This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 289 Bai Yu: The Most Speechless Episode

The riots that broke out near Life Manor naturally drew the attention of the guards inside the manor, especially those near the walls. Detection spells were cast towards the shantytown, and more patrols were mobilized to strengthen perimeter security and searches.

Soon, several men in white robes arrived at the manor gate and began discussing something around Miao Lun's corpse.

An old man with a snake wrapped around his neck approached: "How is the situation?"

“High Priest of the Cycle,” the people in white robes bowed to him. “This is one of the people we contacted earlier…”

The high priest waved his hand, indicating that he didn't want to hear this.

“Conclusion,” he said.

The group exchanged glances: "...This is a psychological attack. It's possible...no, it's highly probable."

"This person will most likely die at the hands of a 'psychologist'."

One of the men in white robes stepped forward, his eyes filled with a faint white light.

"This level of mental attack is impossible for other professions. Even psychologists need at least 160 mental strength points to learn the relevant skills."

"But I am already the strongest of the six psychologists in the epidemic area. My total mental strength is only 130 points. I cannot measure the strength of this psychologist."

The high priest's expression shifted, each one unreadable.

Finally, he said, "Pack up and we'll talk about it when we get back."

Everyone responded in unison and began to carry out the order. The high priest returned to the manor courtyard, looked up at the [God of Pan-Human Life (?)], and gently touched the black snake around his neck.

“Psychologist…” he murmured the job title, “...or, some kind of hidden profession?”

"No... I can't be sure... Should I try sending a message back?"

His words drifted in the wind, like a question, or perhaps a soliloquy.

……

At the entrance to the refuge located at the foot of the hill behind the manor, the guards, though they had also heard the commotion and were even more vigilant, strictly adhered to the ironclad rule of 'no one may leave their post without permission,' and no one left their post.

What happens outside has little to do with them, but if they are lured away and the shelter is used by the lowly people outside, they will have a lot of fun.

Just as the area grew increasingly quiet due to the external commotion, a black figure silently emerged into the night.

An illusion was cast in an instant, and before anyone could even register it, they were plunged into the illusion.

Administrator Number Two walked confidently through the crowd and slowly descended the mountain.

His arrival and departure went undetected. And now, no one knows that the shelter has been reintegrated into the CSSS system and is now under the control of its administrators.

After a while, a figure suddenly appeared at the doorway—a masked, brown-eyed dual-swordsman. The guards nodded to her. She glanced back at the shelter, puzzled—for some reason, the activation mechanism on the platform had changed after she left the instance?

This was unusual; she had to report it. The two swordsmen were preparing to head to the manor when they suddenly noticed a problem: "Wait, there are only 19 of you today?"

The shelter guards are the best warriors in the Church of Life, and there are usually 20 of them. If one of them has a problem, someone else must take his place. This has been an ironclad rule for months.

"Huh?" Everyone was stunned, and subconsciously became more alert: "19 people? We clearly have 20 people!"

Deep in the dense forest, under a relatively secluded crevice in the rocks, Albert was gritting his teeth as he used a strip of torn cloth to treat the wound on the side of his neck.

The two parallel wounds were extremely deep. Although they avoided the arteries, the blood still flowed continuously, and every breath brought excruciating pain.

The failed pursuit, Miao Lun's betrayal and mysterious death, his own serious injuries... all of this plunged the tough guy into despair, his every move filled with frustration.

His men were scattered around on guard, and the atmosphere was tense.

Just then, a voice rang out unexpectedly from behind a thick tree trunk, carrying a hint of gentle laughter:

How are you feeling?

Everyone present, including Albert, felt their hair stand on end!

Almost simultaneously, his men drew their weapons, pointing in alarm and wariness at the source of the sound, and shielded Albert behind them.

Nie Weiyang emerged from behind the tree with an air of nonchalance, still wearing the same inconspicuous disguise, but his eyes appeared exceptionally clear in the dim light of the forest.

He ignored the weapons pointed at him and focused his gaze on Albert, who was clutching his neck and looking utterly shocked.

Albert stared at this elusive fellow for a long time before finally squeezing out a sentence through gritted teeth: "...You came really fast."

"Have you always been so elusive, and always bringing up the most sensitive topics?"

Nie Weiyang walked up to him, looked down at the injury on his neck, and said in a relaxed tone, "It's not always like that."

He paused, then added, "I mean, at least I don't often 'bring up the sore spot'."

Albert was so taken aback by his words that he almost choked on his breath. The pain aggravated his wound, causing him to grit his teeth in agony: "So, you did it on purpose?"

“No.” Nie Weiyang shook his head, then reached out and patted Albert’s unaffected shoulder. The next moment, a soft and pure white light emerged from his palm, flowing into Albert’s body like warm water.

The burning pain in my neck subsided quickly, and the deep wound that exposed bone began to heal and close at a visible speed, eventually leaving only two light pink scars.

Albert touched his neck, which had almost fully recovered, in astonishment, feeling the renewed strength within him. He glanced at the system records.

Player [Nie Weiyang] has cast the healing skill [Spirit of Healing] on you.

[Benefited by the [Healing Spirit], HP +12570/18610]

This healing skill instantly filled two-thirds of his health bar...

Albert's gaze toward Nie Weiyang became even more complex:
Damn, how extreme are this guy's beliefs?! Ha!
"Interested in cooperating?" Nie Weiyang withdrew his hand, as if he had just done something insignificant.

Albert took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and waved his men away: "Is it cooperation with you, or cooperation with the people behind you?"

“I have no one behind me,” Nie Weiyang laughed, his tone frank.

He didn't even lie—where was there any 'person' behind him?
The previous civilization is long gone, leaving only cold facilities and the human mind of the Homo sapiens, and not all of the Homo sapiens' human minds support him.

But the current civilization... standing behind him is a nation, a civilization entity, not a specific person.

Albert looked at his open smile and grinned back in response.

Really? I don't believe it.

But he didn't show much on his face, only managing a professional smile: "Okay."

"What kind of cooperation are you referring to?"

He guessed that it was probably related to destroying the false god statue and cracking down on the Church of Life.

Nie Weiyang's smile remained unchanged: "Save the world."

Albert: "...?"

He blinked, wondering if he was hallucinating due to excessive blood loss or if his injuries were affecting his brain.

—What did you say?

"...Save the world?" he asked incredulously.

“Yes, save the world.” Nie Weiyang said, extending a hand to Albert: “and kill all the obstacles in your way, like drawing a sword against an enemy, and then fight your way from the preliminary rounds to the championship.”

"Coming?"

……

At the same time, two figures silently emerged from the dark forests near Kushui Town.

One of them, with white hair, white eyes, and white clothes, was the assassin Bai Yu. The other, dressed in leaves and appearing extremely cool and grotesque, was the Nature Caller Russell.

They were travel-worn and their faces showed the weariness of a long journey, but their eyes were as sharp as ever. The giant tiger Jinhuang, which they rode together, moved lightly and almost made no sound.

Bai Yu's body stiffened as he tried his best to maintain a sufficient distance from Russell's appearance. He took out a letter from his pocket and, by the sparse moonlight, checked its contents once again.

That was a secret order from Pingdu, requiring them to come to this area, make contact with Nie Weiyang who had gone ahead, and coordinate with the border forces to provide necessary support. Bai Yu and Luo Su were chosen because they were more familiar with Nie Weiyang and also possessed high mobility.

Furthermore, Bai Yu excels at concealment, making it difficult to attract the attention of local forces, and the research work has already been completed.

Russell can communicate with nature and provide healing, and the orphanage has stabilized.

They still had some free time and could help solve the epidemic problem. Russell could also use contracted animals to send messages and provide map synchronization tools to the rear.

Therefore, they set off from Zhongzhou, heading south along the main road.

Now, we're almost there...

Bai Yu turned around and exchanged a solemn glance with Russell.

Russell nodded. Jin Huang took a step and silently approached Bitterwater Town.

A new force has arrived in this chaotic land...

“I mean,” Bai Yu finally couldn’t hold back any longer, and he unusually took the initiative to make a request, “could you wear more clothes? We still have to meet that Lin Shouheng, can’t you be a little more presentable?”

“It’s hot,” Russell said seriously.

A hot breeze swept by, making the layers of green leaves on his body rustle.

Bai Yu: "………………"

Bai Yu sighed in despair and continued to hold it in.

(End of this chapter)