Chapter 329 - 272: Chu Bamboo: Now, I Am the Eleventh Apostle

In the Ecological Garden.

Chu Bamboo closed his eyes and thought for a good while. Once he had sorted through all the information he’d gathered, he finally stood up, a flicker of interest on his face.

"Interesting."

Chu Bamboo summarized his thoughts, reaching a conclusion—

’First, although the Pope said the probability was very low... Lao Hu is indeed a human with Divine Techniques similar to the Big Orange Cat’s! He was just assimilated at some unknown point.’

’Second, Lao Hu isn’t aware of the Big Orange Cat’s existence right now! He might not even realize he’s a clone... Moreover, the Big Orange Cat’s mind isn’t connected to Lao Hu’s! Maybe it’s because it lacks the ability, but it’s more likely that it just doesn’t want to...’

’It’s still unclear what Lao Hu would think if he truly realized he was just a clone of the Big Orange Cat... Would he resist? Would he... Hmm, but based on logical deduction, if he really did resist, there’s a high probability the Big Orange Cat would notice something was wrong... and then show up in his face!’

Chu Bamboo took a deep breath. ’I could test this out in the future under the right circumstances—’

’But if I really run that experiment, it’s basically a guarantee that life will be lost. I have to be mentally prepared for that!’

’Right... and there’s my Memory Divine Technique!’ Chu Bamboo fell into thought. ’Have Divine Techniques similar to mine appeared in the past? Even Destiny, a Divine Technique the Pope thought was almost impossible to reappear, has shown up...’

However, Chu Bamboo quickly pushed the matter to the back of his mind. Even if the Divine Techniques were the same, it didn’t mean anything!

’The development of Divine Techniques is different! In other words, even if someone in the past awakened Memory, their primary and secondary Divine Powers might not have been Rewrite and Reproduction, depending on their development path—’

From that perspective, even if two Divine Techniques were similar, they could be considered completely different in their later stages of development.

’Alright, what’s next.’ Chu Bamboo’s mind raced as he quickly outlined a brand-new version of his plan. ’Destiny! Destiny... With this Divine Technique, I can fine-tune the plan I set up before!’

...

「Second District.」

Casino Street.

Arriving here, Chu Bamboo felt a wave of melancholy. He was originally supposed to lead the Special Operations Brigade to this place and conduct a thorough sweep of the Shoe Sect... But plans never keep up with reality.

Thinking about what was about to happen, and then recalling everything that had occurred in the past, Chu Bamboo felt for a moment as if a lifetime had passed. But he quickly snapped out of it.

"Mr. Zhu, what’s our next move?" Captain Yang, wearing sunglasses, stood beside Chu Bamboo and asked in a low voice.

Chu Bamboo had originally wanted to bring Huo Qiming along. But after calling to explain the situation—especially after Huo Qiming confirmed the key really was missing—the man refused to join him. Instead, he suggested Chu Bamboo team up with Captain Yang from the Second District.

Chu Bamboo could understand. If he were taking Huo Qiming to the nuclear facility or the City Government Office, Huo Qiming certainly would have had no objections.

’But the moment he heard I wanted to infiltrate the All-Powerful Lineage... Huo Qiming must have thought the chances of success were low! Time is so tight right now, he naturally wasn’t going to mess around with me.’

’After all, Huo Qiming isn’t my subordinate; he can think for himself. The only reason he went along with my plans before was simply because he was doing what he believed was the right thing to do...’

"Just wait a moment. All you have to do is follow my orders. Hmm, first, come with me." Chu Bamboo led Captain Yang to a corner.

Chu Bamboo ran a hand over his face, activating his Power of Overwriting. Before Captain Yang’s astonished eyes, Chu Bamboo’s hair gradually turned silvery-white, and his features became delicate and refined, taking on an androgynous beauty.

The Eleventh Apostle!

"You... I... What!" Captain Yang stammered, his mind in chaos.

"Take this. After we enter the next alley, put it on when no one’s around." Chu Bamboo pulled a mask from his coat and tossed it to Captain Yang. Ignoring the captain’s utter confusion, Chu Bamboo stretched his limbs and walked straight across the bustling street toward the alley opposite them.

Soon, Chu Bamboo entered a foot massage parlor.

"Welcome, sir, are you... huh?!" The owner only got halfway through his sentence. He looked at Chu Bamboo, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He glanced at Captain Yang, who was standing behind Chu Bamboo wearing a white fox mask, and instantly dropped to one knee, bowing his head. His voice was reverent: "Greetings, Your Eminence. May the Lord’s light shine upon the earth!"

Even after speaking, the owner kept his head bowed, not daring to look up, his body trembling slightly.

Chu Bamboo slowly walked up to him. The owner saw Chu Bamboo’s shoes and held his breath, looking for all the world like an ordinary person who’d just stumbled into a horror movie.

"BANG!" Chu Bamboo mouthed the sound. The owner’s body went rigid for a second before he realized Chu Bamboo was just toying with him, not actually firing a gun. Even so, he didn’t dare breathe.

"The phone," Chu Bamboo said coldly. "The special one!"

"I’ll go get it right now!" the owner said without hesitation, scrambling to his feet but keeping his head bowed the entire time.

’But as he walked, a question flashed through the owner’s mind. Why was he being asked for the phone? Didn’t the Eleventh Apostle have his own special internal phone?’

’Of course, he didn’t dare ask. Who would dare ask such a thing... For all he knew, the Eleventh Apostle was just looking for someone to kill, and if he hesitated, he’d give him the perfect excuse to do it!’

「A moment later.」

Chu Bamboo took the phone, shot a cold glance at the still-bowing owner, and snorted before dialing a number.

"...Who is this?"

"Where are you!" Chu Bamboo demanded, his voice cold and blunt.

’Previously, when Eleven had interacted with him, he had always been cheerful and respectful, seeming no different from a normal person... But the Eleven that Chu Bamboo knew wasn’t like this at all!’

’Chu Bamboo strongly suspected the reason for that behavior was because Eleven believed him to be the so-called Saint...’

’The real Eleven, however, was just this mercurial and illogical with his subordinates. To be honest, having infiltrated the All-Powerful and died so many times in the past, Chu Bamboo had even started to wonder how the All-Powerful Lineage had managed to develop to its current state.’

’With a leader like this... no, considering all the Apostles are like this, with a *group* of leaders like this... why haven’t their subordinates run to the Officials and backstabbed them? Seriously... what are you guys even getting out of this? Is it the thrill of having no money and no power... just the pure ecstasy of dancing back and forth on the edge of life and death?!’

’But now, after entering the Extraordinary World and seeing all sorts of bizarre Divine Techniques... Chu Bamboo felt like he was starting to understand, just a little...’

"...Your Eminence?!" The voice on the other end was tinged with astonishment. "Weren’t you..."