Chapter 156 The Seven Stars Members Leave
In a dense forest, there was a small hut, and a Third-Order Professional was silently cultivating in front of it.
In a cave a hundred meters from the hut, Hong Yi's gaze pierced through the trees, fixed on the Third-Order Professional in front of the hut, and he asked with excitement:
"Old Zhao, how is everyone? Can we capture the assassin immediately after he arrives?"
Vice Leader Zhao on the side replied, "Everyone is ready. As soon as we capture the assassin, we can immediately transfer him to Other Planes and begin the interrogation.
I'm just worried, what if the assassin we catch isn't the same one who killed Hong Fei?"
Hong Yi gently shook his head and said, "There won't be any mistake. I know many assassin organizations, and the organization that Curse Master belongs to has power beyond my comprehension.
Such a powerful assassin organization, when entering a new environment to accept a mission, usually chooses to clear the area, expelling other assassin organizations.
We observed that area before, and there were no traces of any assassin organizations there. It must have been cleared out.
Plus, we've eliminated the lone assassins, so the ones who can accept the mission must be them. It's impossible for there to be a mistake!"
Vice Leader Zhao did not agree with these words. Not all assassins in this world fear assassin organizations.
Moreover, there are conflicts between assassin organizations.
In short, assassination missions can have unexpected outcomes at any time, and no one can guarantee success one hundred percent.
Vice Leader Zhao wanted to persuade Hong Yi, but then he thought of Hong Yi's eagerness for revenge and how he had indirectly caused Hong Fei's death, so Vice Leader Zhao held his tongue.
Just then, a huge protective shield materialized out of thin air outside the dense forest where the hut was located. Immediately after, the branches on the surrounding trees turned into vines, growing rapidly and instantly filling the entire protective shield.
Seeing this, Hong Yi frowned and asked somewhat confused, "Is someone here to assassinate?"
Vice Leader Zhao shook his head in confusion and replied, "I didn't detect any unfamiliar aura. Let's go take a look."
Then, the two flew directly towards the barrier.
Landing outside the barrier, several Fourth-Order Professionals ran to Hong Yi in a panic, answering with some fear:
"Leader, Brother Chen inexplicably lost his life aura. We immediately activated the barrier we set up earlier, but we didn't catch anything!"
"How is that possible!" Hong Yi and Vice Leader Zhao exclaimed in surprise, looking incredulously at the bait cultivating in front of the hut.
There were no visible wounds on the bait's body, and no aura of being attacked could be felt.
If it weren't for the rapid decline of energy in the bait's body, Hong Yi and Vice Leader Zhao would have thought the bait was sleeping.
Hong Yi, somewhat shocked, took out an item and threw it towards the barrier. The moment the item touched the barrier, it was instantly bounced away.
Hong Yi said in shock, "There really isn't an enemy inside. What's going on?"
Seeing this, Vice Leader Zhao instructed everyone, "Everyone, retreat. We will handle things here."
Seeing this, the surrounding people nodded and quickly left.
Once they had all left, Vice Leader Zhao spoke with a serious expression:
"The enemy possesses extremely terrifying stealth abilities and rapid retreat abilities. We may not be their match."
Hong Yi asked somewhat confused, "Are we not taking revenge then?"
Vice Leader Zhao shook his head and said, "Revenge must still be taken. However, we need to wait for a period of time, until we are strong enough to seek revenge."
Hong Yi remained silent. After a long while, Hong Yi waved his hand and said, "Go gather our people back. Regarding the Plane coordinates, I will give you an answer."
Vice Leader Zhao sighed and turned to leave.
Hong Yi stood rooted to the spot, looking at the corpse in the forest, his eyes filled with regret, and he murmured to himself:
"Xiao Fei, did you also die so inexplicably? It's all my fault. If I had been more careless back then and let you kill me, you would now be a noble Soul Master. How could you have died so inexplicably?"
Hong Yi was silent for a long time, his expression turning ferocious: "Is this the Plane Will's punishment for my inability to cultivate a Soul Master? If you want to punish, punish me. Why harm my son?"
Hong Yi's emotions grew increasingly irritable, and he quickly took out a crystal ball from his storage ring.
Inside the crystal ball, there was a small figure bound by chains, who was now looking up at Hong Yi.
Hong Yi smashed the crystal ball to the ground. The crystal ball instantly shattered, and the small figure inside rapidly expanded, transforming into a muscular man.
Hong Yi took out a piece of paper and handed it to the man, saying, "You are free, but I hope you go to this place to cultivate Bandit Professionals."
The man took the paper, grinned, and handed a storage ring to Hong Yi, saying:
"Inside are the hidden locations of the Plane coordinates I possess. Don't worry, since you released me, I won't betray you. I value loyalty the most!"
Hong Yi sneered, "A Tufei, what kind of loyalty are you talking about? I released you, so I'm not afraid of you betraying me. Hurry up and go cultivate more Tufei to cause destruction. Kill as many people as you can!"
After saying this, Hong Yi flew away directly.
The Bandit Professional man looked at Hong Yi's departing back, grinned, and said, "It seems you have a grudge in your heart. Don't worry, I will help you destroy this world!"
Then, the Bandit Professional man checked the address provided by Hong Yi and flew towards the area where Fang Che was carrying out his mission.
At this time, Fang Che had already put away the Nailhead Seven Arrows Book, disguised himself as someone else, and was heading to the Curse Master Mission Hall.
This time, Fang Che killed without using the energy of other professions for disguise, completely employing methods that made him undetectable.
Fang Che's purpose in doing this was to display his powerful stealth ability, to make the Seven Stars Group realize Fang Che's strength, and to stop attacking Fang Che.
As long as the Seven Stars Group stopped harming Fang Che, Fang Che would not retaliate against the Seven Stars Group.
Walking on the way to the Curse Master Mission Hall, Fang Che quietly observed the surroundings and found that those Professionals skilled in stealth had all disappeared.
Entering the Mission Hall, the Professionals hiding in various corners for Observe had disappeared.
Those Professionals who secretly left marks on others had also disappeared.
Seeing this, Fang Che smiled with satisfaction. After submitting the mission, he left the area and returned to the Iron Hand Group.
Just before returning to the Iron Hand Group, Fang Che found a secluded corner, removed the Transformation Array on his body, and put the Temporary Child of the Plane Token back into his Niwan Palace.
Then, Fang Che returned to the Iron Hand Group in his Real appearance. After reporting to Li Xing, he returned to his residence.
Not long after, General Gao Ping arrived at Fang Che's place with two bodyguards and went out with Fang Che to sign a contract.
Time flew by, and more than ten days passed in a flash.
During these ten-plus days, Fang Che continued to improve the array and the Real Domain, not feeling annoyed at all.
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Chapter 157: Bandit Occupation and [Bandit-making] Skills
On this day, Fang Che and General Gao Ping completed a new contract and came to Li Xing's office, knocking on the door.
After Li Xing opened the door and came out, the two immediately saluted, and then handed the previously signed contract to Li Xing.
Li Xing took the contract, but instead of taking out a new one-time signing tool, he spoke with a solemn expression:
"For the next period, you two should not go out for negotiations. Recently, a group of Tufei has appeared outside."
Fang Che and General Gao Ping's expressions instantly became solemn upon hearing this.
The Bandit Professional originated from a Plane that self-destructed.
To awaken the Bandit Professional, one does not need precious resources, only three conditions must be met:
First, plunder villages and slaughter defenseless villagers;
Second, kill Professionals of high status and power;
Third, desecrate the opposite sex.
The future advancement of the Bandit Professional is closely related to the three methods above.
Additionally, after plundering, the Bandit Professional's cultivation aptitude will temporarily improve.
In short, the Bandit Professional is a destructive Professional that goes against rules.
However, the Plane Will requires stable and harmonious development, which conflicts with the Bandit Professional.
Therefore, the Plane that created the Bandit Professional was ultimately destroyed by the Bandit Professional.
When the Emperor Plane was relatively weak, it encountered this destroyed Plane, thinking it was a windfall from heaven, and actively accepted the Plane, absorbing the Bandit Professional.
Of course, to protect the harmony and stability of the Plane, the Emperor Plane modified the Bandit Professional, removing some undesirable information.
However, the information removed was key to the Bandit Professional's power. After removing this information, the Bandit Professional's combat power decreased, and the Emperor Plane Will's attention to the Bandit Professional declined.
Then one day, a Bandit, with the help of a Cult Leader Professional, plundered an Academy, slaughtered unawakened students, and desecrated and killed a Soul Master.
Afterward, this Bandit's power began to rapidly increase, and the parts cleared by the Plane Will were restored. He recovered his original power, became a true Bandit, and gained the main skill: [Bandit Creation].
Using the [Bandit Creation] skill, other Professionals can be forcibly converted into Bandits.
These converted Bandits, like the previous ones, do not have the [Bandit Creation] skill, so they are all called Tufei.
Tufei, after plundering Academies and desecrating and killing Soul Masters, can transform into true Bandits and gain the [Bandit Creation] skill.
Since then, the Emperor Plane experienced a Bandit disaster. Many Professionals whose combat power was inferior to Bandits actively chose to become Bandits, countless Academies were destroyed, and countless Soul Masters were killed.
Due to the immense destructive power caused by the Bandit Professional, the Emperor Plane also found it somewhat unbearable.
Therefore, the Emperor Plane created the Black Prison Overlord Professional to suppress the Bandit Professional and other Professionals that might be detrimental to the Emperor Plane.
The Bandit disaster was quickly resolved, but the Bandit Professional was deeply connected to the Emperor Plane and difficult to eradicate.
Furthermore, the Bandit Professional is full of destructive potential; if the Emperor Plane were to collapse, the Bandit Professional could still be used to cause chaos.
For these reasons, the Bandit Professional was retained by the Emperor Plane.
This also led to the periodic appearance of Tufei Professionals.
The biggest problem was that when the first generation of true Bandits were eliminated, they stored the [Bandit Creation] skill in many special items and exiled them outside the Plane.
Tufei who obtain these items can temporarily gain the [Bandit Creation] skill, creating more Tufei.
Therefore, Bandit disasters often erupt.
Whenever a Bandit disaster occurs, everyone hides to avoid being converted into Tufei by the [Bandit Creation] skill.
If one is unfortunately converted into a Tufei, all accumulated resources and planned routes are terminated, and they will definitely be targeted by the Emperor Plane Will.
Although there are some items that can restore one's original Professional after becoming a Bandit Professional, these items are very rare and low-level Professionals cannot even see them.
Therefore, those with high Professional strength but weak personal power are very afraid of the [Bandit Creation] skill.
Fang Che's Curse Master Professional was not considered powerful, and its overall strength was inferior to the Bandit Professional.
However, after Fang Che created various items like the Nailhead Seven Arrows Book, the Curse Master had already entered the ranks of first-class Professionals.
Fang Che had to avoid Bandits.
Fang Che spoke, "Thank you, Senior, for informing me of these matters. Your Junior will not wander around casually from now on. May I ask in which area these Tufei have appeared?"
Li Xing replied, "They appeared to the east of Iron Hand Academy. According to statistics, the Tufei are there."
Upon hearing this information, Fang Che felt a little confused.
Fang Che had previously seen members of the Seven Stars Group in the eastern area and scared them away with his own methods.
Now, the appearance of Bandits in that area was too coincidental. Could this be something the Seven Stars Group orchestrated?
Could it be that the Seven Stars Group, unable to deal with Fang Che, released Bandits for indiscriminate retaliation?
Seeing Fang Che's complex expression, Li Xing comforted him:
"Our Iron Hand Group has many Black Prison Overlords who can restrain Bandit Professionals, so even if Bandits come, there's no need to worry."
Hearing this, Fang Che put aside his previous thoughts and said, "Your Junior heard that eliminating forcibly converted Tufei can earn many rewards from the Plane Will. Will the Iron Hand Group participate in this?"
Li Xing replied, "We will not actively participate in this matter, unless the Tufei enter the Iron Hand Academy area to cause destruction;
Additionally, if you wish to participate in the battle, you can conceal your Iron Hand Group identity and go to the Bandit disaster area;
However, if you participate in the battle as an ordinary person and die, the Academy will not help you seek revenge. I still advise you to hide."
Fang Che nodded gently, "Understood. Does Vice Leader have any other instructions?"
Li Xing said, "It's like this, I want to ask you to contact a Soul Master to prepare a batch of items that can turn Professionals back to their original form after they are converted into Bandits. Can you help ask for the price?"
"No problem, I'll ask right away." Fang Che nodded in agreement, then took out the communication token to contact Gu Ning and informed Gu Ning of the message.
A moment later, Gu Ning's voice came from the communication token in Fang Che's hand: "Please wait a moment, I will send you the items."
Upon hearing this, Li Xing's face broke into a brilliant smile, and at the same time, Li Xing's regard for Fang Che rapidly increased.
Being able to complete a transaction with a Soul Master so easily was not something that could be done suddenly.
A moment later, the communication token emitted a ray of light.
The light, like a sharp blade, cut through the space in front, opening a rift.
Immediately after, a storage ring flew over.
Fang Che took the storage ring, and after inspecting it, found piles of items inside, along with a notebook.
Fang Che took out the notebook, casually flipped through two pages, then handed both the notebook and the storage ring to Li Xing, saying:
"These are the items given by the Soul Master, and the things he needs. His requested items must be gathered after the Bandit disaster ends."
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Chapter 158: The Bandits Who Are Good at Hiding
Li Xing reached out and took the two items, then took out ten items and handed them to Fang Che, saying with a smile, "These items are for your self-protection. After the Bandit disaster is over, I will give you another batch of resources. As for the materials a Soul Master needs, I will gather them for you."
Fang Che took the ten items and said, "Thank you, Junior."
Li Xing waved his hand and said, "No need to say that, I should be thanking you."
Then, Li Xing took out a book and handed it to Fang Che, saying, "This is the reward for your mission. I have nothing else here. You two can go back and rest."
Fang Che took the book and, along with General Gao Ping, replied in unison, "Junior takes his leave."
After the two left Li Xing's office, General Gao Ping complained, "Why did these damn Tufei appear here? It seems I'll have to hide in the Iron Hand Group from now on and can't go out. I hope they never come here."
Upon hearing this, Fang Che took out an item and handed it to General Gao Ping, saying with a smile, "With this, you don't need to worry too much. Here's one for you. Come find me when you run out."
General Gao Ping shook his head and said, "No, if I'm captured by Bandits after going out, no matter how many items I have, it'll be useless. I've decided to hide in the Iron Hand Group's base."
Upon hearing this, Fang Che took back the item and comforted him, "Staying at the base is also good. Anyway, there are many Black Prison Overlords in the group, so you don't need to be too afraid of those Tufei."
Upon hearing this, General Gao Ping looked around, then whispered, "Although Black Prison Overlords restrain Bandits, they are not good at protecting others.
If the Bandits go crazy and insist on attacking me, I'll be in grave danger. I'm staying at the base not because of the Black Prison Overlords, but mainly because I trust the base's defensive array."
Upon hearing this, Fang Che nodded in sudden understanding and said, "So that's how it is. This base array is indeed more trustworthy. What you said makes a lot of sense."
General Gao Ping smiled and suggested, "You'd best stay here too. It's not that I'm looking down on you, but your Curse Master profession really isn't suitable for combat; you can't beat Bandits."
Upon hearing this, Fang Che didn't give a clear answer, only smiled and said, "I'll keep that in mind."
Fang Che felt that the appearance of these Bandits was a good opportunity to accumulate resources.
Bandits improve their aptitude through plunder, so Bandits can accumulate various types of resources.
If he eliminates them, Fang Che is very likely to gather most of the materials needed for his future promotion to Fourth-Order.
However, this matter is too dangerous. If he were to speak of it, the Iron Hand Group might restrain Fang Che for the sake of the Temporary Son of the Plane identity.
Therefore, it's better not to express these thoughts.
Fang Che and General Gao Ping walked two more steps, stopping at a fork in the road.
Fang Che said, "Alright, let's part ways here. After the Bandit problem is resolved, we'll go negotiate."
General Gao Ping nodded and said, "Okay, goodbye."
After the two parted, Fang Che returned to his residence, took out the book Li Xing had just given him, and memorized all the array knowledge within it.
Afterward, Fang Che quietly left the Iron Hand Group's base, took out the Temporary Child of the Plane Token from a hidden corner outside, and activated the Transformation Array to change his appearance.
After doing all these things, Fang Che took out a Substitute Puppet, tore off all unused talismans, and stuffed them into a Voodoo Doll.
Then, Fang Che manipulated the Voodoo Doll to move towards the location where the Bandits appeared.
Meanwhile, Fang Che went to the Curse Master Mission Hall of other academies to continue executing assassination missions.
After a period of time like this, the Voodoo Doll finally discovered traces of Bandits.
Through the Voodoo Doll, Fang Che saw a group of Third-Order Professionals gathered in a certain village, discussing the possibility of becoming Bandits.
After they chatted for a moment, one of the Third-Order Professionals suddenly took out an item from his Niwan Palace, and immediately, an aura belonging to a Bandit emanated from him.
The surrounding people were terrified and quickly retreated.
The Bandit, however, smiled and said, "You have been hesitant to make up your minds, worried that Bandits will be suppressed and eliminated.
However, you don't need to worry. After transforming into a Bandit, by using a special item, you can disguise the Bandit profession as your original profession.
I've been by your side for so long, yet you haven't discovered anything. This is enough to prove our concealment ability!"
Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd was slightly moved, even reaching out to take the disguise item and examine it carefully.
A moment later, a Third-Order Professional asked, "If you disguise yourselves so well, why were you still exposed?"
The Bandit smiled slightly and replied, "The purpose of choosing to expose ourselves is to quickly spread information about Bandits, allowing Professionals interested in transforming into Bandits to prepare their family assets.
Additionally, we need to gather a large group of people in the shortest possible time, slaughter an academy, and then ruin and kill a group of Soul Masters to become true Bandits.
As long as our speed is fast enough, the Plane Will will not pay serious attention. By the time the Plane Will pays attention, we will have already defected to Other Planes!"
"Defect?" a Third-Order Professional asked somewhat confusedly, "If it's just joining a Plane casually, it's only a temporary escape from danger, not a defection.
Unless it's joining a sufficiently powerful Plane, only then can it be considered a defection. Could it be that you have such connections?"
The Bandit replied, "The benefactor who transformed me into a Bandit has such connections. To make you trust me, I brought some things."
Then, the Bandit took out a stone and displayed it in front of everyone.
Everyone frowned in unison, their faces showing expressions of disgust.
After the Bandit put away the stone, everyone's faces simultaneously broke into smiles, and one Professional said with a smile, "This stone repels the Emperor Plane and even affects our emotions. It seems this item comes from a Plane that the Emperor Plane is very wary of. I believe you now and am willing to share all my property and transform into a Bandit."
The others also spoke up, "I am also willing to transform into a Bandit."
"I am too!"
After everyone expressed their stance, the Bandit smiled slightly and extended his hand, saying, "Give me the resources."
Everyone immediately took out their storage rings and placed them in front of the Bandit.
The Bandit inspected the items in each storage ring, put away some of them, and explained, "The things I am taking now are what my benefactor allowed me to take.
Next, after you are transformed into Bandits by my benefactor, you can also go and win over other Professionals to become Bandits, and keep ten percent of the items offered by other Professionals."
Upon hearing this, all their reluctance about sacrificing their property dissipated.
A moment later, the Bandit put away ten percent of the resources, then took out an item, crushed it, and tore open a spatial rift, saying, "Everyone, follow me. I'll take you to see our benefactor."
Everyone nodded excitedly and entered the rift together. The rift quickly changed.
A quarter of an hour later, the rift reopened, and those people walked out joyfully.
However, at this time, they did not have any Bandit profession aura on them; they looked unchanged.
The Bandit who had opened the rift earlier also completely retracted all his Bandit aura.
After the rift closed, the Bandit said, "I'm going to find others who are willing to become Bandits. Farewell."
Everyone said in unison, "Go slowly."
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Chapter 159: The Bandit's Scam
After separating from the other people, the Bandit who opened the spatial rift arrived at a hidden corner.
Immediately after, the Bandit's body turned into a pile of flesh and instantly died.
Then, the Voodoo Doll emerged from the ground nearby, quickly collected the flesh and surrounding resources, burrowed back underground, and moved towards Fang Che's direction.
After some time, the Voodoo Doll returned to Fang Che's side.
Fang Che took out the stone from Other Planes, felt the powerful hostility contained within it, and a look of excitement appeared on his face.
The way a dead object can make a living person feel hostility is if that dead object comes from a Plane of equal strength.
Such a thing can help the Plane Will better understand Other Planes, which will allow Fang Che to gain many benefits.
Following the method he understood, Fang Che took out a Temporary Child of the Plane Token and made the stone touch the token.
Then, Fang Che closed his eyes with great anticipation, waiting for the Plane Will to focus on the stone and bestow rewards.
However, Fang Che waited for a long time, but the Plane Will still did not appear.
Fang Che pondered for a moment, then opened his eyes with some disappointment.
At this moment, Fang Che had confirmed that this stone did not come from a Plane of equal strength to the Emperor Plane, but was forged using special means.
The so-called surrender was just a scam.
Those Bandits only wanted to use this scam to create more Tufei and collect the resources of these Tufei.
Once these Bandits obtained enough resources, they could directly flee.
And those Tufei would have to face the encirclement and suppression of various academies and organizations.
Although there were items that could change a Tufei's profession back to its original form.
However, to become Tufei, they had already contributed all their resources and simply couldn't afford the items.
Their only chance to survive was to escape!
Fang Che put away this specially forged stone, took out the communication token to contact Li Xing, injected energy, and said:
"Junior, I learned through a special item that these Bandits are preparing to surrender to a Plane of equal strength to the Emperor Plane, but I don't know if the information is accurate. I need you to judge."
A moment later, Li Xing replied: "I will inform other academy organizations to verify the authenticity, spread the information, and you should pay attention to your safety."
After receiving the reply, Fang Che felt that spreading the information would not be very effective.
If the Bandit scam were publicized, Professionals who wanted to become Bandits might think this was a special method used by various organizations to solve the Bandit disaster.
Of course, how it developed later was not within Fang Che's consideration. Fang Che could occasionally show kindness to strangers, but he wouldn't always help them solve problems.
Then, Fang Che began to examine the other items brought back by the Voodoo Doll.
First was the item that could hide one's true profession.
Fang Che stared at the item for a while and found that it was an item containing a special Array.
The ability to hide the Bandit profession almost entirely came from this Array.
Fang Che memorized the Array and silently improved it.
Not long after, Fang Che completed the improvement of the Array and clearly understood how to distinguish disguised Bandits.
Fang Che once again manipulated the Voodoo Doll to search for traces of Bandits, while also tallying his other gains.
He obtained many resources from the Bandits, and Fang Che found many promotion materials he needed among them.
Just eliminating this one Bandit yielded resources equivalent to Fang Che completing more than sixty assassination missions!
Although Fang Che had long guessed that eliminating Bandits could quickly accumulate resources, receiving so many resources at once still exceeded Fang Che's imagination.
Fang Che somewhat excitedly manipulated the Voodoo Doll, searching even more carefully for traces of Bandits.
Next, countless Bandits were found by Fang Che, and countless resources fell into Fang Che's hands.
Fang Che didn't even spare first-tier and second-tier Bandits now, killing them whenever he encountered them!
During this hunting process, Fang Che also discovered Professionals from other organizations searching for traces of Bandits.
Countless powerhouses discovered the Voodoo Doll's tracks, but they did not attack the Voodoo Doll.
Because the Voodoo Doll did not emit a Bandit aura, nor did it casually approach the restricted areas designated by these powerhouses.
Sometimes, fourth-tier Bandits would also discover the Voodoo Doll's tracks.
And these fourth-tier Bandits had always disguised themselves as other Professionals; perhaps they were worried about exposure and never attacked the Voodoo Doll.
This allowed the Voodoo Doll to transport resources right under the noses of these Bandits.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, after Fang Che once again obtained a share of resources from a Bandit, he discovered that the resources he had collected were enough to support him in condensing his current Real Domain!
However, Fang Che currently had no Arrays to use for improving his Real Domain.
So, Fang Che emerged from his hiding place and went to look for Array-related books.
The so-called Array is a method of resonance between different materials, or a method of resonance for the same materials in different scenarios.
Different resonance methods lead to Arrays being able to produce different effects.
Since any Professional can use Array power, Array sales have always been good.
Many people even specifically awaken the Array Master profession to create new Arrays for sale.
Almost in every market, you can find Array Master shops selling Arrays.
Fang Che arrived at a market and quickly found a shop specializing in selling Arrays.
Outside the shop, a powerful hidden Array was set up, making it impossible to see the situation inside the shop clearly.
This type of Array was a signboard for the shop, indicating that the shop owner was most skilled at creating hidden-type Arrays.
If they were skilled in other Arrays, they would also set them up around the shop, specifically to attract customers in need.
Fang Che observed the Array outside the shop according to his understanding of Arrays, and instantly saw through ninety percent of it.
If he observed carefully for a while, Fang Che was confident he could decipher this Array.
Fang Che did not continue to decipher the Array, but lifted his leg and walked into the shop.
Fang Che believed that any Array he couldn't see through at a glance would contain some special techniques.
While these techniques could be figured out, one technique might be linked to many more, and those techniques not displayed in the Array could not be created by Fang Che in a short time.
Since that was the case, it was better to directly purchase their Arrays and learn their methods completely.
Fang Che stepped into the Array selling shop and saw more than a dozen Array books displayed in the counter, eighty percent of which were hidden-type Arrays, and the remaining twenty percent were other types of Arrays.
At this moment, a woman walked out from the corner and asked with a smile, "Welcome, what kind of Array books do you need?"
Fang Che glanced at the woman, and his heart rate instantly quickened.
Fang Che discovered that this woman was actually a Bandit in disguise!
Fang Che instinctively wanted to run, but he suppressed the urge to flee and replied:
"I need to go to a dangerous place recently, and I want to buy some hidden-type Arrays. Give me as many Arrays as you have here, and I'll choose some."
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Chapter 160: A large number of bandits occupied the formation shop
The woman disguised as a Bandit heard Fang Che's request and immediately took out a book from her storage ring, handing it to Fang Che with a smile. She said, "This book contains information on all the hidden arrays available in our shop. You can tell me which ones you like."
Fang Che took the book, quickly scanned it, selected some arrays he hadn't seen before, and told the Bandit beside him.
The Bandit woman immediately took out the corresponding arrays from her storage ring.
After reading the entire book, Fang Che paid and left with the arrays.
Leaving the array shop, Fang Che entered an inn, activated a Transformation Array, and quickly changed into another person.
Afterward, Fang Che left the inn to observe his surroundings.
After confirming that no Bandits were following him, Fang Che returned to the vicinity of the array shop and still found no other Bandits.
It was as if there was only one Bandit inside the shop.
However, the Bandits Fang Che had found previously were all trying to deceive other Professionals into becoming resources, so this Bandit hiding in a shop disguised as a service person was truly unusual.
If it was to persuade an Array Master to become a Bandit, that was unlikely.
Array Masters can create arrays and unleash their maximum power. Whether it's their earning capability or combat power, they far surpass Bandits and would absolutely not transform into Bandits.
Perhaps this Bandit had set their sights on this shop, preparing to plunder its resources.
Immediately after, Fang Che also thought that these Bandits were able to conceal their Bandit profession precisely by relying on the power of arrays.
These Bandits might be hoping for Array Masters to improve their concealment arrays, or perhaps they are after other special arrays.
If that were the case, Bandits would surely seek out more Array Masters to pool their wisdom, not be confined to one place.
Thinking this, Fang Che turned and left the area, heading to other markets.
After wandering around the market for a while, Fang Che found another shop selling arrays.
Fang Che entered the shop and soon discovered another service person disguised as a Bandit!
Fang Che expressionlessly purchased several array books, then went to other markets to continue buying arrays.
Next, Fang Che visited five array shops in a row, and each shop had a disguised Bandit.
Fang Che became even more certain that these Bandits had specific requirements.
Fang Che's curiosity was instantly piqued.
However, Fang Che currently didn't have a potion that would make others trust him one hundred percent, so he couldn't learn the situation from others.
So, Fang Che took out a communication token, contacted Li Xing, and explained, "Senior, I'm out buying arrays, and I've found disguised Bandits in the shops selling arrays. After extensive investigation, I've found that many shops have Bandits present. I suspect there's a problem here."
Not long after sending the message, Li Xing's voice came through the communication token: "We discovered the problem of Bandits occupying shops a while ago. You should come back first; the materials the Soul Master needs are almost gathered."
"I'll be right back," Fang Che replied and quickly moved towards the Iron Hand Group.
Not long after, Fang Che returned to the Iron Hand Group and found that the door to Li Xing's office was not closed.
Fang Che walked to the door, about to knock to announce himself, when Li Xing looked at Fang Che and said, "Come in and close the door."
Fang Che immediately closed the door and walked towards Li Xing.
At this moment, Li Xing said, "Wait another half an hour, and the materials the Soul Master needs will be gathered.
Half an hour later, I hope you can give the materials to the Soul Master, and then purchase some tools to destroy arrays from the Soul Master. We are willing to pay any price!"
Upon hearing this, Fang Che curiously asked, "Buying tools to destroy arrays, is that related to the Bandits occupying the shops?"
Li Xing nodded with a serious expression and explained, "A few days ago, our people suddenly discovered that there were some Bandit auras in the nearby array shops.
Later, after investigation, we found that those Bandits had occupied countless array shops, and all the Array Masters had disappeared.
These shops have been modified by Array Masters and can amplify array power several times. If the Bandits set up arrays with the shops as their core, the Iron Hand Academy will definitely suffer immense destruction!"
Upon hearing this, Fang Che immediately took out his communication token, preparing to contact Gu Ning.
Li Xing recognized the communication token in Fang Che's hand, quickly reached out to stop Fang Che, and said, "You haven't prepared the resources the Soul Master requested last time. If you make a request directly, it will affect your relationship with Gu Ning. The Bandits haven't started setting up arrays yet, so we're not in a hurry."
Upon hearing this, Fang Che put away the token, thought for a moment, and then explained, "I also found Bandits occupying shops in other areas. The Bandits should choose one area as a key focus for setting up arrays."
Li Xing gently shook his head and explained with a serious expression, "Many Professionals dedicate their entire fortunes just to transform into Bandits. The resources they dedicate can be used to set up arrays in many areas!"
Upon hearing this, Fang Che was slightly stunned.
Previously, Fang Che had guessed that Bandits collected resources to be able to flee at any time and cultivate elsewhere.
Now that the problem of Bandits occupying shops had arisen, what Li Xing said also made sense.
Fang Che said, "If that's the case, we must strengthen surveillance over Professionals. If Bandits appear around them, we must immediately apprehend the Bandits."
Li Xing sighed, his face full of melancholy, and explained, "We've already sent people out, but the effect isn't obvious.
Those Bandits are very good at hiding. If one's strength cannot surpass the Bandit's, they simply cannot recognize the Bandit's disguise.
Furthermore, our previous propaganda about the Bandit scam made everyone think we were incapable of solving the Bandit problem, which made their desire to defect to the Bandits even stronger.
We also can't just arrest people arbitrarily. We still have to live here in the future, so we can't go too far."
Fang Che heard these words and thought of the improved Bandit concealment array he had developed.
If everyone mastered this array, they could disregard differences in strength and directly identify all hidden Bandits.
However, bringing out this improved array would only solve the Bandit problem at the fastest speed.
If Bandits were too easy to deal with, where would Fang Che collect resources?
It would be better to wait until the situation escalated before bringing out the array. At that time, he could use the array to obtain more resources.
Even if he didn't get resources, making others remember Fang Che's kindness would still be a worthwhile transaction.
So, Fang Che said, "Things always get resolved, Senior, you don't need to worry too much."
Li Xing sighed, reached up to rub his forehead, then took out a storage ring and said, "Let's not talk about these troublesome matters. You previously contacted the Soul Master and obtained some tools that transform Bandits back into their original professions.
Next, you need to contact the Soul Master again to purchase tools to destroy arrays. I've been thinking about how to thank you.
I've now decided to give you all the array books collected by the Iron Hand Group for you to examine. I hope you're satisfied."
Upon hearing this, Fang Che happily took the storage ring and smiled, "Thank you, Senior, I really need these things."