456: Get the information and go!

“Hello.” A distinctly mechanical, mixed voice came from the other end of the phone.

Shen Bei found the voice a bit unsettling.

If Big Ears’s electronic voice was like acetic acid, the voice coming from the phone now was like acetic acid with chili water added.

It seemed this was another person who valued the secrecy of her true identity.

“You must be Two Headed Vine,” Shen Bei said with certainty.

“Yes,” Two Headed Vine’s tone was devoid of subjective color, like the sound of vigorously rubbing a plastic bag, and she continued, “Who are you?”

“Didn’t Big Ears tell you?”

“No.”

“Ying Zheng, the one who paid me, the Ying Zheng who promised you a founding Grand General position.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a tentative question: “Are you a separatist?”

Shen Bei’s mouth twitched: “It’s just a code name.”

“I have a rule: no matter who you are, you cannot be a separatist. I don’t cooperate with such people.”

“It seems you still have a bottom line.”

“I hope you continue to have a bottom line.”

“My bottom line is definitely higher than yours,” Shen Bei said.

“I understand,” Two Headed Vine’s emotionless electronic voice replied.

Then, Shen Bei said jokingly, “Let me guess, your surname should be Jiang, right?”

The other end of the phone didn't deny it: “It seems you understand slang.”

This was pure nonsense.

Two Headed Vine was clearly a slang surname from the Northeast.

For example: Zhao, in Northeast bandit slang, is called “Denglong Man” (Lantern Vine), taking the homophone of “zhao” (to illuminate).

Wang: Is called “Hu Man” (Tiger Vine), because “Wang” in Chinese means king of beasts.

Chen: Is called “Qianjin Man” (Thousand-Catty Vine), possibly because “Chen” is a homophone for “chen” (heavy), giving a sense of weight.

Li: In different regions or industries, has different names, such as “Yijiaomen Man” (One-Foot-Door Vine) and “Yiguo Lan Man” (One-Pot Rotten Vine). The former might take the homophone of “li” (inside), while the latter might be a randomly created euphemism.

And the character Jiang has two “dots” sticking out, which in slang is called Two Headed Vine (Two-Headed Vine).

As a native of the Northeast, he had some exposure to this, more or less.

Just like Tianjin people can all perform crosstalk, and Inner Mongolians can all ride horses…

Skipping this topic, Shen Bei went straight to the point, “You know where the Sheepskin Assassin is, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Name your price.”

“Before quoting, out of professional ethics—”

Two Headed Vine paused, then spoke in a formulaic manner.

However, when Shen Bei heard the phrase “professional ethics,” he couldn’t help but let out a silent scoff.

It wasn’t because Big Ears had mentioned that Two Headed Vine had a bad reputation, but because such words coming from someone in the black market sounded like a pimp wearing a suit and tie, full of dark humor.

Two Headed Vine naturally wouldn’t know the thoughts that flashed through Shen Bei’s mind at that moment, and even if she did, she wouldn’t care. She just continued: “—I need to remind you, the Sheepskin Assassin is very likely a Martial Artist. This reminder is a free gift to you. Although I don’t know why you want to find the Sheepskin Assassin, if problems arise, please don’t vent your anger on me.”

Her subtext was: If you are not a Martial Artist, then don’t mess with the Sheepskin Assassin.

If ordinary people are “fists,” then Martial Artists are “bullets.”

Bullets can do many things, they can crush fists, and they can also overthrow small countries, just like the Headhunter Tribe.

If used to kill an ordinary person who “stumbled into a secret criminal transaction,” there would be no problem, and no one would find anything wrong with it.

But Shen Bei didn’t say, “This is too terrifying! I’m sorry, the deal is off.” Rather, this was all within Shen Bei’s and Principal Qin’s expectations.

He was not an ability user, and he wouldn’t kill a Martial Artist, unless he used drugs.

But using drugs wasn’t easy; it was a technical skill.

“You can rest assured, I only want information; the rest has nothing to do with you,” Shen Bei said.

“Alright then, my price is…” Two Headed Vine clearly stated a price that Shen Bei could accept, and then added, “Considering this is our first collaboration, I need you to transfer the transaction amount to my bank account first, and then I will send the compiled information as an electronic document to your designated email address. The time difference will not exceed one hour. Is that acceptable?”

“What if you take the money and don’t deliver?” Shen Bei asked.

“Find Big Ears; he will give you a satisfactory explanation,” Two Headed Vine continued, “You can rest assured, reputation is very important to us black market intelligence dealers, as important as five-star reviews on an online store.”

Shen Bei thought for a moment, without much hesitation, then gave her an email address he had registered casually years ago.

Anyway, he wasn’t paying for this part.

Principal Qin and the higher-ups were footing the bill; the money was going to be spent anyway.

Not getting reimbursed was not an option.

As for Two Headed Vine saying she cared about her reputation, that was just ridiculous…

…

By the time Two Headed Vine sent the intelligence, it was already pitch dark outside, as if a thick black fog had risen in the outside world.

Jian Tong made Shen Bei a cup of instant coffee and wanted to invite Shen Bei to Cultivate at the martial arts gym to hone his attributes.

But Shen Bei said he didn't have time, leaving only Shen Bei in the dorm.

Opening his computer, Shen Bei reviewed the contents of the document.

The intelligence collected by Two Headed Vine could be divided into three parts:

The first part was clearly information that Two Headed Vine had obtained from within the Patrol Bureau, including a large amount of on-site investigation information, results of large-scale screening, and psychological profiling reports of the Sheepskin Assassin by criminal psychology experts. The content was detailed and professional.

The second part consisted of intelligence that only people operating in the black market of Beijing City could get, mixed with many unverified rumors and speculative hearsay. Although its value was far less than the first part, it still had precious reference significance.

The third part was Two Headed Vine’s own on-site investigation and deductions. She combined the clues she had investigated with all the intelligence at hand and listed several locations where the Sheepskin Assassin might appear in the coming week.

The location with the highest probability of appearance was the old city — specifically, a certain “secluded street” within it.

After reading it, Shen Bei was a little surprised. This Two Headed Vine seemed to attach unusual importance to the Sheepskin Assassin. A normal underground intelligence dealer would not be so concerned about a serial killer.

Did she also know that the Sheepskin Assassin was connected to the Mind's Eye Potion?

It was like a dentist in the stomatology department of a key hospital wouldn’t spend an entire day on a mere cavity.

Could it be that her true identity was an insider in the Patrol Bureau?

Because she was actually an informant arranged by the Patrol Bureau in the black market, that's why she would betray her partners in the black market?

Regardless, Shen Bei decided to suppress his curiosity and act first.

To coordinate this operation, Shen Bei needed to disguise himself.

He retrieved a backpack containing spare clothes and shoes, as well as some disguise tools—though called “disguise tools,” most were just cheap cosmetics.

Their price wasn't even as expensive as Jian Tong’s single BB cream.

Oh, and the question that had plagued Shen Bei for many years, he finally knew what BB cream was.

Disguise was also a course at the Beijing Martial Arts University, and Shen Bei had indeed studied it. While he couldn't call himself a master of the Dao, it was enough to prevent people from recognizing his original appearance.

Shen Bei disguised himself as a young man with mottled black and white hair, dark tanned skin, wearing comfortable black clothes and trousers suitable for exercise, like someone preparing to go hiking.

“Sheepskin Assassin…”

Shen Bei snuck out of Beijing Martial Arts University under the cover of night: “I hope I meet you tonight…”