Chapter 117: Modernized Anti-Tracking

Chapter 117: Modern Anti-Tracking

After making the judgment that the beast in Wuxue Town was likely connected to Huadu, Chen Jian quickly synchronized the information with the Circular Chamber of Commerce.

Their reaction, as Chen Jian had anticipated, was exactly what he expected.

They were unaware of it, even skeptical.

Nevertheless, to maintain their cooperative relationship, they promised that upon receiving solid evidence, they would correspondingly increase the reward for this mission.

Chen Jian's request was simple: just raise the equipment's level a notch.

Aren't you opening 'Tier‑3 controlled' equipment?

Then raising it to Tier‑2 shouldn't be too much, right?

This request is actually quite reasonable; Wang Lizi didn't object either.

But whether it can actually be carried out, he still needs to consult the so‑called 'Leader's' opinion.

Chen Jian didn't press him for an immediate promise, after all, such a response from the other side felt more genuine and trustworthy.

After ending the radio conversation with them, the few returned to the room Zhao He had prepared for them as a temporary base.

He Shuo was still diligently flying his drone, and after briefing the squad and the other members left behind in Huangshi City, Chen Jian took Zeng Yi and Xie Liu to the bustling dock area of Wuxue Town, hoping to try his luck and perhaps catch a Huadu merchant.

Many merchants from downstream gathered here; most had been stranded due to the earlier conflict between Huangshi City, the Machine God Sect, and the Holy Blood followers, but as the envoy departed and the standoff essentially ended, the merchants began to leave one by one.

It was here that Chen Jian truly got to see the variety of transportation in this post‑apocalyptic world.

Some merchants used the Machine God Sect's small steamboats, some used man‑powered rowboats, and there were even barges pulled by human labor.

Conversely, land transport was relatively uniform, mainly relying on animal power, with only a few human porters.

This probably had to do with the road conditions; after all, even if the Machine God Sect had steam locomotives, they could not run smoothly on most of the already damaged roads.

Chen Jian watched for a while and couldn't help but sigh:

"Travel is hard—no wonder Huangshi City's traditions have been able to persist relatively stably over such a long time."

"If it weren't for the Machine God Sect, they'd probably still be clinging to the purest form of ancestor worship."

As his words fell, Zeng Yi beside him chimed in:

"It's not just Huangshi City."

"As far as I know, human settlements began to make contact only in the last hundred‑odd years."

"Over a hundred years ago, because transportation was too backward and monsters too dominant, human groups were essentially isolated from one another."

"It was only after the rise of the Machine God Sect and the Holy Blood Palace, which cleared monsters from key routes, that humanity was able to reconnect."

"So these two organizations can't be said to be completely useless."

"At least for a certain period, they indeed played a significant role."

"Indeed, I know that."

Chen Jian nodded slowly.

From the information currently at hand, humanity, after the great cataclysm, endured at least one large‑scale secondary disaster, and it was after that disaster that the human race rose again.

This process must have been extraordinarily arduous; without the Machine God Sect and the Holy Blood Palace, each isolated human settlement would likely have gradually dwindled under monster pressure.

Therefore, the historical achievements of these two organizations cannot be easily denied.

Our opposition to them is merely because they have gradually fallen behind.

Collecting his somewhat scattered thoughts, Chen Jian coughed once and then said:

"Let's not talk about that for now; the most important thing is still to find the Huadu merchant hiding among these ordinary traders."

"Ah, it would be great if Xu Lie were still alive—his nose would surely sniff out where what we're looking for is."

"Come on, do the Holy Blood followers have anyone like him? Someone with a keen sense of smell who could help us?"

"Hard to find."

Zeng Yi shook his head slowly and replied:

"His ability is actually quite special—​that's why he's a head above us."

"To find a Holy Blood follower with the same ability, at the very least the Holy Blood Palace would have to personally issue an order."

"But obviously, they're unlikely to do such a thing."

"We and they are still adversaries, after all."

"Indeed."

Chen Jian nodded, a bit disappointed, and continued scanning the merchants on the dock.

Those merchants were likewise watching him, their eyes wary yet tinged with curiosity.

At that moment, Chen Jian felt a strange intuition.

He sensed that someone was watching him.

Not the gaze of ordinary merchants, but a hostile stare that made him feel like a thorn in his back.

——

"Wait a moment."

"If even Town Mayor Zhao He knows our squad is here for that beast, would the Huadu merchant who instigated it not know as well?"

"They also know the strength of our squad."

"So it's very likely that from the moment our squad entered Wuxue Town, we've already been under surveillance." Chen Jian, without changing his expression, took a slight step back and then typed an order onto his tactical visor:

"Redirect the drone to the dock area for thermal signature identification."

"1."

He Shuo replied instantly; moments later, the drone hovered several hundred meters above the dock.

One thermal signature after another was identified and recorded by the AI processing module, while Chen Jian, accompanied by Xie Liu, wandered aimlessly through Wuxue Town as if unintentionally, occasionally pausing at a shop, occasionally slipping into a side alley—just like a tourist newly arrived.

Regarding his actions, Xie Liu was somewhat puzzled.

"Aren't we supposed to be looking for a Huadu merchant? Why not just go straight to the dock and ask people?"

"Although they will hide their identities, it's not foolproof."

"There might be clues."

"The team leader is looking."

Zeng Yi interjected:

"Stay close to the team leader, act relaxed—pretend you're just here to sightsee."

"Ah?"

Xie Liu was bewildered, but following Zeng Yi's reminder, he relaxed his tense body.

At that moment, Chen Jian was simultaneously watching the thermal signature images flickering across his tactical visor.

The time was exactly eleven in the morning, and the residents of Wuxue Town were bustling with activity.

His field of vision was filled with dense heat signatures; relying solely on manpower and the naked eye, it was absolutely impossible to discern any potential observers.

Fortunately, he had a PDA.

And within the PDA was integrated a complete artificial intelligence battlefield analysis system.

All thermal features were marked, and immediately thereafter, the distances of those features from Chen Jian and his two companions were calculated one by one, iterated in real time.

Chen Jian expanded the squad's operational range as much as possible, moving through alleys difficult to observe directly.

Soon, a large amount of invalid data was filtered out.

What remained were only a dozen or so potential targets.

The heat signatures of those targets maintained a relatively stable distance from the trio, matching the characteristic of 'tracking'.

But this was not the final result.

Chen Jian still needed to rely on personal experience to rule out the last coincidences.

The thermal image instantly switched to a white-light image, and the marked targets were sequentially compiled before Chen Jian's eyes.

He first excluded residents who originally lived near their final stop, then excluded two children who were playing with a dog, their route coincidentally overlapping with the squad's.

The range of suspected targets narrowed once again, leaving only the final six.

Among these six, four were armed militia patrolling various parts of Wuxue Town.

Their suspicion could basically be ruled out.

That left only the last two.

Chen Jian zoomed in, focusing on one of the men.

With just a glance, Chen Jian could almost certainly confirm that this was his target.

His face was oily, covered in poison sores, his frame thin, his steps somewhat erratic.

Yet his eyes were sharp, even tinged with excitement.

Damn.

The anti-drug radar beeped.

"It's him."

Chen Jian spoke softly, then handed the PDA to Zeng Yi and Xie Liu.

"Remember this face."

"Take him down on the way back!"

"Not keep following him? He might lead us to his stronghold in Wuxue Town."

Zeng Yi asked.

"No need."

Chen Jian let out a gentle sigh, then said:

"The longer we drag this out, the higher the uncertainty; they already know we're here, and if they sacrifice a pawn to protect the vehicle and withdraw directly, we'll have followed for nothing."

"Rest assured, no one can withstand interrogation."

"He'll talk; I'm quite skilled in this area."

(End of chapter)