ACE-099
The leaders of Jiuzhou and Kunlun stood facing each other under the phoenix tree.
One is a young man, and the other is a middle-aged man.
One was wearing a gray suit, and the other was wearing a black Zhongshan suit.
The world seemed to be divided by the trunk of the sycamore tree between them, creating a strong and stark contrast.
Former comrades-in-arms, now rivals.
"I'm curious, you're so far away in Jingcheng, yet you come to Luoyang twice a month. What is it about you that attracts you?" Zheng Yuandong asked calmly under the sycamore tree.
He Jinqiu smiled and said, "Boss Zheng is too kind. Kunlun successfully captured four criminals last night. How could my Jiuzhou not come and take a look, and also offer my congratulations?"
"This is Kunlun's duty, so there's no need for congratulations," Zheng Yuandong replied casually. "Besides, there are still five people on the run, so there's no time for celebration."
"It's my duty..." He Jinqiu said with a smile, "Boss Zheng is reminding me that Jiuzhou has recently broken the rules."
From the very beginning of their establishment, the two organizations had different functions.
Kunlun does not involve external forces, Jiuzhou do not involve internal forces.
Just like the difference between the CIA and the FBI, even though the CIA controls 70% of the intelligence discourse overseas and can even independently plan small-scale war activities, they still do not have legitimate power at home.
The same applies to Jiuzhou.
But He Jinqiu never seemed to intend to abide by this rule. In the nineteen cities, the Kunlun and Jiuzhou organizations were intertwined, and unexpected conflicts would occur from time to time.
Right there in the Jingcheng, the two sides almost clashed over a Time Walker girl named Jiu Ran.
At this moment, He Jinqiu suddenly asked, "Isn't Boss Zheng in a hurry at all?"
"What's the rush?" Zheng Yuandong retorted.
"Once He Xiaoxiao's group chat is established, all the Time Walker in the country will flock to Jiuzhou's hands. At that time, Kunlun will be left without anyone. How can they guarantee that they can fulfill their duties?"
As they spoke, a sycamore leaf twirled down from the sky, which He Jinqiu gently picked up in her hand. "I do know that Boss Zheng has the ability to obtain gene serums, which would be of great use even to ordinary soldiers. But have you told the children of Kunlun about the side effects of those gene serums?"
Zheng Yuandong said, "Everyone makes different choices, and once you've made your choice, there's no need to regret it."
"By the way, why did Kunlun upgrade all of Liu Dezhu's information to the top secret level?" He Jinqiu asked. "Although he transmigrated to the side of a big shot in the Inner World like Li Shutong, I still feel something is off."
Zheng Yuandong shook his head. "I refuse to answer."
Suddenly, a gold coin appeared between He Jinqiu's fingertips. As if playing with it, the gold coin kept jumping between his slender, bony fingers, rolling and jumping from between his little finger to between his index finger, and then rolling and jumping back, as if it had a soul.
The obverse of the gold coin features a circular pattern of wheat ears, while the reverse depicts two crossed swords.
He looked at Zheng Yuandong and asked, "I personally observed Liu Dezhu. With your discerning eye, Sergeant, you certainly wouldn't approve of him. So why did you raise his security clearance to the highest level? Was it to protect him? Or to protect others by protecting him? Or to mislead me?"
On the ground between the two, the leaves suddenly began to swirl, as if an invisible wind was gently stirring them.
He Jinqiu was unable to find out what happened last night due to the information blockade imposed by Kunlun.
However, he understood Zheng Yuandong.
"Old squad leader," He Jinqiu said, "You're not protecting Liu Dezhu, are you?"
But Zheng Yuandong did not answer the question. Instead, he looked at the gold coin in his hand and smiled, "I wonder which extraordinary being left behind the Forbidden Item ACE-099. It is also known as the 'Correct Coin' and can be used to distinguish between truth and lies."
The gold coin landed steadily in He Jinqiu's hand. He exclaimed in surprise, "Old squad leader, you really know everything!"
"Although the Forbidden Item ACE-099 has been missing for a long time, its effects are not a secret," Zheng Yuandong responded.
"Well, it seems we won't get anything out of you today, but," He Jinqiu's smile deepened, "It's not like I came away empty-handed."
After saying that, He Jinqiu turned and left, the gold coin in his hand hissing softly.
After he got into the back seat of a black sedan parked on the side of the road, he slowly took out a 100-gram gold bar from his pocket.
He Jinqiu gently touched the Forbidden Item ACE-099 with the gold bar.
In an instant, the gold bar seemed to melt and flow into the gold coin, but the size of the gold coin did not change at all.
Gradually, the patterns on the gold coin began to flow like liquid, resembling a calm lake.
He Jinqiu said softly, "My debt has been repaid."
In the blink of an eye, the gold coin's front re-formed into a ring of wheat ears, and all was quiet again.
He Jinqiu looked out the window. He had brought the "Correct Coin" with him, but Boss Zheng did not give him a chance to ask for the answer.
"The prerequisite of spinning a coin on the back of your finger is a bit too attention-grabbing," he sighed.
The driver in the front seat glanced at the rearview mirror and asked, "Boss, our men haven't been able to find the whereabouts of those five fugitive suspects. We heard that the interrogation in Kunlun has yielded some clues. Should we try to get our hands on them?"
He Jinqiu shook his head. "This is Boss Zheng's home turf, so let him handle it himself."
Because the next day was National Day, the students weren't really focused on studying in the afternoon; everyone was talking about going to Laojun Mountain.
At 3 p. m., homeroom teacher Tian Hailong suddenly announced to the class that the holiday would be started early, "Although I'm giving you all a holiday early, I hope you understand that this is already the second year of high school. So, adjust your mindset and don't let your minds wander."
Qing Chen was surprised that he didn't have to skip class today.
He left the classroom early and, after meeting up with Jiang Xue and Li Tongyun, boarded the bus to Laojun Mountain.
Little Li Tongyun carried her small schoolbag, which was filled with snacks.
However, what Qing Chen didn't know was that Hu Xiaoniu and the others' schedules seemed to have changed due to the early start of the holiday, and the rented bus stopped at the school gate at 5 p. m.
At 5:20, the students from Class 3 and Class 4, Grade 2 first went home to get their things, and then gathered in front of the bus.
Someone asked Nan Gengchen, "Hey? Xiao Nan, where's Qing Chen? Didn't he come?"
"Yeah, he doesn't seem to be in our travel group," someone said.
"Oh, he said he has other plans for National Day, so he won't be going," Nan Gengchen sighed.
Not far away, two Kunlun members who had been following Liu Dezhu by car witnessed this scene and immediately reported it to headquarters, "There's something unusual about Liu Dezhu's side. They seem to be renting a bus for a trip. What are your instructions? Should we send reinforcements?"
The officer on duty at headquarters replied, "The road team received information that individuals suspected of being criminals have appeared in Meng County, north of Luocheng, and seem to be leaving Luocheng. They've gone to pursue them. The road team has instructed you two to follow Liu Dezhu, and no additional reinforcements will be sent for the time being. Several of our brothers are injured and on leave. They'll come back from their leave tomorrow and head over to relieve you first thing in the morning. Please bear with us today."
"Okay, it's no trouble at all," the two Kunlun members replied.
Meng County, where the suspect was found, is located in the north, while Z County, where Laojun Mountain is located, is in the south.