Chapter 392
Xia'er raised her gun in an instant, aiming at the opponent's arm, and fired.
Bang—
Xia'er felt her blood being drawn again as a bullet spiraled out, embedding itself directly into Fred's right hand.
In the moment the bullet left the chamber, Xia'er charged forward, her left hand bracing against the experimental table in front of her. She leaped into the air, flipping over the table, rolling once before her right leg kicked off the ground, propelling her forward like a cannonball.
Fred, seeing Xia'er rushing towards him, was struck with terror and turned to flee.
Thud—
Xia'er's elbow struck Fred's back with precision, and then she raised her right hand high, bringing the wooden grip of the deadly Blood Roland crashing down onto the back of Fred's head.
Fred felt a wave of excruciating pain that seemed to suffocate him from behind, and then he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
At that moment, a commotion erupted at the door, and a white figure flickered at the entrance, taking shape.
It was Jidi.
Jidi looked at the chaos before her and the figure lying at Xia'er's feet, feeling a wave of anxiety wash over her.
It’s over... There’s no chance to capture anyone for redemption now...
Xia'er turned to look at the tardy Jidi and said, “Take him back. We still have questions to ask.”
Then, Xia'er lowered her gaze to the unconscious Fred, the Blood Roland's blood still spreading along his right arm. She lowered her right hand, pointing the blade of Blood Roland at his arm joint, and with a forceful flick, she severed Fred's right arm, kicking the severed limb aside.
“Y-yes,” Jidi stammered, not daring to delay, fearing that any further mistakes would only compound her troubles.
“What about Xielun? Did you take care of him?” Xia'er seemed still full of energy, as if she were ready to challenge the next level.
“N-no... Xielun isn’t in the hospital, but with all this noise, he’ll probably arrive soon...” Jidi stepped closer to Xia'er, pulling out a vial of potion and pouring it over Fred's severed arm, then grabbing him by the collar to drag him up.
“Ugh...” Xia'er shook her head in slight disappointment, then said, “Let’s go back and interrogate him.”
“Right...”
Jidi dragged Fred's body, leading the way as they quickly left the Bell Tower Alley in a carriage.
From their intrusion to their departure, only a few minutes had passed. Not to mention the patrolling detectives, even if Xielun reacted, Xia'er and the others would have already returned to Dedun Manor.
...
At a farmhouse on the outskirts of Boleun City, in the underground interrogation room.
Jidi's face was filled with anxiety. Her throat was dry, and she had lost count of how many times she had swallowed nervously, the sensation making her feel dizzy.
Finally, she stole a glance at the still-unconscious Fred, then turned to Xia'er, her voice trembling as she asked, “Your Grace... This operation is bound to provoke a backlash from the Redemption Society. I’m worried...”
“Don’t worry,” Xia'er replied nonchalantly, “Just focus on handling the current situation. This is a big deal; if you do well, it’ll count as a merit and can redeem you for your past mistakes.”
“Phew...”
Jidi let out a slow breath.
What she feared most was that this operation would ruin her long-standing plans at Dedun Manor, leaving her to bear the blame that the Joy Society would exploit.
In a situation where sins piled upon sins, she had even considered whether she should flee.
Now, hearing Xia'er say that completing this task could redeem her, Jidi felt her tension ease considerably.
Xia'er, however, didn’t think as deeply as Jidi did.
After all, she would leave once 24 hours had passed in the simulation; she wouldn’t care about what happened after that.
“Ahem...”
A weak cough broke the silence, drawing Jidi's attention.
Fred, who had been unconscious, seemed to be showing signs of waking up.
Jidi hurried a few steps forward, standing in front of the cage, and bowed to Xia'er, saying, “Your Grace, please give me this chance for redemption. Let me interrogate him!”
You brought him back for me to interrogate.
Xia'er nodded slightly and said, “Don’t let me down.”
With Xia'er’s approval, Jidi turned sharply, looking at the lying Fred, and picked up a nearby wooden bucket filled with cold water, pouring it over Fred's head.
Splash—
The bucket of water splashed down, jolting the half-unconscious Fred awake. He struggled to rise from the ground, only to realize that his right arm was missing.
Fred was fully awake now, his muddled mind racing to recall what had just happened. He looked up at Jidi, his expression shifting between confusion and fear.
Why... why would Jidi, the manager of Dedun Manor, find him... How had things been exposed?
In Fred's blurry vision, he finally noticed the red-haired figure sitting by the oil lamp. The moment their eyes met, a chilling fear washed over him, freezing him in place.
He quickly lowered his head, not daring to meet her gaze any longer.
Why was the key person mixed up with the followers of the Holy Church?
Eager to prove herself, Jidi didn’t give Fred any chance to explain. A white figure emerged from behind Fred, grabbing his hair and forcing his face to turn towards her.
“Embrace the Mother Goddess,” Jidi raised her hand, and another white figure emerged from her shadow, diving into Fred's shadow, merging with it and rendering him immobile.
As Jidi recited her prayers, Fred's gaze began to grow increasingly dazed. By the second round of prayers, he was mumbling along, stumbling over the words as he followed Jidi's rhythm in prayer.
The mark of Sadana was slowly imprinted upon Fred's spirit and soul.
Xia'er, who had been observing from the back, narrowed her eyes, watching everything unfold.
She had seen the Holy Church brainwash others many times; this scene was not new to her.
But as Xia'er’s understanding of the extraordinary deepened and her knowledge expanded, she gradually realized that the Holy Church's methods differed from those of other “missionaries.”
Normal missionary brainwashing merely instilled trust in the words spoken, but to truly develop someone into a loyal believer required continuous reinforcement of suggestions.
However, the Holy Church's brainwashing, compared to other “missionaries,” included the “Sadana Mark.”
This seemingly spontaneous mark gave Xia'er a strange sense of déjà vu.
It resembled the effects of the skill of the “All-Knowing One,” with the prayer serving as the medium.
It seemed the Holy Church could indeed pray to some “entity,” causing it to imprint a mark on the brainwashed, even completely replacing the internal whispers of magical potions.
This was astonishing...
Yet Xia'er did not believe that the “Sadana” spoken of by the Holy Church was some kind of Mother Goddess.
If such a being truly existed, she would have been targeted long ago for impersonating it—yet now, she felt no abnormalities within herself.
The so-called “Mother Goddess” named “Sadana” had not contacted her in any way—such as through the Otherworld.
At least, the ability to communicate with the Otherworld was clearly not on par with her own.
Whether it was the previous Dark Worm or the initial Divine Servant, neither had shown any hostility or resistance towards Xia'er, regardless of their affiliation with the Holy Church.
If she wanted to continue using the Holy Church to achieve her goals, she would need to investigate who “Sadana” truly was...
As Xia'er fell into thought, Jidi had already completed the brainwashing of Fred and began the interrogation.
“What is your real name...”
Jidi seemed quite adept at this line of questioning. Even without Xia'er sharing too much information, she had managed to extract a considerable amount.
Fred's true name was indeed Fred, and he was a member of the Joy Society.
As she asked this, Jidi was already drenched in cold sweat.
Jidi pressed on, inquiring about his schemes and plans. When she asked who Fred's superior was, Xia'er finally pulled her gaze from the book in her hands and looked over.
This was the part that truly interested Xia'er.
“Edward Stuart,” Fred replied slowly. “That’s the public identity of my superior, but I don’t know his real name...”
Stuart?
What a familiar name.
In an instant, a figure flashed through Xia'er’s mind.
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