"How could the aircraft lose control? You can't be kidding me."
The person on the monitor clearly didn't believe it.
"Is there any reason for me to lie to you? You should trust my judgment."
"Frank, you'd better check thoroughly. You should know how much hope the higher-ups have pinned on this operation. They've dispatched an entire squad for this, and I've never seen such an effort to deal with a single person. They've brought enough weaponry to fight a small war."
"Your words are useless. I trust my professional judgment; our aircraft was taken down. It's not transmitting any signal."
"That's an altitude of eighty thousand meters; even missiles can't reach that high. How could it be shot down? Check it again carefully."
The person on the monitor was clearly unconvinced. It wasn't just him; Frank himself was also in disbelief. But there was nothing to be done about it; the fact was that the remote sensing aircraft had been destroyed.
After Guo Xuyang absorbed the remote sensing aircraft into his mind, he then absorbed the remaining nine individuals.
"Kasa, I'm giving these fellows to your offspring as snacks," Guo Xuyang said.
"Thank you, master. They haven't had any meat for a while."
"Mm. Leave two alive."
"Understood, master."
When Guo Xuyang arrived at the safe house, Lu Liang was already waiting.
"Was it smooth?" Lu Liang asked.
"No issues, just a few minor annoyances along the way, which have been dealt with."
"Let's go inside first. What about those people?"
"We'll discuss it inside," Guo Xuyang said, entering the safe house.
The so-called safe house was actually located in a dilapidated village with very few remaining households. Guo Xuyang sensed that these remaining few households were part of the outer perimeter, likely occupied by elderly people intentionally placed in this area. The safe house they entered was a large courtyard with a three-room tiled main building facing north, flanked by two side rooms on the east and west. This was merely the superficial appearance; inside the tiled building were hidden mechanisms. Lu Liang pressed something, and a large bed slowly rose, revealing a staircase. The two descended the stairs into the basement.
Upon entering, Guo Xuyang discovered that the entire basement was a vast network, even more impressive than the office building above ground. Each room was independent. Many people were walking by in a hurry.
"Brother Liang, these people?"
"Their origins are similar to mine."
"Who would have thought that beneath such a run-down village, there would be such a spacious office facility?" Guo Xuyang exclaimed.
"How did they get here? I didn't see any vehicles above."
"There's a dedicated route below, and they were brought here by vehicles. Their vehicles are stored above ground," Lu Liang explained.
"This project is enormous, isn't it?"
"Stop marveling. Let's focus on what's important. Release the people."
Lu Liang tinkered with something in a sealed room, then pushed open the door.
"Are the people inside the enemy or our own?"
"They are the enemy. We need to know their plan."
"Alright then." Guo Xuyang released the two individuals.
As soon as they emerged, the two began to wail uncontrollably; they were terrified. They had never witnessed such a horrifying scene. Although they had experienced plenty of intimidation during training, facing genuine death and unknown dangers, they were utterly petrified by the three lizard-like creatures. They had watched helplessly as several of their companions were torn apart and devoured. They were unable to move, let alone react. This scene had completely broken them. They couldn't scream, nor could they run; they could only watch as their companions were dismembered by these three lizard-like entities. The memory made them tremble uncontrollably. They didn't know how, but they had managed to escape.
"What are you crying for, you grown men? Tell me, what was your primary objective in coming here?" Lu Liang asked with disdain.
Only then did the other party realize they had escaped.
"We, we..." one of them stammered, shivering.
"Speak slowly. We haven't done anything to you yet, so why are you like this?" Lu Liang said mockingly, unaware of the harrowing experience they had just endured.
"We were here to abduct Guo Xuyang. If we couldn't abduct him, we were to kill him." The other person, catching their breath slightly, added.
"Kill him if you can't abduct him? How ruthless."
"We were just following orders."
"How many of you came in total? Are there any others?" Lu Liang continued to question.
"Sixteen. We were initially assigned to infiltrate Guo Xuyang's residence in the provincial capital. However, we received a last-minute notification to change our objective to intercept and assassinate him en route."
"Sixteen? That's not right; where are the other four?" Guo Xuyang became instantly anxious.
"We don't know. We operate on a need-to-know basis."
"Are you two working together?" Lu Liang pointed to the other person and asked.
"No. We haven't met each other before. When we were briefed, we were told there were sixteen of us, each with a specific role. The objective was to kidnap Guo Xuyang, and if that failed, to kill him."
Guo Xuyang grew agitated at this point. He ignored Lu Liang and proceeded to hypnotize the two individuals, delving into their consciousness. It was then he discovered that the enemy had alarmingly precise information about his own side. There were two individuals who had infiltrated the hospital, intending to harm Wang Lihong. Another two had gone to the artificial lake villa, preparing to abduct his parents at an opportune moment. It was clear that the two individuals before him had not been entirely truthful. They not only knew each other but were part of the same team. The two he was interrogating were merely scouts for their unit, essentially information gatherers. The other four were genuine assassins, specializing in eliminating political figures. The three groups encountered on the road were specifically tasked with shootings and abductions.
Guo Xuyang withdrew his gaze, and the two collapsed onto the ground, their eyes vacant.
"Yangzi? What's wrong?"
"I just hypnotized them. I now know the enemy's situation. Arrange for someone to secure the entrance to the artificial lake villa. The enemy might possess firearms, so do not underestimate them. The forces at Wang's villa can be redeployed to the hospital. Xiao Hong is only being guarded by Six and another person, which is insufficient. Currently, there are still four enemy operatives, split into two groups, who are preparing to abduct my family members and Xiao Hong." Guo Xuyang stated.
"I'll arrange it immediately." Upon hearing Guo Xuyang's words, Lu Liang quickly picked up the phone to make arrangements.
The two individuals who had been hypnotized were now like imbeciles, lying on the ground. Shortly after, they fell asleep.
"How should we deal with these two?" Lu Liang sought his opinion.
"Dispose of them however you see fit; they're already idiots anyway," Guo Xuyang replied.
"Let's just make them disappear. It's a clean end to it," Lu Liang said, beckoning two people to drag the two individuals outside.