The Missing Link (Four Thousand Words)

"Is this even acceptable?"

Dante Organization such a large research institution, Lin Bo such a great messenger. You slammed your information card on the table with such confidence and assertiveness, and you wanted to gamble your life with me. In the end, you only had thirty points on your information card.

Who the hell would call thirty points their entire fortune?

How could you possibly gamble away those thirty points like your life savings against someone with tens of thousands of points?

What about dignity?

Where is your pride?

Where's your face?

Xiao Xiao was furious, extremely furious.

I really wanted to grab Lin Bo by the neck and ask him how he could have the nerve to do something like that.

However, because Lin Bo remained in a deep coma, he was unable to ask.

According to the members of Dante Organization, these thirty points don't even count as his own yet, because during the attack by the Hell Organization, Lin Bo's exertion of his abilities and mental strain in fighting against the Lady Black Wraith was too severe, causing him to accidentally fall into a coma. So he just happened not to see the Butcher's enhancement succeed, which means he hasn't lost yet.

Should we splash him with a bucket of cold water to wake him up, explain the problem to him, and then let him pass out again?

Xiao Xiao really wanted to do it, but Yang Jia dissuaded him.

After all, Dante Organization came to provide support. As the guild master of Black Gate City, I should at least show some magnanimity.

After all, Dante Organization initially brought support with the Mysterious Guidepost, so their intentions weren't entirely pure. However, now that they've lost the bet, it's as if these people have helped Black Gate City so much by spending their own travel expenses and risking their lives without asking for anything in return. It wouldn't be very dignified for them to then ask for their meager fortune of a few dozen points.

We can only arrange for someone to entertain them first.

Helpless, Xiao Xiao had no choice but to suppress his anger and arrange for someone to entertain the Dante Organization.

Four people came in total. Apart from Lin Bo, who was seriously injured and remained unconscious, the other three were not in any major problems and their injuries were minor. It was just that the man carrying the cannon had been more exhausted, and the other two also looked somewhat weak. Although Xiao Xiao was angry with Lin Bo, he had no complaints about the others and generously took out money to arrange a hotel and food and drinks for them.

I'm too embarrassed to arrange a meal for the bar staff this time, so let's just go to a fancy hotel.

This thrilled the members of Dante Organization, especially when they saw how luxurious the hotel was and how extravagant the food was. They were so moved that they ate and drank without any restraint. Their only regret was that the food in Black Gate City was still a bit lacking in authenticity...

The drinks they served this time were clearly problematic; they weren't as sour as the ones I had at the bar...

Is it because the work is finished that they are not as attentive when entertaining guests?

While his teammates were taken out for a big meal by Yang Jia, Lin Bo, who was lying on the sofa, had a rumbling stomach.

However, I didn't dare to wake up.

After settling the Dante Organization members who came to provide support, Mister Ye also sent Xiao Xiao the casualty statistics of the Black Gate City's abnormal beings in this attack. Xiao Xiao glanced at it and couldn't help but feel a little depressed; it was still very serious.

Of the strangers in Black Gate City, six died and seven or eight were wounded.

Among them, the Red Eyes Ling Ping's men suffered the most casualties, with four dying, and another being a seasoned outsider.

Two of Old Zhou Under the Bridge died and three were injured.

In addition, dozens of native residents of Black Gate City were killed or wounded in this attack, and these were all attributed to the outsiders. Among them were native residents who were harmed by members of the Hell Organization who secretly disobeyed orders, and native residents who were affected when the man favored by death released the tide of death. All of these deaths were attributed to the outsiders.

To be precise, it was Xiao Xiao, the president of the Foreigners' Association, who was responsible for the matter.

This means that more than 3,000 points were deducted as a result.

Xiao Xiao felt a pang of heartache again. If Lin Bo happened to have that number of points on his information card, it would be fine to deduct them...

However, the additional income cannot be ignored.

Under Xiao Xiao's prior instructions, the outsiders in Black Gate City did not forget to collect information cards while fighting against the Hell Organization. Little Four unexpectedly brought seven or eight information cards, which, according to a rough estimate, contained tens of thousands of points.

Little Four is such a genuine kid...

Upon learning this, Xiao Xiao immediately stated that after calculating the points, he would keep 70% for himself and give the rest to Little Four.

But Little Four politely declined, and Xiao Xiao insisted on giving it to him.

How many people are as kind and generous as Little Four?

Damn Lin Bo.

Red Eyes Ling Ping, also collected more than a dozen points cards, totaling around 20,000 points. However, since he had suffered more casualties, Xiao Xiao was embarrassed to accept them. Similarly, Ruan Ruan and Old Zhou Under the Bridge also collected some information cards. But considering their own losses, Xiao Xiao could only generously say that they could keep all the information cards themselves.

It must be mentioned that normally, when outsiders in each city encounter such problems, their points are collected and then distributed proportionally as rewards. However, the new structure of Black Gate City has just begun and has not been stipulated in advance, so we will proceed with the current arrangement for the time being.

The Hell Organization is also very shrewd.

So many people died in an instant. Logically, if they collected all those points, it would be a considerable sum. But when they left, they took all the corpses with them, which naturally included a large number of points that they hadn't had time to collect.

It can only be considered a loss.

Another rule is that, according to the tacit understanding among strangers, the points collected in the information cards in Black Gate City can be kept by the individual, but the information cards must be returned to the other party's companions, just like Xiao Xiao did after killing Ghost Man. However, Xiao Xiao is not sure whether the Hell Organization still cares about the information cards of these deceased companions, so he can only leave them in Black Gate City for the time being.

Anyway, after the Hell Organization looted the points in other cities, they never returned the information cards.

In short, Xiao Xiao kept some of the points collected from Little Four, and left the rest to each person to deal with themselves... After all, if he were to take a share of theirs, wouldn't he also have to take a share of the 100,000 he earned?

... The most crucial issue is still the 100,000...030 points I have.

How much should be allocated to Little Four?

He was the biggest investor in his own bet...

I lent myself a full two hundred points!

So, should I return two thousand to him?

I'm sorry.

Then give him 20,000?

It would break my heart!

But then he thought about it again. Little Four had invested in the bet between himself and Lin Bo. So, logically, what he should give him was also what he earned from the bet with Lin Bo, which was to say, from those thirty points. In that case, giving him twenty points would already be a lot... The more Xiao Xiao thought about it, the more reasonable he felt about this distribution. He just felt a little embarrassed to say it.

That's so embarrassing...

With Mister Ye's help, these problems are easy to handle.

All Xiao Xiao needs to do is handle the points allocation issue properly. Mister Ye will help solve the other problems without complaint. Right now, the most important thing for Xiao Xiao is to solve some key issues that he discovered during this confrontation.

The Hell Organization's surrender is tantamount to agreeing to leave the Arcane Compass in Black Gate City.

Dante Organization also lost to me in the bet. I don't know if anyone else will still be interested in these issues, but in any case, they have no chance or reason to ask me for them directly, unless they send people to attack Black Gate City and forcibly take them, just like Hell Organization. But even Hell Organization lost, so others should think twice before trying to take them.

But the more important question is, who exactly is the Arcane Compass?

In fact, this confrontation has already confirmed that the Record Player Miss is the one with the problem.

The power of that Death-Favored One is indescribably terrifying. The fact that Record Player Miss can control this power to some extent means that her status can influence forbidden things of Class A or even higher. The only one capable of doing this is naturally that mysterious guide, which is the supreme forbidden, the Arcane Compass that has always been hidden in Black Gate City...

But Xiao Xiao's intuition still told him that she wasn't.

Or rather, she is related to the Arcane Compass, but she is not the same as the Arcane Compass itself.

This is a question that is difficult to answer clearly in a short time.

But for some reason, Xiao Xiao also thought of the shadow that often appeared behind the white curtains on the second floor of his neighbor's house.

Whose eyes are those that often peek at me from behind the curtains?

Xiao Xiao slowly walked back to his bar. By then, the fog had lifted, and it was already broad daylight. The bar was deserted. He walked through the scattered tables and chairs and the empty stage, entered the elevator, and went to his office on the third floor. His movements seemed slow, but he was analyzing in his mind the special items he currently possessed and their secrets...

The Butcher sent him home after the fight ended.

This taciturn shadow, single-mindedly focused on revenge, has entered a new phase.

There are still many secrets about him, and Xiao Xiao cannot fully understand him, let alone control him completely.

It takes time to understand this gradually.

The three Thorn Hound will be temporarily cared for by the Serpent Sisters. Xiao Xiao only hopes that they won't spoil the three dogs.

What's the difference between taking them to a dog farm and taking a man to a nightclub?

"The most important thing is still this city!"

Back in his office, Xiao Xiao drew back the curtains of the French windows and looked out.

It was nearly noon, the sun was shining brightly, and the entire city was clearly and vividly displayed before our eyes.

Xiao Xiao looked at the city, at the buildings of varying heights, and at the diverse vehicles and crowds. Because it all seemed so real, it gave him a sense of disorientation, as if he were standing outside the world. He and the city were in the same space, yet on different dimensions, with an indescribable and immense gap between them.

He thought of what he had seen during his battle with the White Devil.

In an instant, it felt as if an invisible hand had suddenly gripped my heart and was kneading it violently.

My empty stomach was cramping slightly, and I almost vomited.

"At this moment, the strangers in Black Gate City should be reveling in the joy of surviving a catastrophe, right?"

"Mister Ye should be very pleased, because the Arcane Compass was left in Black Gate City. Yang Jia should also be very happy, because she protected Black Gate City and prevented the chaotic Hell Organization from plunging it back into that Black Gate City of despair and disorder."

"The Hell Organization suffered heavy losses, but they don't seem too sad..."

"But why am I the only one who feels lonely?"

"..."

Xiao Xiao didn't know if this was a side effect of the Insightful Path, because he had used the power of the Insightful Path too intensely in this confrontation, so much so that the mental pressure caused him to involuntarily fall into emptiness and daze.

But what he saw at that moment became a lingering shadow in his heart.

Everything has a reason, and some answers are gradually emerging.

However, something is still missing.

Xiao Xiao vaguely sensed that he was completing the final supplementary step of a conjecture and was about to see through it completely.

But what exactly is the missing piece...?

"Ding-a-ling..."

Just as Xiao Xiao was in a daze, the sudden phone call made him shudder.

After calming himself down, he picked up the phone.

"Young man, the fog was very thick yesterday, and Black Gate City was in chaos. Are you alright?"

The Rabbit Boss's voice sounded a bit lazy, and seemed to have a hidden meaning as he asked with concern.

Is the city very chaotic?

Xiao Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "What happened?"

"It's just those normal things..."

The Rabbit Boss laughed and said, "The fog is so thick that even the surveillance cameras can't capture the streets clearly. People who like to cause trouble are naturally restless. Whether it's robbery or murder, riots and revelry, they've all increased many times over. Even we have to let our sisters rest for a while. After all, in such thick fog, who knows what kind of customer we'll be receiving? Or even if they're not human?"

"A strange feeling..."

Xiao Xiao paused for a moment and said, "I wasn't in the shop yesterday, but there shouldn't be any problems. Because the fog came suddenly, the customers should have stayed in the shop until the fog cleared before going back. At least no one was killed or anything else happened."

I have to admit that the fact that my customers are stuck here is a good thing for the rest of the city.

Xiao Xiao had to admit that, thanks to the efforts of the Record Player Miss, his shop now had a very distinctive style.

Those who haven't taken a life are considered high-quality customers.

"That's good, that's good..."

The Rabbit Boss smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "I have another important thing to tell you."

Xiao Xiao curiously, "What?"

"Your father."

The Rabbit Boss said softly, "You arranged for me to investigate him before, and although it did take some effort, but..."

"... I have found him."

Today's update is 4,000 words. I originally planned to take a short break after finishing this climax and revise the detailed outline for the rest of the story. However, it would be really bad to stop updating, so I'll reduce the word count a little and update normally tomorrow. I'll also make up for the missing words from the past two days.