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At the headquarters of Huankezhao, where Jufeng first engaged in business negotiations to secure an agency share from Huankezhao, a young man sat by the floor-to-ceiling window on one of the upper floors of the Golden Sea Tower. He gazed down at the city of Magellanic Star, rich with the scent of wealth, while listening to his subordinate's report.
"Your Highness, Wen Commander means that although this mission has failed, he will continue to follow up on the matter and will definitely find out who is investigating us as soon as possible."
The report was delivered by a middle-aged man dressed as a butler. If Jufeng were present, he would surely recognize him as the representative from Huankezhao who managed the bidding meeting back then.
Tony held no specific title but was a figure of great respect and fear within Huankezhao, simply because he had the privilege to meet with the young man before the window.
The prince of Huankezhao had taken over the family business from his father over ten years ago. Initially, he had a good impression of Tony regarding Jufeng, but now he could never have imagined that his own business partner would be secretly investigating him.
Shangguan was the surname of the Huankezhao family, representing countless honors. This young man, not yet thirty, bore a name rich in meaning—Shangguan Wangyu.
After listening to Tony, Shangguan Wangyu showed no sign of emotion; instead, he appeared somewhat cold and displeased. "Just an arrogant little ant daring to make Hear the Command take action personally. These people are becoming increasingly useless; do they deserve the money I spend on them?"
This remark was not directed at Tony, yet it still sent a chill down his spine. He knew well the temperament of this prince—generous when pleased and ruthless when unhappy, exhibiting a classic dual personality that could easily turn into something far more sinister.
Of course, such thoughts only occasionally flickered through Tony's mind before being quickly cast aside. Harboring any other thoughts in front of the prince was akin to playing with fire.
Tony stood respectfully behind him as Shangguan Wangyu paused for a moment before continuing, "What’s happening with the war outside?"
Tony recalled the report that had just come in from the front lines that morning and replied, "Our main forces have established a foothold in the Magellan Star System. Recently, we achieved a Great Victory in a direct confrontation. We plan to regroup for a few days before launching another full-scale attack; I believe the outcome will be similar."
Originally, the United Nations was based in Magellanic Star, right in this renowned city within Cosmos. However, due to previous conflicts, they had relocated to Magellan Star System. The Universal Police's main forces were also stationed there and were currently being pressured by Cosmos United Forces, temporarily at a disadvantage.
This was indeed something to be pleased about; however, Shangguan Wangyu's expression revealed little joy. Tony discreetly lifted his gaze to glance at the prince's back and sighed inwardly.
Shangguan Wangyu's personality was not always like this, but ever since that incident years ago, he had become the person he was now. It was just the loss of one person, yet it felt as if he had lost a part of his soul.
Tony had been contemplating this matter in silence when Shangguan Wangyu brought it up.
"Have you found any results regarding the search?"
The usually ruthless Shangguan Wangyu seemed unusually cautious and uneasy when mentioning this topic. Whenever this happened, Tony couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathy; after all, he too was a pitiful person.
"The search has covered the Large Magellanic Cloud and will soon shift to Earth. However, since she left from Earth, the chances there seem quite slim."
Shangguan Wangyu murmured, "Even if the chances are slim, you must continue searching for me. Even if it means scouring the entire universe, I will find her."
His voice turned cold, and upon hearing this, Tony quickly bowed in agreement. After a brief pause, seeing that Shangguan Wangyu had no further instructions, he slowly departed.
The prince gazed at the grand buildings around him; they were all under his control, yet he felt no joy whatsoever.
"Mikage, where are you?"
...
A blood-red sunset lingered reluctantly on the horizon as two agile figures emerged from its fading light.
In just half an hour, they had already faced two assassination attempts. The two individuals who had grown accustomed to a life of ease over the past eight years truly needed some time to adapt.
"It has been a long time since I killed anyone; it feels like a lifetime ago! Sigh, this time it's my fault for not handling things well; this lead can only be abandoned."
Chen Tan Hua looked at the setting sun, feeling utterly frustrated. The greatest gain from Eight Years had been ruined, leaving only a video behind. How could he not feel indignant?
However, Jufeng was not as dejected as Chen Tan Hua. Instead, he laughed and said, "When did the Flowering Scholar become so impatient? This lead may have broken, but we can always search for new ones. Have you forgotten that we have two traces to follow?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Tan Hua slapped his forehead and let out a long sigh of frustration, scolding himself, "How could I forget that! Maybe I got too excited seeing you and my brain short-circuited."
In reality, the time spent in name was Eight Years, but the true exploration began only last year. Since they had locked onto something related to Huankezhao, everything made sense. Those who had secretly helped Huankezhao do bad deeds would naturally start to surface and enjoy life more openly now.
Having been a villain for so long and operating in the shadows, it was inevitable that they would slip up when suddenly able to enjoy life in the open.
Chen Tan Hua was jolted awake by Jufeng's words and immediately perked up. "Then let's go! First, we'll head to my hideout to grab the evidence, then check another place."
With that, the two of them set off immediately, piloting the civilian mech brought by Jufeng as they left the planet.
Chen Tan Hua's gains over the years included another location for sending messages, situated on a bustling planet near the Magellanic Star. The war had not touched this place, so everything remained as it was in peacetime.
After undergoing a safe inspection in Outer Space and registering their entry, they landed at an interstellar transfer station in a city. The mech successfully matched with Outer Space here, allowing Jufeng and Chen Tan Hua to move freely on this planet.
Delta Star was the name of this planet, originating from the first company that established its infrastructure here. However, over time, this company had been swallowed by Universal Energy Consortium, ranked second among the top 500 companies in Cosmos, becoming just a term in history.
As Chen Tan Hua and Jufeng walked down a street in a large city, they noticed that the architectural style resembled Huaguo's, with alleys occasionally visible.
"I've been here before. The coordinates where I sent a message to the Azure Dragon Monk is now an internet café; it used to be a residential area. At that time, I was in a hurry to find the deceased Witness, so I didn't investigate further."
In the vast city, with crowds bustling about, Jufeng listened to Chen Tan Hua's account, his brow furrowing again. It was not easy to find him among so many people.
"After all these years, could he still be here?"
Jufeng pointed to a bar and then walked ahead. There was no point in hoping for a chance encounter with the Witness on the street; it would be better to sit down and analyze the situation calmly.
As they walked, Chen Tan Hua said, "When I came here, I also looked into the information about the former residential area. The homeowner at that coordinate is a young man who inherited his father's property. His residency information shows no record of him leaving this city, so I believe he is still here. It's just that I don't know what kind of benefits Huankezhao gave him afterward or what his current identity is. He probably isn't any less than a leader of the Suihuan Army."
Upon arriving at the bar, they found a secluded spot to sit down and ordered two iced drinks. Jufeng asked, "What is his name?"
Chen Tan Hua recalled with effort and replied, "His name has some obscure characters in it—Yang Kan, I believe."
Chen Tan Hua wrote the character 'Kan' on the table for Jufeng, who frowned after seeing it. A name like that would require most people to consult a dictionary to recognize it; it seemed his parents were well-educated.
However, despite the drawbacks of having such an unusual name, it could be a rare advantage at this moment.
"Since there's something to work with regarding his name, we might as well use big data analysis. After being silent for so long, he must be eager for recognition and fame. In this case, the internet—a thing invented hundreds of years ago—will surely play a role," Jufeng said with a smile.
Chen Tan Hua thought this was indeed a method worth pursuing; it was certainly safer than searching through relevant departments or asking people on the street.
But even though they had found a method, big data analysis required technical skills. Chen Tan Hua looked at Jufeng with excitement and said, "You know how to do this? Let's go to the internet café!"
Jufeng shook his head and asked, "Can you do it?"
Chen Tan Hua looked at Jufeng as if he were an idiot, a bit irritated, and said, "What good is it if you can't?"
Jufeng's gaze fell on the bustling dance floor filled with shadows of people moving closely together. He then said, "We can't, but there will always be someone who can. The people who come to this bar are young folks with some skills but no opportunities. There are bound to be many who understand this, and they can be easily lured in. We just need to trouble our Flowering Scholar to use his charm a little and trick a girl into helping us. Remember, think of the bigger picture."
After finishing, Jufeng picked up his glass and left his seat. Chen Tan Hua watched Jufeng's departing figure with frustration, suddenly feeling as if he had been deceived.
But now that things had come to this point, he was already on the pirate ship and couldn't swim, so he had no choice but to submit.
He scanned the crowd, a charming smile naturally curving his lips—after all, he was quite good at this.
(To be continued)
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