Chapter 188: Squid

After leaving the chemical plant, Li Mochen returned to Unicorn Apartments in the Otto I provided by the Nathan Group, but this time only Elisa Targaryen accompanied him.

"What a pity! If it weren't for that guy, I would have advanced to level eleven by now and become an Outlaw."

Elisa's words were full of complaint and regret; she had indeed been only a hair's breadth away from advancement last night.

And after missing this opportunity, that 'hair's breadth' might hold her back for months, or even half a year.

"A-Mo, will there be more good things like this in the future?"

"I'm not sure. Opportunities should be few. This secret technique has great hidden dangers; it's too harmful to the natural order."

Li Mochen thought that even if he did similar things in the future, he would no longer use the 'Heaven-Devouring, Pulse-Refining, Origin-Returning Grand Array'.

He had just checked his 'Divine Pylon Purple-Golden Pagoda of Fortune', and the black karma had visibly risen to the base of the pagoda!

Fortunately, it was a chemical plant with severe pollution to begin with; otherwise, the situation might have been even worse.

"Hey, can't you two give a hint? I was curious outside all night yesterday. That place was like a bottomless pit, constantly absorbing magical energy."

Carl Holton, sitting on the other side, looked impatiently at the two whispering to each other.

It couldn't really be called 'whispering'; they were speaking openly, but somehow he couldn't hear a word.

Just then, Carl heard his phone ring. He pressed the button to answer, and within ten seconds, he turned to look at Li Mochen.

"A-Mo, we've found the Blood Hand Gang's hiding place for money—in the underground vault of Craig Community Bank. Our intelligence department says that not only is it where Antonio stashes his money, but there might also be some No. 4 and meth there."

Li Mochen raised an eyebrow, knowing that 'No. 4' referred to heroin.

"Are you sure you want to hit that place? But I suggest you think twice. According to my colleague, that place is a fortress! Even with someone like Sampson Brut now under your command, it would be very difficult to take it down."

Carl's words didn't move Li Mochen at all, but they startled Elisa beside him.

"Blood Hand Gang? Antonio? A-Mo, are you gathering so many people tonight to start a war with the Blood Hand Gang?"

"The Blood Hand Gang kidnapped his cousin. Even with the Nathan Group's intervention, we couldn't get Antonio to release her, so our friend here plans to take matters into his own hands."

Carl explained briefly, then waved a sticky note in his hand toward Li Mochen: "The person you're looking for has also been identified. Fenrir's right-hand man, Blood Spear Theodore, a level thirteen magic assassin with formidable stealth abilities. He once killed someone right under the noses of several Outlaws and escaped before anyone even noticed."

On the sticky note was a sketch of Li Mochen.

"Damn it, I knew it was them!"

Elisa clenched her fists again, her face flushed with anger: "They even followed us to the Bright World! Do they want an all-out war with us?"

Then she realized that the Blood Hand Gang was the more immediate crisis Li Mochen faced, far more serious than the trouble from the Fenrir Hunting Group.

"Tell your colleague I want the structural diagram of Craig Community Bank. Also, I'd like to purchase twelve more 'Dark Realm Talismans,' plus a set of demolition equipment and over two tons of C4—"

Li Mochen stopped mid-sentence, noticing the look of reluctance on Carl's face. Nathan Military Industrial Group dealt in arms, but all their transactions were legal, at least on the surface.

"Forget it, I'll find the demolition equipment and C4 myself. Can you get the 'Dark Realm Talismans'?"

—These weren't particularly hard to obtain; he believed Li Tailai and the others could manage it. The difficulty was the timing—it had to be before nine o'clock tonight.

"I'll have them expedite it."

Carl shook his head and continued talking on the phone with his colleague. Li Mochen began answering Elisa's question: "This is why I asked for your help. At this point, I need to utilize every available resource. I know you're a promising magic hunter, Elisa, but for now, I want to leverage your identity and connections. Xuri Company's stores are spread across the city. To ensure everything goes smoothly, we'll need to deal with the local police. Our company's Cadiren Jebsen is loyal and reliable, but he's not deeply involved in the underworld and is an immigrant. So, on top of that, I'll give you the title of executive assistant—"

Just as he said this, the spacious interior of the Otto I rang with another phone call. This time, it wasn't Carl's phone, but the one Li Mochen had left with Chu Siguo.

When Li Mochen answered, the voice on the other end belonged to Jeremy Burt, the chief detective of the Sky Eye Detective Agency.

"Hey, A-Mo, I heard you're recruiting in a big way, right?"

Li Mochen raised an eyebrow: "Mr. Burt? That's right. What can I do for you?"

"Then, would you still need an Outlaw to work for you?"

At that moment, Jeremy Burt stood in his office, looking helplessly at the mess around him and the large hole blasted by a heavy shell: "I think I might need to change jobs, A-Mo. I bet my current boss is going to go crazy."

"Fenrir?"

"It's those bastards from the Fenrir Hunting Group!"

Jeremy Burt gritted his teeth over the phone, but then he asked, "So, you've run into Fenrir's people too, A-Mo?"

"Pretty much."

Li Mochen didn't elaborate: "Mr. Burt, if you're really planning to switch jobs, you can come to my apartment for an interview today or tomorrow. First come, first served."

He hung up after that, a hint of a smile in his eyes: "This is good news. Looks like I won't have to worry about finding a director for the intelligence department. Elisa, you have another task—keep an eye on him."

"Keep an eye on?"

"Mainly the funds. I'll allocate him a few million Golden Shields to set up an intelligence network in Atlanta. I need you to watch over that money and make sure he doesn't squander it."

Li Mochen looked resigned: "My financial director can't oversee this kind of thing. She knows too little about the underworld and wouldn't be able to intimidate Mr. Burt."