No Internal Traitors, Time for Some Priest Jokes

For a while, life passed in an atmosphere that seemed peaceful on the surface but was actually rife with undercurrents.

Lu Su sat outside the President’s Office, glanced at the orange-yellow sunset beyond the window, and stretched. "Time to get off work."

Although he knew the Guiyi Cult was definitely plotting something shady, they had yet to reveal any clues, leaving Lu Su with no way to deal with them for the moment.

Since that was the case, life still had to go on. He could only have his subordinates strengthen their patrols and see whether they could uncover any traces.

An open spear was easy to block, but a hidden arrow was hard to guard against.

That was also the pain of the association being so large.

"Knock, knock, knock."

However, just as Lu Su was preparing to leave work, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

Lu Su froze slightly. He had not expected someone to come looking for him at this hour. "Come in."

Yet when he saw the visitor, Lu Su could not help but pause.

The one who entered was Old Wang, a clerk from the Human Resources Management Department.

"Where’s Director Yu?"

He found it strange. Logically speaking, if the Human Resources Management Department had business with him, Yu Hengrui should have come personally.

"Did he sneak off again?"

Lu Su thought to himself.

Thinking of how that injured middle-aged man often left work early, that was the only explanation he could come up with.

Old Wang clearly knew all about his director’s admirable habits. He merely gave an awkward smile before handing Lu Su a document. "Director Yu has taken sick leave recently. He hasn’t come to Headquarters for several days."

"This is the attendance record for the association Headquarters this month. It still needs your approval, President."

Lu Su paused and instinctively took the document. "Gold Grade Card Masters can get sick too?"

Although the middle-aged man who served as director of the Human Resources Management Department had indeed been injured before, it was still difficult for a Gold Grade Card Master to fall ill.

If this had been before Lu Su transmigrated, claiming he had caught a chill at the start of autumn would have sounded plausible.

Lu Su only assumed Yu Hengrui was using it as an excuse to slack off.

Still, not showing up to work for several days in a row was a little excessive.

He decided to visit the man later and see what was really going on.

As for why Old Wang had come to find him, he understood now. With Yu Hengrui absent, only Lu Su and Lu Yan were left to make decisions.

After reading through the document, Lu Su signed his name on it. However, instead of handing it back to Old Wang immediately, he asked curiously, "Has the Logistics Department’s sick leave rate been a little high this month?"

The Logistics Department was responsible for miscellaneous work within the association. Its personnel were mostly ordinary people and Black Iron Grade Card Masters.

Lu Su had just noticed in the records that, this month—or rather, recently—the number of absentees in the Logistics Department had risen sharply compared with before.

Old Wang scratched his head. "Maybe they didn’t pay attention to the temperature after autumn arrived and caught colds?"

He was only responsible for compiling the statistics. He did not know the specific reasons.

After all, most of those absent had merely given the reason that they were feeling unwell.

Lu Su tugged at the corner of his mouth. He had not expected Old Wang to say aloud the very thought he had just used to mock Yu Hengrui internally.

With a headache, he handed the document back to Old Wang. "All right, go back first."

Watching Old Wang hurriedly leave the President’s Office, he could not help sighing. "When the beam above is crooked, the ones below will follow."

"It would have been nice if Liu Yu had taken over the Human Resources Management Department."

Lu Su always felt that Yu Hengrui had led the entire Human Resources Management Department astray.

After Old Wang left, no one else stopped Lu Su from getting off work. He straightened his clothes and prepared to visit Yu Hengrui, who had not been seen for several days.

There was no need to prepare a flower basket. Little Spider’s food would do just fine.

Though Little Spider would probably protest if she found out.

"Ding-dong."

Looking at the silent villa before him, Lu Su rang the doorbell.

Before long, the villa door opened from within. "President."

However, when Lu Su saw who had opened the door, he was startled. "Director Yu, how did you end up like this?"

Yu Hengrui, who appeared before Lu Su, had a gaunt face and a shriveled body. He looked like a man whose days were numbered.

Yu Hengrui gave a bitter smile and stepped aside. "President, come in and let’s talk."

Upon reaching the living room, Lu Su saw the middle-aged man trying to pour him a glass of water and quickly stopped him.

He was afraid the man might just keel over on the spot.

Soon, several Ghost Shadow Soldiers busied themselves beside the two of them.

A moment later, Yu Hengrui held a cup of hot tea in his hands and took a sip. "President, sorry for letting you see me like this."

Lu Su frowned and raised a hand to stop him. "Skip the pleasantries."

"What happened to you?"

At that, Yu Hengrui fell silent for a moment before saying in a deliberately relaxed tone, "It’s an old problem. There’s always a period like this every year."

It was no secret within the Donglai Card Master Association that Yu Hengrui had once suffered severe injuries, but Lu Su had only now learned that it could leave him looking like this.

"Have you gone to the hospital?"

Hearing Lu Su’s question, Yu Hengrui laughed hoarsely. "Of course. President, do I look like someone who isn’t afraid of dying?"

"It’s just that the doctors couldn’t find anything either. They only said it was the same as previous years."

The doctors Yu Hengrui had sought out were certainly not ordinary people, but Card Masters with medical-type cards.

After examining him, they had not detected anything unusual and had only told him to rest well.

But Yu Hengrui knew his own condition. There was only one possible explanation for this sudden deterioration.

"Maybe my time is almost up."

His calm voice entered Lu Su’s ears.

The teacup in Lu Su’s hand trembled slightly. He opened his mouth, but did not know what to say.

To be honest, he was not particularly familiar with the middle-aged man beside him. He had originally come only to give him a warning and tell him not to push things so far.

Who could have expected things to turn out like this?

Lu Su drained the tea in his cup in one gulp, then prepared to take his leave.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a family portrait hanging on the wall. Yu Hengrui’s smile in the photo was brilliant, completely unlike the middle-aged man Lu Su remembered.

"…Director Yu, get some proper rest. Don’t overthink things."

"I’ll have Old Wang temporarily handle the Human Resources Management Department’s affairs. Don’t burden yourself with it."

With that, he set down his teacup and left the villa.

Outside the villa, Lu Su looked up at the pitch-black night sky and muttered, "That seemed to be my teacup."

Shaking his head, he did not care about losing a few teacups. It was nothing to him, and he did not take the matter to heart.

What he was thinking about now was how strange Yu Hengrui’s cliff-like decline seemed. No matter what, he was still a Gold Grade Card Master.

Moreover, ever since Lu Su had come to Donglai, Yu Hengrui had basically never done any heavy work. The only time he had led a team was on the night Sima Huai was assassinated, but they had not actually encountered any enemies.

Lu Su vaguely had an odd feeling, but he could not grasp where it came from.

"Tch."

Irritated, he kicked away a pebble by his feet.

After glancing back once more at the silent villa, Lu Su instantly left the area.

In an underground space, Li Shuo stood before a blood pool and looked at the youth in midair, who had completely lost his human form. A satisfied smile appeared on his face. "Son, don’t blame me."

Then he looked at Cliff, who stood nearby. "When can we perform the next sacrifice?"

Cliff lowered his head expressionlessly and looked at the tablet in his hands. "Don’t rush. Once it has fully hatched, we can perform the final sacrifice."

"But don’t go out during this period. With your current combat strength…"

"I’m afraid Lu Su will beat you to death outright."

The red-robed middle-aged man’s cheek twitched uncontrollably when he heard that.

Although he knew Cliff was telling the truth, and he had indeed returned in a sorry state last time, those words were far too unpleasant.

As if to spare his feelings, Cliff added, "But once the plan succeeds, forget Lu Su—even those Master Card Masters probably won’t be your match."

For a researcher, being able to paint a rosy picture was an essential skill.

After all, a researcher who could not make PowerPoint slides was not a good researcher.

If you could not even sell a dream, how could you expect the boss to invest in you?

Li Shuo’s expression eased slightly upon hearing that, but he knew Cliff was merely painting a rosy picture. He immediately sneered. "You don’t need to placate me. I know."

"But Lu Su…"

"Once the plan is complete, kill him if we run into him."

"If we don’t, forget it."

Li Shuo was not an idiot. He understood that with the commotion he might create in the end, if he did not escape quickly enough, he would likely have to face the association’s high-level Card Masters.

The high-level Card Masters referred to Diamond Grade and above.

But Lu Su…

He was merely a Gold Grade ant. Once the plan was complete, Li Shuo could crush him with a flip of his hand.

Cliff glanced at the middle-aged man beside him and curled his lip. "As long as you know what you’re doing."

Li Shuo did not reply. After looking at the monster in midair for a few moments, he turned and left under Dangun’s guidance.

After returning home, Lu Su took out the sub-machine as usual. Every day, he checked whether Jin Ping had issued any orders.

Six: Come here.

Six: Address.

Seeing the messages, Lu Su froze. He had not expected Gu Wu to contact him.

Six: I’ll be there right away.

After replying simply, Lu Su frowned and put away the sub-machine, then rushed toward the address Gu Wu had sent.

After autumn arrived, the sea breeze blowing across the beach had gradually taken on a trace of chill.

In the darkness, a point of fire flickered on and off.

"Phew."

The flame suddenly went out, and a faint voice drifted over. "Why isn’t he here yet?"

The next moment, a figure suddenly appeared on the beach.

"Fifth Brother."

It was Lu Su.

After receiving Gu Wu’s message, he had immediately rushed toward the coordinates the other man sent.

In the end, on a small island far from the Coastline, he found the man in the black suit.

Fortunately, both Spider-girl and Frieren could use Space Magic to travel. Otherwise, Lu Su would likely have needed more time to get there.

Hearing Lu Su’s voice, Gu Wu did not waste words. He simply placed a hand on Lu Su’s shoulder. "Relax. I’ll take you to see the President."

As soon as he spoke, Lu Su’s vision blurred, and he arrived in a luxurious study.

Gu Wu lowered his head respectfully and said, "President, I’ve brought Six."

Lu Su also lowered his head in greeting. "President."

At the same time, a hoarse voice sounded in the room. "Long time no see, Six."

"You caused quite a stir in Donglai some time ago."

Lu Su’s heart tightened. "May I ask which matter the President is referring to?"

He was not playing dumb. It was mainly because he had done rather a lot in Donglai recently, so he did not know which incident Jin Ping meant.

Jin Ping seemed to choke for a moment before saying with interest, "Didn’t you lead your men in assassinating Donglai’s President before?"

"Good job. Keep working hard. Strive to rise to a high position in the association as soon as possible."

Lu Su froze. He had not expected this matter to reach Jin Ping’s ears, and this Master Card Master apparently believed he had acted in order to seize power.

"It was all thanks to you. Otherwise, I would not have been able to get rid of Sima Huai so easily."

But since Jin Ping had already put it that way, Lu Su naturally could not deny it and simply followed his words.

Then Lu Su asked, "May I ask why you summoned me here today, sir?"

However, just as he asked that, Gu Wu beside him gave him a deathly stare.

Lu Su frowned slightly, unsure what he had said wrong.

"Lunatic."

He cursed inwardly.

Lu Su suspected it was because he had taken the initiative to ask.

After a long while, Jin Ping finally said, "All right, Gu Wu. Six’s attitude is normal. After all, he’s a busy man in the association now."

For a moment, Lu Su could not tell whether the hook-nosed elder was helping him out or being sarcastic.

Fortunately, Jin Ping did not continue the topic. "I called you here today because it’s about time you met the Spirit Summoning Society’s partner."

"Remember not to use that face. I’ll help conceal you as well."

A partner?

This was the first time Lu Su had learned that the Spirit Summoning Society had a partner.

After all, in Great Ming, these lunatics and the equally illegal Guiyi Cult were practically mortal enemies.

As Lu Su thought about this, he changed his face into Lu Xi’s appearance.

Jin Ping stood up and came to Lu Su’s side, patting his shoulder. "Don’t worry. It won’t take much time. It definitely won’t delay your association work."

"Yes."

What else could Lu Su say at this point?

Sighing inwardly, he followed Jin Ping out of the room.

The moment he stepped outside, a city that was not particularly prosperous came into view.

"Where is this?"

Lu Su stared blankly at the blond, blue-eyed humans walking past him.

Clearly, this was no longer Great Ming.

At that moment, Gu Wu spoke quietly beside him. "This is Rosossus."

Where was Rosossus?

For a moment, Lu Su could not recall where that place was.

But Gu Wu’s next words made him realize. "Those foreigners liked to call it Australia."

Upon hearing that name, Lu Su stared at Gu Wu in shock. "Fifth Brother, your teleportation can reach that far?"

Yet contrary to what he said, what truly shocked him was that Australia actually had a gathering camp for illegal card makers. But considering that this place had originally been a land of exile, it did not seem all that strange.

Gu Wu looked speechlessly at the young man beside him. At that moment, he truly wanted to pry open his skull and see what he was thinking. "The President’s room comes with teleportation. We arrived the moment we pushed open the door."

"I only brought you to the President’s room."

As they spoke, the three had already arrived before a City within a City.

A castle built of stone.

Jin Ping walked up to the castle and knocked on the wooden gate at an unhurried pace.

The next moment, an enormous face appeared on the gate. "Who is it?"

After seeing the Hook-nosed Elder’s face, the giant face choked on its words, then said fawningly, "Lord Jin, the other two lords have been waiting for you for quite some time."

Then, the wooden gate slowly opened, revealing a broad passageway.

Lu Su hurriedly followed behind Jin Ping into the Castle.

Gu Wu lowered his voice. "Don’t speak later. If anything happens, the lords will handle it."

"Also, no movement other than walking is allowed inside this Castle. Remember that."

Lu Su nodded slightly to show that he understood.

Soon, the three arrived before a massive metal door inlaid with countless gemstones.

Without changing expression, Jin Ping casually pushed open the heavy door and entered first.

Lu Su and Gu Wu followed close behind.

"You finally came, Old Dog Jin."

The moment he entered, Lu Su was startled by the words that reached his ears.

What kind of brave warrior dared to insult that old lunatic Jin Ping to his face?

Following the voice, he saw a delicate little boy with a malicious smile on his face, looking at Jin Ping, who had just entered.

Several white men and women beside the little boy were also watching the three coldly.

Yet Jin Ping reacted differently from what Lu Su had expected. He merely gave a strange laugh. "Chris, were your mouth blessed by a priest when you were little too? Why does it stink so badly?"

The little boy called Chris instantly turned black as the bottom of a pot. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Old Dog Jin—"

Lu Su looked probingly at Gu Wu beside him. Gu Wu silently nodded, confirming his guess.

Do priests in this world also like blessing little boys? Lu Su was somewhat speechless.

Just as the two were about to fight, a somewhat helpless voice sounded from the side. "This place can’t withstand the two of you making trouble. For my sake, let this go, all right?"

Lu Su turned his head. The speaker was a brown-skinned woman wearing a feathered crown.

"Since the Skin Peeler says so." Seeing that someone had offered him a way out, Chris shot Jin Ping a fierce glare and said no more.

The brown-skinned woman known as the Skin Peeler continued, "President Jin, what is the urgent matter for gathering us this time?"

"And aren’t you going to introduce the new little friend to us?"

Jin Ping brought Lu Su and Gu Wu to a long table and sat in the seat of honor without ceremony. "Lu Xi, a newly recruited genius of our Spirit Summoning Society. I brought him here to meet everyone, so our own people don’t end up fighting each other."

Lu Su also found the nameplate representing him.

The reason he could find it was because the energy nameplate floating in midair had thoughtfully written a Six in Great Ming, English, and Indian, among other languages.

He honestly sat down.

Lu Su had already noticed that Chris and the Skin Peeler possessed an aura identical to Jin Ping’s.

They were all Master Card Masters.

Naturally, he played ostrich in such a situation. Gu Wu had just told him not to speak anyway.

As for why people who were clearly not from the same country could communicate without any obstacle, Lu Su thought it was probably because of cards.

He secretly swept his gaze over everyone present and discovered that several card makers with ominous auras sat beside each of the other two Master Card Masters.

Of course, many seats were empty as well.

Just like the seats marked One, Two, Three, and Four on Lu Su’s side.

The most outrageous part was that no one sat behind one of the long tables at all.

Chris curled his lips and stared directly at Lu Su, making him shiver uncontrollably. "All this for him?"

Before Jin Ping could speak, however, the Skin Peeler helplessly looked at Chris. "Enough."

"President Jin must have other matters to discuss."

As her words fell, the pressure on Lu Su abruptly lessened.

Jin Ping continued, "Also, several Master Grade Secret Realms have appeared in Antarctica at the same time, and a Hall of Fame Grade Secret Realm is even brewing there."

"As far as I know, Bai Yueming and Wei Zheng have already been held up there. They likely won’t be able to get away anytime soon."

"Also, the Hall of Fame Grade Secret Realm Ye Zhou has been suppressing within Great Ming should be nearing its end."

The Hook-nosed Elder’s words instantly plunged the room into dead silence.

After a moment, the Skin Peeler spoke thoughtfully. "I was wondering why I haven’t sensed Adley’s Supreme Machine God lately. Looks like he went to Antarctica too."

Chris frowned. "Nothing’s happening on my side."

"Wait!"

Then, as if he had realized something, he suddenly looked toward the only empty table in the room. "No wonder Marcus didn’t come."

"He went to Antarctica too?!"

Lu Su was completely bewildered.

He had not expected to hear his Teacher’s name here.

But now, he also understood why his Teacher had not replied to his messages. He had not been held up by some Secret Realm within Great Ming at all—something had happened in Antarctica.

"But does Antarctica really require Teacher to rush over from Great Ming?"

Besides wondering where his Teacher had gone, Lu Su also realized something else.

Jin Ping had likely brought him here for another reason: to warn him.

Perhaps Lu Su’s growth had exceeded Jin Ping’s expectations, or perhaps Jin Ping simply wanted to warn him.

In any case, Lu Su was definitely not in a good mood.

At that moment, a smile appeared on the Skin Peeler’s face. "Thank you for the information, President Jin."

Hearing this, Jin Ping rose to his feet. "Since none of you have any other news, we’ll be leaving first."

But Chris snorted. "Old Dog Jin, have you forgotten the rules?"

"That kid hasn’t passed the test yet, has he?"

Seeing that Chris seemed to be referring to him, Lu Su looked at Jin Ping beside him in confusion.

Jin Ping glanced at Lu Su. "Isn’t that exactly what I’m taking him to do? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Good, as long as you haven’t forgotten." Hearing Jin Ping say that, Chris said nothing more.

A moment later, Lu Su stood on a massive combat arena, his head full of question marks. Before him were the three cards under his Spirit Summoning Society Identity.

In the distance floated a demon.

----

Name: None

Title: Test Subject

Level: Gold

Possible Material Drop: Void Soul

----

Looking around at the figures watching from the surrounding elevated platforms, Lu Su stared at the appraisal information sent by Little Spider, unable to understand how things had turned out like this.