Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

“Our people in North Tranquility City have fully analyzed the crystal processor,” Mosquito quickly replied. “Although the browsing record was cleared, a lot of data has still been retrieved after technical recovery. The crystal processor browsed through tremendous information two days ago about ‘assault in the capital city’, ‘Ding Lingdang’, ‘Professor Mo Xuan’, ‘Cultivators from the Flying Star Sector’, and ‘hundred-day memorial ceremony for the victims in the capital city’.

“The owner of the crystal processor confirmed that he had never searched for such information, which suggests that somebody else used his crystal processor. Also, the browsing time is in accordance with the sleeping time of the owner of the crystal processor.

“The information corresponds to all the intelligence we grasped earlier. We are almost certain that the destination of our target is the capital city.

“That was why we sent out the ‘superstorm alarm’ and summoned everyone in the bureau.”

Guo Chunfeng was like an old, sleepy cat crouching on a worn cushion. Mysterious brightness flowed out of his body, as if he had entered an indescribable state. A moment later, he yawned and said, “If the target is really Li Yao, he must know that we have recognized his identity as the Blood Devil. It’s hardly likely that he would ride his sword straight to the capital city.

“The distance between North Tranquility City and the capital city is too long. It is also unlikely that he would walk or take short-distance vehicles. On one hand, it is too slow. On the other hand, checkpoints and surveillance tools are everywhere in the heartland. His risk of being exposed would be much higher.

“The only rational choice for him is to board long-distance vehicles such as the civil carriers or the crystal trains.

“To board such vehicles, he needs a legal identity. Li Yao is an expert of disguise and infiltration. But however he disguises himself, he cannot make a legal ID card, which stores tremendous information, out of thin air.

“Investigate!

“Concentrate all our manpower in the North District to North Tranquility City and investigate all the cases and conflicts related to ID cards! Note that the cases are not necessarily about the loss of ID cards. Figure out all the details, including the situations where the victim found their ID cards after losing them!”

Mosquito and a few other Secret Sword Agents looked at each other in bewilderment and hesitated. “Boss, it is easy to look into the cases where the ID cards are lost, but 99% of the victims who found back their ID cards after losing them will not report to the police. It’s going to be troublesome to investigate!”

Guo Chunfeng sipped the tea in his cup. He then licked off a tea leaf from his lip and chewed it contentedly. “Think in his shoes. What would you do if you were Li Yao and needed a few ID cards?

“Steal them on the street? How do you know who brings ID cards with them and who doesn’t? You cannot expect to try your luck by stealing a dozen random wallets in a row, can you?

“Even the strongest Cultivator will certainly leave a lot of traces after stealing so many wallets.

“You will certainly pick a place where everyone will be carrying their ID card. That way, you can select a target carefully.

“What are the places where everybody is carrying their ID card? Banks, adults entertainment facilities, and so on.

“Start from those places.”

Mosquito and the other Secret Sword Agents were greatly enlightened. After calculating on the light beam, they nodded and said, “If so, the range of our investigation has been significantly reduced. It is estimated that we will have a result in twenty-four hours!”

“Twenty-four hours?” Guo Chunfeng deeply frowned. “That’s too long. We cannot give Li Yao so much time. How about this? Let’s consider a different approach and work simultaneously.

“After stealing the ID cards, Li Yao would go to the capital city on a crystal train or a civil carrier under the new identity.

“Huh. The security check for the civil carriers is too rigorous. It is more likely that he would take a crystal train.

“Then, it’s simple. Make a list of all the passengers of the crystal trains and the civil carriers leaving from North Tranquility City for the capital city over the past three days. Then, contact them one by one and make sure that you are talking to them in person.

“Remember, do not use the number that they left when they bought the ticket, which can be false. Ask for the cooperation of the police department in North Tranquility City. Call them through the number they left in the government office. That should be the real one.

“If we find out after reaching out to them that a passenger who should’ve gone to the capital city is still in North Tranquility City, Li Yao must be pretending to be him!

“If we cannot reach out to a certain passenger all the time, pay special attention, too, because he might’ve already been killed by Li Yao.”

Mosquito was dumbfounded. “Boss, all the passengers from North Tranquility City to the capital city over the past three days? There—there are going to be astronomical names. It is going to be a hundred times more difficult than investigating the loss of ID cards!”

“No, it won’t.” Guo Chunfeng smiled. “Li Yao does not have a legal identity, and he does not dare use the Spiritual Nexus. Therefore, he can’t buy the ticket through the bank cards that are bound to the ID cards. All you need to do is check the names who bought tickets in the ticket office with cash.

“Most people nowadays buy their tickets online. Even if they go to the ticket office, they will mostly pay with their bank cards. There wouldn’t be too many who bought a ticket with cash!”

Mosquito and all the Secret Sword Agents’ eyes were shining. They looked at Guo Chunfeng in an even more admiring way and nodded. “Understood. We’re on it. There will be a result in three to five hours!”

“Go now. Don’t bother me with trivia. I’m going to take a nap. A long ‘game’ is still waiting for us.”

Guo Chunfeng further slithered into the soft chair and covered himself with a blanket in the corner.

“Right, boss.” Mosquito thought of something else. “The third division sent the brief today. Li Yao’s last classmate in high school and the gangster named ‘Fatty Leung’ whom he hanged around with in the magical equipment graveyard have both been found.

“At 7:29 a.m. today, all of Li Yao’s connections in the Heaven’s Origin Sector—including Ding Lingdang, Professor Mo Xuan, Cultivators from the Flying Star Sector, companions in the magical equipment graveyard, classmates in the Crimson Nimbus High School and the Grand Desolate War Institution—have been locked onto!

“According to the third division, they have made a team of almost a hundred experts in Spiritual Nexus tracing, which is led by Professor Gu Mo, the only specialist in the Spiritual Nexus in the Nascent Soul Stage in the federation. It has been ensured that Li Yao’s connection network is monitored without any blind spots!

“As long as Li Yao sends a message to Ding Lingdang, Professor Mo Xuan, or any other of associate, even so much as a single word or a code name, it will be detected, and the source of the message will be locked onto in ten seconds!”

Hu. Hu.

Giant snot bubbles were popping out of Guo Chunfeng’s nose. He seemed to be asleep already.

“Boss?” Mosquito asked carefully.

Guo Chunfeng was suddenly wide awake. He mumbled in dissatisfaction, “Don’t waste my time with such boring stuff. The guys in the third division are too used to capturing evil Cultivators. None of the Cultivators look nice in their eyes. They are only adding to our trouble!

“I assume that they’ve found nothing after dedicating so many resources to Li Yao’s social network, right?”

Mosquito nodded. “That’s right. It is so odd that Li Yao hasn’t contacted his old acquaintances yet. How can he hold it for such a long time?”

“He can hold it, so he is Vulture.” His eyes closed, Guo Chunfeng said casually, “You can’t, so you are Mosquito, who will be slapped to death easily!

“Hehe. Vulture Li Yao is the most dangerous person to have risen in the federation over the past hundred years. Does he not know that his social network is certainly under watch? Sending a message to his old friends is like turning himself in!

“Even if he wants to deliver some information to the old friends, he will certainly adopt an approach that is unexpected and won’t be monitored or jammed. Would he be so stupid as to send a message via the Spiritual Nexus?

“Do the guys in the third division think that Li Yao is just another evil Cultivator like those they captured in the past? Idiots!

“Right, what’s the reaction of the Cultivators being monitored, especially Ding Lingdang, Professor Mo Xuan, and the fellow Cultivators from the Flying Star Sector? Do they know that they are being watched?”

Mosquito nodded. “They do. Professor Mo Xuan is one of the best specialists in crystal processors and the Spiritual Nexus in the federation himself. The thorough surveillance to such an extent can’t be overlooked by them. Also, since it involves our allies in the Flying Star Sector, we cannot monitor them in secret as it might cause a diplomatic conflict.

“Therefore, the third division has sent a letter to them under the name of the Secret Sword Bureau and asked for their cooperation.

“As for their attitude, dissatisfied, of course. Especially Ding Lingdang and Profess Mo Xuan. They are not fully convinced that Li Yao has joined the Pantheon of Demons in the first place, so they were not happy to cooperate with the third division.”

“Why do I have to clean the mess for the dumbasses every time?” Guo Chunfeng changed his posture to make himself more comfortable. Pouting, he said, “Ding Lingdang, Professor Mo Xuan, and Luo Xingzi are all in the capital city right now, aren’t they? Make an appointment with them for me, preferably tonight. Let’s have a dinner and talk nicely.

“Publicly speaking, the issue is one of national security. They do not have the right to object to it.

“Personally speaking, if they don’t believe in Li Yao’s betrayal, they should cooperate with us and help us figure out the whole thing as quickly as possible so that Li Yao’s innocence can be proved.

“Tell them our latest progress. Promise them that, if they are willing to cooperate, we will send them detailed briefs three times a day every day. Also, we will invite them to join us when we are capturing Li Yao in the end.

“If they don’t want Li Yao to fall into someone else’s hands, ask them to try to understand and support our work!”

Mosquito nodded quickly. “Understood, boss.”

“Go now!”

Guo Chunfeng waved his hands and covered his greasy head in the blanket.

He had made all the arrangements. Before the result was out, he should take a good sleep and revitalize himself.

But he could not fall asleep however hard he tried to. His nerves that were usually blunt were now vaguely aching.

In his trance, he felt that he had made a mistake. A critical one.

What was it exactly?