When he saw the chairman suddenly clutch his abdomen in midair, a ferocious smile spread across Shao Tong's pain-tensed face. Just as he'd thought, he and the chairman were bound together in a delicate symbiotic relationship.
"Sha—Shao Tong woke up!" The chubby man clutched his injured arm, but his attention was entirely fixed on Shao Tong.
"It was that Netherworld Insect!" Wu Yingying suddenly exclaimed. "It didn't kill Shao Tong, but it pierced the barrier. He can see what's happening outside now, and the insect has relayed everything that happened out here to him."
This was the first time Jiang Cheng and the others had learned the butterfly's name. It was called a Netherworld Insect—a fitting name, since in their eyes, the ice-blue butterfly was like a messenger from the underworld, harvesting lives with the utmost elegance.
"If this continues, you'll die." The chairman stared coldly at Shao Tong, his tone somewhere between a warning and concern.
Shao Tong's smile grew broader. He closed his eyes in comfort, as if the pain in his body had become insignificant. "Hah... Can I take that to mean... Chairman, you're begging me?"
"You're no longer of any use to me. After this is over, I can let you go." After a pause, the chairman continued, "Of course, if you're willing to stay, I'd be delighted to invite you to formally join the Night Watch."
The chairman's stiff expression softened, making him seem at least somewhat sincere. "If you have any doubts, I can swear on the Night Watch's name."
Before he could finish, the chairman's expression changed dramatically. He clutched his abdomen as Shao Tong slowly tightened his grip on the splinter embedded there and twisted it bit by bit. Blood kept welling from the wound, staining Shao Tong's white teeth red. He