Chapter 1 Broken Branch

A small section of a broken tree branch lay quietly on the table.

An Xuan sat at the table, staring at the branch, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Xia Meng wanted to persuade him several times, but in the end, the words came to her lips, only to be swallowed back.

She was right beside him when An Xuan broke Zuo Jing's fingers one by one. If the sound of the rain hadn't masked it, the crisp snapping sound would surely have aroused suspicion from others.

But at the same time, An Xuan had also exposed himself.

At least everyone knew that he and Zuo Jing knew each other and were teammates who had entered the nightmare together.

But what could they do about it?

Anyway, the evidence that Zuo Jing had protected before her death was enough to identify the murderer. In her palm, she tightly clutched a broken tree branch.

Why did Zuo Jing take the broken tree branch out of her mouth and hold it tightly in her hand before she died?

This was very abnormal.

Unless... this branch had a special meaning. To be more specific, this branch was her dying words.

It was her silent accusation against the murderer!

"It's You Qi," Xia Meng said in a very deep voice.

After an unknown amount of time, An Xuan finally nodded. He didn't look sad, at least he didn't shed tears or show any signs of pain. He just sat there quietly.

But it gave Xia Meng a feeling of unapproachability.

She wasn't familiar with An Xuan or Zuo Jing, only a temporary collaborative relationship. She didn't know the relationship between An Xuan and Zuo Jing, but from the performance of the man in front of her, it was probably extraordinary.

She wisely didn't ask, let alone disturb him.

Because it wasn't necessary.

"Help me with something," An Xuan said suddenly.

"Help you watch Jiang Cheng," Xia Meng said without the slightest surprise. Their conversation was as bland as a cup of boiled water. "Don't let him interfere with you."

An Xuan nodded. "Thank you for your trouble."

Letting out a breath, Xia Meng glanced out the window and said in a rare tone, "Do what you want to do." She put her hands behind her head and continued, "Anyway, I don't know anything."

"I didn't see anything, and I didn't hear anything." She looked at An Xuan's face and said, "When your people ask me how You Qi died after we get out, I won't know anything."

"Or..." she thought for a moment, "I can also say that Jiang Cheng killed him," she added, "and that fatty, they were together."

"That might cause you trouble." Putting away the branch, Xia Meng watched him put the branch into his clothes. An Xuan turned around and said, "I advise you not to do that."

Giving An Xuan a strange look, Xia Meng nodded. "Go on."

"Jiang Cheng's identity is special." An Xuan paused, and after a moment, he continued, "In our mission, his survival priority is higher than yours."

Xia Meng's face changed immediately. Just as she opened her mouth to ask a question, she was interrupted by An Xuan again.

He spoke very quickly, as if making a final explanation: "In other words, we can sacrifice ourselves for you, but at the same time, when your life and his life are threatened at the same time, your sacrifice is inevitable."

"Why?" Xia Meng immediately asked, "Who, who gave the order, the higher-ups in your execution department?"

An Xuan shook his head. "No." He stared into Xia Meng's eyes and said, "Even higher up."

Xia Meng's heart skipped a beat.

A moment later...

"Why are you telling me this?" Xia Meng stared at his eyes. "This... should all be classified, right?"

Xia Meng also knew something about the history of the Night Watchmen, which could be said to be a completely blood-forged history book.

To maintain such a large organization, it naturally relied not only on firm beliefs, but also on strict laws and disciplines.

It was said that there was even a group of people in the organization who were specifically responsible for punishing insiders who violated their original oaths, betrayed their teammates, or leaked information. Rumor had it that the degree of bloodshed was no less than that of medieval European torture.

"Consider it your reward for helping me." An Xuan's calm tone dispelled some of Xia Meng's discomfort. "Besides, you've also noticed that the person named Jiang Cheng isn't simple, right?"

Many images flashed before her eyes, all of which were images of encountering Jiang Cheng during the mission before. They flashed through Xia Meng's mind one by one. She was thinking and judging.

She didn't have the habit of trusting people casually, but she couldn't think of a reason for An Xuan to lie to her.

After this cooperation, the two of them probably wouldn't have a chance to meet again.

He didn't need to make trouble for himself.

"That's all I can say." An Xuan didn't even look at Xia Meng. His eyes were fixed on the window, and the rustling of the leaves was annoying. "I only know this much."

Pressing her lips tightly, Xia Meng still stared at him stubbornly. The news he told her was completely different from what she had received. Uncle Gong didn't say that before she came.

According to the agreement, she was the most important person in the mission.

The goal of Shen Hong (Crimson) was her.

Therefore, her priority for survival should also be the highest.

Before coming here, she had made thorough preparations.

A total of three cards.

Jiang Cheng and the fatty were open cards, used to help her share the firepower from Shen Hong, ghosts, NPCs, or other malicious players, and so on.

The clue newspaper was a hidden card. When to share it, with whom to share it... In short, the only purpose was to maximize her own interests.

Then there was An Xuan and Zuo Jing.

These two people from the Night Watchmen's execution department were her trump cards. They would not be used easily unless it was absolutely necessary. They were scattered and lurking in the dark, like assassins lurking in the night.

There was only one purpose.

Shen Hong (Crimson).

They existed for Shen Hong and came for this.