Chapter 174: Saint Ji Ming

An De Lu stabbed the knife in especially vicious, directly nailing Galami's hand to the tabletop.

Moreover, while Galami tried to struggle, his hand still pressed on the knife handle, pushing down bit by bit.

"No, the mole isn't Sheldon, is it? Why is the knife……"

Galami forced a smile on his face, his lips trembling.

"\"Regi... Regiment Leader? You've got it wrong, haven't you? \""

"\"Shh! \""

An De Lu, however, raised his finger in a silencing gesture and took out a delicate little booklet from the drawer.

"\"Galami, do you recognize this thing? \""

A faint whiskey scent lingered around the nose, mixed with the smell of cheap perfume.

He frowned, lowered his head in thought, and after a long while, sucked in a cold breath.

"\"Regiment Leader Sir! This was lent to me by Sheldon; I just wanted to investigate which bastard is stealing my woman, I... this... \""

Now it's his turn to be speechless; he clearly just brought up Sheldon being the mole, and then he was suspected and directly had the blame pushed onto him.

Whatever good or bad, it's all on you—who would believe that?

Sure enough, An De Lu cracked his mouth open, revealing the cold white teeth inside.

"\"This is getting interesting—you think Sheldon is the mole, then you successfully borrowed the roster from that mole, so what do you think you are? \""

"\"I... \""

An De Lu suddenly raised his tone.

"\"Ba Er De! Have you figured it out?! \"

Despite such a change occurring within the mercenary corps, Ba Er De, as the self-disciplined squad captain, remained unmoved.

He picked up his pen, writing and drawing, stringing together all the clues and testimonies on the notebook before him, laying them out before everyone.

【First, as the regiment captain, Galami had no shortage of opportunities to obtain the various keys inside the manor; this is the premise】

【Thus he stole the roster in advance, using his position to clarify the recent garrison and patrol routes, then, taking advantage of drunkenness and intimidation, forcibly brought two outsiders into the manor】

【Afterwards, using closed-door work as cover, while one went to set fire in the underground warehouse, the other stole from the others upstairs, diverting attention while providing cover】

【But our defenses were too lax; no one noticed the series of thefts, so they launched the second plan, directly blasting the villa to create maximum chaos】

【Thus, by the time everyone reacted, the traces and supplies in the warehouse had been burned to nothing, leaving only a fire-resistant Sheldon family heirloom ring to leave false clues and direction】

The entire course of the crime has been fully reasoned out; the evidence is solid, a hundred mouths cannot refute.

"\"Galami, your plan is truly thorough. \""

Gripping the wooden handle of the dagger, An De Lu kept applying force, beginning to twist it.

"\"I haven't treated you poorly—why would you betray me? \""

Piercing pain made Galami break out in cold sweat, yet he still dared not resist, only able to stare fixedly at Sheldon.

"\"That roster really was lent to me by you, Sheldon—why aren't you speaking? \""

Sheldon, however, kept his eyes on his nose, his nose on his heart, remaining unmoved.

After a long while, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice.

【33】 After a long while, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice.

"\"How could I possibly lend such a precious thing to someone else? Stop trying to slander me! \""

"\"You! \""

His vital energy and blood surged, and Galami felt his head growing increasingly dizzy.

Having come to this point, even if I am not the mole, I must now be the mole!

"\"Ba Er De! Yue Han Xun! \""

He could only howl out the names of the other two captains, hoping they would say something for him.

However.

"\"Galami, you truly disappoint me; I never imagined a worm could climb to such a high position. \""

"\"Ah, old brother, just confess; I believe the Regiment Leader will give you a fair verdict. \""

"\"A fair verdict? Who doesn't know what kind of lot the mountain folk mercenaries are, who doesn't know what An De Lu is……\""

Thus he put on a mournful face and began to beg.

"\"Regiment Leader, spare my life; I'm willing to give you all my possessions! \""

"\"Ha! \""

An De Lu burst into loud laughter upon hearing that.

"\"Galami, if I kill you, isn't all your property mine as well? \""

"\"Good heavens, why... \""

Galami was still sniffling and begging for mercy, yet suddenly he curled his left hand into a fist and thrust it straight at An De Lu's face.

"\"Huh? \""

Although An De Lu appears refined, how could he be weak when he's a beast at heart?

A fierce light flashed; he bent his arm to block, actually managing to block the punch with a move that anticipates the strike.

But this was originally Galami's calculation; taking advantage of the opponent loosening his grip on the dagger's handle, he forcibly shook off the restraint and broke free from the table edge.

"\"All beasts! \""

After shouting a curse, he used his battle patterns as a guide to release a martial technique, condensing his entire qi and blood into a transparent shield.

Then, without another word, he ran toward the outside of the villa.

"What a joke—among those present, each is either stronger than him or roughly equal; if they really fought, he'd have no other way but death."

"But to flee—can he really get away?"

Sheldon gritted his teeth, stood up, and performed a bow.

He knew clearly in his heart that although this move had suspicions of silencing, being indifferent would be even more suspicious, so he could only speak quickly.

Regiment commander, I am willing to redeem my faults; I'll go kill him now!

An De Lu gave him a deep look, revealing a half‑smile.

Is that so? Then go.

Um...

Having known him for a long time, he understood this hypocritical regiment commander all too well; at the sight, his heart instantly turned cold.

Yes, Galami's self‑explosion could only dispel most of the doubts, but he himself still harbored suspicions.

Even if the regiment commander were willing to show favor and overlook these, he probably would not choose to believe himself……

But at this moment he had no time to think further; he and Balde, who was in charge of self‑discipline, rushed out together.

Regiment commander, I too……

Yuehansun also wanted to pursue, but heard the sound of table‑knocking coming from behind.

He had no choice but to obediently return and sit down.

Regiment commander, do you have any further orders?

An De Lu narrowed his eyes like a wolf.

In these troubled times, another such matter has arisen within our ranks; the only one I can trust is you, cousin.

For the coming period, I will trouble you to pay more attention to the mercenary corps' internal affairs; do not stir up any more trouble.

Yuehansun's face sank, and he gave a firm nod.

Yes, sir, cousin!

Very well, let's go.

Then An De Lu rose slowly to his feet, his voice gradually turning icy.

Traitor, I will see him dead today!

Before his words faded, the two departed swiftly, the wind they kicked up swaying the potted plants by the window.

The green leaves swayed slightly, conveying this last bit of information to Ji Ming.

Sitting in a tavern outside the manor, he took a sip of the dark wheat beer in his cup and fell silent for a while.

He left clues on both sides, deliberately creating loopholes to deceive An De Lu into suspecting both captains, provoking internal strife; that was his goal.

Who would have thought the effect would be too good, directly forcing Galami into open rebellion, causing a situation where not dying was impossible.

However……

Are these thief‑mercenaries idiots! How could they waste so much time before entering the underground warehouse?

He originally only wanted to burn that small warehouse, pretending 'himself' was not for theft but for sabotage, creating a purpose conflict with the large‑scale theft above ground, so as to keep stirring the waters.

As a result, a fire that could have been easily controlled was, for various reasons, left unchecked, letting isolated blazes merge into a sheet that burned most of the supplies inside.

Ji Ming had long regarded this underground warehouse as his own ATM; he had planned to move more, but now there's nothing left to take!

Today, my hand trembles! Today, my heart aches!

Involuntarily donning a mask of pain, he felt even more anguish than An De Lu.

But before he could set down the bitter liquor in his hand, a shrill angry shout rang out from the manor.

An De Lu, you shall not die a good death!

Covering his bleeding arm, Galami stumbled out from within the wall.

Amid the shocked gazes of everyone, his originally panicked expression calmed down again.

Since escape is impossible, it's better to simply destroy!

As a veteran captain of the mercenary corps, he knew all too well An De Lu's weak point.

Thus he rushed forward a few steps, suddenly turned, his eyes filled with desperate madness.

Nothing more than that utterly hypocritical face!

An De Lu doubted for a second, then his expression changed.

Quick, stop him!

But no matter how fast they acted, they could not outpace Galami's words.

An De Lu, do you think everyone doesn't know? About your filthy dark secrets!

Shut up!

An De Lu dared not let him continue; in midair he unleashed an unknown martial technique.

Surging vital energy and blood rolled downward, letting him appear before Galami as if teleporting, and he punched through the opponent's chest.

Clearly facing imminent death, Galami nonetheless showed an exaggerated smile.

He spat a mouthful of fresh blood onto An De Lu's face.

You shameless pervert, sneaky bastard, lowborn……

Then in the next second, he was neck‑snapped by An De Lu, whose eyes were about to burst.

Bathing in the flowing fresh blood, An De Lu looked around, his gaze like arrows.

Although his own speed was already fast enough, he still let Galami reveal too many secrets.

Especially……

Damn it, just like last night, there are simply too many people here; he could not possibly silence them all.

He could only do his best to steady his breathing, putting on an elegance that no longer existed.

Sorry, we were just cleaning house; let everyone see the joke.

Then he dragged Galami's corpse, almost split in two, back to the manor with three silent captains.

Meow‑like, meow‑like!

After finishing watching the plot's ending, Ji Ming gave applause, and after settling the bill, he stepped onto the way home.

Feeling refreshed from the happy event, on the way he ran into someone and also bought some snacks.

"What? You… ah, you are a follower of our Holy Light Church, so can this bill be free for me?"

"Cough cough… Elderly lady, your kindness and goodness leave a deep impression on me; may the Holy Light bless you."

Although being a divine chosen one to freeload followers' honey-roasted meat is indeed pleasant, but how much profit can the poor have? Ji Ming has always been ruthless in extracting from the rich.

So he quietly kept a few copper coins, holding the paper bag he returned to the commercial street.

Only when turning into the alley where the Clinic is located did he see a familiar figure standing at the entrance.

The members of the Iron Rope Squad all left, and the doctor here again enjoyed eating closed-door meals for two consecutive days.

Alone standing before the Clinic's door, AdaiEr's back view carried a hint of desolation.

Why do I always feel as if everyone is keeping me in the dark?

Moreover.

How come this feeling of being the only one left out of the situation arises again?

Hearing the familiar footsteps, she turned her head.

"Doctor, are you not open for business today?"

……

Damn, I was busy watching Director An solve a case and forgot that the Clinic was supposed to open today!

"Open for business! AdaiEr, we're open; I went out to handle some matters, sorry……"

These past few days have been busy with many affairs; it was rare to have a normal business day, and Ji Ming worked until evening.

Moreover, due to the many titles he now holds, not only are the number of patients coming for consultation increasing, but the doctor-patient relationship is also improving.

"Thank you for your treatment, Doctor."

"Are you sure this is the price list of your Clinic?"

"Please wait, let me calculate eighteen plus five again……"

Each one not only paid the consultation fee in full, but also observed polite language and etiquette to the fullest, with even their eyes becoming moist……

???

Wait, this isn't right……

During a break in treatment, Ji Ming grabbed an adventurer who looked somewhat familiar.

"Friend, what difficulties have you encountered?"

Looking at the wound that took him three days to finish treatment, the middle-aged man with a withered visage sighed.

"You might not know, but this morning Andrew Hospital announced another price increase……"

Although the three major powers each have their own medical systems, and there is constant open and covert rivalry in daily affairs, when it comes to price hikes they are absolutely united.

Within less than half an hour after Andrew Hospital announced the price increase, other hospitals also followed suit, and overall the increase was only more, not less.

Since the leading big hospital has raised prices, should the small Clinic also follow suit?

Thus, you raise, I raise; everyone raising is the real increase.

After all, a certain Clinic that had just multiplied its consultation fees several times in the past few days, namely Wai Shu Clinic, ended up not actually raising its prices.

Moreover, as the Orderly Good appointed by the Holy Light God himself, Doctor Ji also seems unwilling to continue following the group in raising prices.

What is this? This is the contemporary medical sage!

If it weren't for his upright daily conduct and honest dealings, he would probably have already been treated to a feast by a large group of moved martial ruffians, who would have fed him demons, and not just once but three times……

"Ah, I see now."

Although his own status has changed greatly, Andrew absolutely does not have the guts to threaten a pharmacist protected by the Church.

But after hearing the man's grievances, Ji Ming still frowned, after all the direct reason for Andrew's price hike is surely that he burned his warehouse.

However, he will not feel guilty about this, because the fundamental cause lies not with him, but with this group of shameless scoundrels who have long developed a dependence on such a path.

They have grown accustomed to sucking the blood of Sunshine City's civilians, lying on this chaotic land devouring flesh and gnawing bones, and dragging it into deeper vortices of sin.

Thus, when conflict with the outside world occurs and major losses arise, the first thought is to eat a few more bites of the colonists' meat to recover blood!

What's more fatal is that Sunshine City's internal structure remains a stable triangle; without external force to disturb it, the three sides would hardly become unbalanced, let alone change.

However.

Taking into account Elinor's position and expression, as a so-called Radiant Noble, she likely wants to solve the feral beast problem to prove her own ability.

And if she wants to solve this problem, she must necessarily bring the Holy Light Church's forces into the fray to break this three-legged tripod situation.

Furthermore, the internal test period is about a month; once the underground plains are cleared, even if there aren't a thousand players, there will be hundreds of fearless brave soldiers.

As I am the Holy Light Church's divine chosen sage and the master of all spirits of the Soul Spirit Throne, and I happen to be at the junction of the two powers.

Then……

Ji Ming patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, everything will work out fine; it's just a matter of time."