Chapter 21: The Willow is Dark and the Flower is Bright (Three)

  Zhang Fan made a gesture, indicating that the boss didn't need to call out, he could choose for himself. As someone who had lived in the icy and snowy lands for many years, Zhang Fan's knowledge in this aspect was absolutely professional-grade, he had enough judgment to choose equipment suitable for such situations.

  He picked up a mountaineering suit, and Zhang Fan slightly furrowed his brow. This was a standard-issue ice and snow climbing suit, made by a well-known manufacturer, and most people who went mountain climbing wore this kind of thing. But in Zhang Fan's eyes, this mountaineering suit that looked pretty good to outsiders had many drawbacks: it was too bulky, its warmth retention wasn't the best, and wearing it would have a big impact on his physical agility.

  Turning his head to look at the mountaineering boots, warm socks and other equipment again, Zhang Fan couldn't help but sigh. These things were certainly sufficient for ordinary people, but for his requirements, there was no doubt that not wearing them would be better than wearing them.

  "What's wrong, sir? Is there anything that doesn't satisfy you?" The boss was undoubtedly a master of observing facial expressions. Although Zhang Fan's expression changed very subtly, he still came forward.

  "Boss, do you have something a bit lighter...?" Zhang Fan said as he rummaged through the goods in his hand, but suddenly, his voice stopped!

  "What?" The boss was fully focused on listening to him speak, but unexpectedly only heard a snippet, and couldn't help but ask in some confusion.

  "It's nothing, it's nothing, thank you!" Zhang Fan came back to his senses and didn't even bother explaining to the boss, he directly rushed out of the door.

  "Strange Oriental people!" The boss muttered, turned around, scratched his hair and walked back.

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  The crowd on the street is no longer crowded, and with Zhang Fan's skill, it's like a fish in water. Although he doesn't seem to be walking fast, he quickly covers a distance of over 10 meters and arrives at a phone booth. Following his line of sight, you can see that about 10 meters away from the phone booth, a figure in black is bending down looking at something. That figure is one of the four men in black who appeared in the countess's room on the day she died!

  It was because of the glimpse of this figure appearing on the street corner that Zhang Fan had just lost his composure and rushed out. Originally, in that brief glance, Zhang Fan couldn't determine if the other party was really one of the four people, but at such a close distance, he truly confirmed the other's identity.

  Although it cannot be determined whether the other party is or is not a person from that mysterious organization, based on their behavior on the day of the countess's death, these four people are absolutely suspicious!

  Due to Ouni's unexpected disappearance, this clue had almost been completely cut off. At this time, a person with connections suddenly appeared, and Zhang Fan only tried it regardless of whether it was a mule or a horse - at least this was much better than crashing around like a headless fly in the snow-capped Alps.

  Just as Zhang Fan was secretly sighing "the mountain is exhausted and the water is at an end, with no road to follow, but then another village appears beyond the willows", the black-clad man who had just been staring motionlessly at his own feet suddenly raised his head, his eyes intentionally or unintentionally glancing in Zhang Fan's direction!

  Zhang Fan was startled, although he knew that due to the angle of view, the other party was unlikely to see him, but he still couldn't help but shrink his body slightly. He almost forgot that although the other party didn't have superpowers, in terms of martial arts skills, they were absolutely on par with himself! If he wasn't careful, it was very likely that he would be discovered by the other party.

  All masters, when being peeped at, will have a kind of instinctive feeling - the difference lies in that due to the varying strengths and weaknesses of human spirit, this feeling also has its strong and weak points. Ones like Zhang Fan are extremely rare.

  Fortunately, the man in black may have just felt something was off and glanced over this way, but after not finding anything out of place, he turned his head back around, expressionless, and stood still, staring at the ground.

  "What the hell is going on?" After waiting for a long time and still not seeing any movement, Zhang Fan's heart couldn't help but feel anxious. Originally, he wasn't someone who got flustered easily, but the recent events had really made him feel depressed, and with what Xiaoxue had just said about Li Lan's change in attitude, it also gave him a sense of impending doom. "Standing still on the street like this, are you performing some kind of street art?"

  Fortunately, he didn't have to wait too long. The man in black finally moved. However, his behavior was very strange and not like that of an expert - if it were an expert, at least before taking action, he would turn his head to see if there's anything suspicious around him, but the man in black suddenly turned around and left!

  "Hmm, is this guy incredibly skilled or just extremely reckless? He was so fierce just a moment ago!" Zhang Fan followed the black-clad man as he turned around. However, given the situation earlier, he didn't dare to follow too closely, only making sure not to let the black-clad man out of his sight.

  As a private detective, Zhang Fan was extremely professional at this kind of tailing job, and there were even several times when he arrived ahead of the man in black to wait for his appearance. The man in black seemed to be completely unaware that someone was following him, walking away without looking back, which made Zhang Fan's prepared contingency plans fall through.

  "This guy's reaction is a bit too slow, isn't it?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but feel more and more suspicious as he watched the black-clothed man's pace and speed, as well as the aura that inadvertently revealed itself. Clearly, this was an exceptional expert - the way the black-clothed man moved was exactly the same as Zhang Fan's just now, although it didn't seem like there was anything special about it. However, unintentionally, he had easily traversed a distance that would be almost unimaginable to ordinary people.

  He navigated through the crowd with ease, blending in seamlessly, as if a drop of water had merged into the ocean. Yet, at the same time, he seemed utterly different from the people around him. As they approached him, they instinctively gave way, as if he were a sharp blade, exuding an aura of danger that commanded respect and inspired caution. These two vastly disparate styles converged in one person, creating a sense of perfect harmony.

  Born into the world, yet entering the world. Zhang Fan looked at his back, and his eyes couldn't help but twitch. He didn't expect that in this distant Western world, there would still be someone who could display these two qualities so well! —— Even in his hometown, among the people Zhang Fan had met, those with these two distinct qualities were only a handful of people.