A Tricky Investigation

Nearly twenty people walked out of the back door of the Extreme Martial Arts School.

The area behind the martial arts school was already developed, blocks of residential buildings lined up in the development. They walked on a secluded, little-known shaded path inside the community, straight ahead.

Looking at the direction, it was getting close to the edge of the Luoxia Shelter.

"Master, are we going out of the city and going over to the headquarters?" A younger apprentice asked.

Boss Carmen walked at the front of the group. Every step seemed to be measured, and his aura became deeper and stronger as he was already close to the Great Perfection.

"We do have to go over to the headquarters, but we don't need to leave the city."

'Huh?'

The young apprentice was baffled.

He heard that Tree Shade and Luoxia were more than a thousand kilometers apart. If they didn't go out of the city, then how did they get there?

They still fantasized about bloodshed in the wilderness, killing all the way, arriving at Green Shade headquarters with a body full of brawny breath. But now, they were bewildered.

A very few people were alone, showing a look of realization.

'Eldest Sister' Chen Xiaojia was one of them.

In her side, the chubby girl Xiong Qianqian shook her arm and asked with great curiosity. Her lips curled up into a smile like a crescent moon.

"Of course... ahem."

She wanted to say it to make her best friend admire her and marvel. However, Chen Xiaojia thought of his cousin's warning… Be mature, elegant, and steady, especially as the eldest sister. She must set an example.

Then waved her hand and returned blandly, "I can't tell you, I can't."

......

They didn't have to go far before they came to a building with 'Community Security Office' hanging at the entrance.

This building was also indeed the community security station, but the rear of the building belongs to the forbidden area, with a metal gate blocking the passage to the underground space.

After the gate opened, Carmen walked down the tunnel with a group of apprentices.

Inside, it was still as complicated as a maze, but they chose the one with the shortest distance. The road was widened with the help of earth power ability users, and the rough ground had become as smooth as a road, enough to accommodate two lorries to pass through in parallel to transport the goods.

Each intersection marked the direction of advancement, part of the passage was also completely closed up.

Walking a few hundred steps, it suddenly cleared up.

A vast underground space with an area comparable to a few football fields and a height of more than ten stories were fully presented to the apprentices.

The green crystal on the rock wall no longer exists. Instead, a brighter dazzling halo or source power crystal lamp illuminated the dark underground space.

A silver-gray metal fortress stands quietly in the center of the underground space under the protection of many black towers, red cannons, and magnificent crystal towers.

The iron-blooded aura comes to the face. The people couldn't move their eyes away.

Those whose perception was excellent were even more aware of the danger from the bizarre tower-like structure, making their hairs stand upright like a needle.

They didn't give much time to marvel.

Boss Carmen was walking like a duck, followed by the apprentices. The apprentices jumped off the gentle slope shaped by the mud and arrived not far from the silver-gray fortress. This circular platform was one step higher than the ground and a radius of more than ten meters.

The eight quadrangular spire towers with bizarre lines on the edges are regularly distributed with the same spacing. Very comfortable to look at for people with OCD.

The apprentices came to the platform and were also very curious to look around.

Chen Xiaojia knows what will happen next but has never been to the other side. She can't suppress her inner excitement, "Next, it's the moment when the miracle will happen."

The misty blue halo covered the entire teleportation platform, and the figures of more than twenty people became blurred, and the halo flashed out layers of wavy light. The next moment, the figure on the teleportation platform disappeared.

.......

Chen Xiaojia raised her eyes to look out, except for the circular platform standing under her feet. The surrounding environment was completely different.

The blue sky, white clouds.

In the distance, the mountains were layered with peaks, and many strange towers similar to those in the underground space can be seen.

Squish!

Chen Xiaojia looked at Xiong Qianqian and glared angrily, "Why are you hitting me!"

The flustered girl was aggrieved. "I just checked… it's not an illusion, right? Wait no, don't hit me! The illusion cracking manual says that two people interacting to crack the illusion is the most efficient."

The other apprentices, too, are caught up in the 'Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?' illusion.

It wasn't until Carmen explained the principle of the teleportation array that they dawned on them, quickly accepting the setting and feeling excited about the strength of their own martial arts school!

......

Soon, under the leadership of several people in the reception Wang Zhou, Carmen, and his party came to the office of the Intelligence Department.

Along the way, this group of apprentices, who were not mature, were chattering and shouting.

Although the Tree Shade was not as big as the Luoxia, the novelties were endless. Deer-like non-deer, horse-like non-horse-like mutated beasts, pulling a cart slowly forward. A two or three meters tall puppet holding a cold weapon, patrolling back and forth in line like a mecha golem.

Metal and earth ability users cooperated with architects to quickly build the construction, looking dazzling. Many apprentices looked at the leader with sorrowful eyes. The fat in his pants makes Wang Zhou look silly.

...…

Inside the office.

Carmen boss spoke, "Your adventure task this time is to cooperate with the Intelligence Department, investigate the clues about the "Final God Cult", and find the "Final God Cult" stronghold. This is a comprehensive adventure, your investigation and analysis, or combat, will become a factor that affects your evaluation of the adventure."

After the training, the first batch of mature apprentices will also take up various positions and become the backbone of the shelter.

The hunter of the Intelligence Department took over and explained in detail about the Final God Cult, and a map of the Tiannan Province was laid out flat on the table.

The map was marked with a total of twenty-one large shelters, as well as hundreds of small and medium-sized shelters - which existed either for various reasons after the repossession policy, but none of them were weak and had the strength to withstand small demonic waves.

"There were traces of the activities of the 'Final God Cult' in many parts of the Tiannan Province, but they were extremely well hidden. The clues they currently possess are all left behind after the cult hunter rebellion, and we don't have a clue about the stronghold of the 'Final God Cult'."

"Look at the top of this...."

Twenty-one dots representing large shelters, six of them were circled by red ballpoint pens, and several of them were ticked off next to them.

The Intelligence Department Awakened continued, "The circled large shelters have traces of the activities of the "Final God Cult" Awakened and need your assistance in investigating… The apprentices on this side of the Tree Shade have already left ahead of you, the three ticked shelters are the places they have chosen to go, you can act together, or you can split into three teams and assist in the investigation of the three remaining places."

"Finally, I warn you not to underestimate the 'Final God Cult. It's not one of those unorthodox cults that are weak, they currently have Eight or Ninth Awakening hunters, not to mention it is unclear what power the cult holds in its hands."

The apprentices from Luoxia were not nervous. There was only excitement.

They were clear that as the target of the training, the "Final God Cult" could not be unbeatable, and it was for this reason that they had room to show their value.

This time, they missed and couldn't meet the apprentices from the headquarters, but they could surpass them in terms of their performance!

They quickly discussed, divided into three teams, and headed for the three large shelters, respectively.

...

Pingliang Shelter, located in the western part of Tiannan Province, was a large shelter similar in size to Lindong.

Sun Yu, Cai Jiajia, and two other young apprentices formed a team. They arrived here on the Rhino Chariot of the Investigation Corps.

They quickly made contact with Pingliang's intelligence officers.

"Three days ago, Pingliang's orphanage was ransacked, hundreds of orphans disappeared, according to the analysis, this is the handiwork of the "Final God Cult". So far, the Pingliang shelter has not been able to trace the whereabouts of the orphans."

"Orphanage?" Captain Sun Yu frowned, "Why ransack an orphanage, there should be nothing of value, right? Or is there something different about that orphanage."

"Yes, it was not an ordinary orphanage. Hundreds of orphans were taken in, all highly qualified geniuses, the entire orphanage, with resident instructors, was surrounded by a strict patrol. The defense force can not be said to be strong, but three nights ago, the hunters stationed in the institution were slaughtered, no one survived, and dozens of orphans ranging in age from eight to fourteen years old disappeared without a trace ."

'This...'

Sun Yu hesitated, still not thinking about what the purpose of the cult's plundering of the orphans was.

'Not agreeing with the cult's means of revenge, huh?'

In the end, Sun Yu was a minor, his life experience was not much. With uncertainty, he looked at Cai Jiajia.

Cai Jiajia pondered for a while and could only look at the liaison officer of the intelligence department for help.

The hunter in the intelligence department, Nian Chengwei, was an older middle-aged man. Cai Jiajia and others, and his daughter's age, are similar - if she's still alive.

Looking at the few people in front of him, Nian Chengwei shook his head dumbly. In terms of strength, in terms of combat experience, these apprentices were not lacking. What they lacked was decisiveness, the ability to stand alone.

The director sent the apprentices out in the hope that they can grow in the experience.

However, Nian Chengwei smiled bitterly in his heart.

This time, the investigation of the "Final God Cult" was even more difficult than expected. This cult has only revealed the tip of the iceberg so far. He couldn't imagine the cost of using it as a training target.

As an intelligence liaison officer and an examiner who guided and graded Sun Yu, Nian Chengwei did not show it and was still a poker face with no expression.

He spread his hands and said, "After all, I'm just a liaison officer. On Pingliang's side, the Intelligence Department has very few staff and can't provide you with much assistance. So... it's all up to you how you want to investigate it."

The ball was kicked back again.

Sun Yu thought about it, "Let's go to the orphanage first to understand the situation."

…....

Under the leadership of Nian Chengwei, Sun Yu's four people were fast on their feet, and within a few minutes, they saw the orphanage from afar.

The orphanage, formerly an elementary school, was small in size. But it had been cordoned off, with uniformed hunters patrolling back and forth.

The team was stopped as soon as they approached.

"What are you doing?"

Sun Yu looked at the uniforms of the visitors, and knowing something about them, he was clear that the visitors belonged to the Pingliang Security Bureau, one of the official forces of Pingliang. So, he clasped his hands and said, "We are investigators from Tree Shade, and we are here to investigate the Final God Cult."

Nian Chengwei fumbled around in his pocket and cooperatively took out a Tree Shade Investigation Corps identification card - one of the multiple IDs he had prepared for his activities outside.

Unexpectedly, the man from the Pingliang Security Bureau didn't even look at it, "Go, go away. There's no cult here. Even if there is, it's under our control. Those who had no business should leave."

"But it's clear that-"

The hunter with the assault rifle on his chest became more and more impatient, and he swept his face from the team. "Even if there is, it's a mere cult, our Pingliang City can solve this. You say you're from the Tree Shade, I believe it. But even if you have some power, what can you find out? In terms of investigation and equipment, our Pingliang Security Bureau shakes you dozens of streets away."

Through the police line, there were several forensic doctors in white coats inside.

It was obvious that the Pingliang Security Bureau must have used various means to investigate.

In terms of conventional technology, Sun Yu knew they were no match for Pingliang. But in terms of power and source power technology, Tree Shade was far superior to Pingliang shelter.

He saw the man's assault rifle. Although improved, it was only an ordinary firearm. The spear on his back was also inscribed with runes, but it's only the lowest grade rune equipment.

He judged quickly, Pingliang was relatively backward in terms of source power technology.

The thoughts flashed in his mind. Sun Yu coldly stared at the other party. His collected aura exploded in an instant, frightening the other party to a pale face before turning away.

Cold sweat drenched the other Pingliang Security Bureau holding a longsword and shield on his side. He was surprised. "Such a powerful aura. Actually… I think it's okay to let them go in to investigate. Maybe they'll be lucky to find clues."

"What's the use of being powerful? Our Pingliang Security Bureau isn't weak, we have professionals. We haven't found any clues after three days and two nights of investigation. Let alone those people."

"Then there is no need to offend them, I heard that Tree Shade's rune equipment is very good. What if they don't want to sell their equipment to our side in the future?"

The hunter carrying a spear also regretted it. But his mouth was defiant. "We have rune equipment too. Besides, they're just a few people from the Investigation Corps. It's nothing."

The other person shook his head and changed the subject. "I don't know the Final God Cult's purpose of abducting orphans. Obviously after we found the orphanage accident case, there were other disappearing orphans in the city."

"This kind of brain-wrecking thing, we should leave it to the captain and the director to solve. If the cult also attacked us by surprise, I believe the top has a defense. The Final God Cult won't dare to do it."

......…..

"So annoying!"

Inside a restaurant nearby the orphanage, Cai Jiajia puffed her mouth full of anger.

"It should be a joint fight against the cult. Clearly, us, the Tree Shade is helping them but Pingliang Shelter turns us away!"

Sun Yu frowned, "I was too reckless, I shouldn't have gone straight to the door to investigate."

"Why?"

Nian Chengwei no longer remains silent and says. "The Pingliang Security Bureau was responsible for the orphanage incident, the director tends to do things more conversative. For them, maintaining Pingliang's stability was more important. To put it bluntly, finding traces of missing orphans were not their priority."

"Within the entire Security Bureau, most of the members had similar thinking. They also want to conceal the existence of the cult, so the probability of you rushing forward without preparation and being rejected is more than 90%."

Sun Yu's team thought about it.

Nian Chengwei continued, "So you guys, have you thought of the next step to take?"

"Visit the surrounding area?"

"Investigate other orphanages in Pingliang?"

"Investigate the past situation of the orphanage in question?"

Nian Chengwei sighed.

"Hasn't anyone thought of a more direct, decisive and efficient solution?"

The team shook their heads.

"Don't you know how to infiltrate and investigate? The Pingliang Security Bureau does not allow us to enter, but we have hands and feet, and can not walk on their own!"

Sun Yu hesitated for a moment and spoke, "In addition to the orphanage, I saw a lot of people inside the school building, the Security Bureau should have arranged a lot of people inside and outside the orphanage. Even if we can sneak in, but if we want to start an investigation, we will definitely be exposed to the sight of the hunters stationed there."

Nian Chengwei nodded slightly and refuted, "Good observation, but ... you will not knock people unconscious first, and then start the investigation? Don't tell me that the four of you can't do it quietly to get rid of the guards?!"

"But we identified ourselves today, once we violently infiltrate, the security bureau will definitely suspect us…."

"But it's just knocking out a few people, and it's just infiltrating inside the guard circle. So what if we're suspected? So what if we were recognized? Young people, ah, you're still not brave enough."

Nian Chengwei smiled, full of confidence in his smile.

The confidence comes from behind. The strong backing brings nothing to fear.

Sun Yu and others were also infected, showing a confident look.

With the help of Nian Chengwei, they quickly formulated a detailed combat plan and prepared to act in the early hours of the night.

However, several apprentices looked at Nian Chengwei and then on the infiltration route map. A straight line went straight to the place where the crime occurred, and there was no need to turn around, and their expressions were rather strange.

'Sneaking in, is it really like this?'