A Difficult Position

Sunlight fell across the misty street.

The mist was about to lift, but it still filled the air with dampness.

It made the people walking outside even more uncomfortable.

The patrol officers and bounty hunters who had searched all night had it worst. Dew and mist had soaked their clothes, leaving them cold and clammy.

They had gone without sleep and stayed on high alert all night. Most were exhausted, yet they kept their eyes wide open, searching for anyone suspicious.

After a night without results, they knew this was the most important moment.

Unfortunately for them, no matter how hard they looked, they could find no trace of Qin Ran or Riley.

Even with Riley in tow, Qin Ran's C-rank Perception let him sense danger almost before it appeared. The patrol officers and bounty hunters had barely begun to move before he noticed them and slipped away.

Riley played a considerable part in it, too.

As an information broker, Riley knew virtually every street and alley in the city. He was a living map.

And that was far from his only use.

The secrets in his head saved Qin Ran a great deal of time.

Without Riley, Qin Ran would never have imagined that Mr. Big, the city's king of the underworld, was holed up in a barbershop.

Or that he worked as a barber.

The shop faced the street. Its storefront was small, with a door and a window that looked inside.

A few advertisements were pasted on the window.

It looked no different from the cobbler's shop or the general store nearby.

Its owner, the barber, seemed unremarkable too.

He was a short, slightly heavyset middle-aged man with a kindly face.

When Qin Ran and Riley walked in, he was shaving a customer and greeted them with