Hello, Welcome to Merit Supermarket (SUPERMARKET)
On the shaded side of the mountain, nearly a hundred police officers from Chashan City were desperately blocking the retreat route of the criminals.
During the negotiations, Boss Liu had brought seven henchmen with him.
Though few in number, their firepower was nothing to scoff at. The high-lethality firearms they wielded made it difficult for the police to close in quickly.
However, while the police couldn't advance further, the criminals were also struggling to retreat. After all, no one had expected to be surrounded by over a hundred officers.
Boss Liu's face was grim.
Why had these hundred officers shown up? Had those two Celestial Masters leaked their deal?
But if the deal was leaked, wouldn't they be doomed as well?
A Gatling gun held back many of the police officers. Boss Liu tightly gripped He Ning, and soon only two of his men remained. The other five had died while covering his escape and was overwhelmed by the police.
Boss Liu was seething with rage. If it weren't for the Gatling gun in his hands, he would have already been captured by the police.
"What the hell is going on!" he asked through gritted teeth and seething with anger but not daring to vent it at He Ning.
He Ning was also furious.
He had thought his father would be able to get him out of this mess, but instead, the police had set a trap for him.
"Now we can only hope my dad leaves quickly, so we still have a chance to get out alive!" His chest heaved violently.
With the cover of their subordinates, they quickly darted into the woods, but even there, they were pursued by the police.
"Damn it! How many cops are there!"
Why were there police everywhere!
Seeing the police appearing intermittently around them, He Ning suddenly thought of someone unrelated to the police station—the young man with light-colored pupils.
The exposure of the mole was related to him, so could the police's current operation also be connected to him?
He Ning's intuition came out of nowhere, but ever since he saw that young man, he had felt a vague unease.
He and Boss Liu had finally managed to get on a boat by leaving their subordinates on the shore to deal with the pursuers.
But when they drifted downstream and returned to their original spot, all they saw were three cars, with no one inside.
Boss Liu's face turned pale: "Where's the boss? Why is the boss gone?"
He looked around and didn't see any signs of a struggle nearby, which meant the boss and the others hadn't left the car because of a police attack.
But if that was the case, why had the boss left?
He Ning's unease grew stronger.
Ignoring Boss Liu's muttering about his father, he climbed into the car and wanted to drive away himself.
However, after starting the car, he realized why his father had abandoned it.
"The tires are flat!"
He slammed the steering wheel in anger.
Hearing his roar, Boss Liu immediately knelt down to inspect the tires.
All four tires on each car had been punctured.
The most critical thing was that while inspecting the wheels, he noticed two sets of footprints under a tree not far away.
He glanced at the tree and the direction of the vehicle, and a sense of fear gradually spread through him.
Two people had been standing there for a long time.
Perhaps they had arrived before the group, or maybe after he had left… but without anyone noticing, two people had already been watching them.
The cut on the wheel was likely their doing.
But…
"This doesn’t make sense. If someone had sabotaged the wheel, Boss and the others would have noticed!"
Besides, there was some distance between the tree and the vehicle. As soon as someone emerged, Boss would have seen them.
"Not necessarily…" He Ning suddenly spoke up.
The young man’s deep eyes were unusually cold: "A Celestial Master could do it, couldn’t they?"
Boss Liu was stunned for a moment, then let out a curse.
"No wonder only one Celestial Master came with you. He even said his uncle stayed behind to deal with the police. So, those two… no, those three really did betray us!"
Those people, despite knowing they would also be investigated by the police, still chose to drag them down!
Boss Liu was seething with anger.
He had specifically inquired about who in the association valued money the most. Before the meeting, he had gathered a lot of dirt on those two and intended to use it to squeeze every last bit of usefulness out of them once the job was done.
He never expected them to flip the entire table!
He Ning slowly exhaled while remaining calmer than Boss Liu.
"Stop shouting. We need to leave quickly. Even without the car, Dad and the others should have left along the road we came from."
If they stayed here any longer, what if the police caught up?
Hearing this, Boss Liu immediately stood up and led He Ning away along the axle.
However, halfway through their escape, a deafening explosion suddenly erupted that shook the entire mountain violently.
At that moment, Director Zhou and his team were searching the mountain and were nearly knocked off their feet by the sudden tremor.
Soon after, they saw a plume of black smoke rising from a certain spot—clearly the aftermath of an explosion.
"Let’s go! Over there!" With an explosion, there must be something happening.
Director Zhou’s first thought was of Jiang Chenyi and Huo Yunxi, who had gone off on their own.
A group of police officers rushed toward the smoke and soon arrived at the site of the explosion.
They saw that a massive hole had been blasted into the mountain road and a strong smell of gunpowder overwhelmed everyone.
A tall, slender figure stood on the other side of the road while wearing a tight combat uniform. His broad shoulders and narrow waist were faintly visible through the smoke, and he carried a long weapon on his shoulder.
As the smoke cleared, Director Zhou and the others widened their eyes in shock.
Good heavens, he’s carrying a rocket launcher?
The former soldier stood straight with one hand holding the rocket launcher and his gaze as sharp as a wolf king on the hunt that exuded a bloody aura.
On one side of the large pit, several people sat in despair—a half-gray-haired old man, a strikingly beautiful woman, and a seemingly ordinary middle-aged man.
Not only did these three feel hopeless, but He Ning and Boss Liu, who had gone through countless hardships and thinking they had finally escaped, also felt a sense of despair.
They weren’t without weapons, but what weapon could compare to the rocket launcher in that person’s hands?
With just one shot from the opponent, they would be reduced to a pile of charred, brittle bones.
"Sure enough, you were bound to come here. See this big pit? I'm happy? Nah but I’m quite pleased."
The rocket launcher still emitted a strong smell of gunpowder.
Upon catching the familiar scent, Huo Yunxi’s aura became even more chilling.
Director Zhou, upon seeing him, was momentarily dazed.
Why did this figure seem so familiar?
But he quickly pushed the thought aside and issued an order to the police behind him: "Arrest them!"
Thanks to Huo Yunxi intercepting the group’s final escape route, they would have indeed managed to flee otherwise.
Threatened by the rocket launcher, the group had no intention of resisting.
They obediently put on the handcuffs and followed the police away from the scene.
Captured once again, He Ning glared at Huo Yunxi with resentment, then his gaze inadvertently shifted toward someone else. Before the police could notice, he quickly averted his eyes.
No need to panic, they still had a chance to turn the tables.
However, upon returning to the shaded side of the mountain, he immediately spotted a young man leaning against a police car and flipping through some documents.
Hearing the footsteps, the young man looked up with his clear and cold eyes fixed on them.
Seeing this person again, the alarm bells in He Ning’s mind rang furiously.
He watched as the young man leisurely walked up to the old man, and upon hearing the surrounding police officers laughingly say that they had finally caught the big boss of the organization, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
It was this very smile that caused the already blaring alarm bells to explode!
Driven by some inexplicable intuition, He Ning wanted to rush forward and stop the police from speaking further, but the young man’s casual glance froze him in place.
Then he heard the young man say, "This isn’t the boss of the human trafficking organization. The skin on his face is fake. This one here is the real boss."
Jiang Chenyi pulled over the middle-aged man who had been silent all along.
This man’s appearance, according to the information previously provided by the supermarket, was that of the organization leader’s driver.
Although he had been involved with the human trafficking group, he had not committed any evil deeds himself.
This was also a deliberate arrangement by the leader.
"In case they were caught during an operation, he could swap faces with the driver, who would only serve a few years in prison at most."
After a few years, he could continue his evil deeds.
Jiang Chenyi’s face was filled with a malicious smile as he walked up to the man and, in front of everyone, slowly peeled off the fake skin on his face.
The man tried to stop him, but the young man’s strength was too great as he pinned both his arms with just one hand.
"Don’t move, or I’ll cripple your hands."
The young man’s pupils seemed to grow even lighter.
The man could sense that the threat was genuine—this person not only wanted to cripple his hands but likely his entire body as well.
Forced into silence, he could only watch as the other party gradually peeled away his true identity.
Once the fake skin on his face was completely removed, the seemingly honest middle-aged man transformed back into the cunning and deceitful leader of a human trafficking organization.
Jiang Chenyi's move left all the surrounding police officers stunned.
Then came a wave of shock—if it weren't for Jiang Chenyi, after arresting the man, they would have undoubtedly fallen into the leader's plan as intended.
The others also peeled off the fake skin from the face of the man who had been disguised as the leader and revealed the true driver.
But now, the driver certainly wouldn’t be able to serve a few years in prison and walk out as originally planned.
Director Zhou and the others also witnessed this scene.
He quickly brought the other criminals before Jiang Chenyi: "Comrade, could you check if any of the others are also faking it?"
Jiang Chenyi only glanced at them before concluding: "They are all genuine."
Director Zhou immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing the dejected leader, the second-in-command with his head down, and He Ning, who was filled with resentment, he curiously asked, "Why did they want to take He Ning away?"
At first, they thought it was to prevent the mole from falling into the hands of the police, but the Celestial Masters had specifically named only He Ning to indicate that he was special.
They suspected that He Ning was most likely not a mole cultivated specifically for this purpose.
He had replaced his identity since high school, and since the person who had made the deal with the Celestial Masters was the second-in-command of the organization, He Ning was probably the child of one of the organization's higher-ups.
Perhaps even the leader's child.
When questioned, the second-in-command smirked and rolled his eyes at the police officers in front of him: "He's my son."
"False. He's the second son of the former Yuan Guoan, the only child he had with his first love."
He Ning felt a sense of relief upon hearing the second-in-command's words, but he didn’t expect Jiang Chenyi to expose his identity the very next second.
"Shut up!" he roared furiously.
Jiang Chenyi took a moment to appreciate He Ning's breakdown before explaining to Director Zhou and the others: "In order to compete with his elder brother, Yuan Xiao, the organization's third-in-command, he volunteered to become a mole."
The reason his information wasn’t in the Supermarket's data was due to his factional affiliation.
Thinking this, Jiang Chenyi suddenly felt that there might still be some loopholes in the Supermarket's transactions.
Hearing his thoughts, the Supermarket was so furious that if it had a human form, it would probably be stomping its feet: [The mole's data is a separate price!!!]
Jiang Chenyi ignored the Supermarket's roar and continued to watch He Ning.
All along, this man had done quite well, leaking many secrets to his father and helping him consolidate more power.
If it weren’t for the repeated failures of these two operations, which led Director Zhou to suspect a mole, he might not have been uncovered.
"Oh, by the way! The attack on Director Zhou and the others back then was most likely also tipped off by him," Jiang Chenyi said with a smile as he revealed another of He Ning's secrets.
After hearing this, the surrounding police officers were practically ready to tear He Ning apart.
He Ning bared his teeth while glaring at Jiang Chenyi in rage: "Who are you? How do you know all this?"
Time and time, again and again, all his secrets had been laid bare before this man.
Seeing the young man's unusually colored pupils, He Ning instinctively asked, "Are you also a Celestial Master?"
Coincidentally, this remark was overheard by the members of the Celestial Masters Association who had just arrived.
Ignoring the injured White Hair, they focused all their attention on Jiang Chenyi.
In the next second, some of them were nearly blinded by the dazzling Merit radiating from Jiang Chenyi.
Before they arrived, they had assumed it was some minor Celestial Master looking for trouble, but they never expected the person to possess Merit comparable to their entire association.
This was no minor Celestial Master! Even their ancestors would have to bow to him!
They immediately abandoned White Hair and cautiously approached Jiang Chenyi.
However, Jiang Chenyi had no intention of engaging with them.
After resolving the issue of the mole, he planned to take a break.
"Here is some data I found at their base. There's content on it that you'll definitely find interesting. Oh, and by the way, the third-in-command, Yuan Xiao, fled with the remaining members." Jiang Chenyi said as he handed over the data, then waved goodbye to everyone.
But it wasn't all bad news.
The large weapons at their base seemed to have been destroyed, and the fleeing members were left with nothing more than small handguns.
If the police pursued them, they wouldn't have to worry about facing the same level of danger as they did today.
After returning, Huo Yunxi handed the small rocket launcher back to Jiang Chenyi.
As he passed by the Celestial Masters, he glanced at them briefly. The dense Merit and the aura of a seasoned warrior emanating from him once again forced the Celestial Masters to close their eyes.
Director Zhou sighed helplessly as he watched Jiang Chenyi act like a hands-off manager.
He had hoped to take advantage of the situation and have Little Jiang deal with these Celestial Masters... but Jiang Chenyi was right, it was time to rest. They could always handle it tomorrow... or the day after!
Seeing the Celestial Masters who had just arrived, Director Zhou snorted inwardly while feeling a bit gleeful: Who knows how Little Jiang will deal with them later!
Jiang Chenyi left with Huo Yunxi.
He retrieved the shrunken rocket launcher from Huo Yunxi and returned it to the Supermarket.
Listening to his conversation with the Supermarket, Huo Yunxi realized that the weapon could actually be rented.
Jiang Chenyi found this perfectly normal: "Otherwise, why would I buy it? What if the police came to my house?"
His main transactions with the Supermarket were for bullets and shells, which were the real consumables.
As for whether the weapons needed maintenance... the Merit Points he paid already included maintenance fees.
"I told you." Jiang Chenyi leaned his head against the car window with his glass-like pupils reflecting the lights outside.
From Huo Yunxi's perspective, his eyes seemed to glow.
Who would have thought that after he finished speaking, Jiang Chenyi revealed an eerie smile.
"Not just that. To obtain the last one, it's not as simple as just needing Merit. It also requires the assistance of Votive Power."
Votive Power, something even harder to obtain than Merit.
Huo Yunxi fell silent for a moment, and just about to ask what this Votive Power was, when he heard Jiang Chenyi say, "We're here. Let's get off."
He suddenly snapped back to reality as he turned to look outside the car, and was instantly captivated by the scene before him.
As a first-tier city, Chashan's nightscape was naturally dazzling.
The city center was filled with towering buildings, several wide streets bustling with people and illuminated by brilliant lights.
On the hundred-meter-tall skyscrapers, various luxury advertisements flashed...
These were all scenes Huo Yunxi had never seen before.
He stood by the street and watched each passerby.
Their faces showed either relaxed smiles or fatigue after work. Although there were occasional complaints and sorrow, there were very few eyes filled with despair or emptiness.
Huo Yunxi's gaze gradually became distant as he recalled some images.
In those images, there was a land shrouded in smoke and gunpowder, the air thick with the smell of explosives. But beneath the choking scent of gunpowder was the stench of blood and decay that carried the aura of death.
He was holding a long spear and facing an endless stream of enemies, while behind him, people were fleeing in tears.
If he stayed here, he would be torn apart by these enemies.
But if he left, the civilians behind him would be torn apart by the enemies.
Without hesitation, he continued to hold his position until he became the last one alive... until a bullet pierced through his chest...
The pain of death quickly engulfed his entire body.
Just as he seemed to be trapped by the memories, a sudden warmth appeared that completely drove away the pain.
"Wake up, Huo Yunxi! If you don't wake up, I'm going to call you Mr. Bell!"
"No..." he whispered tremblingly as his lips barely formed the word.
Jiang Chenyi's eyes twitched.
This guy... even when he's not fully conscious, he still rejects this nickname?
Why so resistant? Mr. Bell sounds so nice! It's not like he's calling you "Snail Boy"!
Jiang Chenyi clicked his tongue but didn't let go as he continued to channel Merit into him for a while.
When Huo Yunxi finally fully regained consciousness, he gasped slightly and said, "Thank you for your trouble."
Jiang Chenyi handed him a tissue: "Wipe it off. Your head is covered in cold sweat. Don't force yourself if you can't remember."
He brought Huo Yunxi here not to help him recover his memories.
The handsome young man leaned against the roadside railing with his eyes as bright as stars and filled with a joy that made one's heart light.
"The Runes on your Bell have been maintained for over eighty years, and the clothes you were wearing when you appeared should be the combat uniforms worn by soldiers during the domestic and foreign wars a hundred years ago."
So, he deduced that Huo Yunxi must have died over a hundred years ago.
During that period, the entire country was at war, and everyone lived in dire straits, with no hope in sight.
"But a hundred years later, the world has changed. The peaceful and harmonious life now must be what you longed for the most."
This was also the main reason he brought Huo Yunxi here.
Sure enough, when Huo Yunxi saw the night scene, he was instantly captivated.
Jiang Chenyi's words softened Huo Yunxi's heart in an instant.
"Thank you." he said because he did not expect Jiang Chenyi to be so considerate.
But the young man was right; this was indeed the scene he had been longing for day and night.
However, his sentimentality lasted only a short while before Jiang Chenyi grabbed his arm and led him into the nearby mall.
"Now that you're done being moved, let's go buy some clothes. Since you've fully taken on a human form, you'll need to live like an ordinary person from now on."
They needed to prepare a set of clothes, daily necessities, and other items for Huo Yunxi.
Jiang Chenyi decided that once they returned, he would expand the supermarket.
Even if he couldn't add a bedroom, if the space was slightly larger, he could at least buy a cot for temporary use.
Of course, the best scenario would be to accumulate enough Merit from transactions during their stay in Chashan City!
Ah, he wondered if Director Zhou needed his help in finding all the trafficked children...
Also, the deal he had promised to that younger sister could now be put on the agenda...
He would also need to intimidate the Celestial Masters who were lingering nearby, or else they might act without restraint in the future, which would be troublesome!
And then there was He Suisui—he wasn't sure if she had found her biological parents yet. If she still had needs, they could arrange a second transaction...
The more Jiang Chenyi thought about it, the more he realized he still had a lot to do.
Yet, when he thought about those people, he couldn't completely set his mind at ease.
The police in Chashan City were decent, and Director Zhou had treated him well.
No one knew if the third-in-command would retaliate against the local police, so it would be better to apprehend him as soon as possible.
'The younger sister is so pitiful, and I had already promised her. The sooner the transaction is completed, the sooner her good days will come.'
'Forget it, I’ll help them finish their tasks first and then rest properly.'
Two hours later, the mall closed.
Jiang Chenyi and Huo Yunxi’s arms were laden with shopping bags, all prepared for Huo Yunxi.
The young man looked at the other’s uneasy face and said with a smile, “Don’t feel like you owe me. We’re going to be busy for a while after this, and you’ll have to help me with the work then.”
Sure enough, after hearing this, Huo Yunxi’s expression relaxed considerably.
However, at that moment, neither of them knew that the “while” Jiang Chenyi mentioned would actually last a full three months.