TL: Moonlit
Happy 100th chapteeeer~ Yeeeeey~ \(^o^)/
Xiao Han ignored the hand and said, “We need your organization’s help with something.”
Yuan Jie’s eyes flickered, seemingly sensing the unusual atmosphere between the two. She looked affectionate and said, “It’s our honor.”
Wen Qingling, not understanding the situation, asked, “Are you the leader of this organization? How much influence do you have? I need to find someone, can it be done quickly?”
Yuan Jie smiled charmingly and said, “If it’s about an antidote, I may not have the authority, but if it’s just finding someone, I might be able to help.”
Wen Qingling understood her response and said, “I’m looking for someone named Brother Hui. He should have some influence in the Mega City.”
Yuan Jie asked them to sit down and talk slowly. “It’s difficult to find someone based on just this information. Do you have any other clues?”
Wen Qingling thought for a moment and said, “He should have leaked some assembled energy gun parts. Is that clue enough?”
Wen Qingling realized that Luo Fengjue couldn’t obtain those components and energy cores while being locked in the basement unless someone specifically gave them to him for modification. And coincidentally, that happened to be Luo Fengjue’s expertise.
Yuan Jie’s expression became serious. “The energy gun parts are not widely available yet. They are mainly supplied to the military. It’s difficult for ordinary people to get their hands on standard energy gun parts. Even if they have them, they are usually modified and assembled later, with lower power and a shorter lifespan compared to weapons produced by the Weapons Research Institute.”
Yuan Jie nodded solemnly. “This is indeed a useful clue. I will immediately have someone investigate.”
“In addition,” Wen Qingling spoke again, “he is likely a perverted person who enjoys cutting off people’s hands.”
Yuan Jie replied, “…”
Yuan Jie said, “Alright, I will have someone pay attention to it.”
Wen Qingling asked, “How long will it take?”
Yuan Jie replied, “At least a day.”
Wen Qingling said, “That’s too long.”
Yuan Jie remained silent.
A day was too long? Finding one person among over a hundred million people would be a massive undertaking. It would definitely take time.
Wen Qingling said, “I want to meet your big boss.”
Yuan Jie replied, “…”
Wen Qingling continued, “And by the way, I want to discuss the antidote.”
Yuan Jie’s expression softened. “Wait a moment, please allow me to make a call.”
Yuan Jie left the private room to make the call.
Wen Qingling was intrigued by the mention of a “phone.” Was the Central Mega City so advanced? It had already been three years since the apocalypse, and they still had phones?
In a low voice, Wen Qingling said, “What do you think about tying up the communication personnel here?”
Xiao Han coldly refused, “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
If they tied up live people, would they be able to leave this place smoothly? Did they have to cause a commotion and break out of the city? Perhaps they could succeed if it were just the two of them, but it would be nearly impossible with the others.
Yuan Jie quickly returned, wearing the same smile as before, with no visible changes on her face. “I suddenly remembered, are you looking for someone who enjoys cutting off people’s hands… or someone who collects hands?”
Wen Qingling “saw” Mi Yan’s hands being cut off, but he didn’t know where those hands ended up. Who knew if they were discarded or kept as a collection? If they were being collected, that would truly be a perversion.
Wen Qingling carefully recalled the details he saw. The two strong men said, “Don’t let him die”… “Brother Hui’s energy storage”… the dark bloodstains on the couch, which should be Mi Yan’s blood… Luo Fengjue’s skillful bandaging technique… and Mi Yan saying, “Can’t hold on anymore.” All of these indicated that Mi Yan had been injured before, and he was in pain and no longer wanted to endure…
So, what did “energy storage” mean?
Could one person become another person’s energy storage? Wen Qingling had never heard of such a thing, nor had he seen it. Could it be that Mi Yan possessed some special ability?
Not wanting to miss any possibility, Wen Qingling asked, “What does collecting hands mean?”
Yuan Jie must have learned something from the big boss; otherwise, she wouldn’t have withheld the information earlier.
“Recently, there was an auction in the Sixth District, and there was a special item—a beautiful hand that resembled crystal. It was different from any kind of crystal nucleus but also had energy. It was a pure energy crystal, and the energy inside was very gentle, allowing it to be directly absorbed by people with abilities.”
Yuan Jie sat back on the sofa, her beautiful red nails as vibrant as blood. “A hand was sold for an astronomical price.”
Wen Qingling’s gaze turned cold. When Yuan Jie spoke those words, he had a strong premonition that this hand was related to Mi Yan!
Just like when he heard about the Central Mega City developing energy weapons, he had a feeling that it wasn’t a good thing and would bring greater disaster to the world. Now that feeling had been proven right, and he saw an even greater catastrophe unfolding.
Wen Qingling’s voice turned cold. “I want to know who the seller of that hand was.”
“I thought you wanted to know who bought the hand.” Yuan Jie said, “The information about the seller is confidential, but many people know who bought it.”
Wen Qingling stared at Yuan Jie with his pitch-black, clear eyes. “I want to know who the seller was.”
Yuan Jie smiled charmingly. “Aren’t you looking for Brother Hui?”
“The seller is Brother Hui,” Wen Qingling said with absolute certainty. It was his incredibly accurate intuition.
Yuan Jie had a smile on her face but didn’t speak, indicating her intention.
Wen Qingling understood. She was waiting for him to make an offer, to see what price he would give and what tasks he would perform. It involved Luo Fengjue and Mi Yan, and Wen Qingling didn’t have time to negotiate. He took out the pale red antidote and placed it on the coffee table.
“The antidote for the zombie virus. Find out who sent it and where they are within an hour. This antidote is yours.”
If the antidote was genuine, it meant that one antidote equaled one life. Its value couldn’t be measured in crystal nuclei.
Yuan Jie looked at the pale red potion, her eyes unclear and dim. When Yu Ge told her about it, she was skeptical, but she didn’t expect such a thing to exist.
Wen Qingling said, “Don’t doubt the authenticity of this potion. You can take it now and find someone to test it, but I’ll start the countdown from this moment. The countdown has already begun. You can consider it slowly.”
Yuan Jie glanced at Xiao Hen, who had been silent all this time, grabbed the antidote, and left.
If the antidote was real, wasting the chance to test it would be wasting an opportunity to save a life.
Wen Qingling and Xiao Hen didn’t leave. After Yuan Jie left, she didn’t come back either. Wen Qingling wasn’t afraid that she would take the antidote and not do anything. If she dared to do that, Wen Qingling would dare to dismantle the Mud Rat Organization.
After forty minutes, Yuan Jie returned and brought the information Wen Qingling wanted.
The sender of the energy crystal hand was named Yu Jinhui. He had several industries and protected several teams of ability users. He was considered a prominent figure in the Sixth District.
Wen Qingling asked, “Where is he now?”
Yuan Jie didn’t answer directly but looked at Xiao Hen and said, “Yu Jinhui has a strong backing. May I ask why you’re looking for him?”
Yuan Jie obviously had a hidden meaning. Wen Qingling exuded a palpable killing intent. “To take his life.”
Yuan Jie paused and looked at Xiao Hen again. “Colonel Xiao, our Mud Rat Organization’s information is absolutely accurate. Yu Jinhui is the stepson of Nie Tianling, the son of his second wife. Although he’s a stepson brought in by marriage, he’s slick and knows how to please both Nie Tianling and Nie Hao. If you kill Yu Jinhui, the Nie family won’t just stand by.”
Wen Qingling seemed a bit perplexed. He couldn’t understand the twists and turns. Yuan Jie didn’t believe that Xiao Hen couldn’t understand either. The Third District was adjacent to both the First District and the Sixth District, and the friction between the First District and the Third District was already out in the open. If they clashed with the Sixth District as well, they would undoubtedly be caught in a pincer attack, and the situation in the Third District would be worrying.
Xiao Hen remained silent, his gaze heavy, lost in thought.
Yuan Jie chuckled and said, “I spoke out of turn.”
“Yu Jinhui is on his way to Jinyang Beast Market.” Jinyang Beast Market is a live mutant creature trading market. “I heard that there is a mutant ragdoll cat there, and Nie Hao is pursuing Second Miss Hua. I heard that Second Miss Hua loves cats very much. In order to make this unrelated brother happy, Yu Jinhui has been looking for a cat for him.”
Xiao Hen’s eyes, hidden under the brim of his hat, grew even deeper. These pieces of information were beyond the scope of their transaction, and Xiao Hen didn’t think Yuan Jie would be so eager to share them. “Who is your boss?”
Yuan Jie smiled politely. “You will meet them when the time is right.”
“Where is Jinyang Beast Market?” Wen Qingling couldn’t wait any longer.
Xiao Hen held Wen Qingling’s hand and quickly left.
He didn’t know about matters concerning someone’s wives, stepwives, and stepsons, but he knew where Jinyang Beast Market was.
As soon as they reached the ground floor, they saw Brother Yu waiting for them.
Brother Yu was respectful and handed over the car keys with both hands. “Yuan Jie thought that you both might need a car, so she asked me to prepare one.”
Xiao Hen didn’t bother with pleasantries and picked up the car keys, getting into the car with Wen Qingling, and they rushed towards Jinyang Beast Market.
Jinyang Beast Market was located at the junction of the Third, Fourth, and Sixth districts, close to the center of Mega City. It was quite far from their current location, so Xiao Hen drove the car at high speed to get there.
They didn’t know what Yu Jinhui looked like, but they knew that a mutant ragdoll cat should be quite rare. Finding the mutant ragdoll cat would likely lead them to Yu Jinhui.
“Powerful spiritual ability users hold important positions in Mega City, so the chances of Yu Jinhui being at Jinyang Beast Market are slim,” Xiao Hen reminded.
Wen Qingling understood and released his spiritual power, enveloping the entire Jinyang Beast Market with his mental energy. Soon, he detected a creature that resembled a mutant ragdoll cat and they drove towards it.
As for why it was said to be “resembling,” it was because the mutant ragdoll cat was unusually large. If it weren’t for the cat-like features still present, Wen Qingling would have thought it was a tortoiseshell-colored lion. Its head was almost that of a fierce beast, making it barely suitable as a pet.
Of course, it couldn’t be ruled out that someone bought it for the purpose of guarding their home.
Before the apocalypse, felids were apex predators, so don’t treat a domestic cat as if it weren’t part of the Felidae family. Especially after their size increased, the feline attributes of a domestic cat were enhanced in every aspect. Apart from their speed, just their fangs and extended claws were longer than those of actual wild beasts.
A car sped up from the side and blocked the path in front of Xiao Hen’s car. Xiao Hen slammed on the brakes just in time, narrowly avoiding a collision.
Several burly men got out of the car and surrounded a man who walked toward the mutant ragdoll cat without looking back. The area was already crowded with onlookers, all attracted by the live-captured mutant ragdoll cat.
Even though it was confined in a cage, the mutant ragdoll cat maintained its noble and elegant demeanor. With sapphire-like eyes lazily narrowed, it scorned the group of fish-lipped humans, its furry tail wrapped around itself, refusing to mingle with the mundane.
“Make way! Brother Hui is here. We’re taking this mutant ragdoll cat for Brother Hui!” The man leading the way pushed through the crowd and loudly announced to everyone that the mutant ragdoll cat had an owner.
Wen Qingling: “…”
This really was a piece of cake.
