Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

A swaying figure emerged from the Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai station building.

Zhou Shuning's appearance was outstanding even in the male-dominated world of the Military Intelligence Bureau. She walked with a heroic and spirited air, had a great figure, and was tall and slender. Wearing a military uniform made her even more charming.

When she came out of the gate of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai station, it was already dark. She opened the rouge box in her bosom, and a delicate and beautiful face was reflected in the small mirror.

She smoothed her hair a couple of times, then walked gracefully northwards.

I worked two extra hours in the evening, processed a batch of translations, stamped them, locked the cabinet, rushed out, and hurried home.

The atmosphere on the street is different from the days before.

More people are patrolling; plainclothes officers are squatting at the entrance of the alley, and people in gray cotton-padded coats are standing under the streetlights, their eyes scanning the faces of every passerby.

Shanghai has been quite turbulent these past two months.

She had read all the internal reports from the Military Intelligence Bureau.

The Telecommunications Department was responsible for receiving, sending, and archiving communications. All reports passed through her hands. The Soviet faction carried out assassinations in Shanghai, killing several mid- to high-ranking officials in just a few months.

The most recent one was Zheng Yumin, the deputy director of the intelligence department, who was sniped and killed on the side street of Jing'an Temple Road at 3 pm the day before yesterday.

She had met Deputy Director Zheng a few times. He was in his early forties, spoke politely, and once even helped her sign an expedited document.

The person who was nodding and greeting people in the corridor just two days ago is now lying in the morgue.

The report stated that the perpetrator has not yet been apprehended, and all officers of mid- to high-ranking rank must be accompanied by guards when traveling and are not allowed to travel alone. Additional sentries will be stationed at their residences.

These things have nothing to do with her.

She was a lieutenant in the communications department, doing office work.

Receiving telegrams, translating telegrams, delivering documents, and filing files—the targets of assassinations were at least colonels, lieutenant colonels, section chiefs, and deputy section chiefs. For a low-ranking officer like her, the Soviets probably didn't even know her name.

No one will protect her.

There were no guards, no extra sentries, and even the place where they stayed was an apartment they bought themselves.

I just have to be careful.

Walking back along Fahua Town Road, I passed a wonton stall at the entrance of the alley, hesitated for a moment and didn't eat. I haven't had a good appetite these past few days, I don't know if it's because of the cold weather or because I'm restless.

During a meeting at the station a couple of days ago, someone said that the Soviet faction's assassination network in Shanghai had infiltrated very deeply and might be right next door.

After the meeting, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. When they left, they all walked quickly, unwilling to even stand in the corridor for a little longer.

After thinking about it, I still felt that nothing would happen.

Several of her colleagues were also discussing it, saying that the people who were important and influential were the ones who were nervous, while those of them who were just ordinary people were actually safe.

We arrived at the apartment building.

She lived in a single room on the second floor for over two years. One of the light bulbs in the hallway was broken, making the room dim. She felt her way up the handrail, thinking about finding someone to replace the bulb the next day.

He took out his keys, opened the door, went inside, and closed the door behind him.

The room was dark. She reached out to touch the light cord, but couldn't find it. Surprised, she took a step to the side, her hand already reaching for the pistol in her bag.

Moonlight reflected on the glass, and in a fleeting glance, a faint light flickered.

"puff--!"

There was no sound, no image, and Zhou Shuning didn't even have time to think about what was happening before her consciousness was cut off like a extinguished lamp wick.

A hand supported her back as her body fell slowly, as if someone was catching her.

Ye Ningzhen supported Zhou Shuning's back with one hand and held her head with the other, silently laying her down on the ground.

From the moment the attack began to the moment it ended, it was less than a breath.

The room was as quiet as if nothing had happened.

She locked the door, drew the curtains, and lit a candle.

The candlelight shone on Zhou Shuning's face. She was thirty years old, with low cheekbones, a narrow jaw, thin eyebrows, thin lips, and fair skin. Her facial muscles were relaxed, and her expression looked like she was asleep.

Ye Ningzhen squatted down in front of her and examined her carefully.

The location of every bone, the direction of the muscles, and the thickness of the skin and flesh are all memorized.

She spent two days picking this person out.

The conditions are strict; the candidate must be female. While the bone-changing technique can alter facial features and bone structure, it cannot change body shape.

Ye Ningzhen is slender and tall, so we need to find someone with a similar build who also has sufficient access to the interrogation area.

There weren't many female officers coming and going from the entire garrison command, and even fewer with suitable figures. In the end, only Zhou Shuning met all the requirements.

The lieutenant in the communications department was responsible for communications dispatch. Every few days, he would go to the interrogation building to deliver translated documents and retrieve interrogation records. He had a pass that allowed him to enter and exit the interrogation area.

During the two days of tracking her, Ye Ningzhen memorized her walking posture.

The person takes small steps, has their center of gravity slightly forward, and their left shoulder is slightly higher than their right shoulder—a common posture for people who spend long hours hunched over a desk.

I remembered her tone of voice, the phrases she used to greet the sentries, and even whether she used her left or right hand when swiping her pass to enter or exit the gate.

Ye Ningzhen raised her hands and pressed them against her face.

Driven by internal energy, the facial bones begin to subtly adjust. The cheekbones are pressed down slightly, the jawline narrows, the brow bone is smoothed out, and the corners of the mouth change their curvature.

While making the changes, he compared the light shining on Zhou Shuning's face with the candlelight.

A few breaths later, he picked up the small mirror on the table and glanced at himself in the candlelight.

The difference between the face in the mirror and the face on the ground is already very small.

She stood up, took Zhou Shuning's military uniform from the hanger and put it on. She buttoned it up to the collar, straightened her shoulder straps, put on her military cap, and pulled the brim down to cover the subtle difference between her forehead and hairline.

I walked up to the mirror and glanced at myself. The height, build, face, and uniform all matched.

After taking a few steps, mimicking Zhou Shuning's gait, I shifted my weight forward, raised my left shoulder slightly, and slowed my pace.

He said, "I'll come get the duty log."

The tone of voice, speaking speed, and the ending of the words were all memorized after listening to them dozens of times over two days.

He folded his clothes neatly, stuffed them into a cloth bag, and hid them under the bed.

Blow out the candles and go outside.

One o'clock in the morning.

Zhou Shuning usually uses the internal passage on the east side of the garrison command, which she enters and exits with a pass. It's a different route from the main entrance. Ye Ningzhen had already familiarized herself with this route when she scouted the area.

Upon arriving at the entrance, show your pass.

The sentry on duty glanced at her badge, then at her face. Under the military cap was a familiar face: Lieutenant Zhou, a regular visitor.

"Lieutenant Zhou, so late?" Her words carried a hint of envy as she looked at that beautiful face, her thoughts unreadable.

"I have an urgent document to deliver, and the telecommunications department is pressing me for it."

When Ye Ningzhen spoke, her tone, voice, and even slightly tired manner were exactly the same.

The sentry didn't ask any further questions and let them pass.

Ye Ningzhen entered the compound and walked along the route she had taken towards the small building on the east side. The courtyard was sparsely lit at night. A patrolling sentry passed by, glanced at her, saluted, and left. At the entrance to the small building, there was another checkpoint. She showed her pass again; the same face and voice. She was allowed through.

We entered the building.

The first-floor corridor was dimly lit. She walked slowly and steadily down the corridor toward the basement.

As he passed a storage room in the middle of the corridor, he paused for a moment, his hand slipping out from inside his military uniform. A small cloth bag was placed behind a cabinet by the door, close to the wall.

keep going.

Upon reaching the corner of the stairs on the second floor, there was another pause, and the second cloth bag was placed under the windowsill.

The third one is behind an old table leg at the end of the second-floor corridor.

Each of the three cloth bags contained a hand grenade, with a fuse connected to a slowly burning fuse, which, according to her calculations, would burn out in about five minutes.

Go back down to the first floor, walk to the entrance to the basement, there is an iron door with a lock on the outside.

I found the corresponding key among Zhou Shuning's keys, unlocked it, and went downstairs.

Underground corridor.

The lights dimmed further, with only one lamp illuminating a few steps ahead, leading to the interrogation room door at the end of the corridor.

A guard sat at the entrance, with an electric bell button on the table. Ye Ningzhen had calculated the pattern when she was scouting the area; the guard would press the bell every half hour to report that everything was alright to the duty room upstairs.

The guard saw Lieutenant Zhou approaching and stood up: "Lieutenant Zhou, what brings you here at this hour?"

"There's an urgent document from upstairs that needs to be checked to verify the interrogation records. Open the door."

The guard hesitated for a moment.

It's unusual to request a record at 1 a.m.

Ye Ningzhen said with a hint of fatigue and impatience, "The telecommunications department needs it urgently. I didn't want to come at this hour. Open the door quickly, take it and leave."

Without thinking further, the guard took out his keys and turned to open the door.

The moment he turned around, Ye Ningzhen reached out with her right hand and struck him on the back of the neck with her palm, channeling her inner energy, and the guard fell silently to the ground.

Ye Ningzhen pressed the doorbell on the table. The signal was received upstairs, and everything was normal.

He took the key from the guard and opened the interrogation room door.

Inside, Qingniao was handcuffed to an iron chair, her face was injured, and there was dried blood at the corner of her mouth. She was still holding on, but her eyes were tired.

Ye Ningzhen whispered the secret code.

The bluebird looked up—and saw the face of a female officer. It didn't recognize her, but the code had been matched, and its expression relaxed slightly.

Unlock and remove the handcuffs.

"Can we walk?"

"can."

Ye Ningzhen dragged the guard into the interrogation room and made Qingniao change into the guard's military uniform. The trousers were a little long and the cuffs were wide, but after putting on the coat, buttoning it up, and putting on the military cap, the lighting was dim, so it wasn't too noticeable.

The wounds on Qingniao's face could be mostly covered by pulling the brim of his hat down; he couldn't completely disguise them, but that was the best he could do.

The two walked up the underground corridor, Ye Ningzhen in front and Qingniao behind, their pace unhurried, like two staff members on duty walking normally.

Go up to the first floor.

The corridor was quiet and dimly lit.

Ye Ningzhen heard it.

In the distance, from the direction of the second floor, there was a very faint hissing sound, indicating that the wick had burned down to the very end.

Her pace didn't change, but she quickened it slightly by half a beat.

"boom!"

The first explosion occurred on the second floor.

Then came the second and third sounds.

Three grenades exploded almost simultaneously, the huge sound waves came down from upstairs, the whole building shook, several pieces of glass in the second-floor windows shattered, smoke and dust poured down from the stairwell, and thick smoke billowed into the corridor.

The entire building was thrown into chaos.

People upstairs ran downstairs, and people downstairs rushed upstairs. Some shouted "Fire!" and others shouted "Attack!" The sounds of footsteps, shouts, and shattering glass mingled together. Thick smoke billowed down from the second floor, choking people and making it impossible to open their eyes.

Ye Ningzhen tugged at Qingniao's sleeve, and the two of them blended into the crowd running down from upstairs.

She pulled her hat brim low, her expression panicked, her steps hurried, just like everyone else. Qingniao also pulled her hat down, lowered her head, covered her mouth and nose, and followed behind her.

A group of people rushed towards the building entrance.

Someone rushed over from the side and almost bumped into Ye Ningzhen. She dodged a step. The person glanced at her and saw the face of a female officer under the military cap. Lieutenant Zhou, from the communications department, didn't stop and kept running.

I went out of the building.

The courtyard was in chaos. Patrolling sentries ran towards the small building, some people sounded the alarm, some people carried fire extinguishers, lights flashed, shadows moved, and shouts and footsteps were heard everywhere.

Ye Ningzhen and Qingniao mingled in the crowd, walking slowly towards the east passage.

The way we came, we'll walk the same way we go.

On the way, they encountered two soldiers running towards them. One of them recognized "Lieutenant Zhou" and called out, "Lieutenant Zhou, are you alright?"

Ye Ningzhen didn't stop walking and replied hurriedly in Zhou Shuning's voice, "It's nothing, it's nothing, you guys go help!"

Two soldiers ran past her.

Zhou Shuning held a low-ranking official position, but she was quite famous because of her beauty and good figure. In this kind of Buddhist temple-like institution, she would attract the attention of most people.

The passageway to the east is just ahead. Go through the passageway, exit the courtyard, and you'll be on the street.

Ye Ningzhen's heartbeat was extremely steady, and her breathing was very even.

A few dozen steps.

Just a few dozen more steps and we'll be outside.

The bluebird followed behind her, head down, military cap pulled low, steps a little unsteady, but still managing to walk.

The entrance to the passage was reached, and Ye Ningzhen stepped out.

"Now that you're here, why don't you stay?" The voices rang out from both sides at the same time.

Ye Ningzhen stopped in her tracks. There was a man standing on each side of the passageway. They were two middle-aged men, around forty years old, wearing gray cloth robes, with their hands behind their backs. They stood relaxed, like idlers who had been disturbed while taking a walk in the courtyard.

The whole compound was in chaos, everyone was running around, but these two people didn't move.

The aura emanating from them pressed down the moment Ye Ningzhen stopped; it was profound, deep, and far exceeded the realm of Transformation Force.

Embracing the elixir.

Two beings have reached the elixir stage. (End of Chapter)