Chapter 131: Shadow

Su Zheng’s expression was cold, his deep eyes remarkably calm. He seemed not to hear the wails of the man on the ground, waiting silently for his spirit to break.

"You... augh... I can't... ah!"

The large man’s body trembled, cold sweat rolling down his face, soaking his hair. He was still struggling, unwilling to reveal the identity of his employer. He knew all too well that if the organization behind him discovered he had betrayed them, his entire family would be killed. Although he himself had no hope of survival, as long as he held his tongue, he could protect his kin. These mercenaries belonged to the Shadow Organization; to ensure strict confidentiality during missions, the organization had long since put safeguards in place. Every member’s family was under constant surveillance—any act of betrayal would result in the execution of their entire household.

"Ding!"

Suddenly, a text message arrived on the man’s phone. His expression stiffened, then turned ghastly. Instinctively, he reached for the phone at his waist, desperate to keep it from Su Zheng.

A faint curve tugged at the corner of Su Zheng’s mouth, but he made no move to snatch the device. He had already seen Lao Liu beat the man to it, seizing the phone.

"Here, it’s a message from their headquarters. It’s encrypted," Lao Liu said, respectfully handing the unlocked phone to Su Zheng.

Su Zheng took it and read: "Report mission status. Employer is pressing for results."

"No... please, give me the phone! I admit defeat, just kill me!" the man screamed, his face contorted with boundless panic.

"Thwack!"

Lao Liu slammed his boot onto the man’s face, crushing it against the ground until he could no longer speak, leaving only muffled, struggling groans.

"Mission accomplished."

Su Zheng typed the reply on the phone, then stooped down to press the man’s finger against the sensor to unlock it, sending the message off. They waited for a long time, but no further messages appeared. Su Zheng frowned, preparing to resume his interrogation, when another phone in the man’s pocket began to ring.

"Swish!"

Lao Liu snatched that phone as well. Instead of answering directly, he handed it to Su Zheng. Su Zheng hesitated for a moment before pressing the answer button.

"Hey, don't kill that bastard just yet! I’m almost there!" A familiar voice rang out, brimming with undisguised excitement.

Su Zheng’s eyes narrowed as he heard the voice. He recognized the caller instantly: Wu Chenghao.

"Hey, why aren't you saying anything? You haven't killed the bastard already, have you? Hello? Hello?!" Wu Chenghao shouted into the phone, clearly growing impatient and suspicious.

Su Zheng signaled to Lao Liu, who took the phone. Understanding the cue, Lao Liu replied in a gravelly voice: "He’s still alive. We’re waiting for you."

"Haha... perfect! I’ll be there in a moment!" Wu Chenghao laughed with delight and hung up.

"Mmph... you... you can't..."

"Pfft!"

The man on the ground struggled more violently, his muffled roars irritating Su Zheng. Seeing Su Zheng’s frown, Lao Liu drove his curved blade into the man’s neck. With a few spasmodic twitches, the man fell silent forever.

"Brother Zheng, don't worry. Whoever dared to make a move against you in Qingyang, I will find them and give you a proper answer!" Qiao Lan stepped forward, her beautiful face cold and stern as she made another call to urge her subordinates to arrive faster.

Soon, the roar of engines filled the air. Qiao Lan’s men arrived. Su Zheng lifted his mother into a car and revived her, then arranged for Qiao Lan to take her to the hospital for a check-up. During this time, upon learning that the culprits were from the Wu family of Qingyang, Qiao Lan issued a flurry of orders. Every company and faction in Qingyang with business ties to the Wu family received notice, and they began acting overnight.

Su Zheng remained standing in the night breeze, waiting for Wu Chenghao’s arrival.

The sound of an engine returned. Wu Chenghao had arrived. He had even sacrificed a chance for a private moment with Chen Muxue just to witness Su Zheng being tortured to death. Chen Jianguo and his wife had come home early, creating an opportunity for them to be alone, but upon receiving the notification from the Shadow Organization that the mission was complete, he had hurried away.

"Such a big setup. Damn, these Shadow people are so high-profile, heh heh..." Seeing the cars parked in the distance, Wu Chenghao assumed they belonged to the Shadow team. He chuckled with anticipation and reached for his phone to ask for the exact location.

Just as he held the phone to his ear, a massive searchlight flared to life, shining directly into his face. Blinded, he shielded his eyes and shouted, "It’s me! I’m the employer, one of your own! Turn the light off!"

He barked in frustration, his expression sour. But there was no sound from the surroundings; the searchlight remained fixed on him, as if no one were there.

"What’s wrong with you people? Are you sick?" Wu Chenghao muttered, trying to step out of the beam.

Just then, he saw a figure walking slowly toward him through the light, which made him suspicious.

"Who... who are you? I’m telling you, I’m your employer... ugh!"

Before Wu Chenghao could finish his sentence, a sinking feeling of dread washed over him. The figure looked exactly like Su Zheng! Even against the light, he could recognize him.

"Su... Su Zheng? You’re okay?! Then..."

Wu Chenghao was stunned, his face a mask of shock and terror. His phone clattered to the ground.

"Smack!"

Su Zheng swung his arm, sending Wu Chenghao flying with a single slap. The impact left Wu Chenghao dazed, several teeth knocked loose. As he landed, he was dragged back by his collar and thrown toward Su Zheng.

"Smack!"

Su Zheng slapped him again. Wu Chenghao blacked out instantly! Before he lost consciousness, he couldn't fathom how Su Zheng could be standing there perfectly fine. What happened to the Shadow team? Is this a dream?

"Pfft!"

Lao Liu drove his knife into Wu Chenghao’s leg, jolting him back to consciousness with agony.

"Augh..."

A miserable scream tore through the air. Only then did Wu Chenghao fully realize that Su Zheng had never been captured by the Shadow organization—his plan had completely fallen apart!

"Please, don't kill me, don't kill me! I can give you money, as much as you want! Please, I beg you!" Blood streaming from the corner of his mouth, Wu Chenghao trembled, his soul shattered. He struggled to crawl up and kowtow, begging for mercy.