Chapter 378 320: The Big Orange Cat's 'Weakness' and 'Flaw

「In the Ecological Garden.」

Chu Bamboo slowly opened his eyes, his expression inscrutable. "This time, the harvest was quite bountiful."

It wasn't a matter of God's gender... Rather, after this reset, Chu Bamboo had realized something—

'As long as I don't reveal any openings, then even if I call the Big Orange Cat's name and summon her... she can't just attack me at the slightest disagreement and assimilate my Destiny...'

There were two issues at play!

'On one hand, I can't let the Big Orange Cat realize how incredibly weak I am... The sense of danger she felt before had nothing to do with me whatsoever.'

'On the other hand, I can't let the Big Orange Cat realize that I don't actually know God at all...'

"What a cowardly, contrary cat!" Chu Bamboo shook his head. This also showed that while the Big Orange Cat was the type to bully the weak and fear the strong, her feelings for God were truly deep—

'Even if one of these two fronts collapses... as long as I maintain the other, I'll most likely be able to save my own skin.'

"But, this is essentially a tightrope walk... Still, it gives me a lot more room to maneuver!"

Chu Bamboo collected his thoughts and, without hesitation, called upon Nuwa and Hive...

He began overseeing repairs on the Hive Base.

At the same time, he mobilized the reconnaissance and combat drones from Zone Two to launch a major assault on the prison, rescue Wall Announcements, and then deploy him toward the nuclear facility...

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Chu Bamboo thought it over again, glanced at the time, and then quietly began to wait.

When it was almost time for breakfast, Chu Bamboo immediately called Qian Shi and was quickly connected to the Pope.

"Hu Kaikang isn't dead!" Chu Bamboo got straight to the point.

The Pope was silent for a moment, then his voice came, calm. "Young sir... you needn't be like this. I received the report last night... Xiaohu is dead, and he brought it upon himself. Yes, I was indeed very close to Xiaohu... I can tell you all of this openly. But I will not take my anger out on you for it... You are not only blameless, you have performed a service..."

The Pope was very sincere, and Chu Bamboo believed these weren't just pleasantries, but words spoken from the heart.

"You're mistaken... What actually happened was—" Chu Bamboo stopped abruptly. Just as the Pope was growing curious, Chu Bamboo continued, "I'm sorry, I can't speak about that individual. The moment you become aware of her existence... she won't come after you, but she will come after me!"

The Pope: "..."

"I understand." The Pope's tone was completely different from before.

"Second, Hu Kaikang is currently inside the restricted zone in Jinghai City! I can't say why, but the bottom line is he's not dead. An enemy 'faked' his identity and then committed a series of treacherous acts... As for earning your trust, well, am I allowed to state your Divine Techniques over the phone?" Chu Bamboo asked.

"...Go ahead!" The Pope was quite nonchalant. For someone whose Cultivation had reached his level, the danger of his Divine Techniques being exposed was not high. In other words, it was next to impossible for him to even find an opponent on his level.

'Of course, that doesn't mean my Divine Techniques can be casually revealed... In other words, if Xiaohu really did tell him, it can only mean his current situation is unimaginably dire! That he's been pushed to the absolute limit...'

Chu Bamboo gathered his thoughts, first quietly saying the word "Light," then giving a detailed description of the Two-headed Scale People's appearance.

"...Hmm! That's a bit unexpected," the Pope said, his voice sounding odd.

"?" Just as Chu Bamboo was about to show his confusion, he heard the voice on the other end say slowly, "After all, if he really lost control... given our nature, he should have turned into an Angel! At worst, a Black-winged Angel... Even becoming a dove or a crow would be understandable... But why a scaly, reptilian creature? That's just too..."

"...Your Holiness!!" Qian Shi's sharp cry burst out, his voice trembling. "Th-that... Your choice of words... It's so undignified and improper!"

"HAHAHA! Then just pretend you didn't hear that," the Pope laughed heartily.

Then, the Pope's tone took a sharp turn, growing extremely solemn. "Alright, young sir... It looks like he's lost control. But you say he's still rational... Hmm, I'll tentatively assume the enemy used some method to force him into the outward appearance of having lost control... while keeping his mind intact? But why?"

As the Pope spoke, he grew more confused. 'If it's a faked identity... wouldn't it be more logical to just make Xiaohu lose his mind completely, or just kill him?'

Chu Bamboo said nothing, but he had his own suspicions. 'It might have something to do with the limitations of usurping an identity via Destiny... Of course, it could also just be that damn cat's nature rearing its head. She just loves the thrill of dancing on a razor's edge!'

"Hmm." Unable to figure it out, the Pope gave up. "Our God Worship Sect... owes you a huge favor! If, in the future, you wish—hmm, provided it has nothing to do with that heretical nonsense of yours... if you want to cash in this favor, you wouldn't even..."

"I'm cashing it in now," Chu Bamboo interrupted again, speaking bluntly. "Old man, you ought to know everything that happened yesterday... right?"

'This is so absurd,' Chu Bamboo thought. 'When I needed this bunch of bird-men, not a single one of them knew a thing... Now that it's all over, they're finding out one faster than the other...' After thinking it over, all Chu Bamboo could do was curse. 'That son of a bitch Su Po... he really knows how to play games!'

"Mm," the Pope replied succinctly, showing no intention of correcting Chu Bamboo's disrespectful address.

"The Heavenly Monarch of the North has turned on me!" Chu Bamboo's voice was devoid of emotion. "My captain... was persecuted to death by him! He sent a team led by a eunuch, and they're right outside my door... ready to break in at any moment and arrest me!"

"Oh, and by the way, I don't know what kind of intelligence you have... but the real situation in Jinghai City is that the Heavenly Monarch is working with the All-Powerful Lineage..."

Chu Bamboo once again explained the Heavenly Monarch's plan, which he had already recited several times before. Then he extended an invitation: "So, how about it, old man? I don't know what the Heavenly Monarch is really planning, but if he actually succeeds... let's just say, the entire Jiangnan region is bound to suffer dire consequences..."

'The first step in gaining an ally, naturally, is to drag them into the fray at any cost! And the key to dragging them in... is to make them feel like this business isn't unrelated to them...'

"Even if I stop him this time, what about the future?" Chu Bamboo's voice was filled with anxiety, like a grand strategist worrying about the fate of the nation. Finally, his tone shifted. "How about we hit the Heavenly Monarch, and hit him hard? As a bonus..."

"Please watch your language!" Qian Shi's voice cut in again, now unprecedentedly stern. "This 'huge favor'... is nowhere near enough for us to declare war on the Imperial Court! No..."

Qian Shi clearly realized that since the Pope had just offered a huge favor, this blunt refusal was a slap in the Pope's own face. His tone softened instantly. "Sir... We can infiltrate more of our forces into Jinghai City to counteract the possibility of the Official Family being deceived by scoundrels... Please rest assured! Throughout Jiangnan, we have enough power to guarantee..."

"Heh, so whenever he does something wrong, it's always because the Heavenly Monarch was 'deceived by villains'?" Chu Bamboo interrupted Qian Shi, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "No matter the circumstances, no matter what happens... the Heavenly Monarch is always absolutely correct, is that it?"