Love Lock

Chapter 149 Using Him as a Sacrifice
Han Lei turned around and told everyone else to leave, including Aunt Li, leaving only Hua Tianyou and the old lady.

When Han Lei turned around again, she found herself holding a scalpel.

The blade gleamed with a chilling light under the solar lamp.

Han Lei's expression was calm, but her gaze was sharp as a knife, as if it could pierce through the silence of the assassins.

"I can understand if you don't say anything."

She spoke slowly, her voice soft yet cold.

“You people have long since disregarded life and death; pain and torment are nothing more than everyday meals for you.”

The assassin remained silent, not even lifting his eyelids.

Han Lei smiled slightly, gently turning the scalpel in her hand. The blade was close to the assassin's wrist, but she did not immediately make a cut.

Her movements were extremely slow, as if she were waiting for something.

The assassin paused slightly, though it was extremely subtle, but Han Lei keenly noticed it.

“You know what?” she said softly, as if chatting, “the pain receptors in the human body are not evenly distributed. In some places, even a light touch can cause excruciating pain, while in other places, even if you cut them open, you won’t feel much pain.”

Her knife tip moved slowly, tracing its way up the assassin's arm, finally stopping on the inside of his elbow joint.

“Here,” she tapped lightly with the tip of her knife, “there is a nerve called the ulnar nerve. If I gently sever it with the tip of my knife, your hand will immediately lose sensation and you will never be able to hold a sword again.”

Her tone remained calm, as if she were discussing the weather forecast.

The assassin's breathing quickened slightly, and although he still didn't look up, his fingers curled up slightly.

Han Lei didn't stop, and continued, "Of course, this is just the beginning. Next, I will sever your radial nerve, and then your median nerve. Your arm will be completely useless and will never recover."

Her knife tip slowly moved down, stopping at his wrist. "However, this isn't the most painful part."

Her gaze fell on the assassin's face, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"The most painful thing is that I will make you watch your arm gradually lose its function, and you will be powerless to do anything about it. You will feel the moment each nerve breaks, feel the muscles gradually lose control, and feel yourself becoming a useless person."

The assassin's breathing grew increasingly rapid, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. His fingers gripped the edge of the chair tightly, his knuckles turning white.

As a suicide squad member, he wasn't afraid of death, but he was afraid of being crippled. The mission failed, and he was crippled. Neither he nor his master could accept such an outcome.

If he goes back, his master will only kill him. And what if he can't go back? What can he do after he's crippled?
Han Lei's soft yet icy voice still echoed in the ears of the assassins.

“You have no relatives, no attachments. So you may not be afraid of death, but are you afraid of becoming a cripple? A cripple who can't even hold a sword, or even lift a bowl or chopsticks?”

The assassin's throat bobbed, and he finally raised his head, a struggle flashing in his eyes.

Han Lei paced around the table, her gaze intentionally or unintentionally fixed on the scalpel in her hand.

"This world, besides its dark corners, also has brilliant sunshine. It's not easy to be born as a human being, so why risk your life or cripple yourself for something not worth it?"

The assassin's lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed it back.

Han Lei gave him no chance to hesitate. With a slight flick of her knife, the assassin's arm trembled violently, and a sharp pain shot through his wrist.

The assassin didn't scream, but his fingers twitched uncontrollably, as if the strength in his hand had been instantly drained away.

Han Lei's attacks were incredibly precise; even the assassin himself could tell. He stared in horror at the pretty, sweet woman before him, as if he were looking at a demon.

“This is the first nerve.” Han Lei’s voice remained calm. “The next one is the second. You must trust my medical skills. If you regret it now, I can still restore some function to your hand. If you wait any longer, there will be no chance.”

The assassin swallowed hard, his breathing becoming completely erratic, and fear finally showed in his eyes. He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse and trembling.

"Stop...I...I'll talk..."

Han Lei stopped what she was doing, the tip of the knife still pressed against his skin, and stared at him coldly.

"Speak, you only have one chance."

The assassin's forehead was covered in cold sweat, his face was as pale as paper, and his voice was so weak that it was almost inaudible.

"It was...it was the Marquis of Champion who sent us to kill...kill the King of Cangzhou."

"what?"

Hua Tianyou suddenly moved closer to the assassin, a flash of shock and anger in his eyes.

"How could it be him?"

The old lady couldn't help but gasp, and the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

Who is the Marquis of Champion?

Han Lei was completely confused, and she turned to Hua Tianyou for a questioning look.

Hua Tianyou took a deep breath, trying to calm his shock, and then said in a deep voice, "The Marquis of Champion is the Empress's brother. He has immense power and influence, and no one in the court dares to offend him easily."

As Hua Tianyou spoke, he glanced at the two swords lying in the corner, and the question that had been weighing on his mind finally found its answer.

The Marquis of Champion's family consisted mostly of military officers, serving in the armies of Jingzhou, Liangzhou, and Jizhou, which were close to the capital region. No wonder the swords and blades used by these assassins were all standard-issue weapons of the imperial court.

"The Empress's brother? You mean the Su family?" Han Lei was still completely confused.

When did Zhao Zun offend the Empress's brother?
Although Han Lei had heard of the powerful figures in the imperial court, she had never deeply understood these intricate relationships. Hearing the name of the Marquis of Champion at this moment, she couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"Zun'er and he have never had any grudges, why would he kill my Zun'er? Why?"

The old lady also walked to the table, glaring angrily at the assassin lying on it, her voice trembling, her eyes filled with anger and grief.

She gripped her sleeve tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

The assassin lowered his eyes; he couldn't bear to look at the grief in a mother's eyes.

"I...I don't know, I just heard the Marquis say that he wanted to put an end to the Princess's hopes, so..."

"Have you given up on the idea?"

Han Lei murmured the same sentence over and over again. Suddenly, she seemed to understand something, and a chill ran through her heart.

“I understand.” Han Lei turned to look at the old lady, her face solemn: “Princess Chang Le is indeed in love with Zhao Zun, but Zhao Zun has always avoided her and has never responded to her.”

"hateful!"

Hua Tianyou cursed, "So, to crush Chang Le's hopes, the Marquis of Champion is going to destroy Zhao Zun? Just because he doesn't want Chang Le to continue her delusions? What the hell is this... what..."

"What logic?"

Seeing that he could barely speak, Han Lei impatiently added to his sentence.

Hua Tianyou nodded angrily: "Yeah, what kind of logic is that?"

Upon hearing this, the old lady could no longer contain herself, stamped her foot violently, and her voice trembled.

"Absurd! Utterly absurd! For such a reason, you want to take my son's life?"

"Can these powerful people treat human life so carelessly? Can they arbitrarily decide the life and death of others just because things don't go their way?"

Han Lei felt furious just thinking about it. These powerful families not only monopolized resources and bullied others, but now they actually wanted to kill them?
Hua Tianyou did not respond to Han Lei's words, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

He himself came from a powerful family, but the Duke of Heng's family did not keep assassins, and their power and wealth were not as great as the four great families.

He knew all too well the cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness of the court's powerful figures, but hearing that the Marquis of Champion had actually attacked Zhao Zun for such a ridiculous reason still filled him with anger and helplessness.

The assassin lowered his head, not daring to speak again. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead onto the table, as if silently telling of his inner fear and regret.

The old lady stood up tremblingly, walked to the assassin, and spoke in a cold and authoritative voice.

"Go back and tell the Marquis of Champion that although my Zhao family is not as wealthy as his mansion, we will never allow him to act recklessly! If he dares to lay a finger on my son again, my Zhao family will fight him to the very end, even if it costs us our last breath!"

The assassin trembled and nodded hastily, "I...I dare not, I was only following orders, please spare my life, Madam!"

Hua Tianyou stepped forward, helped the old lady up, and whispered, "Auntie, please calm down. This matter needs to be discussed carefully. Don't upset yourself."

The old lady took a deep breath, barely suppressing her anger, and nodded.

After asking one question and waiting for the old lady to calm down, Han Lei gently patted the assassin's face with the scalpel in her hand. The cold blade against the skin brought a chilling sensation.

Han Lei's sweet face was covered with frost, but her tone carried a hint of contempt.

"Thankfully, you're smart and finally made the right choice. Now tell me, how many people came in total?"

The assassin's throat bobbed. Since he had already betrayed his master, there was no need to hide anything else, so he simply answered everything.

"A total of... twelve people came."

Han Lei raised an eyebrow slightly, a cold smile playing on her lips: "Are they all here to assassinate Zhao Zun?"

The assassin nodded. "Mm."

Han Lei's gaze grew even colder as she pressed on, "Where are they staying now?"

The assassin shook his head, a hint of helplessness in his eyes: "I only know that the five of us are staying at the Jinghua Inn, and I don't know anything else."

Upon hearing this, Han Lei and Hua Tianyou, who was standing to the side, exchanged a glance, and both saw a hint of seriousness in each other's eyes.

Two have already been captured here, so there are still three left in the Jinghua Inn. The remaining seven people are still hiding in the shadows, ready to launch a fatal attack on Zhao Zun at any time.

Thinking of this, a hint of murderous intent flashed in Han Lei's eyes.

She knew very well that Zhao Zun's situation was still dangerous. If the assassins from the Jinghua Inn returned, the mastermind behind it all, Champion Marquis, would not let it go easily.

Perhaps the Marquis of Champion will turn around and get rid of her, and try to make Chang Le take over.

Since the Champion Marquis wants their lives, then she shouldn't blame her for being ruthless in return.

After Zhao Zun started his rebellion, he knew he would have to deal with the four great families sooner or later anyway. So why not take this opportunity to use the Marquis of Champion's family as a scapegoat?

Han Lei turned around and gave Hua Tianyou instructions with a serious expression.

"Tianyou. Leave the three in the Jinghua Inn to me. You go to the cement factory right now and send a guard to inform Zhao Zun to be on high alert and armed at all times. Also, send a few more guards over here; I need manpower."

Hua Tianyou nodded solemnly, "Yes! I'll go right away. Be careful."

Han Lei nodded and watched Hua Tianyou leave in a hurry.

Then, she turned to look at the old lady standing to the side, her tone softening.

"Mother, I'll ensure your safety first. Leave everything else to me. Don't worry, I'll make sure nothing happens to anyone."

"Leah, what are your plans?"

Upon hearing this, the old lady immediately became nervous and grabbed Han Lei's hand anxiously.

"The Marquis of Champion is indeed despicable. But he holds a high position and great power, and he also has military authority. You must not act recklessly! Your mother only hopes that you can stay safe and sound."

Hearing this, Han Lei felt a warmth in her heart.

"Mother, don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Han Lei said with a slight smile.

The old lady patted her hand affectionately, her eyes full of concern and trust: "Okay! Mother believes you. You must also be careful and don't worry Mother."

"Yes!" Han Lei nodded and squeezed the old lady's hand.

Han Lei removed the liquid and blood transfusion needle from the assassin's wrist, called over several servants, gave each of them an electric baton, and taught them how to use it.

Then, she had them take turns guarding the assassin in pairs. She then helped the old lady back into the house to rest.

After all that commotion, it was already very late at night, but Han Lei was wide awake.

The assassins wanted Zhao Zun dead; now, she was going to turn the tables and take their lives.

She bought a set of night clothes and enough tools from the system.

The black fabric clung to her body, as if it could blend into the night.

Once everything was ready, she took a deep breath and quietly stepped into the night.

The streets of Fufeng County were exceptionally quiet late at night, broken only by the occasional barking of dogs.

Having lived here for almost a month, Han Lei knows the streets like the back of her hand.

She moved nimbly through the shadows of the streets, like a nimble cat, making almost no sound.

The Jinghua Inn was just ahead, two dim lanterns swaying gently in the breeze, illuminating the outline of the inn's gate.

The shopkeeper was slumped behind the counter, nodding off.

Upon arriving at the inn, Han Lei took out a pink cloak from her spatial storage and draped it over her clothes to cover her night attire.

She rubbed her face, adjusted her gloomy expression, and then went inside.

"Shopkeeper." She gently tapped the countertop, her voice soft.

The innkeeper suddenly woke up, rubbed his eyes, and looked at her sleepily: "Sir, are you looking for a room or a meal?"

Han Lei smiled slightly, her tone relaxed.

"Shopkeeper, I'm here to find my friends. They're already staying here. There were five men with them. Which room are they staying in?"

The shopkeeper was still not quite lucid; he scratched his head, trying hard to remember.

"Five men came together? Oh, right, the guests in rooms number one and two were five men who came together."

"Are you sure they came together?" Han Lei asked again to confirm.

"Yes, only they were the five men who came together." The shopkeeper nodded, his tone certain.

"Okay, thank you, I'll go find them right away." Han Lei smiled even more sweetly, as if she really was there to visit relatives and friends.

The shopkeeper yawned and waved his hand: "But it's so late, they should all be asleep by now."

"It's okay, I'll go up and knock on the door."

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