This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 287 Littering Statues and Offerings to Believers: 50 Yuan Fine
Nie Weiyang did not intend to reveal his existence for the time being. His status as the number one in the world was too conspicuous, and once exposed, it would inevitably attract the enemy's all-out attack, and might even affect the hostile forces in the entire region.

Although he knew this would happen sooner or later, the hunt had to begin at a time he allowed and in a way he chose.

Not today, not now.

There was something unusual about the guards at the entrance to the shelter.

That wasn't a guard on duty, but a figure locked in a metal cage.

He was a haggard-looking boy with unfocused eyes, and his body emanated a faint but chaotic spiritual fluctuation.

This was a mind reader, but clearly, he couldn't withstand the mental pressure brought by this power, leading to a mental breakdown. Now, he's being used by the Cult of Life as a human lie detector and a living alarm—this is the fate of most mind readers in the Dark Ages.

Multiple plans are being considered in my mind.

Some riots broke out in the shantytown, and Nie Weiyang quietly retreated to a darker corner, waiting patiently.

About twenty minutes later, he finally got his chance, grabbed a lone person, pulled him into the bushes, and subdued him before he could make a sound.

"Huh?" The patrolman ahead heard the sound and instinctively turned around.

Nie Weiyang has forcibly read fragments of his subordinates' recent memories—including their identities, responsibilities, passwords, and some obvious behavioral habits.

He stuffed the corpse into his backpack, smoothly changed into the clothes he had stripped off, and, uttering the man's voice, crawled out of the shadows of the bushes, cursing and swearing. He pulled a few blades of grass from his hair and said, "Damn... couldn't you have trimmed these bushes?"
"I stepped into the air and fell into the ditch. If I hadn't reacted quickly, you would have to carry me now."

The group ahead burst into laughter, completely unsuspecting, given how quickly and smoothly the events unfolded: "Well, the higher-ups just love playing Wizard of Oz. Let's not waste any more time, we need to hurry."

Nie Weiyang smiled awkwardly, straightened his uniform, and, mimicking the gait he remembered, walked calmly with the group toward the entrance of the shelter.

Sure enough, after the routine password check, the guards led them to the cage where the mind reader was kept.

“Routine check,” a guard said.

The mind reader in the cage seemed to be startled, raising its head and looking at everyone with unfocused eyes, finally fixing its gaze on Nie Weiyang. A chaotic and aggressive mental force tried to penetrate his mind.

Nie Weiyang felt calm.

—You initiated this mental confrontation? Very good.

Instead of resisting, he actively confronted the chaotic mental force, using it as a bridge to invade the mind reader's shattered world of consciousness.

At the same time, he manipulated his mental power to simulate surface thought patterns that closely matched his false identity, with a hint of impatience and routine.

In the mind reader's perception, the person in front of him was just that guy with a bad temper, and his mind was filled with trivial matters about changing shifts and complaining, with nothing unusual about him.

His spiritual power quietly faded away, and Nie Weiyang's spiritual power also withdrew, leaving only a trace of spiritual imprint that made the other party feel inexplicably close—it was a little trick he created by combining his high charm attribute.

The mind reader's unfocused gaze seemed to focus for a moment, nodding slightly at the guard before shrinking back down.

"No problem, please." The guard breathed a sigh of relief and made way for him: "Brothers, you've finally come to relieve us."

"You've worked hard." The person in charge of the team chatted with the guards on duty with a smile.

Nie Weiyang successfully approached the pre-civilization style shelter door, which was currently being used by three people.

He didn't enter immediately—the number of users in the shelter had changed, and his infiltration would be detected. He needed to wait for an opportunity, a moment that could mask the system notification he received the instant he entered.

Shortly after the shift change, Nie Weiyang stood not far from the door and casually chatted with the others, talking about some unethical topics, but no one noticed anything unusual about him.

But soon, a violent commotion broke out in the direction of the shantytown in the distance!

No fire was lit, but the sounds of clashing weapons, roars, cries, and chaotic running could be clearly heard.

—Miao Lun!
He was indeed unwilling to surrender, and took advantage of Albert's momentary reluctance to launch an attack, attempting to capture and kill Albert to silence him, or at least create great chaos so that he could take the opportunity to escape to the manor to report the news!
Nie Weiyang silently counted the time in his mind, and just as he reached the end.

"What's going on over there?!" The guards at the shelter entrance were also drawn to the commotion in the distance, instinctively glancing in the direction from which the disturbance was coming. Almost everyone instinctively turned their gaze, scanning their surroundings warily!

Now! Seizing this fleeting opportunity, Nie Weiyang retreated like a ghost, his shoulder seemingly unintentionally bumping into the heavy metal door of the shelter.

He slipped smoothly into the shelter.

The number representing the number of users may have flashed violently for a moment, briefly jumping to a '4', but almost in the next second, the number quickly dropped back down and stabilized at '3'.

In the familiar, quiet silver hall, Administrator Number Two looked up at the ring of lights and the badge within them.

His identity transformation was completed in a second, his familiar black and gold uniform covering his entire body, and of course, the shelter wouldn't count a BOSS in the number of people.

just now……

Administrator Number Two lowered his head, looking at the 'Artificial Destiny 3180' in his hand. A black stone badge floated above the groove in the pillar—

—Restore permissions.

Nie Weiyang raised his eyes, the crimson light 'looking' towards the shed.

……

The chaos in the shantytowns exploded instantly, like boiling oil being poured into cold water.

Miao Lun, like a slippery eel, used his familiarity with the terrain and the cover of the crowd to desperately squeeze towards the white walls of the manor. But the shantytown was too large, the roads were intricate and complex, and with the shock of the panicked crowd fleeing, he found it difficult to quickly break through this chaotic sea of ​​people.

Albert demonstrated his decisiveness as a leader and warrior. He quickly shook off the insignificant pursuers under Miao Lun's command, ordered his team to immediately break into smaller groups and disperse and hide according to the planned evacuation. He himself, on the other hand, took a dangerous detour and, relying on his superior physical abilities and understanding of Miao Lun, like a hunting dog that had smelled blood, relentlessly pursued the escapees' trail.

A thrilling chase unfolds in the dark and filthy alleyways.

Albert's tall figure was like a tiger, and each pounce was accompanied by a sharp whistling sound.

Miao Lun was in a sorry state, terrified by the sword and scrambling to his feet. Even though he was a mage of considerable level, he had several wounds on his body.

But his will to survive sustained him as he relentlessly pushed his limits, managing to narrowly escape Albert's attacks several times.

Finally, near a garbage dump close to the manor wall, Albert made a swift dash and knocked the exhausted Miao Lun to the ground.

A complex pain flashed in his eyes, but more so, a resolute determination to end the betrayal. He raised his longsword—no matter what, he was prepared to put an end to it all here!
However, at this critical moment——

A dark figure shot out from the side like a ghost! A silver light, like a venomous snake's tongue, aimed straight for Albert's vitals!
Alarm bells rang in Albert's mind, forcing him to abandon his fatal blow to Miao Lun. He rolled backward abruptly, and at the same time, his two swords appeared in his hands, barely managing to block the incoming double swords!
'clang--!'

A piercing metallic clang rang out.

The attacker was a lithe swordsman with a gait as agile as a cheetah. His face was covered by a mask, revealing only a pair of cold, ruthless green eyes.

His fighting style was very different from Albert's—Albert's swordsmanship was expansive and powerful, combining strength and skill, and incorporating many modern combat techniques.

These two swordsmen, on the other hand, are completely focused on battlefield assassination. Their twin swords are like deadly fangs, and their moves are ruthless and cunning, targeting vital points such as the lower body, joints, and throat. Every strike aims to cause maximum damage in the shortest amount of time, and is full of the bloody atmosphere of real combat.

The two instantly clashed, their swords flashing and figures crisscrossing. Albert managed to hold his own thanks to his superior strength and more comprehensive skills, but the swordsmen's relentless attacks and unpredictable assassination techniques left him in grave danger, with no time to spare for anything else.

Seeing this unexpected savior, Miao Lun was overjoyed. He had no desire to continue fighting or seek revenge. He scrambled away and, with his last bit of strength, rushed towards the nearby side gate of the manor without looking back...

Albert caught sight of Miao Lun escaping and was greatly alarmed, but he was tightly entangled by the two swordsmen and had no way to break free.

When he risked injury to forcefully break through the swordsmen's blades—

'puff! '

A muffled thud came not from the battlefield, but from the direction of Miao Lun.

Miao Lun's head exploded without warning as he stepped one foot through the side gate of the manor!
Red and white matter splattered everywhere, like a watermelon struck by a heavy hammer. The headless corpse lurched forward two more steps due to inertia before collapsing softly to the ground.

(End of this chapter)