Dark Light Chaser.

Chapter 240 The Messenger Arrives
Ai Liang used telekinesis to lift the bed, which weighed over 200 pounds.

There is a square cut with sides of 35 centimeters in the very center of the bed.

Remove the wooden board embedded in it, take out a wooden box from it, and then put the bed back in its original position.

Normal bed boards certainly don't have such hidden compartments for concealing things.

This was modified by Ai Liang herself when she moved in.

The house is only so big. If you want to make the east side more private, making a hidden compartment is the best choice.

However, other people's hidden compartments are usually located on the side of the bed or under the mattress.

Ai Liang's secret compartment was under the bed.

He is different from others.

When others create hidden compartments, they not only need to ensure they are discreet, but also consider the ease of storage.

Otherwise, if the police raid you and you can't retrieve your belongings and escape in a long time, wouldn't that be very embarrassing?
Ai Liang doesn't care.

He has telekinesis, and can easily lift a solid wood bed anytime, anywhere.

There's no need to worry about the inconvenience of accessing things.

The safe behind the desk used to contain mementos that held special significance for Ai Liang.

So what's inside this wooden box?

The answer is easy to guess.

It contained dangerous items that would be extremely deadly to the average person.

Inside were a pistol, two magazines full of bullets, two hand grenades, a palm-sized plastic bomb, a small bottle of ricin, and various other dangerous items.

There is also a work phone.

These items are relics left behind by messengers from the past.

Before committing suicide, the messenger gathered everything he could think of that might be of help to the hermit and put it in a box.

If Ai Liang chooses to take his place and live as a messenger.

Therefore, his previous fighting style must be toned down, and he can no longer carry a short sword.

Firearms can play a very good supporting role at this time.

As for grenades, bombs, and poisons...

That was what the messenger had left over from his last mission, which he casually put in.

It's unclear whether the messenger wanted Ai Liang to take his place and live a normal life.

Let the hermit change his identity and continue killing.

Perhaps it's a combination of both.

He wanted the hermit to choose for himself whether to live an ordinary life or to continue wallowing in darkness.

Instead of deliberately guiding hermits to retire according to their own wishes.

The messenger was always someone who greatly respected the will of others.

That's admirable.

Ai Liang took out the messenger's phone and plugged the wireless charging cable into the socket.

Then I started tidying up the other items.

After the battery had charged to about one-fifth, Ai Liang unplugged the charger.

He took the messenger's phone, left his house, and took the elevator to the rooftop.

The main purpose of coming to the rooftop was to leave the residential building by flying and use the messenger's mobile phone in a different place.

This was done to prevent Yang Xingguo and Shi Hongfang from finding their location through the courier's mobile phone.

Yang Xingguo, in particular, would periodically use his connections to his advantage.

Contact the carrier to locate the messenger's phone.

Yang Xingguo was so determined to find the hermit.

Is it simply because hermits are dangerous?
No.

Back then, there were countless perverts in Inner Mongolia who were even more insane than the hermits.

He's a dangerous individual, but he wouldn't go to that extreme.

Yang Xingguo hated the hermit because the hermit had dragged his friend into darkness.

Back then, among Yang, Xia, Shi, and the messenger, these four people...

Yang Xingguo and the messenger had the closest relationship, and their ideals and aspirations were the most similar.

Moreover, they were partners from high school until they graduated from police academy.

The messenger resigned to become a bounty hunter, also for the sake of their shared ideal.

Yang Xingguo firmly believed that the messenger had done such a crazy thing under the influence of the hermit.

That's why his attitude towards hermits was so extreme, to the point of being obsessive.

Human intuition is sometimes a very mysterious thing.

Ai Liang never used the alias "messenger" in Nevada.

Because even if he completely copied the messenger's personality memories.

This did not escape Yang Xingguo's confidence.

After flying for about ten kilometers, Ai Liang landed in a deserted park.

He took out his phone and started searching for the contact information of intelligence dealers in Nevada.

The messenger was, after all, someone who had received the Asian Union Medal of Honor.

Although his network of connections is not as deep as Shi Hongfang's and Yang Xingguo's, it is extensive.

Some criminals like to commit crimes by moving between different cities.

Because of regional limitations, it is inconvenient for the police to conduct joint law enforcement across regions.

Without sufficient evidence, the process for requesting a joint investigation is extremely complicated.
At this point, a messenger is needed to gather intelligence in the local area.

So basically, he had contact with the black areas and underground forces in many cities, as well as all sorts of people and messengers.

This provided Ai Liang with great convenience.

This saved him a lot of time in getting to know his intelligence dealers and informants.

Ai Liang searched through her contacts for suitable candidates and finally settled on a guy named Hai Tu.

This person had worked with the messenger twice before and was also a police informant.

They can get inside information from the police and have a strong sense of professional ethics.

Moreover, they adhere to the principle of prioritizing money above all else.
As long as the money is in place, everything is fine.

She is one of Ai Liang's top choices for collaboration.

Without hesitation, Ai Liang dialed Hai Tu's number directly.

Toot, toot, toot.

The first call went unanswered.

Ai Liang wasn't in a hurry. He waited two minutes and dialed a second time.

Many information brokers are like this; unless it's an acquaintance calling, they usually won't answer the first call from a stranger.

Because in a rush, it's easy to expose yourself.

There's a saying that goes, "The more you know, the faster you die."

Those who work in intelligence are easily targeted, and no one can be sure whether the visitor is a hostile guest.

They would use call forwarding techniques to create a simple disguise.

If the other party calls a second time, be prepared to answer.

Ai Liang's second call went through not long after.

"Which one?"

A wary voice came from the phone.

Ai Liang changed her voice and said in the voice of a messenger, "Messenger, we should have worked together before, do you remember?"

"The messenger...that messenger?"

Ai Liang thought for two seconds and replied, "That's right, it's that messenger."

"wait for me."

As soon as Hai Tu finished speaking, a scraping sound came from the phone, and then there was no more sound.

After a while, the other person picked up the phone again.

"What do you want from me?"

Since the sea rabbit asked this question, it means that it has already confirmed Ai Liang's identity.

This at least confirms that the phone number belongs to a messenger.

Don't ask me why I can't even remember your number after we've worked together twice.

Intelligence brokers, unless they are in a long-term partnership, will not exchange any of each other's contact information.

Even if they happen to bump into each other on the street, they will pretend they have never met before.

Even if a customer greets you first, pretend you don't know anything about it.

Make it seem like you've mistaken me for someone else.

After the collaboration concludes, the intelligence firm will compile and summarize the data collected during the collaboration and send it all to the client.

All of our own documents were destroyed, and the client was required to confirm them personally.

This includes contact information, specific details of the cooperation, and privacy information discovered during the investigation.

Do not save, do not save, do not save.

Say the important thing three times.

Never worry about others regretting their actions later or retaliating, leaving a backup as leverage.

If others can prove afterward that they obtained this information from you.

That just shows you weren't professional enough and didn't clean up the mess properly, so you can't blame anyone else.

Ordinary people wouldn't kill an intelligence broker to silence them like in the movies.

Every intelligence dealer has strong counter-surveillance capabilities.

If you have the ability to find intelligence dealers and silence them, why don't you investigate yourself instead of finding intelligence brokers?

Only top figures like Muslims have access to intelligence that could lead to their deaths.

They often possess the ability to cope and have considerable influence, so clients dare not easily target them.

Most intelligence brokers are more like private investigators.

Ninety percent of my work usually involves catching mistresses or investigating extramarital affairs.

In the off-season, when orders are scarce, some people even impersonate students' parents to attend meetings at schools in order to make a living.

It was truly heartbreaking to see and tearful to hear; a sight too gruesome to bear.

Only a small number of intelligence brokers operating in the gray area will be killed off in movies, just like in the films, leaving suspense for the movies.

Most of these people are clever in a little way, but not very capable.

But he was single-mindedly focused on making quick money.

So they started connecting people, helping those who bought followers to manage their downlines, and negotiating business with people in other territories.

If we had to be precise, these people were more like strategists than intelligence brokers.

Although their income is higher than that of catching mistresses and investigating extramarital affairs, their lives are no longer guaranteed.

It's really not worth it.

Going too far again.

Ai Liang didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Do you have any leads on the case the police are investigating today?"

Ai Liang did not specify what kind of case it was.

In case the other party has no idea that the police are investigating a throat-slitting case.

If I tell him, wouldn't that just let this guy get the information for free?
"You want to hire me to investigate this?"

To make sure she hadn't misheard, the sea hare repeated herself, "Are you sure?"

"The police have also contacted you?"

Ai Liang asked a question in return.

Judging from the tone of the sea hare, this was probably not the first time someone had asked him to investigate a throat-slitting case.

I reckon Tian Hao has already contacted him this afternoon.

"Yes."

The sea hare readily admitted it; after all, it wasn't a big secret.

It's nothing new for the police to use informants to investigate the identity of the deceased.

In some places, there have even been instances where people were too lazy to investigate cases and simply handed them over to bounty hunters.

The project was outsourced.

"What you want to investigate is probably the murder case in the warehouse, right?"

Ai Liang gave a clear answer with her actions: "We only accept cash and virtual currency here. You can choose your payment method."

"Then it's Litecoin, five as a deposit. But let's make it clear first, if I discover any crucial information, I'll notify the police. Is that alright?"

In the intelligence world, it's common to sell intelligence to the police first, and then to the client—a practice of profiting from two sources simultaneously.

Hai Tu didn't ask Ai Liang why she was investigating the case.

He simply suggested that the information he was given would be delivered later.

If a client asks you to inquire about matters involving life and death, try not to ask too many questions.

Knowing too much won't do you any good; just focus on getting paid and doing your job.

However, in order to avoid unknowingly becoming an accomplice to the criminal.

This kind of intelligence is usually given to the police first, and then sent to the client after a period of time.

This is a lesson learned through blood and tears by an intelligence officer.

The guy was hired by a serial killer to investigate the murders he had committed.

Then, through information from his informant, the assassin was always able to eliminate evidence against him before the police could.

He remained at large for more than six months.

Ultimately, it was only because the police suspected an inside job and changed their informant to help with the investigation that the killer was finally arrested and brought to justice.

The intelligence officer, who had been used by the assassin as a tool to fill in gaps in the investigation, also went inside.

The charges include assisting in the destruction of evidence, harboring and shielding criminals, and illegally selling information... Even his past offenses in the gray area have been brought up and he has been convicted.

What an unlucky guy.

The story is magical, yet very real.

Because reality doesn't follow logic at all; it's even more absurd than fiction.

After a flurry of activity on Hai Tu's end, a friend request quickly appeared on Ai Liang's phone's messaging app.

Ai Liang opened the screen and accepted the friend request.

Then, based on the information he sent, a virtual account was added.

This is a temporary account specifically for transferring funds; it will be destroyed in fifteen minutes.

If you don't understand what it means, just think of it as a transfer account used for telecom fraud.

Ai Liang logged into one of her overseas accounts and transferred five Litecoins to Hai Tu's account.

As for why we didn't use the messenger's money...

The messenger had taken on many commissions back then and was considered a wealthy man.

But because of that bombing, all his property was confiscated.

The accounts on the surface are cleaner than a face.

Even the savings he secretly left for his sister were discovered by the Internal Affairs Department.

Only because the house was registered in his sister's name did it escape unscathed.

The messenger was worried that he would implicate Yang Xingguo and others, so he refused to accept their aid no matter what.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to make a living by delivering packages back then.

After confirming the deal was done, Ai Liang hung up the phone, turned it off, and flew back home to make further preparations.

Having Hai Tu help keep an eye on the case's progress is one thing.

Investigating it yourself is another matter entirely.

Seeking help from intelligence providers in the investigation does not mean that Ai Liang herself will not be involved in this case.

Moreover, Hai Tu can only be described as somewhat famous, not a big shot.

Ai Liang only sought him out to find out about the police's movements.

Once he informs himself of the progress of the case, it means that the police have also taken action.

Ai Liang's goal wasn't to get ahead of the police, but to avoid them altogether.

The deceased had his throat slit, clearly indicating that someone had deliberately provoked him.

If we really want to find out who killed the victim quickly, we should go to Song Jie, the head of intelligence in Qianhua City, or his direct subordinates.

What HaiTu can find, Song Jie can find.

Neither Hai Tu nor the police could find it, but Song Jie could.

Good people are always bound by rules and have things to consider when they act.

Evil people, on the other hand, are unscrupulous and will stop at nothing.

(End of this chapter)