238: Chapter 238 Trial of Deadly Intent

Deep beneath the old mansion of the Kyoto Zhao Family, a nauseating stench of blood permeated the cold, gloomy secret chamber.

The runes on the surrounding walls flickered on and off, illuminating the face of the Zhao Family's ancestor, Zhao Tianjue, which was as withered as a vengeful ghost's.

He sat cross-legged in the center of an altar piled high with white bones, clutching a pitch-black communication crystal tightly in his hand.

Eerie red light flowed across the surface of the crystal, as if it were a breathing demon eye.

"Archbishop, I have already sent over the deployment plan for the Kyoto University freshman trial, just as we agreed."

Zhao Tianjue's voice was hoarse and low, carrying a hint of all-in desperation.

A processed, mechanical voice came from the communication crystal. It was impossible to tell if it was male or female, but it radiated a chill that pierced straight through the soul.

"Well done, Zhao Tianjue."

"The Lord of the Abyss has felt your sincerity."

"As long as this sacrifice is successful, you will be able to obtain the God's Blood you have dreamed of and break through the shackles that have plagued you for ten years."

A greedy light erupted from Zhao Tianjue's cloudy eyes.

For the sake of this day, he was willing to gamble the fate of the entire Zhao Family.

Besides, those peripheral industries had already been mostly destroyed by that little beast, Lin Fan.

As long as he could become a King, or even an Emperor, everything he had lost could be regained tenfold or a hundredfold.

"However, there has been a problem with the transport of the formation foundation stones."

The Archbishop's voice suddenly turned a few degrees colder.

"The Military Department has been investigating very strictly recently, and several of our transport lines have been cut off."

"Your Zhao Family must be responsible for transporting the final batch of core formation foundation stones to the designated location in the southern suburbs."

Zhao Tianjue's hand gripping the crystal tightened abruptly.

"This is not what we agreed upon!"

"If the Military Department discovers that the Zhao Family is transporting Abyssal items, it will be a crime punishable by the extermination of our clan!"

"Do you have a choice?"

The Archbishop's tone was full of mockery.

"Lin Fan is already settling scores with your Zhao Family. How much longer do you think you can live under the sun?"

"Either take a gamble or sit and wait for death."

The secret chamber fell into a deathly silence.

Zhao Tianjue's expression was uncertain, his withered fingers digging bloody marks into his knees.

After a long while, he squeezed a single word through his teeth.

"Fine."

"I will personally arrange for death squads to deliver this shipment."

"But if Lin Fan does not die, I will not let you off, even if I have to become a vengeful ghost."

...

In the southern suburbs of Kyoto, the night was as thick as ink.

On a coal transport road that had been abandoned for years, an unmarked convoy was speeding silently.

Five modified heavy trucks had their bodies painted in light-absorbing matte black.

Each truck was equipped with anti-reconnaissance jammers on the roof, sufficient to block conventional radar scanning.

At the front and rear of the convoy were four martial artist guards riding heavy motorcycles.

They were fully armed, wearing full-face tactical masks, and exuding a frigid killing intent.

These were death squads that the Zhao Family had raised for many years, each possessing the strength of a high-level Martial Master.

However, they did not know that in the darkness ahead, a great net had already been cast.

In the wild grass on both sides of the road, Hou San had a foxtail grass in his mouth and was toying with a sharp dagger in his hand.

His shifty eyes, aided by night-vision goggles, were locked tightly onto the approaching convoy.

"They're here, five big guys in total."

Hou San lowered his voice and spoke into the microphone on his collar.

"Old Drunkard, how are things on your end?"

The Old Drunkard's slurred voice came through the earpiece, accompanied by the gurgling sound of swallowing liquid.

"Hic... Don't worry, as long as they enter the one-kilometer range, not even a fly will be able to get past."

"Iron Ox, stop sleeping, get ready to work."

In the drainage ditch below the road, a figure as burly as a rock slowly moved.

A hint of an excited smile appeared on Iron Ox's honest face. He braced his hands on the ground, his muscles began to harden, and a layer of thick granite texture appeared on the surface of his skin.

"I've been ready for a long time."

The moment the first truck drove into the ambush circle.

Bang!

A dull gunshot tore through the silence of the night sky.

A specially made armor-piercing explosive bullet accurately hit the left front tire of the lead truck.

The huge tire exploded instantly, the heavy front of the truck lost control, and it slammed violently into the guardrail on the side of the road.

Boom!

Fire soared into the sky, illuminating the pitch-black night sky in a sea of red.

The entire convoy was forced to brake hard, the screeching sound of brakes echoing across the empty wilderness.

"Enemy attack! Defensive formation!"

The leader of the guards reacted extremely quickly, roaring as he drew the Alloy Battle Saber from his back.

But before his order could be conveyed, the ground suddenly shook violently.

"Get up for me!"

Accompanied by a roar, Iron Ox's massive body smashed directly through the road surface.

He was like an out-of-control ancient beast, forcefully knocking the second truck until it flipped over onto the ground.

Immediately following this, countless smoke grenades were thrown from both sides of the road.

Thick purple smoke instantly enveloped the entire convoy.

It was a nerve-paralyzing poison mist specially made by the doctor; although not lethal, it was enough to make a Martial Master-level powerhouse's limbs go weak in a short period of time.

The battle started suddenly and ended just as quickly.

Under the Old Drunkard's precise sniping and Iron Ox's violent frontal crushing, the Zhao Family's death squad couldn't even organize an effective counterattack before they were all lying on the ground.

Hou San covered his mouth and nose and scurried onto an undamaged truck like an agile monkey.

"Let me see what kind of treasure these bastards from the Zhao Family are transporting."

He skillfully pried open the electronic lock of the cargo hold and pulled the door open with force.

He had expected to see a truck full of pills or rare metals.

However, when the scene inside the cargo hold was revealed before his eyes, the lecherous smile on Hou San's face instantly froze.

Inside the cargo hold, hundreds of black metal boxes were neatly stacked.

One of the boxes had cracked open during the earlier collision, revealing what was inside.

It was not supplies.

They were dark red stones, each the size of a fist.

The surface of the stones was covered with twisted, eerie runes; those runes seemed alive, slowly wriggling.

A cold, evil, and violently oppressive energy radiated from the stones.

Even from several meters away, Hou San felt the hairs on his body stand on end, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

"What... what the hell is this?"

Hou San subconsciously took a step back, instinctively feeling fear.

He had seen this kind of aura in the deepest part of the Wasteland Zone; it was the smell belonging to Abyssal monsters.

The Old Drunkard appeared beside the truck at some point. He had put away his wine flask, and his cloudy eyes had become exceptionally sharp at this moment.

"Don't touch it."

The Old Drunkard grabbed Hou San, who was about to step forward to examine it.

"This is a formation foundation stone, and not one from a human formation."

"The runes on this are in the Abyssal language."

The Old Drunkard had served in the Military Department for many years, and his knowledge was far beyond what Hou San could compare to.

His expression became unprecedentedly grave.

"The Zhao Family has gone mad."

"They are colluding with the Abyss; this is a crime punishable by the extermination of one's entire clan."

Hou San swallowed, feeling his throat go dry.

"Then... then what do we do? Call the police?"

"Call the police, my ass."

The Old Drunkard glared at him.

"This matter is too big; the ordinary police station won't be able to handle it at all."

"Take pictures and send them to the boss."

"Let the boss decide."

Hou San woke up as if from a dream and hurriedly took out his specially made encrypted communicator.

He suppressed the nauseating aura and took several high-definition photos of the formation foundation stones in the cargo hold.

...

Kyoto University, Special Strategic Department Minister's office.

Lin Fan was sitting with his legs crossed, toying with a gold coin he had just redeemed from the system shop.

The communicator on the table suddenly vibrated, emitting a red high-risk alarm light.

Lin Fan raised an eyebrow slightly and put down the gold coin in his hand.

This was the highest-level emergency signal he had agreed upon with Hou San.

Only when encountering extremely dangerous situations that could not be handled would this frequency be used.

He clicked on the communicator, and several high-definition photos popped up.

When he saw the stones covered in blood-colored runes in the photos, Lin Fan's originally lazy eyes instantly became as cold as blades.

Even through the screen, he could feel the evil aura rushing toward him.

"Zhao Family..."

Lin Fan murmured, his voice laced with a heart-palpitating chill.

He had originally thought the Zhao Family just wanted to engage in some business competition or send a few assassins to annoy him.

He hadn't expected that this group of people had already rotted to the core.