Chapter 954: Old Rat Gang

Author: Sannyu OnyokuWord Count: 1255

"That's right."

Spade 8's fingertips gently rubbed the surface of the office desk. "Spade 7 was originally from the Boundless Domain. Even before he joined the Twilight Society, he was already a well-known witch doctor here... This hospital was also his private property before he joined the Twilight Society."

Opaque glass, heavy doors, iron beds, and an operating environment without modern medical equipment... As expected of Chu Muyun's hospital; his personal style was certainly strong. Chen Ling thought to himself.

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know, but he's not in the Boundless Domain." Spade 8 paused. "Now, it's probably just you and me left of the Twilight Society members trapped in this domain... If you hadn't suddenly appeared, I'd still be locked in the church."

Chen Ling nodded slightly. "Good. Now that you're hiding here anonymously in this hospital, you shouldn't be discovered anytime soon."

"That's not necessarily true. The King of Silver's people conduct searches periodically, and they're bound to check this hospital then... They're looking for traces of the Rat Party."

"The Rat Party?"

"They're the remnants of the original Witchcraft Association," Spade 8 explained. "After the King of Silver gained control of the Boundless Domain, he's been trying to eradicate the scattered witches among the populace. However, the Path of Witchcraft is inherently mysterious and has many branches. Their ranks may not be high, but they certainly have numerous methods... These witches have gradually been forced to lose their living space, eventually having to hide among the common folk in the Boundless Domain, constantly on the run and never seeing the light of day. That's why they call themselves the 'Rat Party.'"

"I see, but that name is truly..." Chen Ling couldn't find a suitable adjective for a moment. Other resistance groups had names that were increasingly imposing, like the Heaven and Earth Society. But this was the first time he'd heard of one that compared themselves to 'rats'... It just goes to show that these witches had a good sense of humor, still finding leisure to mock themselves and find amusement even when pushed to a desperate situation.

"Although those witches call themselves 'rats,' what they're doing is greater than the sun... If you have a chance to meet them later, you can offer them some help. They have a very difficult time," Spade 8 said with a serious expression.

"So, it seems you've already had contact with them?"

"Although I haven't deeply participated in their operations, I have indeed helped them in many other ways." Spade 8 glanced out the window. "They once wanted to risk their lives to send a group of children out of Boundless, and I provided cover for them... Club 6 also participated. By now, they should have arrived in the Heavenly Pivot Domain."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling's expression turned a bit strange, but after a moment of hesitation, he still didn't reveal the news that those children had been almost entirely wiped out.

He looked across the street and saw Hongxiu already leaving the shop with two large bags of flatbread. He immediately said: "I should go. If anyone asks, just say I came to you to fill out a survey."

"A survey...?" Spade 8 was taken aback, a little unsure of Chen Ling's intentions.

Just as Chen Ling was about to leave, he suddenly seemed to remember something: "What about the thing I gave you last time?"

When the King of Silver was still present, Chen Ling worried that he was constantly being monitored and that his 'Era Archive' might be discovered. So, he used the opportunity of meeting Spade 8 to send the archive away... Now that the King of Silver was no longer in Boundless, and no one was monitoring him in real-time, Chen Ling wanted to seize this opportunity to access the Era Archive once more.

"Oh, it's here." Spade 8 bent down and fumbled for a moment under the table leg, pulling out a USB drive and handing it to Chen Ling.

"You used something this important to prop up a table leg???" Chen Ling looked on, utterly shocked.

"You wouldn't understand this," Spade 8 chuckled. "Don't forget, this is the Usurpers' territory. If the King of Silver wanted to, he could steal any item in this domain, no matter how deeply hidden... So, the best way to hide something isn't to protect it, but to make people think it's unimportant, or even overlook its existence. Would the King of Silver ever imagine that the Twilight Society's esteemed Era Archive would be used to prop up a table leg?"

"...You have a point."

The old veterans of the Twilight Society were all incredibly sharp!

Hongxiu, carrying two large bags of flatbread, was just about to enter the private hospital's main door when she saw Chen Ling slowly walking down the steps, holding a survey.

"That fast?" Hongxiu was somewhat surprised.

"This private hospital is almost bankrupt; there's nobody here. Just the director inside drinking tea. I asked a few simple questions and left."

"Oh."

Hongxiu had no interest in Chen Ling's survey results. She casually tossed the two large bags to him. "Here's what you wanted."

Feeling the heavy weight, Chen Ling's mouth twitched slightly. "Why so much?"

"Isn't this your normal appetite?"

Chen Ling said nothing.

"You just said you'd been hungry all day," Hongxiu said, frowning. "What? Can't eat it now?"

"...I can eat it. I just thought you bought too much, it's a bit extravagant."

Chen Ling braced himself and opened the two large bags. He pulled out a flatbread right there by the roadside and, without a word, shoved it into his mouth, chewing furiously, looking like a starving ghost. Then came the second, the third... Without drinking a single sip of water, Chen Ling stubbornly finished both large bags, over thirty flatbreads. By the last few, even swallowing became difficult. When he had eaten them all, his eyes were bloodshot.

"Let's go, we should head back," Chen Ling said, his voice as hoarse as someone dying of thirst who had just stumbled out of a desert.

It was only then that Hongxiu realized she had only bought bread and forgotten the water... She gave Chen Ling an apologetic look, but feeling too awkward to speak, she simply nodded and sat back in the passenger seat.

With his mouth feeling almost parched, Chen Ling floored the accelerator, and the car roared as it sped toward the church.

About ten minutes later.

Chen Ling strode into the dining room, grabbed a bottle of water, and chugged it down! After downing several bottles in a row, he slammed an empty bottle heavily onto the table. In his other hand, he clutched a thick stack of surveys, his eyes bloodshot, and began to ask those around him: "Where's Chitong? Where is Chitong??"

Several maids and Usurpers were stunned by this sight and dared not speak for a moment. Only one Usurper's mouth twitched slightly as he replied, "Uh, Lord Chitong has an engagement tonight; he's not here."

"Not here?" Chen Ling glanced at the thick stack of surveys in his hand, appearing somewhat disappointed, "Alright then, I'll find him tomorrow."

With that, he walked alone down the corridor toward his room. Seeing this, the Usurper finally let out a long sigh of relief... Equally relieved was Chitong, who had been hiding behind the door, afraid to make a sound. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking as if he had just narrowly escaped disaster.