Is there really an assassin hidden among these students?
Zhou Ziwei's soul was clearly many times stronger than that of an ordinary person, and this strength naturally made him exceptionally sensitive to the various emotions that others unintentionally released.
That's why he was able to accurately sense when someone harbored murderous intent towards him. He didn't really believe that there could be assassins among these young junior high and high school students.
However, he had no choice but to believe in the direct connection between their souls and their auras.
In an instant, he released more than a dozen strands of soul power and increased his visual acuity sixfold. His eyes swept across the crowd with lightning speed, and sure enough, he immediately discovered the source of the danger.
She was a girl who looked only fourteen or fifteen years old. She appeared very innocent and delicate, but hidden beneath a diary she handed over was a jet-black dagger…
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 232: The Final Decision
Zhou Ziwei never imagined that the assassin hiding in the crowd would be such a girl—a young girl in the prime of her life, a little girl who should still be hiding in an ivory tower, being pampered by her parents—who would actually be a dark elf assassin…
The sudden surprise caused Zhou Ziwei to momentarily lose his composure. It wasn't until the girl handed him the notebook, and the sharp dagger beneath it was about to touch his wrist, that Zhou Ziwei suddenly sighed softly. Despite the crowd of students, he inexplicably dodged to the side. At the same time, he reached forward and snatched the notebook and the dagger from the girl's hand, and simultaneously sent a wisp of electrified soul power into her body with a unique vibrational frequency.
It must be said that although the little girl was young, she was very experienced. Even though she felt the dagger in her hand being taken away by Zhou Ziwei, no matter how shocked she was, she did not show any abnormality on her face. Her other hand, which was always at her waist, immediately grabbed something that looked like an eyebrow pencil.
But before she could even raise the eyebrow pencil, she suddenly felt as if she had been electrocuted, followed by a tingling, numbing sensation that sent shivers down her spine and into her fragile brain in less than a fraction of a second…
"Boom—" The little girl felt as if a detonator had been thrown into her head. Amidst the deafening roar, countless blue lightning bolts seemed to dance before her eyes. Then, the poor little girl felt her mind go completely blank...
After hurriedly collecting the notebooks and clothes from the students, Zhou Ziwei threw them all into the car, had Chen Linlin sign them as quickly as possible, then took them out and piled them up, letting the students find their own things. Zhou Ziwei then quickly got into the car and slowly drove past the excited students.
As the car reached the street corner, Zhou Ziwei subconsciously glanced back in the rearview mirror. He saw that the students who had received autographs had already dispersed in satisfaction, while only the girl heartthrob was still clutching that eyebrow pencil-like object, standing there blankly, her eyes filled with confusion...
Zhou Ziwei sighed again. He really couldn't bring himself to kill such a young female assassin.
Because she was too young, she shouldn't have been involved in this incident at all, and she shouldn't have become a killer of the night elves.
Zhou Ziwei believed that the little girl did not choose to enter this industry on her own; she must have been deceived or coerced into this situation.
So... after hesitating, Zhou Ziwei spared her life. However, not wanting to cause trouble because of his momentary mercy, he used his soul power to directly invade the little girl's sea of souls.
Although it was only a tiny wisp of soul power, the energy contained within it was less than half the energy of a remnant soul.
However, the sea of the soul is definitely the most mysterious and vulnerable place in a person. Even the slightest intrusion of energy is enough to cause irreparable damage.
Moreover, Zhou Ziwei's soul power had been fused with electricity, so even Zhou Ziwei himself was not sure how much damage this soul-roar-like attack would cause to the young female assassin.
It could be complete dementia, memory confusion, or simply forgetting some things... all of these possibilities exist.
However, Zhou Ziwei was certain of one thing: this girl would never continue to be an assassin.
Although Zhou Ziwei's soul attack only injured the young assassin's soul or spirit, without causing any physical harm, a mentally unstable person, or even just someone who is confused and forgetful, would never be able to carry out any assassination missions again.
Therefore, in a sense, Zhou Ziwei may have helped the little girl this time. Otherwise, how many people could have a good ending if they continued to work in this industry? But no matter what, although Zhou Ziwei did not regret what he had done, he still felt a tightness in his chest, as if he had lost something important, which made him somewhat dazed.
"Hey...where...where are you taking me?" Chen Linlin sat somewhat nervously in the passenger seat. As she watched Zhou Ziwei drive the car towards an increasingly remote area, as if they were about to leave the city, she suddenly became tense.
Zhou Ziwei glanced at the anxious Chen Linlin with a somewhat forlorn expression, his lips twitching slightly, and said, "I'm not going anywhere. I just want to find a secluded place to stay with you for a while..."
"Ah...you need to find a place where no one is around, and...you need to be alone with me for a while..." Hearing Zhou Ziwei's somewhat unclear words, Chen Linlin instinctively gasped like a frightened little rabbit, clutching her clothes tightly with both hands, looking at Zhou Ziwei with a hurt expression, her whole body trembling.
Although Chen Linlin had considered that Zhou Ziwei wouldn't risk his life to save her for no reason, and might have some demands on her... she even thought that Zhou Ziwei might take her to an unfamiliar hotel, and then... she never imagined that Zhou Ziwei would want to take her to a deserted place in the suburbs and do *that* in the car... The thought that she might be facing a huge turning point in her life, turning a woman who had never liked men into a real woman, made her heart pound wildly.
Damn, please don't tempt me like that...
Zhou Ziwei didn't have any messy thoughts at first, but when he saw Chen Linlin's large breasts, which were particularly prominent because of her tightly tugged clothes, and her pitiful little face, he really... couldn't help but feel a desire to pin her down and bully her.
However, when Zhou Ziwei thought of the innocent-looking girl assassin who was holding an eyebrow pencil and standing there blankly, all his desire vanished instantly. When he saw Chen Linlin's sexy and seductive appearance, he had no other thoughts.
She sighed softly and said, "You don't need to be nervous, actually I..."
“I understand, I understand…” Before Zhou Ziwei could finish speaking, Chen Linlin seemed to have made a great decision. She gritted her teeth and said, “I know there’s no such thing as a free lunch. You’ve risked your life to help me, so of course I have to repay you. But… could we not do it in the car? Look… isn’t there a motel up ahead? How about… we go there?”
"Pfft—" Zhou Ziwei finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, shaking his head and saying, "Come on... what are you thinking? I just want to take you to a deserted place, and then... to have a final showdown with those who are still chasing you. Uh... you don't have to be so pitiful. Although I'm not a good person, I wouldn't do something as despicable as rape."
"Ah... I see." Chen Linlin was immediately embarrassed upon hearing this, but then she said in surprise, "You want to settle things with those assassins, but... how can that be? Although you are very capable, you are only one person, and what if more of them surround us? No... this is absolutely not going to work. Now that we have escaped from the stadium, the cell phone blocking is no longer an issue, so why don't we call the police immediately? As long as the police are there, we will be safe, right?"
"Can the police protect you 24/7?" Zhou Ziwei sneered. "And do you think ordinary police can handle those assassins? If the police were really that capable, that assassin organization would have been wiped out long ago. How could something like this have happened? Even if the police are giving you special protection because of your special status, even deploying special police to protect you, what about when you leave Tonghai? Will the police still follow you and protect you the whole way? Hmm... even if your father uses his influence to ensure you receive the strictest protection throughout your time on the mainland, do you know if there are assassins among those sent to protect you? Since even your assistant and... your girlfriend can betray you for profit, poisoning your water, then... how many people do you think you can completely trust?"
Chen Linlin fell completely silent after hearing Zhou Ziwei's words.
Yes… even her closest friend, Xiao Ai, could poison her water. So who could she trust? If the other party could threaten or bribe her most trusted girlfriend, what was so impossible about bribing a police officer responsible for protecting her? Who could she trust left? Perhaps besides her father, only this stranger in front of her, whose true face she didn't even know!
Although Chen Linlin still suspected that Zhou Ziwei had ulterior motives for saving her, it was undeniable that Zhou Ziwei had indeed saved her several times. Without Zhou Ziwei, she might have died long ago, so she could at least be sure that Zhou Ziwei would not harm her.
Zhou Ziwei drove slowly, then casually picked up a pack of cigarettes from the car, tore it open, lit one, and said while leisurely smoking, "If you still think your father can be trusted, then give him a call! With his abilities, he should be able to find out who wants to kill you very quickly, and then this threat can be completely cut off. However... once an assassin organization accepts a client's commission, even if something happens to the client before the mission is completed, they will still do their best to complete the mission out of professional integrity. So... even if your father catches the culprit over there, your crisis here will not disappear. We can only get complete peace by luring out all the assassins in that organization and wiping them out in one fell swoop. So... now we can't hide, and we can't ask anyone for protection. Otherwise, even if I send you back to the hotel your performance troupe booked right now, do you think you'll live to see tomorrow morning?"
“Oh…you’re right, I’ll call my dad right now…” Chen Linlin said, immediately taking out her phone. But after dialing two numbers, she looked up at Zhou Ziwei with some suspicion and said, “But…why did you just say something like ‘if I think my father can still be trusted’? Do you mean my dad would harm me?”
Zhou Ziwei shrugged slightly and said, "That's not necessarily true, hehe... I know you've been wondering why I saved you, so... I'll tell you now. Actually, I'm also a target that this assassin organization has been hunting down. I'm so fed up with them that I decided to take this opportunity to wipe them out and eliminate any future troubles. But... do you know who hired this organization's assassins to kill me? Hehe... you might not believe it... the employer behind it all is my father."
"Ah—" Chen Linlin exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this, covering her mouth with her hand and looking horrified. She even stopped dialing the number she had already dialed halfway.
"Hehe... don't be nervous." Zhou Ziwei couldn't help but laugh at Chen Linlin's suspicious look. "I was just giving a random example. In reality, parents are the most trustworthy people in this world. The reason my father hired an assassin to kill me is because I'm not actually his biological son. I think... cases like mine are quite rare! So if you're sure that you and your father are indeed biologically related, then don't doubt anything."
"Pah... Of course I'm my daddy's biological daughter, is that even a question?" Chen Linlin glared angrily at Zhou Ziwei at first, but then, seeing Zhou Ziwei's dejected expression, she felt a sudden pang of pain in her heart. She suddenly realized... perhaps although he appeared strong now, he was actually the one suffering the most! No matter what, being assassinated by one's own father was a tragic thing, even if that person wasn't his biological father, there was still the bond of raising him... Ah... I wonder how his father is now. Since he already knows that the mastermind behind the murder was his father, could it be that he has already... killed his adoptive father?
Thinking of this, Chen Linlin couldn't help but shudder, but she felt even more sorry for Zhou Ziwei...
Upon receiving the call, Chen Linlin's father was furious. He stated that he would not only immediately investigate who hired the assassin to kill Chen Linlin, but also immediately pressure the Tonghai government through the Hong Kong Chief Executive to dispatch the most elite armed police to fully protect Chen Linlin's safety. Furthermore, several of his most trusted bodyguards would immediately fly to Tonghai on a private plane to escort Chen Linlin back to Hong Kong. Although the large-scale tour concert featuring hundreds of Hong Kong and Taiwan artists was not yet over, Chen's father absolutely refused to let Chen Linlin take any more risks outside.
After hesitating for a moment, Chen Linlin immediately refused her father's request to contact the local government to send someone to protect her. However, she only told her father on the phone that she had a very capable friend who would help her deal with the assassin organization. As long as her father could find the culprit who hired the killer and prevent that person from hiring other assassins, she would no longer be in any danger.
Mr. Chen was unwilling to readily agree to his daughter's seemingly unwise request. However, just as he was about to persuade her, Chen Linlin decisively hung up the phone. When Mr. Chen eagerly tried to call his daughter's phone again, it was switched off...
When Chen Linlin hung up the phone, Zhou Ziwei finally chose a place to end things.
This was a very open highway in the suburbs. Zhou Ziwei stopped the car at the highest point of the entire road and then began to wait quietly.
Zhou Ziwei believed that the Night Elves would definitely send a large number of assassins to surround and kill Chen Linlin. After all, although Zhou Ziwei had killed more than a dozen assassins, the Night Elves still retained most of their strength.
In just one night, the Night Elves not only failed to complete the largest order in their history, but also lost nearly a third of their strength. This was an absolutely intolerable loss for the Night Elves organization.
Therefore, the Night Elves now face only two paths: either immediately retreat into hiding, or even disband the entire organization, or gather all the strength within the organization and fight to the death.
Since Zhou Ziwei had only killed one of the Night Elves' assassins, yet this organization had become his sworn enemy, even refusing to withdraw the commission when Zhou Zhengxiang offered to do so, Zhou Ziwei had reason to believe that the Night Elves would choose the latter this time as well.
Moreover, Zhou Ziwei wasn't worried at all that the Night Elf assassins wouldn't be able to find him, because he had already discovered that in addition to the thumbtack that could kill instantly, there was also a tracking device installed in the car's dashboard.
This kind of thing couldn't possibly be something the car owner installed for fun; it was clearly something the Night Elf had done beforehand. So as long as he drove this car, no matter how far he went, the assassins would definitely find him.
The fact that Zhou Ziwei had been driving slowly out of the city for so long without seeing a single assassin proved that the other side was really planning something big this time.
Since their manpower has been repeatedly defeated by Zhou Ziwei, the higher-ups of the Night Elves should understand that sending out three or five assassins is like feeding a cat; they can only weaken their forces and will never accomplish the assassination mission. So this time, they will either not come at all, or they will come in full force.
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 233: Sword Immortal
Zhou Ziwei rarely smokes, but this time he sat in the car and started smoking one cigarette after another. Chen Linlin sat beside him silently, and the air between them seemed to freeze, making Chen Linlin feel a little suffocated.
Only when wisps of white smoke billowed from Zhou Ziwei's nostrils did the stagnant air seem to dissipate, allowing Chen Linlin's tense nerves to relax slightly.
Chen Linlin used to hate people smoking, which was perhaps one of the reasons she disliked men. However, now she couldn't feel any disgust towards the man in front of her who was puffing out smoke.
Even the strong smell of smoke in the air no longer bothered her; she even detected a faint fragrance in the smoke.
Is this considered loving someone because of their love for them?
Chen Linlin, somewhat bewildered, ran her fingers through a stray strand of hair near her ear, her heart pounding like a deer's.
She now feels like a young girl experiencing her first love. This feeling only came to her when she first had that kind of relationship with her female classmate from college. Since then, she has never experienced this feeling with any man or woman.
Is this... considered falling in love?
Turning her head, she looked at Zhou Ziwei's exquisitely beautiful face, which was almost identical to her female assistant's, and her mind was in turmoil, like a tangled mess...
As he lit his seventh cigarette, the silhouettes of several lanes gradually appeared on the road in the distance. Zhou Ziwei immediately perked up, took two more deep drags on his cigarette, and then sprang out of the car window with a "whoosh." His eyes were coldly fixed on the cars that were slowly approaching.
During the time just now, a few cars occasionally passed by on this road. After all, although this road is remote and it is nighttime, there are naturally many vehicles passing by around a big city like Tonghai.
But this time, the cars that came were different. Just by looking at how slowly they drove over, you could tell there was something wrong.
This isn't the city center, and not many drivers who drive at night have this much patience.
Moreover... more importantly, Zhou Ziwei also sensed a faint killing intent from the direction of those vehicles.
After Zhou Ziwei's soul power expanded repeatedly, he was already able to sense the presence of killing intent. However, at that time, it was only a very faint feeling. But now, as Zhou Ziwei's sea of soul continues to expand, coupled with his recent constant brushes with death, his perception of this killing intent has become increasingly clear.
Almost simultaneously with the appearance of those cars, several headlights also appeared on the other side of the road, slowly approaching the Bentley parked in the middle of the road.
Good, they've all finally appeared? Hopefully, we can finally resolve this in one go!
Although he was about to face a great danger, Zhou Ziwei actually felt incredibly relaxed.
Assassins... are truly detestable creatures... You can't be a thief for a thousand days and guard against thieves for a thousand days. Zhou Ziwei didn't want to live in a state of constant tension and vigilance from now on. Only by completely eliminating these assassins could Zhou Ziwei be truly freed from that suffocating atmosphere.
And now... all of this is about to end... oh no, at most only half of it has been resolved.
After all, the Night Elves were just a second-rate assassin organization in China. The real threat to Zhou Ziwei came from the overseas black market assassin network.
That's a permanent bounty list. As long as Zhou Ziwei is alive, his name will remain on the black market assassin network's bounty list, allowing assassins from all over the world to accept missions to kill him at any time.
Although the initial bounty for Zhou Ziwei was not much, Zhou Ziwei has now risen to become the chairman of the Zhou Group, and his net worth has increased many times over. His current status is completely inconsistent with the bounty. No assassin would be willing to take on such a low-profit and risky mission.
However, there are countless people in the world who work as assassins and mercenaries. Who knows if some assassins who have never completed a single mission might be desperate and take on this bounty mission? Zhou Ziwei can't always be on guard like this.
Therefore, the only way to completely eliminate this troublesome situation is to eradicate the black market assassin network. Only in this way will the bounty on him end.
However, for him, this was certainly a hundred times more difficult than defeating the Night Elves.
Regardless, being able to remove the sword hanging over his head was at least a relief for Zhou Ziwei.
Of course... it's not time for Zhou Ziwei to breathe a sigh of relief yet, because he soon discovered that the enemies surrounding him were not only approaching from both sides of the road, but also from the farmland on both sides of the road, where a strong and chilling killing intent was faintly emanating.
Sure enough... the cars coming from the road were just a smokescreen, an attempt to distract him, while the real danger came from the farmland on both sides of the road.
Although the rice in the fields had only grown to waist height and, in theory, could not hide people, that only applied to ordinary people. Assassins, on the other hand, were trained in stealth and invisibility, so moving through waist-deep fields was not a problem for them.
The assassins probably never imagined that there would be anyone in the world who could sense killing intent so clearly. Their mission was to carry out an assassination, and the fact that the assassins sent by the Night Elves had failed and died only fueled their sense of shared fate, which in turn made the killing intent they unintentionally exuded even stronger.
So intensely powerful that they were like shining beacons in Zhou Ziwei's eyes. He didn't even need to use his soul power to scan them or send ladybugs to scout the distance; he could sense the exact location of each assassin.
It's finally over!
Sensing the chilling killing intent gradually approaching, almost within the effective range of a regular sniper rifle, Zhou Ziwei finally moved. In an instant, he immediately issued a kill order to the ladybugs and mosquitoes that had already flown over the cars in front and behind.
Let these two little insects kill or knock unconscious the few assassins on the vehicle.