Chapter 1490 Angler
Ai Lei immediately averted her gaze.
She took a big step back.
Based on the details that she had just observed, she quickly pieced together a sketch of the little man in her mind.
He should be a monster hunter who lived in the wilderness all year round.
He could sleep peacefully in the poisonous swamp that was filled with snakes, insects, rats, and ants, as though it was a Simmons mattress.
He had once peeled off the skins and sh.e.l.ls of countless monsters, and he had almost been cut into pieces by the monsters countless times.
His long hunting career had allowed him to hone his superb killing skills.
It had also made him incompatible with normal society, and he did not know how to adapt to the calm after victory.
Since he had been seriously injured in the fierce battle, his hands, spine, and even central nervous system had been affected to a certain extent, hence his fighting strength had been greatly reduced.
In addition to the personality he had developed, he had fallen into quite an embarra.s.sing state lately.
Fortunately, back when he was hunting monsters, he had once obtained some natural treasures in the depths of the wilderness.
These treasures were most likely from unknown sources.
Not only were they stained with the blood of monsters, but they might also be stained with strong human blood.
Therefore, now that he was desperate, the small hunter took his treasures and came to the Monster Market to try his luck.
As expected, Ai Lei saw a bulging backpack behind the small hunter.
The backpack was wrapped up in very tough monster tendons like a dumpling.
The small hunter was still worried. His left hand remained intact, and he wrapped the monster tendons around his backpack repeatedly.
Unless his entire left arm was cut off, his backpack would never leave his side.
Ai Lei had seen many people like that.
She knew that they were ruthless individuals who would kill without batting an eyelid.
Aside from cutting the throats of countless monsters, they probably owed several people their lives.
In addition, most ruthless people like him suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and they were especially volatile. Just a small trigger might make them lose control. Although the secret police were right beside them, itwas still better to stay away from such a desperate person.
With that thought in mind, Ai Lei did not dare to look at the small hunter anymore.
She lowered her head and was about to turn around the other corner of the hall.
However, the small hunter walked straight toward her.
“Wait for me here and pay attention so that you can gather more information. I’m going to handle a couple of small matters. We’ll keep in contact at all times. If we lose contact, we’ll meet at a few contact points according to the agreed time.”
Meng Chao’s voice rang in Ai Lei’s ear.
Ai Lei widened her eyes and looked left and right, but she did not find Meng Chao.
She kept turning around for a long time before her gaze of disbelief finally fell on the small hunter.
The two of them looked at each other. The small hunter, who seemed to be filled with hostility and had the words “ruthless” written on his forehead, blinked at Ai Lei.
“S-Senior!”
Ai Lei was dumbfounded.
She blinked so quickly that she almost burst into tears. After observing him for a long time, she could not tell that the short hunter in front of her had anything to do with the senior who had descended from the sky.
There was a huge difference in the size of their skeletons, the texture of their skin, and the formation of their muscles.
Their eyes, temperament, and gait were completely different.
Also, the scars on the short hunter’s body, which looked like blood-colored centipedes, as well as the healing marks of scabies on his face and body, were too detailed and lifelike!
Most importantly, Meng Chao had left Ai Lei’s sight for three to five minutes at most.
How could he have changed his appearance to such an extent in such a short period of time?!
Ai Lei was shocked.
Through her eyes, Meng Chao confirmed that his hasty disguise was enough to fool others.
He smiled slightly and quickly reverted to the face that was filled with anxiety and ruthlessness. He would convulse and gnash his teeth from time to time.
Tightening the backpack rope made of monster tendons in his hands, he squeezed into the restless crowd.
The emotions of the mid-level and low-level superhumans were boiling to the extreme from the mutual trigger.
Everyone pushed and swayed in the surging crowd, eventually becoming one.
They started to shove each other around with even greater strength.
Meng Chao pretended to be part of the crowd, and he was forced to follow the flow.
However, with the exquisite control of his muscle fibers, he kept approaching the veteran Reaper, whom he had been eyeing for a long time.
The veteran Reaper also played the role of an “ordinary consumer” in the crowd.
Though his eyes darted about, he scanned the crowd from time to time, choosing the right customer or “prey.”
However, because the scene was too chaotic, Meng Chao had deliberately shrunk his skeleton, so the senior Reaper did not become aware of his existence and intention.
Soon, Meng Chao forced his way to the veteran Reaper’s side.
At that moment, it seemed like someone around was too excited, and powerful, sharp spirit energy inadvertently leaked out.
His backpack, which had been used for more than ten years, had also exceeded its limit due to excessive wear and tear.
In short, Meng Chao’s backpack suddenly broke, and four small beads wrapped in mud sh.e.l.ls fell out.
At first glance, the four beads that were slightly bigger than the pebbles looked like four century eggs.
However, one of them crashed heavily on the ground before someone stepped on it. The mud sh.e.l.l broke as it was crushed, and an extremely dazzling brilliance emanated from the crack. It was also accompanied by a strange fragrance.
The scene was too chaotic.
Most of the people were shouting angrily with flushed faces.
Most of them cast their burning gazes at the secret police and Supernatural Tower staff.
Most of them did not notice the insignificant interlude beneath their feet.
Even if they smelled the faint fragrance, it was impossible to differentiate it from the sour smell of sweat on so many of the angry men.
However, the veteran Reaper, who had been watching and listening the entire time, seemed to react reflexively. His eyebrows perked up, and lightning burst out of his eyes.
Following the scent, he quickly locked onto the “century eggs” that were rolling on the ground.
When he saw that the crack on one “century egg” was emitting a brilliance akin to a babbling stream, he could not hide the shock and greed on his face no matter how hard he pretended to be calm.
Unfortunately, before he could carefully identify the unique fragrance and the brilliance, Meng Chao was already squatting on the ground. He cursed as he grabbed the four “century eggs” and stuffed them back into his backpack.
Meng Chao stared at his surroundings with the eyes of a ravenous beast, observing if anyone had noticed his treasure.
He secured the tear on his backpack and then wrapped the backpack in front of his chest, as though he would willingly risk his life for the treasure in his backpack at any time.
He seemed to realize that the chaos was getting worse and worse. It was impossible to trade there today.
Plus, his treasure that accidentally fell might attract the covetous eyes of others.
Meng Chao grumbled a little with a gloomy face and turned around to squeeze out of the crowd.
From the beginning to the end, he did not even look at the veteran Reaper.
However, the veteran Reaper’s line of sight never left the backpack on Meng Chao’s chest.
The situation today had gotten so chaotic that the veteran Reaper had originally planned to lay low.
Yet, the more he thought about the brilliance and strange fragrance, the more he could taste it.
It was like a barb, piercing his heart deeply.
The veteran Reaper contemplated it, squeezed out of the crowd, and summoned a few of his subordinates.
On the first floor, at the Monster Market’s entrance, Meng Chao lowered the brim of the fisherman’s hat he had just bought and began to leave.
“Friend, please wait.”
The veteran Reaper smiled and quickly stepped forward.
In an instant, Meng Chao was like a cheetah who had discovered a trap. His muscles tensed to the limit.
Even the scar on his right arm, all the way up to his neck, had turned clear red. The color was so thick that it looked like blood was about to drip down.
He glared at the veteran Reaper.
Then, he looked out of the corner of his eye and scanned his surrounding environment, looking for the fellow’s accomplice.
If they got into a scuffle, he would use his fingernails to slice the veteran Reaper’s throat and then run away. “Don’t be nervous, my friend. I have no ill intentions!”
The veteran Reaper was used to seeing a sensitive superhuman like Meng Chao.
He immediately spread his empty hands, and the smile on his face became even brighter. “This is the Monster Market, and the main road is outside. There are pedestrians and surveillance cameras everywhere. There are three law enforcement agencies that belong to different systems within a radius of eight hundred meters. They should all know about the farce that’s happened on the second floor and have received the distress signal. A large group of people is on its way.
“No one dares to mess around here. Don’t worry, don’t worry.” Meng Chao’s malicious gaze did not disappear just because of the veteran Reaper’s words.
He studied the veteran Reaper from head to toe for a long time before he spoke in a rough voice that sounded like sandpaper. “What do you do?!”
“I’m the person you’re looking for.”
The veteran Reaper pointed at the backpack on Meng Chao’s chest with his gaze. “It’s not convenient here. Shall we move to the side, find a place, and have a good chat?”
Meng Chao instinctively hugged his backpack tightly as if no one could take it away from him.
However, right then, an unknown law enforcement agency, an ambulance, or perhaps a fire engine sounded in the distance.
Meng Chao was like a startled bird. His face changed, and the corners of his mouth, as well as his eyes, twitched more intensely.
“Don’t be nervous, I really mean no harm.”
The veteran Reaper smiled and introduced himself. “I’m one of Giant-toothed Crocodile’s people. Since you’ve brought your treasure here, you must have heard of the name, ‘Giant-toothed Crocodile’ and know what kind of person our boss is, my friend.
“No one dares to play tricks on our boss’ territory, and our boss will never let any of his friends suffer a loss. No matter what treasures you have, they can be sold at the highest price in the city. It can’t be helped. After all, our boss likes to make friends.”
Meng Chao narrowed his eyes.
It appeared that he was considering whether the veteran Reaper’s words were true or false.
His overly cautious look caused the veteran Reaper to burst into laughter. “Don’t tell me you think that someone would dare to impersonate Giant-toothed Crocodile’s subordinate? Am I crazy? Do I have the guts to use Giant-toothed Crocodile’s name to lie and cheat? Wouldn’t I be afraid of being dismembered and thrown into the Red Dragon River and Raging Tiger River?”