Dragon Raja: Starting with Deadpool, Evolving Through Devouring

Page 169

Take a closer look!

This is exactly the person we need to find in this air-raid shelter. He is familiar with him because he saw a photo of the person's face in the information Norma sent him.

"My name is Hobbes Santos, sir."

Hobbes Santos answered tremblingly, explaining that the reason he had been able to survive for so long in that godforsaken place of an air-raid shelter was none other than his ability to read people's expressions.

He could clearly sense that, in that brief moment, the young man in front of him had undergone some kind of subtle change in his gaze.

This discovery immediately put people on edge, fearing they might have made a mistake.

"It would be best if you could understand English, which would save translation time." Cao Han's eyes lit up. He had spoken in English just now, but he didn't expect that the other party not only understood but also answered in English. "From now on, I'll ask you questions, and you'll answer them. You can't hesitate at all. If I find out that you've bullied me, you'll have no value anymore, understand?"

Hobbs Santos nodded frantically, as if pounding garlic.

Cao Han smiled with satisfaction. "Very good. Now, let me ask you, have any outsiders similar to us entered the air-raid shelter in the past few days?"

Hobbs Santos shook his head.

Cao Han wasn't discouraged. It was normal; the compulsory courses at Kassel College included tracking, so naturally there was counter-tracking, and even disguise and infiltration techniques...

Lin Yang and Camilla are both outstanding graduates of Kassel College. If they really wanted to sneak in without being discovered by these ordinary people, it wouldn't be impossible.

"My second question is, have any large numbers of unidentified groups appeared in this city recently?"

"I...I don't know."

Hobbes Santos was sweating profusely. He truly had no idea that he and his old buddies were all vagrants in Yekaterinburg.

During the day, they would roam the city, searching for anything of value, and then, as night fell and the temperature dropped to an unbearable level, they would have no choice but to return to the air-raid shelter to huddle together for warmth.

The reason Norma provided the information that led her to Hobbes Santos at the air-raid shelter was precisely for this reason.

No one pays much attention to the homeless people who are at the bottom of the city, and it is precisely because of this that these homeless people are like natural "informants," possessing a lot of unknown information.

The first question could not be answered by the two missing persons specialists.

The second question was to subtly inquire whether the group that attacked Senior Bear Novsky had ever been to this city, or whether their base was located in this city.

It's important to understand that the phrase "sparsely populated" in Siberia is no joke.

There are very few places suitable for normal human habitation, and they must also withstand the constant test of ice and snow.

With so many people in one force, plus Novsky and his group, it's impossible for such a large group to really live on snowmelt and ice every day.

There needs to be a stable supply channel.

Therefore, Yekaterinburg, which is closest to the scene of the incident, is also the most likely location.

Cao Han pondered for a moment, then asked his third question with a serious expression: "If you wanted to hide a group of people in this city, which place do you think would be the most suitable?"

Cao Han's question clearly stumped Hobbes Santos. What kind of question was that?

Who would think of hiding a group of people in a city?

Lucy Pallas appeared expressionless as she watched Cao Han perform, but in reality, she was using her psychological profiling skills on Hobbes Santos to ensure he wasn't lying or deceiving them.

"You have ten seconds to think."

As the saying goes, snakes have their paths and rats have their ways. It was impossible to hide Novsky and his men in the city openly and honestly. Only some unknown channels could possibly make such a thing happen in secret.

After a conversation with Professor Schneider, especially after learning that pure-blooded dragons were involved, the two of them had a general understanding of the current situation.

The moment Novsky and the others lost their location information, Kassel College immediately took the fastest emergency measures, including but not limited to calling in artificial sanitation equipment to monitor that area in real time.

The Executive Department has a comprehensive and mature emergency response mechanism for any unexpected situation.

Even with such a swift response, they were still unable to track down the attackers.

In the words of von Schneider, "With the entire think tank and Norma's supercomputing capabilities, the only way this group could have disappeared in such a short time was if they didn't have a hideout in the Siberian snow and forests, but they could have been hiding in the nearest city, Yekaterinburg."

In addition, two other agents, Lin Yang and Camilla, who also disappeared without a trace, happened to be passing by.

They had every reason to suspect that the group's hideout was located in this city.

Cao Han stared intently at Hobbs Santos, emanating an immense, invisible pressure. Despite the near-minus twenty degrees Celsius temperature, large beads of sweat could be seen on his forehead.

This wasn't caused by anything; it was simply due to nervousness.

"10!"

"9!"

"..."

With each countdown, it felt like the Grim Reaper with his scythe was approaching him step by step. Hobbes Santos felt even his instinctive breathing becoming unfamiliar, and as he gasped for breath, he racked his brains trying to come up with the right answer.

They want to hide a group of people in Yekaterinburg?

Since the other party asked him this question, the answer obviously does not include the legitimate channels.

Legitimate channels are not something a rat in the gutter like him could access, which means the other party wants to know about some secret outposts hidden in the shadows of the city.

Consider the context.

A stranger from outside? Or an unfamiliar force from outside?

If you want to hide one or two people in such a big city, there are plenty of suitable places, but if it's a group of people...

A sudden thought flashed through Hobbes Santos's mind: a place name that they, the lower classes, had heard so often they were sick of it.

"3!"

"It's almost time~"

Horizontal is death, vertical is death!

Although his life was a mess, Hobbes Santos thought it was better to live a miserable life than to die, and blurted out in a moment of panic:

"Noster Manor! Noster Manor! It's the territory of the Noster family, who have connections in both the legal and illegal worlds of Yekaterinburg. It's said that it's never open to the public, and only those who are invited can enter."

If there's anyone in this city who can quietly hide a group of people, this is the only answer I can think of.

"Please, I'm just a nobody. I've told you everything I know. Please don't kill me!"

face?

Face is worthless in the face of death!

Hobbes Santos wished he could kneel down and kiss the boy's feet to beg for forgiveness.

It is only when people are infinitely close to death that they suddenly realize they are not as courageous as they thought.

Cao Han was also speechless. Did he look like the kind of person who liked to kill innocent people indiscriminately?

Even though she had deliberately worn glasses to try and hide the sharpness that inadvertently showed in her eyes, it seems the effect is still debatable.

However, this trip was not in vain. With so many underground gathering points, I didn't expect to gain so much from just the first stop.

Norst Manor, the Norst family.

Cao Han muttered to himself, "It seems that Anselm Valencia is hiding quite a few things from us."

There is a powerful family in Yekaterinburg that has connections in both the legal and illegal worlds, yet the Kassel College's resident commissioner there never mentioned it, which raises serious questions.

and!

He also found no information about the Norst family in the intelligence sent by Norma.

If this situation is not the old black man in front of me deceiving me, then someone is deliberately covering for him, intentionally concealing all information about the Noster family.

The blame immediately fell on Anselm Valencia, who had just parted ways with Valencia.

You can know a person's face but not their heart!

His seemingly honest and simple nature might be a deliberate act in front of Cao Han and Lucy Pallas, and as for the purpose of doing so...

"Captain, I think there's something wrong with Anselm Valencia."

"Indeed."

The problem that Cao Han could see was naturally no problem for Lucy Pallas.

With a little thought, one can easily figure out the crux of the matter and suspect Anselm Valencia.

Of course, while there are doubts about the relationship between Anselm Valencia and the Noster family, Cao Han believes that the attack and disappearance of Novsky and others are not necessarily related to Anselm Valencia.

As for evidence... there isn't any, it's just a gut feeling.

"Making wild guesses is a waste of brain cells. We'll just go back and ask them directly, and we'll know the answer right away."

"I'm afraid the other party might not be willing to answer honestly."

"I'll make him behave!"

Chapter 158 Doomsday Faction

Yekaterinburg, Noster Estate.

In the midst of ice and snow, white has become the eternal dominant color, yet in this manor, one can see vibrant green, something unimaginable for ordinary people.

However, it is not a difficult thing in the world of mixed races.

Whether it's an alchemical matrix that can revitalize plants, or an alchemical tool that can help plants withstand freezing temperatures, both can achieve this.

It's hard to say about others, but for Cao Han, the numerous "Holy Grails" could easily accomplish this. He only needed to lavishly use the holy water overflowing from the Holy Grails to irrigate the plants, and the enhanced plants would naturally be able to bloom a second spring in the icy and snowy world.

The fireplace inside the manor castle was roaring and crackling.

In the magnificent hall, two burly men sat on the sofa, puffing on cigarettes, each holding a limited-edition Cuban cigar from the latest production year.

A single tube can cover the annual expenses of an average urban family.

If Cao Han were here, he would definitely recognize one of them as Anselm Valencia, whom he had just parted ways with.

He was sitting on the sofa, seemingly enjoying himself with his eyes half-closed, but his mind was never stopping thinking.

Some things can't be kept secret forever. He can delay for a while, but he can't delay forever. "Uncle, how do you plan to resolve this matter? The two people sent by the academy headquarters are not friendly, and one of them is even an S+ level student who has just entered the school."

The Valencia family is also a prominent family in Russia, no less so than the Nost family.

Anselm Valencia's father's marriage to the Noster family was a political alliance, and the relationship between the two families could be described as a strategic alliance.

"You've come with ill intentions? You're just two greenhorns. You don't actually believe your school's S+ rating, do you?" the middle-aged man said expressionlessly.

In his view, the North family was the absolute overlord in this small territory, and no matter who came, dragons had to coil up and tigers had to lie down!