Linjiao Town’s underground black market was bathed in a shifting purple gradient light that cast a mysterious veil over the entire space. The setup was starkly simple—purple light faded into blue.
Beside the office desk sat the Masked Man, lounging on a sofa, meticulously filing his nails with a nail clipper.
White powder drifted down. A gust of wind swept through, stirring up scattered dust that followed the breeze before settling again. Gu Lian strode over to the desk.
She tossed her backpack carelessly onto the sofa that belonged to her, then sat down with her arms crossed, speaking impatiently. “What do you want me for? I remember telling you I choose when to take on the next mission.”
“I know. But I’m not here to discuss that today.”
The Masked Man spoke—not about the mission this time, but something more important.
“Not about the mission?”
Gu Lian’s expression stiffened. She looked up at the Masked Man’s face, the corner of her mouth twitching involuntarily, though she managed to keep a fairly serious expression.
“You didn’t call me here for fun, did you? Out with it. What’s the matter?”
“I’m here to invite you.”
The Masked Man rested his elbows on the desk, interlacing his fingers under his chin. His goal today was crystal clear: to recruit Gu Lian.
“Invite?”
Her brow furrowed slightly. She recalled some very unpleasant memories, and her originally calm gaze gradually turned hostile.
Before her rebirth, she had been tangled up in the underground black market, only to end up dead without even knowing how. Even her identity token hadn’t been retrieved.
No surprise—she’d been abandoned by the black market. Otherwise, her token wouldn’t have been left uncollected after her death.
“Yes. I’m here to invite you.”
The exposed corner of the Masked Man’s mouth curled upward. Now that he’d laid it out so plainly, he was ninety percent sure he could pull this talent into the organization.
“…”
Hearing that, Gu Lian didn’t wait for him to finish. She grabbed her bag and made to leave. Since they had already tossed her aside, she had no interest in joining this kind of organization again.
Once she sorted out Yao Yao’s identity certificate, Gu Lian would decisively cut ties with the black market.
Compared to slinking around the black market doing shady deals, eating one meal at a time not knowing when the next would come, wasn’t it better to just loaf around, live a normal life, maybe even get a legitimate job?
Wouldn’t going to the black market and asking for trouble be insane?
“Huh?”
The Masked Man was first a bit startled, then speechless. Finally, watching Gu Lian’s retreating back, his mouth twitched. Taking a deep breath, he forced a smile and said, “Friend, please stay. I came with sincerity.”
“Right, right. I came with sincerity too.”
Gu Lian tossed off a few perfunctory words without looking back, ready to leave the underground black market.
“100,000. Hear me out.”
The Masked Man quickly popped a calming pill. He could feel his blood pressure spiking from irritation. This woman didn’t play by the rules at all!
“In the time it takes to listen to you, I could already be eating a meal. And besides… don’t you know exactly how dirty your heart is, you old schemer?”
“120,000. Just listen until I finish. The money is yours on the spot, clean source.”
The moment the Masked Man finished speaking, Gu Lian was already back on the sofa. “Go ahead, I’m listening. I’m actually very interested in joining your organization.”
“Tch, woman. Your name is greed.”
The corner of the Masked Man’s mouth twitched. Gu Lian’s expression stayed calm. She had no intention of re-entering the black market, but if she could get 120,000 in cash just by listening to this guy talk, 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 a group she didn’t know?
“Yes. An organization.”
As he spoke, the smile on the Masked Man’s face naturally returned.
“You… aren’t the Masked Man?”
Gu Lian straightened up, her gaze burning as she stared at the man in front of her. During the negotiation with Weikede, she had felt that the Masked Man seemed like a different person.
At first, she thought she was mistaken, but now it was clear that wasn’t the case. The person before her wasn’t the Masked Man at all. The real Masked Man had ambition; this one didn’t!
“No, no. I am the Masked Man. See the 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 unique smirk curling at the corner of his mouth. “Aren’t we… still cooperating?”
“…”
Gu Lian pondered for a moment, then leaned back into the sofa. “You’re right. We are still cooperating.”
“You made the right decision. Where were we?”
“Inviting me to join Eclipse.”
Gu Lian pulled a piece of compressed biscuit from her backpack and began to chew.
Old ancestor Liu Bang’s words were truly wise: no permanent friends, only permanent interests.
Even if this guy wasn’t the real 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, this person was the Masked Man!
Was there a problem with that?
“Right. I want to invite you to join Eclipse. The Hunter Unit—you should know about it, right?”
“A little.”
Gu Lian had a bad impression of Hunters, but she had to admit that the things they did were worthy of respect. That didn’t stop her from disliking them, though.
“Yes. The Hunter Unit is an international unified organization, but the name ‘Hunter Unit’ is just the public-facing title.”
The Masked Man picked up a file from the table and slid it over to Gu Lian with interest.
“In reality, the Hunter Unit is divided into two departments: Agency and Eclipse. Eclipse is the organization behind the black market.
Right now, the Federation leans more toward Agency, but Eclipse isn’t to be underestimated either.
And once a large-scale mystic outbreak occurs, Eclipse and Agency will join forces. At that time, the combined side is collectively called the TFV Hunter Unit.”
Saying this, the Masked Man tore open the file’s cover, revealing an admission agreement inside.
“Currently, TFV is just a title—no real power. Joining Eclipse means joining the Hunters.”
“So, the underground black market is actually supported by a branch of the Hunters?”
“No, no. You have to understand that every region has its dark side. That can’t be denied.”
The Masked Man pulled open a desk drawer and fumbled inside. Soon, he found a bank card and placed it next to the file. He pushed it forward, signaling Gu Lian could take it anytime.
“Becoming a Hunter won’t interfere with 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 while scrutinizing the Masked Man. She spoke, “I have a friend who used to work in this field. Why was she recruited by the black market instead of your so-called Eclipse?”