Despite Zhai Liu's veiled provocation, Du An remained calm. He acted as though the matter had nothing to do with him—as if even in failure, his own life and fortune would remain untouched.
"If you can take him away, I have no objections."
Having casually dismissed Zhai Liu, Du An looked toward Li Ban.
"I don't ask much of you. I only need you to tell me the Assassin Hall's arrangements in detail. I need to know what methods they will use and who they will send against the Myriad Ancient Pagoda. Furthermore, when Yan Jiu comes looking for you, she will definitely use her 'Charm' element. The moment you see her, you must use 'Flute Sound' with all your strength so you aren't controlled by her."
Li Ban hurriedly nodded.
So, Du An represented the forces of the Myriad Ancient Pagoda's master.
The Myriad Ancient Pagoda was using his infiltration to lure the Assassin Hall out into the open, planning to trap them completely. Knowing both the enemy and yourself was the only way to guarantee victory.
"This subordinate will report everything truthfully. But sir, I come from the Death Prison, after all. Will they really feel at ease sending me to assassinate someone from the Myriad Ancient Pagoda?"
"In the past, they might have had other options. But now that Tower Master Fang's control over Fanggu Pagoda is growing stronger, it's very difficult for them to plant assassins inside the Myriad Ancient Pagoda. On the contrary, someone from the Death Prison like you is far more likely to follow me inside and find an opportunity to get close to Tower Master Wan."
Zhai Liu, sitting on the ground, burst into laughter. "Of course they are. It's because Lord Du is Wan Chengming's running dog."
'Running dog' was an ugly term, but Du An acted as if he hadn't heard a thing.
Back when the Myriad Ancient Pagoda's vice tower master, Lin Han, was locked up on the fourth level, he had cursed him the exact same way.
Du An never took any of it to heart.
Compared to the mysterious and dangerous Zhai Liu, Li Ban actually admired Du An more.
If he weren't a transmigrator, and if he wasn't bound by the Laboratory behind him, he would have genuinely wanted to work under Du An.
Methodical as ever, Du An told Li Ban, "The Myriad Ancient Pagoda is a unique faction; it is not directly governed by the Imperial Court. The current Tower Master Wan stands independent of the Capital City's various power struggles. Because of this, they want an excuse to bring Tower Master Wan down and replace him. As his former confidant, I will naturally be targeted alongside him."
It seemed that even a 6th Tier figure like the Myriad Ancient Pagoda's master had to tread on thin ice when facing clashes between major powers.
Lord Du must have anticipated this conspiracy against the Myriad Ancient Pagoda a very long time ago.
That was why they had sent him into the Assassin Hall a year ago, planting him as a mole within their ranks.
Du An had even risked his own life to help Li Ban pass the Assassin Hall's tests.
For Li Ban, on the other hand, as long as he didn't do anything too outrageous and passed a few tests, he could smoothly become a double agent.
Of course, Du An and Zhai Liu also had to ensure that Li Ban would cooperate with them—that he would turn his coat at the critical moment when the conspiracy erupted, serving as a sharp blade and a fuse for their counterattack against the Assassin Hall.
No matter how formidable Yan Jiu was, she could never have guessed that while she spent six months planning the Myriad Ancient Pagoda assassination, Du An and Zhai Liu had begun laying their trap over a year in advance.
But there was still one person involved in all this whom Li Ban didn't quite understand.
"What about the First Prince? Is the Assassin Hall going to assassinate him as well?"
If Du An was acting in self-defense, Zhai Liu was undoubtedly just muddying the waters for his own gain.
But why would a member of the imperial family, a Royal Highness, wade into the murky waters of the Assassin Hall?
Li Ban also wanted to confirm the Death Prison's stance on the First Prince.
"Assassinate him?" Zhai Liu sneered. "The Assassin Hall is dealing with the Myriad Ancient Pagoda strictly on Li Yuan's orders."
Every time the First Prince, Li Yuan, was mentioned, Zhai Liu seemed intensely displeased.
Du An explained, "The Assassin Hall Master you met, Yan Jiu, is actually the Ninth Princess of the current dynasty. She and Prince Li are half-siblings."
Zhai Liu mocked, "It has nothing to do with being blood siblings. She only threw her lot in with Li Yuan because she's placing her bets. She simply thinks he has the highest chance of becoming the next emperor."
Who would have thought that a princess—someone considered a pampered royal anywhere else—could double as an assassin leader in the Wizard World?
Immediately after, another thought struck Li Ban.
If Yan Jiu was the Ninth Princess, then what about Zhai Liu, who looked somewhat similar to her?
Could he be the Sixth Prince?
From the looks of it, he had likely been defeated in a previous power struggle, leading to his current miserable state.
But Zhai Liu hadn't given up. If he could successfully break his curse, he might just be able to return to the center of power.
As for the First Prince, Li Yuan, he wanted to install a new master at the Myriad Ancient Pagoda who would support him, providing leverage in his fight for the throne.
The only question was—who would be the ultimate winner of this struggle?
Because his esteemed teacher was suddenly assassinated, the First Prince, Li Yuan, dropped all his affairs in the Capital City. Against all objections, he insisted on traveling to the remote Yu Province to offer his condolences.
As a result, the usually remote and desolate Yu Province suddenly grew bustling and lively.
But this liveliness was highly selective.
For instance, the commoners who usually ran their businesses on both sides of the official roads had all been driven away. This was to prevent assassins or other malicious individuals from blending into the crowds and disturbing the First Prince.
The prince had already arrived in neighboring Langzhou and would enter Yu Province in just two days.
Meanwhile, in Qingcheng County, Li Ban finally received Yan Jiu's orders.
The 6th Tier Spirit Cultivator once again emerged from Invisibility to issue her commands in person.
Hearing the contents of the mission, Li Ban was filled with shock.
"You want me to ambush Wan Chengming, and then drive a wedge between the Death Prison and the Myriad Ancient Pagoda? That's impossible! Lord Du would never let me off the hook!" he said, his face pale.
Knowing that Yan Jiu was about to threaten him again, Li Ban hastily added, "Even if you force me to agree right now, I might not actually dare to make a move. And even if I did, do you honestly think a 3rd Tier Spirit Cultivator like me could succeed?"
Li Ban thought back to the night he took his test to join the Assassin Hall.
"My guide told me back then that actions going against an assassin's true heart would easily lead to mission failure."
After leading Li Ban into the rear wing of a residential courtyard, Yan Jiu had been leaning against a pillar the entire time.
She found Li Ban's agitated display amusing.
"Listen well, kid. This Lord Du you think is so powerful and influential is absolutely nothing in front of the Assassin Hall!"
She tilted her head, the mask on her face hanging loosely as if about to fall.
"The missions you've already accepted are enough for them to kill you a hundred times over.
"Not only did you kill an official of the Imperial Court, but you also intercepted the escort codes sold by the Myriad Ancient Pagoda and tampered with things inside the Death Prison. If any of those deeds comes to light, Du An will subject you to 'Tendon Puller' and 'Skinning.' Those are his specialties, after all."
"And now you want to talk to me about loyalty and true heart? Where was all that before?"
Li Ban was rendered speechless, his face extremely grim.
The atmosphere remained oppressive for a moment before Yan Jiu slightly softened her tone.
"On the other hand, if you obey obediently this time and strike when we need you to, I can guarantee that as long as you survive the chaotic battle, you will ascend to the position of a Prison Official."
Her voice gradually turned soft and gentle, laced with a hint of beguiling charm.
"A 4th Tier official. If you still want to climb higher, even entering the Ministry of Justice isn't impossible. If you don't, you can stay right here as a local emperor, free from worries about food and clothing, with a whole crowd of people fearing your power... Doesn't that sound nice?"
The Yu Province Death Prison had always been tied to the Myriad Ancient Pagoda's interests.
So if the Assassin Hall wanted to replace the tower master, they naturally intended to replace the prison's leadership as well.
However, promising Li Ban the position of a Prison Official was little more than an empty promise.
A carrot and a stick; ruthless one second and tender the next—it left Li Ban completely bewildered.
While showing anger at the Assassin Hall's threats, he also feigned the helpless resignation of having no choice but to follow Yan Jiu's orders.
Even with Li Ban acting like this, Yan Jiu still took off her mask at the very end, once again activating the mental-type element on her face: 'Charm'.
Li Ban instantly felt an unprecedented pain in his mind.
He stared dazedly at Yan Jiu's face, feeling the pain in his head slowly fade away.
"Be a good boy and listen."
Li Ban immediately pretended to be thoroughly captivated by her. Face flushed, he pledged to use everything he had to serve the Hall Master.
While being manipulated this time, he felt the sheer strength of her power and nearly lost his mind to it.
If Du An hadn't given him 'Flute Sound' in advance, and if he hadn't already maxed out his 2nd Tier spiritual rhinoceros, he definitely wouldn't have been able to keep up the disguise in front of Yan Jiu.
Once exposed, not only would Du An's plan be ruined, but even Zhai Liu, hiding in the shadows, would be discovered.
He would become a genuine bomb, detonated by the Assassin Hall.
After using her ability on him, Yan Jiu finally let him go back.
The day before the First Prince entered Yu Province, the Laboratory finally initiated a forced awakening in the middle of the night.
If it had come any later, Li Ban would have assumed the Laboratory was leaving him out of this mission entirely!
This was also likely the final forced awakening before their operation to transfer the Core Element.
After waking up, Li Ban slowly sat up. Because he had been waking up once a month recently, he found that he wasn't as weak as before.
The Laboratory was very quiet.
Only Chen Dong was keeping watch in the Laboratory.
However, Chen Dong didn't immediately notice Li Ban waking up; he was deeply preoccupied with operating the machinery.
"You're awake? How did it go—did you get a chance to participate in the Assassin Hall's operation?"
"Yeah, the Assassin Hall assigned me a mission."
Chen Dong turned his head. Dark circles hung heavily under his eyes, making it obvious he had been working non-stop all this time.
He punched a few final commands into the machine, then jogged over to Li Ban.
"That's great." Though his eyes were filled with exhaustion, a relaxed smile touched his lips. "This means that out of twenty people, seven of us will be able to enter the site."
"Only that many?"
It wasn't that Li Ban was greedy. It was just that most of the Laboratory's undercover agents only held low-tier identities. Unlike the native inhabitants of the Wizard World, they severely lacked high-tier combat power.
If they didn't have enough people, how were they supposed to increase the success rate of transferring the Core Element?
As Chen Dong inspected Li Ban's new Experimental Capsule, he smiled and said, "Seven people is already quite a lot."
He straightened his back and patted the capsule's cover. "Our control over the Wizard World is lacking, but fortunately, our luck is pretty good this time. Aside from a few core members, we also have you joining in."
He glanced at the timestamp of Li Ban's forced logout. "Since you're confirmed to participate, I'll brief you on the entire operational plan."
Originally, operational plans were directly uploaded to the Experimental Capsule's chips. However, because Li Ban suffered from Level 3 memory fragmentation, Chen Dong was worried he might fail to receive the mission data again.
In the past, it wouldn't have mattered much, but now it was unacceptable.
If Li Ban ended up "accidentally injuring" their undercover agents again, the Director would probably go insane.
"The code name for this operation is 'Cloud Crossing.' Your alias for this mission will be the same as your Laboratory number: 444."
"We originally had two undercover agents in the Myriad Ancient Pagoda. One of them discovered an anomaly with the Myriad Ancient Pagoda's master, Wan Chengming."
Chen Dong briefly shared the intelligence he had received from the Director with Li Ban.
Since this was actually the second time hearing this information, Li Ban pretended to be deeply surprised.
"...The Core Element's form is unique, and it cannot be moved through ordinary means. We've developed a method of transfer and absorption, but it will take at least an hour."
Li Ban frowned. "That long? Then the chaos at the Myriad Ancient Pagoda will need to be even bigger."
Chen Dong nodded. "Exactly. That's why we need someone to lure Wan Chengming out of the seventh floor, and we also need people running interference on the perimeter to prevent them from returning to the seventh floor halfway through."
"The transfer of the Core Element can be briefly paused, but it cannot be halted for long. And once the General discovers that we've found the Core Element, he will definitely stop at nothing to intercept us. Because of this, the person in charge of transferring the element must remain completely hidden, and they must be positioned to easily approach the General's room in the Myriad Ancient Pagoda."
Now came the critical question.
Chen Dong looked at Li Ban and asked with utmost seriousness, "Li Ban, what is your role in this operation for the Assassin Hall? Do you have any opportunity to get close to the Myriad Ancient Pagoda master's room?"
Li Ban knew this answer would dictate his task assignment in the Laboratory.
If he wanted to earn enough merit to elevate his status within the Laboratory, everything hinged on this mission.
"My mission will place me extremely close to the Myriad Ancient Pagoda's master. What's more, I also acquired a special element called 'Shadow Meld.' This element's ability allows me to temporarily hide within shadows."
This ability was practically tailor-made for their mission to transfer the Core Element.
Zhai Liu's original intention in giving it to Li Ban had merely been to have him steal Bai Yuechan's ocarina.
But for the purpose of transferring the element, wasn't 'Shadow Meld' an incredibly fitting tool?
Chen Dong's eyes lit up. "Have you already fused with this element?"
"Yeah, they made me fuse with it the moment I reached the 3rd Tier."
Chen Dong looked slightly disappointed, but he still patted Li Ban on the shoulder. "You've really given me a pleasant surprise. I thought Jiang Yue would be the person with the easiest time getting close to the General. But if you play this move well, it will definitely take them entirely by surprise."
Chen Dong then asked Li Ban about a few more details. It was only then that he realized this Junior Experimenter—someone the Director had never paid any attention to—had managed to achieve such great things in the Wizard World.
What he didn't know was that Li Ban had only told him the exact same information he had shared with Du An and Zhai Liu.
Chen Dong remained entirely oblivious to his extra fused elements, let alone the Plain Ring currently in Li Ban's possession.
The only difference was that Li Ban had also hidden the existence of the 'Flute Sound'.
That was his ultimate trump card to break free from the Laboratory's control!
After pondering for a moment, Chen Dong quickly made up his mind.
"Li Ban, for this operation, don't stay on the perimeter. You don't need to worry about anyone else's tasks, either. Use this opportunity to assassinate Wan Chengming to infiltrate the seventh floor. After that, hide yourself. Your job will be to take over the heavy responsibility of transferring the Core Element if the first person fails to do so!"
"Do you have the confidence to complete this mission?" Chen Dong asked sternly.
"I do!" Li Ban replied, his tone equally serious.