"Can you reach out to that profiler?" Sun Hang asked.

"The profiler left the 'One Zero One' Private Detective Agency after completing the commission and has already left Chang'an. Their whereabouts are unknown," the main brain responded.

"Unknown whereabouts... Maybe they've already been silenced," Sun Hang muttered. "Can we find the records of the profiling process? As far as I know, profiling requires a lot of data analysis, doesn't it? The analysis and deduction process should be documented, right?"

"According to the agency head, the profiler had a habit of using pen and paper for deductions rather than electronic devices, so no records were left in the agency's system. Furthermore, as per the request of the anonymous client, all paper documents recording the deduction process were destroyed after completing the profiling."

"They cleaned up pretty thoroughly," Sun Hang glanced at his phone. "It looks like I only have one lead left."

The recipient of this package.

In the task description transferred to Sun Hang by Copper Finger, it didn't explicitly mention who the recipient was. It only instructed Sun Hang to place the package in a safe in the Yumen Abandoned City within a specified time and to set a designated password.

The original scale of Yumen was bigger than Dragon City, but as the living conditions in the Hexi Corridor worsened, a massive migration to the interior occurred, leading to the decline of what was once the largest city in the hexagon corridor, eventually becoming completely abandoned.

But even a dead camel is larger than a horse. Aside from the suburbs swallowed by the desert, the remaining main urban area still exceeds two hundred square kilometers. The task description specifies the location of the safe as "Turn left at the third bridge on Sima Street, basement level of the former Yumen Bank Si Ma Branch site"—However, for a Hunter completely unfamiliar with Yumen's ghost city, just finding Sima Street is enough to make one's head spin.

Civilian navigation software won't have Yumen's city map. To get it, you'd have to dig through the archives for those yellowed paper maps. But after being abandoned for decades, the face of Yumen's cityscape has completely changed. How reliable those old maps are now is questionable.

First-time visitors to Yumen would typically opt for one of two solutions—The more economical choice is to buy a "modern version of the Yumen city map" drawn by Hunters and mercenaries from information brokers in Dragon City. However, many versions exist on the market, with significant discrepancies in price, quality, detail, and accuracy.

There have even been cases where someone bought a poorly drawn map and bypassed Yumen, plunging straight into the depths of the Hexi Corridor in a comedy of errors.

The second option is costlier but far more reliable than buying a map. That would be to hire a guide familiar with the route or to find an experienced Hunter or mercenary team planning to go to Yumen. After paying a "protection fee," you can travel with them.

This was the option Copper Finger mentioned earlier.

"Let's hope the Candle Dragon knows the way."

If it were just a visit to Yumen, Sun Hang wouldn't mind making some acquaintances along the way. But with a "potential hot potato" in hand, he figured it's best to go solo—not because he's afraid others might harbor ill intentions, but simply to avoid unnecessary complications.

After all, the main goal of this trip is recruitment, not murder. If he unintentionally builds a reputation for being cold-blooded and dangerous among the Hunters in Dragon City, the subsequent recruitment efforts could become significantly more challenging. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

...

...

At nine-thirty at night, Sun Hang and Xue Yue successfully met up with Candle Dragon at the pre-booked hotel.

"So, were the visits smooth?" Sun Hang asked, sitting cross-legged on the bed, nibbling on the hotel's complimentary snacks.

"Fairly smooth. Those old friends were willing to give me some face... But they also said that for a mission of such unprecedented danger and uncertain completion, recruiting willing participants is very, very difficult," Candle Dragon sighed. "Only two types of people might come knocking."

"Which two?" Xue Yue asked through her mouthful of a small cream cake.

"One is the desperado with nowhere else to go, who has nothing but their worthless life left, maybe even buried in debt." Candle Dragon elegantly pierced a small piece of kiwi with a toothpick, a chill passing through his fingers. The kiwi, along with the toothpick, instantly frosted over, resembling a sugar coating.

"The other type is even rarer... They are neither in it for wealth nor money; they fear neither strange creatures nor death. You can't understand their true motives whatsoever..." Candle Dragon's gaze suddenly shifted to Sun Hang as he spoke, "People like you... or rather, they are just like you."

"Reclusive experts always have their quirks, quite normal," Sun Hang said. "Do you have a way to recruit such people?"

"Absolutely not," Candle Dragon shook his head. "To recruit such people, you can only rely on fate. I've already asked my old friends to spread the word about the Egypt operation. If someone's interested, they should seek us out themselves."

"These pastries are pretty good, quite tasty," Sun Hang suddenly remarked.