Chapter 66: Chapter 66 The Night Before (Part 1)
Editor: Noodletown Translations
“What?” Mu Fan parted the crowd swaying to the music, questioning softly. Black’s deliberate pause made Mu Fan’s teeth itch. Where had this guy learned to keep people in suspense now?
“What Matthew mentioned, those strange codes must represent a particular area. I, the Lord, first compared and scanned all the maps available in the administrative network, but didn’t find any corresponding area code. This indicated that it referred to a confidential text. After scanning 37 types of confidential texts in both the administrative and military network on this planet, no match was found.”
Mu Fan listened intently, pushing away a dancer trying to squeeze in, and heard Black continue in the earpiece, “But these people must compare the confidential text to confirm the area, it is impossible that there were no traces online.”
“Hmm, so then?” Mu Fan cooperated by asking.
Black was very pleased with being questioned by Mu Fan and continued, “So, I followed Matthew’s origin and found that the Wen family’s network firewall was different from the few Federation general algorithms present on Loga Star. Of course, this didn’t stump the talented Lord Black, though it took a bit longer to decrypt it, which is why I disappeared from your earpiece for a while.”
Black’s triumphant voice directly diluted the tense atmosphere under the current situation. Mu Fan had almost reached Style Bar’s entrance and whispered, “Hurry up, I need to leave here.”
“Alright, but my presence isn’t emphasized enough yet! After decrypting that strange firewall, a scan revealed a part of the Wen family network filled with a large placement of honeypots. It was evidently a pointer for the Lord to look here. Ridiculously outdated, so of course, I not only viewed it but also copied it…”
“What?” Mu Fan placed his arm on the glass door’s handle, his eyes suddenly sharpening as he caught someone’s gaze targeting his back in an inadvertent reflection.
Where had it gone wrong?
“Copied… along with the third-level confidential text from another major power parallel to the Galaxy Federation, the Gardot Empire!” Black’s voice finally concluded just as Mu Fan’s voice came through.
“Someone’s behind, plan a route.” Mu Fan naturally pushed the door and walked out.
“Would it kill you to praise me once?” Black grumbled first, filled with resentment toward the person who interrupted. “Detour five kilometers to return to the manor. Now, 320 meters to your right is an alley. Enter there and you’ll find six alternate routes. Choose the direction at nine o’clock, throw off that little tail before entering this path.”
“Understood.” Mu Fan took a deep breath and activated Dark Breath!
Thoughts spread, ideas began repeated calculations under high coolness, his pace quickened, yet there was no discord with his surroundings. The passersby became the best cover for Mu Fan at this moment.
The street in front of Style Bar, bustling and noisy at night, became the perfect cover for Mu Fan. With wide strides, short hops, diversions in steps, Mu Fan weaved a route through the crowd that appeared chaotic but was swiftly moving forward.
The person behind realized in a flash that the Little Yellow Duck Mask Man was showing signs of vanishing and hurriedly dashed forward, soon reaching an alley, hesitated, and then dove in.
Cautiously walking over a dozen meters to a fork, the person’s eyelid tightened, eyes fixed on the ground.
A wide blanket casually laid on the ground, atop which sat the ludicrously laughable Little Yellow Duck Mask.
Lost track! Members within the organization do not show their true face, tracking others is taboo. Seeing the current scene, he knew he had been found out long ago, his heart filled with dread, no longer daring suspicion. Someone with such skills must hold a higher rank within the organization; best not to pursue it or else trouble would truly befall.
Mu Fan, blending with the night, stood silently atop a protruding eave, watching the Deer Mask Man below leave, assured he had successfully shaken him off. The man’s final move clearly abandoned the pursuit, tinged with anxiety.
Mu Fan squinted, pondering silently, “Black, continue your previous judgment.”
“I saw the little crawler leave. Continuing, after applying those codes into the Gardot Empire’s third-level confidential text, the entire code was unlocked! These codes represent specific areas, evenly distributed among the first ten urban areas, with six places in the second area where you’re currently located. Combined with the speech in the bar…”
“These six places are tomorrow’s safety locations!” Mu Fan stated categorically.
Mu Fan needed to quickly communicate these matters to the fatty, although many things happened tonight, the acquired intel was too critical.
…
In the manor’s private conference room, an intense argument was erupting.
Harry and Wayne stood at one end of the long table, facing a middle-aged man with a small mustache in a tailcoat sitting at the other end. Beside him stood the pure and charming Shelly, like a water lily in bloom. Seated in the adjacent row were some elderly people, watching the standoff.
Wayne, the Family Head of the Fowen Consortium, pressed both hands on the red valley wood table, leaning forward, stated sternly, “I welcome you here, and will take responsibility for your safety. However, the Fowen Consortium is currently in my hands, please do not interfere with our family’s internal affairs. Since you’re here, don’t attempt to influence my family’s plans!”
The fatty beside, face red with anger, was genuinely furious this time. Shelly’s father, the small mustached man opposite, after hearing the news Harry had breathlessly run in to announce earlier, actually laughed aloud. Saying things like “Star Thieves now only exist on your kind of desolate planet” and “Such a thing, told by a civilian, and you believe it?”
Recalling those sarcastic words made the fatty fume. His father inquired calmly about the details, and after knowing Mu Fan had discovered potential organized intruders in the manor, contemplated and proposed strengthening family security levels, but received an almost insulting rebuttal from the opposite side.
“Wayne, oh Wayne, bringing my sister to such a godforsaken planet, where’s your initial courage and might now? Just an ambiguous Star Thief attack allegation makes you a panicked bird. Ha, truly laughable. The older you grow, the more you regress!” The mustached man elegantly sat on the cork red chair, absentmindedly attending to his nails.
Shelly felt quite embarrassed, casting an apologetic glance toward Harry, only to find the fury and hatred in Fatty’s eyes! She now regretted following through with the application, arriving at this unfamiliar planet, finding everything far from the harmonious and amicable atmosphere she had imagined.
Relatives who should count as family now glared at her, thinking of this, her delicate eyebrows furrowed lightly, her heart slightly uneasy, thus remained silent by the side.
“Mu Fan saved me once, he killed the Star Thief!!” The fatty shouted angrily.
“What Star Thief could a mere boy kill, just petty roadside bandits perhaps. Don’t make a fuss, commoners have ways to approach the nobility, my dear nephew.” Showed disdainful demeanor once again.
Wayne once more said in a deep voice, “You can disbelieve, but before tomorrow, you’re not allowed to leave here, not a word of this shall leak.”
“Are you joking?” The mustached man’s face suddenly turned flushed, “I, the second son of the Gaoling family on Blue Capital Star, should be grounded in this godforsaken place by you? Are you trying to incite rebellion!!”
Although feeling some of his father’s actions were improper, Shelly too thought being grounded was somewhat excessive.
“Just wait until tomorrow, I’ll personally apologize!” Wayne stated solemnly, and the fatty beside clenched his fists, for your good, even making his father humble himself so much!
“Impossible!” The mustached man flatly refused.
“Beep, incoming call, do you wish to connect?” Sky Communication in Fatty’s pocket suddenly chimed.
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PS: Thanks to readers “Gentleman, Big Cannon” and “Poetic Style, Ren Xiaowei” for the 100 credits! Thanks to reader “Yesterday’s Beauty” for the 10 credits reward!