Chapter 242: Conversation

Big Circle Leopard descended from the sky and landed, surveying his surroundings. He smacked his lips, glanced at the thick, dark clouds overhead, and spoke. "No one can spy on us here. Let’s talk."

"This is your Inner World?" Zhang Wenda couldn’t help but ask.

’Looks like I’m not the only one who’s thought of using an Inner World as a soundproof room.’

"What a bullshit name. Whatever, call it what you want."

"But... isn’t something a little off here?" Zhang Wenda asked, looking at the black dogs eyeing them menacingly from all sides.

If his own island was normal, then this place was a desolate wasteland. The Serotonin, endorphin, and adrenaline plants that should have been growing in forests and thickets were all dead.

Zhang Wenda gazed into the distance and thought he could see the corpse of a Dopamine plant beneath a withered tree.

At these words, Big Circle Leopard sighed, pulled a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket, and lit one up.

"What’s there to be ’off’ about? Anyone who lives long enough gets a little fucking sick in the head."

"Doesn’t it affect you?" Zhang Wenda looked up at the downpour. "Living like this... don’t you feel miserable all the time?"

"If you can eat and work, you’re not fucking sick. Anything else is just goddamn whining!" Big Circle Leopard’s face twisted with impatience. "If you’re here to bullshit about this stuff, I’m not interested. Do you want to hear the plan or not?"

At that, Zhang Wenda immediately shifted his focus back to business. "Go on. What’s Old Tan’s play this time?"

’It’s obvious to anyone with eyes that Big Circle Leopard’s Inner World has serious problems, that he’s got major psychological issues. But since he doesn’t seem to care, it’s not my place as an outsider to say anything.’

Big Circle Leopard didn’t launch into the plan immediately. He smoked half his cigarette before speaking. "The mole in your bureau found out the Big Circle is up to something weird. They also discovered frequent contact with two other major organizations. To put it plainly, Old Tan’s plan is to toss a stone in the water to see what ripples it makes."

"Then, depending on their reaction, he’ll decide whether to strike immediately or hold back for a bit."

"So, the two of us are the stone?"

Big Circle Leopard shook his head. "He’s throwing four stones this time. We’re just one of them. But because I’m involved, we’re the biggest one."

"How’s he ’throwing’ us?" Zhang Wenda watched the other man drop his cigarette butt to the ground and crush it under his boot. The surface of the island sizzled where it made contact.

"This time, the operation is in the network currents of thought. You’re going to find that Xiaotang here. Regardless of who wins or loses, based on his interest in you, Qianxi will at the very least send a projection over to check things out."

"Since we’re in the network currents of thought—Qianxi’s home turf—his perceptive abilities will be greatly amplified. So, I’ll brush right by the edge of his perception, just enough for him to catch a trace of me."

"If Qianxi really takes the bait and comes after me, all the better. The other three stones will be thrown simultaneously. If he doesn’t, I’ll head directly to Current of Thought #4 to initiate Plan B. At that point, this whole thing will have nothing to do with you."

Even though the man had seemingly explained everything, Zhang Wenda hadn’t learned much new intelligence. "That’s it? Anything else? What are the other three stones?"

Big Circle Leopard shook his head. "It seems you don’t know Old Tan very well. Do you really think a man with his personality would ever trust anyone one hundred percent? What makes you think he’d tell me everything? And what makes you think that what he *did* tell me is the truth?"

"Let me be honest with you. Don’t ever believe a word Old Tan says about a ’plan.’ His only plan is to have no plan. The so-called plan in his head is just a constantly shifting strategy to maximize profit based on the latest intel and the state of the battle. His plans are fluid, you get me?"

"If it truly gave him an advantage, he’d sell the two of us down the river in a heartbeat. You believe that, don’t you?"

Hearing this, Zhang Wenda nodded in agreement. "I couldn’t agree more. That’s exactly the kind of thing that old bastard would pull."

Big Circle Leopard slapped his thigh in excitement. "Right? Fuck! I hope that old bastard’s bloodline rots! Even the worst scum in history has a few friends! That son of a bitch has done so many foul things he doesn’t have a single one!"

In their shared denigration of Tan Yougen, the two men seemed to grow a little closer.

"But, Uncle Leopard, there’s something I need to confirm. I’m just saying, what if... what if you really do draw Qianxi out?" Zhang Wenda paused. "If you two actually fought, who’s stronger? Can you kill him?"

After he spoke, Zhang Wenda held his breath. This was the most important question, the real reason he’d come. If this man truly had the power to kill Qianxi, then his uncle’s death could be avenged.

But Big Circle Leopard just shook his head. "I could probably win a fight against him, but I can’t kill him. Especially not in the network currents of thought. The number of people in the entire world who could kill him there can be counted on one hand."

"Old Tan probably didn’t call me in hoping I’d kill him. He just wants to lure the tiger from the mountain, making it easier for the other ’stones’ to do their jobs."

"Fuck!" Hearing this, Zhang Wenda’s brow furrowed and he cursed under his breath.

Big Circle Leopard glanced at the furious Zhang Wenda and continued, "Your uncle was Biaozi, wasn’t he? I get how you feel. The kid wasn’t all that powerful, but he was a good person, knew how to handle people."

"I see. Thanks for clearing that up." Zhang Wenda quickly composed himself and started thinking about other matters.

Looking at Big Circle Leopard, a man whose power was on par with Qianxi’s, an idea suddenly sparked in Zhang Wenda’s mind.

"How about we exchange contact info? We can synchronize our intel during the operation. Keep him from selling us both out." Zhang Wenda pulled out his phone.

"That’s a good idea. How come I didn’t think of that? You young guys have sharp minds." As he spoke, Big Circle Leopard pulled an old-school phone from his pocket.

"Once bitten, twice shy. I’ve been fooled twice already, so I have to take precautions."

"Alright, then. See you in five days." As Big Circle Leopard spoke, a door materialized beside him. Through it, Zhang Wenda could see the sunny, upside-down beach.

Once Zhang Wenda stepped through, the floating door snapped shut, and Big Circle Leopard vanished without a trace.

Recalling Big Circle Leopard’s words, Zhang Wenda knew that Qianxi probably wouldn’t die, at least not as part of Old Tan’s current plan.

’Still, this trip wasn’t a complete waste. I got at least one good piece of intel out of it.’

’If I ever want to kill Qianxi for real, I have to find a way to lure him out of the network currents of thought.’