Chapter 367 One of Our Own

“Old Guang, I have intel to sell. A few dozen people came in today, and their status is unusual.” The speaker’s face wasn’t visible on the screen, only an off-camera voice. Across from them was the old man who collected intelligence.

“We’re old acquaintances. Are you really going to keep me in suspense?” the old man across from him said, lifting a small, cyan teapot and pouring two cups of tea.

“Let’s put it this way: these few dozen people are far from ordinary. They’re from the Third Line, Bureau 428.”

“People from the Third Line? I thought they were all gone. Besides, I can’t offer a high price for a few dozen stragglers. Who would want intel like that? Drink your tea, drink your tea.”

“You just refuse to use your brain. Think about it. If they were ordinary people, why would the boss lock them up? It’s obviously because this group is useful,” the off-camera voice said smugly.

“Useful for what?”

The view on the screen slowly zoomed in on the two. “I hear… they aren’t from the Third Line headquarters, nor are they grunts from the strongholds of the major schools of thought. They’re a laboratory that reports directly to the Third Line’s core leadership, a lab dedicated to a special research project…”

As Zhang Wenda gradually emerged from the memory, the location where these people were imprisoned appeared in his mind, along with their number—68—and finally, the name of the project they were responsible for: Hurricane No. 3.

“Let’s go,” Zhang Wenda said, snapping out of the memory.

Wang Shaojie and Hu Maomao followed him without hesitation, ready to set out on the rescue, even knowing the location was Forest City’s most heavily fortified water prison.

When it came to loyalty to the Third Line, their sense of belonging far surpassed Zhang Wenda’s.

Knowing they were members of the Third Line, the question was never *if* they should be rescued, but *how*.

Zhang Wenda was already heading out as he spoke. “Blue, in the intel from that old guy’s mind, does the Big Circle in Forest City have a 03?”

“That information is missing, as are details on deployments near the prison. If they want to do business here, they wouldn’t gather intelligence on the organization in charge.”

Hearing this, Zhang Wenda frowned. This complicated things. He was facing an organization of tens of thousands, and all he knew was that they were the Big Circle.

Hu Maomao, who was beside him, seemed to sense his concern. She spoke up, “It’s alright. Let’s get to the location first. You can leave this to me.”

Zhang Wenda nodded and quickened his pace toward the prison from his memory. Thanks to the intel from the old man’s mind, they found the location quickly.

It was inside a triangular building in the center of Forest City. It looked like a landmark building, the kind with a unique design, only now half of it was submerged in a swamp.

Zhang Wenda stood on a buckled section of a crosswalk, leaning against a tilted traffic light. He pretended to tie his shoelaces while secretly observing the distant building, where the security presence was visibly heavy.

Catwalks crisscrossed above, with an endless stream of patrols moving back and forth. In just that short time, Zhang Wenda felt several pairs of eyes scan over him.

Just looking from a distance, Zhang Wenda could see moving red shapes inside the building. It was crowded. This wasn’t just a prison; a significant number of people were clearly stationed on the upper levels.

Just as Zhang Wenda was weighing his options, Hu Maomao, already aware of his thoughts, quickly cautioned him. “Don’t be reckless. I know you’re very powerful now, but these people are no pushovers. They’re with the Big Circle, so they’re bound to have abilities of their own.”

“If someone inside manages to pin you down, we’ll lose our advantage of operating from the shadows.”

“Besides, our objective this time is the rescue. If we end up not saving a single person, the mission is a failure, even if we kill everyone here.”

Zhang Wenda frowned, pulling his gaze back from the distant building. “Of course I know that. Don’t worry, red isn’t all I have. You go first. See what useful information you can find in the patrols’ minds.”

“Alright.” Hu Maomao glanced around before heading toward a nearby waterway.

Hu Maomao could probe the thoughts of others without a sound. With her on the job, Zhang Wenda wasn’t too concerned about gathering intel.

‘He didn’t really want to reveal himself to these Forest City people so soon. If he couldn’t wipe them out completely, he’d just be inviting endless trouble for himself.’

‘Not to mention, their base at the pool was nothing compared to the scale of this place. It could be washed away with the slightest effort.’

‘The best-case scenario is to rescue these people quietly, without revealing my identity.’

Just then, Wang Shaojie walked over and whispered something in Zhang Wenda’s ear. Immediately after, both of them looked in unison toward a garbage bag to the side.

It had been following them since earlier, neither moving nor speaking.

‘This guy is an outsider, and a crazy one at that,’ Zhang Wenda thought. ‘No, I have to find a way to get rid of him before we make our move.’

With that, Zhang Wenda walked over to him and asked, “Friend, what’s your name?”

The garbage bag thought for a moment before replying, “It’s not convenient to tell you my real name. You can call me by my online handle, Jinfeng.”

‘An online handle, at a time like this?’ Zhang Wenda thought. “Fine, an online handle it is. Here, take this, Jinfeng. This is your payment.”

As he spoke, Zhang Wenda retrieved 50 portions of “solid joy” that he had prepared earlier from his Inner World and handed them over.

This time, the Little Black Cats had improved the packaging; each piece of candy was stamped with a tiny paw print.

Jinfeng looked with some surprise at the handful of lollipops. “We previously agreed on double payment. Forty portions is enough.”

“The extra ten are a bonus. You did a great job. It was a pleasure working with you.” Zhang Wenda extended his right hand, but the other man didn’t lift the arm hidden inside the garbage bag.

Although the man’s behavior was rude, Zhang Wenda didn’t get angry. ‘After all, who would argue with a lunatic?’

“Our business is concluded. You can go,” Zhang Wenda said amicably. “We’ve traded twice now, so you could say we’re acquaintances. If you’re ever in dire need of painkillers in the future, you can come find me, even if you have nothing to trade.”

Hearing this, the figure in the garbage bag trembled. He finally managed to choke out a single word, “Fine,” before turning and hurrying away.

After he left, Wang Shaojie asked in surprise, “Chief, why were you so polite to him?”

“It’s hard enough for ordinary people to survive in this world. For a lunatic to have made it this long, he must have something special about him. It never hurts to make another friend; it opens up another path.”

Zhang Wenda then turned to him. “You spent all that time at Xinhua Bookstore, and you didn’t learn any Superpowers? By the way, did you ever take those chicken blood injections?”