Chapter 879: Fishing for the Big One
I finally got my hands on a Bose body, and you snatched it away?
Area 53 is gone too, and a good chunk of the incantation interpretations are wrong!
Martin ground his teeth. Before this trip to Hua Xia, he'd been in a pretty good mood!
Now he felt like crap!
After that demonstration, there was no point arguing about the incantation interpretations anymore!
Martin's face went cold as he stood up and headed for the classroom door. "Tomorrow's final practical match—we're going all out. Just wait and see!"
Jiangnan grinned. "You said the same thing yesterday!"
"Don't leave yet! I've already prepared noodles for dinner—double-spicy fire chicken noodles!"
Martin's body stiffened.
That's right—he'd set up that flag earlier! Eating double-spicy fire chicken noodles through his nose?
Even a Dao Heaven couldn't survive that kind of abuse!
Are you a demon?
[From Martin: Resentment +1000!]
He walked out of the classroom without looking back, pulled out his phone, and made a call.
"Hey! Tell the shipyard to stop work on the Narwhal flying aircraft carrier for now!"
"What? You're asking me why? The incantations on the hull are all freaking wrong! What do you think?"
He hung up grumpily, his resentment value refreshing nonstop.
Tom and the others also looked deflated. Four matches, and not once had they outperformed the Pioneer Academy.
What hit them even harder was that this exchange had made them face reality!
Hua Xia had already reached levels far beyond other countries in both incantation and spirit-binding fields.
And with the development of spirit pet studies, a heavy sense of crisis hung over them.
The sleeping lion had begun to rise!
And Jiangnan played a major role in it.
Sean stood up, looking straight at Jiangnan.
"Tomorrow, no matter the result, I'll give it my all to defeat you. Please don't hold back."
With that, he picked up his books and left.
Jiangnan stretched lazily, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Tomorrow, huh?"
Just then, a crack sounded, and the main beam of the building snapped!
The entire structure collapsed like Lego bricks, dust billowing, burying many people inside.
Jiangnan: ...
Charles, who had only walked a short distance, flinched. He turned to look at the collapsed building, a look of relief on his face.
Good thing I left early, or they'd definitely have made me pay for damages again!
...
The night breeze blew gently, passing through the big gap shaped like "太", bringing a faint chill into the room.
Many of the exchange group members couldn't sleep. Losing four matches in a row—though it was due to various factors—showed that the Pioneer Academy was far stronger than they'd imagined.
Thinking about tomorrow's practical duel and Jiangnan, some even felt at a loss.
Charles, unable to sleep, studied tactics, while Sean simply didn't sleep at all.
Based on all the data he had, he simulated every possible scenario for tomorrow's match.
Halfway through writing, Sean couldn't help but chuckle wryly.
"Am I writing a boss guide here?"
Nicole, of course, was out all night again.
Nova paced anxiously in her room.
She never imagined that the Bose body Jiangnan had kidnapped was actually at the Pioneer Academy!
Last night's operation failed, and she'd had to prop up the bed all night.
If she didn't act today, she might lose her chance. But if she acted recklessly...
If that Bose body noticed, she'd be in danger!
Now she'd sent the message to the Holy Envoy and was waiting for a reply.
Above the Gamma Archipelago in the North Sea, Igor frowned at the message on his phone.
"A Bose body in Hua Xia? Just some low-caste wanderer, a discarded piece of trash. Hmph!"
"You'd better not cause trouble. Anyone who gets in the way of Saint Star's grand plan gets eliminated!"
He messaged Nova back: Continue the operation. Don't worry about the Bose body.
Igor had his own considerations.
If that Bose body interfered and Nova got into trouble, that would mean she really was working with Jiangnan and had moved the Void Nail.
In that case, he'd have no reason to hide anymore. To retrieve the Void Nail, he'd have to act personally.
But if she smoothly gathered information, it meant Jiangnan and she had nothing to do with it—Odin was lying.
As for Nova's life or death? It didn't matter.
Saint Star didn't lack obedient dogs.
Using one life to test the whereabouts of the Void Nail wasn't a loss.
He put away his phone and continued observing the Light Society base on the archipelago through the clouds.
"Odin, I don't believe you can hold out. Where the hell did you hide that Void Nail?"
...
Nova received the message, her pretty face turning pale. Continue the operation?
Even with high risk, she dared not disobey the Holy Envoy's orders.
At 1 a.m., Nova used her Thousand Illusion again, heading toward the Maple Forest Villa.
This time, to avoid anyone barging in on Jiangnan in the middle of the night again, Nova went to the trouble of casting Slumber Corridor on every room.
Finally, she came to Jiangnan's window and peered inside.
Seeing Jiangnan asleep with the blanket bunched up, looking comfortable, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She quietly opened the window—she'd left a little trick when she slipped out in the morning, and now it came in handy.
With a nimble flip, she entered the room and immediately started pulling out gold coins and truth-telling water.
"Not hiding under the bed tonight?"
Nova casually replied, "The bed collapsed, didn't it? And besides, under there..."
Before she could finish, Nova jerked, her face turning deathly pale as she looked up at Jiangnan.
He was lying in bed, propping his head up, smiling at her with a bright grin.
∠(⁼̴◡⁼̴｣∠)_
Nova: !!!
How was he not asleep? Had her Slumber Corridor failed?
[From Nova Sophia: Resentment +1000!]
How was that possible? Jiangnan was only Platinum! And...
Ssh~
Had he known she was under the bed last night?
[From...]
Cold sweat beaded on Nova's forehead. How was she supposed to explain this?
Without a second thought, she turned to bolt, but as she spun around, Jiang Ning stood behind her in a white dress.
Nova's heart sank to rock bottom.
This was a carefully laid trap, just waiting for her to jump in!
"Wind of Spirit..."
Before she could finish the skill name, Jiang Ning cast an Extreme Cold Bose Light, which shot out.
Nova's body froze instantly. Jiangnan whipped out a Large Green Stick and cracked it over her head.
While she was stunned, Jiangnan slipped a Paralysis Ring onto his right middle finger and jabbed it into her belly button.
Σ(||˃᷄口˂᷅) Aah!
A thrilling numbing sensation shot through her body. Nova couldn't help but scream.
Taking advantage, Jiangnan pulled a magnetic box from his Alternate Dimension, opened it, and grabbed a Spirit-Binding Pearl with a hole in it and a fishing line attached.
As she screamed, he shoved it down her throat.
Then he opened another Large Green Stick and forced her to chug it.
Finally, he wrapped specialized Spirit-Binding Steel cable around Nova multiple times.
After all that, Jiangnan patted his hands in satisfaction.
(๑¯ิٹ¯)و "Done!"
Jiang Ning stared blankly at the scene. Could you be any more proficient at this capture routine?
Not only had he cut off any chance of escape, but he'd also prepared for interrogation?
Nova, now tied up like a zongzi, slowly came to. She couldn't move an inch.
Couldn't use spiritual power or abilities either. Worst of all, why was there a fishing line in her mouth?
The other end of the line was in Jiangnan's hand. What was attached to the hook end?
(๑͡°ٹ͡°)و〰〰〰(❛ั益❛ั∗)
Was this what they called "casting a long line to catch a big fish"?
And she was the fish?
No—she had to find a way to bluff it out. Even if it caused friction between the exchange group and Hua Xia,
she absolutely couldn't expose her identity as Saint Star. If anything happened, Martin would take the blame.
She could say she came to drug Jiangnan to cheat in tomorrow's match.
That excuse was solid enough!
"Jiang... Jiangnan! Don't be rash! This is just a misunderstanding!"
"I came here tonight only to hypnotize you, ask you the truth, find out if the Void Nail is in your hands, and report to the Holy Envoy!"
"It's not about secretly cheating or drugging you to affect tomorrow's match! That was just a pre-planned excuse to get myself out of trouble!"
Jiangnan chuckled. "Oh? That misunderstanding is pretty big, then."
Nova's expression froze: (•́ω•̀٥)...
(ರ口ರ||)
Why had she just blurted out her true thoughts?
She'd exposed her organization, mission objective, excuses—everything!
If the Holy Envoy found out, she was finished!
So she quickly added:
"Don't believe me! I... I just lost my mind! Everything I said was true! Don't trust me!"
Nova: !!!
What the hell? She couldn't even lie anymore?
At the mention of "Saint Star," Jiang Ning's pupils constricted sharply. Her body trembled violently.
Her delicate fists clenched subconsciously.
So they'd really run into trouble?
Jiangnan looked thoughtful. Just as he'd guessed—they were after the Void Nail.
Pulling that nail had upset someone's plans, huh?
Jiangnan smirked. "Pretty good at hiding, aren't you? Any of your teammates in this exchange group?"
Nova nodded frantically.
"No, just me! My real identity is a member of Saint Star. Being the group's lead mentor is just my cover identity!"
"The reason I applied to lead this trip was to carry out reconnaissance. I... Mmm!"
Nova's eyes went wide. She bit her tongue hard.
Was she possessed?
If she kept talking like this, she wouldn't have any secrets left!