Chapter 251: The Alleged Defector

Chapter 251: The Alleged Defector

As the end of November approached, the real estate prices in the Mingqiong District of Binhai suddenly skyrocketed, doubling in value within a few days. However, there were hardly any buyers, despite the steep increase.

When news of this reached Lu Heng, he realized that the Binhai Base City plan had been confirmed, and some high-ranking individuals had gotten wind of it, causing the property prices in Mingqiong District to soar.

With the expanding mist and shrinking habitable space, establishing base cities was essential to ensure the safety of human settlements.

In his previous life, the Binhai Base City was indeed located in the Mingqiong District.

Although the base city plan had not been made public yet, some had already received insider information. The conglomerates' entry into the market to acquire properties in Mingqiong District naturally led to the skyrocketing prices.

Such drastic price fluctuations would inevitably bring about a series of changes.

Those with spare money hoped to purchase a property in Mingqiong District, as it would be the safest place in the coming years.

When Lu Heng's parents heard that the value of their current residence had increased by over tenfold, they were shocked beyond belief.

Li Xiuyun, taking advantage of Lu Heng's visit home, eagerly asked, "Is the property deed in your name, or can you just live here?"

Lu Heng rolled his eyes, went back to his room, and after rummaging through his belongings, handed her the property deed. He then gathered his things, preparing to head out.

In reality, this property wasn't that significant.

When Hengyu Company was first established, its headquarters were set up in Mingqiong District, and they owned an office building in the new CBD area.

Lu Mingli, trying to explain on his son's behalf, said, "You're overthinking it. You have no idea what kind of identity our son has now. He's already received two First-Class Merit medals. When I was in the military, I never even got close to touching a First-Class Merit medal."

Lu Heng waved his hand, calling Mech Tiger Anka into the room. He said, "There might be some changes in the Mingqiong District recently. I'm not sure if it will cause any chaos, but it's best to stay indoors when possible. Let Anka keep watch at home; I have some business to attend to."

Before Mech Tiger Anka had the anti-gravity module, its weight of nearly two tons made it very inconvenient to move around. It couldn't even fit in an elevator.

But with the anti-gravity module, things were different. It could adjust its weight as needed, even floating lightly in the air.

So, after his last return, Lu Heng brought Mech Tiger Anka home and added his parents' information to the owner's list.

"If I had known the property prices would increase by several dozen times, I would have used the card you gave me to buy properties," Li Xiuyun said, feeling a bit regretful.

Over the past year, Lu Heng had given his parents several cards, telling them to use them as they pleased, and the amounts on the cards were quite substantial.

However, Li Xiuyun's mindset hadn't changed, so she kept the cards aside, intending to save the money for her son.

If their business ever faced difficulties in the future, this money could help them start anew.

When Lu Heng gave the cards to his parents, he told them to use them as they wished, so they were free to spend it or save it.

As for using the money to buy properties, it wouldn't get them much, maybe just one or two houses, which wasn't a significant difference.

"We don't need your money," Lu Heng said. "I told you to use it as you like, so just do that. You need to broaden your horizons and change your mindset." Lu Heng, who had already become a ruthless character capable of cutting down multinational conglomerates, found it challenging for his parents to adapt to these changes so quickly.

It had been less than a year since the Abyss's arrival, and Lu Heng's rapid development had left his parents struggling to keep up with the changes, their thinking still rooted in the past.

"I know you're amazing," Li Xiuyun said, feeling delighted inside. After all, it was a proud moment for a parent to see their child succeed.

She knew her son was exceptional, but she wasn't sure just how exceptional he was.

Lu Heng didn't like to show off, and only a select few knew his true capabilities.

Lu Mingli, on the other hand, knew a bit more, as he had boasted about his son to his old comrades, praising him to the skies.

Additionally, there were people who wanted to send gifts and seek connections to ask for his help.

Some even sought him out for assistance, people who were previously out of their league.

In the past, the couple had begged for help regarding their son's school district, but to no avail, even when they pleaded directly to those they sought help from.

Now the tables had turned, and those people were the ones seeking their help, their attitudes a stark contrast to before.

The couple, worried about causing trouble for their son, usually politely declined unless they were very close.

...

Lu Heng changed his shoes and headed out, with Li Xiuyun seeing him off at the door. "Will you be back for dinner tonight?" she asked.

"I'll try to be back, but the timing is uncertain. If I'm late, go ahead and eat without me," Lu Heng waved and stepped into the elevator.

After leaving the Qionghua Tianlu Lake Community, Lu Heng arrived at the training ground.

The previous night, he had received a message from the Creator Organization, arranging to meet there today.

When Lu Heng arrived, two people were already at the training ground—013 Raven and 031 Derek Wolfe.

Derek Wolfe was in his human form, not having transformed into a werewolf.

The three of them stood in a triangular formation, and Derek Wolfe spoke first, pointing at Lu Heng as he complained, "I sensed 027's presence in the Abyss Battlefield. I tracked him four times, but he never joined me in the pursuit."

013 Raven, in a voice devoid of emotion, asked, "028, do you have anything to say?"

Lu Heng shrugged. "Nothing to say. Why don't you ask him if he saw 027's shadow?"

013 Raven turned to Derek Wolfe and asked, "Did you see 027?"

Derek Wolfe shook his head. "I sensed his presence."

Lu Heng translated, "This idiot was played around with, and he didn't even see 027's shadow."

Derek Wolfe's face turned angry, pointing at Lu Heng with suspicion. "I suspect he's also planning to defect. He doesn't want to capture 027."

Lu Heng showed a look of disinterest in arguing and instead asked, "Is there any other important business?

I don't have time to argue about this. Anyone can see that 027 is playing with him, except him."

In the Abyss Battlefield, according to Derek Wolfe, 027 had appeared four times, and he had chased after him four times.

The first two times, Lu Heng still wanted to catch up with 027 and ask for a clear explanation of the situation.

In the latter two instances, he completely lost interest, as it was obvious that this black ape was being played with.

Raven 013 paused for a moment, then spoke in a serious tone, "You must apprehend 027. This mission is of utmost seriousness."

From his tone, Lu Heng could tell that the matter seemed more complicated than it appeared. He pressed further, "You're hiding something from me. If you don't give me all the information, don't bother sending me on this mission."

Raven 013 paused again, then replied, "027 has stolen a sacred artifact from the organization. Your task is to capture him alive."

Lu Heng furrowed his brows and asked, "Are you more interested in apprehending 027 or retrieving the sacred artifact he stole?"

"Both."

"What if you had to choose between the two?"

"The sacred artifact," Raven 013 answered.

"In other words, if we retrieve the sacred artifact, even if 027 is dead, it's acceptable," Lu Heng interpreted.

"Yes," Raven 013 actually wanted to say that it would be best to capture him alive, but if they could retrieve the sacred artifact, even a dead 027 would be acceptable.

Even if they couldn't capture 027, as long as they could recover the sacred artifact, it would be acceptable.

"What is this sacred artifact?" Lu Heng continued his questioning.

This time, Raven 013 fell silent for a while before finally refusing to answer, "You only need to retrieve the item; you don't need to know what it is."

They were issuing an arrest mission but not disclosing the nature of the sacred artifact to be retrieved.

Lu Heng guessed the situation. He estimated that there were not only his group but also many others tasked with capturing 027 by the Creator Organization.

His group, in particular, was not the most crucial one.

Lu Heng even surmised that the organization assigned him this mission because he had interacted with 027 more frequently, increasing the chances of finding him.

After a moment's consideration, Lu Heng asked, "There's one more thing. Last time, you mentioned that you didn't know 027's identity. That's impossible. The members are invited by you; how can you not know their identity information?"

Raven 013 fell silent for a moment before answering, "The real 027 is dead, and he died quite early. For a long time, the current 027 has been impersonating the original 027."

"Impersonating? How could you not have discovered this?" Lu Heng's brows furrowed at this unexpected information.

"His disguise was impeccable."

"How long has he been impersonating?"

"According to our investigation, he has been impersonating for over half a year. The original 027 died less than a month after joining the organization. Most of 027's activities since then have been carried out by this impersonator. So, just consider the person you're chasing as 027," Raven 013 said, a hint of coldness in his voice.

Lu Heng was even more astonished.

It turned out that the 027 he had interacted with was fake, but this 027 was no different from the real one when carrying out the Creator Organization's tasks.

"I need the real 027's identity information. Based on this, I can infer the identity of the fake 027," Lu Heng requested more information.

Raven 013 smiled and said, "If you can deduce the fake 027's identity based on the real 027's information, do you think we need you to analyze it?"

Indeed, the Creator Organization was very powerful, and with their capabilities, they could have already traced the fake 027's identity if they had the original 027's information.

"If you want me to participate in the capture mission, give me the information. Otherwise, don't bother me," Lu Heng waved his hand in refusal.

"The information will be sent to you within a day," Raven 013 agreed to the request.

"In that case, if I encounter him, I'll try to capture him," Lu Heng temporarily agreed, then shifted the topic, "The subordinate you assigned to me is not suitable; it's best to replace him."

Upon hearing this, Derek Wolfe became furious, "Watch your words; I am not your subordinate."

Lu Heng shrugged, not bothering to argue this point.

Raven 013 spoke in a serious tone, "You two are the most compatible members for cooperation. I believe you should accept him."

Before Lu Heng could object, Derek Wolfe started shouting, "He has no right to command me. If I have to work with him, he must follow my lead."

Lu Heng's face showed disdain, and he shrugged, "You see?"

013 Raven spoke in a low voice, "Your group is led by 028; this is the organization's order."

Derek Wolfe scoffed, "If you hadn't forbidden me from attacking him, I would have torn him apart by now. What right does he have to command me?"

As he spoke, his muscles began to swell, and he was about to enter his werewolf state.

013 Raven showed no interest in their dispute and said directly, "Then I'll give you a chance. Both of you fight, and the winner's decision stands. It's the simplest solution."

Lu Heng's expression remained indifferent, "Are you asking me to kill him again?"

Including the targets who had not formally joined the Creator Organization, Lu Heng had already eliminated three.

"I want you to teach him a lesson," Raven 013 emphasized the rule.

"How dare you!" Derek Wolfe roared, transforming into a Dark Werewolf and lunging at Lu Heng, his claws slashing furiously.

Lu Heng backpedaled, intending to test the newly learned skill. He focused on Derek's eyes and cast Mental Control.

Buzz!

After a brief ringing in his ears, Lu Heng took control of Derek Wolfe and, after a moment of adjustment, directed him to turn and pounce towards Raven 013, claws extended.

Raven 013's gaze intensified, and the black-feathered cloak on his body suddenly spread out like wings, flapping to release a ring of black feathers.

The feathers pinned themselves onto Derek Wolfe with a ding-ding-ding sound, then transformed into chains, binding him.

Originally, Raven 013 had intended for Lu Heng and Derek Wolfe to have a fight, but instead, it became a contest between Lu Heng and Derek Wolfe.

Moreover, after just one encounter, Derek Wolfe was trapped by Raven 013's black feathers.

No matter how hard Derek Wolfe struggled, he couldn't break free from the confinement.

Among the various human races, each possesses unique racial talents.

In particular, Blacks excel in strength and physical attributes but are weaker in mental and perceptive abilities.

Therefore, with just a C-class Mental Control, Lu Heng had dominated Derek Wolfe, winning without even needing to lift a finger.

After all, he had already killed three of them, so one more didn't matter.

Lu Heng flipped his palm, drew out the Blade of the Aurora, and raised his sword to slash at Derek Wolfe's neck from behind.

At this moment—

"Stop, that's enough," Raven 013 spoke up.

Lu Heng paid him no heed and brought the sword down.

Raven 013 quickly reached out and grabbed the black feather chains, pulling Derek Wolfe away from the path of the sword.

Derek Wolfe woke from his mental control state, and the feather chains on his body loosened.

He had no idea what had just happened. Turning around, he roared in anger, still wanting to pounce and attack Lu Heng.

Just then—

Raven 013 slapped him across the face with the back of his hand and scolded, "You idiot! From now on, Zero28 has unlimited counter-attack rights against Zero31. Zero28, if he dares to lay a hand on you, kill him!"

After saying this, Raven 013 spread his arms and transformed into a black raven, flying into the sky and disappearing from sight.

The contest ended like a joke before it even began.

Even Raven 013 didn't want to protect this black gorilla anymore.

Lu Heng heard the permission given by Raven 013, and a mocking smile tugged at his lips. "Come on, do it again," he said.

Derek Wolfe understood the hidden meaning in Raven 013's words, his expression fluctuating.

He gradually realized something and didn't dare to make another move.

Lu Heng raised his sword and slapped Derek Wolfe's face with the flat of the blade, scolding, "Attack me! Are you useless?"

Derek Wolfe's eyes burned with anger, his fists clenched, but he stood there, afraid to make a move.

Lu Heng struck his face with the sword, causing it to swell and leaving two dark red marks, yet he still didn't attack.

This turn of events surprised Lu Heng; this black gorilla had such incredible endurance, almost defying the laws of nature.

Lu Heng raised his sword, thinking it would be better to just kill him and claim self-defense. After all, there would be no witnesses.

However, just as he lifted the sword, a voice came from the sky.

"I said, if he attacks again, you can kill him."

"How boring," Lu Heng sheathed his sword and turned to leave.

...

On the way back, Lu Heng couldn't stop thinking about the sacred artifact that Raven 013 had mentioned.

In his previous life, he had joined the Creator Organization, but his number was 328, a very low rank, so he had little access to the organization's core secrets.

Therefore, he couldn't guess what this sacred artifact was.

Moreover, the situation was incredibly complex.

The sacred artifact had been stolen by Zero27, but it wasn't the real Zero27; it was an imposter.

However, this fake Zero27 had been in that position for over half a year.

In other words, the Zero27 that Lu Heng had interacted with from the beginning was the imposter.

Who was this imposter?

They had managed to impersonate a member of the Creator Organization for half a year and even found the opportunity to steal the organization's sacred artifact.

"Zero27..."

Lu Heng repeated the number in his mind, searching for any memories associated with it, but found none.

Judging by the extent of the changes in the timeline, many events in this life had already shifted.

However, the altered events were primarily due to Lu Heng's own actions.

The defector Zero27 had impersonated a member of the Creator Organization half a year ago, so in his previous life, he likely did the same, but he invited Zero28, who wasn't Lu Heng, but someone else.

Perhaps, in his previous life, Zero28 was Hasegawa Tomoki.

After all, Hasegawa Tomoki was the first person invited by Zero29, and without Lu Heng, there was a high probability that Hasegawa Tomoki would have been Zero28.

Did Zero27 in his previous life also steal the Creator Organization's sacred artifact? Was he later caught by the organization? These were secrets of the Creator Organization, never to be revealed to the public.

Lu Heng's previous number was too low, and he had no opportunity to learn about the information of the higher-ranked members.

The entire affair was mysterious.

Raven 013 was right about one thing: perhaps within the Creator Organization, Lu Heng was the one who knew the most about the fake Zero27.

At the very least, he knew that the Zero27 he had interacted with intentionally plotted the deaths of Hasegawa Tomoki and Alex Austin.

This Zero27 didn't want the technology of the Sexes Civilization to fall into the hands of the Creator Organization.

Based on this information, it might be possible to uncover the true identity of Zero27.

Up until now, Lu Heng had kept this secret to himself.

He didn't plan to share this information with the Creator Organization, but he did want to find Zero27 and see who he was and what sacred artifact he had stolen.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end