Chapter 231: Target: Farrell

Do you even need to ask?

Hidden side quests don't conflict with main quests, and with the host's cooperation, they're easier to complete.

Wu Chang didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately accepted.

"As you said, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. As long as you help us eliminate those people, we'll find a way to expose the true nature of Hymn Corp."

Wu Chang snapped his fingers, and the turbulent sea surface transformed into a golden and splendid palace.

The two appeared before a long table, on which sat two cups of wine. Wu Chang picked up one cup and raised it toward Lei Mengde in a toast.

Such a sudden transition further convinced Lei Mengde that everything around him was an illusion.

He looked at the cup before him and thought silently that this kid had a certain sense of ceremony.

He picked up his cup, and the two lightly clinked glasses—thus, the alliance was sealed.

The wine slid down his throat, delivering a pleasant flavor; Lei Mengde savored the lingering aroma in his mouth—yes, it tasted like Federal currency.

This cup of wine, if placed in reality, would cost at least ten thousand Federal dollars.

Looking at the empty cup, Lei Mengde was stunned—could an illusion really simulate taste so perfectly? Was it still an illusion?

Whether due to the impact of Wu Chang's ability or the influence of his Perfectism title, Lei Mengde now regarded Wu Chang with a sense of reliability.

Even if he wasn't ready to trust Wu Chang with his back, he no longer feared Wu Chang stabbing him from behind.

But with Wu Chang's ability, if he wanted to stab him, he wouldn't need to wait for an opening from behind.

After accepting the side quest, the two further refined their cooperation model.

During Silent Passage, he'd been willing to let Xiang Jianxing and the Negotiation Master have a taste of soup, just because they were acquaintances—but now things were different; he had no intention of sharing the hidden side quest with Bu Ke and the others.

So, citing confidentiality, he reached an agreement with Lei Mengde: they would communicate exclusively, and neither could reveal their arrangement to any third party.

Lei Mengde had the same idea—few could resist Hymn Corp's temptation; hadn't another group of outsiders with special abilities chosen to defect to Hymn Corp?

He trusted Wu Chang, but that didn't mean he trusted the people around him.

The two hit it off immediately.

With the cooperation model settled, next came planning the specifics of their operation.

When it came to concrete action, Wu Chang had to solve the first problem: Lei Mengde's identity.

Lei Mengde's dual-agent status allowed him to mobilize resources from the Federal Tax Bureau and the Zhongqing Bureau, but that was under normal circumstances; after causing such a commotion in Weiduo City, if his superiors took notice, his identity would easily be exposed to Hymn Corp.

How much can public institutions really spend? The former director of the Federal Investigation Bureau is now a guest of honor at Hymn Corp—who believes there aren't Hymn Corp agents inside the Zhongqing Bureau and the Federal Tax Bureau?

Wu Chang asked: "Have your superiors noticed what you're doing now?"

Lei Mengde gave a reassuring expression and said:

"I'm a professional at undercover work—I've made sure my superiors haven't noticed. They don't even know I've already infiltrated Hymn Corp's key laboratory."

Wu Chang pressed: "Then what about recent events? Haven't they questioned you?"

Lei Mengde's gaze drifted slightly, his tone unsteady:

"I told them I didn't know, and that I was investigating. After seeing you two the other day, I reported to the Zhongqing Bureau that a group of mysterious strangers were responsible. To make them believe me, I even sent a short video."

Wu Chang: …

Seeing Wu Chang's expression darken, Lei Mengde pulled out his phone to salvage the situation:

"Don't worry—the video I sent didn't show you. It only showed those few strangers chasing you. They now suspect that the culprits are modified spies from Mao Xiong and the Rabbit Nation, infiltrating Weiduo City to steal the core technology of the Primordial Arms."

Wu Chang sighed. Though exposing the players' existence might draw Hymn Corp's attention, at least it had defused the situation.

Besides, his host identity was a native of this realm—what did it matter to Xiao En, the manager, if the players were exposed?

"If you hadn't met us, what was your original plan?"

Lei Mengde's expression grew even more uneasy. After a long hesitation, he revealed the truth.

"Actually, my plan has already failed. If I hadn't met you, I'd have had to resort to a terrorist attack to announce to the world that Degenerate Monsters can be artificially created."

Wu Chang stared blankly—what did that mean? How had it already failed?

"Why did it fail?"

Lei Mengde spat: "It's all because of that damn Xiao En."

Wu Chang:?

What? I've only been here a short time—how is this my fault?

You're two-faced. Last night you smiled politely and called me Manager Xiao En, and now you're cursing "damn Xiao En."

Lei Mengde continued:

"The loophole I exploited to infiltrate the key laboratory has been discovered by Hymn Corp. Now, to enter again, I can only do so through Farrell's access rights."

"Through my arrangement, Farrell and Morez were supposed to conduct a transaction. I planned to use that opportunity to repeatedly interact with Farrell, attempting to hypnotize him—or assassinate him—to seize his access rights."

"But that damn Xiao En used the same dirty tactics as Schultze—he stole the deal by releasing Degenerate Monsters, leaving me without a plausible excuse to approach Farrell again."

Now it was Wu Chang's turn to feel guilty. According to Lei Mengde's account, this really was his fault.

He cleared his throat and said:

"If we find a way to get close to Farrell and capture him, can you extract the access rights you need from him?"

Lei Mengde nodded: "I'm confident. But Farrell is Hymn Corp's official Level 8 Manager—he's always accompanied by dedicated staff, and he lives and sleeps in his office."

"If you plan to use the same method you used on that idiot Xiao En—sneaking into Farrell's home to kidnap him—it won't work."

Wu Chang pretended Lei Mengde wasn't insulting him and said calmly:

"Before Manager Xiao En assigned us to hunt the assassins, he mentioned he was displeased that Farrell had been privately interfering in his business. He said that perhaps soon, we'd need to give Farrell a lesson."

"If things develop that way, we might find an opening—turn the act into reality and take down Farrell."

Lei Mengde was surprised: "Xiao En is dissatisfied with Farrell? Is he really Xiao En? He's nothing like the lazy, good-for-nothing waste I remember."

Lei Mengde looked around, watching the near-realistic illusion Wu Chang had created, and recalled how perfectly timed Xiao En's awakening had been. He narrowed his eyes at Wu Chang and probed:

"Could it be that you've used your illusion to control Xiao En?"

Wu Chang smiled and shook his head, "Do you really believe someone who sits in that position is a lazy waste? Even if he were, staying there would not allow it. Everyone carries a beast inside them; our arrival simply gave Xiao En the ability to unleash that beast."

"And…"

Wu Chang smiled at Lei Mengde and snapped his fingers; a flash of Jin Guang appeared, and the two returned to the alley where Lei Mengde had attacked Martin.

"I don't know any illusion techniques."

Lei Mengde stared at the wine glass still in his hand, and the residual red wine inside, frozen in place.

What had just happened shattered his understanding; his eyes widened as he stared at Wu Chang, trembling, and said:

"What the hell is this?"

Wu Chang shrugged, "The red wine I casually took from Xiao En's house—it was placed right at the front of the wine cabinet, clearly valuable."

Lei Mengde: "You know I didn't ask about the wine."

Wu Chang feigned sudden understanding and smiled, "You mean what just happened?"

He snapped his fingers again, vanishing from the spot, leaving only these words behind.

"It's magic."

Lei Mengde whipped his head around and realized Wu Chang had vanished before him as if teleporting. Recalling the battle he'd witnessed a few days prior, he muttered, "Magic…"

Wu Chang had intended to leave using spatial magic, but remembered its cooldown was too long, so he switched to Elite Stealth and Social Anxiety.

To Lei Mengde, a mere muggle, the effect was identical to teleportation magic.

He let Bu Ke and the others cause chaos for a while longer, then sensed his main body's affairs were nearing their end, and departed from Duonaojie with Bu Ke and the others.

Snakes have their paths, mice have theirs.

Bu Ke and the others were members of the Four Major Organizations; their actions seemed reckless, but like Martin, they had each made progress from different angles.

Lei Mengde insisted he was a professional, but Weiduo City was unfamiliar territory to him; his crimes were too frequent, inevitably leaving traces.

Fortunately, he always wore a mask when acting, so he hadn't been directly identified.

On Wu Chang's main body's side, thanks to the disqualified monster impersonating Cun Tian Guijie, Wu Chang's performance metrics rose by over ten million Federal Credits.

Ma Weisong Street, where the incident occurred, was just an ordinary neighborhood; its residents and businesses were far from wealthy—ten million was already their limit.

This level of performance meant nothing to an Eighth-Level Manager; it wasn't enough to buy the Schultze-promised Bio-Energy Enhancement surgery.

!

He needed another big order, somewhere.

He opened the office system, entered the Disqualified Monster requisition interface, scrolled through the list, and pondered which Disqualified Treasure to select this time.

Hm?

He remembered that when choosing Disqualified Monsters before, there had been a runner-up to Gluttony Ant: Pressure Mushroom.

Also small in range, but high in destructive power, with intense aggression.

But this time, when he scrolled all the way down, he didn't see Pressure Mushroom—there was only one possible explanation: someone had already claimed it.

Could it be that some copycat saw how he gained performance and tried to replicate it?

Back at Sacred Song Corp, he called Fei Guang and the others into his office, closed the door, and said:

"You all have special abilities beyond Bio-Energy Enhancement, don't you?"

At these words, Fei Guang and the others' expressions changed slightly; Qian Ye and You Wu glanced around, searching for escape routes; Fei Guang's expression turned grave and denied:

"We don't have…"

Wu Chang raised a hand to cut off Fei Guang's explanation, unconcerned:

"Don't rush to deny it—in Sacred Song Corp, any ability that brings performance is a good thing."

Fei Guang said nothing, watching Wu Chang silently, waiting for his next words.

Wu Chang: "I'll give you a personal suggestion: next time you act, confirm no one is around before fighting. The Zhongqing Bureau just sent a special alert—they've spotted individuals with special abilities fighting wild Disqualified Monsters."

Fei Guang and the others began sweating, especially Fei Guang, who shot a sidelong glance at You Wu, silently blaming him for not noticing they'd been watched that night.

Wu Chang continued: "I don't care about your identities. I don't care if you're Mao Xiong's modified humans—I only care whether you can get things done for me. If you deliver, even if the Zhongqing Bureau's claims are true—that you're trying to steal Original Substance weaponry tech—I can let you steal a small portion to hand in. It's negotiable."

Fei Guang and the others stared in shock, as if asking: "You can negotiate this?"

Wu Chang smiled, "Haven't you heard the saying? When the price is right, capital will sell the rope that hangs itself. The technology Sacred Song Corp holds far exceeds your imagination. Of course, if you don't want to return, I can pretend your past never existed and let you stay at Sacred Song, rise to executive rank."

"But all of this depends on one thing: you must deliver for me."

Fei Guang and the others fell into thought, exchanged glances, then after a moment, Fei Guang exhaled sharply and decided to take the gamble.

"Manager Xiao En, we do have special abilities. My ability is…"

Wu Chang cut him off again, "You don't need to tell me your ability—that's your privacy, and I don't care. I only care whether your ability can help me investigate something."

"Just now, someone requisitioned a Disqualified Monster. I want you to go to the Logistics Department's server and find out who took it."

Wu Chang pulled out his Eighth-Level Manager access card and a tablet displaying Sacred Song Tower's blueprints, with the Logistics Department server's location marked.

Seeing Wu Chang showed no interest in probing their abilities, Fei Guang and the others trusted him more; You Wu took the access card and tablet, said nothing grand, merely locked eyes with Wu Chang, saw him nod, then silently left the office.

Wu Chang, Fei Guang, and Qian Ye remained in the office, waiting for You Wu's return.

If Wu Chang did this himself, he'd likely find the answer too.

But unlike during Silent Passage, his current identity was a pure-blooded ordinary person who hadn't even completed Bio-Energy Enhancement.

As his main body impersonating Manager Xiao En, he avoided using power whenever possible.

When Lei Mengde had secretly filmed from afar, even with his spiritual sense, he hadn't detected Lei Mengde's presence—clearly, the Sacred Song Corp dimension wasn't simple.

Especially within Sacred Song Corp, where Schultze sat on the top floor—even Wu Chang couldn't see through him.

Schultze, alone, had turned Sacred Song Corp from a second-rate arms dealer into one of the Federation's top five arms suppliers in five years.

He had single-handedly developed high-energy weapons with technological superiority and Disqualified Monsters and Bio-Energy Armaments infused with divinity.

To say Schultze had no secrets? Even a fool wouldn't believe that.

So these dirty, labor-intensive tasks requiring abilities? Best left to Fei Guang and the others—if Schultze ever found out, Wu Chang could sever ties with them later and avoid being implicated.

Youwu's efficiency was impressive—less than half an hour and she was back in Wu Chang's office.

"Mission accomplished."

Youwu said, handing the tablet and ID card back to Wu Chang.

Opening the tablet, he discovered that Youwu had not only found the intel he asked for, but had also copied all the other related requisition records.

This earned Youwu Guang high praise from Wu Chang.

Take a look and that'll do—how dare you copy files, are you really not afraid Schultz will notice you?

He's a man who doesn't fear death; any job that's going to get someone killed in the future, send him.

Wu Chang scrolled down through the records and quickly saw the most recent requisition entries.

Requisitioned disqualified creature: Pressure Mushroom. Requisitioner: Insurance Department Manager Farrell.

Wu Chang raised an eyebrow—well, isn't that a coincidence.

He now needed to rack up another batch of merits, and he also needed to take out Farrell. He was fretting over which to do first, but Farrell had made the decision for him—do them both at once and it's done.

Following the logistics requisition records Youwu had copied, he found that Farrell had not only requisitioned the Pressure Mushroom, but also over a dozen sets of high-energy weapons.

At this point Youwu said: "Before coming back, I took the time to swing by the Insurance Department and overheard Manager Farrell discussing a place called Second Street with someone."

Second Street is the financial center of Wielde City, packed with a large number of top-tier companies.

Second Street's position among commercial streets is like Orens Estate's position among wealthy districts.

Wu Chang casually looked it up—and sure enough, Second Street, much like Orens Estate, relied on its strong security, had never been attacked, and was still running an old version of its automatic defense system.

Moreover, the insurance policies they carried were still the lowest tier.

What this copycat Farrell was planning to do was plain as day.

Wu Chang said to Youwu: "You did well. Your mission now is to stick close to Farrell, tail him, keep tabs on his every move. The rest of you, come with me to Second Street—let's meet our big client ahead of time."

(End of chapter)