The First Order

Before Ren Xiaosu’s appearance, Su Lei thought he was definitely going to die today. After all, several gangs of bandits had teamed up in an attempt to kill him.

But for some reason, while they were in the yard, they heard a lot of screams coming from outside. By the time they stepped out, all of those bandits were dead.

Su Lei asked cautiously, “You two are…”

Ren Xiaosu inspected Su Lei with a smile. “Do you know that there’s even a supernatural being in your town?”

To be honest, Ren Xiaosu was also quite surprised. He really had not expected there would be a supernatural being in a town full of bandits. Su Lei was stunned to hear this. “Supernatural being? Who’s the supernatural being? Where is he?”

Ren Xiaosu answered, “Oh, don’t worry. He’s dead.”

Su Lei was speechless. The supernatural being died just like that? Why did it sound so easy for this young man to kill a supernatural being?

Ren Xiaosu looked at Su Lei and asked, “What kind of deal did you make with the nomads?”

“They wanted us to bring ironware, medicine, vegetables, tea, and salt from the South to trade with them for the fur hides of their prey.” Su Lei explained carefully, “We didn’t sell any prohibited goods, you—”

“Oh, you don’t have to explain it to me. I don’t care about that.” Ren Xiaosu said, “I heard that you were going to Fortress 178 to make some deals?”

“That’s right.” Su Lei hurriedly replied, “I’m going to sell these fur hides in our possession before buying some new supplies to deliver it to the North.”

Su Lei did not lie. He was not only ruthless but also a smart person. Since the young man before him could kill all the bandits, he was definitely capable of killing him as well.

The only way he could probably keep his life was to be honest when facing someone who could decide his fate.

Ren Xiaosu looked at Su Lei and thought for a moment before saying, “You can take the goods to Stronghold 144 and look for a Fortress 178 commander named Zhang Xiaoman. Just tell him that his comrade from the Razor Sharp Company recommended you go there and someone will take care of you. Currently, Fortress 178 needs people like you who can run a business on the trade route. Rest assured and boldly do business. Don’t be a bandit anymore.”

“Really?” Su Lei was pleasantly surprised. It was clear the young man in front of him was on very good terms with Fortress 178. If he could build a relationship with Fortress 178 through Ren Xiaosu’s recommendation, wouldn’t his business be even more secure?

Moreover, he knew full well the nomads required weapons. That young lord from the steppe also wanted weapons, but he knew Su Lei was still unable to get his hands on any for now.

If he really could make good on the business relationship with Fortress 178 in the future, wouldn’t he be able to expand his business and start selling weapons to the nomads?

That would be a chance to make a lot of money!

Ren Xiaosu suddenly wondered, “How did you link up with the nomads from the Northern Plains? Why do they want to do business with the Southerners?”

Su Lei said honestly, “One day, a nomad riding an extremely well-built horse suddenly came to our village. Then he announced to everyone that whoever wanted to get rich should head to the Shenmu River several hundred kilometers away from here in a month’s time with a supply of ironware, medicine, vegetables, and other items.”

Ren Xiaosu was curious. “So you took the items there? Why didn’t the others in town go as well?”

“They didn’t wanna travel that far. Besides, they were worried that nomad was lying to them,” Su Lei replied. “If they weren’t lazy and hated working, these people would not have ended up becoming bandits either. So it was only to be expected that no one else went.”

“Then why did you go?” Ren Xiaosu said.

“Because I didn’t want to be cooped up here for the rest of my life. I heard that the Northwestern trade route has been reopened. Be it Fortress 178 or the Wang Consortium, everyone is welcome to do business with them. I think it’s better to strike out and do business than to live like a coward here forever,” Su Lei explained. “As a true man—”

“Hold it right there, don’t be so pompous with me,” Ren Xiaosu interrupted and snapped at him, “Are you doing business with the nomads from a large tribe? Tell me your impression of them.”

Su Lei hurriedly said, “The leader of the other party is a mysterious young man. They weren’t even holding any guns, but they gave off a calm and composed demeanor. It was like they weren’t afraid that we would stir up any trouble for them. It was as though he had the look of a lord in the steppe. The things that they requested were very strange…”

But at this moment, a message tone sounded in Yang Xiaojin’s pocket. She took out her cell phone and read it. Ren Xiaosu realized Yang Xiaojin’s cell phone was very similar to the ones the A-rank hitmen from the Anjing House carried. However, it seemed like her phone had more functions.

Ren Xiaosu figured out something. Some time ago, he had been wondering why the Anjing House, an assassination organization, would have a communications network that used cell phones as a tool.

Ignoring everything else, the Anjing House would at least need a satellite to be able to use the cell phones, right?

Therefore, now that he thought about it, the Anjing House and the Wang Consortium must have already been working together back then. The reason the Anjing House could use cell phones as a form of communication for their hitmen was because they were also relying on that satellite the Wang Consortium originally controlled.

Thinking of this, Ren Xiaosu also took out two cell phones, which were C- and B-ranked respectively, from his storage space.

Ren Xiaosu was surprised to find that the moment he took out the cell phones, they received a text on both at the same time: “We suspect the Pyro Company has captured an Experimental target in the Northern Plains. They are now on their way back to the Pyro Company’s research base. All Anjing House hitmen may proceed to intercept and kill the Pyro Company targets. The mission reward…”

Upon seeing this, Ren Xiaosu looked at Su Lei first and said, “Take the goods to Stronghold 144 and do as I said. There will be people from Fortress 178 looking after you when you get there. Don’t mention selling medicine and ironware. You can sell even more things to the Northern Plains in time.”

Su Lei nodded in surprise. “Alright, thank you very much!”

After saying that, Su Lei led his men out of town. He knew Ren Xiaosu probably had something important to attend to, so he did not have time to waste with Su Lei anymore.

After Ren Xiaosu chased Su Lei and the others away, a man who was with Su Lei passed by Ren Xiaosu and whispered when the others were not paying attention, “My greetings, future commander.”

Ren Xiaosu did not know whether to laugh or cry. That fucking Wang Fengyuan was so impressive. He even had a spy in a place like this?

However, he did not say much and just waited for Su Lei and the others to leave. After that, he turned his head to Yang Xiaojin and asked, “Did you receive this text as well?”

Yang Xiaojin nodded. “This is also a dedicated cell phone used by the members of the Anjing House, and the text I received mentioned something about the Pyro Company too. However, it contains more information. It says here that someone from the Anjing House suspects the captured target is likely to be the No. 001 Experimental the Experimentals were looking for! Otherwise, the Pyro Company would have no reason to mobilize so many of their troops. Y’know, the Pyro Company did not even show up when something happened at Luoyang City. It’s extremely rare to see them sending so many people to the Northern Plains in recent years.”

When Yang Xiaojin realized Ren Xiaosu had frozen, she asked, “What’s with you?”

When Ren Xiaosu heard the mention of No. 001 Experimental, he got lost in thought.

…

There was a time in Stronghold 74 when Ren Xiaosu wondered if Yan Liuyuan was the legendary No. 001 Experimental. After all, no one knew where exactly Yan Liuyuan had popped out of. Moreover, the problem was that the date and location of Yan Liuyuan’s appearance coincided with the time the Experimentals escaped from the research laboratory.

Although the details were not an absolute match, the Experimentals probably had no concept of time since they were kept locked up in a dark place. Who the hell would know the specific time and date the No. 001 Experimental escaped from there?

Of course, Ren Xiaosu had also thought of the question before. Could he be the No. 001 Experimental instead?

After all, he also lost a lot of his memories, and no one in town knew where he came from.

But now, since the Anjing House was saying the Pyro Company had captured the No. 001 Experimental, it meant it was definitely not him. After all, wasn’t he standing here all well and fine?

Yang Xiaojin looked at Ren Xiaosu. “Why are you frowning?”

“I suspect that the person captured by the Pyro Company is Yan Liuyuan.” Ren Xiaosu said, “If it really is Liuyuan, I’m afraid that things will get very troublesome.”

“Liuyuan?” Yang Xiaojin was stunned. “Are you sure? This person was captured in the steppe. What would Liuyuan be doing in the steppe?”

“I don’t know where Liuyuan is right now, but the Pyro Company’s Lab 39 was located next to the town where we used to live. You’re also aware of this since we went to the Jing Mountains together at that time.” Ren Xiaosu explained, “A few years ago, I suddenly discovered Liuyuan lying in the snow. He couldn’t remember where exactly he came from or what he had experienced in the past. His memory was wiped.”

“But it still doesn’t prove he’s the No. 001 Experimental.” Yang Xiaojin said, “However, your worries are well-founded. The closest stronghold in the vicinity of Stronghold 113 is more than 200 kilometers away. It’s impossible that a child like him could walk more than 200 kilometers on a snowy day and just appear outside the town. And the Pyro Company’s research lab in the Jing Mountains is actually closer.”

“Yes, this is the reason why I’m worried. Although Yan Liuyuan does not have a strong physique like the Experimentals claimed, he was indeed different from others since childhood.” Ren Xiaosu said, “Also, all supernatural beings tend to improve and strengthen their physiques. Other than Liuyuan, I haven’t seen any exceptions.”

After that, Ren Xiaosu saw Yang Xiaojin turn around and make her way out of town. He said in surprise, “Where are you going?”

“To save Liuyuan, of course,” Yang Xiaojin answered matter-of-factly. “The Pyro Company will only take six days to get back to their research base, so we have to intercept them.”

Ren Xiaosu was surprised by Yang Xiaojin’s decisiveness. He still could not confirm whether the Pyro Company had really captured Yan Liuyuan.

However, he would definitely have to make this trip. Whether it was Yan Liuyuan or not, he needed to verify it personally.

“Do you want to contact the Saboteurs?” Ren Xiaosu asked, “Um… this will be the first time I meet your aunt. Do I need to bring some gifts? Does your aunt have anyone that she hates? Maybe I could kill them for her or something?”

Ren Xiaosu thought that since this was the first time he would be meeting Yang Xiaojin’s only kin, he would definitely have to bring a valuable gift. What else could be more valuable than a life?

However, Yang Xiaojin shook her head. “I won’t be contacting them. The two of us are enough.”

Actually, Yang Xiaojin had not thought of how to face Yang Anjing yet. So it would be better if they did not meet for now.