Chapter 53: Mike's Parents

Inside the sacrificial hall, the projection pen was still playing the recording from the snowy field.

This was filmed by the driver-turned-medic, who failed to capture the actual battle scenes as his abilities were not up to par. Instead, he managed to record the capture of the Thorn Demon and the revelations from the departed tribal members about the origins and history of the Necro Cult.

When Guboo mentioned the past events of the Holy Mountain, the expressions of the higher-ups became subtle.

"I didn't expect that the incident from back then would still be remembered," said Duke Zong, his voice heavy as if his memory had gone back to eight years ago. "The Holy Mountain riot was a bloody lesson! In my opinion, we should deploy the military at all costs to guard the wasteland! Anyone who dares to covet the secrets of the Holy Mountain should be annihilated!"

Bishop Lionel echoed, "This matter should be handed over to Noah's Organization!"

Vice Duke Mo squinted his eyes and said indifferently, "This would require a huge investment of manpower and resources, and the city's defenses would also be left vulnerable. If anything goes wrong, who would be able to bear the responsibility? So far, we have not obtained a reliable channel to enter the Holy Mountain. Over the years, only the Long siblings had the ability, but they never revealed the specific method to anyone."

This statement seemed to carry some implications.

The High Priest looked at them with a cold gaze, a faint chill emanating from it.

Everyone fell silent.

They had reached their current positions, and even if someone was bold enough to ignore the subtle cues, they could still sense the faint aura of cold pressure, knowing that the High Priest did not want them to discuss the Holy Mountain.

It was Charles who turned his head to look at the white-haired young man beside them.

After the death of Lieutenant Williams, he was the only one who had returned alive from the Holy Mountain, but he claimed that he did not know the specific method and route, which had previously caused a bloody riot.

And so, the events of eight years ago became a taboo.

Now, the Holy Mountain had once again shown signs of change, and the Necro Cult was rising silently.

It seemed to be a repeating cycle.

The High Priest silently watched the projected images and listened to their conversation.

Until they mentioned the witch, a flicker of confusion appeared in her eyes.

Next, Mike's memorable lines appeared, "I think you shouldn't always blame the witch, after all, she's been gone for a long time, right? If your tribe has been unlucky all along, you should reflect on whether your god is displeased with you, you know."

The higher-ups fell silent.

In this sacred place of the sacrificial hall, such vulgar words had been spoken.

However, even more embarrassing happened when they were feeling uncomfortable.

The projection pen got stuck.

And so, Mike's last two words kept repeating.

"You know, you know, you know, you know..."

The officer was so scared that he almost peed himself, wondering how it could get stuck in such a strange place.

The High Priest paused for a moment, then gently snapped her fingers.

The Divine Intelligence network connection appeared, displaying the performance evaluation of this mission.

"Lisa, Lieutenant rank, contribution ratio 45%."

This was very reasonable, as she was the leader of the team.

Single-handedly annihilating more than a dozen Thorn Demons, it was understandable why she got the lion's share.

"Mike, Private First Class rank, contribution ratio 30%."

"Jack, Ensign rank, contribution ratio 8%."

"Zhou Xun, Ensign rank, contribution ratio 7%."

As the mission evaluation appeared, the higher-ups all looked at each other in bewilderment.

How could a mere Private First Class receive such a high contribution?

"What's so strange about that? After all, he's the brother of my student!" Bishop Lionel waved his hand. "He must have some extraordinary qualities!"

Your logic is just shattered.

The others looked at him with pity.

The High Priest waved her hand again, and information about Mike appeared.

"Name, Mike."

"Biological age, 18 years old."

"Time of Emergence, 7 days."

"Realm, First Layer, Origin Realm."

"Accumulated Life Energy, 50%."

"Destiny, Thunder System."

The sacrificial hall fell into a brief silence.

Until someone sighed,

"Thunder System, it's been a while."

"When was the last time it appeared?"

"Since Long Lin, we haven't seen it again..."

The High Priest slightly furrowed her brow, gently tapping the ring on her finger, and the personal information that only she could see was brought up for her to carefully examine.

As the High Priest, her privileges were almost the highest.

This file dates back five hundred years.

Therefore, it also included information about Mike's family.

The High Priest saw two familiar names.

"Michael, Christopher..."

She murmured, "The children of the ancients of the old world?"

Mo, the deputy commander, paused for a moment, admitting reluctantly, "It seems we in Avalon City may have another genius. How is it possible that this kind of person was not rescued in advance?"

Semin slammed his fist on the table and rebuked, "Watch your words! What do you mean by 'Avalon City'? Do you think I don't know what you mean? This is a genius from our military, one of the elite troops under the Duke family! My niece personally brought him in, and no one is going to snatch him away!"

Although their IQ may not be above 80, even the feeble-minded will protect their own.

Moreover, he was the commander-in-chief of the military.

"This speed of promotion is abnormal. Even if his talent is high enough, his deep understanding of the sacred rhythms, and his cell division count exceeding the limit, he still looks very young," said Director Charles coldly, "Someone must have been giving him special treatment!"

Williams was taken aback, suddenly realizing that everyone's gaze was fixed on him.

What did this have to do with him? He was just as confused.

He never expected this guy's promotion to be so fast. He had just been thinking about how to cover it up.

Now, the suspicion had fallen on him first.

"Yes, yes, yes," Williams said calmly, "It was I who gave him special treatment."

Director Charles finally found his chance and lashed out, "Privately trading the marrow of the sacred tree is illegal. Forcibly entering the underground district to arrest people is illegal. Threatening and obstructing law enforcement is illegal. Raiding the family of the former Grand Adjudicator is illegal. If it were just simple murder, it would be one thing, but hanging them in St. Peter's Cathedral, what does that mean? Are you flaunting that you are a heretic? In just a few months of returning to Avalon City, your record of illegal activities has exceeded dozens of times!"

Williams replied indifferently, "Shouldn't geniuses be given special treatment? By the time you come to arrest me, won't the grass have already grown cold? I just threatened you a bit, and you're already scared. I didn't even do anything to you. As for raiding the family of the former Grand Adjudicator, it's because they were involved in human trafficking. As for the incident at St. Peter's Cathedral...well, I apologize, I'm sorry for the trouble."

"If you want to judge me for these minor matters, that's fine too," he leaned back, lighting a cigarette, "Then come and arrest me. Although I feel I'm getting on in years, destroying half of Avalon City wouldn't be a problem."

Smoking in the sanctuary was a great disrespect. However, the high-ranking officers present remained silent.

Today's Williams was quite mild-mannered. A few years ago, there would probably have already been a corpse in the sanctuary.

The reason was simple.

Because Williams was once a pursuer of the path of the Sacred Sovereign.

Those who walked this path had to possess a necessary condition - violence that transcended the secular and religious.

Even though this violence was no longer at its peak, he could forcibly stimulate himself to regain his former strength. What he had revealed in the underground district was only the tip of the iceberg.

That's why they were called the Saints - not bound by laws or legal sanctions, acting willfully and conquering the world through violence.

"Outrageous," the High Priest said indifferently, though it was unclear exactly who she was referring to.

Director Charles suddenly felt a tremendous oppressive force, and sweat broke out all over his body.

Williams also coughed a few times, waving his hand to disperse the smoke in front of him.

Although not directly stated, the High Priest's meaning was clear - enough.

As for who she was leaning towards, that was obvious.

The military officer who had come to report, seeing that the bigwigs had finally stopped arguing, timidly said, "Sirs, our investigation team is still freezing in the snow..."

The group was suddenly reminded, having gotten carried away with the argument and almost forgetting the heroes.

The High Priest rose calmly, raising her pure white and exquisite right hand.

Seeing this, the others all stood up, making the sign of the holy cross on their chests.

Including Williams, who imitated the gesture, but his movements were extremely perfunctory, still holding a cigarette.

"Behold the divine miracle," they murmured.

It was clear that the High Priest was about to personally intervene. This also represented the importance she placed on this matter.

The High Priest clenched her fist in the air, and in the distance, a massive pillar of light suddenly pierced through the clouds!

At that moment, Mike was flirting with the female lieutenant in the snowy field.

"Director of Education?" Lisa asked curiously.

"Oh, he's probably similar to Jack," Mike replied.

"They are the same type of people," he added.

"Hmm, that sounds annoying, but I've never been to school," Lisa said.

"Well, with the Major's intelligence, there's no need for him to go to school," Mike remarked.

"I agree with that," Lisa nodded.

"I appreciate the Major's self-confidence," Mike said, gazing out at the vast snowy wilderness, feeling like he had solved a mystery.

This woman must have been born on the battlefield and never had much contact with people.

Whether he praised or criticized her, she couldn't seem to pick up on the nuances.

"But a lot of people think I'm stupid," Lisa frowned, her delicate nose crinkling.

"Those rumors have no basis. The Duke family has honed our skills in fighting aberrants for generations, and we've studied their ecology and habits. How could a family capable of that be lacking in intelligence?" she said firmly.

Mike was stunned, not expecting the Duke family to be conducting such research.

What on earth could they have discovered?

Lisa looked at him intently. "But according to our family's rules, every Duke family military personnel must hire an assistant to assist us."

I see, so hiring an external intelligence unit is the way to go.

Mike understood now.

"But I haven't found the right person yet," Lisa said, carefully choosing her words. "With the aberrant tide approaching, I need to quickly accumulate military achievements to resolve this crisis. So I'd like to invite you to assist me and become my future chief secretary. What do you think?"

Mike thought to himself that she wanted him to be her brain replacement.

Wait a minute, your Duke family has been researching aberrants for generations...

But they better not catch me!

After all, Mike now possesses the power of Dark Matter.

Although he hasn't turned into an aberrant, his power is quite similar in expression.

If he's exposed, he might end up getting sliced up for research.

But...

This woman is too tempting!

Her appearance is just like his divination chips.

Her figure is just like his Praxis chips.

The Duke family's specialized family heritage against aberrants might contain many aberrant specimens, which could help the evolution of his Dark Matter.

Damn it, he wants to refuse but has no reason to.

Lisa saw his hesitation and frowned, putting her hands on her hips. "What, you don't want to? This is not a request, but an order! I will cultivate you well and make you stronger. Our family is a sacred lineage, do you know what that means? We are at the pinnacle of worldly power and can even penetrate the core of the church's power. There are only eight such families in the world. The forbidden powers we truly wield, you haven't even begun to see."

That was what her father had taught her.

Dangling the carrot!

Of course, she genuinely appreciated this young man.

It did sound quite tempting.

Mike hesitated for a moment. "What does a chief secretary have to do?"

"Everything, but I'll also give you freedom," Lisa said, tapping her scarlet lips thoughtfully. "Just like my uncle and his secretary, they're together every day, those two old guys often clash, but they get along pretty well. I think our relationship should be more harmonious than theirs."

"Isn't that a bit too intimate?" Mike asked skeptically.

Lisa glanced at him, a playful smile on her lips. "You were staring at my legs and chest just now, so it doesn't seem like you think so."

Mike was speechless. He was looking at his memory crystals!

"Anyway, it's decided then." Lisa poked his head. "No refusal allowed, sit down and eat."

Mike had no intention of refusing anyway. Attaching himself to this woman's coattails was the perfect opportunity - the mysterious force targeting him within the city wouldn't dare make another move now.

Unlike the incident with Ron, this shouldn't happen again.

Outside the military, he had Williams' protection, so it was safe.

"Aren't we going back?" Mike asked.

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Walk back?"

Mike realized that with the helicopter crashed, walking back would take forever.

"So we'll wait for them to come pick us up."

Lisa took a protein bar from the military rations and stuffed it in his mouth. "Eat more, at your age you're still growing, and physical health is very important for cultivation. On this, no one is more skilled than the Duke family. I'll help you improve your physique gradually."

The other officers and soldiers could only stand by and watch in envy.

It was clear that after this battle, Mike had gained the favor and appreciation of this female officer, and he was likely to ride her coattails to the top.

It was understandable, as the Duke family took a liking to those who were both courageous and intelligent - if you had both, you were practically perfect.

Just then, a huge pillar of light descended from the sky, enveloping them.

Lisa was startled. "The High Priest himself has intervened?"