Wandering Swordsman |

After passing the first two tests with outstanding results, the final test was the reaction test—a sealed room known as the "Mind's Eye." The room was pitch black, with only a faint candlelight flickering. Dozens of masked assassins were hidden all around, ready to launch a sneak attack at any moment, their goal being to touch the test subject's clothing.

"If you get hit more than ten times, you fail."

Shen Mo entered the secret room, holding his breath and concentrating.

In an instant, a murderous aura filled the air!

Blades, arrows, ropes, darts... all sorts of attacks came from all directions, so fast that their trails were almost invisible.

However, as if he had foreseen it, Shen Mo moved his feet lightly and dodged slightly, avoiding the fatal blow perfectly each time.

His movements weren't swift, but they were breathtakingly precise, as if a pair of eyes in the darkness had already seen through all the conspiracies.

For a full half hour, no one could get close to him.

When the lights came on, everyone noticed that Shen Mo's robes were spotless, and even his hair was perfectly styled.

"Is he...is he a monster?" someone murmured.

Shen Mo remained calm: "These people's movements... in my eyes, are as slow as a snail crawling."

After the test, the news quickly reached the higher-ups.

Cardinal Bruce personally summoned Shen Mo, his tone more solemn than ever before: "You have passed all the tests perfectly, your performance far surpassing that of all previous newcomers. From this day forward, you will follow 'Faceless' on missions as a trainee interrogator."

This is an exception.

No one had ever been able to join the ranks of "Faceless" in the first test before.

Shen Mo bowed his head respectfully: "I will obey the bishop's instructions."

He knew this was just the beginning.

The more the Papacy values ​​him, the more it means they've begun to see him as a useful pawn. And staying by Alice's side and protecting her is exactly what he wants.

"Very good." Bruce nodded. "Tomorrow, she will show you the process."

......

In the days that followed, Alice, with Shen Mo in her "Faceless" identity, quietly traversed the vast religious machinery of the Vatican.

She was no longer a cold weapon that only knew how to kill, but a woman determined to find her past. She flipped through long-sealed files, questioned the retired old deacon, and traced back the fateful ordeal that changed her life.

She wanted to know if those hideous bandits still lived on this continent, and what the truth was about their kidnapping.

However, what she didn't know was that every time she consulted the files, it was like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, creating ripples in the dark depths. After she left, an old deacon in charge of managing the papal records silently closed the heavy parchment book, then quietly took out a piece of paper, wrote a few words, and had his subordinate take it to the Pope.

......

The Pope sat regally on a high white jade chair, his long white robes fluttering in the wind, like a statue that had stood silently for a thousand years. In his hand, he held the paper written by the old deacon.

When he finished reading the news about "Faceless" continuously accessing old files, his eyes, which were originally as calm as an ancient well, suddenly narrowed for a moment.

"What is she looking for?" he murmured to himself, his voice as soft as a sigh.

Why did she suddenly want to revisit that past event?

Could it be... that she remembered something?

Or is someone guiding her to uncover secrets that shouldn't be touched?

The Pope slowly closed his eyes, as if caught in a silent game of strategy. After a long while, he opened his eyes, a cold glint in them, and calmly gave an order to the void:

"Let 'Shadow' keep a close eye on her."

"I need to know where she went each day, who she met, and what she said."

The command fell silently, like the first snowflake falling in the night, yet destined to cover the entire world.

......

In the days that followed, Shen Mo keenly sensed a subtle feeling of being watched in the air.

It wasn't murderous intent, nor was it hostility; rather, it was a sticky, spiderweb-like gaze that clung to every corner they walked in.

Finally, one evening, as Alice went to the Cardinals to retrieve a border patrol record, Shen Mo quietly followed half a step behind her.

His gaze swept over the fleeting black shadow at the end of the courtyard—the person was wearing a gray-brown monk's cloak with the brim pulled low, and his steps were steady but unnatural, clearly deliberately concealing his aura.

"Someone has been secretly following you for three days," Shen Mo whispered in her ear, his tone as calm as ever.

Alice didn't stop, her eyelashes fluttering slightly before she regained her composure. "Don't show any emotion," she whispered, her voice coming through the silver mask, mechanical and cold. "We can't let it show that we're being watched."

She paused, then glanced at Shen Mo: "Can you help me find out who he is?"

Shen Mo nodded, and the two parted ways without hesitation.

As night fell, Shen Mo's figure disappeared into the intricate corridors of the Vatican like a streak of ink.

He didn't use any light-footed skills, but relied on the natural power of the "True Technique of the Demon God" to minimize his presence, as if he were part of the air itself.

He followed the gray-robed man through seven corridors and around three forbidden gates, finally arriving at an inconspicuous side hall.

The palace doors opened, and the person went inside. A moment later, he hurriedly came out and disappeared into the night.

But Shen Mo did not leave. He waited for a while, until the surroundings were completely quiet, before drifting down to the window like a falling leaf.

He held his breath and focused his mind, using his spiritual energy to sense the remaining fluctuations of energy within the room.

In that instant, his heart trembled slightly—this room was actually… a secret passage leading to the stargazing terrace!

It turns out that the one staring at the "Faceless" was none other than the high and mighty Pope himself.

......

The next morning, a thin mist swirled in the rose garden.

Alice stood before a blooming red rose, her fingertips gently brushing the dewdrops from its petals. She was still wearing the silver mask.

"Oh, right!" When she heard Shen Mo mention what he had seen last night, her pupils suddenly contracted, and she looked at him in disbelief.

"How did you do that? Even I didn't notice anyone following me, yet you managed to tail me all the way to the secret chamber leading to the Pope's residence?"

Her voice was filled with shock, even a hint of awe. She had thought her senses were top-notch, but in front of Shen Mo, she felt like a child gazing at the stars.

"Heavenly Demon God! What kind of being are you?"

Shen Mo simply smiled calmly: "I'm just a little faster at controlling my aura than them."

Alice remained silent for a long time, her eyes swirling with emotion. She gazed at the towering temple spires in the distance, her voice suddenly becoming extremely soft, as if afraid of disturbing something:

"Since he has begun to suspect me... then the only way is to start from the source."

She turned around, looked directly into Shen Mo's eyes, and said, word by word:

"Heavenly Demon God, I would like to ask you... to help me investigate the Pope."

This is neither an order nor a request, but a trust, a trust that entrusts life and secrets together.

Shen Mo looked into her clear eyes, which concealed countless scars, and his heart trembled slightly.

He knew that if he were discovered to have entered that forbidden area, he would be making an enemy of the entire Holy See.

But he also knew that if the truth wasn't revealed, Alice would never be able to escape the cage of the "Faceless." And Shen Mo was confident that he wouldn't be discovered by anyone.

So he nodded, his voice as firm as iron:

"Okay, I promise."