Miss Lanhua’s eyes lit up at his words. Then, from out of nowhere, she produced a sharp scalpel and walked toward Guangzai.
She moved with a gentle gait, her light-brown, wavy hair glinting under the lights. Wiping the scalpel in her right hand on her left sleeve, she looked at Guangzai with the joyful, ardent gaze of a woman deep in love.
"Mr. Liang, after I... cut it off, can I peel off so of his skin, too?"
"Go ahead!"
The cold voice sent a chill down Guangzai’s spine!
As Miss Lanhua approached step by step, Guangzai tried to get up, but Cheng YuanYu kicked him down, grabbed him by the hair, and slamd him onto the coffee table, spread-eagled and facing the ceiling.
A man nicknad Steel Blade and Mr. Qian pulled special steel alloy ropes from the coffee table drawer, the kind typically used for restraining large, aberrant beasts.
The two n swiftly tied Guangzai’s limbs to the four legs of the table.
Guangzai’s head dangled over the edge, his hair brushing against Di Yunliang’s shoes.
Cheng YuanYu placed one hand lightly on his neck, not enough to hinder his speech but ready to crush his windpipe the instant he shouted.
anwhile, a bald man nicknad "Baldy" quickly got up to shut all the windows and draw the curtains. He then turned on the television and cranked up the volu.
The group worked in perfect sync, their movents so practiced they seed rehearsed.
"Mr. Liang, spare ! Boss! Please, let go!"
Guangzai was terrified out of his mind.
As he watched Miss Lanhua gently crouch down, one hand reaching softly for his belt, a wave of sheer terror washed over Guangzai.
The Illuminati was no sanctuary for the kind-hearted. Guangzai had beco a wanted fugitive after so of his cris ca to light, forcing him to join the organization for shelter.
But he had barely set foot in the door. Before he could even begin to enjoy the arrogant swagger that ca with being a cultist, he was forced down the path of a cornered sewer rat.
In truth, he’d never really understood the cult’s thods. Perhaps today was his chance to learn.
At this mont of crisis, Guangzai’s mind raced, and an idea suddenly struck him!
"Mr. Liang, I was wrong! I can still be useful! Mr. Liang, spare , I have a plan."
"Oh? And what plan is that?"
Di Yunliang didn’t tell her to stop. Miss Lanhua continued her work, slow and thodical, savoring every mont.
Guangzai began to tremble uncontrollably from fear. On the brink of being unmanned, he forced himself to calm down, cleared his mind, and spoke in a rapid-fire torrent:
"Mr. Liang, we need money to expand, but we’re short on cash. It’s not convenient for us to raise funds openly, but I can get to the people behind the red-light districts. We can control them, take their money, and grow our operations from the shadows. They’d never dare call the police!
Mr. Liang, I can do it! Please, spare , I’m begging you!"
As he spoke the last words, Guangzai’s voice broke into a muffled whimper. He could already feel the ice-cold blade against his skin.
"Stop!"
Miss Lanhua’s hand paused, but not before the tip of the scalpel broke his skin.
"How boring!"
Like a little girl whose favorite toy had just been snatched away, Miss Lanhua’s expression turned sulky.
Di Yunliang’s command was absolute. Though clearly displeased, Miss Lanhua put away her scalpel.
Di Yunliang crouched down and pressed his lit cigarette against Guangzai’s face. Guangzai didn’t make a sound; he had lost all control of his body.
"Rember what you said. You won’t get a second chance. I’m giving you one week to make it happen. I want at least ten million in operating funds. Understand?"
"Y-yes... *sob*, I can do it... *sob*... Mr. Liang, believe ."
With that, the group left.
Only Miss Lanhua stayed behind. She gently cleaned him up, untied the ropes, fetched him a new pair of pants, and carefully helped him put them on.
But Guangzai seed to be in a state of shock. Miss Lanhua helped him onto the sofa and used a towel to wipe the gri from his face.
Guangzai stared at Miss Lanhua’s delicate features, unable to understand how soone who seed so gentle could be so cruel.
"That was scary, wasn’t it? It’s okay. Mr. Liang is actually very reasonable, as long as you complete your tasks!"
Miss Lanhua said nonchalantly.
Guangzai’s blood ran cold. He wasn’t afraid of Mr. Liang; he was afraid of the seemingly gentle Miss Lanhua. But he didn’t dare say a word.
"I’ll take you ho. You can sleep at my place tonight!"
A fresh wave of terror gripped Guangzai.
"I don’t—"
"Shh!"
A slender, snow-white finger pressed against his lips. The touch was delicate and ice-cold.
This was the very hand that had almost made him a eunuch.
"Let’s go. You’re coming to my place tonight."
Then, she linked her arm with his and led him downstairs.
He had no idea that after they left the apartnt complex, Cheng YuanYu and the others were standing by the window of Unit 504, silently watching as Miss Lanhua led him into a car and drove away.
In the darkness, the glowing red tips of their cigarettes looked like the eyes of hungry beasts, flaring and fading in succession.
...
「At 10:00 p.m.」
The Martial Arts Administration Bureau was brightly lit. In the large third-floor conference room, Deputy Director Wang Jie was reporting on a directive issued by the municipal governnt.
"...In short, that is the situation. Under a severe crackdown from headquarters, we have achieved unprecedented results... The upper echelon of the cult, the Illuminati, has been wiped out. Countless mid-level cadres are dead or injured. Only a few high-ranking mbers, such as the operative codenad Dust Priest, have managed to escape...
According to reliable intelligence, the remnants of the Illuminati are likely hiding out in remote areas. Y-City has been confird as one of their likely destinations, so we must prepare our own counterasures and preventative actions.
Now, I will outline the specific operational arrangents."
Wang Jie brought up a new file on the presentation screen.
"First, we will coordinate with the county Public Security Bureau, security outposts, and their subordinate township police stations to monitor and secure all key locations and major transportation routes. We will be looking for any suspicious individuals...
Second, we must be prepared for imdiate deploynt. These cultists are exceptionally brutal and could launch a surprise attack on civilians at any mont...
Third, based on our analysis of the Illuminati’s past activities, there is a high probability they will target high school martial arts students. We must strengthen security asures accordingly...
Fourth, we must crack down hard on all criminal activity, especially missing persons cases. Should any be discovered, they are to be handled with the utmost severity to prevent these cultists from joining forces with local troublemakers....
..."
After the eting, the head of the Field Operations Team, Bu Xiuwen, was heading ho. Just as he reached his car, he ran into Ji Kai, the Head of the Logistics Departnt, who was also getting off work.
Ji Kai casually offered Bu Xiuwen a cigarette.
"Xiuwen, do you think any of those Illuminati guys have already infiltrated our area?"
"It’s hard to say... They caught a batch of them over in Y-City, but you know the old saying: if you see one cockroach, there are dozens more hiding in the corners. I’m inclined to believe they’re already here."
For a mont, the two forty-sothing n fell silent. Life in the county was relatively quiet, so their branch of the Martial Arts Administration Bureau wasn’t particularly powerful. Still, as an official governnt body, they weren’t an organization that common thugs could trifle with.
Bu Xiuwen continued,
"I read up on the Illuminati back when I was in the academy. The organization is actually quite simple."
"Simple?"
"Yes. Pure, unadulterated evil. They gain power through slaughter, which makes it easy for them to entice the dregs of society. But most of their mbers are extremists who act on radical, brainless impulses."
"Sigh. It looks like a storm is brewing."
"All we can do is our duty. If things go south, we die. That’s all there is to it."
"Haha, you’re right! That’s all there is to it!"
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