Identity Exposed

Su Ze had originally intended to book separate rooms with Zhang Fantie, as it would make it easier for him to slip away at night. However, Zhang Fantie insisted, so they ended up booking a deluxe double room.

Zhang Fantie believed this arrangement would allow him to better protect Su Ze, but it also crushed Su Ze's plan to escape that night. He knew he couldn't sneak away without alerting the Butterfly Transformation Stage expert by his side.

"Looks like I'll have to wait until we reach the Luofan Kingdom to find an opportunity to slip away."

Su Ze stopped thinking about it, ate dinner, and then took a shower. After showering, he even remembered to spray himself with the same pungent perfume Zhao Lingxiao used.

Every second Zhang Fantie was near him, Su Ze felt like a thorn in his side, sitting on pins and needles. Therefore, he had to reveal as few weaknesses as possible.

Frowning, Su Ze swallowed two small blue pills and then lay down in bed, playing on his phone.

For nourishing medicines like the Body Strengthening Pills, it's best to combine them with exercise after taking them to absorb their effects better and faster. Su Ze's habit of taking them and then lying down would lead to some of the medicinal power being wasted, but he didn't care. It was only because he was rich.

After an unknown amount of time, Su Ze gradually felt drowsy and fell asleep.

In a daze, he was shaken awake. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Zhang Fantie's serious expression, with one hand covering his mouth.

Su Ze was startled... Could my identity have been exposed?

But then he saw Zhang Fantie make a shushing gesture and point outside the window.

Someone outside the window?

This is the 12th floor!

Su Ze understood immediately, got up, and stood by the wall furthest from the window.

Zhang Fantie flashed to the window with such speed that Su Ze couldn't see him clearly. Then, Zhang Fantie pulled back the curtains. Seeing what was behind them, Su Ze's eyes widened involuntarily.

A human face was pressed tightly against the windowpane!

It was a gaunt old man, his skin a sickly grayish-white, looking like a corpse that had escaped from the morgue.

The old man's dead-fish eyes looked past Zhang Fantie and stared directly at Su Ze. He spoke word by word, his voice hoarse and dry.

"I hope you haven't forgotten our deal. Did you bring the item?"

Deal?

Su Ze's heart stirred, and he already had a guess about the old man's identity.

He shook his head. "I never make deals with people who operate in the shadows."

"Interesting. It seems you absorbed that tube of extract yourself." The old man grinned. "It doesn't matter. We can still extract it from your body."

Zhang Fantie, who had been standing by, finally made a move. He stepped forward, shoved the window open, and threw a punch at the old man outside.

The old man fell backward, floating outside the window like a kite. A nauseating stench poured in from outside.

Smelling the stench, Su Ze had completely confirmed the other party's identity. He was no stranger to this smell. The mysterious person who instructed Zhao Lingxiao to assassinate Princess Zhuzhi had this stench, clearly indicating they were from the same organization.

Furthermore, Su Ze had also smelled this stench on Zhao Lingxiao's corpse, though it was much fainter then, barely concealable with pungent perfume.

The old man outside let out a strange laugh. "The organization's deals are never abandoned halfway. We will get back what you owe us."

The old man's figure disappeared into the night outside the window. Zhang Fantie's expression was grave. He re-locked the window, closed the curtains, and said to Su Ze, "We'll leave first thing in the morning."

Su Ze nodded and asked, "Uncle Tie, what was that old man's strength?"

"The same as mine, Butterfly Transformation Stage," Zhang Fantie replied.

Su Ze's heart grew cold. If he didn't have Zhang Fantie protecting him, he would likely have met a grim fate tonight.

The mysterious organization's target was Princess Zhuzhi's extract, or rather, the "Divine Grace of Evolution" skill. However, Zhao Lingxiao had absorbed the extract, and now Su Ze had taken over Zhao Lingxiao's identity.

Therefore, the mysterious organization now only had one option: kill Su Ze, extract the evolutionary substance from his body, and then recreate the extract containing the Divine Grace of Evolution skill.

So I've become the BOSS now? Killing me drops a divine skill... Su Ze felt a headache coming on. What puzzled him even more was how the other party found him.

He had arrived in Black Rock City by private jet. Logically, there was no possibility of being tracked. Moreover, he had traveled across more than half of the Mu Kingdom from Qinggu City to Black Rock City. He had only landed at noon, and checking into this hotel in the evening was a spur-of-the-moment decision. How could the mysterious organization have tracked him to this hotel on the same night?

Although the mysterious organization was powerful, Su Ze didn't believe they could control everything. They must have some kind of tracking method to locate him.

There are countless tracking skills, but they usually require leaving a mark on the target. However, I am not Zhao Lingxiao, and I have never had contact with anyone from the mysterious organization before. It's possible they left a mark on Zhao Lingxiao, but they shouldn't have had the chance to mark me. Su Ze's expression suddenly faltered. He turned to look at the handbag on his nightstand.

This bag originally belonged to Zhao Lingxiao, and he had kept it with him all along. The most valuable item in the bag was that tube of Tier 4 extract!

And that tube of Tier 4 extract was precisely the deposit the mysterious organization had paid Zhao Lingxiao.

Meaning, they tracked me down by following this tube of Tier 4 extract... Su Ze understood, but he didn't share his guess with Zhang Fantie.

After this incident, Su Ze couldn't sleep. He lay on the bed with his eyes closed, analyzing his current predicament.

He appeared to be immensely wealthy and had a Butterfly Transformation Stage expert protecting him, seemingly in a stable situation. However, in reality, he was walking a tightrope; one wrong step could lead to utter ruin.

The mysterious organization wanted to kill him for a skill drop, and if the Zhao Family discovered he wasn't Zhao Lingxiao, they would surely kill him to avenge Zhao Lingxiao.

He needed Zhang Fantie's protection, but he was also afraid of Zhang Fantie seeing through his disguise.

"Neither the Zhao Family nor the mysterious organization are forces I can contend with. For now, I can only take things one step at a time."

As dawn broke, Zhang Fantie woke Su Ze. They washed up together and went downstairs for breakfast. The taxi driver from yesterday was already waiting for them outside the hotel.

The two walked out of the hotel and towards the taxi. Just then, Zhang Fantie's phone suddenly rang.

Zhang Fantie had no close friends or family, and he was on a mission. The only person who usually contacted him was Zhao Yuanyi.

Su Ze glanced at Zhang Fantie's phone screen. It was indeed Zhao Yuanyi calling. For some reason, hearing the urgent ringtone made Su Ze feel inexplicably agitated and uneasy.

"Minister," Zhang Fantie stopped, answered the call, his tone respectful.

"Is Lingxiao by your side?"

"Yes."

Zhao Yuanyi's voice carried no discernible emotion, "Capture him and bring him back. He is not Lingxiao."

"Remember, bring him back alive!"