I am the Holy Poisoner, the Empress advised me to calm down

Hearing this, Daxiong smiled slyly. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, handed one to Li Chen, then lit his own and took a deep drag. "I may be just a homeless person, but after years of struggling in this city, I can be considered a semi-underground intelligence agent." He exhaled a puff of smoke and continued, "Did you know? The Shadow Society's influence isn't limited to this city. They're backed by even more powerful organizations."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Lu Yining asked curiously.

"From what I understand, these organizations are all involved in shady businesses like arms trafficking and drug smuggling," Big Bear whispered. "Their goal is to control the entire city's economy and use this place as a base to expand nationwide, and even globally."

"What does this have to do with us?" Zhang Ming interrupted, with a hint of caution in his tone.

"Hear me out." Big Bear smiled mysteriously. "Arkham used to be a small leader of the Shadow Society, but somehow he suddenly rose to the top. Some say he has a special resource that can help them achieve their goals faster."

"What resources?" Sheng Nanting's eyes were as sharp as an eagle, staring straight at Daxiong.

"I heard it's a drug that can significantly enhance human potential, but it's just a legend." Big Bear shrugged. "I'm not sure about the details, but if such a thing really exists, it would be a huge fortune for anyone."

Li Chen frowned and thought for a while, then asked: "Then what do you think we should do?"

"Since they've given you three days, why not use this opportunity to thoroughly investigate Arkham's true intentions?" Big Bear suggested. "Also, try to find other possible allies. Perhaps you can obtain more useful information."

"Well, you're right." Lu Yining nodded in agreement, "We do need more intelligence to better deal with the next challenge."

"Then I'll take my leave first. I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation." Big Bear stood up, waved to everyone, and disappeared into the night.

"This guy seems quite reliable." Zhang Ming said to himself as he looked at the direction where Daxiong left.

"I hope so." Sheng Nanting said after thinking for a moment, "No matter what, we need to act as soon as possible, otherwise we will only become more and more passive."

At that moment, a nearby resident leaned out of the window, watching the group's conversation with curiosity. "These people are really something! What are they discussing so late at night? Are they going to deal with those bad guys again?" she whispered to herself, then retreated back inside.

"Everyone go back and rest for a while, we will gather again early tomorrow morning." Lu Yining clapped his hands and reminded.

So, under the cover of night, everyone headed towards their respective homes, while the factory area in the distance gradually returned to peace. But they knew that this was only a short-lived calm, and a bigger storm was about to come.

"Do you think we will win?" Li Chen turned and asked Sheng Nanting as he walked.

"Of course we will, because we still have each other." Sheng Nanting said firmly, with a gleam in his eyes.

As the last ray of moonlight illuminated the path ahead, they took firm steps, facing the unknown challenges. And in a dark corner, a pair of eyes silently watched all this, thinking about their next move...

"It seems that things are much more complicated than I thought." Arkham stood on the helicopter, looking at the figure moving away below, with a hint of a sneer on his face, "But this is exactly the result I want."

Under the veil of night, several figures gradually walked further and further away, until they disappeared from sight. Silence returned to the streets, broken only by the occasional roar of factory machinery in the distance. But beneath this calm, an undercurrent was quietly surging, foreshadowing a greater storm to come.

next morning

The first rays of morning sun had just fallen on the city, and a group of busy people had begun a new day. Li Chen and the others set out according to their plan from the previous night, first arriving at a breakfast shop called "Laojiekou," which was the location of an intelligence clue provided by Daxiong.

"Hey, Lao Wang, good morning!" Li Chen walked into the store and greeted the boss enthusiastically.

Lao Wang looked up and smiled when he saw it was him. "It's you. Why are you here so early today?"

"Well, a friend of mine asked me to find out something," Li Chen said, turning his gaze to a middle-aged man sitting at the counter. "His name is Arkham. Do you know that name?"

Hearing this, several guests around put down their food and listened curiously.

"Arkham..." The middle-aged man pondered for a moment, then nodded. "This name is quite familiar. It seems to have some connection with the Shadow Society."

Zhang Ming, who was standing by, immediately interrupted: "The Shadow Society? Are you referring to that mafia organization?"

There was a burst of discussion all around immediately.

-"The Shadow Society? Oh, that's a big organization that you can't afford to mess with."

- "I heard they have a lot of shady stuff..."

-"However, there seem to be a lot of rumors about them recently, saying that they have a drug that can enhance human potential?" a customer added softly.

"Indeed." The middle-aged man nodded in confirmation. "It is said that Arkham has a partial formula for this drug, and it is said to be amazingly effective."

Li Chen's heart tightened upon hearing this. If such a thing really existed, then Arkham's status and strength would far exceed their expectations. "Thank you, this information is very important to us."

At noon

After breakfast, the group decided to split into two groups: Sheng Nanting and Lu Yining would be responsible for investigating possible allies; while Li Chen would take Zhang Ming to an underground casino in the south of the city to try to obtain more information about Arkham.

When they arrived at the casino entrance, the guard looked them up and down, then sneered, "Want to come in? Pay the fifty-dollar entrance fee first."

Just as Zhang Ming was about to pay, a commotion suddenly broke out from a distance. A young man in a black suit was pushed out of the casino, his face in disarray. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm sorry, sir, our boss said you can't play anymore." The security guard said coldly.

"What?!" the young man shouted, "How much did I lose?!"

"Sorry, rules are rules." After saying this, the door closed heavily behind the man.