Although the current Old Zheng was far from his complete form, for him at this moment, wanting to knock out a few ordinary NPCs who had already been beaten down by Lin Yu was still relatively simple and easy.

And for Lin Yu, using Old Zheng also had a benefit—while he could have gone up and given each one a kick, that wouldn't have been impossible, but this kind of "uncanny" method of knocking everyone out at once naturally looked more visually impactful.

Looking at the three unconscious Public Security Bureau personnel, Lin Yu stepped over them and left the "White Jade Pavilion in the Sky" hotel directly.

"Ouch, you've almost turned that Furbollo from a famous 'Detective' in Sleepless City into a fugitive suspect on the run."

Old Zheng teased. Lin Yu shrugged.

"What does it matter? His suspicion won't last long anyway."

"That's true, after all, the Sleepless Night Family will come to vouch for you soon," Old Zheng said in a low voice, "But, what's your purpose in doing this?"

"If you want to complete this assassination commission, your actions are completely counterproductive... Shouldn't you keep a low profile for an assassination?"

"Even... you could change your face right now."

Hearing Old Zheng's question, Lin Yu shook his head.

"The commission to assassinate Alt Mercury isn't that simple. I also wish this mission was just me walking into the venue, killing someone, leaving, then collecting the reward, and that would count as completing the commission and also completing my 'Promotion Trial'..."

"But the employer's persistent reluctance to show themselves makes me feel something is off—Old Zheng, you're the head of the 'Psychological Society' and also an excellent psychologist, don't you think the behavior the other party has shown doesn't match the importance of the task itself?"

After hearing this, Old Zheng also seemed thoughtful.

"Hey, that does seem a bit true. The attitude the employer has shown so far seems less like they want someone to kill Alt Mercury, and more like they just want a team of people to attempt the assassination of Alt Mercury..."

Saying this, Old Zheng reacted.

"Ah, wait, you mean..."

"I don't want to be used as a chess piece or cannon fodder. No matter how they view this task, I must complete it and get the task reward," Lin Yu said coldly. "So, I must eliminate the possibility that this hidden employer never intended to pay the reward in the first place—given the various [dungeons] far beyond what my playtime should encounter that this 'Death Game' has long been throwing at me, it's not impossible that in a 'Second Tier' 'Promotion Trial,' it would stuff me with a 'Promotion Trial' where the employer doesn't intend to pay."

"So... I have to dig him out, and I have to do it without him noticing."

As Lin Yu spoke, Old Zheng pondered, "So, you want to make Sleepless City even more chaotic."

"Yes, he wants to stir up the situation in the shadows and take the opportunity to do something. Then I'll create some chaos he doesn't expect and that will likely affect him. As the employer, he can't expect to stay clean," Lin Yu said calmly. "Moreover, the chaotic situation itself also allows me to better complete the assassination task. If attention is focused on the Mastermind..."

"Then who would notice me, the 'Detective' who forced him out?"

As Lin Yu spoke, he walked on the streets of Sleepless City, looked up at a nearby surveillance camera, and flicked the brim of his hat.

Not far behind, about a block away, the White Jade Pavilion in the Sky echoed with the sirens of Public Security Bureau enforcement team vehicles—presumably, the incident of the Third Team Leader and the two field team members being unconscious had been discovered by the hotel, hence calling for reinforcements.

Lin Yu clearly understood that the moment the sirens sounded, the identity of "Furbollo" officially became "a fugitive suspect who assaulted Public Security Bureau field personnel" and "the prime suspect in the alleged murder of three people."

Of course, this wasn't a false accusation—he did both things.

It's just that for someone with his status during such a sensitive period, whether he actually did it or not is unimportant. What matters is only whether the Sleepless Night Family and Sleepless Sky Huole believe he didn't do it.

In fact, even if Sleepless Sky Huole also believes he did it, as long as Sleepless Sky Huole doesn't want him to be wanted, that's enough.

Just like how 'Zhu Rong' is probably about to be released from the Public Security Bureau right now!

Whether "Furbollo" is a suspect or needs to be arrested... "facts" are the least important part of this equation.

At its core, this is an arena where the different factions of the Three Major Corporations and the Five Great Noble Families at the very top of Sleepless City wrestle for power.

The Sheng Lan Family, the Sleepless Night Family... and the Sorenson Family that just made a tentative move.

The direct descendant heirs, the alliance of the disgruntled fringe, the corporate executives... and that hidden employer.

They would all be passively drawn into this event because they stand high enough.

Sleepless City is like a pyramid—the higher you go, the smaller the circle, so no one can stay clean when any disturbance occurs.

This is also why both Lin Yu and Old Zheng firmly believe that "Furbollo" will ultimately be cleared.

Because the determination of those people who want to get rid of Furbollo is absolutely not as strong as Sleepless Sky Huole's determination to protect him.

Even if Sleepless Sky Huole fails... the Sleepless Night Family Head would definitely step in.

In the end, Lin Yu still has to attend Huo Xing's birthday party on time.

"It's just that before that, you need to find a good place to hide..."

"To hide from the Public Security Bureau, of course you go to the edge of the Outer City," Lin Yu waved his hand and casually hailed a taxi. "Hey, friend, I'm going to the Outer City. Will you take me?"

"Five hundred."

Lin Yu didn't hesitate and directly got into the car.

Taxis in the Inner City were clearly much more upscale than those in the Outer City. Thanks to advanced assisted autonomous driving and good road planning, aside from entering the destination for navigation, drivers could basically be completely optimized away unless it was a non-navigable central route or an unexpected situation.

On the contrary, nobles, to flaunt their status, always insisted on hiring drivers who drove purely manually in vehicles without assisted driving.

However, a few years ago, a Count, to campaign for the position of Upper House Councilor and Director of the Transportation Department, proposed a "Road Safety" bill that forcibly required vehicles to be equipped with drivers to increase employment in the Inner City, so to this day, Sleepless City still doesn't have completely driverless taxis.

Of course, this is only in the Inner City.

Once you get to the Outer City, the situation is different—after all, the road planning in the Outer City is chaotic and disorderly. The low quality of the lower-class citizens means they will randomly cross roads, most vehicles aren't equipped with intelligent driving assistance and networking systems, and there are even many strangely shaped illegal modified vehicles, like "ultra-high-speed wheelchairs" and "Great Wasteland donkey-drawn carts," appearing on the roads as magical high-speed moving objects.

This is also why Inner City people can freely go to the Outer City without special passes, but the driver's asking price is still so high.

Because as a noble Inner City driver, he might really have to drive part of the way himself.

However, in the Inner City section, the driver was still relatively relaxed and could still casually check his communicator for entertainment.

Lin Yu sat in the passenger seat, watching the driver browse a palm video app.

"The Divine Power Group recently announced new progress in limb regeneration technology..."

"Recently, there have been Great Wasteland stowaways sneaking into the edge of the Outer City. Sleepless City's city defense reminds all residents to pay attention to safety..."

"Breaking news! A murder case occurred at the luxury hotel 'White Jade Pavilion in the Sky' in the Inner City. The photo of the fugitive suspect 'Furbollo' is now released as follows..."

"Multiple Barons and Viscounts in Sleepless City may face prosecution for illegally renting out their titles to provide qualification certification for enterprises..."

"Go back."

"...The suspect 'Furbollo' has currently caused three deaths, one disappearance, and injured three Public Security Bureau law enforcement officers. Please all residents pay attention to safety. Those providing leads can receive a reward of up to thirty thousand yuan."

Lin Yu looked at the communicator screen in the driver uncle's hand. The driver uncle also shifted his gaze from the communicator to Lin Yu's current face, which was exactly the same as the one on the communicator.

Immediately after, the driver uncle took action. Just as he was about to slam on the brakes and jump out of the car to escape, Lin Yu spoke up to stop him.

"Hold on."

Lin Yu's dissuasion was particularly effective.

Of course, what was even more effective was the gun muzzle pressed against the driver's head.