Chapter 20

Hesitantly picking up the teacup and taking a light sip, Lin Yifan looked at the two people in front of him with great confusion.

"Captain Liu seems to be in a good mood. What good deed did I do to make you both so happy?"

Liu Ming hummed a tune and jiggled his leg, "Could it be anything but a good deed? You caught those three old men."

"Oh?" Lin Yifan began to be cautious. Did Liu Ming and the others know that they were actually con artists? Did they also know his identity?

At this moment, Liu Ming nudged Yao Ling and gave her a meaningful look, "No matter what, he saved you twice..."

"Are you annoying or what? I know!" Yao Ling pushed Captain Liu's hand away and took a deep breath.

Watching Yao Ling walk over, Lin Yifan had no idea what kind of trick they were playing.

At this moment, Yao Ling picked up the steaming teapot, and Lin Yifan immediately stood up in a defensive posture.

Seeing Lin Yifan's cautious appearance, Yao Ling burst into laughter.

Surprised by Yao Ling's laughter, Lin Yifan had never seen her laugh before. Although she usually looked like an ice queen, her smile made her seem like a girl next door, a stark contrast to her usual demeanor.

Feeling Lin Yifan's gaze, Yao Ling put on a serious face again, "Ahem, I... I came to thank you. In short... sorry."

In Lin Yifan's astonished gaze, Yao Ling poured him a cup of tea.

"This... What's going on? Stop playing games!" Lin Yifan couldn't stand the strange atmosphere. He thought they were here to confront him, but it turned out they were here to thank him.

What good deed did he do to make them so grateful?

"Haha, you got rid of those three priests, and all their property went to us. Not only did we pay the group fees, but we also filled our own little piggy banks. Who else should I thank if not you?" Liu Ming put his arm around Lin Yifan's shoulder.

Lin Yifan's mouth hung open, looking at the smirking Captain Liu and the gleeful Yao Ling.

Of course, they knew Lin Yifan wasn't so kind as to give them money, but they really did have to thank him for helping them take over the con artists' property.

His lips twitched, and Lin Yifan really wanted to slap himself. But since it wasn't his anymore, regretting it was useless.

Drinking the tea in one gulp, he exhaled deeply, "I think you two didn't just come to thank me, right?"

Upon hearing this, Yao Ling and Liu Ming's faces turned serious. They exchanged a glance, and Captain Liu lowered his voice, "That's right. We actually want to ask you something. Where is Liang Dong?"

"Liang Dong? Didn't I already say I don't know? I think he was dead when I ran away." Lin Yifan started to act innocent and play dumb.

Anyway, there was no way Liang Dong would get out of prison. Even if he did, he would be carried out on a stretcher! That guy knew too much, and if he was released, Lin Yifan's identity would be exposed immediately.

"The new guy, you really don't know?" Captain Liu frowned.

"Really don't know!"

Lin Yifan began to show his acting skills, his heart not racing, his face not turning red, and his tone so firm that he almost believed it himself.

Yao Ling, standing beside him, also had a serious face, rubbing her chin in thought, "But Liang Dong's code name is still in the group and hasn't been removed by the system. This means he's still alive, which is very strange."

"Right, now the group leader of the Thirteenth District is mobilizing everyone to search for him, even sending people into the Midnight Bell cycle to look for him. It's driving everyone crazy."

Hearing them say it was serious, Lin Yifan couldn't help but ask, "Is Liang Dong's position in your group very high?"

"Hmph, that guy is just a regular member, but he has a cousin who is our superior." Yao Ling didn't seem to like Liang Dong much and didn't seem to like the group leader either.

Seeing Lin Yifan still confused, Captain Liu explained, "Each district is controlled by a group. There are twenty districts for new recruits, all controlled by different groups. For example, the Thirteenth and Twelfth Districts are controlled by our Arbitrators group, managed by two district executors."

"Like gang territories?"

Liu Ming hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Although I don't like to admit it, it's pretty much like that."

"By the way, I almost forgot to tell you something. New guy, you have to be very careful not to be discovered by the district executor of the Thirteenth District. He's investigating you." Yao Ling leaned in, looking worried.

The two exchanged a glance, and seeing Lin Yifan's surprised face, Yao Ling realized she had been too enthusiastic and quickly distanced herself from Lin Yifan, pretending nothing had happened.

The district executor of the Thirteenth District? Lin Yifan just happened to live in the Thirteenth District, under his jurisdiction. Fortunately, joining a group was voluntary; the Arbitrators just didn't allow other groups to recruit in the Thirteenth District.

"I'll be careful. Thanks for the warning. I should go." Lin Yifan thanked the two. They didn't mind being tricked and he got a good reward, so it was a win-win situation.

Seeing Lin Yifan about to leave, Liu Ming quickly stood up, "Want to chat a bit more? And which group do you plan to join? We don't want to see you join our enemy camp. The battles between groups are very brutal."

"I don't plan to join any group for now, probably won't join at all."

Yao Ling, who had been sitting there, snorted, "Captain Liu, let him go if he wants to. We just wanted to give him a friendly warning."

"Let's talk about it another day." Lin Yifan really didn't have time to chat. The prosecutor's request hadn't even started, and now there was a district executor from the Arbitrators group looking for him. If he wasted more time, he wouldn't know how to spell "dead."

Although Captain Liu wanted to chat more with Lin Yifan, seeing Yao Ling's unhappy expression, he said, "Alright, I'll treat you to a drink another day."

Lin Yifan nodded, said goodbye to Yao Ling and Captain Liu, and walked out of the lounge with his equipment.

Starting his motorcycle, Lin Yifan didn't realize that someone was hiding in the shadows at the corner.

"Detected a suspected Lin Yifan cycle participant. This person just met with our group's Liu Ming and Yao Ling... Understood, starting to track."

A man in black stepped out of the shadows, saw Lin Yifan riding the black motorcycle away, and immediately got into his silver sports car, starting to tail Lin Yifan.

Lin Yifan, enjoying the wind blowing across his face as he drove home, suddenly felt something was wrong.

"Hmm?"

On the navigation map, a car was shown to be traveling at the same speed. These cycle participants, who were used to being reckless, wouldn't drive properly. Normally, they would speed up and zoom past, leaving Lin Yifan in the dust.

Thinking about what Captain Liu had just told him, especially since the Thirteenth District was the territory of the Arbitrators, the district executor must have been keeping an eye on him.

Lin Yifan didn't look back at the sports car, afraid of drawing attention. He tried to turn into a few random streets, and sure enough, the sports car was still following him. It was clear they were monitoring him.

At first, Lin Yifan thought about speeding up and darting into alleys, but then he realized that if he had a navigation system, the other party probably did too, and it would only backfire.

However, the navigation system didn't always show everything, like cars parked indoors, which wouldn't be marked on the map.

Thinking of this, Lin Yifan had an idea. He slowed down and gradually moved to the side of the road. The car behind him stopped, seeing Lin Yifan's slow speed and not wanting to draw attention.

Suddenly, Lin Yifan revved the engine and sped into a nearby residential complex.

Ignoring the security guard's attempts to stop him, Lin Yifan lifted the front of the motorcycle and drove up the steps, heading for the back gate. The security guard, completely unprepared for this, fell on his butt in shock.

Lin Yifan sped into the complex, and the person following him only realized what was happening. Driving a car, he couldn't follow directly and had to take a longer route to the main gate to intercept Lin Yifan.

The carbon-iron engine roared throughout the complex as Lin Yifan drove recklessly, scaring many ordinary citizens who were out for a walk.

The motorcycle roared, and with a high-speed drift, Lin Yifan entered the underground parking lot, disappearing from the navigation map.

Hiding in the underground parking lot, Lin Yifan found a corner to hide the motorcycle. Just as he was about to find a place to hide, a low alarm sounded throughout the parking lot.

"Hey! Stop, you outsider cycle participant!" Several security guards armed with electric batons rushed into the basement, shouting at Lin Yifan.

Kicking one of the guards who lunged at him, Lin Yifan, not wanting to cause a big incident, turned and ran. Just when he thought he had shaken off the cycle participant tracking him, he was now being chased by the complex's security guards.

In the Infinite City, lethal weapons couldn't be used, and although he was well-armed, he couldn't use them to attack.

The two guards helped their fallen comrade, while the others continued to wave their electric batons, chasing after Lin Yifan.

Running at full speed, Lin Yifan rushed into the elevator and quickly pressed the close button. Just as the doors were halfway closed, a guard tried to force his way in, and Lin Yifan immediately kicked him.

Kicking the guard away and pulling his leg back, the doors closed just in time.

"Damn, that cycle participant scum!" The guards cursed as the elevator ascended.

"Don't worry! I'll have the security room stop the elevator!" The guard captain picked up the walkie-talkie, and the others smiled sinisterly.

The guard captain ordered the elevator to be stopped and then led the others to the first floor.

"Let's see where you run!"

The guards' electric batons crackled, and they slowly pried open the elevator doors, like a game of cat and mouse. When they shone their flashlights into the gap, their faces froze.

---

[End of Chapter]