Chapter 99

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Chapter 99: The Opening Ceremony

Meanwhile, in the West District of Glorious Fortress.

Shandela galloped through on horseback, with her deputy following close behind. After racing down two long, run-down streets, they stopped at the entrance of an alley, surrounded by layers of City Guard soldiers.

Whoa! Shandela dismounted. A soldier quickly led away her horse. “Mam, that’s where the missing men were found,” he said.

With a grim expression, Shandela pushed her way through the crowd, heading deep into the alley.

“Commander!”

Seeing her arrive, Squad Leader Zhang hurried forward to salute her. Behind him lay two pale-faced warriors from the City Guard, while a few others tended to them.

Shandela recognized him at once. “I thought your name was Shi Dong…”

“Shi Dong Bradley, mam,” he replied promptly.

That’s right, she thought. He was the squad leader of Group Fourteen, the one who had shown her that heretics had infiltrated the city.

Huff… huff… At that moment, Wudi, Shandela’s deputy, caught up, gasping for breath. “You… you found them?”

“It was my squad that found them,” Shi Dong replied promptly. “We were searching for missing people when we heard faint cries for help outside an alley. When we went inside, we discovered that the person calling out was exactly who the City Guard has been looking for. We didn’t bring them back to camp because we were afraid of disturbing the scene. Instead, we notified you right away.”

“Well done,” said Shandela. She walked over to the two soldiers and knelt down beside them. Both were members of Second Platoon, among the elite of the City Guard. One was called Wala, the other Fantil. They had gone missing two days ago while carrying out a mission to keep an eye on the Jeddy Brothers’ newspaper office.

“Commander… my apologies. We… were attacked,” Wala said. He looked a bit better than the other soldier, but even he appeared completely exhausted, his lips cracked and bleeding from dehydration.

“They haven’t eaten or drank anything for two days,” Shi Dong said gravely. “When we found them, their hands and feet were tied to wooden pegs. They had blindfolds over their eyes and their mouths were gagged. Thankfully, Wala managed to bite through the cloth, which allowed them to finally call for help.”

“You saw Zhu Di herself?” asked Shandela.

“It’s… we’re sure… it was indeed her. She… didn’t die after all,” Wala replied with difficulty.

Though they had anticipated this result, upon receiving confirmation, Shandela felt a heavy weight in her heart.

To avenge Dunn, another kind soul had plunged into the flames of hatred.

This revelation made many things clearer.

Both the theater arson and the attack on the Northern City Police Department stemmed from Zhu Di attracting cultists to the city. Perhaps initially, she only intended to exact revenge on criminals, but once the cultists arrived, they wouldn’t leave so easily.

“And what happened after that?”

“After that, we followed her… trying to find out where she’s staying. But when we approached an alley near Oak Street, we… came under sudden attack…”

“Did you see who the attackers were?!” Wudi asked impatiently.

“Captain… no. It seemed like they planned it. They jumped down from roofs, and by the time we heard anything… cough cough … our heads were already covered with sacks.”

“Those damned heretics!” the deputy officer slammed his fist angrily into the wall.

In truth, this incident was a huge embarrassment for the City Guard. To think someone would dare launch a daylight attack on the Lord’s troops showed an audacity bordering on insanity!

Shandela was equally furious.

Over the past week, most of the City Guard had been out in the foggy region beyond the city, trying to put down the miners’ rebellion. This had left her with painfully few people to work with. Although the Lord had insisted the case at the Northern City Police Department was closed, she hadn’t given up. She’d only cut down the number of people keeping watch, thinking it would be enough. But it was this very reduction in manpower that had let the enemy slip through their grasp.

Yet amidst her anger, however，Shandela was also confused.

In theory, the heretics had no reason to leave these two guards alive. The slums were a good distance from the Jeddy Brothers newspaper office, and moving them would’ve taken a lot of work. If the heretics had killed the two guards and tossed them into the sea, turning their disappearances into a mystery, Shandela wouldn’t even be sure now if the whole thing had anything to do with Zhu Di.

Why hadn’t the enemy killed the soldiers?

Were they afraid of provoking the City Guard’s hostility?

Shandela looked around, trying to spot any traces of the enemy. There were several different footprints nearby—some from soldiers’ boots, others from barefoot or cloth-shod shoes commonly worn by the impoverished residents. But just a short distance away, these latter types of footprints had been severely damaged, suggesting they’d been deliberately cleaned up.

The enemy was clearly no amateur—they had a good sense of how to avoid reconnaissance.

Shandela walked another ten meters or so, approaching the City Guard’s blockade line. Suddenly, she saw something glinting beneath the mud. She picked it up. It was a unique scale—thicker than a fish’s scale, with a pearl-like sheen along the edges. This meant it had come from a Nepheid.

The slums were home to many different xenogenics, and the presence of some Nepheids wasn’t unusual. But as far as she knew, most Nepheids didn’t have scales. Only those with the purest bloodlines could grow scales on their faces and arms.

“Damn,” she couldn’t help cursing under her breath.

Looking at this evidence, it seemed the miner rebels really were working with heretics after all.

The lord’s fear had been justified.

“My lady!” Wudi caught up from behind. “I suddenly remembered that two days ago, there was an article in the paper about a fire on Oak Street. A residential building burned down, but no one was hurt. And the place where the soldiers were attacked is less than five hundred meters from Oak Street.”

“You’re saying… the fire was just a cover? After finding out they were being followed, the enemy destroyed their hideout to erase all the evidence?”

“That could be true!”

“So we’re one step behind again.” Shandela sighed. If the enemy could burn down their hideout, then there wouldn’t be much useful evidence left. However, they’d come this far in their investigation, so they had to at least check out the burned building. Maybe there were witnesses nearby who could provide hints or clues. “Tell Shi Dong to take good care of the two prisoners. We’re going to Oak Street.

After leaving the West District, they headed north. As they passed Fafu Avenue, Shandela’s attention was suddenly drawn to a large crowd.

The group was gathered near the entrance of the Yeni Cathedral, cheering from time to time, creating a lively atmosphere.

Without thinking, Shandela pulled back on her reins, slowing her horse as she steered toward the crowd.

It was the first time she’d seen such a lively scene since the city lockdown ended.

As she approached, Shandela was surprised to see that the cathedral’s main gate seemed to have been renewed. The once dilapidated stone pillars had even been repainted, and now the entire entrance, along with the surrounding walls, were painted white—looking bright and clean. At the top of the gate hung two golden plaques, inscribed with the words:

Destiny Gate Pharmaceutical Company, Partner of Yeni Cathedral

Below the plaques were red satin ribbons and large artificial flowers. Several baskets of fresh flowers also decorated the area.

Two nuns held out pans of candy, occasionally tossing sweets into the crowd. The spectators held up their clothes to catch the free treats, causing the excited cheering.

“Why is the Yeni Cathedral giving out food aid?” Wudi asked, puzzled. “I thought they were pretty broke.”

“Who gives out candy as food aid?” Shandela questioned. “Besides, this probably doesn’t have much to do with the cathedral. ‘Destiny Gate’… I’ve never heard such an extravagant name before. Let’s ask one of the people watching for more information.”