363: Chapter 363 The Banker's Bargaining Chips

Chapter 363: The Banker's Chips. The air inside the clubhouse was deathly silent.

A dozen well-trained mercenaries stood Li Ke statues, clutching their guns, yet they dared not make the slightest move.

The Banker slumped by the bar, his heavy breathing the only noise in the dead silence.

Chen Mo didn't look at him.

He turned and walked slowly back to the massive floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city below.

Jiang City under the night sky was Li Ke a boundless sea of stars composed of lights.

Su Qingxue's heart was racing. Her hand remained gripped on her sidearm as her gaze flickered between Chen Mo's back and the bewildered mercenaries.

She couldn't understand what had just happened at all.

With just a few words, Chen Mo had dismantled the entire armament and will of a top-tier criminal.

Such methods were beyond the scope of criminal investigation; they were more Li Ke... a magic that pierced through the human heart.

Nightingale had already quietly sheathed her twin blades. Looking at Chen Mo's back, a sense of awe appeared in her eyes for the first time—one she hadn't even noticed herself.

Chen Mo finally moved.

He turned around and walked toward the bar, completely ignoring the gun barrels that were still pointed his way.

He took a clean rocks glass from the liquor cabinet and poured himself half a glass of ice water, moving with unhurried composure.

The ice cubes clinked against the glass, making a crisp sound.

"Now, we can sit down and have a proper chat."

Chen Mo's voice was soft, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

The Banker shuddered Li Ke a puppet awakened by the sound. He struggled to climb up from the floor, awkwardly smoothing out his wrinkled suit.

"What... what do you want to know?"

His voice was dry and raspy, no longer possessing its former composure.

Chen Mo pulled over a barstool, sat down, and placed the glass of ice water in front of him.

Instead of asking immediately, he used his right index finger to lightly tap the smooth bar counter.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

The rhythmic tapping was Li Ke a second hand, striking against The Banker's fragile nerves.

"First, have your people put their toys away."

Chen Mo's gaze fell on the ice in his glass, watching it slowly melt.

"My people don't Li Ke having guns pointed at them."

The Banker turned pale and immediately spun around, roaring at the mercenary captain.

"Fall back! Get out! Without my order, no one is allowed within half a step of the top floor!"

The mercenary captain hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. He led his men out of the clubhouse in a hurry, and the heavy metal doors closed behind them.

In the vast space, only Chen Mo's group and The Banker—who had lost all his chips—remained.

"Can you talk now?"

Su Qingxue walked to Chen Mo's side and lowered her voice, her eyes full of vigilance.

Chen Mo looked up at The Banker.

"What kind of person was your father?"

This question stunned everyone.

Including The Banker himself.

He hadn't expected that the first question Chen Mo would ask would be this.

His lips trembled and his eyes grew hazy, as if he were lost in distant memories.

"He... he was a very stubborn man."

The Banker spoke with difficulty.

"He believed in the ideals preached by Tartarus, believing that the Emperor could build an absolutely rational New World, devoid of fools and the weak."

"He dedicated everything he had to the organization, and until the day he died, he believed he was on the right path."

Chen Mo picked up the glass and took a sip.

The cold water slid down his throat, clearing his mind further.

"So, what clue regarding 'The Brand' did he leave for you?"

Chen Mo cut straight to the point.

The Banker snapped his head up, his eyes bloodshot.

"I don't know! I really don't know what that is!"

He waved his arms excitedly.

"My father only left behind a safe. Inside was just a key and a note that said 'District 07'!"

"District 07?"

Jiang Hong frowned.

"Jiang City has no such administrative division."

"There is."

It was Li Ke who spoke. He had opened his terminal at some point, the screen's light reflecting off his solemn face.

"In Jiang City's urban planning from the 1970s, there was indeed a code name for the 'Seventh Special Industrial Zone,' abbreviated as 'District 07'."

Li Ke turned the terminal toward the group.

"It was established for a now-abandoned underground nuclear facility project. After the project was canceled, the entire area fell into ruin."

"It's located at the deepest part of Jiang City's underground pipe network, with no official map records. Now, it's a lawless no-man's land."

The Banker nodded repeatedly, as if clutching at a straw.

"Yes! That's the place! It took me twenty years and countless resources to track it down!"

He looked at Chen Mo, a trace of madness in his eyes.

"But I didn't dare go! Because the people who killed my father back then are right there!"

"They haunt District 07 Li Ke ghosts. Everyone who tries to get close disappears without a trace!"

The Banker panted, a smile on his face that looked worse than weeping.

"Chen Mo, this isn't my trap; this is the grave my father left for me!"

"You want to know the secret of 'The Brand'? Fine! Go find it in District 07! I guarantee that once you step inside, you'll never come out!"

He thought these words would intimidate Chen Mo.

However, there wasn't even a ripple of emotion on Chen Mo's face.

He just listened quietly until The Banker finished speaking.

Then, he set down the glass of water.

"Very well."

Chen Mo stood up.

"Your usefulness is greater than I imagined."

The Banker was stunned.

"What... what do you mean?"

"It means that from now on, this place is our new base."

Chen Mo's gaze swept across the luxurious sky clubhouse.

"Su Qingxue, Jiang Hong, check all entrances and exits. Set up security."

"Nightingale, you're familiar with Tartarus's style. Assess the external threats we might face."

He issued instructions methodically, as if he were the true master of the place.

Su Qingxue and Jiang Hong immediately sprang into action. Nightingale nodded as well, her figure blending into the shadows of the corner.

"404, Li Ke."

Chen Mo looked at the two technical experts.

"I want you to turn this building into our fortress before dawn. I want to know the species of any fly that enters this airspace."

"No problem, Brother Mo!"

404 and Li Ke's eyes were shining; this was practically the work environment they had always dreamed of.

Finally, Chen Mo walked up to The Banker.

He reached out with his black liquid metal left hand. Without any hint of a threat, he gently straightened The Banker's crooked bowtie.

The cold touch of the metal made the hair on The Banker's entire body stand on end.

"As for you."

Chen Mo withdrew his hand and looked down at him.

"Congratulations, Banker."

A faint curve finally appeared at the corner of Chen Mo's mouth, but that smile made The Banker feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

"You have a new job now."

"Your first task is to take us for a stroll through your 'grave'."

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