jdhmnovel Chapter 490 is incorrect (Page 12)
Chapter 490 is incorrect (Page 12)
The western district of Huaihai City in the 1980s.
Compared to the hustle and bustle of the downtown department stores, this place is relatively quiet.
The streets are lined with low-rise residential buildings and small shops, and the air is filled with a faint smell of coal smoke and... a tempting, rich aroma of bone broth.
Inside the "Weimin Noodle Shop," a small storefront with a large pot of steam rising from the entrance...
It was lunchtime, and the place was packed with workers in overalls, carrying aluminum lunchboxes, and nearby residents eating noodles. The sounds of slurping noodles, chatting, and clinking bowls and chopsticks mingled together, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.
At a greasy little square table in the far corner sat two figures that seemed completely out of place with their surroundings.
Zhang Yun and Cao Yuan.
Cao Yuan sat upright, his back ramrod straight.
His black trench coat contrasted sharply with the surrounding blue overalls. On his stern face, his brows were slightly furrowed, and his eyes held a hint of barely perceptible... unease and confusion.
On the table in front of him was a steaming bowl of clear broth noodles, sprinkled with scallions and cilantro. The chopsticks were neatly arranged around the bowl, but he hadn't touched it.
Zhang Yun, sitting opposite him, appeared... unusually relaxed and absorbed.
He took off his signature black coat.
He was wearing only a simple black shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his well-defined forearms. In front of him... were three empty large bowls stacked up!
At this moment, he was holding a bowl of braised beef noodles that had just been served, with red oil and soy sauce and topped with slices of beef, and he was eating it with great relish!
The slurping sound was even louder than that of the old worker next to him!
"..." Cao Yuan watched Zhang Yun's eating habits, so different from his usual cold demeanor, and his lips twitched slightly. Finally, he couldn't help but lower his voice and ask, "Old Zhang...aren't we...here to investigate? Is this...really okay?"
Zhang Yun looked up from the bowl of noodles.
With a trace of red oil still on his lips, he picked up a rough tissue and wiped his mouth, a rare...satisfaction in his eyes? He glanced at Cao Yuan, his tone flat yet self-righteous:
"I'm hungry. Is that not allowed?"
He picked up a trembling, tenderly stewed beef with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, chewed it with satisfaction, and added indistinctly, "Reconnaissance... also needs to eat."
The food here... is very authentic. I haven't had it in decades..."
Cao Yuan: “…”
He looked at his own bowl of plain noodles, then at Zhang Yun's tempting bowl of braised beef, and silently... swallowed. His menacing aura seemed to falter slightly at the stirring of his craving.
Zhang Yun seemed to see through his thoughts and pointed to his bowl with his chopsticks: "Your share of the funds was used to buy intelligence just now. If you want to eat... figure it out yourself."
Cao Yuan silently lowered his head, looking at the few scallions floating in his bowl: "..." (Thinking to himself: I didn't say I wanted to eat any...)
Just as Cao Yuan was debating whether or not to start eating his bowl of plain noodles, and Zhang Yun was preparing to launch his attack on the fifth bowl—
The curtain made of beer bottle caps hanging at the entrance of the noodle shop was suddenly ripped open with a whoosh.
A figure stepped in.
The newcomer was dressed in a blue Zhongshan suit, common in that era, yet exceptionally clean and tidy. He was tall and handsome.
He wore old-fashioned black-rimmed glasses and carried a black briefcase.
He looked like a well-mannered clerk in a government agency or a young teacher who had just started working.
He walked in, his gaze quickly and discreetly sweeping around the noisy noodle shop, then went straight to an empty seat against the wall and sat down, carefully placing his briefcase on the stool next to him.
His movements were natural and unassuming, blending into the crowd unnoticed.
But the moment he walked in—
Zhang Yun and Cao Yuan, who were in the corner, almost simultaneously... paused slightly!
Zhang Yun's chopsticks, which were reaching for the noodles, stopped in mid-air.
Cao Yuan's hand, which was about to pick up the chopsticks, suddenly clenched tightly!
Their eyes met in an instant, and they both saw a fleeting look of extreme shock and...icy sharpness in each other's eyes!
This young man...they know him!
We know each other very well!
Even though he's wearing clothes from the 1980s, has outdated glasses, and has a completely different aura... they would never mistake him!
That face! That chilling and insane aura that, even when deliberately concealed, could not be completely hidden, emanated from the depths of the soul!
The Church of the Ancient Gods... ramblings!!!
How could he be here?! And... a younger version of him?!
Zhang Yun and Cao Yuan immediately suppressed all outward emotions.
Like the most experienced hunter, he instantly entered a state of absolute concealment.
Zhang Yun continued eating his noodles with his head down, as if nothing had happened.
Cao Yuan silently picked up his chopsticks and began to slowly stir his bowl of plain noodles.
But all of their senses were already locked onto the young man who had just sat down, like an invisible spider web!
The young murmur seemed unaware of the two pairs of eyes watching from the corner.
He sat down and waited quietly. When the waiter came, he ordered the cheapest bowl of vegetarian noodles, then took a newspaper from his briefcase.
He looked down at it, appearing very focused.
His noodles were served quickly.
He put down the newspaper, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat slowly and deliberately, his movements refined, even somewhat reserved.
After finishing his meal, he took out his wallet, took out a few small bills and grain coupons, carefully counted them, placed them on the table, then picked up his briefcase, got up, and prepared to leave.
As he reached the door, he seemed to remember something, turned back to the counter, and said something to the owner who was doing the accounting.
He then took out a slightly larger denomination banknote from his wallet and placed it on the counter.
Because of the distance and the noise in the noodle shop, Zhang Yun and Cao Yuan did not hear clearly what he said.
The restaurant owner paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded repeatedly.
Young Yiyu then turned around, lifted the curtain, and quickly left the noodle shop, her figure soon disappearing into the crowd on the street outside.
A sharp glint flashed in Zhang Yun's eyes!
He abruptly stood up, strode to the counter, and, with a completely natural, slightly embarrassed smile, pointed to the spot where the young man had been sitting and said:
"Boss, that guy just now... the one with glasses, that's my friend. Did he leave some money with you? He said... keep the change?"
The shop owner, who was happily counting the extra money he had just collected, looked up at Zhang Yun with a puzzled expression when he heard this: "Really? He said he's treating? Who is he treating? Do you know him?"
Zhang Yun's smile became even more "honest," and he nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes! I know him! He's an old classmate! He just loves to joke around!"
So, how about we settle the bill for those two bowls of noodles with the extra money he gave me? Perfect!"
The shopkeeper paused for a moment, looked at the extra money in his hand, then at Zhang Yun's "sincere" face. Seemingly feeling that there was no loss and it would save him trouble, he waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright!"
"Thank you, boss!" Zhang Yun smiled brightly, turned around and grabbed Cao Yuan, who was still in a daze and had just taken a bite of noodles, and said in a low voice, "Let's go!"
Cao Yuan: "???" (I've only taken one bite of my noodles!)
But he immediately realized what was happening, put down his chopsticks without hesitation, and followed Zhang Yun, dashing out of the noodle shop like two arrows released from a bow!
The young, dreamlike figure has long since disappeared from the streets.
But Zhang Yun didn't linger at all. His sharp gaze swept across the street, instantly locking onto a direction!
His senses were like the most sophisticated radar, firmly locking onto that extremely faint yet unique chilling aura in the air, belonging to the very essence of the whispering soul!
"This way!" Zhang Yun shouted in a low voice, his figure blending into the crowd like a ghost, extremely fast yet silent!
Cao Yuan followed closely behind, his murderous aura subtly shifting, minimizing his presence!
Zhang Yun and Cao Yuan, like two ghosts blending into the crowd, silently tracked the young figure ahead—Yiyu—who was wearing a blue Zhongshan suit and carrying a briefcase.
The young murmurer seemed unaware that he was being watched.
He walked with a relaxed pace, even carrying a slightly rigid rhythm unique to intellectuals of this era.
He walked through several noisy streets,
Finally, we turned into a relatively quiet alley with few pedestrians.
At the end of the alley stood an old-fashioned, dark green public telephone booth with a glass partition.
After looking around to make sure no one was watching, Yiyu slipped inside.
"A phone booth?" Cao Yuan lowered his voice, hiding with Zhang Yun in the shadow of a grocery stall at the alley entrance. "Who does he want to contact?"
Zhang Yun's eyes were sharp as an eagle's, fixed on the blurry figure inside the phone booth, and he said in a low voice, "Let's wait and see. Communication methods are limited in this era, and that may be the key."
Inside the phone booth, Yiyu picked up an old-fashioned rotary dial phone, inserted coins, and began dialing.
Through the glass, I couldn't hear the specifics, but I could see his lips moving slightly, his expression... seemingly carrying a suppressed excitement and... a hint of barely perceptible fervor?
The call lasted only a minute or two.
Soon, Yiyu hung up the phone, pushed open the door of the phone booth, and walked out.
He straightened his collar, adjusted his glasses, and his face regained its calm and composed expression. He picked up his briefcase and strode quickly toward the other end of the alley.
"He's gone!" Cao Yuan's body tensed slightly.
"Wait!" Zhang Yun stopped him, a strange light flashing in his eyes. "Let him go. We...return to where we came from."
"Backtrack?" Cao Yuan was taken aback.
Zhang Yun offered no explanation. He stepped out of the shadows, the Candle Dragon True Flame flickering faintly around him.
A mysterious and profound fluctuation involving the laws of time, like an invisible ripple, quietly enveloped the small telephone booth centered on him!
[Candlelight] Authority - Time Reversal!
While it's impossible to reverse time on a large scale, it's possible within a very small area and for a very short time.
Retracing back and peering into the scenes and sounds that just happened, still bearing strong energy imprints... is not difficult for Zhang Yun, who holds a portion of the power over time!
Om-! ! !
The light around the phone booth was slightly distorted, as if a movie were rewinding! A very faint, murmured shadow reappeared inside the phone booth.
Repeat the actions of dialing and making a call...
This time, Zhang Yun and Cao Yuan clearly heard... a series of intermittent yet incredibly clear whispers emanating from those fragments of time that had been retraced!
"...Blood potion... has been obtained..."
"...Confirmed...Huangpu River...estuary...No. 3 sewage discharge channel..."
"...at noon...when the tide is at its highest...release..."
The sound stopped suddenly!
Regression complete!
Zhang Yun and Cao Yuan's expressions instantly turned extremely ugly! They even... showed a hint of horror!
"The Huangpu River?! Poisoning?!" A trace of Cao Yuan's murderous aura uncontrollably escaped, and the surrounding air temperature plummeted. "He's going to throw that damned thing into the Huangpu River?!"