“Right, I expect the Bright Hall will cooperate again this time.”
“You must be prepared to negotiate with me. Don’t go soft then, we still need to get what we deserve!”
Zi Long felt incredibly pleased.
During the last operation by Qiao and his group in China, it was Po Xiao who handled the negotiations, and they managed to obtain a Nine Revolutions Golden Pill, which had excited him for a long time.
Therefore, this time, he was determined to bring Po Xiao along, striving to gain more benefits.
“Okay!”
Ye Cangtian outwardly agreed, but inwardly, he quietly decided that even if both sides intended to cooperate, he would do his best to sabotage the negotiations.
He even considered whether he should take the initiative to stir up conflict between the Dark Association and the Bright Hall.
The reason was simple.
The last cooperation was targeted solely at him, whereas this time, it could potentially implicate many people.
Ye Cangtian absolutely could not accept anything that would harm the innocent.
“Haha, I’m counting on you this time.”
“Alright, let’s put aside the serious talk. You’re here so early, haven’t you eaten yet? Shall we have something together?”
Seeing that Po Xiao had agreed, Zi Long immediately smiled and changed the subject.
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian waved his hand and said, “I won’t have breakfast. I’ll head back to conserve my energy and await your notification…”
…
Kyoto.
In a dilapidated basement, several figures gathered, their gazes fixed on the man on the sofa.
The man was clad in a red robe, with golden hair and large blue eyes.
This person was none other than Hassal, the most senior member of the Bright Hall.
“How is the situation?”
Looking at the Bright Hall subordinates standing before him, Hassal put down his wine glass and asked lazily.
“The lists from both sides have been further verified, and the lists are fine,” a Cardinal said.
“We have already locked onto the first two targets and can commence operations at any moment,” another Cardinal chimed in.
“I have completed the deployment. If any unforeseen events occur, early warning will be issued, and we can also create chaos in other areas to distract others…”
After the last Cardinal finished speaking, Hassal glanced at Qiao beside him and smiled, saying, “Qiao, when do you think we should start the operation?”
“Naturally, the sooner the better. I can’t wait,”
Qiao said eagerly. To improve his combat power, he, like everyone else, had endured humiliation and practiced assassination under Xue Ye, suffering immense hardship and insult.
Now that the mission had finally arrived, he was eager to test the results of his efforts.
Hearing Qiao’s words, Hassal nodded slightly, then his gaze swept over the three newly appointed Cardinals before him.
“The difficulty of this mission for you is unprecedented, and the support and authority you will receive are also unprecedented.”
“I hope you understand that for this mission, we have used almost all our informants in China over the years. Therefore, no matter what, you are not allowed to make any mistakes!”
“At the same time, to prove our worth, this mission must succeed, and failure is not an option!”
Hearing Hassal’s stern voice, the three Cardinals responded without hesitation.
They were well aware that their first operation as Cardinals had ended in failure, incurring the Pope’s immense displeasure.
If this operation also failed, their futures would be ruined, and they might even lose their lives.
After all, the Bright Hall had acquired many Nine Revolutions Golden Pills, so it was not short of Cardinals. If their abilities were lacking, the Pope would certainly not tolerate it!
“Very good.”
“Then, let’s set the action time. We will set it for today, and everything will proceed as per our usual training.”
“Also, we want no traces left behind. If anyone happens to witness this, you know what to do, right?”
Seeing the determined look in their eyes, Hassal’s face showed a satisfied smile as he spoke.
“Kill!”
The shouts of killing echoed throughout the dilapidated room, and Hassal’s satisfied expression deepened.
The next moment, he waved his hand and said, “Go and prepare yourselves. We’ll gather at the operation location tonight…”
Upon hearing this, the three Cardinals responded again and then withdrew from the room.
…
The sun rose again, marking the arrival of a new day.
Ye Cangtian stretched lazily, breathing in the fresh air, his mood exceptionally good.
Suddenly, a phone call came, causing his brows to furrow slightly because the screen displayed Zi Long’s number.
This forced him to think more. Could it be that the Bright Hall had already contacted Zi Long? It seemed things were developing in the worst direction…
With that thought, Ye Cangtian answered the phone.
“Po Xiao, I’m sending you a location now. Come immediately, beep beep beep…”
As soon as he answered, Zi Long’s voice came through, but he only said one sentence before hanging up directly.
What was Zi Long up to?
Ye Cangtian muttered to himself, Zi Long’s tone sounded very grim, as if he was suppressing his anger.
This was secondary. The most crucial point was that Zi Long was speaking to him in a commanding tone, which displeased him greatly!
Just then, a notification sound from his phone indicated that Ye Cangtian had received the location sent by Zi Long.
The address was in the western suburban area. Ye Cangtian was less familiar with that area, but he had flown over it by helicopter and taken a casual glance.
If he remembered correctly, it should be a dense forest with several high-end villas within it.
Could that be the base of the Bright Hall team?
Lost in thought, Ye Cangtian greeted Gui Wu, then left the villa.
…
Western suburban area.
When Ye Cangtian arrived, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
Although the place was relatively secluded, it did not seem like the Bright Hall team’s base. He couldn't sense any sentries around.
He didn’t believe that the Bright Hall, operating here, wouldn’t set up any sentries. If people from the China forces came, how would these members escape immediately?
With doubt, Ye Cangtian entered the villa.
Initially, he found nothing. However, as he entered the villa within, a smell of blood wafted towards him.
He then saw that the entire interior of the villa was covered in bloodstains.
“Over here!”
Ye Cangtian’s mind was filled with more questions, but at that moment, a voice reached him.
He looked up and saw that by the railing on the second floor, the blue figure was none other than Lan Yue.
Hearing Lan Yue’s voice, which was also incredibly grim, Ye Cangtian went up the stairs without a word.
Upon reaching Lan Yue’s side.
Before Ye Cangtian could ask, he saw everything inside the room next to Lan Yue.
The room was large and luxuriously decorated, but the dozen corpses hanging from the ceiling sent a chill down his spine.
Zi Long, at that moment, stood silently in front of one of the corpses, his eyes filled with rage.
Qing Dao?
Ye Cangtian glanced at the corpse in front of Zi Long and his eyes widened.
The corpse was wearing pajamas and was covered in dried bloodstains. It was none other than Qing Dao.
Ye Cangtian never expected that Qing Dao would be killed.
“You’re here?”
“This is Qing Dao’s room. I didn’t find any clues, so I didn’t disturb the scene. Please investigate carefully!”
Just then, Zi Long’s voice came through, and it was evident he was still suppressing his inner rage.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian frowned.
After discovering the bloodstains, he had observed the surroundings and found no signs of a struggle.
It was only when he entered this room that he found some traces, but these traces indicated that the fight was not fierce.
This could only mean two things.
Either the assassin who came to kill Qing Dao was extremely powerful, essentially able to overpower Qing Dao.
Or, the assassin had first launched a surprise attack and severely wounded Qing Dao, causing his strength to plummet, and he fell into a pool of blood with little resistance.
Looking at the severely wounded Qing Dao, especially the wounds on his back and neck, which were the most obvious.