Scarface walked out of the alley, hands tucked in his pockets, his back slightly hunched. His pace was lazy and his gaze unfocused, making him look exactly like one of those idle loafers seen everywhere in the Outer City.
He walked past a street and stopped at a roadside stall, pretending to examine a few pieces of secondhand junk before shaking his head and continuing on.
He turned into another alley and stood at the entrance for a moment. He pulled a crumpled half-pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out to light, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled.
The smoke dispersed in the cold wind, blurring his features.
He kept walking.
He passed street after street, intersection after intersection.
Every time he stopped, he would pretend to be looking at something or waiting for someone.
But every time, his gaze would instinctively drift toward the Deep Blue Research Institute’s liaison office.
There was no movement there.
Lei Lie hadn't come out.
The appointed time was 6:00 PM; it was now 9:00 PM.
Three hours.
Scarface’s heart grew increasingly heavy.
He knew Lei Lie’s capabilities.
As a Level 3 Hunter, as long as he didn't encounter top-tier experts, he had more than enough power to protect himself.
Moreover, Lei Lie wasn't there to storm the place; he was only there to scout the perimeter and clarify the situation. It wasn't supposed to be a high-difficulty mission.
But now...
Scarface turned into another alley and stopped at the end.
Leaning his back against the cold wall, he looked up at the grey, overcast sky, knowing that something must have happened to Lei Lie.
He took a deep breath, stood up from the base of the wall, and patted the dust off his back.
As things stood, he had to report this news to the Landlord.
It was the only thing he could do now.
Scarface turned and headed toward the Outer City gates.
He had no idea he was already being watched.
Deep Blue Research Institute Outer City liaison office, underground surveillance room.
Shi Yong sat in a wide leather chair before a wall of surveillance monitors. Each screen displayed real-time footage from different angles inside and outside the institute.
Some showed corridors, others labs, and others the building’s perimeter.
Shi Yong’s gaze swept across the screens, finally stopping on a few in the bottom right corner.
It was the surveillance feed of the streets surrounding the institute.
In the footage, a figure was walking out of an alley, hands in his pockets, slightly hunched, with a lazy gait.
Shi Yong narrowed his eyes.
“This man...” he muttered in a low voice.
A young security squad leader standing nearby followed Shi Yong’s gaze and immediately leaned in. “Captain, is there something wrong with this man?”
Shi Yong didn't answer, simply tapping a few times on the console.
The image on the screen froze and zoomed in.
Scarface’s scarred face appeared clearly on the monitor.
“This is an unfamiliar face. From the look of him, he doesn't seem like someone from the Inner City...”
“Check his entry records,” Shi Yong said grimly.
The squad leader immediately began working on another terminal.
Entry and exit through the Inner City gates were all recorded; everyone entering needed to register their identification information.
Scarface’s records were quickly retrieved.
“Captain, I found it.”
The squad leader read, “This man is named Scarface. He was once the captain of the Night Owl mercenary team in the Outer City...”
“The Night Owl mercenary team?”
“Yes! However, according to the records, after a mission where their top combatants were killed, the entire team faced the threat of dissolution...”
“This Scarface left the team then and entered the Inner City fifteen days ago. His entry permit is a short-term employment permit, valid for three months.”
“The employer...” The squad leader paused. “It's the City Defense Force.”
Shi Yong’s pupils constricted slightly.
The City Defense Force?
He took the terminal and read it himself.
Indeed, a short-term employment permit. The stamp and serial number were in the City Defense Force’s format; it couldn't be faked.
Was this Scarface one of the City Defense Force’s men?
Or had he simply obtained this permit through some other channel?
“Check the records of that captured Level 3 Hunter,” Shi Yong ordered.
Lei Lie’s records quickly popped up.
Level 3 Hunter, formerly registered with the Gray Rat Guild in the Outer City. Specialized in tracking and long-range sniping, frequently active in the Ruin Zone.
Lei Lie had also entered the city with a City Defense Force short-term employment permit, valid for three months.
Their permit numbers were sequential, and the issue date was the same day.
As Shi Yong looked over the data, the doubts in his mind grew.
A Level 3 Hunter and a member of a mercenary team entering the Inner City through City Defense Force permits.
Then, the hunter breaks into the Deep Blue Research Institute while the mercenary provides backup outside.
What exactly were they trying to do?
But one thing was certain for now.
This Scarface was Lei Lie’s accomplice!
Shi Yong set the terminal down, his gaze returning to the surveillance wall.
Scarface’s figure was emerging from an alley. His pace was still lazy, but his direction had changed.
He was heading toward the Outer City gates.
Shi Yong stood up and gave a low-voiced order: “Take some men and bring him back.”
“Yes, sir.”
The squad leader turned and ran out of the surveillance room.
Shi Yong sat back in his chair, picked up the communicator on the desk, and dialed Chen Shijie’s number.
“Dr. Chen, the accomplice of the man we captured has been found.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end before Chen Shijie’s voice rang out again:
“Aside from this one, are there any other accomplices? Have you continued the sweep?”
Shi Yong immediately reported his findings in detail. “We’ve already checked.”
“These two entered the city together. Their entry permits are both City Defense Force short-term employment permits with sequential numbers and the same issue date.”
“The Level 3 Hunter we caught is named Lei Lie. The one providing backup outside is named Scarface, from the Outer City’s Night Owl mercenary team. No other accomplices have been found yet.”
Another silence followed.
Shi Yong could hear Chen Shijie’s light, steady breathing, as if he were deep in thought.
A moment later, Chen Shijie’s voice came through again with a hint of a cold sneer:
“A Level 3 Hunter and a low-rate mercenary... Shi Yong, do you really think these two alone would have the guts to target the Deep Blue Research Institute?”
Shi Yong was slightly taken aback, then immediately understood Chen Shijie’s meaning. “Dr. Chen, you mean there’s someone behind them?”
“What else?” Chen Shijie’s voice held a trace of mockery.
“A Level 3 Hunter might be someone in the Outer City, but in the Inner City, in front of the Deep Blue Research Institute, they are nothing.”
“Where would he get the courage or the backing?”
Fine beads of sweat broke out on Shi Yong’s forehead.
He had to admit that Chen Shijie was right.
A Level 3 Hunter, no matter how confident he was in his strength, couldn't be stupid enough to storm the Deep Blue Research Institute alone.
Unless someone had instructed him, someone had provided him with intelligence, and someone was backing him up.
Rate on N.U.
