Chapter 1 Questioning

While asking the question, Zhang Yuanqing looked at the tall glass in the chairman's hand.

The '82 Lafite was a gift he had given to Cao Qing. The chairman deliberately holding the red wine was a very obvious hint.

"He is indeed a member of the Merchant Guild and a trusted subordinate of mine, but he doesn't know your identity." The chairman chuckled.

"Also, your landlady is a 天罚 (Tianfa – roughly translated as 'Heaven's Punishment') informant in Chinatown. Her main job is to observe the movements and trends in Chinatown. She's not a core member of 天罚 (Tianfa); she just receives a salary. She's a lightning mage, and 天罚 (Tianfa) has a natural affinity for wind and lightning mages, so they recruited her as an informant.

"Although she's paid by 天罚 (Tianfa), she can still be trusted..." Zhang Yuanqing understood the chairman's hint.

"Alright, let's end our chat here for today. Become a Gold Hunter as quickly as possible, then wait for the Hunter Guild to contact you."

With that, he drained his glass of red wine.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing quickly said, "Wait, there's been a series of murders in Chinatown recently. The killer is a Night Watcher, and I suspect they're of considerable rank."

He immediately told the chairman the details of the case and his suspicions, then asked, "Chairman, what's your opinion on this?"

The chairman remained silent.

Zhang Yuanqing's expression turned solemn. He thought to himself, "As expected, there's a deeper story, maybe involving a conflict between the two major factions."

"You think I, living in the Second District, would care about a murder case in tiny Chinatown?" The chairman finally spoke.

Zhang Yuanqing's lips twitched. "Oh." He had been overthinking it.

The chairman raised his hand and snapped his fingers. "I'm off!" He disappeared instantly, without delay or special effects, gone in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Yuanqing turned his head to look at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was two-thirty in the morning. As a Night Watcher, he was no longer sleepy. He simply turned on the desk lamp and sat at his desk to ponder.

"Sigh, my sugar daddy gave me a mission. I can't continue to laze around. Infiltrating the Free Federation feels like it has a higher mortality rate than an S-class dungeon," he sighed.

Despite his grumbling, he was now in the same boat as the chairman. If he wanted to advance to the Lord of the Sun in the future, the Free Federation would be the enemy.

Therefore, he wasn't working for the chairman but for himself. "Tap, tap..."

He tapped his fingers on the table, thinking carefully.

"Undercover operations are bound to be fraught with danger. Some things must be thought through in advance, and as many backup plans as possible must be set up to increase my margin for error. This is to avoid being detected as an undercover agent in an emergency and exploding on the spot, spiraling into the heavens."

"First, the Free Federation is an evil faction, so it should naturally be more inclined towards evil professions. I can debut as an Illusionist, but in that case, the identity of Zhang Qingyang would be a bit difficult to handle. My publicly known profession is Scout, and changing identities at this point is impossible."

"If the Hunter Guild is paying attention to him, they will definitely investigate his background. The Illusionist identity of Tongtian Jiaozhu can be fabricated with the help of Fu Qingyang, but what about his current identity?"

"The tricky thing about the Zhang Qingyang identity is on the Chinatown side, not in the country."

"If the Hunter Guild finds out his address and comes to investigate, then the landlady's family will definitely be the first to be 'interrogated.' At that time, there will be only three possibilities:

"One, the investigators are killed by the landlady's family. Two, the investigators kill the landlady's family.

"Three, both sides are at peace, and the investigators find out from Cao Qianxiu that Zhang Qingyang is a Scout."

Faced with this situation, Zhang Yuanqing had two choices.

"One is to turn a blind eye and let things take their course. Who says he's really a Scout just because he says he's a Scout? It could very well be an excuse to fool Cao Qianxiu. After being discovered as a Lingjing Xingzhe, he can't very well say that he's an evil profession."

"The after-effects of doing this are that Zhang Qingyang and Tongtian Jiaozhu are linked, and his room for maneuver becomes narrower. And it's easy to implicate the landlady's family. After all, the Hunter Guild's owner is the Free Federation, and the Free Federation is an evil faction."

"If they find out that this family are all Lawful professionals, it's hard to guarantee that the investigators can resist the temptation of Reputation points."

"The other is that the Zhang Qingyang identity remains unchanged, and he continues to hang around Chinatown and sever ties between the Hunter ID 'Tongtian Jiaozhu.'"

"He needs a public identity anyway. 'Zhang Qingyang' can be used to contact the local underworld figures, expand his network and channels, and serve the purpose of espionage. The more friends he has, the easier it will be to coordinate. A lone spy is doomed."

Zhang Yuanqing continued to delve deeper along this line of thought:

"As a Level 2 Scout, Zhang Qingyang's level is too low to come into contact with high-level figures. Therefore, I'm going to modify the character setting and increase the level."

"Although I say I'm a Level 2 Scout, it's impossible for me to reveal my true level to a strange Lingjing Xingzhe in a foreign country. Claiming to be Level 2 is reasonable. If I have the opportunity to show my 'true' strength, I can change Cao Qianxiu's perception of me. We're not very familiar with each other yet, so there's a lot of room for maneuver."

"Zhang Qingyang and Tongtian Jiaozhu are fixed IDs, but just having these two isn't enough. I need an identity that can contact 天罚 (Tianfa), the Sea God Church, and the Lingjing families. This isn't urgent. I'll become a Gold Hunter first. Anyway, for an Illusionist, changing aura and appearance is too easy. If there's a need in the future, I'll create another identity."

After clarifying his thoughts, Zhang Yuanqing took out his spare phone, opened the Hunter app, and selected a suitable task.

"Time to get to work!"

As the bounty list scrolled down, a new task appeared in his sight:

"Kill the murderer in the Chinatown serial murder case on Manhattan Island #"

"Task description: The murderer's profession is suspected to be a Night Watcher, Level 2, cautious and cunning, good at stealth."

"Task objective: Kill the murderer. Reward: 500,000 Federal dollars, 30 points. Provide clues about the murderer. Reward: 100,000 Federal dollars, 5 points."

"The task information is completely wrong. Isn't this sending hunters to their deaths? Is this a task issued by the Anti-Black and White Alliance?" Zhang Yuanqing looked at the task's release time.

"It was a task released two days ago, and he had pointed out the Night Watcher's 'true rank' last night."

"That makes sense. The Anti-Black and White Alliance did initially misjudge." Zhang Yuanqing immediately accepted the task.

"If the murderer was a Saint-stage Night Watcher, the task's reward would definitely not be worth it."

"But for Zhang Yuanqing, as long as it wasn't a Day Wanderer, Star Officials and Night Watchers were the same—one hit each."

"He was 40 points away from advancing to Silver, and this task's point reward was 30 points, which was very suitable. As long as he completed this task, and then did one or two small tasks, he could successfully advance."

"If the Anti-Black and White Alliance canceled or raised the task level, he wouldn't be able to accept this task."

"Tasks with 30 points aren't many, and there are many bounty hunters in New York, so it takes several days to grab one."

"Advance to Gold Hunter first, then consider this a favor to the Anti-Black and White Alliance."

The next morning, at eight-thirty.

Zhang Yuanqing got up, washed, and sat at the dining table in the living room, eating the soy milk, fried dough sticks, and meat buns that Annie had bought.

"Annie, if I remember correctly, your 美神 (Meishen – roughly translated as 'Goddess of Beauty') Association has a base in New York, right?" Zhang Yuanqing said, chewing on the fried dough stick.

Annie nodded. New York was an important city in the Free Federation, a world-class metropolis, so it naturally had a branch of the 美神 (Meishen) Association.

Zhang Yuanqing tore off a piece of fried dough stick and soaked it in the salty soy milk, saying casually, "In the future, I might use your channels to contact the higher-ups of Lawful organizations in New York."

Annie was stunned. "Master, didn't you say to keep a low profile until the end of the year? Contacting the higher-ups of Lawful organizations rashly will definitely lead to an investigation."

"That's why I said maybe!" Zhang Yuanqing stirred the fried dough sticks and soy milk. "Also, from today on, don't call me Master."

"Then what should I call you?"

"Call me husband!"

Annie's face glowed with joy and surprise.

Zhang Yuanqing changed the subject. "Just kidding. Call me Mr. Zhang!" The blonde beauty sighed. "Okay, Mr. Zhang."

After breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing was thinking about the serial murder case when he suddenly received a text message from Cao Qianxiu:

"Come to my house."

Zhang Yuanqing looked at the time. It was nine in the morning. He sent a message asking, "Isn't your family going on a ferry trip today?" Cao Qianxiu: "Just come over."

Zhang Yuanqing left the living room and knocked on the anti-theft door next door.

"Knock, knock." After two sounds, the wine-red anti-theft door opened, and Cao Qianxiu, tall and graceful in her nightgown, yawned and turned towards the living room, her skirt fluttering.

Zhang Yuanqing entered the house and closed the door behind him.

"I'm on my period today, so I didn't go out. Of course, that's an excuse for my parents." She sat on the sofa, put a hair tie in her mouth, and gathered her hair behind her head with both hands, saying:

"First of all, congratulations. You passed the assessment. Your analysis last night provided important reference value, allowing the organization's higher-ups to wake up in time. You've made a great contribution."

"The organization is now officially absorbing you as a member of the Anti-Black and White Alliance's Group 6. I'm responsible for leading you."

"You're responsible for leading me? Are you sure?" Zhang Yuanqing appropriately revealed a smile. "Not bad."

He was staying in New York for a short time and didn't belong here, so there was no need to give too surprised or excited feedback, otherwise he would be suspected.

Cao Qianxiu carefully scrutinized him for a few moments, then nodded slightly. "I'll go get the form. The last time, our group said to observe further, so they never gave you the form."

She went back to her room to retrieve the form and placed it on the coffee table, pushing it towards Zhang Yuanqing.

"I want to confirm a question..." Zhang Yuanqing looked down at the form and said, "Do you still remember my Lingjing ID?"

Cao Qianxiu tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Tongtian Jiaozhu?"

"That's right. Did you tell your Anti-Black and White Alliance companions my Lingjing ID?" Zhang Yuanqing asked again.

If the Tongtian Jiaozhu ID had already been leaked, then he would have to change his plan, re-register a hunter identity, and abandon Tongtian Jiaozhu.

Cao Qianxiu shook her head solemnly. "Before you officially joined the organization, I wouldn't reveal your ID and real name. This is a matter of principle."

"Not bad, not bad. Lightning mages are indeed fair and principled..." Zhang Yuanqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I thought you would say: 'Of course, because I want everyone to know that you're under my protection.'"

Cao Qianxiu frowned. "I'm not that bored, and that's not my style."

"I know, just joking."

"Your joke level is on par with my dad's jokes."

This girl's EQ is really low. She'll never find a boyfriend! Zhang Yuanqing shook his head, reached out and grabbed a pocket watch, snapped it open, and dangled it in front of Cao Qianxiu.

Cao Qianxiu subconsciously looked at the pocket watch. Before she could react, her eyes suddenly became hollow.

Zhang Yuanqing's voice was soft and ethereal: "Zhang Qingyang's Lingjing ID is Xiaoyao Jianxian. Zhang Qingyang's Lingjing ID is Xiaoyao Jianxian..."

After repeating it three times in a row, he put away the pocket watch and snapped his fingers.

Cao Qianxiu suddenly came back to her senses, feeling like she had been in a daze. She subconsciously looked at Zhang Yuanqing, seeing that he was already looking down and filling out the report.

First line, first box: Lingjing ID: Xiaoyao Jianxian!

"Xiaoyao Jianxian." Cao Qianxiu muttered to herself, as if to strengthen her memory.

After Xiaoyao Jianxian finished filling out the form, Cao Qianxiu said, "I'll submit your form later. Tonight at nine o'clock, the organization will set up a trap to capture that Night Watcher. Get ready, and act with me tonight."

"Huh?" Zhang Yuanqing was stunned. "You, the Anti-Black and White Alliance—no, we, the Anti-Black and White Alliance, have already located the murderer?"

"If I remember correctly, there was no clue in last night's case files that could directly locate the murderer. The Anti-Black and White Alliance found the murderer so quickly?"

"This is unreasonable."

Cao Qianxiu shook her head. "I don't know. The organization didn't say. Just obey orders."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded, feeling somewhat invigorated. Regardless of how the Anti-Black and White Alliance located the murderer, wasn't it perfect that someone was leading the way for him?

He was worried about how to hunt down the killer.

Tonight, he'll just follow the Anti-Black and White Alliance and steal the kill. It seemed like he was taking advantage of them.

At this time, Cao Qianxiu continued, "Also, let me tell you about the salary. The salary for ordinary members is 20,000 Federal dollars a month, which is indeed not much compared to 天罚 (Tianfa), but..."

Before she could finish her words, she heard Xiaoyao Jianxian shout loudly, "I am willing to work like a dog for the organization, go through fire and water without hesitation, and be the organization's person in life and the organization's ghost in death!"

Cao Qianxiu was stunned. "Well, that's not necessary. Nine o'clock tonight, Nut Street."

Inside a dessert shop, at a round table by the floor-to-ceiling window, Zhang Yuanqing and Cao Qianxiu, wearing matching hooded sweatshirts, sat facing each other. The former leisurely stirred his dessert with a spoon, occasionally taking a sip, and occasionally digging a spoonful of the dessert on the table.

The latter stared intently at the window, seeing everyone as the enemy.

Nut Street was the street they were responsible for. The Anti-Black and White Alliance's mission for them was to seal off this street to prevent the enemy from escaping from here, and they didn't need to directly participate in the battle.

For this capture operation, the Anti-Black and White Alliance dispatched seven teams, a total of sixty Lingjing Xingzhe. The person in charge of coordinating and leading was a Senior Executive, a Level 6 Wind Mage.

"Relax. If we're lucky, we won't have anything to do." Zhang Yuanqing said, "The dessert is sweet but not cloying. It's really delicious."

"If you like it, have more." Cao Qianxiu was unmoved, staring intently and seriously at the window.

"Apart from being slightly low in EQ, this girl is reliable in her work, fair in character, and has good talent. She's a good seedling. I'll observe her further. If I have the opportunity in the future, I'll pull her into the gang."

"According to the Anti-Black and White Alliance's plan, the core of the entire encirclement is Curry Street, two streets away. Does the murderer live there? Then why haven't they acted yet?" Zhang Yuanqing wondered in his heart.

With his senses, it was impossible for him to be unaware of the battle two streets away.

The battle hadn't started, which meant that the Anti-Black and White Alliance's plan was more like setting a trap, waiting for the murderer to walk right into it.

"Does the Anti-Black and White Alliance know who the murderer's target is? This is interesting."

After observing for a while, Cao Qianxiu pressed her headset and whispered:

"Group 6, all teams, Nut Street is all clear, all clear. Team 1, report your situation."

A sweet and soft voice came from the headset: "Oh, if everything is clear, don't say 'attention,' you scared me. By the way, why hasn't the new partner next to you spoken? Introduce him to everyone."

Hearing this, Cao Qianxiu retracted her gaze and looked at Zhang Yuanqing: "Introduce yourself?"