Chapter 66 - 59: Blackmail and Extortion

A little over ten minutes later.

Only Zhou Chen was left in the private room. Everyone else had gone through a secret door to enjoy the activities arranged by Fu Qing. The secret door was a floor-to-ceiling mirror in the corner of the wall to his left. The activation switch was in the manager’s hand; once pressed, the mirror would retract to one side, revealing a long, red-carpeted corridor behind it.

On the right side of the corridor was a row of bedrooms with tightly shut doors. Through a momentary glimpse when a door had opened earlier, Zhou Chen saw that inside were suites like those in a luxury hotel, decorated in a rather risqué style.

He sat still on the sofa, motionless as a statue, piecing together the clues in his mind.

’First, from the outside, every floor of the Eternal Commerce Building has a glass curtain wall. But on this floor, there are no windows to be seen anywhere. The interior seems completely sealed off, and there are even Advanced shielding devices. It’s all very secretive and highly suspicious.’

’Based on this, I’d already had my suspicions. Either they used a special construction method to hide this floor when the building was erected, or they deployed some kind of strange Alchemy Matrix to carve out a new level between the official floors.’

’With the Eternal Commerce Association’s financial and material resources, that wouldn’t be hard to pull off.’

’Second, those "staff members"... on the surface, they seemed incredibly enthusiastic, but deep down, they harbored a Fear and numbness that an ordinary person would never notice.’

’Combine that with the "Profession" column on the roster, and if you let your mind wander to the dark side of society, it’s easy to arrive at some deeply disturbing conclusions.’

’What if those professions weren’t just fabricated backstories, but their actual former lives?’

Putting all the pieces together, it wasn’t hard to guess what kind of place this was.

As one of the top figures in Jinzhu, Fu Qing needed a Secret venue to privately cultivate relationships with other influential members of society and expand his network.

And this place was where they gathered for entertainment—a completely enclosed, secret playground.

The identities of these "staff members," then, were all but obvious. To maintain secrecy, would Fu Qing really go out and hire people who were already in this line of work?

Of course not.

The best method was human trafficking, fraud, kidnapping...

Using all sorts of methods to procure high-quality "employees" from all over, imprisoning them here, and conditioning them into playthings for the exclusive enjoyment of the elite.

Simply Lawless and Heavenless.

’Just what have these people been through to become so obedient...?’ Zhou Chen’s heart sank. He decided to find Jiang Che as soon as he got back and take this place down. With the criminals and the evidence caught red-handed, Fu Qing would fall tonight.

He wasn’t so arrogant as to think he could fight his way through this place alone. Not to mention that Birdman and Snow White were both Ascenders; even among the subordinates they brought, each had a hidden Ascender. If a real fight broke out, he would be no match for them.

Besides, this was the Eternal Commerce Association, the enemy’s den. Causing trouble here was simply courting death.

「One hour later.」

The smugglers emerged from the secret door, looking refreshed and revitalized. Birdman whistled cheerfully and looked at Zhou Chen. "You really should have picked one and tried. It’s your loss."

"I’m not interested," Zhou Chen said with the same indifferent tone.

Birdman shrugged. "Well, then I can only suggest you get to a hospital and get your physical and mental health checked..."

"Alright, business is done. Let’s go."

Led by the manager, they took the elevator back to the skyscraper’s rooftop and left in a Floating car.

Zhou Chen silently watched the skyscraper recede into the distance. In the night, the Eternal Commerce Building shone with a dazzling, diamond-like brilliance, like a bright lighthouse in the Darkness. It was a landmark building, a symbol of success, wealth, and power, a place countless people dreamed of setting foot in.

But who knew just how much filth was hidden beneath that glamorous facade?

Snapping back to reality, Zhou Chen made a call on his communication channel.

"Jiang Che, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear. The signal was lost after you entered the Eternal Commerce Association. What happened inside?" Jiang Che asked.

Zhou Chen recounted the events in detail. After listening, Jiang Che was silent for a long time before saying in a calm voice:

"Well then, we can now confirm that Fu Qing has no connection to the Eternal Fire."

"Huh?" Zhou Chen was confused. "Why do you say that?"

"If Fu Qing were a believer of the Eternal Fire, he would definitely know your identity. Given his caution, he would never allow an Operator from the Star Association to witness the dirty dealings that could get him executed more than ten times over."

Jiang Che said with great certainty, "Birdman deliberately concealed your identity and found an excuse to bring you here to test your loyalty."

"As soon as you report this, the Star Association will inevitably launch an investigation into Fu Qing. At that point, you’ll be the prime suspect for snitching, and you’ll never again gain the trust of the Eternal Fire."

"But..."

Zhou Chen’s mind went blank for a moment, unable to believe it. "Birdman is Fu Qing’s subordinate, after all. And using Fu Qing as bait... isn’t that a bit... too bold?"

That’s the most powerful and influential person in the Jinzhu Region!

"Do you think Birdman cares about his position? Do you think he’s really afraid of Fu Qing?

"Abyssal Cultists are a bunch of psychos. He probably can’t wait for Jinzhu to descend into chaos so the Eternal Fire can find a chance to ship out the contents of that cargo."

Jiang Che said calmly, "The reason he chose Fu Qing as bait is, of course, because he’s a big enough target. The temptation is sufficient."

"Just imagine: you, a minor Star Association employee who’s been overlooked and has a damaged Soul, accidentally obtain criminal evidence against a major figure. If you can take him down, you’d add a spectacular achievement to your resume. From then on, you’d be highly valued, reap endless benefits, and reach the pinnacle of your life. More importantly, it would all be perfectly legitimate, with no fear of being caught..."

"The other option is to keep the secret, continue working for an unknown organization, and constantly be on guard against being discovered by the Star Association."

"How many people do you think would report him on a whim?"

"..." Zhou Chen was speechless. He could only sigh at how deep the city’s schemes ran. This was indeed a good way to test loyalty.

But the information gap meant Birdman’s plan was doomed to fail.

’You think I’m a newbie? Wrong. I’m actually a double agent with a critical mission!’

However, the thought of those victims made Zhou Chen’s feelings a little complicated again. "Then... what about those people?"

"Wait a little longer. Trust me, it won’t be for too long."

After a pause, Jiang Che advised, "Also, from now on, you’d better do this..."

·

·

「In the club’s parking lot.」

Birdman tried to send Zhou Chen on his way, using the excuse that it was getting late.

Zhou Chen didn’t move. He sneered, "You played your hand well. Don’t worry, I won’t leak the secret. Playing both sides is a sweet deal, but I’m not that arrogant."

Birdman’s eyebrows twitched in apparent surprise, but he quickly broke into a laugh. "Ha... Interesting. You saw through it. So why bring it up again? Wouldn’t it be better to just go back and pretend you know nothing?"

"Of course not, Mr. Birdman.

"If I pretended to know nothing, how could I blackmail you?"

Zhou Chen rubbed his fingers together. "You know what I’m talking about. Hush money."