Chapter 971: The Conspirator

Star Dream General Store.

Anthony, carrying Ludwigs, received the reply from the Major Arcana cards from the shop owner:

“In reality, Rosan is under tight protection by the Church of the Night Goddess; whenever she sleeps, a Nonhuman monitors her dream state—in this regard, the Church of the Night Goddess is an expert…”

“On the Future, Frank Lee has shown no further anomalies; as before, our bottom line regarding Lee Keji in the dreams is that we must not allow him to be contaminated by the power of the ‘Great Mother,’ nor let him become the Puppet of the Celestial Sovereign through death and rebirth…”

Reading this, Anthony seemed to hear the unspoken thoughts of the Major Arcana cards:

“If necessary, you may actively eliminate Lee Keji and destroy the body—above all, do not let him be contaminated or exploited; death will not affect the real person.”

Lu Mi also thought the same… Anthony had never seen Lee Keji’s mushrooms firsthand, only heard Lu Mi’s recounting of his ideas—plausible, yet brimming with chaotic madness.

He continued reading the rest of the letter:

“We can only confirm that Anderson Hood is currently in the capital of Lunbao, Isara, but we cannot locate him—we will communicate with the Knowledge Church next.”

That even Major Arcana cards from different Paths could not find him proved Anderson Hood was hiding well—perhaps even under the protection of a higher power… Communicating with the Knowledge Church meant confirming whether they had aided Anderson Hood? If not, the situation would grow even more complex and troublesome… Anthony folded the letter and slipped it into his jeans pocket.

He then dropped the pre-written letter into the silver-inlaid black mailbox.

…………

Tech Tower.

Lu Mi was already at work, patrolling the floors while pondering how to more effectively monitor Zarathustra, and where to observe his condition tonight—Lu Mi wanted to see whether Zarathustra would still encounter dream hostility after Rosan reminded Zhou Mingrui again, deepening the latter’s impression of Zarathustra.

On the seventh floor, while Old Xia went to the restroom, Lu Mi pulled out his phone, opened the online shopping platform Fenglanka mentioned, and typed a few words via voice input:

“Pinhole camera…”

He felt that although Zarathustra was suppressed to Rank 7, he was fundamentally an Angel, possessing many mysterious and strange abilities—relying solely on the Mirror World to spy on him was clearly unrealistic; it could only be used occasionally.

So Lu Mi decided to try a scientific approach—test pinhole cameras and listening devices; even if Zarathustra later discovered these gadgets, as long as he couldn’t trace them back to Lu Mi, there would be no problem.

After completing the input, Lu Mi did not press the “Search” button.

He remembered Fenglanka saying this was illegal, part of the black-gray industry.

“Never mind whether the official platform sells these— as a Son of God, why should I personally involve myself in the black-gray industry? I’m a law-abiding citizen…” Lu Mi half-joked, half-sneered, closed the app, switched to WeChat, and entered the chat with “Intis Group Green.”

He typed calmly:

“Prepare some pinhole cameras and listening devices, preferably with instruction manuals.

“Also, give me Zarathustra’s schedule for the past two days.”

Zarathustra’s safety in the Dream Metropolis was jointly handled by his personal bodyguards and Intis Group’s Security Department, so last night Lu Mi had known Zarathustra was likely at the hotel and headed straight there to observe—though this wasn’t certain; Zarathustra could change his schedule at any moment, as he was the one in control, just like when he suddenly decided to visit two tutoring centers, which Lu Mi had not been warned about by Green.

“Understood.” Green replied swiftly.

After finishing his patrol and returning to his office, Lu Mi opened his drawer and immediately saw two sets of pinhole cameras and listening devices resting quietly inside.

Lu Mi pulled out the paper placed atop them and memorized Zarathustra’s schedule from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. today.

When night approached, he used a restroom excuse to “teleport” away.

First, using the Mirror World, he concealed the pinhole cameras and listening devices in hidden spots within Zarathustra’s room, erased all traces of his presence, and used the “Mirror Double” to perform counter-divination; then he returned to Tech Tower and reached the sixteenth floor, Huang Zong’s private level, via the mirror.

Tonight, Huang Zong would host a business banquet here for Zarathustra and his entourage.

Lu Mi was deeply grateful that Huang Zong loved mirrors and gold-leaf decorations—it allowed him to easily find the perfect vantage point, overlooking Zarathustra from behind a mirror-like object on the ceiling.

The old man had just toasted Huang Zong with a glass of red wine, appearing perfectly normal, while outside the window lay true night.

Time passed second by second; Lu Mi watched silently as they drank, ate, and chatted.

Suddenly, Huang Zong leaned back in his chair, lifted his head, and as if deep in thought, fixed his gaze on the mirror-like object where Lu Mi hid.

Lu Mi instinctively shrank back, away from the mirror.

“Did Huang Zong sense me?”

“Can he detect surveillance behind the mirror?”

“He’s just a dream projection—he’s not Emperor Luo Saier… Was that just a coincidence, or does Huang Zong, in the ‘Fool’s’ subconscious, possess hidden Nonhuman power?” At this thought, Lu Mi suddenly recalled a piece of information Fenglanka had given him:

Louis Gustav of the Emperor Faction had been recently agitated, unable to contact a key figure—this key figure was suspected to be the Mirror Emperor Luo Saier.

There was a scent of conspiracy… The “Conspirator’s” instinct made Lu Mi instantly suspect:

Could the Mirror Emperor Luo Saier also have entered the dream?

Had He previously collaborated with the Demon God and the Celestial Sovereign’s followers, entering the dream through assistance from the Celestial Sovereign’s side? After all, He was not a true god, had not absorbed a Singularity, nor possessed any special artifact—unlikely to enter alone…

Was He partnering with Zarathustra, attempting to corrupt and influence the dream image of Huang Tao, the Emperor Luo Saier, until controlling and replacing him?

He was fundamentally the “Man in the Mirror”—it was only natural for Him to detect someone spying behind the mirror…

If Zarathustra and He seized control of Intis Group, with its influence and terrifying cash flow, the scales of victory would tilt rapidly!

While we focused on Zhou Mingrui, Lee Keji, and An Xiaotian, Zarathustra quietly stole our home…

Normally, given Princess Bernadette still seemed able to enter the dream, Huang Zong should be on our side…

But why did Huang Zong look directly at me so obviously?

He could have pretended not to notice, waited for an opportunity to strike suddenly…

The more Lu Mi thought, the colder the sweat grew on his back.

Zarathustra was not a “Conspirator,” yet he acted like one!

Indeed, my initial thought was right—I must strike first, assassinate him, or trade one for one, kick him out… As Lu Mi’s thoughts flashed, he pressed himself against the mirror again, gazing downward.

At this moment, Huang Zong had already withdrawn his gaze.

But Zarathustra had noticed his earlier behavior and glanced at the ceiling:

“What are you looking at?”

Huang Zong gently swirled the wine in his glass and smiled in reply:

“Thinking about some things.”

Zarathustra did not press further, shifting the conversation to other topics.

Lu Mi observed for several more minutes, confirming that Zarathustra showed no anomalies after nightfall.

“So, after being punished once, the ‘Fool’s’ subconscious now considers this person fully puppetized—Zhou Mingrui, even if he hears the name again and deepens his impression, will not trigger dream subconscious alertness, unless Zarathustra introduces new stimulation or change?” Lu Mi speculated on the current situation’s cause, then departed via “Mirror Transit.”

“Why so long?” Old Xia asked casually as Lu Mi returned to the office.

Lu Mi sighed:

“Ah, I’m the type who gets diarrhea if I eat too spicy, and constipation if I don’t.”

Old Xia enthusiastically launched into a discussion about “spiciness.”

…………

Late at night, Lu Mi “teleported” near Red Moon Hospital, flashing repeatedly across the glass windows of different special wards via the Mirror World.

After a minute, he stopped.

Before him was a dark ward lit only by faint moonlight; his spiritual instinct told him the person inside was An Xiaotian, the one he sought.

Lu Mi looked down from above the bed and saw a man connected to numerous machines, tubes inserted into his body.

His head was shrouded in darkness, barely revealing decent facial contours, but his beard—long unshaven, only trimmed—had grown thick and black, clumped up to the upper cheeks.

After observing for a while, Lu Mi stepped out of the glass window and approached the bedside.

He saw the comatose patient’s scalp was completely shaved, with multiple massive, centipede-like sutures across the top.

A scene instantly formed in Lu Mi’s mind:

The skull forcibly split open, the brain ripped out, then some unknown substance inserted into the cavity and stitched shut…

A symbol? Lu Mi had just flashed this thought when the heart monitor spiked—peaks and valleys rapidly alternating, triggering a shrill, continuous beep.

Lu Mi instinctively stepped back, moving toward the window, ready to flee.

Simultaneously, he saw all the patient’s monitoring data shift, becoming wildly active.

Did something change the moment I arrived? What on me caused this… too many possible causes, I can’t pinpoint any… Lu Mi turned his gaze back to the patient.

The patient’s fingers twitched, barely perceptibly.

(End of Chapter)