Chapter 141: The End of Highway 85
Chapter 141: The End of Highway 85
After Gecko accepted the premise that Chen Zhong had indeed volunteered the information, Lu Xin continued:
“This time they came to our Qinggang specifically to steal that painting. However, Chen Zhong didn’t know who exactly commissioned it or who the payment should go to. That was their squad’s rule: absolute trust in Qin Ran. You didn’t pry into what you weren’t supposed to.”
“Besides stealing the painting, it seemed they had two secondary tasks.”
“One, for this mission, they purchased a weapon called the ‘Crying Little Boy’ Ten-Thousand Magnitude Mental Contamination Bomb from an organization. This weapon was apparently still experimental. So, when using it, they also needed to record the bomb’s specific data and deliver it to the organization that sold them the bomb. This counted as fulfilling another commission.”
“However, since Qin Ran was the contact with that organization, Chen Zhong knew nothing about it.”
“…”
“Mental Contamination Bomb?” Gecko pondered the name for a moment. “That was the one we dealt with at the time, right?”
Lu Xin nodded. “Exactly. But we disarmed the bomb before it detonated. So he said that task was considered a failure. According to Qin Ran’s explanation, that bomb would only be considered successful…” he paused briefly here, “…if it was detonated after the Psychic Magnitude had gathered to ten thousand.”
Gecko also understood why Lu Xin emphasized that last part. They both recalled the sheer number of bodies beneath the Southern Wall then.
“Damn bastards!” Gecko swore.
Lu Xin nodded in agreement. “They truly are bastards.”
“These bastards are far more despicable than those marauding Knights Order in the Wilderness…” Gecko cursed again before asking, “And the third task?”
This time, Lu Xin was the one who fell silent. After a while, he shook his head. “I didn’t manage to get it out.”
“Huh?” Gecko looked at Lu Xin with surprise.
Lu Xin explained, “That was the last thing he was supposed to divulge, but he couldn’t hold on anymore by that point.”
As he said this, Lu Xin glanced at Mother and Little Sister in the rearview mirror.
Mother and Little Sister showed no unusual reaction, as if they hadn’t heard about this…
And that confirmed Lu Xin’s suspicion. It would be normal for Mother or Little Sister to have a reaction.
Their lack of reaction actually indicated this wasn’t normal. So…
…Did Little Sister deliberately not ask?
…
…
This was an internal family matter. Lu Xin didn’t elaborate to Gecko.
He continued, “He broke down too quickly. It’s quite a pity. According to his own admission, their squad consisted of three Ability Users and four highly experienced mercenaries. It’s confirmed that the ‘rose’ incident was perpetrated by a squad member named Big Head Ghost. But they had an agreement: they wouldn’t actively probe into each other’s abilities.”
“As for Qin Ran, he only offered one word…”
Lu Xin raised his head slightly here, seeming somewhat puzzled. “Unable to be killed.”
“Unable to die?” Gecko was momentarily stunned upon hearing this.
After a beat, he said, “The research department speculated his ability might be related to regeneration. Could it really be that bizarre?”
Lu Xin didn’t answer.
He too thought of Qin Ran from the Sifang Transportation Company, and the Human-Fruit Tree at the bottom of the lake.
“Are you sure he told the truth?” Gecko frowned. “Didn’t he say he fought Qin Ran before?”
Lu Xin shook his head. “His exact words were: ‘It’s precisely because I fought Qin Ran that I don’t understand his ability. When I fought him, I was defeated before he needed to fully display his power…'”
“…”
Gecko nodded, saying nothing more, but a shadow crossed his face.
Combat between Ability Users was extremely perilous.
Fighting an Ability User with an unknown ability meant you never knew what to expect.
“Fortunately, I did get some other information…” Lu Xin sighed softly, his expression easing slightly.
Hearing this, Gecko turned to him anxiously. Lu Xin smiled.
“I found out Qin Ran’s whereabouts.”
Gecko instantly tensed, his expression turning grave.
“According to Chen Zhong’s confession, the reason Qin Ran split up with him temporarily was because he was worried Chen Zhong might be under surveillance. Therefore, he didn’t tell Chen Zhong where he was going himself, nor did he say where he would meet the client who commissioned the painting retrieval. They simply agreed: if nothing happened to either of them, they would meet up again three months later at a designated Highwall City to the south.”
“……”
“Ah, this…”
Upon hearing this, Gecko couldn’t help but be startled, instinctively easing off the accelerator.
His expression was genuinely troubled at that moment: “So the lead is broken again?”
Although he had anticipated earlier that this pursuit likely wouldn’t be straightforward, it was only now that he realized the Knights Order member was truly more cunning and vigilant than he had imagined, making it this difficult to track.
“Not exactly.”
Lu Xin shook his head, speaking slowly: “After deciding to confess, he became very cooperative. Though Qin Ran hadn’t told him his whereabouts, he strained his memory and recalled one of Qin Ran’s habits. He said this boss would always head to a particular place to hide for a few days whenever he encountered risky business. Only after the situation quieted down would he resume his actions.”
“And since the place they were trading this time is also in the South, it’s highly likely he’ll go hide there again.”
“……”
“This… even works?”
Gecko was briefly dumbfounded, then asked urgently: “Where is it?”
“At the end of Highway 85, not far from the Cigarette Market. He said it’s called…”
Pondering for a moment, Lu Xin said: “Happy Town?”
……
“SCREECH!”
Suddenly, the Off-road Vehicle emitted a piercing screech from its brakes. Lu Xin inside the cabin was jolted fiercely.
Thankfully, Lu Xin was wearing his seatbelt.
He glanced towards Mother in the back seat. He found she was still sitting perfectly straight, completely unaffected. But Little Sister on the roof was flung out with a “whoosh,” now crouching fiercely on the hood, baring her teeth at Gecko.
He looked at Gecko curiously, puzzled by his tension.
“Bro…”
Gecko’s voice trembled slightly: “Are you sure it’s that place?”
Lu Xin nodded, asking: “What’s wrong?”
Gecko seemed to want to say something but swallowed it. He quickly bent down, pulled a map from the glove compartment, spread it over the steering wheel, and traced his finger over its surface until it stopped at one location: “Here?”
Lu Xin looked at the spot he was pointing to and slowly nodded again.
By now, he understood why Gecko’s reaction had been so drastic.
This map didn’t just mark routes—showing which were passable, difficult, dead-ended, or dangerous—it also pinpointed the locations of various Gathering Points. Each was marked with distinct symbols indicating its level of danger.
For instance, Blackwater Town bore the symbols “Market,” “Petroleum,” and a single skull.
This signified that, while traversable, Blackwater Town still held some danger and required caution.
Elsewhere on the map, other locations bore different symbols.
A place marked with two skulls indicated the presence of a notorious, ruthless Knights Order.
Another spot bore three skulls; it was another Gathering Point. They had once ambushed Qinggang City’s transport Convoy, prompting Qinggang’s military to retaliate and slay their leader at the time. Now, under a new leader, they remained locked in perpetual conflict with Qinggang City, responding to any encounter with its people through violent reprisal.
But on the spot Gecko pointed to, a sequence of five skulls was marked, followed by a conspicuous question mark.
The entire area was shaded a deep black, covering a spot roughly the size of a fingernail on the map.
What was the size of a fingernail on the page represented an expanse in Reality almost equivalent to two Satellite Cities.
……
“What does this represent?”
Lu Xin frowned, inquiring of Gecko.
“It represents an area not to be approached. Otherwise, no one who enters comes out.”