Joel heard Wen Fulai’s low shout and, without hesitation, was about to pull the trigger.
Xu Nianqing decisively grabbed a handful of powder from her pocket and flung it towards Joel, inadvertently also scattering some towards Wen Fulai’s face. However, Wen Fulai was prepared. The moment he uttered the command to act, he closed his eyes and then used his elbow to strike Joel’s abdomen.
With a series of coordinated attacks, Joel truly found himself unable to cope.
He didn't know what the powder was, but after entering his respiratory tract, it made his head swim and his vision blur. What terrified him more was that his limbs felt weak, completely unable to muster any strength.
Wen Fulai seized this opportunity to break free and told Xu Nianqing, "Hide behind the tree!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots rang out from behind them. Joel was firing indiscriminately.
Joel roared, "What in the world did you do to me?! Why am I hallucinating!"
Wen Fulai and Xu Nianqing each took cover behind trees, avoiding the stray bullets.
Not far away.
Chen Jin’an had actually devised a plan, but unexpected circumstances arose. He picked up the pistol from the ground again and shot Joel’s arm, causing the gun to drop from his hand.
That wasn't all. Another bullet flew, shattering Joel’s tibia and fibula.
At this point.
Joel was completely incapacitated.
Chen Jin’an put his pistol away and quickly walked to Wen Fulai and Xu Nianqing, asking, "Are you alright? Are you okay?"
Xu Nianqing looked at Chen Jin’an with lingering fear, unable to utter a single word.
When a person’s nerves go from being taut to suddenly relaxed, their mind can’t process things, becoming completely blank. Chen Jin’an raised his hand to wipe the bloodstains from Xu Nianqing’s face and said softly, "It’s alright now. Calm down."
Xu Nianqing nodded numbly.
"Professor Wen, are you alright?" Chen Jin’an turned to ask Wen Fulai.
Wen Fulai coughed a few times. He had inhaled a significant amount of dust earlier. Chen Jin’an said worriedly, "Should I take you to the hospital now? This kind of thing shouldn't be delayed."
"No, no need," Wen Fulai waved his hand.
"Xiao Xu and I took the antidote in the laboratory long ago. From then on, we deliberately let Joel inhale the colorless and odorless agent. Once the effects spread throughout his body, we used that white powder to stimulate him, causing Joel to hallucinate and lose his sense of direction."
Chen Jin’an finally understood, his heart finally at ease.
"That’s good."
"Please wait a moment. I'll interrogate this fellow first."
Joel’s limbs were crippled, and he was half-dead.
Chen Jin’an kicked the gun away from Joel's feet, then crouched down and patted Joel's cheek. "You are Joel? From the Black Blood organization. Do you have any accomplices? I also want to know where your Black Blood headquarters is located."
The Black Blood organization was one of the most mysterious organizations in the world.
This was not only because of their formidable power and numerous experts but also because their headquarters had never been discovered by anyone.
Chen Jin’an suspected that the Black Blood organization had an intricate connection with the country across the ocean.
Joel grinned and said, "Why should I tell you? Who are you?"
"I can tell you one thing: no one targeted by us Black Blood has ever escaped our grasp. You've disrupted Black Blood's plan, and you'll be targeted by the organization."
"Death will be your fate."
Chen Jin’an said with a calm expression, without the slightest ripple, "My speaking to you politely now doesn't mean I have no temper. To be honest, I've long been on the Black Blood organization's kill list. And I'm at the very top."
Joel's pupils contracted sharply.
He exclaimed in disbelief, "What? You, you are the Eye of the Candle Dragon?"
The Eye of the Candle Dragon, also known as the Jade Faced Asura, had thwarted the Black Blood organization's plans multiple times and topped their kill list. For years, the Black Blood organization had deliberately avoided conflict with Chen Jin’an, knowing he was incredibly difficult to kill.
If you can't provoke him, why not avoid him?
Joel never imagined that the person before him was the Eye of the Candle Dragon.
A person's reputation precedes them.
Countless Black Blood members had died at Chen Jin’an's hands.
Chen Jin’an said indifferently, "If you tell me what you know, and if I am satisfied, it might not be impossible to let you live."
Joel was utterly despairing. He had heard of Chen Jin’an's many methods of torture and knew he would have a terrible end if he fell into his hands. Without any hesitation, Joel immediately agreed to reveal everything he knew, hoping to suffer less.
"I..."
The words had barely left his lips.
Joel's breathing suddenly became rapid, his face turned purplish-blue, and the veins on his forehead bulged like coiled dragons.
Seeing his condition, Chen Jin’an knew that the mechanical poison pill in his body had been deliberately triggered, causing the toxin to spread rapidly throughout Joel's entire system. Even a celestial being would be helpless.
Black Blood was ruthless not only to its enemies but even more so to its own people.
At this moment, Chen Jin’an's nerves tensed, and he felt a tearing pain in his muscles.
This was a sign of impending danger!
Someone was sniping from the shadows!
Chen Jin’an reacted in a fraction of a second, rolling down the mountain to take cover.
And only a fraction of a second later, the spot where Chen Jin’an had been standing was hit by a heavy sniper rifle bullet, kicking up a large amount of soil.
"Everyone, get down on the ground and don't move! Someone is sniping us from the shadows!" Chen Jin’an shouted.
The two dared not hesitate and immediately followed Chen Jin’an's instructions.
Chen Jin’an added, "Stay in this position and don't move unless I return safely or rescue personnel arrive. Do not move under any circumstances."
Xu Nianqing heard the unspoken implication in Chen Jin’an’s words and immediately asked what he intended to do. Chen Jin’an said sternly, "I must go up and kill that person. I will not allow anyone to commit illegal acts on our land."
Xu Nianqing knew how dangerous this would be.
A single misstep could lead to eternal damnation.
"Can't you stay down on the ground like us and wait for rescue? I don't want to see you take such a risk!" Xu Nianqing pleaded.
Chen Jin’an offered no explanation, only stating, "Your job is to obey orders. Leave the rest to me."
With those words.
He immediately crouched and ran towards the summit, the direction from which the gunshots had come.
At the summit.
A foreigner hidden in the bushes cursed inwardly, "Damn it, he actually dodged it. But I won't give this man another chance."
The next moment.
Chen Jin’an’s figure appeared in the crosshairs.
The sniper's brow furrowed instantly. Chen Jin’an's movement speed was too fast, and his direction was unpredictable, making it impossible for the sniper to anticipate his landing spot, let alone shoot him.
"Huh?"
"He's gone?"
The mercenary pulled his gaze away from the scope and looked down at the mountainside below.
Where was Chen Jin’an?