Chapter 521: Danger! Midnight Premonition of Peril!

“Boss, you did three things in just a few hours—you went shopping, took out an inspector, brought back a feast, and stood up for the restaurant owner. That’s insane.” Xiao Gao’s eyes sparkled with awe. His admiration for Wang Yun was practically pouring out of his face.

Old Zhou nodded repeatedly. “Exactly, Boss. Honestly, you’re already strong enough on your own. The rest of us tagging along… we’re probably just slowing you down.”

Old Zhou was actually older than Wang Yun, but still called him Boss—not only out of respect, but because Wang Yun surpassed him in every aspect aside from age.

“Enough talking. Let’s eat, then find a way to build up our strength. We can’t keep dragging the boss down when it’s time to run.” Big Mouth sighed and shook his head, clearly frustrated with himself. It was mostly directed at his own shortcomings; he was the heaviest of the group, after all.

“No worries. Don’t overthink it. When the boss gets back, keep your eyes open.”

Wang Yun smiled and gave a gentle reminder.

Everyone nodded quickly. They exchanged glances, and they all understood now. When it came to real danger, Wang Yun wouldn’t bring them along. He’d rather let them sleep in a cozy inn, eat and drink well, than risk their lives beside him.

Of course, none of them were foolish enough to be offended by that.

No one wanted to be eliminated.

After a brief silence, the restaurant boss returned with liquor in hand.

“Alright! Drinks are here!”

And just like that, under the cover of night, everyone drank freely with Wang Yun.

To most of the crew, it was just a casual night of drinking.

But to Wang Yun, it was a night of information gathering.

From the boss, Wang Yun managed to gather a lot of information.

He gained a whole new understanding of Lidao’s social and cultural structure.

As it turned out, less than a hundred kilometers from Lidao, there was a lawless zone.

This area had become a gray zone due to conflicts with local policies.

Right now, the surrounding cities were still negotiating over which city should govern this vital transportation hub, but the issue had never been resolved.

The main reason was a single man—Yan Luo.

In that region, he was a towering figure, with a powerful influence that allowed him to dominate everything single-handedly. Because of his overwhelming control, no higher-level officials had been able to step in and take charge of the area.

Some even whispered rumors that Yan Luo was destined to become the future mayor of this zone.

But the area itself was quite awkward in terms of scale; its total size was only about one-third of Lidao.

That’s the size of a single urban district back in Dragon Nation.

Way too small to justify becoming an independent city.

Yet geographically, the area sat at the crossroads of three cities. And so the matter had been kicked down the road again and again.

Over time, it became a haven for illegal trade.

As long as Yan Luo was paid off, anything went.

The restaurant boss described it as being like international waters—a place where no laws applied.

By now it was 3 a.m.

The inn was silent.

The streets outside were empty, save for the occasional drunk stumbling home.

Wang Yun lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

He could sleep once every three days, so he wasn’t even close to tired.

The restaurant boss and Xiao Gang, on the other hand, had long since passed out, snoring together like babies.

After tossing and turning a while, Wang Yun finally got up and headed downstairs. He planned to take a stroll around Lidao. There were plenty of places he’d only seen on maps but hadn’t visited in person.

Plus, he’d asked the restaurant boss to use his ID to help them rent a vehicle tomorrow.

Wang Yun planned to take the team on a scouting trip.

Once he got a good feel for the city layout, it would be time to start fighting back.

To deliver a fast, decisive strike.

Especially since Xiao Gang, drunk out of his mind earlier, had fallen asleep hugging a photo of his wife, mumbling about wanting to go home.

If Wang Yun could eliminate the program inspectors quickly, maybe, just maybe he could reunite everyone with their loved ones.

Including himself.

He missed Xiao Yanran too. He wondered how she was doing now.

Wang Yun wandered alone under the dim streetlamps, his shadow stretched long beneath the moonlight.

Under this cold, pale sky, the city felt strangely unfamiliar. So unfamiliar that even a breeze seemed to carry a chill of warning. He passed two or three drunkards muttering nonsense to themselves on the roadside.

It stirred a strange sense of empathy in him.

If he hadn’t joined this program… if he didn’t have the system… if he didn’t have all this money…

If…

But life didn’t have ifs.

His thoughts drifted. He was on the verge of spiraling into melancholy when, suddenly, a chill ran down his spine.

He sensed danger. He felt it instantly.

Something was wrong.

Someone nearby was a threat.

Wang Yun snapped to full alert. He activated his God-level Hearing and God-level Sight, pushing both to their limits.

Feigning a casual pace, he continued walking. His posture was relaxed, but his senses were razor-sharp.

His Primary Danger Sense whispered in his mind: Someone was trailing him. No more than fifty meters behind. And the killing intent radiating from them was unmistakable.

This wasn’t curiosity or caution. It was pure, murderous hostility.

Thump… thump… thump…

His footsteps were the only sound on the street. Now and then, a stray cat darted past. But otherwise, all was still.

Someone had been tailing him for a while now. Patient. Very patient.

‘Alright then. Let’s see what you’ve got.’