“You specifically brought me here because you need something from me, right? Speak your mind,” Yue Shi said.
Jiang Cifei sighed. “To be honest, I’m actually an undercover agent for the Investigation Bureau planted within Tulip Security Company.”
“What?!” This time, Yue Shi was genuinely shocked.
Jiang Cifei continued, “I didn't have this dual identity at first. People from the Investigation Bureau approached me, claiming Tulip Security was problematic and might act against me.”
“Under their persuasion, I took this side job. At the time, I just wanted to reap some extra benefits. Besides, since the Bureau already told me about it, I figured refusing would only cause trouble.”
“But I never expected that shortly after, Pei Yue would ambush me during a mission...”
Yue Shi asked, “So you suspect the Bureau leaked the information?”
Jiang Cifei nodded. “Even though there's no evidence, I was seriously injured back then. I didn't dare gamble on whether the Bureau was good or bad, so I just fled outside the city.”
“Tulip Security Company likely really is problematic; otherwise, there’s no explaining why Pei Yue tried to kill me. I think they might be in cahoots with certain people in the Bureau.”
Yue Shi prompted, “So what's your plan now...?”
Jiang Cifei replied, “My phone, wallet, and ID were all lost during the fight. I thought I could live well in the Chaos Zone with my transcendent abilities, but life here is much harder than I imagined.”
“Whether for revenge or just a better quality of life, I have to go back to the city. Let me borrow your phone. I need to contact some friends and quietly return to Amber City while avoiding the Bureau and Tulip Security.”
Yue Shi shook his head. “I didn't bring a phone.”
Jiang Cifei gave him an odd look. “You went out without a phone?”
Yue Shi countered, “Can't you find a phone around here? Does it have to be mine?”
Jiang Cifei said, “You hit the nail on the head. Electronics are rare in this dump, and the signal is terrible because of the supernatural influence.”
Yue Shi knew this, of course. Jiang Cifei teased, “Are you out to do something shady, so you didn't bring a phone for fear of being tracked?”
Yue Shi clicked his tongue. “Why do you have to have such a big mouth?”
Jiang Cifei feigned surprise. “I actually guessed right!”
Yue Shi’s lips curled into a smile, seemingly joking. “Yeah. You know too much. Should I kill you to keep you quiet?~”
Jiang Cifei rolled his eyes and said hesitantly, “Our friendship of 0.1 years... is it really worth that little?”
“Heh.” Yue Shi was a bit speechless.
Jiang Cifei’s grin lasted only a moment before he got back to business. “If you didn't bring a phone, you must have brought money, right? Lend me some first. Don't worry, I won't take it for free.”
He pulled a gem-like object from his pocket. “This is a one-time-use supernatural item called 【Purification】, produced by the Radiant Church. If you crush it, it takes effect immediately. It’s exceptionally effective against powers with 'dark' or 'evil' attributes.”
Yue Shi raised an eyebrow. He had seen this thing before; Zhong Mo had used one while dealing with the Parasitic Mushrooms.
It was an egg-shaped crystal, roughly ten carats, with many irregular facets that sparkled with bright fire.
He reached out to take it and gave it a light toss; it seemed weightless. “This must be expensive, right?”
Jiang Cifei waved it off dismissively. “So what if it's expensive? When you can't use it, it's just a broken rock.”
Yue Shi pulled a stack of cash from his bag. Without counting, he placed it in Jiang Cifei’s hand. “Is this enough?”
“Enough.” Jiang Cifei was brisk. Seemingly indifferent, he stuffed the money into his pocket without counting it either.
“If there's nothing else, I'm leaving. You keep... working hard here~” Yue Shi turned and left quickly; he hated the smell of the place.
Jiang Cifei stared at Yue Shi’s back, wiping cold sweat from his brow. He suddenly felt his breathing become labored.
He had been careless. He thought meeting an acquaintance in the Chaos Zone would be a help, but this "acquaintance" seemed full of malice.
In truth, he only had that one 【Purification】 gem. His casual "sale" to Yue Shi was just a bluff to make Yue Shi think he had many cards left and didn't care about such a small item.
He was gambling. Gambling that Yue Shi was busy with other things, gambling that Yue Shi was intimidated and feared that attacking him might lead to a counter-kill or a mutual defeat. Being injured in the Chaos Zone was never a good thing and would disrupt any plans.
Jiang Cifei felt he had won the bet.
The departed Yue Shi thought: You're overthinking it.
When Yue Shi handed over the money, he had conveniently used 【Plague Doctor】 to perform a "disease transfer." It should be starting to take effect now. He wondered if Jiang Cifei could endure the feeling of being riddled with ailments.
He hoped things would go poorly for the man.
Riding his beat-up motorcycle, he drove out of that gaudy, reeking street. At the crossroads ahead, a rumbling sound approached.
It was a group of people on motorcycles. Some carried one or two passengers, some were chomping on cigarettes, some wore exaggerated gold chains, and others held knives.
Over a dozen motorcycles surrounded Yue Shi. They kept shouting, laughing, and whistling at him.
Their leader was a tall, thin, middle-aged man with a prominent hooked nose. Behind him sat a woman with red hair, clutching his waist.
The woman was fairly pretty. Her eyes, heavy with red eyeshadow, blinked at Yue Shi—it was unclear if she was provoking or flirting.
“Local thugs?” Yue Shi felt a bit annoyed. A dozen rattling junk heaps, a crowd, and a few knives—this combination was barely an appetizer.
Yue Shi looked at the hooked-nosed leader and said coldly, “Do you know where the Qingshan Sanatorium is? Take me there now.”
The lackeys behind the leader were about to laugh and mock Yue Shi, but to their surprise, the hooked-nosed man responded dully and respectfully, “I know. Please follow me.”
With that, he turned his bike and headed down the road to the left.
The red-haired woman and the lackeys were utterly stunned. Yue Shi had already followed him, leaving them staring at each other in bewilderment.
The highway robbery script had suddenly turned into an act of community service. Their brains couldn't process the shift, but they instinctively followed.
Some observers in the shadows were also curious, wondering if the hooked-nosed man had other plans.
Under the escort of this biker gang—and perhaps because it was getting dark and increasingly unsafe—Yue Shi wasn't intercepted again. After crossing countless streets, he finally arrived at a place where no one dared to tread, even in the Chaos Zone.
Rate on N.U.
