Xiao Jingyan's words are like a heavy hammer, every word is as heavy as a thousand stones, which means that Lu Chen will officially step into this minefield full of conspiracy, betrayal and death, and will face the intricate forces of the court and the terrifying demons hiding in the dark.
The risk is huge, but as Xiao Jingyan said, it is related to the survival of the human race and his own way to break the situation.
He needs strength, information, and a foothold, and the fallen prince in front of him may be able to provide him with the fulcrum he desperately needs.
Lu Chen didn't answer immediately. He picked up the slightly cool cup of tea and drank it in one gulp. The bitter tea soup rolled down his throat, making his mind clearer.
He put down the tea cup, his eyes became firm and sharp again, and he looked directly at Xiao Jingyan: "Your Highness will be honest with you, and Lu Chen will not dare to lie. This matter is of great importance, and Lu Chen is willing to become an ally with Your Highness to jointly investigate this case!"
He did not say any heroic words, but his decisive will was clearly conveyed.
Xiao Jingyan's eyes flashed with relief, and his shoulders that had been tense seemed to relax a bit.
He looked at Clerk Chen and nodded slightly.
Clerk Chen understood, got up and walked to the bookshelf, pressed a few times on an inconspicuous hidden compartment, took out something, turned around and handed it to Lu Chen.
That's a mask.
The whole body is pitch black and the tentacles are cold. It is made of an unknown material. It is hard but has a strange toughness.
The shape of the mask is that of a ferocious and roaring evil spirit, with hollow eyes and an uncomfortable arc at the corners of its mouth, as if it is silently mocking everything in the world.
Its style is almost identical to the mark Lu Chen saw on the Archives Bureau's old file, and the totem on the Ye Family's second elder's token!
"This is..." Lu Chen's pupils shrank.
"This is a mask commonly used by peripheral members of Ghostface Organization." Xiao Jingyan said solemnly, "We sacrificed several secret agents to get a few. According to the information we currently have, this organization has a strict structure and a strict hierarchy. The peripheral members only know how to execute orders and have no access to the core. But their activities, especially the more frequent activities in Capital City recently, seem to be related to... that secret force."
He paused and pointed to an extremely hidden mark that looked like a natural pattern on the inside of the mask. "Pay attention to this mark. According to our sporadic intelligence, different marks may represent their different activity areas or division of responsibilities in Capital City. The fragment of Extinction Iron in your hand is an important clue. This mask may help you find the person who uses it and follow the clues."
Lu Chen took the mask with a heavy hand. The cold touch and ferocious shape seemed to carry some kind of ominous atmosphere.
He sensed carefully, but did not find the obvious remnants of the killing tradition like Extinction Iron. It was more of a cold and mysterious feeling.
"What do you want me to do, Your Highness?"
"Since you have agreed on a ten-day deadline, you have to speed up the investigation." Xiao Jingyan's eyes were burning, "We hope you can use this mask and Extinction Iron's induction to try to find A stronghold of Ghost Face in Capital City, preferably a stronghold where higher-level members can be contacted. If we can capture them alive or find evidence of their dealings with people in the court, it will be a great achievement!"
"This matter is extremely dangerous." Clerk Chen solemnly reminded from the side, "Ghostface Organization members are ruthless, and there are many masters among them. You are alone, so be careful. If something cannot be done, the best thing is to protect yourself."
Lu Chen nodded and put the mask away carefully.
"I'll play it by ear."
It was already afternoon when we left Three Stone Bookstore.
Lu Chen can feel that those surveillance eyes are still there, but they don't seem to be aware of the undercurrent in the bookstore.
He did not return to the Archives Bureau, but walked around the city a few times. After confirming that he had gotten rid of possible informants, he found a secluded inn to stay.
After closing the door, Lu Chen immediately took out the fragments of Ghost Face Mask and Extinction Iron.
He first focused Divine Sense on the mask and felt it carefully. Apart from the cold and mysterious aura and the special mark on the inside, he found nothing else.
This mask is more like a standard identity certificate or disguise tool.
Then, he picked up the Extinction Iron fragment and once again felt the ancient and violent killing atmosphere in it.
Then, he tried to attach a faint trace of Divine Sense to the mask, and at the same time operated the starting motion of <Godslayer Slash>, causing the aura in the fragment to resonate with it.
There was no reaction at first.
But when he condensed the will of <Godslayer Slash> to a certain extent, the Extinction Iron fragment trembled slightly, and the murderous aura exuding seemed to be attracted by some kind of pull, and had an extremely subtle and vague connection with the cold and mysterious aura on the mask!
It's like there are two almost invisible threads in the dark, extending in a common direction!
Lu Chen felt a shiver in his heart and immediately wrote down the direction of this induction - the north of the city!
He did not dare to neglect, put away the two items, put on dark clothes that were easy to move around, and condensed his aura to the extreme. Like an ordinary wanderer, he blended into the bustling crowd in the evening and sneaked in the direction of the induction.
The further you go to the north of the city, the more chaotic the environment becomes. This is where Capital City's three religions and nine streams gather. Gambling shops, prostitutes, and underground banks are everywhere. The air is filled with the smell of cheap powder, low-quality alcohol, and the faint smell of sweat.
As the distance gets closer, the induction of Extinction Iron fragments becomes clearer.
The pull of the murderous aura points to the depths of an even darker alley where sewage flows.
At the end of the alley, there is a warehouse with old lanterns hanging on it that looks like it has been abandoned.
The wooden door was closed tightly, with a rusty iron lock hanging on it.
But Divine Sense of Lu Chen was keenly aware that there were several extremely concealed warning restrictions placed around the warehouse. It would have been almost difficult to detect them if he had not had a strong spirit and deliberate exploration.
Moreover, there were several faint auras coming from inside the warehouse, one of which had the same origin as Extinction Iron, but was mixed with a lot of evil aura!
This is it!
Lu Chen did not act rashly. He lurked in the shadow of a building opposite like a ghost, carefully observing the movement of the warehouse, and at the same time, he used Divine Sense like tentacles, carefully avoiding the warning restrictions, and probed inside.
The interior of the warehouse is quite large, with some dusty debris piled up as a cover. But deep inside, there are faint lights and voices.
There were about five or six people, and judging from their auras, most of them were at the mid-level Meridian Opening level.
There is only one person, sitting in the main seat, whose aura has reached the late stage of Meridian Opening. There is a vaguely violent Sha Qi lingering around him, and the resonance with Extinction Iron is the strongest.
On this person's face, he is wearing a pair of Ghost Face Mask that is exactly the same as Lu Chen's hand!
They seemed to be discussing something in a low voice, their tone was urgent and gloomy.
"... The bosses are pressing hard, and that batch of goods must be sent out as soon as possible..."
"...Demon Suppression Division has been strictly investigating recently, especially those old immortals Elder Faction who are crazy..."
"... What are you afraid of! We have the protection of a big shot, and there are our people inside Demon Suppression Division... As long as we complete this mission, we will be rewarded..."
The intermittent conversation reached Lu Chen's ears, shocking his heart.
This group of people is indeed carrying out some kind of secret activities, and it seems to involve big shots in the DPRK and Demon Suppression Division!
Just when he was eavesdropping intently, trying to get more information--
In the warehouse, the masked man in the late stage of Meridian Opening suddenly raised his head, his scarlet gaze penetrated the eyeholes of the mask, and shot as sharp as an arrow in the direction where Lu Chen was lurking!
"Who is it? Get out!"