Thud!
With just one encounter, Su Mo had the white man flat on the ground, his head ringing from the impact.
The man, refusing to accept defeat, tried to fight back, only to find Su Mo’s strikes growing heavier each time.
The white man immediately realized this young woman was not someone to mess with; she might even kill him. So, wiping the blood from his nose and holding his swollen cheek, he slurred out a vague threat: “Let’s call it a day. Don’t let me see you again, or you’ll be sorry.”
Having said that, he turned tail and ran without looking back.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Crisp applause sounded. Su Mo turned his head to see a young, boyish-looking white guy, probably even younger than himself.
“Brilliant, truly brilliant! For a young lady to possess such skill and strength… why not join my White Falcon group? You’d get the latest intel firsthand.”
“Are you the leader of White Falcon?” Su Mo asked, curiously examining the youthful face before him.
“Correct,” the young man replied with a smile.
Su Mo simply said “Oh,” showing no great surprise, and got straight to the point: “How do you sell your information here?”
The young man seemed a bit dissatisfied with his reaction, but more than that, he was curious. “Aren’t you surprised?”
“Surprised about what?”
“Surprised that someone as young as me has the capability to be the leader of White Falcon.”
Su Mo said matter-of-factly, “Heroes often emerge from the young. Being accomplished at a young age seems pretty normal.”
He didn’t voice the second part of his thought: ‘It’s not like I haven’t met people your age who are way more impressive than you. Nothing to gasp about.’
But since he needed a favor, he kept that to himself.
The young man seemed quite taken with the phrase “Heroes often emerge from the young” and pressed further, “You speak so well, you must be from Xia Country, right? It feels like people from your region are always so eloquent.”
Su Mo found this amusing.
Eloquent?
Well, they had their ancestors to thank for leaving behind such a rich trove of brilliant sayings and proverbs.
He modestly replied, “I think so too.”
The young man admired Su Mo. Even though he hadn’t managed to recruit him into the organization, he was still willing to help. “You’re strong. I’d like to be your friend. Consider this information free of charge.”
“Thanks,” Su Mo said without any false modesty.
“By the way, my name is Decarte. I don’t know yours yet?”
Su Mo thought for a moment. “My name is Schröding’er.”
“Schröding’er…” Decarte pinched his chin, lost in thought. “That’s a really nice name.”
He turned and walked towards the back door of the casino. Su Mo, seeing this, followed him.
Past the back door, two more doors immediately appeared, each bearing an English name translated as: ‘Assassin Department’ and ‘Reconnaissance Department’.
Decarte pushed open the Reconnaissance Department door, making an inviting gesture. Su Mo followed without hesitation.
“You’re actually willing to trust me?” Decarte was surprised. “Aren’t you afraid there might be danger hidden behind the door?”
Su Mo’s expression remained calm. “I only trust my fists and the organization backing me.”
Decarte glanced at his face, finding this young lady captivating—not so much her looks, but the natural aura she exuded.
Inside the door was a small room, somewhat like a school teachers’ office. Everyone had their own computer, and some were snacking on sunflower seeds, looking utterly relaxed.
“Boss!” Everyone stood up and greeted Decarte upon seeing him.
Decarte smiled with satisfaction and looked at Su Mo beside him. “What do you think?”
Su Mo answered seriously, “Very polite.”
Decarte nearly choked on his own spit. He sighed helplessly, “Alright then, let’s get down to business.”
He addressed a young guy, “This is Schröding’er, a friend of mine. You’re on reception duty, don’t neglect her.”
“Don’t worry, Boss, we’re very polite,” the young guy said, shooting a smug glance at Su Mo.
Su Mo walked over to him, pulled up a nearby stool himself, sat down, and watched the guy work.
“What information are you looking to buy, beautiful?”
“The whereabouts of two middle-aged women. One is Asian, the other white. I saw them arguing on the street earlier.”
Su Mo thought for a moment, then added, “The Asian woman is quite thin, has three moles on her face, her legs turn out slightly…”
He described them in such extreme detail that the other person probably thought he knew them very well.
“Hold on a sec, let me check.”
The guy tapped a couple of keys on his keyboard, and his eyes suddenly lit up. “What a coincidence, we just picked up their trail.”
Su Mo received an address: Old Mai’s Talisman Shop, Area A, Market No. 1.
…
Starfall Island had many superhumans, hence there was a market specifically for their transactions, known as Market No. 1.
Here, magical instruments, secret manuals, medicines, and the like were available in abundance, all with quality guarantees.
When Su Mo arrived, the first thing he felt was the bustle. Almost every shop front was crowded with people, all of whom appeared to be superhumans.
He went to Area A, which was for magical instruments, including various cold weapons, firearms, and auxiliary items. The Old Mai’s Talisman Shop Su Mo was headed to specialized in auxiliary magical instruments.
Since his Bagua Mirror wasn’t with him, he couldn’t change his face again unless he waited three days for the current effect to wear off automatically.
So, Su Mo entered the shop in his current appearance. From a distance, he spotted the two women at the counter discussing something with a staff member, seemingly haggling over the price.
Su Mo stealthily moved closer, listening to their conversation:
“This is a top-quality spatial storage ring! There must be plenty of good stuff inside, and you’re only offering 300,000?”
“Exactly! In my opinion, it should start at least at 500,000.”
The staff member smiled and explained, “This white jade ring does look nice, but it’s been inscribed with an array. It’s incredibly difficult for an ordinary person to open. The price can’t be that high.”
“Nonsense! It’s my stuff, of course I know!” one of the aunts snapped angrily. “What crap about an array? I think you’re just trying to lowball us and making up excuses! I’ve seen plenty of the world, sister; your little tricks won’t fool me.”
The staff member seemed troubled and suggested getting the boss to explain it to them.
Su Mo intercepted the staff member around a corner and handed her a card. “There’s a million on this card. Agree to give them 500,000. Use the other 500,000 to buy the ring for me.”
The staff member swiped the card, confirmed the million was there, and her eyes lit up. “Little sister, what’s your relation to them?”
“They’re elders from my family. They don’t know the real value and made a bet that they absolutely had to sell this ring for 500,000. But it’s not worth that much; I’d say it’s worth 100,000 at most.”
Su Mo sighed helplessly. “But they are elders, after all. We juniors have to indulge them, don’t we? That’s why I didn’t dare let them know I’m here too—worried they’d think I was pulling strings behind the scenes.”
Touched by his “filial piety,” the staff member quickly nodded. “No problem.”
Su Mo stopped her again, handing her a wad of cash, roughly a few hundred dollars. “Thank you, big sister. My family and I appreciate it.”
The woman beamed, thinking to herself how incredibly thoughtful this girl was—not only filial but also very considerate…
Su Mo waited there. By the time the staff member handed the white jade ring to him, the two aunts had already left the shop.
Su Mo pocketed the ring and secretly followed them.
They were probably going to divide the spoils, so the two went to a hotel and booked a room.
Su Mo pretended to be a guest, walked straight in, followed them upstairs, and then waited outside their door.
He waited a moment outside, then knocked on the door, using a standard service tone: “Hello, AA Hotel service.”
The lock clicked. The white aunt opened the door, revealing an impatient face. “Who is it… You—”
In a flash, Su Mo slipped inside. The moment the door closed, he had the white aunt in a chokehold. Despite her strength being close to E-rank, she was no match for Su Mo.
The other woman tried to escape by jumping out the window, but he subdued her with one move as well.
“Ladies, long time no see.”