Cui Rong and the other two by the campfire were dumbfounded by what they heard.
They never expected to witness such melodramatic gossip on this desolate night, as if they were sitting deep in the mountains while rumors fell from the sky.
–True high-end offense and defense are just this unadorned.-
Cui Rong, holding the wooden handle of a meteor hammer wrapped in layers of coats, turned to the other two, –Good thing we didn’t join the Four Symbols Group. If we were targeted by their intelligence agents, what do you think we’d lose?-
The two, roasting a mutated elk, shook their heads in unison.
–Hmph.- Cui Rong gave a mysterious smile, slowly raising one hand before suddenly clenching his five fingers into a fist. –At the very least, they’d find out some of the chair’s little secrets.-
The two looked at him.
Leaning against a house crack dimly lit by energy, Li Yongqin spoke calmly and unhurriedly:
–We don’t know if we’d get to hear the chair’s little secrets, but if your name gets called out, that line of yours will definitely shatter your image as the top sycophant in the chair’s eyes.-
Cui Rong’s face changed, and he dropped his weapon, then bowed apologetically into the air with remorse:
–Wrong! I was wrong, Chair, and Client-Daddy, I’m sorry!-
……
–Robin Lo, well done.-
Robin Lo, amid everyone’s terrified looks, chuckled softly and leaned close to Yang Zicang’s ear to whisper:
–Good thing they’re together. From checking A, I got info on B. The more people, the more cross-referencing intel. I didn’t think it’d work this well! I’ve discovered a new ability for my Moxel.-
Robin Lo, now promoted to rank thousand, was secretly pleased.
–But… it’s a shame about that Cheng Yunze. Even with my rank at thousand, I used all three chances and still couldn’t dig up much useful info on him.-
–Try him again next week. Plus, if we chant everyone’s names at once, it might make them throw caution to the wind. Let’s take it easy for a few days.-
–Alright, I’ll listen to you.- As he said this, Robin Lo’s expression turned strange.
–What’s wrong?- Yang Zicang looked at him.
–I noticed something.- Robin Lo met Yang Zicang’s gaze. –Their emotional intel has a commonality. Right now, besides probing our info, they seem to be keeping an eye on someone else.-
–Who?-
–No clue. Just like Cheng Yunze, I can’t dig out anything useful about him. I only know he exists because I caught a glimpse from these people being aware of his existence. Seems like a newcomer who entered this city all on his own.-
–A newcomer? That impressive?-
Yang Zicang frowned and rubbed his chin.
……
Over the past few days, Hong Haocheng had scoured the general vicinity, obtaining more detailed regions from the trajectory lines behind the two earth-bound spirits.
He looked ahead at a large black building.
If this place could be said to have any landmark, this building would be it. From the moment he spotted it, Hong Haocheng had a gut feeling there was something valuable inside.
As the map on his finger dissipated, Hong Haocheng suddenly heard the clamor of battle in the distance.
–Great, someone else showed up today.–
A grin broke across the boy’s face.
At that very moment, someone was baiting the monsters gathered before the great hall.
–Roar~–
As the Earthbound Spirits burst out, a distant figure dashed nimbly outward, luring the two Earthbound Spirits away for a time. Right after, another person came to lead away the remaining Earthbound Spirit that had been drawn out.
Beneath a vortex of clouds that spanned dozens of miles of sky, the gray marble building radiated a brooding stillness, heavy with the promise of an approaching storm.
At its perilous entrance, a gap finally opened.
Hong Haocheng’s entire face lit up with joy.
–Now’s the chance!–
He seized the moment, a ring of light shimmering in his eyes, and his figure shot like a ghost through the man-high grass toward the large vintage building, whose solid structure resembled a black White House.
The front door was already broken. The grimy boy slipped inside, sword in hand. The interior was dim, littered with trash. Bang, bang—amid the sounds of combat behind him, two more figures darted into the hall. Hong Haocheng quickly ducked behind a cabinet that had been moved earlier.
The two at the doorway glanced inside, and one exclaimed with delight:
–We finally made it in! This used to be the base of the number-one team of City 11.–
Two beams of flashlight shot out.
–The good stuff here should have been picked over several times by now.-
–But we might still find something valuable if we search again. After all, even getting in is extremely dangerous, so teams are bound to leave behind things they couldn’t carry out in time.-
The hall was vast, spacious enough to accommodate bound spirits two to three meters tall. Thus, the two assumed previous teams that had entered here could have stripped the place clean.
They first approached a wooden cabinet with a tilted door; the documents inside were long gone.
One of them glanced, then his eyes shifted as he scanned the floor. A silvery-white halo emerged from his chest, and threads of light linked him to his companion.
[Look at these footprints. Someone’s been here recently.]
The flashlight beams illuminated the dust on the ground, revealing footprints as clear as day—identical to the ones they had left behind, as if made just a day or two ago.
His teammate drew the weapon from his back; the amplified Chronos fold line flashed onto the longsword, wreathed in a pale golden phantom flame. He followed the trail of footprints step by step.
–Come out.-
–We’ve already spotted you. Behind the cabinet, right? Get the hell out here!-
Across the long, dusty floor, a single set of footprints slowly multiplied into three—all of them leading into the hall.
Both their weapons and bodies radiated with golden phantom flames. On high alert, they slowly approached the massive bookshelf that had been pulled away from the wall ahead.
Boom! One man hurled the chair he had grabbed at the wall. The tremendous force instantly shattered it, and the glowing fragments burst apart, scattering across the floor.
There was no sign of anyone moving.
The other man swung his sword and charged toward the gap between another cabinet and the wall, flashing his flashlight inside.
It was empty.
–Really no one?-
–The footsteps vanished. Strange.-
The two glanced around, then, as if struck by the same thought, they shone their flashlights upward. The shadow of half a coat corner from the top of the cabinet was projected onto the high ceiling.
–So you’re here! Which team are you from? Roll down here!-
–Haha, only the Four Phases Group has been active lately. You’re from the Four Phases Group, aren’t you!-
–You’ve been caught. Now we can claim more benefits from the Park Myung Group.-
The long sword, wreathed in ethereal flames, smashed into the wooden cabinet. With a bang, one side of the heavy solid-wood cabinet exploded. The figure on top leaped nimbly to the top of another cabinet. The gap was seven or eight meters, but the figure moved with incredible agility, as if he had mastered the art of lightness.
The moment Hong Haocheng’s feet touched the cabinet top, two flashlight beams locked onto him.
He quickly turned his head, covering his face with his clothes, and said, –I’m just passing through. You all can go. I’m not from the Four Phases Group or anything.-
–Who cares if you have ill intentions? Get down here.-
–Don’t run. We’ll spare your life, or don’t blame us for being rough.-
The two chased after him, but the youth on the cabinet top agilely leaped once more, landing behind the partition wall of the hall.
–Stop!-
Folded lines spread from their chests into the void.
[We found a suspected member of the Four Phases Heaven Group. He dared to sneak into the castle of the 11th City’s premier team while we were drawing the monsters away!]
The person on the other end of the Syn-Link was delighted.
{Catch him! I’ll go notify Uncle Bin right away. If we capture a member of the Four Phases Heaven Group alive, let’s see how those losers from 23rd City beg for his release.}
The two chased the fleeing figure. But that guy’s speed was impressive; he seemed to have reinforced his body with secret techniques, moving like a humanoid feline beast.
Robin Lo joined the Syn-Link communication. Spotting the unusually agile silhouette ahead, he swiftly activated Moxel’s revelation ability.
[I want to determine whether the target is a member of the Four Phases Heaven Group, or one of the city operators they brought into this city.]
[I am beginning to dig up intelligence on the target. This will cost me 1 N principal.]
[Intelligence excavation failed.]
Robin Lo was stunned. Without a moment’s hesitation, as the two continued their noisy chase, he activated Moxel again.
[I am excavating intelligence on the target for the second time. This will cost me 10 N principal.]
[Intelligence excavation failed.]
–What?!- Robin Lo was furious.
His own rank was thousand-level. How could it fail so easily? Unless the opponent was as special as Cheng Yunze and that mysterious person—and now, also including Yang Zicang.
Recently, he had tried to dig up information about Yang Zicang, and every single attempt had failed.
At this thought, Robin Lo’s anger turned to suspicion. –Could this person be that person?-
Not yet certain, Moxel didn’t tally the previous failed intelligence excavations on the mysterious figure against the person before him. But to fail so thoroughly that even gender couldn’t be obtained—that’s highly likely that very guy!
Gritting his teeth, Robin Lo initiated a third excavation.
[I am excavating intelligence on the target for the third time. This will cost me 100N principal.]
[Intelligence excavation failed.]
Robin Lo rejoiced!
The fat man leading the team in the wild bellowed, –Quick, everyone, full speed to the castle stronghold of City 11’s chief team!-
His call rallied everyone. They immediately abandoned a common earth-bound spirit they’d painstakingly lured from a monster horde and followed Robin Lo, charging in that direction.
But soon a surging wave of monsters chased them, scattering them in all directions.
……
After running a short distance, Hong Haocheng felt the pressure suddenly drop. The curses from the two behind him ceased, and they merely kept a moderate distance, neither closing in nor falling back.
–It’s a trap!-
A strange feeling struck him, and a sense of foreboding welled up.
A red zigzag line shot toward him.
{I’m from the Four Phases Heavenly Group, the one who entered from the city, brother. At least seventeen people from Yang Zicang’s team are coming to catch you. Leave quickly—if you really did enter the chief’s residence.}
Just as he’d feared! Anger surged in Hong Haocheng’s heart.
He hadn’t provoked anyone. Ever since entering this world, everyone was targeting him!
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