Naming Technique of the Night

Chapter 502: 325. The Disappearing Qing Chen_3

For a moment, the image of daylight rose high again in his heart.

However, after Li Changqing dialed the number, the call was not connected.

The woman’s face grew solemn.

…

…

On the 132nd floor of Luo Shen Building, Qing’s Shadow sat beside the dining table, watching Qing Chen’s phone light up: “Who would call in the middle of the night when they’ve got nothing better to do?”

He had no intention of answering the phone, and he didn’t even look to see who was calling.

The room was pitch dark and quiet, save for the sound of the Shadow boiling water for himself.

After an unknown amount of time, Qing Chen gradually woke up, feeling a burning pain in his abdomen, hurting with every movement.

His arms and back had all suffered immense damage from Wang Bingxu’s kick.

Dazed, Qing Chen looked at the three twisted corpses lying on the floor of his living room: “What is this…?”

As Qing’s Shadow poured himself another cup of tea, he said leisurely, “They are the offerings for your Puppeteer’s sacrifice.”

“Ah?” Qing Chen really hadn’t expected the other party to do such a thing, but he was more concerned about another issue: “Why only three?”

Silence suddenly fell in the room.

After a long time, Qing’s Shadow spoke slowly, “I won’t quibble over such a foolish question with you. I’m a sick person. I saved your life and found three offerings for you. You should be saying ‘thank you’ first, not asking where the rest are.”

“I didn’t ask where the rest were,” Qing Chen said earnestly.

Qing’s Shadow tapped the table with his finger and said, “But that’s what you meant.”

Qing Chen asked, “The power outage at Jinmao Tower, that was your doing, right?”

“Correct,” Qing’s Shadow nodded.

“If you hadn’t wasted time cutting the power, you might have arrived earlier and I wouldn’t have been hurt,” Qing Chen said, panting as he sat on the sofa.

“I find that you have quite a few demands for someone who owes his life to me,” Qing’s Shadow sighed. “If I hadn’t cut the power and taken the surveillance tapes, my identity could have been exposed. My identity is one of the Federation’s greatest mysteries, puzzling tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people. Isn’t it more interesting to keep them puzzled rather than reveal the answer just to save a minor character like you?”

“Why save me?” Qing Chen asked.

“No reason. Keeping you alive just makes the Shadow conflict more interesting,” Qing’s Shadow said. “However, you’d better speak to me more politely next time. Do you know my life isn’t going to last much longer? Every time I take action, it shortens my lifespan. It’s like I’m trading my life for yours.”

“Thank you,” Qing Chen said sincerely.

No matter what, regardless of whatever the other party intended to use him for, the grace of being saved was real.

As he spoke, Qing Chen flicked his wrist, prompting the Puppeteer to sacrifice all three corpses in the living room.

Although both were accustomed to life and death, having corpses in the living room was still somewhat unsightly.

In a flash, all three corpses turned to ash. With just this battle, the Puppeteer’s second string had fully formed, reaching a length of 50 meters!

Not only that, but even the third string had grown more than twenty meters long.

If not for the fact that this string was much finer than a hair, Qing Chen’s wrist would hardly have been able to wrap it all.

“I may not have given you any Taboo items, but these offerings are a bit of advance benefit for you. Don’t say I didn’t give you anything,” Qing’s Shadow said.

Qing Chen thought that this Qing’s Shadow was quite the businessman, profiting immensely from such a costless deal.

Qing’s Shadow looked at Qing Chen: “About the offer I made earlier for you to join Qing’s Spy Agency, have you given it any thought?”

“Where’s the job based?” Qing Chen asked.

“City 10, that’s where the real political center of the Federation is,” Qing’s Shadow said.

“Is it dangerous?” Qing Chen asked curiously.

“How could being a spy not be dangerous,” Qing’s Shadow said.

“What’s in it for me?” Qing Chen asked.

“Only those who have never held power would ask such a naïve question. Just being permitted to enter the Spy Bureau is a privilege,” Qing’s Shadow sighed.

Qing’s Shadow continued, “Qing’s Spy Agency has professionals in infiltration, assassination, and intelligence, with countless informants. We conduct external enemy investigation, control public opinion, internally monitor all members of Qing’s Family and military officers of the Federal Group’s controlled armies, carry Federal Central Intelligence Bureau credentials, and can even get exemptions from the PCE Security Management Committee for killing someone in the street. Isn’t that enough power and benefit for you?”

“I’ll think about it some more…” Qing Chen said.

He always felt there was more to it than met the eye. If he agreed, the other party might have a series of plans waiting for him.

Once involved, he feared he’d be caught in the vortex of power and unable to extricate himself.

“Up to you,” Qing’s Shadow said in an indifferent tone. “You had the chance to kill Qing Wen and Qing Zhong tonight, why spare them? You’re so fond of Taboo items, you should know that together, those two have three Taboo items. Qing Wen originally had one, Qing Yi gave him another, and Qing Zhong also had one. Wasn’t such a big temptation enough to sway you?”

“Murder can wait, but saving lives cannot. If not done timely, there’ll be no chance later,” Qing Chen said.

“A woman’s mercy,” Qing’s Shadow casually remarked.

“It’s not a woman’s mercy. If I don’t save a friend in danger, what use is there for so much power,” Qing Chen retorted.

In fact, the benefits Qing Chen had forfeited that night were enormous.

Not just the one life for one secret promised by Qing’s Shadow, but also the three Taboo items those two had on them.

“Did you arrange the fight between Qing Wen and Qing Zhong tonight?” Qing Chen asked.

“Of course not. Why would I devise such a low-grade trick,” Qing’s Shadow said. “Every Shadow conflict has these candidates who seem popular but are not very clever, or look formidable but are actually impulsive and brainless. It’s quite normal.”

…

A 5,000-word chapter, another one coming at 11 pm.