Chapter 66
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Chapter 66: Achievement Unlocked – All Novices Here!
It was undeniably true—there were many empty cells in the City Guard’s prison, waiting to be filled.
“Perhaps he feared his identity would be exposed and decided not to show up,” Shandela speculated with a shrug. “”But then again, I can’t imagine any gentleman easily refusing an invitation from you, especially without knowing your background.”
“You’re too kind,” Elise smiled warmly. “By the way, he mentioned his name is Chao. If you ever encounter him, try engaging in more conversation.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Shandela replied, her expression thoughtful.
After a brief pause, Elisse added softly, “Even if he turns out to be a fraud, when you apprehend him, please treat him with some leniency. Don’t let him suffer unnecessarily. His words resonated deeply with me; in a sense, he supported me during a challenging time.”
Hearing this unexpected sentiment from Elise, the teacher’s daughter, Shandela nodded in agreement, though her curiosity only deepened.
Who exactly was this man named Chao, to leave such a profound impression on Miss Elise after just a single meeting?
“Enough about that,” Elise suddenly said, closing the window with a decisive snap. She flexed her wrists, a familiar glint in her eyes. “Care for some sparring?”
“What?” Shandela blinked, caught off guard.
“Don’t play dumb; we used to spare all the time, remember?” With a smile Elise began undoing the buttons of her blouse and slipped off the silk garment. It was only then that Shandela noticed that instead of the corset-style undergarments commonly worn by noble ladies, Elise wore a fitted bodysuit revealing her back. The tension in her arms and spine, along with her well-defined muscles, indicated she had never let up on training over the years.
“How about it? This hotel has a combat training area.”
Shandela’s lips curved into a smile of her own. “You’re right; it’s been far too long since our last spared. I’d be honored to accept your challenge.”
***
It wasn’t until the following afternoon that Chaoyang received precise intelligence he’d been waiting for from Dunn.
“Early this morning, a steam train left the port, heading towards the mining site outside the city. Onboard, in the conductor’s cabin, is the previous month’s wages for the miners,” Dunn reported, handing over a note. Chaoyang read it quickly, then crumpled the paper into a tight ball.
“Is this information reliable?”
“In all honesty, it’s not much of a secret,” Dunn replied with a nod. “Zhu Di has a lot of connections among the newsboys, and they’re often her best informants. At places like the port or the local taverns, employees of Gaotian Mining Corporation frequently chat about their pay during breaks. It doesn’t take much effort to gather such information. But… others might find it useless since Gaotian Mining has its own armed security force.”
“Miss Zhu Di truly has an extensive network…” Chaoyang mused, a hint of admiration in his voice.
“Yes, indeed. Previously, I focused more on the movements of royalty, corporations, and major businessmen, while she always prioritized the lives of ordinary people,” Dunn agreed. “In that sense, she might be a better journalist than me.”
“If you told her that face-to-face, she’d definitely deny it,” Chaoyang chuckled. “By the way, where is she? I expected her to deliver the intel herself.”
“She’s busy right now, furiously writing about something that’s got her riled up.”
“Oh? What happened?”
“Have you read the recent issues of The Daily Mail or The Pioneer?”
Chaoyang shook his head. Ever since he discovered the Ten Thousand Worlds Machine, he had stopped relying on newspapers to understand the world. Newspapers contained too much irrelevant information, whereas the machine provided direct answers to specific queries.
“There were several articles defending the Northern City Police Department and people like Kui Qi.” Dunn said his tone darkening. “To this day, the victims’ families have not received compensation from Gaotian Mining Corporation. Yet these reports highlighted past good deeds by the police department, attempting to quell public outrage. They’re bringing up old stories about rescuing animals or catching petty criminals… It’s outrageous! No matter how many good deeds they’ve done in the past, it cannot absolve them of their current vile crimes.”
“They must have been… paid off,” Chaoyang said, his brow furrowing in disgust.
“Certainly! I thought, given such a heinous serial murder case, they might exercise some restraint. But no, they’re as shameless as ever!” Dunn’s anger intensified as he spoke. “Those people writing such reports don’t deserve to call themselves journalists!”
He quickly grasped the situation, “So Zhu Di wants to counter them with an article?”
“Exactly. The pen and newspaper are our most powerful weapons. I believe this time, the public will undoubtedly stand with Jeddy Brother’s.”
“If that’s the case, you should go ahead and attend to it. Don’t leave Miss Zhu Di fighting this battle alone.”
After watching Dunn head off, Chaoyang took a deep breath and initiated a soul connection to summon the other four players.
Approximately one hour later, all the players finally gathered together.
Chaoyang naturally wasn’t about to reveal the intelligence immediately; after all, gathering information was part of the main quest. He was genuinely curious about their individual outcomes throughout the day.
But as he glanced around, he noticed an awkward silence had settled over the group. They exchanged hesitant looks, but no one spoke up.
Sweeping his gaze around suspiciously, Chaoyang asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I…” Asahara Naruko cleared her throat, looking slightly embarrassed.”I couldn’t complete the task. The money… is gone.”
“Did you choose the wrong target?” Zhang Zhiyuan questioned, his brows knitting in confusion.
“No, I spent it on clothes.” Zhang blinked, taken aback by the reply.
“I accompanied her,” Zhou Zhi admitted, raising his hand sheepishly. “So mine’s gone too.”
“You bought clothes too?!”
“Not exactly… I lent my money to her.”
Impressive! Chaoyang couldn’t help but mentally applaud—twenty silver coins… equivalent to thousands of Earth’s currency, spent entirely on clothes? Did Asahara Naruko just go on a shopping spree?
“I didn’t save anything either,” Anthony chimed in, his chin lifted as if daring anyone to challenge him. “I spent it all on sleep.
“Sleep? Are the lodgings outside that expensive?” Zhou Zhi questioned, puzzled.
“I have this habit: whenever I reach a new place, I always want to experience the local women’s…hospitality. So kid, you’d better stop asking too many questions.” He shot Zhou Zhi a dismissive glance before turning to Zhang Zhiyuan, “Don’t we still have our righteous envoy? He surely must have used the funds wisely.”
Zhang Zhiyuan rubbed his forehead, “I intended to personally walk along the railway to determine potential ambush points. Therefore, I rented a horse and ventured outside the city. But then I ran into a young beggar…”
“Big Brother Zhang, you didn’t give all your money to the beggar, did you?!” Zhou Zhi blurted out, incredulous.
“Of course not! I’m not stupid!” Zhang snapped, irritated. “I was planning to give him just a few copper coins; anyway, the money was already broken down into smaller denominations. But then… while handing him the coins, I didn’t notice someone behind me, and a thief snatched my pouch. By the time I tried to chase them, they had disappeared into the wheat fields.”
Brilliant! Even Luo Di couldn’t help but clap in admiration.
“That beggar was just a distraction,” Anthony snorted. “One to draw attention while the other made their move—classic professional work, Suka!”
“Oh no… does that mean we’ve all suffered total losses?” Zhou Zhi asked, his voice tinged with despair.
“I still managed to gain something; don’t lump me with the rest of you!” Zhang Zhiyuan objected, clearly offended by the notion of ‘total losses.’ “Not only did I walk along the railway, but I also found an ideal spot for an ambush. It’s shortly after entering the foggy region, a small depression surrounded by abandoned mine tunnels.”
“But we don’t know which train is Gaotian Mining Corporation’s armored cash carrier yet. What use is having just one ambush location?” The Russian shook his head repeatedly, clearly unimpressed.
“What about you then? This isn’t solely my responsibility!” Zhang Zhiyuan shot back, his frustration evident.
“Wait, let’s not forget our new member,” Asahara Naruko interjected, suddenly remembering Luo Di. “How about you? Did you find anything useful?”
“I explored Central Street and enjoyed local delicacies along the way,” the angel truthfully replied.
Brilliant! the others thought simultaneously, albeit silently.
“How about… giving us another day?” Zhou Zhi cautiously suggested, his eyes darting nervously eyeing the Host.
Chaoyang didn’t hesitate. He snapped his fingers, his voice firm, “Main quest update: Intelligence gathering failed, 100 points deducted from everyone. Now, new mission objective—we’ll act tonight!”
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