Jiang Bai Mian seemed to have anticipated the guesthouse owner's rebuttal, and said with a smile:
"I thought Redstone Collection, as a smuggling center, could get cheap robots, military exoskeletons, and smart armor."
The guesthouse owner spoke again through the loudspeaker high in the room:
"Those aren't cheap, and they're in high demand. For me, things are fine as they are now. There's no need to waste a lot of resources and rare connections to make improvements."
"I see..." Jiang Bai Mian nodded with satisfaction.
Through this conversation, she confirmed two things:
First, it is indeed possible to obtain military exoskeletons in Redstone Collection; second, they are in high demand, and you can't get them without the right connections and enough resources.
Jiang Bai Mian deliberately evaluated "loudly" just now in order to extract some information.
She's not as foul-mouthed as Shang Jian Yao, and can't control herself.
The guesthouse owner was quite cautious and didn't say more, repeating the previous question:
"How many rooms do you want, and for how many nights?"
"Two, double beds, with bathrooms, for a week for now." Jiang Bai Mian had already considered this question.
The guesthouse owner replied through the loudspeaker:
"What supplies can you offer?"
"Military canned food." Shang Jian Yao answered without hesitation.
During this southward journey, the "Old Task Force" was a little tired of canned food again.
"They must not be opened." The guesthouse owner emphasized, lest someone easily succeed in poisoning.
She continued:
"One can per room per night, a total of 14 cans.
"Open the metal door on the wall, put the cans in, and then close the door."
Jiang Bai Mian signaled Shang Jian Yao to open the metal door on the wall that looked like a window.
Inside was a hollow platform, and on the other side of the platform was another identical metal door.
Shang Jian Yao didn't rush to back away, and took the initiative to say:
"We also want masks."
"Four masks are a gift." The guesthouse owner replied.
Shang Jian Yao was overjoyed and asked curiously:
"If I didn't ask, would you have given them to us voluntarily?"
"No." The guesthouse owner was very frank.
Shang Jian Yao wanted to say something more, but Long Yue Hong, who had been given a hint by Jiang Bai Mian, had already stepped forward with the cardboard box, counted out 14 cans, and put them on a tray on the platform.
Then, he closed the outer metal door.
With a click, the metal door seemed to be locked.
Shang Jian Yao then heard a rubbing sound coming from inside, so he asked seriously:
"What if she takes the cans and runs away?"
Jiang Bai Mian smiled, smiling like a villain:
"Then we'll get our rocket launcher and blast this wall!"
A few dozen seconds later, the loudspeaker high in the room sounded again:
"You can open the door and get the electronic cards and masks."
Shang Jian Yao, who had been guarding the wall, excitedly opened the metal door.
The cans on the tray were gone, replaced by two electronic cards in white plastic cases and a pile of cloth masks.
Shang Jian Yao didn't even look at the two electronic cards, he directly unfolded the cloth masks and began to pick them carefully.
The four masks were a delicate monk, a monkey with a hairy face and pointed mouth, a fat pig with nostrils that could hold garlic, and a fierce man with a full beard.
"Boring, boring..." Shang Jian Yao first eliminated the monk and the man.
Obviously, he thought they were too ordinary.
After some comparison, he chose the spirited monkey and put the mask on his face.
Jiang Bai Mian shook her head helplessly:
"You've never even seen a real monkey, you can't imitate the essence."
"Yeah." Shang Jian Yao was very regretful.
Jiang Bai Mian moved closer and immediately ruled out the fat pig mask.
In the end, she chose the delicate monk mask.
Long Yue Hong, enduring his anxiety, said to Bai Chen quite modestly:
"You go first."
Bai Chen didn't stand on ceremony and took the fierce-looking man's mask.
Long Yue Hong sighed silently and could only accept the result.
"These masks remind me of some Old World stories." Jiang Bai Mian said casually as she reached out and grabbed the electronic cards, "I'll tell you when I have time."
Both electronic cards had labels on them, one was "05" and the other was "06."
According to the guesthouse owner's instructions, the four members of the "Old Task Force" drove away from the underground Redstone Collection and circled to the other side of the hill.
This was a flat area surrounded by trees, with many rows of blue and white simple houses.
At this time, the sky had already darkened, and the surrounding area seemed quiet and deserted, as if no one existed at all.
But both Jiang Bai Mian and Bai Chen could sense that there were people hiding in some hidden places nearby, monitoring this side.
Rooms "05" and "06" were close to the hill and were relatively spacious. In addition to two single beds and tables and chairs, they also had bathrooms with showers.
"Take a rest, and we'll make do with a meal later." Jiang Bai Mian was quite satisfied with the environment of the simple guesthouse and didn't want to enter Redstone Collection again to find the hidden restaurant owner.
"Yes, team leader!" Long Yue Hong and Bai Chen replied in unison. Shang Jian Yao was quite regretful.
...
After the sky had completely darkened, the damp and cold air seeped into the room, making Long Yue Hong, who was listening to the team leader tell Old World stories, begin to feel cold.
He regretted a bit why he didn't put on another layer of clothing before coming over.
Just then, the door of room "05" was knocked.
Shang Jian Yao, who had already sensed it, had already put on the monkey mask, came to the door, and asked:
"Squeak, squeak, squeak?"
"..." The person outside the door was obviously stunned.
Jiang Bai Mian sighed helplessly:
"Use human language."
Don't imitate a monkey!
Shang Jian Yao then returned to normal:
"Who is it?"
"Is Qian Bai there?" The person outside was a man, speaking in Ashlands language.
Qian Bai was the name Bai Chen registered when she became a hunter.
"What's this about?" Bai Chen stood up and put on her mask.
The man outside the door lowered his voice:
"I have a mission I want to entrust to you."
"Why?" Bai Chen asked.
"Because you are an 'Intermediate Hunter,' and the kind that's about to become a 'Seasoned Hunter.'" The man outside the door explained simply.
Bai Chen glanced at Jiang Bai Mian, and when she saw her nod slightly, she said to Shang Jian Yao:
"Open the door."
Shang Jian Yao immediately opened the door and stretched his face, which was wearing a monkey mask, forward a little.
The man outside the door was about 1.7 meters tall, wearing a black cloak and a white mask with black patterns, and was not at all surprised to see a scary "monkey."
In Redstone Collection, this was basic "etiquette."
What kind of masks hadn't he seen?
After entering the door, the man crossed his hands and placed them in front of him, and took a step back:
"Eternal vigilance."
"Are you from the Vigilance Sect?" Bai Chen took the lead in this conversation, while Jiang Bai Mian chose to listen with great interest.
The man wearing the cloak and mask nodded:
"I am Renato, the bishop of the Vigilance Sect in Redstone Collection."
"Have a seat." Bai Chen pointed to the empty spot on the sofa.
Shang Jian Yao continued to guard the door, folding his arms and striking a pose as if he were a thug.
After Renato sat down, Bai Chen asked:
"As the mainstream sect in Redstone Collection, you should have considerable strength, why come to entrust me and my team?"
Renato was silent for a moment and said:
"Some things are not convenient for believers to know, so I didn't go through the Hunter's Guild either."
"If it's too difficult, then don't bother." Bai Chen chose to communicate in her own style.
Renato said quite honestly:
"I don't know how difficult it is, or how dangerous it is."
"Then tell us a little bit about it first." Bai Chen nodded.
Renato glanced at the others in the room:
"You should have heard Gaudi talk about some things about our sect.
"We just held a mass a few days ago, the theme was still 'Hiding,' to please the gods, that is, the Calamity-grade we believe in, 'Nether Aunt.'
"In this hiding competition, there is still one person who hasn't been found."
Hearing this, Shang Jian Yao blurted out:
"Viel!"
"That's right." Renato affirmed, "Because he's been hiding for almost three days, and everyone else has been found, I decided to end the mass and let him come out, but..."
Speaking of this, Renato's tone changed slightly, as for his expression, it couldn't be seen because he was wearing a mask:
"As a result, I couldn't find him either.
"And he didn't come out on his own initiative."
What do you mean, I couldn't either? Are you saying you're better at finding people than other members of the church? Because you're an Awakened, and can sense the existence of consciousness? Is Viel already dead, or did he spontaneously Awaken and can hide his own consciousness? Jiang Bai Mian seized on Renato's wording and began to analyze in her mind.
Bai Chen nodded slightly:
"You want us to help you find Viel?"
"Yes." Renato sighed, "If something goes wrong with the mass ritual, the believers will question my piety and think that I have shamed the gods."
Bai Chen pretended to discuss with her team members, first sweeping over Shang Jian Yao and Long Yue Hong, and then looking at Jiang Bai Mian.
Jiang Bai Mian nodded gently.
Bai Chen then responded to Renato:
"We can take this mission, and we also trust your credit, but without understanding the details, I can't guarantee that we'll be able to complete it."
"I understand." Renato expressed his understanding, "What kind of reward do you hope to receive?"
"Help me introduce arms dealers who can buy heavy weapons and advanced equipment." Bai Chen said calmly, "This is part of it, and the rest will be discussed after surveying the scene, and paid after Viel is found."
Simply making an introduction was no burden for Renato, and he answered without hesitation:
"No problem.
"When are you going to survey the scene?"
"It's already dark, tomorrow morning." Bai Chen wasn't in a hurry at all.
"Not bad, very vigilant." Renato praised, stood up and said, "Tomorrow morning, drive along the road outside the park to the lakeside, and someone will be waiting there."
"Okay." Bai Chen followed suit, "May we have a pleasant cooperation."
Renato once again performed the ceremony of crossing his hands, placing them in front of his chest, and taking a step back:
"Vigilance is a hint from the gods."
After watching him leave, Shang Jian Yao closed the door and announced with bright eyes:
"The final showdown has begun."
Jiang Bai Mian took off her mask and "heh"ed:
"If you dare to hide and I can't find you, I'll leave you in Redstone Collection!"
"I am the spear." Shang Jian Yao emphasized that he wasn't trying to hide, but to break the other side's "shield."