Chapter 132: I’m Watching You
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 132: I’m Watching You
Heavenly Mountain, the outer security zone of the Holy Church—a relatively remote stretch of woodland.
The two little ones were currently huddled behind a dense thicket of bushes.
Peering through the gaps in the leaves, they watched the patrol guards pacing back and forth outside.
Given the two little ones' overwhelming stats, the dangers of Heavenly Mountain were practically non-existent to them. However, this experience of lurking in the shadows and acting all sneaky felt like a novel and thrilling adventure, much like playing a real-life RPG.
"Say... those people look so serious. They’re even walking on tiptoe..."
"Mm-hmm, it feels like they’re up to no good."
"Should we... sneak after them and see? Like in a detective game!"
"A detective game!"
Little Gamie’s eyes lit up.
"Great idea! Then our mission is... to uncover the hidden secrets of this place!"
The two little ones quickly reached a consensus, and a spontaneous detective game officially began.
Step one: Gather clues.
They locked onto the "shifty-looking" patrolmen as their first targets.
Although they were outside the Land of Distortion and their Space-Time Authority was heavily restricted, their physical attributes and sensory abilities—which far exceeded common logic—remained intact. Eavesdropping on a conversation from dozens or even a hundred meters away was no difficult feat for them.
However, for the sake of "game balance," they refrained from using their more absurd powers.
Using the bushes and the terrain's shadows as cover, the two little ones moved like two nimble blue kittens, silently drawing closer to a squad of patrol guards who were conversing in hushed tones.
"Have you heard? The rumors about a ghost haunting the camp lately..."
"What ghost rumors? Stop being so paranoid!"
"It’s true! Since yesterday, brothers from several nearby outposts have gone missing one after another. The guy on watch last night said he caught a glimpse of a shadow drifting by, and then—poof—the man was gone... They’re saying a ghost or some kind of phantom has moved into our territory, specifically picking off those who wander alone."
"Nonsense! Look where you are! This is the Holy Church, Heavenly Mountain! We are bathed day and night in the Holy Light of His Holiness the Pope. How could any phantom dare to cause trouble here? I think you’re just exhausted from patrol and seeing things!"
"I know it sounds crazy, but the disappearances are real! If it’s not a ghost... then, then maybe an enemy has infiltrated—"
Before he could finish, his companion nervously clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Shh! Keep your voice down!"
The companion glanced around warily, his voice dropping even lower.
"Have you forgotten what time it is? We just finished a Great Purge of traitors. Everyone is looking over their shoulders! If someone with an agenda hears you, they’ll report you just to claim a reward!"
"Right, right, I understand. I’ll shut up..."
The guards quickened their pace and hurried away.
Hidden in the shadows, the two little ones exchanged a look, their small faces scrunched in thought.
From that brief conversation, they had extracted three key pieces of information:
First, there was a suspected phantom or attacker with stealth or teleportation abilities nearby, specifically targeting lone Holy Church guards.
Second, the Pope seemed to be incredibly powerful, his Holy Light covering the entire Heavenly Mountain region, which theoretically should repel all evil.
Third, the area had just undergone a harsh internal purge, leading to an atmosphere of extreme tension.
"That Pope sounds super suspicious! I bet the weird vibe here has everything to do with him."
"But what about that ghost? It feels like it just popped out of nowhere. It’s a bit... out of place with the rest of the atmosphere, don't you think?"
To gather more clues, Little Gamie tried to move in for a closer look.
She carefully shifted her body to the side, but her foot stepped on something that felt... off.
"Huh?"
She looked down and found a slightly raised mound of earth beneath her feet. It was covered in fallen leaves and withered grass, looking no different from the surrounding environment.
To an outsider, it would have looked like a perfectly ordinary small mound.
But in the eyes of Little Gamie, a True God, the "naturalness" of this mound felt a bit too deliberate.
"Sister, look at this mound... it feels a bit weird."
"Really?"
Gamie leaned over to examine it closely.
"Hmm... it does look a bit different. Should we... poke it and see?"
"What should we poke it with?"
"Uhh... a red-hot iron rod?"
Gamie suggested casually. she remembered this being a treasure-hunting method from some adventure stories she’d heard.
"Good idea."
As she spoke, Little Gamie pulled a red-hot iron rod out of nowhere.
Without a moment's hesitation, she gripped the iron rod and gave the center of the suspicious mound a gentle poke...
Sizzle—!
There was a faint sound, like something being seared through.
Immediately following—
Bang!
The mound exploded, sending dirt, grass clippings, and dust flying everywhere.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
"What was that..."
Caught off guard, the two little ones were choked by the rising dust, their small hands waving frantically in front of their faces.
Once the dust settled slightly, they finally saw what was in front of them.
A graceful young woman with short purple hair was sprawled on the ground in a rather pathetic posture, one hand clutching her lower back near her backside.
Her face was a mask of pain and disbelief, and she was letting out tiny, sharp gasps.
"Hiss... ow, ow, ow... These two lolis look so cute... how can their attacks be so wicked..."
The purple-haired girl was in so much pain that tears pricked the corners of her eyes.
"And... what the hell was that thing? How could a normal iron rod break through my defenses..."
She turned her head with difficulty, looking at the two innocent-looking blue-haired lolis behind her, and managed to squeeze out a somewhat friendly smile.
"Hi... hello there? Um... you can call me Cecilia. Don't be afraid, big sister... isn't a bad person..."
Beads of sweat rolled down her cheeks—it was hard to tell if it was from the pain or guilt.
Seeing this, the two little ones looked at each other.
"Are you... the legendary ghost?"
Gamie pointed at her, her voice tinged with the excitement of finding a quest objective.
"The mysterious person in black who likes to show up on dark and windy nights to cause trouble?"
Cecilia’s mouth twitched, nearly losing her breath.
"Wait... dark and windy nights, mysterious person in black... who taught you those descriptions?!"
She tried to push herself up, but the sharp pain in her waist made her hiss again, and she flopped back down.
"Anyway... Big Sister is here on a... well, a secret mission. I'm in charge of scouting intelligence on the Holy Church."
She shifted into a more comfortable side-lying position, trying to make her tone sound relaxed and harmless.
"I just happened to hear you two talking about exploring this place? It looks like our goals are pretty similar! How about it, want to be friends? Big Sister knows this place well; I can guarantee you a speedrun through Heavenly Mountain!"
Faced with Cecilia’s invitation, the two little ones shook their heads.
"No, we don't want to."
"Our sister taught us that people like you—with purple hair who like to skulk around in the dark—are the most dangerous! Especially when facing little lolis!"
The smile on Cecilia’s face froze completely, and several dark lines appeared on her forehead.
Seriously, who is their sister? Why would she give such a specific and targeted warning!
She gloomily pulled out a healing potion and applied it to the wound on her waist.
After standing up nimbly, Cecilia brushed the dust off her clothes, intending to try and salvage her image.
"Oh no, I think we're exposed," Gamie suddenly whispered, pointing toward the other side of the woods.
Two patrol guards seemed to have heard the commotion just now. They were leading a small squad of fully armed Church warriors, approaching rapidly with wary expressions.
"When did they find us? Was it while we were talking to this suspicious big sister?"
Little Gamie stomped her foot in frustration.
"It's over. Our infiltration mission is a total failure..."
Just as the two little ones were feeling dejected, Cecilia stepped forward, shielding them.
She wore a smile, wagging a finger in front of them.
"No, no, no, it’s not a failure yet. Based on my years of experience as an assassin, the perfect infiltration is one where no one finds out. So..."
She paused, her wrist flicking.
Two slender, black-and-gold short blades slid silently into her palms.
"As long as we deal with everyone who could possibly discover us, then this operation can still be considered a perfect infiltration."
Before her voice had even faded, her figure suddenly blurred, vanishing from the spot!
"Who's there?!"
"Wait! That shadow... is it the rumored ghost?!"
"Ghost my ass! It's an enemy attack! An enemy attack! Fire the signal, call for rein—"
Before he could finish, the guard saw Cecilia teleport right in front of him, smiling politely.
"Hello there~"
A cold flash erupted!
Cecilia’s figure turned into a streak of purple light, weaving through the terrified squad of guards at high speed.
With every pause, the short blades in her hands precisely slashed through a guard's vitals. Her movements were clean and efficient, without a single wasted motion.
If a player were present, they would see a series of crimson critical damage numbers exploding like fireworks.
-123,000,000!
-492,000,000!
-984,000,000!
-1,968,000,000!
Blood splattered across the woodland, accompanied by short grunts and the sound of bodies hitting the ground.
In less than ten seconds, the scouting party was completely annihilated.
Cecilia landed lightly on a rock, flicking the blood droplets from her blades.
She turned back to the two little ones, that same friendly smile plastered on her face.
"See? Now, hasn't it turned out that not a single person discovered us?"
The two little ones stared at the purple-haired woman who, just a moment ago, had claimed she wasn't a bad person, only to transform into a killing doll the next. Their perception of her was refreshed once again.
"Just as Sister Xiaobai said... these purple-haired big sisters who appear out of nowhere are the least trustworthy."
"She looks... really dangerous..."
Hearing the two little ones' blunt evaluation, Cecilia’s smile began to falter.
"Hey... in your eyes, am I really just 'dangerous' and 'untrustworthy' now?!"
Just as she was about to try explaining and salvaging her image again, her peripheral vision caught something. In the shadow of an ancient tree a short distance away, a petite golden figure had appeared at some unknown point, standing silently.
Cecilia froze.
It was a loli with brilliant golden hair, dressed in a simple white-and-gold dress.
Her azure eyes were quietly watching Cecilia.
Though she didn't speak, the message in her gaze was unmistakable:
[I’m watching you.]