I write obituaries for the gods

"What did Ms. J want to talk to your Stinky Cat Gang about?"

"Let's...let's talk about business..." Wang Defa swallowed.

"Don't talk nonsense. With your level of strength, who would want to do business with you?" Lin Chen didn't give him any face.

"What else could we be doing..." Wang Defa avoided eye contact. "Our Stinky Cat Gang... we're not exactly low-profile, are we..."

"Isn't it said that the gangs that can't survive in the Liberty District are all from the streets?" Li Zhanyi glanced at Lin Chen.

“It seems so,” Lin Chen said, flipping through the documents. “Let me see… You were still in the Liberty District three years ago, right? As a result, the Red Gang sent assassins who almost wiped out your entire family, leaving only you, the unfilial son, who abandoned your parents and ran off to Good Street to become a local tyrant.”

"Why are you being so aggressive!" Wang Defa said, getting a little impatient. "Isn't this an interrogation? Don't I have human rights?"

"Is repeating the facts considered aggressive?" Lin Chen raised his eyebrows. "Come on, you and I both know perfectly well that with all that you have left, those bandits have no reason to follow you, let alone that Black Commander."

Lin Chen couldn't help but frown at the thought of Hei Dashuai.

"Let me guess, after you were banished to the Liberty District, you did a lot of dirty work for the Foundation as a front man, so the Foundation sent a Delta-level demigod to be your bodyguard, right?"

"I don't know anything," Wang Defa said, lowering his head.

"You really don't know?" Lin Chen approached the iron bars. "Want me to help you remember?"

Wang Defa raised his head, passed through the iron bars, and saw Lin Chen's eyes, which shimmered with an eerie, dark blue light.

He knew who the man in front of him was... Once this guy took off his mask, everything before made sense...

"Can you guarantee my safety?" Wang Defa said in a low voice.

“Prison is safe,” Lin Chen leaned back slightly, “provided no demigod is watching you… I don’t think so, right?”

"You don't understand, the foundation doesn't leave any survivors."

Wang Defa gritted his teeth, seemingly knowing that there was no point in continuing like this.

“After leaving the Liberty district, the Stinky Cat Gang was responsible for contacting the Mentis Cult on behalf of the Foundation, using their influence to collect various materials from the dark web,” Wang Defa said in a low voice. “Those materials… I don’t understand their purpose. I’m just one of the downlines, and I don’t understand the overall details either.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen and Li Zhanyi exchanged a glance.

So, you can find clues to the main plot by running a side quest?

"The Foundation has already broken ties with the Church of Mentis, right?" Lin Chen turned around. "Then what did Ms. J want from you?"

"She wants me as bait to lure out the Mentis cult members; the Foundation is hunting them down on a massive scale..." Wang Defa said in a low voice, "Everyone wants those lunatics dead, including the Red Gang... damn it..."

"I really don't want to work for them, really! My mom and Ms. J are close, but the Foundation didn't stop the Blood Gang when they broke into my house!" Wang Defa's voice suddenly rose several decibels. "The Red Gang is the Foundation's dog too! The big wolfhound ate this little dog, this little dog... Waaaaah..."

He suddenly lost control of his emotions and started sobbing.

Poor thing... Will all the Foundation's dogs end up like this?

Lin Chen shook his head and said:

"You allowed the Foundation to control your subordinates, turning them into monsters manipulated by demigods. Do you understand what you've done?"

"I...I didn't want to either..." Wang Defa sobbed, "But...if it weren't like this...they wouldn't...they wouldn't follow me, this drowning dog...Waaaaah..."

After the interrogation, Lin Chen and Li Zhanyi went to the cafeteria together.

The two went to their usual hot pot restaurant and ordered two large bowls. Lin Chen chose the tomato soup base, and Li Zhanyi chose the spicy one.

"It seems the Church of Mentis is really in a sorry state," Li Zhanyi said, breathing heavily from the spiciness. "Back in the Ideal State, they were abandoned as a pawn, and now they're being hunted down..."

“Those who work for the foundation don’t have a good ending,” Lin Chen calmly opened a can of Coke. “When you make your own choice, you should think carefully about the consequences.”

However, Lin Chen did obtain a clue from this interrogation—

The Church of Mentis is in a really bad situation right now.

Even the obscure, low-level gang like the "Stinky Cat Gang" was sent to lure them out and kill them, which shows how massive this covert cleanup operation was.

This further convinced Lin Chen that if the Church of Mentis needed help...

They would choose Lin Chen without hesitation.

After all, on the black market, the rising star "Baba Yaga" could obviously solve the immediate problem!

"By the way, do you want to go look at cars tonight?" Lin Chen looked up at Li Zhanyi. "I think it's about time we got one."

"Hmm? Tonight?" Li Zhanyi asked, somewhat surprised. "No need for an appointment?"

"I'm planning to get a used car first, whichever one I like, and pay in full," Lin Chen smiled. "After I'm done with this busy period, I'll consider getting a better one. What do you think?"

“Actually, there’s no need to rush,” Li Zhanyi said. “After all, we don’t need the car that urgently, and it’s not convenient to drive it most of the time.”

"Anyway, I don't have anything to do tonight, so I might as well go check it out," the girl thought to herself.

"Okay, let's go then."

After finishing their meal, Lin Chen and Li Zhanyi got up, handed over the bowls, and then rode their electric bikes out.

Lin Chen remembered that there were several used car dealerships in Xiwang District, so he directly used navigation to locate the nearest one and drove there.

However, after Lin Chen had driven for a while under the night lights...

He suddenly realized that something was wrong.

“There’s a car following us,” Lin Chen said softly. “It’s a motorcycle, and it’s been following us around three corners in a row.”

Upon hearing this, a faint, deep blue light flashed in Li Zhanyi's eyes.

“There was no prediction of an attack within thirty seconds,” she said softly.

"It seems the plan will have to be put on hold for now."

Lin Chen drove his electric car through the streets, heading straight out of Xiwang District and into the urban villages of Mianyu District.

After driving a long distance on bumpy roads, Lin Chen got out of the car and walked into a small alley with Li Zhanyi.

After waiting in the alley for an unknown amount of time, a motorcycle stopped at the alley entrance.

A figure dressed in a red robe got off the motorcycle and walked straight toward Lin Chen, seemingly making no attempt to conceal his identity.

"Finally, you've made your appearance," Lin Chen said, shielding Li Zhanyi behind him, his hand already gripping the superalloy axe hidden inside his trench coat. "So, what are you trying to sell us?"

"How's the information?"

The mysterious man opened his hood with both hands, and then...

A face wearing a bronze mask was revealed.

"We meet again, brother," the bronze mask bowed. "Hey...you won't give me the silent treatment this time, will you?"

......

Chapter 25 Operation Code Name: Thanksgiving (Second and Third Updates)

Lin Chen certainly remembered this guy: wasn't he the native of Rain Town that he had encountered during Operation Achilles' Heel?

That kid also went to the control room to get intelligence and even gave Lin Chen a polite greeting.

only...

Looking at the red robe he was wearing, Lin Chen recalled a sentence about the Mentis cultists on the dark web:

“When He has a request, He will show it in red.”

"Are you a follower of Mentis?" Lin Chen asked directly.

“Yes, you know your stuff, Baba Yaga.” The bronze mask nodded repeatedly.

"You've investigated my identity quite thoroughly..." Lin Chen nodded approvingly and said:

"But aren't you a native of Raintown?"

"You're investigating me too?" Lin Chen couldn't see the expression on the bronze mask, but he guessed the kid's brow twitched. "But is there a rule that the natives of Rain Town can't be religious?"

"You believe in Mentis?" Lin Chen raised his eyebrows.

"Believe me, I'm a cardinal believer." The bronze mask showed off his red robe.

"I don't believe you're religious," Lin Chen shook his head.

It was instinct: he always felt that this kid's persona was that of a two-faced spy, and he certainly didn't seem like a devout believer.

The bronze mask looked injured. He straightened the crooked mask on his face and said:

“Whether I am religious or not, your actions have attracted the attention of the Church of Mentis. We know that you are investigating us and hoping to make a deal with us.”

"If you are willing to complete the 'impossible task,' the bishop will meet with you and answer your questions..."

"Stop being so mysterious," Lin Chen clicked his tongue. "You guys are practically being chased like rats in the street, what are you still doing with all this suspense? Just tell me the mission."

"Give me some face, bro. I'm a believer, after all. Let me finish the process," the bronze mask said somewhat helplessly. "Alright... you're right. The Church of Mentis is in a terrible situation right now. It's hard to imagine that the Foundation has made them look so pathetic..."

"That's what happens when you work for the foundation." Lin Chen showed no mercy.

“Please don’t be like that. The Church of Mentis does have its own doctrines,” the bronze mask said, opening his arms. “The world will eventually shatter in the Whale Song… They helped the Foundation before because the Foundation truly had the means to deal with all of this…”

"For example, sending a rocket into space?" Lin Chen raised his eyebrows.

“You really know a lot… As expected of you,” the bronze mask laughed. “Alright, in short, I’ve come to you on the orders of the bishop to ask if you are willing to accept the deal.”

After saying that, the bronze mask snapped its fingers, and almost simultaneously, Lin Chen's phone rang.

Lin Chen picked up his phone, and the screen automatically redirected to the black webpage, displaying a new commission:

"Mission Impossible".

"Mission impossible!" The bronze mask opened its arms wide. "How about it? Do you dare to accept?"

"Of course I dare."

Lin Chen glanced at the task, then pressed accept, and put his phone back in his pocket.

"After all, I am Baba Yaga."

"..."

Their plans to visit the used car dealership were naturally ruined. Lin Chen and Li Zhanyi rushed back to the Investigation Bureau headquarters, intending to discuss the matter with the members of Section One.

After all, contact with the Mentis cult would be a major breakthrough in deciphering the "Black Star Project".

“That guy has so many identities,” Li Zhanyi said, walking down the corridor, recalling the scene just now. “One moment he’s a native of Rain Town, and the next he’s a religious follower. It feels like he’s playing a role-playing game, just like you.”

"What kind of disguise do I have?" Lin Chen laughed.

"Let me do the math... First I was a food delivery driver... then I became the number one male gunner in Yudu..." Li Zhanyi gestured with her slender fingers, "and then I became Leon S. Kennedy... Keanu Reeves... Dante... the Godslayer... Baba Yaga..."

"There's no room for so many people here," Lin Chen complained.

The two of them pushed open the office door of the Rapid Response Division and went straight in.

"Old Jiang, Old Jiang, we've made a new discovery!" Li Zhanyi excitedly raised his hand.

To everyone's surprise, Old Jiang wasn't in the office at all...

The first thing that catches the eye is Professor Isabel behind the bar, the new paranormal consultant for the Rapid Response Division.

She was holding a wine glass, inhaling deeply, and making sounds of ecstasy.

"Ah... Lucy wipes those glasses so many times, they're so cute. She mixes drinks here every day..."

Lin Chen and Li Zhanyi turned their heads as if petrified, looking towards the other side of the room.

A fully encased mechanical armor was sitting in a chair.

A petite girl sat on the lap of a mecha—it was Hua Luori, or rather, "Black Sword"—and she was scooping up a spoonful of ice cream and handing it to Director Hua Molan opposite her...

Director Hua Molan obediently opened her mouth.

"Ah~" Hua Luori smiled innocently.

To an outsider, she would probably seem like such a cute daughter, feeding her mother ice cream...

But their identities are reversed.

"Hey, Lin Chen, Zhanyi," Hua Luori noticed Lin Chen and waved, "Why are you back? We thought your office was no longer in use."

"We're back...to discuss some things..." Lin Chen looked completely bewildered. "What's going on?"

“We’re here for an interview,” Hua Molan said, having regained her composure as if nothing had happened. “Louis is going to join the director’s office as my personal liaison. Since Lao Jiang and the others are out on a mission, we’ll just be using the First Section’s office for a bit.”

“This helps us see how he behaves when he’s familiar with the work environment,” Hua Luori nodded.

"Louis is going to join the director's office?" Lin Chen was somewhat surprised.

"Yes."