Intercepting "Whitebeard" (Part 1)

After a brief introduction, Su Bai learned the basics about the Sanya Grave Keepers Squad.

The Softshell Turtle Detective Agency's main business was finding lost cats and dogs. Every now and then, it also helped women find evidence of their husbands' infidelity.

Business was currently doing well: they had practically no customers.

Their finances were currently healthy: the books showed a debt of 200,000.

Well, you couldn't expect five Transcendents armed with blades and swords to spend all day doing that sneaky detective work. The sign was just a cover; they would have loved nothing more than to stay inside the agency playing cards all day.

The man who had opened the door for Su Bai was Liu Feng, a seventh-rank Transcendent whose Oracle was unknown for the time being.

The two men playing cards around the table.

One was a muscular bald man named Li Hui, known as Baldy, a seventh-rank Transcendent whose Oracle was unknown for the time being.

The other was short and skinny, named Huang Jie, known as Yellow-Skinned Monkey, or Monkey for short. He was a seventh-rank Transcendent whose Oracle was unknown for the time being.

Their captain and vice captain were both women with fifth-rank bloodlines. They were carrying out an "erasure" mission in Yazhou and couldn't be reached for the time being.

Su Bai's first impression of the squad was-This is fucking shabby!

Given the Suzhou Squad's lineup, never mind anyone else, Gu Jiuge alone, with S+ combat power, could thrash the entire Sanya Squad.

The strongest member of the Sanya Squad, its captain, was only fifth rank, yet she ran her legs off carrying out missions everywhere, day after day.

Just look at our Suzhou Squad, look at our Captain Li. He stayed in his office playing games every day. With a pot of tea brewed and his backside planted in a chair, that kingly aura came right out of him. Wherever a supernatural incident occurred, Captain Li would wave a hand, and his squad members would rush off without pausing to deal with it. Now that was a leader!

What kind of respectable captain stayed out all day?!

Still, Su Bai was too embarrassed to say much of that, so he politely explained why they had come.

To his surprise, Liu Feng slammed the table. "Isn't he just some old man with a white beard? Where is he? Star Anise Village, right? Let's get him!"

Baldy and Monkey sprang to their feet, whooping. "Brothers, grab your weapons!"

Su Bai had always used the words "violent lunatic" to describe Chu Ning, but these three hotheads really showed him exactly what those words meant.

They treated life and death lightly and fought anyone who defied them. They hadn't even figured out the enemy's bloodline rank, yet they were already clamoring to charge in. Who could stand that?

"..."

Lin Luo pushed the glasses a little farther up the bridge of the nose and said thoughtfully:

"You should first contact your Section Seven colleagues responsible for liaising with the Sanya Squad and have them report this to headquarters. 'Whitebeard' can use 'Adam' to this extent, so he has to have at least a fifth-rank bloodline. The few of us alone might not be a match for him."

Baldy rubbed his bare head and said cheerfully, "We've got an S-rank super rookie. What are we afraid of?"

Su Bai spread his hands. "But my bloodline is only eighth rank. One glare from 'Whitebeard' and I'd be seriously injured. One touch and I'd be gone."

"All right, enough joking." Liu Feng smiled, his tone gradually turning grave. "Actually, we've been investigating what happened in Star Anise Village for a while now."

Monkey nodded and picked up where he left off. "Over the past month, more than ten supernatural incidents in this city have resulted in ordinary people's deaths. Eight days ago, after a systematic investigation, we discovered that the only thing they had in common was that they'd all visited a place called Star Anise Village before they died."

After sitting down, Baldy lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and said slowly:

"That day, a reality show was being filmed in Star Anise Village. We kept watch throughout the filming, and after they finished shooting the segment, we discovered that the director intended to broadcast the part where 'Whitebeard' told his story. So we arrested the director. Under interrogation, we found out he was actually with the Monster Association."

"Monster Association?"

Su Bai frowned.

Liu Feng gave a brief explanation. "It's similar in nature to the Hunter Guild. Most members of the Monster Association are supernatural creatures of seventh rank or higher, and a small number are Transcendents."

Lin Luo added:

"The Monster Association's influence stretches across all of Great Xia. It has a foothold in almost every city. Besides Transcendents, the Monster Association also takes in many elite talents from all kinds of professions. The director they mentioned was probably an external member of the Monster Association."

Liu Feng continued:

"That's right. Members of the Monster Association organized the plot to spread the strange tale through television, and Star Anise Village is the Monster Association's foothold in Sanya. The dozen or so households in the village are all monsters in disguise. Once we discovered the plot, we reported it to headquarters immediately. Headquarters then called in a large number of Transcendents with high-rank bloodlines. Gu Jiuge from your Suzhou Squad was one of them."

No wonder Gu Jiuge had suddenly disappeared for so many days. He had gone to Sanya.

Baldy stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and explained:

"It takes time to call people in, and we didn't dare stir the grass and startle the snake these past few days. If we'd personally gone to protect that actress contaminated by the strange tale, the one called Carrot or something, it would have been too obvious. That's why Section Seven used Sister Yan's name to transfer Lin Luo here from Sanya."

Lin Luo nodded slightly. "I see."

Monkey grinned. "When you rescued that actress last night, we were watching from the audience. We ate two or three buckets of popcorn. Hey, what a show! I told Baldy right then that you'd definitely come looking for us today."

You couldn't judge a person by appearance, just as you couldn't measure the sea with a dipper.

Su Bai had thought that he and Lin Luo had a chance to become the world's saviors, but these unremarkable-looking people had arranged everything down to the last detail. It seemed he would have to be even more careful in the future.

"Is there anything we can do to help with the operation against the Monster Association in Star Anise Village?"

Su Bai asked earnestly.

Liu Feng shrugged. "The operation began at eight this morning. Our people have already engaged them, which is why we can finally tell you the truth.

"The monsters in Star Anise Village are all supernatural creatures of seventh rank or higher. The three of us are too weak, so all we can do is hole up here and play Fight the Landlord.

"As for you two... you can either add another deck and play Fight the Landlord with us, or go to Star Anise Village and see what's happening. But be careful and keep your distance."

Lin Luo and Su Bai exchanged a glance and nodded at the same time, perfectly in sync.

"A pair of threes!"

"Six twos. Two cards left!"

Baldy planted a foot on the table and craned his neck. "Liu Feng, you fucking dare bomb me?! You've got some nerve!"

"What's the rush? You've still got a teammate." Su Bai calmly tossed seven cards onto the table. "Seven kings! One card left! Come on, say 'heaven'!"

Lin Luo gave him a thumbs-up. "Heaven!"

"Heaven?" Monkey raised an eyebrow, drew out four cards, and pressed them onto the table. "Four jokers! Anyone want to beat that?"

Liu Feng waved a hand. "Pass, pass, pass."

Monkey pulled out two more cards. "A pair of threes."

With a cigarette between his lips, Liu Feng threw down the cards in his hand. "A pair of twos. I'm out."

Monkey asked, "Who's the landlord?"

Liu Feng pointed at himself.

Su Bai stared in bewilderment. "Come on, man, what are you doing? I said I had one card left. We're teammates!"

Monkey turned to Su Bai and grinned.

"Because the three of us are on the same side. That's teamwork, got it? Remember, we agreed earlier that whoever loses buys dinner! You came all the way to Sanya, so shouldn't we give you something to remember us by?"

Baldy and Liu Feng, who had just been arguing red in the face, suddenly broke into grins.

It looked like the three of them had planned this all along.

Lin Luo nodded. "A bet's a bet."

Su Bai shrugged. "I've heard the seafood in Sanya is good. I wanted to try it anyway."

Ring, ring, ring-

"Monkey, put the cards away. Liu Feng, book a restaurant-the most expensive one! I'll take this call first." Smiling, Baldy pulled his phone from his trouser pocket, put it to his ear, and pressed answer. Then the smile gradually vanished from his face.

After putting down the phone, Baldy said slowly:

"That was Section Seven. The operation failed. A large number of Grave Keepers are trapped, their lives or deaths unknown. Seven high-rank supernatural creatures fled in all directions. The fourth-rank supernatural creature 'Whitebeard' is heading toward downtown Sanya."

The air froze in an instant.

Su Bai narrowed his eyes slightly. "Lives or deaths unknown... what does that mean?"

Gu Jiuge was still in Star Anise Village.

Lin Luo's expression remained composed as the analysis came calmly:

"Since they said the creatures 'fled in all directions,' the Grave Keepers' operation must have had some success. Our people are just trapped because of some special circumstance, so we don't need to worry. What we should be worried about is 'Whitebeard.' His target in coming to Sanya is obvious. It must be us."

Baldy glanced around and said quietly, "Orders from headquarters: intercept 'Whitebeard' at all costs. We must not let him kill or injure ordinary citizens. Mission deadline: three hours!"

Whoosh!

Liu Feng sprang to his feet and drew his long saber. His goofy air suddenly turned cold and deadly. "Understood!"

Monkey kicked the table over, revealing a small arsenal beneath it. He snatched up a heavy sniper rifle. "Understood!"

Lin Luo stood, adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses, and nodded slightly. "Understood."

Su Bai shook his sleeve, drew out a bone blade, and planted it on the floor to push himself up. "Understood."