Chapter 308 The Mastermind
"Before I get off work tonight, a lot of orders for martial arts expansion packs suddenly came in. Do you have any idea?" asked Dudu Otter.
"Maybe it's popular." Chu Hengkong said.
"Ah, ever-changing fashion trends." Dudu Otter remained noncommittal. "Just take it as it is. Have fun."
Chu Hengkong put down the communication crystal and looked at the card table. The situation was terrible. Kanin had just placed his last fighter card with full resistance, and his board was already full.
"My turn." Chu Hengkong thought for a moment, "I'll activate Burning Night..."
"Wait a moment, I surrender." Kanin put the cards back into the deck.
"Are you sure? That's your big advantage."
"If you keep playing, you'll start to get serious, and that won't be a game anymore." Kanin raised his hand and gestured, "Please bring us two glasses of wine."
The waiter with a skull head came over and after clearing the card table, he took out two empty glasses, poured honey-colored wine into them, and added two dried larvae to the glasses.
"I've tried this brand." Chu Hengkong looked at the golden butterfly on the bottle.
"Fourth-generated 'Golden Butterfly', green label. A fine product brewed by the farmer himself, perfect with honey-pickled dried insect larvae." Kanin raised his glass. "To our first collaboration."
Chu Hengkong clinked glasses with him, then calmly downed the entire glass of liquor before spitting out the insects. The liquor was so potent it seemed to evaporate on its first sip, releasing the flavor of the dried insects into a smoky, delicious flavor. He had to admit, this guy knew how to enjoy himself.
"You are faster than I expected." Chu Hengkong put down his wine glass.
Soothing music played in the bar, and apart from the occasional waiter, no one else was there. It was a completely closed place for negotiations. But just two hours ago, this place was a lewd mixture of casino, game hall, and nightclub, and demons were holding a concert 500 meters away.
The entertainment demon has just fallen, and this place has become Kanin's territory.
"Taking over the property wasn't difficult at all. Everyone was happy to cooperate. It was just a matter of moving things around." Kanin crossed his fingers. "What really surprised me was you, Inspector Chu. You actually went out to play cards earlier, without guarding me."
"I know you too well, so there's no need to be on guard against you," Chu Hengkong said. "This isn't a life-or-death situation. The fact that you dared to show up in person means you have something to rely on, something that would have allowed you to escape unscathed even if a fight had broken out last night."
Kanin smiled but said nothing.
"You're a strong player among the Seismic Point 5s, strong enough to challenge the Divine Guard Captain. Those who can support you are either Seismic Point 6s or 7s." Chu Hengkong tapped the table. "You have a Seismic Point 7 standing behind you. You came to me with his mission, which makes you even more hesitant to act rashly."
"You seem to habitually overestimate your enemies." Kanin chuckled. "Maybe it's just particle 6."
"Impossible. You are ambitious. A particle 6 doesn't have the guts to protect you." Chu Hengkong poured a second glass of wine. "And the Supreme level doesn't look down on you, so it can only be a 7."
Kanin clapped his hands and laughed, "My information was really bought in vain."
"What does the intelligence say about me?" Chu Hengkong was very interested.
"The intelligence reports say that Inspector Chu of Huilong City is aggressive and reckless, fond of using force to overpower others. He's strong but unwise, and shouldn't be feared." Kanin shook his head repeatedly. "Meeting him today, I've finally realized that Inspector Chu is a seasoned and insightful person. The claim that he's unwise is absurd; he simply disdains outsmarting others."
"You overestimate me. I can only observe, not come up with ideas."
"The idea of breaking the inspiration mushroom was pretty good, wasn't it? You're just used to letting others think for you." Kanin crossed his legs. "Well, let's talk about something we both care about, about our deal..."
He lowered his body and stared into Chu Hengkong's eyes: "Have you heard of the 'Twilight Library'?"
Chu Hengkong narrowed his eyes. He was mentally prepared, but he didn't expect the other party to mention the topic of the library.
But first of all, considering the old octopus's origin and then Olek's strange behavior, all these things confirm that the library's power is probably related to the devil.
"I'm very interested," he said.
"It's the same for me. The memories I inherited contain many fragments about the library, but in reality, the library is a... non-existent organization." Kanin pondered, "You can find such people all over the world. They are demon-possessed, retired demons, or others with connections to demons. Most of them appear harmless and non-aggressive, and appear knowledgeable in certain specific areas. When asked about their origins, they will tell you that they are from the 'Twilight Library'. However..."
He cast an examining glance at them. Chu Hengkong said, "They can't tell me the library's address, nor do they know its history. It's like they're describing a dream."
"That's a very accurate metaphor." Kanin snapped his fingers. "It's like a collective dream! They all gained something from the dream, but they couldn't describe the details. I'm very interested in this ambiguous force. My men are inquiring about intelligence about the library, and so far, they've made considerable gains."
"Is that all?" Chu Hengkong made a gesture to leave.
Kanin said calmly, "What I can tell you, Plagiarism may not know. You know that there is a god behind me, and Plagiarism has long been an abandoned child without a master."
Chu Hengkong pondered over Vander's unclear background, the hunted old octopus, and Ji Qiufeng's warning that night. Yes, he was too close to Vander, and knowing too much would only do harm.
On the other hand, he couldn't just abandon Fander and go on his own. The fate of the library would inevitably come to him, and at least it was within the safety of Jingsha. If he refused now, who knew when the next opportunity would come... In Huilong City? On an unknown island? Even in the Bloodless Plains?
By then, will he still have room to negotiate terms?
"Your conditions." Chu Hengkong made up his mind.
Kanin smiled warmly, "To be honest, Inspector Chu and I hit it off right away, and I want to sign a contract with you!"
"No way."
"Of course, it's not a possession contract. You already have a contractor." Kanin shook his finger. "I'll provide information about the library, or any other information you want about the Outer Path. And every time you kill a demon, you share its power with me. This is a long-term partnership. We exchange money for goods."
"A long-term contract means that you continue to get benefits, and then you casually tell me some information whose truth or falsehood you don't know, and then stab me." Chu Hengkong sneered.
"We can sign a contract, and you'll draft it." Kanin remained calm. "To show my sincerity, on the day you bring the contract, I'll take you to meet an important figure. I guarantee you'll get a portion of what you want."
"I'll give you a reply within three days."
"Looking forward to your reply."
Kanin threw a lighter to Chu Hengkong, who caught it and walked out of the bar. As he pushed open the door, Kanin suddenly asked, "Can I ask one last question?"
"explain."
"Ji Huaisu was so eager to fight last night because Entertainment's actions had stimulated her sense of justice, and she believed she had a responsibility to stop him from committing evil," Kanin said slowly. "But what about you? This is Hariroa's territory, and you have no obligation to the demons here. You call yourself a killer, but you're not someone who carries justice. You don't even mind discussing business with me... so why were you the first to act? You're simply a person without any desires. I can't find your motive."
"Is this question important?" Chu Hengkong asked back.
"It's very important because we're talking business," Kanin said. "If I can't tell what you want, I can't give you the product you want."
The killer pondered and realized that his boss had asked a similar question a long time ago. What did he say then?
"I can. I will. I ought," he said. "So I act."
Kanin pondered for a long time, then suddenly stood up, as if he understood something. By then, Chu Hengkong had already walked away.
He sat in silence for a while, until a purple light shone from the seat across from him, forming a translucent wolf's head. A great delusional demon, a chaotic fragment of spirits.
"What kind of person is he?" said the Chaos Demon.
"A very, very, very... absurd person." Kanin chuckled. "His desires are so great that it's like he has no desires at all."
"You can't be underestimated if you sign a contract with such a person." Chaos sneered.
"The world is about to get into chaos, sir." Kanin leaned back in his chair comfortably. "In the sea, the lives of big men and small fish are equally worthless. And before long, the places outside the ocean will become like this... I still remember the fragments of Huilong City 20 years ago, that crazy chaos full of opportunities.
In such an environment, some people naturally stand out, becoming the darlings of the times or the casualties swept away by the tide. But there are also a very small number who stand at the forefront of the trend, fearless, because they are the ones who personally drive the changes of the times.
"That's just the kind of person he is." Kanin smiled. "Whether he realizes it or not, he has already changed the world a little bit...so I'm going to bet on him."
"Don't reveal my secrets. As for the rest, feel free to do as you please." The chaos gradually faded. "The Lower City will be under your management for the time being. It doesn't matter if this attempt fails. For now, show your good will to the Divine Guards... The seeds of chaos have been sown. I don't need to teach you how to recruit them."
Kanin stood up and saluted respectfully, not looking up until long after the chaos had completely died down.
"As you wish, Master Chaos."
·
"Are you in charge of the Lower Town now? Ah, Kanin, what a nice name!" Hallelujah said cheerfully. "No additional taxes will be levied... That's great, the employees will be very happy... Of course, for those who don't intend to make a living on the surface, the Lower Town has always been managed by itself."
"Thank you, thank you. It's a pleasure to work with you. You are welcome to visit us anytime."
Hariroa put down the communication crystal and said, "As you can see, the little incident with the card has been dealt with."
Across from her sat several citizens in suits and ties, all prominent figures holding seats in the House of Lords. They humbly rose and apologized. "Thank you for your hard work, Captain..." "Thank you for wasting your precious time." "This way, we'll have something to take back."
"It's all official business, I understand." Halleluja smiled, "Everyone is welcome to come again~"
The important people left one by one. The middle-aged man at the end of the line noticed the look Hariroa was giving him and nodded slightly in response. An hour later, he appeared at the fast food restaurant in the amusement park. Hariroa was sitting across the table from him, eating a burger for a late-night snack.
"I guess you are the spokesperson for the Underworld Serpent?" she asked with a smile.
"As you said," the middle-aged man wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I have the company and the laboratory behind me, and they have the Dustless Land and the attitude of Longquan Township behind them... But after all, we are too far apart, and it's not easy to send capable people to interfere in the city-state's internal affairs. In the end, the responsibility falls on an incompetent person like me."
"Please don't say that, Senator Crozier. Your approval ratings are still very high."
"How can we compare with the Speaker?" Senator Crozier said with a wry smile. "I won't hide it from you. We've tried everything, even resorting to bribery, and we've only managed to secure 35% of the seats... Add in what you've negotiated these past few days, and we'll have no more than 42% at most."
"Although Huan Ge is not in a position to express his views, there are still fair-minded people in the second lineage. Adding the diehards in the third lineage, we can barely reach 50%."
"That's too much of a stretch!" Crozier fretted. "One vote can make a huge difference... Not being able to explain to the boss is one thing, but what will we do if the bill actually passes..."
Halleluja, on the other hand, had no psychological burden at all and was still eating fast food with big mouthfuls.
"Do your best and leave the rest to fate!" she said.
·
So, the story about the devil card comes to an end.
The entertainment that caused the disaster has been apprehended, all cards in circulation have been recalled, and the conspiracy has been nipped in the bud. The overall situation of the city-state depends on future strategic planning, and the devil's plan has not yet been revealed.
However, this night ultimately saw someone once again steal the show. Onlookers might have noticed...
Or keep it in mind.
Shortly after the duel, in the lower city.
A man in a casual suit danced into the alley, leaned against a dirty wall, and pulled out an old iPhone 4. It took three attempts to unlock it with his fingerprint because he was laughing so hard that his fingers were shaking. He dialed the number.
"Now is not the fixed contact time!" a vicious female voice.
"You'll never believe what I saw tonight." He laughed like crazy. "Oh my God. I feel like I'm dreaming."
"The devil controls the giant robots to merge?" a male voice responded nonchalantly.
"If you have to fart, do it quickly." The female voice urged impatiently.
"I saw snakes playing cards with my own eyes."
"This is not very..."
The man's voice suddenly stopped, as if his throat was being strangled. The woman's voice became sharper: "What snake?!"
"The snake we are most familiar with." The man in the suit laughed uncontrollably. "The Sacrificial Snake, Velus's deputy, the strongest on Earth, number 0. Our great and invincible Chu Hengkong!"
"...Please help me tell you that I just found out that I have cancer and I want to take three months of sick leave." The man said embarrassedly.
The woman's voice became even more direct, almost frantic: "I quit! I give up this mission! Whoever wants to die can go ahead! I won't do it!!!"
"There's no talk of the Blood Alliance withdrawing," the man in the suit said. "You don't want to hear Wang Quan say this himself."
"You saw it, didn't you? Wang Quan might still..."
"Even I know about it, how could Wang Quan not know about it?" The man in the suit put the phone away.
"Um, could it be that Velus also..." The man wanted to ask something else.
"Now that the snake has appeared, don't hold out for anything," the killer said. "It's the past again, my fellow comrades. Mission Impossible has come knocking on our door once again."
He cut off the call, leaving the female killer on the other end screaming hysterically. He laughed excitedly and happily and walked into the dark alley.
(The publication will be closed for two days due to the holiday and will resume on Tuesday. Happy Dragon Boat Festival to everyone!)
(End of this chapter)
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