"Boom!"
A violent explosion shook the entire corpse collectors' dormitory.
The special green flames of the demon-breaking mechanical bomb burst from room 504, turning into a dragon of fire. The terrifying annihilation energy instantly reduced the surrounding rooms and the corridor's railings to ashes.
The noise was so loud that even Ji Xun, in the underground morgue, snapped his eyes open. "Someone's here!"
He still had about a third of the mediator left.
In the darkness, he muttered, "What a shame... if only they had come a little later, I would have completely devoured it..."
But there was no point in dwelling on it now.
Ji Xun heard the explosion but didn't panic or immediately decide to leave.
The situation outside was unclear, and running out blindly could lead to many uncertainties. Moreover, this morgue was a perfect escape spot he had scouted earlier.
Without any tension, Ji Xun quietly attached a tripwire-linked grenade pin to the iron cabinet.
He then downed a bottle of [Night Vision Potion] and a bottle of [Enhanced Hearing Potion].
Both potions were expensive, but since they were spoils of war, he didn't feel too bad using them.
He injected a dose of [Awakening Potion] into his thigh to prevent himself from passing out from any explosion.
Finally, he took out a card with a white armor symbol and activated it with ice magic: "Unlock!"
Instantly, he was encased in a frost knight's armor, protecting him thoroughly.
This was the magic of equipment cards.
The armor, stored in a card through a process akin to dimensional reduction, wasn't flat. As long as one was familiar with the structure of the equipment card, it could be activated to perform a near-magical transformation.
The armor was too heavy for Ji Xun to fight in, given his current strength, but it was perfect for protection.
Having done all this, he settled back in the morgue cabinet.
Typically, the explosion upstairs would make the intruder assume the person with the mediator had fled in panic.
Even though corpse collectors were inconspicuous, they were still part of the "Golden Oak Security Company," making it unlikely for the cultist to linger.
Ji Xun hoped to ride out this crisis by hiding in the morgue.
But he wasn't counting on luck.
The [Secret Mediator] was crucial for the god-communing ritual. Having failed to retrieve it last time, the cultist would be extra cautious this time.
The explosion confirmed that the mediator was there, and with its aura detected in only two places—upstairs and the morgue—the cultist was bound to check the morgue if even slightly persistent.
Sure enough, before long, soft footsteps echoed in the corridor.
Ji Xun slowed his heartbeat.
At this late hour, no one should be in the morgue. Even if someone came for work, they'd first hear the sound of a corpse trolley.
So, the visitor could only be the person who set off the bomb.
The morgue was extremely quiet, and the hearing potion allowed Ji Xun to discern the faintest vibrations in the air.
He listened carefully, distinguishing the sound of leather shoes on the floor. "Just one person?" he guessed.
Ji Xun's thoughts extended beyond mere escape.
He didn't want to lose the remaining third of the mediator.
If possible, he wanted to eliminate this enemy.
As he listened to the approaching footsteps, the enemy seemed to notice something and cautiously stopped.
At the same moment, Ji Xun unhesitatingly pulled the tripwire.
...
Just as the "Plague Doctor" Hei Sen had entered the corpse collectors' dormitory of Team 18, the three individuals who had been observing the Yanbian Clinic from the Red Maple Street clock tower also arrived silently.
They arrived just in time to witness the explosion at the corpse collectors' dormitory.
In the eerie light of the flames reflecting in his eyes, Xie Guozhong understood everything. He marveled quietly, "I should have thought of it. If the field agents had discovered something at the Red Maple Street stronghold, they wouldn't have kept it completely secret. The only ones who handled the bodies were the corpse collectors."
Though he spoke as if it were obvious, he knew no one would have expected the "corpse cleaners" to pull off such a masterstroke without seeing it firsthand.
Smiling, he remarked, "A true expert... managing to deceive everyone."
The mushroom-headed assistant, observing the flames, identified the bomb, muttering, "Judging by the power and the color of the flames, it should be a 'TK2 military mechanical anti-demon bomb' produced by Heges Military Factory. There aren't many merchants with access to this stuff. If we want to investigate, we could check the black market in No Sin City."
Assistant Ah wen, still puzzled, asked, "Captain, does this mean there's an expert among the corpse collectors?"
Xie Guozhong nodded, "Yes. This is the 'third party' I mentioned in this incident. The Silver Moon cultist is after something that one of the corpse collectors took. And this guy, anticipating an intruder, set up a booby trap. So, the Old God remnant triggered the explosion as soon as he arrived."
The two assistants, still puzzled, wondered aloud, "How could a corpse collector be such an expert?"
Xie Guozhong explained, "It appears that the corpse collector identity is just a cover. The real aim was to retrieve something from the Silver Moon cult's stronghold. Only corpse collectors and Golden Oak field agents had access to the scene. By posing as a corpse collector, this person could discreetly take that 'thing'. Quite a clever scheme... I haven't encountered such an intriguing case in a long time."
The mushroom-headed assistant, still curious, asked, "But Captain, if there really is such a 'corpse collector,' how did he know about the Silver Moon cult's secret stronghold in Red Maple Street and just happen to be working in this team? We didn't even know in advance. Could it be that Golden Oak has an insider?"
Xie Guozhong shook his head, admiringly, "No, no, no. His information didn't come from Golden Oak. From what we've concluded, if you trace back the events, you'll see that the exposure of the Silver Moon cult's three secret strongholds was orchestrated by this person."
The two assistants were stunned, exclaiming in unison, "What?"
Xie Guozhong elaborated, "Our informants didn't leak any information, yet Golden Oak suddenly launched a raid. This suggests that the security company's top brass also received the intel last minute."
Upon hearing this, Ah wen also understood and said, "Captain, are you saying that someone provided accurate information, waiting for the Golden Oak Security Company to clear the base, and then went to find that item?"
"Yes. Only this possibility can explain everything."
Xie Guozhong nodded and continued, "Moreover, we just received the latest news that two Silver Moon bases have also been discovered in the western and southern parts of the city. The timing of discovering these two bases is quite clever. It was slightly later than the Red Cedar district in the northern part of the city. Now, seeing the explosion, it's clear that the person inside was trying to buy time and reduce pressure on himself, using some clever methods. Impressive... With at most second-level power, he dared to target the Silver Moon cult. What arrogance. I'm really becoming more curious about this guy."
Mushroom Head tilted his head, seemingly having an epiphany, "Captain, how do you know he's at most second-level?"
Xie Guozhong replied, "Since he had to use so many tricks to achieve his goal, it indicates that his own power isn't strong and he can only rely on cleverness. Also, needing to use the Golden Oak Security Company's forces suggests he likely has no special background."
Mushroom Head listened, somewhat understanding.
Ah wen's eyes lit up, and she said, "But the explosion already went off. He must have escaped."
Xie Guozhong's eyes glinted as he shook his head, "Not necessarily. Ordinary people might take advantage of the chaos to run. But given that guy's style... I don't think he would necessarily run."
Mushroom Head also analyzed, "Not run? If it were just this level of a bomb, it might kill a first-level spell card user. But that Silver Moon cultist is a second-level mystic-type [Mortician], and he's proficient in that forbidden demon technique. He definitely won't die."
Ah wen clearly agreed with this analysis, "Yeah. If he doesn't run, what else could he do?"
"I don't understand either."
Xie Guozhong squinted his eyes slightly and shrugged, jokingly saying, "Maybe he wants to take out the pursuers as well? Who knows..."
He then said, "Although we don't know why he took that 'thing,' when you can see the whole plan, you'll find this guy has a nearly pathological confidence. He's betting his life on not making any mistakes, always aiming for the greatest gain with the smallest risk, pure gambler's mentality. If any part of his plan goes wrong, he could fail completely or even die. However, judging by the outcome, his plan matches this confidence. So, since he anticipated someone coming, he must be confident he can get away unscathed... We'll see."
Just as he finished speaking, a second explosion occurred.
This time, it was underground!
The whole street shook slightly, like an earthquake.
Seeing this second explosion from the morgue, Xie Guozhong's eye twitched slightly, and he said in a strange tone, "Hey, could it really be as I thought..."