Under One Person: The End of Technique, Company Building

Zhuge Qi seemed to notice her reaction, turned around and glanced at her, saying in a kind tone, "Xiaoxiao, don't be nervous, we're just taking a walk."

When Meng Xiaoxiao and the two people in the back seat met that calm gaze, the tightness in the back of her neck suddenly eased a lot.

She nodded without saying much, but her physical state had already switched from "relaxed" to "prepared".

The minibus turned onto a narrower dirt road, its wheels crunching over gravel.

As the large locust trees at the village entrance drew closer, two elderly women sat in the shade beneath them, picking vegetables. When they saw a car drive in, they both looked up curiously.

"Old Huang, let's stop at the village entrance," Zhuge Qi said.

Old Huang parked the car steadily in the open space next to the locust tree.

Zhuge Qi stood up, straightened his collar, buttoned up the top button of his executive jacket, then took out a glasses cloth from his pocket, carefully wiped the lenses of his gold-rimmed glasses, and put them back on.

These movements were performed at a leisurely pace, with an almost ritualistic composure.

"Let's go, comrades, let's get off the bus and take a look." He said, and took the lead in walking towards the door.

Xiao Li quickly stood up and followed. Ma Hong stretched and stood up as well. The space in the carriage was a bit cramped for him, so he walked a few steps with his back bent before straightening up.

Jiang Bai pushed up his glasses, was the last to stand up, and casually stuffed a small box, no bigger than the palm of his hand, into his pocket.

The six people got off the bus and stood under the locust tree at the entrance of the village.

The two elderly women picking vegetables looked at the group of strangers getting off the car with curiosity and a hint of barely perceptible wariness in their eyes.

One of the bolder ones put down the dishes he was holding and asked in a heavy local accent, "Who are you looking for?"

Zhuge Qi stepped forward, a gentle smile on his face that made people feel good. He bent down slightly and said in a friendly tone, "Auntie, hello. We are from the city, doing rural research. We just happened to be passing through your village and would like to chat with the villagers and find out what difficulties they are facing in their lives."

When he said this, his voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and his pace was neither too fast nor too slow; every word he spoke conveyed sincerity.

Coupled with his refined appearance in his executive jacket and gold-rimmed glasses, the old lady immediately lowered her guard and a smile appeared on her face.

"Oh, they're here for a survey, those are cadres! Hello cadres, you've worked hard, coming all this way." The old lady stood up enthusiastically, "Who do you want to chat with? All the young people in the village have gone out to work now, it's just us old folks left."

"It's alright, I'll just chat with my fellow villagers," Zhuge Qi said with a smile.

The two chatted casually.

The older woman's hearing wasn't good, but for some reason, she could hear the young man speaking very clearly.

As Zhuge Qi chatted, he looked around the village, his gaze sweeping over the houses before finally settling on a family at the back of the village.

That family's house was no different from the other houses in the village, with red brick walls, gray tile roofs, two jujube trees in the yard, and several bundles of firewood piled up at the door.

"Aunt Wang, is anyone living in that house?" Zhuge Qi asked, pointing to the building.

Following his gaze, Aunt Wang nodded and said, "Yes, that's Old Chen's house. Old Chen lives alone. He has a strange temper, doesn't like to socialize, and doesn't go out much."

Zhuge Qi nodded. "He lives alone, so he must have a lot of difficulties in his life."

Aunt Wang opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she didn't stop them. She just muttered, "Be careful, that old man has a bad temper. Last time someone loitered in front of his house, he chased them out with a broom."

Zhuge Qi smiled and thanked him, then took the lead and walked towards the house.

Xiao Li followed closely behind him, with Ma Hong and Jiang Bai on either side, and Meng Xiaoxiao at the very back, her eyes discreetly surveying the surroundings.

The driver, Lao Huang, stayed in the car. His duty was to watch the car and not participate in any actions, a rule he had followed for many years.

After walking along the dirt road in the village for about three or four minutes and turning two corners, the red brick and gray tile house came into view.

The gate to the yard was ajar, not completely closed. Through the crack, you could see that there were quite a few weeds growing in the yard, which did look rather unkempt.

Zhuge Qi walked to the door, but instead of pushing it open, he raised his hand and gently knocked three times on the door.

dong dong dong-

Is anyone home?

There was no movement in the courtyard.

Zhuge Qi knocked three more times.

"Uncle Chen, we're from a research team in the city. We'd like to ask you about your living conditions. Would it be convenient for you to open the door?"

After about ten seconds, footsteps finally came from the yard. The footsteps were heavy, as if someone was dragging something.

With a creak, the courtyard gate was pulled open from the inside.

The person who opened the door was a thin old man, wearing a faded gray undershirt. His face was etched with wrinkles that looked like they had been carved by a knife. His eyes were not large, but they were very bright. He looked at the group of people in front of the door with a look of vigilance and impatience.

"What are you doing?" The old man's voice was hoarse and unpleasant.

Zhuge Qi's smile remained unchanged, and even became more enthusiastic. He reached out and took the old man's rough hand, shaking it vigorously: "Hello, Uncle Chen. I was sent by the city to do rural research. I just happened to be passing through your village today, so I thought I'd come and see if you have any difficulties in your life that you need to solve."

The old man's brows furrowed even more. He tried to pull his hand back, but Zhuge Qi held it tightly, and he couldn't budge it.

"I'm fine, you can leave," the old man said curtly.

"Hey, Uncle Chen, don't be in such a hurry to send us away." Zhuge Qi still held his hand tightly, his tone incredibly kind.

Ma Hong, who was behind him, couldn't help but wonder what the section chief was up to.

Only Jiang Bai noticed that when Zhuge Qi was talking to the old man, he never let go of the hand that was holding the old man's hand, and the angle of his grip was very subtle, as if he was sensing something through contact.

The old man tried to pull his hand away again, but still couldn't. His tone became even more impatient: "I said I don't need it, so get out of here!"

"Uncle Chen, please don't get agitated." Zhuge Qi's smile finally changed slightly, a change so subtle that it was almost imperceptible if one didn't look closely.

His lips were still curved in a smile, but his eyes had changed.

The initial enthusiasm faded, replaced by a profound and unfathomable tranquility.

He released the old man's hand.

Then, he took a step back unhurriedly, adjusted his glasses, and said something in a casual, conversational tone that made everyone present freeze.

"You Quanxing demons, it seems your ability to hide isn't all that great."

The old man's expression froze instantly.

In that instant, several crisp sounds of tiles shattering came from the roof of the house. Three figures burst out from the windows and roof at the same time like startled birds, leaving several afterimages in the air as they shot off in different directions.

A long-haired woman, completely clad in a black outfit, possessed an incredibly alluring figure. As she landed, she even gave this person a flirtatious wink.

A young man dressed in a white shirt, who looked refined and gentle, wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses similar to those worn by Zhuge Qi, but his temperament was completely different, exuding a cold and sinister aura.

There was also a boy who was the smallest, who looked like a junior high school student. He was wearing a mask, only revealing his eyes, which were abnormally bright and faintly glowed green.

The three people landed on the dirt road outside the courtyard, spreading out in a triangular shape, putting some distance between themselves and Zhuge Qi and the others.

The skin on the gaunt old man who opened the door suddenly began to crack, as if a layer of shell had been peeled off, revealing the face of a young woman underneath.

She was a girl who looked to be in her early twenties. She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she was radiant with youthful energy, and her big eyes were full of surprise and uncertainty.

It was Liu Yanyan.

Just now, during the initial contact, she didn't know what trick the other party had used, but she was completely unable to mobilize her Qi, and now she could only surrender.

"How did you find out?" Liu Yanyan removed her disguise, and her voice changed from that of a hoarse old man to that of a young girl, but her tone was filled with resentment.

"So you're a young man from the Liu family of Xiangxi. No wonder your disguise skills are so passable." Zhuge Qi glanced at her, his tone still nonchalant. "But as I always say, details determine success or failure."

Ma Hong and Meng Xiaoxiao behind him entered battle mode without needing any instructions. Ma Hong took half a step forward, blocking Xiao Li's path. A faint golden light appeared on his arms, a sign that the external martial arts technique had reached its peak.

Jiang Bai had already taken off his glasses and put them in his pocket. He reached into his trouser pocket with his right hand and grasped the small box, which was about the size of his palm. He leaned forward slightly, like a cheetah ready to pounce at any moment.

Meng Xiaoxiao stood still, but the soil beneath her feet had begun to dampen, and a ring of almost invisible moisture was spreading outward from her.

The three then attacked together, forcing back the three who originally wanted to escape.

The three had no choice but to reunite.

"I never expected to run into someone from the company in such a remote place. What bad luck." Shen Chong pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his tone carrying a hint of scrutiny. "What's your name?"

"Zhuge Qi." Zhuge Qi looked at Shen Chong and suddenly smiled. "Since you all happen to be here, why don't you do me a favor and come back with me to register and cooperate with our investigation?"

"Our company's principle is that if people don't cause trouble, we won't cause trouble for them. Even if you are from Quanxing, as long as you confess honestly, the organization will definitely handle it according to the law and regulations and will not make things difficult for you."

"However, given your identities, they're probably not entirely clean, which makes things more difficult."

"Two of the four madmen have made it in; they're really lucky."

The dirt road was quiet for a second.

Xia He suddenly laughed, a seductive laugh that sent chills down one's spine even in the midday sun: "Why is this person talking so seriously? It's hilarious."

Lü Liang didn't speak, but silently took half a step back, his eyes above the mask fixed on Zhuge Qi.

His intuition told him that this person was dangerous, more dangerous than the three men with murderous intent behind him combined.

Shen Chong frowned slightly, but he didn't smile.

Unlike Xia He, he was always cautious in his actions. Someone who could expose Liu Yanyan's disguise without making a sound right under his nose was definitely not a simple character.

"You're from the company, right?" Shen Chong's voice turned cold. "Do you know who we are? You still dare to come and block our way with just a few men?"

"Isn't that enough?" Zhuge Qi glanced around at the several Quanxing demons surrounding him, his smile still as gentle as a spring breeze in March.

He took a step forward.

Just one step.

But at that very step, the gravel and dust on the dirt road suddenly spread out silently in all directions from the spot where his foot landed, and a faint ring of light flashed and disappeared on the ground.

The outline of those light patterns clearly resembled a mysterious formation.

Shen Chong's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Ma Hong, Jiang Bai, Xiao Xiao, make your move." Zhuge Qi's voice rang out in the courtyard unhurriedly, with a matter-of-fact composure. "Kill them alive."

"Alright!" Ma Hong grinned, and the golden light on his arms surged, making him look like a tiger released from its cage, and he was the first to rush out.

His target was Shen Chong.