Naming Technique of the Night

Chapter 77: 77, ACE-099

Representatives of Kyushu and Kunlun stood opposite each other under the plane tree.

One was a young man, the other a middle-aged man.

One wore a gray suit, while the other was dressed in a black Sun Yat-sen suit.

The world seemed to split apart from the trunk of the plane tree between them, forming a stark and intense contrast.

Former comrades, yet now rivals.

“I’m curious, you are far away in Jingcheng yet you come to Los Angeles City twice a month. Is there something attracting you here?” Zheng Yuandong asked calmly under the plane tree.

He Jinqiu smiled, “Mr. Zheng is joking. Last night, Kunlun successfully captured four criminals. How could Kyushu not come to take a look and also offer congratulations?”

“This is an internal matter for Kunlun, no congratulations are necessary,” Zheng Yuandong responded casually, “And with five more still at large, no one has time to celebrate.”

“An internal matter…” He Jinqiu smiled, “Is Mr. Zheng reminding me that Kyushu has recently broken the rules?”

Since the establishment of the two organizations, they had delineated different functions.

Kunlun dealt with foreign affairs, Kyushu with domestic.

It was like the difference between the CIA and the FBI. The CIA, even though it controlled 70% of overseas intelligence and could even independently plan minor wars, had no legitimate power domestically.

The same was true for Kyushu.

But it seemed that He Jinqiu had never intended to follow this rule. In nineteen cities, the two organizations, Kunlun and Kyushu, interspersed, occasionally leading to unexpected conflicts.

In Jingcheng, the two sides nearly clashed over a time traveler girl named Jiu Ran.

At that moment, He Jinqiu suddenly asked, “Isn’t Mr. Zheng worried at all?”

“Worried about what?” countered Zheng Yuandong.

“Once He Xiaoxiao’s group chat is established, time travelers nationwide will flock to Kyushu. With no people left in Kunlun, how will you fulfill your duties?”

As he spoke, a plane tree leaf spiraled down from the sky and He Jinqiu gently pinched it in his hand, “I do know that Mr. Zheng can obtain Genetic Potion, so even ordinary soldiers can be greatly useful. But have you told the little friends in Kunlun about the side effects of those Genetic Potions?”

Zheng Yuandong said, “Everyone makes their choices; once chosen, there’s no need for regret.”

“Speaking of which, why has Kunlun classified all of Liu Dezhu’s data as top secret?” He Jinqiu asked, “Even though he traveled to Uncle Li Dong, a big figure in the Inner World, I always feel something isn’t right.”

Zheng Yuandong shook his head, “I refuse to answer.”

He Jinqiu’s fingertips suddenly flipped a Gold Coin, playing with it, the coin jumping ceaselessly between his slender, bony fingers, from the little finger gap to the index gap and back, as if it had a soul.

The face of the Gold Coin bore a circular pattern made of wheat stalks, while the back featured two crossed longswords.

Looking at Zheng Yuandong, he asked, “I personally observed Liu Dezhu. With your discerning eyes, you definitely would not regard him highly; so why elevate his security clearance to the highest level? Is it to protect him, or through protecting him, to protect someone else? Or is it to mislead me?”

On the ground between them, leaves suddenly swirled, as if an invisible breeze was gently stirring them.

Without Kunlun’s ability to block information, He Jinqiu could not understand the details of last night.

But, he understood Zheng Yuandong.

“Old squad leader,” He Jinqiu said, “You’re not trying to protect Liu Dezhu, are you?”

However, Zheng Yuandong did not answer the question but rather looked at the Gold Coin in his hand and laughed, “Who knows which extraordinary left behind ACE-099 Taboo, also called ‘The Right Gold Coin’, capable of discerning truth from lies.”

The Gold Coin settled steadily in He Jinqiu’s hand, and he exclaimed in surprise, “Squad leader, you really know everything.”

“Although the Taboo item ACE-099 has been missing for a long time, its function is no secret,” Zheng Yuandong replied.

“Well, it seems I won’t find out much today, but,” He Jinqiu’s smile grew broader, “I haven’t come away empty-handed.”

Having said that, He Jinqiu turned to leave, the Gold Coin in his hand lowly growling.

Only when he had settled into the back seat of a black sedan parked beside Xingshu Road did he leisurely pull out a 100-gram gold bar from his bosom.

He Jinqiu gently touched the gold bar to the Taboo item ACE-099.

In an instant, the gold bar seemed to melt and streamed into the Gold Coin, yet the size of the coin remained unchanged.

Gradually, the pattern on the Gold Coin also started flowing like liquid, resembling a placid lake.

He Jinqiu said softly, “My debt is repaid.”

In the blink of an eye, the face of the Gold Coin recongealed into a wheat sheaf circlet, returning to tranquility.

He Jinqiu looked out the window, having brought the ‘correct gold coin’ with him, but that Mr. Zheng had not afforded him the chance to inquire further.

“The prerequisite of spinning the coin on the back of one’s finger is indeed a bit too conspicuous,” he sighed.

The driver in the front glanced at the rearview mirror and asked, “Boss, our people couldn’t find those five fugitives, and it seems that Kunlun has some leads from their interrogation. Should we try to get our hands on them?”

He Jinqiu shook his head, “This is Mr. Zheng’s home ground, let him handle it himself.”

…

Due to the next day being National Day, the students were distracted by afternoon, all discussing plans to visit Laojun Mountain.

At three in the afternoon, the class teacher, Tian Hailong, suddenly announced an early dismissal: “Although an advance vacation is given, I hope you understand this is already the second year. So, adjust your attitude properly, and don’t go wild.”

Qing Chen was surprised, as he didn’t need to skip classes today.

He left the classroom early and after meeting up with Jiang Xue and Li Tongyun, they boarded the bus to Laojun Mountain.

Li Tongyun, the young girl, had her small backpack filled with snacks.

However, what Qing Chen didn’t know was that Hu Xiaoniu and others’ schedule also changed due to the early vacation, and the rented bus stopped in front of the school by five o’clock.

At 5:20 p.m., the students of Class 3 and Class 4 from the second year first went home to pick up their belongings, then gathered in front of the bus.

Someone asked Nan Gengchen, “Hey? Xiao Nan, isn’t Qing Chen coming?”

“Right, he doesn’t seem to be in our travel group,” someone said.

“Oh, he said he has other plans for National Day, so he isn’t coming,” Nan Gengchen sighed.

Not far away, two Kunlun members who had been tailing Liu Dezhu watched the scene and immediately reported back to headquarters, “There is something unusual with Liu Dezhu; they seem to be renting a bus for a trip. Any instructions? Should we send reinforcements?”

The colleague on duty at headquarters responded, “Road Team received the message; suspects resembling criminals have appeared in Meng County to the north of Los Angeles City, and they seem to be leaving the city; they’ve gone to pursue them now. Road Team advises you two to follow Liu Dezhu, no additional reinforcements for now. Several of our brothers are on injured leave, and once they return from their vacation tomorrow morning, they’ll rush to relieve you; hang in there for today.”

“Okay, it’s not too hard,” the two Kunlun members responded.

Meng County, where the suspects appeared, and the home of Laojun Mountain in Song County, lie in the north and south respectively.