The beautiful snake silently sat up, pondered for a moment, and finally let out a long sigh. She stood up, bowed deeply to Zhou Ziwei, and said, "Master, from today onwards, Anirias will be your eternal servant."
Zhou Ziwei was startled by the beautiful snake's words. After a slight pause, he smiled wryly and said, "What you're saying... I didn't mean for you to be my servant. Well... if you want to follow me, that's not impossible, but there's no need to be a servant... We don't follow those rules."
"Hey... Master... such a top-quality female slave is offered to you, why are you turning her away?"
Before Zhou Ziwei could finish speaking, Xiaoxin's mischievous voice suddenly rang in his mind: "What a wonderful female slave... Wow... As long as she's added to the harem and given a little training, she'll become your most outstanding sex slave, Master... Look... how great is this Sister Anirias's figure... And what's most remarkable is... she's also the most skilled in soft skills, this... If you two get intimate, how many difficult moves can she do for you in bed... Wahahaha... My dearest, most handsome, most dashing, most charming Master... Don't miss such a great opportunity!"
"Shut up and if you keep talking nonsense, I'll shut you up."
Zhou Ziwei roared angrily in his mind, suppressing Xiaoxin's inexplicable excitement.
Hmph... This little guy is getting more and more outrageous. He even dares to spout such nonsense in front of his master. It's really... What Zhou Ziwei finds most unacceptable is that... he actually felt an endless imagination and temptation from what Xiao Xin said. He really wanted to try out what kind of enviable performance that woman's soft skills would have in bed...
My sins, my sins—*……￥￥###……
Zhou Ziwei quickly began chanting a calming mantra in his mind. After a moment, he came to his senses, glanced at Anirias who was still standing there bowing, and his eyes involuntarily swept over her almost naked upper body and her shockingly round buttocks, which were encased in that tight tube skirt. He then said, "If you want to join me, just saying nice things won't work. I'll give you a chance to make a contribution. Go and kill all the people from the black market assassin network who participated in the hunt for us. Don't leave a single survivor... How about it, can you do it?"
Anirias was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and couldn't help but sigh helplessly in her heart. Her original intention was to work under Zhou Ziwei for a while, preferably to trick him into giving her enough Soul Beads, before considering whether to return to Lord Black God.
Although Zhou Ziwei also showed great strength, in Anirias's eyes he was still a bit too inexperienced and lacked any foundation, unlike Black God, who had a network of assassins with influence and henchmen that spanned almost the entire globe, and who clearly possessed a level of technology far exceeding that of ordinary countries.
These strengths guarantee that Black God will continue to develop rapidly in the future. Although Zhou Ziwei's personal strength is not bad and he seems to have mastered some high-tech methods, he is still far inferior to Black God. Therefore, Anirias did not really want to join Zhou Ziwei. It was just that it was as difficult as climbing to heaven for her to obtain even a little bit of the life water that could restore vitality from Black God. Now that Zhou Ziwei had so many "pills" with the same effect, Anirias naturally did not want to miss it.
But it seems Zhou Ziwei isn't stupid at all; he actually wants her to sign a pledge of allegiance to him before she can pledge her allegiance to him.
This time, there were a total of eighteen people who came here with her and the Insect King to hunt down Zhou Ziwei. Although apart from the two of them, the others were not important figures, the Black Market Assassin Network had strict rules. Harming members of the same organization would result in extremely cruel punishment.
Even if only those who have no standing in the organization are harmed, they cannot escape the terrifying punishment.
So... if Anirias really does kill those people here as Zhou Ziwei asked, there will be no turning back.
With a helpless sigh, Anerias ultimately chose to side with Zhou Ziwei. She simply couldn't believe that after all he had done for her, he would so readily let her go… If she really chose to leave… the very next word might cost her her life. Since that was the case… she might as well stay with this mysterious man for now! Perhaps this Eastern man really could create some miracle…
Anerias was highly efficient, taking only about ten minutes to wipe out the dozen or so people from the black market assassin network. Their main task here was to help Anerias and the Insect King find the target's exact location, and after that, they had nothing else to do. Therefore, all of them gathered around the helicopter. After Anerias found the helicopter, she simply used her charm to control the two leaders, the captain and vice-captain, and then, without lifting a finger, easily split the dozen or so people into two groups, who then fought each other to the death.
Zhou Ziwei, hiding in the shadows, was terrified when he saw this scene.
What a source of trouble! This woman is ruthless; she can devour people without spitting out the bones. With just a couple of flirtatious glances, she has these dozen or so men completely bewitched, willing to fight to the death with their former brothers and comrades over a single, unreasonable remark from her… This woman is truly terrifying…
Zhou Ziwei didn't waste the souls of these dozen or so people. Immediately after Anirias left, he went out and refined all their souls into low-level soul beads. Then, he returned to the cave before Anirias could. When Anirias returned, he immediately praised her with a stern face and then tossed her another soul bead, saying that Anirias had performed well this time and that this soul bead was a reward for her.
Anirias never dreamed that Zhou Ziwei would so easily bestow upon her such a precious treasure that could replenish her life force. Instantly, the slight hesitation and regret she had just felt vanished from her mind.
Regardless of whether this new master's strength is comparable to Black God's, his demeanor is far superior. It seems that following Zhou Ziwei might not be as bad as following Black God...
This place had already been exposed to the surveillance of the black market assassin network, so Zhou Ziwei naturally did not want to stay here any longer. He had asked Anirias to kill those dozen or so members of the black market assassin network before, in order to prevent them from being exposed by those people after they left.
Then, to Anirias's horrified gaze, Zhou Ziwei released a powerful vortex that enveloped the group and propelled them into the sky...
Even three hours later, when Zhou Ziwei chose a spot near the Chinese border to land, Anirias still felt dizzy and as if she were in a dream.
Anirias kept stealing glances at Zhou Ziwei, her heart surging like the tide. She never imagined that this man's strength had reached such a level that he could fly on his own without any equipment... and even carry several people with him. Even the omnipotent Black God couldn't do that!
"Let's rest for a bit!" Zhou Ziwei led the group down into a dense forest, then looked up at the towering snow-capped mountains shrouded in mist and let out a sigh of relief. He then turned to Wang Xuewei and the other two and said, "If I'm not mistaken, we'll likely encounter the Black Market Assassins at the border crossings ahead. However... I doubt they know I have the ability to fly, so... I'd like to take you all across the mountains directly, instead of going through the border crossings. That should save us a lot of trouble."
"Hmm...it's just that the temperature on the snowy mountain is extremely low. The clothes we three are wearing are all cold-resistant, so it's not a problem. But Anirias...you...you don't even have a shirt on your upper body. I'm afraid you'll freeze to death. What do you think we should do about this...? Why don't you hide here for a while? After we return to China, I think the black market assassins won't bother us anymore. Then I'll notify the border garrison and have them send someone to pick you up. What do you say?"
If Anerias hadn't witnessed Zhou Ziwei's flying abilities and generous gestures, she would have been happy to have this opportunity to separate from them so she could return to the Black God. But now... Anerias was afraid that Zhou Ziwei would abandon her, and hurriedly said, "No... Anerias doesn't want to be left alone. I... I'm not afraid of the cold. I want to go with you."
Volume 2 The Assassin's Nightmare Chapter 430 Flying Over the Snowy Mountains
Zhou Ziwei paid little attention to Anirias's stubbornness. After Wang Xuewei and Chu Qiutang had rested for a while, Zhou Ziwei stood up again, releasing a huge whirlwind that first engulfed himself and Wang Xuewei and Chu Qiutang. Then he coldly said to Anirias, "I'll give you one last chance to choose. Stay here and wait for me to send someone to pick you up, or come with us to cross the Great Snow Mountain? Hmm... if you choose the latter... then even if you freeze to death on the way, don't expect me to take off my own clothes to keep you warm, understand?"
“I understand…” After hesitating for a moment, Anirias finally nodded and said, “Master, I believe I will be fine. It’s just a little cold. If it gets too cold, I’ll take a nap and pretend I’m hibernating.”
Zhou Ziwei glanced speechlessly at Anirias's exposed upper body, shook his head slightly, and then, without wasting any more words trying to persuade her, immediately waved his hand, using a vortex to pull Anirias in as well, and then propelled the vortex straight up into the air...
This snow-capped mountain, located on the border between the two countries, has an altitude of over 7,000 meters. Ordinary people, even the most professional mountaineers, would probably not be able to cross it in less than three or four days, even with advanced mountaineering equipment. However, Zhou Ziwei was not climbing, but flying, so his speed was naturally much faster.
About twenty minutes later, the group of four had already ridden the cyclone and gradually ascended to the summit of the snow mountain.
Wang Xuewei and Chu Qiutang were wearing combat suits that had excellent cold resistance, so although they felt very uncomfortable in the sub-zero temperatures, they were still able to endure it.
As for Zhou Ziwei, needless to say, the alloy suit he was wearing contained a large amount of blazing iron and was controlled by a highly intelligent independent soul. It would adjust the temperature of the alloy suit according to changes in the outside temperature, so even in this extremely cold environment, Zhou Ziwei felt no different from usual and did not feel cold at all.
Poor Anirias was in a much worse state. Whether she dressed like this to maintain her nickname "Snake Beauty" or to show off her sexiness, there wasn't much fabric on her body. Her upper body was almost completely naked, and her long skirt was so thin that it was practically transparent, offering virtually no protection against the cold. So, by the time Zhou Ziwei led them up to the mountainside, Anirias was already shivering all over, her face was turning purple, and her delicate, sexy skin was covered in goosebumps.
When they reached the summit of the snow-capped mountain, Anirias could no longer resist the bone-chilling cold and collapsed completely on the cyclone. Her head lolled to the side and her eyes closed. It was unclear whether she had fainted from the cold or, as she had said, had gone into hibernation.
Snakes seem to have the ability to resist the cold, but... although Anirias is called a beautiful snake, Wang Xuewei and Chu Qiutang do not believe that she can really resist the severe cold that has dropped to minus fifty degrees Celsius by hibernation.
The two women immediately grabbed Zhou Ziwei's arms, one on each side, without saying a word, but looking at him with pitiful eyes.
After holding out for half a minute, Zhou Ziwei finally broke down under the gazes of the two women, shaking his head helplessly and saying, "Fine! For the sake of the two of you, I'll help her one more time. However... I hope you two can understand that she is different from you. In fact, she is still my enemy, well... at least she was before. As for the future... we will likely continue to be enemies. After all, people's hearts are unpredictable, and the heart of this beautiful snake is even more unfathomable. So I advise you not to feel any more sympathy for her."
"Alright, alright, we understand..." Wang Xuewei smiled broadly when she saw Zhou Ziwei relent, and said happily, "Of course we understand, and we think that Sister Anirias isn't actually a bad person. As long as you give her a chance, she will definitely become our friend. If... if she really does something to wrong you in the future, then we sisters will be the first to settle scores with her. Don't worry, we won't be pushovers."
Zhou Ziwei sighed helplessly, not knowing what else to say. After all, he knew that Wang Xuewei and Chu Qiutang weren't truly kind-hearted people. They had simply been influenced by Anirias's heavenly voice and inexplicably developed feelings for her. Ultimately, it was his fault for being too slow. If he had dealt with Anirias swiftly and decisively before she even spoke, none of this would have happened.
Actually, seeing how freezing this woman was, Zhou Ziwei also felt a little sorry for her. However, thinking about the methods she had used to deal with the three of them, Zhou Ziwei hardened his heart and punished her. Now it seemed that if he let her run naked all the way to the foot of the snowy mountain, even if she didn't freeze to death, she would probably suffer from paralysis or something. Zhou Ziwei had no choice but to take action.
Although Zhou Ziwei didn't have any extra clothes for Anirias, helping her resist the cold was quite simple. He simply released a small ball of pure heat energy, but used his soul consciousness to control this small ball of heat energy so that it didn't condense into a ball of light, but instead dispersed into a large ball of hot air, enveloping Anirias completely. In this way, Anirias felt as if she were in a warm little house, and no longer felt the slightest bit cold.
However, this method consumes energy very quickly. Zhou Ziwei did not deliberately maintain a constant temperature for the air mass. He simply allowed the air mass to weaken continuously in the cold air until it disappeared. Then, Zhou Ziwei would release another air mass. After doing this three or four times, he flew to the foot of the snow mountain.
After being protected by the heat, Anirias's body gradually warmed up, and she finally woke up.
When she woke up, the warm cloud surrounding her had not completely dissipated. Anirias curiously reached out and touched the warm cloud, feeling as if she were touching something tangible, like an invisible cotton coat. However, the cloud was not very solid. When she forcefully inserted her palm into the warm cloud, she heard a soft "pop" sound, and the warm cloud was immediately punctured, creating a hole. Then, the heat energy in the cloud quickly escaped through the hole like air escaping from a balloon, disappearing in the blink of an eye, and the temperature around her returned to normal.
Anirias felt the temperature around him drop suddenly, and involuntarily shivered. He couldn't help but regret inwardly wondering why he had to break through this warm barrier in the first place...
Feeling a little guilty, she glanced up at Zhou Ziwei, only to see him staring straight ahead with a stern face, not even glancing at her. She could only smile wryly, feeling a deep-seated fear of her new master. She dared not ask Zhou Ziwei to create another warm cloud for her.
Fortunately, they had already descended the snow-capped mountain. Although the area was located on a plateau and the temperature was still very low, her physical condition allowed her to barely withstand it, preventing her from suffering frostbite or other illnesses like ordinary people.
According to Zhou Ziwei's original plan, after returning to China, he originally intended to go to the border post on Mount Kashgar where the black hole space was located, because the helicopter that his old leader had given him was still parked there.
Although flying in a cyclone can be more than twice as fast as a regular helicopter, it is both a waste of energy and an ordeal. It doesn't matter if you lie comfortably in a helicopter and fly a little slower, right?
However, considering that the three of them had only been traveling in the black hole space to the pilot plane for three days, while three years had already passed on Earth, Zhou Ziwei felt uncertain.
Three years is enough time for many things to change. It's very likely that the old leaders will think that Zhou Ziwei may have died inside the black hole space and may never come back in this lifetime.
And even if they could come back... who knows how long that would be?
Just like the people who went to the black hole space and returned before, one disappeared for fifty years, while the other returned five years later. Who knows how long it will take them to return after entering the black hole space this time? As for that helicopter, the old commander only said that it could be used by Zhou Ziwei in the future, but he did not designate it as Zhou Ziwei's private property, so... the possibility that the helicopter is still parked in the same place is probably not very high.
Moreover, the outpost on Kashgar Mountain is too close to the border and is also the only way to the Black Hole Space. Who knows if the black market assassin network has also set a trap for them there? So, to be on the safe side, Zhou Ziwei decided to just fly back to the mainland overnight.
Zhou Ziwei immediately beckoned the three women to come closer to him, then released an even larger cloud of heat, enveloping all four of them in it. Only then did he increase his speed, flying rapidly towards the mainland at his current maximum speed...
As dawn approached, Zhou Ziwei and his group of four finally flew out of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The scenery ahead was no longer a vast, desolate world of ice and snow, nor an endless Gobi grassland. Instead, modern cities were beginning to appear.
At this moment, Zhou Ziwei also felt that the non-attribute energy he had painstakingly accumulated in his middle dantian was almost exhausted. So he identified the location of a military camp and stopped a few kilometers away from the camp.
When the four of them rushed to the gate of the military camp, they startled the two sentries on guard.
These people's attire was really too strange, especially Wang Xuewei and Chu Qiutang. The clothes they were wearing looked like spacesuits, but they were also carrying a dagger and something that looked like a gun.
If the two women hadn't been so beautiful, the two soldiers would have almost thought that aliens had invaded Earth...
Speaking of which, all three of them were originally equipped with a high-performance stun gun on their combat uniforms. That kind of gun is currently the most advanced high-tech weapon in the country. Although it is called a stun gun, it has actually deviated from the category of a stun gun. It would not be an exaggeration to call it an energy weapon, or at least a pseudo-energy weapon.
Unfortunately, when the stun gun passed through the black hole space, the energy stored inside was inexplicably absorbed, and the gun became useless. However, Wang Xuewei and Chu Qiutang knew that the cost of this thing was not low and that it was not too heavy, so they kept it with them and did not throw it away.
Anirias's attire seemed even stranger to the two warriors. It was already late autumn, and they were close to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. They would feel cold even wearing sweaters in the mornings and evenings. How could this foreign woman be shirtless, with only two leaves stuck to her breasts... Dressed like a mermaid, could she be from a mythical world?
Of all these people, only Zhou Ziwei's attire looked somewhat normal. However, Zhou Ziwei's suit and leather shoes were made of alloy, and although they looked soft, they still gave people a very strange feeling.
Seeing the four heading straight for the camp gate, two soldiers quickly stepped forward to stop them. Although they were quite friendly, they still strictly adhered to the rules. If the four could not prove their identities and explain their purpose, they would not allow these seemingly dangerous people to enter.
Zhou Ziwei was not a soldier and couldn't reason with these low-ranking soldiers. His intention was to find the highest-ranking officer here, then call Zhongnanhai and directly contact the old leader, asking him to arrange for someone to send them directly to Beijing.
After all, he had guessed that the reason why the black market assassin network was so persistent in chasing him was probably because that so-called Black God had obtained some information and knew what kind of mission they were carrying out this time, which was why he was so eager to steal the things they brought back from the pilot plane.
So now is the time to quickly hand over these things to the country. Once this hot potato is gone, the black market assassin network will probably stop pressuring them so much!
However, if Zhou Ziwei had said those words directly, those two soldiers would probably have dared to shoot them away. After all... who is the old leader of Zhongnanhai? Is he someone that anyone can just call on?
Fortunately, Chu Qiutang came from the military, and she always carried her officer's ID with her. Even after wandering around the pilot plane, she was lucky enough not to lose it. She took out her officer's ID, gave her name and unit number, and explained that she was passing through here on an important mission and had an urgent matter to discuss with the officer in charge.
The two soldiers listened to Chu Qiutang's clear and logical explanation, and after checking that there were no problems with the officers' IDs, they invited the group into the barracks while simultaneously notifying the garrison commander via internal telephone...
Ten minutes later, Zhou Ziwei finally made contact with his old commander. Although it was a top-secret line, Zhou Ziwei was still worried about being monitored by the omnipresent black network, so he didn't say much on the phone. He just told his old commander that he had returned from that place and brought back some very important things. He also said that after returning, he was being hunted by some foreign organizations, and now he hoped to return to Beijing as soon as possible to personally hand over his spoils to the military for safekeeping.
In addition, Zhou Ziwei hoped that the old leader could immediately dispatch the most elite forces to provide strict, high-level protection for himself, Wang Xuewei, Chu Qiutang's family members, and other relevant personnel.
Zhou Ziwei was worried that if Heishen couldn't find the three of them, he would resort to underhanded tactics, such as kidnapping their families to blackmail them into handing over their belongings.
When the old commander heard Zhou Ziwei's voice, his voice trembled with excitement. After Zhou Ziwei finished speaking, he did not ask any further questions and immediately said that he would send out the most elite air force unit to escort them all the way back to the capital.
They also promised to deploy the military's security detail to protect the families of the three individuals.
Zhou Ziwei smiled wryly and quickly declined, saying that there was no need to make such a big fuss, as that would only make their whereabouts more obvious to those with ulterior motives.
The best course of action now is to act quickly and discreetly. All the military needs to do is send a military plane to take him to the capital. There's no need to make it public knowledge; that would only cause more trouble.
The old commander immediately understood Zhou Ziwei's meaning and naturally had no objections. However, the garrison where Zhou Ziwei and his men were currently stationed did not have any military aircraft. Sending the nearest plane to pick them up would take at least half an hour. Fortunately, they were currently hiding in the military camp, and it was assumed that even if the terrorists were still unwilling to give up, they would not dare to openly attack the military camp.
During the break, Zhou Ziwei finally had time to examine the memory fragments that Shin-chan had copied from the chip in Anirias's head.
These memory fragments were stored as data on that chip. Since Xiaoxin was essentially just a chip, not a supercomputer, it was impossible for Xiaoxin alone to recover the compressed data. Therefore, Zhou Ziwei borrowed a computer from the military camp and installed an infrared receiver. Xiaoxin then transmitted the copied data to the computer via the infrared receiver. After decompression, the data instantly transformed into slightly blurry images…
Volume 2, The Assassin's Nightmare, Chapter 431: Gaps in Memory
Zhou Ziwei was amazed by this scene. Xiao Xin was just a chip the size of a fingernail, but such a small chip could completely copy a person's memories, save them as data, and transmit them. On this point alone, Zhou Ziwei had to feel sincere admiration for the Black God.
Although this is only a memory of Anirias from a few recent days, this period of memories spans at least three to five months. And if all of such a long period of memories were restored to images and sounds, it would be enough to constitute an extremely large body of content.
With only half an hour to spare, Zhou Ziwei couldn't possibly proceed step by step to slowly peek into the beautiful snake's memory world. He could only use a fuzzy search mode, setting sound filters in the search bar with keywords such as "Black God," "Black Market Killer Network," and "Heavenly Voice" to see if there was anything of interest to him.
As a result, some of the content that Zhou Ziwei was interested in was indeed selected.
Soon... a large, flashing screen appeared on the screen, and a sweet voice greeted "Brother Black God." The voice was clearly that of Anirias.
However, these memory fragments are presented from Anirias's perspective, so Anirias herself does not appear in the scene.
As Anirias called out, a masked man appeared on an ultra-high LCD screen inside the seemingly advanced, pre-modern large laboratory after a brief flash.
Anirias said wearily, "Brother Kurokami... I... I feel like my mental state is getting worse and worse lately. I often doze off for no reason, and once I fall asleep, I don't want to get up again. I'm afraid... I'm afraid I might actually fall asleep and die someday. Brother Kurokami, can... can you help me? Anirias doesn't want to die!"