Chapter 70 - 70 57 The Bait and the Fish

70: Chapter 57: The Bait and the Fish 70: Chapter 57: The Bait and the Fish “…Don’t look back, the believer with my ‘Holy Thing’ is right behind you. Professionals are sensitive to gazes and hostility, don’t look or think about them.” Chris’ speech was filled with unusual panic and unease. However, Lu Ping’an just calmly smiled and took out a piece of paper with his test scores written on it, checking them again. Many of the test-takers who got off the bus were depressed, and there were quite a few people like him who were still struggling with their scores. For a short period of time, he didn’t have to worry about standing still and being too conspicuous. “Can he… can he find our exact location? What is his strength like?” “The Holy Thing only vibrates slightly when I need it or when it’s close to me. He should have realized that something is wrong. But with so many people here, he can’t pinpoint us directly. Your low-tier status is actually a good thing. As for strength, there’s a sense of ‘Law’, at least fourth-tier, possibly fifth or sixth-tier, but definitely not seventh-tier, I’m not familiar with low-level ones…” Alright, so according to you, fourth, fifth, and sixth-tier are all considered low-level. But at this moment, Lu Ping’an extinguished any impulse to attack head-on. If this had been earlier, he still would have taken the gamble, the opponent might not have been on guard, but after experiencing and learning so much along the way, he had already realized how terrifying a real fourth-tier was. If he had known how powerful real professionals were, he would not have given Professor Deng a chance to live when he had attacked him back then… ah, got off-topic, back to the main point. The Sophists could make an entire city feel like it was on the verge of a great disaster. This should not be an ordinary fourth-tier or higher. Lu Ping’an looked towards the window and, using the reflection on the glass, saw a blurry reflection of the person. At this close distance, he could also hear his words. “…The college entrance examination is not the end of life. A single failure is nothing; you can try again next year, and tomorrow will certainly be better.” The fair-skinned young “volunteer” had a comforting smile on his face as he handed out balloons and toys with messages like “Tomorrow will be better” and “A temporary setback doesn’t mean anything” to the clearly depressed and even crying test-takers. This was undoubtedly puzzling, but a single glance at his side left everyone in comprehension. There were words like “Life Mother Tree Tutoring Class” written on the temporary stall he had set up… “This is just another unscrupulous tutoring organization trying to catch next year’s customers.” Everyone thought they understood, but the young man’s genuine smile and sincere words, along with the comforting gifts he handed out, were not off-putting to most people. Some unfortunate ones who were depressed and grumbling even chatted with him for a bit, receiving an encouraging smile and a pat on the shoulder. “Spirit Vision.” Lu Ping’an, however, had an instinct that something was off. After activating his ability, time twisted in just an instant. The floating balloons turned into skeleton heads struggling in chains, and the little dolls and toys turned into demonic infants like ghost babies. The boiling evil and blood on the tutoring class materials he handed out soaked into the paper. In the next instant, everything returned to normal. But in that crazy world, Lu Ping’an saw something pure and clean. It was placed in the center of a pile of lucky charms, completely free of any “filth” around it, making it extremely eye-catching. It was a white Maneki Neko toy, constantly waving its hand to “attract customers” after being wound up. “Bastard! This is blasphemy, this is the craziest betrayal, that bastard, I’ll tear him apart sooner or later!” But the cat’s outburst pinpointed the identity of the thing — the Holy Image of Chris. “Isn’t the Holy Image supposed to be as close to the True God’s characteristics as possible? Is your true identity actually a Maneki Neko?” Lu Ping’an laughed as he said something he didn’t even believe himself. He was waiting for the cat’s fury and more information. “…Desecrating the Holy Image is the deepest blasphemy and betrayal of the gods. They will all bear the consequences, now and forever.” But this time, the response was unusually calm and serene. Lu Ping’an didn’t even feel the usual anger and killing intent. She was simply stating the fact that “those who betray the gods will suffer divine punishment.” If they were here to rescue their “god”, they wouldn’t be doing this kind of betraying their god, but they most likely learned through some channel that Chris had been defeated. Now, to bring out this “blasphemed Holy Image” is a further attempt to probe her state. Lu Ping’an scratched his head, feeling a headache. Now he couldn’t just walk away as he pleased. This person was clearly observing everyone around. If the Holy Image stopped vibrating when he walked away, wouldn’t that be the same as admitting guilt without being accused? And from the reflection in the glass, the man’s smile grew brighter, but the corners of his eyes grew colder. “…He’s running out of patience.” In a flash, Lu Ping’an understood this guy. If the important target was nearby and there were many weeds around him, what would he do? Simple, burn them all. In his logic, after all, the important target wouldn’t be killed so easily. If they were burned to death, it meant they weren’t important. “How much longer? Five minutes? Ten minutes?” Just from this person’s casual act of sending out “contaminated items”, Lu Ping’an had no expectations for his bottom line. In comparison to the information he had previously gathered, this person could potentially initiate a massacre at any moment. Lu Ping’an smiled. He laughed and waved back at the bus, and pointed to the seat on the bus, indicating that he had forgotten something. He turned back. He noticed that when he looked back and when he glanced at the “Sophist,” the other person’s eyes flickered toward him. However, the next moment, recognizing the cause and effect, it was merely a first-tier newbie forgetting their belongings, the Sophist went back to busying himself with a smile. Lu Ping’an smiled even more, but in a split-second, his whole body was covered in cold sweat. It was not fear but an instinctive biological response when sensing death close by, as well as…excitement. “Huh? A tutoring class? Life Mother Tree? Mother Tree? What a strange name.” The next moment, Lu Ping’an felt another sharp gaze, and then it disappeared. “…Can I take a look at your information? My results this year are quite delicate, but I think there’s hope for next year… ” This wasn’t the first “customer” they had attracted, the “Sophist” immediately smiled and nodded. He even handed a promotional poster, pointing to a table indicating more detailed promotion content. Lu Ping’an stood next to the table, appearing to seriously inspect the information along with several other customers… Honestly, it seemed genuine, with detailed course schedules, teachers, and photos of classrooms and students, looking very formal. Following other “customers,” Lu Ping’an copied down the contact method of the tutoring class, filled out a form, and received a paper bag of materials. “Tsk, this guy must have obsessive-compulsive disorder, always going all out in a play.” As he walked, Lu Ping’an flipped through the folder, and its contents were genuinely the common first-tier Path Cultivation methods. Not only was it well-written, humorous and insightful, but full of tips and examples, much better than his own textbook. If he wasn’t sure that there was a problem with it, Lu Ping’an would be tempted to keep it for real. “…It should be about time.” Right as Lu Ping’an was pondering, the person he was waiting for arrived – a police car drove up to the bus station entrance. As the driver stepped out, the stunning, dashing lady immediately captured countless gazes. Lu Ping’an saw through the reflection of the car window that the Sophist also looked over, but his gaze wasn’t one of vigilance or concern – it was one full of interest and anticipation. In the morning, Xia Qin had said that if she wasn’t too busy after work, she could pick him up and drive him home. Estimating the timing, Lu Ping’an sent her a text message to let her know. Now that she had really come, Lu Ping’an also smiled. “Now, everyone is here. So, blast it.” There were no finger snaps or explosion gestures, which made Lu Ping’an somewhat regretful. Nevertheless, the sudden explosion instantly attracted everyone’s attention. “Boom!” An explosion in the middle of the crowd drew countless gazes. This was a densely populated bus station square, with patrolling police officers, the recently arrived Special Service Team Captain, as well as numerous “college entrance examination teachers” who hadn’t left yet… S~eaʀᴄh the nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. There were quite a few strongmen like Director Qian! “Damn, I’ve been set up.” The Sophist laughed helplessly. The explosion was not far from him, and in an instant, he became the center of attention. Even though he had disguised himself, what was the use in such a situation? “You, freeze… ” Someone shouted, and chaos instantly erupted. At the same time, a series of explosions rang out, their power small and keeping away from the crowd; the terrorist attacks caused panic to spread, and chaos drove the civilians to flee, causing a stampede. The Sophist sighed helplessly, feeling he had been locked on by at least a dozen powerful Qi manipulators. It seemed he could only retreat for now, but this time, capturing the Holy Image had yielded great rewards, so it was worth it. For now, it was best to go back and plan carefully, starting with investigating the students and professors… Huh?! Where’s my huge Holy Image?! He turned back abruptly, only to find that the “Holy Image” placed among the mascots had vanished without a trace, even though no one had approached it before! However, now was not the time to dwell on it. The “old teammate” was already rushing over with a livid face. “Aiyah, seems like I got played real good. So, time to exit the scene…” Amidst the chaos, Lu Ping’an quietly made his way to a large flower bed nearby. Plants in the flower bed were withered, and a vine-like tentacle held several toys, the most eye-catching one being a white Maneki Neko. With a gentle pat, both the vines and toys disappeared without a trace. Left behind were the withered plants that had been drained of nutrients. Lu Ping’an glanced at the chaotic crowd at the center, knowing that today was unlikely to be the day they would stop the Sophist, and quietly joined the others seeking refuge. “…Looks like what’s coming can’t be avoided after all.”