Six o'clock. Zhang Yuanqing left the office precisely on time, took the elevator reserved for the Tianfa members, and arrived at the bank's main lobby. He wove through the crowded rush hour crowd, entered the public restroom on the left side of the lobby, went to a private stall, transformed into a white man with brownish-yellow hair, took out a suit from his backpack, and dressed himself with ease before leaving the restroom. He then made his way through the bustling crowd to exit the bank building. Next, he walked to the Dese River, hailed as the economic lifeline of the New Covenant County, sat on a public bench, and enjoyed the golden hues of the setting sun until nightfall. It was now seven o'clock, yet the peak commuting period had not yet subsided. The shift work culture was well established even in the Free Federation—the militarily strongest nation on land—where Zhang Yuanqing once heard a joke about a European company that hired an employee from the Free Federation. That employee arrived on time every day and left half an hour later than scheduled. After a few days, colleagues grew weary and said to him, "Oh my goodness, heaven help us—aren't you sent by the devil to torment us? Your work is creating so much pressure. Please remember, work is meant to enrich life." The employee from the Free Federation didn't take it seriously, even mocking his colleagues for lacking ambition and drive. Since you haven't summoned the Red Slippers for a long time, its affection toward you has significantly diminished, and it has officially launched a pursuit and attack against you. Zhang Yuanqing heard the spiritual realm's notification sound, finally experiencing the feelings of the Dog Elder back then. At his current status, the Red Slippers' attacks are only slightly stronger than a gentle tickle—barely causing any pain. The "pursuit" function, however, is rule-based; aside from enduring the attacks, there's nothing he can do to stop it. The sound of light taps echoed through the air, and after an indeterminate period, the spiritual realm's notification sound returned once more: 【The Red Slippers' resentment has eased, and it has ceased its pursuit, formally reminding you not to neglect a conscious object.】 The Red Slippers stopped attacking, stepped back, and turned around, facing him with the heel toward him, giving the appearance of deliberately ignoring him. Zhang Yuanqing glanced around, noticing no one else present nor any cameras, and said, "Let's dance." The Red Slippers paid no attention. "Two dances?" The tip of the left shoe subtly moved, as if reluctantly holding The Red Dance Shoe strolled in with cheerful steps. If I told it then, "Ha! Little fool, I'm just playing a trick on you," it would probably chase me for the rest of my life. Zhang Yuanqing thought it over, and with a rational mind, abandoned this bold idea. One by one, he and the Red Dance Shoe began to dance tap together in the quiet park, occasionally passing pedestrians. To ordinary people, however, Zhang Yuanqing appeared awkward and solo—those who couldn't see the Red Dance Shoe merely glanced at him, scrutinized him for a moment, and then walked on. A few people, eager to take out their phones to record, would find Zhang Yuanqing shouting at them, "Fuck!" with sharp, biting remarks. Over this period, his foreign language skills had improved significantly, though his accent remained strong. When he delivered his curses, however, his speech was perfectly clear and standard. By 6:30 p.m., the park was completely empty. Only then did Zhang Yuanqing pull out the yellow test strip and gently inserted it into the Red Dance Shoe’s shoe. The Red Dance Shoe paused, as if sensing something, and then, after a few seconds, unfolded its feet and began to dash Zhang Yuanqing activated Night Stroll and hurried to catch up, discovering it was heading toward the headquarters of the New Covenant County Bank—the very stronghold of Tianfa. Was the beast Hase lurking near the Tianfa branch, or was the Red Slippers specifically targeting Eubna Carle? The liquid on the test strip had been scraped directly from Carle’s body, inevitably carrying Carle’s genetic markers. Therefore, the Red Slippers’ pursuit would likely lock onto Carle. That was precisely why Zhang Yuanqing had waited for Tianfa staff to finish work—the Lingsheng Travelers could perceive the Red Slippers. He closely followed the Red Slippers’ path, and when they reached within 300 meters of the bank headquarters, Zhang Yuanqing abruptly terminated the tracking. Clearly, the Red Slippers were focused on Carle. They showed no intention of veering off, instead charging straight toward the bank building at full speed—something impossible for evil-class beings, even for a Master like Katharine. Zhang Yuanqing then retrieved the Red Slippers, snapped his fingers, and activated the Star Dashing Technique to return to the quiet park. No one else was around. He released the red slippers once more, attempting to communicate: "Besides the person I just saw, can you lock onto anyone else? There should be two nucleic acid samples here." The red slippers ignored him. Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment, then sighed, "Two dances!" The red slippers responded with a cheerful tap. So, the man and the slippers began to awkwardly dance again. After completing two dances, Zhang Yuanqing didn't immediately issue a tracking command. Instead, he first removed the test strip from within the slippers and then returned it to his inventory. Next, he pulled out the Great Luo Star Disk, settled in a quiet corner where the park cameras couldn't see, sat cross-legged, and began observing the stars. As night deepened, the park by the river grew quiet, the cold glow of the streetlights illuminating the greenery in silence. Zhang Yuanqing, seated beside the landscaping, lifted his head, and a dreamlike shimmer of stars appeared in his eyes. Fifteen minutes later, as the star patterns shifted, a scene unfolded in his mind. This is a district dotted with low-rise buildings three stories high, with earth-yellow facades, narrow streets, crowded and congested, and numerous unauthorized structures—offering a clear impression of age and poverty. The Kings County, or the Bronx—judging by the building's condition, it's more likely the Bronx. Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes, forming a hunch about the celestial imagery. Such old, run-down, cramped neighborhoods in the New Covenant County can only be found in these two areas—the Kings County and the Bronx—both of which are especially known for their "age and dilapidation" and the concentration of Nickos. Crime rates are a joke, especially in the older brothers. As a result, these two regions have become strongholds for the evil professions, with organized crime groups clustered together, and numerous agents and informants from the evil faction scattered throughout. Even the lawful organizations, with fewer than ten members, hesitate to venture deep into these areas. Even when they do enter, they often bring in large contingents of federal police—not only to balance the power of the evil professions, but also to rely on the federal police to protect the ordinary Nickos from being overwhelmed. Zhang Yuanqing took out the red ballet slippers, slipped the test paper inside, and whispered, "Find him for me—don't go back to that previous place." The red ballet slippers hesitated for a few seconds, then sensed the signal, and began to stride lightly, bustling rapidly with a crisp, rhythmic pace. Zhang Yuanqing entered the night journey, following closely behind. The slippers occasionally passed through walls or climbed up walls, maintaining a straight path with swift momentum, covering the distance from Manhatten to Queens and then to the Bronx in just half an hour. As they went deeper, the buildings grew older. In the mid-20th century, the Bronx was home to the local residents of the New York County. Over time, due to aging and neglect, the white residents gradually moved out, while the working-class population shifted to Queens and the affluent moved to Manhattan, leaving the area gradually under the influence of the Nigos. After another fifteen minutes, Zhang Yuanqing arrived at the district he had observed in the sky view, and then canceled the tracking instruction, transforming into a robust, athletic Nigo with broad chest and a well-defined backside, and danced with the red ballet slippers in the alley, paying the We can't let the Red Dance Shoes keep tracking anymore. Their tracking is so direct—it's like they're glued to your face. If we don't act, they'll surely stamp right down on the big face of the beast, Hase. Hase is no threat, but we're uncertain whether there's a sovereign ruling this area. Though Hase himself isn't a concern, once that sovereign is revealed, we can no longer handle the matter under the identity of Juman. Even the strongest Juman wouldn't defeat a sovereign, especially not one of the late-stage or late-mid-tier. And Zhang Yuanqing is only capable of handling sovereigns at the early to mid-stage of Level Seven. Should a late-stage Level Seven or even Level Eight sovereign appear, we'd have to bow out, sadly. Besides prostitutes, there were the most numerous wanderers and drunkards—those very groups that even the crime syndicates found distasteful. The area wasn't particularly large nor especially small; finding the beast Haas here would be no easy task. Yet Zhang Yuanqing was a Dream Master, capable of locating Haas through dreams. If Haas was hiding here, then this locale was likely a base of the Bio-Alchemy Guild, and any such base would surely have a Transcendent-Grade Master Poisoner. By identifying these Master Poisoners, Zhang could determine Haas's whereabouts. Should he circle the area without success, indicating that this was not a base, then the issue of the Dominant could be entirely set aside, and he would simply summon the Red Slippers and face them directly. Zhang's eyes turned transparent, and in his vision, a series of vivid, surreal dreams emerged. Within these dreams, he guided the sleeping consciousnesses, inquiring about Haas's location. Soon, he gathered clear leads. From the dreams of a dying master physician (Nico), the whereabouts of the dragon Hase were revealed, and the true nature of the region was uncovered—indeed, it was a stronghold of the Bio-Alchemical Guild. However, this stronghold lacked a central overseer and was instead managed by six saints, making it a mid-sized outpost. The dragon Hase frequently visits this place for entertainment, as it boasts a vast, well-managed establishment run and controlled by the guild, featuring over sixty women engaged in the flesh trade. Hase is a passionate lover of women, strong and vigorous with intense desires; he finds it difficult to be satisfied by just a couple of women and often gathers five or more, indulging in lively revelry within large rooms. After identifying the target location, Zhang Yuanqing returned from the dream to the waking world and began a night journey, quietly approaching a building located 200 meters away. It was a two-story structure with a small courtyard, and within the shaded pavilion in the courtyard, three Nicos were gathered around a round table drinking wine. Both the first and second floors were brightly lit. In the two bedrooms on the first floor, three men and three women were playing, some lying on beds, others kneeling on the floor, or propped up at desks—each woman was attended by Ni-go, who stood diligently behind her. Zhang Yuanqing didn’t rush to enter; instead, he leaped onto the roof of the adjacent building, observing carefully the situation on the second floor. The curtains of the master bedroom were half drawn, revealing only a corner of the bed. A white bedsheet-covered bed lay there, with figures of both black and white forms lying weakly, entwined. The bed was gently trembling, as though someone were engaged in vigorous activity, though the curtains obscured the view. "Six saints are nearby. Indeed, I’ve only studied the limits of the Master of the Final Breath’s skills in theory—read the materials, but never personally experienced it. I still don’t know what tools or reserves the beast-wizard Ha’s has. For safety’s sake, I’ll have Guan Ya and the others come over to handle the minor challenges." Zhang Yuanqing was confident in himself, yet remained humble—when facing a lion, even a rabbit demands full effort. With allies to support him, why not? Then he pulled out his phone, sent location updates to the other sages, and informed them of his hunting plan and the specifics of the enemy forces. After setting the phone down, he quietly waited. Throughout this time, the movements within the room never ceased—soon, the graceful women could no longer withstand the relentless pressure, and the monks outside the courtyard brought in a second batch. The first group, under the guidance of members of the Bio-Alchemy Guild, slowly and with mutual support, waddled and limped out. When the second batch had been thoroughly exhausted, Zhang Yuanqing’s phone vibrated, and he received a message from Guan Ya: “We’re one kilometer away and ready to provide support.” Growing impatient, Zhang Yuanqing typed back: “Action!” He put down the phone and raised his hand, tapping it sharply—his fingers snapped like stars dispersing into light. The very next moment, bright starlight rose up in the bedroom across the way, where the curtains were only partially drawn.