"It must be someone from the Thirteenth Bureau." Han Xiao thought for a moment and understood the reason. He didn't show anything unusual and continued walking at a normal pace. He quietly bumped into pedestrians and stole hard objects from them, such as keys and cell phones. After turning a corner, he suddenly slipped inside, threw a hard object, and smashed all the cameras.
In a command vehicle disguised as a truck not far away, the monitor screen went black. Di Susu frowned and said into the communicator, "This guy is very alert. Follow him."
The team members responsible for tracking him gave chase, only to be shocked to find that Han Xiao had vanished.
Di Susu's expression was solemn. Mo Ran was worried about these assassins, so he sent them to keep watch. The other four assassins were also being watched. Perhaps they discovered the watchers, but they all acquiesced. Only this Mr. Black took action to shake off the pursuers. Di Susu remembered that it was this man in black who gave her a sense of danger that felt like thorns in her back.
"Get all the city's surveillance cameras working and find him."
The intelligence was quickly gathered and analyzed using a facial recognition system, but the results surprised Di Susu greatly.
There wasn't a single person who fit the bill!
"Wait, haven't I seen this situation somewhere before?!"
Di Susu immediately thought of Han Xiao, who had vanished without a trace.
But she immediately shook her head, thinking she was being too paranoid. How could every missing person be related to Han Xiao? There were plenty of talented and extraordinary people in the world.
"It seems like she's been under a lot of pressure lately. Sigh, Little Linlin is busy being chased by debt collectors and has no way to relax," Di Susu sighed.
White Gull City, located on the Fifty-Third Street of the South District, is a famous antique street.
In a desolate antique shop on Fifty-Third Street, Li Xin was locking the door, preparing to close.
A knocking sound rang out beside her. Li Xin looked up in surprise and saw an incredibly handsome man looking at her through the window, no more than twenty centimeters away.
Li Xin's heart skipped a beat, and her face quickly turned as red as if she were drunk.
What... what do you want to buy?
The handsome young man knocked on the glass. "Please let me in first. I'd like to see the antiques."
"Oh, okay, okay." Li Xin hurriedly opened the door, staring intently at the handsome man from left to right, finding him perfect no matter how she looked at him. She followed closely behind the handsome man, her hands nervously clasped together behind her back.
The handsome man looked at Li Xin, smiled, and asked, "Are you the owner of this shop?"
He smiled! That smile was incredibly powerful! Li Xin could barely suppress the urge to scream.
Seeing that Li Xin remained silent, the handsome man approached Li Xin and asked condescendingly, "Are you the shop owner?"
The moment the handsome man approached, Li Xin's brain went blank. She was so excited that she almost lost all her senses and didn't hear what he said. Her mind was a complete mess.
Seeing Li Xin's infatuated expression, Han Xiao was puzzled. He touched the Simulation Mask on his face and asked in great confusion, "What kind of appearance did you give this time?"
He decided to cut to the chase and get straight to his point.
Where is Tang Shu?
Li Xin's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly backed away, knocking over a piece of furniture.
Han Xiao lifted his shirt to reveal a pistol and said, "Take me to him."
The two arrived at a factory that had been abandoned for many years, Li Xin knocked on the door tremblingly.
The people inside saw Li Xin through the peephole and opened the door.
This was a man so thin he looked like he was about to dehydrate, making you worry that a gust of wind could blow him away. His appearance had reached a new level of sleazy; he looked like a rat that had come to life, making anyone who saw him lose their appetite and become impotent. His small eyes darted around like a thief, scanning his surroundings as if he would run away at the slightest disturbance.
This grotesque, zombie-like man has a name that fits his description— Tang Shu!
A treasure thief, a mysterious merchant, sells all sorts of bizarre things, including world gossip. He's elusive, and the only consistent chance to encounter him is through the prize pool quest triggered early in White Gull City.
The prize pool missions are competitive and allow multiple players to participate simultaneously. Each player must invest some experience to accept the mission, and this experience is accumulated in the prize pool. Finally, the top performers are rewarded proportionally.
Han Xiao flashed into the doorway in an instant. Tang Shu, seeing a stranger, immediately turned and tried to run away like a frightened mouse.
"Stop! Take another step and you'll have a second hole in your butt." Han Xiao fired a shot at Tang Shu's front, casually twirling his gun.
Tang Shu stopped abruptly, frozen in place, too afraid to move, cold sweat pouring down his face. He stammered, "You... you're Jack's man? After I finish this job, I'll definitely pay him back!"
"I have absolutely nothing to do with Jack. I have something else to discuss with you."
"What is it?" Tang Shu carefully recalled the people he had offended, but there were too many to pinpoint a target, and he was terrified.
"I want to participate in this deal."
Tang Shu was taken aback and looked at Li Xin, "Did you bring him here too?"
Li Xin also looked blank. "No."
"My background is not important; sincerity is what matters." Han Xiao put away his gun, easing the tension.
The normal way to trigger the mission is to gain Li Xin's approval (i. e., build up her favor) before finding Tang Shu to trigger the mission. Han Xiao skipped this process, using force to threaten Tang Shu and Li Xin, and after some friendly negotiations, finally persuaded the skeptical Tang Shu and Li Xin...
There was nothing Tang Shu could do even if he didn't believe it. He figured if he uttered a single word of dissent, he'd get shot in the butt, so he was decisively cowardly.
"I don't know why you're here to help, but you seem very sincere..." Tang Shu glanced at Han Xiao's pistol and coughed, "Anyway, welcome to the team."
[You have spent 2000 experience points to unlock the prize pool quest [Return the Antique]!]
[Mission Brief: Li Xin's family heirlooms have been seized by the Municipal Museum, and she needs your help.]
[Requirement: Return the ten antiques to Li Xin.]
[Current number of participants: 1 book]
[Prize Pool Accumulation: 102,000 Experience Points]
[Task Requirements: For each antique returned, you will receive 10% of the prize pool experience.]
[Note: Antiques are fragile; it's best not to break them.]
After the two explained, Han Xiao understood the whole story.
Li Xin's father owned ten famous antiques. Upon learning this, the director of the municipal museum personally visited her, using persuasive language to explain the historical significance and cultural connotations of the antiques, earnestly requesting that Li's father deposit the ten antiques for exhibition. Li's father, swayed by her words, agreed. Later, after Li's father passed away, Li Xin wanted to reclaim the antiques. However, the municipal museum reneged on its promise, making excuses and even having security guards refuse Li Xin entry, attempting to steal the ten antiques.
The municipal museum has government backing and deep connections, leaving Li Xin with no choice but to pin her hopes on thieves, and by chance, she hired Tang Shu.
Li Xin's thoughts can be summarized in one sentence:
--I'd rather smash the antiques than hand them over to the state!
After listening to Li Xin's account, Han Xiao coughed lightly and said seriously, "Young comrade, your thinking is very dangerous. How can you call it robbery when it's a matter of national importance? You urgently need to improve your political awareness."
Li Xin looked bewildered. "What are you talking about? Didn't you take the initiative to come to us asking for help?"
Tang Shu muttered under his breath, "Has he lost his mind?"
Han Xiao's ears twitched, and he suddenly turned to look at Tang Shu, his eyes gleaming, until Tang Shu felt his hair stand on end and then looked away.
For some reason, Tang Shu suddenly had a bad feeling.