Chapter 108: An Unexpected Gain

Mu Qingcheng was already over forty years old, but having practiced cultivation and self-discipline since childhood, and maintained excellent care of herself, she still appeared to be a woman in her twenties, showing no signs of aging.

She had joined the Ninth Bureau early on. Had it not been for the unresolved case involving the Xiao family in Huhai, she would have long been promoted to the bureau's headquarters. She had spent fifteen years in Huhai and had never encountered such a bizarre situation before—someone had infiltrated the building right under her nose, even coming to the room next to hers.

Regardless of the intruder's capabilities, the sheer audacity commanded her utmost respect. For a cultivator to break into the Ninth Bureau was tantamount to a murderer breaking into a prison. The Ninth Bureau was an enforcement agency designed to punish cultivators and the like; anyone daring to enter alone was either insane or extremely confident, bordering on arrogance.

"All personnel, prepare. We must capture this individual," Mu Qingcheng quickly snapped out of her shock and ordered.

"Director, the situation is abnormal! The person suddenly disappeared! We can't locate him on the screen anymore! There are only 24 heat signatures left!" a voice exclaimed over the earpiece. Mu Qingcheng was stunned—how could someone suddenly vanish? Such a thing was impossible. Even a great cultivator could not disappear into thin air; disappearance always involved a process.

"Received! Everyone maintain vigilance and await further orders!" Mu Qingcheng forced herself to stay composed.

Everything was beyond her comprehension. The thermal imager, which was infallible against special groups, had lost its effect on the intruder. No living creature, even cold-blooded ones, could evade thermal imaging unless the intruder completely concealed their temperature or moved so fast that the thermal imager couldn’t detect them.

But both possibilities were impossible. Yet, the intruder had indeed escaped the thermal imager.

"Immediately activate the matrix phased array vibration detection system!" Mu Qingcheng commanded again, deploying the Ninth Bureau’s ultimate surveillance weapon.

The so-called matrix phased array vibration detection system was an instrument that identified the source of vibrations within its monitoring radius. Even a frog’s heartbeat could not escape it, let alone a human.

"Director, we still cannot locate the target..."

This was impossible. Absolutely impossible!

Hearing her subordinate’s report, Mu Qingcheng fell into panic. Someone had managed to evade the two most advanced instruments of the Ninth Bureau.

She knew what this meant: it completely overturned the operational system that the bureau had refined over decades, meaning this person’s abilities were beyond the bureau’s control.

"Director, we’ve found him!"

"What? Found him! Where is he?" Mu Qingcheng sighed with slight relief upon hearing this. It seemed the intruder was not as mysterious as imagined; they had finally been located.

"He’s driving your car, leaving the building, currently on the highway outside!"

Mu Qingcheng abruptly drew back the curtains, only to see a pristine white Land Rover cruising leisurely along the highway. It didn’t look like an escape at all—it seemed as if the driver was passing by nonchalantly, a blatant mockery.

Mu Qingcheng had thought that once the intruder was detected by the surveillance instruments, she could relax. But instead, the intruder swaggered away boldly, no instruments needed—she could see it with her own eyes. Trembling with fury, she realized not only had the intruder retreated unhurriedly, but they had also stolen her car. Since when had the Ninth Bureau become a patch of wild leeks to be harvested?

"Director, shall we pursue?"

"No need. Record the situation and report to headquarters." Mu Qingcheng’s face darkened to an extreme, but she had not lost her reason. The intruder could not be captured inside the Ninth Bureau’s building—now that they were out in the open sea, it was even less likely to catch them.

"What about your car?"

"Don’t mention the car..." Mu Qingcheng nearly roared into her earpiece.

...

In truth, Xiao Cheng’s method to evade the thermal imager was not as extraordinary as Mu Qingcheng imagined. She had blindly trusted the instruments, falling into a cognitive trap, which made the situation seem unthinkable. But the method was actually worthless.

Thirty seconds earlier, upon realizing he had been discovered, Xiao Cheng immediately used an Earth Escape Technique. In just two seconds, he free-fell from the fifth floor to the first. Once on the first floor, he knocked out a regular staff member and carried the unconscious person to the garage.

His body temperature was no different from an ordinary person’s. When he carried the staff member, the two heat sources merged as one. The thermal imager could not distinguish between them, thus deceiving it.

This method was devised after Wang Qiyi had monitored him with a thermal imager. As a cultivator, Xiao Cheng knew he would one day have to face thermal imaging.

He randomly picked a car in the garage and left the Ninth Bureau, taking less than ten seconds for the entire process. By the time Mu Qingcheng ordered the activation of the vibration detection system, he had already left the premises.

To Xiao Cheng, what he had just done was nothing and not worth thinking about.

Sitting in the Land Rover, frowning, he pondered over Wang Qiyi’s matter, muttering to himself, "So Wang Qiyi is a secret agent of the Ninth Bureau."

Just moments ago, he had overheard every word of the conversation between the director and Wang Qiyi next door, naturally learning Wang’s true identity.

"But if Wang Qiyi is an agent of the Ninth Bureau, why is he targeting me?" Xiao Cheng shook his head, unable to comprehend.

Recently, Wang Qiyi had been covertly acting against him. This was not something that could be explained by a mere undercover identity. Moreover, he knew that Wang Qiyi was absent during the clan’s annihilation. Clearly, Wang had received advance notice. Xiao Cheng even suspected Wang was deeply connected to the deaths of his elder brothers and uncles.

Furthermore, Wang Qiyi’s behavior during today’s villa search was peculiar and unusually arrogant. It was completely unlike the Wang Qiyi he knew. Something significant was bound to happen. Wang Qiyi’s identity was definitely more complicated than it appeared.

Unconsciously, Xiao Cheng returned to the intersection where he had earlier switched to a taxi. He parked the Land Rover in a concealed spot by the roadside and switched back to his Lamborghini.

He felt somewhat disappointed. He had hoped to glean useful information by tailing Wang Qiyi, but this was the result. The Ninth Bureau placing secret agents within the Xiao family was no secret—such checks and balances were tacitly accepted by the hidden cultivation clans.

Still, he was not anxious. He had left the Ninth Bureau ahead of Wang Qiyi, who was likely to return there. After all, the Ninth Bureau was Wang’s destination; there was no reason for him to continue on the dirt road.

About ten minutes later, Xiao Cheng vaguely saw a black Volkswagen slowly approaching along the dirt road.

The Volkswagen did not stop at the intersection but turned right, heading west along Dada Road. At the fourth crossroads, it suddenly turned left and proceeded southward.

Xiao Cheng followed the Volkswagen discreetly, maintaining a distance of about a thousand meters. It was rush hour, with heavy traffic, so he was not worried about being discovered.

Wang Qiyi, driving the Volkswagen, swerved left and right with no discernible pattern. Yet when he reached Huaxia East Road subway station, he unexpectedly stopped and entered the subway.

Xiao Cheng was startled. Wang Qiyi had been driving but now chose to take the subway. There had to be some hidden motive.

Xiao Cheng followed Wang onto the subway, but it was clear Wang had no real destination. He mindlessly transferred multiple times, even deliberately boarding just as the doors were about to close, then stepping off again. Without Xiao Cheng’s vigilance, he would have lost him.

By then, Xiao Cheng fully understood Wang Qiyi’s intention. He was worried about being tailed. The multiple subway transfers were meant to shake off any potential followers.

Given Wang Qiyi’s caution, he must be heading to a secret, important place.

——————————————————————————————————————————————

[Rolling on the ground begging for votes, thank you all brothers and sisters for your support!!]

Welcome all readers to enjoy the latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works here! Mobile users, please visit m.reading.