He didn't know exactly what had happened, who the girl was, what happened to the captured informant, or what it all meant.
But there was one thing he was absolutely sure of.
That is...his existence and identity have been completely exposed to the eyes of both sides.
I am just an ordinary university lecturer with nothing special about him. I have neither a powerful background to support me nor any commendable qualifications and abilities.
Such a character must be just an insignificant pawn to "them". There is no need to spend energy to deal with it specifically...
During this period, he had been using such reasons to comfort himself, trying to convince his frightened and restless heart to calm down.
And in the next few days, no one came to trouble him.
Moreover, "they" no longer contact me and no longer issue "tasks" that seem simple and easy to accomplish as usual.
This gave him some reasons to feel at ease, and even gradually made him believe that he had gradually gotten rid of those people in the mysterious and dark world, and gradually returned to the ordinary and bright normal world.
Everything is back on track and returning to normal life.
He once believed that it would not be long before that experience would be completely buried in his memory, becoming a reminder for himself not to overstep the line and take risks because of momentary temptation.
But now, the moment I saw the black-haired girl walk out of the shadows...
He understood that the reckoning had come.
Inescapable.
"Well, you still remember me. That's great. I don't need to introduce myself."
The girl nodded with some satisfaction, and then, without waiting for Vincent to say anything, she tilted her head and asked in a light and playful tone:
"I have a few questions, and you have the right to choose your answers."
"You, you ask... I will absolutely tell you everything I know..."
Even though Vincent had lost all hope, how could he dare to refuse under such circumstances? In other words, anyone with a normal IQ and a little desire to survive would know what to do!
"first……"
The unreal beautiful girl not far away raised her head slightly and gently tapped her fair chin with her green fingers, as if thinking:
"Do you know who you are working for?"
Chapter 312: The Wrong Blind Spot
"First of all... do you know who you are working for?"
Looking at Vincent who was trembling all over and covered in cold sweat, Qi Ji asked with a gentle smile, with his hands behind his waist.
She actually wasn't very interested in this guy.
After snatching the so-called "files" from him and capturing a man in black alive at the Hibiscus Bar that day, Vincent's value to her was actually almost gone.
Because she herself knew very well that Vincent's role in the whole incident was just the most insignificant, lowest-level, and most peripheral errand boy.
His only responsibility was to deliver specific information from one person to another and then receive a reward that was quite generous to him.
The potential cost is that if the matter is exposed and the hostile forces pursue it, he, a small pawn on the front line, will be the first to bear the brunt.
It can be said that he himself knew nothing about the information and details of the entire incident.
All the value of this guy to Qi Ji can be completely covered by the value of the two "captives", the black-clad killer and the black-robed man. After all, the latter are much more important than Vincent, a peasant, in terms of status and identity.
——The black-clad killer was later "returned" to Principal Luo Meng by Bernice. As for the black-robed man, Qi Ji also gave him to Luo Meng after "interrogating" him. She didn't know what the final fate of these two people would be, and she didn't care.
Through mind reading, spiritualism and other methods that directly affect the human spirit, Qi Ji has obtained a lot of useful information from the black-robed man, black-clad killer and others.
This includes various information about the "New World" sect to which they belong.
In other words, from a utilitarian point of view, there was absolutely no need for her to go to Vincent to ask anything, as this guy had no intelligence value at all.
In fact, she didn't deliberately go to trouble him. After returning to Imperial University from the Hibiscus Bar, she simply took note of Vincent's location and had no intention of making a special "visit".
But since we just happened to meet, and I'm free anyway, I might as well go and ask to kill some time, and by the way... confirm some details.
"Uh, I, I..."
Vincent's eyes rolled around and more cold sweat oozed out of his forehead. He seemed to be in a state of rapid brain operation and deep thinking.
After a pause of a few seconds, he answered in a low voice as if thinking carefully:
"I only know that they are a group outside the school. As for what they do and what their purpose is, they didn't tell me, and I didn't dare to ask..."
As he spoke, his eyes involuntarily dropped to the ground, but his eyes kept glancing at Qi Ji's face from time to time, showing a nervous and guilty expression.
Qi Ji nodded as expected, and then asked:
"So, how long have you been working with them? And how many 'deals' have been conducted during that time?"
Vincent kept his head down and answered without hesitation:
"They contacted me about half a month ago and asked me to go to a specific place at a specific time. Someone there would hand me an object. All I had to do was hand it over to someone else at the agreed time and place...
"In the past half month, I have done this kind of 'task'... well, including the time I met you, there have been four times in total. The objects I delivered were basically paper documents similar to archives."
"Basic?"
Qi Ji keenly noticed some problems in the other party's choice of words:
"So, there are other objects other than paper documents?"
"Well, yes, yes!"
Vincent nodded quickly, his eyes flustered, and explained in a very rapid tone:
"There was one time when it wasn't a paper document. I remember it was... the second time. I don't remember the exact date, but it was probably a week ago. It was a very simple wooden box, rectangular, about the size of two fists. It didn't look like an ordinary paper file."
Qi Ji was stunned, as if he had discovered something unusual, and narrowed his eyes slightly:
"Wait, the person you hand over to each time is... the same person?"
"No, it's not."
Vincent shook his head, thought for a few seconds and said:
"From what I've observed, there should be at least two different 'deliverers' and three 'receivers'...
"But I can't be sure. Those people were disguised when they met me, so I couldn't see their faces. I only judged based on my impression of their voices and figures, so I might have made mistakes."
After hearing these words, Qi Ji was silent for a moment:
"Tsk, this is quite interesting..."
She knew most of Vincent’s confession just now, and it was all “tortured” out of the man in black robe and the black-clad killer.
But later on, discrepancies arose.
Vincent said that of the four "missions" he conducted, three delivered paper documents and the remaining one was a rectangular wooden box.
But the confessions of the man in black robe and the black-clad killer did not include this part.
Based on the results of the spiritual communication with these two people, Qi Ji only knew that the four times they were paper documents, and there was no mention of the existence of the box.
Why is that?
As Vincent's superiors, the man in black robe and the assassin in black must know more real and comprehensive information. There is no reason for any omissions in these aspects.
Unless Vincent is lying...but no one can lie in front of Qi Ji.
"He didn't lie... Then is it possible that his senses or cognition were disturbed during the 'transmission' process? He 'saw' the paper document as a wooden box...
"And this could be an encryption measure taken by the 'New World' sect to further keep it secret. It could interfere with the enemy's judgment if Vincent is 'caught'... No, that's not right either."
Qi Ji quickly rejected the guess that came to his mind:
"If the 'New World' sect really cast some kind of mental spell on Vincent that interferes with his perception or cognition, then there is no reason why I can't detect the residual aura, even if a week has passed..."
This is where things get pretty weird.
Under Qi Ji's "interrogation", neither Vincent nor the two black guys could lie or recognize that they were being manipulated.
In other words, the confessions of the three of them were all true and authentic.
But if this is the case, why does such an obvious contradiction arise?
"Tsk, interesting..."
The reasoning reached a bottleneck, but Qi Ji was not annoyed. Instead, he became more interested.
Because, this was the first time so far that she had encountered a situation where she could not immediately deduce a general conclusion or direction.
Of course, if she was really willing to let go, it would not be difficult to get the truth.
The simplest and most brutal method is for her to release her perception and scan the entire Twilight City carefully. Even if she cannot get the truth on the spot, she will definitely be able to obtain crucial clues.
But she didn't do that because it would have taken the fun out of the whole "game."
"Hmm... maybe this is some kind of subtle 'narrative trick'..."
After a brief thought, she suddenly curled her lips and seemed to have some idea.
Glancing at Vincent, who was looking terrified not far away, Qi Ji chuckled a few times, suddenly raised his right hand, and snapped his fingers.
"call--"
In an instant, bright golden sunlight poured in from the narrow ventilation windows, instantly dispelling all shadows in the stairwell.
"Well?!"
Vincent only felt a flash before his eyes, and after his vision returned to normal, he could only see the normal, empty stairwell, and... outside the ventilation window, the clear blue sky and the golden morning light.
It was as if nothing had happened.
=========================
A new week, please like it!
Chapter 313 Doctrine
"She...left?"
Although the scenery in his field of vision seemed to have returned to normal, Vincent did not dare to relax at all. He remained stiff, his eyes fixed on the position in front of him where Qi Ji had been standing, not daring to breathe.
He remained frozen like this for a long time, until his limbs gradually became numb and lost sensation due to the long period of stiffness. He did not dare to move, as if he had turned into a statue.
"Squeak-"
I don't know how long it was, but suddenly I heard the sound of bearings rotating and rubbing behind me, breaking the frozen atmosphere in the stairwell.
Vincent was startled and immediately turned around to look behind him where the sound came from.
The fire door of the stairwell behind him was slowly pushed open, and a familiar figure walked in from outside.
A fashionable floral shirt, an avant-garde sleeveless vest, jeans with obvious washed patterns, and playful pointed leather shoes that don't match your age...
"……senior?"
Seeing familiar people, Vincent finally breathed a sigh of relief, confirming that he had escaped from the strange dream-like state he had been in and returned to the real and credible real world.
As for the girl in the cloak with long black hair... She must have already left. A small pawn like me who has almost no use value may not be worthy of her attention...
Thinking with great luck, he cast his gaze towards the fashionable old man not far away.
This boss, who was only an acquaintance of his and not very familiar with him and had a very low sense of presence, now seemed friendly in his eyes.
"Fortunately... I survived, and all my limbs are intact..."
After letting out a long sigh of relief, Vincent couldn't help but stroke his chest with his hand with lingering fear.
He was an honest man who had lived in the bright world for half his life. Before this, he had rarely had direct contact with the dark side of society.
Being targeted by some unspeakable mysterious force... This kind of thing always reminds him of those poor souls in novels who suffered revenge and had their families destroyed.
"It's Vincent," the old man walked from the corridor into the stairwell and glanced at Vincent with a light look, "Why are you standing here alone?"
"Uh, oh, sorry."
Hearing the other party's question, Vincent came to his senses, immediately smiled apologetically, and wiped the half-dried cold sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand:
"I just suddenly thought of something, so I stood there for a while... Well, it's getting late, I have to go to class, bye, senior."
After saying that, he turned around, holding the folder and documents, and walked quickly towards the stairs leading upstairs:
"Dengdengdeng..."
