On the third floor, a gunfight was underway between the police and the cultists of the Doom sect.
With superior numbers and equipment, the police force gradually gained the upper hand. Meanwhile, on the cultist side, the grinning leaders, who had been so pleased with their plan, were now grabbing each other's collars and demanding answers.
"What is this! Why did the police swarm up here!"
"How should I know! They were supposed to team up with the man in black to fight that thing, weren't they?"
Their plan was simple yet highly effective, but only under normal circumstances. They had misjudged Noid's fighting ability, or more accurately, they had misjudged his fighting style.
In their minds, Noid must have been a man with great physical prowess, proficient in many forms of combat and highly skilled in fighting techniques to have defeated so many people. When fighting an opponent like the "reformed fanatic," he would surely be at a disadvantage, as both his speed and strength were inferior. Moreover, conventional weapons could not cause significant damage to the fanatic.
Because of this, the police squad would surely stay behind to help. The outcome would either be the man in black and the police being slaughtered, or they would win a Pyrrhic victory, with the man in black being gravely wounded and the police force decimated.
In either scenario, the cultists would benefit, increasing their chances of breaking through the encirclement and escaping.
However, both the cultists and the reformed fanatic were just too unlucky. Noid was not a master. Although he had been trained by Selina, the time was too short for him to become anything more than a novice; the title of master was still far beyond his reach.
His main strength came from his A.T.A Armor, combined with a paralysis gun and a paralysis baton. Don't underestimate this trio; in some other world, they were created to counter super-powered individuals.
Slow, paralysis, and electrocution were all extremely unpleasant effects, and they could stack on top of each other. Combined with the armor's damage resistance and reduction, anyone facing him, unless they could kill the wearer in an extremely short amount of time, would find the effects continuously piling up, and they would ultimately suffer a miserable defeat.
Gradually losing his advantage in speed and flexibility due to the constant electrical interference in his body, the fanatic with a high stat of 1.2 was finally killed by Noid's "brain burn" move, and he died a painful death.
The second floor suddenly fell silent. The two sides locked in fierce combat on the third floor automatically paused. The police squad was the most worried, not only about the life of the man in black but also about their position near the stairs. They were the most vulnerable to attack. With a reformed fanatic behind them and Doom sect cultists in front, the situation would have certainly been a total wipeout.
The captain had called for reinforcements from the outer perimeter, but only a little over a minute had passed. Reinforcements would take at least another minute to arrive.
Clang!
The sound of breaking glass came from the cultists' side, and a black figure darted in. After killing the fanatic, he had used a flying carpet to get outside and then climbed up to the third-floor window for a surprise attack.
At Noid's sudden appearance, several of the cult leaders, especially the one who had proposed releasing the reformed fanatic, were terrified. Their fingers trembled as they pointed at him. The man in black... had killed the reformed fanatic in a one-on-one fight.
"You... are you a demon?"
"No, you are."
A low voice emanated from the mask, radiating an invisible pressure. Noid didn't waste any more words, charging into the enemy's heart with a baton in one hand and a gun in the other. The paralysis baton and gun were out of power, but because they were built so sturdily, he used them to bludgeon his opponents instead.
Seeing such a good opportunity, how could the police force let it go? They surged forward, attacking to provide cover for Noid. Caught between two fronts, the cultists quickly fell apart, and one of the leaders who tried to jump out of a window to escape was pulled back by Noid.
In reality, the cultist faction wasn't weak. The number of cultists on the top floor and the third floor was slightly greater than the police squad, and some of them had decent strength. Their physical stats weren't as high as his, but they were around 0.7, and they knew martial arts. Without the paralysis weapons, Noid would have had to expend significant effort to defeat them.
"Speak, who is your senior official, and where is he?"
Noid grabbed a leader by the collar and began interrogating him.
The man didn't answer, only giving a crazed smile. He went on to interrogate the others, but they were all the same, refusing to say a word. Helplessly, he dragged one of them into a room and closed the door. A police officer tried to follow but was stopped by a colleague. The man in black was likely to use some secret method to extract information.
The police officer was right; Noid was going to use a secret method, just not the kind they were thinking of.
"Limitless, an item with hypnotic or similar effects."
He mentally chanted, and various items appeared. Since he didn't have much time, he hesitated for a moment before buying one.
Meracul Powder.
Powder ground from the Meracul flower, causing the user to become less aware of the world around them. Subjects who fail a will check will enter a dazed state for 10 seconds. Gathering 100 Meracul Powders can refine it into Meracul Mind-Bending Incense.
Price: 2 accumulation points.
Noid bought ten portions of the powder and continuously administered it to the cult leader. Although these guys were no match in a fight, their willpower was quite good. It took nearly all the powder to hit him once, and that was only because Noid had scared him several times beforehand.
"Who is the senior official?"
This state was not like hypnosis; it was more like a dream. The information he needed would be revealed in the form of mumbling.
"Red-robed... red-robed... red-robed... Garfeild... Gar..."
The man suddenly woke up, screaming in horror.
"What... what did you do?"
Whack!
The butt of the gun broke the cultist's nose, making him clutch his face and cry out in pain. Noid continued to use the powder, but the only new information he got was "close confidant of the high priest."
Close confidant of the high priest, red-robed, Garfeild.
He wrote these things on a piece of paper, left it behind, and flew away on his flying carpet. After a long while with no activity inside, the captain stepped forward and knocked on the door.
"Man in black? Are you in there?"
There was no answer; the room was silent. The captain and a few others opened the door. Inside, there was only the cultist passed out on the floor and a piece of paper with three words written on it.
The captain picked up the paper, his expression serious, and quickly reported to his superior.
"Sir, we have a new lead. The man in black found it."
Out of power, Noid had to end his night. He was also very tired, and his body was covered in injuries. He would have to go home and recuperate, hoping to be able to work tomorrow.
Back at the coffee shop, he took a shower to clean himself up, then swallowed a healing capsule. He could feel his injuries and sore muscles gradually recovering. Noid took out a small piece of paper, wrote the name Garfeild on it, and taped it to the highest point on the wall.
He had a feeling that he would meet this person very soon. As long as he continued to delve deeper, it was only a matter of time before they crossed paths. He didn't dare to underestimate Garfeild; a medium-sized stronghold had already worn him out so much. The power Garfeild wielded as the head of the Doom sect in the city of Rorgh was absolutely that of a high-level stronghold, and perhaps even more than one. The opponent was still hiding in the shadows, and besides the name, Noid knew nothing about this person.