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Fang Cheng sat quietly in the bamboo chair, listening intently.

As Li Fei spoke, his fingernails dug deep into the flesh of his palm, drawing out bright red blood.

"In fact, the old instructor had a conflict with the organization on the night we defected and was killed by them... even his bones were chopped up and fed to the dogs."

"That bastard Ghost Fox used dead people as bait and laid a trap beforehand. We were surrounded the moment we showed our faces."

"Moreover, we never expected that Black Shark would dare to take such a big risk and have so many people lurking in Dongdu. We were outnumbered and forced into a desperate situation."

"My senior brother stayed behind to cover my escape. He was attacked on the spot, his limbs were broken, and his tendons were severed..."

Li Fei's body jolted violently, his voice trembled uncontrollably, and a desperate sob escaped his throat:

"I rushed back desperately to save him, but a top-notch assassin blocked my way. In the end, I could only watch helplessly as he was captured alive, and I didn't escape either."

"Ghost Fox originally intended to execute the two of us on the spot, but after searching Senior Brother's entire body, he only found a forged secret scroll."

"He was hesitant to act rashly because he hadn't gotten his hands on the goods. Moreover, Ghost Fox believed that our sudden defection was because we had powerful backers and were deliberately targeting Black Shark."

"So, he forcibly poured the poison into my mouth, deliberately leaving me with my last breath so that I could come back and deliver a message."

Li Fei raised his head, his bloodshot eyes looking at Fang Cheng, and repeated the message from the ghost fox, word by word:
"He asked me to pass on a message to you, Chairman... If you want Li Jie to live, bring the real secret document to Peace Farm in the south of the city at midnight tonight to exchange him for him."

"If you dare to inform the special investigation team, or if the agreed time has passed, not only will Li Jie be torn to pieces, but tomorrow morning, Black Shark will personally come to the door to uproot the Illuminati and execute the entire family."

As soon as the words were spoken, the courtyard erupted in chaos.

"Hold!"

Fat Tiger's eyebrows furrowed, he spat on the ground, and began to curse loudly:

"What utter nonsense! What kind of Tom, Dick, or Harry dares to be so arrogant, running wild in Dongdu? They're practically defying the heavens! They're asking for trouble!"

Standing before the wooden pillar, Fei Ying's eyes were cold. With a flick of his wrist, the dagger flashed with a cold light as it danced between his fingertips.

Lin Chuqiao's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her originally gentle expression vanished, as if covered with a layer of frost.

Xu Kuan gripped Jiang Yun's hand tightly, looking somewhat nervous.

Jiang Yun's eyes flickered slightly, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Within her mental perception domain, a layer of extremely dazzling scarlet light was rising around the president's body.

It was the embodiment of pure murderous intent, and a manifestation of violent emotions.

In the corner against the wall of the main room, Douzi's thin shoulders trembled slightly.

The little white mouse huddled in her sleeve squeaked, its tiny paws nervously scratching at the fabric, as if it too sensed some deadly danger.

Fang Cheng picked up the teacup in front of him, brought it to his lips, and blew away the floating leaves swirling on the water's surface.

His face remained calm and composed, as serene as an outsider, seemingly unconcerned by the other party's provocative words.

However, with his series of actions, the air in the entire courtyard seemed to freeze.

All that remained was a suffocating sense of oppression, like the absolute stillness before a storm.

"President!"

Li Fei gritted his teeth, knelt down again, and spoke despite the invisible pressure:
"This whole affair started because of my fellow disciples and has nothing to do with the Illuminati. I also know that it is very inappropriate to drag the entire organization into such a dangerous situation for personal grudges."

"However, we are truly at our wits' end. If you feel this will cause trouble, we will not force you."

"But, but..."

His throat bobbed violently, the words caught in his throat, and he could no longer speak.

"Second Senior Brother, please stop talking..."

Li Ran covered her face with her hands, tears streaming down her face and soaking her clothes.

Fang Cheng gently placed the teacup in his hand on the stone table.

“Du”.

A dull thud echoed through the courtyard.

Everyone's gaze involuntarily fell on the cup.

The porcelain cup, which had just been filled with hot tea, now appeared unusually dry.

The moisture inside had long since evaporated, leaving only a few withered, yellow tea leaves stuck to the bottom of the cup.

"To be torn to pieces, to have the entire family executed?"

Fang Cheng's lips curled into a cold smile: "It's been a long time since I've heard anyone dare to say such a thing to me."

“Acheng…”

Li Ding held a cigarette in his hand, a look of worry on his face.

Like the professor, Lin Chuqiao remained silent, her gaze fixed intently on Fang Cheng, awaiting his decision.

Fang Cheng stood up and looked down at Li Fei, who was kneeling on the ground:
“Since the Illuminati has accepted you, you are my people. And those who dare to touch my people, let alone a killer organization hiding in the gutter, even if the King of Heaven himself comes, they will have to leave their lives behind.”

Li Fei and Li Ran were trembling violently. They looked up at Fang Cheng in astonishment, and then a surge of joy welled up in their hearts.

The two kowtowed heavily to the floor tiles, expressing their gratitude repeatedly.

Fang Cheng's gaze was deep, and he had already made up his mind.

Since these two men had come seeking refuge with him, risking their lives and fortunes on the Illuminati, he naturally could not betray their trust.

Moreover, almost two months have passed since the battle at Silverwing Tower.

If the Illuminati wants to truly establish itself in the underworld, it's time to use a crushing battle to establish absolute prestige in front of these wolves and tigers.

"Get up."

Fang Cheng looked at Li Fei and said in a deep voice:
"First, explain the details of that ghost fox's abilities, word for word."

With Li Ran's help, Li Fei stood up, took a deep breath, and then reported:
"Ghost Fox is an S-class ability user whose main ability is telekinesis. This telekinesis is extremely domineering, with an effective range of nearly thirty meters. As long as he is within his perception range, he can turn an armored SUV into scrap metal from thin air, and he can even control hundreds of short blades at the same time to form a metal storm without any blind spots, making it impossible for anyone to avoid it."

"In addition, he has two extremely insidious special abilities, one of which is the ability to manipulate poisonous insects."

Li Fei pointed to his throat, still shaken, and said:

"He nurtures a mother Gu within his body with his essence and blood, which can command thousands of mutated poisonous insects at any time. These insects are not only highly corrosive, but can also silently burrow into a person's seven orifices through the pores, gnawing at the internal organs, making them impossible to guard against."

"Another ability is called 'Hallucinogenic Eyes'. Once you make eye contact with him and are drawn to his gaze, your five senses will be completely stripped away, and you will fall into an extremely realistic hallucination, eventually becoming helpless in a mental breakdown."

"However, his physical defense is relatively weak."

Li Fei's eyes showed a hint of apprehension as he continued:

"Therefore, he rarely engages in close combat, preferring to hide behind heavy guards and use poisonous insects and telekinesis to wear down his opponents from a distance. Also, this time they brought a lot of manpower..."

Li Fei spoke at length, appearing somewhat exhausted.

He paused briefly, took a few breaths, and then continued in a serious tone:
"At the time, there were at least eleven people in the encirclement, besides Ghost Fox. Two of them were top-tier assassins with extremely strong abilities, and the rest were all silver-tier, mostly around A or B level."

After listening, Lin Chuqiao frowned and suggested:

"Brother Cheng, the other side came prepared with a lot of men. Shouldn't we bring more brothers with us, just in case?"

Upon hearing this, the professor and Li Dingjian nodded in agreement.

Fat Tiger seized the opportunity and volunteered at the top of his lungs:

"President, count me in! I'll be your striker!"

Fei Ying straightened up, gripped the dagger in his backhand, and looked on with barely concealed anticipation. He had been spending all his time at the base handling odd jobs lately, and his body was practically rusting.

Recalling the fierce battle at the Silver Wing Building that night, he felt his blood boiling and was eager to try again.

Fang Cheng's gaze swept over everyone, then landed on Li Fei and Li Ran, the two senior and junior siblings:
"We definitely need to bring people along, but before that, we need to decide who will lead the way."

"I'll do it."

Li Ran shouted first, his expression resolute:

"My second senior brother is so badly injured that he can't move around easily. Let me go! I'll still recognize that bastard Ghost Fox even if he's burned to ashes!"

"No, it's too dangerous, you can't go."

Li Fei immediately shook his head and refuted her:
“If my senior brother were here, he would never allow you to take such a risk.”

Li Ran, however, remained unconvinced and stubbornly continued to argue:

"Although I'm not as skilled as you, my reaction speed is much faster than yours and Senior Brother's. Even if I can't beat those top assassins, I can definitely protect myself by following behind, and I won't hold them back."

The two immediately began vying for a spot to participate in the operation.

"stop."

Fang Cheng raised his hand to silence the two of them and asked:
"Between the two of you, whose eyesight is better?"

"I!"

The two answered in unison.

As an assassin, excellent eyesight is a fundamental skill that must be possessed for tracking, sniping, and counter-reconnaissance; otherwise, one would have died long ago in the training camp.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng continued:

"The goal of this operation is to give them a taste of their own medicine. Since they want to destroy our Illuminati, we should at least do our duty as hosts and ensure that these guests never leave and are all left in the Eastern Capital."

"Therefore, I need you to be able to accurately recognize the face of every assassin in the Black Shark organization, ensuring that not a single one escapes the net."

Upon hearing this, Li Ran's expression became troubled.

She was forced to stay at Cloud Hidden Abode by her senior brother last night and did not personally participate in the bloody battle.

Unless the other party is someone she knows well in the base, it is very easy to miss.

Li Fei, without any hesitation, immediately continued the conversation:

"President, I just fought with them. I have memorized the faces of those who participated in the attack."

"As for the others who are lurking in the shadows and haven't shown themselves, I can basically recognize them as long as they aren't unfamiliar faces recently transferred from overseas bases."

Fang Cheng scrutinized him:
How are your injuries? Can you hold on?

"Please tell me if you're not satisfied."

Li Fei struggled to stand up straight and said truthfully:

“I was injected with a strengthening agent in the organization before, and I was lucky enough to develop some mutations, which made my body’s recovery ability far exceed that of ordinary people.”

"In addition, your president's treatment just now was very effective, so you will definitely have no problem leading the way when we take action tonight."

Fang Cheng nodded, then turned to look at the others.

"Besides the guide, I need two more helpers."

His gaze swept around the courtyard before finally settling on the burly figure:
"Fat Tiger, you'll be coming along on this mission."

Upon hearing this, Gian grinned widely and rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"Alright, Chairman, just watch how I deal with those bastards, I'll beat them all to a pulp!"

As he spoke, he turned to look at Fei Ying, raised his sparse eyebrows, and proudly showed off:
"What? I knew the president would choose me!"

Fei Ying shook his head, too lazy to pay attention to his smugness.

Fang Cheng timely poured cold water on the situation:
"Fat Tiger, your mission for this operation is to protect Li Fei. He's just recovered from serious injuries and needs you to ensure his safety on the perimeter."

"what?"

Fat Tiger's ecstatic joy vanished instantly, replaced by a drawn-out, disappointed voice:

"So, after all that, they want me to be a nanny..."

Hiei couldn't help but burst out laughing:
"Alright, be content. With the chairman personally taking charge, those assassins wouldn't even be a match for him. Why would you need to be on the front lines?"

Fat Tiger rubbed his bald head and muttered:
"That's true."

Fang Cheng ignored their banter and looked straight past everyone towards the dark corner of the main room.

"Another one who follows me is..."

He paused, then read out a name:
"beans."

This time, not only was Fat Tiger stunned, but everyone in the yard was also taken aback.

"Huh? Beans?"

Fat Tiger opened his mouth wide, thinking he had misheard.

Even Bean herself was surprised.

Upon hearing the president's voice, her thin shoulders trembled violently.

As the gazes from all around turned toward her, the little girl shrank back like a frightened fledgling bird, quickly burying her head between her knees.

The little white mouse hidden in her sleeve poked out half of its pointed head, its tiny, beady eyes darting around, making a soft "squeak" sound, before quickly retreating back inside.

"Yes."

Fang Cheng nodded slightly:

"To ensure this operation goes perfectly, I need Bean's abilities to assist me."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chuqiao pondered for a moment, and her eyes immediately lit up:
"The other party's date location is at the South City Farm. Bean's ability to communicate with animals is indeed most suitable for that kind of place, to be used for reconnaissance."

Fang Cheng took a step, leaving the dappled sunlight and walking into the shadows under the eaves.

He stopped in front of the little girl, bent down slightly, and extended his right hand.

His broad palms were laid flat and facing upwards, hovering in front of the bean's line of sight.

Bean held his breath as he heard footsteps stop beside him.

She slowly raised her head from between her knees, meeting Fang Cheng's gaze through her disheveled bangs.

Those eyes were calm and gentle, dispelling the lingering chill in the courtyard.

Douzi pursed her dry lips and hesitated for a few seconds.

Then, she finally raised her right arm, extending her slender wrist from the slightly oversized sleeve, and timidly placed her hand in that palm.

Fang Cheng smiled, closed his fingers, gently grasped her slightly cool hand, and pulled her up from the ground.

Looking at the little girl in front of him, whose body was trembling slightly and who still lacked a sense of security, Fang Cheng loosened his grip and softened his voice:
"Don't worry, I'm here. I won't let anyone hurt you."

The wind blew through the courtyard, stirring the grapevine leaves.

Douzi stood under the eaves, her long eyelashes fluttering twice.

She looked into Fang Cheng's eyes, her tense back gradually relaxing, and a soft nasal sound escaped her throat:

"Hmm." (End of Chapter)