Eastern Alliance

"After the meeting ends, I'll verify it. By next Monday's meeting, I'll have more intel."

The Capitalist's intel seemed to have a certain lag, but it could also be that events in Greenland City were completely sealed off.

As Arthur had said, Greenland City had activated the Iron Curtain System—a physical city lockdown where every entry and exit was sealed by iron doors over ten meters thick.

All airspace over the city was closed; no one could enter or leave Greenland City unnoticed.

Hongguo City had a similar system. Every city had such defensive measures.

"If possible, I hope you can help find a flaw in Greenland City's Iron Curtain System. As far as I know, all such defense systems leave a backdoor by design."

Arthur made the request for help before Lin Qi could.

Only the Capitalist nodded in response.

The others looked at Guangleng.

With Guangleng's control over the network, finding a flaw should be far more convenient for him than for the Capitalist.

"I can't use the network too conspicuously. That would pose a fundamental risk to the Highest Level." Guangleng explained, and the others nodded thoughtfully.

Guangleng continued the topic: "Wizard, what trouble have you run into?"

Lin Qi followed Guangleng's lead and asked, putting on a fake mature female voice: "The Assassin's League. I want information on the Assassin's League."

"You've run into the Assassin's League too? Wizard, are you in Greenland City? That's great... no, that's terrible. Wizard, with your abilities, you might be able to take me out with you."

Arthur was somewhat surprised. Based on past experience, he knew the Wizard had an almost freakish ability to gather information.

If it was the Wizard, maybe he really could break through the Iron Curtain System's lockdown.

"Unfortunately, I'm not in Greenland City. I've just run into trouble from the Assassin's League."

Lin Qi shook his head. Hongguo City and Greenland City were very close.

But with the Iron Curtain System activated, getting in from outside was far harder than getting out.

"I see. I don't know much about the Assassin's League—probably not as much as the Capitalist. You'll have to owe that favor to the Capitalist."

Arthur's hopes were dashed, but he wasn't disappointed. Before joining the Mercenary Group, Arthur had been a solo mercenary; being in danger was nothing new to him.

Lin Qi looked toward the Capitalist's position. She made no demands and generously shared intel on the Assassin's League.

"The Assassin's League, a T1-level Mercenary Group, an intercontinental one. Rumor has it their membership is extremely small—but not smaller than ours—and they almost always operate solo."

"According to the Asian Political Zone's Large Enterprise Alliance analysis, the Assassin's League is suspected of having T0-level power—meaning they can go head-to-head with a large corporation."

That strong?

The info was straightforward, but not what Lin Qi was looking for.

Lin Qi added a follow-up: "I heard members of the Assassin's League refuse cybernetic modification? And they seem... especially generous with new members?"

The Capitalist paused her narration, then looked up and stared intently in Lin Qi's direction.

"You've encountered a recruitment attempt by the Assassin's League? That intel is high-level—an S-class secret of the Asian Political Zone's Large Enterprise Alliance."

The Capitalist made almost no effort to hide her "noble" identity.

As long as it was information obtainable through official channels, the Capitalist could get her hands on it.

Most of her work in the Mercenary Group was logistics.

In truth, the Highest Level had only two actual field operatives: Master Ma and Arthur. Lin Qi counted as half.

"You could say that." Lin Qi couldn't reveal Lin Xin's information, so he answered vaguely.

"It seems not."

The Capitalist's head shake was quite obvious, making Lin Qi's act look a bit clumsy.

Lin Qi didn't care.

"This intel can be shared, but consider it a favor you owe me."

Lin Qi nodded. Trading his favor for an S-class secret from the Large Enterprise Alliance was a good deal. Besides, given the Capitalist's status, she might never have a chance to call it in.

"The Assassin's League is a Mercenary Group originating from the Eastern Alliance in the Asian Political Zone. Their development model isn't recruitment, but mentorship."

"The Assassin's League has three extraordinary professions, or rather three factions: Blood Clothes, Life Snatcher, and Death Warrior. Sounds mysterious, but at the end of the day, it's similar to the Martial Artist path. The only difference is they strongly resist cybernetic modification—or rather, the entire Eastern Alliance strongly resists it."

"As for what you mentioned about generosity, that should be the Blood Clothes faction."

"Wizard, I advise you to stay far away from Blood Clothes. I personally suspect that Blood Clothes is actually being cultivated in secret by the Eastern Alliance."

"Getting involved with the Eastern Alliance is far more troublesome than the Witch Hunt."

Not just Lin Qi, but even Master Ma and Arthur were stunned.

So the Assassin's League had that kind of background?

No wonder they acted so arrogantly.

"No, if what you say is true, and the Assassin's League has that relationship with the Eastern Alliance, how could they cause an incident like this in Greenland City? That doesn't serve the Eastern Alliance's interests. How could the Eastern Alliance let the Asian Political Zone fall into chaos?"

Arthur pressed the question immediately.

For this question, Capitalist couldn't provide an answer either.

That was all the intel she had.

Besides, Arthur's claim that the Assassin's League sent a Fourth-Order Transcendent to assassinate him was just his side of the story—it might not actually be the League's doing.

Lin Qi could only nod slightly.

As for staying away?

Lin Xin was his own sister. If something happened to her, Lin Qi could never stand by and do nothing.

The Eastern Alliance was a powerful existence beyond Lin Qi's understanding.

In a world where megacorporations annexed and governed cyber cities, each city independent from the others, the Eastern Alliance stood as a strange entity—scattered in form but unified in spirit.

Countless megacorporations thrived within it, no fewer than twenty, yet they advanced and retreated as one alliance.

Outside powers always treated the Eastern Alliance as a single whole.

Whether the entire region was stable or chaotic depended most of the time on the Eastern Alliance's will.

"Little sis is getting less and less cute." Lin Qi's head ached, but he steeled himself mentally.

He had an entire Doomsday World at his back. Even powers as formidable as the Assassin's League or the Eastern Alliance couldn't harm his family.

As for Lin Xin, Lin Qi planned to have their old man keep an eye on her.

At least until he grew strong enough, Lin Qi would never allow Lin Xin to go out and carry out any missions for the Assassin's League.

"Wizard, any more questions you want to ask?" Guangleng spoke up.

In routine meetings, Guangleng mostly played the role of mediator and decision-maker.

Lin Qi shook his head. "My needs are taken care of."

Guangleng turned to Arthur. "In that case, let's call this meeting here for now. Arthur, I suggest you move your hiding spot quickly—your trouble is back."