Stronger with More Jobs

Chapter 650 - 283: Kid, I Heard You’ve Got a Little Problem Here?

Lin Yu’s body trembled almost imperceptibly, and her steps momentarily faltered.

The air around seemed to freeze slightly, and the other victims walking silently also instinctively slowed their steps, lowering their heads. The atmosphere became oppressive and heavy.

Chu Kuanglan and his companions held their breath, their eyes fixed tightly on Lin Yu.

Lin Yu took a deep breath of the icy air, forcibly suppressing the bone-deep cold and terror.

Her gaze was cast toward the snow-laden horizon.

Her eyes were hollow.

"We, these people..." Lin Yu’s voice carried a kind of numbness that had been honed, "most of us are... lone wolves."

"No background, started training in martial arts halls, took assignments from the Commerce Association, scraped together resources little by little, honed skills gradually, barely made it to the threshold of Tier Two..."

She tugged at the corners of her mouth in self-mockery, revealing a hint of bitterness.

"Reaching this point... what the Commerce Association can offer has already hit the ceiling. To go further, to see the scenery from higher places... the Arctic Front is the only choice."

"Being mercenaries, taking on military tasks, killing Life Ghosts, earning Merit, exchanging for resources... it’s a path where lives are gambled, we all know it."

In the group, many people nodded silently.

This was their shared trajectory.

"We got into trouble..."

Lin Yu’s voice suddenly turned harsh, carrying a barely noticeable tremble of fear, "all during Federal missions."

"Some were patrolling missions to clear small Life Ghost Nests on the periphery..."

"Some were escort missions for frontline supply convoys..."

"Some were reconnaissance missions deep into the ice fields..."

Lin Yu’s gaze swept over a few familiar yet unfamiliar faces within the group.

"The specific times and locations were different... but the encounters... exactly the same!"

"All of us, during the missions, encountered a group of people clad in black cloaks."

"The leader was Tier Three, so powerful it was despairing."

"And he had a dozen or so extremely strong Tier Two fighters with him."

"We had no ability to resist, couldn’t even send out a complete distress signal."

Lin Yu’s body shook violently, as if she had returned to that moment of despair.

"After being captured, our eyes were blindfolded, mouths sealed shut, thrown into transport vehicles, moved continuously, from one cave to another."

"Ultimately, it was that ice cave today..."

"More and more people gathered."

"As for anything else, we don’t know, they rarely spoke about other matters in front of us. The only thing we know is about those black cloak people."

Boom——!

Wei Banmeng felt a chill rush from her soles straight up to her Celestial Spirit.

Captured during a Federal mission!?

And by a group led by a Tier Three in black cloaks.

A premeditated ambush, capture, transfer, stockpiling!

This is not some ragtag group of human traffickers!

This is clearly a well-hidden crime network operating in the shadows of the Arctic Front, with precise execution, clear targets, wielding the butcher knife against their own.

And they, capable of such precise ambushes on Tier Two Transcendents on missions, could move and stockpile people without anyone noticing, almost delivering them to the Life Ghosts’ mouths...

A wave of icy trepidation instantly swept over Wei Banmeng’s entire body.

Cold sweat permeated the inner layer of her combat suit from her back.

Truly terrifying upon closer thought!

...

Howling wind and snow in the high sky.

Fang Qingyu was shrouded in a faint dark golden Shenxiao, shielding against the high-altitude cold and airflow.

Below, the massive Eternal Night Territory black sphere silently hovered, enveloping the dozen or so immobilized "cargo."

Slightly lowering the altitude.

Fang Qingyu took out his phone.

Fingers swiftly tapped on the cold screen, sending a message to that familiar number:

[I need someone who can a hundred percent extract information and is a person you a hundred percent trust. Immediately, right now.]

Message sent, the phone fell silent.

Fang Qingyu’s gaze pierced through the wind and snow, fixing on the outline of the Great Wall spanning the end of the ice plains like a steel mountain range.

His eyes were cold and resolute.

The matter of Jiang Taixuan revealed to him the lowest depths of human depravity.

In this matter, Fang Qingyu did not intend to seek out Jiang Ying.

Although she’s unlikely involved in this, from what happened with Jiang Taixuan it’s clear...

If today’s encounter by Fang Qingyu has any significant implications, she’s bound to have concerns...

And ninety-nine percent of people would have such concerns.

This is a normal human reaction after all.

After all, this is an entire frontline battlefield!!

And Fang Qingyu sought out Hong Qitian directly, gambling that he’s the one percent who wouldn’t worry...

This time.

Fang Qingyu did not want to be like Jiang Ying, worrying too much.

He just wants to find out the truth now.

Regardless of who it is behind this incident...

Then kill!!!

Soon, the phone screen lit up.

Hong Qitian’s reply was simple and direct:

[?]

[Address.]

Fang Qingyu’s taut heartstring slightly relaxed, quickly sending the coordinates of the courtyard.

He gambled right.

The old man is that one percent.

...

Arctic Great Wall, Spine City, inside the courtyard.

In the underground training field, the lights were bright.

The dozen or so outlaws, imprisoned by Shenxiao, lying like sculptures on the cold alloy floor.

The Eternal Night Territory had already been withdrawn.

Yet the golden arcs of lightning still wrapped around them like the toughest chains, robbing them of any ability to act or resist.

They could only futilely roll their eyes.

Filled with extreme fear and despair in their eyes.

Fang Qingyu stood in the center of the training field waiting.

Soon, the phone lit up.

It was a message from Wei Banmeng.

On it was the story and details of Lin Yu and others being captured.

Fang Qingyu quickly skimmed the text on the light screen.

His eyes growing colder.

Indeed!

Every word confirmed his worst suspicions.

Soon.

The doorbell rang as well.

Fang Qingyu crossed the silent living room and pulled open the front door of the small building.

An old man in a faded, washed-white cotton jacket, slightly hunched, with a cheerful smile on his face, was leisurely strolling to the courtyard gate with his hands behind his back.

As if he was just out for a post-meal walk, passing by by chance.

He lifted his head, still that ordinary old soldier’s face, etched with deep wrinkles.

Above his head, the three glaring red question marks unchanged.

The old man looked at Fang Qingyu standing at the door, his face expressionless, grinning wide with a smile identical to the one shown at the old soldiers’ tavern:

"Hey, young fella, we meet again."

"Heard you’ve got a bit of trouble here, need an old guy like me to lend a hand?"