NOVPUBChapter 149: Chapter 148 The Secret of Black Steel
Chapter 149 -148 The Secret of Black Steel
At 11:22 p.m., the lights in the Heigang Building finally went out completely.
Three luxuriously decorated carriages were parked in front of the building.
By this time, the entire city had fallen into slumber, with only a few vagrants still searching through piles of rubbish on the roadside for necessities. The dim kerosene streetlights were sparsely located on both sides of the street, providing illumination for vehicles at night. In an era without electricity, activities after dark, whether for work or pleasure, incurred a greater cost than during the day.
In other words, only the four major companies within Magnificent Castle were busy until these hours.
Across from the building, in the opposite structure, Xue Quan and Dane were observing the enemy’s every move with a telescope.
“The employees’ departure time today has obviously been delayed. Is it because of the news about Boss Le’s disappearance?” Xue Quan noted in his notebook while observing, “And that carriage that left earlier, the emblem hanging on it should belong to the Schenck Will Shipping Company, right?”
“Yes, you’re not wrong, that was Jerry Will who walked out of the building just now, the third son of the Will family,” Dane nodded, “Aibuvich is always punctual, so this delay must be due to something important.”
“Holding power in his hands, yet not seeking pleasure, he must have a greater pursuit,” Xue Quan mused, as if talking to himself, “This operation should not disappoint Paradise.”
Sure enough, as the most devout backbone, Dane thought. These people always put the Paradise Master first in their thoughts.
Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, and he brought the telescope closer, “He’s here! Look, that man… It’s Aibuvich!”
He saw three people walking slowly out of the building, with the man in the lead wearing a black short-sleeved leather jacket with a short gun at his waist and a clear scar on his left cheek, unmistakably the head of Heigang Security. There wasn’t a hint of the merchant about him, and his eyes carried a brutal ferocity, making it clear just by his appearance that he was a dangerous individual.
The other two looked like key staff of the Heigang Company, just not present on the list of leaders provided by Dane.
The three of them quickly got into a carriage and drove off towards the eastern side of the city.
“Do we need to follow them?” Dane asked.
“No need, our mission is to keep an eye on the Heigang Building, ensuring nothing unexpected happens here. As for the news of Aibuvich’s departure, they will receive it,” Xue Quan said.
“How will it be done?”
“By using the power of the divinities.”
“Got it,” Dane realized suddenly. The last time Judy had managed to escape, it was the warning sent by Mr. Zhao through the Paradise Master’s divine power. It seemed this ability to send messages remotely was also common among the core believers.
But what Xue Quan actually did was a little simpler.
He detached a bit of his own wishing power and gifted it to Zhang Zhiyuan; this +1 alert, no matter the distance, was instant, serving as the signal to the latter that Aibuvich had set off.
What he truly said in his heart was something else,
‘Please tell Mr. Zhao he can make his move.’
…
Chaoyang, of course, didn’t need to relay the message himself.
To the players, the detective Mr. Zhao, who blended in with the locals, and the host, who always appeared out of nowhere wearing a mask, were two distinctly different beings. Of course, in their hearts, they also knew that Mr. Zhao was one of Paradise’s official representatives and, in some ways, he was more approachable than Mr. Host.
For instance, Xue Quan had already gotten used to chatting with Chaoyang about his thoughts after the meetings.
It’s not that these ideas can’t be shared with others.
It’s that he had fully considered the subtle distance between Paradise and the players, and had no intention of changing that because of his own actions.
This approach was quite in line with Chaoyang’s wishes.
The suggestion was straightforward, that there might be quite a few valuables hidden inside the Heigang Building, such as some confidential information. Once Aibuvich died, the building would certainly be sealed off, and it would be nearly impossible to enter afterward. So, it might be better to fish in troubled waters this very night. Even if any traces were left behind, they would be washed away in the sweeping corporate overhaul of the Heigang Company.
It had to be said that the proposal was indeed tempting.
As a security company, which frankly consisted of thugs doing dirty work, Black Steel had been operating in Magnificent Castle for many years and must have done many deeds that couldn’t withstand the light of day. As for who initiated these deeds and who didn’t want to dirty their hands, just thinking about it was thrilling. Moreover, this task was indeed more suitable for Detective Mr. to handle… After all, being an official personage, he didn’t need to announce when switching bodies, a simple internal coordination would suffice.
Chaoyang waited ten minutes, then quietly appeared at the entrance of the Heigang Building—naturally, in the guise of Aibuvich.
Having only seen photos, the doppelgänger was inevitably a bit rough around the edges, but fortunately, it was late at night and the streetlights provided only a dim light, making it difficult for the average person to spot his flaws without a close look.
He patted the black leather jacket on his body and strode towards the entrance.
The two guards on duty quickly recognized their boss, and their sleepy expressions became alert in an instant. “Boss, why have you come back!” they exclaimed.
Chaoyang gestured impatiently toward the door with his chin.
The guards immediately shut their mouths and hurriedly took out a keychain to open the door for their boss.
As the door opened, he grabbed the keys, startling the guards, who clearly had no idea what the boss intended to do.
But Chaoyang quickly released his grip.
He ignored the two of them and went straight to the top floor of the building.
Even though the company had ceased operations, people were still stationed inside the building, especially at the junctions on the second and third floors, where mercenaries holding firearms were on duty. Seeing the departed “Aibuvich” return took them by surprise, but aside from standing up and saluting, they did not utter a single question, showing a high level of discipline.
After all, it was normal for the boss to come back suddenly if he had forgotten something when he left.
Chaoyang followed the corridor all the way to the end of the third floor where a sturdy cedar door blocked his way. However, the mercenary stationed at the door promptly produced the key and, bowing, opened the cedar door for him.
So he didn’t need to open the door himself after all… he couldn’t help but mock in his mind. He had grabbed the keys from the door guard earlier with the intention of using his wishing power to duplicate them, then to try and see if he had the key to the boss’s office. But it turned out the staff were more thorough than he had anticipated.
Once the cedar door was closed, inside and outside the office felt like two different worlds. The office was not only spacious and luxurious but also exceptionally quiet. He suspected that even throwing a party here wouldn’t disturb people in the corridor.
The only source of light in the room was not an oil lamp but the high-grade Glowing Stones he had seen before—undoubtedly the best choice for the wealthy. Though the light was very faint, it would not extinguish, nor was there any risk of fire. Using this faint light, Chaoyang quickly found a matchstick and lit the other oil lamps, finally brightening up the room.
He sniffed the air, detecting the distinct smell of smoke. The ashtray on the coffee table was filled with many cigarette butts, one of which was still emitting a thin trail of smoke.
That confirmed it, Aibuvich must have had a meeting here previously with the third son of the shipping company.
As for what interesting things he could find in this room, it all depended on his skill.
Chaoyang switched to Lingxi Vision, watching the transparent circle of light expanding rapidly, enveloping the entire room. For a moment, everything in the office was reduced to mere outlines.
