Half an hour later, Chen Jinzhao emerged from the storage room, covered in blood.
Leng Jiaying and Su Wen were so shocked when they saw him that their bodies went numb. The chill that rose from their hearts was enough to lift their spirits to the heavens, and they could guess Yamamoto Chizuru's fate with their toes.
"What, what did you do to him?" Leng Jiaying asked.
"He's dead."
These were Chen Jinzhao's only words.
Leng Jiaying's breath instantly dissipated, and she said with vacant eyes, "Lord Chizuru is dead, what meaning does my life hold..."
"Kill me too!"
Chen Jinzhao said expressionlessly, "Whether to kill you or not, I will decide. It's not for you to point fingers at me."
Leng Jiaying screamed a few times and then began to weep uncontrollably.
Chen Jinzhao ignored Leng Jiaying and turned to look at the slightly trembling Su Wen, "Why aren't you begging for mercy? Aren't you afraid of death?"
"Afraid..." Su Wen's voice trembled.
"But I know that even if I begged for mercy, you wouldn't let me go."
Chen Jinzhao smiled.
This Su Wen was somewhat self-aware, unlike the arrogant and ignorant Yamamoto Chizuru.
He walked over, pulled the three-edged bayonet stuck in the wall, and cut Su Wen's ropes. Su Wen was surprised, "Chen Jinzhao, you are..."
Chen Jinzhao said calmly, "You're not the real Pangolin, are you?"
Su Wen's face changed again, "How did you know?"
"I could tell the first time I saw you. You were very flustered then, afraid I would see through you," Chen Jinzhao said. This was merely his guess, but when he saw Su Wen's expression, he knew he had guessed correctly.
Otherwise.
Su Wen would have no reason to attack Leng Jiaying.
"I'm just curious. Since you're not the Pangolin, why didn't you tell me clearly to spare your life?" Chen Jinzhao asked.
A struggle appeared on Su Wen's face, and he said with difficulty, "I am indeed not the Pangolin, but I am the Pangolin's disciple. After I learned of his identity, I killed him with his trust in me."
The reason he didn't beg for mercy was partly because Su Wen felt Chen Jinzhao wouldn't believe him, and partly because he felt that he had committed a heinous act of betraying his master and was beyond divine retribution.
It would be better to just die.
"I see. Are you from the Su family in Jiangnan?" Chen Jinzhao asked.
Su Wen was startled, then nodded, "Yes, but I only have the status, I'm not a true descendant of the Su family."
Chen Jinzhao nodded, "I won't kill you, but I need you to do something for me."
"What?"
Su Wen asked instinctively.
Chen Jinzhao said without hesitation, "I want you to become the heir of the Su family and firmly control the Su family. You must have heard about Su Jian. The Su Canghai branch now hates me intensely and wishes they could flay me alive."
Su Wen's face changed drastically. He thought, Chen Jinzhao has such great ambition, he wants to absorb the Su family into his grasp!
"If my great-grandfather knew your intentions, he would surely jump out of his coffin in anger," Su Wen said faintly. Chen Jinzhao smiled and asked, "Then are you willing to do this for me?"
Su Wen grinned.
"This benefits both of us, so of course I'm willing."
"However—"
"Aren't you afraid that once I become the Su family heir, I will break free from your control?"
Facing Su Wen's gaze, Chen Jinzhao flicked his fingers and smiled, "I'm not afraid. If you dare to do so, I guarantee I'll use the same method to replace you with someone else."
Su Wen burst into laughter.
"Good!"
"Then I'll be your puppet for once and take over the Su family! The current Su family has long been corrupted by fame and fortune, their roots have rotted. It's time for a reshuffle and to cleanse the Su family from top to bottom!"
Chen Jinzhao also smiled, "You can go now. Leave towards the northwest. No one will be looking for you there."
Su Wen clutched his chest and stood up. He looked deeply at Chen Jinzhao and said, "I will not fail your expectations. I will become your sharpest blade, cutting down the demons and ghosts of the Su family!"
With those words, Su Wen turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Chen Jinzhao watched Su Wen's receding figure, his gaze gradually becoming profound.
The reason he believed Su Wen was due to several considerations. Firstly, Su Wen dared to kill his own master, indicating that he was a person who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. It also reflected Su Wen's hatred of evil and his apparent dissatisfaction with the corrupt Su family. Secondly, Chen Jinzhao had recently discovered that these noble families were interconnected and tended to unite when faced with external forces. Therefore, to break the alliance of these families, one had to act from within!
This was a compromise with reality.
"I finally understand why Elder Xu couldn't completely eradicate the noble families in his lifetime. The difficulty is simply too great," Chen Jinzhao murmured to himself.
Perhaps people of Chen Jinzhao's generation would not live to see that day.
Not long after.
Several jeeps with military license plates drove over and stopped at the villa entrance.
Shangguan Yuan, who had rushed down from the car, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Chen Jinzhao sitting on the sofa, lighting a cigarette.
"Instructor, you..."
Before he could finish, Shangguan Yuan walked closer to Chen Jinzhao and immediately noticed the horrific wound on Chen Jinzhao's shoulder. His face changed drastically, and he said, "What happened to your shoulder? I'll take you to the hospital now!"
At this moment.
Yang Qin Hu also arrived in the living room. His pupils contracted when he saw Chen Jinzhao's injuries.
Chen Jinzhao waved his hand, "I'm fine. Clean up, and then create the illusion that Yamamoto Chizuru died in a car accident. This small matter shouldn't require me to teach you hand by hand, right?"
"But your injuries..." Shangguan Yuan was still worried.
"I don't want you to interrupt me again," Chen Jinzhao's tone deepened. Shangguan Yuan immediately stood at attention. Chen Jinzhao continued, "Yang Qin Hu, you will immediately draw thirty more men from the base and send them to Donghai overnight. Yamamoto Chizuru has just confessed to me that there are three dens in Donghai. Each den will be attacked by ten men. The specific coordinates will be given to you after I report to Elder Xu. You will move out now!"
"Operation Code Name - Dawn!"
Yang Qin Hu had no objections, saluted, and shouted, "Guaranteed to complete the mission!"
The cross-province operation officially began.
"Shangguan Yuan, you will immediately contact the Ninghai City Bureau through the Jiangnan Military Region and ask them to cooperate with our work, stop the city-wide search immediately, and do their best to fabricate a traffic accident scene for us!"
If not handled properly, it would affect relations between the two countries.
Although the two countries were not on good terms now, there was still a need for decorum. It was not yet time to tear up the relationship.
Shangguan Yuan was still worried about Chen Jinzhao's injuries. This was a through-and-through gunshot wound, and if not treated promptly, it could lead to infection, which was very serious!
"Shangguan Yuan, are you listening to me?" Chen Jinzhao frowned.
"Yes, sir!"
Shangguan Yuan immediately had the scene cleaned up, "Then what about this woman? How should we deal with her?"
Chen Jinzhao said without thinking, "Keep her under strict guard for now, and don't let anyone know her whereabouts. If possible, try to extract useful information from her. Once we're done, deal with her as appropriate."
"Understood!"
The members of the Candle Dragon Special Operations Team began to act.
Wu Gang, as a member of Candle Dragon, was fortunate enough to be selected to participate in this operation. When he saw Yamamoto Chizuru's body, he almost fell to the ground. It had become something indescribable!
The other special forces members also broke out in a cold sweat. Some even muttered, "Don't look at how kind our instructor usually is. If you really anger him, Yamamoto Chizuru's fate is a lesson learned."
Thinking of this, everyone's respect for Chen Jinzhao grew.
That night.
Tao Qiyue was also extremely busy. At first, she really thought the laboratory had been stolen and searched the whole city for two hours before being told it was a decoy. Then she had to cooperate with Shangguan Yuan to fabricate a traffic accident scene. By the time she was done, it was already six in the morning, and the east was starting to show the first light of dawn. Tao Qiyue did not go home to rest but went to the hospital first.
Meanwhile, during the past night, a serious accident also occurred in Donghai.
Three entertainment venues caught fire, and many people perished in the flames. However, only a few people knew that the deceased were all high-ranking officials of these three entertainment venues, and they did not die by burning.
As dawn broke, the "Dawn Operation" commanded by Chen Jinzhao achieved a great victory.
A piece of news also quietly climbed to the headlines of various news portals - Yamamoto Chizuru, suspected of drunk driving, died in a car accident. Judging from the on-site photos, Yamamoto Chizuru and his vehicle were crushed into a pancake.
As for how the drunk driving was detected, it was unknown.
The envoy from Dongying had also sent people to inspect the scene. They immediately expressed no objection and recognized the official investigation by Huaguo.
The dead Yamamoto Chizuru was best for them.
After all, Yamamoto Chizuru had shamed the Dongying envoy. Now, his death was considered a suicide to evade punishment by many, which could save Dongying some face and make people think that Dongying people were all unyielding men.
The Dongying envoy left and, upon returning to the hotel, reported the situation to a minister of the envoy.
The minister said weakly, "Based on our on-site investigation, we can conclude that Yamamoto Chizuru was already dead before the car accident. Should we exert pressure on Huaguo to demand an explanation?"
The minister lit a cigar and said calmly, "Forget it. Yamamoto Chizuru's death is good for us. This scoundrel, doing such shameful things regardless of the occasion, has ruined our reputation! When I go back this time, I will surely be questioned by the elders. It's all Yamamoto Chizuru's fault."
"You may leave. However, you must also hire some internet trolls to create an image of an unyielding tough guy for Yamamoto Chizuru." The minister wanted to gain as much benefit as possible from Yamamoto Chizuru's death.
"Yes!"
After everyone retreated, the minister narrowed his eyes and pondered certain matters.
He muttered, "Yamamoto Chizuru, don't think I don't know you've joined the Black Blood Group. Aren't you courting death by engaging in such activities within Huaguo's territory?"
"That is the Eye of Candle Dragon!"