Chapter 65

Chapter 65

"I suggest we start with this man," Edie pointed at the person on the screen.

"Why?"

"First, based on this group's information, Black Poker appears to be a subordinate organization of the secret church, possibly handling their unsavory affairs. The likelihood of obtaining information from them is much higher than elsewhere. Secondly, the current leader of Black Poker, Clarence, ascended to power soon after the recent banquet incident. There's ample reason to suspect his rise is due to aligning with the malevolent cult, meaning there's a high probability that Clarence is a high-ranking member of the secret church."

"Finally, and most crucially, he's a criminal. He's implicated in at least three murder cases, over ten robberies, personal threats, and more than fifty suspicions of loan sharking," Edie explains. "He should meet our criteria for using 'that thing.'"

Diana agrees with Edie's opinion: "We've had no progress in our investigations these days, and the higher-ups are getting impatient."

Eventually, Job makes a decision: "Alright, let's start with him. Edie, I'm counting on you."

"Piece of cake," Edie says with a confident smile, stretching lazily before his hands hit the keyboard.

Origin Ability — [Cyber Phantom].

"Let's see where this guy is right now."

……

Exhausted, Karens returns to one of Black Poker's top-floor offices. He shuts the door casually, loosens his tie, and exhales slowly.

"…So tired."

The end of the Arkham disaster marked the beginning of opportunities. While there were no clear winners in the incident, Black Poker, with its rapid response and support from players, gained favor in nearby districts by opening free clinics. They absorbed several weaker gangs and expanded their territory.

Karens also seized the chance to rid the group of industries that might displease the players. Now, Black Poker's main income sources are protection fees, loan sharking, and racketeering.

…Oh, and potentially running illicit clinics and car services in the future, although their profitability is still uncertain.

However, expanding territory so rapidly presents its own challenges in managing the financial chain, and Karens has been busy finding new revenue streams.

Overall, Black Poker didn’t suffer losses in the disaster but instead made a small profit.

Karens contemplates when to report his progress to Lann.

After Black Poker was officially recognized by the Secret Church and Lann, Karens wanted to ask for extraordinary powers like the previous clown disciple. However, he felt it inappropriate to ask without significant achievements, thus delaying the request.

Once Black Poker fully assimilates its recent gains, he might have a reason to seek Lann's recognition for his achievements…

Karens sits in his office chair, loosening his suit jacket to relax and rest with his eyes closed. Suddenly, there's a knock at the door.

Karens frowns, opening his eyes in displeasure: "Didn’t I say not to disturb me?"

The knocking stopped momentarily, and Clarence thought the subordinate outside had left. But suddenly, the doorknob turned, and the door was pushed open.

All unfamiliar faces.

Clarence, startled, quickly drew his pistol, aiming at these strangers. But in the next moment, before he could even react, he was forcefully slammed down onto the desk.

What was that? How so fast!

Clarence couldn't even see the trajectory of the attack, his gun knocked away in an instant, himself completely subdued.

A superhuman!

This term flashed through Clarence's mind.

"Sorry for the intrusion, the current head of Black Poker."

Clarence barely managed to look up and saw a blond man walking up to the desk, pulling out an ID and flashing it in front of him: "My name is Jobe Gage, an investigator from the Inspection Bureau."

The Inspection Bureau...

Clarence had heard of it, seemingly an official investigative organization. After he took over the previous Black Poker leader's estate, he discovered attempts to contact the Inspection Bureau for help. Of course, the outcome was clear; his predecessor had died early in the manor.

However, since it was an official organization, they would likely abide by some rules. What he feared most were those superhumans who resorted to killing at the slightest disagreement.

Clarence, striving to remain calm, relaxed his body and said, "Although I'm not sure what brings you here, could you please let me go? As you can see, I don't have the power to resist you."

Jobe glanced at Edie, who looked down at his mechanical watch. The dial pointed to 'ordinary', and he nodded, "He's a regular person."

Diana added, "Trained, but that's about it."

A regular person? Didn't hit the mark. Jobe frowned, "Alright, let him go. Mr. Clarence, I hope you're a smart man."

Released, Clarence immediately grabbed his head, turning in surprise to find that the person who had subdued him was a woman. However, he did not underestimate her due to her gender, as superhumans defy conventional understanding.

Clarence didn't attempt to pick up the pistol from the floor or reach for other weapons in his office. Even though he was overpowered in his own office, Clarence maintained the dignity of a leader, inviting them to sit on the sofa.

"Respected investigators, may I inquire the purpose of your visit...?"

"Don't play dumb; you should know why we're here," Edie scoffed, tapping the glass table in the center of the sofa. "Just spill the beans about your collusion with the cult."

Clarence felt a sinking feeling, but maintained his composure: "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Is playing dumb still meaningful now?" Edie remarked. "We came to you only after finding conclusive evidence."

Clarence: "I don't know what evidence you're referring to. And even if I were part of a religion, that's not against the law. If you want to arrest me, you need a warrant first."

"I always knew scum like you wouldn’t easily submit," Edie sneered, turning to Jobe, "Boss, no point in hoping for the best, just use that thing."

"I really wish I didn’t have to do this," Jobe sighed. But there was no choice; breaking through the gang's defenses to get here wasn't easy. The Inspection Bureau was anxious for progress on the mission, and they had exerted considerable effort, using Edie's origin abilities to find a moment when Clarence was alone, and they had less than ten minutes.

Although they didn't fully trust the information from those people, for safety, Jobe didn't bring Edmund on this mission and had Eunice stay at the base to watch him. They were seriously short-staffed, with no possibility of capturing Clarence alive.

And if they missed this opportunity, Clarence might never appear again.

He looked at Clarence, "It seems you don't quite understand the Inspection Bureau. We're not police who follow rules strictly. In urgent situations, we can use methods that are not exactly legal. Are you sure you want to be stubborn?"

A sense of crisis welled up in Clarence. It seemed these people were going to take the law into their own hands. He pressed a hidden button in his trouser pocket without changing his expression, signaling for backup from other bases.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Concerning the secret church and Lann, Clarence had no intention of revealing anything. He was deeply tied to the secret church, and having boarded their ship, he was prepared to sink with it.

It wasn’t just about loyalty. In his line of work, he knew all too well the cost of betrayal, especially when the entity betrayed was a malevolent deity.

Seeing that Clarence wouldn’t easily divulge the information they wanted, Jobe sighed and pulled something from his backpack.

As the wrapped cloth was slowly removed, anyone who saw the object couldn’t help but show repulsion and disgust.

It resembled a helmet, but instead of a smooth interior, it was filled with numerous thin, needle-like protrusions, wriggling alive like earthworms. A single eye protruded from the front of the helmet, moving around in the air.

“The Truth Helmet, classified as a contaminant,” Jobe softly explained. “Once worn, the needle-like tentacles will gradually penetrate the skull. The more you resist speaking the truth, the deeper they’ll bore, until reaching the brain. These worm-like entities will devour the brain matter, take control of the nerves, ultimately causing complete mental and physical collapse.”

Incidentally, the true purpose of this contaminant is to turn people into obedient puppets. However, an investigator once discovered another use for it: interrogation.

Of course, the Inspection Bureau internally mandates, at least officially, not to use it arbitrarily on innocents; only criminals are eligible for its application.

Clarence's pupils contracted. Before he could resist, Diana again subdued him, forcefully making him wear the helmet.

As soon as the terrifying helmet was put on, Clarence's entire head went numb – not psychologically, but physically, as if anesthetized. He couldn't feel much pain, yet sensed something burrowing into his scalp.

This sensation was utterly spine-chilling.

"So far, no one has lasted more than ten minutes after wearing the Truth Helmet," Jobe said. "Now, let's start questioning. Clarence, you still have a chance. Just answer our questions properly – are you a member of the secret church?"

Clarence sneered, remaining silent. Suddenly, the thing burrowing into his scalp started moving, a wave of immense pain assaulting his head as the numbing sensation vanished, feeling something drilling deeper into his scalp.

He bit his lips tightly, refusing to let himself cry out in agony.

"As long as you keep silent, the thing inside will continue burrowing. In the first ten minutes of the first stage, you will experience unbearable pain, far beyond human tolerance," Edie 'kindly' explained. "Don’t struggle; just speak up, and it'll be less painful."

Jobe coldly remarked, "Your reaction to our previous question is telling enough. Continue."

"Is Lann, who once went to the police station, an incarnation of the deity worshipped by the secret church?"

Clarence still didn’t speak, now in so much pain he couldn't control his facial expressions. His face twitched uncontrollably, his body shuddered, and his lips were bitten until blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.

Unable to bear the excruciating pain, the man struggled frantically. Diana, startled, exerted more force to subdue him, but for some reason, Clarence's body burst with even greater strength. Unable to break free from Diana's grasp, he crazily slammed his head against the glass table in front, shattering it within moments.

"Bring the rope!" Diana shouted as she pinned Clarence down, while Edie quickly tied him to the chair with a hemp rope.

By this time, Clarence’s forehead was bruised and bleeding, emitting beast-like wails. His blood-soaked forehead oddly bulged with worm-like traces, as if something was burrowing into his brain.

This gruesome scene made Jobe and Diana instinctively avert their eyes, Edie too, but he soon looked back, biting his lip, "Class C contaminants are only supposed to be used on criminals with confirmed records. Clarence, your past offenses are enough to land you in jail countless times, but this time there are no procedures to cover up your crimes. You can’t escape, so speak up and you might survive."

Clarence remained silent. Even Edie and Jobe, who had a terrible impression of Clarence from reviewing his criminal record, began to admire his resilience. In past Bureau tests, even the most ferocious death-row inmates couldn’t endure more than ten minutes under this torture. It's not just about enduring pain, but also the mortal fear of feeling bugs crawling inside one's head – even the toughest couldn't bear such hellish torment.

But enduring it was pointless.

Jobe sighed, somewhat mercifully, "Even if you endure it, it's futile. After ten minutes, the Truth Helmet enters the next stage, invading your brain and nerves. Then, whether you like it or not, you'll uncontrollably speak the truth. By then, it'll be too late. We will get the information eventually, and your brain will be gradually devoured by these bugs. Why endure such agony?"

"This is your last chance. Just tell us about your church's secrets and what really happened at that banquet, and we won’t harm you."

Clarence hung his head, then suddenly let out a low laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Me laughing? I'm laughing at how even when you do evil, you’re full of hypocrisy and disgust."

"Hypocrisy?" Edie scoffed with a laugh, pointing at Clarence, "If it weren’t for us taking the lead, you scum wouldn’t have the chance to enjoy your lives in the back."

"Ah, the great heroes charging ahead," Clarence mocked hoarsely, "Where were you when Akam City was in trouble? Did you save Akam?"

"When I was fighting monsters, your so-called official organization didn't lift a finger. And now, after everything's done, you're stepping on me, branding me a villain deserving of justice? Don't make me laugh. What, can't you act without your banner of righteousness?"

"A threat is a threat, vigilantism is vigilantism. What's this talk of trials and sins? Is it just to comfort yourselves? What, do you go home and have nightmares about ghosts coming for revenge?"

"Of course, I know I'm a villain, but what about you? Is the Inspection Bureau always good? What right do you have to judge me?" Karens lifted his head, his face twisted and ghastly like a demon from hell.

"Remember this, we in the Black Poker have a rule: an eye for an eye... a tooth for a tooth!"

Karens spat out the last sentence word by word, his eyes fiercely fixed on the three faces in front of him, as if memorizing their features.

Then, he bit down hard on his back gum, swallowing the poison hidden in his molar.

As the man's throat moved, Diana quickly realized what was happening. She grabbed Karens' neck, but it was too late. He had already swallowed the poison, spitting out blood while staring at them with a sinister laugh, as if vowing to haunt them even from hell.

His body then convulsed briefly, his face slowly stiffening, and he slumped motionless in his chair.

"...He committed suicide by swallowing poison?" Iddy's expression was extremely grim.

Jobe was silent too, feeling complicated. They had encountered such situations before, but the psychological burden of driving someone to death was not easy to bear.

Diana released Karens and went to remove the Truth Helmet. Sensing the fading life force of its wearer, the helmet came off easily.

"Why wouldn't he speak? He doesn't seem like someone from the church's higher echelons," Iddy couldn't comprehend. Their previous investigations had almost confirmed that the leader of Black Poker was connected to the secret church. They were initially excited to have caught a big fish, but were disappointed upon meeting Karens. Through Jobe's unique artifact, they had confirmed that Karens was not a superhuman, just an ordinary person.

During their investigations of strange incidents, they had often encountered such individuals – either deceived or knowingly involved in the plans of cult organizations for their own gain, acting as accomplices to evil.

They had thought Karens was such an 'opportunist', usually the easiest to interrogate, but today's outcome had been a harsh slap in their faces.

"Prepare yourselves," Job finally said, rubbing his temples. "Any church that commands such loyalty from even non-core members is no ordinary one... We might have really hit the jackpot."

Initially, Job and his team didn't take the so-called secret church of Destiny too seriously. However, Karen's recent behavior had undoubtedly sounded an alarm for them.

"You guys search for clues here, I'll check the situation outside."

Job pressed his Bluetooth headset to contact the team of Destiny. Immediately, intense gunfire, fighting sounds, and frantic shouts from the team blasted through the headset.

"Have you finished interrogating over there? We're barely holding on!"

The Star-Gazing Squad was almost in tears. They thought aligning with the Inspection Bureau would let them breeze through, but why were they now the ones on the front line?

Their ranks weren't high, and though they had equipment provided by the guild, they were no match for so many gang members!

"Hang in there, just a little longer. We're coming soon to reinforce," Job said, looking at Diana and Edi. "Let's move quickly."

"Wait, almost done copying." Edi's fingers were a blur on the keyboard. Once the data was copied and the USB drive pulled out, Job cast one last, complex look at the fallen Karen and left.

Unseen by him, five minutes after his departure, Karen's 'corpse' stirred, revealing faint signs of life.

The feign-death pill in his mouth was his last resort. After so many years, he hadn't expected it to actually come in handy.

But Karen was also in a bad state. He felt extremely weak, teetering on the edge of death, and since his men hadn't come before, he didn't expect them now.

That left him with only one option for help.

"You... are the disruptor of fate..." Karen's voice was hoarse and weak, almost a whisper, pausing for breath after every few words. "The unspeakable mystery... the new master of nature and forests."

Lord Lan.

He hadn't betrayed. It wasn't that Karen was particularly devoted to Lan; it was just that he had already pledged his loyalty to that person. Compared to these detestable investigators, he preferred to take his chances.

As consciousness slowly resurfaced amidst a pervasive fog, Karen managed a difficult curl of his lips.

He had won his gamble.

The fog gradually enveloped his figure, until he finally appeared in the realm of the gods.

Lan was utterly flabbergasted.

What was happening?

Seeing Karen appear in the divine realm in a near-death state, Lan was completely bewildered. Instinctively, he waved his hand, and the surrounding plants obediently wove themselves into a makeshift sickbed beneath Karen. At the same time, Lan summoned Akam's medical team.

Ogel looked over and shook his head: "Modern medicine can't save him."

"Is it that serious??"

"The problem is in his brain," Ogel explained. "It looks like something burrowed into it, causing internal damage. And whatever entered was a contaminant. Ordinary people exposed to such contaminants could mutate, let alone the brain. If it weren't for his faith in you, he might have already turned into a ghoul."

"Is there still a way to save him?" Lan furrowed his brow, wondering what Karen had been through to end up like this.

"I'm not skilled in healing, but you might try," Ogel pondered. "Maybe, try using your seed of spirituality?"

"? Can that work?"

"His brain is contaminated, and his soul might be eroded. This is the only way now."

Lan nodded, quickly producing a scepter in his hand. A phantom seed soon fell and landed on Karen's head.

The seed merged into Karen's brain as if encountering no resistance.

Karen, unaware of the outside world, was immersed in a myriad of fading memories from his past.

So the online talk about life flashing before one's eyes at death was actually true.

Karen found it odd because he didn't think his past was worth reminiscing about.

Like many who get mixed up with gangs, Karen grew up in a chaotic neighborhood controlled by the Black Poker, attending only the local elementary and middle schools and dropping out in the ninth grade.

He was a good student, and a conscientious teacher at his school wanted to recommend him for a high school outside the area. However, Karen wasn't interested. It wasn't that he disliked learning; he just knew where he belonged.

Moreover, his abysmal family situation didn't allow for further education, so Karen quickly followed in his gang-affiliated father's footsteps, becoming a fresh outcast in society.

Unlike most outcasts, Karen was smart, ruthless enough, and principled. Starting as a low-level thug, he knew the destructive power of dupin and never touched it, nor did he allow his favored subordinates to. Generous with others and never hogging advantages, it was natural for him to thrive within the ranks of Black Poker.

But he lacked a purpose.

It seemed he was just living for the sake of living. The joy brought by money and status quickly wore off. He didn't know what to protect, owning very little that was truly his, with family and friends long gone.

A moldy piece of bread, an empty old wallet, and a shelter that was only good for sleeping – these were enough for him to survive. More was nice, but not necessary.

The leader of Black Poker saw through Karen's confusion. Fond of the young man, he hoped to make him his right-hand man. One day, he invited Karen into his house for a heart-to-heart talk.

Karen candidly shared his confusion with him, living without a destination or ambition.

Hearing this, the leader of Black Poker burst into laughter.

"Why not consider the entire city of Akam as your possession? That's big enough, isn't it? Everything you can achieve is here - your past, present, and future."

The leader took a puff of his cigar, filling the room with swirling smoke.

"Without Akam, you're nothing. This city birthed and raised you; every trace of you is here, proving you've lived in this world."

"Take root in this city, and see whether you grow into a wild weed, a vine, or perhaps... a towering tree that shelters the underground of this city."

The seed began to take root in Karen's mind.

Like a net, it gradually enveloped his cooling soul. Karen suddenly felt a fear of being caught, torn between the dread of staying and leaving.

But in the end, Karen suppressed his fear, allowing the strange entity to settle in his brain, mending his weakened body.

Meanwhile, Karen's surroundings abruptly changed, and he found himself in a mysterious space, shrouded in fog, standing on a small platform, observing his surroundings with confusion.

Where is this?

Karen looked around and realized there was nothing else here, just a deep abyss beneath the platform, with only a staircase seemingly leading downward.

Wait, why was he here? He was supposed to be...

Karen suddenly remembered everything that had happened before, including the incident with the Inspection Bureau and his own near-death experience. Overwhelmed with intense emotion, he abruptly opened his eyes.

"Thank goodness, still alive."

Lan looked down at the now-awake Karen, relieved, and said, "I thought you might never wake up."

The situation had been extremely dangerous. Ogel had said that if Karen didn't wake up soon, he might have become vegetative.

"Lord Lan..." Karen stared blankly at the demonic face so close to him, losing his composure and staring intensely at Lan until Ogel, silent until now, pinched him.

Whether intentional or not, Ogel pinched right where Diana's capture had caused a bruise. Karen's face twisted in pain, snapping him back to reality.

"Lord Lan, did you save me? Where am I?" Karen tried to get up from the bed, which seemed to be made of tree branches. His body felt fine but incredibly stiff, as if he had been lying down for three days, his joints creaking as he moved.

The surrounding environment was odd, resembling a forest, with gaps in the vegetation revealing a building like a hospital.

"This is my divine realm, where I'm currently residing," Lan explained. "But what about you? What happened? You were nearly beyond saving."

Had Lan not heard the exceedingly weak prayer and noticed the dimming white light representing a follower's plight, and immediately transferred Karen here, a second's delay might have meant the end for Karen.

"Thank you for saving me," Karen said hastily, casting a puzzled glance at Ogel but choosing not to inquire about him. Instead, he urgently told Lan, "The Inspection Bureau came after me. I nearly died at their hands."

Lan: ? Is the Inspection Bureau that brutal?

Karen hurriedly recounted the recent events, emphasizing that they knew about the Black Poker and the secret church, and that their definite target was Lan.

Hearing this, Lan recalled Edmund's warning and guessed how the information might have been leaked.

"I understand now. I was just about to warn you to be cautious of the Inspection Bureau. I didn't expect them to confront you directly."

Lan wasn't surprised that players had leaked information about the secret church; he knew from the start that keeping it a secret from over five thousand players was impossible.

He just didn't expect the Inspection Bureau to target Black Poker first. He thought they would approach the Kamui district first and had even assigned patrol tasks to the players, but instead, it was Black Poker.

Moreover, the extremity of the Inspection Bureau's methods this time exceeded Lan's expectations. Why were they so desperate?

But since the incident had already occurred, dwelling on it was pointless. Lan had planned to delay confrontation until another version update, hoping the players would grow stronger and stand a chance against the Bureau. However, things rarely go as planned.

Karen's near-death experience completely shattered Lan's wishful thinking. A confrontation with the Inspection Bureau was inevitable, and the situation had reached a point where it could no longer be avoided.

Karen's misfortune was an undeserved calamity entirely caused by Lan, and this might just be the beginning rather than the end.

"What are your thoughts?" Lan asked. "Do you want revenge?"

"Yes!" Karen responded without hesitation, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails were digging into his palms.

Gangs always believed in repaying debts of gratitude and revenge. How could Karen not seek vengeance for nearly being killed and tortured?

He wanted not just revenge, but to personally enact it.

To Lan's astonishment, Karen knelt on one knee: "My lord, please grant me extraordinary power so that I may personally exact my revenge."

Granting power... How should he do that?

Lan almost broke into a sweat. Ah, the only gifts he could offer were enchanted weapons and magical potions.

This reminded him of his role-playing days when evil gods could grant their followers power. But how to do that? He had no idea.

No, stay calm. The power of revenge Karen spoke of could be something else entirely.

Lan said meaningfully, "The power of revenge, you already possess it." Think about the players, my friend.

"You mean..." Karen recalled the misty space he had visited earlier and murmured, "The foggy space I was in, is that the path to transcendence?"

Lan hesitated for a second: "...Ah yes, exactly. Once you descend from the platform and break through the crazy fog to reach the next level and pass the trial, you'll officially gain extraordinary powers."

He almost forgot that Karen had never entered the Dream Rift.

But just the first level of the Dream Rift wouldn't be enough for revenge. According to information from Edmund, at least one member of the Inspection Bureau's team was on a higher level than Edmund, meaning a newly transcended Karen wouldn't stand a chance.

However, Lan never intended a one-on-one confrontation.

It was time for a righteous group fight!

"But... you don't have much time," Lan warned, "In no more than three days, the secret church will launch a major attack on the Inspection Squad. If you want to personally seek revenge, you need to break through the first level within three days, or I won't let you go to the front line."

Hearing this, Karen looked up in astonishment: "You... you're going to confront the Inspection Bureau for me?"

"They've already struck at my face," Lan said matter-of-factly, "Even by your gang's standards, wouldn't it be rude not to strike back?"

Lan had already planned everything. Although the players' powers weren't fully developed and the Inspection Bureau's main storyline was a late-game plot, Akam City wasn't the Bureau's headquarters either.

While a direct confrontation might not be winnable, a small-scale faction battle was certainly feasible!

It would be a good opportunity to clash with this so-called elite squad from the Inspection Bureau and assess the comparative strength of both sides.

Karen didn't know Lan's plan, but at this moment, he was genuinely moved.

Loyalty and face are the romance of gang life. Since ascending to his position, few had the right to stand up for Karen, let alone a gang taking revenge against the police for a captured member.

But Lan was willing to confront the Inspection Bureau for him!

Had it been Karen when he first joined the gang, he might have sworn a lifelong brotherhood with Lan right then and there.

Karen had never imagined Lan would go to such lengths for him. He used to think those devotees were foolish, worshipping a statue that would never respond, demanding offerings but giving nothing in return.

But now, he was willing to become one of those 'fools.'

"I will break through to the first level within three days," Karen firmly committed in front of Lan, "If I fail, I'll accept any punishment. But if I succeed, I want to lead the retaliation. I'll make them feel the pain I endured and regret offending you."

Lan looked deeply at Karen and said, "Agreed."