Weighing the gold coins in his hand, the short, fat boss said, "Go back. Wait at the place written here at midnight tonight."

He showed a note, letting Li Rui clearly see the recorded place and specific time, but didn’t hand it over.

"Don’t expect us to wait for you if you’re late, and the money won’t be refunded," the snakehead boss said very firmly.

Li Rui certainly wouldn’t be late, so he smiled and agreed, then left.

"What now? Just wait? Should we find a way to probe this guy’s background," Cheng Mingyue asked.

"Let’s wait. Don’t complicate things, or it might trouble us,"

Li Rui said, "It’s fine; it’s quite obvious he’s not an Extraordinary, he won’t cause any trouble."

So the two of them waited in the city. At two in the morning, they arrived at the designated spot but did not reveal themselves directly and instead hid in the shadows to observe the surroundings.

"There are people in the two alleys beside us, just two ordinary people, seemingly observing as well."

"The designated place already has more than a dozen people, nothing seems off."

After confirming that this was a normal smuggling operation and not a trap, the two revealed themselves after waiting a bit more.

This time, they also wore hats, masks, etc., to cover their faces.

As smugglers, this was of course normal; others were more or less concealed too, except for a few who seemed too straightforward and only realized they were too upright after arriving at the place, so they could only try to keep their backs to others or pull up the hood of their clothes awkwardly.

Soon, a tall and burly man appeared, different from the snakehead boss from earlier in the day.

Li Rui exchanged a glance with Cheng Mingyue and confirmed this was an Extraordinary but with weak power, estimated to be below level 20, as the crushing perception attributes meant he couldn’t detect their oddness.

After everyone verified their identity, the large man led them around another street corner, where a box truck was parked.

"Get in, don’t say a word, anyone causes trouble, you get kicked out, don’t blame me."

Not everyone entering the forbidden zone illegally was like Li Rui; most were civilians seeking shelter from the Holy Judgment High Court.

Even if becoming an undocumented worker, it was better than worrying about imminent war outside.

Li Rui and Cheng Mingyue sat low-key in the corner, discreetly assessing the situation, prepared to react if things went wrong.

However, within just two minutes, someone sitting opposite them made eye contact.

This person was dressed in a black hoodie, hood over the head, wearing a mask, only showing their eyes, with tinted glasses outside.

Both parties felt a sense of threat.

Extraordinary.

They were aware of each other’s identities.

Moreover, they were surprised to find they couldn’t see through each other, indicating very similar strength, both top-notch experts here.

"What are you looking at, if you’re going in, better behave,"

Cheng Mingyue said fiercely, actually implying not to cause a commotion, or else once exposed, neither’s goals would be achieved.

The opponent’s eyes flashed fiercely, but someone beside them pulled them back.

"You’re right, being compliant ensures safety for us all."

An unspoken agreement was reached, neither party spoke further.

The burly man supervising them glared at the four.

"Shut up, nobody speak, damn it, if you’re disobedient, I’ll throw you all out."

Unbeknownst to him, anyone among the threatened could kill him on the spot with a flick of their finger.

Soon, the truck started, wobblingly setting off.

Li Rui silently gauged the speed, confirming they traveled about thirty kilometers before stopping.

"We’re crossing the border," Cheng Mingyue whispered.

The forbidden zone of the Holy Judgment High Court also needed supplies; such trucks often crossed checkpoints, and crossing required inspections, but with inspections came opportunities for manipulation.

Unknown who was behind the snakehead, anyway, the well insulated cabin was never opened, the truck quickly started again, driving for about another ten kilometers before stopping.

The burly escort got off first, then opened the box door, revealing the door leading to a walled area, an operational warehouse.

"Wait until sunrise when someone leads you out; running around at night, I won’t be responsible for deaths, the Holy Judgment Institute won’t be so kind to unidentified individuals."

He stated sincerely, seemingly convinced about his alleged kindness.

Li Rui, Cheng Mingyue, and others followed instructions, staying put; even they didn’t wish to wander in the early morning, too conspicuous. This was under the jurisdiction of the Holy Judgment High Court, not Dragon Country’s night market.

The sun slowly rose, sure enough, someone came to escort them out, but first asked if anyone needed work, clear that those who did would be sent as cheap labor.

At least half of the smugglers chose to stay, others peacefully left.

"Seems the backing of their people is formidable,"

Li Rui stated, "These confidentiality measures are too lax, letting us just walk out like this."

He glanced back; the warehouse belonged to a cold-chain transport company, its presence in the direct management zone of the Holy Judgment High Court implied a high possibility that the boss was a Priest or something.

Quickly departing, they reached the street.

This place near the Holy Mountain, looking up, one could see the huge statue covered up, below the mountain lay a small town inhabited mostly by people of the Holy Judgment High Court and their families, others were necessary residents to ensure supply of life essentials, mainly providing some labor.

But disregarding local identity, by day this place looked like a normal large town except lacking skyscrapers.

As the sun rose, the streets grew bustling, the two removed their face-covering masks, walking as ordinary people.

"What now?" Cheng Mingyue asked.

"Work,"

Li Rui responded, "Hardly any outsiders here, going to an inn might easily expose us, we need to quickly gather intelligence and swiftly retreat."

However, soon he was proven wrong, the forbidden zone packed with outsiders, it was apparent at first glance.

"Odd, why suddenly so many people? Doesn’t the Holy Judgment High Court manage this? Weren’t they cracking down on smugglers usually?"

Li Rui also baffled, shook his head: "Maybe lots of manpower pulled to the frontline, currently unable to manage, promising!"

This was mere jest, regardless, the Holy Judgment High Court couldn’t possibly neglect even the area under Holy Mountain; but strange things were numerous, relatively this was minor.

He looked at the busy street, feeling something amiss, as if the Holy Judgment High Court was intentionally letting outsiders in.

But why?

Momentarily, he couldn’t find an answer.