Chapter 1 Stephen, the Lieutenant, is Still Alive?

Lieutenant Stephen is still alive? Zhang Yuanqing sat in his office chair, a look of horror on his face, his mind racing.

The Sea Swallow disappeared in 1900. No more sea monsters have appeared in the southern waters of Ireland. Lieutenant Stephen was the target of the Magic Seed's contamination.

During World War II, Stephen Simpson, who should have died in 1900, appeared on the battlefield, his appearance unchanged from fifteen years ago....

The plot of the Spooky Cruise flashed through his mind, and at this moment, it quickly merged with the archive attachments from the Irish Naval Headquarters. A vague truth gradually emerged.

"So, the truth behind the disappearance of the Sea Swallow is that the mutated Lieutenant Stephen killed all the Lingjing Xingzhe on the cruise ship and escaped with the Magic Seed."

Zhang Yuanqing was somewhat horrified. "The Magic Seed can allow that ordinary person, after mutation, to defeat a Cardinal at the peak of Level Six."

He and Guan Ya exchanged a look, both with grave expressions. What exactly is the Magic Seed?

An even more terrifying fact is that Stephen is still alive in the real world, and the Magic Seed also has a high probability of still existing.

The "Magic Seed" in the Spooky Cruise instance should be a replica generated by the Lingjing, not the real Magic Seed. The Lingjing simply recreated that period of history as an instance.

"A bit of a ghost story!" Zhang Yuanqing exclaimed.

If Stephen Simpson is still alive, then what is his current level? He must have become a Lingjing Xingzhe. This kind of deeply contaminated being will inevitably obtain the qualifications to be issued a character card, and might even be a big shot in the Evil camp.

The Magic Seed belongs to the Breaking Bad profession. If Stephen became a Breaking Bad, then one of the Alchemist Guild's demigod-level, peak-level Overlords might be him.

"Guan Ya, go check if Stephen Simpson's son has any descendants," Zhang Yuanqing instructed.

Lingjing Xingzhe having blood-related offspring is a relatively stable medium. Using the offspring's bloodline can also reverse-curse the ancestors. Of course, the curse's power will become very weak, and if the ancestor's level is extremely high, then the curse might not work at all.

But for a Star Official, the offspring's blood can be used to reverse-deduce the ancestor.

Zhang Yuanqing doesn't plan to deduce Stephen now because that's no different from courting death. He wants to wait until his level has risen before he meets this lieutenant.

At this moment, the frosted glass door was knocked on. Sun Miaomiao's crisp, pleasant voice came, "I'm coming in!"

The next second, the office door opened. Sun Miaomiao's bright eyes darted between the two, wrinkling her nose.

"Why are you closing the door in broad daylight? Ju Mang, Guan Ya, are you two plotting something shady?"

Guan Ya was immediately annoyed. She is Yuan Shi's official girlfriend. What was Sun Miaomiao implying with that wife-catching stance?

Ever since the Palace Mistress of Zhisha set an example, Sun Miaomiao seemed to have learned the Dragon-Slaying Technique. On the surface, they were still good sisters, but in private, she often used the fact that Guan Ya was Yuan Shi Tianzun's girlfriend to put her in her place, questioning what relationship she had with Ju Mang.

Zhang Yuanqing coughed and echoed, "It's nothing!"

He pretended not to see the power struggle between the two women. As the Palace Mistress of Zhisha said, women are born to be skilled in combat. The best way to deal with it is to play dumb.

"Wei Ni wants you for a meeting, in Conference Room Three," Sun Miaomiao said.

Conference Room Three is a large conference room.

"Are we preparing to take action?" Zhang Yuanqing's expression turned serious.

"There's a job. You guys stand by."

He got up and left the office, arriving at the door of Conference Room Three. Through the frosted glass wall, he saw that the conference room was pitch black, without a trace of light leaking out.

"Knock, knock!"

He knocked on the frosted glass door. The darkness inside the conference room quickly receded, and bright light illuminated the room. Then, Wei Ni's voice came, "Come in!"

Zhang Yuanqing pushed open the door to the conference room and saw four men and one woman sitting at the conference table.

Ten people sat in the audience seats, men and women, both white and black, and Chinese.

Zhang Yuanqing even saw an old acquaintance among them, Fengshen Zhiyi (Wings of the Wind God), a Level Six Saint from the Anti-Black and White Alliance.

"Is this a mobilization? Aren't they afraid that the Evil camp will notice in advance, making such a big commotion? Unless the Evil camp's strength is too strong, we wouldn't need to mobilize so many Saints..." Zhang Yuanqing felt something was wrong...

He nodded slightly towards Fengshen, carefully examining the five people at the conference table. He recognized three of them. One was North, one of the peak Saints from the New York Branch of Heavenly Punishment; one was a Saint from the Merchant Guild, Reilly Eugene, a member of the Faction of Interest; and the last one was also an old acquaintance – Xia Zuo!

This Level Six Knight was as serious as ever, sitting there without any expression, like a sculpture. Wasn't he from Heavenly Punishment headquarters? Why did he come to New York?

"There are also two peak Saints in the New York Branch. We lost quite a few Level 4 and Level 5 Saints, so we should replenish fresh blood," Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself.

He couldn't tell the ages of the remaining man and woman. The woman was charming and had a voluptuous figure, making men unable to resist the urge to strip her clothes and press her onto the bed for a fierce violation.

With such familiar traits, Zhang Yuanqing immediately realized they were from the Eros profession, members of the Goddess Association.

The man had an arrogant expression, a burly figure, and lake-blue eyes. His beard covered half of his face.

As Zhang Yuanqing sized them up, the Saints also scrutinized this legendary Beast King. Especially the woman from the Eros profession, her eyes sparkled, looking at Zhang Yuanqing like a hunter who hadn't had a meal in a long time eyeing prey.

The sound of chairs sliding echoed in unison. The Saints in the audience seats stood up one after another, nodding or smiling, expressing their goodwill to this dazzling Beast King of the Five Elements Alliance.

"Everyone, sit down!" Zhang Yuanqing waved his hand, acting like a big shot.

Wei Ni and Sean, the two chiefs sitting at the head of the conference table, invited Zhang Yuanqing to take a seat. Sean uncovered a red cloth, revealing a black sphere underneath.

In the next second, a layer of grayness covered the conference room. After Sean Meade's introduction, Zhang Yuanqing learned the identity of the enchanting woman. Her Lingjing ID was Emily, a high-level deacon of the Goddess Association, and also the only peak Saint in the association's branch.

The bearded man was called Deep Sea Terror, a high-level Saint of the Sea God Church.

The five people at the conference table were all peak Saints, and the people in the audience seats were ordinary Saints, a total of fifteen Saints. "Tsk tsk, this lineup is too luxurious. This is the rhythm of making things happen."

Zhang Yuanqing was thoughtful, vaguely grasping the purpose of this meeting. At this time, Sean Meade said indifferently, "Everyone is here. Let's talk about the target of this operation. According to our intelligence, the Southern Faction of the Soldiers of Christ and the Dark Night Rose, from the Second District, have sent a Saint team to sneak into New York to aid the Evil camp."

"The team has peak Saints and ordinary Saints, roughly 10 to 15 people. Your task this time is to annihilate this team, especially the three peak Saints. They must die!"

As he spoke, he picked up the remote control and projected the Star Official, Illusionist, and Enchantress's professional skills onto the screen.

The Saints all looked at the screen, even though they were already familiar with this information.

Sean Meade continued, "According to reliable intelligence, this team will arrive in New York Harbor tomorrow night, but radar and patrol boats have not found any trace of the smuggling ship."

"Therefore, tomorrow Wei Ni and I will use the Sky Child to locate them. You will stand by at New York Harbor tomorrow. After locking onto the enemy's location, Minister Wei Ni will notify you, and I will guard against the Overlords of the Evil camp."

Heavenly Punishment intends to use that rule-type item. The Saints in the room were shocked. In their understanding, that rule item can directly locate Lingjing Xingzhe, and is a strategic weapon of Heavenly Punishment.

Using this kind of weapon to deal with Saints is a bit of an overkill.

At this time, they heard a low laugh, "The stage of Saints making small troubles is over. Has it finally come to the time for Overlords to personally fight?"

Wei Ni and Sean exchanged glances, both somewhat surprised. Among so many Saints present, Ju Mang was the first to perceive the truth.

"Overlords personally fighting, what does that mean?" A dark-skinned Saint with thick lips looked at Ju Mang, then looked at the two chiefs.

Some of the Saints were thoughtful, while others were simply confused, waiting for an explanation.

Zhang Yuanqing chuckled, "I have two Overlord-level items, one left by Yuan Shi Tianzun, and one from Bacchus. If the enemies are just three peak Saints and a dozen ordinary Saints, the hunting mission is enough for me and my team. Why summon you to participate in the operation? The more people there are, the greater the possibility of leaks."

"In addition, a Star Official can deduce the future. A Level 6 peak Saint who is a Star Official can even deduce the actions of a Level 7 Overlord. Did you see the two chiefs mention Hidden Protection just now?"

After a pause, Zhang Yuanqing continued, "Because it's not needed. The two chiefs want the Evil camp to play in the open, because we have the Sky Child, taking the initiative. If the Evil camp is unwilling to abandon the Saints who are being located by the Sky Child, they can only accept the challenge."

"If I were a high-level member of the Evil camp, I would bet everything to destroy the high-level Saints of the Righteous camp, and preferably kill two Overlords as well. If successful, the situation in New York will be completely changed."

The Saints' expressions changed slightly, looking at the two chiefs as if seeking confirmation.

Wei Ni nodded slowly, "Tomorrow night's operation will indeed change the situation in New York. The faction war has already reached the stage where the Overlords have to personally take action."

Don't look at the fact that the Saints from the various organizations can fill several rooms when added together, but when divided up, there aren't that many.

The Overlords personally taking action is already a matter of time.

Therefore, tomorrow night is a turning point in the war. No matter which side wins, the other side's Saints will suffer a devastating blow.

The people present are all at risk of returning to the Lingjing.

At this time, the Holy Knight Xia Zuo stared at Zhang Yuanqing and said, "Have we met before?"

Seeing everyone looking at him, Zhang Yuanqing chuckled, "When you were in Hua Country, I happened to be in an instance. Otherwise, how would Yuan Shi Tianzun have had the chance to be in the limelight?"

He was not afraid of Xia Zuo recognizing him at all. Illusionists are best at disguising, and their appearance and aura have changed.

The personality he displayed was also different.

Ju Mang has a seemingly gentle but actually fierce and arrogant personality, while Yuan Shi Tianzun is outwardly sophisticated but actually unruly.

The underlying nature of their personalities is different.

"But the knight's intuition is indeed surprisingly terrifying. I have to be careful when visiting Wei Ni's grandfather in the future. To be able to catch a wolf bare-handed, the intuition of an Overlord-level knight will only be stronger."

Sean Meade looked around at everyone and took out a knight's longsword, saying, "This operation must be absolutely confidential. Everyone needs to swear an oath."

At ten thirty in the evening, at the Massage and Health Club at 69 Hamburg Street in Queens District, Zhang Yuanqing, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, entered the health club with pink neon lights.

Japanese lanterns created a dim and warm atmosphere. He walked through the corridor and came to the bronze-clad door, gently knocking on it. After hearing Catherine's soft and charming voice from inside, he pushed the door open and entered.

Catherine was sitting on a single sofa, dressed in a black knee-length skirt, without exposed shoulders or charming makeup, dressed formally.

"You can just send me a message directly on my phone if there's a mission!" Zhang Yuanqing casually sat at the glass round table and poured himself a glass of water.

He had received a text message from Catherine to come over, and he had already expected it.

Zhang Yuanqing's mind was full of "Holy crap!" He didn't know whether to praise everyone for doing a good job with intelligence work or criticize them for doing a lousy job with confidentiality. "You infiltrate me, I infiltrate you."

It would be better to set up a ring and have direct life-or-death battles on the ring, from the Transcendent to the Demigod level, which would be more straightforward.

Before becoming a Lingjing Xingzhe and coming to New York, Zhang Yuanqing imagined the war as Zhao Zilong charging in and out seven times, and Zhuge Liang planning strategies and winning from a thousand miles away.

After arriving in New York, he realized that the war in reality was definitely an intelligence war, with Heavenly Punishment, which was known as having the most spies and secret agents in the world, facing the Free Covenant, which had been lurking for centuries with pawns spread throughout various organizations.

The result was that I knew your actions, and you also knew my plans. Everyone was betting on their luck with a tacit understanding.

"Is there a way to shield the Sky Child's positioning?" Zhang Yuanqing tentatively asked.

Catherine shook her head, "How can you shield an Overlord-level rule item? Unless it's a higher level of power, such as a Demigod-level Hidden Protection!"

Zhang Yuanqing analyzed in a serious tone, "So, you're planning to use this opportunity to counter-ambush the Saints of the opposing camp?"

Catherine smiled, "There's a Level Six Star Official in our Saint reinforcement team. Heavenly Punishment knows this and still chooses to ambush. Why do you think that is?"

"Heavenly Punishment has made full preparations?" Zhang Yuanqing said.

Catherine nodded, "We have no choice. We've lost the war at the Saint stage. If we abandon the strength of the Second District's reinforcement team, the end result will be the Overlords personally taking action. In that case, we might as well take this opportunity to fight Heavenly Punishment directly and launch a decisive battle tomorrow night."

"So, there will be Overlords participating in the war tomorrow night?" Zhang Yuanqing nodded to show that he understood.

Catherine said, "Your main task tomorrow night is to participate in the Saint battle and kill as many Saints from the Righteous camp as possible. Typhon, Cocktail, and Hydra will all participate."

"It's going to be lively. The peak Saints from the two major camps add up to more than ten," Zhang Yuanqing said, hooking the corner of his mouth. "Interesting!"

He then said sternly, "New York Harbor is the headquarters of the Sea God Church. Are you sure you want to start a war there? The Sea God Church has a demigod."

"A demigod might not bother with a battle between Saints, but in a life-or-death battle between Overlords, even peak Overlords and demigods will likely intervene!"

Catherine's mouth curved into a strange smile, "You've never believed in the existence of gods. Tonight, you'll have the chance to see one!"