If Zhou Ziwei were to harbor ill intentions towards the top leader at this moment, he would not be able to succeed under the attack of these two. No matter which direction he retreats, one of them will immediately separate Zhou Ziwei from the top leader, preventing Zhou Ziwei from launching a surprise attack on the leader.
This shows that the two of them are quite skilled at teamwork. With their cooperation, even the top-ranked assassins in the world would likely not fare well.
It seems that although the names of those ten assassins are very prestigious, they are not truly invincible in this world.
Since this leader has two bodyguards who are no less capable than the top ten assassins, then other heads of state in the world's more developed countries must also have similar bodyguards from Zhongnanhai.
Otherwise, if just any one of the world's top ten assassins could threaten the life of a nation's leader, wouldn't the world have long since descended into chaos?
From this, Zhou Ziwei also guessed that there might be many real masters in the world. The people included in the world's top ten assassins list are all people who work as assassins. Even though the giant was not a real assassin, he was still in an assassin organization and served the black market assassin network, which is why he could be listed in the top ten assassins list.
Besides them, who knows how many other people exist whose skills surpass those ten assassins...
Even Zhou Ziwei was not confident that he could withstand the attack from these two Zhongnanhai bodyguards by his own strength.
On the contrary... if Zhou Ziwei were allowed to kill these two people without any scruples, it would be relatively simpler.
However, Zhou Ziwei did not want to kill someone close to the leader in this place. Otherwise, he would probably have to change his identity or live a life away from home. In short, he would probably have to change his name again.
Fortunately, Zhou Ziwei had many trump cards. Even if he didn't fight these two head-on, he was not without the ability to protect himself. In the blink of an eye, the force field space that had been floating around him immediately deformed rapidly with his soul consciousness, turning into a semi-circular shape to protect the vital points in front and behind his head.
At the same time, powerful soul energy poured into the force field space as if it were free. He believed that as long as he was willing to expend a large amount of soul energy, he could definitely block the attacks of the two without making a sound.
However, compared to offense, this completely passive defense consumes far more soul power, which makes Zhou Ziwei feel quite pained.
It's unclear whether it was because Zhou Ziwei didn't show any intention of retaliating or dodging when facing the two bodyguards, or whether the imposing leader simply trusted Zhou Ziwei completely.
In short, before the two Zhongnanhai bodyguards' fierce killing moves clashed with Zhou Ziwei's force field, the old leader, who seemed to have been focused on painting all along, suddenly raised one hand and gently waved it in the air.
So the two Zhongnanhai bodyguards, who were so full of arrogance, suddenly disappeared with a "beep" under the old man's light wave of his hand, retreating back the way they came, as if they had never been in the room at all.
If this were someone with a slower reaction time, they would probably think they had just seen a ghost.
Seeing this, Zhou Ziwei secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With a thought, he withdrew all the soul power that had just been input into the force field space.
After that, it was no longer advisable to go to that underground tomb. As a result, it seemed that there was no place where he could obtain an unlimited amount of soul power. Currently, the few treasures he had could probably provide him with over 200,000 units of soul power.
But that's only possible if he doesn't consume a lot of his soul power.
If he absorbs power while simultaneously consuming it rapidly, he may never be able to raise his soul power above 100,000.
So... in order to make life easier in the future, it's best to conserve your soul power and avoid needlessly fighting with others.
The old commander was greatly surprised to see that Zhou Ziwei, whether seeing the two bodyguards suddenly appear or disappear abruptly, acted as if they were two completely unrelated people, without any change in expression or even any physical reaction.
In fact, since the hijacking incident a few months ago, the old leader had already begun to pay attention to this young man who was marked by Director Liu of the National Security Bureau as having suspected special abilities. So, although it was only the first time the two had met, the old leader knew quite a bit about Zhou Ziwei, including the fact that Zhou Ziwei had led more than a dozen people to Myanmar to make a huge amount of jade and almost wiped out a local armed group. He had a general understanding of all of this.
Of course... since that incident happened abroad, the intelligence system was subject to many restrictions, and some details simply could not be verified.
For example... the rumor about someone single-handedly withstanding hundreds of missiles is just a joke to the old man.
Although some intelligence could not be confirmed, the leader was generally aware of Zhou Ziwei's capabilities.
Therefore, the old commander did not believe that Zhou Ziwei's indifference to the attack by the two bodyguards was due to being caught off guard. There were only two possibilities: either Zhou Ziwei was certain that the two men would not actually hurt him, or Zhou Ziwei believed that the intensity of their attack was not enough to harm him.
Regardless of Zhou Ziwei's reasons, it was enough to make the old leader look at him with new respect.
"Come, come... young man, what do you think of this old man's painting?" After dismissing the two Zhongnanhai bodyguards, the old leader showed no suspicion towards Zhou Ziwei. He beckoned Zhou Ziwei to his side, then pointed to the newly completed traditional Chinese painting in front of him, the ink still wet, and said with a smile, "I've hidden a..."
Here are some things. See if you can find them with your eyesight. If you can... this old man will certainly not treat you unfairly; I'll reward you with something you might find very interesting!
"Oh... there's something hidden in the painting?" Zhou Ziwei was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and quickly stretched his head to look intently at the lotus painting.
Hearing that finding the hidden object in the painting would earn him a reward from the old man, Zhou Ziwei dared not slack off in the slightest.
Although ordinary worldly things are rarely able to move Zhou Ziwei now, the old man in front of him is no ordinary person. Given his status, it's unlikely that he would casually give Zhou Ziwei a red envelope containing a few hundred yuan. So, regardless of what the reward might be, he should try his best to get it first, lest he miss this golden opportunity.
Zhou Ziwei stared intently at the ink painting for a long time, but couldn't make out anything.
No matter how you look at it, this painting is just an ordinary ink painting, and it depicts the scenery of the lotus pond outside this small courtyard.
It must be said that this old leader's painting skills are quite commendable; this painting doesn't seem to be much worse than those of some ordinary painters.
Among the hundreds of souls that Zhou Ziwei had merged with, there were some who were skilled in calligraphy and painting in their previous lives. However, the calligraphy and painting knowledge and skills that Zhou Ziwei had acquired seemed to be quite inferior to those of this old leader.
But no matter what, it was just an ordinary painting, and Zhou Ziwei really couldn't find anything hidden in it.
Could this be something like a 3D painting or a shadow painting, where different images can be seen from different angles?
Zhou Ziwei was puzzled. He circled the painting again, looking at it from the front and back. He even tried to see it in three dimensions, first putting his eyes together and then looking at it with double vision, but he still couldn't figure it out.
Seeing Zhou Ziwei scratching his head and making faces around the desk like a lively monkey, the old leader couldn't help but chuckle heartily, but he refused to reveal the secret behind it.
Zhou Ziwei scratched his head, glanced at the old commander with a puzzled look, and wondered if he had been tricked by the old man. Maybe it was just an ordinary painting or calligraphy work with no secrets at all, and he was just teasing him on purpose.
Seeing that the old commander's smiling face seemed to be waiting to see him make a fool of himself, but it didn't seem like he was joking, Zhou Ziwei's heart skipped a beat, and he muttered to himself: Could it be... that this painting has a hidden layer? Hmm... if that's really the case, then I'm really stumped.
Thinking of this possibility, Zhou Ziwei simply walked around to the front of the painting, placed his hand on the table, closed his eyes completely, and then silently infused a few strands of his soul power into the lotus painting whose ink was still wet...
Sure enough, after Zhou Ziwei carefully scanned the painting with his soul power, he discovered that there was another lotus painting hidden in the lower layer of the lotus painting that the old leader had just completed.
Moreover, the pattern of the lotus painting inside is almost identical to the one the old leader is currently painting. In addition, the two layers of Xuan paper are pasted together with great skill. So, if you only look at it with the naked eye, you probably wouldn't be able to tell that there is another world underneath the painting.
Could it be that... the painting hidden in this hidden compartment is actually a masterpiece of ancient art? Otherwise, the old commander wouldn't be playing such a trick for no reason, would he?
Using the power of his soul to see through such a thin layer of Xuan paper is a highly difficult skill. Zhou Ziwei carefully scanned the location of the signature seal again before finally discovering the difference between the two seals.
Although the old leader was clearly imitating the ancient painting in the hidden compartment, given his status, he would not possibly forge his signature and seal as well. Otherwise, he would become a counterfeiter. So, on the surface, the painting bears the old leader's own name, but the signature and seal in the hidden compartment display the words "Han Wu".
What does "含五" mean?
Zhou Ziwei quickly searched through his memories of countless pieces of knowledge about calligraphy and painting that he had absorbed, and soon it suddenly became clear.
Hanwu, this should be the pseudonym of Wu Yingzhen, a famous female painter in the Qing Dynasty. Wu Yingzhen is famous for her lotus paintings that have been passed down through the ages. Could it be that... one of the paintings in this interlayer is an original work by Wu Yingzhen?
So that's how it is... But...
Just as Zhou Ziwei was about to reveal the secret of the painting, a thought suddenly struck him, and he wondered why the old man would use such a painting within a painting to test him.
Without a doubt, if Zhou Ziwei were just an ordinary person, or just an ordinary person with some martial arts skills, he would absolutely not be able to see the secret hidden in this painting.
It must be said that the hidden layers of this painting are extremely cleverly concealed. Even those who are experts in this field would find it extremely difficult to discover the secret without special methods of examination.
If Zhou Ziwei had simply mentioned that there might be hidden layers inside the painting, it would have been somewhat plausible, at most giving the impression that he had a deep understanding of calligraphy and painting mounting.
However, if Zhou Ziwei were to directly say that there is another lotus painting hidden beneath this painting, or even that the hidden layer contains an authentic work by Wu Yingzhen... then he would essentially be exposing his ability to see through objects.
Why did the old leader test him like this? Was he trying to see if he had the ability to see through things? Should Zhou Ziwei admit that he could see through the layers of the painting?
After pondering silently for a moment, Zhou Ziwei simply ignored the painting within a painting on the desk, stepped aside, and swaggered to the side, sitting down in an antique pearwood chair. He then looked up at the old man who was staring at him in astonishment and said, "If there's anything you need me to do with my X-ray vision... just say it! I think... given your status, you should have already investigated how many tricks I have up my sleeve! So there's no need for me to beat around the bush with you here; let's just be frank."
Zhou Ziwei estimated that his trip to Myanmar to bring back a large amount of jadeite had been completely exposed. Others didn't know how many jadeite rough stones he had obtained in Myanmar, and probably wouldn't even think of such a fantastical possibility as X-ray vision.
Given the old leader's intelligence network, it's impossible that he couldn't even uncover something this simple.
So... at least the old leader is basically certain that Zhou Ziwei has the ability to see through things, but it hasn't been definitively proven yet, so there's no final confirmation. That's why he set up this meeting today to specifically verify whether Zhou Ziwei's ability to see through things is really reliable.
To verify Zhou Ziwei's special abilities, they actually had to trouble this high-ranking military leader to personally draw a picture... This really made Zhou Ziwei feel somewhat flattered...
Upon hearing Zhou Ziwei's words, the old commander's eyes lit up, but he still seemed a little uneasy and asked again, "Can you really see it? Then tell me first... what exactly is hidden in my painting?"
Zhou Ziwei rolled his eyes slightly upon hearing this, and could only say helplessly, "There's another lotus painting hidden beneath yours, and... it seems to be an authentic work by Wu Yingzhen from the Qing Dynasty... Hmm... I must say, your imitation is really good... it's almost indistinguishable from the real thing. It seems that even if you no longer hold power here, you can still make a fortune by opening a shop in the antique market!"
The old commander: "..."
Volume Two: The Assassin's Nightmare, Chapter 353: The Secrets of Kunlun Mountain
The old leader couldn't quite remember how many years it had been since anyone had joked with him so casually. Being in a high position for so long had really made him feel a bit lonely and isolated.
The seemingly arrogant little guy in front of him gave him a long-lost sense of familiarity, so he wasn't annoyed at all by Zhou Ziwei's somewhat teasing remarks.
Upon hearing Zhou Ziwei's accurate description of the hidden painting within a painting and its origin, the old commander was overjoyed. He immediately stepped forward and patted Zhou Ziwei's shoulder heavily, saying, "Good lad, I never thought you really had such incredible skills... No wonder you were able to bring back so much jade from Myanmar in one go, hahaha..."
The old leader laughed a few times, then turned around and sat down next to Zhou Ziwei. He picked up a still-warm teapot from the coffee table, poured two cups, took one for himself, and pushed the other cup in front of Zhou Ziwei.
While gently sipping the tea, which had a faint bitter aroma, he pondered and said, "You're indeed very clever. There's something I need to rely on your amazing ability to see through things. I was just thinking about how to find you and have a proper talk with you, but you've come to me on your own initiative, haha... In that case, I should give credit to that kid Hong Gang."
Zhou Ziwei rolled his eyes upon hearing this, knowing that the old commander was probably reminding him not to make any unreasonable demands, and even less to retaliate against General Hong.
Given that Hong Gang was a high-ranking general, he couldn't afford to lose him easily. In fact, the second young master of Hong was taken down by Zhou Ziwei in a very despicable way. However, despite Hong Gang's best efforts, he couldn't harm Zhou Ziwei in the slightest. That's why the old leader used this method to make a subtle mediation.
Zhou Ziwei knew he had to give the old man face on the surface, at least not let Hong Gang die in a muddle. If he were to be shot dead by his confidant like the second young master Hong, then even a fool would see that the father and son had been assassinated by the same person.
Maybe I'll have the chance to play a cameo role as one of the world's top ten assassins.
As Zhou Ziwei stroked his chin, he secretly pondered to himself with a sinister air.
General Hong had made it clear that he and Zhou Ziwei were irreconcilable enemies. Naturally, Zhou Ziwei would not stay at home and wait for someone to come and stab him just because of a word from his old commander.
Fortunately, if open attacks don't work, there are still many covert methods that can be used, right? Zhou Ziwei is no ordinary expert in assassination. Once he sets his sights on someone, with a little effort, probably very few people can escape his schemes.
However, this matter needs to be postponed for a while, and it cannot be completed in the next few days, otherwise... the old leader will probably be able to guess it easily.
The old commander, of course, had no idea what Zhou Ziwei was thinking. After drinking most of his tea, he finally sorted out his thoughts, put down his teacup, and looked at Zhou Ziwei with a solemn expression, saying, "Do you believe in the existence of ghosts and gods in this world?"
Zhou Ziwei never expected that after so much deliberation, the old commander would utter such a "idealistic" statement.
Such a statement would not have sounded strange to any other elderly person, but when it came from his mouth, it was truly unexpected.
This is a difficult question for most people to answer. After all, while ghosts and gods exist, no one has ever seen them. On the other hand, there are too many strange things that cannot be explained by common sense.
However, this was not a problem at all for Zhou Ziwei.
Zhou Ziwei couldn't be sure if gods existed in this world yet, but at least ghosts... definitely existed, and Zhou Ziwei himself was an old ghost who had died once. As for gods... although Zhou Ziwei had never seen one, he could easily guess from the wonder of the Six-Syllable Mantra that it was a spell with magical power created by a so-called "god" to eliminate the wandering ghosts and spirits in the world.
Since this six-syllable mantra has such miraculous effects, it seems that this god... must really exist!
Although this was what Zhou Ziwei thought in his heart, he didn't want to say it out loud.
The old man knew about his clairvoyant abilities, but for him, it wasn't a huge secret.
For him, there are only two real secrets... namely, reincarnation and the six-syllable mantra.
Zhou Ziwei would never casually reveal a secret between two people, so he naturally wouldn't be too gullible about ghosts and gods.
When the old commander asked, he pretended to hesitate for a moment before gently shaking his head and saying, "This... I think there might be, or there might not be!"
The old commander glared at Zhou Ziwei speechlessly. His answer was truly shameless; it was practically the same as saying nothing at all, just a bunch of nonsense.
Fortunately, the old leader's question was not really to get a definite answer from Zhou Ziwei, but merely as a prelude to the matter he was about to discuss.
The old commander paused for a moment before speaking seriously, "What I'm about to tell you is a top state secret. After you hear it, I don't care if you agree to help me do those things, but at the very least... you absolutely cannot reveal anything you heard today to anyone. This includes your beautiful wife and your lovely girlfriend... understand?"
Hearing the old commander mention both his wife and girlfriend, even Zhou Ziwei, with his thick skin, felt a little embarrassed.