At the same time.
Shen gently removed the scarf from his head, revealing his flowing golden hair. His clear and graceful face, paired with those starry eyes, made several young girls nearby couldn't help but take a few extra glances.
Shen turned his head and gave a slight smile to a freckled-faced girl who was staring at him.
The girl blushed visibly and grabbed her camera, speaking in slightly unsteady English, "Excuse me, are you a movie star?"
Shen was momentarily taken aback.
"I mean, you... you're very charming. Can I take a photo with you?"
Shen nodded with a smile. The girl cheered with excitement and beckoned her companions to come over. They quickly surrounded Shen, holding cameras and selfie sticks, snapping pictures from various angles.
After it was over, Shen didn't refuse when one of the girls handed him a piece of paper with a phone number written on it. Instead, he smiled and put on her sunglasses.
On the square near the iconic wall, Shen slowly walked away.
Not far away, Chen Xiaolian was embracing Qiao Qiao. Qiao Qiao was drawn by the screams of the girls and couldn't help but glance over. She said with a smile, "Oh? That man is very handsome."
Chen Xiaolian felt a little jealous and snorted, "He's not as handsome as me."
"He does seem like a very tall and handsome rich man," Qiao Qiao giggled.
On the streets surrounding the square, Shen had reached the roadside, and a Bentley Continental quickly pulled over. A driver got out and handed the keys to Shen. He got into the car and drove away.
Chen Xiaolian chuckled, "Well, if he's a tall and handsome rich man, then I'm just a freeloader. Besides, my girlfriend is rich enough to support me. Oh, by the way, that sports car is nice. How about you get me one too?"
Surprisingly, Qiao Qiao took it seriously, "Do you really like it? I'll get you one when we get back."
"...Let's forget about it. I think starting to drive a Thunderstorm Battle Tank would be more fun."
In the evening, everyone returned to David Citadel Hotel.
They gathered in their rooms to consolidate the information they had gathered throughout the day.
Soo Soo, who had been left in the room all day, had a clear expression of "I've been left out" on her face. However, Qimu Xi and Xia Xiaolei were quite happy, especially Xia Xiaolei. It was his first time venturing this far from home, and even though they were collecting information all day, for him, it was almost no different from sightseeing. When they returned to the hotel, he was even wearing a small round hat like the one worn by the Jewish people, and he had a miniature carved version of the "Ten Commandments" that he had bought as a souvenir from the tourist attraction.
Lun Tai remained calm as they discussed the information they had gathered with Chen Xiaolian. "We visited several places, and overall, based on the various legends of Jerusalem, this place is a convergence of so many religions. If we want to approach it from a historical or religious perspective, the targets are just too numerous. We could only gather some general information."
Next to them, Roddy turned off his computer. "I've obtained the city's entire traffic map from the municipal system."
He pulled out a stack of printed maps and said, "I've marked several famous landmarks, which are likely mission areas. I've also annotated the surrounding terrain and roads. In essence, I've highlighted thirty-six roads as important landmarks, marked in red."
Chen Xiaolian took the maps and examined them carefully, sighing, "Perhaps no matter how much we prepare, in the end, it might all be in vain. Who knows how the instance dungeon will arrange things."
Lun Tai tried to reassure him, "Doing more preparation can't hurt, and after all... it's just a B-class instance dungeon."
Chen Xiaolian checked the time and said, "There's less than twenty-four hours left. Let's all take a break."
...
Night fell.
In front of a massive Gothic-style building.
On the empty square, stone sculptures stood tall. A white Bentley Continental car sped towards it, an elegant and graceful figure parked in the parking spot next to the building.
With slender legs, Shen slowly stepped out of the car.
The night breeze tousled his hair as Shen glanced around at the quiet night.
He tightened the white coat around him and then removed the scarf, holding it in his hand as he walked towards the Gothic-style building.
The tightly closed doors automatically opened when Shen had just stepped onto the first step.
A slender middle-aged man in a suit emerged, with gray hair and drooping eyelids.
"Your invitation, sir," the middle-aged man blocked Shen's path.
Shen looked at the man for a few seconds before smiling faintly, "Petero, is that you?"
The middle-aged man blinked, raised his head, and looked at Shen.
Shen continued with a smile, "It's been so long, and you've aged quite a bit."
The middle-aged man stared into Shen's eyes, and soon, his expression revealed shock. "You... you are... you are..."
"It's me, Petero," Shen still smiled, revealing his white teeth. "Let me think, how long has it been since we last met? Thirty years? Forty years?"
Petero suddenly staggered back a couple of steps, a look of sheer terror on his face. "You... you..."
"Don't be so nervous," Shen slowly stepped forward. "I didn't come here to kill you, or anyone else among you. Perhaps you should invite me in for a chat."
Petero's throat emitted a raspy sound, but he was too nervous to utter a single word.
However, Shen had already moved past him and walked directly into the doorway.
...
Inside the door.
The vast hall was about seven to eight meters deep.
Shen, however, seemed uninterested in the reliefs and paintings on the walls, and he headed toward a side door on his own.
Petero caught up with him from behind, and in front of Shen, two burly men also approached, wearing fierce expressions.
Shen smiled faintly and lightly flicked his finger.
Bang! Bang!
The two burly men were sent flying, propelled by some force. They crashed into the wall and were pinned there, suspended about three to four meters above the ground, unable to move.
"Relax, if I wanted to kill someone, you would be dead already," Shen sighed and pushed open the side door.
Inside was a massive space resembling a library, with a long oval-shaped table in the center, where several people were in the midst of a discussion.
In this meeting room, the building soared as high as three stories, with its intricate architectural design. Surrounding walls were covered in densely packed bookshelves, and various ancient cold weapons and weapons hung on display.
The room was dimly lit, with not very bright lighting. However, on the ceiling, there was a massive painting depicting a religious legend: a group of winged angels wielding various weapons, engaged in battle against a black demon within the chaos.
Shen's sudden entrance made everyone seated at the table stand up abruptly. Several pairs of eyes stared coldly at the doorway.
Shen stood at the entrance, casually tossing the scarf he had in his hand to Petero, who had followed him inside. Then, he swaggered towards the table.
"It's been a long time, old friends... or should I say, arch-enemies?"
Silence!
A deathly silence!
Around the oval table, the expressions of several people were extremely grim as they stared at Shen as if facing a formidable foe.
Finally, the individual seated at the top of the oval table took a deep breath, opened his hands, and made a downward pressing gesture. "Shen?"
Shen's lips curled into a smile. "It seems you haven't forgotten me yet. That's delightful."
He snapped his fingers, and from a row of chairs nearby, some chairs moved rapidly towards him, positioning themselves behind him automatically.
Shen took his seat, and an empty decanter on the table automatically slid in front of him, along with a wine glass.
Shen elegantly poured himself a glass from the decanter and then smiled.
"Meine, you still enjoy the finer things in life just as much. I knew I could count on you to provide quality."
He raised his glass and made a distant gesture toward the man sitting at the top of the oval table.
Meine's gaze was icy, and at his signal, the others slowly sat down. Petero, following Meine's gaze, swiftly left the room and closed the door behind him.
Meine herself remained standing, staring intensely at Shen. "After all these years, you are still the same."
"Surprising, isn't it?" Shen took another sip of his drink.
"No, not surprising," Meine gritted her teeth. "Over these years, almost every day, I prayed, I prayed for you! Shen, I prayed that you wouldn't meet any accidents, that you wouldn't die, especially not at someone else's hands! Because you have committed sins against us, and we must take revenge with our own hands."
Shen chuckled.
He set down his wine glass.
"Shen!" the man seated first on Meine's left shouted, "This is the Land of Light! You, a villain, dare to enter here. Aren't you afraid of divine punishment?!"
Shen lifted an eyebrow and looked at the speaker, his eyes revealing a hint of pity—unconcealed pity.
Then, he slowly began to speak.
"Gatuso, what can I say? After all these years, you haven't shown a bit of remorse."
Shen shook his head. "You, and all of you, are still the same. Why is that? Can't accept reality? Or is it that you are well aware of reality but continue to deceive and numb yourselves for the sake of your inner fragility?"
Shen looked around. "Look at this place, the way you've arranged it... sacred, majestic, mysterious... filled with the scent of religion.
But you're not ordinary people; you're not the NPCs you find on the streets. You're all Awakened.
As Awakened, you're well aware of the truth of this world.
God? Divine punishment?
Don't make me laugh. The gods you speak of are nothing more than a part of this world's setting."
Gatuso's cheeks seemed to puff up as if he were about to explode.
"Calm down, Gatuso," Meine spoke up, leaning slightly forward. "Shen, don't try to provoke us. The grudges between us don't need any more added anger. Since you've found your way here, then..."
"Then what?" Shen laughed. "Close the door and come at me together, to kill me?"
His gaze became increasingly filled with pity. "Do you know, Meine, once among the Awakened, I thought you were one of the few worth admiring. But I never expected you to have turned into such a pitiful creature."
He opened his hands, his expression calm. "Kill me? Meine, and you, Gatuso... you both know very well that you can't kill me. Even if the few seated here were to attack me together, you wouldn't have the ability to kill me. In that case, why bother with these ridiculous... nonsense!"
With that, Shen suddenly stood up, reached out, and tossed something onto the table!
Bang!
The sound echoed in the spacious hall, piercing to the ears.
On the table lay a box.
A long and narrow box!
Shen stood in front of the table and lightly tapped his finger. The box quickly slid across the oval table and came to a stop in front of Meine.
"Open it and see what's inside. There's a surprise," Shen said with a smile.
Meine's expression filled with suspicion and hesitation, but she eventually reached out and opened the long wooden box.
As the box's lid cracked open slightly, a brilliant golden light burst forth from within!
The golden light shone on Meine's face, immediately revealing a look of astonishment!!
Bang!
Meine immediately closed the box. She looked at Shen with astonishment and asked, "This, this is?"
"Yes, it is."
Shen appeared quite relaxed and took another sip from his wine glass. "It's the same one. This is the item I took from you several decades ago after beating you all up. You've hated me for this thing, thirsting for my flesh, my blood, and my hide. Isn't that right? Now, I'm giving it back to you."
"Why?" Meine took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the turmoil in her heart. "Back then, you killed so many to obtain this...?"
"Because I've already gotten what I wanted from it. It has no value to me anymore," Shen said indifferently. "I've used it, and to me, it's of no use anyway."
Joy surged in Meine's heart, nearly bringing tears to her eyes.
Shen looked at Meine and sighed softly. "If you're going to get so emotional that you cry, it's best to do it after I've left and not during our conversation. I have a few more things to say."
Shen pointed at the long box in Meine's hand. "The contents in there... are the same as this one, and I found several more of them in different places later on."
Hiss!
All the people in the room simultaneously took a sharp breath.
"This thing has no value to me anymore, giving one back to you is not a big deal. But, of course, I'm not here to do a good deed — you all know I'm not that kind. What I want to tell you is... I guess even though this thing is useless to me now, it's still something you all desire, isn't it?"
"Don't waste words, Shen!" Meine's voice was hoarse.
"It's quite simple. I can give you a few more," Shen smiled. "But..."
Meine froze and stared at Shen carefully. "But what? A trade?"
"Yes, exactly, a trade."
Meine burst into laughter!
"A trade? You actually want us to trade with you?! The last time we traded with you was the biggest mistake we've ever made in our lives! We were manipulated by you..."
"But now, haven't I returned the item to you? And I can give you even more."
Meine fell silent.
"You want this thing very, very much, day and night! I understand your desires very well. So... whether or not to make this trade depends on your decision."
Meine fell silent once again.
It was evident that these individuals were communicating covertly through their team channel.
Shen didn't appear to be in a hurry; he calmly sipped his drink.
Finally, Meine sighed. "Let's hear your conditions first."
Shen smiled.
"You should know that there's a dungeon about to open in this area soon, right..."