Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 515 - 385: Get Lost

Granny Jia walked over with a very leisurely and relaxed demeanor.

If she had a thermos in her hand and brewed a dozen wolfberries in it, it would be complete.

Though in her heart, she certainly had things on her mind.

Picking a moment when no one was paying attention, the old lady quickly whispered.

"Come find me at lunchtime, I’ve almost finished investigating the matter... there are some discrepancies!"

Granny Jia is just a Supreme, but behind the Tru Conglomerate are dozens of Supremes, incomparable in information capability.

However, the old lady has been deeply rooted in the Hope Star Realm for too long; here, she is truly the local boss.

In just two days, she unearthed a lot of information and a relatively significant piece of news.

There is no direct link between Tru and Quantum; their cooperation mainly stems from having a common financial sponsor.

The sponsor is one of Tru Conglomerate’s shareholders, and his other funds are investing with others in the Quantum Team.

In the financial field, this is a perfectly normal phenomenon; capital is inherently intertwined, complex and intricate.

Unless the interests represented by the parties are completely opposed, mutual communication and risk hedging... are standard operations.

These things get complicated, specifically for this matter, Quantum desires to conduct a quiet investigation and must seek help.

Since the sponsor has invested, wanting to enjoy the results naturally entails bearing the related obligations and responsibilities.

Initially, he hesitated, whether using Tru’s resources and channels was worthwhile—he was not a major shareholder in Tru.

Moreover, Tru is big but also has many people with diverse views, if it’s something very secretive, the cost of confidentiality is high.

Eventually, after careful consideration, everyone found that Tru’s channels were more useful, especially in certain areas.

This financial sponsor’s relationship with the Tru Conglomerate isn’t unknown.

After all, when investing, he must show his strength to collaborators, and being a Tru shareholder is undoubtedly a plus.

Then some partners mentioned that on Hope No.2 Star... it seems Tru Conglomerate is developing well there?

Tru has only five hundred people across the entire Hope Star Realm, with less than twenty core members from the central area.

Yet the game of capital is never about numbers alone. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Even if there is only one core member, as long as the field is wide enough and efficiently controlled, it can stir up substantial waves.

Tru’s branch in the Hope Star Realm is such an existence.

They may not have many people, but their potential influence is substantial enough that even collaborative partners are chosen by them.

The sponsor understands this, which is why he hesitantly expressed: Tru Conglomerate’s ability to keep secrets is unparalleled!

Actually, this is inevitable; loose-tongued individuals imply poor management abilities, which is a taboo in investment.

But he immediately declared that if one truly wants to keep a good secret... it costs big money!

You get what you pay for, and only by spending generously can one enjoy premium services!

Simply put, Tru Conglomerate’s involvement this time was purely at the shareholders’ request, fulfilling a paid service.

Quantum did not entrust the entire investigation to them, they have other channels.

The Old City Library is government-operated, and since its confidentiality is relatively high, it’s managed by Tru.

Granny Jia not only found out their relationship, she also discovered that Quantum dispatched a Supreme and four A-level individuals.

These four A-level individuals split into two groups, investigating discreetly, but they couldn’t evade the old lady’s observance.

Speaking of this, Granny Jia contemptuously remarked, "I haven’t even used the official channels."

"The truth is they’re too fearful, pairing up in groups of two in Green Water City, what could be more conspicuous?"

At this point, she looked at Qu Jianlei, speaking thoughtfully, "Is it because... you slaughtered them too severely?"

The old lady knew how strong an Attributeless A-level’s combat power can be once they burst.

Is it because of their exposure in teaming up? Qu Jianlei wasn’t surprised; pairing A-levels is conspicuous even on a Pioneer Star.

However, what concerned him more was, "The Supreme from Quantum... what Attribute do they have?"

"Water Attribute," Granny Jia replied swiftly this time, "He’s called Steve, I’ve seen him twice."

Seeing him makes it easy! Qu Jianlei’s eyes lit up, "Does he have any distinctive traits?"

"Vigilance, perhaps," the old lady’s face showed no expression, but her tone had a hint of disdain.

"No Supreme lacks vigilance; he’s particularly wary."

Qu Jianlei sensed something, tentatively asking, "Granny Jia, was your interaction with him unpleasant?"

"Not exactly," Granny Jia replied casually, "He’s in his prime, just doesn’t care for an old relic like me."

Qu Jianlei laughed, "I see you’re being so forthcoming today, it’s because of a minor prejudice."

"Would I bother with him?" Granny Jia replied lightly, "I’m sharing this news with you because he’s from the Pioneer Team."

She didn’t want to provoke the Tru Conglomerate because too many forces are involved, and the mere Celestial Level Pioneer Team is far from significant in her eyes.

Qu Jianlei understood, also smiled and asked, "Then does this Quantum Supreme... have any information on his residence?"

A Supreme should not be addressed directly, especially when his cultivation level is somewhat lacking, and being in the same city, addressing him directly can easily be sensed.

Granny Jia wasn’t surprised; the intentions of the other party were very clear—they wanted to deal with the supreme of the Quantum.

She didn’t have much fondness for Steve; there was no camaraderie among the supreme.

However, in this matter, she couldn’t really offer much help. "Steve... I don’t even know where he is."

"He showed up twice, but this guy is indeed very alert, basically afraid of dying."

Qu Jianlei frowned at this and pondered for a moment before speaking, "Do you know where those four A-levels are?"

Granny Jia looked at him helplessly, "Are you sure you want to make a move in the city?"

"I don’t really have a choice," Qu Jianlei raised his hand to touch his forehead, "They’re coming to my door; what can I do?"

"Wait until evening," Granny Jia responded succinctly, "They can only return to their quarters at night."

After pausing, she added a hint, "Try to keep the noise down; otherwise, the whole of Green Water City will come after you."

The day passed in the blink of an eye. After work, Qu Jianlei returned home quietly, showing no signs of anything unusual.

Around nine o’clock in the evening, his communication watch received a message with no sender, only an address.

Qu Jianlei dimmed the lights, pushed open the first-floor window, and disappeared into the night with a flash.

Green Water City’s night was brightly lit by street lamps, and surveillance wasn’t scarce.

Qu Jianlei concealed his aura and moved swiftly through the shadows cast by the lights.

He hadn’t spent long in Green Water, but for safety reasons, he had already planned some travel (escape) routes.

He ran more than three kilometers and chose a corner without surveillance to release a motorcycle.

Then he put on his helmet and rode the motorcycle through the streets and alleys.

The address was over thirty kilometers from his residence, and it took him fifty minutes to get there.

It was a dim alley with several broken street lamps.

Qu Jianlei drove in; the alley was deserted with a somewhat eerie and dilapidated atmosphere.

But he wasn’t surprised either; before entering, he had already released a slight perception.

Qu Jianlei stopped the vehicle, walked to a wall root, moved some rubble, and revealed a document bag.

He opened the document bag for a look, confirming it was indeed the information on those four A-levels and their current location.

Honestly, Qu Jianlei was really a bit surprised at Granny Jia’s capabilities.

She was clearly so low-key, seemingly out of worldly affairs, but once she acted, she had amazing channels and resources.

The four A-levels were divided into two groups, one had already returned to their residence, and the other was attending a dance party.

Qu Jianlei ignored the first group and rode the motorcycle to the dance hall where the party was held.

Green Water City, if nothing else, was big enough; the dance hall was about ten kilometers from the alley, and that was considered close.

The dance hall covered over two hundred thousand square meters, built quite magnificently. It was said to have tens of thousands of seats inside.

Qu Jianlei didn’t enter the dance hall but stopped at the entrance, one leg resting on the ground, the other astride the motorcycle.

Fifty or sixty meters away, there were twenty or thirty bikers doing the same, gathering together, laughing loudly.

Qu Jianlei knew these were idle people in Green Water City, doing anything from racing, robbing, to taking passengers.

After all, it was a group of energetic young people, among them not lacking those from affluent backgrounds, robbing mainly for thrills.

He didn’t want to cause misunderstandings, so he didn’t approach them.

However, less than ten minutes later, two motorcycles roared and raced over, coming up with a tail whip.

A helmet visor lifted, revealing a woman’s face, scoring around a six out of ten.

The woman spoke in a muffled voice, "Hey, kid, want to snatch customers... Did you ask us first?"

Qu Jianlei felt utterly helpless inside. I purposely avoided you, yet you deliberately came over?

He wanted to be even farther away from this group, but being all alone... would also make him stand out, right?

He sighed, patted the short dagger at his waist to indicate he wasn’t to be messed with, then snorted coldly, "Get lost!"

However, not many people in the Imperial were pacifists; especially these idle youth, many were modified warriors.

The woman’s leg swung off the motorcycle, walking while reaching for her waist where another short dagger was.

"Kid, you’re really asking for it, daring to mess with me..."

Qu Jianlei, feeling helpless, raised his right hand, with a small flame emerging from his fingertip.

He snorted again, "Get lost, don’t make me say it a third time!"

The woman’s expression changed twice, turning around to walk toward the motorcycle.

Even then, she muttered under her breath, "What thing... awakening and thinking it’s great?"

That group of idle people saw the flame on Qu Jianlei’s hand, and someone scoffed lightly, "As if none of us are awakened!"

The speaker was a long-haired man with fair skin, dressed very fashionably.

He was the only awakened one among the group, with the wood attribute awakened.