Lin Qi was a bit distracted at work that day.

The office environment wasn’t suitable for taking out his wristband.

Although Lin Qi was still absorbing knowledge of Pharmacy as quickly as a sponge, he couldn’t shake a sense of anxiety.

It was as if he were standing on a teetering skyscraper, which could collapse at any moment, leaving him unable to save himself.

Lin Qi didn’t snap out of it until it was time to leave work.

When the company elevator reached the first floor, Lin Qi was in a bit of a daze.

The elevator across from his didn’t open.

Without hearing the familiar "What a coincidence," Lin Qi actually felt a little unaccustomed to it.

The moment he stepped out of the company building, two gazes fell upon him.

They were gang members. They didn’t seem to have any intention of making a move; it was just routine surveillance.

Or perhaps, every person who had a conflict with Si Ying before his death was now under the gang’s surveillance.

Lin Qi acted as if he hadn’t noticed a thing. As usual, he took the public rail transport back to his apartment, living a monotonous life just like most other employees of Liu’s Heavy Industries.

In the shadows, the two gang members responsible for watching Lin Qi were talking:

"He’s just an ordinary corporate drone, just a bit higher up in the ranks."

"I heard this drone is special. He’s got an A-Class bodyguard with him. That bodyguard will probably spot us."

"So what if he does? We’re from Endorphin. No one in Greenfield City dares to touch us."

"Let’s just keep watching. It’s an order from the miss, after all."

Lin Qi heard their entire conversation clearly.

The so-called "miss" could only be Si Ranran, whom he had never met.

He entered his apartment, went to the bathroom, and took out his wristband.

Just as he was about to contact King Arthur, the Intelligent Brain suddenly opened a window.

[Successfully received one email]

At this time and in this place, there was only one person who would contact him by email.

’Guang Ling?’

Lin Qi immediately checked the email’s content.

[Some interesting missions have appeared on the Black Market, exclusively for Mercenary Corps in the Asian Administrative Region. I would like to hold a temporary meeting at midnight on March 8th, 2089. If you agree to attend, please reply to this email.]

’A temporary meeting?’

The last few temporary meetings had all been initiated by Lin Qi; he hadn’t received an inquiry email from Guang Ling in a long time.

A meeting of the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps was, of course, something he had to attend.

Even if he was just listening in, he might gain some valuable intelligence.

Lin Qi replied to the email at once.

He picked up his wristband again and sent a message to King Arthur: "I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

King Arthur’s reply was almost instantaneous: "?"

Lin Qi didn’t keep them in suspense: "The good news is I’ve found the Iron Curtain Void and the entrance."

King Arthur immediately asked: "Where? I’m going crazy cooped up in these underground pipes. That gang led by Endorphin has gone nuts. They’re using an A-Class Life Detector and scanning like mad. Luckily, my Interference Force Field is S-Class, or I’d be in big trouble."

"The bad news is that the void is suspected to be the base of that gang you offended—Endorphin. I suspect the Si Clan member in charge of gang affairs is inside the void," Lin Qi continued with the bad news.

King Arthur was silent for a long time before replying: "So you’re saying there are no safe spots left in the underground tunnels? I have to hide in the sewers until the Greenfield City crisis is over?"

King Arthur was on the verge of a breakdown.

If they’d known stealing an S-Class Potion from a gang would inexplicably drag them into a crisis of this magnitude, King Arthur would never have come to Greenfield City in the first place.

Who the hell knew why a backwater town in the Asian Administrative Region would erupt into such chaos.

"Not necessarily," Lin Qi refuted King Arthur’s assumption.

King Arthur collected themself a bit. "Explain."

Only then did Lin Qi reveal his true objective: "I’ve obtained some new intelligence about the truth of this crisis. Perhaps we can intervene and bring this farce to an early end."

Lin Qi’s choice of words was quite pointed. Although his intelligence was almost entirely based on speculation, he projected an air of complete confidence.

King Arthur didn’t reply immediately, waiting for this so-called "truth."

After carefully choosing his words, Lin Qi began to type: "This crisis began with the suspected assassination of Si Ranran, the apparent heir to the Si Clan, which then dragged the Liu Clan into the turmoil."

"But according to the intel I have now, Si Ranran didn’t die. The so-called assassination was a fake."

Lin Qi’s words sent King Arthur’s mind racing.

King Arthur first typed out a single word on their wristband—"Impossible"—and then deleted it.

"Is your source reliable? I arrived in Greenfield City very early on, on the exact day of Si Ranran’s incident. I can be certain that a battle between Tier Four Extraordinaries broke out inside the Si’s Twin Towers. One of the auras was very distinct—it was the Tier Four Blood Robe from the Assassin Alliance."

The message from King Arthur made the corner of Lin Qi’s mouth twitch.

Lin Qi still remembered what King Arthur had said before.

[The perpetrator was suspected to be a Tier Four Extraordinary Professional from the Assassin Alliance.]

Those were King Arthur’s exact words. ’And now, she’s saying she was practically at the scene that day? That she sensed the aftershocks of the battle?’

Fortunately, this information didn’t conflict with the conclusions Lin Qi had drawn.

"I am absolutely certain that Si Ranran is not dead. And the person now in control of the Endorphin gang is none other than Si Ranran, the very person who was supposed to have died."

Lin Qi didn’t mention the battle between the Tier Four Extraordinaries; he had no intelligence on that front.

King Arthur didn’t reply for a long time. Lin Qi continued typing.

"Based on a summary of various reliable intelligence sources, I speculate that the so-called Greenfield City crisis is actually a death trap set for the Liu Clan by the Si Clan and an external power."

"This includes the plane that crashed into the Twin Towers when Tower B collapsed. The people on that plane weren’t after Si Ying. Their target was Liu Xingzhou, the Liu Clan’s conductor for the Red and Green Train. Liu Xingzhou’s role was the Liu Clan’s appointed manager for Greenfield City, and he’s already dead."

Lin Qi provided more concrete information.

Anyone who possessed all this information at once would naturally be able to judge the authenticity of various intelligence reports.

"How do you plan to intervene? Secretly help the Si Clan finish off the Liu Clan? There isn’t much benefit in that for us, and it would even involve taking on more risk."

Lin Qi mulled over King Arthur’s words, raising an eyebrow slightly.

’She’s testing me, trying to gauge my thoughts and identity.’

Often, one’s stance on an issue could reveal information about their identity.

Previously, Lin Qi had been deliberately targeting the Si Clan, making it seem like he held some grudge against them.

Back then, the Si and Liu Families were practically one entity, and Lin Qi looked very much like a third party trying to profit from the situation. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

But now, new information had come to light.

The Si and Liu Families were now on opposing sides.

King Arthur suddenly felt that rather than being a third party, Lin Qi seemed more like someone from the Liu Clan’s side.

Lin Qi barely hesitated, replying almost instantly, as if his answer required no thought at all:

"No, we don’t need to favor either side right now. What we need to do is make the intelligence transparent within a small circle, spreading the information to the middle and upper echelons of both sides."

"Let the conflict between the Si and Liu Families escalate and erupt quickly. That way, regardless of which side wins, the Iron Curtain over Greenfield City will be lifted sooner."

Lin Qi still appeared to be taking a third-party perspective, but his so-called method of escalating the conflict was, in reality, a way to assist the Liu Clan with information, allowing the remaining Liu members to understand the Si Clan’s position and preventing a repeat of what happened to Liu Xingzhou, who was set up to die.

King Arthur stared at the message from Lin Qi, her head swimming. She had no idea how much the Liu Clan’s inner circle knew about the current situation.

But from the Wizard’s statement, it sounded very reasonable, and his actions did indeed seem to be those of a standard third party...