The night grew darker and darker, but a line of golden light appeared on the distant horizon—the place where the sun rises.
Gu Lian emerged from the woods. Yi Yi and Yao Yao were currently hiding over by Nanxi Highway. As long as they didn’t do anything stupid, the probability of being discovered was nearly zero.
Due to the special circumstances, she couldn’t return to Xiong Daye’s place for now. She needed a legitimate reason to get him to leave—something like a seniors’ tour group. As long as he was willing to leave this place, everything would be fine.
With that in mind, Gu Lian quickened her pace and headed straight for the public restroom. Not only was the restroom in a remote location, but there was also a farmer’s market next to it. Basically, nobody used that restroom except for stall holders who were desperate.
Half an hour later, Gu Lian arrived at that familiar restroom again. Entering, she saw the Black-robed Man standing in front of the last stall. His robe, which hung down to his ankles, fluttered.
It was early in the morning, and nobody would come to this public restroom, so he could come out without worry.
Never underestimate the seemingly thin Black-robed Man. As the guard of this stronghold, he could easily pin down a 75-kilogram adult male—it was no different from dealing with a small child.
That was also thanks to Gu Lian’s current physical condition being ridiculously strong. If she had her body before her rebirth, she would have had to steer clear of the Black-robed Man.
“Please, sir. The other lord has been waiting for a long time.”
The Black-robed Man, who had been waiting here for a while, bowed forward and pulled open the door of the last stall. A pale hand extended from his robe, making a gesture of invitation.
Gu Lian walked into the corridor. The Black-robed Man pulled down his hood, stepped inside, and closed the restroom door behind him.
Clank, clank, clank~
Her combat boots stepped on the metal staircase as she advanced slowly. The purple light flowing through the corridor was crossed, and finally she arrived at what they called “The Old Place.”
The Appraisal Hall was very quiet. Behind the desk, on the sofa, the Masked Man was leaning back, his hands spread out on the backrest. He had his eyes closed, as if taking a nap.
With a whoosh, the door was pushed open, and a gust of wind blew the curtain inside.
“You’re a bit slow.”
The Masked Man, leaning on the sofa, spoke. At this moment, he didn’t give Gu Lian the usual feeling of a smile hiding a knife.
“I was arranging some loose ends, but I haven’t finished them all.”
Gu Lian said casually, walked over to the sofa opposite the Masked Man, sat down, and crossed her legs.
Noticing this, the Masked Man straightened up, raised his hand, and pressed it against the mask on his face.
“Fair enough. But it’ll be a while before the results come out. I’ve already called the Agency. They’ll send a large number of personnel soon to investigate.”
As he said this, the Masked Man took off the mask he always wore, revealing a face with chiseled features—sharply defined, handsome, and extraordinary. The bangs of his short black hair swayed as he moved his head.
He looked unrestrained on the surface, but the gleam in his eyes that slipped out from time to time made people not dare to underestimate him. His lips, of moderate thickness, now curled into a dazzling smile.
But it was this smile that Gu Lian recognized—the same smile of the Masked Man who had used schemes to toy with her.
“First time meeting for real, so let me introduce myself. I’m Wei of the Solar Eclipse Organization. As for the Masked Man you mentioned, he should be in some stinky ditch by now. His reach was too long.”
“I don’t care what your name is. What I care about is this—are you saying the Agency’s hunters are coming? What about your Solar Eclipse people?”
Gu Lian looked the Masked Man up and down… no, now she should call him Wei. This was also her first time seeing the Masked Man’s true appearance.
As for the Masked Man he mentioned earlier, without a doubt, that was the one who had been dealt with. Knowing too much is not a good thing.
“Right, same as you guessed. Solar Eclipse’s headquarters is over in Jingdu, while the Agency’s headquarters is over in the Alliance. The two of us manage the Mysterious Supernatural Events within Shenzhou separately. This area belongs to the Agency’s turf.”
Wei took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He tapped the bottom of the pack a few times, opened it, and pinched out a cigarette with his index finger and thumb, offering it to Gu Lian.
“Want one?”
“… “
Gu Lian took the cigarette and held it between her fingers, but her gaze remained fixed on Wei. “Both organizations’ headquarters are here on the Pan-Continent. So…”
“The Lighthouse stands on its own. I don’t know the specifics.”
Wei pulled out a lighter, lit his cigarette, and took a deep drag. “But trust me, those Agency people will get results soon.”
“So I have to wait here doing nothing?”
Gu Lian tapped the desk with her index finger. Wei understood and pushed the lighter across the desk. It slid for a second before being stopped by Gu Lian’s middle finger.
“Right. But my people have already infiltrated the Linjiao Swimming Base. I believe soon—”
Wei’s expression suddenly froze mid-sentence. Gu Lian put the cigarette in her mouth, flicked the lighter, brought the flame up, and lit the cigarette.
She took a deep drag. The smoke entered her mouth and went down to her lungs. A scent of tobacco filled her chest. Gu Lian exhaled a puff of smoke. “Looks like I was half right.”
“… “
Wei raised his phone, which had been on the desk. There were two avatars on the screen, both now gray—offline.
After a moment of hesitation, Wei directly opened the drawer and took out an ID card. But all the information on it was blank.
“This is an ID card. Take it to the police station. Provide a photo and information, and they’ll process it.”
After fumbling around a bit more, Wei took out a train ticket and a ready-made ID card from his desk. This was the identity they had prepared for Gu Lian long ago.
This wasn’t surprising. As for thoroughly investigating her background… there was no need. From the fact that she was willing to find a job, Gu Lian was the type to hang up her shovels.
Wei had observed Gu Lian for a few days. During that time, she either took her sister Jiang Yi shopping or basked in the sun.
He dared to assert that beneath Gu Lian’s cold exterior was a heart tired of conflict. If not necessary, she would absolutely not make a move.
If he investigated her background at this point, he would thoroughly offend her. Although Solar Eclipse and the Agency—these two behemoths—could crush Gu Lian with a flick of their fingers, if something went wrong, the one giving the orders would always be punished.
Two ID cards and a compartment-class train ticket were placed on the desk. Wei made a gesture of invitation.
“For this matter, I’m indebted to you. On behalf of the Hunter Unit, I thank you for your contribution.”
Wei said “Hunter Unit,” not “Solar Eclipse Organization.” This meant that, for this matter, Solar Eclipse and the Agency were united against a common threat.
Gu Lian reached out and pocketed the two ID cards. Three requests, representing three identities—Wei had definitely noticed this, which was why he had already prepared the blank ID cards.
As for that train ticket… Gu Lian picked up the ticket and examined its contents. She found that it was a compartment-class ticket, and it was issued using her own ID card.
With this ticket, she could enter a luxury compartment. Whether she wanted to bring as many people as she liked or go alone depended entirely on the holder.
“You can leave now. The cooperation is over. This intelligence can count as two of your requests.”
Wei leaned back on the sofa again, staring up at the ceiling as if there was something interesting up there.
“I can help you, but you’ll need to provide the equipment. At least the weapons should be standard Hunter issue. For armor, this set I’m wearing is fine.”
Gu Lian tossed the lighter back to Wei. This man knew when to take and when to let go. He might be a bit shady, but he definitely took responsibility for his actions.
During the half month when Yao Yao was accumulating Evolution energy, continuing to cooperate with him in exchange for some benefits was clearly a good choice.
“Oh, sister Lian, why be so distant? It’s six in the morning. Have you eaten yet?”
Wei suddenly adopted an expression as if they were old brothers. Just a moment ago, he had lost a bet. Linjiao Swimming Base had such a huge flow of people—if a Mysterious Supernatural Event really occurred there, the Agency wouldn’t have been able to ignore it without any reaction.
Yet reality was that his scouts had already gone offline, and the Agency here still remained unmoved. The conclusion was obvious.
But now, Wei had resigned himself to bad luck. His recruitment plan, which had already gone bankrupt, had unexpectedly revived. Gu Lian was willing to help.
That meant there was a lot of room for maneuvering—for example, letting her go do some scouting.