Chapter 569 - Chapter 569: 357, Spy Bureau!
Chapter 569: 357, Spy Bureau!
“You can’t just dismiss me with ‘it’s tasty’,” Qing Chen remarked to Ding Dong.
Ding Dong’s eyes widened: “Ding Dong!”
(It can also relieve heat and reduce fire!)
Qing Chen thought to himself that this statement didn’t hit the nail on the head. The old folks had Ding Dong deliver the item; how could it just be tasty and heat-relieving? That’s too simple, right?
Speaking of which, this thing… Ding Dong usually uses it as a snack, right?!
Everyone says the creatures from the Taboo Land are magical, like the Dragon Fish Qing Chen had eaten.
Since Ding Dong grew up deep within the Taboo Land, it only ate these things every day, no wonder it was so robust…
I wonder what level Ding Dong would be classified as if it went out into the Inner World?
Too bad, Ding Dong is too naive, and Qing Chen felt bad about using it.
“What about mine?” Qing Chen asked, looking up and smiling.
“Ding Dong!”
(The old folks said you’re starting to resemble your master, not as cute anymore, so they didn’t want to give you any.)
Qing Chen’s face suddenly darkened. Was this the so-called skipped-generation affection? It had come to apply to him so quickly!
But there was Ding Dong, grinning and opening its fingers slightly, and secretly pinching a fruit between them.
“Ding Dong!”
(But I secretly picked one for you!)
Qing Chen looked at the goofy, smiling Ding Dong and felt a wave of emotion.
The giant never wanted anything for itself; it always thought of him when it came to good things.
He took the fruit from its hands, smiling and said, “Ding Dong, you really are a kind giant.”
Ding Dong scratched its head a bit shyly: “Ding Dong!”
(There are many other things to eat in the forest, but in winter they are all stored by my little friends. I can’t steal their food. I’ll save some for you in spring, summer, and autumn next year, and you can come and eat them!)
“Ok, I’ll definitely come,” Qing Chen promised earnestly.
Ding Dong immediately became happy, as if it had found a purpose.
At that time, Qing Chen did not know that when Ding Dong was preparing to entertain guests, some creatures deep in the Taboo Land were out of luck, as they could only pick the leftovers that Ding Dong did not want.
The last time Ding Dong entertained a guest was eight years ago with Uncle Li Dong.
Very lavish.
Ding Dong returned to the depths of the forest, carefully avoiding stepping on tiny insects as it walked.
Qing Chen examined the fruit in his hand and turned unintentionally to look at Guo Huchan, Qi Duo, and others, only to find these people all staring at him open-mouthed, their jaws almost dropping.
Absolutely bewildered!
They had just watched in alarm as the giant burst out, and then the giant kept saying, “Ding Dong, Ding Dong, Ding Dong,” while Qing Chen seemed to understand everything the giant said and even responded.
This had been unheard of to them before!
Guo Huchan hesitated for a long time: “Mr. Qing Zade, can you really understand what he says?!”
Qing Chen thought for a moment: “Mostly by observing his expressions and demeanor.”
Guo Huchan was speechless; he knew this representative from the Shadow hadn’t told the truth!
Nan Gengchen asked, “Do you know this giant? Why is he so tall, and also double-pupiled…”
Qing Chen thought and replied, “I know him; he’s a friend I met during a previous visit to Taboo Land no. 002.”
The others fell silent, suddenly perceiving ‘Qing Zade’ as more mysterious.
Everyone also realized that ‘Qing Zade’s’ involvement with Taboo Land no. 002 was definitely not as simple as just having visited a few times.
While they were still tense and on edge in the Taboo Land, others already had ‘friends’ bringing them food.
Guo Huchan quietly asked Yongyong at the side: “What level is that giant’s energy field?”
Yongyong thought for a moment and said, “His energy field is very strange, completely different from humans, so there’s no reference for comparison.”
After finishing, she looked towards Qing Chen, thinking that the mysteries surrounding this young man seemed to keep increasing.
This ability to converse with a giant was truly novel.
Meanwhile, Qing Chen glanced at Hu Xiaoniu and Li Ke: “Eat the fruit now.”
Such things should be eaten immediately, or else someone might covet them… like Guo Huchan.
The bald man carefully said, “Can I just look at that deep red fruit for a moment? I just want to look, not eat.”
However, Qing Chen ignored him and finished the fruit in three bites.
Just as he finished, Qing Chen felt the flesh slide down his throat and into his stomach, cooling everything it touched, no wonder Ding Dong mentioned it could relieve heat and reduce fire.
He felt all his previous anxiety vanish.
But apart from that sensation, there were no other effects.
Could it be that those old guys really had given something that only relieved heat and reduced fire to fool someone?!
In that moment, only Jiang Xue was aware of the true effect of the fruit. The moment Qing Chen bit into it, she could no longer clearly sense the field of energy around the young man.
It was not as clear as it had once been.
Jiang Xue pondered, was the purpose of this fruit to shield one’s senses from others?
Qing Chen glanced at the others and temporarily suppressed his curiosity as he said to everyone, “Let’s go, let’s leave the Taboo Land of Zone 002.”
After speaking, he looked toward the direction of the green mountain’s sheer cliffs.
Perhaps, the old man was up there on the cliffs, watching them leave with a smile, waiting for the next sunrise.
Two hours later.
Return countdown 00:00:00, reset.
The world plunged into darkness.
And then it lit up again.
Qing Chen and Hu Xiaoniu were back in Villa No. 12 at The Treasure Garden in Los Angeles.
All the Daytime Members were sitting at the dining table, waiting for Jiang Xue to make everyone a steaming hot midnight snack.
Having been apart for a week, Zhang Tianzhen and others curiously looked at Hu Xiaoniu, “Xiao Niu, where did the boss take you?”
Hu Xiaoniu said, “The boss took me on a trip to the wilderness, the Taboo Land of Zone 002. Coincidentally, we also encountered members of the Freemasonry on the road, who were also driven into the Taboo Land by the Federal Army.”
Before coming back, Qing Chen had specifically instructed that except for his identity and the old man’s matters, everything else could be discussed.
“Ah?” Zhang Tianzhen and the others suddenly became spirited and bombarded Hu Xiaoniu with questions about the novel things in the Taboo Land.
The only one concerned with more gossip was Liu Dezhu, who excitedly asked, “Did the boss say what exactly is his relationship with Li Changqing?”
Hu Xiaoniu was taken aback.
Liu Dezhu felt that the way the other looked at him suddenly carried a bit of sympathy.
To prevent Liu Dezhu from being completely embarrassed, Nan Gengchen hurriedly changed the subject, “Xiao Niu, since you left City 18, there are some pieces of information that I need to share with you. The day after our cross-through, a civil war broke out within the Federation.”
Nan Gengchen continued, “Before, Chuang Wang said in He Xiaoxiao’s group chat that Li Yunmu, the former frontline commander of the Li Family, suddenly left the army to return home for a funeral. Taking advantage of this, Jindai and Deer Island suddenly approached from the south, but in fact, Li Yunmu hadn’t left at all. The A-Class principal airship that was supposed to carry him had suddenly turned back and launched a surprise attack from the flank of the Jindai troops. This all seemed like a trap specifically against Jindai and Deer Island.”
“After the war began, Li Changqing also quickly left City 18 for City 19 in the north, corresponding to Taicheng in the Outer World,” Nan Gengchen remembered the information he had noted down, “Those Li Family elite officers who had returned to the manor to observe mourning also left with her. Li Yinuo also wanted to go, but Li Changqing did not agree, saying she hoped Li Yinuo would enter the intelligence system to gain experience, going to City 7 in the south to see if the Chen Clan was up to anything.”
This was ostensibly said to Hu Xiaoniu, but in fact, Nan Gengchen knew that Qing Chen needed this information and was saying it for Qing Chen to hear.
This federal civil war was between Jindai, Deer Island, and the Li and Qing’s Families, while the Chen Clan in the south remained uninvolved, so it was understandable that Li Changqing would worry about them stirring up trouble.
Moreover, it seemed that Li Changqing was also keen on grooming Li Yinuo, placing her in the most challenging position outside the battlefield.
Qing Chen looked at Nan Gengchen, “Has Li Yinuo made a decision?”
Nan Gengchen nodded and said, “She’s decided. She wants to gain experience herself, so she can reach an important position in the family just like Li Changqing. But the only hesitation is, I have to go with her to City 7, which corresponds to Haicheng…”
With that, Nan Gengchen would have to part ways with the other Daytime Members.
Qing Chen thought for a moment and said, “You need to ask the boss about this, see what he decides. Let’s eat first.”
“Okay,” Nan Gengchen nodded.
In the quiet of the night, Nan Gengchen quietly came to Qing Chen’s room and spoke softly, “Chen Bro, Qing Yi is also leaving City 18.”
“Huh?” Qing Chen was taken aback, “Is he no longer participating in the Shadow Conflict?”
Nan Gengchen explained, “It’s not that he’s no longer participating, but someone suddenly notified him that the second round of the Shadow Conflict has ended prematurely due to the completion of the Li Family’s power transition and the outbreak of war. All Shadow Candidates must now proceed to the third round of the Shadow Conflict immediately.”
“Where is Qing Yi going?” Qing Chen asked.
“City 10,” Nan Gengchen said, “It seems he is to join the Qing’s Family Spy Bureau.”
Qing Chen pondered.
If Qing Yi was heading to City 10 to join the Spy Bureau, then the other Shadow Candidates would likely do the same.
Previously, Qing Chen had also specifically asked the old man, Li Xiurui, who said that the Spy Bureau is the highest authority in the Qing’s Family intelligence system, with each spy operating independently, each possessing significant powers of coordination, having their own intelligence networks to serve them.
It was just that he had just agreed to join the Spy Bureau, and the tasks of the other candidates in the Shadow Conflict had changed.
It seemed that because he had agreed to the Shadow’s request, the progress of the Shadow Conflict had suddenly accelerated!Until now, all candidates were still dispersed across one city.
But now? Everyone was being forcibly twisted into a single intelligence agency. Even though they were independent and didn’t need to clock in as colleagues every day, it was still too centralized, bound to lead to intersections and conflicts.
At this moment, the Shadow Conflict had truly entered its most complex stage.
Nan Gengchen looked at Qing Chen, “Chen Bro, are you also going to City 10? Maybe I should talk to Li Yinuo and let her go to City 7 by herself.”
He knew Qing Chen was also a Shadow Candidate, the most mysterious one.
Qing Chen thought it over and said, “I’ll go to City 10, but you don’t need to follow. Acting alone could actually be more convenient.”
City 10 was the political center of the entire Federation, where all the conglomerate’s spokespersons within the federation were located.
Many believed the Taboo Land was the most dangerous, but Uncle Li Dong had told Qing Chen.
The closer you are to the center of power, the more dangerous it becomes.
…
Stuck in Shanghai due to the typhoon, still continuing to write; perhaps this deserves some monthly ticket rewards…
Source: Webnovel.com, updated on N𝘰vgo.co