Of course, this was just Zhou Xuan's feeling. It wasn't that his eyes looked strange, but rather that the gaze in his eyes was strange, with an unfathomable kind of eeriness.
Zhou Xuan stared at him for a moment, then the man grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth, and said, "Mr. Zhou, hehe, we meet again."
Zhou Xuan was taken aback and asked in surprise, "You know me? Have we met before?"
The man was also taken aback, and asked in surprise, "You don't recognize me? In the East China Sea, on the oil tanker, I'm Mao Feng, do you remember me?"
"Mao Feng?" Zhou Xuan paused, then said, "I don't remember. I have no memories of my past, and I don't know anything about my past, so I'm sorry, I don't recognize you."
Mao Feng was taken aback for a moment, but then chuckled and said, "If you don't remember, then don't remember. I went to great lengths to find you, but I never expected that you would also be fighting with the 'Butcher's Hand'."
"Butcher? What's that?" Zhou Xuan asked in surprise. "Is it the two assassins you just subdued from the explosion?"
Mao Feng nodded and said in a deep voice, "Yes, it's them. I tracked down one of their most important figures in the south of France. Even in a head-on confrontation, he still managed to escape. However, I was also injured. After I recovered, I received a report from my men that they had found your whereabouts, so I rushed to London without stopping, following the route my men took. It was just in time to rescue you."
Fu Ying and Wei Xiaoyu exchanged a glance, their eyes blinking slightly. Their minds were connected, and in an instant, they leaped up, attacking Mao Feng from the left and right with overwhelming pressure. With their combined strength, even a top expert would find it difficult to withstand such a powerful attack.
Judging solely from their martial arts skills, Zhou Xuan understood that Wei Xiaoyu and Fu Ying were exceptionally skilled. In the past, they would have been considered top-tier martial artists, second only to those legendary figures or grandmasters.
As for Mao Feng, it would probably be difficult for him to handle. Of course, this is just Wei Xiaoyu and Fu Ying's idea. If Zhou Xuan knew it wouldn't be that simple, he would treat it as if Wei Xiaoyu and Fu Ying were attacking him. Even without lifting a finger, his supernatural ability would be enough to subdue the two of them and render them unable to move.
As expected, Mao Feng simply smiled faintly, his eyebrows twitched, and his hands came together like a knife, an invisible force blocking Wei Xiaoyu and Fu Ying's advance.
Zhou Xuan cried out, "Mr. Mao, please have mercy!" In his haste, he flicked his wrist, unleashing his supernatural power. It collided with Mao Feng's invisible energy, and both of them were shaken. Mao Feng took three or four steps back, while Zhou Xuan rolled backward several times, looking utterly disheveled.
Fu Ying and Wei Xiaoyu were thrown several meters away by the force of their collision and fell to the ground in the grass.
After Mao Feng steadied himself, he chuckled and said, "Brother Zhou, don't worry, I had no intention of harming them. Hehe, Brother Zhou, you're quite the romantic."
Zhou Xuan was relieved. But thinking about it, it made sense. When his superpower clashed with Mao Feng's energy, Mao Feng didn't show any killing intent. The energy he released was withdrawn immediately upon contact, and it didn't seem like he wanted to kill them. Besides, if he wanted to kill them, why would he have intervened to save them? He could have just watched from the sidelines. The energy from the explosion would have been enough to send Zhou Xuan and the other two to their deaths without him having to do anything.
Moreover, Zhou Xuan's abilities are currently greatly diminished. Without recovery, he is several levels weaker than Mao Feng. If they were to fight, judging from their current state, Zhou Xuan would not be Mao Feng's match. However, if Zhou Xuan were to fight desperately, Mao Feng would not fare well either. In terms of true strength, Zhou Xuan is stronger than him. Mao Feng knew from their first clash that Zhou Xuan's ability was something he had cultivated himself, while he was merely using an external object to possess it. One is his own ability, and the other is an external object. Comparing the two is like comparing a person with good hands and feet to a cripple who has no hands and has a prosthetic hand on his arm. In a fight, the prosthetic hand is naturally not as agile and convenient as the real hand.
Mao Feng chuckled, shrugged, and said, "Brother Zhou, let me be frank. We share a common enemy: the 'Butchers.' Judging from the outer assassins you've encountered, you can probably guess how formidable they are. Let me put it this way: I've fought with a very important member of the Butchers organization. Our strengths are roughly equal—in Chinese terms, we're evenly matched. And that person is definitely not the most powerful in the Butchers. If I were to encounter their strongest member, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to defeat them either. Hehe, let me tell you, anyone who crosses the Butchers will be eliminated by any means necessary. So, right now, we have no choice but to join forces to fight them."
Zhou Xuan was stunned for a long time before asking, "What exactly is Butcher's Hand? Is it a criminal organization?"
Mao Feng chuckled, genuinely speechless at Zhou Xuan's question. He couldn't help but smile wryly and say, "Brother Zhou, it seems you really have amnesia. Well, that's fine. Let's not dwell on our past grievances. As long as we join forces to eliminate the Butcher, that's all that matters. Otherwise, neither of us will ever sleep peacefully again, and we'll spend our lives on the run, constantly being hunted down."
Zhou Xuan was still pondering what the Butchers were when Wei Xiaoyu said to him, "The Butchers are the most famous and mysterious assassin organization in the world today. From their first mission to now, no matter how difficult a mission the Butchers accept, they can complete it. As long as you can afford the price, they can even kill the president of the United States if you want."
Wei Xiaoyu is a special agent of the military. She knows a lot about these international secrets, and she is even more aware of the Butcher's infamy. However, the Butcher's evil hand has not yet reached China, so she has only heard of it and has never actually encountered it.
However, she was well aware of the butcher's infamous reputation, and there were many things she couldn't understand. But after meeting Zhou Xuan, she understood. There are countless extraordinary people in this world, and the reason she couldn't understand was simply because she hadn't met them yet.
After listening to Wei Xiaoyu's explanation, Zhou Xuan understood. The Butcher was a mysterious assassin organization. He had seen many movies, such as Jet Li's "Black Mask," which was probably of that type. Behind these assassin organizations was a most mysterious and powerful leader. Presumably, Mao Feng wanted to deal with this person. To catch a criminal, you need to catch both sides; to capture a thief, you need to capture the leader. As long as the head of the Butcher was taken down, the other assassins would fall apart and become leaderless, so they would be no threat.
Zhou Xuan understood what this meant, but seeing how powerful these trained assassins were, they must have superpowers and advanced weapons from beyond Earth. They would probably be difficult to deal with. Even if Mao Feng joined forces with him, it would still be a challenge. However, Zhou Xuan didn't have time to consider whether it was possible. Even if he didn't deal with Tu Shou, Tu Shou would still send more and more powerful assassins to hunt them down. That was for sure.
However, Zhou Xuanxin didn't trust Mao Feng. Although Mao Feng had saved three of them, he instinctively didn't trust him.
After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Xuan slowly stood up. Mao Feng exuded an eerie and chilling killing intent, but Zhou Xuan could sense that it wasn't an aura emanating from Mao Feng wanting to kill them, but rather an aura inherent in him, like a living, unsheathed demonic blade.
Volume 1, Chapter 505: Really Conflicted
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After staring at Mao Feng for a long time, Zhou Xuan finally decided to temporarily join forces with him. After all, Mao Feng's skills were not simple and were much better than Ma Shu's. Having such a helper was always better than having such an enemy. Although he was not sure if Mao Feng would become his enemy in the future, at least for now, it seemed that the two of them working together was better than fighting Tu Shou alone.
Furthermore, the Butcher was too mysterious and unpredictable. Zhou Xuan could say he knew nothing about the Butcher. He also failed to obtain any clues from the three assassins he encountered. All of these assassins detonated super bombs and were blown to pieces when they failed to complete their missions, leaving no trace. Their determination to die for their cause was terrifying enough.
"You said you've been looking for me for a long time, I'd like to hear how we met?" Zhou Xuan didn't bring up the matter of joining forces first, but instead asked Mao Feng what he wanted to know.
Mao Feng stared at Zhou Xuan's face, squinting for a long time. Zhou Xuan didn't seem to be acting. Could he really have lost his memory? He recalled the scene at sea that day. After the deafening explosion, when he took the opportunity to take the Fire Meteor Blade and escape from the oil tanker, Zhou Xuan seemed to be lying on the deck with a bloody head.
Mao Feng understood something. It was highly likely that Zhou Xuan had suffered a severe head injury after that violent impact, which caused his amnesia. That was possible. However, he was still avoiding him. After figuring out the secret of the Fire Meteor and mastering its power, he accidentally offended the Butcher and was hunted down by him. He killed a Butcher assassin with the power of the Fire Meteor, and thus became the Butcher's pursuer.
After several encounters with Tu Shou's assassins, Mao Feng realized that he was no match for Tu Shou on his own. He had a chance of winning against these assassins in one-on-one combat, but he was not confident if they attacked in groups or if he attracted even more powerful assassins from Tu Shou's side. In particular, the last time he was tracking Tu Shou's assassins, he encountered a heavyweight figure, and the two ended up in a situation where they were both seriously injured.
After escaping, Mao Feng immediately set about finding Zhou Xuan's whereabouts. He knew that since Tu Shou had made his presence known to him, he would relentlessly pursue him until he was eliminated. His only way to survive was to find Zhou Xuan. On the oil tanker, he finally understood Zhou Xuan's abilities. Even though he now possessed the terrifying power of Fire Meteor, he was still no match for Zhou Xuan. Zhou Xuan's abilities surpassed his own, and judging from what he had seen on the ship, he couldn't do it.
If they joined forces with Zhou Xuan, they might be able to catch Tu Shou off guard and make him suffer a great loss. After receiving news of Zhou Xuan, Mao Feng rushed over immediately. However, he did not expect that Zhou Xuan was an amnesiac. But this was actually better, because apart from Zhou Xuan himself, no one else knew about their past grievances.
This would actually make it easier for him to cooperate with Zhou Xuan. As long as they joined forces to get rid of Tu Shou, they could slowly figure out how to get rid of Zhou Xuan later. The most urgent thing was that Tu Shou posed the greatest threat to him. Even if Zhou Xuan hadn't lost his memory, he wouldn't be much of a threat to him, let alone if he had lost his memory.
Seeing Zhou Xuan's expression and noticing that Wei Xiaoyu and Fu Ying were both staring at him, Mao Feng knew that if he hesitated, they would doubt the truth of his words, which would affect their cooperation. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Brother Zhou, let me tell you the truth. Our acquaintance is a bit complicated. Several months ago, I took my family's treasure map to search the waters near the East China Sea. I was supposed to return empty-handed, but I encountered Brother Zhou's fishing boat at sea. At that time, I didn't know that I would meet such an extraordinary person as Brother Zhou, so I generously hijacked the fishing boat to help me find the treasure. Later, it was entirely thanks to Brother Zhou's abilities that we obtained the treasure. However, there was an extremely dangerous situation when we obtained the treasure. I estimate that Brother Zhou was injured in the head at that time, and I was also blown away. When I woke up, I was already drifting on the vast ocean. Fortunately, I was rescued by a passing cargo ship."
Mao Feng's words were not entirely untrue, but a large part of them were true. Zhou Xuan actually felt that what he said was more truthful. Although he would not believe it completely, he still thought it might be true.
Wei Xiaoyu was aware of what happened afterward, but she couldn't imagine what exactly had happened to Zhou Xuan at sea. Now that Mao Feng had mentioned it, she understood somewhat. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Mr. Mao, I'd like to ask, what exactly is the treasure you're looking for? An antique from the shipwreck?"
Mao Feng smiled faintly and said, "Hehe, I think you should understand that for people like us, what are antiques? I won't lie to you, what I obtained is an extremely lethal item. I don't know if you understand what I mean?"
Wei Xiaoyu understood, of course, but since Mao Feng was unwilling to reveal what it was, she didn't press him further. Zhou Xuan wouldn't ask either, because Zhou Xuan had no memory of the past. If he were to force a falling out, he wouldn't be a match for Mao Feng now. A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle.
Zhou Xuan was different from Wei Xiaoyu and Fu Ying. He possessed special abilities, and his perceptions were far different. Lately, the aura emanating from Mao Feng made him extremely uncomfortable, with an indescribable strange feeling. Mao Feng's eyes also seemed somewhat abnormal, quite different from those of a normal person. Unfortunately, his special abilities could not detect the condition inside Mao Feng's body.
After thinking for a moment, Zhou Xuan asked, "Mr. Mao, I have no interest in your treasure, but I sense a malevolent aura residing within you. I don't know if you possess anything else of the same kind, but this malevolent aura seems to be a parasite, and you are merely its host. I've noticed that you've already been altered by it, but I'm not sure what the reason is..."
Mao Feng smiled faintly and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Brother Zhou. I understand what you're saying. No matter how it changes, I am still me. To me, it's just a weapon."
Mao Feng understood Zhou Xuan's words. After obtaining the secret of the Fire Meteor and its powerful energy, Mao Feng felt that he was firmly drawn to it, just like being addicted to opium, unable and unwilling to give it up. The exhilarating feeling of wielding a powerful weapon, ruling the world, looking down on everything, and possessing overwhelming power was indescribable. Not to mention being restrained by the Fire Meteor's fierce aura, even if it meant shortening his lifespan, Mao Feng would not hesitate to exchange his lifespan for the opportunity to obtain the Fire Meteor.
"Alright, since Mr. Mao has this idea and saved my life, then there's nothing more to say. Let's join forces. But how should we act, how should we contact each other in the future, and how should we fight against the Butcher?"
Mao Feng nodded and said, "I've already thought about this. You take this phone first, we'll use it to contact each other." He then took out a phone from his pocket and handed it to Zhou Xuan.
Zhou Xuan took the phone and looked at it. It was an ordinary phone with nothing special about it. He used his supernatural abilities to scan it and found that Mao Feng hadn't tampered with it. He didn't bother to check what was stored on the phone and put it in his pocket.