Chapter 341: Could This All Have Been Part Of His Plan?
Chapter 341: Could This All Have Been Part Of His Plan?
Ha, seems like young Greg shall be the one troubled by the tough question he posed to me. Looks like it’s your problem now… Without batting an eyelid, Lin Jie smiled at the youngster who had answered the call and was whispering into his communications device.
Want to fight me? You’re still too young for that, kid.
It was difficult to describe Greg’s current mood. He could only take a deep breath and suppress the anger and anxiety welling up. Trying his best to calm himself down, he picked up the call from Winston, chief of the Combat Division. “Hello…”
However, he never imagined that Winston on the other end of the call was even more anxious than him. Winston, who had always been known for his stable calmness, seemed to be growling. "Apprentice Knight Greg, can you confirm that you’re attending Ji Zhixiu’s birthday banquet at A16 Manor?”
"Yes," Greg replied immediately. “As the Intelligence Division currently doesn’t have any missions, my family asked me to attend Rolle Resources’ banquet as a representative.”
That had also been the reason why he had been complaining to his father via the communications device.
As Secret Rite Tower and the Corpse Devouring Sect had already begun fighting, the Intelligence Division was of little use at this time. Basically, most of the intelligence had been collected before the fighting began and the Intelligence Division personnel weren’t strong enough to fight on the battlefield.
Many others were temporarily transferred to the Logistics Division, which was under immense pressure, or were left idle like Greg.
Therefore, the reason he had been sent by his family to such a boring and luxurious banquet hosted by a mortal was to pass time…
"I didn't ask you why!" Winston interrupted. "You’ve now been assigned a mission. An urgent one directly issued by the Council of Elders.
"Listen carefully." Winston’s tone was very serious. "At this moment, the subject of S-rank file 0113, who is suspected to be above Supreme-rank, the owner of the nameless bookstore named Lin Jie, got through the Tower’s surveillance net three hours ago and is attending this banquet at A16 Manor.
"And now, due to the fighting between the Tower and the Corpse Devouring Sect, almost all personnel have been dispatched to the battlefield. At present, you are the only Tower personnel at A16 Manor.
"Therefore, only you can continue to monitor him. Do you understand? In short, your next task is to find him, secretly monitor his movements, and report in real time. If necessary, you can interact to a certain extent, but you need to get approval from the Tower and cautiously under guidance. You must not act rashly, do you understand?”
Greg was at a loss for words as he glanced at Lin Jie sipping tea directly opposite him.
On the other end of the call, Winston frowned when he noticed the lasting silence. He called out sternly, “What’s the matter, Apprentice Knight Greg? Please respond immediately. I repeat, your mission is to locate the bookstore owner at the banquet and monitor him.
"From your file, it’s recorded that you’ve come across the bookstore owner before and should have no issues identifying him based on appearance. You are also previously an investigator from the Logistics Division, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to locate the target. However, you just have to ensure you conceal yourself properly.
"This mission is of utmost importance and dangerous as it could decide the fate of your teacher, Joseph. Please take this seriously. The Tower will assist you as much as possible if necessary. Do you understand?
"If you read, please comply and respond at once.”
Greg uttered, "I understand, but—"
Winston cut him off coldly, “But? Apprentice Knight, you have no right to comment. This is a mandatory mission. Please think about your family first if you are intending to refuse. Even a long-standing magician family is still insignificant in the face of Secret Rite Tower.”
Winston could understand how terrified the person being given this mission would be. Facing pressure of an existence that was beyond Supreme-rank was no different from staring into an abyss with the shadow of death hanging over the shoulder. However, this was a gamble that Secret Rite Tower had no choice but to take.
"No, I have no intention to refuse. In fact, I’m happy to oblige. It’s just that there’s a situation I have to report…” Greg paused, composed himself, cleared his throat, and tried to speak as calmly as he could, “Actually, he’s sitting right across from me.”
"…"
"…"
There was a few seconds of silence followed by Winston taking a deep breath. “Across you?”
“Mmm,” answered Greg.
"How close?" asked Winston.
Greg covertly eyed Lin Jie, who seemed to be appraising the decorations in the room. Tactfully, he whispered into the communications device. “Uh… Across the table.”
Wouldn’t this mean that they have already met?!
Winston’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Even his many experiences on the battlefield never made his heart pound as much as it did now.
It had taken them close to a half day’s careful planning before they dared to contact the only Secret Rite Tower personnel at the banquet, only to be told that the final boss was already knocking on the door.
Calm down, calm down.
Winston took deep breaths. Since the bookstore owner was already in front of Greg, it meant that… their actions had been seen through.
Moreover, Greg had been the only contactable Secret Rite Tower personnel in the entire banquet’s attendance.
Could this all have been part of his plan as well?
From steering Joseph and Wilde on a collision course, the beginning of the battle between Secret Rite Tower and the Corpse Devouring Sect, to his unexpected appearance at the banquet. Every step, up till this moment, seemed interconnected and arranged to precision.
Was this his rumored ‘omniscience and omnipotence’ at work… Since this was the case, Winston could only brace himself for what was to come and proceed on.
At the very last moment, Winston changed and said, “Listen up, Apprentice Knight. Joseph and Wilde have already clashed and the situation isn’t looking good. Joseph’s daughter, Melissa, was deceived by someone under the control of the Path of the Flaming Sword and made to join the siege mission on the Corpse Devouring Sect. While her life isn’t in any danger right now, she’s equivalent to being a hostage. Joseph… is already at a disadvantage.
"That deep hatred Wilde has from the battle two years ago is even more intense now. After so many years, his cruelty and cunning is far greater than before. Joseph has ties with many others, but to Wilde, everyone is just but a tool. Therefore, we need to seek for other means of a breakthrough."
Greg tightened his grip on the communications device, his heart sinking when he recalled Lin Jie’s almost explicit words just now. Sure enough…
But regardless of how strong Wilde is, isn’t he only Destructive-rank? Secret Rite Tower was an organization that could deal with Supreme-ranks. Didn’t they move to provide support?
As if reading Greg’s mind, Winston said, “Regrettably, Secret Rite Tower can no longer deal with it anymore. While it sounds unbelievable… roughly ten minutes ago, and a few minutes before I decided to contact you, we had been monitoring the center of the battlefield when—
"Two Supreme-rank fluctuations appeared.”