131: Chapter 131 Another Piece of Information

Under the dim lighting, terrifying figures loomed in the darkness...

Wearing headphones, Xing Yaoyan followed the old man carrying a lantern at a leisurely pace.

It turned out that the scary parts of a haunted house were all in the music; as long as the songs she played were festive enough, there was nothing to be afraid of.

Swish!

Sensing something, she suddenly spun around and entered a defensive counter-attack stance, her red Demonic Power ready to erupt at a moment's notice.

But finding no one behind her, she tilted her head in confusion. Sensing that the old man leading the way hadn't noticed anything unusual either, she dropped her guard and turned to continue following him.

"Sigh... I must be getting paranoid... As expected of a haunted house, one's nerves inevitably get quite tense..."

Xing Yaoyan looked at the old man's almost unchanging pace and silently paid her respects to his composure, then tossed aside the faint wave of malice she had just sensed.

"After all, the 'Dark Pavilion' is an information organization with an excellent reputation in the industry; they wouldn't do something like murder for profit and ruin their own brand..."

Suddenly, she saw the old man ahead pause and open a hidden door concealed in the darkness.

"Come in..."

A raspy voice sounded.

"Mhm."

To be honest, compared to the other props and ghosts in the haunted house, she felt the old man before her was the most terrifying.

First, she couldn't see through his rank, which meant his strength was likely Rank Five or above—of course, he might just be an ordinary person.

And most importantly, she didn't sense even a hint of a living person's aura from him...

The Dark Pavilion, huh... As expected of an information organization so active in the underworld, they really do have some real skill...

"Hello, Miss Xing."

The two sat opposite each other at a round table, and the old man got straight to the point.

"Welcome to your transaction with the Dark Pavilion. Let's first confirm the details..."

The old man reached behind him and felt around for a moment before pulling out a transparent box containing a small USB drive.

"This is part of the data we collected regarding the Starry Sky Exploration Project. Your set price on the platform was 100,000 Spirit Crystals. No issues, right?"

Xing Yaoyan shook her head, indicating for the transaction to proceed.

"Good, I'll let you inspect the goods first."

The old man pressed a button on the box, and the USB connector extended out.

He then casually handed it to the girl, seemingly not worried at all about her betraying him.

Since this was her first time doing such a shady deal, Xing Yaoyan was somewhat surprised:

He's just giving it to me like this? Isn't he afraid I'll use Swap to teleport away immediately?

As if sensing the girl's doubt, the old man spoke eerily:

"The content on the USB drive cannot be copied. Furthermore, there's a miniature explosive device inside this box. If not deactivated, it will detonate the moment it leaves this room..."

Haha... I knew it...

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Xing Yaoyan obediently followed his instructions and plugged the USB drive into her phone's port.

After quickly scanning the contents and the red seal belonging to the Human Alliance at the end of the page, she nodded in satisfaction. She then briskly pulled a large bag from her Storage Space and tossed it directly in front of the old man.

"One hundred thousand Spirit Crystals. Pleasure doing business."

The old man simply reached out to lift the bag, weighing it briefly before nodding.

"Pleasure doing business."

He casually clapped his hands, and a strange ripple of spiritual power spread through the air following his movement.

Xing Yaoyan soon discovered with surprise that the square box in her hand had opened unnoticed, revealing the entire USB drive.

"Can I take this box?"

"It was meant to be a free gift anyway."

Hearing his words, Xing Yaoyan pumped her fist in excitement.

This was her first time seeing this kind of high-tech remote unlocking. She would definitely have to study it properly once she got back.

"Then if there's nothing else, I'll be going."

Xing Yaoyan stood up.

In fact, she had planned this transaction for a long time. Right after she had first settled into the Longxiang Academy, she had contacted the Human Alliance's largest underground information organization—the Dark Pavilion.

She had pre-ordered this transaction with them.

However, it was frustrating; due to her identity, she had been under the invisible surveillance of the Human Alliance since the day she entered the Longxiang Academy, so she had never been able to set a time for the deal.

Fortunately, Qian Mo had suddenly appeared.

His sudden proposal to "meet privately and go out to play" happened to provide the perfect cover for her transaction, finally allowing her to complete this long-delayed matter.

"So, the reason I agreed to come out on a 'date' with him this time was purely for the mission, absolutely nothing else..."

Just as Xing Yaoyan was about to push open the door, the raspy voice came from behind her.

"I have another piece of important information here, also valued at 100,000 Spirit Crystals."

"Is it related to the Starry Sky Exploration Project?"

"No."

"Then goodbye."

"But this information can save your life right now."

The girl's hand on the door paused.

"What do you mean, save my life right now... Is the Dark Pavilion going to murder me for my treasures?"

A flash of crimson flickered in the girl's eyes.

"Of course not. Furthermore, this information can save not only your life but also the lives of everyone else in this Amusement Park. Of course, whether you wish to trade... the decision is yours. I will not interfere."

Heh...

The girl let out a cold snort, then turned around and sat back down in the chair.

"Fine, I'll give you these 100,000 Spirit Crystals. If I'm not satisfied with your information... don't blame me for turning hostile."

Xing Yaoyan took out another bag of Spirit Crystals and slammed it onto the table.

Originally, she wouldn't have cared, as she had so many ways to escape. Unless someone was fully prepared, she could guarantee that no one below Rank Seven could keep her here.

But now that the matter involved the entire Amusement Park, she could no longer remain calm.

Because he was also in the Amusement Park...

"Rest assured, the price is fair, and we don't cheat anyone."

The old man suddenly laughed, and it was an unpleasant sound.

...

Meanwhile.

"Is this the place the System indicated..."

In front of the haunted house, Qian Mo rubbed his chin, then immediately spotted a sign on the counter that read: "The administrator has gone to the restroom, please wait a moment."

He looked around cautiously, and after confirming there were no other hidden observers, he quickly entered his work state.

He pulled out Infrared Thermal Imaging Glasses from the System space, suppressed his aura to the extreme, and cautiously stepped inside.

Time was running out...