Chapter 89: Application Rejected
In the two major factions of the Solar Eclipse Society in Shancheng, backstabbing and vying for resources is a common occurrence. After all, the grey and black resources that the Siye Society cannot or is unwilling to touch have a finite amount, and if one faction does not fight for it, the other will unceremoniously pocket it.
Zhang Yu, while adhering to a code of ethics similar to his father’s, is not as pedantic as his father and does not cling to the rewards of the tasks dispatched by the Solar Eclipse Society. Instead, he appropriately mingles with the light.
In simple terms, he seeks wealth without harming lives, relying on nightclubs and some indescribable, morally ambiguous industries, plus the tasks occasionally sent by the Solar Eclipse Society, which barely sustain the operations of the leadership faction of the society that he leads.
As for the Sunrise Biotechnology Company, on the surface, it sells biotechnology products, but what truly enhances the effectiveness of their products is the addition of low-quality alchemical substances with a slight addictive nature. Additionally, the trade of human and urban legend organs is also one of their main businesses.
In Zhang Yu’s words, “There’s not an ounce of humanity!”
However, while he possesses a bit of humanity, he would not engage in those cruel acts, but he does not mind finding opportunities to cut a piece of flesh from the Sunrise Biotechnology Company to satiate himself.
He saw the man in the photograph a little over three months ago when he received news that the Sunrise Biotechnology Company was going to transport a batch of Primordial Spirit into Shancheng.
He knew for a long time that Sunrise Biotechnology Company regularly procures large quantities of Primordial Spirits for use as additives in bioproducts. Although referred to as Primordial Spirits, they are actually low-grade goods laden with impurities, but as long as the quantity is sufficient, they can still be quite a wealth.
There’s a movie called ‘No Thieves in the World’ that says “robbers” lack technical skills, which Zhang Yu completely disagrees with. To efficiently and successfully rob an organized group of Spiritual Ability Users, it cannot be done recklessly.
To swallow this piece of fat meat smoothly, he started preparations a week in advance, gathering manpower, investigating sources of information, probing transport routes, bribing employees of Sunrise Biotechnology Company, studying the weather, and making targeted alchemical potions…
Once everything was ready, he led three B-Class Spiritual Ability Users and seven C-Class Spiritual Ability Users to ambush along the necessary route of the transport team, launching actions under the cover of night.
Using the dark and heavy rain for concealment, they deployed spirit energy suppressing alchemical potions tailored for the transport personnel. Their operation began smoothly; in less than ten minutes, they had successfully controlled the transport personnel.
However, just as they were about to open and inspect the goods in the transport vehicle, reinforcements from Sunrise Biotechnology Company miraculously appeared, and the man from the photograph was the leader of the reinforcements.
For the sake of operational secrecy, Zhang Yu had originally not brought too many people, and since the man in the photo seemed to have only recently joined Sunrise Biotechnology Company without any relevant intelligence, once the reinforcements arrived and a skirmish ensued, they quickly fell into a disadvantageous position and were forced to retreat.
In fact, during the long-term scheming and struggles between the Elder faction and the President faction in Shancheng, such failures are not uncommon.
It’s just a minor setback, and next time he could find a way to regain his ground.
The only thing that puzzled Zhang Yu was that after the man led the reinforcements and caught them off guard, he did not order a pursuit.
It should be noted that if given the chance, the Elders’ Council would want the members of the President faction dead even more than the Siye Society. While the Siye Society would try to recruit them, the Elders’ Council would only eliminate them entirely.
The sudden appearance in the Sunrise Biotechnology Company’s team, the abnormal behavior, and the exceptional level of spirit energy fluctuation all combined to give Zhang Yu reason to suspect that the man was sent by the Elders’ Council.
After experiencing a major setback and returning to Shancheng, Zhang Yu immediately began investigating that man, and the investigation results further convinced him that the man was indeed a powerful individual dropped into Shancheng by the Elders’ Council.
———
“You mean you’ve investigated that guy and found out he was sent by the Elders’ Council?” Luxianbei looked at Zhang Yu suspiciously, “Do you have detailed investigation results? I want to see.”
“Uh…” A hint of awkwardness appeared on Zhang Yu’s face.
“Not convenient to show me?” Luxianbei tilted her head, expressionless.
“No, you misunderstood.” Zhang Yu explained, “Just to be safe, investigation results and such are usually destroyed after reading, so no physical copies are kept.”
After a brief pause, he pointed to his head, “But I’ve memorized everything; if you need it, I can write it down for you.”
Seeing Zhang Yu being so cautious, Luxianbei silently praised him in her heart. If it weren’t for the urgent situation and her concern for Jiang Li’s safety, she might have even wanted to compliment him.
“No need to write it down; just tell me.”
In terms of memory, she has always been capable.
“Understood.” Zhang Yu nodded, recalled for a moment, and began pointing at the photo on the table, “This man is named Dailin, and his spirit energy fluctuation level is A-…”
“Zhang Shuisheng was actually able to call in an A-Class Spiritual Ability User?” Luxianbei interrupted, catching a suspicious point.
Although the saying goes that money can make a ghost push a millstone, to command an A-Class Spiritual Ability User, even if they are A- rank, Zhang Shuisheng probably doesn’t have enough money for that.
Not all Spiritual Ability Users or urban legends are like Jumeng, who only need to be offered ten orders to get them to work.
“I thought it was strange at first too. If he’s sent by the Elders’ Council to help Zhang Shuisheng suppress me, or if the Elders’ Council discovered Zhang Shuisheng’s rebellious acts and sent someone to replace him, then it all makes sense, doesn’t it?” said Zhang Yu.
Luxianbei nodded in agreement while signaling him to continue with her eyes.
“Moreover, the information about this man named Dailin can only be traced back to a year ago within the Solar Eclipse Society. During that year, he spent most of his time active in the Pearl River Delta, participating in several battles between the Solar Eclipse Society and Spiritual Ability organizations in Southeast Asia.
Some of my friends there provided a lot of intelligence about his abilities during the investigation process. Although we didn’t find any concrete powers, we can determine that his powers are related to the fear of human opponents.
On the surface, his track record appears clean for a newcomer, but the record of an A-Class Spiritual Ability User shouldn’t be this unblemished. I suspect his identity is a fabrication, and the reason for the fabrication…”
“To cover up his identity as a member of the Elders’ Council?” Luxianbei interjected.
“That’s what I think too.” Zhang Yu looked at Dorethea beside Luxianbei, “He’s very likely a confidant secretly nurtured by the Elders’ Council, just like Miss Dorethea.”
“I get it.” Luxianbei nodded, then pondered for a moment before asking, “Did you investigate where he frequently appears? Or who he has had contact with?”
Some say a person can never escape their past, no matter how hard they try, someday their past will catch up with them.
Though that guy named Dailin likely left Shancheng after abducting Jiang Li, since he had stayed in Shancheng for over three months, he must have left traces. Tracking these traces could yield quick results.
“Yes, he often appears near a small church in Nanbei District and has close contact with the owner of a Mahjong parlor called Shining Stars there.” After a pause, Zhang Yu added, “I did a brief investigation on that Mahjong parlor owner; he secretly engages in the illegal trade of spirit energy items.”
“I suspect he’s using the Mahjong parlor owner to pass messages to his accomplices or procure spirit energy items in preparation for something.”
Hearing Zhang Yu say that Dailin is suspected of procuring spirit energy items for some matter, Luxianbei slightly tightened her grip on the armrest of her chair, maintaining a calm expression as she continued to question, “Anything else?”
“…” Zhang Yu thought for a moment and shook his head, “That’s all. Other than going to the Shining Stars Mahjong parlor, he rarely left the accommodation arranged for him by Zhang Shuisheng.”
“I see.” Luxianbei’s expression remained unchanged, seemingly only vaguely interested in Dailin but not overly concerned, “If there’s nothing else, you can stay here for now, right?”
After saying that, she stood up, exchanged glances with Dorethea, and prepared to walk out.
Though Zhang Yu’s information was limited, it was still useful. With the information he provided, along with photos taken from the Three Gorges Psychiatric Hospital’s surveillance and intelligence networks from Lin Nian and Void, they should be able to find Dailin’s whereabouts soon.
Then tracking him would follow…
Three days.
How far could he run in just three days? Luxianbei wondered.
Seeing Luxianbei about to leave and showing no intention of retracting her presence from the God Realm, Zhang Yu hesitated for a few seconds before carefully inquiring, “What are we staying here for…?”
“Whatever needs to be done, do it.” Luxianbei turned to Zhang Yu and said, “Aren’t you responsible for arranging Dorethea’s internship? Then just continue taking her for her internship.”
Although she wanted to blend into the Solar Eclipse Society to rescue her father’s lingering soul, now was not the time.
Moreover, Zhang Yu and Dorethea would likely be key to her infiltrating the Solar Eclipse Society and accessing its core secrets, so it was imperative they remain unaware of any incidents until she truly acts.
In the sudden, eerie silence, Zhang Yu stared in shock as he watched Luxianbei leave until her figure disappeared behind the door.
Calamity… just handed me my freedom back?
Only after I helped her work intensely for twenty-eight hours?
What in the world made her sign a contract of servitude with me? Zhang Yu thought.
At that moment, he felt as if he had unknowingly purchased a lottery ticket and won the grand prize.
After a long pause, he turned to Dorethea beside him and quietly asked, “Miss Hathor, in your opinion, what kind of urban legend is your teacher?”
“Is that even a question?” Dorethea answered without hesitation, “Of course, the teacher is an urban legend that despises evil, is shrewd and capable, and possesses noble character!”
Zhang Yu, “…”
———
On Jiujie in Shancheng, under the scorching sun, the daytime streets were desolate.
Just after Luxianbei left CHARMCLUB and stepped onto the street, she took out her phone, preparing to send a message to Void when she received a notification for an email from the Siye Society’s intranet.
Opening the email to take a quick look, the content was simple and clear—Application Rejected.
The next moment, her phone rang.
It was a call from Xing Yuan…
