Chapter 172: 172 Decisive Action_1
Zero Egg was starting to have doubts. Host, is there an issue with Huo Lin, or is it her boyfriend? Huo Lin’s background is quite clear. She’s an ordinary person who grew up in Imperial City and has been in Flower City in the Mount Flower for several years, and she has a very good relationship with Shi Qi. Her boyfriend is also from Imperial City University. If I can’t find any issues, then it’s even less likely that the association members would suspect anything.
When Huo Lin saw that Wen Jiang showed no sign of leaving, she became more embarrassed and, slightly adjusting her bathrobe, asked, "Miss Wen, do you need something?"
Wen Jiang lowered her eyes, twirling a lock of her hair that had fallen loose. "The cleaning equipment brought by the janitor was injected with poison gas," she said. "I suspect it was brought in by someone from inside the hotel."
Huo Lin’s eyes widened immediately. "Miss Wen, what do you mean by that? I... It couldn’t possibly be me. Miss Wen, I’ve been with the association for six years!"
Wen Jiang merely smiled faintly. "Who knows?"
Her gaze then shifted to Huo Lin’s boyfriend.
Huo Lin’s boyfriend seemed somewhat uneasy as he sat up. "Miss Wen, you can’t just spout nonsense like that. Just because you’re a professional player doesn’t mean you can frame people willy-nilly. Lin and I have been dating for two years."
From his expression, Huo Lin’s boyfriend showed no telltale signs; his face was filled with the shock and fear of being misunderstood.
Soon, from the end of the corridor, Hua Zhuo arrived, pushing a wheelchair and accompanied by bodyguards. She happened to see Wen Jiang standing guard at the door.
Hua Zhuo immediately wheeled over. "How are you? Are you alright?"
At the same time, she cast a curious glance at Huo Lin and her boyfriend.
Hua Zhuo had already reviewed the couple’s files; there seemed to be no problem. Both were ordinary people. Even being on high alert, it was unreasonable to suspect that every individual was out to harm Wen Jiang. But now that Wen Jiang had appeared here, Hua Zhuo’s heart sank bit by bit. Could it be that members of the Fiend Organization had infiltrated deeper than she had imagined?
Huo Lin grew anxious. "Miss Wen, you suddenly come here spouting such nonsense. You should at least present some evidence, right?"
Wen Jiang scoffed lightly and suddenly strode toward Huo Lin’s boyfriend. Disregarding his bare upper body, her hand shot out unexpectedly and gripped his forehead.
As Wen Jiang approached him, she didn’t overlook the instinctive gesture he made as if to attack, but he seemed to think better of it and quickly retracted the motion.
He didn’t expect that, even under such circumstances, he would still manage to hold back. But how could he have known that Wen Jiang never played by the rules?
Amidst Huo Lin’s screams, they all saw Wen Jiang grasp the man’s forehead. A strange and powerful force filled the air, oppressive in its intensity. The man’s eyes emitted an eerie, light blue glow.
Using the Soul Searching Technique without solid evidence was an unscrupulous act; if one’s willpower wasn’t strong, the sheer volume of recollected information could leave a person mentally broken.
Wen Jiang searched only his recent memories. Since he had decided to act, relevant memories would surely surface.
The result was as expected.
Clear electronic messages flashed through the man’s mind.
"[Wen Jiang, hotel XX, action time 232, reward, One Billion... Fiend F Team, White Poison Snake]."
"[Seven years ago...]"
The final image showed the man destroying these messages.
"ARGH!—"
Once the search was complete, the man’s brain throbbed with excruciating pain, as if being pricked by needles. Wen Jiang released his head, flicking her hand as if shaking off a clump of rotten mud.
The man collapsed onto the couch, gasping for air. Only then did Huo Lin come to her senses, screaming, "Bai Lang!"
Meeting Hua Zhuo’s bewildered gaze, Wen Jiang stated, "The Fiend Organization offered one billion for my life. His call sign is White Poison Snake. He came to Yunxia seven years ago, met Huo Lin two years ago, and became her boyfriend. He’s a nail Fiend planted in Yunxia."
Zero Egg was also howling internally, Damn it, Host, how did you know? You just touched his forehead, how could you know all that? You’re a monster! A freak! You can see other people’s memories! But you weren’t inside his head, so how did you see them?!
Hua Zhuo’s lips pursed slightly in hesitation.
She hadn’t forgotten the strange look in Bai Lang’s eyes just moments before; it seemed like a precursor to Wen Jiang controlling him. And after that, Wen Jiang had actually revealed his identity. She knew about Fiend and had vaguely heard of their squads. But how had Wen Jiang figured it out? That move just now... was she extracting Bai Lang’s memories? If that was the case, Wen Jiang was far too terrifying. Even the worldly-wise Hua Zhuo was frightened by Wen Jiang all over again. Her abilities seemed even more bizarre than Yu Jian’s back in the day.
Wen Jiang calmly took a tissue and wiped her hands. As she approached Hua Zhuo, she noticed Hua Zhuo instinctively tighten her grip on the wheelchair’s armrest—an expression of unease, as if she would retreat immediately at any sudden move from Wen Jiang.
"Scared?" Wen Jiang teased like a mischievous child, slightly tilting her head and whispering mockingly, "Lady Hua, it’s too late. You’re on this pirate ship with me now."
Wen Jiang had been a guest of the Jimo Family for so long; if she were deemed a monster, Lady Hua wouldn’t be able to escape association.
Hua Zhuo’s pupils shrank. After a few seconds, however, she calmed down. Realizing Huo Lin was still unaware of the truth, she stepped outside the door and asked quietly, "Did you see his memories?"
Wen Jiang nodded nonchalantly. "Pretty much. His willpower was very strong, and because it was so strong, I was able to see his memories."
She wouldn’t normally do this to an ordinary person. The burden of recalling a massive volume of memories is immense for the human brain; someone even slightly mentally fragile could instantly go insane. In other words, even if what she had used wasn’t the Soul Searching Technique, the very fact that Bai Lang could withstand it proved he wasn’t ordinary. How could such an outwardly ordinary man possess such resolute willpower? Besides, Bai Lang was recovering too quickly.
The memories had flashed through his mind with such clarity. Now, as he recovered, Bai Lang instinctively glanced at Huo Lin, a flash of ferocity in his eyes.
Huo Lin was still worried. "Bai Lang, what’s wrong with you..."
Bai Lang’s expression became fierce, and he reached out to strangle Huo Lin.
The next second, an immense mental pressure crashed down, and Bai Lang was sent flying by a tremendous force.
This was the disadvantage ordinary assassins faced: if they didn’t have a foolproof plan, discovery by a Spirit Card Master meant no chance of escape. Even from outside the door and at such a distance, Hua Zhuo could still control Bai Lang with precision.
Seeing Bai Lang make his move, Hua Zhuo knew Wen Jiang had been telling the truth. She remarked coldly, "Daring to act in front of a Spirit Card Master? You people are becoming increasingly brazen."
Meanwhile, Huo Lin, still reeling from the savage look Bai Lang had given her, stood frozen in disbelief.