Excessive ferocity due to caution

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Yi got a phone number and address from Barbara.

He looked at it carefully and then dialed the number.

Beep beep—

Soon, a very magnetic middle-aged man's voice came from the other end.

"Feed?"

"Who is it?"

Zhao Yi:

"Zhao Yi".

The other party was clearly stunned for a moment when they heard the name.

Then, the middle-aged man laughed.

"That's...strange."

"So, how are you going to prove you're Zhao Yi?"

Zhao Yi turned on the video call function.

The call was connected.

Then the two saw each other.

The middle-aged man was a very classy fellow, with a touch of intellectualism amidst his greasy appearance. His hair was gray, but neatly combed.

"Okay, okay... I'm sure you're that serial killer."

"But I'm really curious, how do you have my contact information?"

Zhao Yi took out Liu Ruoqing's pendant and waved it in front of the camera.

Upon seeing the pendant, the middle-aged man's smile immediately vanished.

"What is your relationship with her?"

Zhao replied without blushing or skipping a beat:

"friend."

"By the way, what's your name?"

The middle-aged man remained silent for a while.

"I don't have a name, only a code name. You can call me Jin Shiyue."

"I am the president of the Bounty Hunter Association."

"What do you want from me?"

Zhao Yi slowly said:

"I want to infiltrate the capital; I need your help."

Jin Shiyue did not answer Zhao Yi immediately, but instead asked:

Where is Liu Ruoqing now?

Zhao Yi:

"The Immortal Path".

"Has she come back? Or... sent back any messages?"

"no."

After a pause, Zhao Yi added:

"Now, Yue, given your status, you should know what kind of place the Immortal Path is, and how difficult it would be to send back any message from there..."

Upon hearing this, Jin Shiyue lowered her eyelids slightly and sighed:

"Too."

"It's just that it's been so long since we last met, it's inevitable that I miss them a little."

He didn't hide anything; his words were very straightforward.

Seeing his dejected appearance, Zhao Yi clicked his tongue and said:

"If you like something, go for it! The person's already gone, what are you sighing about?"

The moon now raises its head, its gaze somewhat uncertain:

"Can……"

Zhao Yi:

"What do you mean 'but'? I think you two have a pretty good relationship. You don't even dare to say those words. It's just cowardly of you to be in love with someone you don't know."

The moon smiles bitterly now:

"That's not the case..."

Zhao Yi:

"It's not what I thought?"

"Is this just an excuse, or are you running away from it?"

Moon at this moment:

"Em..."

"Mr. Zhao, actually I like her friend, Meng Jiao, the girl who's always been so aloof."

There was a few seconds of silence.

Zhao Yi looked at his phone and pressed the hang-up button.

He lit a cigarette, looked out the window, and exhaled a puff of white smoke.

How embarrassing...

This guy really doesn't play by the rules.

Or perhaps I overestimated Liu Ruoqing's attractiveness?

For Zhao Yi, Meng Jiao was a relatively unfamiliar name.

The other party was also a high-ranking member of the slacker guild, but she was an ice queen who didn't like to talk.

The two had only met once.

Ring ring—

Not long after, the phone rang again.

Zhao Yi answered the phone.

"Hey, Mr. Zhao, your move to the capital is no small matter. I'm afraid we'll have to find an opportunity to discuss it in detail later."

The moon's voice rang out.

It's clear that he and Liu Ruoqing have a good relationship. After seeing the keepsake Liu Ruoqing left for Zhao Yi, Jin Shiyue became very patient.

Zhao Yi replied:

"That depends on when you're available."

Jin Shiyue flipped through her calendar and said:

"Three days later."

"The capital city isn't very safe. Give me an address, and I'll come visit in three days."

Zhao Yi gave the position of the entertainment company's branch office to Jin Shiyue.

Although there was a connection with Liu Ruoqing, Zhao Yi still didn't completely trust this guy. The other party was a seasoned veteran in the capital. He had previously inquired about Liu Ruoqing with him and learned that Liu Ruoqing had now gone to the Immortal Path. He couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't betray him for her own benefit.

Meanwhile, back in the capital, after hanging up the phone, Jin Shiyue's expression underwent a subtle change.

His female assistant stood to the side, flashing a fawning smile.

"Lord Yue, this serial killer Zhao Yi actually dared to contact us! This is a golden opportunity!"

"I'll go down and make preparations right away, then I'll bring my men and wipe them all out!"

"At that time, with Zhao Yi's life in his hands, Master Yue can extract many benefits from the Li family, which would be a tremendous boost for our Bounty Hunter Association!"

The moon nods in approval now.

The assistant was secretly delighted. He had received a lot of benefits from the Fifth Federation last time and was now looking to deal with Zhao Yi.

Unfortunately, the plan failed.

She was already racking her brains about how to protect the benefits she had received without being exposed.

it's good now.

Zhao Yi delivered himself to their doorstep.

The pressure on my side immediately lessened a lot.

After she left, Jin Shiyue calmly picked up the phone on the table and dialed another person:

"Old Xu."

"Get a different assistant."

...

imperial capital.

The mansion of Huangliang Dream.

Inside the villa, Huang Liangmeng received three people dressed in black cloaks.

This time, Huang Liangmeng was very humble and had his servants clean his residence well in advance.

"Gentlemen, this way please."

Huang Liangmeng, beaming with joy as if he had won the lottery, led the three into the main hall.

The villa was very clean today, and there were hardly any servants to be seen.

After sitting down, the three of them pulled down their hoods.

On their heads, cruel and bizarre instruments of torture were conspicuously worn, their flesh mangled and bloody.

Some people's brains were even steaming hot.

"How is the task Lord Ares entrusted to you progressing?"

Huang Liangmeng rubbed his hands together, his smile somewhat stiff.

"I am truly sorry... sirs."

"But this time there's a reason..."

Hearing this, the black-robed man's tone became much colder:

"Mister Huang, you know the Church has never had much patience for losers..."

The moment he raised his hand, Huang Liangmeng's eyelids twitched wildly!

They're not going to start a fight right away, are they?!

These damned guys went through so much effort to get to where they are now, they can't just kill themselves like that, can they?

The black-robed man's offensive behavior was completely different from what Huang Liang had expected, and it gave him a big fright!

Just as Huang Liangmeng was about to be attacked by the man in black robes, his companions stopped him and saved his life.

"I want to hear his excuses."

Seeing this, Huang Liangmeng seemed to have grasped at a straw and hurriedly said:

"Adults..."

"That Zhao Yi is far too cunning, and his tampering with the teleportation array within the Infinite Realm last time has drawn the attention of many vigilant individuals. Therefore, in order not to affect the Church's future plans and to avoid causing trouble for Lord Ares, I am acting rather discreetly and dare not be too presumptuous..."

The man in black frowned:

"How did he get out after the teleportation array laws within the Infernal Realm were modified?"

Huang Liang Meng described in detail the situation at that time and the three suffering monks in front of him.

As they listened, a murderous intent gradually gathered in their eyes.

"You'd better not lie, Mister Huang."

"The church will conduct a second investigation into this matter."

Looking into the emotionless eyes of the three men, Huang Liangmeng smiled ingratiatingly:

"My lords, how could I dare to lie to you!"

"That is indeed the case!"

"Furthermore, although the men I hired didn't manage to eliminate Zhao Yi this time, the aftermath has been handled cleanly. No outsiders know about this!"

"As for killing Zhao Yi, we'll find an opportunity in the future!"

Upon hearing this, the menacing aura in the room lessened slightly, becoming less aggressive than before.

"Besides obtaining X-0's body, we have another very important matter to inform you this time..."

The nun sitting on the far left spoke. The torture device on her body was the most horrifying. Dozens of sharp fishhooks were hooked into her cheeks, and the fishing line was pulled to the back of her head, connected to her skull, and continued downwards, locking all the vertebrae.

"Please give your orders, sir. I'll do anything you ask, even if it means going through fire and water, to get it done for you!"

Huang Liangmeng patted his chest, with an expression that said, "You can rest assured."

The female ascetic began to speak:

"Li Chenglong".

Huang Liang Meng paused slightly:

"Li Chenglong?"

"He...he's dead, isn't he?"

The woman said expressionlessly:

"Only the body is dead."

"The area where he truly resonates with the church's needs is a part of the soul."

"As soon as he was discovered, the church sent people to use special torture instruments to protect that part of his soul with special power, and entrusted the Li family to take care of it."

"But after Li Chenglong's accident last time, the Li family discovered something very strange..."

"A part of Lee Seung-ryong's soul... was cut out."

Huang Liangmeng was somewhat surprised to hear this and said:

"Has a part of your soul been removed?"

woman:

"Yes."

"The most crucial part, the 'key,' has been removed."

Huang Liangmeng paced around the room a few times.

"Do the adults suspect... that the Li family used Li Chenglong's death to cut out his soul imprint?"

The woman and her two companions exchanged glances.

"No, the Li family is controlled by the church; they wouldn't dare do that."

"We believe that this matter is related to Zhao Yi."

Huangliang Meng was quite surprised:

"That's impossible... When Zhao Yi killed Li Chenglong, his strength wasn't even at the level of a Great Fiend. How could he possibly cut off a person's soul and take it away?"

Telekinesis can easily kill a person through mental attacks.

Even a half-step Great Fiend can easily shatter the soul of someone at the same level through a mental attack.

These don't require any special abilities.

Anyone who has made even a small contribution to the spiritual realm can naturally accomplish this.

It is not impossible to even probe into someone else's mental world through some secret techniques.

But if you want to cut someone else's soul and take it away... that's not something an ordinary person can do.

That power... involves cause and effect.

"The power of X-0...is beyond your imagination."

"Although X-0's power has been weakened for reasons that are not even clear to the church itself, its extraordinary nature may still allow it to do some incredible things."

Another suffering monk said so.

"In short..."

"Your plans need some adjustments now."

"While you haven't been exposed yet."

"He will be much less wary of you."

Huangliang Dream: (Thoughts)

"I understand..."

"I will investigate Li Chenglong's matter as soon as possible!"

The three monks stood up and handed a special box to Huang Liangmeng.

"Lord Ares is not satisfied with your efficiency... but the magnanimous Lord Ares is still willing to give you special assistance."

As Huang Liangmeng accepted the box, a Taoist priest approached him and stared at him with empty, cold eyes.

"Remember... you only have one month."

"This box can be a source of your power, or it can become a shackle that takes your life..."

Huang Liangmeng's lips twitched slightly.

"Understood, please rest assured, sirs... I will definitely handle this matter within a month!"

After seeing the three off, Huang Liangmeng's expression did not improve at all.

The unusual metal box in his hand was also unusually heavy; he neither wanted to hold it nor dared to throw it away.

Soon, the mansion's butler came over and whispered:

"Sir, the three gentlemen have already left."

Huang Liangmeng looked at the box in his hand and often let out a sigh of relief.

"This is a huge problem..."

He muttered to himself, his eyes suddenly turning extremely venomous.

"Damn Zhao Yi... If it weren't for you, how could I be in such a predicament now?"

Huang Liangmeng began to secretly plot in his heart, and one vicious scheme after another surfaced before his eyes...

...

Entertainment company division.

A pavilion, two cups of fragrant tea.

The moment they met, both Zhao Yi and Jin Shiyue were surprisingly calm.

"When Mr. Zhao's infamous reputation was making headlines in Beijing, I actually investigated your background."

"There is also some speculation about Mr. Zhao's past."

"But I really didn't expect that you would be involved with that woman, Liu Ruoqing."

Mentioning Liu Ruoqing, Jin Shiyue's expression was clearly somewhat dazed.

Zhao Yi straightened his clothes and smiled:

"Miss Liu seems to be a very capable person in the capital."

Jin Shiyue sighed.

"Liu Ruoqing has indeed helped me a lot in the way that the Bounty Association has grown to its current size."

"Of course, most importantly... it was because of her that I met Meng Jiao."

Zhao Yi raised his eyebrows:

"Isn't Liu Ruoqing good enough?"

A hint of infatuation flashed across Yue's eyes as she said:

"I like snow-capped mountains."

"Especially when it snows, there is a suffocating sense of loneliness on the snow-capped mountains, which fascinates me."

Zhao Yi interrupted his romantic gesture:

"It's also possible that you're just standing too high and experiencing oxygen deprivation, which is causing you to hallucinate."

Jin Shiyue said helplessly:

"Everyone should always leave themselves a little room for imagination."

Zhao smiled and raised his teacup.

"Why not enter the Path of Immortality with her?"

The moon shakes its head now:

"I am too weak."

"Besides... I have more important things to do."

PS: Today, the two chapters have been combined into one.

4000 words will definitely be enough, everyone can rest assured.

Goodnight, my darlings!