Two burly men exchanged a glance and rose in unison.
They looked at the woman again. "Are you sure Chen Jin Chao is under your control? Knowing Chen Jin Chao, he's incredibly cunning. Could this be a trap?"
The woman sneered, "I've already considered that. This time, there should be no mistake. Chen Jin Chao is definitely poisoned."
"What makes you say that?" one of the men asked.
The woman recounted her conversation with He Xiao Hu, then slyly chuckled, "I was careful and didn't reveal all the symptoms of poisoning to that cripple. Yet, he was able to list all the symptoms after being poisoned. And according to him, he's also showing signs of poisoning."
What did this mean?
The two men's faces lit up with joy. They laughed heartily, "So that damned cripple is poisoned too! He really didn't lie to us."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
The woman told them to put on their clothes first and added, "Oh, and bury the bones in the cave. We don't want anyone finding them. It's best to avoid unnecessary trouble, even if we're not afraid."
One of the men chuckled, "What's there to fear? Even if they find them, what then? They'll think some beast gnawed on them, nothing to do with us."
As he spoke,
the man grinned, revealing sharp fangs that didn't seem human.
The three extinguished their candles and slipped into the forest, ready to act. The man in the lead licked his lips and said, "I wonder what Chen Jin Chao tastes like. I hear he's very strong. If he wasn't poisoned, I'd really like to taste his flesh."
The woman's expression turned stern. "We have orders. Even if Chen Jin Chao dies, we need his complete body. Don't have such thoughts, or you'll know the consequences."
The two men shivered at her words.
If their superiors found out they had broken the rules, they would face incredibly harsh punishment.
Rumor had it
that those who had broken the rules before hadn't lasted long. They still didn't know what the punishment entailed.
The woman added, "One more thing. Even though Chen Jin Chao is poisoned, we must remain vigilant. Chen Jin Chao is very strong, possibly even stronger than Number One!"
Hearing the designation Number One, the two men's expressions turned serious.
Number One was like a god in their eyes. It was said that Number One had never lost a single fight. Chen Jin Chao was even stronger than Number One?
One of the men shook his head repeatedly. "Number Thirty-Six, Chen Jin Chao isn't that strong. You're exaggerating."
Number Thirty-Six—the woman among them.
Number Thirty-Six sneered, "If you don't believe me, try it yourself."
The two men immediately fell silent.
As the three moved stealthily through the forest, anyone present would have been shocked to see their incredible speed, comparable to that of jungle leopards!
Meanwhile,
He Xiao Hu followed Chen Jin Chao's advice and stayed far away.
But after much thought, he felt he might be able to do something for Chen Jin Chao. So, He Xiao Hu gritted his teeth and resolutely turned back to the village. He then hid in a dilapidated mud house next to Chen Jin Chao's old residence, waiting for an opportunity.
In the neighboring old house, Chen Jin Chao remained seated in the courtyard, waiting for the arrival of the three.
A cold wind blew, and Chen Jin Chao opened his eyes.
He checked the time. It was already half-past midnight, and those people had not yet appeared.
"Could they have discovered this is a trap?" Chen Jin Chao murmured. If so, finding these people again would be even more difficult.
The moon hung high in the sky, appearing even brighter in the winter night.
Chen Jin Chao took a deep breath and was about to think of other methods when his ears twitched, detecting an unusual sound. He immediately got up, climbed onto the roof, and held his breath as he observed the courtyard. About three minutes later, a creaking sound came from the main gate of the old house. Someone had opened it!
Not long after,
Chen Jin Chao saw three shadowy figures enter the old house, cross the courtyard, and appear outside Chen Jin Chao's room.
The man looked at Number Thirty-Six. "Number Thirty-Six, is it alright for us to just barge in like this? I'm worried the poison hasn't fully dissipated yet..."
Number Thirty-Six said calmly, "Don't worry. Trace amounts of neurotoxin won't affect us. Just go in."
Number Thirty-Five and Number Thirty-Four nodded in agreement. The three of them tacitly drew their knives and held them in their palms.
Number Thirty-Six kicked the door open, and the other two followed her inside.
The three approached the bed.
Seeing the lump under the quilt, the woman didn't say a word and plunged her knife in.
Number Thirty-Five sneered, "Is this Zhu Long? Nothing special!"
The woman's face turned grim. "Shut up. We've been fooled. Chen Jin Chao isn't here at all!"
As soon as she made the first thrust, she realized something was amiss. After two more thrusts, her suspicion was confirmed. Number Thirty-Four, hearing this, threw back the quilt and found only a pillow underneath. Where was Chen Jin Chao's trace?
Number Thirty-Four roared, "Damn it! That cripple tricked us!"
"Where is Chen Jin Chao?"
The woman said in a deep voice, "Let's go. We don't want Chen Jin Chao to target us, or we'll be in big trouble."
As the three turned, they saw Chen Jin Chao standing at the doorway, blocking their path like a demon god.
"Are you looking for me?" Chen Jin Chao asked expressionlessly.
Number Thirty-Five and Number Thirty-Four stood on either side of the woman, their eyes fixed on Chen Jin Chao with grave intensity. After a long moment, the woman said, "They say Zhu Long is naturally cunning. We didn't believe it before, but today we fell into Zhu Long's trap."
At the same time,
the woman said to the two men beside her, "Now that Zhu Long has his eyes on us, we can't leave. We can only fight to the death."
Chen Jin Chao observed the three, noticing something unusual about them.
Especially the woman who had just spoken. Her pupils were vertical, and when she spoke, she inadvertently revealed sharp fangs.
Chen Jin Chao shifted his gaze to the other two men and found that their physical characteristics were similar to the woman's, exhibiting clear non-human traits.
"Are they from the same laboratory as Zhang Jing Chou?" Chen Jin Chao speculated.
Sensing the hostility from the three, Chen Jin Chao asked, "You stole my father's remains, and you still intend to take me as well?"
A contemptuous smile appeared on the woman's face. "Since you know our intentions, there's nothing more to say. Let's move."
Chen Jin Chao's expression remained unfazed. Instead, he calmly said, "Before I kill you, I need to clarify a few things."
The woman burst into laughter.
Clearly, she was the leader of the other two men. After her laughter subsided, she said mockingly, "It's not impossible for you to learn those secrets, provided you can defeat us first."
"I can guarantee your chances of winning are not high."