Chapter 413 Chapter 410 Sharing Secrets

The train radio was reporting the temperature outside. Gaofeng City was colder than Pei City. It happened that a strong cold air mass was hitting the mountain here. The temperature of the entire city dropped by ten degrees overnight and was already below freezing. This kind of climate is very rare in history. The whole city issued a low temperature cold damage alert. For first-class passengers, the service they can get is to buy a cold-proof down jacket before getting off the train.

Zhuang Xuteng also bought one. The price of 220 euros was indeed a bit expensive, but he did not think of using his body to fight against the cold air mass. Who told him to leave in a hurry and not pay more attention to the weather changes? These 220 euros are a lesson.

"Fortunately, I encountered it when I was traveling and I could still buy clothes. If it was during the mission, I'm afraid something big would happen." Zhuang Xuteng got off the train, and the cold wind blew from the side. He tried to search every crack in his clothes and drilled in. This time the cold air has completely tamed the previous humid airflow, and the wind seems to be wrapped in frost and snow. Zhuang Xuteng shuddered, immediately wrapped his collar tightly, lowered the brim of his hat, and walked quickly along the crowd to the underground passage leading out of the station.

"This damn weather is cold and damp, so uncomfortable."

Everyone had a similar evaluation of the weather. Everyone hurried, trying to hide in the warm room as soon as possible. Zhuang Xuteng wanted to finish his work here as soon as possible, so he used the method of spending money in exchange for service, directly rented a new gasoline car at double the price, and drove into the cold wind.

He had memorized the map of Gaofeng City firmly in his mind. The weather was bad, and in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, he did not take shortcuts, but only drove on wide and well-maintained roads. Through the car window, he saw a relatively decayed city. The lights and advertisements on both sides of the road, the maintenance status of the buildings, and the clothes and utensils of the pedestrians on the road all looked worse than those in Peicheng. Between the two blocks, he also saw a whole row of homeless tents. There were still living dead people lingering in the tents with firelight, and those dark tents themselves were like tombs.

No one cared, no one cared about these people outside. Zhuang Xuteng frowned. He hated this scene, but he had no power to change him. Just when he stopped the car and waited for the traffic light, two children rushed up and wiped the car window with a wet rag. When the temperature had dropped below zero, they still used wet rags. Didn't these children want their own hands?

His first reaction was to roll down the car window and give them the coat. Anyway, there was heating in the car, and he would soon be at the hotel where he was staying, where there was enough warmth. But he thought of Peicheng, where there were cases of robbery by rolling down the car window. This kind of thing would not hurt Zhuang Xuteng, but it would make him feel sick. In order to avoid being sick to himself, he just rolled down a crack and threw out a few euros.

Unfortunately, the two children did not leave after picking up the euros. They didn't even have time to thank Zhuang Xuteng, so they went to wipe the glass of the next car. Zhuang Xuteng followed the children's gaze and saw a few smoking men standing in the corner of the roadside where they were sheltered from the wind. They were wearing thick coats, and there were bulging bags under the coats, which were probably weapons. That should be the controller of the children, most likely a local gang. While they were waiting for the children to get the money, they were also waiting for the children to block the car windows with their bodies, so that they could rush over and rob.

"Alas..." Zhuang Xuteng sighed and shook his head slowly. It was right not to put down the glass, and he saved himself from a fight.

The uneasy situation on the roadside did not improve until he entered the Beishan District, at least he saw the flashing red and blue lights of the local patrol car. The tents and children cleaning the windows on the roadside disappeared, and there were more men and women standing on the street in cool clothes. They held hot drinks in their hands and tried to fight against the cold weather and the cold world. Zhuang Xuteng kept a high speed throughout the journey, in exchange for their slightly disappointed expressions.

"I chose the main roads, why is it still like this..."

It's all Zhuang Xuteng's fault that he only knows geography and didn't learn history well. Gaofeng City has a longer history than Peicheng, so the "high road" has been occupied for a longer time. Especially the two urban areas in Pingdi, not only have they slowly fallen, but they are also affected by the slums in the development area, and it is difficult to be regarded as "modern urban areas". People who are really familiar with this city usually choose the highways around the city and several closed roads, where the scenery is at least better.

Zhuang Xuteng did not stop the car, but drove straight through the northern city area and entered the high-tech zone facing the brilliant neon lights. Suddenly, he felt like he was back in the upper city of Peicheng. More high-rise buildings, more bright and open windows, and more pedestrians dressed warmly. If these are modern civilizations, then they only exist in the high-tech zone in Gaofeng City.

The car stopped in front of the hotel, and Zhuang Xuteng handed the key to the parking attendant and asked him to find him at the front desk. He booked a room here for three days, which should be enough to complete the task of the Lich Master. After driving and visiting all the way, he didn't like Gaofeng City very much, and just wanted to finish the work early and leave early.

After paying the deposit and getting the room card, the parking attendant also delivered the car keys. Zhuang Xuteng carried a box with him, which contained the equipment he used on this trip, and naturally he couldn't give it to the waiter who wanted to earn tips by carrying luggage.

After freshening up in the room, picking up today's newspaper and reading for a while, and declining the special service offered to him over the phone, Zhuang Xuteng was ready to take action. He used disguise technology to change his face into a memorable one, then wrapped himself tightly, went down the fire escape, left the hotel, and walked one block. On the way here, he noticed a barbecue steak restaurant on the street. The signboard said "Must Eat List XX in Summit City", and there were two public telephones in the corner of the lobby, and one person was using them at the time.

I ordered the classic barbecue recommended by the boss. It tasted really good, but Zhuang Xuteng’s main purpose was the phone call here. When he saw that both phones were empty and he was about to finish eating, he went there and dialed Hill Lee's mobile phone number. Ring four times, hang up, then dial again, ring twice, hang up. The third time he dialed, he would only wait three times.

On the third call, the call was connected. Hill Lee's voice was a little harsh and asked: "Who is on the other side? I have never seen this number!"

"This is the exam center. Are you ready for the exam?" Zhuang Xuteng said the code word.

"What exam center? You dialed the wrong number! You don't have to sell me, I'm always ready, no need! If you come to harass this number again, I will definitely make you regret it!" Hill Lee hung up the phone and said Raise your middle finger towards the microphone.

Zhuang Xuteng put down the public phone and the pen and paper with five euros, curled his lips, and returned to his seat to finish his dinner. He has already heard the code words, those four keywords "ready". Everything else is a cover, and whatever Hill Lee's circumstances may be, nothing she says will arouse suspicion.

"Just be ready." Zhuang Xuteng quickly finished the meal, left a tip and left the restaurant. He did not go far, but hid upstairs opposite the hotel, huddled at the corner of the roof, and watched from a high position.

If someone came to the public phone specifically or asked the hotel owner for surveillance video, it would mean that Hill Lee had betrayed the Lich Master and the entire operation would have to be cancelled. But there is another possibility: the first trap was set at the place where the items were taken, and after it failed there, Hill Lee would resort to the next best thing and collect information through tracking numbers.

Zhuang Xuteng has made preparations for both approaches.

The wind became weaker and weaker, the snow began to fall, and the pull of the two air masses of coldness and dampness finally came to a conclusion. Not long after, Zhuang Xuteng's body was covered with a thin layer of white snow, and he began to control his breathing more precisely to avoid exposing himself by exhaling white mist. Maintaining this state, Zhuang Xuteng stayed on the roof all night, and no suspicious target appeared.

Hill Lee has passed the first level, and the next step is to meet her. The things she prepared for the Lich Master were kept at home. The address was clear and Zhuang Xuteng could come to her door at any time. However, she has set up a lot of security protections at home, and the risk of breaking in is very high, so she has to make "preparations", that is, put down the protection.

Zhuang Xuteng stayed up all night, but he still wanted to continue taking action. After eating some high-calorie food to replenish his strength, using martial arts and necromancy to massage his muscles, and then throwing away the dead mice and replacing them with a new batch, Zhuang Xuteng basically recovered. Still wearing this disguise, he called a car and went straight to Hill Lee's residence in Nanshan District.

Now is the most dangerous time in the entire operation. Zhuang Xuteng cannot be sure whether there are traps ahead. From the moment he got off the car, he entered a state of stealth investigation, first checking the outer environment bit by bit, and then gradually moving towards the inner circle.

He was not in a hurry at all. He pushed about halfway through and made sure he found a safe place. He took a rest first. After you have slept enough, eat some compressed food to replenish your body, and then continue to check. It can be said that he got in inch by inch, exercising caution to the extreme.

The next night, he sneaked into Hill Lee's home, lurking in the shadows, and secretly observed her. Because his sneaking skills were so good, Hill Lee never noticed him. Through observation, Zhuang Xuteng found that Hill Li had been very nervous and showed signs of fatigue. He should be under both physical and mental pressure. At first, he suspected that this was a guilty conscience, but after more careful observation, he found that this was just normal uneasiness, not something lurking in his heart.

So Zhuang Xuteng decided to show up. At dawn, Hill Lee was woken up by the alarm clock and got up to wash up. When he passed by the living room, he saw a stranger sitting on the sofa. She was startled, quickly dodged back, pulled out the gun from the bedroom and put it on. A normal person would have shouted for help at this time, but Hill Lee lowered her voice and asked, "Who are you?" as if she was afraid that others would hear.

"Master Lich asked me to come here." Zhuang Xuteng said, "I talked to you on the phone."

"How many dentures does Master have?"

"Not a single tooth." Zhuang Xuteng answered according to the agreed code. "Do you have any other questions? If not, give me the things so that I can go back and recover."

Hill Lee walked out. She wore an extra nightgown than before to cover her previously exposed beauty. "How long have you been here?" She frowned slightly and looked Zhuang Xuteng up and down, her eyes seeming to be disappointed with Zhuang Xuteng. "Are you a voyeur?"

"This has nothing to do with what I am going to do today. But I can tell you something: if I want to kill you, you are already dead now, so don't bother hiding the shadow guns on your body. You have no chance to use them." Zhuang Xuteng He pointed at Hill's chest and between the legs, and then said: "In addition, your level of installing implants seems not high. I suggest you don't try me out, as it will affect my mood."

"Cold-blooded and heartless, what a boring man." Hill Lee knew that she had a good figure and good looks. Although she didn't like others taking advantage of her, she didn't hesitate to use her advantages. "The things are downstairs, and you can only go through the fire escape. It's cold outside now, do you want me to put on some clothes?"

"Put on!" Zhuang Xuteng nodded and said, "This is our first meeting, I know you will have a lot of questions, so you don't need to be so restrained. Ask whatever you want to ask, and I will answer you the ones I can."

"So good?" Hill's eyes lit up, then frowned, and said to himself, "You know very well... The Lich Master should have a lot of servants, right? Are you the one who runs errands and collects things for the Lich Master?"

"I don't know how many there are in total, I know you are one of them." Zhuang Xuteng smiled slightly, he felt that he was one of them. "I don't run errands, my main job is killing people."

"I can see that... I feel very scared of you, and the threat is even greater than that of the pioneers of the pioneer team."

The pioneer team is an elite working group sent by the company to the shadow world. It generally includes environmental engineers, security teams, exploration and research teams, survival experts and otherworldly cultural research specialists. The number of people is uncertain, mainly depending on the distance to the shadow world and the work planned to be carried out.

Hill Lee is a "different world cultural research specialist" and her main specialty is language. The lich master explained to her the universal language of spell symbols, which is mostly used in landmarks, maps and non-encrypted historical documents. Relying on the advantage in language, Hill Lee was promoted quickly. She is no longer the beautiful warehouse manager who was bullied, but a small middle-level manager of Dingxin Magic Creation. As for the death of her original boss, it was also determined to be an accident and was not traced back to Hill Lee at all.

"I know that the Lich Master must have a close relationship with the Shadow World, and it is very likely that he is the last survivor of the Shadow World. I have repeatedly advised him not to show up. The company is very powerful and will definitely capture him for research. Unfortunately..." Hill Lee sighed and said, "He thinks highly of himself and looks down on everything. He doesn't care about my warnings at all. I can only listen to him and find the best things for him."

"Well, I hope you can complete the transaction." Zhuang Xuteng nodded. The Lich Master is the biggest secret in his heart. Talking with Hill Lee can release some of the pressure formed by keeping the secret for a long time. "I know that the Lich Master taught you things so that you can develop in the company. I envy you very much. I am just a pure tool and have learned nothing."

"Ah? Then you have to perform well and at least learn something! The Lich Master can teach you a little bit, which is enough for you to improve and develop!" Hill Lee patted his chest and said, "I am an example. I used to be a little secretary, not important at all. Anyone could bully and abandon me. Now it's different. I can use a lot of resources. Those who want to bully me have to think twice."

"Just think twice? What if I still bully you after thinking twice?"

"Continue to improve myself, what else can I do?" Hill Lee said, "I don't want to have a belly full of implants... My physique is not suitable for combat effectiveness, so I can only climb up in the civilian career. But the Lich Master said that if I perform well, he will send someone to teach me advanced shadow spells. That person is not you, right?"

Zhuang Xuteng shook his head and said sincerely, "I also want to learn shadow spells, but it's a pity..."