Disguised Infiltration

At Friday dusk, the city was bathed in fiery sunset clouds. Xiang Yi carried a backpack, mingling with the crowd of students leaving school as he briskly turned into an unremarkable neighborhood convenience store. He grabbed two bags of the cheapest chips and a can of orange soda, then walked to the counter.

"Just these, little one?" the plump cashier auntie asked with a smile.

"Mm!" Xiang Yi raised his face, revealing the bashful, greedy smile of a twelve-year-old boy. He handed over crumpled change. "Thank you, Auntie!"

Carrying the plastic bag outside, he did not head home. Instead, he familiarly turned into a back alley filled with the sour stench of spoiled food and mold. This was a crease beneath the city's glamorous surface, piled with filthy trash cans and battered cardboard boxes. A figure curled up in the shadows of the boxes stirred—it was Old John. His hair was gray, greasy, and unkempt, his beard scraggly, and the moment Xiang Yi and the plastic bag appeared, his cloudy eyes gleamed with the green light of a starving wolf.

"Little boss!" Old John struggled upright, his voice hoarse and fawning. "You... you're here!"

The innocence vanished from Xiang Yi's face in an instant, leaving only icy calm. He did not approach. From several steps away, he placed the shopping bag on a relatively clean cardboard box. "Where is it?" His voice was quiet, yet it scraped through the air like a blade.

Fear struggled in Old John's murky eyes, but the temptation of food overwhelmed everything else. Trembling, he pulled a greasy newspaper bundle from his clothes and carefully handed it over, though his eyes remained hooked firmly on the plastic bag.

Xiang Yi accepted the bundle; it was slightly heavy in his hand. Lifting a corner of the newspaper, he revealed a bronze-colored round object in the dimness. Serpent patterns coiled around it, fragmented rubies in the snake's eyes reflecting an eerie red glow. On the other side was a twisted character for "ghost," radiating ill omen. It was the token of Ghost Ward—the Snake-Pattern Ghost-Character Coin!

"Very good." After confirming it, Xiang Yi stuffed the newspaper bundle deep into his school uniform pocket. He pushed the shopping bag forward. "It's yours."

Old John practically pounced on it, snatching up the bag and tearing open the chips before cramming them into his mouth with loud crunches. He gulped down half the orange soda and immediately began coughing from choking on it.

Xiang Yi watched his greedy eating with indifference and did not leave. "Has anyone asked about the coin these past few days?" His voice was especially clear in the silent alley.

Old John choked on a chip, swallowing it with difficulty as his eyes darted about. "No... no! Absolutely not! Don't worry, little boss, Old John has the tightest lips!" He patted his chest in assurance.

Xiang Yi's gaze was like two invisible ice needles, instantly piercing through Old John's evasive eyes! Old John's whole body stiffened, even his breathing freezing!

Xiang Yi did not press further, merely giving him a deep look. That calm, rippleless gaze made Old John's chewing freeze as an inexplicable chill crawled up his spine. "Watch your mouth." Leaving those words behind, Xiang Yi turned and vanished swiftly from the alley entrance, his small figure blending into the bustle of the street.

Old John stared at the empty alley entrance, then lowered his head to look at the chips and soda in his arms. As if his bones had been pulled out, he collapsed into the pile of cardboard boxes. Chips scattered all over the ground, but he did not notice, leaving only the sound of his teeth chattering.

The night was thick beyond dispersal. The abandoned Warehouse No. 7 District at the old docks resembled a gigantic Beast lying dormant in the darkness. The sea wind howled by, carrying a heavy stench of rust, brine, and engine oil, making torn tarps flap violently. Sparse streetlamps in the distance gave off weak light, while most of the area was swallowed by deep darkness.

On the top floor of an abandoned lighthouse several hundred meters from the warehouse district entrance, Xiang Yi crouched in a corner like a cold stone. The view here was excellent, allowing him to take in the entire outline of the warehouse district. Its height and abandoned state made it difficult for ordinary guards to approach quickly or monitor it effectively. He pulled his thin coat tighter around himself as the late-autumn night wind bit into his skin. His mental power was highly focused, like invisible threads tightly locking onto his mental link with Lanling King.

Time passed second by second as midnight approached. Deep within the deathly silent warehouse district, it was as though an invisible gate had slowly opened. Faint flashlight beams flickered like ghostly flames through cracks between passageways. Low voices and the shrill creak of metal door hinges could vaguely be heard. The air was thick and heavy, permeated with greed, vigilance, and danger. Suppressed coughing drifted on the wind, along with the scraping of metal and... a nauseatingly sweet odor mixed with cheap perfume, sweat, rust, and the stale bloody smell of old iron. When Xiang Yi's mental tendrils probed inside, they encountered a faint but icy resistance, as though it came from deep underground, making even the air sluggish.

My lord, the target has been located, Lanling King's cold voice sounded in his mind. Stall No. 7, Section C. Vendor: one-eyed old man. Identifying features: a small square table draped in black cloth, few items, concealed aura.

Where is the ancient jade? Xiang Yi urgently asked in his mind.

Unknown. There are rusty coins, black ore, and carved wooden masks on the table. The ancient jade has not appeared. The old man's aura is heavy and composed, and his senses are exceptionally sharp. This subordinate does not dare approach, Lanling King replied gravely.

Xiang Yi's heart sank. It was not out in the open? Was the intelligence wrong? Impossible! The deadline had not arrived!

The plan remains unchanged! Xiang Yi ordered decisively. Create chaos and make an opening! We must obtain the ancient jade!

Understood!

The instant Xiang Yi gave the command, near the entrance to Ghost Ward, in a corner across from Stall No. 7, Section C, where discarded tires had been piled—the specialized phosphorus powder that had been smeared beforehand onto rags and the inner sides of the tires, which ignited upon contact with air, was precisely triggered by a wisp of Lanling King's Shadow Power and exploded into flame!

Orange-red flames shot upward! Greedy tongues of fire wildly licked at the dry rubber and oil-stained rags, sending thick smoke billowing into the air! The deathly darkness was like boiling oil splashed with water, instantly erupting into panic!

"Fire! Put it out!"

"Damn it! Who did this?!"

"Don't crowd! Move aside!"

"My goods!"

Shouts, curses, and frantic footsteps instantly tore apart the oppressive order. Flashlight beams swung wildly as shadows surged. The Black Serpent Gang members guarding the entrance were alarmed, rushing toward the fire while cursing and carrying clubs and crude fire extinguishers.

The chaos was like a stone dropped into a pond, sending out perfect ripples.

Before Stall No. 7, Section C, the one-eyed old man, who had been resting with his eyes closed and carrying the aura of dead wood, suddenly opened his one eye! A sharp glint burst from his cloudy pupil as he warily swept his gaze toward the source of the commotion and the panicked crowd around him.

At the exact instant his attention was completely drawn by the disturbance from the flames!

A phantom almost entirely merged with the darkness, like ink flowing along the ground, slipped silently into the blind spot behind the side of the stall at a speed too fast for the naked eye to discern! There was no sound of wind, no energy fluctuation. It was as though an even deeper darkness had covered the original darkness.

Lanling King! A phantom of the night, precisely cutting in from a visual blind spot! The fingers covered by dark armguards moved as swiftly as lightning, gentle yet deadly, reaching toward the old man's hand resting on his knee as though plucking a flower or brushing aside a leaf!

That withered, eagle-claw-like hand was tightly pressing down on an inconspicuous gray cloth pouch. The old man's mind was fully occupied by the chaos before him, completely unaware of the shadow of death silently descending at his side!

The instant his fingertips were about to touch the pouch, the Shadow Power winding around Lanling King's fingers acted like the most precise probe, instantly piercing through the gray cloth and clearly relaying the energy outlines of the items within:

[Energy signature confirmed! Target items: two!]

[First: weak fluctuations, resembling a fragment of a jade pendant.]

[Second: concealed yet pure! Contains vast vitality! Form... a ring-shaped jade pendant! Edge... Ten-Ring Pattern dark markings!]

The Ten-Ring-Pattern Jade Pendant! The mission target!

Xiang Yi's heart nearly leaped from his chest! Wild joy overwhelmed him! He had found it! And there was more than one item!

Take the Ten-Ring-Pattern Jade Pendant! Quickly! His mental command had never been so urgent!

Without the slightest hesitation, Lanling King's fingers slipped into the pouch like an agile venomous snake. His fingertips touched a warm, smooth, hard object, and the carvings along its edge were clearly perceptible! With a flick and hook of his wrist, gentle Shadow Power poured into his fingertips, steadily "drawing" up the ring-shaped jade pendant as though with a magnet! The pendant instantly left the pouch and fell soundlessly into his palm, immediately wrapped completely in Shadow Power to erase every trace of its aura!

The entire process took less than half a second! It was as fast as an illusion!

The instant the jade pendant left the pouch, the old man's hand on his knee jolted! His cloudy one eye abruptly widened, bursting with incredulous fury! As though viciously stung by a scorpion, he sharply lowered his head toward the pouch on his knee, while his other hand shot toward his side like lightning!

However, it was too late!

Having succeeded with a single strike, Lanling King did not linger. Before the withered claw could touch him, his figure blurred and faded like smoke scattered by the wind, merging into the shadow of piled clutter behind the stall and disappearing completely! Only a faint remnant of killing intent remained where he had stood, icy as the underworld.

"Who?!" The one-eyed old man let out a shrill screech like a night owl and sprang to his feet, his gaunt body erupting with terrifying force! His one eye instantly turned blood-red as violent mental power swept like an invisible storm through the chaotic crowd and dark corners around him! Several nearby stall owners and customers were struck as though invisible sledgehammers had smashed their heads. Their faces instantly turned pale as they clutched their heads in pain and crouched down; some fainted outright!

"My jade!" the old man roared heart-wrenchingly, filled with rage and anguish! He frantically searched through the cloth pouch. Inside remained only an ordinary jade pendant fragment and ancient coins. The Ten-Ring-Pattern Jade Pendant had vanished without a trace!

"Scarface! Take men and seal every exit! Watch every damn rat hole, vent, and sewer!" A rough, furious voice boomed like thunder as Scarface, a Black Serpent Gang underboss, charged over menacingly with his men. The savage scar on his face looked like a writhing centipede in the firelight. "Everyone else, split into groups of three and search them one by one! Anyone who resists, chop off their paws! Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, drag that rat out!"

A piercing whistle sounded as the heavy iron gates at Ghost Ward's entrance slammed shut amid a grating screech! More Black Serpent Gang members, carrying machetes and clubs, pounced into the crowd like sharks that had scented blood. They shoved, berated, and searched people brutally! Fear and chaos spread like a plague.

The shadow assassin who had caused this storm had already blended into the sea like a drop of water. Before the blockade formed, he used the rudimentary form of Shadow Mist—apparently an advanced use of Lanling King's own Shadow Power. Though it was inferior to the true mist he could create in cooperation with Guiguzi, it was enough in this environment to create a temporary visual and sensory blind spot—skillfully evading overt guards, hidden sentries, and mental scans as he slipped to an abandoned drainage outlet at the edge of the warehouse district, where rusted pipes covered the area.

My lord, it is secured, Lanling King said calmly in his mind. The warm ring-shaped jade pendant was taken from its wrapping of shadows.

Xiang Yi's mental senses, like hungry tendrils, instantly curled around the jade pendant. It felt slightly cool and smooth in his hand, carrying the warmth of life. The fine patterns of Ten Rings joined end to end along its edge became as clear as branded marks under the focus of his mental power! A strange energy that was pure, vast, and restrained to the utmost lay within it like a sleeping dragon. At the touch of his mental power, it was as though the dragon's scales faintly stirred before returning to profound silence!

[High-purity Energy Crystal carrier detected: "Kunlun Ancient Jade" (Ten-Ring Pattern)!]

[Absorb immediately?]

The system prompt was cold and clear.

Xiang Yi forcibly suppressed his wildly pounding heart. Not now! Not here! He swiftly hid the jade pendant against his body, its coolness passing through his thin shirt and giving him a strange sense of reassurance.

Withdraw! Xiang Yi ordered decisively.

Lanling King's figure merged into the darkness once more, slipping like a ghost through the gaps in the drainage outlet and vanishing into the vast night.

From the abandoned lighthouse, Xiang Yi cast one final glance at Ghost Ward below, now completely chaotic and sealed off like a kicked-over anthill. The cold curve at the corner of his mouth finally lifted into a more genuine victor's smile, though it vanished in an instant. Like a civet cat in the night, he silently slid down the rusted maintenance ladder, his figure melting into the darkness at the city's edge as he raced toward home.

Behind him, the roars, whistles, and chaos of Ghost Ward were gradually scattered by the howling sea wind.

Against his body, the jade pendant engraved with Ten-Ring Pattern dark markings lay quietly dormant like a burning secret, a key to greater power, waiting for the moment it would be unlocked. The furious one-eyed old man and the vicious Black Serpent Gang were destined to spend this cold night trapped in a futile nightmare of pursuit.