Ji Jue had stopped his practice of the dissociation technique as soon as he received the call and left the house after washing his face and asking Ye Chun for a leave.

Seeing Sister Laila personally seeing him off at the door, watching her tearfully waving goodbye, it was clear that their sibling bond was deepening—she couldn't bear to let him leave, could she?

Watching Ye Chun's exuberant dance through the rearview mirror, Ji Jue secretly resolved to return soon after handling his matters.

He didn't hesitate or consider much.

Interpersonal relationships were like this—you help me, I help you. From Sister Wen to Old Zhang to Little An, they had all looked after him well. Even Tong Hua sometimes helped him fence some goods, and was sweet-talking too.

When someone called asking for help, Ji Jue felt it was his duty to respond bravely.

Besides, after contributing DKP, how could he be left out when the loot was distributed?

There's no husband in Husband and Wife Lung Slices, no wife in Wife Cakes, characters in 2D games can have their own lives… the phenomenon of becoming poorer as one practiced alchemy seemed to find its answer.

Only two days into his beginner's training in extraction technique, and Ji Jue had already lost eight hundred thousand from his account!

Buying materials gram by gram, testing and practicing gram by gram, just walking into the workshop, the moment he pushed open the door, his balance was already diving.

And it was dropping faster than him!

At this rate, who needs half a year? Even with careful budgeting, Ji Jue would be bankrupt in four or five months!

At that moment, Ji Jue hit the brakes to stop his motorbike in the alley of a shed district. Jumping off, he didn't wait for Tong Hua to speak. His expression brightening, he raised his left hand and vigorously swept his hair back, emphasizing the ring on his index finger, "Hey? How did you know that my first blessed work was successful?"

Who the hell asked you!

Before Tong Hua could react, she was already overwhelmed, finally understanding what Ye Chun had been complaining about in their small group chat these past few days.

Dogs!

There are dogs!

She decided to change the group name to 'Sister Kill Dog Group' when she returned!

But the moment she realized, she couldn't help but gasp—blessed works? You? Are you serious?

It's only been a few months? Four months? And you've already started forging independently?

Man, you really know how to roll!

"And it's rated 'A'." Ji Jue, enjoying her reaction, added another blow, sinking Tong Hua completely.

"Congratulations, Brother Ji Jue!"

Although Little An didn't understand what was going on, he still raised his fist in confusion, not understanding what was being said, but knowing Ji Jue was awesome.

Old Zhang, on the other hand, patted his shoulder, admiringly saying, "Kid, you've got what it takes, I knew it!"

Rolling and doggy, what a promising future!

"Thank you, thank you!"

Ji Jue clasped his hands, finally feeling great, and shook his head, twisting his neck before asking, "Let me see, what is this about?"

Tong Hua was numb and didn't want to speak.

"Simply put, a group of outsiders were hired to come to Cliff City, got involved in the infighting at Desert Market, and ended up dragging innocent people into it, making the scene quite ugly."

Old Zhang magically pulled out a thick stack of files from his large shorts, making Ji Jue wonder where in the world he retrieved them from.

But after opening and seeing the photos and backgrounds, he fell silent.

His fingers slowly turning white as he pinched the paper.

"Sorry, just a moment."

After putting down the documents, he stepped aside and made a call, "Boss Feng, it's me, yes, Cliff City has been unrestful these days… Sister Laila mentioned it? Hmm, that's good, take extra care these days, should I move back? Okay, if you can't reach me for any reason, call Sister Wen and the teacher, don't worry, I'm fine."

After hanging up and seeing Old Zhang's approving look, "Family relations are really good."

"It's family."

Ji Jue grinned, wasting no more words, he directly stretched out his hand, reaching towards the camera:[Bro, I need to consult something.]

[Sure thing, buddy!]

The camera instantly excited:[I've shot quite a few thrilling films recently, want to see? Exciting!]

After a brief communication, Ji Jue withdrew his hand, shaking his head.

"No good, didn't capture anything, all white screen snowflakes, these people probably have some professional blocking equipment."

"See, I told you! I told you!" Seeing Ji Jue shake his head, Tong Hua stood tall again, stepping out from her earlier dejected state, "We can..."

"There's still a way to find them."

Ji Jue added, stopping her in her tracks.

Professional interference was in fact the most conspicuous feature.

He just had to ask each camera if it had been disturbed, directly following the sequence of events to trace their movements.

After an hour exploring the shed district, the trail Ji Jue found led to the edge of Northern Mountain District, a decaying neighborhood by the sea.

The group was clearly a professional team of killers and arsonists, ruthless and efficient, carrying interference devices with them, and confusing the trail during their retreat to ensure no one could track them.

But nothing is foolproof.

When the camera and the Ether record integration were combined, this interference instead became a glaring flaw.

After Ji Jue provided the clue, Tong Hua efficiently navigated through the complex ether records, quickly locating a van with switched plates.

The van model was exactly the same as the one he had chased for the first time, all high imitation knock-offs from Coastal Automobile Factory. It could only be said that criminals reached a consensus on the cost-effectiveness of their tools.

After leaving the scene, they drove around with a shielding device, making a big loop before finally reaching the South Mountain District. After switching to a white van, they actually circled back to the Northern Mountain District.

Eventually, they settled in that residential area.

"The developer went bankrupt, and the house prices plunged. Buildings near the sea in the Northern Mountain District are worthless, and not many people live here," Ji Jue confirmed after evaluating the weathered condition of the neighborhood. "It should be here, just a moment."

He got up, rode a small electric scooter around the neighborhood, stopped at several convenience stores and restaurants, and finally stopped in front of a print shop.

Pointing at the printer, it started buzzing on its own, and soon, a thick stack of slightly blurry color photos accumulated.

All were faces Ji Jue had seen on the surveillance cameras at the convenience stores and restaurants.

Finally, after sitting awhile in the security booth at the main gate of the residential area, they returned to the vehicle from the Northern Mountain team and handed over the information: "They've rented 401 but are actually staying in 101.

There should be five people, but only one appears outside to buy stuff. They should all be there now, haven't left yet."

Foreigners, five of them, temporary tenants.

One of whom went outside to make purchases had a tree-shaped tattoo on his wrist, which Tong Hua had seen in the chaotic records at the scene.

It was popular among the Holy Tree Sect in the southern part of the Empire.

These were Empire people.

"Exactly, all matched."

Old Zhang, holding the information, slowly nodded, "This symbol and skin tone, they should be from the Empire's Mountain Land Dragon Army. Since their mutiny in Central Earth a few years ago, their organization was disbanded, and many of the mercenaries are those from that restructuring."

It was only now that the slow-reacting Xiao An finally got it.

Full of admiration:

"Brother Ji Jue, awesome!"

"Hey, I made a significant effort too, okay?"

Tong Hua, infuriated, pinched his face, "Sister has been so nice to you, how can you never remember her magnificent stature? It's all about the face, and it's getting more resilient by the day!"

"Alright, alright, Hua Hua is awesome too!"

Old Zhang chuckled, tousled her hair, and stopped their playful bickering, feeling like he was placating children.

With precise characteristics and the appearance of the person making public ventures later, their activities were all revealed in the Security Bureau's database.

Three crowd figures, one vortex, one mirror.

A standard configuration for a Chosen One team, well-rounded in both attack and support, with flexible tactics and rapid efficiency. Before coming to Cliff City, there were sightings of them active in North and South Lands and Thousand Islands, so their reputation was well-known.

Their venture to Cliff City was likely motivated by the tumultuous times—lots of easy money and gullible people—they had not chosen any employer, clearly intent on whoever paid more and had more people.

Everyone was out for money, and adjusting to the direction of the wind was normal; who would be looking to court death for fun?

No intermediary, they directly accepted a headless order from Desert Market. The employer and the hired never met; the full payment was made when the order was posted, and Desert Market paid upon completion.

Yes, until now... Desert Market's bounty system was still in operation.

Despite internal murderous chaos, a life-and-death struggle.

It could only be said that Desert Market's founder was truly a rare genius.

From the beginning, the design thoroughly considered and capitalized on White Deer's unassembled features, with the core business being broken down into many parts, communicated primarily through headquarters, with no excessive interaction between them.

Moreover, most of the workers were clerks, working nine to five, punching the clock, facing ever-increasing KPIs, performance pressures, and even bank loans. Desert Market's headquarters even provided them with social security and provident fund contributions locally.

In a sense, they were truly the masterminds, tightly controlling the world's shadowy distribution channels in another way.

Even now, they still maintained their original stance—that is, having no stance. Welcoming all comers, hanging up orders as they come, whether someone takes it or can complete it was not Desert Market's concern.

Winding around the dark underbelly of the world, Desert Market, this bizarre behemoth, was indeed born from the cracks outside of order. As long as humanity itself needed that disorderly wilderness to exist, this force would not cease.

Until now, Chen Xingzhou's bounty was still up there.

Including Lei Wuye's foster children and all other competitors... until one of them became the speaker, this bloody competition would not stop.

And before that, some people would die.

Paying the price for their actions.

"You first or me?"

Standing in front of a slightly dilapidated apartment building, an old man holding a teapot and a palm fan turned back to look at Xiao An next to him:

"If you need a catch, how about I assist you?"

"No need, it doesn't seem challenging."

Xiao An casually shifted his gaze from the sky, "Just go about it as usual, no need for special treatment."

"Hey, suit yourself."

Old Zhang grinned, pulled out a large plastic bag from his oversized shorts, packed the teapot, palm fan, keys, walnuts, and other miscellaneous items inside, and set them at the entrance.

He then boldly walked into the darkness inside the building.

It wasn't long.

What followed was a thunderous roar!

The ground trembled.

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