As a world-class tropolis, Hong City was anything but quiet. Once the brilliant lights ca on, the streets began to surge with people. Figures from all sorts of races could be seen, making the night far more bustling than the day.
The decadent nightlife had only just begun.
Zhou Chen and Old Yang kept their distance, backpacks slung over their shoulders, quietly trailing Bidder No. 057.
"Hey, why are we being such creepy stalkers?"
Zhou Chen asked bluntly, "Who is she, anyway?"
"An old friend. And a rather troubleso one at that."
Old Yang sighed. "To be honest, I didn’t expect to run into her here... You really are a disaster magnet, kid. Trouble follows you everywhere. Don’t even try to deny it. Just think about all the missions you’ve been on. Has there ever been one that didn’t turn into so kind of ss?"
"...It’s not one of my acquaintances this ti, so don’t you dare pin this on . This is definitely your problem." Zhou Chen refused to take the bla.
He mulled it over for a mont, then asked tentatively, "Ex-girlfriend?"
Old Yang was silent.
Zhou Chen’s eyes widened. "She really is your ex? Then what are you so scared of? Just go up and say hi... Are you trying to see if she’s got a new boyfriend?"
"It’s... complicated. If I showed up in front of her, she’d probably pull a knife on on the spot," Old Yang said helplessly.
"What did you do that was so unforgivable? Cheat on her right in front of her? Or were you juggling a dozen other won?" Zhou Chen couldn’t help but ask.
’Juggling a dozen won sounded exactly like sothing Old Yang would do.’
"Don’t get the wrong idea, I’m not a scumbag. I’m actually a very loyal guy. It’s just... so unpleasant things happened back then, things none of us wanted." Old Yang didn’t elaborate, simply continuing to follow her.
Ahead, the crosswalk light turned green, and the crowd surged forward. Bidder No. 057 was obscured by the jostling pedestrians. By the ti the crowd thinned, her figure had already vanished without a trace.
Zhou Chen’s brow furrowed in disbelief. With his eyesight, Insight, and reflexes as a Tier Two Ascender, he couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen a single trace of Old Yang’s ex-girlfriend!
"It’s normal that you didn’t see her. Her Stealth Technique is on par with a Shadow Type Ascender’s. She could run circles around Ascenders even before she beca one, to say nothing of now that she’s awakened... You’ve still got a lot to learn in that departnt." Old Yang seed to have expected this. He explained quietly, then started down the street to the left. "Co on."
’She could run circles around Ascenders even before she was one?’ Hearing this, Zhou Chen’s curiosity was piqued. ’What’s the deal with Old Yang and his ex-girlfriend? Who are they?’
He hadn’t even seen how Bidder No. 057 vanished, yet Old Yang hadn’t seed to lose her for a second. This ga of cat and mouse alone was enough to show that their skills were far from ordinary.
’It’s not that I suck, Old Yang’s ex is just in a league of her own.’
’Running circles around Ascenders as a regular person... That’s already the peak of what a mortal can achieve. Now that she’s an Ascender, just how powerful is she?’
Co to think of it, Zhou Chen didn’t know much about Old Yang’s past. The only clue he had was the wish he’d seen in the Wish Bubble: Old Yang wanted revenge for soone.
There were no records of Old Yang’s past in the Star Association’s database, either. Soone had probably tampered with them.
However, considering Old Yang used to work for the president of the Jinzhu City branch of the Star Association, the missing records weren’t that surprising. There must have been so kind of deal involved.
Connecting the dots, an idea began to form in Zhou Chen’s mind. He suspected that Old Yang and his ex-girlfriend must belong to so secret organization. Otherwise, there was no explaining their extraordinary abilities.
"If you’re so skilled, why did you have such a hard ti against that Double-bladed Turkey?" Zhou Chen suddenly asked.
"Double-bladed Turkey? Oh, that Fire Slave..." Hearing the peculiar nickna, Old Yang imdiately rembered. He spoke nonchalantly, "That was a mission for a veteran to guide a rookie. The main purpose was to assess the new guy’s abilities. If I’d taken out the Double-bladed Turkey in a few hits, it wouldn’t have given you a chance to shine. How else were you supposed to show the higher-ups what you could do?
"Besides, my specialty is sniping. You know, with the big guns? Don’t give a hard ti about knife fights.
"During that whole Eternal Fire incident, yours truly popped Gentleman’s head with a single shot from a helicopter. Do you even know how much skill a helicopter headshot takes?"
A mont later, Old Yang stopped and looked toward a club on the side of the street.
A neon sign flashed with a kaleidoscope of colors. Stylishly dressed young n and won stood at the entrance, lining up to get in.
The club was exceptionally well soundproofed. Only when the main door opened did the deafening, heart-pounding music from inside manage to escape.
"Volcano Farm Club. Heh, so it’s this place..."
Old Yang seed to be familiar with the club. He looked at Zhou Chen. "Why don’t you head back? This is probably going to be personal business. I can handle any rough stuff on my own. No need for you to waste your ti here. Besides, don’t you have your own things to take care of?"
Zhou Chen shrugged. "I don’t have any leads anyway. Might as well follow you in and watch the show."
"Fine," Old Yang advised. "But rember this: if you want to hang on to your virginity, don’t make eye contact with the girls inside. If one of them cos on to you, don’t start chatting and definitely don’t get handsy. Just walk away."
’Why does that sound so sleazy? Are the clubs in Hong City really that wild?’ Zhou Chen grumbled inwardly. He watched Old Yang duck into a nearby alley, take sothing out of his bag, and rub it on his face. When he erged again, his appearance had completely changed.
He had transford from a ruggedly handso, lancholic older man into a plain, unremarkable-looking youth.
"That’s an incredible disguise..." Zhou Chen stepped closer in astonishnt, examining Old Yang’s new face. "You can’t tell at all," he marveled. "Can you teach ?"
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