Returning to the Mysterious Era

Cassius casually flipped through the pages. The introduction described Mensa Village as being quite ordinary, but the details told a different tale. Mensa Village was an ancient settlement dating all the way back to the imperial era before the establishment of the Hongli Federation.

Interestingly, the village, which consisted of about a thousand people who led conservative, self-sufficient lives, had an ancient tradition of worshipping a natural deity called the "Great Spirit." They even had priests among them; the village's young men would hunt wild animals and hold the ritual ceremonies.

Later on, the church established a chapel there; the message couldn't have been any clearer. The Great Spirit was considered a heretical demon in opposition to the church's teachings. Thus, several bloody conflicts broke out in Mensa Village. Eventually, the turmoil subsided under government suppression.

Then, twenty years ago, a strange and tragic event occurred in Mensa Village. The church personnel at the chapel began disappearing at night with witnesses claiming they saw ghosts stealing away the church members.

The villagers who worshipped the Great Spirit believed it was punishing the church members. The church, however, suspected that the villagers were staging the incidents as an act of revenge. As such, tensions escalated once again between the two sides.

However, the disappearances didn't stop. In fact, not only did more church members vanish, so did the villagers from Mensa. The government and higher-level church officials sent personnel to investigate these events, but in the end, the case remained unsolved.

As more people disappeared, the villagers of Mensa had no choice but to leave. The Mensa Church was abandoned as well.

"The Duststorm organization sure has guts, setting up an antique transport warehouse in such a haunted place. No wonder it's so hard to find.” The youth, code-named Wealthy Heir, snorted after he finished the report.

Red Fang turned. His face was somber as he spoke, "Don't forget, they have what looks like bio-engineered humans. If bullets can't kill them, why would they fear something as vague and incorporeal as ghosts?

Sir, who was usually taciturn, suddenly spoke up. "Speaking of bio-engineered humans, the mercury you mentioned last time, Wind Elephant, was very useful. Deputy Leader Black Joker's men have tested it, and it can suppress Duststorm's bio-engineered assassins to some extent. It's proven to be quite effective." As the head of the assassination department, the usually quiet Sir naturally had access to more detailed intelligence. He could even speak directly to the mysterious two Jokers; only the heads of each department had the right to contact them.

Sir's words had already implied that Duststorm did indeed have monsters with incredible regenerative abilities, like bio-humans. The expressions of those around the table shifted subtly in response to this revelation.

"This concludes the intelligence department's report. We've narrowed down the possible location of Duststorm's antique warehouse to somewhere in the vicinity of Mensa Village. The area is still quite large since they could easily hide it within the Lonatak Forest." White Bird's tone was serious.

"However, we plan to act soon. Duststorm's operations have become increasingly rampant. We need to strike them hard to stabilize our forces' morale," he continued. "This time, not only will the assassination and antiques departments be involved, but experts from the other two departments will join as well. Even Deputy Leader Black Joker will be sending people.

"We will be targeting other contraband and antique transport routes of Duststorm at the same time, but this operation is the most critical. It cannot fail," he said, his gaze sweeping across everyone in the room.

White Bird then detailed the Ace of Spades' specific plans. An hour later, he declared the meeting adjourned.

Most of the high-ranking members of the assassination and antiques departments left, leaving only White Bird and Cassius to wrap things up. Outside the small building, there were now seven or eight gunmen dressed in black, more than when they had arrived.

White Bird and Cassius went up to the second floor. The balcony door was open, allowing sunlight to spill onto the living room sofa. White Bird brewed some tea and the two sat across from each other, drinking tea and chatting casually.

"So, did you get anything out of them?" Cassius asked after taking a sip of tea.

White Bird shook his head. "Number Fifteen is tough; he hasn't said a word. We haven't interrogated Number Twenty-Six yet. We'll treat her injuries first and question her in a few days. If we get anything useful, you'll be the first to know." He lifted his teacup and took a sip of the hot tea.

"Alright." Cassius nodded.

After chatting for a while, White Bird suddenly changed the topic. "Wind Elephant, it's time for you to form your own assassination team. A high-ranking member of Ace of Spades needs people working under them. I know you're very powerful, but you'll have to hand off the smaller tasks to other people."

Clap, clap.

He suddenly clapped his hands. "Shulan, Sonia, come on out."

Immediately, two figures descended the stairs.

At the front was a girl around twenty years old, dressed like a college student. She wore a form-fitting shirt that proudly highlighted her figure, and light blue jeans that accentuated her long, toned legs. Her face was strikingly delicate, with short, stylish hair that gently curled around her pale neck, giving her a calm yet alluring presence.

The other was a handsome man, about twenty-five years old, with a tall and well-proportioned figure. His delicate features looked almost feminine, and with his platinum blond hair tied back with a black ribbon, he had the appearance of a refined butler.

"And they are?" Cassius turned his gaze back to White Bird.

White Bird smiled. "Sonia is one of my subordinates and her brother is a leader in my unit. She's twenty-two and just graduated from Muk University. She's not only skilled in assassination but also proficient in various life skills—cooking, cleaning, massage, and so on…"

"Master Wind Elephant, I am here to take care of all your daily needs," Sonia said with a perfect smile. Her soft, full pink lips looked inviting.

White Bird continued, "The other one is Shulan, an elite under Sir's command. He became a leader in just a year. A dedicated assassin, he is known as the 'Man of a Thousand Faces,' for his ability to transform into anyone through his expert disguise techniques, whether it's an old man, child, or woman."

The platinum-haired man smiled and said, "Master Wind Elephant, I'm going to be part of your team~"

Cassius raised an eyebrow. That single sentence was composed of several different tones. It started as a child's voice, gradually shifting into an old man's, then melted into a strong male voice, before ending with the purring tone of a sultry, mature woman—enough to send shivers down anyone's spine. Disguising as different people naturally required mastering different voices.

Cassius took a sip of tea and leaned his head back. Suddenly, an unimaginable softness wrapped around the back of his neck. A pair of soft, pale hands rested on his shoulders and began gently massaging him.

Without needing to turn, Cassius knew it was Sonia behind him. Her small hands were skillful, and clearly practiced. It tickled slightly, like a cat scratching softly at one's heart. However, the pressure was too weak. Even in his normal state, the skin and muscles on Cassius's shoulders didn't budge under her hands.

Sensing Cassius's stiffness through his shoulders, Sonia leaned forward, practically turning herself into a pillow for him to rest on.

"These two are just the beginning. In the next day or two, we'll be making our move to Black Sand City. Leaders from the assassination department, who have been assigned under your command, are already gathering at the Black Sand City branch. You'll meet them soon, Wind Elephant." White Bird smiled.

Cassius's lack of an outright rejection meant he had silently accepted Sonia and Shulan. Somehow, his ties to Ace of Spades had deepened even further.