As the captain with the most battle experience present, Han Nuo was the first to realize the enemy’s trick.
It was a classic bait-and-ambush!
Unfortunately, even with the realization, there was no time to react.
Three slashes of throat-cutting blades came down, and only Bai Xiaozhi sensed the danger in time to resist.
As for Wu Xiaomi and Huang Xiao, Wu Xiaomi saw nothing, and Huang Xiao was a non-combatant.
Their deaths were inevitable!
Yet, in that life-or-death moment, Bai Xiaozhi didn’t block the blade aimed at her.
【Thunder Prison Instant Kill】
This time, Han Nuo finally saw the move targeting him through a third-person perspective.
The air tingled with electricity as a ripple of lightning, centered on Bai Xiaozhi, spread out in an instant, sweeping over all living beings nearby.
Where the ripple passed, the assassins’ necks were branded with dark purple lightning runes.
“Bang bang bang—”
Three sounds.
Three assassins.
A fleeting image of the girl’s graceful thunder shadow appeared behind them for a split second.
Then, blood sprayed from the backs of their heads, especially from the assassin who had attacked Wu Xiaomi, whose blood splattered the highest.
The sword was sheathed.
…
The assassins collapsed.
Outside, the Xin Huo members who’d been throat-cut were held steady and rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.
【What just happened?】 Wu Xiaomi typed, completely oblivious.
“Nothing much, just caught a few old mice.” Bai Xiaozhi grabbed the assassin who attacked Wu Xiaomi by the hair.
That assassin hadn’t fallen onto Wu Xiaomi after all.
But Huang Xiao wasn’t so lucky, stained with blood from head to toe.
【? There are mice here?】
“A big one. Interrogation duty’s on you, Han Nuo. Looks like you’re better at this kind of thing.”
“Miss, do you remember who you used this move on last time? And now you want the victim to do your dirty work?” Han Nuo pointed at the bandages wrapped around his head.
“Not doing it?” Bai Xiaozhi raised an eyebrow.
“No. But you do have over a hundred thousand points. If you’re willing to share half, I might reconsider…”
“Forget it. Kang Jie, it’s time to avenge the Xin Huo members who were wounded.”
“Just as I thought.”
Han Nuo accepted the task.
It was all for the future of humanity; the iron fist of Xin Huo had nothing to do with the other Ark members’ thoughts.
They quickly bound the assassins tightly, inspected their teeth, searched their bodies, then splashed cold water on one of them to wake him up.
Before Han Nuo could speak, the assassin laughed.
“Wu Xiaomi, Bai Xiaozhi, Huang Xiao… it seems the Raiders of the Ancient Burial District aren’t as elusive as the rumors say.”
“Who sent you? What rumors?”
“I’m from C62 District,” the assassin said without hiding anything, “Representing the Syndicate, here to test all of you.”
The Syndicate?!
“It’s hard to believe. The Syndicate’s activity in the Ancient Burial District has hit a wall and failed utterly… If it were the Religious Concentration District, it’d make sense. That place is sealed tight; we can’t infiltrate. But in the Mangu Region? We have no reason to fail.”
“So? Did you find a reason?”
“No, but if we could assassinate your strongest, we could force our way through with brute force.”
“But you failed.”
“Yes. So I beg you to spare my life, considering how straightforward I’ve been.” The assassin shrugged. “As for my other two companions, kill or maim them as you please. After all, I’m the one who gave you the intel, so you should spare me.”
So pragmatic.
“No! If it’s about assassinating strong targets, why am I on the hit list?” Huang Xiao asked. “I’m just a war correspondent. The only difference is that I’m one of the Ten Major Raider Bloggers for the Mirror Night and Beast-Face Clan War, and so are Wu Xiaomi and Bai Xiaozhi.”
Could the so-called Ten Major Raider Bloggers list actually be an assassination list?
Faced with Huang Xiao’s question, the assassin fell silent.
“You’re definitely not telling the truth,” Han Nuo forced the assassin’s mouth open and pulled out a handful of broken hairs from the item space. “This matter is serious. You’re afraid that telling the truth means you won’t live long…”
“What is that? What… what are you going to do?”
Seeing Han Nuo about to shove the hairs into his mouth, the assassin panicked.
He didn’t know what it was, and that fear only made him more terrified.
“Don’t worry, it’s just Whiskers of a Leopard, completely non-toxic. Go ahead and eat.”
Han Nuo smiled with narrowed eyes, resembling the Mangu butler, then said:
“But~ your stomach acid can’t digest it. So those hairs will pierce your stomach lining like countless sharp needles, riddling your stomach with holes, letting gastric acid leak out and corrode your abdomen and organs… In the end, you’ll digest yourself alive, dying in excruciating pain.”
“You… you devil!”
“Imagine the worst diarrhea you’ve ever had. This will feel hundreds of times worse… Since you claim to have iron bones, you should be able to endure it, right?”
“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! But once I do, you have to protect me!”
Having chosen to serve the Syndicate, the assassin naturally feared death, with no firm beliefs to speak of.
Han Nuo pointed at Kang Jie. “This gentleman next to me is the most renowned benefactor in the Ancient Burial Mountains. He’ll protect you as long as your intel is valuable.”
“Not really a benefactor, but if your intel is useful, I’m willing to provide shelter.”
With that assurance, the assassin decisively revealed everything he knew.
“I don’t know much. Our superiors only assign missions, never explain the details. But I overheard something.”
“Speak.”
The assassin gathered courage. “At this Awards Ceremony, to show sincerity to us guests, the organizers prepared a very generous rewards budget. They planned to give all the rewards to the winners.”
“And?”
“But among these ten, one belongs to the Syndicate. Meaning if the other nine die, all the rewards go to him alone.”
Ridiculous.
Do they think the organizers are fools?
“If nine die and only one is left, wouldn’t the organizers just pick nine more as replacements?”
“Don’t ask me why. I only overheard the news. But when our superiors took the mission, they asked the same question. They confirmed it’s true.”
Is this an Awards Ceremony or a competition of internal sabotage?
Everyone looked at Wu Xiaomi.
If that was the case, in her current state, she was in great danger.
“Then let’s go back.”
【I’m not going back!】
Wu Xiaomi quickly typed, her handwriting already crooked but becoming messier from haste.
Luckily, Bai Xiaozhi could understand her.
“You’re not going back? What are you staying here for? Waiting to die?”
【Don’t underestimate me! I’m in great condition! Except I can’t see or speak, I have no other problems!】
…That’s a pretty big problem.
【I have Spirit Hunting Instinct, my perception is sharper than yours, and I’m the best at catching thieves!】
“No! That’s nonsense!”
Bai Xiaozhi grabbed Wu Xiaomi’s wrist. “Come back with me!”
However, the return attempt failed.
【Sorry, forgot I’m still under imprisonment】 (√)
The witch said no leaving before paying the medicine fee.
She probably didn’t expect this situation either.
“Oh, right.”
The assassin stared at Wu Xiaomi for a long moment before speaking again. “Have you checked the comment section under that video?”
“What?”
“The one where she’s dancing.”
“What about it?”
“Someone there claimed to be your parent.”