Deep Night

Chapter 3: Deep Night

In a quiet, elegant Hillside Villa on the outskirts of Qinggu City.

A young man, not yet twenty, hurried into the villa's basement level and knocked on a door.

The young man was Zhao Qiang. Adopted by the Zhao Family from childhood, he had grown up alongside Zhao Lingxiao and was deeply trusted by both Zhao Yuanyi and his son Zhao Lingxiao.

Inside the room, Zhao Lingxiao casually pushed aside the girl draped across his lap, threw on a robe, and opened the door to look at Zhao Qiang.

"What is it?"

Panting, Zhao Qiang said, "That... that fake young master in Pebble Prison sent someone to pass along a message."

"Oh? He's probably begging the family for help." Zhao Lingxiao asked indifferently, "Where's the messenger?"

"I had someone give him five hundred thousand and sent him away."

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

"He said he wanted one last full meal before he died, and he also said something I didn't understand."

"What did he say?"

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

The moment Zhao Qiang said it, Zhao Lingxiao's expression changed drastically. A tangle of complicated emotions surfaced on his handsome face.

With a bang, Zhao Lingxiao shut the door behind him. Only after taking several deep breaths did he regain his composure.

His brows were tightly furrowed as he pondered something. After a long while, he asked, "Besides me, have you told anyone else about this?"

"No." Zhao Qiang shook his head. "Not even the minister."

"Good. Don't say anything more. I'll speak to him myself." Zhao Lingxiao sighed in relief. "Looks like I'll have to make a trip to Pebble Prison."

"Young Master, your identity is sensitive right now. Whatever it is, you can just arrange for someone else to handle it. Why take the risk yourself?"

"No. Only I can handle this personally!"

A flicker of killing intent flashed through Zhao Lingxiao's eyes.

Everyone thought he was Zhao Yuanyi's only son, but few knew that he had once had a younger brother eight years his junior.

Before his brother was born, Zhao Lingxiao's talent had been considered quite good. Zhao Yuanyi had always regarded him as the hope that would take the Zhao Family to greater heights, pouring resources into his cultivation.

But when his younger brother was born, he already possessed abundant Evolutionary Force within him. His talent surpassed Zhao Lingxiao's, and Zhao Yuanyi cherished him dearly, while the Zhao Family placed great hopes on him.

Unfortunately, this little genius of the Zhao Family had accidentally fallen into a well and died just after turning three.

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

Even fewer knew that Zhao Lingxiao had thrown that doll down there.

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

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

Where is the doll?

The instant Zhao Lingxiao heard those words, he understood that the scapegoat in Pebble Prison had discovered he was a clone and was using the filthiest evil in his heart to threaten him.

If he let this continue, then during tomorrow's identity verification before the execution, the other party would definitely expose every secret. The consequences would be more than he could bear.

Zhao Lingxiao did not know what Su Ze's true aim was, but he had no choice. Before the execution, he had to kill the other him in prison to silence him—and he had to do it himself.

If the matter of the father and son using a clone to take the blame were exposed, Zhao Yuanyi would certainly be held accountable, Zhao Lingxiao himself would become a wanted man, and the Zhao Family would be finished.

If he had Zhao Yuanyi send an expert into the prison to murder Su Ze, then Su Ze would certainly reveal that Zhao Lingxiao had caused his own brother's death. The matter would inevitably reach Zhao Yuanyi's ears.

Zhao Lingxiao did not know how his deep-minded father would deal with him after learning that he had killed his own younger brother.

Thus, his only choice 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 prison now knows his identity."

"I plan to make a trip there tonight myself. I'll need you to make arrangements on Pebble Prison's end."

"I suspect he also knows about the Princess. I can't feel at ease sending anyone else. It's best if I do it myself."

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

Pebble Prison.

Not long after dinner, Su Ze leaned against his bed, wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth, and let out a satisfied burp.

His two cellmates did not like chicken legs, so helpful Su Ze could only assist them once again by digesting the chicken legs from their dinner, lest the food go to waste.

Compared to Su Ze's relaxed demeanor, Vampire and Sickly One were somewhat restless, torn between hope and anxiety.

Su Ze's Escape Plan had given the two death-row inmates a glimmer of hope, but now they were beginning to suspect that Su Ze's so-called plan was just a scheme to swindle them out of their chicken legs.

"Kid, if you dare lie to me, I swear I'll beat the shit out of you before tomorrow's execution!" Vampire said coldly.

Sickly One added in a sinister tone, "That's right. You can't just get away with eating our chicken legs. Even if they've turned to shit, you'll have to puke them back out from the same place you ate them."

"Relax, relax. Just wait peacefully until deep night. Don't fall asleep."

Su Ze sounded utterly unconcerned, but a dangerous light flickered in his eyes.

The best salvation always arrived in the deepest night.

Su Ze might have understood Zhao Lingxiao even better than Zhao Lingxiao understood himself.

He knew Zhao Lingxiao would definitely come tonight, and he would choose the quietest hour of the night.

Thus, he kept his eyes closed and rested, maintaining a decent state of mind.

His two cellmates, however, gradually lost patience.

"It's fucking past midnight. We haven't even seen a ghost. Are you messing with me?"

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

The three focused their hearing and faintly caught the sound of the prison's main gate opening.

Vampire and Sickly One perked up at once and immediately held their breaths.

He was here!

Su Ze also took a deep breath and prepared himself.

At that moment, Pebble Prison's outermost iron gate slowly opened, and a figure dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses, and a mask, his entire body shrouded in shadow, slowly entered the courtyard.

There was no need to guess who he was. It was Zhao Lingxiao.

Before him stood a massive metal structure resembling an enormous iron box. This was the Containment Zone where prisoners were held. Beside it stood a three-story concrete building, Pebble Prison's office area.

Zhao Lingxiao headed straight for the Containment Zone. The entire structure was forged from Superalloy, and its only entrance was guarded by three prison guards even in the dead of night, including a Guard Captain at the Cocoon Breaking Stage.

Yet when the three prison guards saw the suspicious Zhao Lingxiao, they acted as though they had seen nothing and remained silent.

The Guard Captain turned around and looked through the small glass window in the Containment Zone's door to check the situation beyond it. Only then did he enter the password and open the heavy door.

Zhao Lingxiao walked straight inside. Neither side exchanged a word throughout.

At the same time, in the surveillance room of the office area, the prison guard monitoring the cameras suddenly stood up, picked up his phone, lit a cigarette, and walked into the restroom.

The surveillance screens replayed footage from an hour earlier, with no sign of Zhao Lingxiao.

Money ability was terrifying indeed!