Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Colleen had someone come forward to inspect the box.

This time, the armed insurgents moved very quietly.

No one views the Brotherhood with the same scrutiny they would show their subordinates.

They were looking at a team that had just survived a Black Death cult trap.

What caught my eye even more was the young man standing by the car.

Rainwater washed over the hem of Xilun's clothes.

His face was slightly pale from exhaustion, but his eyes remained calm.

Colleen suddenly realized that President Albert might have found an answer this time.

But this answer may not be easy to control.

In the latter half of the night, the rain in the southern district finally subsided.

The armed insurgents' convoy drove out from behind the Old St. Mary's Bell Tower, taking with it two boxes of contamination certificates and two Black Death prisoners.

The fraternity's trucks then returned to the North District along the same secret route they had taken.

No one spoke the rest of the way.

The gunmen were covered in blood, mud, and the pungent smell of purification powder.

Someone had their arm scratched by the lesion, wrapped in thick bandages several times, and was in so much pain that their face turned blue, but they didn't utter a sound.

The body of the fallen gunman was placed at the very back of the carriage.

Kusso sat beside him, clutching a gun in his hand.

His eyes were red.

It's not crying.

He had stayed up all night, then fought all night, and the bloodshot in his eyes was impossible to suppress.

Xilun leaned against the side panel of the carriage, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

The Xuan Yin breathing technique circulated slowly, and the cold breath washed over the wound repeatedly, squeezing out any remaining contaminants from the body.

The Great Thunder Breathing Law penetrated deeper, dispersing the dull pain accumulated in the chest cavity.

When the two types of breathing alternate, it feels like every bone in the body is being hammered again.

pain.

But I am very clear-headed.

The bloodstains slowly heated up between the heart and wrist veins, replenishing the depleted life force.

Rainwater dripped down through the gaps in the car's canopy.

A drop landed on the back of Xilun's hand.

The water droplets lingered on the skin for a moment before being silently separated and sliding down the sides of the fingers.

The talent for water division is still maturing.

Tonight's battle brought out many things that couldn't be learned in the training camp before.

The mist is a mixture of sewage, rainwater, blood, purification powder, and even liquids seeping from the enemy's body.

He can sense the presence of water.

With enough focus, he can make a difference.

This ability is almost a natural advantage in a damp and decaying place like the South District.

No wonder the doctor in the black robe said the sacred bone had responded to him.

Xilun opened his eyes and looked at his right wrist.

The sleeves concealed the black markings.

The mark has quieted down.

But the words the doctor in the black robe spoke before he died still echoed in my ears.

There are also patients around you.

This statement may not be true.

It could also be just a provocation before death.

But Xilun wouldn't take it as nonsense.

The Black Death knew his mark.

They knew there was a connection between the sacred bones and the sign.

They even viewed him as some kind of "lesion".

This means that he had at least one intelligence network that had sent information about his unusual behavior to the Southern District underground.

Is it Oin?

Is he from the Tusol family?

Or is it a silent eye in the North District?

The wheels rolled over the potholes, giving a slight jolt.

Xilun snapped out of his thoughts.

It's not time to investigate yet.

The most important thing tonight is to come back alive.

Before dawn, the convoy arrived at the back gate of the Brotherhood's residence.

Rod was already waiting there.

He was wearing a black coat, with a doctor, servants, and two rows of armed guards standing behind him.

As soon as the door opened, the stench of blood hit us.

Rhodes's gaze swept across the carriage and finally landed on Xiren.

He didn't ask whether the mission was successful or not.

The fact that Xilun was able to return already says a lot.

"Hot water, medicine, and clean clothes are all prepared."

Rhodes whispered, "The families of the fallen will also receive the highest level of compensation."

Xilun got out of the car, pausing slightly.

"name."

Kusso's voice was hoarse.

"Mar, thirty-one years old, from the old mines, has a younger sister."

Xilun nodded.

"His sister will be supported by the fraternity, receiving two pounds a month until she reaches adulthood. Once she is an adult, she can go to school if she wants to, and she can be given a clean job if she wants to work."

Kusso lowered his head.

"I thank you on his behalf, young master."

"Not on his behalf."

Xilun looked at the corpses in the carriage.

"The fraternity owes him."

Rhodes bowed slightly.

"I will take care of it."

Xilun said no more and turned to go into the mansion.

When the hot water washed away the bloodstains, the wounds had already healed most of the way.

The places where the black needles pierced left faint red spots, like insect bites.

Xilun sat in the bathtub, his right hand resting on the rim, water droplets silently floating on his fingertips before slowly splitting in two.

He did not bask in the glory of victory.

He was not excited about Albert passing the test.

Tonight's victory has only brought him into the spotlight.

The Church of the Black Death will remember him.

The armed insurgent party will reassess him.

The whispered choir will not turn a blind eye.

He, however, is still far from reaching the third rank.

Half an hour later, in the study.

Rod placed a briefing on the table.

"Chief Executive Albert sent a message thanking the Brotherhood for completing the escort, and the review of eligibility for subsequent support has been temporarily approved. Miss Colleen will be sent to discuss the specific terms of support within three days."

Xilun opened the briefing.

"temporary."

Luo De said, "The wording is very careful."

"He is leaving room for those in power."

Xilun was not surprised.

Albert is the kind of person who won't completely change his attitude because of a single battle.

But he will adjust his strategy.

As long as the Brotherhood demonstrates sufficient value, Albert will not easily discard this piece.

Rod continued, "Colleen also sent someone along a message."

"explain."

She said that all members of the second group would write their reports truthfully tonight.

Xilun picked up a cup of hot tea.

"That's a nice thing to say."

Rhodes' eyes flickered slightly.

"That's troublesome too."

"Um."

Xilun took a sip of tea.

Reporting truthfully implies approval.

This also means that more people will know about his abilities.

Extraordinary marksmanship, a powerful physique, pollution resistance, water control talent, and suspected lightning abilities.

These things alone are enough to make a second-tier extraordinary individual a focus of attention.

When everything is piled on one person, it becomes unsettling.

Rhodes whispered, "Should we suppress the news?"

Xilun shook his head.

"We can't suppress it. Instead of covering it up, we should let them know that the Brotherhood is not to be trifled with."

Rhodes understood.

The old fraternity needs to be hidden.

Because the foundation is unstable, there are too many enemies.

Things are different now.

With Balk dead, the North District South Warehouse stabilized, the old freight line was reopened, and the armed insurgent party also needed an external force capable of fighting tough battles.

Reputation can sometimes be a protective wall.

Xilun put down his teacup.

"Rena, continue checking the Balk ledger. Make arrangements for those killed and wounded tonight. Kusso, rest for two days, then retrain the troops."

"Yes."

"Also, find ways to investigate the Third Charity Hospital. Don't go close, only investigate the perimeter, especially the sick father, the blindfolded crow, and the missing patients."

Rhodes looked grave.

"clear."

"besides--"

Xilun paused for a moment.

"The entire mansion should be thoroughly inspected. The kitchen, medicine, mail, patrol routes—everything should be replaced."

Rhodes looked up.

"Young Master suspects there's a mole within the organization?"

"It's not a doubt."

Xilun looked out the window at the sky gradually turning white.

"It must be assumed that it exists."

Rhodes lowered his head.

"I will handle it myself."

The study became quiet.

After Rhodes left, Xiren sat in a chair and closed his eyes for a while.

Exhaustion washed over me like a tidal wave.

But he didn't sleep.

He lit the incense for purifying the mind, took out the tranquility potion and drank it, and then spread out the notes on soothing techniques left by Susie.

A white, ethereal fragrance lingered.

The core of the spirit gradually sinks into tranquility.

The gunshots, the screams from the lesions, and the laughter of the doctors in black robes from last night were slowly pushed deeper into the background.

Xilun began to breathe in and out his energy.

The greater the victory, the less we should stop.

The more you are seen, the faster you need to become stronger.

at the same time.

In the underground of the South District, in a secret room draped with black gauze, three senior members of the Whisper Choir were sitting around a long table.

There were no lights on the wall.

Only a ring of white candles burned, but the flames were an eerie blue.

An elderly woman with silver hair sat at the head of the table.

She wore a deep purple robe and had a cracked tuning fork around her throat.

After listening to her subordinate's report, she tapped her fingers lightly on the table.

"The Golden Knight has survived again."

The gaunt man on the left said coldly, "Not only did he survive, he also sabotaged the Black Death Cult's arrangements in the Old St. Mary's Bell Tower, killed the Black Doctor, and allowed the Armed Riots to retrieve the sacred relics."

The woman on the right frowned.

"The sacred relics are not ours."

The thin man looked at her.

"But the Black Death is using it to tie down the armed insurgents, which is to our advantage. Now that the situation has been disrupted by Siren, Albert will focus more attention on the underground in the North."

The silver-haired old woman said slowly, "He restrains us."

The room fell silent.

That's the key point.

Siren's reputation originally came from hand-to-hand combat and gun skills.

What the Whisper Choir truly feared was his ability to suppress pollution, stabilize the mind, and even counteract eerie sound waves.

Many of their methods rely on psychological gaps.

Xilun is like a piece of iron that is constantly being hammered and forged.

It's hard to pry open.

It's even harder to get the song into his head.

The woman on the right whispered, "Should we eliminate him before he advances to the third rank?"

The thin man immediately responded.

"I agree, this guy is growing too fast. The North District Brotherhood is no longer a small gang, and if he continues to grow, he will become our biggest obstacle in the North District."

The silver-haired old woman did not immediately express her opinion.

She looked at the blue candlelight, the flickering light reflected in her cloudy eyes.

"Assassinating the Golden Knight is tantamount to challenging the newly established facade of the armed insurgents."

The gaunt man said, "The armed insurgents would never wage a full-scale war against us for the sake of a mere peripheral collaborator."

No sooner had he finished speaking than three knocks came from outside the secret room.

Not too light, not too heavy.

But this caused the three people at the table to frown simultaneously.

A servant pushed open the door, his face grim, and presented a black and red letter with both hands.

"Sent by the armed insurgents."

The silver-haired old woman opened the letter.

She only read two lines before her fingers, which were tapping the table, stopped.

The thin man sensed something was wrong.

"What did you write?"

The silver-haired old woman placed the letter on the table.

At the very top of the letter was the seal of the General Executive of the Armed Insurgent Party.

The content is not long.

Following the incident at the Old St. Mary's Bell Tower, the Golden Knights of Siren and the Northern District Brotherhood were placed under special observation and cooperative protection.

Any organization that attempts to assassinate, kidnap, mentally corrupt, or indirectly frame someone during the review period will be considered to be interfering with the armed insurgent party's operations in the northern region.

The signature is Albert Casares.

The room was deathly quiet.

The woman on the right looked incredulous.

"Has Albert gone mad? He just took office, and he's already warning us about Siren?"

The thin man's face was ashen.

"It's not for Xilun."

The silver-haired old woman had a hoarse voice.

"It was for his own sake."

She saw it very clearly.

Albert did not seek refuge with a friend.

Rather, it is a declaration of ownership.

Siren has just passed his test and demonstrated amazing value, making him the perfect candidate to be Albert's first brand ambassador after taking office.

Anyone who touches Xilun now is slapping Albert in the face.

This is also a slap in the face to the new leader of the armed insurgent party.

The thin man gritted his teeth.

"So we just let it continue to grow?"

The silver-haired old woman closed her eyes.

After a moment, she slowly said, "Stop for now."

"Postponing is not giving up."

"Wait until the armed insurgents and the Black Death are more deeply entangled, and until Albert can no longer attend to the North, then we'll look for another opportunity."

The woman on the right was still unwilling to give up.

"What if he advances to the third tier during this time?"

The silver-haired old woman opened her eyes, and the blue candlelight flickered in her pupils.

"That means there's going to be another really troublesome person on South Road."

At the same time.

An underground stronghold of the armed insurgent party.

Albert stood in front of the battle map, holding the report that Colleen had sent back overnight.

The report was written in great detail.

From discovering the corpse trap in Xilun, to confronting the source of the disease at the Old St. Mary's Bell Tower, to suppressing the sacred relics, interrogating for information, and sealing off the underground entrance.

There is no exaggeration in any of these passages.

But the less exaggerated it is, the heavier it seems.

Colleen stood behind him, her eyes still showing the weariness of the previous night.

Albert finished reading the last page and suddenly chuckled.

"Even a second-tier extreme realm expert might not have this ability."

Colleen whispered, "These are the exact words of the second group member."

"And you?"

Colleen remained silent for a moment.

"I think he's being conservative."

Albert turned around.

Colleen met his gaze without looking away.

"Chief Executive, Siren is no ordinary pawn. He has his own judgment and ambitions. If it weren't for him last night, the Holy Relic would have been lost, Grey's death would not have been confirmed, and the lower levels of the Third Charity Hospital would not have been exposed."

Albert placed the report on the table.

"Therefore, we should support them even more."

Colleen was slightly taken aback.

Albert walked to the map and pointed to the North District.

"A controllable mediocre person is worthless. An uncontrollable piece of trash only causes trouble. The most troublesome thing about Xiren is that he is both valuable and not entirely controllable."

He paused.

"You can't just suppress this kind of person."

Colleen understood.

"Give them resources, give them a title, and also impose constraints."

"right."

Albert's eyes remained calm.

"The Brotherhood's support level has been increased. Weapons, potions, and intelligence channels will all be provided. Have him keep an eye on the border between the North and South districts, especially the Black Death Cult, the Whispering Choir, and the Blind Ravens."

Colleen asked, "Over at the Whispering Choir?"

"The letter has been sent."

Albert said calmly, "They will understand."

He looked at the North District marker on the map.

Six months ago, he wanted to use Xilun to establish his authority.

He still wants to make Xilen his card.

The only difference was that the card was sharper than he had anticipated.

Sharp cards are hard to hold.

But as long as you hold on, you can cut through many hands that are blocking your way.

A few days later, in the North District.

There were more carriages than ever before in front of the Brotherhood's mansion.

Someone delivered a medicine kit to the armed insurgents.

Someone delivered a batch of military muskets that were neither new nor old, but in excellent condition.

Several unfamiliar intelligence brokers, guided by Rhodes, entered the side hall and respectfully handed over information about the southern outskirts of the district.

After the old freight lines started running again, the Brotherhood's warehouses were filled up one after another.

Small gangs in the North District began to proactively pay their respects.

In the past, they revered Siron.

Now, what they revere is the Brotherhood's name.

Some people were talking about it privately.

The North District Brotherhood is growing too fast.

It's moving faster than a branch office would.

It even started to resemble the Southern Regional Headquarters.

Rod was so busy that he barely had time to drink tea.

Kuso, whose injuries had not yet fully healed, was already leading twenty newly recruited gunmen in training exercises at the training ground.

Rena's intelligence network infiltrated the southern edge of the district, like a finer, denser spider web.

Xilun rarely makes public appearances.

In the training shed deep within the mansion, the number of water tanks increased from three to seven.

The golden spear lay horizontally on the wooden frame, while the Soul-Suppressing Nails, short guns, purification powder, and potions were neatly arranged.

Xilun stood shirtless in the center of the water tank.

The water in the seven water tanks rose up at the same time.

The water flowed in mid-air, splitting, merging, and swirling, then was covered with a thin layer of white frost by the cold air.

He had his eyes closed.

Breathing is slow.

The Profound Yin Breathing Technique penetrates deep into the bones, forging bones and iron armor to stabilize the form; the Great Thunder Sound Breathing Technique taps the internal organs, and the blood imprint repairs fatigue in the shadows.

again and again.

It was as quiet as if nothing had happened.

But everyone in the North District knows that some things have changed.

The fraternity after the rain is growing.

The person who propelled it to grow still stands between the shadows and the moisture, calmly sharpening his gun.