The office door plaque read: Vault Storage Business Department.

The manager was a portly, blond middle-aged man with a receding hairline. High-calorie food and a lack of exercise had taken a toll on his figure.

"Open a safe deposit box?" the middle-aged manager said, standing up quickly and ushering Zhang Yuanqing to a sofa in the reception area.

A receptionist poured two glasses of warm water and then retreated.

Zhang Yuanqing took a sip of the warm water, his eyes scanning the middle-aged man's chest. The name tag read Karl Parker. He smiled and said, "Manager Parker, I'm here to open a safe deposit box, number 0042."

Parker nodded. "Please show me your identification."

Customers could inspect and use their safe deposit boxes at any time, but they were required to carry identification and sign a record each time the box was opened.

"You've already seen my identification," Zhang Yuanqing said, gazing into Manager Parker's eyes.

The latter seemed to snap out of a daze and then stood up enthusiastically. "Please, come with me."

Zhang Yuanqing followed him out of the office, deeper into the bank's interior, taking an elevator to the basement and passing through a corridor leading to the vault. Parker, along with a bank employee, used a key to open a 30-centimeter-thick security door.

Finally, they unlocked an iron gate, arriving at the personal safe deposit box hall.

The safe deposit boxes here resembled the walls of an ossuary in a temple, row upon row.

Manager Parker led Zhang Yuanqing to zone 00, stopping in front of box 42. "Please, help yourself," he said.

With that, he retreated.

Zhang Yuanqing entered the password and then faced the pinhole camera next to the keypad. A few seconds later, he heard the tone indicating successful iris recognition.

Safe deposit box 0042 was unlocked.

He immediately opened the box. Inside lay a square wooden box.

"Click!"

Zhang Yuanqing opened the wooden box and saw a fan-shaped bronze piece. Its complete form should have been a bronze disc, divided into four pieces.

The surface of the fan-shaped bronze piece was engraved with tadpole-like runes. Just one glance made Zhang Yuanqing feel dizzy, his consciousness sinking into a deep vortex, difficult to escape.

He quickly closed his eyes, refraining from further viewing, and gripped the bronze piece in his hand, attempting to read the item information.

A few seconds later, Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes, startled.

No item information...

"Strange, the Pope's relic must be a The Way of the Extraordinary item, why is there no item information?"

The lack of item information was a headache because it made it impossible to define the item. The treasure map fragment of the Devil Lord, for example, directly provided information such as "a total of six pieces" and "the Yuhua Xianmen Treasure Vault."

The direction of the treasure hunt became simple and clear at once.

"Something that makes me dizzy must be extraordinary, but without item information... there's only one explanation, this thing isn't a The Way of the Extraordinary item, it's something handed down by ancient cultivators."

Zhang Yuanqing suddenly remembered a rumor that the Vatican possessed the complete heritage of ancient cultivators. In the Dark Ages, the Vatican's knights were at the forefront of the fight against werewolves, witches, and vampires.

So it was reasonable for the Vatican to possess items passed down from ancient cultivators.

"I just don't know if the Pope's relic is this bronze disc itself, or if the bronze disc is just a key, and the real Pope's relic can be obtained after collecting all the pieces."

This fan-shaped bronze piece was clearly incomplete.

Zhang Yuanqing took out the fan-shaped bronze piece, put the wooden box back in the safe deposit box, and turned to leave the hall.

After leaving the bank building, Zhang Yuanqing changed his appearance several times, changed his clothes, and disguised himself as a handsome blond man. Instead of returning to the red-brick building, he took a taxi to Kings County, a district with a relatively high crime rate and a large immigrant population.

On the way, he thought to himself:

"Now it depends on the reaction of Heavenly Retribution and the Hunter Association. If it's the Hunter Association that's looking for me, then the organization that planned the serial killings is the Free Covenant, and I can take the opportunity to infiltrate the enemy."

"Conversely, if it's Heavenly Retribution, then I can ignore them and focus on dealing with the Pope's relic."

An hour later, Zhang Yuanqing arrived in Kings County. The urban development here was noticeably inferior to that of Manhattan. The streets and houses all had a sense of age, and the buildings weren't tall enough.

Zhang Yuanqing had a reason for coming to Kings County. He was guarding against the possibility that the mastermind behind the scenes was the Free Covenant.

If the Free Covenant orchestrated the serial killings, then after he submitted the "Zong Cheng Task" application, the Hunter Association would definitely pay attention to him and look for him.

In New York City, an international metropolis, the best way to find someone was to use high-tech means of locating them, such as through the Hunter app.

Returning to the red-brick building at this time would be like self-destructing his location. Although he could prevent tracking and location by turning off his phone, he would have no way to contact the Hunter Association.

"If the Free Covenant attaches great importance to the Pope's relic, then they will definitely contact me today. Hmm, they need some time to find out that 'Jia Feizhang' took the items from the bank safe deposit box. I'll wait a little longer..."

He wandered aimlessly around Kings County.

Kings County was the most populous district in New York City's five boroughs. Its level of crime was comparable to that of the Bronx, which was filled with African Americans.

Places with high crime rates had one thing in common: they were gathering places for social idlers and prostitutes.

Zhang Yuanqing had only been wandering for a moment when he saw a blond woman in a tight dress, carrying a bag, and dressed seductively approaching him.

"Sir, although it's still a long time before dark, I can't wait to indulge with you," the blond woman said, showing off her figure.

"For just two hundred dollars, you can have me. And for another two hundred federal dollars, you can have me tonight too."

Two hundred federal dollars? In New York City, where prices were high, that was cheap and affordable. She was quite attractive, and many men must have had her. Sorry, I'm not in the habit of riding the subway....... Zhang Yuanqing declined politely:

"Madam, the price I can accept is 100 federal dollars, um, for the whole night."

The blond woman sized him up and smiled charmingly. "Seeing as you're so handsome, one hundred federal dollars will do."

Sorry, I'm not in the habit of riding the cheap subway... Zhang Yuanqing walked away silently.

Two more hours passed. He ate African American fried chicken and watched street dance, and saw energetic young men playing skateboard and basketball in Kings County.

He felt that the security here was not as bad as rumored. Of course, it might have been because it wasn't dark yet.

"Kings County and the Bronx are hiding places for evil professions. Should I sense emotions and look for evil professions? Hmm, indiscriminately sensing the emotions of everyone would be too much of a burden for me. There's no need to look for abuse..."

Thinking this, Zhang Yuanqing took out a spare phone, turned it on, and opened the Hunter app. Before he could check the background, he saw two unread emails in his inbox.

One was a notification that the task had been completed, and the other was from the official Hunter app.

"Dear Hunter 'Tongtian Jiaozhu,' your outstanding performance has attracted our attention. We have professional training programs and favorable treatment in terms of profit sharing and bonuses for outstanding hunters. Please report to the New York City Hunter Association branch before 6:00 p.m. today."

Tsk tsk, so the Free Covenant really did plan the serial murders... Zhang Yuanqing narrowed his eyes after reading the information and immediately made a judgment.

"This information is clearly intended to lure me to the Association branch. They must have failed to locate me through the app and then chose this inferior tactic. According to the president's deduction, the Hunter Association should be tolerant of me, but if I refuse to hand over the Pope's relic, it's hard to guarantee that the Hunter Association won't kill to seize the treasure. I have to be careful."

"The Yin corpse is the best cannon fodder, but no matter how the Yin corpse's aura is disguised, it's impossible to hide it from the eyes of higher-level Practitioners. To be safe, let the Yatagarasu mirror's clone go."

Just as Zhang Yuanqing made up his mind, the phone he normally used rang.

The caller was Cao Qianxiu.

Her? Why would she call me...? Zhang Yuanqing answered the phone and said lightly, "Strange, this is the first time you've called me during class time."

Cao Qianxiu on the other end of the phone got straight to the point: "The organization's higher-ups want to see you. There's something very urgent and important."

"What is it?" Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback, thinking that no matter how urgent it was, it shouldn't be his turn. In terms of level, he was just a Saint. The Anti-Black and White Alliance didn't lack high-end combat power.

In terms of relationships, he was just a Swordsman who had just joined the organization, and ultimately he was still an outsider.

"I'm not sure, but it should be related to last night's events. I've already taken leave at home. Come back, and I'll take you to see the Alliance Leader and the Elders," Cao Qianxiu said.

As soon as Zhang Yuanqing heard that it was related to last night's events, he suppressed the thought of refusing and said, "Okay, wait for me at home."

He immediately took out the Yatagarasu mirror, created a clone in a secluded place, and parted ways with the clone, each acting on their own.

……

1:00 p.m.

In Chinatown, in the affluent townhouses, Cao Qianxiu led Zhang Yuanqing to a villa and rang the doorbell with a visual intercom at the gate.

"Leader, I'm Sixth Team member Cao Qianxiu. The person beside me is Xiaoyao Swordsman from the Second District, and also a new member of the Sixth Team," Cao Qianxiu said with a straight face.

After saying that, the iron gate clicked open.

Cao Qianxiu looked back at Zhang Yuanqing and said, "Let's go in."

The two walked through the garden and were led by a maid to a Western-style living room. Zhang Yuanqing looked at the two people sitting on the sofa.

One was a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a domineering aura, and the other was a handsome middle-aged man with a scholarly air.

The one with thick eyebrows and big eyes should be the Alliance Leader, and the other one is Elder Tao? Zhang Yuanqing silently analyzed the identities of the two people. On the way here, he heard Cao Qianxiu say that the Anti-Black and White Alliance had one Alliance Leader and two Elders.

The Alliance Leader was a Lightning Mage, and the other two Elders were a Wind Mage and a Siren.

The auras of the three major professions were easy to distinguish.

"Judge Cao, go to the side hall for tea first," Deng Jingguo said before the two could speak.

Cao Qianxiu obediently went to the side hall.

Deng Jingguo scrutinized Zhang Yuanqing while gesturing for him to sit down, and said in a deep voice, "What level Swordsman are you?"

"Peak Level Five!" Zhang Yuanqing replied.

Deng Jingguo and Tao Siming exchanged glances. This answer surprised and delighted them.

Tao Siming smiled and said, "We want to ask you for a favor."

A favor? I'm definitely not taking on any jobs that send people to their deaths....... Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Please tell me."

Tao Siming said solemnly, "You are a scout, best at tracking and investigating cases. We want to ask you to find someone. He's a bounty hunter. His The Way of the Extraordinary ID is Tongtian Jiaozhu."

Hunter Association branch.

"Anyway, I'm just a clone. It doesn't matter if I die. I'll just treat it as a trial run for the main body."

"If the people from the Free Covenant directly attack me, then the president's plan won't work. I'll have to change my identity and infiltrate the enemy..."

In the Hunter Association's meeting room, Zhang Yuanqing was holding a teacup in both hands, thinking aimlessly.

Soon, he heard footsteps.

Then the door of the meeting room opened, and a woman in a workplace uniform walked in.

She had rare gray short hair, was about thirty years old, had a full chest, a slender waist, and round hips. Her two alluring long legs exuded the sweet fragrance of a ripe peach.

Her features were exquisitely carved, and she was flawlessly beautiful. Her light gray eyes were hazy and charming, with a hidden style.

Zhang Yuanqing felt his head swell, his mouth dry, and the lust in his heart soared as soon as he saw her. He couldn't wait to press this woman down and whip her as much as he wanted, letting her experience the speed of a Night Watcher's three strikes per second.

Zhang Yuanqing immediately restrained his emotions, trying to calm his lust and trying to expel the evil fire, but as a peak Level Six Illusionist, he was somewhat out of control at the moment.

This was a Ruler!

He had considered the possibility of the Free Covenant killing to seize the treasure, and had even prepared to sacrifice the Tongtian Jiaozhu identity and open another account.

But he didn't expect the other party to be so despicable and shameless, sending a Ruler-level Eros profession.

Yes, sending an Eros profession was the most stable and effective choice, both controlling the target and not requiring a large-scale attack!

Today, they might just take both the person and the goods, and now my mind is full of playing Mario! They came in with a honey trap right away, the Free Covenant has no morals... Zhang Yuanqing gritted his teeth secretly.