On the flickering cyan monitor, Thien Anh rapidly typed a message to Shadow Devotee:
"How much do you know about consuming mutant meat to enhance physiology?"
The response was almost instantaneous:
"Every damn soul knows about it by now, but the price isn't cheap. I've seen idiots eat indiscriminately and sprout scales or tails, turning into freaks that are neither human nor beast. I only eat sparingly, but in small amounts, the effects are negligible."
Thien Anh smirked, sharing a 'secret' he had distilled from experience:
"Hunt the high-tier mutants. Eat only their hearts. The heart is the concentration of vital essence but contains the least amount of toxins. It can be absorbed safely in large quantities."
"I know that," Shadow Devotee lamented through the text. "But hunting high-tiers is harder than climbing to heaven. Believe it or not? I used a heavy anti-material rifle and shot one directly in the eye, and the bullet couldn't even penetrate its protective membrane."
Thien Anh was momentarily stunned, his fingers flying faster across the keys:
"What tier has it reached to be that terrifying? The highest I've seen here is Tier 2. In fact, I crossed paths with a 'Wyvern' today; I nearly ended up as its meal."
"Heaven only knows how far they've evolved. In the cities, the tiers aren't usually high, but my area is a natural wilderness—the rate of evolution is staggering. What did the dragon you mentioned look like? Take a shot and send it over."
Without hesitation, Thien Anh extracted an image from the cold storage surveillance and transmitted it. Seconds later, a flurry of exclamation icons flooded his screen:
"I have those here too, but they're much larger. One flap of their wings can crush an armored vehicle. The one you killed must have been a 'juvenile.' Still, killing it means you're no slouch. Seems your skills have sharpened significantly lately."
As they exchanged intel, a new message window popped up. The nickname: Child of Sin.
"Greetings, Ice Frog! Haven't seen you surface in ages. What ill wind blew you in here today?"
Thien Anh had no interest in small talk, cutting straight to the point:
"I need to buy intel from the Chairman. Do you know where Lisa is currently located?"
Child of Sin responded quickly:
"Looking for the 'Queen'? Contact her directly through this encrypted node: [email protected]."
"Got it."
Thien Anh typed the two words and decisively went offline. His habit of "using and discarding"—getting what he needed and immediately cutting ties—often left those in the underworld gritting their teeth in irritation, but no one dared to act on it.
Thien Anh immediately sent a contact request to the provided address. Contrary to his expectation of a text reply, the monitor suddenly vibrated with a direct Video Call request. Thien Anh frowned; he disliked showing his face. He summarily rejected the call and sent a cold line of text:
"I want to buy information."
Inverse Lisa messaged back, seemingly unbothered by the rejection:
"What are you looking to buy, Ice Frog?"
"Full structural blueprints, locations of military reserves, shelter facilities, and hospitals in Noi Ha City, Linh Nam."
"I'll provide them for free this time," Lisa responded with a startling offer. "But on one condition: I want to speak with you face-to-face, just once."
Immediately, the video call request appeared again. This time, Thien Anh remained silent for a few seconds before clicking accept.
The screen brightened, revealing the image of an exquisitely beautiful Western woman. Lisa possessed cascading golden hair and eyes as deep and blue as the ocean, yet she radiated a lethally dangerous aura. Across her porcelain skin, intricate tattoos ran from her right wrist and down her right leg, lending her a feral, wild edge.
She was sitting cross-legged in a plush leather chair, nonchalantly cleaning a powerful Benelli M4 shotgun. Seeing Thien Anh, she offered a seductive yet enigmatic smile:
"First time seeing your face, Ice Frog."
Thien Anh maintained an expression as indifferent as a frozen lake, replying in a flat, dispassionate voice:
"Likewise."
Lisa chuckled softly, her voice low and alluring. "You truly are an uninteresting man."
"Useless talk should be kept to a minimum," Thien Anh interrupted. "To the point. What is your proposal?"
Lisa set the shotgun aside, her demeanor turning professional.
"I want a genuine partnership, not the half-hearted mercenary arrangement we had before. I've assembled a group of reliable partners. If we align, dominating and thriving in this era of chaos is within our reach. Furthermore… the place you're staying, it's Biden's old lair, isn't it? That place is as fortified as the Presidential bunker."
Thien Anh narrowed his eyes slightly. He was an assassin, nomadic by nature. This bunker had been assigned to him by the organization for a mission; he had never considered it 'home.' His gaze didn't waver before Lisa's powerful invitation. He answered curtly:
"Wait until I survive my exit from this city before we talk about that. For now, just send the documents over."
Without giving Lisa a chance to say another word, Thien Anh decisively disconnected.
Sitting not far away, Lam Linh appeared to be focused on the monitors, but in reality, she hadn't missed a single word. Though she couldn't see the person on the other end, she could divine the situation through Thien Anh's attitude.
A strange sensation rose within Lam Linh's chest. This man was truly 'different on the inside.' Since she had come to live with him, despite his cold exterior, he had never treated her with such absolute, bone-dry ruthlessness as he had that woman. Watching him interact with that powerful figure, she realized she had been receiving a 'priority' treatment that she hadn't even fully noticed herself.
Suppressing her thoughts, Lam Linh pretended to know nothing, continuing her focus on the rapidly fluctuating biological graphs of Thien Lang and Azure Sky