Love, Gun, Cupid

Just as Iphigenia screamed and was about to deliver the final blow, two gunshots rang out, interrupting her... It was the two superhumans Hannah had left to support Lingard who crawled over, and the two bullets hit their mark precisely, stopping Iphigenia in her tracks.

Chapter 109 The Belated Truth

Iphigenia originally had a chance to defeat three opponents in a row, but she lost to Lin Jiade, Kapok, and Ice Cave who were in poor condition. However, two teammates who came to her aid made her the one who was caught in the trap.

Upon approaching, one of the superhumans changed his module; outwardly, he only changed his magazine. His partner, meanwhile, drew a bayonet from his backpack, mounted it, and charged towards Iphigenia first.

Iphigenia tried to open the door and run away, but the golden light emanating from the ice cave slowed her down. Lin Jiade struggled to catch up and slashed down with his sword. The monster was forced to parry, allowing the bayonet from behind to successfully break through her shield, while another person's bullet hit her in the back.

Iphigenia reverted from her beast form back to full human form, but at the same time felt her limbs go numb. Lin Jiade seized the opportunity to grab her, pinning her to the ground and pressing her neck down with his knee.

“You are under arrest, Iphigenia.”

"Lin Jiade... I can't breathe."

The monster, using Teacher Yang's appearance and voice, only enraged Lin Jiade. He managed to control his emotions slightly and said, "Listen, Teacher Yang has her own life. I won't let you drag her down to hell with you!"

"Yang Xuemeng is dead... When will you finally accept reality?"

Lin Jiade took the specially made handcuffs and handcuffed Iphigenia. After thanking the members of the special tactical and rescue service team who had come to provide support, he asked, "Where are the others?"

"One of them died, the others are still alive and treating their burns... Don't worry, young man, we were prepared for this before we joined the team."

Nevertheless, no one could remain indifferent to the loss of a teammate, and the entire team's morale plummeted. Lin Jiade, escorting Iphigenia, spent nearly half an hour reaching their only remaining vehicle, where they found another enemy being held captive.

"We miscalculated. We didn't expect a dragon species to use this method..." Hana, whose tail hair was singed, welcomed Lin Jiade and his group back with a wry smile. "There are still supplies in the car. Go and get them and deal with them."

Ice Cave, whose injuries were the least severe, treated her own wounds first, using up some medical alcohol and a few bandages. She then went to help Lin Jiade, whose injuries looked more frightening. Lin Jiade pointed to Kapok, who said, "My injuries aren't external; they're from the overtime magic. I need to go back and heal slowly, but right now..."

She took the legal stimulant for the second time today. During the duration of the drug's effects, her energy recovery speed increased and her physical attributes improved to a certain extent. However, the price was that she would have to endure side effects for a period of time after the drug's effects wore off, mainly nerve damage.

This stuff comes from the military. When the Empire needs ordinary soldiers to perform tasks beyond their capabilities, or to use them as expendable resources on the battlefield, or to fight alongside superhumans, they are injected with stimulants under various pretexts to maintain their morale.

In extreme cases, even superhumans will rely on stimulants to fight to the death. Mu Mian has already drunk two bottles of stimulants today, reaching the limit that her body can currently withstand. Even if nothing happens afterward, she will probably need to rest for about half a month to recover.

Seeing the ferocious expression on Kapok's face, Ice Cave cowered behind Lin Jiade in fear. At this moment, Lin Jiade had already taken off his shirt. On his powerful bronze skin, the shocking wounds ruined the streamlined beauty of his body, yet gave it a cruel beauty.

“My injuries are all external,” Lin Jiade said. “You can treat them for me.”

Ice Cave sighed as she washed Lin Jiade's wounds with clean water, saying as she did so, "I'm sorry."

"What's the matter?"

"I was in a daze on the battlefield for a long time, right?"

"Ah."

"At that moment, my consciousness saw it, I saw it..."

The ice cave wanted to describe the moon goddess's authority, but she found she couldn't utter the words that contained the key information. Lin Jiade turned around and saw her so anxious that tears were about to fall.

"So, you weren't spacing out on purpose, you were forced to, right?"

"Yes, that's it!"

"After communicating with you, an indescribable being released you and granted you power, but this power comes with conditions?"

"Correct!"

"Is this condition harmful to me?"

“I… I can’t say it. But I know that without this power, you would definitely be my enemy,” the ice cave said. “Lin Jiade, I need to be honest with you about two things. Do you want to hear the important one or the less important one?”

“We still have time, so let’s talk about the less important things first, so I can be mentally prepared,” Lin Jiade said.

"Yes, it wasn't me who withdrew your deposit a few hours ago."

"?!"

If it weren't for the ice cave, Lin Jiade could only think of one person. No wonder the touch was so similar to jasmine, but more savage and unrestrained. He had thought that the ice cave was more open than real girls.

Why bother? Lin Jiade thought, given the difference in our physical abilities, if you force me to have my essence extracted, what objection could I possibly have?

“I understand,” he said, feigning calmness. “And what about the most important one?”

"After you discovered my identity and I moved into the rental apartment you found for me, I cast a friendliness spell on you, a spell that has no direct offensive power but simply changes your feelings towards me."

Although at the time, I felt that repaying your kindness with my body was rationally acceptable, I was still afraid emotionally. After all, you were so tall and strong, and you had some lewd thoughts when talking about boys.

I'm afraid that you'll treat me roughly and it will hurt me terribly, so I hope to use magic to make you be gentler with me.

Lin Jiade looked at her with a "Are you crazy?" expression, and muttered in the ice cave, "After becoming a girl, the way you see things is different from that of a boy..."

"If we switch the tables, and Lin Jiade uses magic to forcefully win your favor, how would you feel?" Mu Mian asked.

Ice Cave blushed and said, "Lin Jiade used force, and I couldn't resist. Maybe I should bite him when he hurt me?"

This is the unimportant part of the important matter, Lin Jiade. What follows is the key point: my friendship spell was reflected by the protective spell on you, causing the friendship spell to hit myself. My feelings for you have suddenly changed from passively responding to actively attacking.

Then, what further intensified my aggressive pursuit of you was Gladiolus, yes, your second concubine, Gladiolus. I swear on my life, this is the truth. Remember that day you took me to her office to discuss the Holy Land issue? She sent you away and, together with another indistinct being, cast a spell on me.”

Chapter 110 The Holy Land is Complete (1) (Bonus Chapter)

Seeing that Lin Jiade did not react, Ice Cave added, "My reverence for the Holy Land has been amplified, like that of a fanatic. So, in the name of protecting the interests of the Holy Land, she can command me to approach you, understand you, and keep track of your movements."

"Being under the curse, I had no objections whatsoever. I simply approached you. Although I haven't directly harmed you in the past, and Gladiolus hasn't learned anything from me, I'm unsure what she might do with me in the future."

"I don't understand. Gladiolus has absolutely no reason to target me. Our relationship, our career, our beliefs, and our interests..."

Lin Jiade stopped abruptly here. Jianlan had no reason to attack him, but Korobochka did. He had a vague premonition, but what he didn't want to believe was confirmed to some extent.

“I find it hard to accept that almost everyone around me is going to betray me, but I have a feeling that this is about to happen,” Lin Jiade said.

“Although I don’t know what you’re planning, Lin Jiade, we don’t stand a chance on our own,” Mu Mian said. “Last time you were able to defeat Korobochka because you had the Oracle, your allies who fought tirelessly to buy you time, a spider-shaped mech, and the equipment you bought at great expense. Moreover, Korobochka had just awakened at that time and his strength was only at the level of a high-ranking officer.”

All the advantages you built last time, you have none this time… and do you really think those people she brought in can be trusted?”

"The premise is that the ice cave's testimony is credible. I don't mean she's lying, but could the existence of the ice cave, which dispels her illusions, also implant certain evidence in her mind that makes her believe it without a doubt?"

Ice Cave covered his head: "I don't know how to judge. I've told you everything I know. Lin Jiade, you make the decision, I'll listen to you!"

Lin Jiade gave a bitter smile. Whether it was Lao Mu or Bing Dong, they were used to playing a non-stick game on the court and on the battlefield. You could expect her to do her best to assist, but at the decision-making level, you would never hear her voice.

He looked at the kapok tree and said, "Without more evidence, it's difficult for me to take this as a fact and act on it directly."

"Korobochka was able to slip up because of her adventure in the ice cave; otherwise, we would still be completely in the dark about her."

Kapok said, "You believe in the principle of 'innocent until proven guilty,' but I prefer to look at her past from the perspective of guilt, to find evidence of crime in events that were not actually crimes."

Think about it, someone who controls all the superhuman resources in the city is fighting against a mediocre cult but is being passively beaten. She is either extremely incompetent or has ulterior motives.

Do you think she's an incompetent person?

Lin Jiade shook his head. Seeing his expression, Mu Mian felt a pang of sadness. Lin Jiade still didn't want to draw a conclusion—unless he witnessed some irrefutable evidence, which would be completely different from his attitude towards her.

“I want to meet with her and get things sorted out,” he said.

“Even a prostitute will only deliver the goods after the money arrives,” Mu Mian said coldly. “And based on the performance of Korobochka from the Mirror World, I have no doubt that once she gets you, she can kill all the rest of us.”

Although she's a bad person, her family values ​​are based on monogamy; she might be the most normal one among us.

Ice Cave cried out anxiously, "We can't let her take Lin Jiade away!"

Kapok looked at the ice cave, which shrank back and hid behind Lin Jiade, saying, "Don't keep good things to yourself, you're stingy."

Lin Jiade sighed, "Can't you guys show me some respect?"

He glanced at the members of the Special Tactics and Rescue Service team. Although they had previously been allies and had some awkward coordination, they would certainly obey Korobochka's orders to arrest him.

Even if Lin Jiade said that your leader's body has been possessed by Korobochka, they probably wouldn't listen to him... Of course, your own superior is more trustworthy than an outsider.

"No matter what, let's focus on getting ourselves in better shape before thinking about what comes next," Lin Jiade said. "If I don't even have the strength to carry a sword, there's no point in thinking about what comes next. I'll just muddle through to the end."

Ice Cave quickly treated Lin Jiade's wounds. In her anxiety, her movements became somewhat rough. Lin Jiade frowned and remained silent. Mu Mian observed her ally, who could turn into an enemy at any moment, while silently recovering her energy.

Fortunately, there were no convenient means of communication here. Kapok thought that even if Korobochka wanted to issue an order, it would take some time for it to arrive; there was still time.

Meanwhile, after the fierce battles fought by Lin Jiade and his companions, Ragnar and Korobochka, having gathered enough remaining offerings, headed to the Holy Land—the place where the pit of the Holy Land, this plump peach, lies.

Surprisingly, the path from the apparent holy site to the true holy site is hidden at a point guarded year-round by the ice cave of Sannam Dongdo University.

On the way, Korobochka suddenly said, "Ah, my secret is about to be exposed."

Ragnar gestured for Korobochka to continue, and Korobochka said, "To minimize the trouble my husband might cause, someone has prepared three plans."

The third plan has failed, and before the second plan was launched, I lost contact with the key figures involved in the second plan.

"Dead, or discovered?"

"If I die in battle, my identity can be kept hidden for a long time, but I can't just take chances and do nothing, because I'm very unlucky."

"So you're going to instruct your men to take them under control?" Ragnar asked.

"The more people who know about this, the more trouble I'll have when I'm cleaning up the mess. The superhumans in the Special Tactics and Rescue Service team are public officials. If I use them and don't silence them afterwards, the information is likely to leak out. If I get rid of them, so many people will die at once, and the higher-ups will definitely investigate, inevitably leaving some clues."

Therefore, the safest approach for me is to divert them away. If Lin Jiade finds out, he will definitely come after the Holy Land is opened, and then I will deal with all the potential threats at once.

"Are you really going to do it?" Ragnar joked. "After all, you care about that young man a lot, and if you lay a hand on his other women, he'll probably hate you for the rest of his life."

"He doesn't need to keep memories of those women, he just needs to be with me. As long as he doesn't think about anything, he can be very happy."

"I completely agree with you."

The two arrived at Sannam Dongdo University, but at that moment, only an empty shell remained. The instant Korobochka reached out and touched that shell, the university's outline shattered like a mirror, and in its place, an ancient Greek-style temple appeared before them.

Because Real Madrid beat Inter Milan 1-0, an extra chapter was added.

Chapter 111 The Holy Land is Complete (2) (Two-in-One)

This is unlike any other temple in the empire. The temple's columns are in the Ionic order, and each column is adorned with a sculpture depicting a goddess and various legends about her.

"The famous events—the shield of parchment, the olive branch, the owl, the snake and the spindle, the Gorgon, the golden apple, the destruction of Troy—all left power to Pallas Athena," Korobochka said.

“This is quite a gift,” Ragnar laughed. “I sometimes think that if a god like Dionysus had left his authority here, while it would still be a worthwhile power to acquire, it just feels a little funny.”

“When you see Greeks and guardians of the holy site but don’t smell wine, you should know that this is not the holy site of Dionysus.”

"I was just joking. Women get more boring as they get older. Lolis are definitely better," Ragnar muttered.

“While speaking is not a crime in the human empire most of the time, I advise you to be careful with your words before the authority left behind by the gods,” Korobochka said.

"If gods truly possess the same sense of good and evil and vanity as humans, wouldn't the two of us be struck by lightning right now?"

Ragnar pointed to the transparent barrier outside the temple: "Seriously, what should we do about this?"

“I’ve probed Henrietta’s mind. This bastard knows nothing. The Holy Land has no feelings for her. She’s just a tool to manage the girls that the Holy Land has lured away.”

"Trick..."