The Jackal was absolutely a 'celebrity' in the lower hive!
Rumor had it that he was not originally from the lower hive, but had offended a noble in the middle-hive and was then subjected to political persecution, being forcibly exiled to the lower hive.
But Jackal's fame did not come from his origin or status.
After all, the number of people persecuted and exiled by nobles each year was at least eight thousand, if not ten thousand, which was certainly nothing to brag about.
What truly made Jackal famous was when the Crusader gang, which was entrenched in the lower hive at the time, smashed his stall.
Then, Jackal, like a ghost, infiltrated the Crusader gang without anyone noticing, cut off the head of the Crusader gang leader, and hung it at the entrance.
No one knew how Jackal did it, but from that day on, the Crusader gang, vowing to avenge their leader, mobilized all their forces.
Just when everyone thought Jackal was surely doomed, a shocking reversal occurred!
Jackal seemed to transform into a phantom, or perhaps the God of Death wielding a scythe, killing members of the Crusader gang one by one, cutting off their heads and throwing them at the gang's headquarters.
Soon, the Crusader gang collapsed; they couldn't find 'Jackal' at all, and they didn't even dare to close their eyes to sleep.
Because every time they closed their eyes, they might never open them again.
Finally, with the pile of heads growing higher and higher at the entrance, the Crusader gang completely disbanded, and no one dared to bother Jackal again.
After that incident, many people gave Jackal the nickname 'Jackal'!
It symbolized someone who, like a jackal, would relentlessly pursue a target, always ready to deliver a fatal blow, cruel and cunning.
When Emrys learned that the other person was 'Jackal' Jackal, amidst his shock, a thought suddenly emerged.
Should he tell Jackal about the cult?
But very quickly, this thought was extinguished.
Not to mention whether Jackal would believe it, even if he did tell him, what guarantee was there that he would be willing to help?
Considering it more deeply, without knowing the scale of the cult, Emrys couldn't determine whether Jackal was even a member of the cult.
He dared not gamble, because once he lost, the price would be his life!
Jackal, thinking he couldn't produce money, flicked his cigarette ash and sneered, "Kid, don't tell me you have nothing and still expect me to help?"
"No, esteemed Sir Jackal."
Emrys threw the gold nuggets wrapped in cloth from his arms directly over: "I wonder if these are enough as 'sincerity'?"
Clang!
The cloth-wrapped gold nuggets landed on the table with a dull thud.
"Metal?"
Jackal raised an eyebrow, seemingly a little interested.
"You can take a look, Sir Jackal," Emrys deliberately kept him in suspense.
In fact, he was also very nervous; after all, gold was hard currency in 2K, but it might not be in 40K.
Under his somewhat nervous gaze, Jackal tore open the cloth, revealing the irregular, yellow, gleaming gold nuggets inside.
The reason for this was that he had deliberately used psychic power to mold the neat gold bars into chunks, to avoid anything unusual being discovered.
"This is... gold?"
Jackal's tone suddenly rose a few degrees, and his eyes showed surprise: "Where did you find this stuff?"
"In the 0-4 waste disposal site," Emrys casually fabricated the origin: "I pried it off a very ornate clock; it should be quite valuable, right?"
Jackal held the irregular gold nuggets, looking at Emrys thoughtfully: "This stuff is called gold. It's rarely seen in the lower hive and middle-hive; only nobles in the Upper Hive use it. Its value is hard to estimate, but it's definitely much higher than you imagine."
Hearing his description, Emrys finally breathed a sigh of relief, then said, "Then I'll trouble you to arrange my smuggling into the middle-hive as soon as possible."
"The value of this is enough to exchange for a middle-hive resident ID."
Jackal looked at him meaningfully and said, "Are you sure you only need to be smuggled in, and don't need my help to get a resident ID?"
"You can get a resident ID?"
Now, Emrys was truly shocked; just how capable was this guy?
"Yes, but it will take three months," Jackal said lightly, playing with the gold nuggets: "I, Jackal, always hate to be at a disadvantage, but I also never take advantage. What do you say, kid?"
Three months was too long; by the time the resident ID was processed, the cult would probably have reached the Upper Hive. What good would it be then?
Emrys sighed inwardly and shook his head, refusing: "No, just smuggling will do."
"Oh?"
Jackal squinted, seemingly scrutinizing Emrys.
A moment later, he grinned, picked up the rolled cigarette from the table, lit it, and took a deep puff: "Alright, you pay, I work. As for the reason, I won't ask."
Emrys nodded calmly: "As soon as possible, I'm in a hurry."
"Come find me in three days, and I'll take you to the middle-hive."
Jackal flicked his cigarette ash and said indifferently: "One gold nugget is enough for smuggling. I won't take advantage of you for the remaining two. Any other requests?"
"High-purity energy, deflection field generators, weapons, protective gear, anything is fine," Emrys said without hesitation.
These were the things he currently lacked most, especially 'high-purity energy'.
"Heh, these things aren't that easy to get your hands on."
Jackal looked up at him thoughtfully, then grinned and said, "However, it's not a problem for me. Forget about deflection fields; even the top nobles don't have many of those. The rest can be arranged. Any special requirements?"
That powerful?
Emrys was somewhat shocked; it seemed Jackal's background was even deeper than he imagined.
After a moment of thought, he shook his head and said directly, "No special requirements. The more powerful the weapon, the better."
"Kid, you're not planning to assassinate a noble, are you?"
Jackal looked at him suspiciously; getting such powerful equipment to smuggle into the middle-hive seemed to have ulterior motives.
"I'm not an idiot, and I certainly am not suicidal."
Emrys smiled wryly, shaking his head to explain: "Actually, it's because I offended some people and am forced to seek refuge in the middle-hive. The weapons are purely for self-preservation, it's that simple."
"Oh, I see."
For some reason, Emrys always felt that Jackal seemed a little regretful?
"Alright, I've noted it down."
The fleeting regret in Jackal's eyes disappeared, and he said seriously: "Come find me again in three days. If there's nothing else, you can leave."
"I look forward to seeing you in three days, Sir Jackal."
The deal was struck, Emrys bowed slightly in acknowledgment, then decisively turned and left.
He trusted 'Jackal's character; after all, this guy was famous in the lower hive for repaying kindness and avenging wrongs.
Looking down from the second floor at the departing Emrys, Jackal weighed the gold nuggets in his hand and couldn't help but sneer: "Heh, a kid full of lies. Even if those idiots in the Upper Hive were dumber, they wouldn't throw gold into the lower hive."
He knew very well that this kid definitely had a secret, but... Jackal couldn't be bothered to investigate.
There were too many people with secrets these days; if he were to investigate every single one, where would he find the energy?
Moreover, Jackal found this kid very interesting.
It was as if a voice in the back of his mind was telling him that this kid would bring him a big surprise in the future.
Just then, another thin, shrewd tall man rushed up to the second floor, lowering his voice in a panic: "It's bad, boss, something big has happened!"
"What big thing? Catch your breath before you speak."
Jackal calmly turned around, sat composedly in his chair, lit a cheap rolled cigarette, crossed his legs, and exuded a steady demeanor.
As if influenced by Jackal's calm demeanor, the tall, thin man took several deep breaths. After calming down, he said with a grave expression: "Just now, the Hammer Skulls gang was wiped out by the Iron Crows gang!"
"This is what you call a big deal?"
Jackal looked at the tall, thin man with amusement, saying impatiently: "This little bit of nonsense scares you like this? It'll be a big deal when all the gangs in the lower hive are dead."
So what if a gang was wiped out? What kind of big deal was that?!
"Oh, my boss, it's certainly not that simple!" The tall, thin man's face turned pale, and he swallowed, saying cautiously: "Not only was the Hammer Skulls gang wiped out, but over three hundred scavengers in the East District were also killed by the Iron Crows gang, not a single one left!"
"Over three hundred scavengers killed by the Iron Crows gang?"
Hearing this, Jackal's brows immediately furrowed, and his previously relaxed posture suddenly tensed his back.
"Yes, nearly half of all the scavengers in the entire East District, except for those who didn't go today, are basically all dead!"
The tall, thin man wiped away cold sweat, still seemingly a bit scared, his voice trembling slightly: "You didn't see it, the entire junkyard was dyed red with blood. The Iron Crows gang people were too cruel!"
"Only blood? No bodies?"
A bad premonition suddenly surfaced in Jackal's mind, and he quickly pressed for an answer.
"No, no, I didn't see any bodies." The tall, thin man scratched his head and said, "There was just blood, and no scavengers returned."
Jackal sat back in his chair, but his eyes were now filled with doubt.
No bodies?