Book 28 Chapter 17

Infinite Night

-Night Falls

The moon is up.

But only a faint remnant of light remained, obscured by a cluster of moons. Without the moonlight, the night was as dark as nightfall.

Then there were those who rode through the darkness of the infinite night.

Leading the way was none other than Jang Hong, followed by Bi Ryuyeon, Mo Yonghui, and Nam Gongsang.

"Now, why don't you tell me the reason for this night out, Brother Zhang?"

Mo Yonghui, who had been dragged along, asked without slowing his pace.

"What? You mean you followed us without knowing where we were going?"

Seeing Jang Hong's bewildered gaze, Mo Yonghui blushed.

"I was just being dragged along by Ryu-yeon……."

"I thought you said it was a small group. There's only four of us, and he's the best one."

Bi Ryuyeon chimed in.

"And what about me, big brother?"

In response to Namgung's question, Bi Ryuyeon replied that she didn't know.

"You're supposed to be the cleanup guy."

"……."

"Ryuyeon, you could have at least explained why you were being dragged when you were dragged."

"I don't know about that, mister. That's for the experts to explain."

"Blame it on the fact that the reason we're out for the night is to visit a few secret strongholds hidden within Infinity. I asked Ryuyeon to keep a low profile and travel in small groups, and he brought you along, so it's not my fault, that's for sure."

I didn't even have to ask what those few secret bases were.

"Do we have them too, the spies?"

Mo Yonghui, the always upstanding young man, frowned and said. His physiology didn't allow for such things.

"I'd prefer it if you called me a covert operative. Or an undercover specialist? If that doesn't work, we'll settle for 'shadow'."

"Still, isn't a mole a mole?"

"It is a matter of strategy to extract information from our enemies and competitors. In fact, the Black Heaven Alliance has a similar number of spies in the Firmament as we do."

And conversely, the Black Heavenly League has a similar number of spies here as the White Heavenly League has around the Black Heavenly League. They go by different names, but their work is almost always the same. Despite the truce, the tensions are high.

"They all know each other. Some of them already know. They're aware of it, but they're just looking the other way."

"Why is that?"

"Shouldn't we arrest him immediately if we find out about his existence?"

Namgungsang and Mo Yonghui spoke at almost the same time.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, that's sewage. Your minds are still stuck in a rut, so how do you expect to survive in this powerhouse of demonic rocks?"

"With skill!"

Mo's answer was emphatic.

Jang Hong, Bi Ryuyeon, and Nan Gongsang did not laugh at his answer.

"Well, I admire that about you, it's a good attitude. I wish the world were as clean as yours, but it's not. Espionage is about sneaking around, slowly and stealthily, getting to know your enemy's eyes and ears. For when the time comes."

If, in the midst of all this espionage, you find an enemy's grass, it's only the lowest of the low to make a spectacle of it. It's even more foolish if you think it will improve your reputation.

"Espionage is always a battle of shadows and shadows. It's like a tree that grows up like a leaf and then dies. No matter how many leaves you remove, it doesn't affect the main tree."

You have to trace back to the end and find the right tree trunk, or go to the roots. One of the reasons we know they exist and turn a blind eye to them is that they can be a useful conduit for disinformation.

"It is a dark place of deceit, poison, guile, and collusion."

"You really know your stuff!"

A bitter smile formed on Jang Hong's lips as he listened to Namgong's admiration.

"Without her, I would still be wandering in those dark shadows, a puppet of others, not knowing what I was doing."

But it was Okuyukyung who brought him into this light-filled world.

"I was really saved by her. Literally."

As he said this, a gentle smile appeared on Jang Hong's lips.

"Oh, you mean with your chest?"

Bi Ryuyeon nudged her and said something.

Shhhhh! Jang Hong covered his mouth with his index finger, signaling for silence.

"Oh, that's classified, top secret!"

He looked at Mo Yong Hwi and said, "I'm sorry.

"Aside from the other two, have you ever met the woman who would change your life?"

At that moment, a woman's face flashed through Mo Yonghui's mind. Jang Hong chuckled and said.

"By the look on your face, I'm guessing you have one. Treat it well."

Mo Yonghui, who had almost fallen off the roof in the midst of his duel, blushed and replied.

"Don't tease me, Brother Zhang. You're taking the joke too far."

"No kidding. Don't miss it!"

For the first time in a long time, Jang Hong had a serious face.

Jang Hong, of course, didn't expect to find a martial artist hiding in one of the city's strongholds.

Given the current state of the siege network and the level of entry and exit inspections, it was clear that the enemy was already convinced that Nabaxian had fled outside the city's walls.

However, just in case, I haven't ruled out the possibility that Nabakchan could be in one of those strongholds, as he might be able to pretend to go out and come back in.

Most of all, Jang Hong wanted to know about the movements of these Black Heavenly Alliance warriors, especially the movements of their pursuers.

Their first stop was a general store.

Jang Hong's face, which had been laughing and chattering as he rushed up to the defense, was stiff.

"What the hell is this……."

Namgungsang groaned at the sight before him, unable to speak.

Where the general store was supposed to be, it had fallen apart.

Where the building should have stood, there was only a pile of broken rubble. The only indication that this was once a general store is a broken sign in the corner of the ruins that reads "Taewon General Store".

"Looks like information blocking has begun."

Jang Hong muttered to himself with a sullen expression.

"In the industry, we call it weeding."

I had a suspicion that this was the most powerful step of them all.

"Come on, let's go somewhere else."

The second was a tea house where people would sit and chat and drink tea. The building had fallen into disrepair, with only the signboarded entrance remaining. It was as if someone had done it on purpose.

Our third stop was a cloth shop that sold silk and fabric. The building was still standing. However, the interior was empty, and the building was cordoned off.

"You mean you didn't even have time to leave an emergency password……."

The fourth stop was the butcher shop, which was even more bizarre.

"Oops!"

As soon as Mo Yonghui entered, he quickly covered his mouth and nose with his hands, turned pale and ran outside, and never came back in.

"It's a little harsh to ask a dyslexic to come into a place like this."

Bam bam bam!

Bi Ryuyeon muttered to herself as she looked around the butcher shop, where hundreds of flies were flying around.

There was blood everywhere, and a rotting me poking my nose in.

"Oh, that's pig blood, not human blood."

With that, Jang Hong pointed to a large cutting board. It was being dismembered, part by part, but the pig was still on the huge cutting board.

"Looks like you were trying to separate the bone from the flesh."

"The knife is still there."

The large knife, which must have been used to dismember the pig, was still on the cutting board.

"Judging by the degree of decay, it looks like it's about three days old."

I looked everywhere, but saw no sign of resistance. Bi Ryuyeon threw out a quick word as she passed by.

"They've all disappeared, like they've gone into the ground. So what have we been doing all this time?"

"Not yet."

Jang Hong walked over to one of the cow and pig carcasses, stripped to their skins and dangling from hooks in the ceiling. It was the pig, not the cow, that he stopped.

Yuck.

After pulling out the iron skewers that had been driven diagonally into the pig's body and throwing them to the ground, Jang Hong drew a sharp dagger from his arm and sliced the slaughtered pig's body in half as it hung from the hook. It had already been drained for slaughter, so there was little blood. Instead, something slithered and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Huh!"

Not only did the Prince of the Southern Palace, but even Mo Yonghui, who was peeking in from the outside, was stunned. It was none other than a man who had fallen from the hanging pig.

"Is he alive?"

Jang Hong nodded, his face solemn at the question.

"He's alive."

But it had a very stern demeanor. Upon closer inspection, I saw a reddish hole in his flank. The wound had been left to rot like the rest of the meat in the butcher shop, as it hadn't been treated for days.

"Hey, wake up, Sang-hyun!"

He probed a few points on Jang Hong's body, drew blood, and summoned a man to wake him up.

"Do you know him?"

Jang Hong nodded at Nan Gongsheng's question.

"My… subordinate."

"……."

Namgungsang could say nothing.

After a few moments, the man named Sang Hyun opened his eyes to see if the Chu Qing Blood had worked. When he saw Jang Hong's face, his eyes fluttered open and he struggled to speak.

"Captain……."

"Yeah, that's me. What the hell is going on?"

"Sackcho…… all, all…… annihilated…… danger…… besieged……."

He began to blurt out a series of words, not sure if he was still conscious. Jang Hong asked him a few more questions, but he showed no sign of answering.

Jang Hong bit his lower lip for a moment, then, as if he had made up his mind, he patted him on the right shoulder and asked in a hard, cold voice, "What are you doing?

"Muyoung Hundred and Twenty-seven, urgent report! Report on the whereabouts and current situation of the Nine Hundred Heavenly Masters!"

Then his pupils dilated, his consciousness blurred, and his body arched like a possessed man, and he began to open his mouth with a shudder.

"Mu Ying One Hundred and Twenty-seven, reporting, express pursuit target Nine Hundred and Thousand, Status Meng Zhu. Currently escaping Wuchang, secret stronghold…… secret stronghold…… secret stronghold…… duty to defend. Confidentiality……."

When the man's words hovered in the same place, as if blocked by some kind of memory, Jang Hong tapped him on the left shoulder and said.

"Top secret declassified! I authorize a final report in the name of the Great Spirit! Mission accomplished!"

Then Muyoung Hundred and Twenty-seven spoke again.

"Heading to the top secret hiding place 'Daenanwon'. Currently activating the Tianlazi Network. Current tracking target's chance of injury at eight, over."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Mu Ying Hundred and Twenty-seven seemed to have used up all the life he had left in him, and he drooped limply like a burnt-out candle.

"I'm sorry."

As he lifted his subordinate's upper body, which was breathing its last, Jang Hong said.

"Chi, it looks like the constellation is moving……. Joe, be careful……."

The words came out like a man squeezing out his last breath.

"Good work! Well done! You have accomplished your mission."

Jang Hong hugged him tightly and said.

"Go, thank you…… boss."

And the man finally stopped breathing. Jang Hong gently set the lifeless man down.

"It's what we've all heard. It's a world of shadows that values information more than lives. I guess I'm not completely out of the darkness yet."

Despite what he said, he wasn't as cold and rational as some of the other Muyung overlords.

"Are you okay, Mr. Zhang?"

"Of course I don't mind. The most important thing about information is accuracy and freshness. The most urgent thing right now is not to let it go out of date."

There was a certain determination in Jang Hong's words.

"If the information I just gave you is true, then……."

It was really hard to question the reliability of information that changed a life. All of this was information that could not be taken lightly.

"This is highly reliable information. My man risked his life for it."

Still, I wouldn't cut and run and say "true".

"Injury Probability Arm Hal……."

Bi Ryuyeon frowned and muttered to herself.

"Then you must be in danger."

Jang Hong added to that.

"A lot of that, too."

"Mr. Zhang, is this your last stop?"

Jang Hong shook his head at Bi Ryuyeon's question, pointing to the butcher shop after stepping outside.

"No, this is the fourth base. There's still a fifth."

Jang Hong's face was not very cheerful as he had just witnessed the death of his subordinate.

"That's great, what's the last remaining stronghold?"

"That's right……."

Jang Hong's expression became very heavy, and Mo Yonghui could sense a sense of foreboding in it.

"No way……."

Jang Hong nodded and said in a solemn voice.

"That's right. That goblet we moved is the last stronghold."

Four strongholds collapsed and only one remained, which is never a good thing.

"If this is……."

Ryu-yeon's voice calmed down.

"Yeah, I guess it's fair to assume they left it there on purpose."

Hopefully not.

"It's probably too optimistic to think that just that one would have gone undetected."

"Is there a trap waiting for you, Ryuyeon?"

Mo Yonghui said in an uneasy voice.

"I would have done the same thing. Nine times out of ten."

"Let's hurry back, Big Brother. I'm worried about the people left behind."

Namgungsang's mind was racing.

"Aren't there Salt and Binggum there? As long as it's not a big deal, you should be fine. There's not much anyone can do about those two in the stronghold."

Hearing Jang Hong's words, Bi Ryuyeon rubbed her hand over her chin and muttered quietly.

"Yeah, unless it's something crazy."

They hurriedly began to make a rapid advance toward the Yongsan guest house where they were staying.

As they ran, a strange sense of unease grew in their hearts.