Deity Investigation Report

Chapter 290 The Innate Undercover Saint Body
"What the hell?"

Hearing the guy in front of him shouting, Han Su realized that something serious had happened, but he couldn't understand it at all.

Remnants of the Bronze Inscriptions, puppets of living bronze—what are these?
In the previous 01 Life timeline, Qinggang was destroyed tonight. The Four Heavenly Kings, the mysterious believer, the city-slaughtering priest, and the wandering knights all made their moves, turning Qinggang into a complete mess. But I didn't see any remnants of the Bronze Script clan involved...

He frowned slightly, looked at the guy who was covered in cold sweat, and said, "You don't seem curious about my appearance?"

"I……"

Hou Zhizhu was taken aback for a moment: "Should I be curious?"

"No, things are indeed a bit complicated, but the safety of Qinggang is the most important thing right now. I must complete my mission..."

"and many more……"

His expression changed incredibly quickly, switching rapidly as if powered by a motor: "I'm involved in a kidnapping case from ten years ago? I was also kidnapped by the castle? You saved us?"

"...Wait a minute, you, this big-time nepotism accomplice, are actually a good person?"

"..."

His reaction left Han Su speechless, and it has now awakened many of his friends, who have never seen him so busy.

She stared at him intently for a moment and said, "You don't seem to be just an ordinary security guard!"

"I……"

Hou Zhizhu tried to open his mouth, but suddenly froze, letting countless memories overwhelm him.

Han Su then realized that the guy in front of him wasn't exactly heartless; he wasn't surprised at all by knowing about the castle kidnapping and the flashing incident.

He seemed to have fallen into another kind of chaos, so after he was awakened by the mechanical fragments, he instinctively rushed to think about the things that he cared about and was most worried about, ignoring everything else.

It's like finally waking up from a nightmare where you've encountered a ghost, only to forget that it was a ghost that woke you up in the first place.

That's rather interesting...

Do mechanical fragments possess the power to overwhelm other contaminants and restore their original will?

Is it only useful for the friends rescued from the castle, or is it useful for everyone regardless of the situation?

Hou Zhizhu was also a little confused by the endless information surfacing in his mind. He was still somewhat bewildered, but he answered Han Su's question: "I, I am actually a member of the secret action team of the Qinggang Administrative Office, and I am directly under the command of Secretary No. 5."

“Previously, I received orders to join Black Inscription Security Company, actually to keep an eye on whether Lilac Mansion would do anything that could pose a danger to Qinggang.”

"But this period of infiltration lasted for several years. Later, Black Inscription sent him to the White Wax Mountain Mine, where he unexpectedly encountered the Mechanical Buddha's people. Sensing something was amiss, he deliberately approached them and secretly investigated..."

"..."

At this point, his expression became slightly awkward, and he said, "It was very successful. With my wit and courage, I successfully infiltrated their priesthood and learned their purpose and many secrets. The only problem is that I seem to..."

He paused here, as if hoping Han Su would interrupt him.

But Han Su didn't. He just stared at him, wanting to know what happened to this guy afterward.

Hou Zhizhu's expression became even more awkward. He stammered and then said with a heavy heart, "The problem is that I infiltrated too successfully."

"Not only did they treat me as one of their own, they also dragged me into their secret rituals, to see the mechanical Buddha, to listen to the remnants of bronze civilization, and even to have close contact with bronze inscription rituals..."

As he spoke, his voice trailed off, and he shifted awkwardly, "But I didn't expect that thing to be so powerful; it warped my mind..."

Han Su almost couldn't hold back his laughter.

Out of politeness, I didn't laugh out loud, but my eyes crinkled slightly.

"And then you appeared..."

Hou Zhizhu looked like he was dead: "If you hadn't woken me up, I would still be a devout believer in copper!"

"Then I can only say that you've really infiltrated quite deeply..."

Han Su felt a bit strained from suppressing his laughter, and tried hard to find the right words to cheer Hou Zhizhu up.

Hou Zhizhu had given up on saving face. He simply looked at Han Su earnestly and made a serious request: "From now on, don't tell anyone else about this..."

"Of course!"

Suddenly, his face hardened, and he said urgently and seriously, "The most urgent matter is to tell Qinggang as soon as possible that this matter is indeed very serious!"

"The tribes roaming around Baila Mountain aren't some nomadic tribes worshipping machines; they are the true remnants of the Bronze Age. They believe in the Bronze Age phantoms that appeared during the Radiation Era and consider themselves its descendants..."

"This time, they discovered that the Will of Bronze is in Qinggang, and even believe that Qinggang is the altar imprisoning the Will of Bronze. That's why they came here to gather believers and establish an anchor point. They could actually attack Qinggang at any time..."

"..."

Han Su sat up slightly, becoming interested in the topic.

The will of copper is indeed in Qinggang, or more precisely, within himself, and is recorded in the fishermen's chants.

And Qinggang is indeed the location of the Bronze Altar.

In the previous version of this life storyline, Ms. Shen from Abyss Studio once said that she could transform Qinggang into the Bronze Altar at any time, push herself up there, and realize the return of the last heir. But how did these people know that?
Were these people also in the Baila Mountain area during the Qinggang annihilation battle? What were they doing there?
After a rapid thought, he pondered and answered, "Who are these remnants of the Bronze Inscriptions?"

"All I know is that the old man at the Lilac Mansion is a follower of copper?"

"..."

"Of course he is!"

Upon hearing Han Su mention the Lilac Mansion, Hou Zhizhu immediately became anxious and said in a deep voice, "That old fellow was even once one of the priests of the Bronze Inscription Church. Of course, now he is also a traitor in the eyes of these people, and they wish they could kill him immediately..."

"Ok?"

Han Su listened, his eyes flickering slightly.

That's an interesting attitude, because in one's own eyes, that old guy is also a traitor.

When I first approached him, I showed him the utmost respect and even went so far as to cut off my arm to apologize.

However, during the subsequent battle to destroy Qinggang, he should have known that Abyss Studio was after him, and he should have known Abyss Studio's attitude: to build the Bronze Altar and bind the successor.

That would be blasphemy and utter disrespect.

But the old man remained as steady as a mountain the whole time, never even showing his face. It was clear that his awe and obedience were all an act.

"Even if it's urgent, a few more minutes won't make a difference!"

Seeing Hou Zhizhu's anxiety, Han Su stood up, listened to the surrounding silence, and then chanted a spell in a low voice. The shadows around him became active, thus setting up a relatively simple barrier.

Only then did he formally ask Hou Zhizhu, "Tell me first, what exactly is going on with the problems in the Baila Mountain area?"

"This...this is essentially an invasion!"

Hou Zhizhu's face clearly showed a conflicted feeling. On the one hand, he knew that the matter was of great importance and was in a hurry to report to Qinggang. On the other hand, he was aware of Han Su's strangeness.

Facing this guy who had rescued him from the castle and now restored his sanity amidst deep pollution, he felt a complex mix of awe and closeness. He could only suppress his emotions and anxiously said to Han Su:
"These followers of the Bronze Inscription are one of the oldest and most fanatical mysterious organizations." "They believe that machines possess spirits and can save all things!"

"It seems they came this time because they've been hearing the echo of the bronze bell for ten years now. The high priest in the church said the curse against them had disappeared, and the mechanical spirit had escaped its seal, so he sent out his servants to search for it..."

"It was precisely this group that came to Baila Mountain and stayed there..."

"And most importantly, just about seven days ago, they sensed the resonance of the Mystic Bronze Key once again, thus confirming their suspicions. Now, they are summoning Bronze Believers from all over the world, solely to reclaim the Will of Bronze..."

"..."

Han Su frowned slightly upon hearing this: Seven days ago?

This timing seems to be the moment when I used the Will of Bronze to kill the White Corpse...

Was it at that time that the resonance of the Will of Bronze was captured by these believers in the Bronze script?

A slight chill ran through him, knowing the gravity of the matter, so he interrupted Hou Zhizhu, "How do you know so much about this?"

"..."

Hou Zhizhu suddenly felt a little embarrassed: "I had been hiding too deep and was extremely devout. They had completely regarded me as a key figure, and many tasks were directly assigned to me, including the investigation of many secrets in Qinggang..."

"...Damn it, I wasn't thinking straight then, and I blurted out everything I knew."

"I've become a traitor to Qinggang..."

"..."

"Don't rush to reflect on your actions right now..."

Han Su looked at him speechlessly, thinking to himself that the person he had rescued on a whim was not very capable.

He paused, then said in a low voice, "Are these bronze script believers really that powerful? Where did you get those twelve living bronze puppets?"

If he remembered correctly, there weren't even this many living bronze golems in the ancient castle.

When I first saw the Living Bronze Puppet at the Lilac Mansion, the professor from the Crystal Skull said that this thing was a divine weapon, and that one Living Bronze Puppet could destroy half of Qinggang.

If that's the case, then wouldn't the strength of this group of Tongwen remnants be so terrifying that they could wipe out six Qinggang?

"I don't know where they came from, but I saw those damn things with my own eyes..."

As Hou Zhizhu spoke, he became anxious again, stood up, and pleaded with Han Su, saying, "I have made a huge mistake. Not only did the mission fail, but I also betrayed many of Qinggang's secrets. Now I must make amends for my mistakes."

"These madmen came on strong, not only wanting to reclaim the Mystic Bronze Key, but also mentioning some sacred machine, the Gate of Reality and Illusion, and so on..."

"I don't have time to say more. I must immediately notify Qinggang to prepare for defenses. You..."

"..."

At this point, he suddenly paused, as if realizing something, and looked at Han Su with a strange expression: "You wouldn't be thinking of..."

"...Destroy Qinggang, shall we?"

"..."

This guess gave him a real fright.

Now that Han Su has awakened him, his instincts are already reminding him that he has taken on a certain responsibility.

However, his loyalty to Qinggang made it impossible for him to watch Qinggang be attacked by a mysterious organization. If Han Su asked him to hide the news and watch Qinggang be attacked by these madmen who believed in the soul of machinery, he would be torn apart...

"You're lucky."

Seeing his worry, Han Su smiled and said, "Right now, I'm on Qinggang's side."

If I had known about these lunatics before the Qinggang annihilation battle, I might have been happy to see it happen.

Hou Zhizhu hurriedly stood up and said, "Then what are we waiting for?"

"but……"

Seeing Hou Zhizhu's anxiety, Han Su suddenly spoke up: "I still can't let you pass this message back."

"At least, not now!"

"..."

Hou Zhizhu was stunned, his body trembling slightly: "Why...why?"

Why else?
Han Su thought to himself, because what these people wanted was right there in him...

The fact that Abyss Studio did not invade Qinggang tonight means that Ms. Shen is indeed not focusing her attention on me for the time being, just as I guessed.

However, if these believers in the Bronze Civilization are exposed, or even begin a large-scale attack on Qinggang, then the Will of Bronze will be brought into the open.

And now, he is seen by many as the prime suspect in the Will of Bronze, so all the conflicts will inevitably fall on him.

Through Hou Zhizhu's explanation, he vaguely grasped a point: since such a fanatical force as the Bronze Script Believers exists, it seems that the ancient nobles have not fully mastered the entire legacy of these twelve abnormal powers...

And these bronze believers, living bronze puppets, and all sorts of secrets and powers controlled by the believers, could they be the secret kingdom mentioned by the mysterious man who called in from the castle?
Wei Lan had previously told him that heirs were a very special group, capable of containing mysterious forces and using them to control believers and things of the same order.

It's not hard to imagine that the twelve altars built by Abyss Studio, besides the God Descent Project, may also serve to suppress various mysterious organizations.

The reason why the Copper Script believers are so active now is because the Will of Copper has been out of their hands for ten years, and the successor on the Copper Altar has been vacant.

These countless secrets, crammed into his heart, gave him an urgent desire to unravel them.

More importantly, whether it's the little lamb girl I met in the previous life storyline or the bronze script believer I'm meeting now, any power that can threaten the twelve altars is the type I'm particularly concerned about. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Of course, mysterious organizations can grant people great power, but it's bad for their minds, so it's also important to understand them thoroughly.

In a flash of thought, he reached out and gently pressed down on Hou Zhizhu, whose face was full of anxiety, and whispered, "Don't worry, I'm here on behalf of Qinggang to solve the problem, so I certainly won't sit idly by and watch these Tongwen believers attack Qinggang."

"Or rather, by giving me this information now, you've completed your task and reported to Qinggang. The rest is up to me to follow your instructions..."

Hou Zhizhu took a few deep breaths: "Then, you want me to..."

Han Su paused for a moment, then said, "I need you to continue your undercover work and help me extract information from these believers..."

"An undercover agent?"

Hou Zhizhu immediately felt guilty: "I've already gone undercover as a fanatical believer, and their priests treat me with the same affection they show their grandson. How long can I stay undercover like this...?"

Han Su thought about it seriously, and his gaze towards Hou Zhizhu became very gentle.

He chuckled and said, "Of course, the higher the position, the better, such as a priest, a mentor, or even..."

When he uttered words like "sacrifice" and "mentor," Hou Zhizhu's gaze towards Han Su became incredibly strange. Then, when Han Su slowly uttered his final words, Hou Zhizhu was utterly stunned, as if struck by lightning:
"A wild heir?"

(End of this chapter)