F-class thief? Sorry, I can steal anything.

Chapter 136 The Lone Wolf's Purpose

They disappeared into the shadow of the hooded man.

Chen Yifan's gaze naturally fell upon the other person.

With the use of the [Investigation] ability.

Before him, a panel that only he could see unfolded out of thin air.

He did not check immediately.

Instead, he focused all of his perception on the hooded man.

After confirming that the other party did not show any unusual reaction as if they were being spied on, his gaze slowly fell on the virtual panel.

[Name: Zhao Dezhu (disguised)]

[Level: 68]

[Class: B-Rank Shadow Sorcerer]

[Talent: Rank B - Flesh and Blood Puppet]

[Mental state: 850 o'clock]

[Status: Deeply parasitized, in disguise, life force being continuously drained...]

[List of items that can be stolen:]

【1. Grade B Talent - Flesh Puppet (0.1% success rate for stealing, with a very high probability of triggering Parasite Backlash)】

【2. Skill: Curse of Resentment (Rank C)】

3. Spatial Backpack (containing...)

……

Zhao Dezhu?

Chen Yifan's mind raced through the information.

He was 100% certain that he had never heard of this name before.

An unfamiliar B-level professional.

But what about that familiar energy fluctuation?

Chen Yifan's gaze was fixed on the "Status" section.

Spiritual parasitism.

His fingertips lightly traced across the virtual panel.

This is an extremely vicious method of control.

This is often accompanied by erosion at the soul level.

The person who is parasitized will be completely reduced to a controlled, mindless zombie.

Could that familiar energy fluctuation not have come from the body named "Zhao Dezhu," but from the "parasite" deep within his soul?

Chen Yifan's thoughts raced.

Did the "Mind's Eye" begin at the awards ceremony?

The venue was a mixed bag at the time.

Perhaps the real manipulator was among them, and he had inadvertently sensed it.

He snapped out of his reverie and his gaze returned to the list of items that could be stolen.

Putting aside whether it was stolen or not, these worthless talents are enough to disturb an unknown entity lurking in the shadows that can perform mental parasitism.

This deal is not worthwhile.

It seems that this mess is deeper than he imagined.

The procession moved through deathly silence.

Beneath my feet lay soft yellow sand, and behind me was a frenzied feast of carrion-eating sand demons, their teeth-grinding chewing sounds seemingly right beside me.

No one spoke, only heavy breathing and rustling footsteps could be heard.

The relief of surviving the ordeal was quickly replaced by fear of the unknown.

Everyone became a puppet, led by the Lone Wolf's invisible hand towards an unknown end.

"You are all elites; your survival proves your worth."

The lone wolf surveyed the still-shaken survivors, his voice not loud, but clear enough to reach everyone's ears.

"The sacrifice we made just now was to clear away these scum more quickly, saving our precious physical and spiritual energy."

"The real test is yet to come."

These words sounded very dignified and respectable.

The survivors looked at each other, none of them daring to speak.

They're not fools; they can't believe a single word the Lone Wolf said.

But they were at the mercy of others, like fish on a chopping board; they had no choice but to remain silent.

The lone wolf nodded in satisfaction.

These people are very sensible.

Just as he was about to continue forward, he seemed to catch something amiss out of the corner of his eye.

He suddenly looked down and stared intently at his own shadow.

Just now, in the brief moment he inadvertently glanced at his own shadow, he seemed to see a very slight, ripple-like distortion appear at the edge of his shadow.

Hallucination?

Lone Wolf was naturally suspicious, so he tried several different actions.

The shadow moved accordingly, without any apparent abnormality.

The lone wolf's action was noticed by everyone.

This, of course, includes Luo Tian.

Luo Tian's heart skipped a beat.

In a moment of quick thinking, his face instantly filled with grief and indignation.

"Boss! My dear boss! How could you just leave like this!"

An untimely wail rang out again, precisely drawing everyone's attention.

Luo Tian was holding a charred worm shell.

She cried her eyes out, her acting was so exaggerated it was outrageous.

"Don't worry! I'll definitely get your share of the spoils! We'll go to the best club and book eight top-tier courtesans for you! They'll cry as they see you off!"

Lone Wolf's attention was indeed drawn, and upon hearing Luo Tian's words, his eye twitched violently.

He looked at the man who was clearly mentally unstable, and the disgust in his eyes intensified.

I never expected that such a useless person could survive.

However, for the sake of his next plan, he temporarily suppressed his murderous intent.

Chen Yifan, hiding in the shadow of the lone wolf, was unaware that he had just almost been exposed.

Listening to Luo Tian's impromptu performance through the miniature communicator, he almost couldn't resist deactivating his [Shadow Transformation] state and kicking him in the face.

This guy knows how to be disgusting.

"Alright, stop howling."

Lone Wolf interrupted him impatiently.

"So what if you're dead? Keep moving forward."

Luo Tian quickly got up from the ground, wiped away his "tears," and hurriedly followed, his eagerness making it seem as if he wasn't the one who had just been wailing.

"Boss, how was my acting?" he boasted smugly over the comms. "If it weren't for me, you would have been exposed!"

What?

exposed?

Could it be that he once again slipped into the shadow of the lone wolf?

Were we almost discovered?

"Rest for ten minutes, then set off."

At this moment, Lone Wolf suddenly gave an order, then walked to the side, took out a map and a detector, seemingly checking the route.

The hooded man, like the most loyal shadow, followed him closely.

We must find out exactly what these two people are plotting.

"Luo Tian".

"Yes, boss! What can I do for you?"

"Find a way to plant a listening device on that person. The most discreet kind."

Chen Yifan's voice rang in Luo Tian's mind.

Following Chen Yifan's "instructions," Luo Tian looked at the hooded man, and his expression instantly fell.

"Boss, are you kidding me? That guy looks menacing, like a ghost. With my mediocre skills, I'd be chopped into mincemeat before I even got three meters away from him."

"Think of a way."

"...Fine!" Luo Tian was on the verge of tears. He knew that this debt of 300 million would be difficult to repay.

His eyes darted around, and an idea came to him.

He pulled a vacuum-packed chicken leg from his tattered backpack, and while gnawing on it, he walked toward the Lone Wolf and the hooded man.

"Damn it, those heartless capitalists! They're still exploiting me even after they're dead! They won't even give me a hot meal!"

He walked unsteadily, muttering to himself.

Lone Wolf frowned and glanced at him, then ignored him.

The hooded man didn't even lift his head.

Just as Luo Tian brushed past them, he "accidentally" slipped and fell towards the hooded man.

"Ouch!"

He was about to crash into it.

The hooded man's figure, however, moved like a weightless leaf, shifting half a meter to the side in an eerie manner.

Luo Tian fell headfirst onto the sand, getting a mouthful of sand in his mouth.

"Ptooey! Ptooey! What the hell is this!" He scrambled to his feet, brushing the sand off his body.

Just as he fell, a tiny device the size of a grain of rice popped out from his fingertip.

The device silently attached itself to the hem of the hooded man's cloak.

Become!

Luo Tian mentally gave a thumbs-up, but his face showed a sullen expression as if he had suffered a great loss, and he walked away dejectedly.

The entire process was flawless.

However, at the very moment Luo Tian fell, a pair of emotionless eyes under the brim of the hooded man's hat twitched slightly.

Immediately afterwards, a scanning skill was used, sweeping over his entire body.

Then, he shook his head at the lone wolf.

Luo Tian, ​​with his back to Zhao Dezhu, subtly curled the corner of his mouth.

Ten minutes later, the team set off again.

This time, the atmosphere was even more oppressive than before.

Chen Yifan remained lurking in Lone Wolf's shadow. Through the bugging device installed by Luo Tian, ​​he could clearly hear the conversation between Lone Wolf and the hooded man.

The hooded man's voice was hoarse and dry, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.

"Within half an hour at most, the 'desert predators' in the vicinity will be attracted here."

"very good."

The lone wolf's voice carried a hint of suppressed excitement.

"Our chance will come if we can lure away the 'King of the Sands' guarding outside the 'nest'."

"Can those cannon fodder...hold on?"

"Even if you can't hold on, you have to."

The Lone Wolf's tone was completely calm.

"Their role is to use their own lives to buy us enough time. The more they die, the more excited the 'King of the Sands' will be."