Searching

"Everyone be careful and protect the employer! There's only one person there!"

The leader of the men in black stepped forward, issuing commands while brandishing his broadsword, which spun like a shield to block the Sword Qi shooting in from the doorway.

Upon first contact, feeling the impact from the blade, he immediately made a rough estimate of the attacker's strength. Excluding the possibility of feigning weakness, his cultivation level was roughly the same as his own, and his side had a numerical advantage, so they could easily defeat the attacker.

Just as the leader was about to retaliate, the hair on his back suddenly stood on end, a warning sign. It was too late to dodge; a Sword Qi pierced through his back, exiting through his chest and leaving a trail of blood.

"How could this be!"

The leader turned his head and saw that the Sword Qi that had not hit anyone had actually bounced off the wall!

This change was beyond everyone's expectations, because Sword Qi is known for its indestructible sharpness, and it was unheard of for it to possess elasticity. In an instant, the men in black in the room were all hit, the chaotic Sword Qi impossible to defend against.

"No. 3 Xun Hurricane)!"

A whistling sword wind swept through the air, its sharp light blinding the eye. The leader, suppressing his injuries with his inner energy, knew a mere sword wound couldn't render him incapable of fighting. He immediately swung his blade to parry, only to discover that the Sword-Ray that flashed before his eyes was a feint; the true killing move was hidden behind it.

The Sword-Ray shattered, the figures dwindled, and in the instant they passed each other, a huge head flew into the air, accompanied by a gushing stream of blood.

"Boss!"

"Leader!"

Upon seeing this, the wounded men in black were enraged, their eyes blazing with fury, roaring that they wanted to avenge their leader.

However, Xia Guanxue seemed to merge with the darkness, his movements elusive and unpredictable, making it difficult for his enemies to lock onto him and form an encirclement. The sword in his hand danced like a sprite, each leap claiming a life.

This is a true assassination tactic, unlike the sneak attacks and quick retreats of assassinations. It relies more on the combination of environment and Movement Method to create a shifting effect that is difficult to defend against. Even in a direct confrontation, it puts the enemy in a disadvantageous position to be assassinated, rendering the advantage of numbers meaningless at this moment.

After a brief carnage, all the men in black fell, leaving only Xia Guanxue and the middle-aged man in the room. The former flicked her sword, shaking off the blood that clung to the blade, revealing a rusty sword that looked like scrap metal—clearly a weapon of exquisite craftsmanship beneath its clumsy exterior.

"You're an assassin from the Blood Pupil Society, aren't you? I knew your leader wasn't a simple person after our meeting that day, but I never expected him to dare break the rules and poison his employer. Once this gets out, the Blood Pupil Society have no credibility left, and I'm afraid no one will dare to commission you for any mission. Even if you kill me to silence me, you'll still leave clues. Don't think you can hide it from those who are interested."

The middle-aged man succinctly exposed Xia Guanxue's true identity, demonstrating remarkable intelligence and insight. While his martial arts skills were average, he excelled in strategy. Seeking to buy himself a chance with words, he proposed, "I know your purpose, but that doesn't affect my actions, so I agree..."

His response was a sword light so fast it took the blink of an eye; before he could react, it pierced his heart.

"You!" The middle-aged man's pupils dilated in shock.

Xia Guanxue said calmly, "I'm not a member of the Blood Pupil Society. I'm just repaying a favor. What happens to the Blood Pupil Society in the future is none of my business. You have half a minute to give your last words. Make the most of your time."

He didn't mind hearing other people's regrets before they died, but he needed to make sure that his target was definitely going to die first. In particular, the man in front of him was exceptionally quick-witted. He had detected the pursuit several times in advance and managed to evade it. For two months, Xia Guanxue hadn't been able to find an opportunity to make a move. It wasn't until today, with the concert being held, that the man was forced by the situation to reveal a weakness.

"Haha, I never thought I, Wu Qiansuan, would die here... Framing the Blood Pupil Society just a side move of mine. Whether it succeeded or not was unimportant, but I ended up dying because of it. It's truly an ironic thing..."

The man coughed, blood gushing from his throat. He seemed to realize his end was near, death inevitable, yet he accepted it with a smile, "Unfortunately, you're too late. My men have already infiltrated the stadium; the massacre is unavoidable... cough cough... What a pity I won't be able to witness that hellish scene of flying flesh and screaming horrific agony... My Most Loving and Most Holy Qianyuan Heavenly Venerable, this mortal traveler offers you a grand feast, all praise belongs to the Yuan Venerable, we beg you to guide us on the right path..."

A strange smile appeared on his face as he died with a smile.

"Cult members?"

Xia Guanxue frowned. The other party's final actions were clearly those of the most fanatical believers. Coupled with the fact that the other party intended to use killing to please the gods, it proved that this "Most Loving and Most Holy Qianyuan Heavenly Venerable" belonged to the evil camp.

Composing himself, Xia Guanxue reached out and groped the man for a while, finally pulling out a letter. The cover of the letter was printed with a complex blood-red rune, which he guessed was related to the evil god the man worshipped. After opening the letter, his expression changed slightly, and he immediately took out his communicator to contact "Captain".

I have two pieces of news for you, one good and one bad. Which would you like to hear first?

"The good news is you completed the mission and killed the target. What's the bad news?"

"The bad news is, this guy wasn't the real employer; he was just a messenger. And according to what the target said before he died, those terrorists, or rather, cult members, have already infiltrated the stadium. What do we do now?"

"Tch, didn't the Mohist Knight Guard stop them? I secretly leaked information in the underworld, but I overestimated their intelligence gathering capabilities. I should have been more obvious," the Captain clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction on the other end of the communicator. "Oh well, it's too late to say anything now. Since they've already infiltrated, even if we notify the Mohist Knight Guard now, they can still launch an attack... Wait, maybe we still have a chance to mitigate the damage. Perhaps we can't prevent the terrorist attack, but we can avoid getting involved. You head to the stadium immediately and stop Qingyan from completing their mission."

As long as Qingyan fails to assassinate Yuezheng Yao, no one will suspect the Blood Pupil Society. As for the mission completion rate, it doesn't matter. No assassin organization can guarantee a 100% success rate. With limited capabilities, mission failure is inevitable. At least compared to being targeted by the Mohist Knight Guard, becoming a scapegoat in the case, and following in the footsteps of the Crimson Eye Society, this loss of reputation is still worthwhile.

As for Qingyan's own losses, they are even less important. His mission completion rate was already zero, so even with one more failure, it would still be zero. From a data perspective, there is no loss at all!

"I see."

Xia Guanxue hung up the call, flipped off the balcony, and rode the wind, blending into the darkness and becoming part of the background, unnoticed by anyone.

Si Ming and his two groups patrolled the stadium and then met up again. Since all the guests had already entered, there were hardly any people outside the stadium, at most some guests going to the restroom. Therefore, it was easy to see at a glance whether there was anything suspicious.

Ying Zhou said impatiently, "Judging from the sounds coming from inside the venue, the concert seems to be about to start, but we haven't found anything yet. It seems the news is most likely false. What a waste of my time!"

Murong Qing corrected her, "It's a good thing it was a false alarm. I'd rather we were wasting time than see an accident happen."

Suddenly, Hongdou seemed to notice something and ran towards a cleaner. Everyone immediately became alert and cautiously formed an encirclement, blocking her escape route.

Hongdou ran up to the cleaner and said, "Aren't you the uncle who sells breakfast? Now that you're back in China, why aren't you selling breakfast here instead of cleaning?"

Si Ming looked closely and realized that the other person was none other than the righteous and chivalrous man hidden among the people. He had even received help from him when he was training in Russia. He was truly a kind-hearted and compassionate man. What was even more remarkable was that he did good deeds without seeking fame or fortune, only for the sake of justice in his heart.

Remembering the other person's noble sentiment of doing good deeds anonymously, Si Ming suddenly realized. "I see, Uncle, you also found out the news, so you secretly sneaked into the club to protect the guests and stop those criminals from acting."

Upon hearing this, Hongdou, without a doubt, exclaimed, "Oh, I see! Uncle, you're such a kind person!"

Yu Shuying said thoughtfully, "In that case, the news might actually be true. It's just that we haven't noticed where these guys are hiding."

Qingyan was completely bewildered. What were you all suddenly realizing? What criminals? Had my assassination attempt been exposed?

Chapter 416 Searching

Yu Shuying has the Mind-Reading Technique, so she could naturally see that something was wrong with Qingyan. However Qingyan's emotions were mostly confused and doubtful, which was obviously not the reaction of a criminal. Since it was unrelated to the case, she was too lazy to expose it. Besides, she still needed to get information from him and needed his help, so she just went along with what everyone said and fooled him.

Among those present, Murong Qing and Ying Zhou did not know Qingyan, so Si Ming introduced them to each other.