Those living in the City of Iniquity included source energy users who had survived leaving the Cleansing Faction, the Self-Preservation Faction, and even Azure, as well as people of unknown origins.
Yes, source energy users. Tu Zi said that was the only way to refer to them now, because some of them no longer belonged to any faction, serving only for source energy, weapons, and money.
"Why does Azure allow these people to exist, or let a place like that exist?" Han Qingyu asked, deeply puzzled.
"Just like the ordinary world seen by the public, our world behind the scenes also needs a corner to accommodate darkness and outlaws. Otherwise, they would cause even greater chaos and destruction," Tu Zi explained, then added, "Of course, it's not entirely lawless either. They have principles that constrain them, as well as ironclad rules they follow in exchange for a sanctuary."
"Come on. A place where you can put a bounty on someone's life, and you call that 'principled constraints'?" Han Qingyu grumbled, before asking with sudden, mild excitement, "So how much is the bounty on my head?"
"Uh, let me convert it," Tu Zi paused for a moment. "Roughly three million Huaxia dollars plus twenty source energy blocks."
*Gulp.* Han Qingyu swallowed instinctively.
*What does it mean when you suddenly really want to kill yourself?*
"Brother Qingzi, did you pass out? Don't panic, Brother Qingzi! You're a man who dragged a blue-sheened Great Spike on a run for an entire hour..."
Over the line, Tu Zi sounded somewhat anxious all of a sudden.
"I'm fine, really. I just didn't expect I'd be worth so much." Han Qingyu composed himself, though in the end he couldn't resist asking, "Do they actually pay up?"
"..." Tu Zi paused. "Yeah. Both the money and the source energy blocks have to be deposited in advance before a bounty can be posted. That Mr. Zhu probably failed last time and wants to make up for it himself out of fear of being blamed by his organization. Or maybe he just personally hates you, or has some ulterior motive regarding you..."
Han Qingyu barely absorbed Tu Zi's long string of analysis. He pressed on, "So when are those people coming? Have they arrived yet? How strong are they? Do you have detailed files on them?"
Tu Zi went blank for a second. "Files? As of right now, everyone who's accepted the bounty is our own people."
Han Qingyu: "..."
"Every faction actually has people embedded in the City of Iniquity—you get what I mean, Brother Qingzi? Our Rejecters have already mobilized our own operatives to accept the mission and take up all the available slots." Tu Zi sounded rather pleased with himself as he said this.
"Oh. So Azure plans to pocket this bounty—the money and the source energy blocks—for itself?"
Han Qingyu pondered the thought. It honestly sounded like a pretty lucrative business—he just wondered what kind of proof an assassin had to bring back to claim the bounty.
At the same time, he suddenly felt a yearning for that place—the City of Iniquity. It was just that he was still too weak right now, and as for the future, with his growing notoriety, concealing his identity might not be so easy.
"No, Brother Qingzi, how could we?!" Tu Zi explained with utter earnestness. "It's just that this mission has a six-month deadline. With our people occupying the slots first, you'll be relatively safe for now."
"Oh." Han Qingyu understood now, and asked, "Won't they blow their cover? Is it fine if the mission fails?"
"Failing an individual mission won't have much of an impact. As for blowing their cover? The way things work in the City of Iniquity, whenever someone from a faction gets a bounty put on their head, that faction sends people to infiltrate and take the job. Everyone there knows it tacitly, but nobody can completely tell who is who. Besides, they probably never expected us to be so ruthless this time, deploying even our deep-cover operatives to monopolize all the mission slots."
Tu Zi still sounded childish when he spoke, but in truth, he had mobilized an enormous amount of influence and connections to pull this off, and had been hoping to take credit with Han Qingyu.
Yet Han Qingyu abruptly shifted his tone and asked seriously:
"So that means even when they do carry out missions, people from the City of Iniquity usually don't team up in groups, right? Most of them come alone or in pairs? Because they compete with each other and suspect each other."
Tu Zi was somewhat baffled, unsure why Han Qingyu's attention went there first. He merely replied blankly, "Yeah, that's right."
"Understood." Han Qingyu pondered for a moment, then continued, "And after the six-month deadline expires?"
"We take it again?"
"No need, right?" Han Qingyu said. "Or we'll see when the time comes."
"Mm." Hearing this, Tu Zi suddenly realized.
*Brother Qingzi is planning to hunt the assassins from the City of Iniquity later on!*
"Brother Qingzi, you're just too awesome." The words carried a swooning sigh, sounding thoroughly cloying.
"..." *Could this kid be into guys? Spending time around him does feel a bit like it.*
Hearing that such things did indeed exist in reality, Han Qingyu got goosebumps all over, a chill running down his spine.
*Click.* Han Qingyu hung up the phone without hesitation. Just as he stepped out into the corridor, the officer called out to him again, "Han Qingyu, phone call."
"What's your deal?!" Han Qingyu picked up the receiver and snapped with nervous irritation. "You're not... you're not still thinking of pledging yourself to me, are you? I don't roll that—"
From the other end came a girl's slightly timid voice: "Um... that works too."
"...Yaoyao-huanghuang?"
"Mhm."
"Ah. What are you calling for?"
"To pledge myself to you, hehe."
"Stop messing around. What's going on?"
Xin Yaoqiao had called to talk to Han Qingyu about the exact same matter. Once she learned he had already received the news, she repeatedly urged him to join the Golden Eraser, because it would be safer that way.
The second call ended.
Han Qingyu turned to look at the officer. "May I use this phone to make an internal call?"
Since it was an internal line, the officer agreed.
After Han Qingyu made the call and walked out, the officer checked the record and found it had been routed to the extension of old Legion Commander Shen Fengting's home.
...
"This thing." Standing beneath the wall outside the training ground, Han Qingyu gestured toward the box of source energy blocks in his hands and said, "It's my own—ten blocks. I'll leave them with you for now as well. With this being the last day before leaving the camp, I'm worried things will get pretty chaotic. Leaving them in the dorms would actually be unsafe."
Clad in iron armor, Shen Yixiu looked up at Han Qingyu.
"You trust me that much? I rely on source energy blocks to stay alive, you know."
"That's exactly why I trust you even more."
"Why?"
"Because you know that sticking with me is where the real money is. I've found a way to strike it rich in the future. I'll tell you about it later."
Shen Yixiu let out a laugh. Taking the box, she prepared to leave after only a few words, saying her grandfather was home alone and that with her heading to the front lines soon, she wanted to spend more time with him.
Han Qingyu told her the news about the combat sparring matches and asked if she wanted to participate to win the reward of two source energy blocks.
Shen Yixiu was clearly tempted, but she looked down at herself and said, "Better not. Showing up directly as a recruit like this probably wouldn't look good, and it wouldn't be fair either. By the way, whichever squad you end up joining, I'll follow along quietly on my own."
Chapter 105