Chapter 961 - 29: Number 1

"Serious business? Here?" Sun Hang glanced at a few tables of diners beside them. Although this small restaurant wasn't exactly bustling, there were still a dozen people in this courtyard. Discussing important operations of the Dubhe Tower in such a setting—Sun Hang couldn't decide whether Professor Cao was just too bold or if he knew Sun Hang could create an eavesdropping-proof field.

"What's wrong, is there a problem?" Professor Cao's tone was quite casual.

"Very inappropriate, I'd say," Sun Hang used the end of his chopsticks to point at the surrounding tables, "This place doesn't feel like somewhere for serious discussions."

"Why not?" Professor Cao chuckled and tossed over an oily, sticky menu, "Take a look at the menu, do you sense something off?"

Sun Hang glanced at the menu—"Sauteed pork with garlic sprouts 12 yuan, farmhouse stir-fry 8 yuan, Di San Xian 8 yuan..."

The menu listed common dishes found in Xiazhou Federation's restaurants, but there was something very odd—the prices were unbelievably cheap.

After all, this was Chunming City, where even the old town areas still had living costs among the highest in the entire Xiazhou Federation.

Yet, the prices on this menu were cheaper than those in third or fourth-tier cities, making restaurants charging thirty or forty yuan for pre-cooked meals seem like daylight robbery in comparison.

"Isn't it bizarre that the prices are so cheap, yet this place has lasted decades in pricey Chunming City?" Professor Cao sipped a bit of white liquor, sighing, "Actually... decades ago, this was already a secret base of the Dubhe Tower. Each restaurant owner underwent rigorous training from the Field Operations Department, and apart from rare internal personnel from Dubhe Tower, the other diners are essentially undercover security staff."

"6," Sun Hang thought for a long while, unable to think of anything else to say besides a simple "6".

"The importance of Mr. Pei's safety is such that neither the Federation Council nor the Dubhe Tower would allow him to roam freely outside the tower. Since he enjoys this restaurant, they had no choice but to turn it into a secure hidden base." Professor Cao continued, "Actually, Mr. Pei is aware of this too, but he can't be bothered to mention it… After all, having this place also counts as a compromise for the Medical Department, otherwise, they wouldn't allow any alcoholic beverages in his sight within the tower."

"Sounds more like a place to prevent prisoners from escaping," Sun Hang felt compelled to reassess the small courtyard and the surroundings filled with seemingly ordinary "security personnel".

"That's one way to see it… Oh right, where were we?" Professor Cao downed another small cup of liquor, a faint flush emerging on his cheeks.

Sun Hang felt that even if this was a place for serious discussions, Professor Cao's current state didn't seem fit for it.

He glanced at the label on the bottle of white liquor; if the label's information was correct, Professor Cao had consumed nearly three hundred milliliters of ethanol in the past ten minutes… And for a normally functioning person, this amount of ethanol would undoubtedly affect brain function to some extent.

Simply put, the old man was likely already drunk.

"You mentioned talking about serious business."

"Oh right… serious business…" Professor Cao nodded, "From Nuer's account, we know you not only found the Desert Sea remnants but also successfully contacted the priest of Nuer's settlement. How did the interaction go?"

"I killed the priest."

"Haha… I guessed as much, now those old folks' treasures are mine." Professor Cao suddenly burst into laughter.

"You guys bet on something like this?" Sun Hang's head immediately filled with black lines.

"A small bet adds flavor… In fact, from the information provided by Nuer, it can be basically confirmed that the Desert Sea remnants possess a theocratic society. Such societies, especially their rulers, are extremely resistant to foreign civilizations… Given that you returned unharmed, it implies that the priest was likely in grave danger." Professor Cao shrugged, "Before he died, did you manage to obtain any useful information?"

"He knew of the Sphinx's existence, but refused to reveal any related information," Sun Hang said. "Knowing he couldn't win, he chose death over surrender to protect the information, so I couldn't gain more valuable intelligence."

"So you plan to use the Master's prophecy ability to deduce the connection between the Desert Sea remnants and the Sphinx?" Professor Cao said drunkenly, yet for some reason, Sun Hang didn't see a hint of intoxication in his eyes.

"Yes, before this project begins, I can make another trip to Egypt… Next month I plan to visit several settlements to see how other settlement priests respond." Sun Hang nodded.

"It looks like conflict is inevitable, next time you go, you might take the people you've selected, right?"

"Yes," Sun Hang said, "If I encounter traces of the Sphinx, I might alter plans on the spot..."

"In that case, take one more person with you," Professor Cao suggested.

"Who?"

"The first ranker on the Hunter leaderboard."

"First ranker?"

Sun Hang had checked the information of all Hunters on the leaderboard after gaining access to the Master, except for the mysterious number one. Even in the Master's archives, information on this ranker was scarce, only having a code name "Number One" and some basic details such as gender, age, infection, and employment time, while meme source of infection, meme ability, and historical achievements were all blank.

Sun Hang even began to suspect if the record was related to the person's ability—like having a power to make the world forget them, or directly erase their presence.

"You've looked into Number One's file, right? Curious why there's no combat record?" Professor Cao seemed to perceive Sun Hang's confusion.

Sun Hang nodded.

"Actually, it's not surprising, Number One hasn't partaken in any combat missions." Professor Cao took a bite of his food, continuing, "His ability is too precious, using it just for combat would be a waste… Plus, we are worried about any accident happening to him; the loss would be unbearable."

"Since he hasn't been in combat, how did he earn the top rank?" Sun Hang asked, puzzled.

"It's because in simulation training, no other Hunter on the leaderboard could beat him," Professor Cao said, "It's that simple."

"What is this guy's ability?"