Once the operation officially began, Yan Zhenyi, accompanied by Shen An’an and several other relevant personnel, quickly arrived at the waiting room controlled by the cultists.
The moment they stepped inside, a strange shriek echoed from above, instantly drawing their attention.
“Dear audience, do you know who I see right now?”
“It’s none other than the bishop who founded our Flaming Demon Cult—the very same bishop who was ambushed by the authorities half a year ago, imprisoned in Dragon City Penitentiary, and separated from us for over six long months!”
“Hey, Bishop, how was life in prison these past six months?”
The cultist holding the live-streaming equipment locked eyes with “Bishop Kang En,” who was surrounded by officials, and a frenzied grin spread across his face. He shifted the camera’s focus onto “Kang En” and loudly greeted him.
Through the livestream, millions of Xia Kingdom netizens—who had flocked to the cultists’ broadcast after hearing about the terrorist attack at Windbreak City’s train station—immediately flooded the screen with a dizzying barrage of comments at the sight of the male prisoner in an orange jumpsuit.
“So that’s the cult’s bishop? He looks like a total villain.”
“Yeah, who knows how many people he’s killed.”
“Are the authorities really going to let him go?”
“What choice do they have? There are still hundreds of hostages trapped in the waiting room.”
“If supernatural powers exist, why haven’t the authorities sent any superhumans to handle this?”
“Maybe our country doesn’t even have superhumans.”
“No way, there’s no chance we don’t have any. I saw tons of superhuman videos on foreign sites just yesterday.”
“Sigh… the world’s changing. I wonder if us ordinary folks can even live peacefully like before.”
Unaware of the millions of comments flooding the cultists’ livestream, Yan Zhenyi—currently disguised as the cult bishop—remained silent, as he had been instructed not to engage with the cultists unnecessarily.
Hearing the cultist’s greeting, Shen An’an, the leader of the operation, looked up with an impatient tone and said,
“Quit wasting time. Get your priest out here to verify whether the ‘Kang En’ we brought is really your bishop.”
The cultist’s expression darkened slightly, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he quickly relayed the message that the officials had arrived with their bishop.
Upon receiving the news, the priest, who had been sitting with his eyes closed in meditation, finally stood up and slowly made his way toward the entrance.
Reaching a spot on the second floor where he could see the entrance below, the priest immediately spotted “Kang En”—surrounded by officials, wearing a restraint collar and fake explosives. He called out,
“Bishop… is it really you?”
Looking up at the middle-aged man peering down from the second floor, Yan Zhenyi quickly deduced that this was the cult’s leader, the priest.
Recalling the videos Shen An’an had shown him and the instructions she had given, Yan Zhenyi steeled himself and mustered all his acting skills. With a hint of anger, he replied,
“Of course it’s me. What, are you planning to use the excuse that I’m an impostor to kill me here and take my place as the cult’s leader?”
Faced with “Kang En’s” sharp tone and familiar phrasing, the priest—completely fooled—hastily replied,
“I would never dare! You will always be our cult’s leader, Bishop!”
“Enough nonsense. Get down here and take me away from these sinners,” Yan Zhenyi snapped, gesturing to the officials surrounding him.
“At once, Bishop.”
With that, the priest descended the stairs with two flame demons in tow, approaching Yan Zhenyi and the officials.
As the priest drew near, Shen An’an and the other superhuman operatives subtly stepped aside, discreetly preparing for combat.
Ignoring them—confident that the hostages guaranteed his safety—the priest stopped before Yan Zhenyi and said respectfully,
“Bishop, please come with me.”
But the moment the words left his mouth, Yan Zhenyi’s shadow rippled strangely.
A dark figure shot out from his shadow and merged into the priest’s.
Instantly, the priest felt his body stiffen, his mind invaded by something foreign.
“What’s happening—?”
Before he could process it, Yan Zhenyi—no longer maintaining his disguise—lunged forward and locked the priest in a tight grip.
Realizing he had been deceived, the priest’s face twisted in fury.
“Damn you! You dare trick me?! I’ll purify every last one of you sinners!”
With a roar, he tried to use his divine artifact to order the twenty-plus flame demons to slaughter the hostages.
But the foreign presence in his mind blocked the command.
Seeing their leader suddenly restrained, the three cultists who had accompanied him rushed to intervene.
But Shen An’an and the operatives weren’t about to let them interfere.
Leaving two agents to help Yan Zhenyi subdue the priest, the rest moved to intercept the cultists.
In moments, a battle between superhumans erupted at the entrance of the waiting room.