Chapter 124: Precognitive Stealth |
"He can't run away. I know for a fact he's in Shanghai, so his Anchor Point must be one of them."
As he spoke, Gao Fan pulled a small knife from his jacket and handed it to Ming Po. "But there's no rush for that... here, take this."
"This is..."
Ming Po inspected the markings on it and raised an eyebrow. "A micro-tech switchblade? This is a strictly regulated weapon."
The dagger might have been a bit large for Gao Fan, but it was perfect for Ming Po. It fit snugly in the palm of his hand.
It retained its natural grayish-white metallic hue, looking somewhat like a blocky fountain pen.
Ming Po awkwardly twirled it, then gently pushed the deployment button on the side forward.
With a nearly inaudible click, a steel-colored blade equipped with a fuller and skeletonized holes instantly sprang out.
It was like an assassin's hidden blade.
Ming Po studied the sharp, gleaming edge with interest, then pressed it lightly against his neck. He closed his eyes, feeling its danger, its sharpness, and its bone-chilling cold.
"Interesting."
Satisfied that the blade was more than capable of killing a man, Ming Po performed a much smoother twirl, then pulled the button back, retracting the blade instantly.
"Lending it to me?"
Ming Po asked Gao Fan.
"It's a gift."
Gao Fan sighed helplessly. "This is from my father's collection. It's one of the few weapons that can be used in the Material Realm, our black-and-white world, and the games. Even if you lose or break it, I can always reset it for you.
The material is excellent, so you can just use it as a fixed blade. If you don't find it unlucky, take it. This is a gift I prepared for you; I figured you might like it.
"Besides, I noticed you never carry a weapon when you go out... If you don't have one, buying one on the black market wastes time, and it might not even be better than my collection. There's no need to buy from outside; this should do the trick. I have a few butterfly knives at home too, want them?"
"I don't really know how to use those."
Ming Po shook his head, enthusiastically flicking the switchblade open and closed like a child who had just found a new toy. "This one is great. Thanks, Xiao Fan. I love the gift."
When he was younger, he had fantasized about being an assassin.
Wearing a white hood, silently trailing behind someone, and blending into the crowd. Brushing past the target, a hidden blade popping out to claim a life, and then calmly walking away—how cool was that!
"You are the best fighter on our team, after all."
Gao Fan smiled, then awkwardly scratched his chin. "Or rather... you're the only one among us with any actual combat ability. It would be wrong not to gear you up. It's just that I couldn't get my hands on something stronger, like a handgun... Just make do with this for now. Getting guns domestically is too hard. It might be better to pool some chips and buy a fully automatic weapon straight from a foreign Deceiver of the World. I think fully automatic weapons are legal in a few countries."
"This is fine."
Ming Po repeated, "For me, this might actually be better than a gun."
"As long as you like it."
Gao Fan nodded.
While playing with his new weapon, Ming Po looked up and asked casually, "You said there were four properties, right? Which one are we hitting first?"
"None of them."
Gao Fan replied, sheepishly holding his hand out toward Ming Po. "Got any spare change? Just give me about five hours' worth."
"Sure."
Ming Po agreed readily, manifesting six Hour's Red Copper chips in his hand and passing them to Gao Fan.
He was quite curious about what Gao Fan was planning to do.
"Never seen this before, right?"
To his surprise, Gao Fan just smiled with a hint of pride. "This is a technique I learned recently—it's called Precognitive Stealth. If we march right up to the target locations, there's a high chance we'll be spotted. We're a bit too conspicuous. They might not recognize you, but they'll definitely recognize me.
"To avoid those eyes, even the 'scout ahead first, then use chips to turn back time' trick won't work. The moment they see us approaching, we'd already be exposed in their sights... That's way too dangerous."
"So..."
Gao Fan continued, activating the chips in his hand and precisely reciting four specific locations.
[I will take public transportation to sequentially explore and observe the aforementioned locations, searching for suspicious traces of Deceivers of the World. This is expected to take five hours.]
As Gao Fan's voice faded, five of the six chips in his hand burst into flames, radiating a crimson glow.
In the next instant, they completely disintegrated.
They turned into a stream of bright red data that surged directly into Gao Fan's mind.
Gao Fan suddenly grabbed his head, looking as though he was suffering from a severe headache.
It was as if, over the next five hours, Gao Fan had visited and investigated all four locations, recording everything he saw. But in reality, Gao Fan was simply using this method to obtain "knowledge yet to be acquired," meaning he had not interacted with anyone on any timeline. These memories flowed directly into his mind, much like running a simulation.
"Where is Gao Song?"
Ming Po asked casually. "Which of the four strongholds is the real one?"
When Gao Fan had stated his requirement, Ming Po knew the wish could definitely be fulfilled.
He just hadn't expected Gao Fan to pull out such an interesting and practical technique... So this was also a form of "acquiring knowledge in advance," skipping the actual investigation to directly obtain the intel.
However, Gao Fan's expression turned grim. "None... of them."
"...That's strange."
Ming Po frowned deeply. "His Anchor Point... couldn't be in Wenzhou, could it?"
"Unlikely. I used to watch him go to work all the time. His Manifestation frequency is quite high, and his reaction speed is fast."
Gao Fan shook his head, clearly puzzled as well. "Does he have other properties I don't know about?"
"Wait, Xiao Fan, I have a thought."
Ming Po spoke up suddenly. "Could it be... his Anchor Point isn't his home, but your company?"
If Gao Song's obsession with the company was that deep, could he be one of those rare Deceivers whose Anchor Point wasn't a residence?
"...What?"
Gao Fan was stunned.
He blurted out, "But before he became a Deceiver of the World, that wasn't his company!"
"Who knows."
Ming Po shrugged. "Look at him; after he seized your company, he settled down and hasn't made a peep since. Maybe the company was exactly what he wanted. From that perspective, it really could be the mind anchor that soothes him and gives him a sense of security... right?"
"...That is actually possible."
Gao Fan pondered for a moment, his expression turning serious. "Then I'll—"
He was just about to say he would spend another chip to make a run and gather intelligence.
Instead, he saw Ming Po suddenly raise an eyebrow, a flicker of displeasure crossing his face.
"What are you guys talking about?"
The next moment, a pleasant female voice chimed in from beside them. "If you're going on an Adventure, can I tag along?"
But they had just come downstairs; they hadn't even left the residential complex yet!
Was this... someone blocking them right at their own front door?
Gao Fan was about to turn around in alarm, but he caught sight of Ming Po's strange expression—slightly annoyed, but entirely devoid of hostility.
Given Ming Po's personality, he should have already drawn his knife.
It was a girl who looked just like Little Red Riding Hood from the fairy tales.
"I won't even ask how you managed to track us down, Miss Nameless."
Ming Po crossed his arms, speaking coldly but without animosity. "Let me make this perfectly clear—I don't live here. Camping out here is useless."
This was... Nameless?
Gao Fan remembered.
This was the exact same girl he and Ming Po had met in the game!
How had she found them?