Devil's Eye Reborn - Shadow Angel Awakens - Chapter 97

Chapter 97: Chapter 95：Enter the desert town
 

Yan’er ascended to about the height of a thirty-story building before her momentum was exhausted, and she began to gently fall back down. Although Yan’er had trained in physical techniques with Daji from a young age, she was not a demon, and falling from such a height could be dangerous. To prevent any injury, I jumped up and caught her in mid-air, carefully absorbing the impact upon landing on the sandy ground.

“Are you hurt?” I asked Yan’er with a smile as I held her.

“No, I’m fine,” she shook her head and smiled brightly. “Big brother, the town looks quite populated with lights everywhere, and it’s not far from here. We could drive there in no time. There’s nothing unusual around us, just desert.”

“Thank you for your hard work,” I said, giving her a light kiss on the forehead. Yan’er giggled and jumped back to the ground.

At that moment, a bright light suddenly shone from behind us, casting long shadows on the sand. It was Zicheng driving the jeep over.

Just as Yan’er had said, the town wasn’t far. After driving for about ten minutes, we could already see a significant glow in the sky ahead.

“Little Nuo, what’s the plan now?” Zicheng asked, steering the car and looking ahead. Since I had been driving all day, Zicheng had taken over.

“The giant isn’t very intelligent. Stealing the corpse, releasing bats, setting ambushes—these couldn’t have been his ideas. He must have accomplices, and my master’s body is likely with them,” I said from the back seat, taking a sip of my drink. “The giant headed straight for this direction after leaving the tunnel, without any detours. This means he must have stayed in the town for a while before entering the tunnel, or his accomplices are waiting for him there. Given his limited intelligence, he would only want to return to a place he feels safe after being injured. So, let’s start by investigating the town.”

Zicheng nodded and said no more.

The car soon drove into the town. Unlike other small towns in the desert, this town’s prosperity was a bit overwhelming. Even at night, it was brightly lit, with many people and vehicles on the streets. Although there were no skyscrapers, there were plenty of buildings. Aimana mentioned that this was a wealthy area in the desert, attracting many tourists due to its proximity to ancient Egyptian ruins. Some archaeological teams from various countries were even stationed here permanently. He often came here for work.

“This town isn’t very big, but it seems to have over a thousand people. Finding that giant won’t be easy,” I said, looking at the colorful streets outside the car window.

“So, what should we do?” Zicheng asked.

“It’s late now; let’s find a hotel to stay in first,” I said, checking the fuel gauge. “Besides, the car is almost out of fuel. We need to find someone to fill the tank. I’ll go out later. If the giant is in the town, I’ll find a way to flush him out.”

Just then, Aimana, sitting in the passenger seat, pointed ahead and said, “Little Nuo, stop at that street corner.”

“What are you up to now?” I asked curiously but still had Zicheng stop the car as Aimana instructed.

“Heh, follow me!” Aimana said, getting out of the car and walking into a narrow alley.

I smiled wryly and followed him.

The alley was narrow and eerie, with fewer and fewer sounds of people and cars as we went deeper. Soon, the only sounds were our footsteps echoing in the alley.

Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked, “Hey, where are you taking me?”

“Heh, Little Nuo wants to find someone, and so do I,” Aimana said as he walked. “But the person I’m looking for has excellent connections. With his help, finding that giant will be much easier.”

“Ha, I didn’t expect you to have friends!” I laughed.

“Friends? I have no friends!” Aimana glared at me coldly. “He’s just a middleman. Whenever foreigners come looking for work, they always find him to recommend candidates. He takes on the tasks, screens them, and then assigns them to suitable people. So, he knows everything that goes on in this town.”

“I see,” I said, understanding. By then, we had reached the end of the alley.

In front of us was a large iron gate. Though not new, it was free of rust, indicating frequent use. Aimana said nothing, walked up to the gate, and knocked three times. After a moment, he knocked once more.

I heard some sounds from behind the gate, and soon, it opened with a “swish.”

A dark-skinned woman, biting an unlit cigarette, walked out, looking sleepy.

“Ah… I wondered which bastard woke me up. Turns out it’s Aimana,” she said, scratching her disheveled hair and yawning.

“Heh, Perin, you usually don’t go to bed until dawn. Why are you sleeping so early today?” Aimana asked with a strange laugh.

“Heh, it’s none of your business, shorty,” she retorted coldly, lighting her cigarette with a match.

I saw a messy room behind the gate, with papers strewn all over the walls and floor. Several computers and phones were in the room, but everything was in disarray. There was even a thick mat that looked like a sofa or bed. It was hard to imagine this was a woman’s room. Although Perin had a delicate appearance, her unkempt state and the chaotic background made her seem unapproachable.

“Alright, let’s get to the point,” Perin said, exhaling smoke. “Are you looking for work, shorty? I just got two new commissions today that might suit you.”

Aimana shook his head and laughed, “I already have a task. Those commissions will have to wait.”

Perin sneered, “Then why are you here?”

“It’s related to my current task,” Aimana said, pointing at me. “This is my client. He’s looking for a body thief. We tracked him from the cemetery to an oasis nearby but lost his trail.”

“You think the thief entered the town?” Perin asked lazily, glancing at me.

“Yes, his footprints lead straight here,” Aimana explained.

“Heh, I can help you find him, but the fee…” Perin took a deep drag, making the cigarette glow red.

“Deduct it from my next task,” Aimana said with a cold smile.

“Deal!” Perin agreed readily, clapping her hands. “Do you have a photo of the guy?”

“Uh, I forgot,” Aimana said, scratching his head and looking at me awkwardly. “Little Nuo, wait here. I’ll get the computer from the car.”

He turned and ran back the way we came.

Eager to find my master’s body, I didn’t want to waste time. I had an idea and said to Perin, “Actually, I have a photo of him. Let me show you.”

As I spoke, I activated my demonic energy and opened the “Eye of Illusions.”

After making eye contact with Perin, I took out a blank piece of paper and handed it to her, saying, “This is the guy. Have you seen him?”

In that brief moment of eye contact, I had invaded Perin’s mind, creating an illusion. To her, the blank paper now showed the image of the giant.

Perin examined the paper carefully but eventually shook her head. “I haven’t seen him. No one like this has entered the town recently.”

“Really? Then I’ll have to trouble you to find him for me,” I sighed.

Perin took a drag of her cigarette, shaking the paper, and smiled, “Don’t worry. If he’s in town, I’ll find him.”

As I thanked Perin, I heard Aimana’s hurried footsteps behind me.

“I found it. This is the guy,” Aimana said, approaching quickly with the handheld computer.

“Heh, you made a pointless trip. Your client already showed me the photo,” Perin said smugly, raising the paper. But when she glanced at it, she fell silent, her mouth agape, staring at me in shock.

“It’s just a little trick. You should use Aimana’s video to find him,” I said with a smile.

Aimana looked at Perin curiously. “Why do you look so stunned?”

“Heh, it’s nothing,” Perin shook her head, glancing at me before sneering at Aimana. “Your client is quite something.”

“Yes, he’s indeed remarkable. That’s why I’m putting in so much effort for him,” Aimana said with a strange laugh, handing the computer to Perin.

After briefly reviewing the footage of the underground tunnel, Perin promised, “Alright, if he’s here, I’ll find him. Given how conspicuous he is, it shouldn’t be difficult.”

“Right, our only worry is that he’s not here,” Aimana said, then suddenly suggested, “I’ll come with you to find him!”

“Why? You’ll just get in the way!” Perin rolled her eyes. “Besides, I won’t be searching personally.”

“Heh, no problem. I just want to be on the scene as soon as there’s news about the giant,” Aimana said sinisterly. “That guy is good material. He dared to destroy my mummy, so I’ll make sure to wrap him up in white too!”