Volume One Chapter Forty-One Pursuit

Because their friendly exchange with Maday took very little time, and Mo De and Mu Qing had seized the chance to sprint at full speed with few people around, the two managed to catch up with the black-robed man before reaching the outskirts of Qingcheng District. From a distance, they trailed him cautiously, while the black-robed man, though alert, failed to notice their pursuit.

As the black-robed man, carrying a suitcase, turned into a small roadside house, Mo De and Mu Qing hid behind a tree, continuing their vigilant watch.

"Why are there people as stupid as us, choosing to walk instead of driving?" Mu Qing muttered idly, munching her sandwich against the cold northwest wind.

"It's too conspicuous to drive at this hour. Besides, driving means you can't avoid certain traffic checkpoints, and the city guards would certainly conduct inspections," Mo De replied, accepting the slice of bread Mu Qing handed over, and passing another sandwich to her. He decided to make a small sacrifice for his meal to appease his companion's hunger.

The wooden door of the cottage was pushed open, and out stepped a middle-aged man carrying a shopping bag emblazoned with "Emergency Sales Center." He was thin, with tousled hair, wearing a simple white T-shirt under a beige jacket and pale denim jeans. After checking his surroundings once more, the man continued hurriedly north-west.

The two avoided his gaze and quietly approached the cottage. Confirming that it was empty, Mo De took two pins from his sleeve, bent them into wires, and deftly worked the lock.

"I’ll warn you, if you get caught, don’t drag me down with you," Mu Qing remarked, watching Mo De work with practiced ease, recognizing him as a habitual offender.

With a muted click, Mo De stood, packed up his tools, opened the door, and entered, ignoring Mu Qing’s teasing. The interior was sparsely furnished; a black robe hung on the wall, likely left by their target.

This place was evidently one of the man's disguising points. Mo De quickly scanned the surroundings, walked to the folding bed, and pulled out a silver suitcase from underneath. He opened the combination lock easily—clearly the man hadn’t bothered to reset it after taking out whatever he needed.

The suitcase was now empty, its lining and fabric deeply indented in the center, shaped as though it had contained a twenty-centimeter-long object.

"Well, well, that's a Spatial Boundary Stone," Mu Qing exclaimed, leaning in to examine it, pressing her finger to the indentation and sensing the lingering trace of anomalous particles. There was no mistake; this unique spatial disturbance was the hallmark of a Spatial Boundary Stone.

"Spatial Boundary Stone?" Mo De glanced at Mu Qing, seeking confirmation, for this mineral was exceedingly rare and precious nowadays.

As its name implied, the Spatial Boundary Stone was closely tied to the mysterious concept of "space." Even unprocessed, it contained its own internal space, forming a natural portable warehouse. Its anomalous gravity structure could offset the mass of stored goods. Even a thumb-sized stone was a rarity in legitimate channels, almost impossible to obtain, and in the black market, its price soared sky-high, every auction drawing great attention.

Stones exceeding a certain size were classified as military contraband, for their spatial power grew with their volume. The larger and more intact the stone, the stronger its spatial force. Meter-sized specimens were the core material used in constructing city boundary barriers.

"My goodness, such a large piece would cause a frenzy on the black market," Mu Qing remarked, astonished. When she was still employed, her superiors had equipped them with gear inlaid with fragments of Spatial Boundary Stone as portable packs, but after resigning, she hadn’t bothered to try finding another. If she had one now, her lunch wouldn’t have been limited to two sandwiches and a few sausages—it would surely include steamed buns and pickled vegetables.

Oh, and those two sandwiches weren’t even complete; she’d generously given the bread ends to Mo De.

Mo De searched the cottage for further clues, then stood and called Mu Qing to follow. "Don’t just stare at the empty suitcase. If we waste any more time, we’ll lose him." He closed the case, slid it back under the bed, and dispersed the golden energy gathered at his fingertips, leaving not a single fingerprint.

"How can you see such a big Spatial Boundary Stone and not be amazed?" Mu Qing was surprised at Mo De's composure. Did he not realize the value of that twenty-centimeter-long stone rod?

"I haven’t seen the real thing, so there’s no need to get excited," Mo De replied, fully aware of its worth, but having been raised in the "Tide" base, he had seen even larger stones.

Years ago, when Mo De was young, Li Changsheng left him to roam the base freely. Back then, Mo De’s temperament had yet to change; after much coaxing, he finally stopped pretending to be a statue and followed Shu around as she explained the facilities of the "Tide" organization. One room was dedicated to storing the giant Spatial Boundary Stone that maintained the entire organization’s barrier.

At the time, unaware of its value, Mo De hardly noticed the massive stone that dominated the room. Later, chatting with Bai Yi, he learned that the hundred-cubic-meter boulder in their basement was probably the organization’s most valuable possession. He remembered how Shu had dragged him up to the two-meter-high stone, walking and talking, so he never felt much awe toward such things.

That stone had been fashioned by Li Changsheng into the foundation of a barrier, its excess spatial force creatively transformed into a barrier with many additional effects. According to Li Changsheng, he’d used it all as experimental material and forgot to leave any scraps for making spatial rings.

"Have you seen a Spatial Boundary Stone before? You seem so unfazed," Mu Qing asked as they left the cottage, watching Mo De lock the door.

"Haven’t you?" Mo De retorted. In his view, given her family’s resources—raising twin lotus, a rare treasure—Mu Qing should have long been familiar with such things.

"I’ve seen them, even meter-sized stones used for city barriers, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be surprised," Mu Qing replied, puzzled, following Mo De as they hurried after the middle-aged man who had left.

"I'm more interested in why, for something so valuable, he assigned only a group whose top strength barely reached the entry level of Gate Mastery to transport it. Normally, you'd hire someone at the External Realm or even the Wish Realm to ensure its safe delivery," Mo De shifted the topic, steering Mu Qing’s attention back to the affair at hand.

"Exactly—if anything happens, even a crack or chip would drastically reduce its value. If it were up to me, I’d lock it in a safe and have it escorted by an armored convoy," Mu Qing pondered, confused. Fragments and intact stones were worlds apart in price: a single cubic meter of fragments could fetch a fortune in the black market, but listing a whole stone of that size would soon bring the military to your door, confiscating goods and people alike. Spatial Boundary Stones lose much of their force when broken, so the total space diminishes as they fracture. An intact cubic meter could encompass a town-sized barrier.

"Maybe they’re trying to keep things low-profile. Without expert escorts, they won’t attract expert attention," Mo De mused, showing no awareness that he and Mu Qing might themselves be considered "experts."

"The more deliberately low-profile, the more suspicious—something strange is definitely going on!" Even behind sunglasses, Mo De could sense Mu Qing’s eyes sparkling, as if she wanted to engrave "big score" across her face.

"Stay focused. We're here to investigate, not to rob," Mo De said helplessly.

"I know, I know—uphold justice, punish evil, we’re the righteous heroes, avatars of virtue!" Mu Qing cleared her throat and declared with mock solemnity, as if she were a chivalrous lady out to right wrongs.

Mo De could only shake his head, unable to retort. Spotting their quarry up ahead, he slowed down, pulling Mu Qing along for a new round of pursuit.

"Don’t stare directly at him. People can sense when they’re being watched, especially those trained—they can even pinpoint the direction. When tracking, focus on an object the target is carrying, and you’ll avoid being detected," Mo De quietly advised Mu Qing, cautioning her not to draw attention. He locked his gaze onto the shopping bag in the man’s hand. He had to admit, their target had prepared thoroughly—he’d equipped himself with an Emergency Sales Center bag at the cottage.

During the lunar tide, most households stock up on necessities, and nearly all shops close for rest. But the city establishes military-designated Emergency Sales Centers at several locations to meet urgent needs of residents who failed to stock up, or for visiting travelers.

Watching the middle-aged man turn into a detached villa beside Linzhu Park, Mo De and Mu Qing exchanged a smile, knowing they had finally reached their destination.