I write obituaries for the gods

"Your name is?"

"Vemir Perenov Raskolnikov".

The elderly man gave his name.

"They call me father, perhaps because I have a kind appearance."

"A kind-looking assassin?"

As Lin Chen looked at the old man's face, some white spots of light began to swirl before his eyes.

For some reason, when Lin Chen heard the old man's name, he felt a strange...

A familiar feeling.

"To be honest, I don't think you're like an assassin."

"Who knows? Perhaps killing doesn't always require guns, knives, and flowing blood?"

Velemir smiled and nodded:

"Thomas Lin, you've come here not necessarily to discuss business, have you?"

Lin Chen frowned slightly:

“How come you see?”

“You don’t seem like a businessman, you’re more like a warrior,” Velemir said softly. “A warrior coming to the Silver District at this time of year probably isn’t here for money, and certainly not for vodka, right?”

The old man slightly raised his wine glass towards Lin Chen:

"What are you looking for?"

Seeing the old man raise his wine glass, Lin Chen calmly pressed his hand on his waist.

This old guy... he looks extraordinary.

Seemingly sensing Lin Chen's fleeting wariness, Velemir smiled.

“Don’t worry, once you’re here, you’re a friend,” he said. “If you’re not looking for a knife, then look for an ear. If you need any information, I can get it for you.”

"Any intelligence?" Lin Chen raised an eyebrow.

"Anything, including those...things that can't be brought to light."

Velemir chuckled, his deep blue eyes flickering slightly.

"As you can see, I am somewhat capable and can foresee some things, so when it comes to intelligence gathering, I am quite adept in St. Peterstown."

"So, as long as your payment is right, I can tell you any information."

"..."

Upon hearing Velemer's words, Lin Chen sensed that something was amiss.

He couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, but his intuition told him that the old man in front of him was definitely not as simple as he seemed.

After a brief moment of consideration, Lin Chen spoke:

"I need to know where those demigod corpses acquired from the Liberty District went?"

Abyss crystals require the corpses of demigods as raw materials, and most of those corpses come from the war-torn Liberty region.

Almost all of the American army's demigod reserves died there, and by the time the Bureau of Investigation arrived, only the Democracy Guardian was left as a lone commander.

Such a large volume of transportation will definitely leave a mark in Baiyin District.

Finding this trace is equivalent to finding the factory.

Asking in this way would not expose Lin Chen's true purpose, but would also indirectly reveal the location of the Abyss Crystal Factory.

"..."

Faced with Lin Chen's question, Velemeremir pondered for a moment.

“I know where it is,” he said.

"What kind of compensation do you need?" Lin Chen asked directly. "As long as the price is reasonable and the information is true, I can meet your needs."

"Heh, name your price? I don't need money, young man."

Velemer shook his head slightly.

"Answer me a question, okay?"

Answer a question? Lin Chen frowned.

He became more alert and said softly:

"May I ask you something?"

"This question... is very simple, just a simple discussion."

Velemer raised his head and looked up at the dark ceiling.

"You've seen the state of St. Peter's town now. On the surface, our town is still prosperous, like a pearl in the snow, but behind the scenes, the Brotherhood has long colluded with the Mercury Society and turned this place into a... prison."

"No one can get out. Everyone is a part of this prison, and together we are guarding the secret deep inside, the truth that cannot be seen in the light."

Velemir leaned back slightly:

"At this point, a leader stepped forward and argued that such continued prosperity was nothing but a false prosperity that would one day crumble due to unforeseen circumstances, and that no flower could grow from corrupt soil."

"He encouraged people to join him in breaking the town's lockdown, rushing out of the snow, and welcoming the newborn sunshine."

"At this moment, a prophet stepped forward and advised the people not to act rashly. He warned them that he had already seen the consequences of trying to break the status quo: the Brotherhood's guns poured into the crowd, and death bloomed like mandalas in the snow... Rather than pursuing a breakthrough, it is better to embrace a false peace, at least in this way, the townspeople can still survive."

At this point, Velemir raised his head and looked directly into Lin Chen's eyes:

I'd like to hear... your thoughts.

"Break free from the cage, or maintain the status quo?"

......

Chapter 42 Key Intelligence (6000 words)

Break free from the cage, or maintain the status quo?

In the dim light, Lin Chen stared directly into the old man's deep blue eyes.

After considering for a moment, he spoke softly:

"If you keep putting yourself on the chopping block, even if you are safe in the short term, disaster will eventually come in the long run."

"After all, by doing this, you are handing over your right to choose."

"So, if I had to choose, I think we need to break free of the cage."

"Oh..."

Velemir nodded slightly:

"What if the price of breaking free of the cage is destined to be destruction? After all, the prophet has already seen the future."

Lin Chen shook his head:

"If the end result is death anyway, then I might as well choose my own way of dying."

"Moreover, is what the prophet says necessarily true? Even a prophet may not be able to see the whole picture of the future."

He inexplicably thought of Li Zhanyi, who clearly possessed the ability to predict the future, yet was completely unable to predict anything related to Lin Chen.

He then thought of what Xileina had said: even the legendary "Laplace's Demon" could not perfectly predict the behavior of "demigods".

Every prophecy seems to have flaws.

"I see, your answer has been very enlightening."

Velemer smiled and nodded, then took an envelope out of his pocket and pushed it to Lin Chen.

"The demigod's corpse is here; you can inspect it now."

Lin Chen took the envelope, opened it, and looked at the address on it.

“St. Peter’s Orphanage…” Lin Chen murmured the name.

He emptied a pile of photos from the envelope and looked at the images: a truck was parked in front of the orphanage, and body bags were being unloaded.

The body bags were brought into the hall, and a dark blue liquid seeped from their edges.

Lin Chen raised his head, looked at the kind old man, and frowned slightly:

How did you know in advance what information I needed?

Even the photos are ready?

Moreover... when Lin Chen knocked on the door, the old man replied to him directly in Chinese.

He knew Lin Chen was Chinese even before he saw him?

Velemer held out his hand and gently made a "shh" gesture.

“Prophets exist,” he said, “but they are usually not understood by people.”

He raised his glass again and waved it at Lin Chen:

"Our deal is over, Thomas. Hopefully our paths will cross again in the future."

After staring at the old man for a while, Lin Chen stood up and put on his top hat.

“Thank you for your intelligence, Raskolnikov,” he said.

"You're welcome."

Velemer smiled and shook his head:

"We are merely exchanging equals."

.......

After Lin Chen left the room, Jiang Zhengge and Oswald had already left the Black Bear Tavern.

He left the pub without making a sound and went straight to 36 Santa Monica Boulevard.

When Lin Chen pushed open the door to room 307 of the Vodka Hostel, a strong smell of burning wafted out.

He pinched his nose and looked at the chair in the center of the room: a man was tied up there, with electrodes attached to his body, looking blank.

Oswald stood behind him, cleaning up the mess.

Lin Chen suddenly felt that his ecological niche was sliding towards the villain.

“This kid was trying to extort money from us, and we just happened to take advantage of the situation to lure him here,” Jiang Zhengge said, wiping his hands with a towel. “The good news is that we did manage to extract some intelligence.”

“I’ve also obtained some intelligence,” Lin Chen said.

“Let’s go to the next room,” Jiang Zhengge said. “We can leave this to Aus for now.”

"Okay." Lin Chen nodded; he had long been unable to stand the strange smell.

He followed Jiang Zhengge to the next room and sat down at the desk.

“The Mercury Society is preparing to retreat, and they will be empty soon,” Jiang Zhengge said bluntly. “Before they leave, they will destroy the entire town and leave no evidence.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen immediately shrank back.

"It's this big right from the start?"

“The incident at the port of Liberty has alarmed them. The Mercury Society is always very perceptive,” Jiang Zhengge said. “They will destroy the town with napalm and then leave.”

At this point, Jiang Zhengge let out a soft breath:

"Our plan is going to fall through. It's no longer realistic to slowly search for the factory's location. Once the napalm bombs are dropped, all traces will be erased."

"It seems we'll have to resort to tough measures."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen immediately shook his head:

"I've found the location of the factory."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhengge was completely stunned.

He stared at Lin Chen for a long time before he finally realized what was happening:

"What? You found the factory's location? You're not..."

“That knife, he’s a bit strange,” Lin Chen frowned. “He seems to have some ability to foresee the future, and he didn’t ask me for any payment.”