Chapter 53: The Intermediary

The woman in black smiled, “Of course, my duty was just to bring you here. Now I must return to the casino.”

Qian Ye nodded, pushing open the heavy door. The rusty hinges squealed, adding a chilling note to the night. He didn’t step inside but suddenly reached back, grabbing the woman in black and thrusting her into the room.

Bang!

A muffled gunshot echoed through the space, and the woman screamed as a gush of blood bloomed on her thigh. Her scream turned into a hiss, swallowed by clenched teeth. In the dark, the sound of a body stumbling and falling came until it hit the wall with a thud.

Qian Ye, still standing in the doorway, smirked coldly.

With that single push, his force penetrated her defenses, shattering them. Despite presenting herself as only at Level 2 or 3, she possessed the strength of a Level 6 warrior. No wonder, even after losing her protective barrier and being shot, she still managed to find a hiding spot.

From behind the door, a voice cursed, “Damn it!”

Silence reigned both inside and outside the door for a long while.

In the dim light seeping through the slightly ajar door, a pair of eyes blinked, the gunman inching closer, trying to discern if anyone was still lurking outside.

Qian Ye, with his keen dark vision, saw every move. Silently, he sighed; such an action was incredibly foolish.

Though the sudden turn of events did not faze Qian Ye, he was genuinely surprised by the poor quality of those who had set this trap.

As the gunman peeked out, the dark muzzle of a Twin Bloom pistol pressed against his face.

Qian Ye aimed the Twin Bloom, silent and steady, watching the gunman’s shifting expressions. Sweating profusely, the gunman remained frozen, not daring to make a sound.

From deeper within the room, a soft whistle broke the silence.

Still aiming at the gunman, Qian Ye pulled out his second Twin Bloom and fired a shot in the direction of the whistling, then swiftly adjusted his aim, angling the gun about thirty degrees off.

With a thunderous crash, a heavy object fell to the ground. Qian Ye’s dark vision revealed a middle-aged man tumbling from a height of about three meters, a bloody hole in his chest.

Clearly, it was a skilled assassin using a voice reflection trick. Unfortunately for him, Qian Ye’s shooting speed was far superior, exposing the real position of the killer through the subtle movements required to operate the origin power weapon.

Qian Ye suddenly retracted his right hand and struck the gunman on the head with the pistol’s butt, knocking him unconscious. Then, instead of advancing, Qian Ye stepped back, leaped up to the second floor, and slipped inside through a window without a sound.

Inside, a heavily muscled, bare-chested man was guarding the stairwell, gun trained downward. Next to him, a well-dressed middle-aged man, holding a short blade, stood quietly, exuding no aura. His presence was like a desert scorpion, lethal once it strikes.

Qian Ye jumped in, firing a shot. The muscular guard screamed as a bullet ripped through his back, sending him tumbling down the stairs. Qian Ye then drew his dagger and lunged at the middle-aged man.

With a snarl, the middle-aged man charged at Qian Ye. The two clashed in a narrow space, blades flashing. The middle-aged man, at Level 7, wielded his dagger with lightning speed and precision.

Every thrust of his blade hummed with vibration, indicating his origin power was more potent than typical Level 7. A strike from such a weapon would amplify any wound, a fearsome assassination technique.

Qian Ye refused to be drawn into a prolonged fight. He met the incoming dagger head-on, deflecting most of its force with his arm and countering with a thrust.

The middle-aged man pressed harder, driving his blade deep into Qian Ye’s abdomen. An experienced fighter, he sensed Qian Ye’s strategy and decided to go all-in, aiming to incapacitate before evading. This way, even if both were injured, Qian Ye’s critical wound would weaken him significantly.

But as the blade sank into Qian Ye’s stomach, the middle-aged man felt as if stabbing dense wood, struggling to penetrate further. Before he could retreat, Qian Ye’s dagger plunged into his belly.

The moment the blade pierced, the middle-aged man felt his vital essence and origin power draining away, as if sucked into an abyss.

“Blood-drinking blade! You’re a vampire!” he cried in shock.

Qian Ye clamped a hand over the man’s throat, silencing him. He used the Crimson Fang he’d obtained from Zalen. After absorbing much of the man’s life force, Qian Ye withdrew the blade.

The middle-aged man crumpled to the ground, drained and weak.

After ensuring no other enemies remained, Qian Ye returned to the first floor. The woman in black had dragged herself to the side, now sitting against the wall. She held a small, exquisite dagger, using it to cut and tightly bind the gunshot wound on her thigh.

An origin power gun had inflicted the injury, and Qian Ye had shattered her protective force, making the wound particularly severe. Luckily, the gunman aimed to capture, not kill, hitting her leg rather than a vital point.

Exhausted and in pain, she finished binding her wound, drenched in sweat. As she tried to stand, she froze, seeing Qian Ye’s boots in front of her.

Qian Ye held out a vial of emergency medicine, waving it before tossing it to her.

She grabbed it, immediately injecting the liquid into her arm. The medicine, with its anesthetic properties, quickly alleviated her pain.

Kneeling in front of her, Qian Ye lifted her chin with the Crimson Fang. “Where is the person I’m supposed to meet?”

Forcing a smile, the woman replied, “Give up. If you’ve heard of Gueisuo, you should know one person can’t fight us. Maybe you should leave and hide. You might live longer.”

Qian Ye smiled, the blade edge pressing slightly into her skin, drawing a drop of blood. “Where is the person I need to meet?”

Her gaze followed the blade, and as it traced a line of blood on her cheek, she screamed, “In the basement!”

“The basement here?” Surprised, Qian Ye watched her nod. Despite the terrible start, things seemed to be going smoothly.

Tapping her face with the blade, Qian Ye said, “Take me there.”

Biting her lip, the woman struggled to stand, limping toward the back. The entrance to the basement was in a storage room. With a grimace, she jumped down, the impact jolting her wound despite the medicine’s effects.

Qian Ye leaped down, steadying her.

The basement was dimly lit, revealing a short corridor leading to a cell, likely once a wine cellar, now converted into a dungeon.

A man in his forties was chained to the wall, wrists pierced by iron spikes. His body bore signs of brutal torture, barely alive.

Qian Ye frowned, “Wake him up!”

The woman opened the cell, finding another vial to revive the man.

He woke, trembling at the sight of her, screaming, “I told everything! I don’t know anything else! I only handled the deliveries, I never knew the sender’s identity!”

Qian Ye sighed, “Did you really tell everything?”

Dazed, the man stammered, “Absolutely! Follow my instructions, and you’ll find the sender! And haven’t you already found the contact?”

Qian Ye’s expression hardened, turning to the woman, “Am I the sender? Who is the contact? Is he a middleman?”

Pale, the woman gave an address, “There are about ten people there. Half were killed in our raid, the others sent to our headquarters in Yuezhou. They might already be processed and sent out of Westland.”

Qian Ye narrowed his eyes, sensing something amiss.

Originally, he was to deliver the core jade book to a Zhao warlord, through their agent. However, eradicating several people in Zhao territory could be concealed, but a battle involving dozens couldn’t. And these Gueisuo members, while capable against common city gangs, paled compared to noble private armies or elite forces.

“What kind of people are they?”

The woman in black forced a bitter laugh, “We were hired. The client wanted both parties captured and delivered to a specific location. I have no other information, at least not at my level.”

Hearing this, the man on the wall grew agitated, shouting, “Are… are you here to rescue me? Did Master Lin send you? I’m Ma Zhong, hurry and release me!”