Chapter 976: The First Sentence

The First Sentence

In Chi Tong's office.

Chi Tong sat on the sofa, sipping the freshly brewed coffee, his expression indifferent.

Chen Ling sat opposite him, holding the stack of questionnaires and beginning to explain his fourteen-point medical suggestion in an impassioned and righteous manner. Halfway through, he was interrupted by Chi Tong.

"Alright." Chi Tong's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Mister Chen, you don't need to report so meticulously. I already have someone counting the remaining medical supplies and medicine reserves in the base..."

"How can we not report meticulously? This concerns the lives and safety of all the residents in the Wuji Domain!" Chen Ling slapped the table righteously. "Especially during the Great Cataclysm... No, you don't know the situation at that time. At that time..."

Chen Ling began to passionately fabricate stories from the Great Cataclysm, mixed with a little bit of historical knowledge of the Wuji Domain he had read in the past few days, completely treating himself as a veteran resident of the Wuji Domain.

If Chen Ling just came up and asked for files from the Great Cataclysm period, Chi Tong would definitely be suspicious. Only by acting like this, as if his mind was full of thoughts on how to govern the domain and getting so excited as he talked that he extended the topic to historical files, would it appear natural and seamless.

Chen Ling spoke until his mouth went dry. Chi Tong finally couldn't hold back anymore:

The moment these words came out, Chen Ling's heart jumped, knowing the main topic was finally coming.

"The Rat Party? You mean... the remnants of the Witchcraft Association?"

"It seems you've indeed heard of them." Chi Tong's expression relaxed slightly.

"I can't say I'm completely familiar, just heard of them occasionally."

When it came to the Rat Party, Chen Ling only knew that they were composed of the remnants of the Witchcraft Association. Since their failure to assassinate Li Leider when Red King visited the Wuji Domain, they had been suppressed by Li Leider and almost perished, and even Wu Duo was executed under the rain.

Wait...

Chen Ling seemed to have thought of something.

He recalled the history he had seen before. The Rat Party was indeed eradicated by Li Leider, but that was in the original trajectory of the Wuji Domain history...

After he transmigrated to Fang Liangye, he completely changed Fang Liangye's trajectory. If things developed normally, after the Rat Party's assassination of Li Leider failed, Wu Duo should have died. But in his own trajectory, "Fang Liangye" stepped forward to plead for Wu Duo, leaving Wu Duo alive!

If Wu Duo didn't die, could the situation of the Rat Party have changed because of this?

Chen Ling recalled for a moment. In this timeline, after he exposed the true face of the Human Rights Union, Fang Liangye was taken away by the remnants of the Rat Party under Li Leider's nose. That is to say, the Rat Party hadn't been eradicated in this timeline, but had successfully survived, lurking underground in the Wuji Domain.

All of this was a butterfly effect caused by Chen Ling alone!

Chen Ling's heart surged with stormy waves, but on the surface he remained calm as a pool of stagnant water, asking calmly:

"Why does Lord Chi Tong ask about this? Because they hijacked Fang Liangye yesterday?"

"It's good that you know." Chi Tong continued, "Those members of the Rat Party grew up in the Wuji Domain and are very familiar with the local underground drainage pipes. Therefore, the higher-ups hope to find a local to assist in the search... preferably someone with some status among the residents, so it won't arouse the suspicion of those old mice.

I personally think Mister Chen is very suitable for this."

Chen Ling was momentarily dazed.

Chi Tong was asking him to hunt down the Rat Party?

Letting aside the fact that Fang Liangye, whose identity he swapped with, was still with the Rat Party. Even without Fang Liangye... could Chi Tong be relying on the Rat Party to find his historical files? If he wiped out the Rat Party, where would he go to find evidence to prove he was Chen Ling?

"Sorry, Lord Chi Tong, I'm afraid I don't have the time for this..." Chen Ling naturally wanted to decline, but suddenly remembered something halfway through.

He originally planned to propose asking the Fire-Stealers for the Great Cataclysm files, and then let Chi Tong take the initiative to mention the Rat Party... The result he wanted was precisely to come into contact with the Rat Party.

Now Chi Tong took the initiative to hand this job to him, isn't this equivalent to letting him use public office for private gain to go to the Rat Party?

If he used the identity of Chi Tong's subordinate, he would basically be unimpeded underground in the Wuji Domain.

Chen Ling forcefully swallowed his words of refusal and forcefully squeezed out a troubled smile:

"...Of course, if Lord Chi Tong really needs me to go, it's not impossible."

Chi Tong nodded in satisfaction, completely unaware that in just a few seconds, the "reliable subordinate" before him had already completed the psychological journey of rebelling.

"It's good that you can help." Chi Tong threw an iron emblem over. "This is a token given to me by the higher-ups. After you take it, you will act with me in the sewers... Those old mice hide extremely deeply. If we go down this time, there might be danger, you must be mentally prepared."

Going with Chi Tong?

Chen Ling raised an eyebrow. The situation had suddenly changed... Since he had to act with Chi Tong, it would be troublesome to find opportunities to contact the Rat Party alone.

He could only take one step at a time.

Chen Ling put away the emblem and nodded. "When do we set off?"

"Now."

...

Wuji Domain, underground.

The foul-smelling dark sewer was filled with turbid sewage. Moss and filth climbed up the sides, and a few bloated dead mice floated past occasionally, giving off a putrid stench.

Bang——

A gunshot rang out.

A figure wearing a windbreaker with Markings collapsed in the sewage. The flashlight in his hand rolled along the moss until it reached the feet of a young man.

Fang Liangye lowered the firearm in his hand. Staring at the corpse in front of him, he panted violently.

Killing wasn't unfamiliar to Fang Liangye. Since his memories returned, the brutal killing intent of "Fang Liangye" also awakened in his body. In the past few days in the underground, he had successfully killed three Law Enforcers.

"They're coming fast... No wonder Durand said this place isn't completely safe."

Fang Liangye murmured to himself, picking up the flashlight from the ground and turning off the light.

Fang Liangye leaned against the icy wall, slowly sorting out the current situation in his mind... He had roughly figured out what was going on. For some reason, the original owner of this body swapped bodies with him, and was now the 6 of Hearts of the Dusk Society; and he himself became the leader of the Human Rights Union, almost killed by the Fire-Stealers, and rescued by the Rat Party...

Fang Liangye's current emotions were very complex. The other party not only saved the residents of the Wuji Domain but also gave him a perfectly clean new identity... This was exactly the life he had always yearned for! But what made him collapse was that there was a group of terrifying Fire-Stealers tracking him all day long! He couldn't even sleep peacefully! He had to face life-and-death crises all the time!

Just as he let out a long sigh, a voice suddenly sounded from beside him:

"Your marksmanship is pretty good."

Fang Liangye was startled and jerked his head around.

In the gloom, a figure was slowly walking out from the corner. It was a man wearing a windbreaker with Markings. It seemed he had arrived long ago, yet Fang Liangye hadn't noticed him at all.

Fang Liangye's pupils contracted slightly, and the firearm in his hand instinctively aimed at him.

The man smiled faintly at him.

"No need to be nervous. If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead."

"Who are you?" Fang Liangye stared at him cautiously.

The man took a few steps closer. Taking advantage of the faint light penetrating from above the sewer, Fang Liangye finally saw his face clearly.

Underneath a wide red cap, a pair of eyes were staring at him calmly, and slightly raising his head was a distinctive chin.

Seeing this appearance, Fang Liangye was stunned on the spot.

This person was...

"We finally meet, Fang Liangye."

The man smiled and uttered the very first sentence to Fang Liangye:

"Let me introduce myself. I am Chen Ling... the 6 of Hearts of the Dusk Society."