Wang Yue scrolled through the files regarding the Secret Window Society, a satisfied smile playing on her lips. She had finally found where Helen’s home was.
According to the dossiers, this was a criminal organization that worshipped an evil god. Their crimes included, but were not limited to, kidnapping, extortion, abuse, illegal detention, and premeditated murder.
It sounded like a textbook terrorist organization.
Their criminal activities were mainly focused on two things: producing “Immaculate Before God” Saintesses and gathering operational funds.
Human criminals who utilized divine power were difficult for regular Explorers to deal with. The reason was simple: the “Candle” was highly effective against monsters, but when shone upon humans, the most it did was sear their eyes; it lacked true lethality.
In such cases, it was time to “release the witches.”
Firstly, mana was a form of divine power, meaning the power types were compatible. Secondly, the destructive power of witchcraft was comparable to heavy weaponry—it was exceptionally effective against people.
Thinking of this, Wang Yue began to understand why the people of the Evernight Realm feared witches as if they were tigers. A group of little girls wielding the equivalent of Gatling guns firing three thousand rounds per minute without limit or restraint would make anyone tremble.
The Secret Window Society had left traces in several small towns. The difficulty in exterminating them lay primarily in the “Peering” ability granted by Biheze’s divine power. It acted like a massive surveillance system, granting them foresight that made it nearly impossible to wipe them out in one fell swoop.
Furthermore, the strength of a faith-based system lay in the fact that status within the cult was directly proportional to the degree of faith. This meant that even under extreme torture, it was impossible to extract information from the high-ranking members.
Based on Helen’s descriptions and the location of the altar, Helen’s home was most likely near “Scissor Town.”
Scissor Town was located in the lead-grey zone designated as Sector G27, which bordered the Academy’s Sector G24.
“Are you choosing this subject?” Lilith asked from the side.
“It’s a candidate.” Due to the time-sensitive nature of such missions, it was better to scout several options.
Lilith placed her hands behind her back, her small shoes fidgeting restlessly on the tiles. She cheered with a grin, “We’re going on an adventure together, Wang Yue!”
“You’re that happy?” Wang Yue glanced at her.
“Of course! I’m bored to death in this school. I can’t even bully people as I please. I can finally get out of here!”
“You aren’t allowed to bully people outside, either,” Wang Yue grunted.
Lilith’s expression shifted. Her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched, trembling slightly.
How dare she… how dare she speak to me in that tone…
Just wait until I recover. I’ll be the only one talking while you just listen and nod like a little chick pecking at grain…
“Why wait for the weekend? Let’s just leave now!” Lilith kicked a bookshelf in frustration, earning an immediate scolding from a passing teacher.
“There’s no harm in being cautious. Didn’t you hear the teachers? A pair of little witches is bound to attract people’s darker impulses.”
“Who’s a ‘pair’ with you?!”
“Then what are we?”
“Me and my Little Tail!”
“You aren’t allowed to fight this time. Just focus on protecting yourself,” Wang Yue said, closing the dossier and returning it to the shelf.
“Why?!” Lilith protested.
Wang Yue glanced at her but didn’t bother to explain. She was the lead on this operation; Lilith’s opinion was irrelevant.
The reason she was waiting for the weekend was to transfer her avatar over.
When the time came, Ed-Bear, wearing the Amorphous Sheath, would appear in the Quicksand Lowlands as their invisible wingman.
Using Lord Aurora’s connections to search the Explorers’ Guild database, they had found the four geographical landmarks provided by Audara Ias. Ultimately, they had excavated the body of an ancient Explorer from a glacial trough; the Amorphous Sheath was still draped over the corpse.
Supposedly, that corpse had remained perfectly fresh despite being two thousand years old.
Lilith was naive, but Wang Yue couldn’t afford to be, or things would go horribly wrong. Wang Yue was well aware that her and Lilith’s appearances were top-tier. They had distinct personalities, were petite, and traveled as a pair. In the “Dark Forest” environment of the outside world, they were the kind of targets that invited horrific fates—the sort of scenarios that made people go mad searching for “research materials.”
Aside from bringing her avatar for protection, she also needed a vehicle.
Recently, while studying the Chameleon Key, Wang Yue discovered that the so-called “Chameleon” transformation was an effect produced when the invisible power flowing from the “Key” bonded with skin.
She theorized that since human skin was just one type of material, the transcendent power stored within the key could bond with other materials as well.
She tried inserting the Key into “sand.” Upon turning it, the transcendent power flowed out and covered the area, transforming about forty square meters of ground into a petrified, scaled skin.
Seeing her theory proven correct, she proceeded to test various other materials. She wrote a detailed evaluation; among her findings, transcendent materials bonded best, while human skin actually performed poorly. Among all types of leather, human skin was of relatively low quality.
The maximum coverage of the Key’s power was forty square meters. A young girl’s body surface area was roughly one square meter.
