Chapter 91: Officer Scott, You Wouldn’t Want…

As tensions between the Upper and Lower City escalated, Catacomb No. 33 had long since lost its former prosperity.

One tax raid, one explosion in the life-and-death gladiator arena—these two events alone had sent a total of 3,500 people into the Paradise Computing Center. The outcome left the major gangs and merchants of Catacomb No. 33 terrified.

To make matters worse, the one behind it all—Enforcer Scott—had stationed the law enforcement team directly in Catacomb No. 33, further heightening the public’s fear.

In just a month and a half, the population had dwindled to less than one-third of its peak. Even public order had oddly improved.

Inside the law enforcement headquarters, in a sleek office, Scott hung up from yet another call. The smile that had briefly flickered on his face quickly vanished.

Leaning back into his silver hover-chair, Scott murmured under his breath:

“That’s the fourth one today…”

Ever since he’d sent those 3,500 people to Paradise Computing to help patch the soul power shortage, Scott had become a rising star within the Tax Bureau.

Praises poured in from Upper and Central City newspapers. Even internal Tax Bureau memos sang his name. Of course, some credit went to his father, a regional manager, but that was just a “minor contribution”—or so Scott liked to believe.

Yet after the initial accolades faded, trouble struck hard—trouble that even Scott found difficult to handle.

During the battle with that strange soul creature, his personal cerebrain had shut down.

Since that day, it had never powered on again.

Scott had tried everything—new energy cores, soul charging—but nothing worked. In desperation, he even secretly hired a high-level repair tech hiding in the Catacombs to examine it.

The verdict?

“It’s like… your cerebrain lost its soul. Just an empty shell.”

The cerebrain was far too valuable. Scott was only allowed to use it temporarily thanks to his father’s influence. If something went wrong, punishment was inevitable—and his father would be affected too.

He couldn’t bear the thought of being publicly disgraced just after rising to fame—or worse, getting banished to the Paradise Computing Center.

So he silenced the repairman permanently and began shifting his strategy.

If he reported the truth—that his cerebrain broke during a minor task—he’d be screwed.

But if he claimed the cerebrain was destroyed in a heroic, high-stakes battle, defending against powerful enemies, the higher-ups might be more forgiving.

That’s why Scott had spent the last month provoking every faction in Catacomb No. 33.

Today he’d hit a shop with surprise taxes and send a few more people off to Paradise.

Tomorrow he’d shut down a club for “insufficient gender diversity” and arrest some energy users for “tax evasion.”

The local powers were furious, but none dared lift a finger against the law enforcement team.

They would rather abandon their property and flee than risk death. And so Scott’s plan to ignite a war fell flat.

Meanwhile, over a month had passed without him once using his cerebrain. All his communications were routed through office terminals, and his rivals were starting to notice.

Lately, he’d received countless invitations to banquets and social events—obvious probes.

Scott, too nervous to attend, declined them all. But his evasiveness only heightened their suspicions.

Just today alone, four separate calls had come in.

If this continued, his secret would be exposed, and the punishment would be even worse.

His cerebrain’s failure had cornered him.

“I should’ve never gotten involved in that damn Catacomb mission!”

Scott finally snapped, cursing aloud.

But the moment he spoke, a familiar sense of dread crept in from the window. Scott instantly turned toward the glass wall—but saw nothing outside.

“No—no, it’s those soul monsters again!”

His heart sank. After that life-and-death encounter, his fear of fierce ghosts had been carved into his bones. His instincts screamed at him to smash through the wall and flee.

Then—suddenly—a voice echoed in his mind.

“Officer Scott, you wouldn’t want news of your missing cerebrain getting out, would you?”

Scott froze.

Far away, several hundred meters from the law enforcement building, Lu Yan sat quietly in an abandoned shop. His eyes were deep, already synced with the vision of the fierce ghost lurking nearby.

Without a doubt, it was Lu Yan who had dispatched the ghost into the law enforcement HQ.

Ever since the day his ghost had ripped out the cerebrain, Lu Yan had ordered Shaq to keep an eye on this officer named Scott.

Cerebrains were immensely valuable, and Lu Yan had been curious to see what kind of consequences Scott would face.

But what Shaq reported back was entirely unexpected.

Scott not only avoided punishment, he was even rewarded for bombarding the gladiator arena and sending thousands to the Paradise Computing Center.

Yet the soul of a cerebrain—crafted from the essence of a high-tier soul—was far more valuable than 3,500 units of soul computation!

At best, Scott should’ve barely scraped by. Getting rewarded? That was suspicious.

Lu Yan immediately realized Scott must’ve hidden the cerebrain’s loss.

Then, as Scott stationed himself in Catacomb No. 33 and repeatedly harassed local merchants and gangs, the theory was confirmed.

Under Lu Yan’s orders, Shaq used his influence to prevent anyone from retaliating against Scott. He even offered shares of the Nine Dragons Strength Elixir to incentivize merchants and gangs to voluntarily evacuate.

The elixir had already become the most popular product in the Lower City. Naturally, the smaller gangs and merchants eagerly agreed to withdraw. Scott’s provocations were met with silence.

Originally, Lu Yan intended to keep Scott as a hidden piece—one to be activated during the great purge.

But now, with his urgent need for advanced compiler knowledge, Lu Yan had no choice but to play his card early.

Watching Scott’s pale and panicked expression, Lu Yan chuckled softly and spoke:

“Officer Scott, I can help you… with your cerebrain problem.”

(End of Chapter)