Traces of a Spider

(Happy Labor Day everyone!)

Wearing a tattered blanket, shiny leather shoes, and a ridiculous Little Yellow Duck Mask.

Mu Fan appeared in this secluded corridor, dark and winding, but following the corridor, he could faintly hear voices not far ahead.

This is a retro-style pub of about 100 square meters, completely different from what outsiders imagine. There are no resident singers or dancing girls. Looking at the masked people sitting in twos and threes around the round wooden tables, is it just a very basic izakaya?

The corridor was shrouded in shadow. Behind his mask, his brows were slightly furrowed. Mu Fan hadn't come in to drink. Some people were talking loudly, while others were drinking silently with their heads down. The smell of alcohol and their voices blended into a pungent, unpleasant atmosphere.

"What did you see?" a faint black voice came.

"A tavern, a traditional tavern." Mu Fan's teeth clicked slightly, the sound becoming increasingly faint, so that no one noticed.

"How many people?" Black asked again.

"More than fifteen people." Mu Fan's mouth movements were perfectly concealed by the Little Yellow Duck Mask.

"No wonder there are no security cameras. Just play it by ear. Watch your shoes; anyone wearing new shoes comes from the resort." Black was indeed ineffective in this environment, so he offered this reminder and then fell silent again.

Mu Fan grunted in acknowledgment, indicating that he understood. He had stepped out of the shadows of the corridor and into the relatively bright hall.

As soon as he entered, he felt several gazes turn to him, but Mu Fan tried his best to control his mind and did not show any abnormality.

Hmm? The shoes of the person wearing a zebra mask two tables away were shiny. Sensing that more and more people were paying attention to him, Mu Fan walked toward the table he had just noticed with a normal expression.

The man in the zebra mask also noticed Mu Fan walking towards him, his expression full of vigilance. When he saw Mu Fan sit down in front of him, his whole body tensed up even more.

Mu Fan, with his extraordinary senses, also sensed that the man was in a state of extreme tension. He remained calm and watched as the masked man talking loudly snapped his fingers to summon a beer. He then forced himself to imitate the same action.

"Your drink." After nodding his thanks, Mu Fan took a large glass of beer from the bartender's tray, gestured to the Zebra Masked Man across from him, and took a sip himself.

He almost coughed up the alcohol. Mu Fan had never drunk alcohol before, but with his powerful muscle control, he managed to stop the cough. To the person opposite him, however, his head naturally tilted forward and then pulled back.

The Zebra Masked Man relaxed his guard a little.

Suddenly, without warning, the word "bp" rang out, and then his eyes were fixed on Mu Fan.

The voice of "mf" sounded in Mu Fan's ears almost simultaneously.

"Mf," Mu Fan answered without hesitation, taking another leisurely sip of beer.

The Zebra Masked Man struggled to recall the code names he had heard. Mu Fan's eyes flickered, and he spoke first, trying to control his vocal cords so that his voice sounded more like that of someone around thirty years old. He said something ambiguous, "Be careful tomorrow."

Those who understand will understand, and those who don't may interpret it differently. Mu Fan's emergency response at this moment was rated as an AAA level of disguise in Hei's evaluation.

"Huh!?" The person on the other end relaxed their guard and asked in a low voice, "Where did I see you just now?"

"I'll take care of cleaning up the mess." Mu Fan glanced down and gestured to his shoes.

The man glanced down at Mu Fan's shoes, then at his own, and then at the people around him. He suddenly realized what was going on and couldn't help but cast an admiring glance at them. The organization had indeed considered everything thoroughly.

Judging from the extraordinary mask, the person wearing it might be a rank higher than himself within the organization.

Just as they were about to ask again, they suddenly heard the crowd around them fall silent, and both of them turned their gazes in that direction. There stood a thin man wearing Gorilla mask and an oversized suit that seemed out of place.

"Respect New Guard Association!" The Gorilla- masked man waved his right hand first, his voice echoing in the room.

"Respect New Guard Association!"... Everyone raised their glasses in response, Mu Fan, who reacted quickly, shouted the same words almost simultaneously with the Zebra Masked Man.

"Cease of confinement tomorrow, kt032, iu697, sq124..." The Gorilla- masked man uttered a string of strange codes without saying anything else.

The sound lasted for more than ten seconds, and when it ended, a commotion erupted below.

"Don't ask any more questions. The person who just returned will report the situation." The Gorilla- masked man ignored the group's discussion and continued at his own pace.

A man in a deer mask stood up. "Safe, no abnormalities." It was the same masked man who had just entered in front of Mu Fan, codenamed hz.

"Hmm." The Gorilla- masked man nodded and then spoke, his voice not loud, but everyone in the tavern held their breath to listen.

"I know you have many questions, but I won't explain. You'd better comply, or the organization won't be responsible for anyone who loses their life." The chill in his tone sent a shiver down many people's spines.

Mu Fan tapped his back teeth lightly, as if to send a sound message to Hei. He didn't understand what these people were saying at all, but Hei didn't respond.

"Next, report your units. Hmm, starting with you." The Gorilla- masked man continued to the next step, casually pointing to the person on the far side.

"Travel Grade - Civilian type S4 humanoid mech".

"Nimble Cat D-Grade Tiger Type Mecha, Travel Grade."

"Travel Grade - Honor No. 2 Combat Aircraft".

The voices rose and fell, Mu Fan gritted his teeth again, wondering how he should answer. Soon, the Zebra Masked Man opposite him spoke up, "Travel Grade — Knight II Type melee mech."

The Gorilla- masked man looked at Mu Fan.

"Travel Grade - Horizontal Type III Assault Mech!" Hei's voice rang in Mu Fan's ears precisely on time, Mu Fan replied in unison without any pause.

The Gorilla- masked man nodded and then gestured for the next person to continue. Almost everyone present was Travel Grade; there wasn't a single Adventure Grade aircraft among them.

Mu Fan couldn't help but grind his teeth. Black always appeared at the most critical moment. He had just been gritting his teeth and preparing to announce the EH01 Type so that he could rush out if he was discovered.

Hearing the grinding of Mu Fan's teeth, Hei guessed what he was thinking, chuckled, and whispered in his ear, "I just discovered something interesting."

"I found the voice that matches the person giving orders. After multiple samplings and comparisons in the administrative network database, I finally confirmed that it matches the voice of a person named Matthew by 93%. Although he deliberately changed his voice, it was perfectly reproduced by Lord Black, hehe."

The count ended, and the black voice stopped.

"Very good. If you notice anything unusual tomorrow, don't panic. The models you reported will be safe. As I said before, don't ask too many questions. Meeting adjourned. Same rules as before, evacuate. Anyone who wants to relax can stay. I hope no one will be missing after tomorrow." The Gorilla- masked man chuckled, and his words silenced everyone present.

"For the New Guard Society!" Then, with a fanatical look in his eyes, he raised his right fist and roared.

"For the New Guard Society!" Mu Fan raised his hand in response along with the others.

Then the Gorilla- masked man, with a satisfied look in his eyes, left through a side passage with his hands behind his back.

At this moment, Mu Fan saw the crowd finally erupt in uproar, but no one discussed it anymore. Instead, they muttered to themselves and gathered from the opposite side where the thin man had just left. A door opened there, and dynamic music instantly entered the room.

Wearing Little Yellow Duck Mask, Mu Fan followed the crowd through the door. After several turns, Mu Fan found himself in a large hall filled with deafening rock music. The dense crowd had completely separated the group they had just met. The people in the hall also wore various masks and trendy, bizarre clothing. His group quickly disappeared into the sea of people.

"And then?" Mu Fan was finally able to transmit his voice.

"Matthew, the steward of Councilor Wen Yu of Luoqie Star, disappeared from public view many years ago. If I hadn't checked a government reception record from eight years ago, I wouldn't have been able to find him at all."

"Councilor Wen Yu?" Mu Fan pondered the word.

"Wen Zheming's father."

The Wen family! They're actually behind this New Guard Society!

"Then I did further research and analyzed those strange codes you just heard, and discovered something even more interesting..." Black paused deliberately.

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ps: Thanks to the book friend "Poetry and Pictures, Ren Xiaowei", "Occupy Her" for the 100-coin reward!!