Chapter 197 - 192 Assassination

At the same time, Chen Pingchuan made a mental note to himself. In the future, if any force is stupid enough to provoke me, the first thing I'll do in retaliation is raid their resource warehouse. I'll make them pay for their reckless actions.The night was as black as ink as the three of them crept through the shadows. After navigating a series of twists and turns, a factory surrounded by a relatively open area appeared before them. Using the cover of the nearby buildings, they remained perfectly concealed, their eyes locked like torches on the two warehouse guards.

Chen Pingchuan tilted his head slightly, his keen senses capturing every minute sound, even the faintest disturbance in the air.

"Hey, did you hear?"

"Ugh… ah…" a fat guard yawned. "What are you talking about, you idiot?"

"You fool, I'm talking about what happened this afternoon. Did you hear?"

"Oh, you mean how the boss was chased all over the place like a stray dog?"

The tall, thin guard was clearly startled by his partner's brazen remark. He shot back in a shocked, hushed tone, "Shh! Are you crazy? If anyone hears you say that, you're dead."

In contrast, the heavier guard simply waved a dismissive hand. "It's the middle of the night. Who's not asleep? Who'd be out here? We've been guarding this place for months and haven't seen a soul in ages. It's crazy that they still make us stand watch."

"Well… you can't say that. After all, what's inside is…"

"Hahaha! Come on, buddy. You can fool others, but don't tell me you actually believe it yourself. We've been guarding this place for days. Others might not know what's inside, but how could we not?" the fat guard scoffed. "The boss, that treacherous bastard, set up a fake warehouse and rigged it with bombs. I wonder which unlucky fool is going to get blown to smithereens."

"Shut your mouth, fatty! Stop spouting nonsense!" the thin guard hissed, glancing around nervously. He deliberately lowered his voice, terrified someone might overhear. "That's not something we should be discussing. Are you still holding a grudge because the boss took your wife?"

"What boss? He's not even human! I've been with him from the very beginning, and I never thought he'd be so depraved as to go after his own men. I just hope some real powerhouse shows up one day and gives him what he deserves," the fat guard seethed, his eyes filled with resentment.

The thin guard sighed in resignation. "At least your wife is still alive, isn't she? Brother, it's already happened. You should just try to move on. Life has to go on."

"To hell with 'life goes on.' I might as well be dead. Forget it, I'm going to sleep. You're on your own."

With that, the fat guard ignored his companion, walked to a corner, pulled out a folding bed, and lay down.

Naturally, their entire conversation had reached Gelieza's ears. Although he had been undercover in the Black Skull Legion for several months, he had never paid much attention to this particular area. Initially, Gelieza had thought that this raid on the supply warehouse would be a great chance to earn some merit with Chen Pingchuan. Now, he'd be lucky not to be blamed for this mess.

His face fraught with anxiety, he scrambled to explain to Chen Pingchuan, "Boss, I honestly didn't know. When I first joined the camp, the leader who showed us around the grounds told us this was the resource warehouse. I had no idea it was a fake rigged with a bomb."

Chen Pingchuan listened to Gelieza's explanation and gave a noncommittal nod. His expression was as placid as ever, but inwardly, a cold sweat broke out on his back.

If I hadn't heard those two guards talking and had just rushed in to rob this place… it would've been an instant death trap. A powerful bomb is nothing like a regular bullet. I wouldn't have stood a chance, even if I had been prepared for it. Forget being caught off guard; a weapon that destructive would have killed me either way. And if my Parasitic Flesh Puppet, Liu Haofeng, had followed me in to open the door, we'd have both met the same end. Then my ability to resurrect would be a complete joke.

The fear subsided, replaced by a surge of extreme rage. Forget the resources. I'm going to tear that Black Skull boss to shreds! If his killing intent toward Jiang Fulong had been at fifty percent before, it had now tripled.

"Let's go! We're pulling back for now!" Chen Pingchuan ordered.

Both Gelieza and Liu Haofeng stared at him, confused. Liu Haofeng assumed Chen Pingchuan was frightened by the enemy's sinister trap and tried to give him a graceful way out.

"Boss, maybe we should let them off the hook for now," he suggested. "We can come back for revenge once we've had time to rest and regroup."

Gelieza nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Let them go? Impossible." Chen Pingchuan's gaze was glacial. "Once midnight strikes and these Black Skull Soldiers are asleep, they will die."

"Furthermore, I will kill every last one of them myself. You two will stand guard. If anything unexpected happens…" Chen Pingchuan paused, turning his gaze to Gelieza. "Erzhuang, you will eliminate any potential threats. Are you up to it?"

"I guarantee I will complete the mission!" Gelieza declared, pounding his chest. He knew this was Chen Pingchuan giving him a chance to atone.

The Black Skull Shelter was completely oblivious to their arrival. Neither their leader, Jiang Fulong, nor the lowly lackeys at the bottom had any idea. In their minds, even with the conflict that afternoon, it would take a stranger at least a full day to find this place without a guide. They could never have imagined that with a traitor like Gelieza leading the way, their enemies had already found their way to their doorstep that very same night.

In the command center at the heart of the Black Skull Camp, Jiang Fulong's face was a twisted mask of vicious rage as he abused a woman. Pain, like a ferocious tide, instantly submerged her. She couldn't stop the sharp hisses of air she drew through her gritted teeth, and pained, broken whimpers escaped her throat. Despite the endless fear and humiliation in her eyes, she dared not show any sign of defiance. She could only suppress her inner turmoil and force a concerned smile onto her face. Feigning a gentle and understanding demeanor, she asked in a soft, trembling voice, "Master Long, what's wrong today? Why are you in such a foul mood? Is something bothering you? You can tell me. Perhaps I can help ease your burden."

After speaking, she composed herself, tilted her head back slightly, and gave Jiang Fulong a sultry look, attempting to pacify his anger.

But he just snorted coldly, his eyes widening in fury as he began to curse, "Don't you dare act innocent with me… Get on your knees…"