If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

How can you win if you don't understand the enemy?

Hearing Siwo say that the Evil Dragon Cult is actually very weak, Su Yao still felt uneasy without seeing their strength firsthand.

Taking advantage of the deep, quiet night, Su Yao arrived at the mayor's building in Abei City, which was also the largest hotel in the city.

The people of the Evil Dragon Sect all indulge in pleasure, no matter where they are during the day, they must stay in the most comfortable place at night. The mayor's building was transformed into a large hotel just for their residence.

Su Yao first squatted outside the building and watched for a while. It was just the time when they were coming back from work, and Su Yao could see quite a few people at the entrance.

Most of them were low-level mages, but there were also quite a few high-level mages, which didn't quite match Siwo and the others' description of a bunch of incompetents.

However, to say it's difficult to handle, it's not that difficult. Given Su Yao's current level, even if all the magicians in this area teamed up, they would definitely not be her match.

The night grew deeper, and Su Yao stealthily captured someone. Just like the strategy implemented in the weapon town before, Su Yao intended to disguise herself as an insider to infiltrate.

The person who was caught was a woman. The moment she saw Su Yao, she sensed something was off. There is a certain intuition between magicians, and at the very least, she could tell that Su Yao was a magician, and a powerful one at that, who could restrain her with just one hand.

"Master, please don't kill me!" This person was quite perceptive. Although Su Yao hadn't gagged her, she didn't scream loudly. Instead, she used the opportunity to plead, "I am willing to cooperate with all of the master's actions. Please, don't kill me! I can do anything!"

"Do you know what I want to do?" Su Yao actually stopped, "Would you still be willing if I asked you to help me kill your leader?"

"Spare my life, and I'll do anything." The woman nodded and even took the initiative to introduce herself, "My name is Nara, I'm only level two, I definitely wouldn't dare to deceive you!"

"Then tell me about the situation with your leader and the mayor in the building."

Nara obediently began to introduce the situation inside the mayor's building, clearly explaining everything from the security situation to the division and hierarchy of the leadership.

Although Su Yao couldn't currently determine the truth of Nara's words, if they were true, then even someone without the strength to truss a chicken could follow the route she described and go in to kill the leader, Hodgson.

"Will they look for you if you don't go back tonight?"

Nara shook her head, but then quickly nodded: "Actually, we rarely communicate, but if I don't go back, maybe someone will still notice... I'm not sure."

Su Yao understood: "Then come with me."

She took out a rope and a piece of cloth, tying Nara up just like in the TV dramas. Then she delivered her to Siwo to be watched over.

She, on the other hand, took Nara's clothes and sneaked back into the mayor's building.

The Evil Spirit Cult had been running rampant in the southwest for many years, and had lost even the most basic sense of vigilance. Su Yao walked around inside, and no one noticed anything amiss. There was no need to even verify the route Nara mentioned, as there were security gaps everywhere!

Su Yao felt a wave of helplessness; was it this group of people who had oppressed those outside into such a state?

[Perhaps it is not that they cannot resist, but that they too crave immortality through human blood...]

The system does not understand the human heart, but it can rely on data analysis to make the option closest to the answer.

At this moment, Su Yao stood on the stairs, feeling that the answer given by the system truly made sense.

"Immortality is truly a curse, who knows how many it has dragged into the abyss," Su Yao mocked with sarcasm, "Greed knows no bounds!"

The followers of the Cult of the Evil Dragon had been completely corrupted by their leisurely lifestyle, and their leader, Hodgson, was no exception. The only difference was that Hodgson's magic level was five, and no matter how unguarded he was, the magical energy within him would alert him to danger.

Tonight is just like this.

Hodgson sensitively detected a strange energy in the building, a strange energy that he could sense as dangerous.

Su Yao silently lurked among the crowd, and was surprised to hear the conversation between Hodgson and his subordinate, "I didn't expect this leader to be quite perceptive."

[Level five wood element magician, not considered weak.]

Su Yao, with the system's reminder, had a clear understanding in her heart. It seemed that this leader had something good for saving his life.

[What will the host do then?]

"Facing them directly is disadvantageous for me. There are too many people in the building, and if they all gang up on me, I'll be at a loss. I'll try something sneaky instead."

Su Yao quietly came in and quietly went down to the kitchen.

As soon as she entered the kitchen, Su Yao was hit by the overwhelming smell of blood, making it hard for her to open her eyes. It took several seconds before she could suppress the nausea.

She first followed the clues provided by Nara to observe the situation in the kitchen. Indeed, as Nara had said, the kitchen prepared human blood potions for everyone in the building at night.

The blood was in a large pool, and someone kept adding liquids to it. With each liquid added, the blood became more translucent and bright red. After dozens of liquids were added, more than half of the bloody smell disappeared, and the blood's appearance began to resemble strawberry juice.

"Is the leader's potion ready?" Su Yao entered confidently and asked the person beside the blood pool about the situation.

These blood potions are prepared for the cultists in the building. Sometimes, if the timing isn't right or if the leader or someone else is in a hurry, they will come to the kitchen to inquire, just like now. Moreover, no matter who is in a hurry, they will always urge under the leader's name. Therefore, Su Yao's words did not arouse their suspicion, and they replied in a very normal tone, "Please ask the leader to wait a moment, it will be bottled and sent over shortly."

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Su Yao took a few steps inside, pretending to casually walk over to the blood pool. While chatting with the staff, she secretly poured something into the pool.

The item that was knocked over was exchanged from the system, not any special poison, just croton seeds. Because the system has regulations and cannot sell poisons and such, after all, this is a legitimate game. Even the croton seeds are only in a quantity that can cause diarrhea and won't lead to serious consequences.

[Host, make do with it, after all, a kingdom not built by one's own hands always lacks a certain meaning.]

What could Su Yao say?

Can only accept.

The powder was sprinkled in, and at the same time, Su Yao immediately activated water-based magical energy nearby, mixing the croton powder into the blood.

Once the matter was settled, Su Yao didn't linger and immediately turned to leave. After a good night's rest, Su Yao gathered everyone who had joined the resistance the next day.

"Each person gets a bottle of hemostatic potion. Once you have it, follow orders and charge in! I've already added something to give them diarrhea in the blood potions they drank last night, so there's no need to be too afraid. They're definitely not in as good a shape as we are now!"

When ordinary people face off against a magician, it's natural to feel nervous, so a pre-battle pep talk is essential. Su Yao found the right approach, and with just a couple of sentences, the crowd immediately became excited.

As the leader of the rebellion, Su Yao had to be at the forefront. A level seven magical energy directly enveloped the mayor's building, blasting a large hole in it.

The soil and stones collapsed, and just as the battle began, the ordinary people heard a wail from the Cult of Evil Spirits. Morale soared once more!

"Charge! I refuse to believe that a wizard's head is harder than my hoe!"

"I don't want to be a blood slave anymore! I'm a human! I want to live an ordinary life too!"

"My grandson was killed by them, and all his blood was drained! He didn't even have a normal human shape after death! I must kill them today!"

……

Anger had been weighing on people's hearts for too long, and this time the flames brought by Su Yao completely ignited it. With deep-seated hatred, they charged at those villains!

Su Yao had been standing at the forefront all along, and when Hodgson and the others charged out, she actively engaged them, striving to prevent the magical energy from affecting the ordinary people behind her.

This was a different kind of war. Before Su Yao's eyes, there was no longer the dazzling glow of magical energy, but rather dust, stones, and human blood. The sky was filled with a crimson light, reflecting in people's eyes, turning them red.

They were all demons feeding on human flesh and blood. Su Yao and the people behind her showed no mercy, directly aiming for their lives.

The situation on the scene was actually quite good. Last night's croton seeds had a significant impact on this group of people. In just one hour, Hodgson and the other devout followers were driven into a corner with no way out.

"Who on earth are you! Why do you meddle in other people's business!" Hodgson's eyes were filled with resentment.

Su Yao said coldly, "You don't need to ask more, just know that I'm here to take your life."

Before the words had even finished, Su Yao's sword swung towards Hodgson, not giving him any time to react.

However, Hodgson was not so easy to kill; a sudden glow emanated from his body, fending off Su Yao's attack.

"Just come at me, I may not have much, but I have plenty of defensive weapons!"

Su Yao didn't speak, she just started slashing, her magical energy dazzlingly bright.

Hodgson's face flashed with panic, he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Retreat quickly! Let's go!"

"Don't go, let me see how many defensive weapons you have on you!"

Hodgson's face was ashen, and the resentment in his eyes was almost tangible, ready to spill out. He sneered, "I'll try again if I get the chance. I'm leaving!"

"Not good!"

Su Yao sensed a surge of magical energy and immediately followed up with another sword strike, but she was still a step too late. She only managed to cut down someone next to Hodgson, while Hodgson himself escaped.

Hodgson fled, and the battle behind him was already decided.

"Were they all killed?"

Siwo nodded, "There was no time to leave anyone alive. Someone saw the situation was bad and committed suicide."

Victory was achieved, but at this moment, the pressure in Su Yao's heart had not diminished at all; instead, it had increased.

This situation seems off no matter how you look at it; in a novel, there would definitely be a larger organization behind Hodgson stirring up trouble!

"System..."

[Subsequent tasks cannot be spoiled.]

[Congratulations to the host for completing the time-limited task 2. Rewards include: host's choice of materials *999 (anything you can name is within range, multiple selections allowed), food gift pack *1, potion recipe unlock *1, "Super Magic Techniques" book *1, deep-sea clam pearls *50, underwater creature blueprint fragments *2 (5 fragments needed for synthesis).]

Su Yao hadn't even had the chance to complain about the system's lack of empathy before she was knocked out by the system's reward.

The rewards are indeed as generous as stated when the task was announced!

"What is the deep-sea blueprint? Looks like I'll have to start an underwater life next?"

[You already have the Water Repelling Pearl, is it possible the host is only realizing it now?]

Of course, I had already guessed it, but it didn't affect my confusion.

"Is there gold coins underwater? Are you asking me to sell things underwater?"

[Complete the hidden main task 2 to unlock subsequent tasks.]

"Alright, actually I wasn't that eager to know, your system is really full of it."

Su Yao turned around in a huff and began to deal with other matters.

"Master, what should we do next?"

"Take these potions and treat the wounded first. I'll go find a few people to assist you with your work."

Rebuilding the Southwest cannot rely solely on her; she needs to select a few people to take over the power of the Cult of Evil Spirits.