Chapter 36 - Thirty-Six Freelancers (2)

The victor, surprisingly, was the person lying face down on the ground. Their breathing was very faint, but they were indeed still alive. The one sitting against the wall had suffered massive blood loss from the head and had long been brain-dead. When Chen Qingyu was auditioning earlier, Chen Gu suddenly sensed a special energy fluctuation emanating from a Professional’s battle. So, after Chen Gu finished his business, he dismissed everyone and came to investigate himself. Chen Gu knew it was dangerous. However, aside from his own adult son, he had never encountered any other Professionals. Ultimately, he decided to take the risk and see. With a flick of his feet, Chen Gu’s powerful physique allowed him to drift down like a falling leaf, landing softly in the basement. The surrounding walls were covered with cracks. The abilities of these two individuals were not wide-ranging, but their lethality was astonishing. The woman sitting against the wall wore a fitted professional suit, its fabric clearly expensive. Her hairstyle was disheveled, but her intricate makeup was still discernible. This was a highly successful career woman, likely with a considerable income and high social status. Chen Gu subconsciously performed a character analysis. Chen Gu felt around the body and found several small electronic devices, which he casually pocketed. Then he went to check the other person. After turning her over, Chen Gu was stunned—it was a woman, and someone he knew: Man Suling! This top singer was actually a Professional? No wonder I didn’t see her at Sky Dog Records today. I specifically told the Star Battle Instructor that my grandson greatly admired Man Suling; the Star Battle Instructor was supposed to arrange a meeting for them. The Star Battle Instructor is probably panicking now, searching everywhere for her. No wonder when we last met, Man Suling, a big star, didn’t bring any bodyguards or a driver. She was confident in her own abilities. Besides, as a Professional, having a few ordinary people around would indeed be inconvenient. Man Suling was in bad shape. Something had pierced her stomach, and an area two to three inches around the wound was frozen solid. Should I save her? It wasn’t that Chen Gu lacked compassion; his first thought was of his friend. Having someone like her around the Star Battle Instructor is like a ticking time bomb! If a battle can happen right outside Sky Dog Records today, the Star Battle Instructor could get dragged into it at any moment. Moreover, Professionals are mysterious and unpredictable. I don’t know who was right or wrong in the fight between Man Suling and her opponent. But the next moment, Chen Gu recalled other details: The Star Battle Instructor also doesn’t like having bodyguards... Old Sa told me that the Star Battle Instructor only became a producer and started his own record company twenty years ago. I used to think it was just a small company, but judging by Chen Qingyu’s reaction today, Sky Dog Records is an industry giant. In just twenty years, the Star Battle Instructor built this up from scratch... That guy probably has a few secrets of his own. Chen Gu chuckled, no longer conflicted. He switched to Milna Katerina’s memories, slowly raising his left hand as a soft, warm glow gathered in his palm. Chen Gu pressed down, and the light merged into Man Suling’s wound. The frozen wound quickly thawed, and the damaged body slowly began to self-repair. This was Milna Katerina’s "Atomic Life" ability, a healing power that disregarded the type of injury or symptom. One application of the skill, and if it could heal, it would; if not... one could only rely on faith. Nearly all of the Nuclear Explosion Nun’s abilities were this direct and brutal. Chen Gu shivered and hurriedly pushed Milna Katerina’s memories back. He was already mentally critiquing Man Suling’s makeup, and he feared that in another moment, he wouldn’t be able to resist giving the unconscious Man Suling a touch-up. Between women, differing aesthetics are practically warfare. After patching Man Suling’s wounds, Chen Gu felt a wave of exhaustion. Since Man Suling was stable, Chen Gu dared not delay. He swiftly exited the basement and returned to Sky Dog Records, meticulously covering his tracks. With the skills of the Star Battle Instructor persona, Chen Gu would leave no slip-ups when it came to concealing his tracks. Back at the record company, Chen Gu casually inquired and was told, "President Gao had some urgent business and rushed off just a moment ago." Chen Gu nodded. He’s definitely gone to find Man Suling, he thought. The bodyguards were still waiting outside. Chen Gu got into the car, instructed, "Let’s go home," and sprawled across the back seat, not wanting to move at all. Having undergone two memory possessions in a row and used the "Atomic Life" skill, he felt completely drained, thoroughly spent. Upon returning to his apartment, Chen Gu devoured a highly nutritious synthetic meal. Moments later, he had regained his vigor, instantly feeling so energized he believed he could go another three hundred rounds! Then, Chen Gu drew the curtains and pulled out the few electronic devices from his pocket. One was an electronic access card, seemingly the "key" to some top-secret location; another was a private account. In this era, accounts were directly bound to one’s genetic code, with no need for additional carriers like chips. This account, however, appeared to be special, likely a secret account for Professionals. Uncertain of the amount it held, Chen Gu didn’t dare to check for fear of being tracked. The original body was a hacker, so Chen Gu had checked these electronic devices before bringing them back; they had no tracking or localization modules. However, accessing the account could lead to network tracking. There was one more item, its purpose unclear even to Chen Gu. It was finger-length, as thick as an AA battery, with a smooth surface engraved with six distinct symbols. The material resembled transparent mica but also had the texture of jade. As Chen Gu examined it, the object suddenly rotated, and one of the symbols—a flying skull—projected a circle of light. Chen Gu’s heart skipped a beat. Not good! I’ve been careful, yet it seems I’m still being tracked! Clearly, my understanding of the Professionals’ world is still insufficient! Within the circle of light, pitch-black text appeared: "I look up at the starry sky from the nineteenth layer of hell." Below the text, there was even an accompanying illustration! A dense array of vertical lines of varying lengths depicted darkness, with a blurry figure kneeling helplessly in the center, long hair veiling its face. Chen Gu was puzzled. What does this mean? He clutched the short, thick cylinder tightly and quickly moved to the window, peeking outside. He was ready to throw it far away at the first sign of trouble, at least to buy some time. However, after flickering once, the circle of light vanished. Outside, all was quiet; nothing had happened. Chen Gu looked down at it. What’s going on? He felt that the flying skull symbol on the short, thick cylinder seemed slightly more animated. He couldn’t resist touching it with his finger. Immediately, rings of light danced out, apparently arranged in some order, with the phrase "I look up at the starry sky from the nineteenth layer of hell" at the very top. There were dozens more rings of light, all containing cryptic, angsty phrases like, "The dark moon casts no light; who stands alone for me? Tonight’s wind is so loud," and "Never defeated, never understood; lonely yet brave, leaving only emptiness behind." As Chen Gu was examining them, he suddenly noticed a peculiar footprint appearing in the topmost ring of light. That bare footprint even had its big toe cocked up, as if gesturing a thumbs-up with its foot. And the symbol before it was the "steam locomotive" from the surface of the short, thick cylinder.