Chapter 505: Mercenary Group

Lao Da personally issued the order, so Ailin naturally carried it out with all her effort!

After arranging the personnel, she personally led a few people to keep an eye on a target.

The target she chose was the skinny young man who first suggested "snatching a bowl of rice".

The fellow looked timid; he wilted when a guard glared at him earlier, yet the resentment in his eyes hadn't fully faded.

Moreover, Ailin noticed that he had just exchanged a brief glance with two other people who had made similar remarks, suggesting it was a gang operation.

It must be him.

Ailin, with two equally alert teammates, pretended to be on routine patrol, strolling unhurriedly around the young man's vicinity, their gazes intermittently fixed on him.

Time passed slowly, the water outside receded gradually, but the vehicle still needed some time before it could be used normally.

Some impatient people, or refugees who felt safe yet stifled inside the safety zone, began moving toward the exit, intending to return to their own vehicles.

The skinny young man was among them.

He kept his head down, walking briskly, as if eager to leave this place that made him both envious and fearful.

Ailin's eyes hardened, and she gave a signal to the two teammates.

The three subtly changed direction, deliberately positioning themselves on the young man's path to the exit.

Just as the young man was about to pass them, Ailin let out an "oops", stumbling slightly as if tripped by uneven ground, perfectly blocking his way.

"Sorry, I lost my balance." Ailin steadied herself, offering an apologetic smile while her gaze remained calm.

The young man startled, instinctively stepping back half a step, his eyes flickering: "It's… it's okay…"

"Friend, you look in a hurry—are you trying to leave?" a teammate behind Ailin said at the right moment, in a gentle tone. "Just a friendly reminder, the water outside hasn't fully receded, so it's not very safe. Also, we'd like to know if you have any comments or suggestions about the arrangements we just made in our safety zone, so we can improve."

The words sounded reasonable and entirely like routine formalities.

The young man's tense nerves relaxed a bit, but his vigilance remained.

He quickly waved his hand: "No, no, thank you, I… I just want to go back and check my vehicle… No comments, it's fine, really fine!"

He spoke rapidly, eager to get away.

But how could the three let him leave unharmed?

"Is that so?" Ailin's smile faded slightly; she leaned forward, lowered her voice to a tone only they could hear, and asked, "So… about the 'snatch a bowl of rice' suggestion, friend, where did you get the idea? Or did someone teach you?"

The young man's complexion turned deathly pale instantly!

"I… I don't know what you're talking about…"

His voice trembled, his eyes darted anxiously left and right, searching for an escape, only to find the other two teammates silently blocking his retreat; though a polite smile remained on his face, his gaze was icy.

Other refugees passed by nearby, instinctively giving him a wider berth.

Even if someone noticed the oddity, the gear on Ailin and the two others made it clear they were Black Feather members.

Better not to get involved; they couldn't afford to provoke them, so they kept their distance.

"Don't be nervous," Ailin said, lowering her voice further, "we just want to talk. After all, spreading such talk in the safety zone helps no one, especially you. What do you think?"

Cold sweat formed on the young man's forehead, his lips trembling.

He recalled the cold barrel of the Black Feather member's gun, and Ailin's expression—devoid of any emotion yet terrifying.

Fear finally overwhelmed everything.

"I… I'll be honest, please! Spare my life!"

His legs gave way, nearly collapsing to his knees, but a teammate behind Ailin calmly steadied his arm.

Ailin lifted her chin, flashing a smile about seventy percent like Cheng Shuili's, "Let's go, we'll have a proper talk."

How could the young man refuse?

……

In the Black Feather Group Chat:

【Ai Mi Li】: Lao Da! Several people have been recruited; it's a person with the ID Wai Bi Ba Bu, who posted a task in a Mercenary Group. He says that anyone who records inciting speech inside the Black Feather safety zone can get a bounty from him.

"Mercenary Group? What is that?"

"I know! I know! Lao Da, it's a gray group chat circulating among players who can't find joy, full of all sorts—information sellers, freelancers, murder buyers, everything. Post a task, someone takes it; the group is huge!"

"There's such a group chat? That's eye‑opening."

"So now someone is posting a task in the chat that's detrimental to us Black Feather, right?"

"Does anyone know that Wai Bi Ba Bu?"

"Never heard of him."

"What about the Mercenary Group owner? Not sure about other things, but the owner's ID can't stay hidden, right?"

"Indeed, it can't be hidden, and there's no need to hide it; that guy is quite famous, made his fortune in intelligence trading before the merge, and is said to sell info on any big shot!"

【Ai Mi Li】: Stop being cryptic! Speak clearly, I need to report to Lao Da.

"Report! The Mercenary Group owner's ID is Hei Shi Lao Mao, who specializes in intelligence trading and matchmaking. He's reputed to have excellent credibility; give enough price and any info can be obtained. Yet he's extremely mysterious, almost never appears! Moreover, he definitely has powerful backers; anyone who used a duel card against him ended up dead."

Ailin gathered all the information, then with a satisfied smile went to report to Cheng Shuili.

Mercenary Group… Cheng Shuili hadn't heard of it. Wai Bi Ba Bu… Cheng Shuili didn't recognize either.

But Hei Shi Lao Mao… uh.

Cheng Shuili silently opened a private chat window.

The last conversation was the other party sending intelligence dividends, and the top ID in the chat window was boldly "Hei Shi Lao Mao"!

Cheng Shuili said nothing, merely screenshotting the chat with Ailin and sending it to Hei Shi Lao Mao.

Almost as soon as the screenshot was sent, Cheng Shuili's private chat interface began flashing wildly.

【Hei Shi Lao Mao】:!!!! Lao Da! Misunderstanding!

【Hei Shi Lao Mao】: A huge misunderstanding!! (terrified) (kneeling)

【Hei Shi Lao Mao】: I can explain! I swear! This has nothing to do with me! I did create the Mercenary Group, but posting and taking tasks there is free; I don't even draw!