Poisoning

Team 64323 has entered the field.

Bai Cangshu sat in the restaurant kitchen while the burly driver, Fat Bo, sat outside with his head lowered, silently stuffing himself with food. He regretted not having gone out to drive earlier today, only to run into this disaster.

Looking at the notification before him, Bai Cangshu knew that Trial Mission II had officially begun.

The space had only informed him of Team 64323's entry time and had provided no coordinates or hints about their entry location. This was likely a form of difficulty balancing.

Letting a "weakling" like Bai Cangshu know when the stronger team entered could force him to choose a faster way to complete the mission;

But if their entry coordinates were disclosed as well, those who entered first might be able to use the situation to surround and slaughter them.

For example, in an ideal scenario, Bai Cangshu could grind enough favorability and reputation to join Mercenary Tao, Master Shen, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, and the others in surrounding them. Many reincarnation teams would be unable to resist.

Bai Cangshu's gaze did not waver. He had no intention of confronting that reincarnation team head-on.

"Anyway..."

"The key to victory has long been in my hands."

A clear smile curled Bai Cangshu's lips as he fiddled with a switch around ten centimeters long.

Universal Capsule Controller - Car

Quality: Blue (Rare)

Description: A fantasy technological item unique to Dragon Ball and its Derivative Worlds. Press the button to open or close the capsule.

Effect 1: Press the button to release the car inside the capsule.

Effect 2: Press the button to revert the car into a capsule.

Note: This item cannot be taken out of this world.

Meanwhile, at an inn beneath the night sky, Mercenary Tao sat at the dining table with chopsticks in hand.

He picked up a slice of fish and sniffed it. It was very fresh, with no unpleasant odor, yet his chopsticks stopped before his face.

"Badan, are you nervous?"

Tang Badan, who stood respectfully at the side, lowered his head. At that moment, his pupils had nearly contracted into pinpoints.

His heartbeat suddenly became even more violent. A great rush of blood pumped into his brain, and the excess oxygen nearly made him faint.

This reaction drew Mercenary Tao's attention.

Mercenary Tao frowned as he looked at his longtime "partner."

"Your heart is beating like a drum beside my ear, Badan."

He had initially assumed the fish was not fresh enough, making Tang Badan especially nervous today and causing his heartbeat to race at nearly twice its usual speed.

But after smelling it, he found that the fish was fine.

So... the problem was the person!

Mercenary Tao's hand was steady, but his gaze was like a sharp sword, ready to pierce Tang Badan through in an instant.

Tang Badan's mental fortitude was nowhere near enough to deceive Mercenary Tao. Merely being stared at by him made his heart race out of control, and his body went limp.

"Lord Mercenary Tao... spare me!"

"Spare me... it was that guy... Bai Cangshu ordered me to do it!"

Mercenary Tao's hand holding the piece of fish remained perfectly still before him, but upon hearing Bai Cangshu's name, his eyes narrowed dangerously. He had already intended to use this slice of fish to kill Tang Badan, but now he felt like hearing a few more words.

"Bai Cangshu..."

He had never even paid attention to Bai Cangshu's name. Mercenary Tao generally had little interest in learning about anyone besides his mission targets.

Tang Badan's clothes were already soaked through. He could feel it—at that instant, Mercenary Tao's killing intent had been like a dagger piercing through his heart.

The sensation of death had never felt so tangible.

He immediately cast aside thoughts of immense wealth and Bai Cangshu's threats, trembling as he revealed all of Bai Cangshu's plans.

"He gave me Qing She's deadly poison weapon and told me to..."

Mercenary Tao's expression darkened. Though he did not truly consider Bai Cangshu his disciple, he had taught the man some martial arts. That was a fact.

But that bastard actually wanted to poison him to death?!

How utterly outrageous. Normally, only Mercenary Tao killed others without restraint. This was the first time he had personally experienced such an unpredictable turn of events.

At the mention of poison, Tang Badan's face turned even paler. He subconsciously covered his pocket, his heart pounding like a barrage of drums.

Mercenary Tao spotted this little movement at once. He released his chopsticks, and the fish fell onto the table.

"Where exactly did you put the poison?!"

He had assumed that Tang Badan's racing heart while he ate the fish meant the poison was in the fish, but judging from Tang Badan's current reaction, perhaps...

Tang Badan's body went slack. He no longer had the strength even to support himself and collapsed completely onto the floor, tears and snot streaming down his face. He felt there was no chance of surviving.

"Bai Cangshu said you were cunning... vigilant, so he told me to... poison the tea, rice, dishes, soup, even the utensils..."

Mercenary Tao's pupils contracted. Looking at the tea he had drunk, intense killing intent surged up instantly. He had not expected Tang Badan to poison everyone in the inn just to poison him, including Tang Badan himself, who had also drunk that tea.

Tang Badan knew he was probably doomed. He hated Bai Cangshu bitterly for dragging him into this mess for no reason.

But he also harbored hatred for Mercenary Tao, who held his life in his hands.

Those bastards... every last one of them treated his life as if it meant nothing.

He suddenly reached for the pocket at his waist. Inside was the antidote Bai Cangshu had left him.

Tang Badan intended to swallow the antidote before Mercenary Tao killed him. That way, after Mercenary Tao eventually killed Bai Cangshu, he might still die from the poison. This was the greatest revenge Tang Badan could manage.

Pfft!

The chopsticks in Mercenary Tao's hand flashed, instantly pinning Tang Badan's right hand to the floor.

"Ah!"

Tang Badan screamed in agony as Mercenary Tao strolled over without haste and dug with Two Fingers.

Pfft!

Along with a large chunk of flesh from Tang Badan's waist, Mercenary Tao directly gouged out the object at his waist.

A black pill the size of a pigeon egg gave off a rich medicinal fragrance. Its shape was imperfect, and faint marks from being hand-rolled could still be seen.

This was probably Qing She's homemade antidote. Mercenary Tao knew that those low-rate killers who liked coating their weapons in poison occasionally did something as stupid as poisoning themselves to death.

That was why many of them made their own antidotes and carried them around.

He looked down at Tang Badan, who howled in pain, with contempt on his face.

"You think this poison can really kill me?"

"You think swallowing this antidote will let you live?"

"No. I'll cut open your stomach and take the antidote out."

Mercenary Tao pressed two fingers against Tang Badan's forehead. Tang Badan's entire body instantly stiffened. He felt as though his skull had already been pierced through and that he would be killed the next second.

A foul stench suddenly rose from beneath him.

Mercenary Tao frowned. Just as he was about to kill him completely, the temperature behind him rose abnormally.

"Roar of the Fire Dragon!"

Boom!

Within the enormous fireball, flames as dense as magma spun and compressed ceaselessly before smashing through the inn wall and erupting with a thunderous blast.

Rumble!

As the town shook violently, an enormous mushroom cloud rose into the air. The entire inn had vanished.