CHAPTER 405: CHAPTER 405: THE SUNSET ASSOCIATION’S INVITATION AND TRAP

Just as he was looking for the owner of the Half-Mountain Villa, the other party was actually looking for him? I’m just looking for the owner of the Half-Mountain Villa, and now they’re actually looking for me? This is really fortunate. Could it be because I resolved the Half-Mountain Villa’s issue that they’re seeking me out? Or is there some other reason?

"Is the other party coming to thank me?"

"Yes, they said they want to give you a proper thanks for dealing with the Half-Mountain Villa case, but..."

Luo Yi’s hesitation made Lu Luo feel that this preacher of the Wings of Blazing Sky wasn’t too bad after all.

"What is it? Miss Luo Yi, do you have something to tell me?"

"Lu Luo, I always feel like there’s something off about this situation."

"Oh? Miss Luo Yi, could you elaborate on the issues?"

"The details of the Half-Mountain Villa, as an Investigator, you are certainly more aware of them than I am. You encountered a Fourth Tier strange creature, the blue-eyed demon spider, which far exceeds the difficulty level of the tasks posted by the organization. Although your strength is great, Lu Luo, and you resolved the incident, the other party has never provided a reasonable explanation for the appearance of a Fourth Tier strange creature. Moreover, their attitude in coming here seems a bit odd."

Luo Yi went on and on with her concerns, and Lu Luo had already understood what she was worried about.

"Then what is the identity of the other party, Miss Luo Yi, do you know?"

"They have never revealed their identity. You know as well that the owner of this Half-Mountain Villa area has a very special status. The owner of the villa at the mountaintop, compared to others, is even more special. We don’t have the authority to demand that they disclose their specific circumstances."

Lu Luo nodded, indicating he understood. "Thank you for the warning, Miss Luo Yi, I got it."

"So, are you still going? If you don’t want to, we can refuse."

"Of course, I’ll go. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am quite interested in the owner of the Half-Mountain Villa. If I can sit down and talk about matters related to the Half-Mountain Villa, that would be even better. After all, I’m very interested in acquiring the Half-Mountain Villa."

"But, going this time might be dangerous. To buy a house that’s unlikely to be sold, you would be putting yourself in jeopardy. This is hardly a rational action."

Luo Yi tried to persuade him with good intentions. After all, throughout this time with the Wings of Blazing Sky, they had only recruited Lu Luo, a Transcendent with such strong capabilities. Although she was somewhat wary of Lu Luo, more than that, she needed to rely on Lu Luo’s powerful case-handling abilities. As long as Lu Luo maintained his previous efficiency and worked safely at the Wings of Blazing Sky for a while, their backlog of cases would practically be wiped clean. With that, the competitiveness of the Wings of Blazing Sky would see a significant increase. An increase in competitiveness would attract more powerful Transcendents, allowing the Wings of Blazing Sky to enter a virtuous cycle. And the key to all this was Lu Luo. Lu Luo couldn’t have any mishaps.

"Unwise and dangerous... I don’t really see it that way."

To be honest, Lu Luo wasn’t very concerned about his own safety. His personal combat ability, escape capability, and adaptability should all be top-notch. If the owner of a mere Half-Mountain Villa could get the better of him, then it would only mean that his current capabilities were insufficient to make his way in the Empire.

"So you are still going?"

"Yes, don’t worry, Miss Luo Yi, there shouldn’t be much of a problem."

"Alright then!"

Luo Yi knew she couldn’t dissuade Lu Luo. At this point, she stopped urging him further. Having said so much already, continuing would only annoy Lu Luo, which would be counterproductive. Lu Luo hadn’t encountered any trouble yet, and his visit this time was only potentially dangerous. Perhaps Lu Luo will continue to be lucky and turn misfortune into fortune? Luo Yi consoled herself with this thought.

Lu Luo took an address from Luo Yi’s hands and then went downstairs alone. There was indeed some danger involved in this matter, so he couldn’t bring his lucky charm partner with him.

After Lu Luo left, the training room of the Wings of Blazing Sky suddenly received a phone call. The one answering the phone was Yang Di, who, after being stimulated by Lu Luo, fervently swore that she would strive to become stronger. By this time, Yang Di had already completed three push-ups in the training room. Three of them! This was an unprecedented new experience for her. She instantly felt her strength had greatly improved, so she decided to lie down and play with her phone first. While browsing her phone, she casually answered the call from the break room phone.

"Hello, who are you looking for?"

"Is Mr. Lu Luo there?" a somewhat husky female voice emerged from the other end of the line.

"Lu Luo, oh, he’s not here. What’s up?"

Yang Di was a bit surprised. Lu Luo only just arrived, and someone is already looking for him? Could it be that our team’s business capabilities are so strong that people are seeking us out by reputation? If that’s the case, it might be time to come up with a good name for our duo. How about "Phoenix Legend"? Lu Luo as the male phoenix, and I as the female phoenix—a perfect combination...

While Yang Di was lost in her fantasies, Sola interrupted her train of thought. "He’s not there, eh? Never mind then..."

As soon as Yang Di heard the other party was about to hang up, she quickly spoke up to stop her. "Hey, hey, don’t hang up, just wait! If you have something for Lu Luo, you can talk to me. I am Lu Luo’s partner at the Wings of Blazing Sky; the case at the Half-Mountain Villa was cracked by the two of us working together. At the Wings of Blazing Sky, our pairing even has a very famous name. It’s called Phoenix Legend, though we haven’t been around for very long. Wait a while, and you will see how capable we are."

Yang Di bragged big time, and Sola on the other end of the line started to have trouble distinguishing truth from fiction. Phoenix Legend? That does sound quite formidable. But can such a boastful person really be Mr. Lu Luo’s partner? However, the number Mr. Lu Luo left for Qi Xinzhu is indeed this one. So now, should I tell this person the investigation results? Not quite sure, Sola decided to probe a little further.

"How should I address you?"

Yang Di, as if knowing Sola was testing her, said with an impatient face, "Stop dilly-dallying. I told you, I am Lu Luo’s partner, and that’s that. No ambiguity about it, no falsehood either. If you keep dragging this out, I may just hang up, you know!"

Sola felt something was off. How did I suddenly get outmaneuvered? But this Yang Di...?No, I must tell Mr. Lu Luo about the Half-Mountain Villa matter as soon as possible. He left the number himself, so there shouldn’t be any issues.

"Wait a minute..."

"Speak up then." Yang Di had a feeling of triumph. Heh, trying to pick a fight with me? Are you even a match?

"Mr. Lu Luo asked me to investigate the owner of the villa at the top of the Half-Mountain Villa area; I have already found out the details. The owner of the villa on the mountaintop is known to the outside world as Madame Ju Ya. She doesn’t have an official identity, but she has connections with many official big shots. Beyond that, the true reason Madame Ju Ya is feared is because of her own power and background."

"Hm? I’m listening. Go on, what is Madame Ju Ya’s power and background?"

"She is the Vice-Chairwoman of the Sunset Association, a Vice-Chairwoman with significant authority."

Shit! Yang Di suddenly covered her mouth. The Sunset Association? That’s the overlord of the GuiXi District, a powerful organization truly capable of competing on the Imperial stage! A single squad from the Sunset Association is probably beyond what the Wings of Blazing Sky can handle right now. And the owner of the Half-Mountain Villa is actually the Vice-Chairwoman of the Sunset Association? That means Lu Luo...

"Oh, this matter, I will inform Lu Luo. Rest assured."

"Uh..."

"Is there anything else you need to say?" Yang Di sensed something off with Sola and immediately asked.

After hesitating for a moment, Sola slowly began, "The issue is not that. The issue is, the mission at the Half-Mountain Villa was actually initiated by the Sunset Association itself. They’ve notified almost all the organizations in Dong’an City; even the security office has their case files. This matter itself has a big problem."

Yang Di, upon hearing this, also sensed something amiss, but her strength was weak. She wasn’t very familiar with some of the schemes between high-level organizations. "Explain in detail."

"The Half-Mountain Villa case has a difficulty level of 2.5+, which means it can be resolved by multiple Second Tier Transcendents or by a Third Tier Transcendent. But the Half-Mountain Villa case has been dragging on for nearly a year now. It’s not that no one has gone there, but very few have returned, and the reward for the case itself is not high. This makes the case itself very strange. If it’s only a 2.5+ level case, the Sunset Association itself has enough power to resolve it. But instead of actively resolving it, the Sunset Association spread the case around, which is unreasonable. The Sunset Association itself is a top-tier organization in the GuiXi District. Cases they can’t solve, other organizations most likely can’t solve either. If nobody can solve it, then why not combine forces or seek headquarters’ support? Therefore, this matter... is a trap, a trap directed at all other organizations. The Half-Mountain Villa is the center of this trap, a meat grinder!"

By this point, Yang Di showed an expression of sudden realization. "No wonder, no wonder there are Fourth Tier Blue-eyed Demon Spiders at the mountaintop villa. So all this was a trap! But it doesn’t matter now, the issue with the mountaintop villa has been resolved by us..."

"Wait, you said a Fourth Tier Blue-eyed Demon Spider? Just Fourth Tier?"

Yang Di felt somewhat embarrassed by Sola’s questioning. What did she mean by ’just Fourth Tier’? Isn’t Fourth Tier strong enough? She herself was only Second Tier, and she wasn’t sure about the level of the person before her. "You talk big. Isn’t Fourth Tier strong enough for you? What Tier are you?"

"This humble one, Fourth Tier."

"Oh... then, never mind."

Yang Di fell silent for a moment, knowing that Lu Luo was special but hadn’t expected the people he knew to be so extraordinary. If she’s Fourth Tier, is she even more formidable than Luo Yi? Forget it, forget it. There’s no use thinking about it; dwelling on it would make life unbearable.

After the conversation, Sola on the other side also sensed that something was amiss. Lu Luo’s partner... why does she seem so unreliable?

"May I ask, can you contact Mr. Lu Luo now?"

"Uh, Lu Luo is out on a mission. But let me ask for you."

"Good, please inquire as soon as possible. I will stay on the line."

Yang Di hesitated for a moment, but then she dialed Luo Yi’s number. "Luo Yi, where did Lu Luo run off to?"

"Lu Luo? He’s on a special mission today."

"What special mission? Is there secrecy between partners? Don’t mess things up and break the Wings of Blazing Sky’s organization rules!"

Yang Di invoked the organization’s rules to pressure her, which Luo Yi hadn’t anticipated. Speaking of which, Yang Di herself hardly ever followed the organization’s rules. How does she have the nerve?

"The owner of the Half-Mountain Villa invited Lu Luo this morning, saying she wanted to meet and have a good talk with Lu Luo, to get to know him."

"Huh? No, that won’t do!" Yang Di exclaimed loudly.

"Why not?" Luo Yi asked, somewhat puzzled.

"The owner of the Half-Mountain Villa is Madame Ju Ya, the Vice-Chairwoman of the Sunset Association."

Luo Yi was not like Yang Di. She was quick to respond. The case of the Half-Mountain Villa was originally assigned by the Sunset Association. Now that Yang Di had said this, Luo Yi immediately realized the danger. It might not be as simple as she and Lu Luo had discussed before. "Does Lu Luo have a phone?"

"No, he doesn’t!"

"He’s so strong, why doesn’t he have a phone? How are you even his partner?"

"Luo Yi, damn your brother! We’ve only been partners for one day. How can you blame this on me? Are you even human?"

Since Yang Di had not hung up the phone, Sola could clearly hear the conversation between her and Luo Yi. Sola was a bit panicky. Lu Luo has fallen into the Sunset Association’s trap! Will he die? If Lu Luo dies, will Qi Xinzhu still be someone I can rely on? No, that’s not right. That won’t do. Lu Luo definitely isn’t a simple character. I need to stay calm, calm!

The calmed-down Sola started to think. What can I do in this situation? Even though being Fourth Tier is a very good level in Dong’an City, it’s still nothing compared to the Sunset Association. Moreover, I value my life. I can work for Lu Luo, but I won’t die for him. Going to the Sunset Association to rescue Lu Luo now would be no different from courting death. I definitely won’t do such an irrational thing. But if I do nothing now, not only will Lu Luo be in trouble, but I also won’t be able to face Qi Xinzhu.

Wait a minute! Yes, Qi Xinzhu! Lady Qi Xinzhu will definitely be very worried about Lord Lu Luo, and her strength is also formidable. Their relationship is close enough. I just need to tell Lady Qi Xinzhu about this. She will surely take action. This way, I can kill two birds with one stone!

With this thought in mind, Sola hurried to the training room where Qi Xinzhu was practicing. Qi Xinzhu, in a tight tank top, revealed her somewhat astonishing figure. Even Sola, a middle-aged woman, couldn’t help but take a second glance. This woman... she’s just like a dazzling diamond!

Approaching Qi Xinzhu, Sola respectfully lowered her head. "Lady Qi Xinzhu, Lord Lu Luo asked me to investigate the Half-Mountain Villa, and I have found out everything."

"Oh? If you’ve figured it out, just tell Lu Luo. Why come to me?" Qi Xinzhu was still puzzled, but Sola, already somewhat anxious, kept talking.

"This matter is a trap set by the Sunset Association, a top-tier organization in the GuiXi District. Now Lord Lu Luo has fallen into the Sunset Association’s trap, and he might be in danger!"

Sola’s expression was somewhat agitated, but Qi Xinzhu’s expression remained oddly calm. "A dangerous trap, huh? That’s indeed a worrisome situation. Well, I hope Lu Luo can be careful."

Sola: ??? What does she mean? Isn’t she Lu Luo’s woman? If she is Lu Luo’s woman, how can this be her reaction? How can it be?!