Chapter 422: Chapter 371: The Old Beggar’s Intelligence Network (Part 2)

But just as he was looking over a list of Blood Handprint personnel...

Suddenly, a familiar face...

...leaped into Lin Yi’s view.

His pupils suddenly contracted, and his brow furrowed slightly.

Because the person who surprised him was, shockingly, none other than Li Xuewen.

’He actually joined the Blood Handprint too?’

Lin Yi’s expression grew even more solemn.

However, Old He didn’t say anything.

He simply got up, walked to his desk, and took a sip from his teacup.

Apparently, he had already known all this before Lin Yi arrived.

Seeing Lin Yi’s surprise now, he didn’t offer a single word of comfort.

From the moment they made their choices, they were already on opposing sides.

It was just that Lin Yi never imagined Li Xuewen would choose to join the Blood Handprint.

This was truly a surprise.

When he put the files away...

Lin Yi looked at Old He and said, "Elder He, I’ll be taking these files with me!"

"Mm, you can. Use them for reference. And the personnel data—everyone who appears, don’t let a single one get away!" Old He said with a smile.

Lin Yi nodded, saying nothing more.

After bidding farewell to Old He, he left the office.

Once downstairs, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

At that moment, in the Cultivation Field of Zone 1...

Wei Nan, who was cultivating, heard his phone ring urgently.

He quickly stopped and stepped aside.

He took out his phone and saw that the call was, surprisingly, from Lin Yi.

Wei Nan answered with a smile. "Hey? What’s up? What did Old He want to see you about?"

"We’re going back to the Old District. Are you in?"

Over the phone, Lin Yi’s voice was a bit low.

Wei Nan didn’t catch the tone, but upon hearing the words "Old District"...

...his eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Returning home in glory? Of course I’m in! Should I go get Zhou Qi and Sun Tao too?"

"No need. They aren’t part of the Town Martial Department. Go back to your dorm and pack up now. I’ll have someone pick you up from the school!"

"Then head straight to the Old District. We’ll meet there!"

After Lin Yi finished speaking, he hung up.

Listening to the BEEP BEEP BEEP of the disconnected line...

Wei Nan’s brows furrowed deeply.

Only then did he realize that Lin Yi’s tone had been a little off.

It seemed like there was something he wasn’t telling him.

Just then, Zhou Qi, Sun Tao, and Shen Mengyi walked over.

"What’s wrong? Who called? You don’t look so good!"

Hearing this, Wei Nan quickly forced a smile and shook his head.

"It was Lin Yi. Old He gave him a mission. We have to make a trip to the Old District!"

"Alright, you guys keep training. I need to go back to the dorm and pack!"

After Wei Nan finished speaking with a smile...

...he didn’t ask if Zhou Qi or Sun Tao were going.

He left the Cultivation Room directly and rushed back toward his dorm.

Watching him leave, Sun Tao frowned and said, "Wei Nan’s acting a little weird today!"

"You think there’s something he’s not telling us?"

Shen Mengyi glanced back at Sun Tao.

"What could it be? He’s just going to the Old District for a mission!"

Zhou Qi didn’t speak. He just watched Wei Nan’s figure until it disappeared from view.

Only then did he say to Sun Tao and Shen Mengyi, "Alright, we’re not part of the Town Martial Department, so let’s not worry about it!"

"Let’s hurry up and train. The sooner we raise our cultivation levels, the sooner we can actually help Lin Yi and the others in the future!"

"For now, it’s enough that we don’t hold them back!"

When he finished, Sun Tao and Shen Mengyi both nodded.

They followed Zhou Qi to go train.

At noon, just as Wei Nan finished packing...

...Wei Shang’s call came in.

"Come on down, we’re waiting for you outside the school gate!"

Wei Nan nodded, agreed, and left the dorm.

He headed straight for the school’s main gate.

When he reached the gate, he saw several cars parked outside.

When Wei Nan walked out, Wei Shang opened a car door and called out to him.

Wei Nan hurried over to Wei Shang.

After he got in, the car sped off toward the Old District.

...

「Afternoon.」

15:18

Old District, Xinghai City.

On a dilapidated street.

Lin Yi stood there, surveying his surroundings.

A year had passed, and he was back in the Old District.

He found that nothing much had changed.

In fact, it had grown even more dilapidated and older than when he had left.

The trash on the ground looked as if no one ever cleaned it.

Even the roadside trash cans were already piled high like mountains.

Around the bins, even more trash was strewn about...

On some of the utility poles, missing person notices were posted one after another.

Lin Yi walked closer for a better look.

He found that most of them were high school students.

There were also some young men and women, but they were all in their early twenties.

’These disappearances must be related to the Blood Handprint.’

And it seemed the Blood Handprint was even more brazen in the Old District.

Because the law and order here was practically nonexistent.

The Public Security Bureau was the only authority responsible, and its officers simply collected their paychecks without doing any real work.

They got by one day at a time, a habit that had long since become the norm.

So, even if someone went missing...

...reporting it to the Public Security Bureau would just mean getting a case registered before it was perfunctorily forgotten.

Who would put in any real effort to find them for you?

It was precisely this inaction from the Public Security Bureau that caused the security situation in the Old District to deteriorate.

Just as Lin Yi stood there looking at the missing person notices...

...an old beggar suddenly approached from a short distance away.

"This subordinate greets the Lord General!"

Hearing this, Lin Yi quickly turned to look.

The old beggar before him was, shockingly, the same Old Beggar who had sold him the Purifying Heart Technique and the Brahma Heaven Luo Jin Spear Technique.

Lin Yi now knew his identity.

He was also a member of the Town Martial Department.

He was just permanently stationed here in the Old District.

His main responsibility was to gather intelligence and relay it back to the Town Martial Department headquarters in a timely manner.

For Lin Yi’s return to the Old District this time, the first thing Old He had told him was to find the Old Beggar.

With him here, many things could be resolved easily.

The Old Beggar had even found the locations of those "livestock farms" and "feeding grounds," investigating them all thoroughly.

"Senior!"

Lin Yi hurriedly bowed deeply and respectfully.

The Old Beggar chuckled. "Hahaha... It’s been over a year, and the Lord General has improved quite a bit!"

"Your aura is much stronger than before!"

Hearing this, Lin Yi smiled and scratched his head. "That’s all thanks to Senior’s Purifying Heart Technique. It helped me stabilize my mind when I needed to, allowing me to get where I am today, step by step!"

The Old Beggar shook his head with a smile. "It’s because the Lord General’s own talent is good enough. Otherwise, no Cultivation Technique would be of any use!"

"The Lord General has personally returned to the Old District this time; it must be for the Blood Handprint, right?"

Lin Yi nodded. They were all on the same side; there was nothing to hide.

Besides, Old He had certainly contacted him beforehand.

And had told him the main objective of Lin Yi’s return.

So, the Old Beggar wasn’t surprised.

"That’s right!"

"Then please follow me, Lord General. There are too many eyes and ears around here; it’s not convenient to talk much!"

"Alright!"

Lin Yi nodded and followed the Old Beggar forward.

After entering an alley and making a few twists and turns...

...the Old Beggar led Lin Yi to a dilapidated wooden door.

Once they arrived, the Old Beggar knocked on the door three times.

Soon, the sound of footsteps came from inside.

Following a CREAK that sounded like grinding teeth...

...the wooden door was opened, revealing another beggar standing behind it.

Only, he was younger, just in his twenties.

The moment he saw the Old Beggar and Lin Yi, he quickly said, "Hurry, come in!"

Lin Yi nodded at him and followed the Old Beggar inside.

The moment the wooden door closed...

...the young beggar hurriedly bowed.

"This subordinate greets the Lord General!"

"No need to be so formal!" Lin Yi said with a smile.

On the surface, Lin Yi showed nothing.

’But, to my surprise, the Old Beggar has his own organization? I thought it was just him. He actually has other accomplices... But on second thought, it’s not that strange. For them to survive in the Old District, with intelligence gathering as their main purpose, they must have already established a vast information network. How could the Old Beggar possibly do it all by himself?’

"Lord General, this way please!"

The Old Beggar turned back, interrupting Lin Yi’s thoughts.

With a smile, he made a welcoming gesture, leading him into a dilapidated house up ahead.

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