"You two, do you have any clues about the whereabouts of the Stellaron Hunter, Blade?"
Yanqing watched Clara and Firefly whispering to each other and didn't interrupt them.
Only after their conversation ended did Yanqing slowly speak up.
Hearing this, Firefly gave a faint shake of her head, one hand holding Clara's small hand, and said softly:
"No idea. General Jing Yuan didn't tell us anything."
'Who knows where Blade is... I even know where the Stellaron Hunters' hideout is...'
After speaking, Firefly silently grumbled to herself.
'But if I said it out loud, the IPC would probably send someone to flatten the place tomorrow...'
'Hmm... though it wouldn't be our place getting flattened~'
"We're just as lost~ We just arrived as guests on the Luofu, and before we could settle in, we got sent off to catch a criminal..."
Clara couldn't help but sigh, the resentment clear in her tone.
Jing Yuan: ?
"Is that so." Yanqing nodded, not doubting the truthfulness of Clara's words.
Then again, there was no need to doubt. Whatever the General did, he surely had his reasons...
And Yanqing only needed to follow the General's instructions. That was enough.
"Do you have any leads?" Firefly asked curiously, seeing Yanqing deep in thought.
Since this young man before them was capable of hunting Blade, his strength must be close to Blade's, even if not quite equal.
When pursued by someone of similar skill, no matter how careful Blade was, he'd likely leave some traces behind.
"No." Contrary to Firefly's expectations, Yanqing shook his head, indicating he had no clues at all.
"Aside from the initial investigation records the Cloud Knights gave me, I haven't found any leads."
Firefly: ?
"Ah... I see..." Firefly didn't seem suspicious upon hearing this. Instead, she lowered her head, hand resting by her mouth, adopting a thoughtful pose.
'To evade someone of equal strength without leaving a single trace—Blade absolutely can't pull that off on his own.'
'Which means...'
"If I'm not mistaken, Blade has someone with him, helping to conceal his movements."
After finishing her train of thought, Firefly looked up and said to Yanqing.
"And that person is most likely Kafka, also from the Stellaron Hunters organization."
'Though Silver Wolf could do it too, I've roughly skimmed the Script before. Silver Wolf won't appear on the Xianzhou. So, the one helping Blade hide his tracks can only be Kafka.'
Clara: ???
Hearing the words coming from Firefly's mouth, Clara was utterly dumbfounded.
'Wait, I was just joking before. Are you actually planning to switch sides?'
"Hmm?"
Sensing Clara's gaze, Firefly raised an eyebrow at her, as if saying, 'Don't worry, I'm here. We'll definitely catch Blade and bring him back!'
Since Clara wanted to capture Blade for the bounty, Firefly was more than happy to help her out~
"..."
Reading Firefly's thoughts, Clara felt utterly speechless.
'I said catch Blade, I didn't tell you to expose Kafka too.'
Clara was really done with this big, dumb Firefly.
'All brawn and no brains... How did she even get this big...'
'Wait, off topic.'
Clara quickly snapped back to reality, shooting Firefly an exasperated glance.
"You sure know a lot of clues."
"Hehe, not really." Firefly clearly didn't catch Clara's implied meaning, thinking she was being praised instead, and let out a silly giggle.
'Geez, all chest and no head.'
Looking at Firefly's expression, Clara couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
"Kafka..." Hearing Firefly's words, Yanqing fell silent for a moment.
Though Yanqing didn't know much about the Stellaron Hunters as an organization, he had seen Kafka's face on the wanted posters.
'If I could capture both Kafka and Blade...'
Yanqing thought of the astronomical bounties on Kafka and Blade and couldn't help but fantasize a little.
'Even just one percent of that money...'
Yanqing's breathing grew slightly faster.
With that much money, he could buy swords without any worries...
Thinking this, Yanqing's expression turned deadly serious.
He flashed a smile and thanked Firefly:
"Thank you for the information, Miss Firefly. But rest assured."
"Whether it's just Blade, or Blade plus Kafka."
"Or even the entire Stellaron Hunters—none of them will run rampant on the Luofu..."
"Because..." Yanqing paused for effect here, then a look of extreme confidence spread across his face.
"I am strong!"
Clara, Firefly: ...
Both Clara and Firefly stared at Yanqing's supremely confident demeanor, their faces filled with bewilderment.
"Ah ha... ha, Senior... Senior Yanqing, you're truly impressive..."
Firefly was the first to react, forcing an awkward laugh and offering some praise.
Firefly didn't know Yanqing's true strength, but at least based on the aura he was emitting now, she could probably blast his next life out of him with one 'Ignite the Sea'...
But, Firefly remembered an old Xianzhou saying, something about... what was it...
'Playing the pig to eat the tiger'?
Maybe the aura Yanqing was emitting was just for show, meant to confuse opponents and make them underestimate him.
Then he'd reveal his true power and, amidst his enemy's shocked cries of 'Impossible!', cut them down with a single sword strike...
'Hmm... that's how it always goes in those short video power fantasy explanations...'
'And isn't the Xianzhou basically the birthplace of that genre?'
Thinking this, Firefly became convinced of this possibility, believing Yanqing was indeed playing the pig to eat the tiger.
She also started to worry a little about Blade and Kafka's safety... If Yanqing put them in danger, would Clara step in to help...
Clara: 'Help my foot.'
"Alright, alright, Senior Yanqing is the best~" Clara couldn't be bothered to crush his spirit and offered a very perfunctory agreement.
For someone like Yanqing who had no clear grasp of his own power, a good beating would set him straight.
"But no matter how strong you are, it's useless if we don't even know their whereabouts~"
"That's not too big of a problem." Yanqing replied with a light laugh:
"The trail on Blade's investigation records ends in the Starskiff Haven."
"And the Starskiff Haven, for some reason, is currently under lockdown. They can't leave."
"So, we just need to search within the Starskiff Haven. The moment he lets slip even a hint of his presence, we'll find him!"
"Fine then, let's hurry up, or Blade might get away~" Clara gave a light hum, content to just follow Yanqing's lead.
"You're right, we should move quickly! We can't let him escape." Yanqing nodded gravely upon hearing this.
The thought of Blade escaping—and with him, the swords Yanqing had his eye on—instantly sharpened his focus, and he quickened his pace.
"Mm... Clara." Watching Yanqing ahead, Firefly lowered her voice, ensuring Yanqing couldn't hear, and cautiously said:
"If Yanqing really fights Blade and the others, should we help Blade?"
Clara: ?
"Who? Help who?"
Hearing this, Clara's eyes filled with confusion, thinking she'd misheard, and asked in return.
"Help Blade and them. Yanqing is definitely that type from the short videos, the one who plays the pig to eat the tiger..."
"So we absolutely must not underestimate him!"
"???"
Listening to Firefly, Clara blinked, seeming a bit dazed.
"Help Blade? Underestimate Yanqing?"
Clara replayed Firefly's words in her mind and roughly grasped what she was trying to say.
"Mhm, mhm." Seeing Clara finally understand, Firefly nodded rapidly like a pecking chick.
Clara: ...
Clara was at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.
"Let me put it this way. If Yanqing and Blade fought to the death, the odds would be ninety-ten."
"That... that strong..." Firefly couldn't help but swallow hard.
While Blade wasn't the strongest, he was among the most troublesome and hardest to kill. If Yanqing could have ninety-ten odds against Blade in a death match, his strength was a bit beyond what Firefly had imagined...
"Mm... maybe I wasn't clear enough, so you misunderstood." Clara put a finger to her lips, thought for a moment, then flashed her pearly white teeth in a smile:
"Let me explain in more detail~"
"Yanqing lasts ninety-one seconds, before Blade splits him open~"
Firefly: ...
…
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