Chapter 882 - 450_2

Perhaps, besides Lin Chuqiao, only the Professor is aware of this relationship.

Bai Ling on the other end of the phone clearly paused for a moment, and the chirping abruptly stopped:

"Crow and the Professor? Didn’t they go to Tian Nan Province for something? Boss, you don’t know?"

"I’ve been a bit busy lately and haven’t been in touch much."

Fang Cheng explained casually, and asked again:

"What are they there for?"

"Well... I’m not quite sure either."

Bai Ling’s tone carried some hesitation, the phone went silent for a moment, as if she was striving to recall and organize her words.

"Seems like it is related to a friend the Professor knew many years ago..."

"They didn’t explain the details to us; during the gathering, they briefly mentioned the trip, saying it was quite a significant private affair."

"Have you been in touch with them recently?"

"No."

Bai Ling answered straightforwardly.

"Our small team, unless there’s a mission that requires us to meet, we try to minimize contact, that’s the rule, to prevent exposure."

There she paused, a hint of alertness in her tone, seeming to realize something.

"Boss, you are suddenly asking about this... Did something happen to Crow and the Professor?"

"No."

Fang Cheng’s tone remained calm and steady: "I’m just needing to find Crow recently but haven’t been able to reach him, so I’m a bit worried."

"I see... Hold on, I’ll try calling them!"

Bai Ling’s voice sounded somewhat urgent.

The call was then disconnected.

Fang Cheng put down the phone, walked to the window, and gently pushed it open.

The evening breeze brought a hint of coolness to his face, blowing his newly grown hair on his forehead.

After waiting for about five minutes, the phone suddenly rang.

Fang Cheng turned around, picked up the phone, and answered it again.

This time, the voice from the receiver lost its previous ease and lively tone, instead filled with obvious tension and anxiety.

"White Ghost Boss... I’ve called Crow and the Professor several times, each time it says, the dialed user is temporarily unreachable, please try again later..."

"What on earth is happening? Could they really... have encountered trouble?"

By the end, Bai Ling’s voice even carried a slight tremor.

"Don’t panic, it’s too early to jump to conclusions, panic won’t solve any problems."

Fang Cheng’s voice was steady as he comforted her, and then guided:

"Think carefully now, before the Professor left, did he say anything particularly notable, or show any unusual behavior?"

"Anything notable..."

Bai Ling on the phone fell into deep thought, even her breathing became somewhat heavy.

After a long time, she hesitantly spoke:

"That gathering... about a week ago, was mainly about the Professor checking us over for any anomalies after absorbing the Blood Rain."

"Before adjourning, he indeed mentioned he was going south with Crow for something, advising those of us in East Capital to keep a low profile and avoid causing trouble."

"Big Hammer and I even joked about wanting to go with them to see, but the Professor flatly refused us, and Crow also said this time it was a private matter, more people would just be a hinderance..."

As she spoke, her voice suddenly raised a bit, as if recalling some key detail.

"Oh, I remember now!"

"When I arrived at the base for the gathering, I saw Crow holding a file discussing quietly with the Professor, mentioning something like ’should be that person’s method’, ’looks like it’ and so on."

"Out of curiosity, I peeked over, seemed they were discussing a murder case, the title had... Tian Nan Province... Jewelry Tycoon... Chen Family Curse Case..."

"Chen Family Curse Case?"

Fang Cheng quickly searched through his mind for the keyword, his brows furrowed slightly.

"This case, I don’t recall seeing it in the news, where did they get this information?"

"I’m not sure about that."

Bai Ling deliberately lowered her voice as if worried others might overhear something secret:

"But I’d guess they bought the intelligence from ’Naihe Bridge’."

"Naihe Bridge?"

Fang Cheng mused over the name gently.

Only feeling that there was an unspeakable eeriness and danger in these three words.

"Yes."

Bai Ling’s tone became serious:

"It’s an intermediary organization for assassins and information brokers."

"Boss, you should know, we do a lot of things that cannot see the light of day, and ’Naihe Bridge’ serves people like us."

"It’s like an information hub, you can post tasks there or take tasks, but more often, it’s used for buying and selling intelligence."

"Naihe Bridge only serves as a middleman, profiting from information premiums, without asking about the identity of buyers and sellers, nor interfering with the task details."

"Our team used to take some jobs there to earn commissions, before information about the Golden Benba Bottle was also bought by Professor at a high cost from ’Naihe Bridge’."

Fang Cheng was stirred inside, and he asked:

"How to find this organization?"

"They don’t have a fixed address in reality, or rather, nobody knows where their headquarters are."

Bai Ling explained:

"To get in touch with them, there’s only one way – go to ’Night City’, ’Naihe Bridge’ has a dedicated contact point there."

"Night City?"

"Yes, Night City."

Bai Ling took a deep breath, seemingly reverent of this place:

"It’s a super-large Spiritual Secret Realm, a... lawless zone separate from the real society."

"Professor said it’s like it exists in the world’s crevices, between the legendary borders of the living world and the netherworld, somewhat like the Inner World we experienced, but more stable and vast than the Inner World."

"Nobody knows who’s behind Night City, only that it’s a genuine no-man’s land."

"In Night City, real-world laws and morals are meaningless, many organizations and power users wanted in the real world, even some notorious evil cults have their bases there."

"All kinds of shady transactions, like hiring murderers, smuggling contraband, exchanging intelligence, happen every moment."

"Even..."

Here Bai Ling paused, lowering her voice further:

"I’ve heard from the Professor that some people whose bodies have died in reality, if their spiritual power is strong enough, their consciousness can still survive in Night City, becoming a kind of unique ghost."

"By the way."

She then added:

"That renowned International Shadow Auction also has a permanent presence in Night City."

Bai Ling’s words revealed a vast and secretive world to Fang Cheng that he’d never heard of before.

"How to get in?"

After a moment of pondering, Fang Cheng asked directly.

"By using consciousness."

Though Bai Ling found it odd that the powerful White Ghost Boss didn’t know this, she patiently explained:

"The method is similar to when we entered the Professor’s Spiritual Secret Realm, you must chant the spell."

She paused, reciting an ancient syllable sequence with unique rhythms and a peculiar cadence.

Fang Cheng listened quietly, his gaze slightly sharpened.

This convoluted spell, its structure and rhythm in pronunciation bore a close resemblance, about seventy to eighty percent, to the sound cipher he used to connect with the "Smiling Demon".

"However."

Bai Ling then solemnly cautioned:

"Boss, if you wish to enter, I must remind you."

"Although it’s just a consciousness, if you ’die’ in there, it will cause severe trauma to your real-world spirit, potentially rendering you a fool. So, be careful."

"Understood, thank you."

The conversation ended.

Fang Cheng held the phone as the screen dimmed, reflecting his blurred silhouette.

He didn’t immediately put it down, merely stood there, looking out the window.

Fang Cheng’s eyes observed the distance calmly, the countless lights outside formed points in his pupils, then slowly scattered, yet they couldn’t illuminate the deep thoughts in his eyes.

"Better check it out