Chapter 169: Interpol

After stocking up on equipment at the small market, Qin Yang headed south, closely followed by the divine wolf. Fallen leaves carpeted the ground here, and dead branches crisscrossed the path. A moment of carelessness could easily lead to a stumble; in the deeper areas, the dead leaves could reach up to one's knees, hiding venomous snakes beneath. Although these creatures would not attack unprovoked, stepping directly onto one in the dark was entirely possible, and a single bite spelled serious trouble, especially in the dead of night.

Such obstacles slowed Qin Yang's pace. Moreover, Village Chief Wu had warned him that this area still held a number of old, unmaintained traps. Once completely covered by fallen leaves and branches, stepping into them would bring unimaginable misfortune. Alongside extremely sharp stones and protruding tree branches that all required vigilance, Qin Yang needed to proceed with caution even with his Yin-Yang Eyes. He firmly grasped the Tang blade that his ghost soldier had been carrying for him.

Having a ghost soldier carry a weapon was exceptionally intimidating and provided a supreme advantage for sudden ambushes; the unexpected appearance of a blade was something no opponent could ever foresee.

Carefully brushing aside venomous snakes and dismantling three traps along the way, Qin Yang and the divine wolf walked through the entire night before finally reaching a relatively spacious area. The ground here consisted mostly of rocks with very few fallen leaves, making it much cleaner. The pale light of dawn brought a tranquil quiet to the surroundings. After making sure there were no poisonous snakes or insects lurking about, Qin Yang gathered a bundle of branches, lit a campfire, and took out all the food prepared by Village Chief Wu's wife. Normally, these rations could sustain a single person for two days, but with Qin Yang and the bottomless pit that was the divine wolf, it was barely enough to wet their appetites.

"It's fine if I eat a lot, but how on earth does a stomach your size fit all of this?" Qin Yang muttered, feeling somewhat exasperated.

Rubbing a belly that still felt entirely empty, the divine wolf lay down beside him, equally hungry. It sniffed the air, rubbed affectionately against Qin Yang's leg, and signaled him. Qin Yang asked, "Is there prey over there?"

The divine wolf nodded.

"Then why didn't you go catch it yourself? You're making me do the work." Qin Yang glared at it playfully. "Go quickly and come back just as fast."

With a soft huff, the divine wolf dashed out like a gust of wind, moving at a speed that defied belief. In the dim morning light, it resembled a flash of golden light tinged with red. Too lazy to watch, Qin Yang pulled out the map drawn by Village Chief Wu and began to study it carefully. Seven or eight minutes later, he saw the divine wolf slowly returning from not far away. What left Qin Yang utterly speechless, however, was that the creature was dragging an entire leopard in its jaws. Judging by the leopard's size, it easily weighed over a hundred pounds, bringing a wry smile to Qin Yang's face. Leopards were typically active only around dawn and dusk, yet this divine wolf had actually managed to catch one. After letting out a bark toward Qin Yang, the divine wolf dashed back into the forest, undoubtedly realizing that a single leopard wouldn't be enough to satisfy both of their stomachs.

Just as Qin Yang hauled the leopard onto a flat rock, the divine wolf dragged out a full-grown red deer. Qin Yang dragged that over as well and muttered, "Good grief, these are both protected animals. If anyone saw us eating these creatures, we'd be cursed to death. But, hehe, I've never actually tasted wild leopard meat before."

Qin Yang had tasted leopard meat in the past; wealthy elites in Jianghai City had always been particular about their culinary habits, and some individuals capitalized on this by secretly raising protected animals in captivity, sending them straight to the kitchen the moment they reached adulthood. Leopards were among them, but eating a wild one would be a first. Just as he was preparing to hoist the leopard and the red deer onto his shoulders to slaughter them near a nearby river, the sky suddenly turned pitch black. The faint dawn light vanished without a trace, replaced by howling gusts of wind accompanied by dazzling flashes of lightning and deafening peals of thunder.

"Damn it," Qin Yang cursed.

Spotting a cave not too far ahead, he hurried over with the divine wolf. No sooner had they stepped inside than raindrops the size of soybeans began to plummet, instantly merging into a torrential sheet that obscured everything beyond three meters. The cave was small and contained remnants left behind by hunters, but to his pleasant surprise, there was a stash of dry firewood along with several jars. Opening them revealed seasonings that had not spoiled, likely left behind by hunters in case they were caught in such weather or forced to stay overnight.

Without standing on ceremony, Qin Yang lit a fire and first butchered the red deer. With Yuwen RouNu—the culinary master known as the Fragrant Tenderizer—in his repertoire, cooking game was effortless, and the meat was giving off a mouthwatering aroma in no time.

"You're going to choke yourself if you keep this up," Qin Yang said, kicking the divine wolf as it tried to crowd closer. "It's not ready yet!"

Once roasted to perfection, the divine wolf could wait no longer. It clamped half of the deer meat in its jaws and trotted to the side to devour it with gusto. Qin Yang's table manners were scarcely any better. No sooner had they finished the venison than Qin Yang began butchering the leopard. Suddenly, three figures burst into the cave in a flurry, startling them. The divine wolf, still gnawing on bones, snapped to its feet with a low growl, but Qin Yang glared at it. "They're humans."

The three newcomers—two men and a woman—were all dressed in full exploration gear. Their equipment was complete, though they were drenched to the bone. The woman, in particular, had her captivating curves accentuated by her clinging, wet clothes in the firelight.

"A leopard!" The woman frowned as she watched Qin Yang roasting an entire leopard over the fire, noticing the blood-stained leopard skin lying nearby.

"Friend, could we borrow some of your fire?" One of the men wiped the rainwater from his face and spoke in a low voice. "Our gear is completely soaked."

Qin Yang handed him a burning branch that was blazing brightly. The man muttered a word of thanks before he and his companions set up a campfire of their own. At that moment, the rich aroma of roasted leopard meat drifted across the cave. The three of them, who looked as though they hadn't slept all night, swallowed hard at the scent. Their stomachs let out rebellious growls, causing them to cast longing glances toward the fire. Noticing the pile of deer bones nearby, they figured they might ask him for some food later; surely he and his hunting dog couldn't possibly finish an entire leopard by themselves.

The woman let out a cold snort, took out some dry rations packaged in a plastic bag from her backpack, and began to eat.

Before long, the aroma of the meat grew even more intense; the young man genuinely possessed impressive culinary skills. When it was nearly done, the three watched as he reached for the Tang blade stuck vertically into the earth, cleanly slicing the roasted leopard down the middle with a single stroke. Qin Yang tossed half of it to his hunting dog, scolding, "Damn it, you ate all the organs already. And curses, it's a female leopard, no gall bladder."

The divine wolf let out a couple of whines and dragged its half of the leopard away to gnaw on it.

Qin Yang stuffed piece after piece of meat into his mouth, leaving the three onlookers dumbfounded. Judging by their earlier actions, the two of them had already polished off an entire red deer—how could they possibly still have room for this? Yet Qin Yang's appetite had always been an unsolved mystery within the Black Prison. Even though Wei Xiaoran had frequently tried to drag Qin Yang off for a medical examination to see what on earth his stomach was made of, he gradually reduced the half-leopard to nothing more than a bare skeleton. The two men looked at each other in utter bewilderment. What kind of appetite was this? Then, glancing at the hunting dog, they saw it had licked its portion equally clean. Was that even a dog?

"Hm? A rabbit. Go." Qin Yang suddenly gave a low bark.

The divine wolf lunged out of the cave entrance like a shot. Two or three minutes later, it trotted back with a plump rabbit clenched in its jaws. It shook its body, sending a spray of rainwater flying in all directions, which earned it a kick from Qin Yang. He quickly dressed the rabbit, though the divine wolf preferred gnawing on heavy bones and paid little attention to the rabbit. Deciding it was enough, Qin Yang ate two large thighs and tossed the rest toward them. "Here, take the rest. You shouldn't eat too heavily in the morning."

"Th-thank you," the man nodded stiffly.

The two men cut off a piece of the rabbit meat and swallowed it, then passed a piece to the woman. She hesitated for a moment before accepting it and taking a bite. She had to admit that while this fellow slaughtered first-class protected animals without hesitation, his culinary skills were beyond reproach.

"My name is Duan Zhiming, this is my younger brother Duan Zhixun, and this is our good friend Xu Que," the man introduced. "May we ask your honorable name, friend? Thank you very much for today."

"Qin Yang."

Qin Yang shrugged, glanced at the weather outside—the heavy rain looked as though it would persist for a while—and felt a twinge of anxiety. Traveling in such a downpour was virtually impossible, so he simply lay down on the leopard skin to sleep. The divine wolf crept closer, finished gnawing its remaining bones, and curled up beside him to doze off.

After about half an hour, the clothes on the three travelers were nearly dry. Gazing at the sleeping Qin Yang nearby, Duan Zhixun whispered, "Brother, Sister Que, don't you think this guy's equipment is rather unusual?"

"A hunting bow and a blade. What's so unusual about that?" Duan Zhiming frowned.

Xu Que replied, "To be able to hunt a leopard, this person is definitely extraordinary, not to mention his freakish appetite. That iron-backed bow is something ordinary people could never possibly draw. Judging by his accent, he shouldn't be a local. As for the gear Zhixun mentioned, it actually looks quite familiar to me—very much like that fellow who stirred up a bloody storm not long ago."

"Oh?" Duan Zhiming paused, stared fixedly at Qin Yang for a moment, and his expression suddenly shifted drastically. "You don't mean Niji Nanjia?"

"I can't be certain. According to intelligence from the Neili region, Niji Nanjia is undoubtedly Chinese, armed with a black-handled Tang blade and a custom-made longbow. However, this person is carrying an iron-backed bow," Xu Que said with a grave expression. "Could it just be a coincidence?"

"Probably, right?" Duan Zhixun offered a somewhat uncertain, bitter smile. "If he really were Niji Nanjia, wouldn't we have been dead long ago?"

"Rumor has it that Niji Nanjia kills without blinking, but according to our intel, he supposedly did so only to cover the retreat of a group of Chinese hostages. Furthermore, Niji Nanjia's battles in the Neili jungle caused a global sensation. Team S investigated the Neili jungle afterward, and based on the physical evidence and logical system analysis, Niji Nanjia deliberately acted as the hunted prey for the first few days. This indirectly proves he was indeed covering the evacuation of others. However, the reason he suddenly went on a killing spree afterward remains baffling. According to Team S's deductions, that Niji Nanjia is a top-tier psychological master; every move of his enemies was anticipated, and those traps, while looking deceptively simple, were engineered so that no one could avoid them," Xu Que explained. "This guy doesn't look like someone who kills indiscriminately at all. While there's a faint scent of blood on him, it's likely just from slaughtering wild game."

"All right, let's stop discussing this." Duan Zhiming felt an ominous premonition telling him to end the conversation immediately, lest the three of them invite misfortune upon themselves. "It's quite rude to gossip behind the back of someone who gave us fire and food. Even though we are Interpol officers, we shouldn't suspect someone without reason, especially since he just helped us out. Don't forget our mission."

After more than three hours, the heavy rain outside finally ceased, the howling wind died down, and the dark clouds dispersed. Sunlight broke through, painting a breathtaking natural landscape. Qin Yang opened his eyes from his deep sleep, shouldered his equipment, and said in a low voice, "Let's move. We've wasted half a day already. If I don't find them soon, your mistress is going to suffer terribly. Drive away anything blocking our path; we need to pick up the pace."

The divine wolf scrambled to its feet, stood at the cave entrance, and let out a sky-ward howl that instantly sent birds scattering and beasts fleeing in terror. Qin Yang radiated a potent murderous aura, which, combined with the wolf's howl, produced an astonishingly chilling effect. The three individuals inside the cave turned pale, watching the man and dog dash out like the wind and move across the muddy ground with blinding speed, their physical movements resembling those of elite operatives forged through the harshest training.

"Was he really...?" Duan Zhiming asked, his expression still haunted by lingering fear.

"Damn it! Judging by his movements and the murderous aura he just emitted, this guy unquestionably belongs to the 'thousand-cuts' veteran tier. An ordinary hunter could never reach that level. He is definitely Niji Nanjia!" Xu Que stamped her foot in frustration. "He's currently among the top five most wanted fugitives by Interpol! We should have captured him while he was fast asleep!"

"No, I actually think he was warning us," Duan Zhiming said with a wry smile. "I suspect his previous actions were deliberate. He was warning us not to cause him trouble, or else we'd suffer a miserable fate."

"What frustrates me is that even though Niji Nanjia has killed quite a few people, it was always on the battlefield. Weren't we Interpol officers being a bit rash to place him at number five?" Duan Zhixun asked. "Besides, he seems quite kind-hearted."

"If you knew that the outbreak of the Neili black plague was likely instigated single-handedly by him, that all the blood diamonds in the Neili royal palace were pocketed by him, and that he even maintains friendly ties with the Pirate King of the Atlantic, ranking him merely as number five is vastly underestimating him," Xu Que sneered. "Come on, let's follow him. The place he's heading toward seems to overlap with our destination. If the three of us combine our strengths, we should have a fair chance of subduing him. Notify headquarters immediately and report the sighting of someone matching Niji Nanjia's description."