Start with push-ups to gain experience

Chapter 370 The Stalker, the Masked Man

Under the cover of night, the eastern capital city seems to transform into a dazzling sea of ​​lights.

Countless high-rise buildings stand tall, neon lights flash, and transparent curtain walls reflect the sky as a hazy silver-gray.

Located in the city center CBD, the most bustling commercial area.

A tall building, its lights already off, stood out like a black sword piercing the sky.

At the top of the building, a huge "NOAH" logo, radiating a cold white light, overlooks the endless stream of vehicles below.

On the top floor of the building, in an office of several hundred square meters.

The lights were off; darkness permeated everything.

Only the city lights streaming in through the window outlined the contours of the expensive furniture inside the room.

A burly figure stood quietly in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

He held a thick cigar between his fingers, crimson sparks flickering in the darkness, and wisps of smoke rising.

Soothing jazz music filled the air, and a vinyl record player spun tirelessly in the corner.

crunch--

The heavy solid wood door behind him was gently pushed open.

The soles of my shoes clicked on the marble floor, the soft sound of footsteps approaching from afar.

Finally, it stopped a few steps away.

The visitor stood up quietly and respectfully greeted:
"Your Excellency..."

Luo Lie stood by the window without turning around.

It's as if I'm still immersed in the night view outside the window and the music in my ears.

After a long silence, he slowly spoke, his voice deep and magnetic.

"Is there something you need, coming so late?"

Standing behind him was Zhuo Feng, the head of the intelligence department of the Noah Organization's Eastern Capital branch.

He hesitated slightly, as if he was carefully choosing his words.

Then he said softly:

"Your Excellency, I just received some bad news regarding Noah Pharmaceuticals..."

Luo Lie exhaled a smoke ring, his tone remaining calm:

"Go ahead."

Zhuo Feng took a deep breath and reported:

"Around 7 p.m. tonight, a bloody incident occurred at Building 78, Sanmalu, Jiangbei."

“One of our organization’s senior officers and three ordinary members died tragically in the incident.”

Upon hearing this, Luo Lie's eyes narrowed slightly:
"The killer is from the special investigation team? They've already killed Scorpion, are they still not satisfied?"

"Probably not."

Zhuo Feng shook his head and said, "According to the statements of the logistics personnel, when they received the call to action and arrived at the scene, they found no trace of the perpetrators other than the four corpses."

He paused, then added:
"However, a drawing made of blood was found on the wall inside the house."

"It is exactly the same as the marking pattern left at the scene when Chen Rui and others died: a grinning devil's face."

Luo Lie shrugged and finally turned around.

In the darkness, his sharply defined face remained expressionless.

"The Smiling Demon? He couldn't resist striking again? Who are the victims?"

"It has not been fully confirmed yet."

Zhuo Feng nodded, and then explained in detail:

"The identities of the three ordinary members have been confirmed. They are all registered extra-staff experimental subjects who were inoculated with 'Pioneer Blood' a few months ago and are currently in the initial observation period."

"As for that cadre, we suspect it is Jia Liang, the level 8 cadre in charge of recruiting and monitoring the experimental subjects."

Luo Lie was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

He recognized the name Jia Liang.

He was one of the key figures planted by the organization within Noah Pharmaceuticals.

To avoid being discovered by the special search team and attracting the attention of higher-ups, he has been hiding in this building recently.

Therefore, I met him a few times and exchanged a few words with him.

Now, he's actually been killed by the Smiling Demon?

This news did indeed surprise Luo Lie.

In terms of affiliation, Noah Pharmaceuticals Dongdu Branch and Noah Organization Dongdu Branch are administratively at the same level.

However, its security work has always been the responsibility of the East Capital Branch.

Especially those top-secret experimental data, which can only be personally controlled by experts within the organization.

Normally, Jia Liang is stationed inside the company, responsible for daily supervision and management.

Zhuo Feng, as the head of intelligence, was also in charge of Noah Pharmaceuticals' overall security system in Dongdu.

Recently, Noah Pharmaceuticals has been under a lot of pressure from above, with countless eyes watching every move.

At this critical juncture, the person in charge actually got into trouble and died a gruesome death.

It's easy to imagine the uproar this news would cause both inside and outside the organization once it got out.

"Currently, the identity of the deceased has not been fully confirmed, and we still need to wait for the DNA comparison results."

Zhuo Feng continued to explain the situation to Luo Lie:
"Because when he was found, his muscles were swollen and bloated, his body shape was severely deformed, he had suffered multiple fractures and serious injuries, and his head... was even completely blown apart, making it impossible to see his appearance before he died."

He paused here, his tone becoming somewhat serious:

"My guess is that Jia Liang was forced to inject the new version of the enhancement drug when he encountered a powerful enemy, but he was still no match for that person."

"Moreover, according to the preliminary autopsy report, his head was most likely smashed by a punch at high speed."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Lie's eyes flickered slightly.

He knew very well that the new enhancement potion Zhuo Feng mentioned was the organization's latest development, "Pioneer's Blood 2.0".

This drug can forcibly stimulate the potential of cells.

After injection, the experimental body enters the "primary aberration period". If it can withstand the pain of muscle tearing and bone hyperplasia, it will have the opportunity to enter the more stable "secondary aberration period".

During this stage, the test subject's bones and muscles become exceptionally strong, and their defense and recovery abilities are enhanced several times over.

Although there is only a very small chance of achieving complete metamorphosis and successfully reaching the third stage, becoming a more stable and mature life form.

But at least in terms of physical strength, it has basically reached the level expected in the experiment.

Jia Liang was an 8th-level cadre with physical fitness far exceeding that of ordinary people, and he was also an agility enhancer.

In this "second-degree abnormal period", he actually got his head smashed by a single punch?

Luo Lie couldn't help but ponder to himself.

Based on information from various sources, it seems that this smiling demon is indeed a monster who is extremely skilled in hand-to-hand combat.

At least in terms of strength, he brutally killed Chen Rui, who could transform, and in terms of agility, he completely overwhelmed Jia Liang, who had extraordinary speed.

"If it really is him, then his reappearance after lying low for half a month must mean he has some kind of ulterior motive."

After pondering for a moment, Zhuo Feng also analyzed:

"I suspect that he might have poisoned Jia Liang to silence him."

Meeting Luo Lie's probing gaze, Zhuo Feng paused before continuing:

“Last time you asked me to investigate the leak of ‘Operation Demon Hunter’, because of the shortage of manpower and my suspicion that there was a mole inside, I temporarily transferred Jia Liang to assist in the investigation.”

“He wasn’t involved in that operation, so he couldn’t possibly be an inside man. He also had a group of unofficial staff under his command that he could use, making it very convenient for him to carry out the operation.”

"So for the past two weeks, besides his regular work, he's basically been busy with this..."

Upon hearing this, Luo Lie suddenly grasped the key point.

"Where is the list of people he's investigating?"

"It wasn't found at the scene; it was probably destroyed or taken away by the other party." Zhuo Feng had clearly anticipated this and immediately replied:
"However, I remember the general contents of the list, and we can check it again from the beginning."

At this point, his tone changed, and he became more energetic.

"Moreover, this time, the Smiling Demon made a mistake despite his meticulous planning. Although he successfully killed the witnesses, he also revealed a fatal flaw, which gave his subordinates greater confidence in capturing him."

Luo Lie raised an eyebrow, indicating:
"tell me the story."

"Yes."

Zhuo Feng bowed slightly and replied calmly:
“Jia Liang and the three peripheral members would not easily meet under normal working conditions.”

"There are only two possibilities for why they chose to meet in a place slated for demolition."

"Either you were investigating a target in the vicinity beforehand, and then met there to exchange intelligence; or, for some reason, you were lured there and fell into the enemy's trap."

"The second possibility is obviously very small."

"If it's the first one, then that perfectly explains why the Smiling Demon discovered their identities and tracked them down to silence them."

"That's secondary, the most important thing is..."

Behind Zhuo Feng's glasses, his eyes gleamed with a sharp light, like a hunter who had caught the trail of his prey.

"The three people Jia Liang dispatched were just street thugs, and even after being strengthened, their strength was still weak."

"Therefore, their investigation is most likely not targeting high-ranking cadres within the organization."

"In this way, many suspicious targets on the list can be filtered out."

"If we compare the social backgrounds and connections of the remaining personnel with those of the cadres who attended the action meeting, and find the intersections, the hidden mole will naturally surface."

"Um……"

Upon hearing this, Luo Lie's eyes lit up, and he nodded slightly.

I appreciate Zhuo Feng's meticulous logical reasoning.

"With the list narrowed down significantly, I am fully confident that we can follow the clues and eventually find the hiding place of the Smiling Devil!"

Seeing this, Zhuo Feng said with even greater confidence:

"Now, I have a preliminary plan, and I'm just waiting for the right opportunity to lure out the mole..."

He hadn't finished speaking when he said that.

"Woo--Woo--"

Suddenly, a piercing alarm sounded from the corridor.

The alarm came without warning, its sound waves echoing intensely and instantly reverberating throughout the entire building.

"what happened?"

Luo Lie's face darkened.

"Someone must have tried to open the access control to the experimental area, triggering the alarm!"

Zhuo Feng immediately realized what was happening.

Their expressions changed slightly at the same time.

Just after Jia Liang, the company's resident organizational cadre, was murdered, someone secretly broke in that night, attempting to force their way into the experimental area.

This doesn't seem like a coincidence at all!

You should know that Noah Pharmaceuticals' experimental zone hides countless unspeakable secrets.

Especially those top-secret human experimental data must never be leaked.

Luo Lie strode to his desk, picked up the remote control, and pressed a button.

With a "hum", a huge projection screen slowly descended onto the opposite wall.

Dozens of surveillance cameras lit up instantly and appeared on the screen simultaneously.

The corridors, passageways, and stairwells were filled with armed guards running at high speed.

They acted swiftly and coordinated perfectly. One group advanced into the experimental area in combat formation, while the other group quickly blocked all exits and passages.

"Minister, rest assured, Noah Pharmaceuticals' security measures are impregnable. Even if the special investigation team attacks, we can promptly activate the self-destruct procedure to destroy all data."

Zhuo Feng explained from the side, also to comfort him.

Luo Lie snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping across each surveillance screen like that of a hawk.

"I want to see who is so bold as to force their way into this den of dragons and tigers."

As he spoke, he clenched his fists tightly, and his knuckles cracked repeatedly.

He even harbored a sliver of hope.

I'm hoping that the man wearing the white demon mask will appear on the surveillance footage.

If the other party dares to show up, tonight will be his death night.

However, the imagined figure did not appear.

Let alone the Smiling Demon, apart from the fully armed guards and security personnel, not a single random person could be seen in the surveillance footage.

A few minutes later, the alarm was lifted and the noise gradually subsided.

After a brief period of unrest, the building seemed to have returned to a semblance of order.

It was once again shrouded in the darkness and silence of the night.

At this time, there were basically no civilian staff left in the building, so it didn't cause much of a stir.

It was as if everything that had just happened was a misunderstanding, and someone had simply accidentally triggered the alarm.

Luo Lie's brows furrowed into a deep frown.

They clearly don't think it's really just a misunderstanding.

Listening to the security personnel constantly reporting over the walkie-talkie that everything was fine in the experimental area.

Zhuo Feng's expression also turned serious.

"Perhaps... someone is testing our capabilities?"

"But how exactly did he sneak in, and how did he suddenly disappear from being surrounded on all sides?"

"Even if he has the ability to become invisible, he shouldn't be able to escape the surveillance system. You know, all the cameras in the building use the most advanced thermal imaging technology..."

Zhuo Feng muttered to himself, somewhat puzzled.

Luo Lie remained silent for a moment, then walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the dazzling city below.

My emotions were surging, and I fell into deep thought.

"If he's the Smiling Demon, why would he be interested in Noah Pharmaceuticals?"

"Could it be... that he needs something here?"

"Or... did he team up with the Special Investigations Team?"

A deeper question arose in his mind.

Luo Lie narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze falling on the advertisements on the curtain wall outside the window.

The intelligence data about the experiment was not actually his main concern.

Deep within Noah Pharmaceuticals lies something that even he finds troublesome.

....................................

The city lights glitter under the night sky.

On the rooftop of a tall building opposite the Noah Group building.

Two figures stood in the darkness, gazing at each other.

They were separated by a distance of tens of meters.

A tall, strong man, wearing a black trench coat, with thick eyebrows furrowed and a serious expression.

The other was dressed casually, was also quite tall, but slightly thin, and wore a ghastly white mask.

The night wind howled past, constantly blowing the hem of their clothes and strands of hair.

The faint sound of police sirens could be heard from the street at the bottom of the building.

The man wearing the white mask broke the silence first, his voice tinged with amusement:
"Commander Gao, it's an honor to meet you here..."

(End of this chapter)