Chapter 175: The Same Target
An organization made up of the wealthy and powerful.
These two points alone prove that they control a significant portion of the resources.
Even though they might not be on par with the guild or consortium, which are older and more established forces, they are certainly no small-time gang or cult.
Otherwise, the guild wouldn't be worried about their infiltration, and Slater wouldn't have warned Wu Heng to stay away from them.
After reading this.
Thinking back to Yazde and his dealings with the Secret Cult, it wasn't hard to guess the connection.
They helped Yazde extend his life, and in return, Yazde acted as their spy within the guild, gathering intel or helping to complete certain tasks.
Once someone became a squad leader or steward, they could accomplish quite a lot.
Later, when they invited Wu Heng to join, it was probably for the same reason.
They needed eyes within the guild, and whether it was Yazde or not didn't matter. Perhaps many people in the guild had already been bought.
After all, wealth is everyone's ultimate goal.
According to the agreement with the Secret Cult, the time for the transaction had arrived.
Either they paid Wu Heng 80 gold coins to buy back the two artifacts.
Or Wu Heng would donate them to the guild in exchange for merit.
But so far, they hadn't contacted him.
Maybe they were preparing something.
Wu Heng should be cautious, or take the initiative to eliminate potential threats.
Slater's letter had a second page.
It included some personal matters.
She mentioned how much she liked the bracelet he had given her before they parted. She wore it every day, and seeing it reminded her of Wu Heng, as if he were by her side.
Then she shared some updates about Blackstone Town and personnel changes.
Mostly scattered bits of news.
Although nothing too explicit.
You could still sense the longing, like a long-distance relationship.
Slater's tone felt different from before, no longer like the strong-willed woman running the Golden Cat and serving as a guild steward, but more like an ordinary woman.
Wu Heng smiled as he finished reading.
To be honest, after reading her letter, he missed her a bit too.
If only the bronze key could take him anywhere, he could visit Blackstone Town and see her.
After finishing Slater's letter, he opened the second one.
Upon seeing the familiar messy handwriting, he knew it was from Yuli.
The first sentence asked why the comics he had given her were full of unreadable runes. She had even compared them with her rune books but couldn't decipher them.
She could only look at the pictures and guess the storyline.
It was driving her crazy with frustration.
She demanded Wu Heng translate it for her and give it back, or else she'd come over and make him read it to her in person.
Despite her blunt words.
Wu Heng and Yuli had the best relationship within the squad.
She was still a bit wild, but carefree like a child.
After reading Yuli's letter, there was also one from Otruluk, the former squad leader of Blackstone Town.
His letter was short, with polite greetings and a reminder to stay safe.
Wu Heng pulled out paper and wrote replies to all three.
In Slater's reply, he asked her to continue gathering information about the Secret Cult, as she was a Whisperer and likely had methods to exchange intelligence.
He also mentioned that he had killed a wanted criminal and obtained an artifact from the Secret Cult, the "Blood Chalice," which they wanted to buy back.
He asked if it was better to sell it to them or hand it over to the guild.
Wu Heng brought this up.
To keep a backup plan for himself.
Slater had mentioned the guild was investigating the cult's infiltration, and Wu Heng didn't want to get caught up in that mess.
With this letter, he could justify his dealings with the Secret Cult.
A newly appointed squad leader asking his former superior for advice would seem reasonable.
The second letter was to Yuli.
He outlined the main characters and relationships in the comic for her.
So she could at least grasp the general plot and storyline.
As for the rest, he'd translate it for her when he had the chance.
Translating that thick stack of comics wouldn't be easy.
Especially since his proficiency in this world's writing was still a bit lacking.
Finally, he replied to Otruluk, giving a brief update on his situation.
After finishing all the letters, he sealed them with wax.
He opened the door and asked the staff to deliver them to the front desk for mailing over the next two days.
......
After sitting in the lounge for a while.
Wu Heng decided to get up and leave.
Creak—the lounge door was suddenly pushed open.
Squad member Marta, wearing leather armor and carrying a longbow, strode in.
Seeing Wu Heng sitting in the lounge, she immediately said, "Captain, I've gathered some intel on a wanted criminal. Is now a good time?"
Wu Heng still had no solid leads on the assassin who had attacked him last time.
It wasn't the best time for a mission.
But when it came to catching wanted criminals, if they didn't act soon, the target might leave the city in a couple of days.
It would be much harder to capture them later.
"What's the intel?" Wu Heng asked.
Marta sat down next to him and said, "I got word that some people from the outer district are meeting with a few gangs, trying to sell off a batch of goods. There's a high chance they're wanted criminals."
In truth, wanted criminals weren't hard to spot.
If someone was overly cautious, always lurking and hiding, they were likely on the run.
"In the outer district?"
"Yes, at the 'Black Antler Tavern.' The place is full of all kinds of shady characters, including some wanted criminals. No one would care there." Marta explained.
Wu Heng thought for a moment.
Although Arnell hadn't been captured yet, it was pretty clear he was the one behind the attack.
As long as he was careful, there shouldn't be any major issues.
He couldn't just hide here forever without completing any tasks.
After thinking it through, he said, "Have someone notify Duke. Once he's here, we'll head out."
"Got it, Captain." Marta stood up and called out to the staff outside.
She sat back down in the lounge and waited silently.
Before long, Duke swaggered in, carrying a battle axe and a piece of flatbread.
He saw Wu Heng and Marta sitting in the lounge.
With an awkward smile, he stuffed the flatbread into his pack and said, "Captain, is there a mission?"
Wu Heng nodded, "Marta brought us intel. We're heading to the outer district for this one."
"Got it, Captain."
The three of them made some quick preparations.
Then they left the guild and headed toward the outer district.
......
At the Black Antler Tavern.
The group pushed open the door.
Immediately, several pairs of wary eyes glanced their way.
Over time.
The local gangs and various organizations had learned that the guild had formed a new Squad 12. Wu Heng's distinctive features made him hard to miss, likely one of the few in all of Rentam City.
Along with the well-known local faces of Duke and Marta, it was clear they were guild members.
Wu Heng's group entered the tavern and sat at an empty table.
The bartender, all smiles, quickly came over to ask what they'd like to drink.
The trio ordered drinks and some small dishes.
Acting as if they were simply there for a meal.
When the drinks arrived, the three began eating and chatting.
Seeing no suspicious moves, the eyes watching them gradually relaxed, no longer so on guard.
Marta took a sip of beer and quietly said, "The guy by the stairs to the second floor is the lookout. They've booked a room upstairs, but I don't know which one, or if they're the wanted criminals."
"No rush, let's wait and see." Wu Heng replied.
At the same time, he released the ghost 'Glenda,' gesturing briefly as Glenda flew up the stairs.
Gradually, more people started filling the tavern.
The noise level rose, with people drinking, bragging, and even grabbing the serving girls, hands wandering freely.
The women didn't shy away, playing along just enough to earn some tips.
Duke and Marta seemed a little out of their element.
They drank their beer, but their eyes couldn't help but dart around nervously.
Trying hard to put on a poor act.
Fortunately, the place was rowdy, and the gang members who had also entered were taking up the attention of the watchers.
Soon, Glenda flew back down and reentered Wu Heng's body.
At the same time, the image of the upstairs room appeared in his mind.
On either side of a rectangular table sat two different groups.
One side was clearly a local gang, their clothes ragged, but their bare arms and wrists were marked with matching gang tattoos.
On the other side were several middle-aged men in silver armor, looking like they weren't to be trifled with either.
The leader of the armored men had a gruesome scar running horizontally across his face, like a centipede crawling over his skin.
Before leaving, Wu Heng had compared the guild's wanted posters.
The scarred man in his vision closely resembled a wanted criminal with a 3rd-class merit bounty.
From Glenda's perspective, it was as if she was seated at the side of the table, like a referee watching the negotiations.
"The price is already 20% below market. If this batch wasn't so hot, do you think you'd be getting such a deal?" The scarred man said grimly.
The gang leader sneered, "That may be true, but you're asking for cash upfront. No gang can pull together that much money at once. Unless it's the consortium or one of the big merchant groups, but would they do business with you?"
"You don't want the goods?" the scarred man asked.
"Give me the goods today, and I'll sell them within three days. We'll split the profits. Everyone makes money." The gang leader replied.
The room instantly fell silent.
The scarred man's group seemed taken aback by the gang leader's audacious offer.
He wasn't even willing to pay a single coin and was proposing they split the goods 50/50.
The scarred men had risked their lives to seize the goods, but now the gang wanted to act like bigger bandits.
After a moment of realization.
Bang—the scarred man slammed his fist on the table.
Drinks splashed everywhere.
Both sides immediately became tense, though no one drew their weapons.
But hands hovered over sword hilts.
"What's the problem? Not happy?" The gang leader asked fearlessly.
"It seems you have no sincerity. Get out, we're done here." The scarred man ordered.
The gang leader raised an eyebrow and replied, "Not happy? We can talk it over…"
At that point.
The view shifted.
Glenda phased through the wall and flew back.
"Captain, what are we waiting for?" Duke asked quietly, looking around nervously.
Wu Heng focused again and replied in a low voice, "The third-floor room. I'm certain the target is a 3rd-class wanted criminal."
"Another 3rd-class?" Duke sighed.
3rd-class wanted criminals were typically Level 10 or higher and had committed serious crimes.
Although they had caught a 3rd-class criminal before, it was always dangerous.
"Yeah, unless he has a twin, it's him." Wu Heng answered.
Marta asked, "Captain, how many people are there?"
"Four inside the room. The ones outside are likely part of their group too." Wu Heng replied.
"When do we act, Captain?"
"Wait a bit longer. Let the gang members leave first."
The two nodded and continued eating.
Not long after, a group of people descended the stairs.
Wu Heng glanced over. It was the gang members who had been negotiating in the room earlier.
They seemed frustrated, muttering to themselves as they left.
The scarred man's group didn't see them off.
Once the gang had left.
Wu Heng signaled to the others with a glance.
The two understood, just about to stand up and rush upstairs.
Suddenly…
Crash!
From another corner, five people suddenly sprang into action. Three ran up the stairs, while two jumped over the railing to the second floor.
They rushed toward the scarred man's room.
"It's Squad 5!" Duke immediately recognized them.
Wu Heng and the others sat back down.
Their plan had hit a snag.
They weren't the only ones targeting these criminals—another guild squad had also been after them.
It seemed word had spread about the deal going down here.
"What now?" Marta asked.
"Let's see how it plays out," Wu Heng replied.
Squad 5 had clearly been here first, and as soon as Wu Heng's group stood, they had made their move.
They were obviously afraid of losing the credit for the capture.
Clang, bang!
The sounds of intense fighting erupted upstairs.
"They jumped out the window! After them!"
"Don't let them get away!"
Shouts echoed through the building.
Two guild members dashed past, chasing after the fleeing criminals.
Wu Heng stood up and led his group upstairs.
The table was overturned, and the window was wide open.
The criminals had clearly fled.
"They escaped. Blackfeather saw them running through the alley, but they disappeared into the crowd." Marta reported.
Blackfeather was Marta's trained beast.
It had been stationed outside, sharing its vision with her.
"If it weren't for Squad 5, that criminal would've been ours." Duke grumbled.
Wu Heng glanced down the second-floor hallway and said, "It's not our concern. Let's go eat."
After sitting downstairs for a while longer.
They left the tavern.
Outside, in a secluded spot, Wu Heng gave some brief instructions.
Then they disguised themselves and headed back to the Black Antler Tavern.
......
At the bar.
Wu Heng, now in disguise, used the illusion veil to transform into a brunette, dark-skinned, broad-shouldered female mercenary.
Next to him were Barson and Bagdong, also disguised and wearing full-plate helmets.
After waiting a bit, a small man with a limp walked over.
He sat down beside them, curiously studying the unfamiliar female mercenary before him. After a moment, he asked, "Which mercenary group are you from? Haven't seen you around before."
"Do I need a background to trade with you?" Wu Heng looked up.
"Haha, no, of course not." The limping man chuckled. "We do have some goods to move. We just need silver coins in hand."
Though the man couldn't see through the disguise, he seemed to sense something off.
His eyes darted around, scanning the tavern.
But finding nothing suspicious, he continued the conversation.
Wu Heng took a sip of his drink and said, "Money isn't a problem. I can give you silver coins, but I need to see the goods first. If I'm not satisfied, there's no need to continue."