CHAPTER 469: CHAPTER 466: [A MOUSE ENTERED THE HOUSE]

Chapter 466 [A Mouse Has Entered the House]

Chen Nuo was not a bloodthirsty person.

Even in his previous life, bearing the nickname "Yama," Chen Nuo was not a demon who would go on a killing spree without a good reason. The nickname Yama signified that when Chen Nuo took action against someone, his strikes were lethal. No matter who the opponent was, if they crossed Yama, their fate was sealed.

But if they didn’t cross him... generally, there wouldn’t be any trouble.

Unless... the commission offered a high price.

So for the current matter, Chen Nuo was still leaving some leeway. With Director Gai’s death, the other party hadn’t yet extended their claws to Jinling, nor had they shown signs of wanting to make a move against this side of Jinling.

What if it were internal strife within their ranks?

Thus, Chen Nuo’s first step was to set a standard.

Jinling is my territory, you two Controllers. I’m asking you, are you scared?

If they were scared, then the affairs in Jinling City were surely related to the matter of drawing territorial lines. If it were connected to this matter, those who didn’t want to offend the two Controllers would make contact in private, seeking peace, showing submission, acknowledging defeat, offering some flattering words, making apologies, and so on. This is the way of the Underground World.

If they remained silent... then the other party must be quite stubborn, planning to do something.

Well then, it’s time to see whose methods prevail!

「After Chen Nuo posted on the forum, he waited 24 hours.」

With no response, he probably had an idea in his mind. The other party was very likely not planning to back down and was intending to do something. The post had been kept at a high level of popularity on the forum, so unless someone was blind, it would have been impossible for them to miss it—unless the other party hadn’t logged into the forum for 24 hours. However, after such a big incident, anyone mixed up in the Underground World would generally be paying more attention to the situation recently.

In the hospital, Director Gai’s people had already recognized the Star Sky Empress! At such a time, still acting tough and causing trouble, they would most likely check the forum to see if there was any latest news on the Star Sky Empress.

If they stay quiet, it means they saw it but didn’t back down. Then let’s continue.

「The Confucius Temple in the southern part of Jinling City.」

Actually, locals hardly ever go there—just like the famous attractions in major cities, they are places where tourists from other places love to visit while locals may not bother to go for years. All sorts of so-called local delicacies and various so-called local crafts—actually, most of them are wholesaled from Yiwu.

But if you really wanted to point out something interesting, it’s not entirely lacking. The Jiangnan Examination Hall, where candidates took their imperial examinations in ancient times. And the Confucius Temple built later, where they paid homage to Confucius. It is said that many students who were preparing for the college entrance examination would go there to pray for success. Lately, some internet writers from later generations are also rumored to pay a visit there, praying for literary prosperity and wishing for inspired writings.

The so-called ten-mile Qinhuai River, in modern society, of course, no longer exists, and the famous courtesan boats and illustrious courtesans from ancient times are also a thing of the past. However, taking a night-time boat ride on the Qinhuai River, cruising along in a painted boat, enjoying the breeze, and viewing the Ming and Qing architecture on both banks, still offers a certain charm.

It was now just past seven o’clock in the evening. This time was just right for the nearby restaurants to start doing business. At the same time, it wasn’t the tourist season. Therefore, there were very few tourists on the boats.

A painted boat, designed to carry twenty people, floated quietly by the bank of the Inner Qinhuai River beside the Confucius Temple, making its way toward White Egret Isle. In the painted boat meant for twenty passengers, apart from the boatman, there was only one tourist.

A man who looked to be in his forties or fifties, fitting the description of middle-aged, yet calling him an elder wouldn’t be out of place either. His attire had a certain flair to it: a Tang-style robe with a cross-collar design, his feet snug in cloth shoes. The material wasn’t particularly high-end, yet it wasn’t bought off the rack from any ordinary clothing store; it looked custom-tailored. This individual had graying hair, but it was still thick, groomed with hair oil, and combed back into a sleek style. His face bore a kind of rugged handsomeness, but as a man in his middle years, wrinkles inevitably etched their presence. Whenever he lifted his head, the three distinct lines on his forehead were unmistakably clear.

The boatman was an astute observer. After all, working in a place like Confucius Temple, with its cultural artifact markets, he also served many wealthy clients. At a glance, he noted that the beads worn on this passenger’s wrist were no ordinary trinket! They were genuine Hainan huanghuali wood, the ghost-face patterns distinctly visible!

The client also held a folding fan in his hand, seated by the boat’s window, gently opening and waving it. This fan wasn’t one of those souvenir items purchased from a craft store. The fan ribs were made of bone, and the fan handle was of chicken-wing wood. Upon unfolding it, you could tell the fan surface wasn’t made of paper but of cotton silk, deliberately left blank, with just a beautiful line of script at the corner: "Feeling sorry for the clogs’ prints on the mossy ground."

The handwriting was exquisite, clearly not some mass-produced craft store item with an artisanal stamp. It must have been handwritten.

The guest sat askew in the window seat, fanning himself, with a dish of fragrant melon seeds before him, nibbling a few from time to time. Indeed, he managed to turn the pleasure cruise into something with a hint of leisurely refinement and ease.

Periodically, though, the guest was heard muttering to himself, shaking his head and sighing. "It’s a pity, without those beckoning sleeves on both shores, the Qinhuai River no longer has the flavor of the old days."

Hearing this, the boatman couldn’t help but join the conversation with a chuckle, "You’re right about that, but what kind of society is this now? We don’t indulge in those customs anymore."

The guest turned and smiled, saying nothing more.

After disembarking, the guest strolled to the shore. He headed to the riverside’s Wanqing Pavilion and indulged in sixteen dishes of Qinhuai snacks—the kind the size of teacup lids, an assortment of sixteen different Jinling snacks. Some delicious, others not so much, the flavors more or less what one would expect. Nonetheless, it was satisfying. The selection was comprehensive; a set of sixteen varieties amounted to a full tour of Jinling’s local snacks. Each bite was tiny, hardly filling on its own, but after all sixteen, even a strong man would feel satiated. What mattered most was the complete experience, which came at a good value for the price.

Having left the Wanqing Pavilion, he then crossed a bridge and visited Wu Yi Alley. It was the Wu Yi Alley of "From the halls of the Wang and Xie, swallows once flew into commoner’s homes." He touched the brass nails on the door panel, believed to bring good fortune.

Finally, the old man wandered to the East-West Alley, where he bought a couple of Rain Flower Stones to fiddle with in his hand, and found a teahouse. There, he listened to a tune for a while, enjoying a local brew of Rain Flower Tea.

Around ten o’clock, the old man checked his watch and left with a contented smile. He hailed a taxi by the roadside.

Once in the car, the old man leaned back in the rear seat. "Driver, find a place to take a bath."

"???"

The driver turned his head with wide eyes to glance at the passenger in the back. What’s this? Half his hair is white, he’s not young, but his heart is still quite adventurous?

"Don’t take me to a shady place," the old man said with a chuckle in Jinling dialect. "If it doesn’t look right when we get there, I won’t even enter—I’ll just turn around and leave."

The taxi driver instantly understood, hesitated for a moment, and then suggested, "How about I take you to Wind Shelter Hall? It’s decent enough."

"Let’s go!"

「Early the next morning.」

Chen Nuo received a phone call from Luo Dachanzi.

"Chen Nuo, there’s been a bit of trouble..."

Chen Nuo furrowed his brow. "What happened? Is everything okay on your end...?"

"I’m okay over here. Mr. Guo, who you arranged to accompany me, has been following along well," Luo Dachanzi quickly reassured.

Chen Nuo nodded. "What’s the matter? Tell me."

"Li Qingshan sought me out. He didn’t dare to look for you, so he called me..."

Chen Nuo raised an eyebrow.

"I know you don’t think highly of Li Qingshan. He told me that too, that he can’t reach your level. But this thing... I think it might be targeting my side. So after some thought, I still decided to give you a call."

Chen Nuo’s mood darkened, and he said slowly, "What’s the situation on Li Qingshan’s end?"

"Wind Shelter Hall was sealed off last night."

Upon hearing this, Chen Nuo was amused. This old man runs a brothel and got busted by a raid? Why come to me with this kind of thing?

"It wasn’t a raid," Luo Dachanzi spoke slowly. "Last night, someone died at Wind Shelter Hall."

Chen Nuo said, "...Continue."

"Last night, at Wind Shelter Hall, two patrons... um, two clients who went for a bath and massage, died. Both were in private rooms; they were halfway through when they suddenly collapsed. An ambulance was called, but they died before reaching the hospital. They said it was from heart attacks! Li Qingshan usually does his homework thoroughly, so he generally shouldn’t have any issues. But two deaths in one venue in one night are too much for any connection to handle, so it was sealed off for rectification. The hospital said it was heart attacks. But what’s strange is that both men had the same symptoms, the same cause of death, and they died almost simultaneously."

Chen Nuo understood. That was indeed not normal.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Nuo asked, "And Li Qingshan?"

"He was so frightened that he ran away overnight and is now in hiding, whereabouts unknown."

Chen Nuo thought for a while and said, "Alright, I’ll go take a look at Wind Shelter Hall."

「Before he even reached Wind Shelter Hall, another piece of news came through.」

This time it was again from Luo Dachanzi. And there were two pieces of news at once.

The first was: A nightclub owned by Xiao Guohua caught fire last night. Calculating the time, it was probably about two hours after the people at Wind Shelter Hall died. In the KTV nightclub, the fire was said to be caused by aged wiring. Two customers and three hostesses were burned. Then, the place was also sealed off.

The second piece of news happened ten minutes ago. A crane collapsed on one of Luo Dachanzi’s project sites! Luckily it was during lunchtime, so not many people were around. One side of an under-construction building’s façade was smashed. The economic loss was significant, but no one was killed. Still, due to safety hazards, the construction site was shut down.

Chen Nuo raised his eyebrows. This is... Playing hide and seek with me?

No matter who this opponent was, Chen Nuo knew that their move was pretty smart. There are currently two clear Controllers in Jinling City. If they clashed directly, they could basically steamroll the entire Underground World. No single Controller could withstand that. But... playing hide and seek is different. Such a large city with a population in the tens of millions, trying to find one person, where do you even start? The opponent can just settle down and play the long game of sabotage: hit you with a hammer today, knock you with a blunt instrument the day after tomorrow. And then they run off after striking. Although it does no severe damage... it’s really irritating! And, it’s full of provocative intent! You’ve declared your territory, right? I’ll just make trouble right on your turf! Two big Controllers? Do you still have any face left?

Even more infuriating is the fact that if the opponent is hell-bent on annoying you and then running away... they might not have any follow-up moves. After making their move, they might leave Jinling City and make a clean getaway. If they hide well and cover their tracks neatly, you might never find them in your lifetime! Letting you lose face with no way to regain it! What of being a Controller! Controllers are not omniscient and omnipotent!

Controllers release their psychic powers, and indeed their spiritual power can cover an area as large as a city. Under the surveillance of their sensing power, every minute change in the city can be perceived... But you can’t possibly keep your "radar" running 24 hours a day, can you? Spiritual power doesn’t deplete? Plus, the opponent is no ordinary person, most likely an Ability User. An Ability User, stooping so low as to strike from hiding, hits you where you’re unprotected then immediately runs off. You really don’t have a particularly good solution. Of course, unless you never show your face for the rest of your life.

Chen Nuo made a trip to Wind Shelter Hall, then to that burnt nightclub, and finally to Luo Dachanzi’s construction site. It’s not that he found nothing. Some equipment had clearly been tampered with... but no traces were left behind, most likely done using some ability.

As for those who died at Wind Shelter Hall, the patrons... Heart attacks? Chen Nuo inwardly acknowledged their expertise. When he had killed Yao Weishan, it was by using a cerebral hemorrhage. Heart attacks, a stroke of genius of the same kind. One couldn’t conclude the opponent was a Mentalist just from this, but their spiritual power was definitely strong.

Chen Nuo even snuck into the hospital to examine the bodies. And he made a discovery. There were traces of spiritual power residue on the bodies. The remnants of spiritual power gave Chen Nuo a bit of a lead. If he could encounter this opponent, his psychic sensitivity would allow him to identify them. But the problem is... if the opponent kept avoiding a direct confrontation, it was as good as meaningless.

Let’s put it this way. Even if you’re a boxing champion, if a rat gets into your house, you’re still baffled.

To release spiritual power and scan the entire city... Chen Nuo tried, but found nothing. Obviously, the opponent anticipated his move, concealing their spiritual power, pretending to be like any other person. Such a scan then becomes useless. After all, back in the dream’s replicated space, as strong as The Fourth Seed was, as long as Chen Nuo did not use his ability, The Fourth Seed couldn’t find him, and the game of hide and seek could continue.