Jiangcheng, early morning.
Li Nian sat in the living room staring at her phone with furrowed brows.
"Huh? The Marauders actually took the initiative to come looking for me?"
"This Heavenly Artisan has more guts than I imagined... Is this for real?"
Although the Free Alliance was an organization banned from the forum, as the most renowned group among players, they naturally had their own information channels.
The moment Lin Yu and five other Marauders members arrived in Jiangcheng after an all-night journey, Li Nian had already received internal intelligence from the Free Alliance.
[Chef God: Anyway, I heard it's not entirely about you. The Marauders in Henan Province suffered major losses, apparently because Heavenly Artisan got targeted.]
[Chef God: And the guy who attacked Heavenly Artisan happens to be from Jiangcheng.]
[Master Thief Anian: Tch, what undeserved misfortune for me.]
[Magician: I've uploaded their profiles to the group.]
Li Nian opened the file Magician sent to her phone.
While reading, faint noises suddenly came from the courtyard.
Looking up, she saw the familiar figure she'd met before, just as expected.
Hearing her dog didn't bark, Li Nian already guessed who the visitor was.
"Yo, Zhu Ming... right?"
She stood from the couch, crossing her arms.
"Though I said I was quite interested in you, my home isn't some public restroom—you can't just come and go as you please, can you?"
Veterinarian Zhu Ming—actually Lin Yu—revealed a gentle smile.
"Don't be angry, A Nian. I came for a reason."
"I got some news—a group of Marauders have infiltrated Jiangcheng and might target you."
"Free Alliance members are probably scattered far apart, so I wanted to ask... do you need help?"
Li Nian looked surprised.
"You know about this too? You're quite well-informed."
"But don't worry—with only three First-Tiers in their lineup, I can handle them easily."
Lin Yu raised an eyebrow.
"Of course, I'm Second-Tier."
Li Nian answered bluntly, pride evident in her tone.
Lin Yu was inwardly astonished.
He'd truly underestimated this Master Thief all along!
"Then my concern was unnecessary," Lin Yu said, stroking his chin. "But Miss A Nian... since there are three First-Tiers this time, that means at least one must have a bounty over 3,000 points or 500,000 yuan, right?"
"How about treating this as my test? See if I can help resolve this matter?"
Li Nian arched an eyebrow: "You haven't been promoted yet... and you're saying you'll try to kill three First-Tiers to solve this?"
"Not through direct confrontation, of course," Lin Yu chuckled. "Anyway, if you trust me... do me a favor."
Li Nian looked at Lin Yu with interest.
"Lend me Heavenly Artisan's Bone Crusher."
Li Nian froze momentarily, then narrowed her eyes: "My, you know more about my feud with the Marauders than I imagined."
"I'm starting to suspect you might be a Marauder spy."
As she spoke, Lin Yu nodded.
"Indeed. So... willing to take a chance on trusting me?"
Her response was a black hammer tossed toward him.
Lin Yu caught it smoothly, then saw the item prompt appear:
[Bone Crusher: Enhances damage against living beings, revealing "weak points" on targets. Striking weak points deals massive damage.]
Lin Yu casually tucked it into his sleeve, then looked at Li Nian: "Thank you for your trust, Miss A Nian... Then, around 2 PM this afternoon, if you want to avoid trouble, make sure the Marauders can confirm your absence."
"Best if you can have tea with Jiangcheng's Marauders contacts or something."
Lin Yu said with a smile.
Li Nian blinked. Though unsure of his meaning, she eventually nodded slowly.
"Sounds like you're planning something absolutely spectacular that won't disappoint..."
"Though I'm not familiar with local Marauders, arranging a meeting shouldn't be hard."
"I'll await your good news."
As Li Nian spoke, Lin Yu bowed slightly with a radiant smile.
"I absolutely won't disappoint you."
Then he left with Heavenly Artisan's hammer.
After leaving, Lin Yu waited exactly one hour before entering a newly opened mall.
When he reemerged, he'd transformed from the gentle girl Veterinarian Zhu Ming into a thin, dark, furtive young man.
Lin Yu soon arrived at Jiang'an Hall's base—the Tycoon's abandoned restaurant.
Entering the abandoned restaurant, Lin Yu took out the phone belonging to his Old Yao identity, opened the app, and sent a message:
"Boss, I got important intel—the Free Alliance's Master Thief is negotiating with some out-of-town Marauders. Should we take advantage? @Tycoon"
Almost instantly, the quiet group chat exploded.
"Free Alliance and Marauders? What a explosive combo!"
"What are these two groups plotting?"
"Old Yao said negotiations... probably not collaborating for something bad?"
"Boss, what do you think?"
Messages flooded in, everyone shocked by Lin Yu's revelation.
Watching Jiang'an Hall's internal app reactions, Lin Yu wasn't surprised.
"Hmm... As expected, organizations like Jiang'an Hall aren't as well-informed as the Free Alliance."
"Top-tier organizations have their reasons for being top-tier..."
After several minutes of chaos, the Tycoon finally appeared.
He replied to Lin Yu:
[Tycoon: Come to my office if free. Tell me in person @Old Yao]
After replying, Lin Yu went straight upstairs and knocked on the Tycoon's door.
A surprised Tycoon opened the door, looking at Lin Yu: "So fast?"
Lin Yu scratched his head, a sly look flashing across his furtive face: "I've been waiting outside your office since morning. After accidentally hearing such big news, I feared someone might beat me to it."
"I'm eager to advance, Brother Tycoon!"
The Tycoon laughed: "I did hear about some Zheng City Marauders coming to Jiangcheng. The Order informed me last night... but I hadn't uncovered the reason yet."
"Never thought you'd already figured it out—they're after the Master Thief!"
"I overheard it at a breakfast stall this morning," Lin Yu reiterated. "And it's not just the Master Thief—they're also after killing someone: a Doctor, also First-Tier, from Jiangcheng, who made Zheng City's Marauders suffer major losses."
Lin Yu said solemnly.
The Tycoon looked even more astonished.
Then he gazed at Lin Yu and spoke thoughtfully: "You rushed to report this—do you have any ideas?"
"Of course. I have a rough plan, but... it might require some support from you, Tycoon."