I Start with a Mysterious Island

Chapter 351 - 269: Superpower ’Shadow Traveling

’Tie Qiu Heng and his men have some seriously bad luck,’ he thought. ’To think this would happen when their plan was just one step away from success.’

"That’s the whole story. The reason we failed is all because of that bastard..." Tie Qiu Heng said, his voice seething with hatred.

"Alright, I understand what happened now. I thought you’d been caught by the Investigators, but it turns out it was someone else..." the flat-headed man said. He then looked at the seething Tie Qiu Heng and added,

"Once I’m out of this prison, I’ll report what happened to my superior."

"We won’t be able to rescue you and the other three anytime soon, but as for that guy who got you all captured—that Lin Li—we’ll make him pay..." the flat-headed man reassured Tie Qiu Heng.

"Really?" Tie Qiu Heng’s previously dim expression vanished. Hearing the flat-headed man say the organization would send people after his enemy, his eyes lit up again.

"Of course. There’s no reason to lie about this," the flat-headed man explained. "Steward Zhang was the one leading this rescue mission. It was supposed to be a huge embarrassment for the Rongcheng Superpower Administration Bureau."

"But now the plan has failed, and Steward Zhang is furious. We thought the Superpower Administration Bureau had intervened. If it had been them, there would be nothing we could do to retaliate."

"But now we know it was someone else—just some Cultivator with no backing—who caused the mission to fail."

"Once Steward Zhang finds out what happened, he will definitely unleash his fury on that man, Lin Li."

"So just you wait. It won’t be long before that guy’s luck runs out."

The more Tie Qiu Heng listened to the flat-headed man’s explanation, the brighter his eyes became. He lowered his voice and said, trembling with excitement,

"That’s perfect. As long as that bastard suffers, I can happily do a few more years in this hellhole."

TAP, TAP, TAP...

Just as the two Canglan Society members were speaking in hushed tones, the faint sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from the end of the hallway.

In the dim cell, both the flat-headed man and Tie Qiu Heng heard the approaching steps.

"My time’s up. The prison guards are making their rounds. I have to go... Take care of yourself, and wait patiently for us to launch another rescue."

"Right."

With that said, the flat-headed man immediately moved to a dark corner of the cell. His body rapidly sank into the shadows and vanished without a trace.

After seeing the flat-headed man disappear, Tie Qiu Heng quickly lay down and closed his eyes. Just then, he heard the footsteps from the hallway stop right in front of his cell.

The guard on patrol shone his flashlight into Tie Qiu Heng’s cell. He didn’t dare be careless with this inmate; his superiors had ordered him to keep a close watch.

After confirming that Tie Qiu Heng was lying quietly in bed, seemingly asleep, the guard moved on with his flashlight, heading to the next stop on his patrol route.

Moments after the guard left, Tie Qiu Heng, who had been feigning sleep, snapped his eyes open. He stared at the pitch-black ceiling, his eyes filled with anticipation, and muttered to himself.

"You, Lin... you’ve angered Steward Zhang. Now you’re finished... I thought I’d have to wait until I got out of prison to get my revenge. I never thought the day would come so soon."

...

A strong gust of wind blew away the dark clouds, revealing the bright face of the full moon.

Silvery moonlight descended from the heavens, blanketing the desolate little plain.

Outside the South District Prison, a small stream flowed past its western wall, its banks lined with a small grove of trees.

The hazy moonlight fell upon the small woods, filtering through the gaps between branches and leaves to pierce the forest’s interior.

Beneath a thick, ancient tree, a figure materialized from the pitch-black shadows.

"Whew..." The flat-headed man glanced around, confirming he was out of the South District Prison. He let out a long sigh and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.

Continuously using his awakened Superpower, Shadow Traveling, was a significant drain on his energy.

But despite the heavy toll, the reward was substantial. Judging by his conversation with Tie Qiu Heng, he had successfully completed his mission.

The flat-headed man leaned against the large tree, pulled his phone from his pocket, and dialed his superior’s number.

"Hello? It’s late. What’s so important that you’re calling me now?" a deep voice boomed from the other end of the line.

"Director," the flat-headed man said respectfully as soon as the call connected.

"Oh, it’s you. You’re calling me this late... Have you made progress on the mission I assigned you?"

"Yes, Director. I just infiltrated the prison in Rongcheng South District and questioned the captive Tie Qiu Heng about what happened."

"You actually dared to sneak into the prison to find Tie Qiu Heng? You’ve got some serious nerve."

"You flatter me, Director..."

The flat-headed man then meticulously relayed the intelligence he had gathered from Tie Qiu Heng to his superior.

"So it wasn’t the Investigators who ruined our rescue plan. That’s quite a surprise... Good work. For now, continue to lay low in Rongcheng. I’ll report this to Steward Zhang."

"Director, that guy Lin Li ruined our plans. Steward Zhang will probably order us to go after him, right?"

"Most likely. After all, Steward Zhang pushed this rescue plan through despite everyone’s objections. Now that it’s failed, he’s lost face. He’ll probably give the order to dispose of that Lin Li fellow just to vent his anger."

"Be ready. Other departments will likely send people to Rongcheng to handle this Lin Li. When they arrive, you’ll be responsible for providing support."

"Understood."

After ending the call, the flat-headed man stepped out of the woods.

The moonlight cascaded down, draping him in a hazy, silver mantle.

His gaze drifted across the stream toward the distant prison. ’I can’t let the Investigators catch me,’ he thought. ’Losing my freedom... that would be torture.’

After standing outside the woods and watching the distant prison for a moment, the flat-headed man pulled his gaze away and hurried toward his rented apartment.

...

Over an hour later, the flat-headed man arrived at an Urban Village on the outskirts of the city, slated for demolition.

Since the area was due to be torn down soon, many of the long-time residents had already moved out.

He approached a three-story building in a corner of the Urban Village, walked down the second-floor hallway, and stopped at the door of his apartment. He pulled the key from his pocket, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

"Hmm?!!"

The apartment the flat-headed man was renting was sixty or seventy square meters. He had just stepped inside and turned on the light when his expression changed abruptly.

As an elite operative in the Canglan Society’s intelligence division, the flat-headed man was always meticulous. Every time he left, he would sprinkle a bit of special white powder near his front door.

The powder was colorless and odorless, making it nearly impossible to detect. If anyone were to sneak into his home while he was away, they would disturb it.

An intruder would never notice the inconspicuous substance on the floor, but the flat-headed man could use it to determine if his home had been entered.

Now, having just switched on the light, the flat-headed man immediately noticed that the inconspicuous white powder he had sprinkled was gone.

’This is bad!’

...