Chapter 586: Hell’s Messenger and the Price of Desperation

He looked utterly desperate…

Lu Xin could see the despair in the Dragon Team Leader’s eyes, mixed with conflicted emotions.

Without overthinking it, despite his irritation at these guys who, in the dead of night on the wasteland, shot silently from behind, he now had a rough idea of why they fired at him.

After all, from what the Dragon Team Leader had just said, it seemed they were here waiting for this Hell’s Messenger?

So, they are in cahoots with this Hell’s Messenger?

No wonder they wanted to kill him.

After all, running out in the middle of the night to pull such stunts is clearly illegal…

Trying to silence him?

So, regardless of what the Dragon Team Leader thought, was this outcome destined from the start?

Sigh…

……

Lu Xin ceased his pondering. It was obvious that there was a tangled web of secrets and stories between this Hell’s Messenger and the Dragon Team Leader. But since it didn’t concern him, his main priority remained the two million…

No, I mean, Xia Chong’s mission.

While thinking this, he glanced at the Hell’s Messenger with a trace of worry.

The three-meter tall figure now barely peeped above one meter; its Psychic Power had shrunk dramatically…

Surely Xia Chong wouldn’t deduct my payment proportionally, would he?

“Keep an eye on it,” he ordered.

After collecting his thoughts, Lu Xin turned to his family and firmly instructed them.

His Father and Sister offered no response.

One of them sat among a group of Plastic Children, cradling a head with his left arm and tugging at a calf with his right, so absorbed in piecing them together that he acted like the happiest little girl in the world, forgetting his duty as a brother.

Another had hidden in the shadows, too sheepish to keep his promise.

It seemed that Father had somehow become the Mental Overlord of Heichao City and had, surprisingly, mellowed his temper. So, was his bad temper all pent-up anger after all?

Meanwhile, the Skinless Dog immediately sprang up, wagging its tail with pride.

It even barked twice at the Hell’s Messenger, startling it into a violent shudder.

Certain the Hell’s Messenger wouldn’t make a run for it again, Lu Xin stepped aside, pulled out his Satellite Phone, dialed the number Xia Chong had left him, and immediately flashed a smile: “Hey, is that you, Xia Chong?”

“If not me, then who else?” came the reply.

Xia Chong’s voice was icy and tense: “Have you driven it back?”

A hint of chaos could even be heard over the phone—as if people were scattering and preparing something.

“Not really…”

Feeling a twinge of guilt, Lu Xin replied, “I… I managed to capture it.”

“Crash…”

There was a sudden heavy silence on the other end. Through the receiver, you could feel someone’s mood sink to the depths with Lu Xin’s first words, but as soon as he spoke his next sentence, a brief pause gave way to chaos—chairs toppling, someone spitting water from their drink, and exclamations of ‘Damn!’ erupting.

“Capturing it and forcing it back are practically the same, right?”

Lu Xin’s voice wavered slightly as he added, “If worse comes to worst, I’ll bring it over and leave it with your ambush circle.”

“Y-y-y…”

After a long pause, Xia Chong’s stuttering voice finally came through, nearly incoherent. Then, amidst a jumble of voices—someone seemingly fighting for control of the phone—a few seconds later, the sound of a scalpel echoed: “What the hell is this?”

“You captured that Mental Monster?”

“……”

Lu Xin answered wearily, “Yes, it got too close to me.”

“Besides, I didn’t just capture it—I seem to have caught a group coming from the South to assist it. And since my lighter was out of fuel, I asked them to lend one. Instead, they not only refused, but also frisked me and fired from behind. In the process, a few people died…”

“I swear, I didn’t make the first move…”

“……”

If Han Bing were here, he might have found the situation rather odd.

Ever since joining the Special Cleaning Department, Lu Xin’s mission reports had never been so detailed.

“No, no, no. That’s not important…”

The scalpel’s voice cut in repeatedly, nervously confirming, “You captured the Hell’s Messenger and its accomplices?”

Lu Xin had no choice but to answer, “Yes.”

A burst of confusion erupted over the receiver as Xia Chong wrested the phone back: “What are they doing now?”

“They’re sitting obediently nearby; some even look like they’re crying…”

“……”

“Mr. Single Soldier, please stay where you are—we’re coming right over!”

The other end spoke in a panicked tone, accompanied by shouts of people gathering their things, and the scalpel bellowed loudly:

“Hand him a lighter!”

“……”

“……”

“They haven’t even mentioned deducting the payment, so does that mean this round is clear?”

After hanging up the phone, Lu Xin relaxed slightly before turning to glance at the Dragon Team Leader and his crew.

At that moment, they were all leaning against a truck, motionless with blank, despondent expressions…

Clearly, Lu Xin hadn’t confiscated their guns or tied them up, yet they all seemed to have resigned themselves to fate.

With no further concerns, Lu Xin relaxed even more, ended the call, and silently moved over to them. Crouching down, he took a Submachine Gun from one of the unresisting armed men and began cocking the trigger while squinting at the ground.

“Ratatatatat…”

The deafening gunfire made everyone nearby huddle tightly, with some even covering their ears.

Every face turned utterly ashen.

After emptying a clip, Lu Xin quickly grabbed a cigarette and lit it while the gun’s muzzle was still hot.

“He actually lit a cigarette…”

The Dragon Team Leader and the armed personnel began to lose focus, their gazes clouded by despair.

Lu Xin took a slow drag; once sparks were visible, he casually tossed the Submachine Gun aside.

Exhaling a steady stream of smoke, he turned to the Dragon Team Leader and said in a relaxed tone, “You still haven’t explained.”

“What about that ritual, that Cangzhang Sect? What’s the story behind it?”

“……”

The Dragon Team Leader stared blankly at Lu Xin, his eyes bloodshot and trembling.

“I… I don’t know who you are…”

He recoiled as far as he could within the confined space before murmuring, “But I want to know—what punishment will you mete out to me?”

“……”

“Punish me?”

That question made Lu Xin hesitate for a moment.

He hadn’t really considered it before.

Kill him?

These people had clearly planned to kill him first, so in a twisted sense, him killing them wasn’t unthinkable.

However, with so many people around and quite a few already dead…

After all, he was just a company executive—there was significant pressure associated with taking a life.

But releasing them?

That was out of the question!

Lu Xin despised their nonchalant attitude towards killing.

After a brief pause, he smiled and said, “Though you may not wear any badges, it’s obvious you received proper training. As your leader, I find it hard to believe you’d dare fire at my back without my orders.”

“So, even though the shooter was one of them, it was really you who wanted to kill me.”

“You’re a man who’s made a mistake. Don’t act so innocent.”

“……”

The Dragon Team Leader was at a loss for words.

He even felt that Lu Xin’s words were merely a taunt.

After a brief blink, he despaired and asked, “Then what do you plan to do with me?”

Lu Xin replied, “Of course, I’ll take you back…”

The Dragon Team Leader, nearly at the edge of despair, suddenly widened his eyes in shock.

Lu Xin smiled and stated, “Even though those who fired from behind have been taken down in self-defense, you—the mastermind—cannot be let off. I plan to hand you over to my friends to see if they want to investigate further. If they don’t, I’ll bring you back to Qinggang and let the judge decide your crime…”

“A judge?”

The Dragon Team Leader was completely stunned, his entire worldview shattered.

“Yes…”

Lu Xin turned to him earnestly, “Only a judge can decide life and death, isn’t that right?”

The Dragon Team Leader was utterly dumbfounded.

A god-like figure provoking him, even daring to go against him and firing from behind…

…Was his decision really to turn him over to a judge?

…So, is this man truly insane?

……

……

Only after answering that unspoken question did Lu Xin smile and ask, “Now, can you tell me everything you know?”

The Dragon Team Leader looked up blankly at Lu Xin, completely at a loss for words.

“If you won’t speak now, I understand.”

Lu Xin smiled and added, “I’ll have my Sister come over to question you.”

“Maybe you don’t know, but around here they say there are four ace interrogators.”

“And none of them is me.”

“But honestly, I’m pretty good at interrogation myself…”

“……”

As he spoke, he gave the Dragon Team Leader a warm smile and added, “Let’s see if you can hold out.”

Hearing this, his Sister, who was in the distance, paused before joyfully running over.

Clutching a Plastic Child in both hands, she dashed forward, only to drop it immediately upon arrival.

Clearly, she preferred the living.

“N-no need…”

The Dragon Team Leader shuddered and replied immediately, “No matter… no matter what you ask, I won’t hide anything.”

He could clearly hear that Lu Xin was threatening him, yet seriously—was that really necessary?

Did he really need a threat?

This man was such an amateur; doesn’t he know how to please the gods?

“Oh, then speak up…”

At the mention that no interrogation was needed, both Lu Xin and his Sister felt a twinge of disappointment.

His Sister picked up two Plastic Children discarded on the ground, then nervously retreated while glancing back repeatedly.

……

……

Seeing the Dragon Team Leader so dejected only made him even more panicked.

Who on earth was this mysterious, powerful guy? If he’s a god, surely he isn’t some ordinary deity…