Fortunately, he had already extracted the soul power from the nervous system of the arm in time, and then injected a large amount of soul power into the damaged bones and muscles, quickly repairing the damaged parts.
But at this moment, he didn't want anyone to see that his arm was broken, lest they make a fuss about it after his arm healed.
Sun Xiaoyu wasn't angry at being rejected by Zhou Ziwei. She just said anxiously, "Let's hurry back to the guest room! There's some special medicine I brought there. As long as the bones are okay, I'll apply some to it and you'll be fine... It's not safe here either, let's go!" As she spoke, she pressed the button for the freight elevator at the back of the hotel and contacted Zhu Junli through her ear pulse to ask about the losses on both sides after the attack.
Zhou Ziwei amplified his hearing several times over and easily picked up the faint sound coming from Sun Xiaoyu's earpiece. He learned that two of Zhu Junli's men had died this time, and three others were seriously injured. Moreover, the three surveillance points and snipers scattered around the hotel had lost contact, and their chances of survival seemed slim. This battle had been a heavy loss...
The other side had only found one person so far, the driver of the heavy truck. He had jumped out of the truck before it crashed into the wall, but the truck was going very fast, and he broke one leg when he jumped. Then, the gunmen arranged by Zhu Junli broke his other leg. Zhu Junli originally wanted to capture a prisoner alive, but after the heavy truck overturned, the logs flying everywhere crushed the man into a pile of minced meat.
Because so little time has passed since the incident, it is still unclear how many enemies have emerged from the cave, and even the body of the sniper killed by the ladybug has not yet been discovered.
Zhou Ziwei eavesdropped to find out why Sun Xiaoyu and Zhu Jun had always protected him, and who those who came to assassinate him were. The fact that they could disregard the tight police protection and make such meticulous arrangements clearly meant they couldn't be ordinary assassins.
After listening for a while, until Sun Xiaoyu and Zhu Junli finished their call, Zhou Ziwei still hadn't heard them mention anything about this, so he had to give up.
The elevator doors opened, and Liu Xiaofei and Sun Xiaoyu were about to enter when Zhou Ziwei stopped them.
The assassination attempt had already begun, and Zhou Ziwei didn't want to risk his life. The elevator was an area where someone could easily tamper with it, so Zhou Ziwei naturally dared not be careless.
Seeing Zhou Ziwei cautiously surveying the elevator, Sun Xiaoyu shook her head slightly, reached into her pocket, and pulled out an electronic device about the size of a pencil sharpener. She said, "You're worried someone might plant a bomb in this elevator, right? Don't worry, I have a state-of-the-art bomb detector here. It can detect most explosives within five meters of this device and trigger an alarm. The device isn't reacting right now, so at least there shouldn't be any problems in the elevator."
Zhou Ziwei glanced at the instrument in Sun Xiaoyu's hand, slightly shocked. This little thing looked inconspicuous, but it could detect most bombs. This was definitely a good thing... Although the detection range was limited, the power of ordinary small bombs was also limited. Beyond five meters, they would basically not have much killing power. He should get one for self-defense when he had the chance.
However, despite the useful bomb detector, Zhou Ziwei still trusted his soul power more, because he had sensed a faint signal of danger the moment the elevator doors opened.
The feeling was quite peculiar, and Zhou Ziwei couldn't explain where it came from, but he absolutely dared not enter the elevator again, even if Sun Xiaoyu's detector didn't detect any danger.
After all, the detector can only detect whether there is a bomb. However, if someone wants to mess with the elevator, they don't necessarily have to plant a bomb. As long as they have the opportunity to cut a large part of the steel cable on the elevator car, they can still easily kill the people inside the elevator.
Therefore, after finding nothing wrong inside the elevator car, Zhou Ziwei immediately used his spiritual power to search down the suspended steel cable through the ceiling of the car.
Sure enough... a suspicious object was tied more than five meters above the steel cable. With Zhou Ziwei's spiritual power, it was quickly identified as a very unstable liquid explosive.
Liquid explosives remain unchanged when encased in a soft, gelatinous shell, but once the shell breaks and comes into contact with oxygen in the air, they will immediately explode violently.
This liquid explosive is not very powerful; it would be unlikely to injure someone more than five meters away after the explosion. However, it should be able to sever the section of steel cable encased in the explosive without any problem.
These elevators, which are mainly used for carrying goods, are basically the kind that use a motor to drive a steel cable to start and move.
The motor is usually installed on the first floor, while the steel cable changes direction via pulleys on the rooftop. Zhou Ziwei and his group live on the top floor. If the elevator is to go up to the top floor, the soft liquid explosive located five meters above the elevator car will have to be fed into the pulleys. The friction between the steel cable and the pulleys will cause the gelatinous outer shell of the liquid explosive to rupture, and the liquid explosive inside will be detonated instantly...
With a loud bang, the steel cable snapped, and the elevator, which was about to reach the top floor, began a free fall, plummeting directly from the top floor to the first floor... This drop of tens of meters, combined with the impact of the elevator car's own weight, would probably kill even an ant inside the car.
That guy is so vicious...
Upon discovering this secret, Zhou Ziwei couldn't help but gasp. If it weren't for the faint sense of crisis that had been rising in his heart, he might have already stepped into the elevator with Sun Xiaoyu and the others.
Once the elevator crashes, he'll be inside, unable to use his Tai Chi technique of borrowing force against force. Even if his agility were ten times stronger, he wouldn't be able to escape from the rapidly falling elevator. He'd probably end up smashing into a bloody mess with the two beauties, their flesh and blood intertwined... It would be terrifying.
Zhou Ziwei found the problem, but he had no way to go in and defuse the bomb, so he waved his hand and said, "I have a feeling that taking the elevator is not safe. Let's take the stairs!"
Sun Xiaoyu frowned slightly upon hearing this and said, "This elevator should be fine, right? If we take the stairs... that... that's sixteen floors... if there's an assassin attacking along the way, I'm afraid..."
While Sun Xiaoyu hesitated, Zhou Ziwei had already pulled Liu Xiaofei to the stairwell. Liu Xiaofei was practically a girl in love, completely obedient to Zhou Ziwei without a shred of doubt. She probably would have gone without hesitation even if Zhou Ziwei had led her to jump off a cliff, let alone just climbing stairs.
Seeing this, Sun Xiaoyu had no choice but to follow. Her main responsibility was to protect Zhou Ziwei's safety, so naturally she wouldn't let him out of her sight.
If this had happened before, Sun Xiaoyu might have used a commanding tone to stop Zhou Ziwei and force him to obey her orders. However, after experiencing that thrilling scene just now, Zhou Ziwei's authority in her mind had been greatly enhanced. Now, if she were to give Zhou Ziwei orders with a stern face, she would probably find herself ridiculous...
Half an hour later, after Zhu Junli's men removed the liquid bomb tied to the steel cable from the elevator shaft and saw through the other party's method, Sun Xiaoyu was immediately terrified. She realized that if Zhou Ziwei hadn't insisted on not getting on the elevator, the three of them would probably be turned into a pile of minced meat because of her momentary negligence.
This terrorist attack against Zhou Ziwei came quickly and went quickly. Although it caused serious casualties to Zhu Junli and his team responsible for perimeter security, the attackers did not achieve their objective.
Because the incident occurred at around 4 a.m., no pedestrians witnessed the scene. Even the sporadic gunshots were completely masked by the powerful engine noise of the heavy truck and went unnoticed.
So, the only news the ordinary people received afterward was that a truck smuggling timber had brake failure while driving, crashed into the wall behind the hotel, and overturned. The driver died at the scene, and there were no other injuries...
To Zhou Ziwei's surprise, the police's tight protection of him did not escalate after the assassination attempt. Instead, most of the officers were evacuated that same day, leaving only the icy beauty Sun Xiaoyu to stay by Zhou Ziwei's side for close protection. Zhu Junli and the others all left.
Zhou Ziwei really didn't know whether he should be happy or angry about this result.
Being closely monitored by such a large group of people like a prisoner was certainly an unpleasant feeling. At that time, Zhou Ziwei was just thinking about how to get rid of these people's surveillance and secretly take out the large batch of jadeite buried underground.
Now that his protectors have all left, Zhou Ziwei feels like he's been abandoned after being used.
Although Zhou Ziwei still doesn't understand why these people are so eager to protect him, he knows that they have probably already achieved their goal, so there's no need for them to go to such lengths to "protect" him anymore.
No matter how you look at it, Zhou Ziwei is just an ordinary rich second-generation in a city, and the kind of rich second-generation who is not favored by his father and has been relegated to the sidelines.
Even if Zhou Ziwei is just an ordinary citizen, if the police knew he would be assassinated, they would definitely take some protective measures. However, the level of such protection would certainly be linked to each person's specific identity and status.
Without a special reason, how could someone of his status possibly enjoy such treatment, which is almost equivalent to protecting a leader?
As for why Sun Xiaoyu didn't leave with them, Zhou Ziwei didn't bother to ask. He guessed that Sun Xiaoyu's superiors probably felt bad about using Zhou Ziwei for nothing. It's one thing to kick someone after they've crossed the river, but it wouldn't be right to cut the iron chains underneath the bridge after dismantling it!
Clearly, this assassination attempt was just the beginning for Zhou Ziwei. As long as Zhou Ziwei's name remains on the black market assassin network, countless assassins will continue to pour in. Unless Interpol can wipe out this most terrifying assassin organization in the world, Zhou Ziwei will remain in a dangerous situation.
Therefore, even if Sun Xiaoyu's superior was a very benevolent big shot who didn't want to play the "crossing the river and burning the bridge" trick, it was impossible for him to keep so many people guarding Zhou Ziwei's side indefinitely.
After all, with so many people on missions, the cost of food, drink, and other necessities for just one day, as well as the expenses of using various high-end equipment, is roughly equivalent to half a month's expenses for a public security bureau. If this were just a short-term mission, it would be fine, but who knows when the black market assassin network will be destroyed...
Originally, Zhou Ziwei wanted Sun Xiaoyu to simply retreat with Zhu Junli and the others. Sun Xiaoyu also understood that with Zhou Ziwei's abilities, he shouldn't need her protection. However, for some unknown reason, she didn't report the astonishing scene she witnessed when Zhou Ziwei made his move, nor did she refuse her superior's arrangement. Instead, she silently stayed behind to carry out a mission that might not be completed for who knows how long.
Although Zhou Ziwei felt a bit of a headache having this person, who was sent by some special department, constantly following him around, he didn't object too strongly. Compared to the tight surveillance of dozens or even hundreds of people surrounding him, if there was anything he needed to avoid, he only needed to fool Sun Xiaoyu. For him, it was a very simple matter.
It wasn't until later that Zhou Ziwei learned that the reason the higher-ups had gone to such lengths to send so many people to "protect" him was actually because of the sniper who had attacked them with a sniper rifle.
The sniper was the one who planned this assassination. His name was Lee Myung-hui, a professional assassin of South Korean nationality, and also a person with extremely extreme nationalistic views. It is unknown what kind of strange education he received from childhood, but he has always had a strange hatred for China.
Since his debut, countless people have died at his hands, but the majority of them were Chinese, because he has always been most enthusiastic about taking on missions to assassinate Chinese people.
He can even lower his fees to get the job if the person the employer wants to kill is Chinese.
A few days ago, the names of Zhou Ziwei and several members of his family were listed on the back office of a black market assassin network. Li Minghui became interested immediately after seeing that the target was Chinese. However, when he checked the back office that accepted the mission, he found out that Zhou Ziwei's father and brother had already had their missions taken by other assassins because they had offered much higher prices.
The rules within the black market assassin network are very strict. Once an assassin accepts a mission, others can only wait until that assassin dies or voluntarily abandons the mission before they can take on the mission.
Li Minghui didn't have the patience to wait, so he casually accepted the mission to assassinate Zhou Ziwei. If Zhou Ziwei hadn't been Chinese, given Li Minghui's ranking in the black market assassin network, he would never have considered accepting such a low-paying mission.
However, since they are Chinese... as long as it's not free work, Li Minghui will consider it.
Li Minghui was very excited after receiving the mission, so he couldn't help but brag a bit in the chat room inside the Black Market Assassin Network. Although he was very careful not to reveal what mission he had received, some people still guessed it.
As a result, the matter eventually reached the ears of a special department in China.
Li Minghui, along with his small assassin organization that he personally created, has assassinated countless important Chinese figures over the years. As a result, a certain special department in China has long since added his name to a blacklist that must be eliminated.
Now that they know in advance what Li Minghui is about to deal with, they naturally won't miss this opportunity, which is why they mobilized a large number of people to "protect" Zhou Ziwei.
The main purpose of this operation was certainly not to "protect" Zhou Ziwei, but to eliminate Li Minghui.
Despite such tight security, it was impossible to escape Li Minghui's notice. However, Li Minghui was extremely arrogant. If his target was someone of another nationality, it would be fine, but if it was a Chinese person... then even if he knew there was a trap involved, he probably wouldn't back down.
Therefore, for Li Minghui, this was a blatant conspiracy, an open plot to hunt him down.
No one expected that although Li Minghui was killed in this assassination attempt, the person who killed him was not any member of the action team, but the "protected" person they had used as a pawn.
More precisely, what actually killed Li Minghui was a tiny, seemingly insignificant insect.
Afterwards, the relevant departments performed several autopsies on Li Minghui's body, but they still couldn't figure out how he was killed. They only speculated that Li Minghui was shot in the left eye with a very small weapon, and then the weapon flew out of the right eye... But... what kind of weapon was it? How could it possibly change direction on its own in the enemy's mind...?
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 154: Treasure Map
Li Yifeng has been extremely depressed these past two days. He knows that Zhou Ziwei is under assassination threat, but he has no chance to stay by Zhou Ziwei's side and share joys and sorrows with this friend, whom he has known for "not very long" but with whom he shares a deep bond.
Because Zhou Ziwei had assigned him an important task: to keep a close eye on the construction team's progress.
After the dilapidated two-story building was demolished, Zhou Ziwei planned to expand it on the original site, connecting it directly with the two adjacent buildings to build a seven-story building.
As a result, the original foundation of the two-story building was no longer sufficient, and it had to be dug even deeper.
Zhou Ziwei instructed Li Yifeng to keep a close eye on the site and to stop the excavation immediately when the foundation was dug to about five meters. He also instructed Li to find a way to prevent the construction team from continuing construction and to delay the project by at least one day.
Li Yifeng was completely baffled by Zhou Ziwei's actions. He couldn't figure out what Zhou Ziwei was trying to do. However, Zhou Ziwei did have one redeeming quality: he would always keep his promises, no matter the cost, and he would never ask why.
Although Zhou Ziwei's situation was somewhat dangerous, he knew that Zhou Ziwei was now surrounded by many police officers who were very professional and far superior to him, an ordinary policeman, in terms of protecting people.
Therefore, Li Yifeng has been guarding the construction site day and night for the past few days, keeping a close eye on the progress of the construction and not daring to slack off in the slightest. He only found out about such a big thing as Zhou Ziwei being assassinated afterward.
That afternoon, the construction team's excavator finally reached the depth that Zhou Ziwei had told them beforehand. Li Yifeng quickly and quietly shook the nest of baby mice that he had hidden earlier into the newly dug pit.
"Ah...there's a mouse..."
Several construction workers following behind the excavator were startled when they saw the little mouse scurrying around and couldn't help but shout.
Upon hearing the shout, Li Yifeng immediately jumped out and yelled for everyone to stop.
The excavator, which had been running non-stop with a "rumbling" sound, finally stopped after Li Yifeng repeatedly called out to it. Everyone looked at Li Yifeng in bewilderment, wondering what he was up to.
Li Yifeng circled the excavated foundation pit, then pointed to the rats scurrying around at the bottom and said, "Encountering rats moving house while digging the foundation for a house... this... is not a good omen... Hmm... no, we can't dig any further. Let's stop here for today! Tonight, I'm going to set up a 'Great Wind Formation' with the boss to break this omen before we can continue digging. You can all have half a day off today!"
"That won't do... Mr. Li... if we give him half a day off, then... then how will my work schedule be calculated?"
The workers were quite excited to hear they would have a half-day off, but the construction team boss was not happy about it.
He also knew that the wealthier the boss, the more likely they were to be superstitious. It was not uncommon for them to hire feng shui masters to set up formations, burn paper money, or worship Guan Gong when doing big business or building large projects. He could understand that.
However, there was a clause in the contract he signed with Zhou Ziwei that stated that if the project was completed one day ahead of schedule, he would receive a portion of the floating payment, while if it was delayed by one day, he would have a portion of the remaining payment deducted.
That floating project payment was no small sum. Taking half a day off wouldn't be a big deal, but his income would be significantly reduced. Therefore, the construction team boss naturally wouldn't agree to it.
Upon hearing this, Li Yifeng feigned impatience and waved his hand, saying, "I told you to take a day off, so take the day off. What are you arguing about? As for the construction period... don't worry, I can make the decision. Today's construction period won't be counted. Now you have nothing to say, right?"
"Hehe... I'm sorry to make you laugh, Mr. Li... I'll do whatever you say!" The construction team boss was overjoyed when he heard that today's work period could be waived.
They had already worked for most of the day, and now Li Yifeng had just cut off today's work schedule with a single sentence. He was making a huge profit. Without saying a word, he immediately instructed his foremen to spread the word about the holiday. Except for a few people who were responsible for looking after the equipment and materials, everyone else was given a half-day off.
After seeing that the construction team had all left, Li Yifeng called Zhou Ziwei to tell him that the progress on this side had reached the agreed stage.
Zhou Ziwei was secretly delighted upon hearing this; after so long of planting, it was finally time to harvest.
From the day Zhu Junli and his group all left, the top floor of the hotel was no longer booked. After all, the daily cost was considerable, and no one was willing to foot the bill. Zhou Ziwei didn't want to be the one to pay for it.
However, Zhou Ziwei continued to live in the same room on the top floor as before.
In order to continue her duty of close protection, Sun Xiaoyu refused to book a separate room and stayed with Zhou Ziwei at night.
Perhaps worried that the two of them, a man and a woman, might develop feelings for each other while living together in the same room, Liu Xiaofei used the excuse that she was also ordered to protect Zhou Ziwei's safety to cancel her original room and move in with Zhou Ziwei and Sun Xiaoyu.
No matter how hard Zhou Ziwei tried to get rid of the two women, he couldn't. Helpless, he could only accept their presence. However, for the sake of his kidneys, he dared not enjoy the pleasure of having two women on either side. He simply gave the big bed to the two beauties and pitifully slept on the sofa himself.
Tonight I'm going to the construction site to retrieve all the jadeite pieces buried underground, so it won't be convenient to have these two women following me around all the time.
He wasn't too wary of Liu Xiaofei, but he couldn't be so wary of Sun Xiaoyu. Zhou Ziwei and Sun Xiaoyu weren't very familiar with each other, and he didn't even know which special department had sent Sun Xiaoyu to protect him. Who knew if she was also being monitored?