Chapter 87 - 73: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole
The deep winter weather showed no signs of warmth, even with the Spring Festival approaching.
Lin Yi’s figure weaved through the crowd, his steps steady, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings like a hawk’s.
BZZZ...
The faint sound of beating wings, imperceptible to ordinary people.
Right above his head.
The completely invisible Mosquito Avatar hovered precisely in place, like a loyal Ghost guard.
It drifted in sync with Lin Yi’s every step.
Without the slightest deviation.
With a flicker of his thoughts.
Lin Yi unhesitatingly activated one of the Mosquito Avatar’s core abilities—
The Level 8 Tracking skill!
In an instant.
Within a radius of eight kilometers, all living and non-living entities emitting energy fluctuations were marked.
An eight-kilometer radius—what did that even mean?!
A diameter of sixteen kilometers!
That was almost equivalent to forcibly stuffing one-third of Yang City’s urban area into an invisible, three-dimensional grid map!
HISS...
Lin Yi marveled inwardly.
The sense of control this range provided was exhilarating.
His consciousness was like a supercomputer operating at high speed.
It instantly completed the filtering and statistical analysis of all life signals on the map:
’Total residents: over 364,000! Among them, 1,828 have the energy signature of a First-Grade Martial Artist, 246 are Second-Grade Martial Artists, 47 are Third-Grade Martial Artists, and... six are Fourth-Grade Martial Artists!’
The massive stream of data presented itself clearly in his mind.
Lin Yi quickly filtered through the results.
He locked onto the two hundred-plus points of light representing Second-Grade Martial Artists.
Yan Hao was very likely among these two hundred-plus people.
However, it wasn’t a certainty.
After all, the Mosquito Avatar was currently only covering one-third of the urban area.
What if Yan Hao was in the other two-thirds?
But Lin Yi’s expression remained calm and cold.
There was not a trace of worry.
’As long as Yan Hao is still in Yang City, and as long as he still wants revenge on me, he will definitely be keeping a constant eye on me!’
’He didn’t dare make a move before with Teacher Zhang Quan by my side, but now...’
’If he really wants to make a move, he might suspect I have a hidden guard. But no matter what, if he’s set on revenge, he’ll definitely approach me silently beforehand, observing me repeatedly, looking for an opportunity to strike!’
Lin Yi’s gaze was as sharp as a knife.
A plan had already formed in his mind.
On the surface, he was exposed, and Yan Hao was in the shadows.
However, with the Mosquito Avatar present, it was hard to say who was really exposed and who was really in the shadows!
What he needed to do was keep a close watch on all the Second-Grade Martial Artists within this sixteen-kilometer diameter.
And see which of their movement patterns revolved around him.
Although there were only a little over two hundred people in the area, in theory, the Mosquito Avatar could sneak in invisibly and investigate each one up close to confirm their identity.
But Lin Yi immediately rejected this seemingly direct method.
’The risk is too great!’
Which of these Martial Artists didn’t have a few life-saving trump cards?
The Mosquito Avatar could turn invisible and conceal its Demon Qi.
But it was ultimately a creature of flesh and blood. It couldn’t erase its own scent, nor could it evade the precise scans of high-tech thermal imagers.
If it accidentally stumbled into some heavily guarded private territory or official facility filled with surveillance, causing the avatar to be exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Besides, checking over two hundred people one by one would be time-consuming, exhausting, and inefficient.
It was far too clumsy for a hunt where every second counted.
Therefore, waiting for the prey to come to him, using himself as bait to lure the snake out of its hole, was the most effortless, safest, and most controlled strategy!
Although the plan was clear, this feeling of passively waiting for the prey to take the bait still made Lin Yi feel a subtle thread of anxiety.
’I’m still not strong enough...’
He murmured to himself.
His desire for the Mosquito Avatar’s abilities to grow stronger deepened.
The Level 8 Tracking skill could lock onto all energy-emitting living and non-living things within a sixteen-kilometer diameter, but it couldn’t perform detailed individual identification or differentiate between features.
Just like now, the urban area was densely populated; within the sixteen-kilometer diameter, there were over three hundred thousand people. It was impossible to pick out a single specific person from such a crowd.
’If only the Mosquito Avatar could directly lock onto and track a specific target’s aura or soul imprint, how great would that be!’
The thought was incredibly strong.
But he quickly calmed his mind.
’The Tracking skill is already at Level 8, not far from the limit-breaking threshold of Level 10!’
’Once it breaks the limit, what kind of heaven-defying new ability will be born?’
’It would surely make the tracking ability even stronger!’
He would just have to look forward to it for now.
Composing himself, Lin Yi quickened his pace and returned to the familiar, dilapidated old-style apartment complex.
Mottled, peeling walls, narrow corridors, and the air thick with the stale scent of daily life.
"Well, well, Xiaoyi! You’re finally back? It’s been so long since we’ve seen you!"
"It’s Xiaoyi! Back for the New Year? We thought you’d moved somewhere nice to enjoy life!"
"Xiaoyi, you’re looking more spirited than ever! Must be doing well for yourself out there, huh?"
Enthusiastic greetings rose and fell one after another; they were all neighbors from the complex.
"Hello, Grandpa Liu! Aunt Wang, are you off to buy groceries? Uncle Zhang, is your chess game still not over?"
A gentle smile instantly appeared on Lin Yi’s face as he responded to each of them familiarly. He flawlessly played the part of an affable boy-next-door.
This disguise was also part of his plan.
Conceal his killing intent, blend into the environment.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, he walked quickly toward his own building, Unit 7.
He climbed the stairs step by step to the eighth floor, took out his key, and opened the door to his home.
WHOOSH—
A stale gust of air, a mixture of dust and the faint scent of mildew, rushed out to meet him.
Even though no one had lived here for a month and a half, the doors and windows had been shut tight. He had no idea where this damp, musty smell had come from.
’Tsk, looks like I’ll have to play janitor first.’
Lin Yi rolled up his sleeves without the slightest hesitation.
Sweeping, dusting, mopping...
His movements were quick and focused.
Half an hour later, the dusty little apartment was sparkling clean. Though still simple, it finally had the feel of a home again.
He didn’t stay at home for long.
He opened his communicator and glanced at his personal account balance.
There were still a few thousand yuan left.
He had been following Zhang Quan during this time, so his food and lodging were covered, and his expenses were minimal.
Looking at his remaining savings, Lin Yi had an idea.
It was time to buy supplies for the New Year.
After all, tomorrow was New Year’s Eve.
Even if he was alone, he still had to have a sense of ceremony for the holiday.
But he didn’t choose to buy everything at once.
Instead, like a diligent and cautious worker bee, he began a series of frequent "departures" and "returns."
The first time he went out, his destination was the small community supermarket closest to his home.
He bought some snacks like candy, sunflower seeds, and peanuts, and returned to the apartment building with a not-too-large bag, his steps light. He smiled and greeted the neighbors chatting downstairs before heading up.
A moment later, he went out again, this time heading toward a slightly larger chain supermarket two streets away.
His target was clear: basic ingredients like rice, flour, and oil.
Similarly, he carried his bag and walked back at a leisurely pace, happening to run into Aunt Wang at the complex gate, who had just returned. They exchanged a few pleasantries.
The third time, he headed to a large fresh-produce market a bit farther away and bought a few pounds of fresh pork, a fish, and some vegetables.
The heavy bags dug into his fingers, turning them red. He deliberately paused to rest at the stairwell entrance, letting more people see his busy figure.
A fourth time, a fifth time...
Every time he went out, he went to a different place to buy different New Year’s goods. Then, he would invariably return home with his "spoils" before heading out again.
He was just like the most ordinary young man from next door, bustling about preparing for the New Year.
Behind all these seemingly ordinary actions lay a meticulous calculation.
It was purely to boost his presence!
After all, he had to give Yan Hao a chance to notice him, didn’t he?
Yan Hao hadn’t dared to act before because he was wary of Zhang Quan’s presence. What if he didn’t know that Zhang Quan had temporarily left and that he himself had already returned alone to his old lair?
Therefore, Lin Yi had to use this frequent, conspicuous performance to loudly declare—
I, Lin Yi, am back! Right here in the old place! And now, I don’t have a bodyguard!
This was a silent provocation, and also a fatal lure.