Chapter 145: Missing Person Mission
After finishing the meal, Lin Ye began following Lily around the city.
"Do you have any places you'd like to go?"
Lily had originally planned to just show this obvious outsider who didn't have the City of Sin's aura around for a casual stroll, then send him out before nightfall. That way, she'd be doing a good deed while scamming money.
But after spending some time with Lin Ye, she gradually abandoned this naive idea.
"Are there any local snack specialties here? The kind girls tend to like."
Although Jiang Yu's recommended grilled innards hadn't made Alice very happy last time, that was Jiang Yu's taste problem. Lin Ye hadn't given up on relying on normal female preferences.
"Uh, are you talking about proper snacks? Or is that some code for contraband?"
Lily confirmed with Lin Ye.
"Of course proper snacks. There's contraband here too?"
Lin Ye asked somewhat strangely. "Oh, of course there's no contraband here, but many things become contraband once you leave the city."
Lily led Lin Ye into a slightly older commercial street where the pedestrians were noticeably more normal compared to the outside.
"You came from outside? What trouble did you get into?"
Lin Ye looked curiously at Lily's slender back. Should they say you can't judge a book by its cover? He found it hard to imagine what she looked like when committing misdeeds.
"I didn't get into trouble. I came here to find a friend."
Lily gave a simple explanation.
"...Your friend wouldn't happen to be a young man with golden hair, would you?"
In that moment, Lin Ye felt Fate's touch.
"Ah? No, she's a white-haired girl about my age."
Lily gave Lin Ye a puzzled look.
"...She didn't leave you an address?"
Lin Ye felt the capriciousness of Fate.
"...She disappeared. According to her family, she was most likely brought here."
Lily's tone turned somber, but she quickly rallied herself.
"So I came. I'll find her... no matter how long it takes."
"Oh? Have you found any clues then?"
Lin Ye once again felt Fate's presence.
"No. The City of Sin is too big and too dangerous. I can only search for clues during daytime on relatively safe streets."
Lily sighed. She rarely sighed, but facing this situation, even she couldn't help but feel disheartened at times.
"Do you know what I do for a living?"
Lin Ye suddenly said.
"You? No idea. I initially thought you were some young noble coming here for fun, but young nobles aren't as reasonable as you."
Though their contact had been brief, Lily was certain she'd never met anyone quite like Lin Ye.
"I'm an expert in handling incidents, specially helping those above deal with various troublesome matters."
Lin Ye said with complete confidence.
"Can you help me then?"
Lily turned to look at Lin Ye.
"Exactly. Finding someone is trivial matter for me, even in the chaotic City of Sin."
Lin Ye naturally met Lily's gaze. If that girl was truly still in the City of Sin, he could find her.
"Then would you be willing to help me? What price must I pay?"
Lily asked seriously.
She knew perfectly well that unless a miracle occurred, it would be difficult for her to find that person in this city.
"I don't come cheap. You probably can't afford my hiring price. How about this—help me pick out your favorite snack, then Fate will tell me whether to help you or not."
Lin Ye looked toward a nearby grocery store as he spoke.
Lily entered the grocery store. Lin Ye expected her to hesitate for a while, but she came out quickly, holding a bag of colorful spherical candies.
"This was her favorite snack, and it's my favorite too."
Lin Ye took out Alice's snack bag and placed the candy inside.
Soon the bag of candy disappeared, and then something new appeared in the snack bag.
Lin Ye reached into the snack bag and pulled out a packet of milk soft candies.
"What does this mean?"
Lily watched Lin Ye nervously.
Lin Ye put a soft candy in his mouth. The flavor was quite rich, and the texture when chewed was excellent.
"Do you believe in Fate?"
Handing Lily a piece of soft candy, Lin Ye turned and walked toward the bar they had passed earlier.
"I don't believe."
Lily followed behind Lin Ye, stating firmly.
"I don't believe either."
Lin Ye said with a smile.
Blaze Bar, stronghold of the Wild Dogs gang.
The Wild Dogs were one of the lowest-tier gangs in the City of Sin, but true to their name, their members were like stray dogs roaming the city, appearing everywhere, which made them well-informed.
Since it was daytime, only a few burly staff members were inside when Lin Ye entered the bar.
"Customer, the bar opens in the evening."
One of the staff members said to Lin Ye.
"Where's your boss? I have some business with him."
Lin Ye used his spiritual energy blade to stab through several staff members who were drawing pistols from behind. Without waiting for their response, he quickly walked into the bar's interior.
"Sir, what do you need?"
The Wild Dog who witnessed Lin Ye's attack neither fled nor resisted, knowing it would be meaningless and only provoke the other party.
"I'm looking for a missing girl. Who should I go to?"
Lin Ye stared into the Wild Dog's eyes as he asked.
"Then you should go to the Gray Gang. They regularly bring batches of people in from outside. Any organization in the city needing additional manpower goes to them... especially those cultists—they're the Gray Gang's biggest clients."
The Wild Dog spoke rapidly, afraid that speaking too slowly would displease Lin Ye.
"Where's the Gray Gang headquarters? What's their strongest member's tier?"
Lin Ye continued questioning.
"Gray Gang headquarters is in the northern city. That entire area is Gray Gang territory. There's a distribution map of various organizations' strongholds in the safe. The Gray Gang's strongest is their boss William, tier four."
The Wild Dog answered quickly.
"How many tier four members does the Gray Gang have?"
Lin Ye pressed further.
"Only William is tier four, but they have many tier three experts."
The Wild Dog was extremely cooperative.
"Good. You're being cooperative, so I don't want to kill you. But I also don't want you telling others about me. What should I do?"
Lin Ye took out the Despair Dagger and pressed it against the Wild Dog's face, letting him fully experience the aura of despair.
"I won't mention you to anyone, or I'm dead for sure. Neither you nor the Gray Gang would let me live."
The Wild Dog leaned back, trying to distance himself from that despairing aura.
"Good."
After obtaining the map, Lin Ye turned and left the Blaze Bar.
"How did it go?"
Just one street away, Lily, who had been waiting outside, approached.
"More smoothly than I expected."
Lin Ye unfolded the map, silently memorizing the distribution of each organization's strongholds.
A tier four opponent was somewhat troublesome, but with proper preparation beforehand, it wasn't impossible to handle.
Besides, finding someone didn't necessarily require dealing with the Gray Gang boss.
Lin Ye headed toward the nearest Gray Gang stronghold.