This time, Li Xingkong really was leaving. Having gotten the information he wanted, he went straight back to the hotel without hesitation.
He had found the man he wanted to take revenge on: Luke Morgan. He had heard the name before, or rather, anyone who wanted to live in Nature City couldn't avoid hearing it.
On the surface, Luke controlled the entire steel trade in Nature City. Every mine in the city belonged to his companies, and his businesses extended far beyond that, touching on clothing, food, housing, transportation, and much more. He was undoubtedly one of Nature City's giants.
If the times fast-forwarded a few decades and the world really became a cyberpunk setting, this man would be the emperor of the whole city.
Behind the scenes, although there was no definitive proof, quite a few gangs in Nature City were rumored to run errands for this big shot. His name carried weight on both sides of the law. Even if two gangs were fighting a street battle, they would obediently retreat three miles each at the mention of it.
This year, he had appeared on television more often, simply because making money as he did now was no longer his main goal in life. Once people had money, they wanted power to go with it; few could escape that. He had appeared so often this year because he was preparing to run for mayor before long.
He counted as a big shot throughout Prisoner Continent, and Li Xingkong wanted to slap him a few times. If anyone heard that idea, nine out of ten people would take it as a joke.
Li Xingkong searched online at the hotel for a while, hoping to find out where Luke Morgan was. But his whereabouts were clearly well protected. Aside from news stories featuring him on camera, it was hard to find any private information about him online.
The only thing he could find was that Luke would give a speech on the streets of Nature City in half a month. That information was basically useless to Li Xingkong. Although he did want revenge, he hadn't intended to wait that long.
After searching through his personal information for ages without finding anything useful, Li Xingkong felt as though the next step in his plan had hit another dead end.
But after lying on the bed for a while, he thought of something important.
Since Luke Morgan was a member of the council, he had to have an office there, and he should attend meetings in person.
Since Li Xingkong couldn't find out where he was, he might as well stop looking and go straight to the council to stake him out.
The thought immediately perked Li Xingkong up. He didn't know where Luke lived, but wasn't the council building sitting right there in plain sight?
He barely slept that night. He spent most of it looking at pictures of the council building on the map, considering how to slip inside.
As Nature City's seat of government, it had extremely strict security. Even if he could fly, getting in would be difficult. Li Xingkong considered it from every angle. Sneaking into the place would be extraordinarily difficult, and the risk of being discovered was high.
So, after thinking it over for a while, Li Xingkong came up with another way. He stopped considering how to sneak in and decided to walk in openly instead.
Since plenty of staff worked at the council building, people went in and out every day. Li Xingkong's plan was to blend in with the crowd and walk right in.
Although Prisoner Continent was chaotic, gang members rarely came to make trouble at the council building, so the checks on people coming and going to work wouldn't be very strict.
That was certain. At least, in Li Xingkong's years of experience working and shooting the breeze, nobody worked without slacking off at all, unless a superior was coming that day.
With his plan settled, Li Xingkong dug a suit out of his luggage. He had seen council staff coming and going on Nature City's television channels before. Every one of them wore a suit and carried a small bag, and no guards stopped them on their way in or out.
With the plan in place, Li Xingkong finally got some proper rest.
Early the next morning, Li Xingkong took a taxi to the area near the council building. He had arrived quite early, so he settled into a breakfast shop across the street, found a seat by the window, and watched the people entering the building while taking occasional sips of his drink.
It was still early, and there were barely any people at the entrance. But anyone who thought security was lax at this hour would be in for a nasty surprise. The cameras covered almost every angle, making it hard to avoid being spotted.
There was still time, so Li Xingkong decided to put on a disguise first.
Just as Li Xingkong was applying heavy makeup and adjusting his gait and bone structure for a simple disguise, so that no one could track him down afterward using footprints or other information, someone hurried over and sat down across from him.
Li Xingkong put down the mirror in his hand and looked at the man opposite him.
The man was also dressed in a suit, and his briefcase hadn't even been fastened shut. It was stuffed with a jumble of assorted documents. He wore his suit with a wild disregard for appearances, and his hair was just as wild.
He sat down without so much as a greeting, picked up Li Xingkong's food, and stuffed it into his mouth.
As though he hadn't eaten in days, he crammed an entire large sandwich into his mouth in one bite. He chewed a few times, but perhaps it was too dry to swallow. He clutched his throat as he ate, looking as though he was about to cough.
Seeing him like that, Li Xingkong had no choice but to give him his drink as well. The man made no pretense of politeness and picked it up for a long gulp.
Finally, after he had drunk quite a bit, the whole lot went down.
"Ah, thanks, bro. I'll treat you to tea when we get to the office."
Once the uninhibited fellow finished eating, he picked his teeth and let out a burp.
"Bro, if you hadn't said a couple of words, I'd have thought you were a Zombie that escaped from some laboratory."
Li Xingkong still had some trouble accepting the man's state, and he didn't mince his words.
"Ah, how did you know they all call me Zombie?" the man replied. "They must be spreading it around. Who told you? I'll give him trouble when we get in."
After eating, the man didn't bother looking for a napkin. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve, then got up to leave.
He stood, picked up his bag, and, seeing that Li Xingkong still hadn't moved, asked in confusion:
"Why aren't you leaving yet? That bastard Luke Morgan is coming today, and we all have to kiss his stinking ass. Hurry up. If you're late, watch out or he might grab you and sell your ass."
Li Xingkong stood up too. This fellow was such a whirlwind that he had no idea how the man had become a government employee.
"I'm coming. I heard yesterday that Luke Morgan was coming, but I didn't want to be too late or too early, you know? Let a few unlucky saps go in first."
Li Xingkong followed Zombie at an unhurried pace, only about half a step behind him.
One behind the other, the two soon reached the entrance to the council building. The two guards had probably long heard of Zombie's illustrious name. They didn't stop him when they saw him, merely turning their heads and half covering their noses.
One guard even joked with him. "Zombie, whose breakfast did you bite into today? Hope you didn't gnaw on the lady running the shop."
The other guard was delighted too, while the fellow nicknamed Zombie wore a sour look.
"What do you mean, bite? This is coworkers caring for each other. Caring, understand?"
Ignoring the two bastard guards, he walked straight through the council building's doors. Li Xingkong followed silently behind him, like an invisible man. No one even questioned him.
I got in just like that?
Standing at the entrance to the council building, Li Xingkong's vision went dark. He had spent quite a while making his plan, but getting in seemed less difficult than he had imagined.
He stood in the lobby, unsure where to go. The people passing by merely nodded and greeted him before walking on. No one came over to question him.
Li Xingkong thought there was a saying that was quite right: most governments in the world were really just makeshift troupes.
Everyone put on an impressive show on the surface, but behind the scenes, they were all struggling to learn just the same.
Just as he found a bench and sat down to see what he could do, he suddenly heard a voice.
"Hey, you, yes, you!"
Li Xingkong turned around and saw a distinguished-looking fat man calling in his direction. The man weighed at least two hundred jin, and all that flesh stretched his suit out like an oversized balloon.
Li Xingkong looked to either side. There was no one else there.
"What are you looking at? I'm talking to you!"
The fat man pointed at Li Xingkong, and only then was Li Xingkong sure.
"Yes, I'm talking to you." Li Xingkong walked up to the fat man and heard him say those words.
"Luke Morgan is coming today. Put aside all your work. Today, you'll do whatever he tells you."
Li Xingkong felt as if a million had fallen out of the sky and hit him on the head. Wasn't his luck a little too good?
But when he turned to look around, he saw that everyone else hurried out of the way whenever the fat man's gaze swept toward them, terrified of being picked. Only Li Xingkong had been sitting there like a fool, making no effort to avoid his gaze.
Clearly, this wasn't a good assignment, at least not for anyone but Li Xingkong.
Li Xingkong put on a troubled expression and thought back to how he had turned down tasks assigned by his teachers, finding the right feeling.
"I'm still a little busy with my work. Why don't you get someone else..."
Li Xingkong had barely begun to decline when the fat man spoke before he could finish.
"There's no one else. They're all busier. You're the one. Go now!"
The fat man reached for the pocket behind his backside, and it was clear he was putting a great deal of effort into the movement.
After a couple more tries, he pulled out a white work badge and tossed it straight at Li Xingkong's chest. Li Xingkong hurriedly raised a hand to catch it.
The badge had no name or personal information. It simply identified the holder as an assistant staff member. It was just an odd-job position; there was no need for so many requirements.
"All right, I'll go now."
Li Xingkong accepted the assignment and hurried out of the fat man's sight. Following the address on the badge, he headed straight for Luke Morgan's office.
"Let some unlucky sap take care of that bastard. I can't afford to offend Luke Morgan or a single one of the bastards under him."
Watching Li Xingkong leave, the fat man muttered to himself, rubbed his hands together, and let out a deep sigh of relief.