Three days had already passed since the Anjing House sent out the message announcing the start of the mission. Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin had tried their best to rush over as quickly as possible, but they could never have expected that even though they managed to catch up and intercept the Pyro Company’s convoy, it was actually just a strategy to mislead them.
If the Anjing House were able to plant their spies in the Pyro Company and find out in advance that they were heading to the grasslands to capture the No. 001 Experimental, the Pyro Company could also have access to their A-rank hitmen’s cell phones.
Since they were adversaries, how could the Pyro Company possibly not guard against the Anjing House?
Yang Xiaojin even had a feeling that the Anjing House’s spy within the Pyro Company might already be dead.
Espionage and counterespionage was often like an undercurrent in the deep sea, and spies tended to disappear or die without a trace.
“So which route would the Pyro Company take to transport the No. 001 Experimental away if they split up into two groups?” Ren Xiaosu asked, “Can we still catch up and intercept them now?”
“That’s impossible.” Yang Xiaojin shook her head. “Since they planned it so carefully and even got a T5 combatant to act as bait, their alternative route will definitely be much more secure. Who knows? They might be reaching the Pyro Company’s lab soon.”
Ren Xiaosu felt a little anxious. If Yan Liuyuan had really been captured by the Pyro Company, he would most likely be doomed.
Most people would hide until the last moment and let someone else make a move first. If this were any other time, Ren Xiaosu would surely be taking cover in the shadows like everyone else and finding an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
But Yan Liuyuan was too important to him. Therefore, he would not hesitate to take the lead and make his move in advance.
“Where will the Pyro Company send the No. 001 Experimental for study after capturing him?” Ren Xiaosu asked.
“Probably the Sacred Mountains.” Yang Xiaojin analyzed, “Almost all superhumans caught by the Pyro Company are sent to the Sacred Mountains. It’s a legendary, hallowed ground where the Pyro Company set up their lab, and all access routes leading to it are heavily guarded by troops.”
“How many routes are there to access the mountains?” Ren Xiaosu asked.
“Seven.” Yang Xiaojin explained, “The Sacred Mountains are an entire mountain range that stretches on for more than 200 kilometers. An entire regiment of regular troops is stationed at every access route.”
“With our physiques as supernatural beings, there’s no need for us to take the main path. Since the Sacred Mountains span such a wide area, the Pyro Company can’t seal off the entire mountain range,” Ren Xiaosu said.
“You want to go to the Sacred Mountains?” Yang Xiaojin asked.
“Yes.” Ren Xiaosu nodded. “I have no choice but to go.”
“OK, I’ll go with you.” Yang Xiaojin said, “But there’s some things you need to heed my advice on. The danger in the Sacred Mountains is not only limited to the Pyro Company’s troops stationed there. In fact, those troops don’t usually dare to step into the Sacred Mountains either. The ones who can venture in are the Pyro Company’s genemodded combatants. Previously, the Anjing House sent some A-rank hitmen in, but without exception, we never heard from them again.”
Yang Xiaojin continued, “I know you’re concerned about Liuyuan’s safety, and I don’t want anything to happen to him either. However, this is not a reason for you to lose your cool and caution. We should always plan before making any moves. We can’t just barge in without any preparation. As the saying goes, ‘concern leads to confusion.’ You have to listen to me for this operation.”
Ren Xiaosu pondered for a moment and sighed, “Mhm, thanks for the reminder.”
Yang Xiaojin was not afraid of dying. If she were, she would not choose to accompany him to the Sacred Mountains. However, Yang Xiaojin knew full well that it would be very easy for Ren Xiaosu to lose his mind because of Yan Liuyuan. Therefore, what she had to do was not to act rashly along with Ren Xiaosu but to help him keep his cool.
…
That afternoon, the Anjing House members who had watched the entire battle passed on the information to the Anjing House that there weren’t any Experimentals being escorted by the Pyro Company’s convoy.
After the Anjing House received the intel and verified it, they sent out another text. “The No. 001 Experimental has been transported to the Sacred Mountains. All Anjing House hitmen, please confirm your participation to assist the Anjing House to stop the Pyro Company’s research. The reward…”
This time, the reward offered by the Anjing House was even higher than the reward offered for intercepting the convoy. However, they did not mention anything about a rendezvous point or their specific plans. It seemed that this was to prevent the Pyro Company from getting wind of the news in advance.
As for how to gather all of these hitmen together, that would be up to the Anjing House to arrange. They would definitely have a way to do it.
When Ren Xiaosu received the text, he did not head directly for the Sacred Mountains. Instead, he followed Yang Xiaojin to the ruins of a city more than 100 kilometers west of the Sacred Mountains.
This place was originally a county-level city before The Cataclysm. From the outside, all of the buildings in the ruins were in disrepair, and there was no one roaming the streets either.
Yang Xiaojin led Ren Xiaosu and made many twists and turns before they came to the entrance of a bomb shelter where they walked right in.
It was very dark underground. They had to walk for dozens of meters before they saw an old light bulb mounted on the walls of the bomb shelter. There were even two young men squatting beneath it.
When they saw that someone had come in, they stood up and asked, “Where are you from?”
Yang Xiaojin calmly handed over 10,000 yuan in cash and said, “The two of us are here to ask about some information.”
One of the young men took the cash from her and slapped it in his hand with a smile. “You’ve come to the right place. However, we can’t guarantee the accuracy of the information that you find here. You’ll have to make that judgment by yourself, and neither should you expect us to help you catch any scammers.”
“I know the rules.” Then Yang Xiaojin continued walking in. When the young man gave a loud whistle, an old, broken metal door slowly opened in front of Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin.
Unlike the deserted atmosphere outside, the area behind the bomb shelter’s door was bustling with activity.
“This is a black market?” Ren Xiaosu asked.
“Yes.” Yang Xiaojin walked farther inside. “But the scale of this black market is not that big, and there aren’t that many people either. Unlike the black market at Luoyang City where it’s mainly for leisure with many vice establishments and can be considered a retirement home for some of the mob bosses, this one is more chaotic. Before the appearance of the Anjing House, most of the assassination missions were assigned at this location, and many infamous outlaws hid here. The bomb shelter is huge, as it stretches across the entire county’s ruins, so it’s a good place for criminals to seek refuge in.”
“You didn’t bring me here just to get intel, right?” Ren Xiaosu asked.
“The Anjing House has many people stationed here. It can be said that half of the entire underground black market is under the control of the Anjing House. Although this place is not exactly close to the Pyro Company’s Sacred Mountains, the Anjing House will likely treat it as their final staging spot if they plan on infiltrating the Sacred Mountains.” Yang Xiaojin said, “And it’s said that there’s someone here who once traveled to the periphery of the Sacred Mountains. It’s better to have someone lead the way than to blindly feel our way forward.”
In other words, they were here to find someone who could scout the way for them and die on their behalf.
Ren Xiaosu suddenly remembered that when they first entered the Jing Mountains, Yang Xiaojin and the others also found a group of private soldiers who were looking to get by to travel with them. They even recruited him as their guide.
Thinking of that now, it felt as though an entire lifetime had passed. Back then, he had just obtained the palace and did not know about the truth of the world yet.
