Vol. 5 Chapter 11: Information
Chapter 11: Information
Luo Yan sat in a chair, lazily stroking a black cat in her arms. "I've tested them. Those three are just ordinary people."
"Then what did Zhao Bureau Chief's warning mean?" Fu Bin asked coldly. After recruiting Luo Yan, he had come to understand her relationships. Zhao was one of her loyal customers, thoroughly subdued in both body and mind. Thus, Luo Yan had been sent to caution him about the people from Yue Country.
Given Yue Country's power, exposure meant inevitable defeat against national forces.
"Can other items grant abilities like the God Mask?" Fu Bin turned to the Shadow Assassin, then shook his head. "There must be. Otherwise, how did the God Masks come to be? Yue Country, being a major power, surely has similar abilities."
"Perhaps those three were bait to lure us out," Fu Bin mused. "We might be walking into a trap. We've lost this round." Realization hit him hard. Zhao's exposure meant Luo Yan's, and thus his own, was imminent since he had been seen with her without a mask.
"It can't be that bad," Luo Yan smiled bitterly, but she quickly understood Fu Bin's reasoning, given her enhanced intellect from the mask.
"Let's leave here," Fu Bin said urgently. Despite his divine pretensions, he knew he couldn't face Yue Country head-on. While major weaponry was unlikely in the city, the existence of similar powers in Yue Country meant only one path: accelerate the Mask War and become a true god. Only then could he fear nothing.
When Lao Hu and his team arrived, the consultation room was deserted, save for a note: "You won a round. We won another."
The black writing turned into a dark mist, assaulting Lao Hu. "There was a slight power reaction," Xiaomi noted.
"I know," Lao Hu coughed, spitting out black blood. He felt tiny creatures multiplying inside him.
Xiaomi's device detected superpowers, which led Lao Hu to touch the paper. Fu Bin had turned plankton into writing, tricking Lao Hu. Lao Hu's abilities, named Fox, included high charm, illusion creation, and mind-reading upon physical contact. He had learned about Luo Yan from Zhao and more about Fu Bin from the cat.
Despite these powers, Lao Hu had weak physical resistance, barely above sub-health levels, even after enhancements from the Countermeasure Bureau. This vulnerability made him susceptible to Fu Bin's trap.
"Bingn Bing, help," Lao Hu asked. "Freeze the black plankton inside me."
"This will damage your respiratory system," Bingbing warned, but Lao Hu insisted.
Bingbing's ability to selectively freeze targets allowed her to freeze internal organs without affecting the surrounding tissue. She placed her hands on Lao Hu's chest, instantly lowering the temperature. Lao Hu coughed violently, expelling bloodied black ice shards, though they still scratched his throat.
"Contact the police, control Zhao, and issue a warrant for Fu Bin and Luo Yan," Lao Hu instructed. "Xiaomi, gather information on several individuals."
In the car, Lao Hu drank hot water, periodically coughing up black ice. Bing Bing's freeze wouldn't melt the shards, allowing Lao Hu to collect them.
"Fu Bin's group has three members. He knows two identities: one of the first victims, a thug, and a fallen woman," Lao Hu explained. "Investigate the gang member first."
Lao Hu summoned illusions of the targets, which Xiaomi used to match against records, narrowing down the information.
"One is Zheng Long," Xiaomi said, showing photos and data, including a masked biker image.
"The fallen woman, whose mask Fu Bin stole, is Xiao Zhang," Xiaomi continued, displaying her details.
"They contacted Meng Xi, whose wife and child recently died. He disappeared and likely has a mask. This is his information." Xiaomi shared Meng Xi's details.
"Good job. Now find Li Yuanfeng, the last masked individual. Fu Bin knows him but can't locate him," Lao Hu coughed.