Capture

The Bag’s combat strength could be set aside for now.

The arrangements he had made to meet the three people in charge alone were enough to show that he wasn’t lacking in strategy.

Three people in charge, three different times and locations, with only the parties involved knowing the details. If anything went wrong at one of the meetings, it would indicate that the corresponding person in charge had a problem.

The arrangement wasn’t complicated, but it should have worked.

What he hadn’t expected was for all three meeting locations to run into trouble at the same time.

7:00 p.m., Wanmin Hall.

A strange woman was sitting at the table he had reserved.

Boss Guan hadn’t shown up.

The Bag, hidden at another table, saw that the person who had arrived was the wrong one. He didn’t reveal himself and left immediately.

“There isn’t a single harmless person in the church. Trouble started with the very first one.”

7:30 p.m., a private room in a teahouse.

He was still watching from nearby in secret.

The same strange woman from before arrived again, though this time she seemed to have changed her hairstyle and hair color.

“Damn it. Both people in charge have betrayed me.”

He left at once.

7:46 p.m., Secondhand Book Paradise.

By the time The Bag hurried over, someone was already waiting at the meeting place.

It wasn’t Lady Scab.

It was, unbelievably, the same woman from the previous two meetings.

His face darkened completely.

“Something’s wrong. I came here as fast as I could. How could this woman possibly arrive before me—and look as if she’s been waiting for ages?”

Once, twice—this was now the third time. The Bag knew that something was seriously wrong with the Mist Church in the Sealed Book Hall.

It was perfectly normal for the people in the church to resent an outsider parachuted in to take charge. They were all lunatics, all ruthless and vicious. Most of them weren’t even afraid of death, so why would they fear a mere transfer order?

But precisely because he understood his colleagues so well, he knew that the chances of all three conspiring together against him were extremely low.

The reason was simple: none of them trusted one another.

Agreeing to cooperate beforehand and stabbing each other in the back halfway through was perfectly normal. The ideal outcome was to let the others fight while he reaped the benefits.

“If the three of them didn’t join forces, then the situation is even worse. It means they’ve already been subdued by someone and are now acting under a single command.”

7:55 p.m.

Loop stood in a small pavilion, calling out to the empty air.

“Mr. The Bag, since you’re already here, why not come in and sit down for a chat?”

Loop hadn’t noticed where The Bag was, but she knew he had to be there.

The Bag didn’t answer.

This place had already changed from the fishing trap he had set into a trap laid by the other side.

He was exposed, while the enemy remained hidden. If he rashly stepped out, he would be at a severe disadvantage.

At present, the only advantage he still had in terms of information was that his personal details remained absolutely secret. The other side probably didn’t know what he looked like.

If the conversation went badly, fighting would be his only remaining option.

Although he considered himself exceptionally powerful, he was unwilling to make a reckless move without knowing anything about his opponents.

“Hmph. This is practically a disastrous opening—but I like a challenge. We’ll take it slow.”

He began quietly backing away, preparing to retreat.

“Sir, the park should already be closed. Why are you still here?” a voice called out from the darkness.

The Bag spun around violently, his pupils contracting.

His heart began pounding. How was this possible? Someone had gotten so close, and he hadn’t sensed them at all!

“Heh heh. I saw the scenery here was so beautiful that I fell asleep. I didn’t expect it to be this late when I woke up.” The Bag pretended to stretch.

As he moved, he didn’t forget to add a sleepy sound effect.

“Yaaawn~”

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

The figure in the darkness didn’t collapse.

“According to park regulations, you’ll have to come with me.”

The Bag realized something was wrong. His hand had already closed around a plastic bag protruding halfway from his pocket.

“You work for the park?”

“Yes. I’m the water-area administrator, Pure Water.”

The figure stepped out of the darkness.

The Bag leaped backward, yanking out the plastic bag. At last, he saw clearly that the person speaking to him was actually a water man formed entirely from water!

Loop couldn’t detect The Bag. If they had been in another location, he really might have gotten away. Unfortunately, the third place The Bag had chosen happened to be a covered walkway surrounded by an artificial lake.

His seemingly clever hiding place was practically the equivalent of jumping up and down on Pure Water’s head.

“Sir, we have no grudge against each other. Why don’t we leave things at that? I’ll leave immediately.”

Pure Water said nothing. He merely extended a hand and pointed toward Loop in the pavilion, gesturing for him to “please.”

So they were working together!

Without the slightest hesitation, The Bag activated his plastic bag.

“Wind Guide!”

A fierce gust of wind sprang up out of nowhere.

Its target wasn’t Pure Water, but The Bag himself.

Like an ordinary plastic bag, he was blown away from Pure Water toward the landscaped area in the opposite direction.

Pure Water did nothing to stop him. He simply watched in silence as the plastic bag drifted toward the woods.

Floating through the air, The Bag looked back down at Pure Water and Loop.

“If we get the chance, we’ll meet again.”

“The chance is right now,” a sultry female voice replied.

The Bag suddenly found himself unable to move.

The plastic bag he had become had slammed into a huge spiderweb stretched between the trees.

And just like that, The Bag was bundled up and carried back to Fairy Tale Road.

Chen Miemie had stayed home to mind the shop and hadn’t personally gone out for the evening’s operation.

Fairy Tale Road, No. 1. This had once been the Housing Demolition and Resettlement Management Office set up by Chenpi. Although the demolition project had been halted, the occupants of this particular house had already agreed to move out and would never return.

Chen Miemie had asked Chenpi to hand the place over to him, turning it into a temporary reception room.

The black plastic bag covering The Bag’s head was removed, and he could finally see his surroundings.

He quickly concluded that this was not an interrogation room, but merely an ordinary, shabby storefront. There was even a large Chinese character meaning “demolish” painted on the wall.

He behaved honestly and made no attempt to suddenly attack anyone.

He had replayed the battle in his mind more than a dozen times and reached the conclusion that his defeat had been entirely justified. It wasn’t that Loop hadn’t taken part in the fight—the other side had been thoroughly prepared and had sent out two mysterious beings far more powerful than him. Even if they fought several more times, he would still end up captured alive.

He even suspected that Pure Water and Red were both [Mystery] 7 entities. Since they hadn’t been subjected to any passive attacks, he hadn’t yet considered the possibility that they were anomalous beings.

[Mystery] 7—that was the level of a true big shot. He would have to attack them with his head.

Master Chen Mie Mie had temporarily skipped out on his shift at the shop. Sitting behind the demolition-negotiation desk, he slammed down the judge’s block and put on an imposing air.

“Who are you, and what crime have you committed? Confess everything honestly.”