Chapter 55: Luring the Serpent from Its Lair

The woman in black shivered, her lips trembling before she spoke, “If I tell you everything I know, will you spare my life?”

“Yes.”

The woman in black was still doubtful, “How can I trust you?”

Qian Ye gave a cold laugh, “You have no choice but to take a gamble.”

The woman in black gritted her teeth and fetched a map, pointing out the location of the Ghost Rope regional headquarters, and elaborated on the personnel and the distribution of the guarding forces.

Qian Ye listened, frowning slightly. Apart from Fang Tianlun, the leader of the Ghost Rope regional headquarters, there were more than thirty permanent members. Although the number of experts above level five was limited, it was still a rather formidable force.

At this point, the woman in black had finished talking. Qian Ye took her back to the building, waking up the gunmen in the hall and the severely injured middle-aged man upstairs, questioning them one by one. The gunman, much like the woman in black, knew little else.

The severely injured middle-aged man, however, was the head of the Ghost Rope outpost in the City of Shadows. Qian Ye’s interrogation required some effort, and thus the woman in black witnessed the meticulous torture methods, as precise as a surgical operation.

When the middle-aged man finally exhaled his last breath, the woman in black, pale as a sheet, crouched to one side. If not for the fear that nearly paralyzed her, she might have vomited halfway through.

Qian Ye stood up and slowly wiped his hands with a handkerchief. This outpost commander was a mid-level figure in Ghost Rope, but he knew very little about the purpose and the client of this operation.

However, the middle-aged man’s confession answered several questions in Qian Ye’s mind.

It turned out that Ghost Rope was quite cautious; they did not initially plan to make a big fuss in the City of Shadows. After capturing Ma Zhong, they began to lure Chen Lu, while dispatching the best assassins from the regional headquarters to intercept Qian Ye in the wilderness.

Unfortunately, both efforts met with setbacks.

Chen Lu was indeed lured to the contact point early, but during the attack, Ghost Rope faced unexpected strong resistance. Although they ultimately eliminated the contact point, the casualties were significant. As for Qian Ye, he remained completely silent, only to suddenly appear in the City of Shadows.

Thus, Qian Ye encountered a hastily set trap, crude and weakly manned. However, this was just Qian Ye’s impression. From Ghost Rope’s perspective, including the woman in black, Lu Yalan, three level-six gunmen, and two level-seven assassins, the lineup was already quite powerful.

The situation was now more complex than anticipated. The information Ghost Rope obtained from Ma Zhong was only the delivery method, while the physical characteristics and the fact that the courier was a level-seven hunter came from the client. This suggested that Song Zining’s side had also encountered problems.

In fact, Song Zining mentioned in his letter that if anything unexpected happened, Qian Ye should immediately destroy the Jade Tome of Rock Heart and quickly leave the Western Continent, avoiding contact with him after returning to Evernight. Qian Ye had thought it was merely routine caution, but now it seemed that Song Zining might have had a premonition.

Fortunately, not all news was bad. Ghost Rope’s cautious approach in the city suggested that the mastermind was not the Zhao Clan. And the information about Qian Ye was only superficial, meaning that only the outer defenses had been breached on Song Zining’s side, leaving room for maneuver.

At this moment, Qian Ye realized he owed William a great debt. The strongest assassin in Ghost Rope, second only to the regional leader, was a level-nine assassin with invisibility skills, along with one or two level-eight assistants. Had it not been for the fortuitous encounter with William, Qian Ye, still not fully recovered, might have fallen into their hands.

Qian Ye ignored the woman in black, who was huddled in a corner, and swiftly searched the building once more, confirming that no one else was alive. When he reappeared in front of Lu Yalan with a large bag, she was still in the same position, too frightened even to consider fleeing.

Qian Ye tossed her a vial of origin power, saying, “You have half an hour to recover. Then we’ll leave for the regional headquarters.”

Lu Yalan suddenly snapped back to reality, screaming, “You’re crazy! The leader is in the headquarters, and he’s a War General! We’ll both die!”

Qian Ye simply replied, “You drive, and I’ll save time. Otherwise, I’ll just spend more time finding my way.”

Lu Yalan trembled, biting her lip as she injected the vial into her arm and sat cross-legged, channeling her origin power.

From Qian Ye’s actions, she knew she had no chance of resistance. He didn’t bother with any additional precautions, seemingly indifferent to whether she would escape or launch a surprise attack. This indifference terrified her, for it indicated immense confidence in his own strength.

Qian Ye pulled a chair over and sat down, closing his eyes slightly to rest.

His mind was far from calm. At this point, the best course of action, as Song Zining had advised, would be to leave immediately, rather than getting involved. He didn’t know who stood behind Ghost Rope, nor the scale of the entire storm, and how much the City of Shadows mattered.

But after learning of Chen Lu’s other identity from Ma Zhong, Qian Ye realized he couldn’t let her fall into Ghost Rope’s hands. She could be a direct witness linking to Song Zining. He had to go and assess the situation, either to rescue her or eliminate the threat.

Qian Ye chuckled silently. Now was not the time to quibble with Song Zining about dealing with the rebels, but what would he say to his friend if everything went smoothly?

Half an hour passed, and Lu Yalan’s origin power had mostly recovered. She submitted without further struggle, starting the engine of a light off-road vehicle from the rear warehouse.

Qian Ye jumped into the passenger seat, tossing the large bag into the backseat, causing a loud clattering sound.

Lu Yalan’s heart leapt. That sound wasn’t right. She quickly recalled the contents of the weapons storage in her mind and was horrified to realize the bag was filled with grenades!

Apart from ordinary explosives, the weapons storage also contained several high-power origin grenades intended for the assault on the contact point. The leader, fearing the Zhao Clan’s interference, had sealed them away.

Qian Ye carelessly tossed the bag around. Although grenades typically wouldn’t detonate under such circumstances, what if they did? A single misfire could obliterate the vehicle and both of them.

Cold sweat broke out on Lu Yalan’s back, but seeing Qian Ye’s dark, silent profile, she swallowed her words and started the vehicle.

The province where the City of Shadows was located was surrounded by the Forgotten Mountains of the Dark Domain and the rebel-controlled southern provinces. Despite the presence of external threats, the city gates were not closed at night, and people could enter and exit freely, showcasing the arrogance and confidence of the Zhao Clan.

The light off-road vehicle left the city, driving along a branch of the Shuoyang Highway into the night.

The Ghost Rope regional headquarters was located in an estate on the outskirts of the City of Shadows, about an hour’s drive away. Even in the outskirts, the night in the wilderness was perilous, with beasts and bandits posing a lethal threat to travelers.

The off-road vehicle drove without lights, guided by Lu Yalan’s memory and the faint moonlight. As a level-six gunman, she had some night vision, barely able to see the road ahead, though occasionally missing things.

Every time this happened, Qian Ye would promptly direct her to turn left or right. No obstacles, whether rocks, deep pits, or corpses, escaped his notice.

Otherwise, Qian Ye remained silent. He leaned against the door, supporting his head with his hand, seemingly lost in thought.

The off-road vehicle advanced through the night, the only sound being the rumble of the engine. The night seemed unusually quiet, with no sign of any dangerous creatures, not even a living creature darting by the roadside.

This silence eventually weighed heavily on Lu Yalan’s heart, making her feel an urge to scream. The chill in the vehicle was oppressive, coming from nowhere, making her tremble uncontrollably.

Lu Yalan vaguely sensed that this strangeness might come from Qian Ye. For a moment, she even had the illusion that the person in the passenger seat was not a human youth, but a terrifying beast.

From Qian Ye, a faint, ominous aura continually emanated. Lu Yalan could only sense the extreme danger, unable to discern the specifics, but the beasts in the wild could easily smell the presence of a demon spider at least at the rank of viscount.

This was the aura of Brahms, a powerful pressure declaring his domain, deterring even the fiercest beasts from daring to step into his territory.

Less than five kilometers from the estate, Qian Ye instructed Lu Yalan to stop. He then handed her an origin power assault rifle and a short knife, leading her towards the estate.

Lu Yalan’s fear had reached its peak, obediently following Qian Ye. Even if he let her go, she wouldn’t want to stay alone in the pitch-black wilderness. Compared to that, the regional leader in the estate was not so frightening.

A few kilometers passed in silence, and the outline of the estate came into view.

Qian Ye gestured to Lu Yalan, whispering, “Fire when you see anyone come out of the estate.” Without waiting for a reply, he left her and continued forward alone.

Lu Yalan hesitated for a moment, looking at Qian Ye’s back. She dared not shoot at him, knowing that even an ambush might miss, especially with the level-five vampire sniper rifle in his hand.

She debated whether to fire a warning shot but remembered the strict rules of the organization and lowered her gun. Her mission had utterly failed, and all her comrades were dead, leaving her the sole survivor. Moreover, she had led Qian Ye to the regional headquarters. Even if she managed to capture or kill Qian Ye, she would face severe punishment.

In the heavy darkness, a faint scent of blood suddenly spread, and Lu Yalan heard a muffled groan carried by the wind. Evidently, Qian Ye had dealt with the estate’s lookout, albeit not cleanly.

A strange feeling swept over her. How could that ruthless and precise youth expose himself at the perimeter guard? But her doubts were soon answered.

The scent of blood and the low, mournful moan might deceive ordinary people but could not escape the perception of a strong warrior. Suddenly, a voice roared from within the estate, “Who dares to come and seek death!”

An ear-piercing alarm sounded, and several figures, light as smoke, emerged from the estate.

The snake, it slithered out of its den!