In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

Choosing one out of five is always easier. Among them, the two sisters, Feng and Ling, were taken as his apprentices. Dongfang Xiao is silly and cute but has her own ambitions. As for Qin Yiyan, if she hadn't come to Xu Shi to provoke him, Boss Xu really wouldn't have put her in the position of "silly girl".

Looking at it this way, the mysterious, veiled saintess is clearly the most suspicious.

So the moment Xu Shi saw her, he immediately found Xia Ke'an and instructed her to investigate this guy's background when she had time.

In short, your veil has exposed you!

Seeing her master's confident demeanor, Pan Ling blinked.

……wrong.

Having learned her skills from Xu Shi, she immediately realized that things were not as simple as her master had said.

It's good to remain skeptical, but this analysis isn't entirely airtight either.

Who says a silly girl can't be a hidden mastermind? Isn't the right approach to question everyone equally?

So the truth is actually...

Before she could figure it out, Xu Shi's gaze fell upon her.

Knowing too much is no good, shut your little pig mouth.

Indeed, the process of finding the "Tianli" mole hiding among the crowd actually differed somewhat from what he described.

The truth is that he didn't let any of these people go; if he was going to investigate, he should have investigated them one by one.

Anyway, the older woman no longer needs to worry about complications, so there's not much difference between checking one or five times.

However, it is true that the Holy Maiden was identified immediately, because she was indeed the most suspicious person in Xu Shi's mind, and she was definitely the first one to be investigated.

Then, a single shot hit.

This is not the end of the investigation into internal spies. Who says there can only be one "inspector"? What if all five are involved? The investigation must continue; none of them can be overlooked.

I'll just check it out!

The analysis just now was merely a matter of ranking the suspects.

Fortunately, in the end, apart from Miss Saintess, everyone else was indeed innocent and clean, which undoubtedly made Xu Shi's work much easier.

It's always easier to scheme against one person than against a group of people.

As for why we need to add some artistic embellishment... isn't that obvious? A definitive statement is far more valuable than "I used cheats to go through the procedures," right?

Even though we're the villains, we still have to maintain our dignity. No matter how bad our image is, we have to keep up with it. Otherwise, where does our authority as a teacher come from?

The foolish apprentice silently grumbled to himself, "You old man, you even have that kind of thing?"

And she finally realized why her master had insisted on cooperating with the Vatican. Although she didn't quite understand what "heavenly principles" meant, she could tell from the solemn expressions on everyone else's faces that there was definitely a significant conflict between the two sides.

……and many more.

Doesn't this mean that the junior sister really knows why? How could this be done without her help?

Okay, so you were lying to me all along!

The poor, foolish apprentice was manipulated by his junior sister and wicked master. (mp4)

Even though she could understand that it was for the sake of secrecy, and that this concealment might not be directed only at her, she was still a little unhappy.

snort!

But despite the complaints, she definitely won't say it out loud. Anyway, the outcome doesn't matter; let the bad teacher do whatever he wants. (Shrugs)

Moreover, this makes it easier for the opponent to break through her defenses, and she can still distinguish between priorities.

The other girls also looked serious.

The truth is, Xu Shi had never told them this before, and the answer was only revealed at this moment.

But they were very clear about the "principles of heaven," and overthrowing this organization was everyone's common wish.

Who would want to return to darkness after seeing the light? No one wants a Damocles' sword hanging over their head forever.

Therefore, when the truth came to light, they became much more determined.

Well, now there's a reason why we have to eliminate the Papacy.

In contrast, the Vatican is not having such a good time.

They only vaguely understood the conversation between Xu Shi and the Holy Maiden of the Vatican, and could not piece together anything useful from this limited information.

But one thing is certain—the saintess they revere has some unknown secrets, and is probably working as a lackey for some other organization.

"Your Highness, you..."

The one most vulnerable was Qin Yiyan, after all, she had been with the Holy Maiden the longest. When they were young, she was the nun who served her, and now she was the sharpest sword in her hand.

Aside from the normal master-servant relationship, the two also share a bond similar to that of family.

As an orphan herself, she naturally cherished this hard-won affection. Even now, her most precious memory is probably the time when the Holy Maiden tugged at her clothes and innocently called her "sister" when she was a child.

Even now, she could sense that Her Highness treated her differently from others.

Therefore, she never imagined that the other party had a secret that was not known to anyone, and it was a secret that seemed to be less than honorable.

When exactly did the things this outsider was talking about begin?

Or is the Holy Maiden before me still the same Holy Maiden I watched grow up since I was a child?

If not, then all of this...

Once she started to connect with certain things, she couldn't stop, and her face grew paler and paler.

It seemed as if something deep inside had collapsed.

The others weren't much better off. Perhaps they didn't have such deep feelings for Her Highness, but she was still the spiritual leader of the Holy See. Now you're telling them that she's still serving someone else?

To draw a parallel, if Xu Shi and Dongfang Xiao's affair were exposed, who in the Hualan Empire, where monarchical and divine power are deeply rooted, could accept it?

"Oh dear, did what I said hurt you?"

Seeing the look of utter despair on everyone's faces, Xu Shi feigned sudden realization and continued his psychological attack with an apologetic expression, "Then your mental fortitude is rather weak, isn't it?"

The timing of this bombshell announcement was clearly intended to undermine the enemy's morale, and that's exactly what he excels at.

Under the silent influence of "increased entropy of evil thoughts," some of the weak-willed fodder present even fainted.

But it's not over.

"It's still your Pope who has a heart as firm as a rock. Look, I've said so much, and he hasn't reacted at all."

It would have been better if this hadn't been brought up, because once it was, others belatedly realized this blind spot.

From the moment they stormed the church until now, their Pope has stood here quietly, without saying a word, and his expression has not changed at all!

This is certainly not some kind of unwavering heart; there's something wrong with him from the start!

It is obvious that their problematic saintess manipulated him into a puppet, a puppet in the physical sense!

"No wonder I always felt something was off, it turns out..."

Lu Baiyan murmured, as many details flooded his mind.

Generally speaking, the two leaders of the Papacy have different focuses: the saints are more of a spiritual leader, while the pope focuses more on making final decisions.

However, in recent years, the Pope has grown old and retired to the background, and most affairs have been handled by the Holy Maiden. The Pope only appears in important matters, such as the campaign against the Sea God, the wooing of Xu Shi, and most recently, the decisive battle with the Cat Cult.

However, the decisions he made seemed more like a summary and continuation of the Saintess's "advice," giving the impression of a back-and-forth exchange.

Upon closer examination, his speech and actions also revealed stiffness, and sometimes even a hint of sluggishness.

He used to think it was just because the Pope was old, but now he can see what really happened!

A chill ran through him – so it was as if, from some point onward, the entire Holy See had been completely controlled by this problematic saintess, right?

What exactly is it that they believe in and are loyal to?

Thinking of this, almost everyone turned to look at the saintess, hoping for an explanation.

"...Don't be misled by the words of outsiders, everyone."

Under the gaze of the crowd, the saintess's expression returned to calm. "We are the compatriots who share the protection of the gods. Would you rather believe an outsider?"

"Don't forget, he is our enemy."

This explanation is rather weak, after all, she herself admitted it without being asked, not Xu Shi trying to undermine morale on her own.

But ironically, her words still inspired many people, because what she said wasn't entirely wrong.

Xu Shi didn't tell them the truth because he wanted to be a good person; his goal was to wipe out all the people in the Vatican.

This core principle will not change; are you going to turn against us?

Ignoring it seems to be the better option.

"...Fight for the Papacy!"

Luo Yu, whose arm had been crippled, was the first to shout out; he was probably the one who cared least about these convoluted arguments.

After all, his conflict with Xu Shijian was irreconcilable, and he only wanted Xu Shijian to die.

"Fight for the Papacy!"

Others followed suit, though their slogans weren't quite uniform.

It's clear that receiving so much information in a short period of time makes it difficult for everyone to be convinced.

But that was enough for Miss Saint, whose tense expression eased somewhat.

"A word?"

She looked at Qin Yiyan, whose eyes were full of confusion.

"...fighting for the Papacy."

Qin Yiyan seemed a little distracted. He only regained his balance and gripped his sword tightly when he heard her call.

Yes, Her Highness is right. The most urgent task is to resolve the external threats; other matters can be addressed later.

However, Her Highness the Holy Maiden...

In a daze, she suddenly felt her thoughts come to an abrupt halt.

The next second, she found her body moving uncontrollably.

"You... seem to be wavering."