“I don’t know.”
“I don’t know anything!”
“Old Zhou was blocking me, I didn’t see anything...”
Zhao Lin repeated these words over and over, his expression twisted and distorted. It was as if he were extremely reluctant to recall the tragic scene from that day, yet was being forced to remember by some external power.
Seeing that he truly couldn’t provide any useful information, Yue Shi finally stopped tormenting him and switched to a soothing tone. “Sleep. You’ll forget everything when you wake up.”
The mesmerizing voice drifted into Zhao Lin’s ears, proving more potent than any sedative.
Zhong Mo’s brow furrowed slightly. Without a word, he turned and left, with Yue Shi following close behind.
Once they were out of the hospital, Yue Shi felt a sharp pang in his stomach. He found a nearby restaurant to fill his belly first.
He had expected Zhong Mo to leave immediately, but to his surprise, the man followed him into the restaurant and sat down across from him with practiced ease. “Tulip Security Company is off,” Zhong Mo said in a low voice.
Yue Shi nodded absentmindedly while eating. Anyone who wasn’t completely oblivious could see the abnormalities surrounding Pei Yue.
Zhong Mo had been so cold and decisive when abandoning his teammates before; why would he suddenly have a change of heart and visit the colleague he had left behind?
He was clearly just fishing for information.
Coincidentally, Yue Shi had promised Ling Xun to act as an undercover agent. He had to put in at least a token effort; otherwise, how could he fleece the Investigation Bureau for rewards?
“Do you have any leads?” Zhong Mo asked again.
“None,” Yue Shi replied. “If this doesn’t directly affect us, there’s no need to pay it any mind.”
“That’s true, but I feel like Jiang Cifei’s disappearance might not have been an accident. What if one of us is next?” Zhong Mo lowered his voice further.
Yue Shi asked, “The company took a heavy hit this time. Can it even get back on its feet?”
Zhong Mo replied, “Normally, it would be difficult. But as you’ve probably guessed, there’s likely another power backing the company. We might be back at work in a few days.”
After finishing his meal with his mind elsewhere, Yue Shi parted ways with Zhong Mo and headed home. Once there, he logged back into the Supernatural Forum.
His bounty post had been buried, but he had a message in his private inbox.
“You really think this pittance is enough to buy information on the Su family? Who are you trying to tip, a beggar?”
Yue Shi checked the sender’s ID. It was anonymous.
“Do you have information? If so, how much do you want? If not, don’t bother me.”
After he sent the message, it took a while for the other party to reply.
“I do know about the Su family’s involvement in illegal human experimentation. I even know their research directions and products. About six months ago, one of their major labs had a leak. Not only did experimental subjects escape, but a high-level researcher also fled to avoid responsibility. As it happens, I know exactly where that researcher is hiding.”
Yue Shi: “Name your price.”
Anonymous User: “I don’t want money.”
No money? Yue Shi was instantly on guard. Terms like “free” or “no charge” usually triggered his suspicion of a scam.
Yue Shi: “Then what do you want?”
Anonymous User: “As long as you’re an enemy of the Su family, you’re my friend.”
“I’ve been active on this forum for a long time, looking for the Su family’s enemies, rivals, and even escaped subjects. I share insider information with them for free. As long as the Su family is suffering, I’m happy.”
Yue Shi remained highly skeptical of such claims.
Anonymous User: “The Su family’s private human experimentation is split into two main branches. One targets transcendents, focusing on ability transplants, turning transcendents into supernatural items, extracting elite genes to optimize the Su family bloodline, and creating new drugs and weapons as byproducts...”
“I’m not as clear on their research into supernatural creatures. They run many illegal labs, and they’re incredibly well-hidden. I used to know the location of one sub-lab in the wilderness of the Chaos Zone, but after the escape incident, they moved quickly and tightened security. Finding their labs now is nearly impossible.”
“Furthermore, based on my deductions, there are many factions involved behind the Su family’s illegal experiments. Even some high-level officials in the Investigation Bureau might be in on it. So, regardless of your stance or identity, if you want to deal with the Su family—especially if you want to destroy their labs—don’t count on the authorities.”
“As for the researcher who escaped from the Su family lab, he’s currently hiding in a supernatural domain called ‘Qingshan Sanatorium’ in the northeastern region of Jinlong Continent.”
Finally, a photo was attached. It showed a relatively young-looking man with thinning hair and glasses. A name was written on the photo: Qiao Xu.
Yue Shi didn’t fully trust this free information from a stranger. Soon after, he received another private message from a different anonymous user.
“The Su family has been recovering most of the escaped subjects. Only a few troublesome ones are still at large. Be careful with the information you receive; it could be a trap set by the Su family to fish for enemies.”
A few seconds later, this message was retracted.
Yue Shi tried to message the user several times but received no response.
Meanwhile, the replies under his bounty post were increasing, though many were just people insulting him.
Anonymous User A: “Are you maliciously slandering the Su family? Do you have any idea how much they give to charity every year? How could illegal human experimentation have anything to do with them? Haters like you deserve to die!”
Yue Shi: “What’s a brat like you talking about? If I die, who’s going to look after you at the orphanage?”
Anonymous User B: “The Su family is rich and powerful. Why would they need to persecute transcendents for experiments? Who do you think you are? You clearly have no idea where you stand!”
Yue Shi: “Hey, loser, do you realize how much of a tool you are? If you’re so tough, why don’t you post your real name and location?”
Anonymous User C: “Do you have evidence? Making wild claims without proof is libel. Consider this a cease and desist warning!”
Yue Shi: “Do you have a brain? Or did you flush it down the toilet? How else could you say something so brainless? How much is the Su family paying you to bark like their lapdog?”
Yue Shi engaged in a heated keyboard battle, finding it a healthy way to release his negative emotions. The bounty post’s comment section quickly devolved into chaos, likely losing its original purpose.
As night fell, he intended to delete the post and repost it. However, at that moment, he suddenly received a friend request. The user’s ID was Legal Vanguard.
After Yue Shi accepted the request, Legal Vanguard immediately sent a location. “There is someone here who knows the information you’re looking for, but it’s dangerous.”
Rate on N.U.
