Exploring Technology in a Wizard World
Chapter 522 - 520: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

Chapter 522: Chapter 520: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

Night.

Richard’s residence.

"Bang bang bang!"

The knocking sounded, and Richard opened the door, allowing Mu’en, wrapped tightly in a Black Robe, to walk in.

At the sight of Richard, Mu’en hesitated slightly before he couldn’t help but speak, "Lord Richard, you look... well, very tired. Has something bad happened?"

"Uh, nothing," Richard waved his hand dismissively, indeed nothing major — his tiredness was purely from the relentless efforts to clean up the ruins of Eden.

Richard didn’t want to discuss that topic further, and he turned to Mu’en, saying directly, "Let’s hear it, what’s the latest situation on your end? For some time coming, I might not contact you much; I need to handle some minor matters."

"Oh, is that so?" Mu’en nodded, not fussing further, and quickly reported, "Regarding the girl named Heidi, I haven’t found any clues yet, but concerning the Black Spirit Empire’s intelligence, following the breakthrough point you provided last time, I’ve been tracking continuously and have made quite some progress.

Many wizards have indeed reacted to the incident at Rotten Pine Alley, but my people have infiltrated for too short a time; currently, they haven’t obtained anything significant and need to wait patiently."

Richard nodded, "That’s understandable."

"Lastly, about the arson organization you mentioned," Mu’en said, "I’ve been very cautious in contacting the other party’s people a few times through my informants. However, they’re very tough, and on several occasions, they captured my informants directly and interrogated them."

"You’ve taken necessary precautions, haven’t you?" asked Richard.

"Yes, I have," Mu’en replied, "Following your previous advice, contacts among informants in such high-risk operations are kept strictly linear. The people carrying out the final action don’t know the reason for their tasks or any other details but the task itself. When they were caught, I promptly cut off their entire line to ensure the source remains completely untraceable."

"That’s good," Richard said, "However, even if the adversary can’t find the source, you still need to be vigilant, and you might consider reducing your activities a bit."

"Reduce a bit? Alright, I will."

"That’s good," Richard said, "It seems everything is normal on your end, so I’m relieved. Moving forward, don’t be rash; prioritize stability. The primary focus is to avoid mistakes while gradually gathering information about the target. I’ll contact you later."

"I’ve noted that," Mu’en affirmed seriously, "So, if there’s nothing else, shall I leave now? After all, as you said, the longer and more frequent our contact, the less secure it is."

"Alright, goodbye then," Richard said, "Take care of yourself and stay safe."

"Yes." Mu’en responded, quickly leaving the house and disappearing into the night.

Richard watched the door close and was about to step back into Eden to continue the cleanup, since the reconstruction of Eden was indeed "a long and challenging road". But just as he turned, he suddenly sensed something, stopped his turning motion, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

...

Outside.

In the night, Mu’en, in his Black Robe, moved along a secluded alley, silently and swiftly like a ghost in the dark.

But as he walked, his pace slowed suddenly, he turned his head sharply to look behind, his brows furrowing, muttering to himself, "Being followed? Can’t be. Maybe it’s just my imagination. Yes, just my imagination."

As the last character fell, Mu’en stomped his foot fiercely, his entire figure almost turning into a shadow, bursting out with extreme speed, careening forward. Within just a few strides, he had reached the end of an alley.

Mu’en leapt up, first stepping on a wall, then placing another foot in the air as if he was stepping on a solid surface, quickly flipping outside the alley.

Beyond the alley lay a wide street; Mu’en ran along the edge of the street, made a sharp turn, and entered another alley. He flipped into a household within, exiting from the opposite direction.

Following that, Mu’en’s actions were like those of someone with a deadly predator on his heels, fleeing frantically. Utilizing Zero-Circle Magic, he athletically vaulted over numerous obstacles, continuously weaving through the complex maze of Florence City, so fast he nearly lost his own shadow.

Half an hour later, Mu’en disappeared amidst the streets and alleys of Florence City and emerged in the dirty, disheveled courtyard of a slum.

In the corner of the courtyard, a pile of planks lay stacked. Mu’en hid behind the planks, peering cautiously through the gaps, striving to control his breathing, doing his best not to make any suspicious sounds.

Time sped on.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

In a blink of an eye, a whole hour had passed, and night had deepened. Silence enveloped the courtyard.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak—"

The planks were moved aside, and Mu’en stepped out from his hiding spot, scanning the courtyard. Finding no signs of anything suspicious, he finally sighed in relief.

While on the move earlier, he had sensed for an instant as if he was being followed. The feeling was faint, almost like a baseless guess, but he didn’t hesitate and ran here at full speed.

Because someone had told him, for the sake of safety, it was better to be overly sensitive and considered a fool, than to end up a real corpse.

It seemed, he wouldn’t become a corpse.

Thinking this, Mu’en was about to leave the courtyard when, after just two steps, his whole body bristled, and he spun around to see a tall figure standing behind him.

The person was at least six feet tall, weighing over 250 pounds, standing erect like a wall, sitting down like a mountain. Unbeknownst to him, they had appeared silently in the courtyard; had it not been for the moonlight casting the person’s shadow, he wouldn’t have noticed them at all.

Watching the imposing figure, Mu’en’s muscles tensed, his throat felt dry, and he was highly anxious. Although there had been no interaction between them, Mu’en already guessed that the figure had no good intentions.

He clenched his fists, trying to maintain his composure, and addressed the figure, "Who... who are you?" seeking to stall for time, trying to gather more information about his opponent which might increase his chances of escape. As for fighting to the death? No way. He was an information broker, not a warrior.

The person finally spoke, looking amused, "Me, you don’t know? Huh, I thought you did. After all, you’ve been investigating us both openly and covertly lately. It must be said, your methods are quite skilled; even when we capture your people, they reveal nothing. You’ve hidden yourself well— like a deep-burrowed rat.

Honestly, if I hadn’t resorted to blundering tactics by interrogating those captured and confirming your possible presence nearby, and if I hadn’t just happened to catch you appearing here, I wouldn’t know when we’d be able to catch you.

Now that you’re in my hands, you can’t run away. Spill it — tell us the purpose of your investigation, and I will grant you a swift end. Otherwise, you will suffer immensely."

Hearing this, Mu’en pressed his lips tightly, staring at the tall figure, not doubting for a moment his capability to do as he threatened. His surveillance had already informed him of the methods employed by this person; it was precisely why he had abruptly cut off the entire chain to ensure safety, not expecting that it still led to this miscalculation.

In such a situation...

Mu’en gritted his teeth, the anxiety bubbling inside him. His eyes darted around, searching for any way to turn the tables. Suddenly spotting something, he first appeared stunned, then smoothed his expression, and finally, facing the towering figure, he even began to smile.