After Xu Fang finished typing, he threw the manuscript to Ma Youcai and said, "If you're not satisfied with it, you can make some changes."

Ma Youcai read it and looked dumbfounded.

It took him a while to accept that Xu Fang was able to type 50,000 characters in just over half an hour, and the sentences were smooth with no errors.

Most importantly, Xu Fang's writing was much better than his! There were not as many flaws, he understood the plot, and there were all the satisfying elements, like a seasoned driver who had immersed himself in internet novels for a long time. Ma Youcai couldn't help but start looking forward to the next chapters.

"Um... Xu Fang, is there more to the story? Did the protagonist really defeat his father-in-law? But isn't that a bit too high-profile?"

"Um... this is your script, whether they win or not is up to you. Just submit it quickly." Xu Fang didn't seem to have any intention to continue writing.

"Oh... okay..."

Xu Fang took out a piece of paper and drew a portrait with a ballpoint pen. "Help me look this person up. His name is Lanade, the owner of Anke Casino. Find out everything about him and his family. The more information, the better."

Xu Fang didn't use his ability to burn the paper, as it would make the paper fragile and the carbon easily detached.

Lianyue took the paper and glanced at it, nodding. "Understood."

"Ma Youcai, if you have nothing to do, get some rest and save your energy. I'll go downstairs to scavenge for something." After giving the instructions, Xu Fang jumped out of the window.

Ma Youcai's eyes widened, "Wait... this is the sixth floor..."

He went to the edge of the window and looked down, but he didn't see anything.

"It's fine, don't be so surprised." Lianyue was already accustomed to this. She sat in front of her laptop, her nimble fingers typing on the keyboard quickly, writing a simple web crawler code to extract relevant information about "Lanade" and "Anke Casino" from popular websites.

But Lanade wasn't a fool, and he definitely took measures to keep things confidential. So Lianyue used the TOR virtual channel to enter the deep web, and this time she made some discoveries.

"Neon, do you need help?" Ma Youcai leaned over to see what she was doing, but couldn't understand anything. He curiously asked, "Are you 'flesh-searching'?"

Lianyue laughed, "No, Xu Fang's request is more advanced than that. He wants me to dig out everything about this person, not just his true identity, but also many of his unsavory secrets. I'm very curious about what Xu Fang wants to do... Oh my, it seems that Lanade has some special background, this could be troublesome..."

"You can find all that out?" Ma Youcai exclaimed, "How come I can't find anything on Baidu?"

Lianyue took a deep breath, realizing it would be difficult to explain this to her pumpkin-headed partner. "Ma Youcai, search engines like Baidu and Google can only access surface information. There is a lot of hidden information in the deep web that they miss. If you want to get more valuable information, you have to use special programs to access the deep web, that's the real internet."

Ma Youcai didn't fully grasp it and asked in a daze, "Then why couldn't you find information about the Association? Don't they interact with society?"

"There are two reasons. Either they have hidden themselves so well that even I can't find them, or they simply don't leave any trace behind."

"Do you need my help?"

"It would be best if you don't distract me with noise," Lianyue said gently.

"Okay..." Ma Youcai awkwardly smiled.

...

Xu Fang brought back some junk, and it was unclear where he found them. There were metal, PCB boards, plastic, and so on.

He threw the junk on the ground, took off his hood, leaned against the wall, and stared at them in deep thought, seemingly lost in his own world.

"What are you going to do with these?" Ma Youcai squatted in front of the junk, curious.

"I originally wanted to make a hydrogen balloon, but now I've given up."

"Ah? Why?"

"There are too many people in Boston."

"What does that have to do with not making a hydrogen balloon? Are we not going up in the air anymore?"

"It's not you going up. I plan to send a part of my body up, so I can monitor the entire Boston and distinguish between authors and ordinary people. However, lead-acid batteries can't sustain the energy consumption required for monitoring. Unless I increase the weight of the battery, but that would require increasing the size of the hydrogen balloon, which increases the risk."

"Do you want me to find Kana's location through another method?" Lianyue peered out from the screen's edge. "Do you need me to hack into some surveillance cameras? The city's monitoring network is interconnected with many nodes, bypassing the central hub. I can crack their encryption systems for our use."

"Not yet," Xu Fang said. "I have a better way to locate Kana."

"What way?" Ma Youcai asked.

"I won't tell you for now," Xu Fang said mysteriously.

Ma Youcai was taken aback, not because Xu Fang was deliberately keeping him in suspense, but because Gussy was overly cute. If it had a blank expression, he could treat it as a living doll. But if it interacted and communicated like a normal person... he felt defenseless.

In terms of appearance, Miss Lianyue was more attractive to men. She was intelligent, beautiful, had a great figure, and was skilled in many areas. Her behavior was elegant, and one could hardly find any flaws. But her excellence made Ma Youcai feel inadequate, especially considering her past special relationship with Zhang Xinyuan.

"What do I need to do then? I'm almost done resting. Give me something to do," Ma Youcai grinned.

"Have you submitted your manuscript?"

"Yes, just about ten thousand words."

"Then you're good. Take a good rest," Xu Fang said and started doing her own thing.

Looking at Lianyue still busy in front of the computer, and then at Xu Fang sorting through junk, Ma Youcai muttered in disappointment, "Why do I feel like I'm a useless person... Besides the character settings, what use do I have?"

"Like a mascot or something?"

"Pfft... Hahaha! Um, excuse me."

Somehow, Lianyue suddenly burst into laughter, as if she had touched upon something strange.

"Just kidding," Xu Fang said. "Xiao Ma, as the author, you have inherent superiority. Your existence is valuable, and as long as you live diligently, it's enough!"

Ma Youcai had never heard such words before in all his years. His parents and teachers always demanded strictness from him, only to be disappointed time and time again.

There was no choice. He knew he was just mediocre, his brain not functioning well. No matter how hard he studied, he couldn't catch up to the top students. Even in his favorite video games, he couldn't perform well, getting harassed in ranked matches.

Ma Youcai had long realized that he had no talents whatsoever. He gradually learned to belittle himself so that he could accept reality calmly. When he saw other outstanding people in the future, he could even self-mockingly say, "I'm just a nobody, can't compare to the rising stars."

Who would have thought that someone he had just met for less than a day could say such heartwarming words to him, moving him deeply.

Ma Youcai smiled and said, "With that, Xu Fang, you're my boss. Whatever you ask me to do, I'll do it!"

Lianyue shook her head. "Such a good man to exploit."

...

Early the next morning, the three of them cleared all traces and left their hideout.

Before leaving, Xu Fang gave Ma Youcai and Lianyue each a handgun and a few bullets. "These are weapons made to resemble the 01 gun. Take them with you."

"01 gun? I've never heard of that model," Lianyue took the handgun and examined it. "Aluminum alloy body, thermoplastic handle... Did you make these from that pile of scrap?"

"Yes."

"It's quite heavy," Ma Youcai fiddled with the handgun and looked at Xu Fang. "Are we going to have a showdown with the Association?"

Lianyue smiled. "I think its purpose is not for self-protection but to increase a sense of security."

"Even though I have never used a gun, I do feel safer," Ma Youcai said.

Xu Fang looked up at the sunny and cloudless sky, a perfect day for shopping.

"We'll meet Kana today. Before that, Lianyue, Xiao Ma, is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

Lianyue thought for a moment and said, "I want to buy some clothes, at least to change out of this outfit."

She was still wearing the coat she had worn when fleeing, with a few blood stains on the sleeves, and her pants were also stained with dirt. Although she had cleaned them up as best as she could, the stains weren't easy to remove.

Ma Youcai said, "I want to have a nice meal. That bread from yesterday had no taste."

"Afterwards, let's go buy clothes and then have dinner," the person said.

The three of them took a car to the commercial district. Although they were just here to buy clothes, once they entered the mall, they couldn't stop shopping.

After going around in circles, Ma Youcai had acquired a Rolex and a flashy gold chain around his neck.

"Oh no, it seems like I'm running out of money!" Ma Youcai slapped his forehead.

The association had given him $100,000, and he had been basking in luxury, indulging in all kinds of high-end consumption. It wasn't until now that he realized his bank account was almost empty.

It wasn't that he was wasting money, but that everywhere tempted him to spend.

"The evil capitalism!" Ma Youcai complained.

"I really can't do anything about you. I have 700,000 left, with 600,000 belonging to Xin Yuanjun. Let's split it evenly," Lian Yue glanced at Xu Fang.

Xu Fang said, "I don't need it."

"Well, this is 300,000. Use it sparingly," Lian Yue handed Ma Youcai three cards. This money was transferred from the association account to other cards.

"You're such a great teammate. Thank you, Miss Lian Yue!" Ma Youcai looked overjoyed.

"Why don't you continue calling me Neon Sister?" Lian Yue raised her lips, teasing him.

Ma Youcai laughed, "People are always short-handed."

At this point, Ma Youcai suddenly felt the weight of the bank cards in his hand. After all, this had once been Xin Yuan's money. The reason he could stand here was the result of Xin Yuan's sacrifice and Lian Yue's efforts. He was simply fortunate enough to have escaped an ordeal.

Heize Lian Yue changed into new clothes.

She was familiar with clothing brands and matching. After entering the mall, she only took 10 minutes from trying on to placing an order, as if she had rehearsed it many times - Lian Yue had a strong sense of time, and she had already planned what she wanted to buy, so she wouldn't spend too much time shopping.

Wearing a long sweater coat with black velvet pants, it kept her warm while showcasing her perfect leg curve and adding a lively and cute charm. As soon as Lian Yue walked out of the fitting room, she became the center of attention for the men around her. Different people may have different aesthetic tastes, but their perception of beautiful things tends to be consistent.

Fortunately, Lian Yue and the others had been wearing masks, so they didn't attract too much attention.

Ma Youcai vaguely felt that people were pointing at him, probably mistaking his relationship with Lian Yue, especially with a "child" by his side. It was probably due to his male vanity, and he felt a sense of satisfaction.

"Boss, do you want to change into new clothes too? Isn't it cold wearing this raincoat?" Ma Youcai looked at Xu Fang's black cloak.

Xu Fang said, "No, I still haven't found better clothes for now."

"Then let's go have a big meal!"

Everyone played and ate along the way, circling around Boston. Even Heize Lian Yue now had a high-performance laptop in her hand.

Ma Youcai was having a great time and almost forgot that they still had business to attend to.

"We should go now." Xu Fang suddenly spoke.

Lian Yue closed her laptop and stood up with Xu Fang. She smiled and asked, "Are you ready?"

"Everything is prepared."

Ma Youcai glanced at his watch; it was already 12 o'clock noon. "Are we going to meet Kena?"

"To be precise, we're going to capture someone," Lian Yue said.

"Capture someone? Are we really going to do that? Aren't we considering bringing her in as a teammate?" Ma Youcai asked.

"That will depend on whether she spills all the information about the association. Let's go!" Lian Yue urged.

Next, the group took a car and wandered around the city. Ma Youcai didn't have a clue where Xu Fang was heading, but it wasn't something he needed to worry about. He just needed to follow them.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, they got off the car and stayed at a location for 15 minutes before heading elsewhere.

However, this time, Xu Fang didn't get in the car with Lian Yue and Ma Youcai.

"Where did the Boss go?" Ma Youcai nervously looked outside from the passenger seat.

"Don't worry, Xu Fang won't leave us behind. We'll see him when we reach our destination," Lian Yue said with a smile. She took out her laptop and continued working on it.

"Where are we going now?"

"The Berkeley Music Academy."

Although they were in the middle of the road, Lianyue stopped the driver and pulled Ma Youcai off the car. After getting off, Ma Youcai saw that Xu Fang was already waiting for them outside.

"Now go to Newbury Street and meet with Kana there."

Ma Youcai was not sure what Xu Fang and Lianyue were up to, but seeing Lianyue's confident look, he knew that they must have a solid plan.

At 2:10, the three of them arrived at Newbury Street.

As soon as they got off the car, people were coming and going, the traffic was incessant, and there were many expensive restaurants and high-end shops on both sides of the street. The 19th-century buildings and the flowers and plants perfectly diluted the atmosphere of capitalism, giving people the illusion of a tourist destination.

"This place is really nice, I like it here!" Ma Youcai bought an egg roll ice cream on the side of the road. When he turned his head, he found that Xu Fang was gone again.

"He went to capture someone." Lianyue ordered a latte. "Let's sit here and wait for him~"

"Ah, you didn't drink the Starbucks last time, I thought you didn't like coffee."

"This is just a glass of milk, not coffee."

...

Ten minutes later.

Xu Fang came back, but he didn't bring anyone with him. Things didn't go as smoothly as everyone had thought.

"We need to return to our base in the suburbs immediately, we have been deceived," Xu Fang said.

"Boss, what about Kana? Did you see her?"

"I did see her, but she wasn't Kana. She was an ordinary person who looked highly similar to Kana. She had a listening device on her. After I controlled her, she disappeared."

"Disappeared? Really?" Ma Youcai widened his eyes.

"She's the Goddess of Destruction," Lianyue asked, "How did she disappear? How extensive was the disappearance?"

Xu Fang calmly replied, "Her body and clothes disappeared, and the air replaced her position. The passersby did not pay attention to the woman's disappearance."

Although Ma Youcai wasn't there in person, he still felt a chill. "Why would the Association do this? What's the point?"

"Cutting off the clues," Lianyue answered. "The Association knows that they can't kill us through that woman, so they erased all traces to avoid exposing their information. In short, this is an intentional attack by the Association on us. If we weren't careful enough, we would have been dead by now."

"What should we do now?"

Xu Fang said, "Return the favor."