Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

He wasn't like Wei Yanwu, who liked to take big risks. He was already old, and he was content just to provide his daughter with a stable life. As for revenge...

If Edward were still alive, and Talulah were still alive, he might have been able to rekindle his passion. But Wayne was already planning to demand Edward's belongings from him; what were the chances that Talulah was still alive? If she was dead, what was the point of fighting Wayne to the bitter end?

Ultimately, that's Victoria. Aside from the barefoot brute who isn't afraid of those wearing shoes, and gamblers like Wei Yanwu, who dares to challenge the Victorian Empire in a fistfight?

Defeating it within the world rules it created? Wishful thinking!

Watching Wei Yanwu's retreating figure with his black raincoat, the Rat King's lips curled into a bitter smile. He turned around to look at Lady Wenyue, only to find that she had also disappeared without a trace.

Well, the whole family—Chen, Wei Yanwu, and Wen Yue—are all gone.

Why don't I just go back to the core city now and announce that I'm the new city lord?

The Rat King curled his lip, clapped his hands, and a sand wave appeared beneath his feet. He waved his cane slightly, and the sand wave carried him, tumbling towards the slums.

I went to protect Lady Wenyue, and it has nothing to do with you, Governor Wei Yanwu.

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Emerging from the Water, the Immortal Black Serpent

After hanging up the phone, Wayne put it back in his pocket, stepped out of the shadows around the corner, and glanced at Hoshiguma, who was interrogating Rattlesnake.

Unsurprisingly, Hoshiguma didn't get anything out of him. Rattlesnake was incredibly tight-lipped; so tight that Wei felt he didn't even deserve the title of bandit. He was more like a spy, and a not-so-simple one at that.

If Rattlesnake is truly, as Hoshiguma claims, the leader of an infected paramilitary organization lurking in Lungmen, then perhaps he really has no one behind him. But Wayne doesn't think Rattlesnake is that simple, because the very first second Wayne released him, Rattlesnake uttered these words:

"Don't think that just because you've won against Serpent Scales, you can do whatever you want with me, you lackey of Wei Yanwu!"

Wei Yanwu's lackey? Wayne didn't feel anything about the title, nor did he feel particularly offended. Anyway, Wayne knew that Wei Yanwu wouldn't dare to talk such nonsense, and he didn't need to use the words of a traitor to warn him.

The key is the first half of the sentence.

"Don't think you've won against the snake scales."

[Snake scales].

Wayne felt like he'd heard the name somewhere before. He searched his memory but found no information about the organization "Serpent Scales" in any of the Lungmen story archives.

He did find a plot point in the original story that connected to tonight's events—Nine and Chen, in order to investigate a violent organization of infected individuals, chose to infiltrate secretly, but their identities were unfortunately exposed, and they were surrounded. A major battle ensued.

Wayne didn't know who won or lost the battle, nor did the story mention the name of the organization that fought Chen and Jiu. But Wayne knew it was a turning point in the fates of Jiu and Chen, because both of them unfortunately contracted Oripathy during that mission!

Oripathy is an incurable disease caused by prolonged exposure to Originium, inhalation of Originium dust, or skin injuries from Originium. Its mortality rate is a staggering 100%. However, what's even more despairing than its unbearable yet somewhat manageable nature is that the deaths it brings extend beyond just loss of life.

For a patient afflicted with Oripathy, their life as an ordinary person is essentially over. They will be ostracized by everyone, even kicked out of their home by their spouse and heartlessly abandoned by their own parents—this is commonplace. From now on, they can only cautiously eke out a living in places with lax security, living alongside cockroaches and rats. This is true social death.

After that, Jiu was no longer able to serve as the director of the Lungmen Guard Bureau. Wei Yanwu resigned from the Guard Bureau and became a spy, infiltrating areas where infected individuals were lurking, such as slums. Meanwhile, Chen, who had also become infected, was promoted by Wei Yanwu to head of the Lungmen Guard Bureau's Special Inspection Team, a move that was quite hypocritical. With the director's position vacant, Chen had the authority to act expediently.

From that moment on, the former boss and subordinate became, overnight, a slum "black hand" who could never show his face again, while the other rose to a high position and gained wealth and power.

Wayne didn't know what Jiu thought after learning about this, but he just wanted to curse that old dog Wei Yanwu with one sentence: "Disgusting, despicable!"

He didn't want Chen to follow Jiu into dangerous situations; he despised Wei Yanwu's practice of exploiting people to the very end, completely abandoning conscience and justice. Even Wayne, who kept dogs, knew to throw away meat. That Colombian congressman, Chianti, whom Wayne had offended, still received guaranteed safety after doing Wayne's requests and providing intelligence, allowing him to live a simple but barely normal life under Victoria's protection, living in anonymity.

Jiu, you devoted yourself to Wei Yanwu until your dying breath. You were such a good director of the Imperial Guard, doing all the dirty and hard work for him. Now that you've messed up during a mission, instead of comforting him, you just kicked him out and put your niece in his place. You're really a scoundrel.

Phew—I'm thinking too far ahead.

Composing himself, Wayne knew that with him present, none of these things could possibly happen.

Because of her own actions, Hoshiguma replaced Chen in this mission, and because of her own actions, Nine is currently out of danger. Also because of her own actions, the gray-robed men who were originally surrounding and killing Hoshiguma have now turned into statues.

I've resolved the tragedy, but for the sake of sustainable development in the future, the Mandate of Heaven and the imperial power cannot be exposed for the time being. In that case, someone has to take the blame, right?

Wei Yanwu, you bastard, that's all you're good for, you're just taking the blame!

Seeing Wayne approach, Hoshiguma temporarily stopped asking questions.

To be honest, Rattlesnake's stubbornness almost made him consider resorting to torture. But Lungmen wasn't an Eastern Kingdom embroiled in civil war; it was a civilized city-state that didn't support such horrific punishments.

Besides, Hoshiguma doesn't actually know how to do it either.

After trying everything to get the information she wanted, Hoshiguma could only look apologetically at Wayne and say:

"They've embarrassed the police; they can't even interrogate a criminal."

Wayne shook his head. If he wasn't mistaken, it was only natural that Hoshiguma couldn't find out anything.

Hoshiguma made way for Wayne, who sat down and looked at the seemingly ordinary man in front of him.

It wasn't exactly unremarkable; Wayne noticed something different about him—this man had a very long tongue.

Although it is a Liberi, its tongue is very long and even forked, making it look like a snake.

Is this what they call "snake scales"?

Wayne thought to himself, but said aloud:

"Lord Rattlesnake, you've already failed. Why don't you just confess? Your mastermind, your accomplices, your hidden motives, and so on. If we wait until we find out, it won't be considered redemption."

Rattlesnake sneered, "I thought Wei Yanwu, who could trap me, had some real trump card, but he's just a young man who hasn't even grown his hair yet. What do you think I'll say? I'm the head of the organization, and I have no one behind me!"

"Oh? I thought the snake scales referred to Duke Koschche's secret organization."

Wayne rested his head on his hands, and said with a half-smile,

"The Undying Black Serpent, Duke of the Empire, the Immortal, the Schemer, the Symbol of the Will of Ursus. He has many titles, but unfortunately, none of them matter to me."

Wayne stared intently into Rattlesnake's eyes, which he tried to keep calm. Although there was no outward expression on his face, Wayne could see an overwhelming shock and anger deep within his eyes.

Having spent so much time with Theresa, Wayne hasn't been completely without learning anything. Although [Heavenly Mandate] and [Demon Lord] are almost two completely different extremes of Originium Arts, there are examples of Originium Arts being taught and guided. Wayne's comprehension isn't bad either; he can still discern things like micro-expressions.

It seems my guess was right. The Rattlesnake with Scales is one of Koschche's men.

Indeed, it's hard to imagine anyone other than Koschei having such a deep understanding of Lungmen, let alone being able to develop such a vast power within it. Koschei was able to do all this because he was once the ruler of Lungmen, and the depth of a ruler's influence is immeasurable. What Koschei left behind in Lungmen is something Wayne has no idea.

However, more than mocking the lurking of the snake scales and Wei Yanwu's negligence, Wayne lamented something else.

I didn't expect to run into it so soon, the immortal black snake.

Faced with this formidable boss, Wayne felt more excitement than fear.

He was excited, eager to see if he could now directly defeat the arrogant "will of the empire" from his previous life.

Chapter Seventy-Nine: Serpent Scales Proposes a Deal

The Ursus Empire, born from the rule of the Nightmare Khan, is an empire whose main ethnic group is Ursus.

The Ursus Empire was once just one of the ashes reborn from the iron heel of the Khanate. Its current scale and strength are inseparable from the great talent and strategy of its predecessor. When the Victoria Empire was embroiled in civil war, the former emperor of the Ursus Empire used the state as a war machine, forcefully tearing a hole in the Victoria world system and creating the Ursus military empire it is today.

The secrets behind this remain unknown, but what Wayne is well aware of is that the rise of the Ursus Empire is inextricably linked to the immortals who have submitted to and assisted the Empire.

Among them, the most famous is the immortal black serpent, Koschche, who holds the title of Duke in the Empire.

Duke Koschke's secret art of immortality, much like his name, resembles a snake shedding its skin; his core remains unchanged, yet his body can be continuously replaced to achieve longevity. As of now, his original race is a secret unknown to anyone.

Looking back, when Wayne first transmigrated, he took precautions to avoid being mistaken for an immortal like Koschei, and did not directly take over the throne, ascend the throne, or embark on his grand ambitions.

After all, it would be a bit too flamboyant for a prince who was considered a good-for-nothing by everyone to suddenly change his personality and become a man of great talent and ambition. It was precisely for this reason that Wayne had to step back from the limelight and bring Vina, a little lion who was not well known to the public but was indeed of royal blood from the Victorian royal family, to the forefront.

This situation has continued for more than half a year now, and it must be said that the effect has far exceeded Wayne's expectations.

His reputation within the royal family and the upper echelons of Victoria has completely reversed. Even though those in the lower classes still harbor some doubts about his past reputation, the possibility of Wayne facing danger because of his status has vanished entirely. Now is the perfect opportunity to make his mark.

Wayne's eyes narrowed as he stared at the rattlesnake before him, who was trying to appear calm but was actually quite weak, and he was filled with mixed emotions.

Half a year is neither a long nor a short time; the time has finally come to face the immortal black serpent.

"What are you saying? I don't understand you."

Rattlesnake's lips twitched, forcing a smile, as if trying to feign ignorance and scoff at Wayne's nonsense. But Wayne waved his hand dismissively:

“If I were you, I wouldn’t make excuses now. The fact that I dared to mention Koschei’s name in front of you in Lungmen should have made you realize that my knowledge of him far exceeds your expectations.”

"..." Rattlesnake fell silent, seemingly pondering the meaning behind Wayne's words. His eyes were half-closed, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts, before he finally asked with a furrowed brow:

"who are you?"

Since things have come to this point, Wayne can no longer be Wei Yanwu's man. If he were Wei Yanwu's man, these questions shouldn't be being asked by him, but by Wei Yanwu himself.

Given Wei Yanwu's stubborn and self-willed nature, it was impossible for him to inform his subordinates about matters concerning Duke Kosiché.

Wayne straightened his back, a proud look on his face. He reached into his bag, rummaged around for a while, then pulled out something and hung it around his neck.

Rattlesnake's eyes widened suddenly as it stared in astonishment at the thing Wayne was showing him, which was hanging around his neck.

It was a pure gold cross, engraved with holy angels.

Hoshiguma, standing to the side, might not recognize what it was due to her limited knowledge, but as a member of the Serpent Scale organization, Rattlesnake certainly knew this token.

The Holy Cross pendant is a token given by Lateran to its "own people." Only those trusted friends and allies of Lateran can receive such a thing. Duke Kosiché had shown them something similar during their training, but that pendant was merely a piece of brass.

And the thing hanging around Wayne's neck was a brilliant gold!

Rattlesnake didn't believe Wayne was bluffing or trying to deceive him. First, the cross, as a symbol of authority, was something only those in high positions of power or those with specialized knowledge in the field would know about. Second, it was easy to verify; Laterano wouldn't allow counterfeit crosses to circulate. Third, this cross was gold; if Wayne were trying to deceive him, he could have easily obtained a much more common bronze cross, without needing to specially make a previously unseen gold one.

The people of Lateran!

The rattlesnake felt a surge of emotions welling up inside it, and it was difficult for it to calm down for a long time.

Why did the Laterans get involved in the Lungmen affair? After the Reformation, Laterans were no longer as powerful as they once were. What were they trying to achieve by rashly getting involved in the mess between Wei Yanwu, the Great Yan Dynasty, and Ursus?

You must know, the Great Yan is a notorious forbidden land for gods. In that country, slaying gods is a long-standing tradition, and it should be a religious enemy of Lateran, with whom it has absolutely no connection. Could they be planning to proselytize there?

They're a bunch of angels whose brains are completely consumed by desserts.

Seeing the rattlesnake's changing expression, Wayne knew that the snake scales had probably started to imagine things on their own, so he coughed softly and put the necklace back into his bag.

Interrupted from his thoughts, Rattlesnake looked at Wayne with a complicated expression. He turned his head, glanced at Hoshiguma standing guard beside Wayne, and nodded. Wayne understood and raised his chin.

"Hoshiguma, if you're alright, you should rest for a while. I can handle the interrogation myself."

Hoshiguma had some doubts. Although everyone present was still in a wooden state, Rattlesnake was, after all, the criminal, and Wayne was the guest. Was it reasonable to have Wayne interrogate the criminal?

"but....."

Wayne shook his head: "It's okay, I'll talk to Wei Yanwu."

Hoshiguma pursed his lips. He wasn't Chen after all. Seeing Wayne's attitude, he probably guessed what was going on. He nodded obediently, picked up the stolen broadsword, and walked to the pillar of the unfinished building not far away, with his back to Wayne.

"The hearing of the demons isn't very good, so just say what you have to say."

Wayne spoke, and Rattlesnake nodded:

What do you desire, sir?