Dark Light Chaser.

Chapter 222 Meeting Gift

As he walked, Mus observed his surroundings.

Based on his years of experience in intelligence work.

This must be an abandoned electronics manufacturing plant.

Along the way, he saw transparent flakes on the ground more than once, like stickers.

These are the internal components of the phone.

'An electronics factory? This place is all assembly lines, isn't it? It's not like they can make any high-tech stuff. Or did they transport all the equipment themselves, and they're just using the space?'

Mus was a little unsure what this place was actually used for.

You mean a stronghold?

Isn't Song Jie's underground bar convenient?

Mu Si was, after all, Song Jie's colleague and a big shot of the same level.

It's not hard to tell from the bar's layout, elevator, and parking lot.

The underground bar isn't the lowest level; there must be one or two more floors below it.

Using this place as a base.

Not only can you find delicious food and drinks to satisfy your needs, but you can also take the elevator directly to the parking lot if you encounter any trouble or have any urgent matters.

Where wouldn't you be more comfortable than this abandoned factory?

As for concealment...

If Song Jie hadn't said anything, who, apart from insiders, would have known that there was a hidden world beneath the underground bar?

If there's anything wrong with Song Jie's location, it's that it's in the city center.

Those of them who work in intelligence don't attract much attention as they come and go.

But certain specialized industries are different.

'Could this be a place where people sell counterfeit goods? That seems unlikely...'

Mus couldn't figure out what this place was used for, no matter how hard he tried.

Given the hermits' attitude of regarding money as dirt, it's impossible for them to lack money.

Therefore, the black market can be ruled out.

Since it's not a profit-driven industry, after ruling out all other possibilities, it can only be that one.

It's that kind of villainous experiment that you see in every superhero movie.

Besides this, Mus couldn't think of any other possibilities.

Janus, standing ahead, was humming a little tune, seemingly in a very good mood.

The hermit maintained a reticent attitude towards them.

However, Mus did not observe any dissatisfaction in Janus.

On the contrary, the other party was very happy about the arrival of the hermit.

This complicated relationship gave Mus a real headache.

There is clearly some connection between the Hermits and the Apostles.

But he was completely unaware of this complex relationship.

After all, Mus only survived by claiming to be a hermit.

What if we give ourselves away somewhere?

This made the other party realize that he was not actually the hermit's subordinate.

The previous stratospheric parachute jump without a parachute event was definitely unavoidable.

In order to better conceal the truth in the future, and also for the sake of his own life.

Moose decided to probe the relationship between the Hermit and the Apostles.

“Um, Mr. Janus, what is the relationship between the Hermit and your Apostles Society?” Mus asked cautiously.

Janus instantly turned his head and stared at Mus: "Why are you asking this?"

"Well, you see, I can't contact the Hermit right now. If I knew more about his past, wouldn't I be able to better follow his wishes and make all the preparations for his comeback?"

Mus flashed his signature fawning smile.

Is it appropriate for subordinates to pry into their superiors' private lives?

Janus asked with a half-smile.

Looking at the mask on the other person's face, which was half-crying and half-laughing, Mus forced a smile and said, "It's just that I've rarely heard the hermit talk about his past. If I knew..."

Behind the mask, a pair of wine-red eyes stared unblinkingly at Mus.

His gaze made him feel uneasy.

Janus said meaningfully, "Hmm...that's a good idea. How wonderful it would be if all my men were as smart as you."

Smart? What does that mean?

Did he realize I wasn't one of the hermit's subordinates?!

No, it must be an illusion, Muslims, don't scare yourself!
Mus kept reassuring himself.

"No, no, no, it's not an illusion."

Janus suddenly spoke up.

Mus: Hmm?

Ok? !

Σ(°△ °|||)︴

“That’s right, just as you think. I knew from the beginning that you and the Hermit weren’t actually in a superior-subordinate relationship.”

Mus instinctively covered his mouth.

"It's no use. Even if you shut your mouth, I can still read your mind."

Janus pulled out something that looked like a pendant from his pocket: "Although I don't have any mental abilities, it doesn't mean I can't use items."

"How could I possibly bring a complete stranger like you, who has only been in Qianhua City for a short time, to a place that even Song Jie doesn't know about without conducting a thorough investigation?"

As Mus looked at the pendant in Janus's hand, he felt as if a million alpacas were stampeding through his mind.

What the heck?! Besides teleporting, you can also read minds?
This is too outrageous!
Coach! Someone's cheating!
Janus clutched his stomach and burst into laughter: "Hahaha! You're really funny! Much more entertaining than my rigid subordinates!"

After laughing for a while, Janus took off his mask and wiped away his tears.

"Phew, I've been helping Gaia a lot lately, and it's been a long time since I've relaxed like this. My subordinates are always thinking about backstabbing and rebellion, or they're scheming against each other over boring human factions. It's so boring."

Beneath the mask...

Okay, at the moment Janus raised his hand to remove his mask.

Mus immediately covered his eyes with his hands.

Janus walked up to Mus and forcibly removed his hand: "Why are you covering your eyes? You're so interesting, I won't just kill you so easily."

"No, no, no, I know the rules! Even if you mean me no harm now, I'll definitely die if I ever find you boring and see your true colors!"

Muss yelled and squatted on the ground, refusing to open his eyes no matter what.

"You're really honest, unlike my men, who are terrified every day, yet they all pretend to be loyal."

Janus put his mask back on and clicked his tongue, saying, "Alright, I'll count to three. Open your eyes now, or I'll kill you."

"three……"

As soon as Janus spoke, Mus immediately stood up straight.

"He's really decisive," Janus couldn't help but exclaim.

Mus chuckled awkwardly but did not reply.

“Do you know why I don’t kill you?” Janus asked.

"...Because of the hermit?"

Besides that, Mus couldn't think of any other reason.

But didn't he already know that he and the hermit weren't in a superior-subordinate relationship? Why is he still...?

"Because the hermits are our family."

Janus's sudden speech startled Mus again; he really couldn't get used to this form of "communication" without having to open his mouth.

"Although I have never met him, I am actually quite envious of him. After all, he can be carefree and do whatever he wants, while I have to work as Gaia's assistant."

Janus sighed with some distress at this point.

Family? Could the hermit be his brother or something...?

"Don't define us apostles by human blood ties."

Janus sneered, "As long as the Hermit is an Apostle, then he is our family. Whatever he wants to do, as long as it doesn't harm other Apostles, we will support him."

What binds us together is spirit and will, not the disgusting blood ties of humanity.

Mus was intimidated by Janus's imposing presence.

He tried his best to restrain himself from having wild thoughts, lest he anger the lunatic in front of him.

"However, the Hermits, influenced by the Countermeasures Bureau and humans, have developed a certain cognitive bias towards us Apostles and are unwilling to make contact with us."

Janus pointed at Mus and said, "Although you and the Hermit are only in a cooperative relationship, in our opinion, your relationship with him is better than we thought."

After all, you're the only one who has had long-term interactions with the hermit until now.

So I was just bait to lure the hermit?

“That’s right, this is the meaning of your existence. If you die, I won’t be able to explain it to the Hermit.”

Janus looked at Mus, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly said, "Stretch out your hand."

Mus had no choice but to comply.

Janus grabbed his left hand, and a burning sensation came from his palm.

Mus gritted his teeth and silently endured the excruciating pain, which felt like being branded.

"Alright, consider this my greeting gift. I don't really need it, but it's quite useful for you ordinary people."

Janus released his grip, turned around, and continued walking forward.

Sweating profusely, Mus breathed heavily and looked at his palm.

A light red mark, identical to Janus's pendant, appeared in the center of his palm.

"I've branded the strange object I just used for mind reading onto your palm. From now on, as long as you concentrate your consciousness on the mark, you can read the minds of ordinary people."

What did you say?!

You just gave me something this valuable like that?!

Mus's expression gradually became blank.

But this time, no matter how much he thought to himself, Janus ignored him.

"It's just a little toy that Gaia made on a whim. Don't think of it as something valuable. I don't really like these kinds of things. Just following the walkthrough is no fun at all."

Janus said without turning his head.

A pang of jealousy rose in Mus's heart; it was truly a case of the rich suffering from drought while the poor suffer from floods.

This superpower is just a toy in the eyes of the Apostles?
Give it to any college student, and it'll be a multi-million word urban novel in no time!

His gaze toward Janus began to become complicated.

However complex it may be.

Muslims are, after all, cunning and treacherous social beings.

Do you think you can just give him a random gift and expect him to be so grateful that he'll kowtow and bow down in gratitude?
nonexistent.

Moreover, Mus would simply pretend this ability doesn't exist and would never use it lightly.

He clearly remembered the Hermit's evaluation of the Apostles, and the manic appearance of the masked guy who smashed up his bar.

He would never believe that something like this could have no side effects.

There's no such thing as a free lunch; even if there were, it would just be bait thrown out by someone else.

Anyone who eats that is an idiot.

Looking at the brand on my palm.

Mus was filled with nothing but fear.

He usually acts very approachable and timid.

But relying solely on cowardice and flattery, let alone becoming Nevada's top intelligence provider, it's questionable whether he could even survive in that chaotic city.

Mus jogged to catch up with Janus.

This supernatural information gave him new speculations about the hermit's transformation into a throat-slitting maniac back then.

When the Hermit first started out, he was just an information broker who worked closely with the police.

Not the later one, the throat-slitting maniac who struck fear into the hearts of Nevada criminals.

Back then, quite a few people called the hermit a lackey.

As for those people later... well, there was no later.

'From a journalist upholding justice to a bloodthirsty serial killer… Was the hermit influenced by these things, turning him into that person?'

Mus's guess is very close to the truth; he's almost ready to admit it himself.

However, he currently has no opportunity to ask the hermit, and the hermit is unlikely to tell him the truth.

"arrive."

Janus said.

Before they knew it, the two had reached the end of the corridor.

What appeared before them was an ordinary operating room sliding door.

As soon as Mu Si came to his senses, he immediately smelled the disinfectant in the air.

This gave Mus a sense of foreboding.

Could they be conducting some kind of human experimentation?
They pulled me in here, wanting me to be their guinea pig?
Before Mus could think it through, the door was opened.

"Welcome, Lord Janus, and... my old friend."

A tall, slender, and refined-looking man opened the door and gestured for the door to open.

Mus tilted his head, his right eyebrow raised and his left eyebrow lowered: "Who the hell are you?"

Moose had no recollection of ever seeing this man before—a seemingly refined scoundrel wearing gold-rimmed glasses and blood-stained surgical scrubs.

Putting everything else aside, his scholarly air couldn't be concealed even when he was dressed in blood-stained clothes.

He will definitely leave a deep impression on everyone who meets him.

Mus began to frantically recall all the people he knew, but none of their faces matched the one in front of him.

"What a heartless fellow."

The other person smiled, took off their glasses, and smoothed their hair.

The original choppy bangs have been changed to a middle part.

Her smiling eyes gradually opened.

The eyes are the windows to the soul. Looking into those emotionless eyes and that familiar shape...

The person before him gradually began to correspond to the worst acquaintances Mus had ever known.

"I spared your life back then in the cold storage, but you don't recognize me now. It's really heartbreaking."

This sentence completely awakened Mus's memory.

The image of that person gradually overlapped with the image of the person in front of me.

"Cat's eye?!"

Moose was so frightened that he took a half step back: "Are you a human or a ghost?!"

It's true that Mus just recalled many people, but he never even considered the possibility of the dead.

Cat's eye.

This is the most vicious and cruel executioner in Nevada, even more so than the throat-slitting maniac.

He should have died long ago.

Moose witnessed Cat's Eye having his tendons severed by the Hermit and being thrown into the blender.

The scraps of meat and bones were mixed with cement and poured into iron buckets that sank to the bottom of the lake.

Mus was certain that the person killed by the Hermit was either a double or Cat's Eye himself.

At the time, to put his mind at ease, he secretly picked up a piece of bloody flesh and had it tested for DNA.

It was indeed Cat's Eye who died at that time.

But who is this cat-eyed creature in front of us?

Could it be that the Apostles can even resurrect the dead, reduced to dust?!

(End of this chapter)