Chapter377-Backstab
When John saw Francis's demeanor, he couldn't help but find it amusing, though he remained on guard.
He knew these people would say one thing to humans and another to spirits.
Now, they were simply waiting for John and his team to show any sign of weakness.
If they did, they would face relentless pursuit.
The fact that they escaped unscathed from the Godson of the Immortality Organization proved that they had their trump cards.
This alone was enticing enough to those eyeing them.
They would never pass up the chance to acquire these divine artifacts.
As John suspected, Benjamin and his group were indeed after John's divine artifact.
They had already seen it in action, and they also seemed to have something that could conceal their presence.
But beyond that, there was Vincent—the one known as the strongest below a demigod.
He surely had many valuable items.
If they could capture them here, their power would be greatly enhanced.
As for Victor, they weren't worried at all.
They had witnessed the power of the so-called Godson, which was indeed formidable.
But they hadn't expected that during their approach, these people still showed no signs of weakness, as if they hadn't experienced any battle at all.
This left them puzzled and unsure of how to proceed.
"If there's nothing else, can we leave now?"
Vincent asked calmly, while John stood beside him with his arms crossed, watching the two men with interest.
To be honest, he was quite curious to see what they would say next.
After all, to get by on this planet, having a thick skin was practically a necessity.
Being shameless was the most comfortable way to survive.
"Of course," Francis replied with a smile.
"But since you came all the way here, we didn't get a chance to properly host you, and we feel a bit bad about that. How about this? It takes time to prepare a ship for you, so why don't you come to my place and rest a bit? Once it's ready, I'll personally see you off. How does that sound?"
Benjamin nodded in agreement, also smiling.
"Yes, you're busy people from Capital Star and don't often get the chance to visit. We should show you the charm of our remote planets."
Benjamin's repeated mentions of Capital Star and remote planets drew a clear line between them, making it uncomfortable to hear.
But John didn't care about these distinctions and simply shook his head.
"There's no need. I have some matters at the school that need my attention. Just prepare the ship so we can return."
Staying here might lead to unforeseen complications, and the longer they stayed, the more uncertain things could become.
It was better to leave as soon as possible.
After hearing John's response, Benjamin's smile grew even brighter, and he took a few steps forward.
His flesh quivered with each movement, a sight that was particularly repulsive, while the young woman in his arms continued to smile charmingly.
Beside him, Francis appeared more relaxed, his grin becoming more genuine.
"How can that be? We're all on the same side, and since you're here on a mission, it's only right for me to help you out and ensure nothing goes wrong," Francis said.
"Let's do this: I'll arrange for you to stay at the Rose Hotel for a couple of days until we've sorted out the ship. Then you can leave, and perhaps you could put in a good word for us when you return to the capital. People from the capital, after all, have a better standing than us here."
As he spoke, Francis's smile became even more radiant, and he stepped forward again, wearing an expression that brooked no refusal.
Even with Vincent's barrier pressed against them, they remained smiling and seemingly unafraid.
It was as if they were confident and had nothing to fear.
Vincent let out a soft laugh, and in an instant, his aura spread throughout the entire cathedral.
Splat...
It sounded as if something had shattered in the air.
Although John and his team didn't notice anything obvious, they saw that Francis's expression had suddenly turned pale. Explore stories at empire
John keenly sensed an energy in the air being compressed to its limit, ready to explode if pressed further.
Despite the precarious situation, Vincent remained calm and even stepped forward.
With each step Vincent took, the expressions on Francis and Benjamin's faces grew more strained, and the young woman in Benjamin's arms began to show signs of distress.
Benjamin's smile remained bright, but his body started to tremble, like a mountain of flesh rippling uneasily, a sight that was particularly unsettling.
In the next moment, they realized something was wrong.
The young woman in Benjamin's arms let out a scream of agony, attempting to escape, but Benjamin swiftly crushed her skull with one hand.
Splat...
In that instant, her head burst like a balloon, filling the air with a bloody mist.
Benjamin's smile gradually faded as he tossed the headless body aside.
Francis gently pinched his fingers, causing the blood from the corpse to rise into the air, forming numerous blood spheres of various sizes that floated ominously.
It was a gruesome and eerie sight, but none of those present showed any reaction; they simply watched everything unfold in silence.
They wondered when these two would finally reveal their true intentions, and it turned out to be sooner than expected.
"What do you mean by this? We were kindly inviting you to our place, yet now you've taken action.
Isn't that a bit ungracious?" Benjamin said, his smile gone, replaced by a slow emanation of greenish substances from his body.
Almost instantly, John's expression turned wary, as he realized these might be the same toxic substances he had seen before.
He suddenly recalled the green vines at the Immortality Church, which the system had warned him were poisonous and required finding the core to neutralize.
It seemed likely that Benjamin had a hand in this.
As for why Benjamin would cooperate with them, the answer was simple.
In this world, there are no eternal friends or enemies, only eternal interests.
When the stakes are high enough to tempt someone, even sacrificing faith and life becomes trivial.
"You are indeed very polite, but sometimes we have our own matters to attend to, so there's no need to linger here any longer. You'd better hurry up and make preparations," Vincent said slowly, taking another step forward.
Meanwhile, John and the others noticed a change in Vincent's demeanor and attitude.
"When a guest wants to leave, it isn't right for the host to force them to stay, wouldn't you agree?"
This chapter upload first at NovelBin.Com