Spellcasting Gods

In these neighborhoods, nobody cares where you come from or whether you entered Brazil legally. What gangs care about is whether you have money or can be of use.

Clearly, a group of former Soviet professional spies who escaped from the KGB were precisely the kind of special talents that were sought after by gang bosses. This was because they were always able to obtain information about the government and police movements at the first opportunity, and occasionally they would sell high-priced intelligence to rival gangs to ensure that regional power remained in balance rather than one being dominant.

Of course, being able to do this doesn't mean they're particularly powerful; rather, it means that in South America, whether it's the government or the gangs, everyone is utterly incompetent.

Furthermore, corruption and bribery have spread from the top to the bottom, and some cynical locals even say that if all the Brazilian government bureaucrats were executed from top to bottom and their economic situation investigated, they would find that not a single one of them was clean.

In such an environment, let alone fighting corruption and improving government administrative capacity, even just shouting slogans risks being eliminated.

……

In a villa near the beach in the southern part of Rio de Janeiro, nine men and women dressed in various styles are sitting silently in the living room.

One of the men, who was about 1.85 meters tall and had a strong build, kept looking outside while asking without turning his head, "How long has it been since we lost contact with the boss?"

"Twenty-three hours, fifteen minutes," another petite woman quickly replied after glancing at her watch.

It was clear that they were all on edge, with various firearms of different lengths laid out on the table, seemingly prepared to deal with the worst possible emergency.

"Damn it! I hate this feeling!" The middle-aged man pressed against the door slammed his fist against the wall. "Are you sure this safe house hasn't been exposed?"

"Don't worry, I bought this place using a shell company owned by a businessman. He died in South Africa five years ago, so it's absolutely..."

Before the beautiful woman in the sexy swimsuit could finish speaking, an old car suddenly stopped in front of the villa, and an elderly man in his fifties wearing sunglasses got out.

“Someone’s coming!” Zhuangguan, standing by the window, immediately sounded the alarm.

Upon hearing this news, the others in the living room grabbed their weapons and scattered, hiding themselves behind cover.

Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense, a series of clicks came from the door. A few seconds later, the old man stepped in from outside, took off his sunglasses, and said with a smile, "Don't be nervous, it's me."

"Head?! No! That's not right! You're not him! You're much younger than him!" The burly man standing by the window did not let his guard down and still pointed his gun at the other man's head.

"Five, seven, eighteen, twenty-two, six, forty-five, eleven..."

The old man didn't try to explain anything; instead, he read out a series of incomprehensible numbers in front of everyone.

Interestingly, when the other nine people in the villa heard this string of numbers, they all put down their weapons and quickly showed expressions of disbelief.

The burly man closest to him took a deep breath and asked uncertainly, "Boss, did you have plastic surgery?"

"Plastic surgery? Hahahaha! No, Griff, much better than that. Come, all of you, come closer, I have something important to announce." The old man waved to the crowd with his arms outstretched.

Despite having many questions in their hearts, after confirming their identities, they subconsciously chose to obey orders.

In just a few seconds, these former Soviet spies who had escaped from the KGB returned to the sofa in the middle of the living room, their eyes filled with doubt and confusion.

However, the old man clearly had no intention of explaining, and simply touched the magic ring on his finger.

moment!

A blinding white light enveloped everyone!

Before they could even process what was happening, they found themselves no longer in their beach villa in Rio de Janeiro's South District, but in a futuristic underground base.

Without a doubt, this man in his fifties was none other than Leonid, who had parted ways with Zhang Cheng not long ago.

"Good afternoon, sir. Is there anything I can help you with?" Sensing the presence of strangers in the base, X quickly went on alert, and several automatic firing turrets adjusted their direction, surrounding the nine people in place.

If they make any threatening move, the terrifying metal storm will tear them to shreds in no time.

"Boss! What's going on? You owe us an explanation!" The burly man hurriedly threw down his weapon and shouted, raising his hands high.

The remaining people quickly grasped the idea and imitated it quite well.

Leonid smiled and reassured them, "Relax. There's no need to be so tense unless one of you has betrayed me. X, activate the lie detector; I need to question each of them."

"As you wish, sir."

In less than ten seconds, a platform resembling an elevator rose up from the ground.

"Who wants to go first?" Leonid squinted at his men, trying to find fear and panic in their facial expressions and eyes.

As a commander with a KGB background, he had long since learned how to set aside personal feelings in his work. No matter how loyal these nine men had been in the past, they now needed to be retested.

After all, he still needs these people to build the foundation of the entire intelligence agency, so he absolutely cannot allow even a single traitor. Otherwise, as the organization expands, it will eventually be infiltrated by the enemy and riddled with holes.

"I'll go first!" The petite woman seemed to realize what was about to happen and took a step forward.

“Very good! Tatiana, tell me, have you sold intelligence to other spy organizations?” Leonid calmly posed his first unusually pointed question…

Chapter 650 Mediation (Part 1)

Just as Leonid began assessing the loyalty of his subordinates, Zhang Cheng had already left New York using teleportation magic and arrived in Los Angeles, the most famous city of angels in California on the West Coast.

However, he didn't come here for tourism, nor did he come like many lecherous men to try and have some intimate contact with those Hollywood sex symbols.

On the contrary, he came here mainly for two important things.

First, launch your own private satellite.

After Chester Barshem's negotiations and efforts, the most important western space and missile testing center in the United States finally offered a launch price of $150 million per satellite.

Don't think this is expensive!

In fact, since private launch vehicles were far less developed around 2000 than they were 15 years later, only Russia, Japan, the European Space Agency, India, the United States, and China had the technology and capability to launch commercial satellites.

The problem is that Russia is currently in its darkest period. Although its technology and rocket industry system are still very complete, due to insufficient funding, many pieces of equipment are severely outdated and have various safety issues. They might explode for various reasons right after ignition. Although the cost is cheap, whether they can be launched into the intended orbit depends on luck.

The same applies to India. Given their carefree and irresponsible nature, no one with a modicum of sense would choose them to launch important satellites.

Zhang Cheng had no intention of using those two advanced satellites he brought back from the Marvel universe; he wanted them destroyed before he could even use them.

As for the remaining companies, although their technology and security are relatively secure, it's best to let the United States handle it since North America is within their sphere of influence.

After all, the Western Space and Missile Test Center agreed not to conduct any inspections on the two multi-functional satellites, and was not worried at all about discovering the technology inside that was more than 20 years ahead of the world.

Second, Cosmo, the president of the North American Supreme Council, finally received the long-awaited longevity potion.

Unfortunately, by the time the bottle of medicine reached him, it was nearly a third empty, clearly indicating that someone had intercepted part of it en route.

So this 140-year-old monster finally erupted in unprecedented rage, ordering his men to frantically search every place along the way, vowing that no matter who the other party was, they would pay the price for their actions, the price of blood and death.

His unbridled arrests, interrogations, and killings across the United States undoubtedly infringed upon the interests of several other members of the Supreme Council, leading to intensified internal conflicts and even several small-scale clashes and standoffs.

For a time, many residents of the underworld were somewhat uneasy, fearing that a more intense internal struggle would break out.

At the request of a female member of parliament with Norse elven blood, Zhang Cheng agreed to mediate between the two parties.

If the mediation is successful, not only will he gain immense prestige and gratitude from both sides, but he will also receive many tangible rewards, such as his favorite ancient books and knowledge, or interesting magical items...

In short, the identity of this mediator was planned from the beginning, so there was naturally no reason to refuse.

It's worth noting that for others, quelling the speaker's anger might be an almost impossible task.

Because all the councilors knew that Cosmo's life was coming to an end, anyone who tried to sabotage his lifespan, even by just a third of it, would inevitably face the most severe retaliation.

But for Zhang Cheng, who had just evolved a magical soul, the longevity potion was something he could have as many as he needed. He only needed to take one bottle to solve all his problems.

With a very relaxed and cheerful mood, he quickly walked to a villa on Venice Beach with a black obelisk standing in front of it, and said with a smile to the gargoyle statue standing at the door, "Is Speaker Cosmo at home?"

moment!

The statue slowly opened its eyes, a red light flashing within them, and responded in a low voice: "Welcome, Mr. Councilor. The master is currently in the living room on the first floor. By the way, he's been a bit irritable lately. Since last night, two servants and four slaves have been torn apart by terrible magic. You'd better be a little careful."

"Don't worry, that's what I came here for."

Having said that, Zhang Cheng ignored the highly intelligent magical creation, walked through the quiet courtyard, and pushed open the tightly closed door.

Before he could even observe the decorations and furnishings around him, he felt a powerful surge of magical energy rushing towards him.

Without the slightest hesitation!

He immediately raised the supreme authority disguised as a Western-style cane, instantly creating an anti-magic force field.

When the astonishing magical energy flew close, it was instantly repelled by the force field and disappeared without a trace.

"Dear Speaker, your way of welcoming guests is quite unique," Zhang Cheng teased, raising his eyebrows in an exaggerated manner.

"Oh—damn it! Sorry, Zhang, I didn't notice it was you."

Upon seeing the newcomer's true identity, Cosmo immediately withdrew his sharp, murderous gaze, replacing it with an expression of annoyance. He then sighed and explained, "I'm sure you've heard that some lawless individuals have even dared to steal what belongs to me, and they've stolen a full third of it. Undoubtedly, they don't want me to extend my lifespan too much, so that the position of Speaker can be vacated sooner."

"Heh! The pursuit of power, strength, and longevity is an innate desire of every inhabitant of the underworld; you can't possibly kill them all. Ms. Yvonne asked me to mediate, hoping you'll stop provoking the other councilors' bottom lines—it would be better for everyone. I won't let you back down for nothing; this is my sincerity..."

As the last word fell, Zhang Cheng directly took out a bottle of pre-prepared fifteen-year life-extending potion from his pocket.

"Huh?! Another bottle?" Cosmo, clearly sensing the powerful life force emanating from the vial, widened his eyes in surprise. "Are you sure it will still have an effect after I drink it?"

Zhang Cheng nodded slightly: "Of course! Did you think that the longevity potion I concocted would be like those mediocre people, only able to be taken once in a lifetime? No, my longevity potion can be taken in unlimited quantities."

As he said this, his tone revealed contempt and disdain for the other alchemy masters.

Due to limitations in raw materials and formulas, the other two alchemists in the underworld who can create longevity potions only have one effect.

In other words, each person can only take it once in their lifetime and it will be effective. If they want to take it again, they will develop drug resistance, which will prevent the body from absorbing the life energy.

But Zhang Cheng, who had been to Azeroth and Forgotten Realms, had already broken the limitations. As long as the soul was intact, he could resurrect it even if the body had completely decayed and disappeared.

Chapter 651 Mediation (Part 2)

A psychologist once said that as a person gradually ages, they inevitably become more and more afraid of death and more and more eager to know what the afterlife is like. As a result, they shift their attention from the secular world to religion, trying to find a placebo in those fabricated things that do not exist, deceiving themselves that they can go to another world to live better after death.

Despite the fact that a powerful wizard like Cosmo harbors a deep-seated aversion to all existing religions, the fear of death inevitably surfaced, as evidenced by his recent erratic behavior.

So when he learned that the longevity potion in front of him could still work, he snatched it without saying a word, uncorked it, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

Feeling the abundant life force flowing through his body with his blood, the anger in his heart finally subsided completely. He licked his lips and exclaimed, "This feeling... is simply unparalleled! My dear Zhang, you have invented an incredible potion. I guarantee that if others knew that the longevity potion could be taken in unlimited quantities, the entire underworld would go mad."

"Then for the sake of peace and stability in the underworld, you'd better keep this a secret for me. You know, this potion is not easy to make. Putting aside the complicated process and demanding alchemical techniques, the material called 'Life Essence' alone is very difficult to obtain. I can't satisfy so many people's thirst for life." Zhang Cheng shrugged innocently.

It's obvious without even asking that this is a lie, designed to control the ruling class of the underworld.

Although many people can escape death in different ways, such as the witch of lust Catherine who used to change to a younger body many times, or the ancient magical rituals passed down from the Wizarding Society to prolong life, they all have many flaws or side effects.

Even the soul splitting technique used by the legendary necromancer Faust, who claimed to have conquered death, was extremely dangerous. Each split required not only a large number of living people as sacrifices, but also immense suffering.

However, the longevity potion is different. As long as you drink it, you can increase the vitality of your body. Unless your soul also has problems, you can live for hundreds or even thousands of years until the last bit of potential in your cells is squeezed out.

It's easy to imagine how frantic those powerful old men would become upon hearing this news. They would eagerly offer up all the treasures they'd collected in their lives to exchange for a single bottle of the potion. Furthermore, from then on, Zhang Cheng would gain a immunity from death; no matter how much trouble he caused in the future, the ruling class of the underworld would find a way to help clean up the mess, because he was the only one in the world capable of concocting a life-extending potion that could be taken repeatedly.

Cosmo was undoubtedly well aware of this, sitting on the sofa gently stroking his beard, never once glancing at the gruesome female corpse lying nearby.

Clearly, the maid was extremely unlucky to run into the gun, and her chest cavity was crushed by some powerful magic, leaving dark red blood all over the ground.