Chapter 313: Fortunately In this world, the vast majority of cities followed one rule: there was light, and there was darkness. Bangkok, an internationally renowned tourist city, was no exception. Beneath the glittering surface, in the shadowy corners untouched by sunlight, a plethora of vermin and rogues naturally lurked. Cha Wang’s method of finding people was very straightforward. In the city’s shady underworld, there were swindlers and deceivers, specialists in setting up tourist traps and extortion rackets, thieves, and operators of fleshpots designed to ensnare victims. As the saying goes, snakes have their paths and rats have their routes. Since he was looking for a missing foreign tourist, Cha Wang first dispatched his men to investigate if any small gangs specializing in such activities had been involved in recent incidents. He quickly confirmed one thing: Lv Shaojie’s disappearance, at least, wasn’t the work of a local gang. Bangkok’s local underworld naturally had its share of factions preying on foreign tourists. But generally, these were just the typical tourist city rackets: prostitution, rigged gambling, price gouging, and other forms of deception or petty theft. Outright kidnapping, however, was rare. After all, if a foreign tourist disappeared, the local police, under pressure, would have to take the search quite seriously. Thailand was a small country. If a kidnapped tourist happened to be a citizen of a major power, it could trigger diplomatic pressure. So, even local gangs adhered to certain unwritten rules, trying their best not to escalate matters. Therefore, after some investigation, it was almost certain that the abduction was not the work of a local gang. After hearing Cha Wang’s explanation, Chen Nuo nodded. He had a measure of trust in Cha Wang’s influence in Bangkok. "If it wasn’t a local gang, could it be a transient criminal from outside?" "That’s the only explanation... Of course, I also had my people check the casinos and the fleshpots. You know, some people in this business are too greedy; once they see a fat sheep, they’ll slaughter it without mercy." "Perhaps the person you’re looking for hasn’t disappeared but is merely lost in a drunken stupor in some casino or brothel." "I was also worried it might be this scenario, so I had my people search those places too." Chen Nuo shook his head, "That shouldn’t be the case." Lv Shaojie was Li Qingshan’s son. According to Li Qingshan, he was an upright young man—not given to vice, not a gambler, with no bad habits, and entirely devoted to his medical studies. "What about the ’valuable clues’ you mentioned? Is that all? It’s practically nothing," Chen Nuo frowned in dissatisfaction. Cha Wang hurriedly said, "Don’t rush, relax, my friend! I couldn’t find the young one, but I have a lead on the old one." A thought flickered in Chen Nuo’s mind. Could that ’Brother Fang’ actually be in Bangkok? "You found the old one?" Chen Nuo asked. Cha Wang shook his head, "I haven’t found the person, but I discovered something interesting." Chen Nuo frowned, then looked at Cha Wang, "I’m not a very patient person, so you’d better make it quick and clear." "The ’interesting’ you speak of had better be of some real value to me." Cha Wang hesitated. He had, in fact, wanted to pique interest. Despite valuing his life, he was an Ability User who had fought his way up, and he couldn’t help trying to find an angle when an opportunity came. This young man before him was powerful. Cha Wang couldn’t quite gauge how strong, but he was certain the youth was far stronger than him. When faced with such an expert who also required his help, trying to play coy and leverage the situation for some benefit was an almost subconscious habit. Otherwise, wouldn’t I be working for nothing? No, not just for nothing, but at a loss! This guy even cracked open my safe! "This matter is very important to you, isn’t it?" "I’ve also put in quite a bit of effort, and according to the rules, I..." "I said I wouldn’t kill you." "That’s against the rules." Cha Wang shook his head. He had been caught off guard last time. But after two days to calm down, Cha Wang’s composure had largely returned. Gathering his courage, he said, "Sir, even in the Underground World, this isn’t how things are done. Ability Users have their own rules." Chen Nuo smiled and stroked his chin. It was indeed characteristic of Cha Wang—Chen Nuo had been very familiar with his nature when he met him in his past life. It matched his nickname: Mouse. Cowardly, yet greedy. Chen Nuo thought for a moment and said, "How about this, you help me with this matter, and you’ll have my sincere thanks." Cha Wang’s heart stirred. According to the unspoken rules among Ability Users in the Underground World, such a statement was the same as making a promise: owing someone a favor. Ability Users generally weren’t in great need of money, and a favor was often much more valuable to them than a sum of money. Moreover, when an Ability User makes a promise of ’owing a favor,’ they generally don’t try to welsh on their debts. There are not many Ability Users in the entire world; the circle is small, and they all have their own monikers. If word were to spread, a tarnished reputation wouldn’t be good. For example, the day before, the Son of the Sun had been willing to share that information with Chen Nuo, adhering to the unspoken rules among Ability Users, compensating with information for the favor owed for saving his life. In Cha Wang’s view, the other party having said such words was equivalent to this: In the future, you can ask me for a favor, as long as it’s not too excessive, doesn’t come at too great a cost, and is within my capabilities. Having received such a promise, Cha Wang was satisfied. He didn’t dare press further and quickly relayed the leads he had found. "I sent people out with this old man’s photograph to ask around... Then I got some interesting news," Cha Wang said, pausing for effect before continuing slowly, "Just a few days ago, there was also a group of people, carrying a very similar photograph, searching for this old man in Bangkok." Chen Nuo was startled. This was truly beyond his expectations. Another group of people, carrying Brother Fang’s photograph, searching for him in Bangkok? His mind quickly processed and digested this information, and Chen Nuo heard Cha Wang continue, "I sent people to follow up on the lead." "The people searching for this old man, they were all from out of town, to be precise, probably foreigners. Their accents weren’t local, their Thai was very stiff, and some even spoke outright English." "Where are these people now? Can we find them?" Chen Nuo asked before shaking his head, "No, that’s not right! Did these people find the old man in the photograph?" "That, I really can’t find out," Cha Wang said with a wry smile. "Whether those people found the person in the photograph, I’m not certain. If they did find him, they wouldn’t tell anyone." "For matters like tracking and assassinations in the Underground World, once they locate the target, they usually take them away and deal with them privately without telling anyone." "As for that group of people... they can’t be found anymore, they’ve vanished." "I had my people ask around; no one has seen them again." "Do you have photographs of these people?" Chen Nuo blurted out, then immediately realized the redundancy of his question. In 2001, even Huaxia hadn’t fully deployed its Skynet cameras, let alone Thailand. How could there be so many cameras to leave behind photographs? Sure enough, Cha Wang shook his head, "No, there are no photographs." Chen Nuo felt a pang of disappointment, but Cha Wang’s next words suddenly sparked his excitement. "But among the information I gathered, there’s one piece that stands out. These people all have one thing in common." As he spoke, Cha Wang pulled a piece of paper out of an envelope. The paper bore a hand-drawn pattern that was a bit rough and incomplete, clearly drawn from memory. "All of these people have this tattoo on their arm." After glancing at the drawing, Chen Nuo’s expression grew solemn. He looked at Cha Wang with a strange gaze, "Are you sure, all those people had this kind of tattoo on their arms?" "I’m certain. I questioned at least three of my men, even had one brought before me for personal interrogation. If the tattoo hadn’t been so distinctive, they probably wouldn’t have remembered it." Chen Nuo sighed, "This... is not a tattoo." "Not a tattoo? Then what is it?" "It is... a Lichtenberg figure totem." Lichtenberg figure totem. This was not some kind of religious totem. To be precise, it’s a type of scar resulting from natural skin tissue damage—essentially, a natural tattoo. This kind of tattoo isn’t the work of a tattoo artist but the work of nature. The odds of being struck by lightning are about one in ten thousand. Among those who survive being struck by lightning, a certain percentage develop these "Lichtenberg figure totems" on their skin. It’s the scar left when the ultra-high voltage current from a lightning strike ruptures blood vessels, leaving marks on the skin. However, the pattern of these scars is often very unique: they resemble one or more spreading branches of lightning, displaying a dendritic pattern. They look frightening, yet possess an indescribable, terrifying beauty. —It’s like a souvenir from brushing with death and narrowly escaping, a memento of surviving a lightning strike. Few people in this world are struck by lightning; it’s a low probability event. But... perhaps not as rare as one might think. According to incomplete global statistics, about five hundred people are struck by lightning each year. Of course, five hundred people a year isn’t an exact figure, as few bother to meticulously track such data globally in real-time. Many who survive lightning strikes don’t report the incident. So, the actual number could be higher than five hundred per year. But Chen Nuo happened to know that in the Underground World, there was an Ability User connected to this "Lichtenberg figure totem." This person was called Electric General. He had another noticeable characteristic: his entourage consisted of individuals he had recruited from all over the world, all of whom had survived being struck by lightning. This was because the Electric General’s own powers had supposedly awakened accidentally after he survived a lightning strike. Therefore, when he was building his forces and recruiting underlings, he tended to choose those who had been struck by lightning—he believed it brought good luck. However, how many people in this world have been struck by lightning? And among those struck by lightning, how many would be suitable recruits for an Ability User? Consequently, the Electric General’s approach naturally yielded few recruits. Fortunately, the man wasn’t an inflexible fool. He later relaxed his recruitment standards, no longer limiting himself to lightning-strike survivors. However, he required all his subordinates to get a "Lichtenberg figure totem" tattooed on their arms—a tattoo resembling a branching lightning strike. This became an important identifying mark for the Electric General and his subordinates moving through the Underground World. The Electric General’s team in the Underground World was rated Level A! Belonging to the same rank as the defeated underlings of the Star Sky Empress, Britain’s "Blade Knights." But what’s different is that the Blade Knights was a team composed of Ability Users. Whereas in the Electric General’s team, there was only one Ability User, the Electric General himself! To be rated Level A leading a group of ordinary people with only one Ability User, on par with the Blade Knights, a team full of Ability Users! The most update n0vels are published on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⚑𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⚑𝓷𝓮𝓽 There was only one reason. The Electric General was a... Why would a Controller be looking for Brother Fang in Bangkok? Chen Nuo realized this matter seemed to be much bigger than he had expected! After leaving Cha Wang’s territory, on the way back to the hotel, an idea suddenly struck Chen Nuo. He pulled out his phone and, after hesitating for a moment, made a call. He was calling Captain. Captain was left by Chen Nuo in Jinling to secretly protect and monitor Fang Lin’s family. Originally, Chen Nuo made this arrangement because he didn’t trust Li Qingshan. He was worried the old man might harm Fang Lin’s family members due to his own son’s kidnapping. "Captain? These past few days... yeah, okay. Contact me immediately if there’s any emergency." Chen Nuo paused, then added gravely, "If anything unusual happens, don’t act rashly. Observe from the shadows, do not engage, and inform me immediately! Understood?" After hanging up the phone, Chen Nuo rubbed his eyebrows. If the opponent was the Electric General... a Controller. Then, if the Electric General was looking for Brother Fang and couldn’t find him, he might go to Jinling to find his family... Fang Lin’s family. Although Captain was a Destroyer, if he encountered a Controller, he would just be delivering himself on a platter. It would be better for Captain not to act if something happened, but to inform me immediately so I could return and handle it. Damn it, if the opponent is a Controller, in my current state, going back would also be delivering myself on a platter. After all, only 13/17. Chen Nuo’s current power level was still only that of a Destroyer. If he and Captain were to fight now... Who would beat whom is still up for debate! In the Underground World, there was a universally acknowledged law: Only magic can... Spit! Only a Controller can contend with a Controller! Now, with my powers not fully recovered. Having had a falling out with Lu Xixi, I don’t have the nerve to ask her for help... Chen Nuo sighed gently. There was a Controller big shot vacationing right here in Bangkok, Thailand!