Newspaper Boy
Chapter 14: The Capture Operation
It was a bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild from 1982, which he had given to Cao Qing. The president deliberately bringing the red wine here 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 president chuckled.
"Also, your landlady is an informant arranged by Heavenly Punishment in Chinatown. Her main job is to observe the movements and trends in Chinatown. She is not a core member of Heavenly Punishment, just receiving a salary. She is a lightning mage, and Heavenly Punishment is naturally close to wind and lightning mages, so they recruited her as an informant."
"Although she's receiving a salary from Heavenly Punishment, she can still be trusted..." Zhang Yuanqing heard the president's hint.
"Alright, let's talk until here today. First, become a Gold Hunter as quickly as possible, then wait for the Hunter Guild to contact you proactively."
As he said this, he finished the red wine in his glass in one gulp.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly said, "Wait, there's been a series of homicides in Chinatown recently, the killer is a Night Wanderer, and I suspect it's a Night Wanderer of considerable rank."
He immediately told the president the details and guesses of the case, then asked, "Mr. President, what's your opinion on this?"
The president remained silent.
Zhang Yuanqing's expression became serious. He thought, "As expected, there are deeper secrets involved, perhaps involving the confrontation of the two major factions."
"Do you think I, living in the Second District, would care about a homicide case in tiny Chinatown?" The president finally spoke.
Zhang Yuanqing's mouth twitched: "Oh." I was thinking too much.
The president raised his hand and snapped his fingers. "Gone!" He disappeared instantly, without delay, without special effects, gone in the blink of an eye.
Zhang Yuanqing turned to look at the alarm clock on the bedside table. The time was half past two in the morning. As a Night Wanderer, he was no longer sleepy, so he turned on the desk lamp and sat at the desk to think.
"Sigh, the sugar daddy gave me a mission. I can't continue to be leisurely. Infiltrating the League of Freedom feels like the mortality rate is higher than an S-level dungeon." He sighed.
Although he was complaining, he and the president were now grasshoppers on the same boat. If he wanted to advance to the Sun Lord in the future, then the League of Freedom would be the enemy.
So he wasn't working for the president, but for himself. "Knock knock..."
He tapped the table with his fingers, thinking carefully.
"Undercover operations are bound to be full of dangers. Some things must be thought out in advance, and back-up plans must be set up as much as possible to increase my fault tolerance, so as not to be discovered as an undercover agent in an emergency and directly explode and ascend to heaven."
"First of all, the League of Freedom is an evil faction, so it should naturally be close to 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 stated profession is a Scout, and it's impossible to change my identity at this point."
If the Hunter Guild pays attention to him, they will definitely investigate his background. The Illusionist identity of Tongtian Jiaozhu can be faked with the help of Fu Qingyang, but what about the current identity?
The tricky thing about Zhang Qingyang's identity is on the Chinatown side, not in the country.
If the Hunter Guild finds out his residence and comes to the door to investigate, then the landlady's family will definitely be the first to be "interrogated". At that time, there will be three possibilities:
One, the investigators are beaten to death by the landlady's family. Two, the investigators beat the landlady's family to death.
Three, the two sides are at peace, and the investigators learn from Cao Qianxiu that Zhang Qingyang is a Scout.
Faced with this situation, Zhang Yuanqing has two choices.
One is to turn a blind eye and just do whatever I want. Did I really say I was a Scout? It could completely be a perfunctory statement to Cao Qianxiu. After being discovered as The Way of the Extraordinary, I can't say I'm an evil profession.
The aftermath of doing so is that Zhang Qingyang and Tongtian Jiaozhu are bound together, and his room for maneuver becomes narrower. It's also easy to implicate the landlord's family. After all, the Hunter Guild's boss is the League of Freedom, and the League of Freedom is an evil faction.
If they find out that this family are all Lawful professions, it's hard to guarantee that the investigators can resist the temptation of reputation value.
The other is that Zhang Qingyang's identity remains unchanged, and he continues to mingle in Chinatown and make a cut between the Hunter ID "Tongtian Jiaozhu".
He needs a public identity anyway. "Zhang Qingyang" can be used to contact the local snakes and expand his network and channels to serve espionage work. The more friends he has, the easier it is to cooperate. A lone spy is doomed.
Zhang Yuanqing continued to delve into this line of thought:
"As a level 2 Scout, Zhang Qingyang is too low-level to come into contact with high-level figures. Therefore, I need to modify the character setting next and increase the level."
"Although I say I'm a level 2 Scout, it's impossible for me to expose my true level to a stranger 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 view of me. We are not very familiar with each other yet, so there is a lot of room to operate."
"Zhang Qingyang and Tongtian Jiaozhu are fixed IDs, but having these two is not enough. I need an identity that can contact Heavenly Punishment, the Church of the Sea God, and the Spirit Realm families. This is not urgent. Let's become a Gold Hunter first. Anyway, for an Illusionist, changing aura and appearance is too simple. If I need it in the future, I will create an identity."
After sorting out his thoughts, Zhang Yuanqing took out his spare phone, opened the Hunter app, and selected suitable tasks.
"It's time to get to work!"
The bounty list slid down with a whoosh, and a new task appeared in his sight:
"Kill the killer in the Chinatown serial homicide case on the Isle of Man #."
"Task description: The killer's profession is suspected to be a Night Wanderer, level 2, cautious and cunning, good at stealth."
"Task target: Kill the killer, reward 500,000 Federal Coins, 30 points. Provide clues about the killer, reward 100,000 Federal Coins, 5 points."
"The task information is completely wrong. Isn't this sending Hunters to their deaths? Was this task issued by the Anti-Black and White Alliance?" Zhang Yuanqing looked at the task's release time.
It was released two days ago, and the "true level" of the Night Wanderer was pointed out by him last night.
"That makes sense. The Anti-Black and White Alliance did make a wrong judgment at the beginning." Zhang Yuanqing immediately accepted the task.
If the killer was a Night Wanderer at the Saint stage, the reward for the task would definitely not be worth it.
But for Zhang Yuanqing, as long as it wasn't a Day Wanderer, Star Officials and Night Wanderers were the same, they were all one-shotted.
He was still 40 points away from being promoted to Silver, and the task's point reward was 30 points, which was very suitable. As long as he completed this task, he could successfully advance after doing one or two small tasks.
If the Anti-Black and White Alliance canceled or increased the task level, he would not be able to take this task.
There weren't many tasks with 30 points, and there were many bounty hunters in New Covenant County, so it would take several days to grab one.
"Let's get promoted to Gold Hunter first, and just consider it a favor to the Anti-Black and White Alliance."
The next morning, at half past eight.
Zhang Yuanqing got up to wash, sat at the dining table in the living room, and ate soy milk, fried dough sticks, and meat buns bought by Annie.
"Annie, if I remember correctly, your Goddess Association also has a stronghold in New Covenant County." Zhang Yuanqing said while chewing on the fried dough sticks.
Annie nodded. New Covenant County was an important city in the League of Freedom, a world-class metropolis, so there naturally had a branch of the Goddess Association.
Zhang Yuanqing tore off a fried dough stick, soaked it in salty soy milk, and said casually: "I may use your channels to contact high-level officials in the Lawful organizations in New Covenant County in the future."
Annie was stunned: "Master, didn't you say you were going to keep a low profile until the end of the year? Rashly contacting high-level officials in Lawful organizations will definitely be investigated."
"That's why I said 'may'!" Zhang Yuanqing stirred the fried dough sticks and soy milk, "Also, don't call me Master from today on."
"What should I call you?"
"Call me husband!"
Annie was radiant and full of surprise.
Zhang Yuanqing changed the subject: "Just kidding, call me Mr. Zhang!"
The blonde beauty sighed: "Okay, Mr. Zhang."
After eating 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 glanced at the time, it was nine in the morning, and sent a message asking, "Isn't your family going on a ferry trip out to sea today?"
Cao Qianxiu: "Just come."
Zhang Yuanqing left the living room and knocked on the anti-theft door of 401 next door.
After two "dong dong" sounds, the burgundy anti-theft door opened, and Cao Qianxiu, wearing a negligee, stood gracefully. She yawned and turned towards the living room with the skirt fluttering.
Zhang Yuanqing entered the house and closed the door behind him.
"I'm having my period today, so I didn't go out. Of course, this is an excuse for my parents." She sat on the sofa, picked up a rubber band and bit it in her mouth, gathering the hair behind her head with both hands, and said:
"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 have made great contributions."
"The organization is now officially accepting you as a member of Team 6 of the Anti-Black and White Alliance. I am responsible for leading you."
"You are responsible for leading me? Are you sure..." Zhang Yuanqing showed a smile at the right time: "Not bad."
He was here for a short stay in New Covenant County and didn't belong here, so there was no need to give too much surprise or excitement, otherwise he would be suspected.
Cao Qianxiu scrutinized him carefully, nodded slightly, "I'll get the form. The people in our team said to observe you again last time, so they never gave you the form."
She went back to her room to get the form, put it on the coffee table, and pushed it to Zhang Yuanqing.
"I have a question I want to confirm..." Zhang Yuanqing looked down at the form, and said, "Do you still remember my Spirit Realm ID?"
Cao Qianxiu tilted her head and thought for a while, "Tongtian Jiaozhu?"
"That's right, have you told the companions in the Anti-Black and White Alliance my Spirit Realm ID?" Zhang Yuanqing asked again.
If the ID of Tongtian Jiaozhu had been leaked, then he would have to change his plan, re-register a Hunter identity, and abandon Tongtian Jiaozhu.
Cao Qianxiu shook her head and said solemnly: "Before you officially join the organization, I will not 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 are under my protection."
Cao Qianxiu frowned and said: "I'm not that bored, and this is not my style."
"I know, just joking."
"Your level of telling jokes is on par with my dad's."
"This girl's EQ is so low, she won't be able to find a boyfriend!" Zhang Yuanqing shook his head, reached out and grabbed a pocket watch, opened it with a snap, and hung it in front of Cao Qianxiu.
Cao Qianxiu subconsciously looked at the pocket watch, before she could react, her eyes suddenly became empty.
Zhang Yuanqing's voice was soft and ethereal: "Zhang Qingyang's Spirit Realm ID is Xiaoyao Jianxian, Zhang Qingyang's Spirit Realm 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 and saw that he was already looking down and filling out the report.
The first row, first cell, Spirit Realm ID: Xiaoyao Jianxian!
"Xiaoyao Jianxian." Cao Qianxiu muttered in a low voice, as if strengthening her memory.
After Xiaoyao Jianxian finished filling out the form, Cao Qianxiu said: "I will submit your form later. Tonight at nine o'clock, the organization will set up an ambush to arrest the Night Wanderer. Get ready, and we will act together tonight."
"Huh?" Zhang Yuanqing was stunned: "You Anti-Black and White Alliance, no, our Anti-Black and White Alliance has already locked on to the killer?"
If he remembered correctly, there was no clue in the case files from last night that could directly lock onto the killer. The Anti-Black and White Alliance found the killer so quickly?
This was unreasonable.
Cao Qianxiu shook her head: "I don't know, the organization didn't say. Just follow orders."
Zhang Yuanqing nodded, feeling a little excited. No matter how the Anti-Black and White Alliance locked onto the killer, wasn't it just right to have someone lead the way for him?
He was still worried about how to track down the killer.
He would just follow the Anti-Black and White Alliance to steal the kill tonight. It seemed like he was taking advantage.
At this time, Cao Qianxiu continued: "Also, let me talk to you about the salary issue. The salary for an ordinary team member is 20,000 Federal Coins per month, which is indeed not as much as Heavenly Punishment, but..."
Before she could finish speaking, she heard Xiaoyao Jianxian say loudly: "I am willing to do my best for the organization, go through fire and water without hesitation, climb mountains of knives and seas of fire without hesitation, I am a person of the organization in life, and a ghost of the organization in death."
Cao Qianxiu was stunned: "Well, there's no need for that. Tonight at nine o'clock, Chestnut Street."
In a dessert shop, Zhang Yuanqing and Cao Qianxiu, wearing the same hooded sweatshirts, sat opposite each other at a round table by the French window. The former leisurely held a spoon and stirred the dessert, occasionally taking a sip, and occasionally scooping up a spoonful of the dessert on the table.
The latter stared intently out the window, looking at everyone as if they were the enemy.
Chestnut Street was the street the two were responsible for. The task given to them by the Anti-Black and White Alliance was to block the street to prevent the enemy from escaping from here. They did not need to directly participate in the battle.
For this arrest operation, the Anti-Black and White Alliance dispatched seven teams, a total of sixty The Way of the Extraordinary. The person in charge of coordination and leadership was a level 6 Wind Mage, a Senior Executive.
"Relax, if we're lucky, we won't have anything to do." Zhang Yuanqing said: "The dessert is sweet but not greasy, it's really delicious."
"If you like it, drink more." Cao Qianxiu remained unmoved, staring intently out the window.
"Besides being slightly low in EQ, this girl is reliable in doing things, fair in character, and has good talent. She is a good seed. I will observe her again. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will pull her into the gang."
"According to the layout of the Anti-Black and White Alliance, the core of the entire encirclement is Curry Street, two streets away. Does the killer live there? Then why haven't they taken action yet?" Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself.
With his inspiration, the battle two streets away could not be hidden from him.
The battle had not yet begun, which meant that the layout of the Anti-Black and White Alliance was more like setting a trap, waiting for the killer to walk into the net.
"Does the Anti-Black and White Alliance know who the killer's target is? This is interesting."
After observing for a while, Cao Qianxiu pressed her headset and said in a low voice:
"Team 6, all teams pay attention, everything is normal on Chestnut Street, everything is normal, Team 1 and Team 2 report the situation."
A sweet voice with a soft undertone came from the headset: "Oh, if everything is normal, don't say 'pay attention', you scared me. By the way, why is the new partner next to you not talking? Introduce him to everyone."
Hearing this, Cao Qianxiu looked away and looked at Zhang Yuanqing: "Introduce yourself?"