During that time, Qi Zhaofeng changed his surveillance position two or three times but didn’t dare to enter the inn.
It was not until over two hours later that he finally lost patience and left.
Ji Xinghuo still hadn’t moved until Qi Zhaofeng was more than 500 meters away on another street according to the magnetic field sensing, then he slowly walked out of the inn and followed.
The maximum range of the magnetic field sensing was about 800 meters, so there was no fear of losing track.
Tracking someone over half a kilometer apart in the city with such dense crowds was almost an impossible task.
But for Ji Xinghuo, it was as easy as turning over his hand.
Qi Zhaofeng arrived at a station and soon boarded a steam bus.
Ji Xinghuo could have caught up with the bus if he ran, but he didn’t have any invisibility powers and running in the street was too conspicuous.
He walked briskly for several dozen meters and entered a horse shop on the street side.
In Olympia, the urban area is so large that besides taking buses, another common mode of transport is riding mounts.
But most people don’t own mounts, and raising them is quite troublesome, hence the market for horse shops.
Despite being named "horse" shops, there are actually many kinds of mounts available.
Unicorn horses, mountain wind deer, rock sheep, domestic camels, steel-maned beasts, Horror Claw Dragons, and so on – the faster the mount, the more expensive the rental fee.
Upon entering any horse shop and depositing the corresponding level of security deposit, one could rent a mount, receive a receipt for the mount, pay by the hour, and upon reaching the destination, return the mount to a nearby horse shop, settle the cost, and get the deposit back.
Before long, Ji Xinghuo was already riding a unicorn horse on the street.
The unicorn horse is a common beast in the Star Realm, similar in appearance to Earth’s horses but with two short, hard horns on its forehead, larger, and more robust, with a greater weight capacity and endurance than any horse breed on Earth. They are common in the wild and easy to tame.
Renting this type of mount was very cheap, making it the first choice for most people.
Ji Xinghuo had learned to ride during his college years and although a bit rusty now, he quickly regained his riding skills after a few hundred meters.
He made the unicorn horse trot quickly, maintaining pace with the bus.
As there were often mounts running through the streets and dedicated mount lanes, Ji Xinghuo riding a horse did not attract attention.
He continued the chase for half an hour.
Qi Zhaofeng got off the bus a few hundred meters ahead and walked into a residential area.
Ji Xinghuo returned the unicorn horse at a nearby horse shop, kept the target locked with magnetic field sensing all along, and also scanned the conditions of the area.
The residential area wasn’t very crowded, a medium-sized district, and as night approached, the number of pedestrians on the streets began to dwindle.
Qi Zhaofeng turned into an alley and finally entered a courtyard.
This was an independent yard, not very large, about two hundred square meters, and except for the wall on the entrance side, there were two- to three-storey houses built on the other three sides. This type of yard was common on both sides of the alley, single-households with good privacy, very suitable for a hunting team’s base.
There was no one in the courtyard; Qi Zhaofeng sat in the living room after entering as if waiting for someone.
Ji Xinghuo did not approach rashly.
He circled around a large distance, slowly walking over from the other end of the alley and jumped over the wall into the courtyard next door; it was empty, and from the dust, it was judged that it hadn’t been inhabited for at least two or three months.
Time slowly passed by.
An hour later, as Star Night was about to end and turn to night, two people came from outside the alley into the courtyard where Qi Zhaofeng was.
The sound of unlocking came from next door.
"The captain is back," a deep male voice rang out, the footsteps heavy and a bit unsteady. After entering, he called out, "Qi Lao Da."
The second voice was a woman’s.
"How did you two end up in a bar again?" Qi Zhaofeng sounded very displeased, "I’ve said that we need to set off the day after tomorrow at the latest. I told you to drink less, not to screw things up."
As the three conversed, Ji Xinghuo also made his move.
He activated the Gale Battle Boots and lightly stepped on the base of the wall, springing up over three meters.
At the high point, his right hand clutched the edge of the wall. With a skillful exertion of force, much like a spider, he climbed to the rooftop. The "balance" effect of the war boots allowed him to deftly control his body, silently flipping over the roof, gliding down against the wall, clear enough to hear the movements inside the room.
"It won’t mess things up. It’s not too late to prepare tomorrow," the man explained nonchalantly and asked, "Boss Qi, has he agreed to join us?"
"He said he’d think it over tonight," Qi Zhaofeng answered.
"He’s a smart one, burp..." the man hiccupped from the alcohol, "he may have his own sources of information. He’s going to verify the veracity of the Feathered Snake news tonight."
"No one’s a fool if they can make it in Olympia," the woman chimed in, "Captain, what if he agrees to join us?"
"That’s even better."
Qi Zhaofeng said indifferently, "Xin Liaoyuan is very strong, his martial arts talent is one of the best I’ve seen. As a Ranger, his joining our team will increase our chances of hunting the Feathered Snake."
Ji Xinghuo, eavesdropping on the other side of the wall, was shocked. Could there really be traces of the Feathered Snake?
"What if he doesn’t agree?" asked the man again.
There was silence for a few seconds.
Qi Zhaofeng’s voice rang out, cold and merciless, "I’ve figured out where he lives. If he doesn’t join us, we’ll find an opportunity to deal with him tomorrow night, then we leave immediately for Flying Dragon City."
He paused then added, "It’s best if he agrees. That way, he can help us hunt the Feathered Snake, and after we succeed, we can take his weapon too—killing two birds with one stone."
The man seemed to be nodding, "It can sell for almost twenty million. If not for Boss Qi’s keen eyes, who would have thought a young kid’s weapon would be a superpower artifact of Two Star Level? Ordinary folks wouldn’t even recognize it."
Hearing this, Ji Xinghuo suddenly understood.
It was after all greed that moved hearts. Even though he had been solitary and tried to conceal his expensive equipment, he had still caught the attention of those with intentions.
"But could he have a background?"
The woman seemed hesitant, "After all, to be able to afford such an expensive weapon..."
"What’s there to fear? Get rid of him, and we can just leave Olympia. We can get by in other cities just fine. Come back after a year or two—who would know?"
"But what about the other members of our team if we leave?"
"We’ll just recruit new ones in other places. With Boss Qi around, are we afraid we won’t find good teammates?"
"Enough, stop arguing," Qi Zhaofeng sounded impatient, "It’s settled then, everyone get some rest early and prepare for the hunt outside tomorrow. If Xin Liaoyuan agrees to join, I’ll bring him back with me. When that happens, I want you all to act the part, don’t give anything away."
"Boss Qi, don’t you trust the two of us?" the man scoffed with disdain, "In the past jobs we’ve done, nobody ever found a problem, not even till their last breath."
"Xin Liaoyuan is different, Tu Hongda values him greatly..."
Qi Zhaofeng was mid-sentence when he suddenly stopped.
He saw a person appearing around the corner of the wall in the courtyard with a tranquil expression, as if coming over to visit, walking into the living room. In his hand, he held a silver-blue war blade with three lightning-shaped patterns on the wide blade, with strands of electrical light flashing.
Qi Zhaofeng’s face changed dramatically, and he leaped to his feet.
Their group of three had been discussing how to strike from the shadows, but the target had suddenly appeared before them, catching him completely off guard and leaving his mind blank for a moment.
The other two, hearing the name, hurriedly stood up and looked towards the living room entrance, their expressions equally vivid.