This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 293 "Preparing to Kill".

The next day, on the outskirts of Kushui Town, Nie Weiyang stood with Albert, Lin Shouheng, Bai Yu, and Russell, gazing at the camp that was gradually being repaired.

With the help of Nie Weiyang, the guardian of the previous cycle, Albert, the old office worker, Russell, the half-civil servant, and Lin Shouheng, the former physics teacher, a simple yet effective management framework began to be built.

Albert was in charge of reorganizing the manpower and maintaining order, while also leveling up by defeating a few monsters. Russell, through his communication with nature, cleaned water sources and fostered the growth of edible plants. Lin Shouheng focused on handling internal affairs and mediating relationships among the villagers. Bai Yu, like a shadow, eliminated internal troubles and gathered intelligence.

In this process, Nie Weiyang naturally became the core coordinator of the overall situation.

They introduced some basic modern management methods: dividing areas, establishing simple sanitation standards, registering the population, and allocating limited resources in fixed quantities.

The process wasn't difficult. Although the numbness caused by long-term oppression and the scarcity of resources frequently led to conflicts, everyone cooperated very smoothly under the watchful eyes of two swords, a knife, and a tiger.

Just as the management efforts were beginning to show results, a group of refugees approached the camp.

They came from further south, numbering in the dozens, all emaciated and carrying the hardships and fears of their escape.

Their arrival brought new news.

According to these refugees, a place in the southwest has been mired in a persistent plague, and strange phenomena have recently appeared in the coastal area.

The seawater there turned dark and sometimes glowed eerily at night. Some coastal settlements were attacked by unidentified creatures from the sea, and some people claimed to have seen huge, mountain-like shadows moving through the thick fog.

Threatened by plague and sea monsters, they were forced to flee inland, heading towards China in search of survival. Most of them had perished along this route; those who made it this far were all exceptionally strong.

"The Mother Goddess Cult... their activities have extended to that area?" Nie Weiyang felt a chill in his heart. He carefully inquired about the details of the coast from the refugees, trying to piece together a clearer picture.

At the same time, he also noticed a taciturn middle-aged man among the refugees. His palms were calloused, unlike those of ordinary laborers, and his eyes occasionally revealed a subtle scrutiny when he glanced at the camp layout.

His mind-reading ability told him that this was a well-trained soldier, an elite military officer even on Earth…

Since the other party seemed to have no ill intentions, Nie Weiyang did not expose them immediately. Instead, he instructed his men to make proper arrangements for them and asked others to keep an eye on them.

The two-front war has begun.

In the crowd, Nie Weiyang needs to consolidate forces, establish order, deal with potential new threats from the coast, and maintain trust.

Outside the crowd, Administrator Number Two patrolled the epidemic area, like a Damocles' sword hanging over the Life Manor, constantly putting pressure on them, forcing them to make mistakes, and gradually causing ordinary believers to lose trust in them, creating the most favorable conditions for Nie Weiyang to finally seize the proof of trust.

He knew that the time left for him was not as plentiful as it seemed. Therefore, he had to think less about the issue of sacrifice.

—He once said these words to Xiang Feng.
-
"One day, everyone here will understand that the only thing to consider when destroying the enemy is efficiency," Nie Weiyang said, his expression gentle and calm. "That day is not far away."
-
That day has long since arrived.

Now, it has finally spread to him.

The shadows over the sea, and the increasingly eerie false god statue within the manor, were both potential storms. He had to complete the necessary preparations before the storm fully arrived.

Nie Weiyang stood in the camp, gazing at the turbulent horizon.

An undercurrent washes over every inch of land and every soul.

Albert approached him, his brow furrowed: "Second Administrator..."

Do you know anything about this boss?

He knew that Nie Weiyang and the Second Administrator had been active in Zhongzhou for a long time, but he did not know that Nie Weiyang was 'tracking' the Second Administrator—this information, although Nie Weiyang never kept secret, was not enough to be transmitted here through normal channels.

Now, the BOSS trigger event for Administrator No. 2 is about to begin, and as a member of the epidemic zone, he must be prepared.

Not far away, Bai Yu silently wiped his dagger, his eyes sharp, seemingly deep in thought.

Nie Weiyang glanced at Bai Yu, his expression calm.

This BOSS incident was the result of his deliberate manipulation.

His aggressive behavior as the second administrator, and his 'dissatisfaction' with the desecration of Life Manor, were finally recognized by the rules of this land and turned into a public hazard.

This was both pressure and cover. It drew everyone's attention to what would happen 360 hours later, creating perfect conditions for his main body's actions.

“There’s no need to panic excessively,” Nie Weiyang said, his voice steady and carrying a convincing power. “The target of Administrator Number Two seems to be Life Manor and that disrespectful idol—look at his appearance in the file, and you should be able to tell what that idol is up to.”

"As long as we keep our distance and maintain order in the camp, we may not be affected."

Nie Weiyang subtly revealed a certain understanding of the second administrator, defining it as a punishment for the blasphemers—he was guiding the thoughts of others while subtly appeasing some of the nearby people who were listening intently.

For about ten days, Nie Weiyang's main body hardly stopped. With his superb speed, he covered the entire epidemic area.

He not only closely observed the further changes at the Life Manor under immense pressure, confirming that the construction of the statues was accelerating at an almost frantic pace and that the internal atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense, but more importantly, he confirmed that the other two manors—belonging to the Returning Church and the Mother Goddess Church respectively—were not inactive either.

The Return Sect's manor was unusually quiet, but beneath this quiet, Nie Weiyang sensed a colder and more eerie atmosphere, different from the fanaticism of the Life God Sect.

They were plotting something, but their objective didn't seem to be directly intervening in the immediate conflict. It was more like they were waiting, or conducting some kind of covert operation elsewhere. Moreover, the Void-Crossing Demons were clearly more wary of Nie Weiyang. They must have given the Returning Cult members some kind of 'don't overthink it' order, to guard against 'Nie Weiyang, who possesses a portion of the Second Administrator's power.' This didn't prevent Nie Weiyang's infiltration, but it certainly prevented half of his mind-reading abilities…

Nie Weiyang: "..."

He is currently busy dealing with the statue of the God of Life and the upcoming BOSS battle, and has no time to attend to anything else.

But he's not without people!

Nie Weiyang summoned Bai Yu.

“The Return Sect is too quiet,” Nie Weiyang said in a low voice, making sure only the two of them could hear. “This isn’t normal. They’re like eggs hatching in the shadows; we must find their true nest—”

“Go find the ‘Hill of Messages’ in this area and keep an eye on them. Don’t approach them unnecessarily, and maintain a safe distance from all Returning Christians.”

The Returning Sect has learned that the Second Administrator is in this area, and there is a possibility that the Void Demon has descended into the world. Bai Yu's infiltration can deceive ordinary people, but it cannot deceive the Void Demon.

Bai Yu didn't say anything more, but his usually unfocused white eyes twitched slightly, which was a sign that he had accepted the order.

He left the camp silently, like a faint shadow melting into the light, heading towards the Return Sect Manor.

The estates of the Mother Goddess Cult presented a different picture. Unlike the Life God Cult's feigned piety in its theft, the followers of the Mother Goddess Cult displayed an almost ascetic devotion.

They also worship the cycle of life and death, but they are not trying to create false gods. Instead, they believe they are carrying out the will of the cycle—maintaining the purity of life and eliminating decay and filth.

Nie Weiyang observed that although they had connections with the Church of Life, their attitude was quite subtle. They seemed to have reservations about the Church of Life's short-sighted practices of draining the pond to catch all the fish and creating plagues, believing that such practices were equally unclean and another kind of blasphemy against the principle of cycles.

“There must be a rift between true believers and opportunistic thieves.”

One night, Nie Weiyang was deep in thought in front of a map.

The turmoil in the depths of his consciousness never ceased; the echoes and the music coming from his headphones seemed like endless background noise, or like the ever-rising tide of some force.

He realized that the Mother Goddess Cult could be a breakthrough point.

If their pursuit of purity and their dissatisfaction with the corrupt methods of the Church of Life can be leveraged, perhaps a crack can be opened between the Church of Mother Goddess and the Church of Life worldwide through the messenger network of this manor.

Even if it's just to loosen their cooperation, it would be extremely beneficial for the future situation.

However, he is not good at psychological warfare, which can be described as 'commanding the opponent'. What is happening in the Wittnam area so far is already his current limit...

……

So what if he's not good at it? It's not like he can't call for backup!
Nie Weiyang took out his radio and began communicating with Pingdu. The liaison officer in Pingdu monitored his communication 24 hours a day and quickly reported the news upon receiving it.

Soon, the think tank in Pingdu sent a reply with just two simple letters: OK.

Leave professional matters to professionals.

Nie Weiyang felt much more at ease.

……

In ten days, Nie Weiyang integrated the people and established initial order, while also quietly laying the groundwork for a larger strategic move.

Two parallel lines advance, intertwined with light and shadow. A storm is brewing, and Nie Weiyang is already standing in the eye of the storm.

The air in the epidemic-stricken areas is like solidified grease, calm on the surface but surging with undercurrents powerful enough to devour people.

On the other hand, Russell's work was full of vitality.

He closed his eyes and focused his mind, his fingertips lightly touching the unfolded map—it was no longer a simple parchment, but rather a map shimmering with subtle light and shadow drawn by natural energy. The undulations of mountains, the waxing and waning of watercourses, and even the faint points of light where life gathered were all faintly visible on the map. He was synchronizing the detailed information of this area to a specially made [Map Synchronization Item - Vitnam (Reusable)].

Several contracted animals of various shapes and sizes quietly guarded his side, among which a huge falcon with feathers shimmering with metallic luster was particularly magnificent.

When Russell finished outlining the last line, he put the map into a small leather bag and secured it to the back of a falcon.

"Go, send it back to Pingdu," he instructed softly.

The falcon blinked its sharp eyes, flapped its wings, and took flight, transforming into a swift gray shadow as it sped northward.

Russell lifted the straw curtain and grinned at Nie Weiyang outside.

"We're done," he said. "What do we do now?"

Nie Weiyang also smiled, appearing kind and gentle as he faced his comrades who had traveled a long way to fight alongside him.

“Preparing to kill,” he said.

(End of this chapter)