The underground black market of Linjiao Town was bathed in a shifting gradient of purple light, casting a mysterious air over the facility. The layout was simple, with purple fading into blue.
Beside the desk sat the Masked Man, lounging on the sofa, meticulously filing his nails with a nail clipper.
White powder drifted down. A gust of wind swept through, stirring up the settled dust, then letting it fall again. Gu Lian strode over to the desk.
She tossed her backpack carelessly onto her own sofa, then sat down, arms crossed, and said with irritation, “What do you want? I remember telling you I choose when to take the next mission.”
“I know. But I’m not here to discuss that.”
The Masked Man spoke. He wasn’t here to talk about missions this time—he had something more important to say.
“Not about missions?”
Gu Lian’s expression stiffened. She looked up at the Masked Man’s face, barely stifling a twitch at the corner of her mouth, but forcing herself to keep a serious expression.
“You didn’t call me here for fun, did you? Spit it out. What’s the matter?”
“I’m here to invite you.”
The Masked Man rested his elbows on the desk, interlacing his fingers and propping up his chin. His goal today was clear: to recruit Gu Lian.
“Invite?”
Her brow furrowed slightly. Gu Lian recalled some very unpleasant memories. Her originally calm gaze gradually turned hostile.
Before her rebirth, she had been mixed up in the underground black market. In the end, she didn’t even know how she died—her identity badge wasn’t even recovered.
No doubt about it: the black market had abandoned her. Otherwise, her badge would have been retrieved after her death.
“Yes. I’m inviting you.”
The visible part of the Masked Man’s mouth curled upward. Since he’d put it like that, he was fully confident he could pull this talent into the organization.
“…”
Hearing that, she didn’t wait for what he’d say next. Gu Lian grabbed her bag and prepared to leave. Since they’d already abandoned her once, she had no intention of joining this kind of organization again.
Once she got Yao Yao’s identity card settled, Gu Lian would decisively cut ties with the black market.
Compared to doing shady deals in the black market, never knowing where your next meal was coming from, wasn’t it better to slack off, live a normal life, and maybe get a regular job?
Going to the black market to suffer—what, was she sick?
“Huh?”
The Masked Man was first a bit stunned, then speechless. Finally, watching Gu Lian’s back, his mouth twitched. He took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said, “Friend, please stay. I came with sincerity.”
“Yeah, yeah, I came with sincerity too.”
Gu Lian replied casually without even turning around, ready to leave the underground black market.
“10,000. Hear me out.”
The Masked Man quickly took a Heart-Calming Pill. He was suddenly getting a spike in blood pressure from anger. This woman simply didn’t play by the rules!
“With the time it takes to listen to you, I could have eaten a meal. And… you’re a sneaky old bastard. Do you even realize how dirty your mind is?”
“12,000. Just listen to what I have to say, and the money’s yours on the spot. And the source is legitimate.”
As soon as the Masked Man finished speaking, Gu Lian was already back on the sofa. She said, “Go ahead, I’m listening. I’m very interested in joining your organization, after all.”
“Ha. Woman, your name is Greed.”
The Masked Man’s mouth was twitching. Gu Lian kept a calm face. She had no intention of rejoining the black market. But if she could get 12,000 in cash just by hearing this guy out, that was a different story.
“Have you heard of Eclipse?”
“Eclipse?”
Gu Lian lowered her head slightly. She had never even heard of this organization. What did the Masked Man mean by suddenly bringing up an organization she didn’t recognize?
“Yes. The organization.”
As he spoke, the Masked Man’s smile naturally returned.
“You… aren’t the Masked Man?”
Gu Lian sat up straight, staring intently at the Masked Man in front of her. During the negotiation with Weikede, she had felt like the Masked Man was a completely different person.
She had thought she was mistaken, but now it didn’t seem that way at all. The person in front of her wasn’t the Masked Man. The Masked Man had ambition; this guy didn’t!
“No, no. I am the Masked Man. See this mask on my face? If I’m not the Masked Man, then who is? And besides…”
The ‘Masked Man’ tapped the desk with his index finger, a peculiar smile curling at the corner of his mouth. “We’re… still cooperating, aren’t we?”
“…”
Gu Lian pondered for a moment, then leaned back into the sofa. “You’re right. We are still cooperating.”
“You’ve made the right decision. Where were we?”
“Inviting me to join Eclipse.”
Gu Lian fished out a piece of compressed biscuit from her backpack and began chewing.
That ancestor Liu Bang really had a good saying: there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests.
Even if this guy wasn’t the Masked Man, so what?
Right now, he represented the identity of “Masked Man.” Even if the previous Masked Man had been taken care of, as long as the cooperative relationship remained, then this guy was the Masked Man!
Was there a problem with that?
“Right. I want to invite you to join Eclipse. The Hunter Unit—you understand it by now, right?”
“Somewhat.”
Gu Lian had a very poor impression of the Hunters. But she had to admit one thing: what the Hunters did was indeed admirable. Still, that didn’t stop her from disliking them.
“Yes. The Hunter Unit is an internationally unified organization. But the name ‘Hunter Unit’ is just a common external designation.”
The Masked Man picked up a file from the desk and pushed it over to Gu Lian with interest.
“In reality, the Hunter Unit is divided into two branches: the Agency and Eclipse. Eclipse is the organization behind the black market.
Although the Federation currently favors the Agency, Eclipse is no pushover.
And once a large-scale Mysterious Outburst occurs, Eclipse and the Agency will unite. At that time, the combined side is collectively called the Hunter Unit, TFV.”
As he spoke, the Masked Man tore open the file cover, revealing a recruitment agreement inside.
“Right now, TFV is just a name with no real power. Joining Eclipse means joining the Hunters.”
“So, the underground black market is actually backed by one branch of the Hunters?”
“No, no. You have to understand that every region has its dark side. That’s undeniable.”
The Masked Man opened the desk drawer and started rummaging. Soon, he found a bank card and placed it next to the file, pushing it forward, indicating Gu Lian could take it anytime.
“Becoming a Hunter won’t affect your daily life. Think it over.”
“Alright. Can you answer one question for me?”
Gu Lian tossed the last piece of biscuit into her mouth, chewing as she scrutinized the Masked Man. She said, “I have a friend who used to be in this line of work. Why did she join the black market instead of what you call Eclipse?”