Flick—
The kerosene lamp inside the factory abruptly extinguished.
At that moment, all the thugs present widened their eyes, staring fixedly at the figure standing under the dim moonlight. The half-rimmed glasses reflected a cold, eerie glow, making him resemble a demon from the underworld... Their hearts seemed to skip a beat.
"Your... heart??" the thug leader gulped.
"Oh." Chen Ling seemed to realize how horrifying that sounded and changed his explanation. "I meant my younger brother's heart."
Hearing this, everyone finally let out a sigh of relief... Right, if someone didn’t have a heart, how could they possibly be standing here talking to them? Switching it to a younger brother made much more sense.
Chen Ling hadn’t forgotten that his chest was still hollow. Though he didn’t know whether his heart could be put back even if he found it, he at least needed to know where it had gone... Moreover, the mastermind who had stolen his heart and caused Chen Yan’s death was hiding somewhere in Aurora City.
So when Chen Ling had asked Chu Muyun where the chaotic areas were, it was partly to test [Heart Python] and partly to locate underground trading venues similar to Ice Spring Street. There, he might find clues about the buyer of his heart.
The thug leader’s gaze toward Chen Ling softened slightly, the wariness giving way to sympathy. From Chen Ling’s few words, he could already guess that something extremely dark and cruel must have happened to him... If it were his own family member whose heart had been taken, he’d probably go mad searching for revenge too.
Chen Ling stared at the thug leader for a moment, then sighed inwardly... He could tell the man wasn’t lying. It seemed these really were just ordinary hoodlums—compared to truly vicious criminal organizations, they were practically harmless little lambs.
After a moment of thought, Chen Ling looked at the dozens of thugs before him and suddenly had an idea. "In that case, you go investigate for me."
These thugs had nothing better to do all day than wander aimlessly around Aurora City. They were likely far more familiar with the place than he was, and their connections were all among the lower strata of society. If he could turn them into informants, they might prove surprisingly useful.
"Us?" The thug leader was taken aback. "Hmm... That’s not impossible, but our fees aren’t cheap."
"Price isn’t an issue."
Hearing this, the thug leader’s eyes lit up—this was a big fish!
"We’ll need a 10% deposit upfront."
"I don’t have that."
"...?"
"Put it on credit. I’ll pay everything after the job’s done." Chen Ling waved his hand dismissively.
Chen Ling had just arrived in Aurora City and was penniless. How could he afford a deposit? While borrowing money from Chu Muyun was an option, he didn’t want to owe the man any favors.
The thug leader stared at Chen Ling, his expression darkening... He began to suspect Chen Ling was just here to mess with them, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Besides, they couldn’t even guarantee they’d find leads on organ trading—after all, they’d never heard of such things in Aurora City... After a long hesitation, he finally said, "Payment afterward is fine, but the price will be higher... And we can’t guarantee results."
"Also, you should know what’ll happen if you can’t pay up when the time comes."
Chen Ling naturally picked up on the threat in his words and smiled faintly.
"No problem."
Just as Chen Ling was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and turned back. "One more thing—help me investigate someone else. This should be much easier for you."
"Who?"
"Wen Shilin." Chen Ling spoke slowly. "I want all his background information, personal preferences, daily habits... everything. The price will be separate."
"That’s not hard, but why do you want info on some lousy reporter?"
"That’s none of your concern."
"...Fine." The thug leader shrugged. "What should we call you, boss?"
Chen Ling froze. He had almost blurted out "Chen Ling," but remembering he was now operating under a new identity in Aurora City, he needed a different name... After a brief silence, he uttered two words:
"Lin Yan."
---
Stellar Chamber of Commerce.
"Has that Jian Changsheng been found yet?"
A figure draped in an expensive mink coat strode into the room, his face dark with anger.
In the main hall of the chamber, the assembled men exchanged glances before silently lowering their heads...
"With so many of you, you can’t even keep watch over a single prisoner in the dungeon?! What the hell are you all doing?!" The man flew into a rage, snatching a teapot from the table and smashing it to the ground. The shards scattered, cutting the cheeks of several people present.
"Young Master... That Jian Changsheng is too bizarre. We all saw him vanish into thin air with our own eyes—it... it just doesn’t make sense!"
"That’s right, Young Master! The guards kept watch all night inside and outside the courtyard, but there wasn’t any sign of disturbance..."
"Jian Changsheng is only at the first tier of the [Asura] path, with just the [Blood Robe] skill. Logically, he shouldn’t have been able to escape at all."
"..."
The men below chattered, their explanations growing increasingly fantastical. They couldn’t fathom how Jian Changsheng could have escaped on his own, yet there were no traces of anyone helping him break out... Besides, Jian Changsheng had been a mere servant of the Yan family since childhood—no status, no connections. Who would come to rescue him?
"Are you trying to tell me this chamber of commerce is haunted?!" The young master, Yan Xishou, pointed at the servants and cursed, "If Father hears about this when he returns, every single one of you will be beaten half to death! Useless trash..."
The steward, slightly hunched, stood at the forefront and spoke calmly, "Young Master, rest assured. As long as Jian Changsheng is still in Aurora City, we’ll find him eventually."
Hearing the steward speak, Yan Xishou’s expression eased slightly. This steward, nearly seventy years old, had served the Stellar Chamber of Commerce since his father’s time. Though Yan Xishou was now the chamber’s young master, he didn’t dare act too arrogantly in front of the old man.
"Uncle Long, can we get the enforcers to issue a warrant?"
"...No, we can’t." The old steward shook his head. "First, in the enforcers’ records, Jian Changsheng is already a dead man. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have allowed us to torture him. Since he’s ‘dead,’ there’s no basis for a warrant... Second, if this matter blows up, it could damage the Stellar Chamber of Commerce’s reputation."
Yan Xishou clasped his hands behind his back and paced anxiously around the hall.
"This must be resolved before Father returns... Have all our people been mobilized?"
"They have. We’re conducting a city-wide search." The steward paused. "I’ve also stationed people to surveil all of Jian Changsheng’s known relatives. The moment he shows his face, he won’t escape."