It was just past nine in the morning.

Footsteps echoed within the third bridge arch on the south bank of Hua City's Kua Jiang Bridge.

The person who arrived was a man with short, dark brown hair and a stern expression.

He stood over 1.9 meters tall, dressed in a blue Neapolitan Windsor collar shirt, a matching dark gray Prince of Wales check suit, and a deerskin trench coat. Between his black leather glove and slightly rolled-up shirt sleeve on his right hand, a metallic sheen on his wrist was faintly visible.

Originally a retro British style, the addition of tea-colored aviator sunglasses and a thumb-thick gold chain gave him an exaggerated, gang-member-like aura.

He stopped in front of a crude shack built with tin and wood, leaning against the sturdy bridge pier, frowning slightly in thought.

In the foam boxes filled with soil in front of the shack, various vegetables had withered.

The interior was empty and covered in dust; the old furniture, salvaged from a junk collection station, had also disappeared without a trace.

In the small iron box by the small window, the birdseed used to lure pigeons was gone, and the straw-woven pigeon nest had fallen to the ground. The broken pigeon eggs in the nest were rotten and emitting a faint stench.

Everything within sight perfectly encapsulated the phrase "people gone, building empty."

Seeing this desolate and dilapidated scene, a small wave of disappointment suddenly rose in Lu Yibei's heart.

One reason was not finding Gu Qianqian.

The second was not being able to find Gu Qianqian and then hanging her up for a good beating.

"Rustle, rustle."

The pen tip glided across the paper with a soft sound. After Nanling Yaohua finished writing a line of small characters, she handed the small notebook to Lu Yibei.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Didn't I tell you before? The girl you met at the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate, who seems to have inexhaustible monstrous strength—her friend might know how to bring you back." Lu Yibei looked around and explained to Nanling Yaohua, "This is where that fellow used to live..."

"But, looking at it, she hasn't been back for a long time... Sigh, I wonder where she ran off to."

He didn't think anything bad would happen to Gu Qianqian; that fellow always had the luck of the simple-minded.

"Are you close with her?"

"Close" was definitely not the word, it was even a bit hostile... Lu Yibei thought, almost blurting out, "Just a fated bad relationship arranged by my old man, one of three thousand fiancées, want to know more?" But then he recalled how Smelly Girl had infuriated Xiao Hua to the point of turning pale yesterday, so he held back.

"Not bad. Asking her for a small favor shouldn't be a problem..."

Gu Qianqian would definitely agree anyway. She had to agree; I have plenty of ways to make her agree... Lu Yibei added in his mind.

"It's okay, we'll find her eventually."

"Yes, we'll find her eventually..." Lu Yibei nodded. "Let's go to the airport, the flight is about to take off."

Gu Qianqian and that strange fish beside her still wanted to take revenge on Disaster!

As soon as the fuss died down and Disaster reappeared, they would show up on their own.

This kind of thing was like fishing, and Disaster was the biggest and most tempting bait for them...

----

Old Town of Free City.

Accompanied by the soft crunch of car tires on gravel and withered grass, a red-haired woman in a black dress and black sun hat drove an old Ford sedan along a long-unrepaired road. She passed large stretches of abandoned estates inhabited by urban legend and parked by the roadside.

Looking up, a well-maintained and cozy estate, strikingly different from the other estates along the way, appeared before her eyes. Through the wrought-iron fence, she could faintly see an old man wearing sunglasses and a bathrobe, leaning back in a lounge chair under a tall oak tree.

He was likely the owner of this estate, the legendary Arthur Constantine.

She turned off the engine and got out of the car.

After slightly adjusting her dress, the red-haired woman entered the estate through the main gate, walked through the flower garden, and approached the old man.

Hearing footsteps nearby, the old man, with his aged and dignified face, took off his sunglasses, sat up straight, and scrutinized the ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) red-haired woman who had approached him, a look of disgust appearing in his eyes.

"Her strength seems decent, but why is she a Strange Tale..." After muttering softly, he spoke to the woman, "Are you the one Louis introduced?"

"Yes," the red-haired woman nodded.

"Hmm..." Constantine mused for a moment, then picked up a pipe from the glass round table beside him, lit a match, and, with an eagle-like gaze, scrutinized the red-haired woman through the rising smoke before speaking, "We can help you, but you have to follow our rules."

"What rules?" the red-haired woman asked.

Constantine pointed his pipe stem at the red-haired woman, then at his own chest, saying, "You help us first, then we'll solve your problem."

"Alright, what do you need me to do?" the red-haired woman replied.

Trust? Fairness? Discussing these things with this Psychic was meaningless.

She knew her current situation clearly; she had no room for questioning or choosing.

Around Free City, organizations capable of contending with those calling themselves the Eclipse Society's New Elder Council, apart from Constantine's Black Hand Mafia, were not nonexistent, but it was difficult to find a second one willing to "help" an outsider like her.

Moreover, this old man and the Black Hand Mafia he led, while not exactly fair in their dealings, always kept their promises.

This was beyond doubt!

"Go to the City of Queens and pick someone up for me," Constantine said indifferently.

"Who?" the red-haired woman pressed.

"A friend from Z Country, arriving at the port there around 3 AM tomorrow," Constantine said, pausing slightly in thought mid-sentence. "I'm not sure what he looks like, but he's probably around twenty years old, and likely male."

The red-haired woman, "..." Old man, don't be too absurd!

Although there weren't many Z Country nationals still in M Country in recent years, in the City of Queens alone, there were at least tens of thousands of males who met Constantine's description.

No, if the prefix "likely" was present, females should also be included, in which case the number would double.

Trying to pick someone up with so little information was impossible!

"I know what you're thinking..." As if seeing through the red-haired woman's thoughts, Constantine slowly said, "However, one thing I can confirm: tomorrow at 3 AM, there will only be one ship and one passenger appearing at the City of Queens' port."

Upon hearing this, the red-haired woman nodded in understanding.

Under the Black Night Alliance's deliberate interference, there were only two or three Psychic organizations willing and able to send ferries from the City of Queens' port at dawn to carry people across the bay, and Constantine's Black Hand Mafia was one of them.

If he said there would only be one passenger, there should be no surprises, especially with the added conditions of being from Z Country and likely male.

"Understood. I'll bring the person to you before sunset tomorrow."

"Actually, there's no need to rush," Constantine said, putting down his pipe and waving his hand. "After all, he's a guest from a foreign country. If he wants to look around, you can accompany him, ensure his safety, and it won't be too late to bring him to me once he's had his fill of sightseeing."

"Don't worry, I'll send a few people with you... Once this trip is done, I'll immediately arrange manpower to help you find your husband's whereabouts."

If you can return alive... Constantine secretly added in his mind.

He had long heard rumors about Lu Yibei and seen the video circulated by the Night Watch, knowing what kind of existence his old friend's child had become.

In his opinion, Lu Yibei's feigned death and subsequent move to Free City were likely to avoid trouble, and perhaps a large number of assassins wanting to kill him were following him.

He absolutely did not want too much contact with such a terrifying and dangerous existence, lest he get into trouble, but he had promised his old friend and could not break his word...

After weighing the pros and cons, he accepted the Night Watch informant's bounty for finding a ferry and sent some relatively capable "cannon fodder" to receive Lu Yibei. This way, it would not cause substantial losses to him or his Black Hand Mafia, and he would also fulfill his agreement with his old friend.

Otherwise, as a legendary demon hunter, he would never cooperate with a Strange Tale.

As for the fate of the "cannon fodder" sent to receive Lu Yibei... if they died, they died!

In Free City, people died every day due to various struggles, and Psychic and urban legend were no exception; there was nothing to be surprised about.

So it's just a bodyguard and guide job? Doesn't seem too difficult? The red-haired woman secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "Then thank you in advance."

"Hmm, that's settled. You can leave now; my people will contact you shortly." Constantine nodded, and very naturally, extended his wrinkled hand towards the red-haired woman.

Seeing this, the red-haired woman paused, then recovered, leaned down, and, suppressing the urge to bite flesh and blood, kissed Constantine's hand.