Chapter Ninety-Three: Anomalous Reaction

The man in black was slightly taken aback, then the corners of his face, hidden behind dark glasses, lifted again as he smiled. “You yellow-skinned brat, looks like you’re smarter than I thought. Those guys really were vigilant, but they’ve already been taken out. Now you have two choices: hand over the case, or die.”

Chen Cao gave a cold laugh. “Is that so? Looks like I don’t have a choice.”

The man in black pressed the muzzle of the gun a little harder. “Looks that way. Or perhaps you simply don’t have the ability to choose.”

Chen Cao snorted. “You know I wouldn’t carry the case with me.”

“That doesn’t matter. I have all the time and all the means to make you tell me. Starting now.” Seeing that Chen Cao would yield neither by force nor by persuasion, the man in black had already made up his mind.

“Oh, I’d like to see what methods you have.” Chen Cao still wore that cold smile.

Before the last word had faded, the butt of the pistol slammed into Chen Cao’s forehead. He felt the rush of wind and tilted his head just enough to avoid having the stock strike the corner of his eye. If that fragile spot had been shattered, he would have lost all advantage at once. Beneath the close-range blow, his forehead immediately flared with searing pain, and his vision burst into countless tiny stars. His body involuntarily leaned backward.

“Boss!” Stanley cried out from the side. He did not understand how Chen Cao could be subdued so quickly and could not help shouting, but with the initiative already in the other man’s hands, he did not dare make a move.

“Kid, not bad. That was only a warm-up.” The man in black stood up and drew the belt from his side. It was a steel whip lined with spikes.

“Is that so? Then I’d like to see that,” Chen Cao said. With a sudden jerk, he straightened the body that had nearly collapsed. His arm flashed, and the dagger hidden in his sleeve shot forward, stabbing into the man in black’s thigh. With a soft pop, it went clean through.

“Is that all you’ve got? Then don’t blame me.” The man in black merely let out a cold snort and raised his pistol, aiming at Chen Cao. At such close range, there was no need to aim carefully; he could easily send a bullet into Chen Cao’s brain, or any other target he chose.

But just as he squeezed the trigger, a flash of cold light cut through the air. In a single sweep, the man in black felt one arm suddenly go light. Looking down, he saw that the hand still gripping the gun had already fallen to the floor.

“Did you forget? Sometimes a person may have two daggers,” Chen Cao said with a cold smile, holding the blade still wet with blood. He touched the bloodline running across his forehead.

“Damn it, son of a bitch!” Stanley, who had been bound, got to his feet and viciously kicked the man in black to the ground. He then stomped him hard, venting the fury in his heart. On his first collaboration with Chen Cao, he had been tied up like a dumpling. Such humiliation was no joke; it would make Chen Cao look down on him. Thinking of this, Stanley clenched his teeth and lifted his foot to kick again.

“Wait, Stanley. I still have questions for him.” Chen Cao stopped him, then flicked his dagger and sliced through the ropes around Stanley in one stroke. He crouched down and looked at the man in black, who was clutching his hand and lying on the floor, hissing through his teeth. “How does it feel?”

“You brat, I underestimated you too much,” the man in black said through gritted teeth. Only now did the pain in his wrist and thigh fully reach his brain. On his face, still shaded by those large dark glasses, sweat had already run down his cheeks.

“Is that so? On the contrary, I’ve always overestimated others. Life comes only once. If you misjudge, it’s gone.” Chen Cao finished with a cold smile, then turned to Stanley. “Hold this guy down.”

Stanley, eager to prove himself, immediately stepped forward and pressed the man in black down with both hands.

Chen Cao rested his hand on the dagger embedded in the man in black’s thigh. “You should understand the principle of returning what was taken.”

The man in black drew in a sharp breath. Without any medical treatment, if that blade were pulled out, he would surely bleed from an artery. Even gods would find it hard to save him now. In his eyes, Chen Cao had undoubtedly become the incarnation of a devil.

“Kill me if you want. I won’t say a word.” The man in black gritted his teeth and relaxed his body, as though his mind had been made up.

Chen Cao smiled faintly. “Do you know what I’m asking you? I don’t want to ask anything at all. I’m not getting the money anyway. Right now, I only want to watch you die.”

“Then let me die,” the man in black said with a cold twist of his lips.

“Of course. You have to die. I just don’t want it to be too easy for you. Since you could unleash slaughter in this room, I imagine no one will come in here unless we leave. So I’ve decided to let you die slowly.” As he spoke, he gently drew the dagger out a little. “For example, I could pull it out a bit more from your thigh every hour and let you bleed to death.”

Though Chen Cao had only withdrawn it a tiny amount, the man in black immediately felt a wave of dizziness. The numb, stabbing pain caused his whole body to convulse.

But Stanley, who had witnessed too many killings by holy warriors and too many slaughterings by coalition troops on the battlefield, held him down tightly. His eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty light, and his face was filled with admiration for Chen Cao.

Before the man in black could answer, Chen Cao spun the other dagger in his hand around his wrist. At once, the man in black felt a fierce glint of cold steel before his eyes.

“You know, I can also inflict any punishment on you I please, make you watch as the flesh on your body disappears inch by inch. I can inject you with drugs to numb your body, then drive a wooden stick into your lower opening and twist it around inside. By then you won’t feel pain, but you’ll be able to feel the stick rolling about in your belly.” Chen Cao casually recited these chilling methods.

“Is there room for negotiation?” the man in black asked, leaning his head back. Yet as he listened, he seemed almost to have forgotten the pain. He knew this young man before him could certainly turn every word into reality.

“Heh. I said there’s no room for negotiation, unless you want to talk yourself.” Chen Cao’s smile remained cold.

“How much were they paying you for the deal?” the man in black said abruptly, apparently paying no attention to Chen Cao’s rambling.

Chen Cao thought for a moment, then answered honestly, “Five hundred thousand dollars.”

“Heh. Can you give me a cigarette?” After hearing that, the man in black’s expression twisted, and it was impossible to tell whether it was mockery or the pain in his body.

“Of course. Stanley, let him go and pick up the gun from the floor.” Chen Cao spoke to Stanley, then took the hotel’s complimentary cigarette case from the table, drew out one cigarette, and placed it at the man in black’s lips.

“Anyway, I’m already crippled, and they definitely won’t let me live. I might as well tell you this secret. With your skill, maybe you’ll be the biggest winner in this game.” After Chen Cao lit the cigarette for him, the man in black took a deep drag and said, “I really can’t believe you sold what was in that case for only five hundred thousand dollars.”

“All right, enough nonsense, or I’ll make a move,” Chen Cao said coldly. At the same time, he sensed that whatever lay in the case was no ordinary thing.

“There was a slip of paper inside, with coordinates on it. I don’t know what those coordinates represent, but I do know this: for so many organizations to go mad trying to seize it, it must be something terribly important.”

“Organizations? Which organization are you from?” After hearing what was inside, Chen Cao felt a little disappointed. No matter how important something was, it could not compare with cash. However, when the man in black mentioned an organization, Chen Cao became interested. At the very least, he could learn the current movements of the world’s mercenary groups and send the information back to Duan Tianya.

Stanley, on the other hand, had a strange light flash in his eyes when he heard about the coordinates. Though it vanished almost at once, Chen Cao still saw it.

“I think you’ve heard of the Eastern Master,” the man in black said coldly.

“The Eastern Master? You’re a member of the Eastern Master Assassins Guild!” Chen Cao was startled inwardly, though his voice remained calm. This was not some ordinary local outfit. It was famous for assassinating political figures. Its membership numbered fewer than ten, and the client never met the members in person. Communication was usually handled by email, and once the job was done, payment was wired directly. Of course, for an assassination group with a ninety percent success rate, no client would dare withhold payment afterward. Thinking of this, Chen Cao broke into a cold sweat. No wonder this fellow had been so arrogant when trying to kill him earlier. So he really had the skill. It seemed Chen Cao had simply been lucky.

The man in black let out a dull grunt, flicked ash from his cigarette, and sighed deeply. “Seems my fate was to end here. I took this private job on my own, and now look at me, crippled.” He turned his head and stared at Chen Cao, who remained half-crouched on the ground, looking back at him with cold eyes. “I can see you’re no ordinary man either. Your speed and decisiveness, when you strike, must mean you’ve received special training. Heh, don’t you want to see what’s on that coordinate?”

“Sorry, I’m not interested,” Chen Cao said, folding his arms. “All right, since you’ve told me this much, I assume you also know the password to the case. Say it. Let’s not beat around the bush. We can part on good terms. Once you’re done, I’ll be glad to send you on your way.”

“Can you give me another cigarette?” the man in black asked lightly, then removed the glasses from his face, revealing a hollow, black eye socket. He was one-eyed.

“Of course.” Chen Cao motioned for Stanley to give him a cigarette, then listened in silence.

“I can tell you the password, but you must open it in front of me. Is that all right? Let me see what’s inside the case.” Smoking the cigarette Stanley handed him, the man in black made his final request.

“Yes.” While Chen Cao was still considering it, Stanley blurted out the answer without thinking.

When Stanley realized he had spoken out of turn, he turned to Chen Cao, only to find Chen Cao already staring at him with a dark expression.

Stanley could not help but flinch and swallowed hard.

The Ember King, Chapter Ninety-Three: Unusual Reaction. End of update.