The plaque on the office door read "Safe Deposit Box Department." The manager was a potbellied, blond, middle-aged man with a receding hairline whose high-calorie diet and lack of exercise had left him severely out of shape.
"Opening a safe deposit box?" The middle-aged manager hurriedly stood up and guided Zhang Yuanqing to the sofa in the reception area.
The receptionist poured two cups of warm water and stepped out.
Zhang Yuanqing took a sip of the warm water. Glancing at the man's chest, he saw a nametag reading "Carl Parker." He smiled and said, "Manager Parker, I'm here to access a safe deposit box. Box number 0042."
Parker nodded. "Please show your identification."
Clients could inspect and access their safe deposit boxes at any time, but each visit required carrying ID and signing an access log afterward.
"You've already seen my ID." Zhang Yuanqing gazed into Manager Parker's eyes.
The manager was dazed for a moment before getting to his feet and saying warmly, "Follow me, please."
Zhang Yuanqing followed him out of the office and deep into the bank's interior, taking an elevator down to the basement. They traversed the corridor leading to the vault, where Parker and another bank employee produced keys to unlock a security door thirty centimeters thick.
Finally, after opening an iron gate, they arrived in the safe deposit box hall.
The safe deposit boxes were arranged in rows upon rows, resembling a temple's columbarium wall.
Manager Parker led Zhang Yuanqing to Section 00 and stopped in front of Box 42. "Please, take your time."
With that, he stepped away.
Zhang Yuanqing entered the PIN and faced the pinhole camera beside the keypad. A few seconds later, a chime sounded, confirming successful iris recognition.
Safe deposit box 0042 unlocked.
He pulled it open at once to find a square wooden box resting inside.
*Click!*
Zhang Yuanqing opened the wooden box and saw a fan-shaped bronze piece. In its complete form, it appeared to be a bronze disc divided into four quadrants.
Tadpole-like runes were engraved across the bronze surface. With just a single glance, Zhang Yuanqing felt his vision spin and his consciousness sink into a deep vortex from which he could hardly pull himself free.
He hurriedly shut his eyes, looking away, while gripping the bronze piece in his hand in an attempt to read its item information.
A few seconds later, Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes, stunned.
No item information.
*Strange. The Pope's relic should definitely be a Spirit Realm item. Why isn't there any item information?*
The lack of item information was a headache because it made the object impossible to define. By contrast, the Demon Lord's treasure map fragment had explicitly stated details like "six pieces in total" and "Vault of the Ascension Immortal Sect."
That had made the path forward clear and simple.
*If it can make my head spin, it's definitely no ordinary object. But with no item information... there's only one explanation: this isn't a Spirit Realm item. It was handed down by ancient cultivators.*
Zhang Yuanqing suddenly recalled a rumor that the Holy See possessed an unbroken legacy from ancient cultivators. During the dark Middle Ages, the Holy See's Knights had charged on the front lines against werewolves, witches, and vampires.
It was only natural, then, that the Holy See possessed items passed down from ancient cultivators.
*I just don't know whether the Pope's relic is this bronze disc itself, or if the disc is merely a key that unlocks the true relic once all the pieces are gathered.*
The fan-shaped bronze piece was obviously broken and incomplete.
Zhang Yuanqing retrieved the bronze piece, placed the wooden box back into the safe deposit box, and turned to leave the hall.
Once out of the bank building, Zhang Yuanqing altered his appearance several times, changed clothes, and disguised himself as a handsome blond man. Instead of heading back to the red-brick building, he took a taxi to Kings County, an area known for having the highest immigrant population and rampant crime.
On the way, he pondered to himself:
*Now to see how Heaven's Punishment and the Hunter Guild react. If the Hunter Guild reaches out to me, then the mastermind behind the serial murders is the Covenant of Freedom, and I can use this opportunity to infiltrate the enemy from within.*
*Conversely, if it's Heaven's Punishment, I can ignore them and focus on dealing with the Pope's relic.*
An hour later, Zhang Yuanqing arrived in Kings County. The urban infrastructure here was noticeably inferior to Manhattan. Whether streets or residential buildings, everything carried the wear of age, and the buildings were far shorter.
Zhang Yuanqing had come to Kings County for a reason: he was guarding against the possibility that the Covenant of Freedom was the mastermind.
If the Covenant of Freedom was truly behind the serial murders, then after he submitted the application for completing the task, the Hunter Guild would undoubtedly take note of him and search for him.
In an international metropolis like New York, the best way to locate someone was through high-tech tracking—for example, via the Hunter app.
Returning to the red-brick building now would be tantamount to exposing his own location. While powering down the phone could prevent tracking and positioning, doing so would leave him with no way to establish contact with the Hunter Guild.
*If the Covenant of Freedom places great importance on the Pope's relic, they will definitely contact me today. Well, they still need some time to discover that 'Jia Feizhang' has taken the item from the safe deposit box. I'll wait a bit longer...*
He began wandering aimlessly through Kings County.
Kings County was the most populous of New York's five boroughs, with crime rates rivaling the predominantly Black Bronx.
Areas with poor public order shared a common feature: crowds of vagrants and prostitutes.
Zhang Yuanqing had strolled for only a short while when a glamorously made-up blonde in a tight-fitting dress, handbag in hand, sauntered over.
"Mister, even though it's still a long time before dark, I can't wait to let loose with you." The blonde showed off her figure and said, "Just two hundred dollars, and you can have me. For another two hundred federal coins, you can have me tonight too."
*Two hundred federal coins? In a high-cost city like New York, that's practically a bargain. She doesn't look half bad, either, which means plenty of men have had her. Sorry, but I don't make a habit of riding crowded subways.* Zhang Yuanqing politely declined: "Ma'am, the highest price I can accept is a hundred federal coins. For the whole night."
The blonde sized him up and gave an alluring smile. "Seeing how handsome you are, a hundred works too."
*Sorry, but I don't make a habit of riding cheap subways either...* Zhang Yuanqing lowered his head and walked away.
Another two hours passed. He grabbed street-side soul-food fried chicken in Kings County, watched some breakdancing, and observed energetic local youths skateboarding and playing basketball.
He felt the public order here wasn't quite as bad as rumored—though of course, that might just be because the sun hadn't set yet.
*Kings County and the Bronx are hiding grounds for evil classes. Should I sense emotions and hunt for some evil practitioners? Well, sensing everyone's emotions indiscriminately would be too heavy a burden on me. No need to go looking for suffering...*
Thinking this over, Zhang Yuanqing fished out his spare phone, powered it on, and opened the Hunter app. Before he could even check his dashboard, he saw two unread messages in his inbox.
One was a notification that the task had been completed; the other was an official message from the Hunter app.
"Respected Hunter 'Tongtian Jiaozhu,' your outstanding performance has caught our attention. For exceptional hunters, we offer professional training programs as well as preferential terms regarding revenue shares and bonuses. Please report to the New York branch of the Hunter Guild before 6:00 p.m. today."
*Tsk, tsk. It really was the Covenant of Freedom that planned the serial murders...* Zhang Yuanqing squinted as he finished reading the message, reaching a conclusion immediately.
*This message is clearly meant to lure me to the guild branch. They probably tried to locate me via the app, and after failing, resorted to this backup option. According to Mr. President's reasoning, the Hunter Guild should have some degree of tolerance toward me, but if I refuse to hand over the Pope's relic, there's no guarantee they won't kill me to take the treasure. I have to stay on guard.*
*A yin corpse makes the best cannon fodder, but no matter how well a yin corpse's aura is disguised, it can't fool the eyes of high-level realm walkers. To be safe, I'll send a clone made with the Yata no Kagami.*
Just as Zhang Yuanqing made up his mind, his regular phone rang.
The caller was Cao Qianxiu.
*Her? Why is she calling me...* Zhang Yuanqing answered the phone and said impassively, "How rare. This is the first time you've called me during class hours."
On the other end of the line, Cao Qianxiu got straight to the point: "The organization's upper echelon wants to see you. It's something very urgent and important."
"What is it?" Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback, thinking, *No matter how urgent it is, it shouldn't fall on me. In terms of level, I'm just a Saint, and the Anti-Black-and-White Alliance isn't short on high-tier combat power.*
*And in terms of connections, as a Swordsman who only just joined the organization, I'm still an outsider when all is said and done.*
"I'm not entirely sure, but it should be related to what happened last night. I took leave and I'm at home now. Come back, and I'll take you to meet the Alliance Leader and the Elders," Cao Qianxiu said.
Hearing that it was related to last night's events, Zhang Yuanqing swallowed his initial inclination to decline. "All right. Wait for me at home."
He immediately brought out the Yata no Kagami, created a clone in a secluded spot, and parted ways with it, each moving out on their own.
At one in the afternoon.
In a wealthy townhouse community in Chinatown, Cao Qianxiu led Zhang Yuanqing up to a villa and pressed the video intercom doorbell at the gate.
"Alliance Leader, I am Team 6 member Judge Cao. Beside me is Xiaoyao Sword Immortal from the Second District, a newly joined member of Team 6," Cao Qianxiu announced earnestly.
The moment she finished speaking, the wrought-iron gate clicked as the latch retracted.
Cao Qianxiu glanced back at Zhang Yuanqing. "Let's go inside."
The two walked through the garden and were guided by a maid into a Western-style living room. Zhang Yuanqing looked toward the two men seated on the sofa.
One was a burly, middle-aged man with thick brows, large eyes, and an overbearing aura; the other was a handsome middle-aged man with a scholarly air.
*The thick-browed, big-eyed one should be the Alliance Leader, and the other is the Elder surnamed Tao?* Zhang Yuanqing silently analyzed their identities. On the way over, Cao Qianxiu had told him that the Anti-Black-and-White Alliance had one Alliance Leader and two Elders.
The Alliance Leader was a Thunder Mage, while the other two Elders were a Wind Mage and a Siren.
The temperaments of the three classes were quite easy to distinguish.
"Judge Cao, go to the side parlor and have some tea first," Deng Jingguo spoke before either of the newcomers could say a word.
Cao Qianxiu obediently went to the side parlor.
Deng Jingguo scrutinized Zhang Yuanqing while gesturing for him to take a seat, asking in a deep voice, "What level Swordsman are you?"
"Level 5 peak!" Zhang Yuanqing replied.
Deng Jingguo and Tao Siming exchanged a glance, somewhat surprised and delighted by this answer.
Tao Siming smiled. "We'd like to ask you for a favor."
*A favor? If it's a suicide mission, I'm definitely not taking it...* Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Please, go ahead."
Tao Siming adopted a solemn expression. "You're a Scout, and tracking and investigating cases are your specialties. We would like to ask you to find someone—a bounty hunter whose Spirit Realm ID is Tongtian Jiaozhu."
***
Meanwhile, at the Hunter Guild branch.
*Anyway, I'm just a clone. Dying doesn't matter; consider it taking the hit for the main body to test the waters.*
*If the Covenant of Freedom people come right at me with daggers drawn, Mr. President's plan won't work, and I'll have to find another identity to infiltrate the enemy...*
In a meeting room of the Hunter Guild, Zhang Yuanqing cradled a teacup with both hands, his thoughts drifting.
Before long, he heard footsteps.
Immediately after, the conference room door swung open, and a woman dressed in business professional attire walked in.
She had rare short gray hair and looked to be around thirty, with a full bust, a slender waist, rounded hips, and alluring long legs. Her entire body exuded the sweet fragrance of a ripe peach.
Her facial features were exquisitely sculpted, so beautiful that not a single flaw could be found. Her light-gray eyes were misty, sultry, and brimming with latent charm.
Zhang Yuanqing took just one look, and his head felt swollen with blood, his throat parched, and the lust in his heart flared uncontrollably. He wanted nothing more than to pin this woman beneath him and lash her thoroughly, letting her experience a vigorous Night Walker's attack speed of three strikes a second.
Zhang Yuanqing instantly reined in his emotions, trying to calm his lust and forcefully expel the wicked fire. Yet even as a Level 6 peak Illusionist, he found himself struggling to keep control.
*She's a Dominator!*
He had considered the possibility that the Covenant of Freedom would kill him to seize the relic, and had even prepared himself to sacrifice the Tongtian Jiaozhu identity to create another alias.
Yet he had never imagined they would be so shameless as to send a Dominator of the Desire class.
Indeed, deploying a Desire-class practitioner was the safest and most effective choice—it could bring the target under control without causing any major commotion!
*At this rate, they might end up taking both the man and the goods today. My head is completely filled with playing Mario right now! Resorting to a honey trap right off the bat—the Covenant of Freedom really has no martial ethics...* Zhang Yuanqing gritted his teeth inwardly.
Chapter 669