Hush money.
Even with all the Birdman had seen, he never imagined that one day heād be openly blackmailed for hush money.
But he wasnāt angry. On the contrary, he was surprisedāand delighted.
He hadnāt expected Zhou Chen to see through his intentions so quickly, and he certainly hadnāt expected Zhou Chen to be so bold as to demand something from him.
āThis is... fantastic!ā
āEternal Fire is in desperate need of talent like this!ā
The Birdman was extremely satisfied. Waving his subordinates away, he said with a small smile,
"Mr. Killing Maniac, do you know who youāre extorting? To be honest, I donāt even know how many years itās been since Iāve heard the term āhush money.ā Normally, I just make sure the person in the know can never speak again."
"You wonāt kill me."
Zhou Chen stated with certainty, "You need me, and the organization behind you needs me. While I donāt know exactly what you want me to do... infiltrating the Star Association has to be part of it, right?"
At this, his tone took on a hint of dissatisfaction. "Iāve done so much for you. Weāre already in the same boat. You still donāt trust me? Donāt you even have that much magnanimity?"
"Allow me to correct you. I, personally, have already been trusting you for a while now, unilaterally."
The Birdman spread his hands helplessly. "But what can I do? Some people are just too suspicious and insist on testing you again and again."
"And now?" Zhou Chen asked.
"Er... I donāt know. You figured it out too fast. I havenāt had a chance to report it yet."
The Birdman gave an awkward shrug. "How about you wait a bit? Iāll report it up the chain. Itās not like I have what you want on me anyway. It has to come from above."
Zhou Chen mulled it over for a moment, then nodded.
The Birdman took out his phone and made a call. The voice on the other end was encrypted, a series of electronic tones. Soon after, he hung up and said with a smile, "They approve of your performance. But I have some bad news for you."
He paused for a long time before continuing.
"The Canaan Blue is gone."
A flicker of disappointment went through Zhou Chen, but he was already mentally prepared. Getting even one piece of Canaan Blue had been beyond his expectations. That stuff was priceless, something countless Ascenders couldnāt obtain even if they bankrupted themselves.
"But thereās also good news," the Birdman said, his tone shifting.
"What is it?"
"We have a āStar Mangoā on hand." The Birdman revealed a mysterious smile. "You probably donāt know what that is, do you?"
āSo it really was in your hands...ā Zhou Chen thought, shaking his head and playing dumb. "I donāt."
"Hmm... Are you familiar with Restricted Areas?" the Birdman asked.
"I am."
"Then Iāll keep it short." The Birdman began to explain. "The Star Mango is a national treasure from Zone 149. Consuming it directly can completely restore oneās Soul, but thatās too wasteful. The best method is to use it as an aid in an Advancement ceremony with an Alchemy Secret Ceremony.
The effect of the ceremony is a smooth, safe, and side-effect-free Advancement of one Tier, up to a limit of Tier Four. It also has the effect of repairing the Soul.
Thatās why the Holy See considers it a national treasure. It can allow a Tier Three Ascender to advance to Tier Four without any side effects. Countless people are green with envy over it...
Ahem, by the way, a Star Mango isnāt a mango. Itās a ball of light about the size of a lychee."
After hearing the Birdmanās explanation, Zhou Chen was a little stunned. He had never heard that the Star Mango also had the effect of stabilizing Advancement. He quickly asked on the communication channel.
"Your clearance wasnāt high enough back then. I couldnāt possibly show you all the intelligence," Jiang Che replied calmly.
"Fine."
Zhou Chen didnāt press the issue, instead looking at the Birdman with a detached expression. "The Star Mango is so precious. Youāre willing to give it to me?"
"You have great potential and many people have high hopes for you. This is a necessary investment..."
It seemed his little "recreation" had taken a lot out of him. The Birdman let out a long yawn as he spoke, then smiled.
"Of course, that will be after you formally join us. Itāll be your initiation gift."
Zhou Chen sneered. "So after all that, you still donāt trust me."
"Thereās nothing to be done about it." The Birdman feigned helplessness. "Go back and wait for your mission. Donāt worry, itāll be soon."
"Fine." Zhou Chen nodded, then rubbed his hands together. "So, what about the hush money?"
"Didnāt I just say Iād give you the Star Mango...?"
"Do you think Iām some gullible three-year-old?" Zhou Chenās tone was clearly displeased. "I know you have plenty of good stuff on you."
"Sigh..."
The Birdman sighed as if resigned to his fate. "A Forbidden Object. How about that?"
Zhou Chen was stunned. He had only been trying to extort some benefits, but the Birdman was offering a Forbidden Object straight up?
āHoly crap, thatās not just generous, thatās a huge move!ā
"What is it?" he asked, trying to remain as calm as possible.
The Birdman said with a look of great regret, "The C-027 Blindfolded Sunglasses. Iāve had my eye on this for a long time and only got my hands on it two days ago, but it conflicts with my Abilities, so I canāt use it.
If you want it, Iāll give it to you as hush money. Just stop pestering me."
"Deal." Zhou Chen nodded without hesitation.
He had read the compendium of Forbidden Objects and memorized all the B, C, and D-Level items listed inside. The moment he heard the name, he knew he absolutely couldnāt let this one go.
"Go upstairs and wait. Iāll send someone to get it."
Twenty minutes later, one of the Birdmanās subordinates arrived on the fourth floor of the club, took out an ordinary glasses case from his pocket, and respectfully handed it to Zhou Chen.
Zhou Chen opened the case. Inside lay a pair of all-black sunglasses, looking no different from an ordinary pair.
"This is one of those Forbidden Objects that doesnāt require containment to be used. Do you know its effects and side effects?" the Birdman asked, flicking the ash from his cigar.
"I do."
"Then I wonāt explain. Itās getting late. You should go. Remember not to expose yourself."
"I know what Iām doing."
Zhou Chen put the glasses case in his inner jacket pocket and turned to leave.
Ā·
Ā·
ćBack at the Star Association.ć
The first thing Zhou Chen did was go to the secret mission team. He multitasked, dictating the shipping routes the Birdman had mentioned during his negotiation with Snow White for the staff to record.
At the same time, he took a pencil and quickly sketched all the victims he had seen on a drawing board.
During his time in the research department, he had received sketch training; it was one of the basic courses.
Soon, the desk was covered with clear, detailed, and lifelike black-and-white portraits. The staff entered the images into the system, searched the database for each one, and eventually found matches for all of them, displaying the files on the large screen.
Without exception, all of them were missing persons.
They had been missing for as long as three years or as little as a few months, all from Jinzhu City and the surrounding areas.
Zhou Chen even saw a female student from Jinzhu University. If he remembered correctly, she was the music major from the roster named "YueāEr."
The case file showed that after her disappearance, her parents had been frantic. They reported it to the police immediately and used every connection and bit of Power they had to find her, but to this day, they had found nothing. They spent their days awash in tears.
Her mother was so grief-stricken that she had a mental breakdown and nearly committed suicide. She was saved in time but was subsequently admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Her fatherās hair had turned completely white, making him look as if he had aged a dozen years.
And that same grief permeated every family that had lost a child or a loved one.
Looking at the tear-streaked, grief-stricken faces in the case files, Zhou Chen felt his heart ache. He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, unable to look any longer.