As Wal saw this, so did Theodore. For a moment, he felt both absurd and angry, saying:
“They even accepted the mission we issued!
“What are they trying to do?”
This was simply a provocation, even an insult!
The middle-aged gentleman Konstanz thought and said:
“Maybe they want to pass us false information through this method?”
Many "Hands of Order" members present agreed with this guess, as it sounded the most reasonable.
One of the constables laughed:
“That’s the only explanation, they wouldn’t be doing it for the bounty we offered, would they?”
“Haha.” The other "Hands of Order" members laughed, clearly amused.
Once the atmosphere returned, feeling provoked, they actively threw themselves into their work, trying to find useful clues from the Hunter's Guild's information.
“They accepted the mission for the white giant wolves in the Northern Shore Mountains.”
“We can contact the garrisons at those forward camps and see if they know anything.”
“They should have come from the Wildgrass City direction.”
“Another piece of information shows that they have a grudge against the ‘Anti-intellectual Church.’ They once helped General Fockes hunt down those cultists. Right, they were present when it was discovered that Elder Valo was related to the ‘Salvation Army’ and the ‘Anti-intellectual Church.’”
……
The order officer assistants and constables racked their brains, stirring up a storm of discussion.
During this process, Wal keenly captured the term "Anti-intellectual Church."
His heart suddenly stirred. Recalling the last incident, he quickly turned his head to look at Theodore.
Clap!
He lightly tapped the table, signaling everyone to be quiet.
Then, he looked at Theodore and said in a deep voice:
“Remember the case of the death of the real ‘Father’?”
Theodore was a long-time member of the "Hands of Order." He was able to rise to his current position mainly due to his personal ability. Hearing this, he immediately understood what Wal wanted to say.
He turned his neck and shifted his gaze over, questioning with a solemn expression:
“You think it was Xue Shiyue and Zhang Qubing's team?”
He no longer considered that the other party was someone he disliked.
“They have the motivation and the ability!” Wal, recalling that case, felt that the style was very similar to the intelligence theft case at the arena.
——The target had made detailed plans in advance, showed a firm will and calm mindset during the execution, and paid attention to all aspects of the details during the retreat, leaving almost no clues for investigation.
If it weren't for the accident of encountering him, Wal felt that the team would not have been locked down so easily.
“They’re really impressive. The real ‘Father’ had been arrogant for several years, he definitely never thought he would die so frustratingly,” the middle-aged gentleman Konstanz said with emotion.
As they were discussing this matter, the garrisons at several forward camps returned telegrams.
The constable responsible for decoding raised his voice uncontrollably:
“They, they have a full three military exoskeleton devices!
“And they are accompanied by a robot.”
“What?” Theodore and the others widened their eyes.
This feedback really startled them.
The other team's strength was stronger than they had imagined.
If they didn't understand this and blindly pursued them, they didn't know how many "Hands of Order" members present would die in the line of duty.
Theodore himself wasn't very confident, after all, his ability was ineffective against robots.
After a brief silence, Konstanz exhaled and said:
“Let’s look at the remaining mission records, maybe there are other clues hidden.”
…………
Green Olive District, at a safe house.
The "Old Task Force" five members were sorting out various things related to their hunter identities, seeing if there were any hidden dangers that would involve the present.
“The missions we’ve completed reveal too much information,” Long Yuehong said with a frown.
Shang Jianyao laughed:
“What does what Zhang Qubing did have to do with me, Shang Jianyao?”
“That’s right, although those missions can restore parts of our experience and allow the enemy to have a more accurate grasp of our strength, they cannot substantially threaten us now. We won’t rashly rush out and fight them to the death.” Jiang Baimian also stated her thoughts.
Her meaning was simple:
These are all pieces of information that have been cut off, and will not lead to the location of the "Old Task Force" being dug up now.
“Also.” Long Yuehong breathed a sigh of relief.
At this moment, Bai Chen proposed another potentially hidden danger:
“In addition to accepting missions, we have also issued missions.”
“That’s right, will they find Weite's family there?” Long Yuehong’s heart tightened.
He didn't want those poor families who had lost their fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, and daughters to be implicated because of them.
“It should be possible to find them, but it’s unlikely that they will make things difficult for them. They don’t even know who we are. In this matter, we acted like hunters who accepted a mission specifically to send ‘compensation’ to the victims’ families. There is actually no connection between us, and that's the truth. The ‘Hands of Order’ can't possibly not be able to figure out such a simple thing.” Jiang Baimian comforted Long Yuehong.
After speaking, she looked at Bai Chen, who was about to speak, and smiled:
“I know what you want to say.
“Do you want to say that the low-level constables will take the opportunity to pin a crime on those poor people and seize the ‘compensation’ they received?”
Bai Chen nodded:
“Don’t have too much confidence in the integrity of the ‘First City’ constables. A large portion of them simply don’t have such a thing.”
Jiang Baimian sighed:
“The main thing is that this matter has caused quite a stir, and many people above are watching. They shouldn’t do too much, but it’s unavoidable that they’ll extort some benefits. Since Weite and his family live in the First City, they must know the principle of paying to avoid disaster after living for so many years. Besides, no one knows exactly how much ‘compensation’ they received except us. Giving a little out won't have a big impact on them.”
“Mm.” Bai Chen accepted this analysis.
Just then, Shang Jianyao stood up abruptly and spat out two words:
“Lao Han!”
That's right! We also offered a reward to find Lao Han, and said he was our friend! Long Yuehong was also shocked.
Jiang Baimian's expression became quite solemn, Bai Chen pursed her lips and didn't speak, while the red light in Genaver’s eyes flickered a few times.
…………
“Once we get that batch of weapons, we’ll join up with the others and set off for your town,” Han Wanghuo said to Zeng Duo beside him, with his rifle on his back.
“Okay.” Zeng Duo’s dark eyes brightened slightly.
They went downstairs and headed towards the intersection, preparing to turn onto Antana Street.
Suddenly, Han Wanghuo saw a familiar information peddler.
The information peddler was shrinking in an alley, peering outside.
As soon as he saw Han Wanghuo, he immediately waved his right hand, signaling him to come over.
Han Wanghuo glanced warily left and right. Seeing that no one was paying attention to him and there were no suspicious people, he quickly walked towards the information peddler.
“Be careful lately,” the information peddler said, shrinking back into the alley and lowering his voice. “The ‘Hands of Order’ are looking for you, and the scale is very large!”
Han Wanghuo frowned:
“Why?”
“I don’t know, I’m just here to remind you,” the information peddler sighed. “The reward is very generous, and I’m very tempted. If you hadn’t helped me before and allowed my son’s illness to be treated in time, I would definitely have chosen to take the bounty. Leave quickly, the next time we meet, we will be enemies.”
Because I helped you? After listening to the other party's explanation, Han Wanghuo moved his mouth, but said nothing.
…………
Green Olive District, at the safe house.
“Hiss.” Long Yuehong sucked in a breath of cold air. “Lao Han shouldn’t be implicated by us, right… He just needs to tell the truth. We only had cooperation in Redstone Town, barely considered acquaintances, nothing else. Well, the ‘Hands of Order’ will definitely be able to confirm that what he said is true.”
Jiang Baimian nodded:
“Theoretically, that’s how it is.”
Although she said that, her expression didn’t ease at all.
After silently exhaling, Jiang Baimian added in a deep voice:
“But Lao Han is a Subhuman.”
The citizens of the "First City" hate everything related to genetic research and pollution mutations, and are very discriminatory towards Subhumans. After the Senate formed the Subhuman Guard, in addition to discrimination, there was also strong hatred.
Once a Subhuman is caught, even if they haven’t committed any crime, they might be tortured to death. Their only hope is that their abilities are special and their bodies are strong, so that they can be selected to join the Senate’s Subhuman Guard.
“What do we do?” Long Yuehong asked anxiously.
He believed that what Jiang Baimian said was indeed a problem.
Discrimination against Subhumans is widespread in every corner of the Ashlands, and the First City is considered a more serious place.
The experiences of the residents of Black Rats Town left a deep impression on Long Yuehong, and he still occasionally has nightmares because of it.
Jiang Baimian looked at the serious Shang Jianyao, and said after considering it:
“Put on disguises, go out for a walk, and try to find Lao Han before the ‘Hands of Order’ do!”