Dark Light Chaser.

Chapter 27 Climbing the Mountain and Sleeping
Although the thrill of having superpowers revealed far outweighs the curiosity about unknown objects.

However, judging from his tone, 'Guardian Armor' and 'Cursed Objects' seem to grant powers beyond human limits? Could they be related to his own superpowers?

With this in mind, Ai Liang decided to patiently continue trying to get information out of him.

"Don't you know what I'm talking about? What's the point of playing dumb at a time like this?"

The guy who called himself Mask Number Three spoke with an air of superiority.

If this guy were to voice a non-human villain in a fantasy movie, he would definitely do a fantastic job.

"If you're planning to use this kind of crazy talk or movie plot to entice me to join your so-called organization, then forget it. I have no interest in a mutual aid group made up of people with delusions."

Ai Liang deduced his personality from his tone of voice and deliberately used a questioning tone.

"Heh, don't use your ignorance to speculate about this world! Let me guess, is it a short sword or a throwing knife you're using?"

The other party wasn't foolish enough to be blinded by a few questions. They didn't reveal any more information about the Bio-Armor or the Cursed Item, but instead made nonsensical guesses about the items Ai Liang possessed.

"Never mind, none of that matters. I'll give you one last chance. Would you like to join us?"

"Shouldn't you introduce your organization before asking questions?" Ai Liang retorted.

"You don't need to know. Once you join, you'll be told what you need to know."

That's really 'secret'. If their HR department is full of people like that, how can they really recruit employees?

"If I can't even get a basic understanding of your organization, then I refuse."

"what a pity."

The man took off and turned off his headset, then said to his tech-savvy companion sitting in front of the computer, "Blow him up."

"Are you sure? Even if he's lying, with his throat-slitting skills, he could easily join the combat unit. Wouldn't it be a waste to just kill him?"

"I suspect he possesses a cursed artifact; compared to that, his skills are insignificant," Masked Number Three said calmly, arms crossed.

"Tsk, you're the captain, you're the one who calls the shots."

Some tech enthusiasts were dissatisfied with the masked man's jealous and envious attitude, unaware of how many people had died because of his so-called "suspicion."

But he was, after all, the nominal captain, and he still had to obey orders.

A static sound suddenly came through the headset.

"Dead yet?"

"How would I know?" The colleague in front of the computer picked up a soda and gulped down a big mouthful, then burped.

"The explosives in the phone are enough to blow up an iron gate. Unless that guy can throw the phone away at the last second before the explosion, he probably won't survive."

The man who called himself Mask Number Three disagreed: "What if that guy gets incredibly lucky and finds a defensive cursed artifact or a bio-armor?"

The tech geek, looking at the masked man who seemed obsessed, dispelled his unrealistic ideas: "Come on, don't you know how rare cursed artifacts and bio-armored armor are? How could these controlled items just fall into the public eye so easily? I'm telling you, Number Three, stop daydreaming like this. Even if he really had them, we might not be able to use them. In the end, we'd still have to hand them over."

"Don't forget, ten years ago someone stole a batch of armor from the organization. The nickname 'Throat-Slitting Maniac' just happened to circulate around that time. He probably acquired one of the lost armors by chance. Otherwise, what a coincidence!"

The masked man ignored his teammates' advice and continued to daydream: "If I can use Mr. Thousand Faces' mask, I can definitely use cursed artifacts and bio-engineered armor! After witnessing that kind of power, are you willing to be an ordinary person for the rest of your life?!"

The tech geek, however, was unimpressed: "They might actually have real skills, and their reputation is built entirely on their own abilities. Who says they have to rely on external tools? There are plenty of people like that in combat departments."

To support his claim, the tech geek gave an example.

"Besides, most of those things will make people die young, and I haven't lived enough yet. Rather than becoming that inhuman, ghostly thing, I'd rather be a technician."

Masked Number Three scoffed at the tech geek's idea: "So what? What use is the strength of an ordinary person in front of those bizarre monsters? They'll just die any minute. Even a short-lived ghost is better than a ghost who died unjustly."

The tech geek, too lazy to argue with this fanatical guy, turned his attention back to the computer screen.

Seeing that the tech geek was silent, the masked man also became a little more sober: "The explosion was quite loud. I'll call and warn that information broker so that if there's anything good, he won't get there first."

Despite saying that, Mask Number Three actually knew in his heart that the Hermit had most likely earned his reputation through skill, but his wishful thinking wouldn't allow it.

What if, what if that hermit really does have a cursed object?
The masked man's desire for extraordinary power made him unwilling to admit that the Hermit had earned his reputation through his own strength. He only wanted to treat the Hermit as a lucky person who had accidentally obtained a cursed object and then find an excuse to kill and loot the corpse.

"Tsk, got it."

The tech geek didn't turn around; he kept looking at his computer screen as he encrypted the call.

Seeing that the tech geek was ignoring him, the masked man didn't want to make a fool of himself, so he stared at the bar's security camera and dialed Mus's number.

At this moment, the masked man suddenly grinned and said, "That hermit is fine."

Before the call could connect, the masked man spotted Ai Liang on the bar's security camera, but the camera was immediately destroyed.

"He was completely unharmed from that explosion! This guy must have something special! Quickly contact the others!"

Seeing that the masked man was actually going to contact the combat personnel sent by Mr. Thousand Faces, the tech geek's sensitive nerves were touched, and his pent-up anger finally exploded: "Are you still asleep?! Can we order those people around? Don't forget Mr. Thousand Faces' purpose this time. If we ruin his plans, we're all finished!"

The masked man wanted to say something more, but when it came to his personal safety, as the saying goes, even a clay figure has three parts fire, and the tech geek wouldn't let him have his way.

He couldn't help but burst out cursing: "All you ever do is cast spells and curses! If you were really that qualified, you would have been in the upper echelons long ago instead of being transferred to field operations! You're always daydreaming! We're on the same level! I usually don't bother arguing with you, but this mission involves the Asia Alliance's laboratory. If you mess this up, I'll be the first to shoot you!"

After making his harsh remarks, the tech geek slammed the door and left, leaving the masked man standing there dumbfounded.

The tech geek's tirade caused a shadow to flash in the masked man's eyes.

On the eve of the explosion, Ai Liang decisively threw her phone away after the call ended.

Since the person on the other end could lock the interface, they must also be observing the situation through the phone's camera, so Ai Liang did not use telekinesis but chose the safest method.

"Hey, are you okay?"

The sudden loud noise frightened him. Could there be a time bomb in that box? Mus called out nervously toward the bar.

"fine."

Ai Liang emerged unharmed from behind the bar and casually grabbed an ice hockey puck, smashing it to destroy the security camera.

"I'm just giving you the stuff according to the customer's request; I really don't know what's inside."

Mu Si stood nervously beside Ai Liang, looking as timid as a primary school student caught doing something wrong by the teacher.

"I know, here's the camping gear I need."

Are you angry?

"I do not have."

Are you angry?

"I do not have."

"You're clearly angry!" Mu Si shouted, his voice trembling, as he distanced himself from Ai Liang.

"If you don't give me what I want, I'll slit your throat."

Mu Si felt relieved to hear Ai Liang's blatant threat, and slammed the large backpack at his feet onto the bar, saying, "I'm ready!"

Ai Liang stared at Mu Si with a strange look in her eyes.

What image does he have of me? Or are all intelligence brokers this despicable, only getting things moving if they say something harsh?
Putting that scoundrel out of her mind, Ai Liang did a quick check and, after confirming that all the equipment was in place, easily hoisted the large hiking backpack, weighing over 20 kilograms, onto her shoulder.

After fastening the straps, Ai Liang said, "The group that came looking for me is quite powerful. If you don't want to get involved, you'd better go out and lay low for a while."

“That’s what I’m planning. That guy is incredibly generous. Dealing with someone like that is either dead or seriously injured. I know that.” Mu Si arranged the recent procedures on his phone and then handed over a business card: “Here, this is Xia Qinian’s contact information. Whether you contact him or not is up to you.”

Ai Liang took the business card and put it in her pocket.

The black market isn't as simple as asking an acquaintance for their phone number. If you want to get to know someone, you have to find someone to introduce you, give them your contact information, and then wait for them to call you.

Just like in ancient times, if you wanted to become acquainted with a high-ranking official, you had to find someone to introduce you, and whether the official would meet you or not depended on their mood.

Thinking about it this way, modern society doesn't seem to be that different from ancient times.

Ai Liang grabbed a motorcycle key and left through a hidden door in the bar, which led directly to the nearby underground parking lot.

Only Mu Si and Ai Liang knew about this secret door. Most of the dusty vehicles in the parking lot were prepared by Mu Si, so that they could easily escape if they were chased.

Ai Liang quickly wiped the dust off the motorcycle, strapped his backpack to the back seat, and drove out of the city.

Two hours later, in the dead of night, having left the brightly lit city, Ai Liang arrived at a desolate wilderness, wandering like a ghost through the pitch-black forest.

The motorcycle and backpack floated behind Ai Liang. There were no surveillance cameras here, and no one else around. He didn't need to hide his abilities.

Ai Liang chose to wear this black leather hooded trench coat to meet Mu Si not to fit the image of a hermit, but to prepare for tonight's mountain camping trip.

The barren mountain was overgrown with weeds and shrubs and there were no roads at all. Shirts and trousers would easily get torn, so wearing a trench coat was more convenient than constantly wrapping the body in telekinesis.

It has to be said that trench coats are indeed very convenient. They can be used as raincoats on rainy days, and many weapons and knives can be hung on the inside of the coat. Even bloodstains splattered when killing someone are easy to clean. Just put the coat in a basin of water, pour in disinfectant, and soak it for a while, and no stains will be left.

No wonder hitmen in movies often wear trench coats and raincoats when committing crimes.

The darkness did not impair Ai Liang's vision at all. He carried his luggage and equipment and climbed all the way to the top of the mountain, eventually choosing a relatively flat open space halfway up the mountain.

Ai Liang used telekinesis to dig a large circular pit with a radius of two meters and set up a tent at the bottom of the pit.

After the setup was completed, Ai Liang also moved the motorcycle down and laid a 'roof' made of interwoven branches and leaves at the entrance of the cave. Then, she thoughtfully used a boulder to weigh down half of the entrance, and piled the excavated soil and rocks around it.

Ai Liang had no artistic talent whatsoever. From a distance, the mound of earth looked like a lonely grave, but he didn't care about such trivial matters. The nearest town was dozens of kilometers away, and anyway, no one would see it.

Even camping enthusiasts wouldn't choose such a desolate mountain without any roads.

The reason for setting up the tent on the ground is actually quite simple.

The mountain is deserted and full of wild animals. Ai Liang didn't want to wake up after a few days to find her clothes torn to shreds and covered in foul-smelling saliva, or bears and wolves sleeping in her tent.

Ai Liang crawled into the tent and zipped it up to seal it. Since his body didn't need to breathe anyway, this would also prevent some insects from getting in.

After making all the preparations, Ai Liang slowly closed her eyes and began the long mental therapy session.

(End of this chapter)