The most difficult poison to cure in the world, Bai Qi would tell you, is the poison of the heart.
To imitate the Master is a poison of the heart. Bai Shui itself was not poisonous; it was the heart of the Imitation Master that was poisoned. Therefore, even if he searched the entire universe, he would never find an antidote to a poison that never existed.
Two minutes after the Imitation Master drank the Bai Shui, he felt a warmth spread throughout his body, as if he had inexhaustible strength.
"Is this what Master meant?"
Feeling the changes in his body, the Imitation Master became even more wary of the evil dragon statue on the wall, more convinced of the effectiveness of the magic potion, and dared not harbor any thought of betrayal.
Now, three of the four mercenaries Bai Qi sent out had returned, and most of the money had been collected, leaving only one person who had not returned: Zhong.
Logically, as the most elite mercenary, Zhong was the strongest of the four. After discovering that Katlyn had been rescued, he should have been able to escape District 13 quickly. But why hadn't he appeared yet? Could it be that Zhong felt his pride insulted by not personally rescuing Katlyn, and refused to claim his share of the spoils?
Clearly, Bai Qi was overthinking.
Finally, Zhong arrived at the Black Hand building and appeared before Bai Qi.
However, Zhong was in a dire state, with multiple gunshot wounds and one of his twin ninja swords broken.
"Sacred Master, I have brought you what you wanted."
Perhaps out of pride, after entering the office door, Zhong specifically straightened his tattered uniform and walked up to Bai Qi, throwing out two small items.
Bai Qi was surprised to see what Zhong threw out; they were talismans.
Two talismans, the Horse Talisman and the Rooster Talisman.
Zhong's plan bore some resemblance to the Imitation Master's; both used stratagem to infiltrate District 13 undetected. However, after discovering that Katlyn had been rescued, Zhong did not retreat with the other three but chose to go deeper to retrieve the talismans hidden deeper within and more heavily guarded.
But this still didn't add up.
The security for the talismans in District 13 was, to put it bluntly, no better than giving them away for free. A little girl who had not undergone any training could bypass all the security measures and steal all the talismans, let alone the premier mercenary.
In reality, this was indeed the case. Facing the security measures of District 13, Zhong had them all sorted out in less than three minutes and took all the talismans.
The problem lay in the extraction.
Zhong's departure from District 13 coincided perfectly with the arrival of SHIELD.
To ensure the safe transport of prisoners to the prison, SHIELD had brought many agents, along with several mutants with special abilities.
The result was that Zhong, who ran into SHIELD head-on, had no choice but to engage them. Upon seeing the talismans in Zhong's hand, the SHIELD agents would not easily let him go, and the two forces directly clashed on the main road.
In the end, facing the relentless pursuit of SHIELD, Zhong had to throw out a few of the talismans he had obtained as smoke bombs, and then escaped with the remaining two.
There were a total of four talismans in District 13. Under the pressure of righteousness, Bai Qi dared not act rashly. The additional mission he assigned to retrieve the talismans was merely a casual undertaking; if he succeeded, great, if not, there was no loss. Bai Qi was very satisfied that Zhong was able to bring back two this time.
After confirming the authenticity of the talismans, Bai Qi beckoned the ninjas nearby and had them give Zhong his share. Sultan Novel Network.
Seeing Zhong directly take the briefcase from the ninja, Bai Qi said, "Don't you need to count it?"
"There's no need. I believe Sacred Master wouldn't jeopardize his reputation for such a small amount of money."
Bai Qi continued, "How about you stay and work for me? I'll make sure your salary is satisfactory, at least more than what you earn as a mercenary, and more comfortable."
Honestly, Bai Qi truly liked Zhong.
Intelligent, highly efficient, and almost zero mission failure rate.
What boss wouldn't want such a capable subordinate?
Zhong looked at the heavy briefcase in his hand and hesitated for a few seconds before refusing Bai Qi's offer.
"Never mind, I'm used to freedom. But if you have any more missions in the future, you can contact me. As an old client, I'll give you a 20% discount."
With that, Zhong left the room quickly, giving Bai Qi no chance to argue.
Bai Qi was not angry that he couldn't recruit Zhong. People needed to be taken in step by step. The words Zhong spoke as he left indicated that he already had a certain standing in his mind. As long as this standing was continuously improved, Zhong would eventually submit.
After Zhong left, the ninja picked up the two talismans on the table and placed them in their corresponding positions on the statue.
After feeling the power brought by the talismans, Bai Qi turned his gaze to Kraven.
Kraven trembled as Bai Qi's gaze fell upon him.
What was coming, would come.
Before Bai Qi could speak, Kraven suddenly knelt down, his head bowed, as if offering himself to Bai Qi's disposal.
Seeing this, Katlyn, who was nearby, wanted to intercede for Kraven, but before she could even speak, Kraven shot her a look and she retreated like a wronged child.
Bai Qi said slowly, "Kraven, do you know your crime?"
Kraven replied, "Your subordinate knows his crime."
"Then tell me, where did you go wrong?"
"Your subordinate erred in acting without your command."
What Kraven did was not entirely wrong; after all, he had successfully rescued Katlyn and gained a capable mutant for himself. However, such an act of disregarding orders and acting on his own could not be condoned.
As a boss, one must reward and punish; only then will the subordinates feel balanced, and the company can continue to operate.
As for how to punish Kraven, Bai Qi was somewhat troubled. After all, he was an old employee, and occasional mistakes were acceptable. However, the Imitation Master, a new employee, was standing nearby. Punishing him too lightly would not serve as a warning, while punishing him too severely would be inappropriate for the minor offense.
Got it.
Bai Qi had a good idea and said, "Kraven, you have indeed made a mistake, but considering it is your first offense and has not caused any adverse effects, the punishment this time will be light."
With that, Bai Qi used the magic of the Rooster Talisman. An invisible pressure like a mountain bore down on Kraven's shoulders, and the sudden pressure made it difficult for Kraven to breathe.
"This time, I will punish you for ten days. The magic will automatically disappear after ten days."
Although the Imitation Master did not know what magic had been cast on Kraven, judging by his appearance, it was certainly not a good one.
As expected, serving a ruler is like accompanying a tiger. He must be even more careful and cautious in the future, making absolutely sure not to give this evil dragon any leverage.
"Alright, this matter is now concluded."
Bai Qi transferred his soul to his physical body and said in a child's voice, "How is everything with the syndicate?"