Storming the Enemy's Lair!

Having sorted out the whole chain of events, Yellow Wind Little Sage withdrew his gaze and looked at the Deadwood Aberrant, who was staring at him eagerly.

That withered body, dry as deadwood, had been mostly frozen by the Baleful Chill. Only its head could still barely turn.

The Aberrant's face was filled with fear and anticipation. Its cloudy eyes were fixed tightly on Yellow Wind Little Sage, terrified that this harmless-looking little yellow mouse might suddenly change his mind.

Yellow Wind Little Sage tilted his round little head, his steady voice ringing through the dead-end alley.

"Where is your Night Banquet Gang's headquarters? How strong are its members? How many Mythic Walkers do you have?"

Upon hearing the question, a trace of hesitation flashed across the Deadwood Aberrant's shriveled face. His throat bobbed slightly, as though he were weighing something.

Although he had already revealed quite a bit, the gang headquarters was a core secret. Once leaked, the consequences would be unimaginable.

After a brief silence, the Deadwood Aberrant still did not answer.

Yellow Wind Little Sage narrowed his once-round eyes slightly, and his gaze turned colder. With a gentle flick of his little paw, several grains of baleful sand swirled around his fingertips, radiating a chilling frost.

"You'd better think this through." Yellow Wind Little Sage's tone turned icy. "Which is more important—your life, or the gang's secrets?"

He raised his little paw, and the sand at his fingertips began to spin faster.

"You saw what happened to your companion. If you think your life is worthless, I don't mind sending you to keep him company. Yin Mountain City is huge. I can always find someone else who knows."

The Deadwood Aberrant's body suddenly shuddered.

The image of the Hyena Aberrant being unable even to scream before the sand tore apart his organs from within, blood and fragments of viscera spraying everywhere, remained vividly etched in his mind.

At last, fear overcame hesitation. The Deadwood Aberrant forced a fawning smile onto his shriveled face. Combined with his wood-like skin, it looked especially grotesque.

"Spare me, sir! I'll talk, I'll talk!" His voice was urgent and trembling.

"The Night Banquet Gang's headquarters is east of the black market, in Brightlight Building."

"Brightlight Building was originally an old office tower. The Night Banquet Gang bought it last month and converted it into their headquarters. The building has eighteen floors aboveground and three underground. The gang's core members all work there."

He swallowed and continued.

"The gang leader is called Night Owl. He's a Scavenger Third Rank Mythic Walker. I heard he assimilated some kind of bird-of-prey Mythic Trait, and he's very strong.

"The deputy leader is called Blood Hound. He's also Scavenger Third Rank. Apparently, he's an old soldier retired from the battlefield, with extensive combat experience."

"Besides those two, the gang has five Scavenger Second Rank protectors. They're all Night Owl and Blood Hound's trusted men, each controlling part of the gang's forces."

At this point, bitterness appeared on the Deadwood Aberrant's face.

"As for the rest, they're basically Aberrants like me—more than thirty in total.

"We were all transformed within the past month. We've been advancing for less than a month, and our strength varies wildly. Some can barely reach the level of Scavenger Second Rank, while others are weaker than ordinary Mythic Walkers."

After hearing this, Yellow Wind Little Sage gained a rough understanding of the Night Banquet Gang's strength.

Two Scavenger Third Ranks, five Scavenger Second Ranks, plus more than thirty Aberrant cannon fodders.

With such a lineup, they truly counted as a local overlord among Yin Mountain City's underworld factions.

But compared to the genuine major powers, such as the Four Great Megacorporations or the Investigation Bureau, the Night Banquet Gang's strength was completely insignificant.

That was only natural. A Scavenger Fourth Rank Mythic Walker could become captain of an elite exploration squad in any of the Four Great Megacorporations, or a core member entering a New Realm in the Yinshan Investigation Branch.

Powerhouses of that level pursued the completion of all Five Great Traits and a leap in the level of their lives. They would not remain in some tiny gang as thugs.

The Night Banquet Gang could run rampant through Yin Mountain City not because it was particularly strong, but because it had the Investigation Bureau backing it.

Yellow Wind Little Sage glanced at the trembling Deadwood Aberrant, his tone returning to calm.

"Very good. For now, I'll believe the information you've given me."

He raised his little paw, and the sand at his fingertips slowly dispersed. The Baleful Chill permeating the area also began to fade, while the frost freezing the Deadwood Aberrant gradually melted.

Yellow Wind Little Sage clasped his little paws behind his back and turned toward the exit of the dead-end alley.

"I've always kept my word," he said as he walked, his voice echoing through the alley. "Since I promised not to kill you, I won't kill you."

At those words, wild joy instantly appeared on the Deadwood Aberrant's face.

The joy of surviving a brush with death surged through him, relaxing his entire body. He hurriedly kowtowed toward Yellow Wind Little Sage's retreating back, his forehead striking the ground with repeated thuds.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you for sparing my life!" The Deadwood Aberrant's voice was filled with gratitude. "I will never forget your boundless kindness!"

Yellow Wind Little Sage did not respond. He simply continued onward, his round figure soon vanishing around the corner of the dead-end alley.

The alley fell silent once more.

The Deadwood Aberrant remained kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath.

That life-and-death pressure had nearly suffocated him. Now that he had finally escaped danger, the accumulated fear and tension surged forth like a tide, making his entire body tremble.

A few more seconds passed. Only after confirming that Yellow Wind Little Sage's footsteps had completely faded away did the Deadwood Aberrant finally let out a long breath.

He struggled to his feet and moved his stiff limbs. Though the Baleful Chill had dispersed, some coldness still lingered within his body, making every movement exceptionally sluggish.

Once he had steadied himself, his fear of death gradually faded. In its place came a measure of relief, along with a faint, almost imperceptible contempt.

"Whether that fellow is from the Demon Race or some Mythic Walker's tamed beast, that round little yellow mouse with a steel trident strapped to its back is far too distinctive. Once I report this to the higher-ups, it'll definitely be a great merit."

"With the Night Banquet Gang's influence and the Investigation Bureau's support, tracking him down won't be difficult.

"Hmph! Sparing me was the stupidest decision he ever made."

The Deadwood Aberrant thought as he walked toward the mouth of the alley.

"And what era is this? He actually put on airs and played at keeping promises." His tone was full of disdain.

"If it were me, I'd never let someone who knew my secrets go. Such softheartedness will make him suffer sooner or later."

Just as the Deadwood Aberrant grew more pleased with himself, a furry little head suddenly poked out from around the corner at the end of the dead-end alley. It was Yellow Wind Little Sage.

His round little face was full of apology. Both little paws clutched the edge of the wall, and only half his body was exposed. Combined with that furry face, he looked especially innocent.

Yellow Wind Little Sage spoke, his tone carrying a hint of apology. "I nearly forgot something very important."

The Deadwood Aberrant's body instantly stiffened. He remained frozen mid-step, his expression congealing into something comical.

Yellow Wind Little Sage tilted his head, a friendly smile appearing on his furry little face.

"I'm not human at all." His voice was bright and sunny, yet his words plunged the Deadwood Aberrant into an icy abyss.

"So I don't have to follow any human rules about keeping promises, right?"

The instant the words fell, a violent gale descended.

The wind was so fast that it gave the Deadwood Aberrant no time to react. Countless fine grains of sand filled the entire alley in an instant, every grain carrying terrifying penetrating force.

The Deadwood Aberrant wanted to flee, wanted to beg for mercy, but the moment his mouth opened, before he could make a sound, the dense sand had already pierced through his body.

The grains of sand were like countless high-speed spinning bullets, easily punching through his wooden skin, shredding his muscles, and crushing his bones.

In the span of a single breath, the Deadwood Aberrant's body was completely torn apart.

His body shattered like genuine deadwood into countless fragments that scattered across the ground. Faint fluctuations of Mythic Factors remained in those pieces, but they quickly dissipated into the air.

Yellow Wind Little Sage hummed a little tune as his figure gradually vanished.

Inside the classroom, the teacher at the podium was explaining questions from the exam two days earlier, while every student listened attentively.

On the surface, Zhou Yao was listening seriously as well, but his thoughts had long drifted to Xie An, whose whereabouts were unknown.

"During the first transaction at Fortune Shop, I had Xie An help collect and organize Ascension Rituals.

"Now, not only does becoming a Mythic Walker rest on Xie An, but even the chance to obtain the Mount Luofeng Deity Tablet depends on Xie An's written decree. Finding this prodigy of the Five Great Academies is imperative."

"But Xie An is being hunted across the city by the Night Banquet Gang. He must be hiding somewhere secluded. Where should I look for him next?"

His pen moved unconsciously across the test paper as Zhou Yao's thoughts churned.

After thinking for a long while without coming up with anything, Zhou Yao turned to Liu Wenjun, who was studying attentively, and half-jokingly asked the top student young lady, "Miss Liu, suppose you were a genius Mythic Walker being hunted by an underworld faction. Where would you hide?"

Liu Wenjun gave Zhou Yao a strange look, then reached out with a hand as soft and smooth as jade to touch his forehead. "Do you have a fever? Or are you still not better from whatever illness you took leave for yesterday?"

Feeling the coolness on his forehead, Zhou Yao did not know whether to laugh or cry. He slapped Liu Wenjun's hand away in annoyance. "Quit messing around. I'm seriously discussing something with you."

Liu Wenjun wrinkled her delicate nose and gave an unhappy snort before asking, "Just how genius is this genius Mythic Walker?"

Zhou Yao thought for a moment. "Good enough to rank among the Five Great Academies!"

With her arms crossed, Liu Wenjun said proudly, "Since you say I'm a genius Mythic Walker, then obviously I'd go straight to the underworld faction's lair and kill my way in!"

The moment she said that, Zhou Yao instinctively wanted to reject the idea, but then he froze.

The Night Banquet Gang only had two Scavenger Third Rank Mythic Walkers, while Xie An had already advanced to Scavenger Second Rank. He possessed the White Impermanence Mythic Trait and the legacy of the Five Great Academies—he was absolutely not comparable to those unaffiliated Mythic Walkers.

Yin Mountain City was currently sealed off, making escape impossible. The Yinshan Investigation Branch had most of its attention tied up by the New Realm, so the only real force hunting Xie An was the Night Banquet Gang.

If he could infiltrate the Night Banquet Gang's lair and kill its upper ranks, it would be enough to ease the current crisis.

With a thought, Yellow Wind Little Sage, who had just left the dead-end alley, confirmed the direction and sped toward Brightlight Building, which the Deadwood Aberrant had mentioned.

The moment he arrived before Brightlight Building, Yellow Wind Little Sage heard a deafening explosion.

Immediately afterward, dark clouds blotted out the sky. A barrier like a netherworld Ghost Domain spread rapidly outward from Brightlight Building in every direction.

Sensing the fluctuations of that aura, Yellow Wind Little Sage's expression brightened with delight.

"Found him!"