Deep in the night!
Ye Cangtian left the inn alone and, after a moment, put on a bronze mask!
Fortunately, he brought his mask this time.
The Dark Association's masks cannot be imitated, nor can they be used by others, making it difficult for outsiders to infiltrate.
But Ye Cangtian was different; he was the genuine Huang Jiu!
After putting on the mask, he walked casually through the streets. As it was very late, there were hardly any people. Even those present were just drunkards lying unconscious by the roadside, having drunk themselves into oblivion.
"Now, let's see if they contact me!" Ye Cangtian murmured from behind the mask.
According to the communication methods within the Dark Association, as long as he assumed the guise of a Dark Association member, someone would surely contact him.
From his discoveries in Kyoto previously, Ye Cangtian knew that within a certain range, a Silver Mask could contact nearby Huang-level members.
Therefore, if there were Dark Association members to receive him in this location, as soon as he appeared wearing the mask, someone would definitely contact him!
Time ticked by.
After an unknown amount of time, there was still no fluctuation from the bronze mask.
Even Ye Cangtian was starting to get impatient, as he had already explored almost the entire city of Romance, and if he continued, the sky would be almost dawn!
Could it be that no one was here to meet him?
Were the other Dark Association members heading directly to their destination?
Ye Cangtian lit a cigarette and was just about to return to the inn.
However, at that very moment, the mask vibrated. He immediately perked up, a slight smile gracing his lips: Finally!
His mask received a message:
"Twenty li south of Romance City, in the southwest direction, a fishing boat, departing before dawn!"
That was the entire message.
Romance City was by the sea, with the nearest sea area only about ten to twenty kilometers away. If the marked spot on the map was a small island in the sea, then a boat trip would naturally be necessary.
Ye Cangtian's eyes lit up, as this meant he had successfully established contact with the Dark Association.
Moreover, as Huang Jiu, he could now openly integrate into the Dark Association.
Of course, this also meant he was in great danger from now on!
The number of Dark Association members there was currently unknown, but Ye Cangtian guessed there would be many, even quite a few Silver Masks.
"Perhaps there are even stronger existences than Silver Masks, Earth-level powerhouses?"
The Dark Association's hierarchical system had Huang-level members as the lowest rank, followed by Xuan-level members wearing Silver Masks, and then Earth-level powerhouses!
Could he fool those Silver Masks, but could he fool Earth-level powerhouses?
Ye Cangtian was unsure, but this was his only opportunity to infiltrate the Dark Association. Even with immense danger, he had to try!
...
One hour later!
In a sea area twenty kilometers from Romance City, near the shore, a medium-sized fishing boat was illuminated by a dim light.
Ye Cangtian was lurking hundreds of meters away; he had arrived quite some time ago.
To guard against any potential traps, he did not rush to approach the fishing boat but carefully observed his surroundings before standing up and walking forward.
Outside the fishing boat stood two men, likely peripheral members of the Dark Association, not very strong.
With his identity as a Huang-level member, Ye Cangtian quickly boarded the fishing boat.
"Come in! I didn't expect someone to arrive just before departure," a middle-aged man's voice could be heard from inside, muttering to himself.
Ye Cangtian's eyebrows twitched, and then he entered the cabin.
The entire cabin contained only one person, a Xuan-level powerhouse wearing a silver mask.
Ye Cangtian was not surprised at all. He cupped his fists and said, "Sir, your subordinate is Huang Jiu, under Lord Xuan Qi!"
The Silver Masked man was surprised and asked, "You're Xuan Qi's subordinate? Why are you so late?"
"This is my first time traveling abroad, and I encountered some trouble during the border crossing!"
Ye Cangtian casually provided an excuse. After all, many members of the Dark Association had clandestine identities, and crossing borders through unofficial channels was not uncommon.
The Silver Masked middle-aged man smiled and nodded, "Fortunately, you arrived in time. Otherwise, it would be too late. We'll head to our destination after dawn, and then no one will be here to receive you!"
After a brief chat.
Ye Cangtian learned that this Silver Masked middle-aged man was called Xuan Jiu, who was responsible for receiving and escorting Dark Association members from various locations to their destination in Romance City.
And today was the last day!
"Your lord, Xuan Qi, arrived three days ago. I heard he has suffered heavy losses recently. Are you the only one left among his subordinates?" Xuan Jiu asked.
Ye Cangtian froze!
A bad feeling arose in his heart. Did the other person mean that Xuan Qi was also there?
Now, with his identity as Huang Jiu, the only person in the Dark Association who could see through him, besides Shangguan Yun, was Xuan Qi.
During the battle at Jinxiu Villa, Ye Cangtian had killed Huang San, and Xuan Qi had escaped. Ba Tianhu, whose identity was Huang Jiu, was eventually replaced by him.
Therefore, as Huang Jiu's direct superior, Xuan Qi would expose him with a single glance upon meeting.
At this moment, Ye Cangtian felt he had been too hasty. If he went directly to the Dark Association's stronghold, wouldn't that be walking into a trap?
"Don't be nervous. Xuan Qi and I are old acquaintances; I won't betray him!"
Xuan Jiu thought Ye Cangtian was nervous and comforted him with a smile. He then added regretfully, "However, his mission failed this time, and he lost quite a few subordinates. He's bound to be reprimanded by his superiors!"
Ye Cangtian's eyes darted around, and he remained silent.
Xuan Qi's mission failed? That probably referred to the Yangzhou underground forces, which he had disrupted, not to mention killing their men.
At this moment, he was contemplating how to deal with Xuan Jiu, worried that he might reveal his true identity during their conversation and be discovered, especially since Xuan Jiu had claimed to be an old acquaintance of Xuan Qi.
Moreover, once he followed him to the destination and met Xuan Qi, it would be too late to escape.
What if he killed him now?
Then he would have no way to infiltrate the Dark Association, nor would he be able to investigate the organization's current conspiracy, and he wouldn't be able to rescue the missing scientists.
While he hesitated!
He heard movement from outside. Xuan Jiu exclaimed in surprise, "Someone else is arriving at this hour."
Soon, another Huang-level member wearing a bronze mask boarded the cabin.
This person was tall and burly, a large man. However, Ye Cangtian found the physique somewhat familiar!
"Your subordinate Huang Wu greets you, sir!" the other person said respectfully.
"Where is your lord? Why didn't he come with you?" Xuan Jiu asked.
"My lord, Xuan Shi Si, encountered an accident before departure... he died!" the man named Huang Wu explained.
"What?" Xuan Jiu's eyes widened, and he involuntarily stood up.
The Dark Association had only recently emerged in the past year. Normally, let alone Xuan-level powerhouses, even Huang-level members rarely sacrificed their lives.
But recently, Xuan-level powerhouses had been dying one after another, which was a significant loss even for the Dark Association.
It was rumored that not long ago in Kyoto, two Xuan-level powerhouses led a group of Huang-level members to assassinate the Saudi princess, resulting in a complete annihilation.
Three days ago in Europe, a Xuan-level member leading several Huang-level members to hunt down the Dragon Group's investigation team in Europe also all perished.
Xuan Jiu frowned and asked, "Xuan Shi Si is also dead? How did he die?"
Huang Wu stammered for a long time before finally saying, "My lord fancied a precious medicinal herb and was ambushed while trying to seize it. Only I managed to escape!"
As the other party explained the entire sequence of events, Ye Cangtian, not far away, had an incredibly complex expression on his face.