Chapter 239: Walks Right In

Wildo City, Duonaojie, Mao Xiong Gang's stronghold, former boss's office.

Before Lei Mengde sat a massive screen, its center displaying a professional photo of Mo Ke.

Beside the photo were Mo Ke's related files.

Lei Mengde's expression was grave, like a teacher lecturing students on key points—except the students below weren't paying close attention.

Bu Ke stood before the liquor shelf, selecting which bottle to open; Colton rapidly tapped his keyboard, his screen displaying far more detailed information about Mo Ke than Lei Mengde's.

Veronica sat upright, appearing the most like a good student, but upon closer inspection, her gaze was fixed on the screen—clearly lost in thought.

Only Wu Chang truly honored him by acting as the sole attentive student.

Before last night's attack on the Iron Armor Squad, Wu Chang had briefly informed Bu Ke and the others about Lei Mengde.

Wu Chang did not sync the hidden side quest with Bu Ke and the others, yet they still agreed to cooperate with Lei Mengde.

The reason was simple: before kidnapping Farrell, they had ambushed near Second Avenue and spotted Fei Guang and his group from afar.

For some reason, Fei Guang and his group had somehow struck luck—in just two or three days, they had already secured their footing at Sheng Ge Company and were now negotiating contracts with merchants on Second Avenue.

This gap in status was nearly impossible to close; if Bu Ke and the others insisted on pursuing the Sheng Ge Company route, they risked being crushed by Fei Guang and his group using their authority.

Meanwhile, they could no longer ignore Manager Xiao En, whom they had previously coerced.

Originally, they had tricked Manager Xiao En into helping them join Sheng Ge Company by showcasing their abilities; though they had reached a cooperation agreement, these days even written contracts could be torn up at will—what weight did a verbal agreement hold?

Given how much Manager Xiao En favored Fei Guang and his group, constantly keeping these new hires close at hand, it was likely Fei Guang had already leaked the truth to him.

On one side stood a capable subordinate; on the other, intruders who had broken into his home and once threatened him.

If conflict arose, whom would Manager Xiao En support? It was obvious.

Moreover, over these past two days, Manager Xiao En had assigned them a search mission—but they had only seen the mission, never the personnel; they didn't return home at night, clearly avoiding them on purpose.

He hadn't directly revoked their employee status, likely keeping them around in case they might be useful someday.

Bu Ke and the others didn't say it aloud, but they knew the Sheng Ge Company employee path was now closed.

Just as they were pondering how to save themselves, Lei Mengde's appearance was like a pillow dropped right into their sleepy arms.

Assisting Lei Mengde against Sheng Ge Company was another viable path.

Opposing Sheng Ge Company might make the main quest slightly harder, but with Lei Mengde's help, secondary main quest two would become much easier.

After a brief discussion, they agreed.

If they had still been uncertain when they first agreed yesterday, after last night's decisive victory, their confidence had surged.

Even if they couldn't clear the instance dungeon, if they could kill Fei Guang with Lei Mengde's help and destroy the item he used to lock the instance dungeon, then even if Sheng Ge Company proved difficult, they could forcibly escape the instance dungeon—at least preserving their lives.

Before the screen, Lei Mengde was explaining Mo Ke's habits.

Mo Ke was cautious, rarely acted alone, seldom entered areas outside Sheng Ge Company and other major corporate headquarters, and rarely interacted with strangers.

He avoided private gatherings of the wealthy, casinos, high-end nightclubs, and never invited models or popular actresses to spend the night at his mansion—his private life was as austere as a monk's.

Targeting such a person was extremely difficult, as he rarely exposed weaknesses; to capture him, they would have to create one themselves.

When Lei Mengde reached the specific plan, Bu Ke and the others snapped back to attention, their eyes fixed on him.

Lei Mengde sighed and said, "Just now, I received intelligence: three days from now, Sheng Ge Company will hold a global launch event to officially unveil the Primordial Armor."

"All of Sheng Ge Company's partners and major clients will be present that day; the world's focus will center entirely on that day. The global launch three days from now is undoubtedly the most important day for Sheng Ge Company in recent years—they absolutely cannot afford to fail."

"Our operation date will be the day before the launch."

As Lei Mengde spoke, he opened a bird's-eye view map of Wildo City, marking several circles—each circle denoting a Sheng Ge Company asset, all located at a distance from City Hall.

He said, "I plan to transform several Degenerate Monsters on the night before the launch and have them attack these areas. Mo Ke is naturally suspicious—he will suspect we're luring him away, fearing we've obtained something from Farrell, and is highly likely to bring men to City Hall to verify the situation."

"But with the global launch imminent, Sheng Ge Company must immediately deal with the Degenerate Monsters, forcing their defensive forces to scatter—creating a moment when Mo Ke will be relatively isolated."

"All we need to do is ambush along the road to City Hall in advance, seize the right opportunity to strike, and we have a high probability of capturing Mo Ke. The only question is whether our strength can break through Mo Ke's guard unit."

Hearing this, Bu Ke and the others exchanged glances; Bu Ke spoke up: "Leave this to us!"

The Sheng Ge Company dimension is a near-out-of-control A-rank instance dungeon, but within it, combat power is severely tiered.

Last night's Fly King was so powerful that even Fei Guang and his group struggled to resist it; without external aid, they would likely be devoured outright by the Fly King.

Next in tier were ordinary Degenerate Monsters and Gold-Rank employees wielding Primordial Armor—each possessed unique strengths, their combat power on par with max-level players, yet still slightly inferior to Bu Ke and his group.

Below that, combat power plummeted sharply, dropping to ordinary humans who had undergone complete Spiritual Energy Enhancement surgery.

These individuals had developed their Talent Zones, possessing various peculiar abilities and exquisite control over their bodies—like Lei Mengde himself. Yet their combat power paled compared to players; if forced to convert, they were only equivalent to 13th- or 14th-level players.

As long as Mo Ke doesn't become a Degenerate Monster, even if his guard unit wielded high-energy weapons, Bu Ke and the other players could easily handle them.

Seeing their confidence, Lei Mengde said no more, ready to refine the plan's details.

But just then, his watch suddenly flashed; Lei Mengde glanced at the group, then removed his watch and opened an email via it.

Minutes later, Lei Mengde placed his watch at a distance—it exploded with a sharp *pop! *—his expression strange as he looked at everyone. "The plan has changed."

Wu Chang asked, "What went wrong?"

Lei Mengde said, "Nothing went wrong—it just got easier. Just now, my superior at Zhongqing Bureau sent me an email: Sheng Ge Company's global launch concerns the Federation's international image and status, and cannot fail. He ordered me to assist Sheng Ge Company in hunting the Sheng Ge Hunters. The contact point is Mo Ke."

Everyone: "Huh?"

Lei Mengde said, "I can't believe it either—I didn't expect it to be this coincidental."

Wu Chang voiced the others' unspoken question: "Could your superior suspect you and be testing you?"

Lei Mengde shook his head. "The mission sent to me is classified—no refusal allowed."

Wu Chang frowned. "Didn't your superior ever suspect you?"

Lei Mengde was from Xide Town, with sufficient motive; everything was calm before his arrival, but shortly after he came, the Sheng Ge Hunters appeared; he had used vast amounts of Zhongqing Bureau and IRS intelligence for a long time without any results.

Even a fool would suspect Lei Mengde.

Lei Mengde suddenly felt uneasy. "I recorded the video of Farrell transforming into a Degenerate Monster and fighting those Sheng Ge employees, and sent it back to the Bureau."

He looked at Bu Ke and the others. "I also recorded the video of your ambush on the other group and sent it back to the Bureau."

Bu Ke and the others' faces darkened instantly—wait, bro, why did you record us too?

Lei Mengde patched in: "I reminded you yesterday to wear masks to conceal your faces before the operation." "Combined with the video I sent back earlier, the Bureau should now believe the Hymn Hunter was the work of outsiders, and that I've been pursuing these outsiders and made considerable progress."

"If you believe my intel, then I'm one of the few who've seen the Hymn Hunter. Choosing me isn't impossible."

Wu Chang and the others nodded. Exposing their own people without others' knowledge was indeed shady—but it explained why Lei Mengde had earned his superior's trust.

To anyone, these outsiders, wielding extraordinary power and plotting ill, seemed far more like the Hymn Hunter than Lei Mengde did.

Moreover, since Lei Mengde wanted to harm Song Company, he'd likely let these mysterious figures go unreported.

It wasn't hard to deduce Lei Mengde's identity.

Ding.

While everyone was thinking, Lei Mengde's newly worn watch received a message.

He glanced at it and said to the group: "It's Mo Ke. He's asking to meet me tomorrow night."

Wu Chang asked: "Then what do we do?"

Lei Mengde thought for a moment and said: "Stick to the original plan. Getting close to Mo Ke makes it easier to track his movements. If all else fails, we can lure him out with false intel."

!

"Once we capture Mo Ke, use him to open the Nest. Expose what's inside the Nest to the entire world—and reveal Song Company's conspiracy!"

Inside Song Company, Wu Chang sat in his office, calming Fei Guang and Qian Ye after completing his Spiritual Energy activation.

He asked: "How is Youwu doing?"

Fei Guang said: "Thanks to Manager Xiao En's help, Youwu's life was saved—but his eyes are ruined, and recovery won't come anytime soon."

In Song Company, rank overrides all. For employees above Level Six, you must add their title as a form of respect. Only Level Nine Partners don't need titles—call them Mr.

Wu Chang smiled and said: "As long as he's alive, his body will heal. I heard the company will soon develop prosthetic eyes that transmit signals directly to the brain. If you two work hard, I'll apply for a usage slot for Youwu."

Though Fei Guang and the others might not live to see that day, Wu Chang's words still warmed them deeply.

"Thank you, Mr. Xiao En."

Wu Chang continued: "Tell me—what exactly happened? Why did you leave in such a hurry, only to return with Youwu severely wounded? The hospital told me his injuries came from a Disqualified Monster—and that it was the one hanging on the building's roof last night."

Fei Guang and the others couldn't explain how the King of Flies vanished from the industrial zone and suddenly appeared skewered atop Song Tower.

But they had already prepared their story for last night's actions.

Fei Guang's tale was clichéd: they were psychics, hiding in the shadows, guarding the world's stability.

Over years of anonymity, some grew discontent with mediocrity, lost themselves in power, and used their abilities to commit crimes.

Fei Guang's mission was to find these lost ones, kill them, or bring them back for punishment.

Last night, they suddenly sensed a powerful energy surge—realized the lost ones were causing chaos—and rushed over. There, they discovered the lost ones had allied with other villains and unleashed a powerful Disqualified Monster.

They encountered the Disqualified Monster in the industrial zone, fought desperately, but couldn't defeat it. Only when Youwu sacrificed himself to land a crippling blow did they escape. On their way back, they were ambushed by the lost ones and lost many men.

Wu Chang nodded in realization: "No wonder I heard this morning that several interns went missing."

Fei Guang pleaded: "Those lost ones have infiltrated Wildo City. They're planning something against Song Company. We're powerless to stop them now—we beg you, Mr. Xiao En, to help us."

Wu Chang fell silent for a moment, then asked: "Do you have any leads?"

Fei Guang and Qian Ye exchanged glances and said: "I suspect they've already infiltrated Song Company—among the interns who joined these past two days."

Wu Chang nodded, operated twice on the management system's backend, and said:

"To be honest, I was too lax before. My control over the company was limited—I could only give you basic help. I've just upgraded your clearance level. You two now have Level Six Gold Employee clearance—enough to access most areas of Song Company."

"You can investigate suspicious targets freely—just don't get caught."

Fei Guang and Qian Ye's eyes lit up with joy. They hurriedly said:

"Thank you, Mr. Xiao En!"

Watching them leave, excited, Wu Chang waited until the office door automatically closed, then hummed a tune and saved the room's surveillance footage.

Investigate. Dig deep. Better still—find something.

While granting them clearance, he also used it to place them under heavy surveillance. If they found anything, he'd know the moment they did.

One thing he did just like Lei Mengde: whenever he interacted with Fei Guang and the others, he recorded it.

If things blew up, he'd produce all the recordings, cut ties with them, and pretend he'd been hypnotized. With his connection to Schultze, the fire wouldn't reach him.

One side is Lei Mengde, the other is Ironclad Squad. If you don't explore the plot, how will Mr. Xiao En ever reach 100% completion?

No—now he's Mr. Xiao En.

Wu Chang snorted, abandoned thoughts of gathering intel, and turned his attention to his new talent.

"Talent: Solidify the Void."

He closed his eyes, sensed how the talent worked. Moments later, he opened them and snapped his fingers.

A miniature Gluttonous Ant materialized on his desk.

The Gluttonous Ant was no bigger than a palm—but it was real. Its Disqualified Domain was perfectly condensed, though scaled down proportionally with its size—its range still smaller than Wu Chang's office.

Though small, its Divine Disqualified Domain made its combat power equal to a Level 25 player.

This was his current limit.

Creating a vivid, powerful phantom required immense energy.

Wu Chang stared at the Gluttonous Ant, manipulating his condensed phantom. As the Disqualified Domain shrank, the ant grew larger, its details richer, every hair distinct—even its weight perfectly replicated.

When the Disqualified Domain halved, the ant nearly filled the entire office. Its tail's long stinger gouged deep scratches into the wooden floor.

Size, detail, and power—these were the three attributes of Solidify the Void. Their total remained fixed; reducing one allowed you to boost the other two.

For example, now he reduced the ant's power to Level 15. Its size grew even larger, and it became more authentically a Gluttonous Ant than before.

In other words, as long as Wu Chang had seen it, he could perfectly manifest anything—so real it fooled the eye.

Huh—wonder if he could condense gold?

Just as Wu Chang's thoughts grew dangerously ambitious, his secretary pushed open the door.

"Mr. Xiao En, Mr. Mo Ke is here to see you…"

"Eek! There's a monster!"

(End of chapter)