Probe

  To some people, politics is about mobilizing all the resources at their disposal to gain more capital and a higher status in high society, seize hot power, and show themselves as great, glorious, and noble in front of the whole world.

  To achieve such a goal, some politicians will desperately dig up all the resources they can use, tangible or intangible, which can be people, objects, money, beauties, anything that is liked, respected, and feared by the world. Of course, a marquis from an ancient noble family, who is extremely rich and especially an unmarried marquis who can hire a private bodyguard team of 300 people, is such a resource.

  Unfortunately, Mr. Dai Le, this tall and handsome, dignified but polite, profound politician is the kind of person who would stop at nothing to achieve a higher position. No matter how glorious and noble a person's appearance may be, what his heart is like, who can say clearly? Otherwise, why do Chinese people sigh: "It's easy to paint dragons and tigers, but hard to paint bones."

  So, since Marquis de Blancfort entered the Parisian social circle and spent $30 million at a dinner party, Mr. Dai found it hard to ignore him. Especially when some rumors reached his ears. Actually, they were not important news, just that several big shots had a good impression of Blancfort and he intended to develop in Paris.

  Mr. Dai Le was really delighted, if he could establish some kind of intimate relationship with Bai Jia De, wouldn't his chips in hand be more? But what did Bai Jia De like? What kind of person was he? Did he have any weaknesses that he could grasp?

  Bai Jiatu did what rich people often do, donating one million US dollars to a local scientific research institute. Of course, the donation was secret, but there will always be various channels that intentionally or unintentionally leak such things to others.

  The opportunity has arrived.

  At a luncheon, Dai Le walked up to Bai Jie with two cups of wine and handed one over to him. Bai Jie was delighted and hastily took it, lightly clinking cups with Dai Le before they both drank up.

  "Ah, Monsieur le Duc," said M. de Villefort with a smile, "the contribution you have made to the scientific research of France is something for which I, as a Frenchman, am deeply grateful... What are your plans now?"

  Bai Jiatian lazily said: "Oh, there's no special plan, anyway, life is full of different pleasures. Some people like to chase money, some pursue fame and wealth, some like power... and I've basically got all of the above. What I like is something a bit special, just a little bit special. For example, an extraordinary beauty from the Middle East?"

  Dai Le smiled: "You're joking. You're so young, don't you have any bigger ambitions? Hmm? Maybe you can consider developing a bit in France."

  Bai Jia De shrugged: "I'm not a real Frenchman, who would take me seriously? No, France is a romantic country, but like England, it's not a country that welcomes foreigners. Any rich foreigner can enter the social circle of France, but will never be able to integrate into it, that's right."

  Ailian quietly approached and whispered to Dai Le: "Father, I'll take my brother back first."

  Bai Jiatian's beautiful big eyes sparkled with a hint of passion, Dai Le saw it, but just like any honest and kind elder would do, he pretended not to see anything.

  Yi Chen and Feili went to the bedroom for a nap, Ao Fu had already resigned from his job under Yi Chen's and Weisi Te's hosting, and was preparing to follow Yi Chen to London. At this moment, this lovely big dog was sitting upright on a single sofa, then nodded off to sleep with a sinking head.

  Fellows went to appreciate the streets of Manchester, actually to listen to local underworld news, see if there's anything that can be used. Wester is well aware of this, but what reason does he need to point out? Anyway, his subordinates are following behind, and there will be reports later.

  Jester sat across from Wester, both of them holding wine cups and chatting idly. Yichen had warned Jester that since Wester was someone Ouf claimed as a close elder, like a father, then Jester must treat him with the same courtesy as he would Ouf's father. Of course, this also created an opportunity for Wester to pry information out of Jester, otherwise why would Yichen have gone to take a nap?

  "Ah, Mr. Jester, you are German?"

  Jester nodded coldly, yawned without courtesy, and then, disregarding Wester's seniority, pulled out a large hemp and slowly took a drag.

  Vester watched Jester intently as he indulged in his marijuana-induced haze, whispering softly: "God wouldn't be pleased with His lambs getting high, drugs and whores are the cancer of society."

  "God? God himself makes people get pregnant out of wedlock, what kind of crap is that? Forget it, damn God, I'm not interested in him."

  Vester's mouth fell open and he asked cautiously, "You... don't believe in God? Good Lord, you're a strange man, yes, Mr. Jester, you are a strange man."

  Jester was immersed in his own joyful realm, his whole body floating, his brain slightly congested, and he murmured: "Oh God? Oh God, forgive me, but you're really a dog's mother... I'd rather believe in Satan, oh Satan, all-powerful Satan, omnipresent Satan, hmm, give me a beauty... A sorceress? Hehehehehe... A sorceress is even better, she must know more about how to please men than an angel."

  Wyatt's mind searched tensely for the name Jest, he could hear that Jest wasn't the kind of guy who would yell such things when he was high on dope, he was really, with a hint of malice towards God.

  "Jester Douglas... Jester? Shakle family? Oh my god, he's that religious inquisitor who betrayed the Vatican, a preparatory deacon of the sacred hall... God, him, him, him... What a wonderful thing this Jester is, and he would be that person? His appearance, how did it become like this? Ah ha, 'Reversal Cross' energy countercharge? This fool, actually daring to borrow the power of Lord Satan? ... Is it your power that brought him before me? ... I'm a damned pig, not a noble vampire, vampires wouldn't dare make such a mistake, I should have thought of Jester's name long ago... At that time he was a legendary figure..."

  Vester smiled and held out his hand to Jester: "Praise Satan, my lord omnipotent."

  Jester rolled his eyes, downed the last mouthful of whiskey, and stretched out his hand, which fell halfway, then his head tilted to one side, and he fell asleep, coincidentally forming a pair with Oaf who was dozing off beside him.

  West excitedly rummaged through the room for half a day, finally finding paper and pen, and quickly left a note that basically said he had new information about the ancient castle he was investigating, and he was busy solving the whole problem, hoping that Yichun and others would take good care of Ouf... and other nonsense.

  Just after the vampire bat swooped down, Yī Chén appeared at the door with a strange smile, looking at the sleeping Ouf and the drowsy Jester. Yī Chén stroked his chin: "Is this move correct? Hmm... To be on the safe side, let's have Jester join the Dark Council anyway, God won't forgive him anymore, I... For safety's sake, it's better for me to just honestly do my job as the head of the dark society."

  It was another dark night, in a sea area in southern England. Two small submarines sneaked close to the coast, and twelve black shadows crawled out of the submarine, then almost ran directly onto the shore on the water. After they landed for more than a minute, those incompetent British soldiers discovered these twelve human shadows.

  A big soldier directly aimed at a black shadow with the British-style shooting failure of a carbine without a gun stock, but he was stopped by an officer next to him. According to the above instructions, if there is no large team of hundreds of people, it is strictly forbidden to make any noise. This officer even swore: "Go back and wipe the toilet for me, damn you, do you want our credit to be wasted?"

  Twelve black shadows patrolled back and forth on the vast beach, then burst out laughing, intentionally making a huge noise.

  More than thirty British soldiers hiding nearby were really depressed, they dared not move, watching these black shadows shouting loudly in Japanese, and their hearts were really burning with anger. But there were orders from above, and they did not dare to disobey.

  The twelve black shadows deliberately made a fuss for a while, found no movement, and satisfied with each other's greetings, then emitted a shrill whistle. The two mini-submarines immediately retreated and dived underwater.

  These dark shadows continued to wander around for a while, consulted with each other, divided into four small groups and dispersed, leaving this beach.

  A British officer, rubbing his sore waist, crawled out of the thin sand and muttered: "These damn Japanese, what do they want to do? Are they vanguard scouts? It looks like they're coming. I have to report up, otherwise those officials upstairs will make me squat in a dark room."

  She was the first to receive the news, and after a moment of contemplation, she disregarded the late hour and used her prerogative to demand an emergency secret cabinet meeting, regardless of whether several senior officials were awakened directly in their beds by her agents.

  Looking at the Prime Minister, Defense Minister and other ministers who were all sleepy, then looking at the heads of several other intelligence agencies that belonged to his colleagues in terms of a unified external tone, M threw a stack of photos on the table: "Gentlemen, take a look, the situation is not optimistic."

  The Prime Minister who was left with egg on his face in the Middle East four years ago has finally woken up from his slumber, casually picked up a photo, flipped through it, and then carelessly threw it away: "Oh, just a few black shadows, no value at all? Right, gentlemen?"

  "Coming from a military family and being a retired general himself, the Minister of Defense took the photo, hesitated for a moment, and asked: "Mini-submarine? Hmm? Smugglers? Is there something important? M? Just for these few people, such a small matter, you used almost commanding means to make us gather for an emergency meeting? It's 2 o'clock in the morning, ma'am..."

  M said bluntly: "I want to understand why the leaders of London's underworld, in certain situations, behave more wisely than some of our government officials... They have a sense of crisis, gentlemen, they know that a large organization is going to encroach on their interests, so those poor devils launched an attack, unfortunately they failed... But you, we, the rulers of the great British Empire, haven't discovered anything."

  The Prime Minister frowned and tapped the table lightly: "Madam, mind your words, thank you."

  M shook his head with a bitter smile: "Twelve men, they used two submarines to infiltrate our coast. That coast, I remember last time we requested Minister Huynh to dispatch a battalion of soldiers to guard it, this is the intelligence they sent back."

  The incompetent Prime Minister's first reaction was: "Huen, are you crazy? Using a whole battalion to guard a small stretch of coastline just to catch smugglers? I finally understand why the defense budget is always overblown. What's your excuse for saying there's not enough money?"

  Several ministers let out snickers and low, stifled laughs that were enough to make Hu embarrassed but not quite loud enough to provoke a reaction from him.

  "Hu En Meng hastily unbuttoned his collar, loosening his tie: 'M, give me an explanation. Last time you reported that the Japanese Yamaguchi-gumi might conduct some illegal activities on our territory. I've already provided sufficient manpower for you. What more do you want to do? Prime Minister, last time I sought your opinion, and you agreed.'"

  The Prime Minister blinked his eyes, seemingly having some impression. Well, he had wronged Huan after all. Anyway, Huan was a loyal dog and needed to be comforted. He smiled: "I didn't forget, Huan. I was just joking earlier... A whole battalion's strength is absolutely not enough to catch stowaways. Hope you don't mind my tone."

  Huan nodded in satisfaction and turned his gaze towards M.

  "Alright, I think this doesn't look like a smuggling operation, but an invasion, gentlemen, a massive, civilian-led invasion with tremendous destructive power."

  The premier was getting a bit anxious: "How many of them are there?"

  "About 2,000 people, sir, at most no more than 2,500."

  The Premier visibly relaxed: "Well, in that case, no big deal, a lone soldier on the move can take them out... Gentlemen, unless there's something 'special' of importance, perhaps we should..."

  M looked at the Prime Minister with a bit of annoyance: "Sir, listen to my explanation, they are not ordinary people, they..."

  "Madam, as the head of MI6, these matters should be handled by you. Your authority does not lie in arbitrarily gathering all cabinet members for any reason... I will not allow such incidents to happen again. A mere 2,000 stowaways, even if they were terrorists, I'll give you a battalion's worth of troops and you should be able to take care of them. Although this large-scale smuggling is indeed looking down on us, it's not worth making a big fuss about, do we need to mobilize the air force and aircraft carrier?"

  "Ah, I remember now, a small fleet also went to France's port, didn't it? What else do you need, madam?"

  "That's it, you should be satisfied... Japanese? It was the Japanese, as you mentioned last time, so I'll find a chance to express some indignation in a more subtle way to them... That's it. Meeting adjourned."

  She helplessly watched as one big shot after another hastily walked out, and she angrily pounded the table: "You bunch of idiots, have you ever seen a military miniature submarine used as an advance scout for sneaking ashore? This is invasion... damn it."

  M's self-deprecating smile: "What can I do? Ah, I'm just the head of MI6, my power is limited to what I'm doing now... What else can I do? Great Britain, I've done my best, forgive me."

  Yes, anyway, it's just 2,000 people, do they need to make a big fuss? The UK has tens of millions of illegal workers now, haven't seen them rush onto the streets and besiege Downing Street to demand minimum wage guarantees.

  It's still that beach, underwater, with non-human things floating and swaying about. They roughly look like humans, but their bodies are just clusters of pale white mist. They came in search of the most intense yuan yang energy, unfortunately, those twelve Japanese ninjas were all top-notch in their families, compared to ordinary people, their yang energy was much stronger, so they deeply attracted these fierce and evil spirits under the command of the Northern Miao Mountain Ghost King.

  Extremely slow, still underwater, stiff and inflexible bodies slowly walked over, moving very slowly, but they walked extremely fast, yet without causing even a slight abnormal ripple, everything was so eerie.

  A British soldier stared fixedly at the sea, his whole body trembling slightly, feeling that the cross on his chest, which had been blessed by a certain godfather, was hot. He quickly took out the silver cross and found it had become somewhat dull and greyish in color, looking quite uncomfortable, and he couldn't help but curse: "Damn church, you're also cheating people for money? This isn't pure silver at all..."

  These British soldiers did not notice the deep, heavy death energy that filled the air, which should have only been present in ancient tombs. It was this strong death energy that caused the cross to react, but unfortunately, the holy power attached to it was too weak and was dissolved after a slight warning.

  A small town nearby, Tianlei Zi brought seven beast spirits transformed into a 'person' with a strong aura of evil, standing stupidly at the entrance of a church, looking curiously at the cross on the front door and muttering: "Damn it, this kid is really unlucky, he's a foreign god? How did he end up so miserable? He was even nailed up, this is too much, playing games with humans has gone too far."

  I wonder if Jesus had a spirit, heard Tianlei's lamentation, would he spit out blood in anger?

  Several flashes of azure light flashed by, and an old Taoist with a thin figure and blue eyes appeared with several middle-aged Taoists. He chuckled and said: "Tianlei Zi Daoyou really has interest, huh? Is this their god? How strange! Not even wearing clothes, nailed to the cross... Hmm, I've read many books, but I've never seen such a miserable god before... How strange! Fellow Daoist, why don't we take him back and show him to our fellow Daoists on the mountain, what do you say?"

  Tianlei Zi nodded repeatedly: "Shui Zhenren is right, let's do it this way." He raised his hand, a silver light flashed by, and the entire cross broke off from the root and fell to the ground. Shui Zhenren raised his hand, a small silk pouch flew out, sucked it in, and then the pouch flew back into his hand, its volume seemingly not much larger... The two exchanged a smile, and amidst the flashing light, they disappeared without a trace.

  A child's voice suddenly came from a nearby house: "Gosh, if I tell Dad, he'll never believe me, but I swear, I saw an angel..."