The mess all around here formed an unusually stark contrast with the cleanliness of the street where her hotel was located.

Walking along and paying attention to the arches by the road, Lin Bingxuan quickly found her destination.

The location was a three-story building, with the inn situated on the top floor.

The first floor was a small restaurant, the second floor was a billiard hall, and at the corner of the hallway there was a bulb covered with grease, casting a particularly dim light.

This scene made Lin Bingxuan feel that this place was an ideal spot for a horror film shoot, making her extra cautious of her surroundings as she walked, her steps neither hurried nor slow, ready to respond to any sudden situation.

Fortunately, although the atmosphere along the way was indeed eerie, nothing sudden like a power outage occurred.

As soon as she reached the corner, Lin Bingxuan soon saw a somewhat disheveled young man standing outside the inn.

The man looked very skinny, wore thick spectacles on his high bridge of the nose, and his clothes didn't appear very clean, with the faint dark circles making him look quite depressed.

"Hello, are you the intelligence dealer?" Lin Bingxuan asked cautiously.

The young man's eyes lit up and he quickly walked down the stairs: "Hello, are you the customer who just called?"

The person turned out to be very talkative, which came as a surprise to Lin Bingxuan. After a cursory handshake, she got straight to the point: "We'd better talk elsewhere."

The young man nodded: "Okay, okay, let's go to the billiard hall downstairs, it's spacious there which makes it convenient for talking; by the way, I'm Xiang Deyong, you can call me Xiang."

Lin Bingxuan gave no comment on Xiang Deyong's enthusiasm and followed him into the billiard hall on the second floor.

Upon entering, Lin Bingxuan felt much more at ease as the lighting here was good, unlike the disastrous horror-film-like hallway outside.

She found an inconspicuous corner and opened a table, sitting down one after another under the light above the billiard table.

"Here's your deposit." Unzipping the bag she carried, Lin Bingxuan placed the money between them, indicating that Xiang Deyong could check it.

"Then I won't be polite!" Xiang Deyong smiled apologetically, then began counting the stack of hundred yuan bills in his hands, glancing sideways from time to time, which Lin Bingxuan found very unusual.

"Correct!" Xiang Deyong said after going through the money, without really knowing how much he had.

"Since that's correct, please share some information about the Northern Border," Lin Bingxuan said as she opened a voice recorder and took out a small notebook to jot down some key points on her lap.

"Well, about the Northern Border..." Xiang Deyong scratched his head, "Which period do you specifically want to know about?"

"Mainly concerning the Huang Family in the past hundred years." As she said this, Lin Bingxuan couldn't help but begin to doubt, wondering how Xiang Deyong in front of her didn't quite seem like someone well-versed in history.

"Are you interested in the Huang Family because..." Xiang Deyong pretended to ask nonchalantly.

Lin Bingxuan's doubts deepened. Closing the notebook with a hint of displeasure, she said: "Mr. Xiang claims to be an intelligence dealer, so as a dealer, shouldn't you abide by basic professional ethics?!"

"Yes, yes, I was just casually asking, just ignore it!" Xiang Deyong said with forced bravado, "Our Northern Border began when Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms that year..."

Lin Bingxuan finally showed her displeasure, clearly stating a hundred years, yet Xiang Deyong was rambling on about Qin Shi Huang unifying the six kingdoms, a difference of not just a century!

However, a realization suddenly made Lin Bingxuan even more alert.

Just then, Lin Bingxuan had inadvertently noticed that the people playing billiards around them seemed to be deliberately paying attention to their side, coupled with Xiang Deyong's nonsense, it was hard not to feel something's amiss.

"Mr. Xiang, you just mentioned the beginning of Qin Shi Huang's unification of the six kingdoms, right?" Lin Bingxuan asked calmly, "Could you specify what year that was?"

"Well, um, AD..." Xiang Deyong scratched his head and angrily took off his thick spectacles, rubbing his temples with a pained expression: "I'm sorry, I have a headache, please wait a moment!"

Lin Bingxuan frowned and asked coldly: "Isn't it true, Mr. Xiang, that you're not actually nearsighted?"

"Or rather, the name Xiang Deyong is fake, and your identity as an intelligence dealer is also fake," Lin Bingxuan said with a hint of irritation: "So, who are you, really?"

Xiang Deyong wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced a smile: "You must be joking, how could I deceive you? My girlfriend should have told you, I am an expert on the history of the Northern Border with knowledge of everything..."

"Oh?" Lin Bingxuan interrupted, "How did Mr. Xiang know that I got your contact from your girlfriend, when I've never mentioned it to you?!"

Saying this, the Endless Life technique instantly reversed, ready to deal with any desperate moves from Xiang Deyong.

By now, Lin Bingxuan no longer needed Xiang Deyong to show any outward aggression, over thirty people had gathered around her, confirming her suspicion—she had been set up!

Thinking back, many suspicious movements by the waiter at the time indeed existed, but she was too absorbed in the joy of the candlelight dinner and the allure of the intelligence dealer's information to notice those details.

However, it's a bit late to mention it now. Observing that over thirty people were slowly surrounding her, Lin Bingxuan began to instinctively move toward the window.

Not long after, a bald man with a tattooed neck walked quickly over to Xiang Deyong and started beating him mercilessly, while cursing: "You useless fool, I told you to read more books, but you wouldn't listen."

"If I had known you would be exposed so quickly, I would've done it myself!" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Covering his burning cheek with one hand, Xiang Deyong couldn't help but think to himself: Just look at your appearance, and you dare to pretend to be a cultured person?!

Although he dared not say it out loud, otherwise he'd undoubtedly endure another beating.

After reprimanding Xiang Deyong, the bald man turned his gaze to Lin Bingxuan, showing a terrifying smile: "Sorry, but you cannot leave until our Lord He arrives here."

The next moment, the bald man saw a blur, and the beautiful woman in front of him vanished. Simultaneously, cries of anguish erupted behind him.

The bald man quickly turned his head to check the situation, only to see Lin Bingxuan's silhouette swiftly moving throughout the room. Every time she left a spot, someone would fall to the ground, rolling and writhing in agony, while some simply tilted their heads, unconscious or dead.

At this moment, the bald man's heart filled with regret and fear, as Lin Bingxuan's graceful figure seemed like a phantom.