Where Do You Live, Chen Xun?

"It's going to be tough to get him to speak up about such a secret…" Mike sighed, mulling over the situation. "In these cases, threats and temptations are usually the best methods, but Chen Xun is no fool. Temptation won't work on him."

"If we have to use threats… what would be the most effective one against a clever person with special abilities?"

Mike's eyes lit up as a thought struck him. "It's simple! We destroy his sanctuary! Cut off his foundation in this world!"

The idea made him feel like he'd just stumbled upon the core of the issue. "Sanctuaries are the most important thing to all gifted individuals! Everything hinges on their sanctuary. If you destroy it, everything else falls apart. Even the powers others might've imposed on them would vanish!"

Mike recalled the collective sanctuary destruction project he'd conducted in Jinling, where many lower-tier gifted individuals had volunteered to let Mike destroy their sanctuaries in exchange for new opportunities. Once their sanctuaries were gone, the effects of their former alliances—such as the vassalage agreements—also disappeared. They could only regain those benefits after securing new sanctuaries and re-entering into new pacts.

"That's it!" Mike realized, his excitement growing. "If we destroy Liu Wenbo's sanctuary, whatever soul plague the so-called Ancient God has inflicted will vanish without a trace!"

"Doesn't matter how troublesome it is, we just turn the table!"

He smirked at the simplicity of the solution. "I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. Overthinking always makes things harder than they need to be."

"Xiaoci, get ready. I'll send people to destroy Liu Wenbo's sanctuary immediately."

"Wait… I need to find out where Liu Wenbo's sanctuary is," Mike continued. "He's the commander of Xinchang, so it shouldn't be a secret."

Before he could finish, Jiang Xiaoci quietly interrupted him. "Sir, I've already tried that."

Mike froze. "Tried what?"

"I sent people yesterday to find Liu Wenbo's sanctuary and had soldiers stay inside for thirty minutes."

Jiang Xiaoci paused, then sighed. "Based on our experience, even if the target is in a 'free' state, we can't destroy the sanctuary just by occupying it. There would be an alert, a notification of some kind."

"Did you receive any such notifications yesterday?"

"I… didn't," Mike replied, his heart sinking.

The answer was clear now. The Jinling rescue team had just arrived in Xinchang the day before and hadn't destroyed any sanctuaries in the Vanguard Alliance. Mike hadn't received any related alerts all day. But if Jiang Xiaoci had secretly sent people to destroy Liu Wenbo's sanctuary and there were no notifications, it could only mean one thing.

"It was a fake sanctuary," Jiang Xiaoci muttered. "It wasn't his real one—just an ordinary house. He's been spreading false information to the locals of Xinchang, hiding the real sanctuary somewhere else."

"That's clever," she continued, "If we search the city too openly, we'll only make it harder for ourselves."

Mike's heart sank further. Liu Wenbo had played his cards well.

"I thought I had a solution, but it seems you already tried it…" Mike sighed, shaking his head. "I was considering destroying all the sanctuaries in the city, but that would've made everything worse. Forget that idea."

Mike couldn't afford such extreme measures. His actions were constrained by the greater good. The Jinling rescue team's mission was under the guise of saving and aiding survivors, not wiping out sanctuaries indiscriminately across the city. Such an act would be absurd from any angle.

"Sir, don't be too discouraged," Jiang Xiaoci said, her voice calm as always. "We just need to gather more intelligence through Chen Xun. Even if he refuses to cooperate, that doesn't change our mission—finding the mastermind behind the soul plague."

"As long as you focus on the core of the issue, your decisions will be clearer."

Mike nodded, taking a deep breath. He turned his gaze back to Chen Dafeng, who had now opened his eyes. Having rested, he stood up and began gesturing toward the air in front of him.

"Done."

The moment he clapped his hands, the walls of the villa shimmered with a faint golden light, as if some divine presence was slowly dissipating. The experienced knew this was an oddity signaling the destruction of a sanctuary, sometimes barely noticeable.

"Congratulations, now we're a bit stronger," Lu Nianxin grinned as she walked toward Chen Dafeng, paying no mind to the blood and body parts scattered on the floor.

Chen Dafeng gave a cold, indifferent smile. "This is just the beginning. We've still got plenty to do today."

"Let's go. Don't waste time."

He waved them forward, and the group moved as one. No one dared to disobey, and Chen Xun kept his head lowered, trailing behind them.

The images of Chen Dafeng bloodily wiping out the armed men from the villa replayed in Chen Xun's mind like an unshakable nightmare. Since the apocalypse began, he'd witnessed the ugliness of human nature, betrayal, and slaughter. But never before had he encountered someone like Chen Dafeng.

To Chen Dafeng, killing didn't feel like a crime—it was as if he was crushing ants beneath his heel. His coldness, his disdain for life, made everything about his actions seem trivial, as though murder was as ordinary as eating or drinking. It wasn't for enjoyment, not for power—just for the sake of killing.

"Chen Xun."

Chen Dafeng suddenly halted, turning to look back at the trailing Chen Xun.

Startled, Chen Xun quickly caught up, but his nerves shot through him when he met Chen Dafeng's gaze.

"Yes, Captain?"

"I was just making sure you were keeping up," Chen Dafeng said, shaking his head slightly. He opened the door of the jeep and gestured. "Get in."

"Thank you, Captain." Chen Xun nodded politely. As he moved to step into the vehicle, he heard a soft, almost teasing voice behind him.

"Where do you live, Chen Xun?"

"Uh?" Chen Xun stumbled slightly, nearly losing his balance. He quickly steadied himself and responded reflexively, "I live in the Vanguard Alliance... why?"

"No, I meant your sanctuary."

Chen Dafeng shook his head, his voice cool. "Where is your sanctuary?"