Without the Heavenly Eye to see through things, Li Chonglou dared not leave his current position.
Since he had started noticing Green Bull, Liu Fei’s whereabouts had been completely lost to him. It was also possible that Liu Fei had already left ahead of time, though the probability of that was slim.
After all, there had always been a seven-person team guarding this exit. Unless Liu Fei was in league with them, he was most likely still inside.
However, Li Chonglou had no way to go in and check. He had to arrange for Cullan to keep a close eye on Green Bull and the other person. Long Fei was from the General Bureau, and he had no other personnel available here.
“Perhaps I can recruit another subordinate?”
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Li Chonglou. He recalled that Cullan was also a subordinate he had recruited temporarily. Although the circumstances had been perfect, this might be an avenue for expansion.
Cullan had been attracted by the martial arts enthusiast, which was only one of the conditions. Or perhaps he could use other conditions to recruit subordinates?
Li Chonglou thought back to the conditions he could offer, but after much deliberation, it seemed only martial arts were viable.
He was a top-tier expert in antiques, but the people who came here were clearly not from the same circle. Trying to win them over with this would be like a fool talking to the moon.
Just as he was pondering, Li Chonglou, who was hiding behind a large pillar, suddenly spotted a furtive figure in front of him.
Li Chonglou’s spirits immediately lifted. After ensuring he remained hidden, he began to carefully observe the newcomer.
The man was dressed in plain clothes, thin, with a buzz cut, and wore a black veil that obscured his nose and mouth. However, his eyes held a distinctly shifty look.
It was a gaze that was vigilant yet cunning, and within that cunningness, a hint of suspicion.
However, Li Chonglou quickly noticed that the man’s attention was almost entirely focused on the northern exit.
This was about fifty meters away. Li Chonglou hadn't had time to clean up the bodies from earlier, but even if he had, it wouldn't have mattered. The traces left by the fight between Old Lin and the man in grey were clearly visible and impossible to conceal.
“Did he come here before?”
This sudden appearance of a person left Li Chonglou perplexed. An ordinary person would have gone forward to investigate upon seeing this scene. Even cautious individuals wouldn't be as wary as this man.
His demeanor suggested he knew there was an ambush here, so even seeing the bodies, he remained fixated on the exit.
This made Li Chonglou suspect the man had been here before and knew about the seven-person ambush.
Perhaps this man knew something.
Li Chonglou immediately made up his mind. He stopped observing the man and completely hid himself behind the stone pillar, while also having Wen Yi perform a soul fusion.
The stone pillar was one of the airport's load-bearing pillars, too thick for three burly men to encircle their arms. Hiding Li Chonglou’s figure was no issue at all.
Moreover, the reflection from the nearby glass was directed forward, making it impossible for the man to spot Li Chonglou from his position.
After about five minutes, the man, who was only about ten meters away, reappeared in Li Chonglou’s field of vision.
Perhaps due to his intense focus on the northern exit, the man hadn't noticed the side with the stone pillar.
By the time he realized it, Li Chonglou had already flashed behind him.
“Don’t kill me!”
The man’s reaction startled Li Chonglou. He hadn’t even done anything to him, only revealed his presence, and the man had already dropped to his knees.
His practiced ease surpassed that of a grown man heading home after washing his feet at night.
Li Chonglou said speechlessly, “Get up first. I didn’t say I was going to kill you.”
“Really? Thank you, thank you!”
The man immediately got up, bowed twice towards Li Chonglou, and attempted to quickly leave. Li Chonglou grabbed him by the back of his collar.
“I said I wouldn’t kill you, but I didn’t say you could leave, did I?” Li Chonglou rolled his eyes so hard they almost fell out. It was rare to encounter someone so self-aware and shameless.
The man immediately replied with a hint of grievance, “I knew it. Men’s words are like deceiving ghosts.”
His aggrieved expression was like that of an innocent young girl who had been tricked out of her youth and money, but the problem was, this guy was clearly a man.
At this moment, Li Chonglou noticed a pistol tucked into the man’s waist, and his curiosity resurfaced.
“Take off your mask. What’s your name, and which gang do you belong to?”
The man didn’t hesitate. He complied and directly said, “Hawkeye, hired by Green Bird.”
Green Bird was also one of the four major gangs in Shangjing, but its modus operandi differed from the other three. Li Chonglou had been in Shangjing for a long time and had rarely heard of them, nor had he ever had any contact.
However, what caught Li Chonglou’s attention more was the phrase “hired by.”
“Are you a freelancer?”
Freelancers referred to individuals who did not belong exclusively to any single gang. Strictly speaking, freelancers weren't truly free, as although they didn't belong to one gang, they would circulate among various gangs to take on tasks.
In a sense, during the phase of taking on missions, their identity was no longer that of a free agent.
It was only then that Li Chonglou suddenly remembered that the people sent by the major gangs were more likely to be these freelancers. After all, if something went wrong, they could minimize their losses, merely losing some payment.
However, that wasn't the main issue now.
Hawkeye's answer also came as a surprise to Li Chonglou.
“Not exactly a freelancer. I can usually only take on Green Bird’s missions. We have an agreement, so you could say…”
“Green Bird’s exclusive errand boy?”
“Uh.”
The word “errand boy” made Hawkeye uncomfortable, but on second thought, it was indeed accurate. So, Hawkeye didn’t refute it in the end, only saying with some bitterness.
“Perhaps, big brother, you could use the term ‘enforcer’ instead? Calling me an errand boy makes me sound rather low-level.”
Li Chonglou rolled his eyes and ruthlessly exposed him, “Enforcers are employees, aren’t they? Are you considered one of Green Bird’s people? Do you get the same benefits as their enforcers? Will Green Bird help you if something happens?”
“Big brother, do you have to be so heartless…”
Hawkeye was instantly disheartened, while Li Chonglou became interested.
One had to know that such freelancers who signed agreements with the four major gangs were not ordinary people. If they didn’t possess unique skills, no one would pay them any mind. As for why they possessed such skills yet held such an unreliable status,
There was naturally a reason for it.
Li Chonglou immediately asked, “Which force did you offend?”
Hawkeye said with a bitter smile, “Big brother, can we let the past be the past?”
Seeing that Hawkeye didn't want to talk, Li Chonglou didn't press the issue and directly stated his purpose.
“Come with me. I’ll give you a better status and benefits.”