36: Chapter 36 Undercurrents

Ghost Night had descended.

The lights of the Trading Post propped up a safe zone in the darkness, but everyone knew that beyond those lights lay endless danger.

Chen Mo did not return to his room.

He sat in a corner of the supermarket with his back against the wall and eyes closed, seemingly resting, but in reality, his Time Perception was running at full capacity.

Within a thirty-meter radius, everything was under his control.

There were twenty-three people in the supermarket; most were resting, while a few were conversing in low voices.

Occasionally, someone would walk through the aisles between the shelves, their footsteps clearly audible.

Everything seemed normal.

But Chen Mo always felt that something was off.

That feeling had been there ever since the summit.

It was as if something was watching him from the shadows—watching all of them.

It wasn't a Ghost Shadow; it was a person.

Lin Wei sat beside him, also resting with her eyes closed.

"Can't sleep?" she suddenly asked in a low voice.

Chen Mo didn't open his eyes.

"No need to sleep."

Lin Wei fell silent for a few seconds.

"Are you always like this?"

"Like what?"

"Not trusting anyone."

Chen Mo opened his eyes.

He looked at Lin Wei, his eyes glowing with a faint golden light in the darkness.

"Trust will get you killed."

Lin Wei did not argue.

She simply nodded and continued resting her eyes.

Three in the morning.

Everyone in the supermarket was asleep.

Chen Mo stood up, walked to the window, and looked outside.

In the parking lot, twelve vehicles were parked neatly, reflecting a cold light under the lamps.

There were two people on patrol, Iron Bear's subordinates, slowly walking around the vehicles.

Everything was normal.

But that feeling of something being wrong grew stronger and stronger.

Chen Mo activated the Pupil of the Sequence and scanned the entire Trading Post.

In his golden vision, everything was normal—no Ghost Shadows, no abnormal energy fluctuations.

Wait.

What was that?

Behind the supermarket, in Old Zhou's room, there was a figure.

It wasn't Old Zhou.

It was a stranger, rummaging through Old Zhou's things.

Chen Mo instantly activated Infiltrator and vanished from his spot.

Seven seconds later, he appeared outside the window of Old Zhou's room.

Through a gap in the curtains, he could see the situation inside.

Old Zhou was lying on the bed, sleeping soundly.

The figure stood before the desk, rummaging through the drawers.

His movements were very light, almost silent; he was clearly a professional.

Chen Mo stared at him.

The Pupil of the Sequence scanned him—Human, E-rank, carrying the aura of a Fragment.

Not one of Iron Bear's men, not Hawkeye's, and not Shadow's.

A strange face.

This person hadn't been at the summit.

Chen Mo didn't move.

He continued to watch.

The person searched for a long time before finally finding something... a piece of paper.

He unfolded it, looked at it, then tucked it into his pocket and turned to leave.

The moment he turned around, Chen Mo saw his face clearly.

In his thirties, ordinary-looking, with a mole at the corner of his left eye.

Very ordinary, but Chen Mo remembered it.

The man walked to the door, gently pulled it open, and disappeared into the hallway.

Chen Mo did not give chase.

He stood in place, waited for the man to go far, and then returned to the supermarket.

Lin Wei was still there; seeing him return, she opened her eyes.

"What happened?"

Chen Mo sat down beside her and lowered his voice.

"Someone was rummaging through Old Zhou's things."

Lin Wei was stunned for a moment.

"Who?"

"Don't recognize him," Chen Mo said. "Didn't see him at the summit."

Lin Wei's expression became serious.

"A traitor?"

Chen Mo didn't speak.

He thought of what Old Li had said: the internal strife in the Old Driver Alliance was because someone had been converted, and someone wanted to monopolize the way out.

Now, was the same thing about to happen again?

"What do we do?" Lin Wei asked.

Chen Mo thought for a moment.

"Nothing for now."

"Nothing?"

"Not enough evidence," Chen Mo said.

"It was just one person taking a piece of paper; even if we tell Old Zhou, it doesn't prove much."

He paused.

"Besides, there's definitely someone behind that man."

Lin Wei understood.

"Playing the long game?"

Chen Mo nodded.

The two continued to sit in the corner, waiting for dawn.

When dawn broke, Chen Mo went to find Old Zhou.

Old Zhou was already awake and tidying his desk.

Seeing Chen Mo enter, he smiled.

"So early?"

Chen Mo didn't smile.

"Someone entered your room last night."

Old Zhou's expression stiffened.

"What?"

"Someone went through your drawers and took a piece of paper," Chen Mo said. "Three in the morning."

Old Zhou fell silent for a few seconds.

Then he opened the drawer and rummaged through it.

"One is missing," he said. "It's the list of summit attendees."

Chen Mo looked at him.

"What use is the list?"

"It contains descriptions of everyone's abilities," Old Zhou said. "If someone wanted to deal with us, that list is the best intelligence they could have."

Chen Mo didn't speak.

He knew what this meant.

Someone wanted to eliminate the competition before entering the Source of the Sequence.

"Do you know who it was?" Old Zhou asked.

Chen Mo described the man's appearance.

After hearing it, Old Zhou was silent for a long time.

Then he spoke a name.

"Wang Hai."

"You know him?"

"He's service staff for the summit," Old Zhou said. "Responsible for logistics, not a combatant."

Chen Mo shook his head.

"He's E-rank."

Old Zhou was stunned.

"E-rank? Impossible, he's registered as F-rank."

"I saw it very clearly," Chen Mo said. "E-rank."

Old Zhou's face changed.

What this meant was very clear—

Someone had infiltrated.

And they were hiding their true strength.

"What do we do now?" Old Zhou asked.

Chen Mo thought for a moment.

"Pretend we don't know," he said. "Wait for them to make a move."

Old Zhou looked at him.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure," Chen Mo said. "Catching one is useless; if we're going to catch them, we catch them all."

Old Zhou nodded.

"I'll follow your lead."

Chen Mo turned to leave.

As he walked out of the room, he saw someone standing at the end of the hallway.

Iron Bear.

The burly bald man was looking at him with a complex gaze.

Chen Mo didn't stop and walked past him.

"Wait," Iron Bear spoke.

Chen Mo stopped in his tracks.

"What did you see last night?"

Chen Mo turned around and looked at him.

"Are you monitoring me?"

"I'm monitoring everyone," Iron Bear said. "It's the rule."

Chen Mo didn't speak.

The two stared at each other.

The feeling of confrontation was like two fierce beasts testing each other's strength.

"I saw someone enter Old Zhou's room," Chen Mo finally spoke. "They took something."

Iron Bear's gaze shifted slightly.

"Who?"

"You wouldn't know him."

Iron Bear fell silent for a few seconds.

Then he took a step forward.

"I heard you're a good fighter."

Chen Mo didn't answer.

"Shall we try?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Iron Bear's fist arrived.

Chen Mo dodged to the side while simultaneously activating Prediction.

In seven seconds, Iron Bear's left fist would strike his abdomen, and his right fist would block his retreat.

Chen Mo did not retreat.

He took a step forward, closing in on Iron Bear's body, and pressed the hilt of his cleaver against the man's ribs.

Iron Bear's movements froze.

He wasn't stopped by the blow, but by shock.

Because he hadn't seen Chen Mo's movement just now at all.

It was too fast.

"Is that enough?" Chen Mo asked.

Iron Bear looked at him for a long time.

Then he laughed.

The smile was complex, like an admission of defeat, yet also one of admiration.

"Enough."

He took a step back and cleared the way.

Chen Mo walked past him.

Behind him, Iron Bear's voice followed:

"Regarding the summit, I'm on your side."

Chen Mo didn't look back.

He continued walking forward, into the sunlight.

Outside, the convoy was already preparing.

Departure time was approaching.

Chen Mo got into the pickup truck and started the engine.

Lin Wei was in the passenger seat, watching him.

"That big guy just now..."

"It's nothing," Chen Mo said. "Just a test."

Lin Wei nodded and didn't press further.

The convoy slowly drove out of the Trading Post, heading toward the Source of the Sequence.

In the rearview mirror, the lights of the Trading Post grew more and more distant.

Chen Mo gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

He kept the matter of the traitor in mind.

But now was not the time to act.

He would wait until they reached the Source of the Sequence, until they showed their hand.

Then, he would close the net.