Chapter 159 Alliance

While asking the question, Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the high-stemmed glass in the Chairman's hand.

The '82 Lafite was what he had given to Cao Qing. The Chairman's deliberate act of holding the red wine was a very obvious hint.

"He is indeed a member of the Chamber of Commerce, a subordinate whom I trust, but he doesn't know your identity." The Chairman chuckled.

"Also, your landlady is an informant arranged by Tian罰 (Heaven's Punishment) in Chinatown. Her main job is to observe the activities and trends in Chinatown. She isn't a core member of Tian罰, just receiving a salary. She's a thunder mage. Tian罰 naturally favors wind and thunder mages, so they recruited her as an informant.

"Although she's receiving a salary from Tian罰, she can still be trusted..." Zhang Yuanqing understood the Chairman's implication.

"Alright, let's talk until here today. Become a Gold Hunter as quickly as possible, and then wait for the Hunter Guild to contact you."

As he spoke, he drained the red wine in his glass.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly said, "Wait, there has been a series of serial murders in Chinatown recently. The murderer is a Night Wanderer. I suspect it's a Night Wanderer of considerable grade."

He immediately told the Chairman the details and speculations of the case and then asked, "Mr. Chairman, what's your opinion on this?"

The Chairman remained silent.

Zhang Yuanqing's expression turned solemn. He thought, "As expected, there's a deeper story, perhaps involving the confrontation between the two major factions."

"Do you think that I, living in the Second District, would care about a small serial murder case in Chinatown?" The Chairman finally spoke.

Zhang Yuanqing's lips twitched, "Oh." I'm overthinking it.

The Chairman raised his hand and snapped his fingers. "Gone!" He disappeared instantly, without delay, without special effects, gone in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Yuanqing turned to look at the alarm clock on the bedside table. The time was 2:30 AM. As a Night Wanderer, he was no longer sleepy, so he turned on the desk lamp and sat at the desk to think.

"Sigh, the sugar daddy has given me a mission. I can't continue to be leisurely. Infiltrating the Free Federation feels like it has a higher mortality rate than an S-class instance." He sighed.

Although he complained like this, he and the Chairman were now in the same boat. If he wanted to advance to the Lord of the Sun in the future, then the Free Federation would be the enemy.

So, he wasn't working for the Chairman, but for himself. "Tuk tuk..."

He tapped the table with his finger, thinking carefully.

"Undercover operations are bound to be full of dangers. Some things must be thought through in advance, setting up as many backup plans as possible to increase his tolerance for error, to avoid being detected as an undercover agent in an emergency and exploding on the spot, spiraling into the sky."

"First of all, the Free Federation is an evil faction and should naturally be close to evil professions. I can debut as an Illusionist, but in that case, the identity of Zhang Qingyang is a bit difficult to handle. My public profession is a Scout, and it's impossible to change my identity at this point."

If the Hunter Guild pays attention to him, they will inevitably investigate his background. The Illusionist identity of Tong Tian Jiao Zhu can be forged with the help of Fu Qingyang, but what about his current identity?

The tricky thing about Zhang Qingyang's identity is on the Chinatown side, not in the country.

If the Hunter Guild finds out his address and comes to investigate, then the landlady's family will definitely be the first to be "interrogated." At that time, there would be three possibilities:

1. The investigators are killed by the landlady's family. 2. The investigators kill the landlady's family.

2. The two sides are at peace, and the investigators learn from Cao Qianxiu that Zhang Qingyang is a Scout.

Faced with this situation, Zhang Yuanqing had two choices.

One was to turn a blind eye and let things take their course. Could it be that he was really a Scout just because he said he was? It could totally be a perfunctory excuse to Cao Qianxiu. After being discovered as a Lingjing Xingzhe, he couldn't say he was an evil profession, could he?

The aftereffect of doing this was that Zhang Qingyang was bound to Tong Tian Jiao Zhu, narrowing his room for maneuver. And it was easy to implicate the landlady's family. After all, the Hunter Guild's owner was the Free Federation, and the Free Federation was an evil faction.

Finding out that this family were all members of the Lawful alignment, it was hard to guarantee that the investigators could resist the temptation of Reputation Points.

The other was to keep Zhang Qingyang's identity unchanged and continue to mix in Chinatown, making a cut between the Hunter ID "Tong Tian Jiao Zhu".

He needed a public identity anyway. "Zhang Qingyang" could be used to contact the local underworld figures, expand his network and channels, and serve the espionage work. The more friends he had, the easier it was to cooperate. A lone-wolf spy was doomed.

Zhang Yuanqing continued to delve deeper along this line of thought:

"Zhang Qingyang as a Level 2 Scout is too low-level to come into contact with high-level figures. So, I need to modify my character setting to increase my level."

"Although I said I was a Level 2 Scout, it's impossible for me to reveal my true level to a stranger in a foreign country. Claiming to be Level 2 is reasonable. I can take the opportunity to show off my 'true' strength to change Cao Qianxiu's view of me. We're not very familiar yet, so there's a lot of room to maneuver."

"Zhang Qingyang and Tong Tian Jiao Zhu are fixed IDs, but having these two is not enough. I need an identity that can contact Tian罰 (Heaven's Punishment), the Sea God Church, and the Lingjing (Spirit Realm) aristocratic families. There's no rush for this. I'll become a Gold Hunter first. Anyway, it's too easy for an Illusionist to change their aura and appearance. If needed in the future, I'll create an identity."

After clarifying his thoughts, Zhang Yuanqing took out a spare phone, opened the Hunter app, and selected suitable tasks.

"Time to get to work!"

As the bounty list swished down, a new task appeared in his sight:

"Kill the Murderer of the Serial Murder Case in Manhattan Chinatown #"

"Task Description: Murderer Profession, suspected Night Wanderer, Level 2, Cautious and Cunning, good at Stealth."

"Task Goal: Killing the murderer will reward 500,000 Federal Coins and 30 points. Providing clues about the murderer will reward 100,000 Federal Coins and 5 points."

"The task information is completely wrong. Isn't this sending hunters to their deaths? Is this a task issued by the Anti-Black and White Alliance?" Zhang Yuanqing looked at the task's release time.

It was a task released two days ago, and the "true rank" of that Night Wanderer was something he had pointed out last night.

"That makes sense. The Anti-Black and White Alliance did misjudge it at the beginning." Zhang Yuanqing immediately accepted the task.

If the murderer was a Saint-stage Night Wanderer, the task's reward would definitely not be worth it.

But for Zhang Yuanqing, as long as it wasn't a Day Wanderer, Star Officials and Night Wanderers were all the same, just one hit each.

He was still 40 points away from advancing to Silver, and the task's point reward was 30 points, which was very suitable. As long as he completed this task and then did one or two small tasks, he could successfully advance.

If the Anti-Black and White Alliance canceled or raised the task level, he wouldn't be able to accept this task.

There weren't many tasks with 30 points, and there were many bounty hunters in New York City. It would take several days to grab one.

"Let's advance to Gold Hunter first. Just consider it a favor to the Anti-Black and White Alliance."

The next morning, 8:30 AM.

Zhang Yuanqing got up to wash and sat at the dining table in the living room, eating soy milk, fried dough sticks, and meat buns that Annie had bought.

"Annie, if I remember correctly, your Goddess Association also has a stronghold in New York City, right?" Zhang Yuanqing said while chewing on the fried dough stick.

Annie nodded. New York City was an important city in the Free Federation, a world-class metropolis, so naturally there would be a branch of the Goddess Association.

Zhang Yuanqing tore off a piece of the fried dough stick and soaked it in the salty soy milk, casually saying, "In the future, I might borrow your channel to contact the high-level members of the Lawful organizations in New York City."

Annie was stunned. "Master, didn't you say you would keep a low profile until the end of the year? Contacting high-level Lawful organizations rashly will definitely lead to an investigation."

"That's why I said 'might'!" Zhang Yuanqing stirred the fried dough stick and soy milk. "Also, don't call me Master from today onwards."

"What should I call you then?"

"Call me husband!"

Annie was radiant, her face full of surprise.

Zhang Yuanqing changed the subject, "Just kidding, call me Mr. Zhang!" The blonde beauty sighed, "Okay, Mr. Zhang."

After finishing breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing was pondering the serial murder case when he suddenly received a text message from Cao Qianxiu:

"Come to my house."

Zhang Yuanqing looked at the time, 9:00 AM, and sent a message asking, "Isn't your family going on a ferry trip today?" Cao Qianxiu: "Just come over."

Zhang Yuanqing left the living room and knocked on the anti-theft door of 401 next door.

"Dong dong." After two sounds, the wine-red anti-theft door opened, and Cao Qianxiu, wearing a nightgown and standing tall and graceful, yawned and turned towards the living room with her skirt fluttering.

Zhang Yuanqing entered the house and closed the door behind him.

"I have my period today, so I didn't go out. Of course, this is an excuse for my parents." She sat on the sofa, picked up a hair tie and bit it in her mouth, gathering her hair behind her head with both hands, and said:

"First of all, congratulations, you passed the assessment. Your analysis last night provided important reference value, allowing the organization's high-level members to wake up in time. You made a great contribution."

"The organization is now officially absorbing you as a member of the Anti-Black and White Alliance's Team 6. I'm responsible for leading you."

"You're responsible for leading me, are you sure..." Zhang Yuanqing revealed a smile at the appropriate time, "Not bad."

He was here in New York City for a short stay and didn't belong here, so there was no need to give too surprising or excited feedback, otherwise, he would be suspected.

Cao Qianxiu scrutinized him carefully, nodded slightly, "I'll go get the form. Last time, our team said to observe you more, so they never gave you the form."

She returned to her room to retrieve the form and placed it on the coffee table, pushing it to Zhang Yuanqing.

"I have a question I want to confirm..." Zhang Yuanqing lowered his head to look at the form, and said, "Do you remember my Lingjing ID?"

Cao Qianxiu tilted her head and thought for a moment, "Tong Tian Jiao Zhu?"

"That's right, did you tell your Anti-Black and White Alliance colleagues about my Lingjing ID?" Zhang Yuanqing asked again.

If the Tong Tian Jiao Zhu ID had already been leaked, then he would have to change his plan, re-register a Hunter identity, and abandon Tong Tian Jiao Zhu.

Cao Qianxiu shook her head solemnly, "Before you officially joined the organization, I wouldn't reveal your ID and real name, this is a matter of principle."

"Not bad, not bad, thunder mages are indeed fair and principled..." Zhang Yuanqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I thought you would say: 'Of course, because I want everyone to know that you're under my protection.'"

Cao Qianxiu frowned, "I'm not that bored, and this isn't my style."

"I know, just kidding."

"Your level of joke-telling is on par with my dad's."

"This girl's EQ is really low, she won't be able to find a boyfriend!" Zhang Yuanqing shook his head, reached out and grabbed a pocket watch, opened it with a snap, and hung it in front of Cao Qianxiu.

Cao Qianxiu subconsciously looked at the pocket watch, and before she could react, her eyes suddenly became hollow.

Zhang Yuanqing's voice was soft and ethereal, "Zhang Qingyang's Lingjing ID is Xiao Yao Jian Xian, Zhang Qingyang's Lingjing ID is Xiao Yao Jian Xian..." (Carefree Sword Immortal)

After repeating it three times in a row, he put away the pocket watch and snapped his fingers.

Cao Qianxiu suddenly came back to her senses, feeling that she had been in a daze for a moment. She subconsciously looked at Zhang Yuanqing, seeing that he was already lowering his head to fill out the report.

First line, first box, Lingjing ID: Xiao Yao Jian Xian! (Carefree Sword Immortal)

"Xiao Yao Jian Xian (Carefree Sword Immortal)." Cao Qianxiu muttered to herself in a low voice, as if to strengthen her memory.

After Xiao Yao Jian Xian (Carefree Sword Immortal) finished filling out the form, Cao Qianxiu said, "I'll submit your form later. Tonight at 9:00 PM, the organization will set up an ambush to capture that Night Wanderer. Get ready, and take action with me tonight."

"Huh?" Zhang Yuanqing was stunned, "You Anti-Black and White Alliance, no, we Anti-Black and White Alliance have already locked onto the murderer?"

"If I remember correctly, there was no clue in last night's case files that could directly lock onto the murderer. The Anti-Black and White Alliance found the murderer so quickly?"

"This is unreasonable."

Cao Qianxiu shook her head, "I don't know, the organization didn't say. Just obey orders."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded, feeling a little excited in his heart. Regardless of how the Anti-Black and White Alliance locked onto the murderer, wasn't it perfect that someone was leading the way for him?

He was worried about how to hunt down the murderer.

Tonight, he would just follow the Anti-Black and White Alliance to snatch the kill. It seemed like he was taking advantage.

At this time, Cao Qianxiu continued, "Also, let me tell you about the salary issue. An ordinary team member's monthly salary is 20,000 Federal Coins. It's indeed not much compared to Tian罰 (Heaven's Punishment), but..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she heard Xiao Yao Jian Xian (Carefree Sword Immortal) loudly proclaim, "I am willing to do my best for the organization, go through fire and water without hesitation, and be the organization's person in life and its ghost in death."

Cao Qianxiu was stunned, "Well, that's not necessary. 9:00 PM tonight, Nut Street."

At a dessert shop, at a round table by the window, Zhang Yuanqing and Cao Qianxiu, wearing matching hooded sweatshirts, sat facing each other. The former leisurely held a spoon and stirred the dessert soup, sometimes taking a sip, sometimes scooping a spoonful of the dessert on the table.

The latter attentively scrutinized the outside of the window, seeing everyone as an enemy.

Nut Street was the street that the two were responsible for. The task given to them by the Anti-Black and White Alliance was to block this street to prevent the enemy from escaping from here, and they didn't need to directly participate in the battle.

For this capture operation, the Anti-Black and White Alliance had dispatched seven teams, a total of sixty Lingjing Xingzhe. The person responsible for coordinating and leading was a Bronze-level Executive, a Level 6 Wind Mage.

"Relax, if we're lucky, we won't have anything to do." Zhang Yuanqing said, "The dessert soup is sweet but not greasy, it's really delicious."

"If you like it, then drink more." Cao Qianxiu remained unmoved, staring intently at the window.

"Aside from being slightly low in EQ, this girl is reliable in doing things, has a fair personality, and has good talent. She's a good seed. I'll observe her more. In the future, I'll have a chance to pull her into the gang."

"According to the Anti-Black and White Alliance's layout, the core of the entire encirclement is Curry Street, two streets away. Does the murderer live there? Then why haven't they taken action yet?" Zhang Yuanqing pondered in his heart.

With his inspiration, it was impossible for the battle two streets away to escape him.

The battle hadn't started, which meant that the Anti-Black and White Alliance's layout was more like setting a trap, waiting for the murderer to walk into the net.

"Does the Anti-Black and White Alliance know who the murderer's target is? This is interesting."

After observing for a while, Cao Qianxiu pressed her headset and said in a low voice:

"Team 6, all squads, Nut Street is all clear, all clear. Team 1 and Team 2, report your situation."

A sweet voice with a soft tone came from the headset, "Oh my, if everything is clear, then don't say 'Attention', you scared me. By the way, why isn't the new partner next to you speaking? Introduce him to everyone."

Hearing this, Cao Qianxiu retracted her gaze and looked at Zhang Yuanqing, "Introduce yourself?"