Chapter 284: Another Cleaner
by xennovel“The Grey Ash Organization clearly knew Wang Muxue’s identity when they released the last mission.”
“The Red Earl’s public signal this time might be the second attack targeting Wang Muxue, using the Grey Ash Organization to kill by proxy.”
“Someone within the Red Earl’s ranks likely wants control of the entire organization, so they need to do something to gain others’ respect.”
“All I need is a partner. Best if I could get the personnel list entering March Planet.” Yang Bo thought carefully, realizing he needn’t spread any information himself.
Yang Bo went to buy a great deal of materials. Partly for himself and also because there were some small creatures being bred underneath the fortress.
Yang Bo didn’t buy specialized pet food. Strictly speaking, sand mice were protected animals. If the invisible mouse got exposed, he might be hunted across the universe.
In the afternoon, he rested for a while. In the evening, Yang Bo disguised himself as Third Master and sneaked over to the Bounty Hunter Guild.
“Third Master!”
“Third Master!” The sentries at the Bounty Hunter Guild didn’t see where Yang Bo came from, but suddenly he appeared behind them. Startled, the two sentries bowed respectfully and greeted him.
“Where’s your President?” Yang Bo asked directly.
“Our President is inside the base.” As soon as the two sentries finished speaking, there was a flash before their eyes. Yang Bo had already gone inside.
Yang Bo entered the Bounty Hunter Guild’s base, noticing many people inside, including several familiar faces. He thought, “It seems March Planet’s policy shift is significantly affecting the Bounty Hunter Guild.”
No one dared to ignore the threat of the Red Earl. Coupled with Wang Muxue, March Planet’s alert level had increased by two levels.
“Third Master!” Zhou Rui had just received a report and soon saw Yang Bo appear in the mission hall.
“Let’s find a place to talk,” Yang Bo said bluntly.
Zhou Rui was a bit anxious, wondering if Third Master might intend to harm her. Yet she had no choice. If he truly wanted something, no one could stop him here.
“You know my identity by now, don’t you?” After entering a private room and sitting down, Yang Bo spoke directly.
“We know parts of it.” Zhou Rui’s heart pounded, but she answered calmly.
“I have a grudge against the Red Earl’s people. I can recognize their rotten stench through a screen.”
“Do you want to make some money off this?” Yang Bo spoke ambiguously, still unclear who initially hired the Pirate Leader to intercept the spaceship carrying March Planet’s immigrants.
Zhou Rui was surprised to hear this. She asked, “Third Master, what do you mean by that?”
“The general responsible for pacifying Pado Planet is rumored to be vacationing here. Spread this news at the right moment.”
“Anyone from the Red Earl’s group who shows up, I’ll kill them. You can take their bodies to the Alliance for a bounty.” Now fully in character as Third Master, Yang Bo spoke directly and frankly.
Zhou Rui was shocked but had no choice. She forced herself to speak: “Third Master, if the general’s in danger…?”
“If you can get the skyport’s entrance surveillance, I can easily recognize any Red Earl members just from the footage.” Yang Bo waved his hand, cutting Zhou Rui off.
Zhou Rui’s eyes widened. She took a deep breath, asking: “Third Master, how confident are you?”
“100% confident. Any Camouflage is useless in front of me.” Yang Bo finished speaking and gave Zhou Rui another look.
That glance made Zhou Rui’s eyelids twitch twice. Yang Bo, however, remained calm.
“I’ll need to talk this over with others.” Zhou Rui felt as though she had no secrets left in front of Yang Bo. Almost ready to flee, she spoke again.
Yang Bo nodded, and Zhou Rui hurriedly left the room, cold sweat breaking out.
Zhou Rui met with the others. The Bounty Hunter Guild’s upper management, upon hearing that Third Master was volunteering to challenge the Red Earl, were stirred up with excitement.
“Third Master’s idea is explosive!”
“He must be confident. The failure of his Pirate Group is all thanks to the Red Earl.”
“Seems like Third Master holds a deep grudge against the Red Earl.”
“Of course! Who wouldn’t be furious if their hard-earned fortune was destroyed overnight?”
“That’s what makes true powerhouses. When they want to take someone down, they simply do it.”
Zhou Rui, already unnerved by Yang Bo’s words, gathered the other guild leaders. Unexpectedly, they were eager to cooperate.
“Don’t forget, Third Master’s plan involves a very important figure,” Zhou Rui said helplessly.
Zhou Rui couldn’t reveal Wang Muxue’s situation, so she expressed it this way.
“What does that have to do with us?”
“Third Master gives us intel. If someone buys the info, don’t we sell it?”
“The Red Earl’s people deserve to die. Better us profiting than others.”
“The only thing to consider is whether Third Master’s intel’s reliable!”
“If we don’t cooperate with him, will he find others instead?”
The guild leadership debated, leaving Zhou Rui unsure what to do.
Zhou Rui wanted to contact her father but feared remote communication might be intercepted.
It wasn’t external threats she feared most but the Guild itself.
Most intel leaks come from internal systems. Outsiders rarely steal this kind of intel. Internally, users with access sell them off.
“I think this is a golden opportunity to make a name for us!”
“I agree. Our guild doesn’t have much reputation currently.”
“Should we invite Third Master and discuss this grand plan together?”
The guild’s upper leadership, mostly trusted members of Zhou Rui’s family, operated like an outsourced model. The guild provided a platform, and members developed it independently.
At this point, headquarters sent word. The general from Pado Planet was indeed vacationing on March Planet, info rumored to have come from the Assassin Guild.
Thus, Yang Bo was invited to the meeting. Facing Zhou Rui and five others, he sat down.
Before they could introduce themselves, Yang Bo bluntly said, “Ask your questions. If you’re unwilling to cooperate, I’ll find someone else.”
“Third Master, what role does our guild play? And what role will you assume?” a young man asked.
“You provide intelligence support. The planet only has one open skyport. No matter how you do it, get the surveillance data from the skyport’s entrance.”
“As for me, I’ll identify the Red Earl’s men among them, then kill them.” Yang Bo laid out both sides’ roles in simple terms.
A middle-aged man asked, “So, what do you gain from this, and what does our guild gain?”
“I just want to kill. You can take their bodies and go claim the bounties.” Yang Bo’s response was as domineering as ever—he was just here to kill.
None of them found his words strange. At Yang Bo’s level, he could do whatever he pleased.
“Third Master, is there a specific plan?” Zhou Rui asked at this point.
Yang Bo, somewhat annoyed, replied, “What plan? Find them, follow them, kill them.”
“Your role in the guild is simple. Just follow them, and get the surveillance data from the skyport exit.”
Rubbing her forehead, Zhou Rui said, “News of the general has already leaked; rumor says it came from the Assassin Guild.”
“Most likely leaked by Grey Ash Organization. The high-ranking official was caught by Ashes-hired mercenaries last time.”
“However, Ashes released false task details and later tried to kill off the witnesses. That’s how the Free Mercenary Guild’s mercenaries counterattacked and made 4 billion credits in one go,” Yang Bo said nonchalantly.
Hearing 4 billion credits, the guild’s leadership widened their eyes.
“I’d heard about a big mission at the Mercenary Guild this year. Didn’t know it was here on March Planet.”
“4 billion… That general’s family must be loaded. If we didn’t need to maintain our standing in the Alliance, I’d consider kidnapping him myself.”
“Since word’s out, the info will definitely leak.”
“Could be Grey Ash Organization leaking it, provoking the Red Earl’s group into action.” the guild’s upper management speculated.
None of them doubted Yang Bo’s words or why he knew so much.
It was common knowledge that powerhouses like Yang Bo had countless connections and extraordinarily vast networks.
Zhou Rui was growing more and more impressed by Yang Bo. He even knew such hidden secrets. No wonder he was a super-strong figure.
“Third Master, getting the surveillance isn’t feasible, but we have an alternative plan…” Zhou Rui glanced at the others before speaking.
“A cleaner?” Yang Bo was speechless when presented with the guild’s solution.
Their plan was simple. They arranged for Yang Bo to act as a cleaner at the skyport exit. With March Planet’s heightened alert level, there was only one entrance left.
“Correct. Obtaining surveillance data is tough. Staying too long might alert the skyport security.” Zhou Rui nodded.
“If you spot the target, just notify us. We excel at tailing them,” Zhou Rui added.
Yang Bo didn’t ask what they would do with those Red Earl members. Zhou Rui’s family had connections with the powers behind March Planet, just like Yang Bo’s company, which dabbled in gray-area business.
Did the officials really not know?
“The cleaner’s identity papers are legit. All you need to do is replace him for a few days—nothing strenuous.”
“Even if something goes wrong, we can arrange for him to live in another country,” Zhou Rui further explained.
Yang Bo looked over the documents. The man he’d replace was a slightly overweight middle-aged man, a low-grade citizen, and single.
This was easy to understand. Lower-level citizens in the Alliance weren’t allowed to marry. This guy was actually a Bounty Hunter Guild member and also a superhuman.
“This is a good plan. Let’s proceed with it,” Yang Bo decided. All he had to do was watch the skyport entrance.
“Give me the documents and work card. I’ll start tomorrow.” Yang Bo declined their offer to prepare him any Camouflage injection.
“Understood,” Zhou Rui quickly proceeded with preparations.
That night, Yang Bo stayed in the cleaner’s house. The next morning, at around seven, he disguised himself as the cleaner and headed to the skyport.
His job was simple: push a vacuum cleaner-like device around the exit area.
After working for two hours, he got a half-hour break, then continued. His shift was eight hours long.
At eight in the morning, Yang Bo started operating the cleaner and began cleaning according to schedule.
Cleaners were required to wear a mask, hat, and protective suits. These were part of the standard uniform.
The first batch of passengers arrived. While working, Yang Bo scanned the crowd.
The guild’s contact person would change every two hours since the skyport didn’t allow anyone to linger for too long. They rotated in two-hour intervals as prearranged.
“Am I this lucky?” As the second group of passengers disembarked, Yang Bo’s eyes swept over a man—a Red Earl member.
Pale-skinned, male, around thirty years old, about 1.85 meters tall, weighing over 160 pounds. Although he seemed thin, he had slightly long hair and wore a hat.
He also wore large sunglasses, but the way he walked successfully grabbed Yang Bo’s attention.
When this man passed the final checkpoint and removed his hat and glasses, Yang Bo was certain—this was a Red Earl member.
The Red Earl’s people prided themselves on being gentlemen.
Brainwashed with ideals of justice, courage, and such nonsense.
But pretense is pretense—fake gentlemen can’t become real gentlemen.
Yang Bo stopped his machine and headed toward the restroom.
The guild contact noticed Yang Bo’s actions with surprise.
He followed him to the restroom, where the two exchanged information.
Zhou Rui, who was coordinating from the guild’s base, was shocked upon receiving the intel: “He’s already found one?”
After his shift, Yang Bo went to a supermarket and entered the staff area at the back.
“How’s it going?” he asked after entering a safe room, where Zhou Rui was already waiting.
“They are staying here.” Zhou Rui handed Yang Bo a report, detailing the locations of the three Red Earl members identified that day.
“No signs of problems so far. Also, we haven’t investigated their backgrounds,” Zhou Rui noted. Facing Red Earl members, they had to tread carefully. Directly probing their backgrounds might alert them.
“You’ve done well.” Yang Bo carefully reviewed the report. The three lived relatively close to one another.
“What’s next?” Zhou Rui asked, unsure if immediately eliminating them might risk alerting others.
“I’ll personally scout them out tonight,” Yang Bo decided, planning to investigate the three Red Earl members himself that evening.