After a long night, as the first rays of dawn broke, a plane quietly landed in Shen City.
Before disembarking, Zhao Ziran removed her striking white lab coat, styled her long, flowing black hair into a neat single ponytail, just like her older sister, and then gently pressed her glasses, turning the lenses black and casting a distorted light. She looked completely different from her usual self.
Then, she deftly picked up her luggage, leaving behind the Luo and Zhao families who had already learned of her arrival and were holding up long banners to "welcome" her. She walked out of the airport alone and got into the self-driving taxi she had arranged.
This self-driving taxi, although registered under the name of Shen City's largest taxi company, was unlicensed, able to navigate the streets and alleys undetected.
On her way to her destination, Zhao Ziran took out her tablet. Her bright, star-like eyes reflected a faint light. A moment later, her brows furrowed slightly, and she bit her lower lip. She had naturally known about the commotion in Shen City last night. Combining this with Xiao Dong's actions and other subtle clues, Ziran had keenly discerned the general situation.
—The Seven Deadly Sins.
She never expected the Seven Deadly Sins to dare return to Shen City, defying the world's condemnation. Moreover, they had discovered Xiao Dong so precisely. Judging from the escalation of the conflict and the timing, they probably discovered him on his very first day back.
Perhaps this was why the one-time "safety" device she had set up in her hidden residence had been activated…
This completely disrupted her plans and went against her original intention of bringing Xiao Dong back to Shen City.
Zhi Ran continued to ponder. It wasn't that she hadn't left herself an alternative plan; in fact, she never considered using the "safety device," because Xiao Dong's injuries hadn't fully healed, and forcibly returning to his previous state...
Zhi Ran's true safety device was her older sister, Tang Lan Yan, who also loved Xiao Dong dearly. However, she had been entangled in a mission in the Golden Triangle before their departure and couldn't return temporarily, thus failing to function as intended. And although she had rushed to Shen City as quickly as possible, she had still missed the climax of last night's conflict.
"The safety device is completely destroyed, and the final location is in the ocean..." Zhi Ran gently bit her delicate, oval-shaped nail. A hint of worry and determination flashed in her beautiful eyes behind her glasses. She believed Xiao Dong wouldn't die like this; with the "safety device" activated and him back in his previous state, he was practically invincible.
Although her injuries limited her to only a small fraction of her power, Zhi Ran calculated that it was more than enough to deal with any of the Seven Deadly Sins. Therefore, both rationally and emotionally, she had reason to believe that Xiao Dong wouldn't simply disappear.
However, the surveillance footage of Shen City that Zhi Ran urgently reviewed last night indeed showed no trace of Xiao Dong, causing her to worry…
While Zhao Zhi Ran possessed exceptional intelligence, hailed as a strategist of unparalleled brilliance, she wasn't God. She was unaware that, a kilometer from the last known location of the "safety" device, the person she was looking for had been picked up by a discreet black car.
She could only begin a needle-in-a-haystack search around the point where the signal had vanished…
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Zhi Ran's eyes narrowed. The "safety" device, which she had thought was completely destroyed, suddenly emitted a signal again. The last known location of the signal on the tablet instantly updated.
And this time… it was still in the sea, but in the deeper parts of the ocean. A while later, the signal updated again, and the location changed once more. Zhi Ran extended her slender white finger and drew a straight line across the map between the two points displaying the signal. The end of the line...
was... Shikijima!
******
At dawn, Yuan Hui rose early. His benefactor seemed still unconscious. What worried him even more was that when he released his inner energy to probe his benefactor's body, he discovered that his inner energy flowed freely without obstruction...
This greatly surprised Yuan Hui. He knew that, apart from ordinary people who hadn't practiced martial arts, even extraordinary individuals had a kind of qi-like energy within their bodies that hindered others' probes.
Let alone a master of internal energy like his benefactor. He had risked being injured by the automatic counterattack of the internal energy to probe, yet his benefactor's body was completely empty.
While watching today's news reports, he noticed the commotion at the beach was being attributed to a terrorist attack…
This official declaration made Yuan Hui even more hesitant to take his benefactor to the hospital. Fortunately, his pulse indicated his vital signs were stable, and he seemed to be out of danger.
As for why he remained unconscious, Yuan Hui was completely baffled. He could only temporarily hide him in his separate residence. Fortunately, his appetite was already quite large, and the added burden wouldn't arouse suspicion.
However, because his benefactor was now hidden inside, Yuan Hui dared not go out to cultivate. Instead, he practiced his martial arts in the garden early in the morning.
As the Queen of Shanghai's prospective driver, his residence was naturally not far from Jiang Yingji's. The environment was extremely beautiful, with lush green grass and blooming flowers everywhere, and almost no one around. Therefore, Yuan Hui practiced his martial arts with complete focus, his movements powerful and vigorous, his robust body even emitting wisps of white sweat.
Having grown up in the harsh environment of the mountains, and even in the bustling city of Shanghai, Yuan Hui had never been near a woman. Her martial arts skills, honed since childhood, were extraordinary. Furthermore, the ability to unlock the dormant "blood energy" within her body after reaching the Dark Force realm had created this peculiar situation.
After a strenuous workout, around seven o'clock, Yuan Hui finished her practice and was about to leave when suddenly, an unexpected figure appeared on the exquisite pebble path of Yingluo Manor. The figure wore casual clothing characteristic of Yingluo Manor, and without the formal attire of a suit, the shoulders were slightly slumped…
It was her former employer, Xiang Anping.
Yuan Hui remembered Xiang Anping's furious expression at the Luo family's gate. And he had connections with the Queen of Shanghai?
After breaking with Xiang Anping, Yuan Hui left without looking back, unaware of the subsequent events and the connection between his "benefactor" and Jiang Yingji, the Queen of Shanghai.
Therefore, Xiang Anping's appearance filled Yuan Hui with anxiety. He felt obligated to repay kindness tenfold; more than his own predicament, he worried about his benefactor. This made him even more hesitant to expose him, planning to quietly send him away once his injuries healed and he regained consciousness, ensuring he didn't encounter anyone.
…