

After saying that, he got up and went upstairs.

Sitting in front of the radio, she said, "I am Lilith."

Across from them came Hadarai's serious voice, "Something's happened in Wuheng!"

(End of this chapter)