The representatives of Jiu Zhou and Kun Lun stood facing each other under the phoenix tree.
A young man and a middle-aged man.
One was wearing a gray suit, the other a black tunic suit.
The phoenix tree between them was like a partition between two worlds, creating a strong and stark contrast.
Former comrades in arms, as well as current rivals.
“I'm very curious, you stay far away in the capital yet come to Luo City twice a month. What brings you here?” under the phoenix tree, Zheng Yuandong solemnly questioned him.
He Jinqiu smiled and said, “Boss Zheng must be joking. Kun Lun successfully captured four criminals last night. How could Jiu Zhou pass up the opportunity to take a peek and send their congraulations?”
“This is the duty of Kun Lun; there’s no need for congratulations,” Zheng Yuandong replied indifferently. “What’s more, there are still five people at large. Now is not the time to celebrate.”
“Kun Lun’s duty…” He Jinqiu chuckled, “Is Boss Zheng warning me about Jiu Zhou breaking the rules?”
Both organizations have been assigned different roles right from their respective establishments.
Kun Lun would not interfere foreign affairs, and likewise Jiu Zhou would avoid get in the way of domestic affairs.
Just like the distinction between the CIA and the FBI, even if the CIA had control over 70% of foreign intelligence, and could even independently carry out small-scale warfare, they still had no control over domestic matters.
The same went for Jiu Zhou.
But He Jinqiu never seemed to intend to abide by this rule. There were 19 cities in which the stations of both organizations overlapped, and unexpected conflicts would arise time and again.
In the capital, the two sides almost clashed while vying over a time traveler, a girl named Jiu Ran.
He Jinqiu asked all of a sudden, “Does Boss Zheng not feel anxious?”
“Anxious about what?” Zheng Yuandong asked back.
“Once He Xiaoxiao finishes setting up the group chat, time travelers from all over the country will come pouring into the hands of Jiu Zhou. How can you ensure that you could fulfill your duties when there’s no one left in Kun Lun,?”
As he spoke, a leaf fell from the phoenix tree, spinning in descent. He Jinqiu lightly pinched it in his hand. “I do know that Boss Zheng has the ability to obtain genetic injections, so even ordinary soldiers can be of great use. But have you told those kids in Kun Lun about the side effects of those genetic injections?”
Zheng Yuandong said, “Each person has a different choice. Once you have chosen, there’s no more room for regrets.”
“By the way, why did Kun Lun classify all of Liu Dezhu's information as top secret?” He Jinqiu asked, “Although he did transmigrate right next to Li Shutong –a big figure in the Inner World– I get the feeling that something’s not quite right.”
Zheng Yuandong shook his head and said, “I can’t answer that.”
In a flash, He Jinqiu took out a gold coin with his fingertips, flipping it between his bony and slender fingers. The gold coin kept rolling from the seam of his pinky to his forefinger, back and forth, back and forth, as if it were alive.
A ring formed by ears of wheat was printed on the heads of the coin, while two crossed swords adorned the tails.
He stared at Zheng Yuandong and asked, “I personally went to observe Liu Dezhu, so I know he definitely wouldn’t be able to earn your acknowledgement. If that’s the case, why do you feel the need to raise his classification to the highest level? Is it to protect him, or to protect someone else through protecting him? Or are you perhaps doing it to mislead me?”
On the ground where they were standing, the fallen leaves suddenly swirled around, as if moved by an imperceptible wind.
He Jinqiu couldn't figure out the story behind last night since Kun Lun had blocked out all the information.
However, he could comprehend Zheng Yuandong.
“Old captain,” He Jinqiu stated, “The one you want to protect isn’t Liu Dezhu, right?”
Instead of answering the question, Zheng Yuandong looked at the coin in his hand and smiled, “It’s unknown which superhuman left behind the forbidden item ACE-099, also called the ‘Gold Coin of Truth’, for it has the ability to determine truth from lie.”
The gold coin fell stably into He Jinqiu's hand. He said in amazement, “Old captain, you really know about everything.”
“Although the forbidden item ACE-099 has disappeared for a long time, its function is not secret,” Zheng Yuandong replied.
“Oh well, it looks like I can't get any answers today, but,” He Jinqiu’s smile deepened, “It's not like I didn't gain anything.”
He Jinqiu turned around and left. The gold coin in his hand was faintly howling.
It wasn't until he sat inside a black limousine parked beside Xingshu Road that he composedly took out a 100-gram gold bar from his arms.
He Jinqiu gently put the gold bar on the forbidden item ACE-099.
The gold bar instantly melted like a liquid and poured into the gold coin, but the size of the coin did not change at all.
Gradually, the surface of the gold coin fluidly flowed, just like a calm lake.
He Jinqiu softly spoke, “My debt has been paid.”
In the blink of an eye, the gold coin solidified. Its pattern turned back into a ring of wheat, restoring its silence.
He Jinqiu gazed out the window. He brought along the ‘Gold Coin of Truth’, but Boss Zheng didn’t give him any chance to pry out an answer.
“The prerequisite is to roll the gold coin on your fingers, it’s indeed a bit too conspicuous,” he sighed.
The driver glanced at the rearview mirror and asked, “Boss, our people have not been able to track the whereabouts of those five fugitives. I heard that Kun Lun managed to obtain some clues from the interrogation. Do you want to find a way to snatch them?”
He Jinqiu shook his head and said, “This is Boss Zheng's home ground. Let him handle it by himself.”
…
Since tomorrow was National Day, the students had no motivation to continue studying in the afternoon. Everyone was busy chatting about the trip to Laojun Mountain.
At three o'clock, Tian Hailong, the head teacher, suddenly announced that they would have an early day off. “Although I’m giving you guys an early holiday, I hope everyone understands that you’re already in your second year. So, adjust your mentality and don't play around too wildly.”
Qing Chen didn’t expect that he would have to skip class today.
He quickly got up and left the classroom and got on the bus to Laojun Mountain after meeting up with Jiang Xue and Li Tongyun.
Li Tongyun was carrying her small schoolbag filled with snacks inside.
However, Qing Chen was unaware of Hu Xiaoniu’s entourage changing their schedule due to the early release from class. At 5 p.m., their rented bus parked in front of the school gate.
At 5:20, the second year students from Classes 3 and 4 first went home to pack up their things, and then gathered back in front of the bus.
Someone asked Nan Gengchen, “Eh? Xiaonan, where’s Qing Chen? Is he not coming? ”
Someone else said, “That’s right, it looks like he’s not in our travel group,”
Nan Gengchen sighed. “He said he had other plans for National Day, so he can’t go with us.”
Not far away, two Kun Lun members who had been tailing Liu Dezhu by car observed the students and immediately reported to the headquarters, “There’s something unusual about Liu Dezhu. It seems like they’re renting a bus to travel somewhere. Is there any further instruction? Should we send some reinforcements? ”
The colleague at the headquarters replied, “The road team received news that some suspected fugitives showed up in Meng County, north of Luo City, seemingly about to leave the city. The road team is now pursuing them and instructs the two of you to follow Liu Dezhu. There won’t be additional reinforcements for the time being. Several of our brothers are injured and resting. Wait for them to return on duty tomorrow. They’ll go to replace you as soon as possible. We’ll trouble you guys to work hard for today. “
“Alright, no problem,” the two Kun Lun members responded.
The suspects appeared in Meng County, whereas Laojun Mountain was located in Z County. One in the north, one in the south.
