Chapter 13: Chapter 12: The Tracker
Xu Mo escorted Bai Wei to the outskirts of the black market, then said to her, “It should be safe now. You can go.”
Bai Wei raised her head and looked at Xu Mo. She had witnessed everything he had done—both at the ‘Casino’ and the ‘Fighting Arena.’ Xu Mo seemed to handle everything with ease, especially in the fighting arena… Xu Mo did not appear to be a ‘good person,’ yet he was truly willing to let her go, even escorting her all the way out. He didn’t seem like a ‘bad person’ either.
“I have other things to do. You should leave first,” Xu Mo said again when he saw Bai Wei wasn’t moving.
But Bai Wei didn’t leave and continued to stand there, slightly lowering her head.
“Is there something else?” Xu Mo asked.
“I have nowhere to go.” Bai Wei raised her head to look at Xu Mo and said, “If I go home, my father still won’t let me go.”
Xu Mo stared at Bai Wei, noticing the tear marks at the corners of her eyes. For her, everything that happened today was too cruel; her biological father wanted to ‘sell’ her, and in the black market, she was treated like ‘merchandise,’ becoming a wager.
Xu Mo took out two hundred federation coins from his pocket and handed them to Bai Wei, pointing to the road on his right with his other hand. “Follow this main road straight ahead for three kilometers. You’ll reach a t-intersection, where there are many places with rooms for rent. Find a place to stay.”
Bai Wei hesitated for a moment, then took the federation coins from Xu Mo’s hand, clutching them tightly in her palm.
“Go on.” Xu Mo said, turning back towards the black market.
“Thank you.” Bai Wei said softly, watching Xu Mo’s retreating figure. She wiped the tear marks from her eyes and ran off in the direction Xu Mo had pointed.
……
Brey felt very frustrated. He had received orders to follow Hunter, and though he had done this kind of thing often and was good at it, he didn’t want to this time, because he had witnessed firsthand how Hunter killed Bone Scissors. He was ruthless.
Brey naturally wanted to avoid such a ruthless person, especially since Ryan had also died at his hands.
At this moment, Brey was leaning against a nearby wall, smoking a cigarette. Not far away, a street girl was throwing flirtatious glances at him. Brey glared at her viciously and muttered under his breath, “Get lost.”
The woman rolled her eyes and muttered back, “Pauper.”
Brey spat on the ground, then stomped out his cigarette butt and pulled his leather jacket tighter as he walked forward. He saw Hunter returning, but the experienced Brey knew how to blend in. He didn’t look directly at Hunter and deliberately walked straight toward him to avoid drawing attention.
As they got closer, Brey felt a sudden tension, a bad premonition.
The distance between them shortened. Brey sighed and was about to pass by when Hunter suddenly took a step toward him. They collided head-on. Brey reacted quickly, pulling a knife from his pocket. But he felt a powerful force pin his arm down, and then a sharp pain in his chest. Brey’s face went pale; he didn’t understand how he had been exposed.
Another hand clamped over his mouth, and Brey was pushed back into an alley. The black market was an old slum area, full of narrow passages.
“Bah!” The woman who had cursed Brey earlier saw two men embracing as they walked into an alley. She muttered, “So he likes that. No wonder he didn’t fall for my charms.”
“I ask, you answer. If you get it wrong, you die.” Xu Mo cornered Brey in the alley, his tone icy.
Brey nodded vigorously. Xu Mo then released his mouth.
“Ah…” A hoarse scream escaped Brey’s mouth as he tried to contain it. He glanced down at the knife buried in his chest, his face full of terror.
“Who sent you to follow me?” Xu Mo asked.
“Cobra!” Brey replied, breathing heavily.
“Who is Cobra?” Xu Mo continued to ask.
“Cobra, a lot of people in the black market know him,” Brey said, sweating. “You can ask around at the fighting arena. Ryan, the man you killed earlier, was also one of his men.”
“Just as I thought!” Xu Mo thought to himself. Brey was one of the thugs who had invaded ‘his’ home, just like Ryan. So Xu Mo showed no mercy.
It seemed Brey and Ryan were both Cobra’s men. The mastermind behind everything was likely Cobra.
Getting someone from the black market to do the job was undoubtedly convenient. This Cobra was probably an expert at such tasks.
“Why did Cobra order you to kill the Xu family of four?” Xu Mo’s eyes bore into Brey’s. Hearing this sudden question, Brey’s mind went blank, his eyes filled with terror. Xu Mo knew who he was.
But the Xu family of four were nobodies. How did the Hunter know them?
“I don’t know.” Brey suddenly struggled violently to escape. Clearly, he realized he wouldn’t survive. Hunter was here with a plan.
“Slash…” The knife twisted in his chest. Brey wanted to scream but was silenced by a powerful hand over his mouth, his fear intensifying.
“Speak!” Xu Mo released his hand, glaring at the thug in front of him.
“I really don’t know.” Brey struggled desperately. He knew Xu Mo wouldn’t spare him.
The knife sank deeper, piercing his heart. Xu Mo clamped his hand over Brey’s mouth. He watched the terror and despair in Brey’s eyes with no trace of pity. Xu Mo remembered the smile on Brey’s face when he had killed ‘his parents.’
Brey’s body convulsed, then went limp.
Xu Mo let go, allowing the body to fall to the ground. Brey didn’t seem to know the truth. The only ones who might know why the armory wanted to kill ‘his’ parents were Cobra and the people from the Law Enforcement Team.
Xu Mo looked at the corpse, wiped the blood away, and exited the alley from another direction.
He noticed fewer people were following him now, but there were still two, and one of them was closing in.
Xu Mo walked to a secluded area and stopped. Behind him, a middle-aged man also stopped, not hiding his presence.
Xu Mo turned to face the man, who was wearing a leather jacket and a hat, exposing only his face.
“Hunter!” The man was tall, with a broad frame and a deep voice.
Xu Mo said nothing, suddenly sprinting toward the man with incredible speed. A sharp blade appeared in his hand, aimed directly at the man’s throat.
“Bang!”
The man in the leather jacket stepped forward, raising his arm to punch. His fist, covered in a white steel glove, struck directly at Xu Mo’s knife.
A tremendous force made Xu Mo nearly drop the blade, pain spreading through his hand. Xu Mo was sent flying back, and when he looked at the knife, it had broken.
“An expert!”
Xu Mo realized he had encountered a formidable opponent. This world held many unknowns. What he had seen was merely the tip of the iceberg. The man before him was much stronger than any opponent he had faced in the fighting arena. Those opponents were only slightly stronger than ordinary people.
The man walked toward Xu Mo. Xu Mo tossed the broken knife aside, reached into his waistband, and pulled out two Meteor Darts.
Turning around, Xu Mo suddenly sprinted away. The man was a clear threat, and there was another lurking in the shadows. They were hard to deal with.
The man stomped the ground and gave chase. Just as he picked up speed, Xu Mo turned and hurled two Meteor Darts. The darts seemed to have eyes, spinning rapidly toward the man’s eyes.
The man’s reaction was terrifyingly quick. He extended his hands, attempting to catch the darts with his steel-covered hands.
“Swoosh…” A third Meteor Dart sliced through the air. The man snorted and leaped like a spring, dodging the dart and lunging at Xu Mo, only to be met by a fourth dart.
At this moment, Xu Mo was unnaturally calm, everything around him crystal clear, including the man’s jumping trajectory. As he threw the Meteor Dart, his spiritual power was highly concentrated, sensing the surrounding energy field.
“Ha!” The man gave a shout, his steel fist smashing the Meteor Dart, which then arced perfectly over his fist, heading for his throat.
“Bang!”
A loud noise erupted. The Meteor Dart was struck aside, the man landing on the ground. Xu Mo immediately turned and ran without pausing.
This time, the man didn’t pursue. Cold sweat trickled from his forehead as he watched Xu Mo’s back.
Meanwhile, a figure leaped down beside the man. It was a woman in a seductive outfit, wearing a butterfly mask and holding a gun. She had just shot the Meteor Dart aiming for the man’s throat.
“Who is that guy? His strength isn’t great, but he’s incredibly tricky. If your gun skill weren’t excellent, I would’ve been done for.” The man spoke gloomily, puzzled that his fist hadn’t hit the dart.
“Did you sense Source Power?” the woman asked.
“Strangely, he doesn’t have it. But just now, I felt a wave of Source Power. His control and calculation abilities are astonishing; each dart seemed to follow a calculated trajectory.” The man shook his head, his expression puzzled.
“Someone’s coming. Let’s go.” The woman said. The man nodded, and they left. Under her butterfly mask, the woman’s eyes held a peculiar look. She vaguely felt their target knew they were tailing him, which was why he had doubled back to kill one of them.
……
Xu Mo left the black market and walked on the street in his usual attire, unnoticed by anyone.
He recalled his recent fight. Both the man in the open and the woman in the shadows were strong, especially the woman’s terrifying gun skill, which would have caused trouble if she had attacked him.
But they didn’t seem to want to kill him, just test him. Who were these people? Could they be from the Fighting Arena?
When he returned to the department store, Miss Mia was still at the front desk. Seeing Xu Mo back, Mia smiled and said, “You were gone for a long time.”
“Yes, I was delayed a bit.” Xu Mo replied with a smile. “Miss Mia, let me take over.”
“It’s okay, you just got back. Go rest first.” Mia said gently.
“I’ll go change my clothes.” Xu Mo said.
After placing his things upstairs, Xu Mo returned to the front counter of the department store. As soon as he sat down, he saw a figure across the street glancing around before walking toward them. Xu Mo was surprised; why would she choose this place?
Bai Wei had followed Xu Mo’s directions and found a place to rent. The unscrupulous landlord demanded a deposit, almost draining the federation coins Xu Mo had given her. She had to find a job to survive.
She had asked several places but found no work. Then, she saw a young woman around her age and a five-year-old girl minding the department store, so she decided to try here.
“Miss, are you hiring?” Bai Wei asked Mia with a slight bow. She hadn’t changed her clothes or had any clean ones to change into, only tidying up a bit. Her face still looked haggard, with visible wounds.
PS: Thanks to Yinhua Huoshu and book friend 20180214191724956 for being the leader. Seeking tickets, support, and nurturing…