Chapter 401 - 72: Sudden Assassination

Thump! Thump!

The sound of steady footsteps echoed through the corridor on the second basement level.

Lu Chao looked particularly slender in his gray hoodie.

Raccoon Cat, who was approaching from the opposite direction, seemed rather tall. His black trench coat gave off a cold aura, causing the burly, suit-clad man leading the way to pale slightly. He quickly said with respect, "Raccoon Cat."

"Mm."

Nodding curtly, Raccoon Cat’s voice held a hint of magnetism.

From under his mask, his dark eyes swept over Lu Chao. The two brushed past each other without a word.

A moment later, the footsteps faded as Raccoon Cat took the elevator and left.

"Buddy, you’re lucky today. You actually got to see Raccoon Cat."

"He’s a Mad Shark Level assassin from Deep Sea, a Superpower Level expe—"

Perhaps feeling that Lu Chao was too calm, the burly man in the suit felt a little uneasy and couldn’t help but whisper.

It was part warning, part the boast of an insider, and he watched Lu Chao’s expression carefully.

"I’ve heard of him."

Lu Chao nodded, his expression unchanging.

The burly man in the suit was slightly taken aback, then he watched Lu Chao walk into the manager’s room through the half-open door.

Thump! Thump!

As his footsteps sounded, the scene before Lu Chao’s eyes quietly changed.

Unlike the office decor he had imagined, the room’s style was more like a bar, or to be more precise, a wine cellar.

Glass-fronted wine cabinets lined the walls, filled with all sorts of red wine.

A counter of brown wood and marble separated the cabinets, creating a bar-like area. A single chair sat in front of it.

And at this very moment.

A middle-aged man in a blue suit stood behind the bar. He had just taken a bottle of red wine from a cabinet and was wiping it with a silk cloth.

He was rather heavyset, with slightly curly brown hair—he was, surprisingly, a Caucasian man.

Clearly having heard the entrance, the man looked up. His gaze swept over Lu Chao from head to toe before meeting the eyes of the burly man in the suit.

The latter nodded, then tactfully walked to the door and closed it.

"My name is Hel, and I’m the one in charge here."

The wine cellar was quite quiet. The middle-aged Caucasian man wiping the wine bottle was the first to speak. "Since you’ve come here," he said, looking at Lu Chao, "you should know the rules."

"So, what is it you want to buy?"

His tone was casual, but a flash of Superpower Level aura flared and vanished. It seemed intentional, a warning to prevent any clueless troublemakers.

[Carbon-based Human]

[Life Energy: 203]

[Consumption Effect: A carbon-based human awakened with special thermal factors. Consuming their flesh and blood essence provides a one-in-ten-thousand chance of awakening a Thermal Superpower.]

The clear information surfaced in his intuitive senses. Lu Chao’s expression remained neutral, unsurprised.

He knew that the managers of Dark Web branches were usually at the Exploration Level; that was how they established themselves in the major city-circles.

"I need three portions of Essence of Qi."

He sat down on the wooden chair in front of the counter, getting straight to the point.

"Oh?"

The man named Hel raised an eyebrow. He stopped wiping the wine bottle and studied Lu Chao seriously.

"I didn’t expect to be greeting a friend at the Superpower Level."

A look of genuine respect appeared on his slightly pudgy face. He thought for a moment, then uncorked the wine bottle and took out an empty glass.

"Care for a glass?"

"Not necessary."

Lu Chao waved his hand. Though drinking no longer affected his cultivation, he didn’t enjoy it.

Hel wasn’t offended. He nodded and retrieved a silver card-reading device from a cabinet.

"I do have the goods here."

"But everything has to be done by the book."

He put on a business-like expression, showing no other emotion.

Nodding, Lu Chao took out his Celestial Hunter Deep Sea ID card and handed it over to have the points and Alliance Coins deducted.

Hm?

Hel’s eyebrow twitched as he took the card. He glanced at its face, as if he had noticed something.

Soon,

As the verification scan went through,

The device let out a DING.

"Holy shit!"

...

CLICK!

Ten minutes or so later.

The door opened.

Lu Chao, still in his gray hoodie, walked slowly out of the wine cellar, now carrying a black briefcase.

"Sir, after you."

Hel’s expression was deferential. Standing by the door, his eyes were full of awe as he looked at Lu Chao.

The burly man in the suit behind him was even more shocked and terrified, and he began to wonder if he had said anything to offend the man earlier.

"Mm."

Nodding slightly, Lu Chao did his best to play the part of the cold and detached Celestial Hunter from the rumors.

’I didn’t expect things to go so smoothly.’

After learning he was Celestial Hunter, the man had handled everything for him with the utmost respect.

It had taken less than ten minutes in total.

He had easily obtained the three portions of Essence of Qi, which were now inside the briefcase.

"No need to see me out."

He could see that Hel intended to escort him personally, so he deliberately shook his head, his voice low.

Hel was taken aback for a moment, but then he recalled the recent troubles with the Tan family.

"Right, that was my oversight."

He quickly caught on, his expression turning indignant. "Speaking of which, those people from the Tan family have no respect for the rules. They even wanted to start a war with us before."

"But," Hel’s expression changed in a flash, and his face was all smiles, "fortunately, with you in Red Maple, Sir, they’ve reined themselves in quite a bit."

The incident had clearly been caused by Celestial Hunter, which had led to them facing retaliation.

But coming from Hel’s mouth, the meaning was twisted, as if Lu Chao was protecting them.

At that,

Lu Chao couldn’t help but laugh inwardly, but on the surface, he controlled his expression and gave Hel a cool, indifferent glance.

Without another word, he strode through the corridor toward the elevator.

Hel knew he couldn’t keep him, so he hurriedly saw him into the elevator, his face all smiles. "Take care, Sir."

"I hope you’ll visit again when you have the time."

CLANK!

As he spoke, the elevator doors slowly closed.

The burly man in the suit stood trembling behind Lu Chao, not daring to make the slightest sound.