Translator: AnubisTL
Soon, midnight arrived.
The time for the Albatross faction to strike was fast approaching. Wang Jili sat in his chair, twirling his thumb ring as he listened to the information relayed through his earpiece. He kept his head bowed, silent for a moment before murmuring softly, "No suspicious activity detected. Proceed with the plan as scheduled."
"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, you should see your mother tonight."
"Thanks," Hu Biao said, exhaling in relief. "This time, my brothers and I owe you one."
"You?" Wang Jili raised an eyebrow, glancing at Hu Biao with a smile. "Don't say such laughable things. Your favors are worthless. I want Jiang Cheng Company's favor, not yours."
"There's no need to thank me. You can try thanking Jiang Cheng Company instead, though your gratitude likely means nothing to them."
"What lucky bastards you are."
He shook his head, closed his eyes with a wistful expression, and savored the moment of tranquility, saying nothing more.
He had put in tremendous effort and taken great pains to secure a partnership with Jiang Cheng Company. He had even risked his life at the Rose Club to demonstrate his sincerity, which ultimately led to this collaboration opportunity.
Yet these lucky few, who had done nothing at all, had somehow captured Jiang Cheng Company's attention. It was truly infuriating.
In truth, he deeply valued the favor he owed these young men. To be so highly regarded by Jiang Cheng Company, they must possess extraordinary qualities he couldn't discern due to his own limited perspective.
However, he couldn't possibly accept Hu Biao's offer with a smile while Hu Biao was speaking. That would violate protocol.
Jiang Cheng Company had entrusted him with assisting Hu Biao. According to established rules, Jiang Cheng Company owed him a favor, while Hu Biao owed Jiang Cheng Company a favor. His relationship with Hu Biao was strictly professional, with no personal obligations involved.
That was the proper arrangement.
But Hu Biao's claim that he owed Wang Jili a personal favor meant he was trying to cut Jiang Cheng Company out of the equation entirely. This was a dangerous and ill-conceived notion.
Kicking Jiang Cheng Company out of the deal? That was terrifying.
He had finally started to get his life on track and wanted to live a few more years to enjoy it. He certainly hadn't expected to meet his "God the Father" so soon.
He knew Hu Biao probably hadn't thought things through, but disasters often start with suspicion, especially among those in power at large organizations like Jiang Cheng Company.
Once such a person became suspicious, not only would future cooperation be impossible, but you might as well call the King of Hell and ask him to pick a good time to come collect you.
The more you dealt with such powerful figures, the more cautious you had to be, avoiding anything that might displease them.
Otherwise, you could easily backfire, gaining not a powerful ally but a formidable enemy.
Hu Biao probably saw this as an act of loyalty, completely unaware that his words had crossed a line.
Without Jiang Cheng Company, he'd have to be insane to pay such a high price to rescue the mother of a fugitive suspect—a complete stranger. Even if they offered him 50 million, he wouldn't take the job.
Dealing with the federation, especially in this manner, was fraught with danger. One misstep could lead to his downfall.
[Jiang d Ash Bad]
In a dimly lit room, the Seer calmly gazed at the notebook before him, his expression serene. Without speaking, he lifted his gaze to the night sky visible through the window and slowly picked up a sandwich from the bedside table, taking a bite.
"A" represented Orange Red Star.
"Ash" represented Ash City.
"Jiang" represented Jiang Cheng Company.
"Bad" represented terrorist attack.
"d" represented 4:00 PM.
Combined, the phrase meant: "Jiang Cheng Company will launch a terrorist attack in Ash City tomorrow at 4:00 PM."
This was the information his future self had recorded in the diary.
These seemingly random characters were part of a cipher he had devised himself, allowing him to convey detailed information concisely, specifying the subject, time, location, and event.
Today, he had received intelligence from Orange Red Star about a terrorist attack in Ash City that had claimed over a hundred thousand lives. The organization behind the attack was none other than Jiang Cheng Company.
He hadn't received this intelligence yesterday, likely because it wasn't directly carried out by the Jiang Cheng Company itself and therefore didn't appear in his diary.
But today's intelligence was crystal clear: the Jiang Cheng Company would launch a terrorist attack tomorrow at 4:00 PM.
"This disgusting yet familiar taste..."
He suddenly stopped chewing his sandwich, a wave of nausea washing over him. He threw the sandwich into the trash, his voice rising in anger. "Xiao Hui! Didn't I tell you to blacklist all foods containing cheese? What is this takeout you ordered?!"
A crisp, mechanical voice echoed from the ceiling speakers: "Master, the sandwich from this shop does not list cheese among its ingredients. The ingredient list is as follows:"
"Mozzarella cheese, bread, ham slices, bacon, tomato..."
"Enough. No more."
The Seer said expressionlessly, "From now on, blacklist all products containing mozzarella cheese and any other cheeses. Blacklist this shop as well. Order me a new sandwich."
"Understood, Master."
Only after calming down slightly did Seer gaze out the window at the night sky, waiting for his late-night snack while his thoughts drifted aimlessly.
The Night Watchers had already deployed a vast array of items, setting up an airtight trap across Ash City under the cover of darkness. Their sole objective was to lie in wait like a hunter watching its prey, aiming to completely dismantle the Jiang Cheng Company.
This time, they had advance knowledge of the Jiang Cheng Company's target location and timing. If they still failed to capture the entire organization, the Night Watchers would no longer deserve their renowned reputation.
As for Seer himself?
He was merely a logistics officer, naturally excluded from such dangerous capture operations. His only concern was what to put in tomorrow's sandwich. Should he try eggplant filling?
The last time he used leek and egg dumplings as sandwich filling, it had been surprisingly delicious. He wondered if eggplant buns would taste just as good.
On the Orange Red Star's Ash City, a middle-aged man in black stood on the edge of a skyscraper's rooftop, facing the night wind as he surveyed the neon-drenched city below.
He was known as "The Capturer," a codename reserved exclusively for him. He was also the commander of the Night Watcher's 39th Division.
The Capturer oversaw over a dozen planets in the Orange Red Star Subhuman Star system. This wasn't official government oversight, nor was it the work of a civilian organization. Instead, it was a recognized order-keeping force with deep ties to the federation, often collaborating on critical missions.
Their sole purpose was to apprehend criminal forces threatening peace and stability.
While this was the federation's responsibility, they welcomed assistance from righteous groups like the Night Watcher, albeit covertly. Publicly, all arrests and sentencing were attributed to the federation, maintaining the government's credibility as the sole enforcer of the law.
Consequently, the Night Watcher remained largely unknown to the general public, but they were highly respected among those with even a modicum of influence.
Now, the Jiang Cheng Company had emerged on one of the planets under his jurisdiction, openly defying the Night Watcher. If the Night Watcher failed to eliminate the Jiang Cheng Company swiftly, it would mean the company could leverage the Night Watcher's hard-earned reputation to seize power.
This was an outcome the Night Watcher could not tolerate.
Tonight, at midnight.
The eighty-three combat-oriented members and sixteen support-oriented members of the Night Watcher 39th Division had all arrived in Ash City, ready to deploy a comprehensive dragnet. If Jiang Cheng appeared in Ash City tomorrow, he would be captured and eliminated without fail.
The Capturer, serving as the auxiliary commander, oversaw the entire operation.
The plan was codenamed "Operation Fallen Star."
The night wind whipped against his coat, creating a rustling sound. The wind was strong tonight, and the sky hinted at rain.
The Capturer stood expressionless at the edge of the rooftop, gazing down at the city. Even in the dead of night, many people were still working.
In a city that never sleeps, it was these tireless workers who kept its gears turning smoothly around the clock.
Building a city required immense human effort, resources, and financial investment. Yet tomorrow afternoon at four o'clock, a group of people would attempt to destroy it all. This was something they could not tolerate.
They embraced peace and abhorred war.
To maintain the operation's utmost secrecy, they had not informed the federal government on Orange Red Star in advance, deciding to execute the mission solely through the Night Watcher's resources.
According to their intelligence...
The giant cannon at Jiang Cheng Company now had a caliber of 70 meters—far exceeding their expectations. Their previous intelligence had indicated a turret caliber of only 15 meters, so they had temporarily sealed away Item No. 39, which was originally planned for use.
Item No. 39 was a domain-type rule item whose sole function was to disable all firearms with a caliber smaller than 30 meters within a certain radius for a period of time.
Its effect had been incredibly potent, making it virtually invincible in space combat and unmatched in ground warfare. But the sudden appearance of a 70-meter caliber turret completely overturned their meticulously prepared plans.
They had to devise a new strategy. Fortunately, the Night Watcher had existed for a long time, and their arsenal of items with special effects was vast and ever-expanding. Moreover, they had advance knowledge of Jiang Cheng Company's movements.
This allowed them to catch Jiang Cheng Company completely off guard.
The Jiang Cheng Company likely remained unaware that the Night Watcher had already laid an inescapable trap at the action point they planned to visit the next day.
Thanks to the Seer's prophetic abilities, nearly every Night Watcher operation ended in triumph.
(End of the Chapter)