Chapter One Hundred Thirty: He’s Here!

Jiangcheng. The seaside port.

Usually, even in heavy rain like this, ships would set sail unless a formal warning was issued. But today, the port was eerily quiet. Not a single vessel was docked, and there were no workers to be seen. Beyond the howling wind and torrential rain, punctuated by the occasional roll of thunder, there was almost total silence.

This was because, several days ago, the entire port had been seized by the Jiang family. Every entrance was guarded by over a dozen armed security personnel; no one was permitted to enter without authorization.

"Damn it! He dared to hang up on me? Does he not want to save her?" The man with a scar across his jaw stared at his phone, his eyes wide with disbelief.

He hadn't even finished his threats, hadn't even provided the location, and yet this man named Qin had simply ended the call. Without the address they provided, how could he possibly find them? He redialed, but the other party had already turned off the phone.

"This piece of trash dares to threaten me, saying that if I touch his sister, he’ll slaughter my entire clan? How laughable!"

The scarred man punched the air. The curtain of rain before him was instantly parted by the force, only to merge back together seconds later.

Condensed internal energy! This scarred man was clearly a master of internal energy at the peak level.

"Hmph, the files on that Qin loser already described him as arrogant and delusional. I didn't expect him to still think he could resolve this on his own," a one-eyed man sneered.

This was not the outskirts where Luo Shui had been abducted. While the outskirts were vast, finding clues along a railway line was not difficult. But they were now in the heart of a bustling metropolis. With thousands of intricate buildings, roads, and alleys, finding a single person here was a hundred times harder than finding a needle in a haystack.

Not to mention, they had chosen the very edge of Jiangcheng. With the traffic gridlock caused by the storm and the surveillance systems malfunctioning, there were no leads at all. Wanting to find them? He could wait until tomorrow! By then, their master, Jiang Qi, would have already consummated his union with the ice-princess of the Luo family, savoring his prize.

"Boss, what should we do with the girl?" The scarred man rubbed his stubble, a crazed, greedy smile spreading across his face.

The one-eyed man stood up. Beside him were a dozen other men wearing shirts branded with the character "Jiang." Looking down from his position, he commanded a terrifying, unprecedented lineup: five masters of peak internal energy and dozens at the intermediate and minor levels.

They had been hiding from the rain inside several empty shipping containers. However, out in the open space, tied to a dilapidated chair, was Jiang Zheng. She was left exposed to the elements. The freezing rain lashed against her, soaking her through. The man who had tied her up—the one with the scar—had been brutal, showing no mercy, leaving deep bloodied welts on her skin. The relentless rain only threatened to make the wounds fester.

Jiang Zheng’s face was deathly pale, drained of all color, yet her forehead burned with a high fever. Her consciousness was fading, and she found it difficult to even breathe against the bindings.

"I recall Young Master Jiang saying that once it’s done, this pretty little thing belongs to us to enjoy, right?" The scarred man rubbed his hands together, looking impatient.

At that moment, a disheveled figure carrying a wine jug walked toward the containers, indifferent to the downpour. Had anyone from the Black Net been present, they would have recognized him instantly: Crazy Meng, the only survivor among the ten top assassins of the Black Net. The reason he had escaped that fate was absurd—he simply hadn't been involved in the events twenty years ago.

"Crazy Meng, you're late," the one-eyed man remarked, checking the time. This was a hired hand Jiang Qi had brought in from Jiangcheng to assist and ensure no surprises occurred.

Crazy Meng wasn't drunk. Upon seeing the bound Jiang Zheng, his expression darkened instantly. "Why didn't Jiang Qi tell me this mission involved kidnapping a young girl?"

"Who do you think you are? Does Young Master Jiang need your approval for what he does?" The scarred man stepped forward, shoving Crazy Meng. "Young Master Jiang is just being too cautious. To deal with a piece of trash like that, why ask for help from local forces? We are from the grand Jiangnan; we have no need for thugs from this pathetic little city."

The scarred man was proud of his origins and looked down on Crazy Meng, who was local to Jiangcheng. The one-eyed man merely held him back. According to the intel, Crazy Meng’s strength was not to be underestimated; he could hold his own against many of them. He was one of the trump cards Jiang Qi had planted here.

"Tsk."

The scarred man couldn't be bothered with him. He walked toward Jiang Zheng, his hands moving restlessly, preparing to take the first share. But just as he was about to touch her, a hand gripped his wrist.

"You’re a grown man, taking advantage of a situation to lay hands on a young girl—isn't that a bit low?" Crazy Meng frowned. Though he was an assassin who lived for money, he still had his lines.