Chapter 381: Who Can Make the Red-Clothed Archbishop Have an Epiphany?

As an outstanding armed police soldier who was recruited into National Security for his excellence and now assigned to the YangYue External Affairs Bureau, Cang Lang has encountered countless resistance when arresting criminals.

Some tried to take hostages, some tried to violently seize the gun, and even an entire village colluded, surrounding his courtyard in an attempt to detain him.

But no matter whether it was hand-to-hand combat or gunfight, solo combat or team assault, Cang Lang had never been afraid.

However, today, when that person suddenly grabbed his wrist, he felt his breath seem to stop for a moment.

He couldn't help but recall his first mission, when, because he forgot to search one corner, the opponent pressed a gun against his head.

——This is the feeling of zero-distance contact with death.

If it were an ordinary person, being frightened like that would surely make them flinch, but Cang Lang did not.

Instead, he abandoned the plan to capture him alive, no matter what schemes the other had, he simply increased his grip and would directly crush the opponent's head!

Yet, as expected, no matter how much force he applied, the skull that should have burst like an apple remained as immovable as a steel casting.

???

"Hehe……"

It seemed he had guessed the other's surprise, and the young man with his head down let out a string of strange laughter.

His frail body trembled all over, and before the vigilant Cang Lang could try to pull back and retreat, he also increased the force with which he gripped Cang Lang's wrist.

Yet unexpectedly, no matter how much force he applied, this limb that should have snapped like a twig remained as unbreakable as a mountain boulder.

???

This isn't right; could it be that my recent exertion was the problem?

Thus, in the next moment, both chose to use no force and try again!

……

No, I get it now! It's a breathing rhythm issue—let's try again!

……

No, I get it now! It's a point of force issue—let's try again!

……

No, I get it now! It's……

"Hah!"

In the next instant, both erupted simultaneously—one tried to follow through downward, using his left hand to twist the opponent's neck; the other tried to throw an uppercut, using his right hand to blast through the opponent's chest.

Then, as they naturally discovered the opponent had also launched an attack, they swiftly changed moves mid-way, each grabbing the other's wrist, entering a very exciting stalemate.

Cloi beside them: "Oh damn, there's even this kind of matchup."

Although she couldn't see the face of the young believer with his head down, she could still see her teammate's expression.

Seeing him half-squat with waist and legs, fists clenched, face flushed red, ready to adopt a beast-like mindset, publicly……

Wait, why am I thinking about this again?

In any case, she hurried over from the other end of the battlefield, wanting to ask Cang Lang what had happened.

But before she had taken a few steps, thanks to her sharpness as a blessed one and a weird werewolf, she sensed a dangerous aura emanating from that young person's body.

This…… this is……

"Hey!"

She hurriedly called out loudly.

"Get away from him quickly—he's been possessed by an evil god!"

Cang Lang: "Oh oh, so he's been possessed by an evil god—I thought……"

He has fate genes in his body and just underwent a burst of power—haha, thanks for the reminder.

……

"Ah!"

Cang Lang didn't know whether to laugh or cry for a moment, but the situation before him was clearly not something he could just withdraw from.

Thus Cloi's belated warning was meaningless; he could only grit his teeth and continue to wrestle with this strange thing.

At the same time he thought, "This other world truly lives up to its name—any place can go wrong; if I accidentally get killed today, next time I'll definitely raise my guard, not arrest him, but just snipe him with a gun!"

But as for the "Red Warmth" aspect, the weird entity possessing this poor believer is obviously even more infuriating.

——No way, I've mustered my courage and gone all out, yet I can only fight evenly with an ordinary person!!

It instantly felt sorrow rise from the heart and evil grow from the gall, further advancing its descent.

"Hehe, hehe……"

Thus, as the young person's teeth kept chattering, his skin, already cold-toned as a Cold Iron follower, became even paler, as if a layer of frost were forming on it.

No, there probably really is frost!

Because the fingers gripping Cang Lang's wrist were also becoming ever colder, this was no longer a temperature a living person could have.

"Hehe, haha……"

And in this deathly tremor, the young person's force suddenly increased, actually, despite Cang Lang's suppression, he stubbornly lifted his head amid the cracking sounds of his cervical bones.

"……"

Even though Cang Lang had seen too much cruelty and violence, seeing that face he couldn't help but clench his teeth.

Because this young person is already dead, his expression is twisted, his eyeballs, eyelashes, and facial skin are covered with a thick layer of frost, and his cracked lips have no trace of blood.

Just a minute ago he was still a living person who could run and jump, full of foul language, but in a minute he had turned into a gruesome frozen corpse!

What's more frightening is that the young person's eyes showed no fear or regret, but rather a sense of relief and pleasure.

He truly willingly offered his life and body to some chaotic thing, and even took pride in it?

And upon seeing this silent man before him, the entity residing in the young believer's body let out a low, unpleasant laugh.

Just as he was about to triumphantly ask if he was afraid of him, he saw anger flash again in the man's eyes.

The next second.

Damn!

With a deafening roar, Cang Lang, filled with anger, suddenly exerted force, using his bulging muscles to pry open the frozen corpse's grasp.

Moreover, for ordinary people, things like demonic darkening and demonic fall would definitely be a major boost, turning even minor bosses into major bosses.

But for a Qi practitioner who cultivates positive qi, this is hilarious—it's practically the enemy dressing themselves in a shroud, and even a thin-skinned coffin, with the crematorium rushing tonight!

Thus, with positive qi surging all around, the frozen corpse that had been gritting its teeth and refusing to let go instantly felt as if it had grabbed a branding iron smeared with sulfuric acid, and could only hurriedly pull its hands back in panic.

But that's all there is to it; after all, no matter how domineering positive qi is, it cannot allow Cang Lang to ignore the huge gap in rank and lifeform and act as he pleases.

So the frozen corpse opened its mouth and exhaled a mouthful of filthy cold air at its scorched hands, dispelling the golden light clinging to them and restoring normal function.

However, Cang Lang didn't expect his desperate struggle to tear off the frozen corpse's arms; instead, after breaking free, he quickly retreated to Cloi's side.

"Is this what they call divine possession by an evil god? Whoever this is... is it the God of Cold Iron?"

The werewolf silently nodded.

"You seem to know a lot—do you have any way to deal with Him?"

The werewolf silently shook their head.

"Very good!"

Cang Lang clapped his hands and shouted loudly.

"What more is there to say? If we can't beat them, we should retreat quickly!"

Before he finished speaking, the werewolf took off at breakneck speed, faster than he himself, who thought he was already sudden.

Under normal circumstances, even the naturally cautious Cold Iron God might not have pursued.

After all, besides that man with strange energy, He could also sense the aura of another powerful deity on the strange werewolf's body.

If we drive them to desperation, no matter the outcome, I, who has descended here, will surely be gravely injured; it's better to call it quits, retreat in time, and hide again.

But not today, for He has no retreat left; these before us are already the last usable followers of the Cold Iron Church!

In theory, as an evil god formed through strange enlightenment, concealment, ambush, lowering one's presence, and developing covertly should be basic skills.

Thus, though the Cold Iron Church is small, aside from some scattered nominal followers, it has as many as five strongholds for believers to communicate and develop.

Moreover, each stronghold has a priest overseeing it, and at critical moments they can hold a deity-summoning ritual to invoke the Cold Iron God for aid; theoretically, they would not be wiped out in one fell swoop.

——but it's not impossible.

Actually, what qualifications does a mere priest have to stand in for at least theoretically the organizer, the Cold Iron Church, to preside over such an important meeting?

The reason it's him is that three days ago, the Cardinal, the highest ruler under the Cold Iron Church's deity, vanished without a trace during an outward patrol.

But while to the Church it was an unexplained disappearance, to the YangYueExternalAffairsBureau it meant that, after several days of investigation and combining tips from informants and enthusiastic citizens, the project team followed the clues and captured a highly valuable target.

"Leniency for confession, severity for resistance! Leslie, you worship an evil god, endangering countless people; only early repentance can bring early absolution!"

However, these followers are weak in fate and wrist—nothing about them is tough except their mouths and necks, which are harder than anything; even if reduced to ashes, they'd still be exactly the same!

Moreover, they especially love to twist their mouths while arguing scripture, often saying things like 'You speak grandiose because you don't understand the deity's greatness' or simply 'Don't yell at me!' which leaves the field team members' heads buzzing.

Thus, even the most ordinary fanatic cannot be taken down by conventional means, let alone a high-ranking Cardinal.

So even if the field team exerted all their efforts, they could only admit defeat, watching the opponent raise their head like a victor and sighing deeply.

"What a man! Damn, I wish we had someone like him on our side!"

As for unconventional, more violent interrogation tactics, first, the organization does not allow opening this door to forced confessions; second……

The colleagues from White Eagle and Russia have already tried the GreatMemoryRestorationTechnique, but to no avail—whether it's warm compress, dragon fruit, CPR, or blueberry juice, none of it worked.

Looking across the entire interrogation room, everyone is an extremely resolute, indomitable fighter; no matter how many times—seventy or eighty—various tortures are applied, it's still a case of either I die or you collapse from exhaustion.

——We're done; this move can't be countered now.

【What do we do, Chief!】

Looking at the field team chief's plea for help, LaoZhao hesitated in his office for a long time, but ultimately called his superior.

Thus, the next afternoon, a refined elderly gentleman appeared in the office, sharing three cups of fine tea plucked from a thousand-year tea tree with him.

Drinking tea naturally isn't done in silence; there must be conversation, and the gentleman called 'Old Li' had a pleasant voice.

Just a few words sparked LaoZhao's desire to talk, prying open his worry-filled, grim lips.

After listening to him speak for a while, Old Li smiled faintly.

"There's no helping it—who made Yangyue World so beautiful? Just like this tea, we can't even squeeze a drop out of it on Earth no matter how hard we try, but here it's abundant enough to make tea‑leaf eggs, so of course everyone wants to come."

"But when there are many people, it's inevitable that good and bad mix, dragons and snakes mingle; not everyone can be as glamorous as they appear on the surface, nor can everyone perfectly perform their duties, so the team will inevitably have some unsavory elements."

Having said that, he took a sip of tea and shifted his tone.

"That's why the higher-ups entrusted this department to you, LaoZhao—he agreed to establish the YangYueExternalAffairsBureau because he wants someone capable, determined, and willing to strive, someone who can do practical things for the people in another world."

Who would have thought that upon hearing this, LaoZhao's just‑relaxed wrinkled face immediately tightened again.

"Hey! If you want to say my bad temper makes me a lone wolf in the circle, just say it straight—no need to beat around the bush insulting me!"

Old Li held his teacup, couldn't help laughing out loud, and only after a while did he speak again.

"Then, if you feel some people are dragging the team down, you and the others can kick them out."

LaoZhao's eyes flashed.

"Whose idea is this?"

Old Li sat up straight.

"This is everyone's idea."

After saying something half‑true, he rose and went to the interrogation room here.

After days of imprisonment, the Cardinal's condition was poor, yet upon hearing the door push open, he immediately shot a cold, blood‑shot glare.

Seeing a white‑haired yet sharply dressed old man of remarkable bearing, he at once frowned warily.

"Who are you?"

Lao Li's face still bore a smile.

"Laisili, I am a friend who pities you for going astray and has come specially to point you onto the right path, ah!"

Why are these believers so hard to convince?

Because they have formed a perfect closed-loop logic of their own, and they firmly believe in it.

So if you want to communicate with them, you must inevitably fall into this logic; and if you fall into this logic, you, who are participating in its operation, will inevitably be unable to destroy it.

So to break it, you must first find an entry point advantageous to yourself outside this logic, then use it as a fulcrum to gradually link onto this logic.

After confirming the goal and direction, launch an attack from the outside, using paradoxes and unchangeable reality to completely destroy its invincibility.

By then, you won't even need to act yourself; believers who try self‑examination will discover this huge bug, and then their faith will collapse on its own.

Thus, the solution is complete.

Therefore, the first sentence Lao Li asked had nothing to do with the God of Cold Iron or the Cold Iron Church; it was simply a.

"Laisili, is your hometown in Poplar Tree Town?"