Chapter 52: Counter-Tracking

Chapter 52: Counter-Tracking

Ji Xinghuo turned his head and asked, "Is there something on your mind, Brother Qi?"

Qi Zhaofeng approached with a smile and said, "I've been waiting here for you because there's something I'd like to discuss. Come, let me buy you a drink."

Ji Xinghuo looked at Qi Zhaofeng's cheerful face, feeling a bit puzzled.

Qi Zhaofeng was the captain of a hunting team. On Ji Xinghuo's first day at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, Qi Zhaofeng had tried to recruit him, but he had declined outright.

They often sparred at the martial arts hall, but outside of that, they had no other interactions.

If he had something to say, why didn't he just say it at the hall?

Suspicious, Ji Xinghuo didn't accept the invitation. Instead, he said, "Brother Qi, I'm busy right now. If you have something to say, please be direct."

Qi Zhaofeng glanced at the bus stop, where a few people were waiting for the bus, indicating that it wasn't convenient to speak here.

Ji Xinghuo walked with him to the side of the street, where there was no one else within several meters.

"It's like this," Qi Zhaofeng lowered his voice, "My team just completed a hunting trip last month, and we're currently in our rest period. Most of the team members have dispersed. But today, I received news that there are traces of a Feathered Serpent in Razor Rift, south of Flying Dragon City. I plan to lead a team to hunt it down tomorrow, and I'm missing a good archer, so I'd like to invite you to join us."

After finishing, he added, "There are many people at the martial arts hall, and it's easy for news to spread. I didn't want to take the risk."

"Is the information reliable?" Ji Xinghuo asked, his face showing hesitation.

Feathered Serpents were extremely rare and valuable monsters. Almost every Feathered Serpent was an elite, and killing one would yield at least three exotic abilities.

Among them would definitely be the exceptional ability, 'Control Airflow', which was a core ability for the Evil Wind Users.

Furthermore, there was a small chance that the Feathered Serpent would possess the 'Flight' exotic ability, a super-limit ability that all Esper users dreamed of and was worth over 100 million!

Of course, that was assuming the information was true.

However, Ji Xinghuo strongly suspected that there was no such Feathered Serpent at all.

"It's definitely true," Qi Zhaofeng said sincerely, his face earnest. "As far as I know, some teams have already set off. I am a 'Flying Step', and I have always dreamed of being able to fly. If I can obtain the flight exotic ability, I am willing to pay any price for it!"

Ji Xinghuo couldn't tell if he was telling the truth, so he thought for a few seconds before saying, "Let me consider it tonight, and I'll give you an answer tomorrow."

"Don't make it later than tomorrow, or it will be too late," Qi Zhaofeng urged.

"Okay, see you at training tomorrow," Ji Xinghuo replied.

After bidding farewell to Qi Zhaofeng, he boarded the bus.

The street scenes outside the window flashed by, but Ji Xinghuo wasn't in the mood to watch. He closed his eyes to rest. Suddenly, he opened them again.

His magnetic field perception had detected someone chasing the bus.

The pursuer was fast, easily keeping up with the bus about 150 meters behind. Whenever the bus stopped, the pursuer would also stop but made no attempt to hide from view. Instead, they stood casually on the side of the street as if they didn't care about being seen.

Ji Xinghuo turned his head slightly, and his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a transparent figure at the pursuer's location.

If not for his Myriad Images Star Pupil that could see through illusions, an ordinary person would have difficulty noticing them.

"Invisibility?"

Ji Xinghuo didn't think it was invisibility; it was probably another ability that could conceal one's figure, and the pursuer hadn't made a sound while running.

A cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Qi Zhaofeng!"

Without even needing to see with his eyes, Ji Xinghuo could recognize the pursuer through his magnetic field perception. It was indeed Qi Zhaofeng, who had just invited him to join the hunt.

"As expected, he has ill intentions."

Ji Xinghuo recalled his recent interactions with Qi Zhaofeng and confirmed that he hadn't offended him in any way. In fact, they had gotten along quite well, so why was Qi Zhaofeng suddenly harboring sinister motives?

Qi Zhaofeng was a high-level cultivator with exceptional martial arts talent and formidable strength.

His profession template was "Flying Step."

The greatest strength of a Flying Step was their speed, possessing tremendous endurance and cardiovascular function, always striving for extreme velocity, for speed was often synonymous with power.

Whether it was for survival in the wild, encountering danger, or combat, those who could run fast generally had a higher chance of survival.

When the situation turned sour, just run.

As long as you ran faster than your teammates, you usually lived to see another day.

Flying Steps also had a significant advantage when pursuing prey. They could reach their targets faster than others, provide quicker support to allies, attack more frequently, and if they were losing a fight, they could simply disengage and employ guerilla tactics.

During martial arts training, the use of special abilities was not allowed, but Qi Zhaofeng's speed gave him a clear advantage in sparring sessions.

Ji Xinghuo had personally experienced this.

Now, he witnessed Qi Zhaofeng's speed once more as he effortlessly kept pace with the bus, showing no signs of exhaustion.

Ten minutes later, the bus arrived at the entrance to the villa district.

Ji Xinghuo didn't get off; instead, he continued riding for a few more stops and alighted at a station five kilometers away from the villa. He pretended not to notice the tail and acted as if he was familiar with the neighborhood, walking a few hundred meters forward before entering a small inn.

The inn's lobby doubled as a dining area, with a few scattered tables occupied by patrons.

Ji Xinghuo sat down at a table visible from the entrance and casually ordered dinner.

The reason he chose to sit by the door was to prevent Qi Zhaofeng from inquiring about him at the front desk, which would expose the fact that he didn't actually stay there.

As expected, through his magnetic field perception, Ji Xinghuo detected that Qi Zhaofeng did not approach the inn.

Instead, Qi Zhaofeng deactivated his invisibility at a street corner out of Ji Xinghuo's line of sight and entered a cafe diagonally opposite the inn. He sat by the window, occasionally glancing discreetly at the inn's entrance.

"Do you really think I can't detect you?"

Ji Xinghuo remained calm and continued eating as if he were a regular customer.

He deliberately ate slowly, dawdling for half an hour. After finishing his meal, he sat at the bar and ordered a bottle of wine, chatting casually with the bartender while browsing the news on a newspaper, giving the impression that he was a regular patron of the inn, passing his evenings there.

During this time, Qi Zhaofeng switched between two or three different positions to keep watch, but he didn't dare enter the inn.

Finally, after more than two hours, he lost patience and left.

Ji Xinghuo still didn't move. Only when Qi Zhaofeng had reached another street, over 500 meters away according to his magnetic field perception, did he slowly leave the inn and follow at a leisurely pace.

The maximum range of his magnetic field perception was about 800 meters, so there was no worry of losing track of Qi Zhaofeng.

In a city, tracking someone at a distance of half a kilometer, with such a dense population, was almost an impossible task.

But for Ji Xinghuo, it was as easy as pie.

Qi Zhaofeng arrived at a bus station and soon boarded a steam-powered bus.

Ji Xinghuo could have caught up with the bus if he ran, but without an invisibility ability, dashing through the streets would be too conspicuous.

Instead, he quickened his pace and entered a horse stable a few dozen meters ahead, on the side of the street.

The urban area of Olympia was quite extensive, and besides taking the bus, another common mode of transportation was riding horses.

Unicorns, forest wind deer, giant bighorn sheep, tame camels, steel-maned beasts, and clawed lightning dragons, among others—the faster the mount, the more expensive the rental fee.

By depositing a corresponding amount as collateral, one could rent a mount from any of these shops. They would then receive a receipt, and upon returning the mount to a nearby stable, the fees would be calculated, and their deposit would be refunded.

Not long after, Ji Xinghuo was out on the streets riding a unicorn.

Unicorns were very common beasts in the Starry Realm, resembling Earth's horses with the exception of the two short, hard horns protruding from their foreheads. They were large, sturdy, and had exceptional load-bearing capacity and endurance, far surpassing the capabilities of Earth's horse breeds. They were often seen in the wild and were relatively easy to tame.

The rental fee for this type of mount was very affordable, making it the top choice for most people.

Ji Xinghuo had learned horsemanship in university, and even though he was a bit rusty, it only took him a few hundred meters to regain his riding skills.

He urged the unicorn into a brisk trot, matching the speed of the bus.

It was not unusual to see mounts galloping on the streets, and there were even dedicated lanes for them. As such, Ji Xinghuo riding his unicorn attracted little attention.

He continued to track his target in this manner for half an hour.

Qi Zhaofeng disembarked from the bus several hundred meters ahead and entered a residential area.

Ji Xinghuo returned the unicorn to a stable nearby, keeping his target locked with his magnetic field perception while also scanning the area for any potential threats.

This particular residential area did not have a high volume of foot traffic and was considered a moderately populated neighborhood. With nightfall approaching, the number of pedestrians on the street gradually diminished.

Qi Zhaofeng turned into an alley and eventually entered a courtyard.

It was an independent compound, not very large, covering an area of about two hundred square meters. Except for the wall facing the main entrance, the other three sides had two to three stories of buildings. This alley was lined with similar courtyards, each with its own entrance, providing ample privacy and making it an ideal location for a hunting team's base.

The courtyard was empty, and Qi Zhaofeng sat in the living room, seemingly waiting for someone.

Ji Xinghuo did not approach rashly.

He circled around, walking slowly from the other end of the alley, and climbed over the wall into the neighboring courtyard. This house was also vacant, and from the dust accumulation, it seemed that no one had lived there for at least two or three months.

Time slowly passed.

An hour later, just as the starry night was about to transition into complete darkness, two people entered the alley from the outside and made their way into the courtyard where Qi Zhaofeng was located.

The sound of unlocking the door came from next door.

"The captain is back," a deep male voice rang out, his footsteps heavy and unsteady. Upon entering, he called out, "Boss Qi."

"Captain Qi," a female voice greeted.

"You two went to the bar again?" Qi Zhaofeng sounded displeased. "I told you that we're leaving the day after tomorrow at the latest, and I asked you to drink less so as not to cause any delays."

As the three of them spoke, Ji Xinghuo also made his move.

He activated his Gale Force Boots and, with a gentle step near the wall, leaped over three meters high.

At the apex of his jump, he grasped the wall with his right hand and effortlessly pulled himself up. Like a spider, he climbed onto the roof and slid down, sticking close to the wall. He could clearly hear the conversation taking place inside the room.

"We won't cause any delays. There's still time to prepare tomorrow," the man nonchalantly explained, then asked, "Boss Qi, what about the person you mentioned? Did he agree to join us?"

"He said he needs a night to consider," Qi Zhaofeng replied.

"He's a smart one, burp..." The man belched, then continued, "He might have his own sources of information, and he probably wants to confirm the veracity of the Feathered Serpent news tonight."

"Anyone who can make a living in Olympia isn't a fool," the woman chimed in. "Captain, what if he agrees to join us?"

"That would be even better," Qi Zhaofeng said in a low voice. "Xin Liaoyuan is very strong, with the most impressive martial arts talent I've ever seen. As a ranger, having him on our team would greatly increase our chances of hunting down the Feathered Serpent."

Ji Xinghuo, eavesdropping from the other side of the wall, was astonished. Could there really be traces of a Feathered Serpent?

"What if he refuses?" the man asked.

There was a moment of silence inside the room.

Then, Qi Zhaofeng's voice, now cold and cruel, broke the silence: "I've already found out where he lives. If he doesn't agree to join us, we'll take him out tomorrow night and then leave for Flying Dragon City the next day."

He paused before adding, "It would be best if he agrees. That way, he can help us hunt the Feathered Serpent, and after we succeed, we can take him out and claim the knife. Two birds with one stone."

"Hehe! Lei Chi!"

The man seemed to be nodding, "It could sell for nearly 200 million. If not for Boss Qi's sharp eyes, who would have thought that a kid's weapon would be a super-grade, two-star artifact? Most people wouldn't even recognize it."

Hearing this, Ji Xinghuo finally understood.

In the end, greed for wealth moved people's hearts. Despite his efforts to conceal his expensive equipment, he had still drawn the attention of those with ill intentions.

"Do you think he might have some powerful connections?"

The woman hesitated, "After all, he can afford such an expensive weapon..."

"What's there to be afraid of? We'll take him out, then leave Olympia. We can make a living in other cities, and after a year or so, we can come back. Who's going to know?"

"What about the rest of our teammates?"

"We can recruit more people elsewhere. With Boss Qi leading us, we'll have no trouble finding good teammates."

"Alright, stop arguing," Qi Zhaofeng interrupted, sounding impatient. "The plan is set. Get some rest early, and prepare for our hunting trip tomorrow. If Xin Liaoyuan agrees to join us, when I bring him back, make sure you put on a good show and don't let him see through our act."

"Boss Qi, don't you trust us?" the man scoffed. "In the past, we've pulled off several jobs without a hitch, and no one ever suspected a thing."

"This Xin Liaoyuan is different. Tu Hongda values him greatly..."

Qi Zhaofeng's voice trailed off as he suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

He had seen a person appear from the corner of the courtyard, his expression calm as he walked into the living room as if he were a guest. In his hand, he held a silver-blue battle knife, its wide blade adorned with three lightning-like patterns that flickered with electric light.

"Xin Liaoyuan!"

Qi Zhaofeng's face contorted in shock, and he stood up abruptly.

They had been discussing how to ambush their target, and now that very person had suddenly appeared before them, catching them off guard and leaving them momentarily stunned.

The other two, upon hearing the name, also rose to their feet, their eyes widening as they looked toward the doorway.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end