Zhang Yuanqing copied down the phone number but didn’t immediately dial—it seemed a bit hesitant. The people at the Ling Neng Hui were mad, fiercely so; getting involved with them was like trying to negotiate with a tiger—something he had grown tired of after much thought. He wanted to be a good person, yet he simply had no choice. No matter who held the roster, whether it ended up in the hands of the Five Elements Alliance, the Dark Night Rose, or even Black Unusual, his identity as a descendant of the Demon King would soon come out. What would happen after exposure? The best outcome might be being placed under supervision and losing freedom until they got what they wanted. Even that was only if it ended up in the hands of official organizations like the Five Elements Alliance or Taiyi Gate. Should it fall into the hands of the Dark Night Rose—or the Evil Organization—then even with imprisonment, he’d likely endure non-human torture; the consequences would be unbearable. The worst outcome? Dying young, passing away before his time. Therefore, securing the roster was essential. The reason for stirring up the waters stemmed from his lack of confidence in convincing Master of Zhishake Palace—his trust in him wasn’t particularly strong. “As long as we maintain a balanced tone and make contact with the people at Ling Neng Hui, it would be acceptable—even during large health checkups, which might cause some stress.” But that was still something for the future. Without solving today’s pressing issue, how could one talk about tomorrow? With this in mind, Zhang Yuanqing resolved to dial the phone number of “Man Xue Mantou.” “Dial tone—dial tone—dial tone…” The call rang on and on before being abruptly disconnected. A few minutes later, Man Xue Mantou returned the call, his voice coming through clearly in the speaker: “Who is this?” That voice was dark and heavy, giving off a sense of menace from the start. “We’ve exchanged contact information—so we must be friends at least, people with similar backgrounds!” Zhang Yuanqing smiled warmly. Yes—I mean the Evil Organization. Man Xue Mantou paused and then chuckled: “Just get to the point—I only have two minutes.” This anonymous number was specifically created as a means of expanding networks and receiving messages. Man Xue Mantou would post tasks in the black market where the members of the Evil Organization gather, along with contact details attached. This allowed people seeking rewards to reach out to him—though it came at the cost of being exposed or even exploited; for instance, someone might hand over this number to the Five Elements Alliance. To avoid being tracked and identified, Zhang Yuanqing kept each conversation strictly under two minutes. “I’m a member of the Dark Night Rose,” Zhang Yuanqing said calmly. “Our organization is actively seeking Black Unusual—perhaps we can collaborate.” The Dark Night Rose… Man Xue Mantou furrowed his brows and scoffed: “Why should I cooperate with someone whose background isn’t clear?” He didn’t trust people like this; offering any rewards would be meaningless, because he simply wouldn’t dare meet face to face. Zhang Yuanqing sneered: “You’re as weak as a mouse—truly disappointing for someone in our field. Unlike you, I’m constantly thinking about how to outmaneuver Fu Qingyang—both to gain fame and to earn substantial rewards.” Man Xue Mantou’s breath quickened slightly—clearly agitated. Zhang Yuanqing continued: “This benefits you too—you’ll have an additional channel, extra eyes and ears. Wouldn’t you want to see a win? Here’s how: if I gather any intelligence, I’ll send it via text messages to you on a regular schedule; I’ll do the same.” Man Xue Mantou paused briefly before saying: “Alright! So now, give me some useful intelligence.” Zhang Yuanqing spoke with seriousness: “The Fallen Cup has encountered an issue—so Black Unusual is asking our leader for assistance. However, due to a lack of trust between them, they’re still testing each other and have not yet met in person.” “That’s all I can say.” The Fallen Cup has been compromised… Black Unusual is now in contact with the Dark Night Rose? Man Xue Mantou was stunned—his heart pounded—and he felt truly energized. This was the most significant intelligence he’d received during his efforts to locate Black Unusual. After laying out these points, Zhang Yuanqing asked: “So now it’s my turn—what should we do if we manage to capture one of Black Unusual’s subordinates?” Man Xue Mantou took a deep breath, holding back the excitement in his heart—he had initially intended to simply hang up and claim this information for free. But reason told him that this channel was vital; severing contact would mean losing it. So he merely muttered: “Depends on how much useful information we get from the subordinate—though given Black Unusual’s cleverness, even if we capture his close aides, we may not be able to pinpoint his exact location. If your organization has high-level scouts, I’d be happy to provide a detailed profile of Black Unusual—covering his past experiences, personality traits, and hobbies. Through the scouts’ analysis and profiling skills, we should be able to derive significant insights. Of course, I’ll need to request approval from my superior.” Indeed—I’ve got an elder who is a True-Eye Scout… Zhang Yuanqing’s eyes lit up, though his voice remained steady: “I’ll wait for your reply.” Somewhere in the neighborhood, a blue-uniformed delivery rider rode on a small donkey, entering the complex with ease and stopping at one of the buildings along the street. The rider pressed the doorbell and waited silently. He had gentle features, a youthful face, medium height and slightly heavier build—giving off an impression of being kind and harmless. A few seconds later, the bell echoed through the hall as the security gate’s latch clicked open. The young rider walked into the building, his head bowed, stepping carefully up each stair: “One… two… three… thirteen…” There were only twelve steps on the first floor—yet every time he counted, he would add one more. Thus, he continued climbing from the first to the fifth floor; when he counted "thirteen" for the fifth time, there was actually a thirteenth step leading up to the sixth floor. As he ascended, it felt as if he had passed through an invisible veil—the surrounding landscape transformed from an ordinary residential building into a square pool approximately ten meters long and wide. The pool teemed with vividly colored snakes, spiders, wall lizards, insects, scorpions, and other creatures of the gong. At its center stood a massive red stone platform about three meters high. On the platform was a mass of red flesh material slowly pulsing and shifting. The young rider looked at the various gong creatures with his eyes wide—his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed several times, clearly feeling excited. He forced himself to shift his gaze, suppressing any lingering desire, then bowed respectfully: “Master, I have important intelligence.” The red flesh on the platform rose up and solidified into a blood-red human figure, standing tall and surveying him with a commanding presence. “I’ve learned that Black Unusual is currently hiding in Songhai,” the rider said, “with plans to meet someone from an organization called the Dark Night Rose—though I have never heard of this organization.” The human-shaped figure responded with a labored tone: “Dark Night Rose…” Seems the Master knows about this organization? The rider asked. “I’ve also learned that the Fallen Cup has been compromised, and Black Unusual is now seeking assistance from the Dark Night Rose—though trust between them remains fragile; they’re still in mutual exploration.” He added: “Given how vital the information is and the limited time window, I’m not certain it’s entirely accurate.” The human figure replied slowly: “No—it’s true. Man Xue Mantou, your intelligence confirms my own prediction—the Fallen Cup has indeed encountered a problem, which explains Black Unusual's unusual behavior.” Man Xue Mantou breathed out a sigh of relief—his mood brightened immediately—and then explained the source of his information in full detail: “Should we provide the organizational profile of Black Unusual to the person on the other end, please let Master decide.” The human figure responded calmly: “You’ve been deceived—the person isn’t actually from the Dark Night Rose. They’re likely a representative of an official organization. Well—by sharing this information with them, at least until we locate Black Unusual, we’ll have the officials as allies. You did well this time—just select any three gong creatures from the pool.” Man Xue Mantou’s face lit up with excitement—he bowed deeply: “Thank you, Master!” He hurried to the edge of the pool, inflated his cheeks, and after a moment’s preparation, forcefully extended a long, slender tongue that reached several meters in length. He swiftly scooped up one snake, one red-and-black scorpion, and one bright green beetle. His neck swelled visibly, clearly showing the outlines of the three creatures as he swallowed them down with a soft “gurgle.” Later at night, Zhang Yuanqing arrived quietly at Fu Jiawan, wearing a mask and a cap. From afar, he saw a white corporate sedan parked outside the complex—appearing to be waiting for someone. Zhang Yuanqing used his skills of stealth, approaching cautiously and tapping on the windows three times. The door opened automatically, revealing Fu Qingyang’s composed and elegant face as he looked out at him: “It’s unnecessary to be so careful.” “Commander, I’m here…” Zhang Yuanqing said from inside the vehicle. Fu Qingyang gave a small smile—clearly surprised. “Finally—you’ve been caught off guard!” Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of satisfaction, his face serious and sincere: “I believe the principle of ‘caution ensures longevity’ holds true—the Commander’s investigative skills should not be able to detect a stealthy Night Wanderer like myself.” “For those below the Sage Level—yes.” “But what about someone at the Sage Level?” Fu Qingyang looked at him: “A Sage-level Night Wanderer wouldn’t find it boring to stay near your home for weeks. The surveillance in Fu Jiawan is constant—I can see someone watching around the clock from my own villa.” Zhang Yuanqing could only nod—“Master, truly wise!” Fu Qingyang nodded his approval and then instructed the driver: “Let’s go.” As before, Fu Qingyang came with Zhang Yuanqing alone—the latter’s role remained simply that of asking questions. This man carried an air of unwavering confidence—he could handle any situation on his own and defeat any adversary in a single action. His calmness and composure were constant features of his demeanor. Once the incident involving Tian Dao Bu Gong was resolved, Fu Qingyang’s matter concerning the general would be covered—any concern about the loss of a trusted subordinate would fade as Black Unusual grew increasingly alarmed and vigilant. After all, this was merely one request from the Dark Night Rose; even if he found it curious, he’d simply set it aside. But once such a crisis had been resolved, it could not be contained—without uncovering Black Unusual soon, Zhang Yuanqing would find himself unable to rest or sleep—his mind kept turning over the possibilities. Watching the scenery pass by outside the window as their vehicle sped through the night, he continued thinking deeply. The sedan raced through the dark streets for just under half an hour before gradually slowing and finally stopping at a small riverbank. The river meandered gently—the park lay to its left, while the wide street formed its right—quietly peaceful with only occasional vehicles passing by. Under the deep night sky, a stone bridge stood still in the distance. As the door of the sedan opened, Fu Qingyang stepped out wearing his white suit and said simply: “Stay here—wait for my call.” With that, he walked into the evening darkness, slowly fading into view. Inside the archway of the bridge, Tian Dao Bu Gong sat in a black hooded sweater, waiting patiently for a member of the Dark Night Rose while thinking deeply: Why does the Dark Night Rose need information about the Young General of the Army? That individual was being gradually eroded by the Fallen Cup—certainly destined to go insane and die eventually. Even Master Black Unusual himself had expressed interest in this matter, so he had been given an extra task—to determine why the Dark Night Rose wanted such vital information about the Young General. At that moment, a faint sound of footsteps reached his ears—coming slowly and steadily. “Arrived…” Tian Dao Bu Gong listened silently as the footfalls approached, then smiled: “You’ve done well—after the passing of the Original Supreme Master, the Five Elements Alliance has been agitated beyond measure. Especially Fu Qingyang—he was a key official under the Original Supreme Master; due to his inadequacies, he’s lost a highly promising subordinate. The Council will surely hold him accountable—but he’ll undoubtedly be furious.” The footsteps stopped at the archway entrance—the figure in white stood quietly: “You don’t need to worry about whether I’m angry—you’ll certainly face that frustration.” “Fu Qingyang?!” Tian Dao Bu Gong’s eyes narrowed—his heart surged with fear, nearly overwhelming his senses. His body muscles expanded, skin darkening into a deep black, veins rising and interweaving—the brownish-brown pupils of his eyes opened wide to reveal amber-colored vertical streaks. With all the strength of a powerful gong creature—he had just thought of fully engaging in battle… yet as he looked out at the archway, Fu Qingyang lifted his hand and gently tapped the air with two fingers. Tian Dao Bu Gong’s vision dimmed—then faded completely into darkness. Fu Qingyang reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and dialed Zhang Yuanqing’s number: “Come on—ask your questions!”