Chapter 107: Chapter 90: A Major Assassin Organization, a Deeper Vortex
The curtains were drawn, blocking all lines of sight from the outside.
An exquisite crystal chandelier cast its brilliant light as far as possible, illuminating every inch of the room.
"This..."
Lu Chao stopped short as he rounded the screen, his expression changing slightly as he looked ahead.
A figure sat on the sofa on the plush carpet. He was shirtless, revealing broad shoulders and a brawny, muscular physique, like a lion at rest.
But upon closer inspection...
The gunshot wound on his left shoulder was particularly jarring.
Trickles of blood slid down the contours of his skin. The Pharmacist used forceps to extract a blood-stained, brassy bullet, dropping it into a metal dish on the marble coffee table with a crisp CLINK.
Disinfecting alcohol and povidone-iodine were used to repeatedly rinse the gaping wound, and soon another fragmented piece of shrapnel was painstakingly removed.
The quiet RUSTLING continued for a long time before the physician began using white medical gauze to stop the bleeding and bandage the wound.
The man leaning back on the sofa had not been given any anesthetic. His eyes were deep and sharp; he was clearly and unnervingly conscious.
He clenched a lit cigarette between his teeth, exhaling plumes of smoke with every deep breath.
He didn’t make a sound the entire time, as majestic as a lion, as silent as a piece of steel.
Only when he saw Lu Chao did he look up.
"What’s wrong? You scared?"
Chen Junhao said with a casual, nonchalant laugh.
Lu Chao was stunned for a moment, then understanding seemed to dawn on him.
"Brother Hao, who did this?"
he asked in a low voice, his face turning cold.
No wonder the bar was on high alert, as if facing a great enemy.
But unexpectedly, Chen Junhao just shook his head and smiled, the cigarette still between his teeth.
"They’re already dead."
He blew a smoke ring, his tone nonchalant, betraying no emotion.
Lu Chao’s eyes narrowed. Then he saw Zhou Qiang gesture with a tilt of his head.
Only then did he notice two bodies, a man and a woman, lying on the floor by the desk.
The man wore a black cotton jacket and had an ordinary face. The skin between his thumb and forefinger was thickly calloused. His neck seemed to have been snapped, twisted at an unnatural angle.
The woman was dressed in a gray woolen coat with a brown scarf. Her chest was caved in, marked by a bloody, fatal Fist Seal.
"These two were professional-grade, well-trained assassins. They hid in the crowd and opened fire when Brother Hao was entering North Street."
Zhou Qiang stepped closer and said coldly, "Their faces are unfamiliar. If I’m not mistaken, they’re probably people from [Deep Sea]."
"This isn’t over!"
As he finished, his face was filled with brutal, murderous intent.
Lu Chao frowned slightly as several pieces of information flashed through his mind.
[Deep Sea: Assassins hidden in the shadows, hunters from the depths of the ocean.]
[One of Earth Star’s major assassin organizations. A comprehensive warrant was issued for them thirty years ago, but they continue to operate in secret within the Alliance Country to this day.]
[Its members are divided into four ranks—Gray, Black, Silver, and Gold. They have no fixed transaction points; all missions are accepted through the Deep Sea Dark Web....]
This was information he had accidentally come across while browsing the Patrol Department’s internal database. According to the file, the assassins of [Deep Sea] usually kill for hire.
In other words...
"Someone wants to get rid of Brother Hao?"
Lu Chao spoke in a low voice, instantly grasping the key point.
Zhou Qiang didn’t speak, just nodded with a grim face. Chen Junhao, still on the sofa, didn’t answer either. Instead, he tossed his cigarette aside and looked out the window.
Lu Chao was momentarily taken aback, then he heard the sound of several car doors opening downstairs.
Soon.
"Young Master!"
"Young Master Peng!"
"Lord Xu!"
Amidst a series of respectful greetings, footsteps soon drew near, heading upstairs.
Zhou Qiang and Chen Junhao exchanged a glance, but the latter just smiled faintly.
"The Young Master and Lord Xu must be concerned for my safety, anxious to check on me."
His wound had already been bandaged and wrapped in gauze.
Then.
A glint flashed in his eyes. He motioned for someone to come forward and drape a suit jacket over his shoulders. "So... show them in."
...
「Half an hour later.」
Lu Chao stood at the door of the adjacent private room, watching the smartly dressed Peng Zhao Hui—in a coat, suit, and bow tie—take his leave.
It wasn’t just him; Mountain Tiger, Xu Xiaoxing, and other Hongyi Society Hall Masters and elders had all shown up one after another.
Each of them was flanked by two or three bodyguards. They betrayed nothing, instead feigning worry and concern, even vowing to help find the person who hired the assassins and grind their bones to dust.
Finally.
Lu Chao watched the last motorcade slowly drive away from the bar’s entrance.
Only then did Lu Chao return to the office and look at Brother Hao, who stood by the window with the suit jacket draped over his shoulders.
[Carbon-Based Human]
[Life Energy: 81 (Minor Injury)]
The information from his intuition flashed past, and a quiet doubt arose in Lu Chao’s mind.
The assassins from [Deep Sea] were certainly dangerous, but Brother Hao was a veteran Elite Level powerhouse.
In other words, how could he possibly have gotten injured?
’Is Brother Hao putting on an act?’
As he mulled it over, he thought about the current situation in the Hongyi Society, and the way the Young Master and the group of elders and Hall Masters had rushed over to "visit."
’Was it someone from within the Hongyi Society... or was it the Iron Blood Gang?’
A chill went through Lu Chao. He pursed his lips, unable to grasp the answer.
And soon.
"This has nothing to do with you."
Suddenly, Chen Junhao turned to look at him, another cigarette somehow already lit in his hand.
He stared straight into Lu Chao’s eyes, his gaze sharp, as if seeing right through him. "I have a good idea who the culprit is, and I have my own way of dealing with it. Stay out of it."
The exhaled smoke obscured his expression. Lu Chao fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.
Before he could say anything else,
Chen Junhao took two steps closer and changed the subject. "But as for you..."
