Candles were lit in the reception room, and the scent of sandalwood drifted through the air.
The room was simply furnished, with only a few wooden tables and chairs, and faded religious murals hung on the walls.
The leading black monk, who was the Dean of this monastery, poured a cup of hot tea for Father Moreau.
"Moreau, you're finally back." The Dean's voice was steady. "The groups we sent out have all lost contact; I thought you..."
"I almost didn't make it back." Father Moreau gulped down a large mouthful of tea like it was wine, then briefly explained the situation of the mother and son, and how Kamar-Taj had sent people to help.
"Vanished into thin air?" The Dean frowned, looking at Banner and Johnny nearby. "Even you couldn't see any traces of magic?"
Moreau shook his head: "That place was as clean as if it had been wiped. However, these two are vouched for by Kamar-Taj and are very powerful; they were the ones who dealt with the cultists' wolves outside."
The Dean nodded, observing Banner and Johnny for a moment.
He could feel the irritable aura of Hell from Johnny and the terrifying destructive power within Banner. But both of their eyes were clean, without any evil intent.
"Thank you both for your help." The Dean stood up and bowed slightly to them. "I am the Dean here, you can call me Daniel. Moreau is right, we have indeed run into big trouble lately."
"It's not just the disappearance of that mother and son, nor is it just the siege by those cultists."
Dean Daniel's face turned grim.
"In the past, our monastery has always been the Guardian of this area, and Mephisto's followers only dared to make small moves in the shadows. But in recent months, the situation has completely changed. Our people have begun to die one by one."
Johnny snorted: "Ambushed? Those Demon scumbags only have that much skill."
"It wasn't an ambush." Dean Daniel shook his head, his voice carrying incomprehension and a hint of fear. "When they died, there were no signs of resistance."
"Just three days ago, Martin the monk, one of our best Sentinels, was found dead in his room. The Door and windows were locked from the inside, with no signs of being broken. He was just sitting in his chair, as if he had fallen asleep, but he had already stopped breathing."
"We checked the body; no external injuries, no poisoning, and the soul was still there. He just simply... died. It was as if someone walked into his room, tapped him on the shoulder, and then his own heart stopped beating."
Father Moreau added: "This hasn't happened just once. Those who died were all veterans of the monastery; they knew this place well and were very alert. To be able to strike while they were completely off guard is too strange."
Johnny's eyes widened, thinking through all the Devils he knew, and it seemed none of them killed like this.
"It's not strange."
Dr. Banner, who hadn't spoken, suddenly spoke up, pushing up his glasses with a calm tone.
"It's familiarity."
"What?" Johnny and Moreau both looked at him.
"Think about it. In a completely sealed room, the person who died didn't resist, which means the one who did it was someone they trusted completely—someone they would open the door for, or even someone they wouldn't guard against even with their back turned."
Banner held up a finger, analyzing calmly: "Only one person dies at a time, which means the killer doesn't have the ability or the opportunity to deal with several people at once. Choosing to strike in a closed environment every time means they don't want to be discovered."
"Combining these two points, there is only one truth."
Dr. Banner's gaze swept over everyone present, saying each word deliberately.
"There is a mole among you."
The word 'mole' made the air in the entire room freeze.
Dean Daniel let out a long sigh, his face full of pain: "I've thought of that too. I've checked everyone in the monastery, including myself. But everyone has an alibi, and everyone looks so pious. I can't find... I really can't find them."
"Moreau said you are trustworthy, so can you please help us? Find the person hiding among us."
A strange-style investigation thus began... Day one.
Johnny Blaze had a look of impatience on his face.
He scoured the entire monastery from the cellar to the bell tower, even turning the Hellfire in his eyes to the maximum, trying to find a hint of the scent of sulfur from Hell.
But there was nothing.
"Damn it! Is this mole an Angel in disguise?" Johnny kicked a stone away and complained to Banner, who was studying architectural blueprints.
Meanwhile, by a stream dozens of kilometers away, Lin Huai was leisurely setting up a portable grill he had swiped from Tony, with a row of chicken wings grilling until they were golden and glistening.
He hummed a song while skillfully brushing honey onto the chicken wings; the aroma of cumin and chili drifted far away.
At that moment, an encrypted notification popped up on his phone: "The strike team led by Tony Stark has successfully broken into the outskirts of the HYDRA Base in Sokovia."
...Day two.
A Drone bearing the Stark Industries logo whistled through the air, precisely air-dropping a large metal crate onto the monastery square.
After Dr. Banner signed for it, he opened the crate in front of a group of curious monks.
Inside were hundreds of the latest micro-surveillance cameras—high-definition, night vision, with thermal sensing, and even capable of detecting energy fluctuations.
"Render unto science what is science's, and unto magic what is magic's." Banner pushed up his glasses and began planning the wiring.
At the same time by the stream, Lin Huai continued grilling chicken wings with a new recipe, feeling that yesterday's sauce wasn't strong enough. He took a bite, nodded in satisfaction, and casually swiped his phone screen, which showed a new battle report: "The Iron Legion has broken through enemy forces, and HYDRA's third line of defense has been destroyed."
...Day three.
Dean Daniel and a group of monks watched in stunned silence as Dr. Banner installed solar panels on the roof.
"Dr... our monastery has its own generator," the Dean reminded him in a low voice.
"Not enough." Banner tightened a screw without looking back. "My surveillance network needs an independent power supply system. It must be absolutely secure to prevent the mole from sabotaging the circuits."
By the stream, Lin Huai was already tired of chicken wings and switched to grilled rabbit today. Watching the rabbit being grilled until it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with fat sizzling on the charcoal fire, he swiped his phone to check the latest news: "Captain America has led S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents to capture HYDRA's mountain core fortress."
...Day four.
At night, the monastery's command room was brightly lit.
Banner, Johnny, and Father Moreau were gathered around a large map, which Banner had marked with red crosses and blue circles for surveillance blind spots and suspicious areas.
"Based on my observations, the mole's actions are very regular. He always strikes when our guard is most relaxed." Banner pointed at the map, "So, starting tonight, night watches must be arranged. Johnny, you're responsible for the East Borough, and I'll take the West District..."
"I think..." Father Moreau shook the wine bottle in his hand and let out a boozy burp, "we can compare our alcohol tolerance. Whoever is the last to pass out won't have to do the night watch. It's very fair; God Almighty will witness our piety."
Banner and Johnny turned their heads simultaneously, gave him a blank look, and then turned back together to continue discussing patrol routes, treating him completely like air.
By a lake over ten kilometers from the monastery, Lin Huai had changed into a fisherman's outfit, wearing a straw hat and with a foxtail grass in his mouth, holding a fishing rod and fishing.
A freshly grilled fish was warming on the grill beside him.
He felt the fishing rod sink, and just as he reeled in the line, his phone screen lit up with a final battle report: "Iron-Handed Bucky successfully destroyed the enemy command center; the Battle of Sokovia has been won decisively."