Chapter 107: The Message Arrives
Chapter 107: The Message Arrives
After coming down the mountain, Lin Mu drove his Maybach rapidly towards the Imperial Dynasty. Anxious at heart, his driving speed was no slower than Ye Zixi’s, and even a bit faster.
With absolute control over his body, Lin Mu’s driving skills were probably unmatched by most.
Within the car’s limits, Lin Mu handled it as if it were an extension of his own limbs.
Soon, the Maybach came to an abrupt stop in front of Zhao Ge.
“Is Wu Tianming upstairs?”
Lin Mu opened the car door and asked a young man standing at the entrance.
“Yes, Young Master Lin. The boss is upstairs.”
After getting a positive answer, Lin Mu quickly went upstairs and found Wu Tianming handling matters in the office on the third floor.
“Young Master Lin, what brings you here?”
Seeing Lin Mu enter, Wu Tianming immediately put aside his tasks and stood up to ask.
“Tianming, how is the investigation of those Europeans going?”
“Sorry, Young Master Lin. That group acted very quickly. After they shot at you, someone must have helped them escape. We went to intercept them right away but couldn’t stop them. From rumors we gathered, someone helped two Europeans sneak out of the country by sea.”
Wu Tianming quickly summarized the situation.
“It’s fine, I expected it. Since they dared to ambush me, they must have prepared an escape route. It wouldn’t be easy for you to catch them.”
Lin Mu nodded. He didn’t blame Wu Tianming, after all, Saber was just a gang and couldn’t compare to an organization as tight-knit as the Blood Thorn.
“By the way, I need you to keep an eye on these addresses. Protect the women inside at all costs—assign people to follow and guard them around the clock.”
Lin Mu took a piece of paper, quickly wrote down a few addresses, and handed it to Wu Tianming.
“Young Master Lin, what’s happened now?”
Wu Tianming took the note and then looked at Lin Mu, puzzled.
“There’s another group of assassins. Since they can’t harm me, they’ve turned their attention to my friends. You all need to be extra careful recently—this assassin might target you as well.”
Lin Mu clenched his fist and said seriously.
“Another group of assassins?”
Wu Tianming was startled—so many people wanted Lin Mu dead.
“Yes. Also, I need you to monitor someone for me. Send a few clever people to keep watch at all times. Report any abnormalities immediately.”
Before leaving, Lin Mu pulled Wu Tianming aside and quietly instructed him to monitor someone closely.
Lin Mu wasn’t certain about this person yet, so he just had Wu Tianming keep an eye on him for now.
After finishing his instructions, Lin Mu hurried back to Shuixiang Teahouse.
By then, the three women were already gathered around the counter on the first floor, reviewing the surveillance footage from the past few days. Business at the teahouse was good, with many customers every day. After watching for a while, their heads started to ache.
But thinking of Xu You and Qi Liancheng, who had been kidnapped, they widened their eyes and carefully examined each person in the footage, trying hard to spot anything unusual.
“So, any findings?”
Lin Mu entered Shuixiang Teahouse and went straight behind the counter to find the three women.
“Well, Xuanrong found the assassin’s footprints on the Back Hill and deduced that the assassin is an expert in Lightness Skill. So we pulled out the shop’s surveillance footage to see if we could spot the assassin scouting the place.”
Ye Zixi paused the surveillance video and said.
“That’s one way to do it, though it’s a bit troublesome. But since we don’t have many leads, it’s the only option.”
Lin Mu nodded—it was a last resort.
“We’ve carefully screened and selected a few suspects. Now we’re closely examining these people to identify the most likely culprit.”
Song Yuru pointed at some images of people on another computer and spoke earnestly.
Lin Mu pulled over a stool, sat down, and began helping the three women identify the suspects. The first time the assassin tried to kill him, he hadn’t covered his face, but his features were so ordinary that Lin Mu couldn’t recall them clearly.
Moreover, it was common for assassins to undergo plastic surgery and change their appearance frequently, so remembering their face wasn’t very useful.
Fortunately, Lin Mu had faced the assassin up close twice, so he remembered some of his habitual movements. With his help, they narrowed down three most likely suspects from over a hundred people.
“A-Mu, let us investigate these three!”
Ye Zixi took the photos of the three suspects and stood up.
“You? Will it be inconvenient?”
Lin Mu was a bit worried.
“It’s fine. Our families have some connections. We’ll first check their backgrounds. You stay here and hold the fort.”
Song Yuru smiled slightly.
“Alright, I’ll stay here. Who knows, the assassin might come back.”
After thinking briefly, Lin Mu nodded in agreement.
“You must be extra careful. This assassin will stop at nothing. Even though your Martial Arts are better than his, you might still fall into his trap.”
Ye Zixi gave another reminder before the three women left Shuixiang Teahouse and hurried down the mountain.
On the outskirts of the city, a car suddenly drove into an abandoned factory. A middle-aged man got out and walked into one of the rundown buildings.
Once inside, he knocked rhythmically on the wall. With a rumble, a door opened in the wall, revealing a passage behind it.
“The job is done.”
As soon as the middle-aged man entered the hidden room, a killer dressed in black appeared before him.
“The money is ready. Once it’s done, leave Huaxia quickly.”
The middle-aged man nodded with satisfaction.
“Yes.”
This black-clad figure was clearly the assassin who had tried to kill Lin Mu. From their conversation, they seemed to have a well-planned operation.
“Take me to see those two.”
The middle-aged man turned and said.
The assassin nodded, then led the middle-aged man to another small room. There, Xu You and Qi Liancheng were bound with thin steel cables and lying on the floor.
The middle-aged man glanced at them briefly and then sat casually on a sofa.
The assassin picked up a bottle of water and handed it to the middle-aged man. “Anything else to add?”
“Nothing much. That woman’s identity is not simple. The man is her husband. Don’t harm them. I only want Lin Mu’s life.”
The middle-aged man snorted softly.
“Don’t worry, I won’t fail again.”
“You really can’t afford to mess up this time. Otherwise, you won’t even have a chance to leave Huaxia.”
The middle-aged man said indifferently.
“I understand.”
The assassin nodded stiffly—he knew very well the consequences of another failure.
“Good that you understand. You’ve been with me so many years—you know my temper. I’d like to keep you around to work for me long-term, but that depends on you completing the tasks I give you.”
The middle-aged man took a sip of water.
“I understand. Please rest assured. If I fail again this time, I’ll end my own life and leave no traces behind.”
The assassin nodded.
“That’s what I like about you—you know what’s what. Do well. I’m leaving now.”
After saying this, the middle-aged man put down the water bottle and got up to leave.
“Lin Mu, who will take whose life in the end?”
The assassin walked up to a large electronic screen, muttering to himself while looking at Lin Mu’s image.
After tracking and investigating for some time, he vaguely sensed that Lin Mu’s identity was not simple.
He had been an assassin for almost twenty years and rarely failed. But with Lin Mu, he had already failed three times. To boost his Cultivation Power, he even took a special Pill, which greatly harmed his body.
Even if he finally killed Lin Mu, it would be a costly victory for him.
“Lin Mu, will my reputation as Blade Earl be ruined by you?”
The assassin smiled faintly, running his finger over the sharp blade in his hand.
Xu You, who had woken up, overheard their entire conversation clearly. However, she continued pretending to be unconscious, because even if she woke up now, there was no way she could deal with the assassin.
Moreover, the assassin was utterly shameless—he used thin steel cables to bind her. Such high-tensile steel cables would be hard to break even at her peak, requiring her to muster all her Zhenqi.
At this moment, she could think of no way to escape. But from their conversation, she knew that neither she nor her husband would be killed—they were just bait to lure Lin Mu.
From the words of the middle-aged man who came later, Xu You gathered that he might know her family, so he wouldn’t dare harm them recklessly. Once Lin Mu took the bait, they would be released.
Back at Shuixiang Teahouse, Lin Mu sat quietly, deep in thought. All the people and events from recent times flashed through his mind like lightning.
He was trying to find connections among these recent incidents. Maybe he hadn’t noticed them before, but discovering even subtle links now would greatly help solve the mystery.
Just as Lin Mu was pondering carefully, the phone on the counter rang. Thinking it might be Song Yuru and the others with news, he immediately picked up.
“So, any findings?”
But the voice on the other end wasn’t one of the three women—it was a distorted, mechanical sound.
“Lin Mu, right?”
“Who are you?”
Lin Mu’s mind raced, and he quickly guessed the speaker’s identity.
“Heh, I suppose you already know why I’m calling. Let’s not beat around the bush. I took those two. If you want them back, meet me tonight at the place I specify.”
The voice remained unclear and blurry.
“No problem. Tell me, where shall we meet?”
“Good. Young people are different—so loyal. Come alone tonight. If I see anyone else, I’ll kill them immediately.”
There was a burst of loud laughter, though it sounded harsh through the voice changer. After giving an address, the caller hung up directly.