Deep Night

Chapter 3: Late Night

Outside Qinggu City, in a quiet and elegant Hillside Villa.

A young man under twenty hurried along, jogging down to the basement level of the villa and knocking on a door.

His name was Zhao Qiang. Raised by the Zhao Family since childhood, he had grown up alongside Zhao Lingxiao and enjoyed the deep trust of both Zhao Yuanyi and his son.

Inside the room, on the soft bed, Zhao Lingxiao casually pushed aside the girl nestled between his legs, threw on a robe, and opened the door to face Zhao Qiang at the threshold.

"What's wrong?"

Zhao Qiang panted. "That... that fake young master in Pebble Prison sent someone to pass a message to me."

"Oh? Probably begging for help from the family." Zhao Lingxiao asked nonchalantly, "Where's the messenger?"

"I gave him half a million and sent him packing."

Zhao Lingxiao nodded, then asked, "What exactly did that knockoff say?"

"He said he wanted a full meal before he dies, and then he said something I couldn't understand."

"What was it?"

"He asked, 'Where is the doll?'"

The moment Zhao Qiang spoke, he saw Zhao Lingxiao's face shift dramatically, a tangle of complex emotions flickering across his handsome features.

Zhao Lingxiao slammed the door shut behind him, took a few deep breaths, and only then regained his composure.

His brows furrowed tightly, his mind churning with unknown thoughts. After a long pause, he asked, "Besides me, have you told anyone else about this?"

"No." Zhao Qiang shook his head. "Not even the Minister knows."

"Good. Don't say anything more—I'll handle it with him." Zhao Lingxiao let out a sigh of relief. "It looks like I'll need to go to Pebble Prison myself."

"Young master, your status is sensitive right now. Why not have someone else handle it? Why take the risk?"

"No. This is something I have to do personally."

A glint of killing intent flashed in Zhao Lingxiao's eyes.

Others all thought he was Zhao Yuanyi's only son, but few knew he once had a brother eight years younger.

Before that brother was born, Zhao Lingxiao, blessed with decent talent, had been Zhao Yuanyi's hope to elevate the Zhao Family further, with all resources poured into him.

But when his brother was born, he carried dense Evolutionary Force within him, his talent surpassing Zhao Lingxiao's. He was deeply cherished by Zhao Yuanyi and held as the family's great hope.

Unfortunately, this little prodigy of the Zhao Family, just three years old, met an untimely end by falling into a well.

No one knew he had fallen in trying to retrieve a doll that had dropped to the bottom.

And no one knew that doll had been thrown in by Zhao Lingxiao.

After all, who would suspect an eleven-year-old?

This had always been the deepest secret buried in Zhao Lingxiao's heart, known only to him.

Where is the doll?

When Zhao Lingxiao heard those words, he instantly understood that the scapegoat in Pebble Prison knew he was a Clone, and was using his darkest sin to threaten him.

If he let it slide, before the execution tomorrow, during the identity verification, the other would spill every secret—and the consequences would be unbearable.

Zhao Lingxiao didn't know what Su Ze's true goal was, but he had no choice. He had to kill the other version of himself in the prison before the execution, and he had to do it with his own hands.

If their father-son scheme of using a Clone to take the fall was exposed, Zhao Yuanyi would be held accountable, Zhao Lingxiao himself would be hunted, and the Zhao Family would be finished.

If he sent Zhao Yuanyi's experts to kill the prisoner, Su Ze would surely reveal the truth about him killing his own brother. That news would inevitably reach Zhao Yuanyi's ears.

Zhao Lingxiao had no idea how his calculating father would deal with him after learning he had murdered his own younger brother.

So his only option now was to enter Pebble Prison himself and kill Su Ze.

Zhao Lingxiao dialed Zhao Yuanyi's number.

"Hello, Dad."

"There's a problem. That impostor in the prison now knows his identity."

"I plan to go myself tonight. You'll need to smooth things over at Pebble Prison."

"I suspect he also knows about the Princess. I can't trust anyone else to handle it—it's best I do it myself."

"Don't worry. I've completed my first evolution, and I have a Tier 2 Marvel on me. Nothing will go wrong."

Pebble Prison.

Just after dinner, Su Ze sat back on his bed, wiped the grease from his mouth, and let out a satisfied burp.

His two cellmates didn't like chicken legs, so the ever-helpful Su Ze had to finish theirs to avoid wasting food.

Compared to Su Ze's relaxation, "Vampire" and "Sickly One" were restless, torn between hope and doubt.

Su Ze's Escape Plan had sparked a glimmer of hope in these two death row inmates, but now they wondered if his so-called plan was just a trick to steal their chicken legs.

"Kid, if you're lying to me, I swear I'll beat the shit out of you before they execute us tomorrow!" Vampire growled coldly.

The Sickly One added darkly, "That's right, you can't just eat our chicken legs and walk away. Even if they turn to shit, what goes in must come out."

"Don't worry, don't worry. You two just wait quietly until late night, and don't fall asleep."

Su Ze's words were careless, but a dangerous glint flickered in his eyes.

The best redemption always comes in the deepest night.

Su Ze's understanding of Zhao Lingxiao might have surpassed Zhao Lingxiao's understanding of himself.

He knew Zhao Lingxiao would come tonight, and would pick the stillest hour of the deep night.

So he kept his eyes closed, resting, maintaining a decent state of alertness.

His two cellmates, however, were gradually losing patience.

"It's fucking past midnight, and there's not even a ghost in sight. Are you messing with me?"

"Shut up!" Su Ze snapped, then lowered his voice. "Listen."

The three of them strained their ears and faintly heard the sound of the prison gate opening.

The Vampire and the Sickly One perked up, immediately holding their breath.

He's here!

Su Ze took a deep breath, preparing himself.

At that moment, the outermost iron gate of Pebble Prison slowly swung open. A figure shrouded in shadow, wearing a black hoodie, sunglasses, and a mask, stepped slowly into the courtyard.

There was no need to guess—it was Zhao Lingxiao.

What met his eyes was a metal building like a giant iron box—this was the Containment Zone holding the prisoners. Beside it, a three-story concrete building served as the administrative area of Pebble Prison.

Zhao Lingxiao headed straight for the Containment Zone. The entire structure was forged from Superalloy, and even at this deep hour, three guards stood watch at its only entrance, including a Guard Captain at the Cocoon Breaking Stage.

Yet these three guards, upon seeing the suspicious Zhao Lingxiao, acted as if they hadn't noticed him, saying nothing.

The Guard Captain turned back, peered through the small glass window on the Containment Zone's door to check the situation inside, then entered the password and opened the heavy door.

Zhao Lingxiao walked straight in. Neither party exchanged a single word throughout.

Meanwhile, in the surveillance room of the administrative area, the guard monitoring the screens suddenly stood up, grabbed his phone, lit a cigarette, and walked into the bathroom.

The surveillance monitors played footage from an hour ago, with no sign of Zhao Lingxiao.

The Money ability was terrifyingly effective!