Jiāng Bái Mián's expression gradually became serious.

She didn't say "Isn't this too coincidental?" but directly made a judgment:

"Something's wrong with this!"

It's perfectly understandable for two people to have similar dreams due to similar experiences, but to dream around the same time and wake up around the same time is too coincidental to believe there's no external interference.

After pondering for a few seconds, Jiāng Bái Mián looked towards the door and said cautiously:

"Was it the boss?

"Is he an Awakened in the dream domain, wanting to confirm what exactly we discovered this afternoon?

"Hmm... if he's really an Awakened, then our disguise at the time wouldn't have any effect. He could clearly sense us approaching the door and returning to the hall..."

Shāng Jiàn Yào nodded at first, then said with some confusion:

"He could just ask us directly. I wouldn't lie to him."

As if I would lie... Jiāng Bái Mián didn't refute Shāng Jiàn Yào, just muttered to herself.

She thought for a while, covered her mouth, and yawned:

"The boss should already believe that we only heard a strange sound and couldn't figure out what the problem was at all.

"Let's go to sleep. Just pretend nothing happened."

This was the "custom" of the Ugo Hotel: you don't ask anything, and I don't ask anything.

Shāng Jiàn Yào stared at the door, saying with a hint of eagerness:

"I was wondering, does the boss know Audick?"

"Awakened in the dream domain don't necessarily believe in the same Ruling God. Even if they believe in the same Ruling God, they may not be in the same sect. And the several sects that believe in the same Ruling God often fight like cats and dogs due to different understandings of scriptures." Jiāng Bái Mián replied and lay back down, starting to brew sleepiness.

Shāng Jiàn Yào thought for a moment, sighed, pulled up the quilt, and wrapped himself up.

Nothing else happened that night, and there were no more strange dreams.

The next morning, after having a bread-based breakfast, Jiāng Bái Mián briefly shared the encounter last night with Lóng Yuè Hóng, Bái Chén, and Gě Nà Wǎ, and mentioned her own guesses.

Perhaps having encountered quite a few Awakened, and even a powerful figure like Di Mǎ'ěrkē with bizarre abilities, Lóng Yuè Hóng wasn't too surprised or scared, just sighing:

"As expected of Initial City. Just any hotel owner could be an Awakened."

"So, we can't be arrogant. We can't get carried away just because we've accomplished so much before." Jiāng Bái Mián took the opportunity to educate her team members.

"What does 'carried away' mean?" Gě Nà Wǎ asked when he didn't understand.

"It's the opposite of being down-to-earth, cautious, and careful." Jiāng Bái Mián helped this smart robot supplement his vocabulary.

Shāng Jiàn Yào then looked at Bái Chén, asking curiously:

"You said the boss has a deep friendship with the sheriff here. Do you know how they built their friendship?"

"Didn't ask." Bái Chén answered extremely concisely, almost extending it to "None of my business."

Shāng Jiàn Yào didn't expect an answer at all, saying enthusiastically about his own guess:

"Could it be that every night he goes into the sheriff's dream, creating various scenarios to improve their friendship?

"The sheriff dreams about him more often, looks at him kindly, and slowly becomes friends."

"How does this sound a bit perverted..." The more Lóng Yuè Hóng thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

Jiāng Bái Mián thought for a while and said:

"This is probably adapted from some love story in the Old World entertainment materials."

"Even if it's love, it's still perverted." Lóng Yuè Hóng still insisted on his own opinion.

"People can't be generalized." Shāng Jiàn Yào "earnestly" educated him, "Some people just like more perverted ways of loving each other."

Jiāng Bái Mián didn't give him a chance to talk nonsense. She looked at the time, got up, walked to the table, and operated the team's radio transceiver.

She wanted to inform the Zhao family head, Zhào Zhèng Qí, of the gains from yesterday's investigation to see what he wanted to do next and what he could do.

——In order to distinguish, the "Old Task Force" communicated with Zhào Zhèng Qí using the Zhao family's commonly used frequency and the password specially set for this investigation, with the time set between eight and nine in the morning.

…………

Wildgrass City, inside the Zhào family's study.

Zhào Zhèng Qí, who was drinking tea, saw his eldest son, Zhào Yì Dé, walking in hurriedly.

He wanted to scold, "Why the rush? Keep calm when facing big events," but instantly recalled something from before and forcibly closed his mouth.

After carefully placing the teacup, Zhào Zhèng Qí asked:

"What happened?"

Zhào Yì Dé, holding a piece of paper, said:

"Dad, Zhāng Qùbìng's team sent back a telegram."

"So fast?" Zhào Zhèng Qí took the paper with surprise.

He had only received Lán Sītè's telegram last night, saying the investigators had just arrived in Initial City and contacted him.

With a glance, Zhào Zhèng Qí quickly finished reading the telegram, which was already short:

"Suspected to be related to the 'Anti-Intellect Church,' involving 'hypnosis' and other Awakened abilities."

Jiāng Bái Mián only stated the result, without mentioning the specific investigation process. At the same time, she concealed the "memory modification" item to avoid directly creating a suspicion in the employer:

Why were they able to discover that their memories had been modified?

"'Anti-Intellect Church'..." The assassination before had made the major nobles of Wildgrass City very familiar with this church, and Zhào Zhèng Qí was no exception.

As soon as he whispered this name, Zhào Yì Dé said with some trepidation:

"Dad, haven't we been unable to find out which family is cooperating with the 'Anti-Intellect Church,' and can only suspect that 'Initial City' wants to wipe us out and directly annex us?

"Could it be, could it be Yì Xué..."

As the Zhao family's direct second son, he could inherit everything from the Zhao family as long as Zhào Zhèng Qí and Zhào Yì Dé both died.

At that time, taking advantage of the power vacuum created by the deaths of the City Lord and other great nobles, he would have a great chance to unify Wildgrass City with the support of "Initial City."

Zhào Zhèng Qí had obviously thought of this as well, his face turning extremely ugly, so gloomy that it seemed water could drip from it.

After several tens of seconds, he slowly said:

"Yì Xué might have been hypnotized."

This was the most acceptable answer he could think of.

"Yes." Zhào Yì Dé didn't refute, "What do we do next?"

"Let Zhāng Qùbìng's team confirm whether it's really the 'Anti-Intellect Church.' Tell them we won't be stingy with rewards, even if it costs one or even two manors, it's not a problem." Zhào Zhèng Qí now felt that the "Anti-Intellect Church" was his real threat.

If his second son kept mixing with those people from the "Anti-Intellect Church," the Zhao family would never have peace until everyone died or converted, with no exceptions.

Even if the "Anti-Intellect Church" no longer looked up to the rural nobles on the Wildgrass City side and focused all its energy on Initial City, Zhào Yì Xué's participation would implicate the entire Zhao family.

After a pause, Zhào Zhèng Qí said in a deep voice:

"Also, immediately inform the City Lord.

"We might have to use his relationship and power in 'Initial City.' I think he must also hate the 'Anti-Intellect Church' and want to kill them all.

"Alas..."

He weighed it over and over again, feeling that relying solely on the Zhao family's power and its little relationship in 'Initial City,' even with Zhāng Qùbìng and Xuē Shíyuè's team, was not enough to deal with such a large organization as the "Anti-Intellect Church."

Only by tying up all the forces in "Initial City" that hated this church would there be enough chance of winning.

"Okay." Zhào Yì Dé hurriedly agreed.

His younger brother's collusion with the "Anti-Intellect Church" could make him the first target!

…………

"Heh, the Zhao family is quite generous." Jiāng Bái Mián joked with a smile after translating the reply telegram.

If they could really get two manors, the "Old Task Force" could save another two to three thousand Olei and have no problem exchanging them for military exoskeletons and mechanical arms.

Since the "Old Task Force" didn't see any problems and felt it was fair, then Léimàn shouldn't feel there were any problems. After all, the businessman had played tricks in the beginning, and the "Old Task Force" would also give him detailed information about Lā'ěrsī.

"Then, we're going to the South Suburb now?" Bái Chén asked for confirmation.

Shāng Jiàn Yào was a man of action and had already walked to the door. Gě Nà Wǎ closely followed.

Jiāng Bái Mián smiled and shook her head:

"No rush, we'll go in the afternoon.

"In the morning, we'll take a walk around the Golden Apple District, observe the situation around the main target, and if we can discover the protectors in the dark, we can formulate targeted plans afterwards."

"How many cars should we take?" Lóng Yuè Hóng asked.

"One is enough. Two would be too conspicuous. Also, remember, only pass by once. We can't repeatedly circle around. It'll be discovered that there's a problem." Jiāng Bái Mián said as she hid the radio transceiver.

Exiting the Ugo Hotel, they chose the original military-green jeep because this time their destination was the Golden Apple District, where the nobles of Initial City lived. A car that was too broken and too rotten would be very conspicuous.

And the issue of modifications wasn't a big deal in that area. Countless nobles' vehicles had extra additions on top of the original bulletproof systems.

As the vehicle drove, Lóng Yuè Hóng turned his gaze to the outside, looking at the scenery along the road and the pedestrians on the street.

Suddenly, a female figure darted past, her back hunched, her eyes cloudy and bloodshot.

"The fifth..." Lóng Yuè Hóng murmured blankly.

The fifth "Heartless Disease" patient.

The fifth "Heartless Disease" patient on these few streets in recent times.

As the sheriffs in gray-blue uniforms chased after her, Jiāng Bái Mián slowed down the car and said with a frown:

"Isn't this frequency a bit too high?"

Although it was said that after one case of "Heartless Disease" broke out, it was normal for multiple cases to appear in the surrounding area within a certain period of time, and the patients often had no connection, the outbreak of this "epidemic" in Initial City had a surprisingly high frequency.

However, Jiāng Bái Mián also knew that, statistically speaking, this should still be within a reasonable range. It just felt different and had more impact.

"It's still normal, right? I've experienced higher frequencies, also in Initial City." Bái Chén said his thoughts.

"Also in Initial City? Is there something wrong here?" Jiāng Bái Mián looked at the windshield and said cautiously, "It seems we need to collect the case data of this time to see if we can discover anything."

Investigating the source of "Heartless Disease" was also the main task of the "Old Task Force," because it was very likely to be related to the cause of the Old World's destruction.

"Okay!" Shāng Jiàn Yào replied eagerly.