Chapter 247 – Wanle Temple
As for how she managed to enter silently?
Smart lock?
Could even the smartest lock stop the super AI, Zero, from cracking it?
Having touched the gun, Wei Renji now felt confident. He looked at Tu Ran again, his face twisted with excitement.
He was about to kill Tu Ran!
Kill that ever-glorious Tu Ran, who, despite being a fellow pioneer, had always been favored by the instructors, while he remained obscure in the corners!
The moment he drew the gun, a bullet pierced through his shoulder, and a mist of blood splattered behind him.
“Ahhh—”
Wei Renji screamed in pain, and the handgun in his right hand fell helplessly onto the pillow.
Unwilling to give up, he reached with his left hand, but in the next instant, his left arm was also pierced by a bullet.
“Ahhh—” He writhed on the bed in pain, the smell of blood filling the dimly lit room.
From behind the blinding light, Tu Ran’s emotionless eyes coldly observed the writhing, screaming man on the bed, and she raised her arm once again.
Killing, but not torturing.
“Bang!”
A high-speed spinning bullet pierced through the hard human skull, and thick liquid sprayed from the bullet’s tail, splattering across the walls, the bed, and the floor in a radial pattern.
The screams ceased, and silence returned.
The communicator that had fallen to the ground continued to project various comments.
[@LifeIsEarned, Tu Ran is a madwoman. You need to be careful.]
[Tu Ran isn’t a god. She won’t be able to find Brother Ming’s location.]
…
On the third day of work, Group 9 finally received their first mission since Tu Ran joined.
Looking at the mission briefing, Ye Qingcai was energized. “This time, it’s a large-scale multi-team operation. The Executive Department will be deploying a total of seventeen teams to the Wanle Temple for a security inspection mission.”
“Seventeen teams? Who’s getting such a grand display?” Young Master Qi leaned lazily against the wall, looking boneless.
“Tonight at seven, the Wanle Temple is hosting a large business banquet, gathering key figures from the major families of the Federation, including the heads of the three big families,” Ye Qingcai explained.
“No wonder…” Xiao Miao muttered under his breath, “With people like that, it’s a wonder they haven’t emptied out the entire department.”
Tu Ran listened silently.
This banquet was probably the reason why Stefano Wells had arranged for her to join the Executive Department.
It wasn’t easy for him to directly turn her from a pioneer into his personal bodyguard, so he had to transition her through the department’s security team first.
And the things she could do as his bodyguard weren’t entirely out of reach in her current role as a department guard.
Tonight’s banquet would let her meet countless high-ranking figures of the Federation, and she’d easily be able to tell who possessed inner cores.
“Qi Tongda, didn’t you always brag that your family was one of the top hundred conglomerates? How come you didn’t know about a banquet this big?” Zhou Ming couldn’t hide the mocking look in his eyes.
Qi Tongda wasn’t much for words, but his temper flared as he raised a foot to kick Zhou Ming. Ye Qingcai, standing between them, quickly grabbed his leg and tossed it back.
Ye Qingcai pretended to act authoritative. “We have a mission today, so all of you better behave.”
“Understood,” Zhou Ming said loudly, satisfied after getting the upper hand.
“Got it,” Qi Tongda glared daggers at Zhou Ming and gritted his teeth.
Ye Qingcai glanced at the time. “We need to inspect the Wanle Temple for any security risks and set up our safety measures before the banquet starts. Go prepare your weapons. All members of the Field Operations Group are to meet at the external parking platform in an hour. We’ll head to the Wanle Temple together.”
“Yes, sir,” they replied in unison.
…
Tu Ran sat in the back row of the patrol vehicle, with Zhou Ming and Qi Tongda on either side of her. The two were, as usual, engaged in their daily verbal sparring, trading insults back and forth with fierce intensity, even cursing each other’s ancestors.
The noise was giving Tu Ran a headache, and to make matters worse, the Executive Department’s security uniform helmet was only semi-enclosed, offering no soundproofing.
Xiao Miao was driving in the front, and Ye Qingcai sat in the front passenger seat. Wang Qiang and Qiu Jian had already claimed the middle row, leaving Tu Ran stuck with the two loudmouths.
To make matters worse, the two of them weren’t sitting next to each other, leaving her in the middle of their chaos.
Frustrated, Tu Ran rubbed her temples. “Stop arguing.”
Her words were drowned out by their bickering, which had escalated to the point where they were angrily jabbing their fingers at each other, seemingly on the verge of a physical fight.
Tu Ran stared at their arms, which were practically shoved in her face.
Enough was enough.
Without warning, she grabbed an arm from each of them and twisted them backward into an unnaturally contorted position, instantly subduing the pair.
“Ahh! Tu Ran, let go!”
“Ow, ow, ow! Let go, let go! It’s gonna break!”
“Are you going to keep arguing?!” Tu Ran demanded, her voice fierce.
“No, we won’t! Let go!” Qi Tongda was sweating from the pain.
“And you?!” Tu Ran turned to Zhou Ming on her right.
Zhou Ming, unable to lift his head under the pressure, with veins bulging on his forehead, finally muttered through gritted teeth, “We won’t argue.”
Ha!
Violence always works.
Satisfied, Tu Ran released their arms, straightened her uniform, and leaned back into her seat.
In the front row, the four others silently observed the entire scene, never uttering a single word from start to finish.
Ye Qingcai: It really takes this kind of forceful method to get these two under control. I should probably start using similar tactics to manage my subordinates.
Xiao Miao’s eyes lit up: Wow, Sister Tu Ran is so cool.
Qiangzi: Whoa, pioneers really are violent.
With the sudden peace, Tu Ran closed her eyes to rest. Just then, her communicator chimed.
She opened it and saw a message from an unknown account: [This is your only chance to see so many people at once. I hope you can seize the opportunity. Remember their physical characteristics. I will find you after the banquet.]
Tu Ran glanced at it indifferently and swiftly deleted the message, then leaned back in her seat to continue resting.
The patrol vehicle landed smoothly in the parking lot on the east side of the Wanle Temple.
As the group got out of the vehicle, they saw that other teams had already arrived.
Tu Ran stood in the middle of the group, waiting for Ye Qingcai’s instructions. He was discussing the plan with the leaders of the other teams.
It didn’t take long before Ye Qingcai returned.
“Let’s go. We’re heading to the third floor.”
Stepping into the Wanle Temple, standing on its golden reflective floor, one word came to mind: luxury.
So much luxury.
The floor, the pillars, the ceiling, the walls—everything radiated opulence.
Gold and silver dominated the color scheme. The towering pillars and the walls were adorned with carvings of gods in various poses. Their clothing was decorated with vibrant colors and countless gems, each god’s expression and posture exuding overwhelming grandeur.
The ceiling was equally extravagant, with numerous gods appearing to dance in the air. At the very center of the ceiling hung a light in the shape of a god—truly a “divine lamp.”
The god’s posture was dignified, with half-lidded eyes, looking down at everyone in the hall with a condescending gaze.
Noticing that Tu Ran was staring at the lamp, Qiu Jian spoke up, “That’s the main deity of the Wanle Temple.”
