Killing the trade tycoon Xiao Yundong, single-handedly wiping out the Night Elves… truly remarkable… If we didn’t give someone as outstanding as you enough attention, how could the Black Market Assassin Network have achieved its current status? And we also know that the reason you transformed into Reincarnation and frantically completed so many assassination missions recently is to infiltrate our Black Market Assassin Network, find our hideout, and then wipe us out in one fell swoop. Only in this way can we erase your name from the Black Market Assassin Network’s bounty list, right, Mr. Zhou?
Heh... Don't look at me like that... I know your abilities. Your Lion's Roar is unique; even someone stronger than you in overall strength would find it difficult to withstand your terrifying finishing move. As for me... I'm just an ordinary person. You don't even need to use any special techniques. If you really want to kill me, just one finger is enough.
But...you don't think I'm the only one in the black market assassin network who knows such important information, do you? So...there's no point in killing me to silence me. Why don't you come with me and take a look...see where you'll be working from now on?"
Zhou Ziwei never imagined that he was seen as nothing more than a clown in the other party's eyes. From the very beginning... or rather, before it even started, the other party already knew who he was and was closely watching his every move. And yet, he had foolishly walked right into... into a trap that had been set up for him long ago...
However, Vincent was right. Even if he killed Vincent right now, it would be of no use. Even if he could turn around and escape from this secret base hidden deep in the sea, where could he escape to? Or even if he went on a killing spree and wiped out everyone hidden in this secret base, it would still just be a base set up by the black market assassin network in the Asia-Pacific region.
After killing everyone here, he will likely only face even more terrifying retaliation from the black market assassin network.
Volume 2 The Assassin's Nightmare Chapter 292 Electronic Chip
Faced with Vincent, who was smiling calmly, Zhou Ziwei could only sigh helplessly and give up the idea of killing him immediately.
Frankly, if the black market assassin network were only targeting Zhou Ziwei for revenge, he wouldn't be afraid at all. But clearly... his background has been almost entirely discovered by their intelligence network. Everyone he cares about, including his parents from his previous life, is probably already on their watch list. If he were to do something rash now, even if the black market assassin network couldn't do anything to him for the time being, they might directly target those Zhou Ziwei cares about. And that... is what Zhou Ziwei is most worried about...
So after thinking it over, Zhou Ziwei could only wait and see what Vincent, or rather the black market assassin network, was up to before making any decisions.
Zhou Ziwei didn't say anything more and silently followed Vincent into the long underground passage.
This passage is ridiculously long, and every ten meters or so, it branches off into one or two side paths, making it look like a large underground maze.
Moreover, the buildings here are very modern. The walls of the underground passages are all made of high-quality corrugated steel plates, and the ceilings are equipped with lighting, smoke detectors, and cameras. It is hard to imagine how such a large underground project was built in the first place.
Putting everything else aside, just transporting so many building materials to a remote island in the middle of the ocean is no easy task...
The two walked through the long corridor for about five or six minutes, turning several corners along the way, before finally arriving at a luxurious office that looked no less impressive than the American president's office.
Vincent entered the office, walked to the huge executive desk, picked up a remote control, and pressed it lightly. Then, with a "whoosh," the ceiling above began to split open to the sides, revealing a thick glass wall. Beyond the glass wall, however, lay a vast expanse of azure seawater... Perhaps because of its proximity to the island, the seawater was not very deep, allowing sunlight to penetrate to the seabed. Thus, Zhou Ziwei only needed to tilt his head back to clearly see an absolutely real and natural underwater world.
Various kinds of fish swam overhead, and occasionally strangely shaped shellfish would drift down from the seawater and land directly on the thick glass wall, making a faint clinking sound.
It all seemed so dreamlike and unreal. Zhou Ziwei had initially thought that this organization actually built a secret base beneath the island—what a coward! Didn't they feel suffocated staying underground all day? But now, seeing the luxurious facilities in this office, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He felt that working in such an environment... wasn't so unacceptable after all...
"So, Mr. Zhou... are you satisfied with the environment here?"
Vincent, with a look of excitement on his face, tilted his head back, spread his arms, looked around the modern office with its dreamy roof, chuckled, and said, "This place is yours now, if you want."
"Belongs to me?" Zhou Ziwei rubbed his nose, somewhat amused, and said, "So... if I really join the Black Market Assassin Network, I'll only be able to stay in this Asia-Pacific branch from now on? Oh... didn't you say that as long as I kill the giant, I can take his place? How come... with the giant's abilities, was he just a henchman in a branch before?"
Vincent shook his head and said, "Of course it's more than that, but... even if you, Mr. Zhou, are ten times more powerful than a giant, you're still just a newcomer to the Black Market Assassin Network. Before gaining the approval of the five-person team at headquarters, entering headquarters is completely impossible. And actually... I might as well reveal something to you. Our headquarters' five-person team is basically mobile, meaning... wherever they go becomes headquarters. So... our headquarters doesn't have a fixed location. If you're hoping to find out the headquarters' address, you'd better give up now!"
Zhou Ziwei nodded, and said somewhat helplessly, "So... what is my position here now?"
Vincent replied, "After unanimous approval from the five-person team at headquarters, you will temporarily serve as the Vice President of the Asia-Pacific region for the Black Market Assassin Network Company. Your main responsibility will be to assist me in managing various businesses in the Asia-Pacific region. However, your compensation will be calculated according to the standards for core personnel at headquarters. Rest assured, as long as you do not do anything to harm the company, the company will definitely not treat you unfairly. You will receive all the benefits and privileges that I promised you before."
Hearing Vincent mention the "black market assassin network company," Zhou Ziwei found it quite amusing, wondering which country the company was registered in.
"So... I still have three chances to erase my name from the bounty list?" Zhou Ziwei rested his chin on his hand, thinking that since they had already exposed his secrets, there was no need for him to hide anything anymore. He should just focus on getting the business he needed to do on this trip done first.
As for what the black market assassin network might do to him, Zhou Ziwei was too lazy to worry about it.
“Of course…” Vincent smiled, pressed the remote control in his hand again, and a huge LCD screen immediately rose on the large desk. He then turned around and sat down in front of the chair, without making any attempt to make Zhou Ziwei leave. He quickly entered a long string of passwords and entered a selection page on the keyboard.
Zhou Ziwei stared intently at the text on the screen and discovered that Vincent had indeed opened the backend management page of a black market assassin network, which prominently displayed a list of bounties for Zhou Ziwei, Zhou Zixu, and other members of the Zhou Group.
Below the list of bounties, there are surprisingly detailed management options: pin this post, delete this post, hide this post... These seem to be no different from the backend management of ordinary forum websites.
However, Zhou Ziwei, who had experienced the power of the black market killer website, realized just how terrifying the network security protection capabilities of this seemingly ordinary website page were. It was virtually impossible to hack into this website and tamper with the data inside.
“You’re in luck…” Vincent sighed and said, “Although this post has a list of more than a dozen people with bounties, it wasn’t split up because of the bounty amount. Otherwise… you probably would only be able to erase three names with your three chances. But now… hehe… you only need to use one chance to erase the names of everyone in your Zhou Group at once.”
"Uh...it seems I'm really lucky!" Zhou Ziwei laughed heartily this time. He had been agonizing over who should get the three chances to erase names from the black market assassin website, but he didn't expect that he wouldn't need to use all three chances. He only needed one chance to clear all the bounties that Xiao Yundong had put up.
"So this is your ultimate goal in going to such lengths to infiltrate the black market assassin network, isn't it?" Vincent pointed to the post on the screen, smiled, and said, "If you're sure you want to delete this post, then please do as I say!"
"Oh...isn't this a perk for me? What...does Vincent have any other requests?" Zhou Ziwei asked, frowning.
“No, no, no… please don’t misunderstand…” Vincent shrugged and said, “It’s not that I have any extra requests, but this damn system has extremely strict requirements for manually deleting incomplete bounty tasks. Don’t be fooled by the ‘delete post’ option in the management menu; even if I click it, it won’t do any good because my permissions aren’t high enough to delete bounty posts at will. So… if you want to delete this post, Mr. Zhou, you must officially become a core member of our company and obtain the permission to delete posts before you can do it yourself…”
"Oh... so how can I become a core member of the black market assassin network?" Zhou Ziwei continued to ask.
"It's simple in some ways, but difficult in others... it really is quite difficult..." Vincent's usually enthusiastic smile finally faltered, and he said, "Mainly, we need you to provide our company with some blood plasma samples, a retinal scan, and we also need to implant a small electronic chip in the back of your head... After headquarters confirms that you have no problems, they will grant you the corresponding permissions."
"They even need to implant an electronic chip."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziwei frowned immediately. Without a doubt, the electronic chip implanted in his brain was a crucial tool used by the Black Market Assassin Network to control the organization's top brass.
With such a small chip in a person's brain, although it won't completely expose their every move, if they do something that angers the black market assassin network, they could be easily found even if they hid in the Arctic ice cap.
Even a fool would know that this chip would have satellite positioning functionality.
It's unclear what other powerful functions it might have, but it definitely has the ability to self-destruct. Otherwise, if you implant it in someone's brain today and they dig it out in another place tomorrow, wouldn't all your efforts be in vain?
Therefore, it's almost certain that whoever has such an electronic chip implanted in their brain is now under someone else's control for life! If you dare to cause trouble... heh heh... they don't need to waste words with you; a simple remote control can blow your head into a rotten watermelon... Even if the self-destruct program carried on the tiny electronic chip isn't very strong enough to blow a hole in a person's head, you must know that the chip is implanted in the brain, and the human brain, apart from the protection of the skull, is quite fragile. Even a single explosion equivalent to that of a regular firecracker could at least turn a person into an idiot.
Vincent seemed to know that these conditions would be difficult for someone, especially a strong person, to accept, so he wasn't in a hurry at all. He reached out and pressed a button on the table, calling in a voluptuous female secretary who brought in two cups of coffee. He pushed one cup in front of Zhou Ziwei and sipped the other himself.
“Okay… I promise you…” Zhou Ziwei picked up the coffee on the table and gulped it all down in one go, then agreed to all the conditions Vincent had just proposed without hesitation.
"What? You...you're not kidding, are you?!"
Vincent never expected Zhou Ziwei to answer so readily. He had done similar things more than once or twice before. Every time he had to implant an electronic chip in someone's head, it would torment them to the point of ecstasy. Occasionally, he would encounter someone who was quick to respond within a few hours, which was already considered good. It was not uncommon for someone to be more hesitant and struggle for ten days or eight days without making a decision.
Unfortunately, to implant such an electronic chip, the recipient's active cooperation is required. Otherwise, if someone is simply anesthetized and the implantation is forcibly performed, there is generally a 99% chance that the person will become an idiot afterwards.
The black market assassin network certainly doesn't need an idiot to form an alliance, so when faced with this situation, Vincent could only wait patiently, besides threatening and bribing.
Zhou Ziwei's smugness almost made Vincent spit out the small sip of coffee he had just taken a sip onto his clothes. He then looked at Zhou Ziwei with a face full of surprise, really unsure whether this guy was just messing with him or... had his brain just been damaged by the giant.
This involves installing an electronic chip in his brain! He doesn't think it's as simple as putting an earring on his ear, does he?
In Vincent's view, the stronger a person is, the less they like to be controlled by others. If they are threatened too obviously, they might rather fight to the death than be a puppet or a henchman.
Zhou Ziwei can easily kill even giants. If he is not a strong person, then there are probably not many strong people in this world. How could such a strong person choose to submit so easily?
A flicker of doubt flashed involuntarily in Vincent's eyes. After receiving another affirmative answer from Zhou Ziwei, he didn't say anything more. He immediately got up and called for staff to draw blood and scan Zhou Ziwei's retina. He then excused himself, saying he had other matters to attend to, and quickly left the room. He went to another place that looked even more luxurious than the previous office, turned on a dedicated computer, and connected to the true mastermind behind the black market assassin network...
A figure that appeared as if shrouded in a thick fog appeared on the screen, followed by an emotionless electronic voice that came through the speakers to Vincent's ears...
"You don't need to worry about anything, just go for it! Even if Zhou Ziwei wasn't entirely willing to join us at first, once the electronic chip is installed, he won't have a choice anymore. Hmph... Hmph... I know what he's up to... But with his hacking skills, trying to crack my electronic chip... Haha... Maybe he'll have a tiny bit of hope after a hundred years of learning! So you don't need to worry about anything, just follow the original rules. As for that kid... I'll give him some special treatment, hahaha..."
The voice was mechanically rigid and emotionless, yet the words it uttered seemed to be filled with a variety of emotions. This contradictory feeling was extremely uncomfortable, especially the few laughs simulated by electronic mixing, which gave people a chilling feeling.
“Yes…” Upon hearing the electronic voice’s command, Vincent respectfully replied, turned around, opened a safe behind him, took out a metal box, and used a special key to open it. Inside, a tiny electronic chip, about the size of a fingernail, was revealed, encased in plexiglass…
Standing once again on the desolate, rocky Floating Light Island, Zhou Ziwei looked up at the rising sun in the sky, feeling a sense of being reborn.
He's out... It wasn't easy... Gaining the trust of the black market assassin network isn't so simple. Zhou Ziwei has scanned the electronic chip in the back of his head with his soul power more than once, and its complexity far exceeds Zhou Ziwei's expectations.
This means that Zhou Ziwei's original idea of using his soul ability to create an independent soul entity within the chip to control it will have to be temporarily thwarted.
The chip implanted in Zhou Ziwei's brain, though only the size of a fingernail, is no less complex than the human brain. This means that Zhou Ziwei's attempt to capture it with his soul power and create a completely new, independent soul within it is almost as difficult as creating an independent soul within a person.
However, it should be noted that with Zhou Ziwei's current level of expertise, he can only use this method of creating independent souls and seizing biological bodies on some extremely small insects.
Compared to the difficulty of creating an independent soul within a person, the difference is not simply ten or twenty times, but a hundred or a thousand times.
Volume 2 The Killer's Nightmare Chapter 293 We're Not Beasts
Zhou Ziwei sighed deeply, thinking that he had been too arrogant this time, which led to a wrong step and being controlled by others. He had only felt uneasy about having his name constantly on the bounty list of that black market assassin network, which led to his subsequent series of actions.
But who knew the final result would be like this... Although his name was no longer on the bounty list, his life was now truly in someone else's hands. Now, with just a thought from the real mastermind, he would become a wandering ghost again.
Fortunately, for Zhou Ziwei now, the death of an ordinary physical body does not frighten him much. In that case, he can simply find another body and strengthen it again.
So having this time bomb planted in his head isn't entirely without its advantages. At least if the mastermind behind this black market assassin network really wants to deal with Zhou Ziwei, they probably won't use the people he cares about to threaten him anymore, so he won't have to worry about the people around him.
If the mastermind behind the black market assassin network really dares to blow Zhou Ziwei's head into a rotten watermelon, then Zhou Ziwei is absolutely certain that the guy will soon understand why flowers are so red. For a freakish guy who can almost resurrect infinitely as long as his soul is immortal... getting involved with him will definitely only lead to a tragic ending...
Vincent probably thought that with an extra chip in Zhou Ziwei's head, he would be completely controlled by them. So when Zhou Ziwei proposed to leave this damned underwater world and return to Dangyang to revitalize his Zhou Group, Vincent didn't make things too difficult for him. He just secretly reported to his superiors and then agreed.
Furthermore, Zhou Ziwei was given a long password. As long as Zhou Ziwei had this password, he could access the backend of the Black Market Killer Network from anywhere and perform some level-two access management operations.
Of course... the black market assassin network doesn't really need someone like him to do things. In fact, they didn't require Zhou Ziwei to manage anything. This password is more like a symbol of authority and identity.
Generally speaking... Zhou Ziwei's status in the black market assassin network is similar to that of the giant back then. He is still a super henchman. When there is nothing special, he can roam the world freely and enjoy a freedom that ordinary black market assassin network staff can never enjoy. However, once something happens that requires Zhou Ziwei's action, no matter where he is or what important things he is doing, he must rush to the designated location as soon as possible to complete his task. He is absolutely not allowed to have any excuses for delay.
With things having progressed to this point, Zhou Ziwei was now filled with another shadow in his heart, but at least on the surface, all the problems had been resolved, and Zhou Ziwei could finally go home...
However, the first place Zhou Ziwei thought of was not the Zhou family compound in Dangyang, but the two-bedroom apartment in Zhongdu that Yu Xiaoru had rented for Yang's parents... Even though tomorrow was the day Zhou Ziwei had announced at the group's board meeting that the Zhou Group would fully resume normal operations, Zhou Ziwei still decided to go to Zhongdu to take a look first.
Moreover... Xiao Mei, who is severely mentally unstable, is still there. Zhou Ziwei has now found a way to cure her, so naturally he will no longer allow her to live like that every day, which is heartbreaking to see.
Zhou Ziwei is now considered a high-ranking member of the Black Market Assassin Network, and having a helicopter for travel is naturally not a problem for such a powerful organization.
The advanced technology of the Black Market Killer Network once again left Zhou Ziwei speechless. This helicopter, which looked rather old and had no national markings on it, could generally only be used in international waters. Once it entered the airspace of any country, it might be shot down by their missiles immediately. They wouldn't even consult you about such matters.
However, the pilot operating the helicopter didn't take any of this to heart. After finding out where Zhou Ziwei was going, he didn't hesitate and flew directly towards Zhongdu along the shortest route, completely ignoring the official air superiority radar.
The journey was smooth and unimpeded; the pilot even flew directly to the outskirts of Zhongdu City before finding a secluded spot and using a rope ladder to lower Zhou Ziwei down.
They're back just like that?
Zhou Ziwei looked up at the old and outdated helicopter that was gradually flying away, feeling quite emotional. He knew that such an inconspicuous helicopter, if it fell into the hands of any country, would definitely be treated like a treasure and controlled. What was hidden beneath that old shell was definitely advanced technology that no country had mastered. At least in terms of stealth tracking, it should have far surpassed the technological level of any country in the world today.
The mastermind behind that black market assassin network is someone I don't know where he came from. He's incredibly powerful. If that guy's ambitions were any bigger, he might really bring a bloodbath to this world that is currently at peace!
Shouldering his backpack and releasing his large flock of Kun pets, letting them fly freely around him, Zhou Ziwei immediately quickened his pace, heading rapidly towards the city center of Zhongdu...
This time, Zhou Ziwei still changed into the same alias he used when he was under the pseudonym Lin Xuefeng. He found Yu Xiaoru and briefly inquired about the situation in the ten days or so since he left. He was relieved to learn that Huang Lianshu, that scoundrel, had not dared to do anything to Yu Xiaoru or Yang's parents.
Having temporarily resolved the issue of being hunted down with a bounty on his head, Zhou Ziwei is now ready to fully implement his plans to develop the Zhou Group and suppress Huang Lianshu. He will soon make Huang Lianshu suffer a fate worse than death. Therefore, Zhou Ziwei is even less in a hurry to take action against Huang Lianshu at this time.
After taking another look at his parents from his previous life, Zhou Ziwei diluted two drops of the Water of Reincarnation with tea and gave them to the two elders.
Zhou Ziwei didn't expect to transform the two elders into invulnerable bodies, but the Reincarnation Water had a faster and more noticeable effect on strengthening the body than his soul power. However, the two elders' physical constitutions were weak, and each of them could only take one drop at most. But even just one drop made them feel as if they were ten years younger, and their strength increased significantly. They would never feel tired again when going to the market to buy groceries.
In an international metropolis like Zhongdu, the black market assassin network naturally has many staff members. After Zhou Ziwei used his level-two access to find out the information of these people, he contacted them without hesitation. Then, he used his power to give them the task of secretly protecting Yang's parents and Yu Xiaoru.
Anyway, Zhou Ziwei has almost no secrets left in the black market assassin network, so there's no need for him to do everything in secret. And since he holds the title of Vice President of the Asia-Pacific region, wouldn't it be a huge loss if he didn't use his authority to do something?
Zhou Ziwei didn't linger in Zhongdu any longer. He immediately picked up Xiaomei and boarded the train back to Dangyang... Xiaomei didn't have an ID card, which was a big problem. At least she couldn't fly. Fortunately, Zhongdu wasn't far from Dangyang, and they could get there by train in less than a night.
Before leaving, Yu Xiaoru helped Zhou Ziwei carry Xiaomei to the luxurious sleeper compartment. Then she looked at Zhou Ziwei, biting her lip tightly, and after a long while said, "Don't forget what you promised me," before getting off the train without looking back.
Zhou Ziwei gently touched his nose, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
He originally planned to use the power of the Zhou Group to completely dismantle the network of interests behind Huang Lianshu, and then simply revert to his previous life and reappear in Zhongdu as Yang Hongtao... even if it was just to restore this identity in front of his relatives.