Dark Light Chaser.

Chapter 30 Old Friend
As the distance between the two continued to shrink, when they were just a few steps away from the bench, Ai Liang could almost see the negative emotions solidified into reality.

It feels like a branching option in a visual novel that significantly impacts the plot; the difference between Yue Qihua and the female protagonist is that Yue Qihua lacks a golden exclamation mark above her head.

What are you doing sitting here all by yourself?

Ai Liang decisively used the game's standard universal phrase to start the conversation.

"Ai Liang, is the tutoring session over?"

"Just finished, and you've been sitting here all afternoon? Aren't you hot?"

Ai Liang asked after sitting down on the other side of the bench.

"That's strange, you actually care about people now?" Yue Qihua's smile was a little forced. "It must be that girl Xingyue who sent you here."

"Partly, I guess. I'm also a little curious about what troubles you that make you like this. You look so dejected, it's not like you at all." Ai Liang turned her head and glanced at her.

"Then tell me, what am I like in your heart?"

"A female CEO who berates her subordinates for making mistakes, or a Sanda champion who 'accidentally' breaks a thug's bones while doing something righteous." Ai Liang immediately gave two examples.

"Although I'm not as gentle as Xingyue, I still get very angry when people say that about me. Do you think I'm a violent woman?"

"What I mean is, if you have any worries, just say them out loud as usual. If you keep them bottled up inside, the people around you will worry too."

"That girl is always particularly perceptive in situations like this." Yue Qihua couldn't help but rub her temples and sigh. "Don't worry, just try to act normal as usual and don't let her worry."

"I'm worried too."

"Eh?"

Yue Qihua froze, her mind blank. "What does that mean?"

Ai Liang didn't look at Yue Qihua's face, but stared straight at the lake and said, "Literally speaking, when I first arrived at this junior high school, you were the first person to talk to me, and you've taken good care of me since then. Shouldn't we be considered friends?"

As Yue Qihua looked at Ai Liang's face, her heart began to pound faster, and her cheeks quickly flushed red.

However, she quickly realized what was wrong and turned her head away, saying, "Yes, yes, but what's wrong with you today? You seem like a completely different person. You would never have said something like this before."

Ai Liang leaned back in her chair and gazed at the sunset in the sky. "I've figured out some things these past two days, and I feel much more relaxed now. Naturally, I won't have that cold face like before."

Yue Qihua secretly observed Ai Liang's profile, feeling somewhat hesitant. However, under the pressure, she ultimately chose to reveal the secret she had discovered the day before.

"Yesterday I secretly used Uncle Yang's computer access to check relevant information. It's true that a psychopathic serial killer appeared in Nevada, which is why Grandpa hired a lot of bodyguards."

Yue Qihua chose to tell Ai Liang the truth.

"Ah."

Ai Liang outwardly pretended to wait for further developments, but inwardly he was already considering whether to find an opportunity to resolve this issue. He had originally planned to ignore it, but Yue Qihua was, after all, his friend, so since she was troubled by it, he might as well deal with it.

"That killer only kills the most heinous criminals and likes to slit his victims' throats."

At this point, Yue Qihua recalled the photos she had seen yesterday, and her stomach churned. She forced herself not to vomit.

Are you a violent vigilante like me?
Ai Liang had some doubts, but didn't think too much about it. Perhaps it was someone influenced by the hermit who decided to inherit his mantle and hunt criminals after the hermit disappeared.

If that's the case, hunting down those scum who deserve ten death sentences is no problem, as long as we don't target ordinary people, we can let them go.

"That extrajudicial enforcer started ten years ago."

(ー_ー)！！
"Wait? What did you say that assassin's name was?" Ai Liang interrupted Yue Qihua.

"Extrajudicial Punisher. That's the code name used within the police force."

Seeing the gaze Yue Qihua cast at her, Ai Liang could only laugh it off: "It's nothing, it's just that the name sounds like something out of a movie."

The psychopathic killer was actually myself?

However, after learning the source of Yue Qihua's worries, Ai Liang felt relieved. It was all a misunderstanding, after all, the true master of the Hermit was still here.

Yue Qihua spent a long time recounting what she had seen, in fits and starts.

“Xingyue’s father is a policeman. If he only kills the most heinous criminals, it shouldn’t have anything to do with your family, right? Don’t worry.” Ai Liang assumed that Yue Qihua was frightened by the internal information and gently patted her head.

However, Yue Qihua's next words froze him in his tracks.

"Police records show that the killer targeted my house next."

Thinking of the photos in the archives, Yue Qihua's body began to tremble, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Why, why would my grandfather be targeted by someone like that! He's clearly a good person!"

Yue Qihua bit her lip tightly, two hot tears sliding down her fair cheeks, large tears dripping onto her shorts. "My grandfather is definitely not a bad person, definitely not! Why was he targeted!"

Fear and unease erupted at that moment.

Worried about attracting the bodyguards, Yue Qihua tightly gripped Ai Liang's clothes to suppress her sobs.

Aside from being somewhat intelligent, she was just a fifteen-year-old girl who suddenly saw photos of the killer committing the crime and discovered that her family members were being targeted by the killer. Such reactions were to be expected.

Ai Liang didn't say anything, but gently stroked her hair. That was all she could do, after all, Ai Liang was just an ordinary middle school student.

"Ai Liang, what should I do?"

With tears streaming down her face and a feeling of fear and unease, Yue Qihua asked the question. She was no longer the influential figure at school, but just an ordinary girl filled with anxiety.

"The police will definitely do a good job of security, so there's no need to worry too much." Ai Liang rubbed Yue Qihua's head like she was petting a dog. This action of rubbing the head can promote the secretion of endorphins in the brain, thereby relieving tension and anxiety, provided that the other party does not object.

"But."

"Even the police aren't sure if this message was released by the killer himself, right? After all, he's been silent for five years."

Ai Liang watched the sunset about to sink below the horizon, forced Yue Qihua to get up, and then took her hand and walked towards the villa: "Don't worry, I guarantee this matter will be resolved soon."

Yue Qihua shook her head with a wry smile: "Your personality has changed too much. How can I guarantee something like this?"

"Trust me, it will be over soon."

Ai Liang didn't explain, she just repeated what she had just said.

Seeing Ai Liang's confident smile, Yue Qihua was stunned for a moment, then blushed and nodded.

After Ai Liang left, Yue Qihua returned to her room, lay on her back on the bed, covered her flushed cheeks with her arms, and thought back to the conversation she had just had.

Ten minutes later, she suddenly stood up and muttered to herself with some confusion, "How did Ai Liang know that the assassin had been dormant for five years? I don't think I mentioned it."

the other side.

Ai Liang walked out of Qiushui Manor with a friendly smile, took a taxi home, and the moment the security door closed, his face instantly darkened.

Ai Liang took her old-fashioned mobile phone to a park, and after confirming that no one was around, she dialed Mu Si's number.

"Is something wrong?"

"Have you already sold the news of my comeback?"

"Uh, it's already sold. The commission will still be deposited into your card as usual. Is there a problem?"

Mus responded immediately.

"Give me the list of people who bought intelligence," Ai Liang said, turning on her computer.

"Hey, even though we're partners, selling customer information like this is a breach of professional ethics."

You, an intelligence broker, are talking to me about professional ethics?

This is as ridiculous as a 40-kilogram girl saying she's slim, and a 1.5-meter-tall person looking at 80 kilograms saying they're twice as slim.

"30,000 per person."

"The list has been sent to your email, please remember to check it."

The so-called professional ethics were betrayed in less than ten seconds.

"By the way, there's been a rumor circulating in the underworld lately that you're going to take action against Yue Chongshan. Is that true?"

"I asked you for the list specifically for this matter."

Although Ai Liang would deliberately spread information about her next target before each action, using fear to torment the scum, Yue Chongshan was still considered the next target.
Ai Liang had no recollection of spreading this news.

That old man was the last conscience of the Black Zone. Ai Liang never thought of harming him, although the words "Black Zone" and "conscience" together were quite humorous.

"The group that came to you last time blew up my bar. Just as you said, these people are ruthless and unscrupulous. Be careful, this news may very well have been deliberately spread by them as well."

Mu Si rarely showed concern for Ai Liang, and his tone seemed genuine. However, his next sentence completely destroyed that feeling of being touched: "If you die, the special intelligence package about the Hermits won't be able to sell."

So the next sentence is the key point, right?

Faced with this concern that had ulterior motives, Ai Liang was too lazy to pay attention to him and simply hung up the phone.

This guy used to make a killing off those outlaws by selling information about hermits. If the hermits die, his income will definitely decrease.

Not only that, he also brought marketing tactics to the black market, polluting the entire underground market environment.

Intelligence transactions were turned into package deals, with Nevada's underground intelligence system offering various membership discounts and special offers during transactions, much like a supermarket's grand opening sale.

Moreover, in recent years, due to the presence of the Hermits, Nevada's crime rate has plummeted, and the police seized the opportunity to carry out public security reforms, which undoubtedly made matters worse for the intelligence brokers.

Ninety percent of the intelligence brokers couldn't make a living. Those who could run away had already fled to other cities to start anew, while those who couldn't run away chose to find a side job to support themselves.

It is precisely because all the tigers have left that Mus, a notoriously stingy man, has earned the title of Nevada's top intelligence broker.

Putting aside those old stories, Ai Liang received a list from Mu Si. The people who recently purchased information about the Hermit are as follows: Yang Xingguo, Xia Qinian, Yue Chongshan, and Mask No. 3.

The moment he opened it, he felt that the money had been completely wasted.

Apart from that strange masked number three, everyone else was a familiar face, and they knew all the relevant information by heart, so there was no need for any briefings.

The only person Ai Liang was somewhat interested in, Mask No. 3, knew nothing about him. His introduction was completely blank, and the only information he had was that he led a group to bomb Mus's underground bar.

Yang Xingguo is Yue Chongshan's godson, and Xia Qinian's uncle used to be on the same side as Yang Xingguo. These three can be considered to be of the same faction, so there is no need for them to stage their own drama.

While the source of the rumor cannot be determined, there is a high probability that it is Masked Number Three, who speaks with a third-rate villain accent.

"It just so happens to be this kind of guy with an unknown background."

Ai Liang clicked her tongue in amazement.

However, upon seeing Xia Qinian's name, Ai Liang suddenly remembered that he seemed to have been looking for her all along.

Ai Liang took out the note with the contact information given to her by Mu Si from her trench coat pocket, walked to the pavilion, and dialed the number.

Xia Qinian answered the call quickly.

"eagle?"

Toot, toot, toot.

Ai Liang hung up the phone without hesitation.

A minute later, Ai Liang dialed the number again.

Aside from those who have been marked, work phones can only make one-way calls; the other party cannot call back based on incoming calls.

"old."

"We're not that close. If you keep calling me by that nickname, we'll keep in touch via message in a bottle."

Ai Liang interrupted Xia Qinian directly.

Ten years ago, when Ai Liang and Xia Qiyuan collaborated, Ai Liang called himself "The Hermit," and Xia Qiyuan simply called him "Old Hermit." During a chance encounter, Xia Qinian misheard it as "Old Eagle," and thus this title belonging to the uncle and nephew became fixed.

Xia Qinian, who hadn't been seen in public for nearly ten years, pondered for a moment before asking, "After clearing out the Cat's Eye Gang, you vanished without a trace. Where have you been for the past five years? Or were you seriously injured and have been recuperating all these years?"

"Let's skip the pointless pleasantries. You're asking around about me, not to find out how I've been doing lately, are you?"

When Ai Liang first became the Butcher and started his activities, Xia Qinian was constantly trying to find out how to contact him. At that time, Ai Liang was only focused on venting his anger and never communicated with anyone except his intelligence brokers.

Therefore, he ignored Xia Qinian's pursuit and, after retiring, completely severed ties with the Black Zone, leading to various outrageous rumors.

"I want to ask about my uncle Xia Qiyuan." The person on the other end of the phone was a little agitated: "Why did Xia Qiyuan disappear during that arrest operation? Why did you suddenly go on a killing spree and wipe out the underground forces? What exactly happened back then?"

"What's it to you?" Ai Liang said bluntly.

"Xia Qiyuan is my uncle!" His voice rose a lot. "I just want to know what exactly happened back then, why everyone, including Shi Feng, is keeping quiet about it? Why is my uncle nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead!"

“I have no interest in these things. Even Xia Qiyuan’s apprentice doesn’t know. Why do you think I would?” Ai Liang said, leaning on the railing of the park pavilion. “In the end, Xia Qiyuan and I are just business partners, and we’ve only been working together for less than a year. Our relationship isn’t as deep as you think.”

(End of this chapter)