Published: February 12, 2025
CHAPTER TEXT:
"Boss, it should be just ahead, but our people can't get in."
On a hill not far from where Liang Chuyin was fighting, several figures appeared. Ye Zhongming stood in the middle, with three others standing a step behind him.
One of them was wearing a camouflage cloak, blending perfectly with the surroundings, his face obscured by a hat, making it impossible to see his features. The man in the middle wore black leather armor, a mask covering his face, and had a slender build. The one speaking to Ye Zhongming had long hair that covered his face, revealing only a pair of cold, dark eyes through the gaps.
"I don't know why, but it seems that something is blocking the area, causing us to miss it twice. After discovering it, we were again stopped by a mysterious force. We cannot determine the situation inside for the time being. This is the responsibility of our intelligence department; I apologize, boss."
Knowing who the woman trapped inside was, this avoidance intelligence department officer felt immense shame for only arriving at this location now.
The intelligence department had been sent early by Ye Zhongming to Ying City and its surroundings, with orders to be aware of any movements. However, this time, they not only failed to notice the alliance of various forces nearby but also took a considerable amount of time to locate Liang Chuyin after the order was given, which was nearly a continuous mistake.
Ye Zhongming had invested heavily in the avoidance forces, providing them with certain good things that even core members did not receive, ensuring ample funding and great freedom. As long as they completed their tasks without harming Cloud Summit, they were free to operate independently.
Their own development was guaranteed, and they could use their free time to grow through various means. It could be said that despite having near-strict rules and ways of survival, avoiders found it easier to become strong than ordinary evolvers.
But all of this was based on their usefulness to Cloud Summit.
If they failed to meet Ye Zhongming's requirements, they would be eliminated.
For the avoidance intelligence department, which controlled many secrets, Ye Zhongming would never allow them to switch allegiances; being eliminated meant a bloody end.
They were fearful as well because Ye Zhongming held the coordinates of everyone's bodies, and key figures had oath scrolls; anyone who betrayed them could not escape Cloud Summit's pursuit.
"Have you figured out who these people are?"
Ye Zhongming seemed to ignore their apologies and instead asked this question.
"We just caught one person, but we haven't had a chance to interrogate him yet; the other person escaped."
The head of the Ying City intelligence department felt his face turn red; his eyes, hidden beneath long hair, dared only to look at the ground.
"Boss, the primary responsibility lies with us; capturing them was the job of our action team." The masked man and the man in camouflage both acknowledged their mistakes to Ye Zhongming.
"This matter can be discussed later; bring the person up first."
Upon hearing Ye Zhongming's command, two members from the avoidance Ying City action team immediately sent out a signal, and soon someone brought over a man.
It was the Snake Tongue Man who had fled earlier.
At this moment, he looked even worse than before; he had been severely injured by Liang Chuyin and, while being captured, resisted fiercely. The commander and vice-commander of the Ying City action team, the camouflage man and the masked man, had inflicted multiple deep cuts on his joints, leaving him completely unable to resist.
"Tell me who you are, who your people are, and who is inside. I can choose not to kill you."
Ye Zhongming looked down at the man slumped on the ground.
"Hehe." The Snake Tongue Man chuckled, his eyes focused ahead, appearing resigned to death.
"Sometimes, death isn't the scariest thing. It’s the despair that comes when you’re waiting for or even hoping for death that is terrifying. I have countless ways to make your life worse than death. I think you believe me because you probably have many such methods yourself, right?"