Inside the Axe Gang's private room in the village, Dog was listening to his subordinates' report.
If Liu Nian were here, he would have noticed that the subordinate was the one who had been lurking around the village entrance earlier.
"You mean that guy named Liu Nian just came back?" Gouzi asked incredulously after hearing his subordinate's answer.
He had witnessed the horrific scenes of car accidents several times, but none of them resulted in a survivor. This time, hearing that someone had survived, and that it was someone he had suspected, filled him with both surprise and joy.
What surprised me was Liu Nian's strength, and what pleased me was that my judgment seemed to have been correct.
“It’s absolutely true. I saw him get out of the car at the door just now. People who are always saying goodbye to their loved ones were with him. There’s no way I could be seeing things.” The ordinary-looking man recalled the details of the moment and was certain of it.
With such a major incident involving the caravan, many merchants would send scouts to search that area, and the Axe Gang was no exception.
Unlike the others who were concerned about the safety of the lost goods and other people, Gouzi specifically instructed people to watch the entrance and report immediately if Liu Nian appeared, upon hearing that Liu Nian was also on the missing persons list.
I had a conversation with Liu Nian once. Although he disguised it very well, it still aroused Gouzi's suspicion.
Liu Nian gave him a very bad feeling. Looking at him was like looking at a cobra, which could appear in some unnoticed corner and launch a fatal attack if he wasn't careful.
It seems his sixth sense was right; this Liu Nian is indeed strange.
The scouts sent out had already returned, and they happened to be present when they gave their report. They also did not notice Liu Nian's appearance.
Although the density of infected people in the dead village has decreased significantly, the road where the car accident occurred is still almost entirely surrounded by infected people.
Some adventurers tried to distract the infected to retrieve the goods from the accident scene, but ended up getting themselves trapped there as well.
Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, the scouts had no choice but to move away from the accident scene and choose a relatively safe place to keep watch.
When Liu Nian came out of the sewer, it was almost dark. The scouts, who had been watching for several hours without any movement, all left the scene and returned to report.
After hearing the report, Gouzi sorted through the intelligence they brought back and confirmed that Liu Nian was just an imposter with the same name.
The decrease in the density of infected individuals is not hard to understand, because many have been taken away by drones. This is why they can pass through the village unharmed or with minimal damage every time. This time it was purely accidental.
However, this only applies to today. After one night of refreshing, a new large group of infected people will gather there again the next day.
Caravans travel this route almost every day, a conclusion reached after numerous caravans that were forced to rest here and the next caravans regrouped.
The moment he arrived, Gouzi sent men to keep an eye on Changhenbieli's base, and he also confirmed the information that Liu Nian was missing.
Liu Nian's disappearance could originally be attributed to sharing the same name as that man, but his miraculous return when no one else survived made him seem somewhat suspicious.
Others might say he's incredibly lucky, but the dog won't.
One thing is a coincidence, but what is the probability of two things being such a coincidence?
If he were the man on the ranking list, he might be able to ignore the night-walking monsters' attempts to stop him, right?
The dog isn't sure, but there will always be a way to confirm it!
With so many members on the Heavenly Ranking, and many hiding their names, I'm not sure where Liu Nian's name ranks. After all, not everyone likes to show off.
However, to be broadcast on the world radio, one could conservatively estimate that they are in the top twenty. Almost half of the top twenty experts on the Heavenly Ranking are anonymous.
D City is the headquarters of the Axe Gang. The city lord and various forces there are on good terms with the Axe Gang, including several experts on the Heavenly Ranking.
We still need to keep an eye on him. Once we get to D City, the truth will naturally come out.
"Keep a close eye on Liu Nian, but don't get close or make contact. Just keep an eye on his daily routine!" Gouzi instructed the plain-looking man, his mind racing.
"Yes." The man responded and left the room, leaving only the dog inside.
"Liu Nian, Liu Nian, could he be a big fish?" Gouzi muttered to himself in the room.
"Should we find someone to test him?" After thinking about it, she still refused, afraid that it would be difficult to handle the situation if she exposed her intentions.
If he were truly a master ranked within the top 20, the people here might not be confident they could stop him, and given his ruthless methods of leaving no survivors, the danger would be immense.
As for spending money to hire someone to test the waters?
Are you sure that person can be relied on in a life-or-death situation?
It's worth noting that although the bodies were nowhere to be found at the Crocodile Gang's crime scene, the amount of blood on the ground was quite staggering, which gives you an idea of how gruesome their deaths must have been.
Try to avoid doing things that will backfire!
Waiting, patience and discipline are essential!
The dog gazed at the bright moon outside the window, lost in thought.
...
A cheap hotel, a room on the third floor.
Liu Nian, who "luckily" returned, received a warm welcome, which made him feel somewhat flattered.
Having grown accustomed to solitude, he found it somewhat unsettling to be surrounded by such a lively crowd, making him feel as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
When Wang Gang came downstairs and saw the situation, he grinned and said to defuse the situation, "Stop making a fuss. He's been worried and scared all day. Let him rest for a while."
"Everyone's waiting for you to have dinner together, come on over." Although they haven't known each other for long, Wang Gang has developed some feelings for Liu Nian.
As mercenaries, it's rare to see someone willing to leave their own survival to others in a critical moment, even though some people might think it's foolish.
"Yes, yes, the food is all ready, just waiting for you!" Ye Muli's eyes lit up at the mention of food, and he loudly agreed.
When cooking was mentioned, Liu Nian seemed to suddenly realize something, and turned back to the car to fumble around.
He had already materialized the large chunk of meat from the food card. Holding two plump chunks of meat, Liu Nian said, "I was lucky. I ran into a dead rat on my way back."
Everyone knows this is a joke, of course; rats don't actually produce such plump chunks of meat, nor do they weigh that much.
"Watch me show you how to cook." Tang Tongbi, who volunteered, rolled up her sleeves, took the piece of meat from Liu Nian's hand, and turned to walk towards the kitchen.
Many adventurers are too poor to afford the food at the inn, so they borrow their cooking utensils. They only need to pay a small amount of crowns, which provides them with another source of income, so the innkeepers are happy to do them a favor.
"Long live Liu Nian!" Ye Muli almost drooled as he looked at the chunks of meat, and said while surrounding Liu Nian.
Seeing that some people had extra food, everyone's smiles widened, and they went upstairs together, chatting and laughing.
Soon, the steaming hot food was served, and the bowls of patient He Zeyu and hero Liu Nian had significantly more meat than the others.
Everyone knows perfectly well that as long as there's meat to eat, why bother with so much?
There was still one piece of meat left to cook. After receiving Liu Nian's reply, Du Mingna put the meat into the public warehouse.
Seeing everyone's joyful faces, I felt even more that Liu Nian was a lucky charm.
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