CHAPTER 278: CHAPTER 183 AN BEI NEARLY KILLED BY STRAY BULLETS (COMBINED CHAPTER) _3

"I settled down precisely because I valued their internal bounty list. My plan was to leverage their resources to become a security chief in a remote area. Then, once the turmoil from the Carmen Family’s destruction had completely subsided, I would change my identity and come find you."

"So, is my bounty posted internally or externally?"

"Internally!" Anbei coughed twice. "The bounty is quite vague. As long as someone can provide meaningful information about your involvement in certain operations, they can get a certain amount of Game Coins. The premise is that they must not be exposed. The key is..."

Anbei gave Dean a strange look. "Every two or three days, your exact location is pinpointed, making it easy for members of the organization near you to find and observe you. I knew you were here because the organization just updated your hotel location."

Hearing this, Dean couldn’t help but feel a tingling in his scalp.

No wonder when he had just arrived at the NSA’s intelligence post, that female informant on the periphery betrayed his information almost immediately... It turns out that at some point, he had become a ’mission NPC.’ And the kind that explodes with gold coins!

Dean rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes. His Spirit attribute, a high fifteen points, began to stir restlessly. The memories he had forgotten over the past few days, like a tornado, turned into fragments, re-emerging in his mind for his slow scrutiny.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, confidently saying, "I’m sure no one has been tracking me continuously, and I’ve been using someone else’s identity to stay at hotels!"

"What about above your head?" Anbei countered.

"I haven’t been with the Lucifer Game Organization for long, but I can confirm they have powerful hackers providing logistical support. Even infiltrating the military satellites above us wouldn’t be difficult for them. Moreover, you can’t be sure if, aside from hackers, they have people within military intelligence organizations."

Dean looked grimly at the basement ceiling.

If that were the case, it would be even more troublesome. Because spending so much effort meant that the Lucifer Game Organization wasn’t just malicious towards him; rather, someone high up had taken an interest in him. That unknown ’higher-up’ wanted to recruit him, which was why they were spending so much effort to secretly gather information about him, bit by bit. One or two days might not make a difference. But over time, not only might some of Dean’s secrets be exposed, or he could be caught with some unsavory leverage against him, but his very patterns of action and thought would surely be thoroughly analyzed by the other party. As mentioned before, the most crucial aspect of psychology is, essentially, information. With this knowledge, it would be far too easy for the other party to set a trap for Dean, threaten him, or manipulate him in other ways. But for such a minor character as himself, was all this effort truly worth it?

One should know one’s own worth. He didn’t think he was worth other people making such an effort just to recruit him. That would be too narcissistic! There surely was a crucial point that he hadn’t understood!

The information was too scarce. Despite racking his brains, Dean couldn’t figure out what he might have overlooked. Fortunately, he had Anbei!

Thinking this, Dean looked at Anbei, but didn’t directly speak his thoughts. He changed the subject, "Anbei, you didn’t come to see me today solely to remind me about the ’Lucifer Game Organization’ keeping an eye on me, did you?"

Anbei nodded. "Yes, the bounty isn’t something you can do much about. The identities of the Lucifer Game Organization’s offline members are too complex. They could be a street cleaner, a waitress at a bakery, or even one of your colleagues... As long as you live out in the open, it’s very difficult to avoid such bounties. I came to see you today mainly because of the ’Cannibal Demon’!"

Anbei looked Dean straight in the eye. "Although I don’t know why you’re so determined to kill these perverts, I have to remind you, both the previous ’Toy Serial Killer’ and the current ’Cannibal Demon’ are involved with some of the Lucifer Game Organization’s arrangements. They are being recruited by the ’Lucifer Game Organization.’ You’re on their bounty list, and now you’re actively getting involved. You might not get caught once, but you can’t expect to avoid detection every single time!"

Dean frowned, "Are you saying that the ’Lucifer Game Organization’ is now recruiting some perverts?"

"Yes, my position is too low to know the specifics, but I can vaguely guess that the perverts they attract all have a unique charm that draws a following."

Anbei stared at Dean, his gaze profound. "When you have time," he said meaningfully, "you might want to look at the religious books around here. The reason faith is so steadfast in believers is that those who wish to spread it first sow suffering and despair..."

Upon hearing this, Dean pondered. He nodded, "Thanks for the heads-up, I’ll keep that in mind!"

Anbei touched the wooden board fixed to his chest and sighed. "No need to thank me. I promised that if you assisted me in my revenge, I would do three things for you. People of the An family always keep their word and see their commitments through! Consider today’s matter as one of the three things I’ve done for you."

Having said that, he no longer tried to persuade Dean against further involvement with the ’Cannibal Demon’s’ case and, with some difficulty, headed out of the basement.

Watching his back, Dean asked softly, "If I need to contact you, how should I do it?"

"’Place an order for six servings of takeout from Sam’s Cookie Shop and give them to the homeless people outside. When I get the message, I’ll come to you,’ Anbei said without turning back, his voice gradually fading into the distance.

Dean didn’t trust him, and Anbei didn’t trust Dean. The current Dean exuded an indescribable sense of oppression and unease. It was so palpable that Anbei, despite his limited mobility and the risk of police patrols drawn by the earlier gunshots, didn’t want to remain there.

...

After seeing Anbei off, Dean hesitated.

Since the ’Cannibal Demon’ was also a member being recruited by the ’Lucifer Game Organization,’ should he go ahead with his plans tonight?