Spiders and Flies

Academy Star, thirty kilometers outside Central City, in an abandoned stadium.

Two figures flickered in and out beneath the broken lights.

"Do you think this little fly will take the bait?"

A seductive female voice asked sweetly.

"The most frightening thing about people is their curiosity. Once they become curious about wizardry, there's no turning back."

A man's deep voice came from the corner. "Even though we changed the trading location at the last minute, I'm sure he'll come."

"All we need to do is set up the web and eliminate this so-called buyer, just like the three hundred and thirty-one little flies that appeared over the past dozen years."

The stadium appeared extremely open, but in the eyes of the two-man team from the Imperial Wizard Tribunal, traps designed specifically to counter adult wizards had been laid in almost every corner.

Though those traps would almost certainly never get the chance to be used.

This was their hunting ground.

Such hunting grounds existed on nearly every major planet. Academy Star was merely one of them.

"This little fly is quite clever. He tried to arrange the trade at several high-traffic locations within Central City—but unfortunately for him, the initiative is in our hands."

The woman's voice carried a hint of boredom. "Honestly, I hope that little fly doesn't come. Then we can spend these last dozen days in peace and retire afterward. Say, Ding Qiu, have you booked the tickets to Dragon Capital Province yet?"

The man named Ding Qiu slowly emerged from the shadows, revealing a fairly handsome face.

"Zhang Lan, you're an old hand too. We're on a mission right now."

Zhang Lan immediately objected. "So what if we're on a mission? We're just killing a few unarmed people. When have we ever failed in the past ten years? Forget real wizards—even the one Wizard Apprentice we caught never gave us any trouble. I only asked you a question and you're making such a big deal out of it. Have you completely forgotten about our vacation?!"

Ding Qiu instantly developed a headache. "Honey! I was wrong, all right? The tickets are already bought—November 7th. By then, we'll be free, and we can go wherever we want. You said you wanted to see the scenery in Dragon Capital Province, so I'll go with you. But right now, we haven't retired yet."

"Even if it's only a little fly, we can't let our guard down."

Zhang Lan's tone softened, though it carried an unusual feeling. "Actually... I know we're carrying out a mission."

"We can't get distracted right now."

"But for some reason, I've felt uncomfortable all day."

"Maybe it's because we can't pinpoint his exact information through the Dark Web..."

Ding Qiu said steadily, "There are still some highly skilled hackers in this world. They know about the Empire's bloody policies toward wizards, so naturally they'll be more careful. If the other party is carrying a weapon, the detection system outside the stadium will sound an alarm immediately. The backup measures we've arranged will still leave him with no choice but to surrender."

"Just relax."

"This is the last mission. Just go up to the third floor and keep an eye on the situation for me. I can handle it alone."

At that moment, a notification suddenly popped up on the tablet in the man's hand.

It displayed a single message—

Trade canceled!

Ding Qiu's eyes narrowed slightly.

"If it was only a guess before, then now it's almost certain."

"That stadium is definitely Wizard Tribunal territory. Changing the trading location at the last minute—wasn't that obviously meant to exploit the buyer's wishful thinking?"

Inside a secondhand jeep, Ronan analyzed the situation calmly.

He was driving alone through the woods, with a full satellite map spread out before him.

Ever since Noah had restored its energy, things had become much more convenient. Blocking Uncle Fan's and the assassin's tracking was only one of Noah's functions. In fact, the instant the other party proposed changing the trading location, Noah had proactively infiltrated the Imperial Military Department network and commandeered access to a military satellite, finding Ronan the clearest possible map.

The stadium was located at the foot of a mountain thirty kilometers outside Central City, with a river flowing nearby.

There had once been a small town here, but after urban migration, many of its buildings had been abandoned, and few people ever came through this area.

And at that very moment, Ronan was driving straight up that mountain!

"By the way, what do you mean by deciding to cancel the trade?"

Noah asked curiously. "Planning to catch them off guard?"

"We already know where they are. You've also verified that the wizard's manual should be genuine, so we might as well cancel the trade and let them guess... No matter what conditions they offer again on the Dark Web, don't reply."

"I heard that people from the Imperial Wizard Tribunal like to call themselves spiders, while the wizards or civilians they hunt are called flies..."

"Tonight, I want to see exactly what qualifications or strength these so-called spiders have."

The next second, the jeep's headlights went completely dark as it suddenly accelerated, charging forcefully toward the mountainside!

"You seem especially talkative today," Noah said.

Ronan replied calmly, "Because I'm excited."

"Being excited doesn't mean you can act this recklessly!"

Noah said angrily. "There's an alarm device ahead! I marked it on the map I gave you."

Ronan remained unhurried. "Triggering the alarm device is exactly what I want!"

The next second, he shoved a stone he had prepared beneath his foot and jammed the accelerator down hard.

Whoosh!

The car door opened, and a nimble figure landed silently in the grass.

"The deal was canceled? Looks like he's probably just someone with a bit of a collecting obsession."

Zhang Lan let out a sigh of relief. "We can turn a blind eye to people like that."

Holding the tablet, Ding Qiu still hesitated. "But according to the Institute's rules, anyone discovered to have an interest in witchcraft must be eliminated immediately—being a collector isn't an excuse."

Zhang Lan gently took his hand, seeming to want to say something, yet stopping herself.

Ding Qiu silently typed a line onto the tablet:

The transaction will proceed. If you are dissatisfied with the trading location, we can negotiate.

The message was sent quickly, but it vanished like a stone into the sea, with no reply whatsoever.

Ten minutes later, Ding Qiu silently shut down the Dark Web, seeming to breathe a sigh of relief as well.

"Wife, let's go."

Zhang Lan gave a soft hum. The two packed up and prepared to leave.

But at that very moment, their watches suddenly erupted in an alarm!

Ding Qiu jolted, then tapped a few times. On a virtual map, a red dot was flashing incessantly!

"Someone's on the mountain!"

"Damn it! This one's more cunning than the previous pests. Good thing we set up alarms on the mountain too."

Zhang Lan asked worriedly, "He's on the mountain. What do we do?"

Ding Qiu took a deep breath, a trace of cold light surfacing in his eyes. "Gear up."

"We're going up the mountain."

"Find him. Kill him."

On the silent hill, grass, shrubs, and trees stood thickly packed.

An unlicensed jeep had slammed headfirst into an old tree, leaving the scene in utter disarray.

Ding Qiu silently activated the infrared thermal scan. In the pitch-black forest, aside from a few small animals, there seemed to be no other living creatures.

"An empty vehicle?" Ding Qiu cautiously opened the jeep's compartment and said softly, "The enemy should be nearby. Be careful."

Not far away, Zhang Lan, clinging to a large tree like a lizard, gave a low hum.

The entire forest seemed to have turned grim and murderous.

Ding Qiu held a strangely shaped gun, his blood beginning to boil.

It had been a long time since he had felt this way.

This enemy had already placed enormous pressure on him before even revealing himself.

Could it be that, on his final mission before retirement, he would encounter a real witch?

"Even if you're a witch, I'll carve you into a thousand pieces."

Ding Qiu tightened his grip on the gun and walked deeper into the forest.

But the very next second, he abruptly stopped!

A figure had appeared directly before him.

"Were you looking for me, Mr. Spider of the Imperial Tribunal?"

The man wore a mask, his voice filled with mockery—and, faintly, a trace of anger.

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