I'll report this to the government and send all the main characters to jail.

Chapter 250 Rivals Gather, Undercurrents Rise

At the other end of the market, in an abandoned ore refinery, Su Chen built a temporary safe house for himself and Qianmian.

This remote location with its chaotic signal makes it an excellent hiding spot provided by Qianmian.

With the help of advanced medical gel, Qianmian's injuries are healing rapidly.

His unstable form gradually stabilized, transforming into an ordinary-looking gray-skinned humanoid creature.

"The Bonebreakers are finished... the entire West Wharf is finished..."

Qianmian was still shaken as she watched the news footage projected from outside.

"My lord, how did you manage to do that? That's the Purifier fleet of the Star Devouring Cult; they never listen to reason."

"I simply gave them a reason they couldn't refuse."

Su Chen said calmly, not wanting to elaborate on the matter. He was more concerned about something else.

"Let's talk about the auction. My two 'old friends' should be here by now."

Qianmian immediately became serious, and he quickly operated on his personal terminal:

"Yes, sir. The two targets you mentioned have already entered the market. The Star Devouring Cult members are disguised as a mining merchant group from the 'Calahan' star system. They are very discreet. If it weren't for the energy characteristics you provided that I focused my investigation on, no one would have noticed them at all."

"The other one, the lone traveler codenamed 'Shadow,' is even harder to track down. He's like a real ghost, darting around the market."

"However, according to feedback from my intelligence network, he has recently been frantically inquiring about a soul medicine called 'Soul-Gathering Orchid,' seemingly in urgent need of it to treat some kind of soul trauma."

Su Chen nodded; everything was as he had expected.

The Cult of the Star Eaters' goal is the Remnant Map, while Shadow's goal, besides revenge, is to heal his soul, which has been tormented by the "Mark of the Reaper."

Now, he needs to see for himself the location and condition of his two arch-enemies.

I'm going out for a bit.

Su Chen said to Qianmian:

"You stay here and continue to monitor their movements. If anything unusual happens, notify me immediately."

"Yes, sir."

Su Chen changed his appearance again, transforming into a thin, gloomy-eyed bounty hunter, and walked into the bustling street.

This time, he didn't try to hide himself, but rather, like a drop of water merging into the ocean, he became one of the chaotic crowd.

But all his senses have been elevated to their peak.

He didn't use any technological scanning equipment, as that would have made him too easy to detect.

What he relied on was the unique "connection" between himself and these two enemies.

He had devoured the "Reaper's Mark" and was intimately familiar with the Star Eater Cult's aura of laws, which was a mixture of fanaticism and death.

He had also fought against the Shadow's will avatar and vividly remembered the soul fluctuations filled with resentment and madness.

He closed his eyes, and his spiritual power spread out silently like a spider web.

He filtered out the surrounding noise and emotions, focusing only on finding those two unique "flavors".

He soon made a discovery.

In a store selling high-tech cybernetic devices, he "smelled" that familiar, cold aura belonging to the Star Devouring Cult.

He pretended to be passing by casually and saw through the glass window several people dressed in expensive clothes who looked like wealthy businessmen talking to the shop owner.

They appeared polite on the surface, but Su Chen could sense that each of them possessed a terrifying power hidden within them, like a desolate star.

He didn't linger; he simply memorized the location and continued searching for his next target.

Finding the shadowy figures is much more difficult.

His aura became even more subtle, filled with pretense and deception.

Su Chen changed his strategy.

He stopped actively searching and instead focused his attention on the "cosmic barrage observation channel" that only he could see.

He began to silently recite the keywords in his mind: "Shadow", "Cult of the Star Eaters", "Revenge", "Mark".

Countless chaotic comments flashed before his eyes, most of them meaningless fantasies and plans of other reborn individuals.

But Su Chen patiently sifted through the clues, searching for any possible related information.

Suddenly, a comment filled with anger and pain popped up.

[Damn it! That feeling again... those bastards are here too! I can feel it... that stench branded into my soul! Did they think I couldn't find them?]

Su Chen's heart skipped a beat—this was it!

This hysterical anger is definitely a phantom!

"They dare to show their faces again... Do they think I'm afraid? Just wait... Once I get the Soul-Gathering Orchid and repair my soul, I'll tear them all to shreds!"

Why...why does my soul begin to ache the moment I sense their presence...like countless needles piercing it...Damn Reaper's Mark! I must eradicate it completely!

Post-traumatic stress disorder!

Su Chen immediately understood.

The Shadow was tormented by the "Reaper's Mark" for too long, leaving it with severe psychological trauma.

Now, whenever he senses any aura related to the Star Devouring Cult, it triggers painful memories deep within his soul, plunging him into a semi-mad state.

This is simply... a divinely granted weakness!

In Su Chen's mind, an even more insidious and perfect plan instantly took shape.

He originally just wanted the Shadow and the Star Eater Cult to fight each other.

But now it seems that he can completely control this "mad dog," making it bite people more accurately and frantically.

The Star Eater Cult is the explosive, Shadow's PTSD is the fuse, and he himself will be the "spark" that ignites the fuse.

He focused his mental energy in the direction from which the comments were coming.

In a shady tavern on the edge of the market, he "saw" a man wearing a large cloak, completely shrouded in shadow.

The man was sitting alone in the corner, the wine glass on the table untouched, but his body was trembling slightly.

found it.

Su Chen withdrew all his senses and turned back to the safe house. A cold smile played on his lips.

"Thousand Faces, can you check if the 'Soul-Gathering Orchid' is also in this sealed-bid auction?"

"Yes, sir. And it's a very sought-after item."

"Very good." A glint of light flashed in Su Chen's eyes.

"Prophet," he cried in his heart:

"Let's do a small experiment."

"Let's analyze the original data of the 'Reaper's Mark' that we've devoured, and see if we can... replicate one."