372: Chapter 372 Woman, You'd Better Not Lie

"Unless..."

Lin Fan looked at Wu Hui, "Is there anything else you're hiding from us?"

Wu Hui met Lin Fan's gaze, the cramping in her abdomen making even breathing extremely difficult for her.

She gritted her teeth, enduring the pain as she spoke, "Nothing."

"Every word I said is true. That fire, that Suit Man, I witnessed all of it with my own eyes. If there's half a sentence of falsehood, let me be struck by lightning."

"What I'm talking about is your purpose for coming to this island and your other accomplices."

Zhou Kai squatted nearby, "Woman, you'd better not lie."

"I'm a beast, you know. If you dare make up nonsense, believe it or not, I'll make you litter a bunch of wolf cubs."

Wu Hui ignored Zhou Kai and simply looked at Lin Fan.

"Sister Qian's life is in your hands, I have no reason to play tricks in a matter like this."

Lin Fan withdrew his gaze.

Wu Hui's heart rate, breathing rhythm, and even the subtle reactions of her muscles were clearly visible within his enhanced hearing and vision.

She wasn't lying; things were indeed complicated. The waters at the Island Center were even deeper than imagined.

Xu Zhixia straightened up at this moment, "Zhou Kai, come over and pour some water for me to wash my hands."

"Ah, okay."

The running water washed away the bloodstains between her fingers.

After washing her hands, Xu Zhixia tore off a clean strip of cloth to dry them, then turned her head to look at Lin Fan.

She didn't speak, but merely jerked her chin toward the outside of the Karst Cave.

Lin Fan understood, and strode toward the platform area.

Xu Zhixia followed behind, the two of them walking out of the Karst Cave one after the other.

"Are the wounds taken care of?" Lin Fan asked.

"Mhm, as long as there's no infection, she'll be able to wake up in a few days."

She paused for a few seconds, turned to look at Lin Fan, "How do you plan to deal with them?"

Lin Fan: "Everything that needed to be asked has been asked, and the basic situation of the Island Center has also been figured out. Why keep them around?"

He had saved people only for intelligence; once the intelligence was in hand, the transaction was over.

He had no leisure time to raise two idlers in the camp, let alone two professional mercenaries who might bite back at any moment.

Xu Zhixia didn't reply; her gaze fell on Lin Fan's arm.

The muscles of that arm were tightly toned, and though they didn't look exaggerated, they contained terrifying explosive power, but...

"Your physical functions right now are indeed very strong."

Xu Zhixia spoke, her voice lowered so only the two of them could hear, "Speed, strength, and reflexes all far exceed ordinary people."

Lin Fan tilted his head to look at her, waiting for what she had to say next.

"However." Xu Zhixia shifted the topic, "You lack professional combat skills."

"When you fight, you rely on instinctive reactions and absolute brute-force crushing. If you encounter ordinary people, or mercenaries like the ones earlier who rely on sheer fierceness, you can win."

"But what if you encounter a true master? Like that Suit Man, or other specially trained people at the Island Center."

"You have all that strength in vain, yet you don't know how to exert force most effectively or how to dodge with the least effort. It's like holding a heavy machine gun in your hands, but only knowing how to smash people with the gun butt."

Lin Fan didn't refute.

Xu Zhixia had hit the nail on the head.

His enhancement was all-encompassing, but previously he was just an underlying intern who had never practiced Sanshou or learned grappling.

Just now, dealing with Wu Hui, he had rehearsed three counterattack methods in his head, finally choosing the most direct one: kicking her in the stomach.

If he had technique, he could completely dislocate Wu Hui's arm without leaving even superficial wounds, and subdue the enemy even more efficiently.

Strength is the foundation, and technique is the amplifier.

"What do you want to say?" Lin Fan looked at her.

Xu Zhixia turned her face, looking in the direction of the two women inside the Karst Cave.

"Those two are professional thugs, or rather, mercenaries."

"To be able to survive in a place like Africa, their combat skills, killing techniques, and jungle tracking must be top-notch."

"Not using two such good coaches and instead driving them out would be a terrible waste."

Lin Fan narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping across Xu Zhixia's face.

"You want them to teach me?"

"Yes." Xu Zhixia nodded, "Have them act as your sparring partners. Turn your brute strength into real lethality. Only in this way will our chances of winning be greater when we enter the Island Center."

Of course Lin Fan understood the reasoning, but he considered more and was more pragmatic.

"These two people have unknown origins and a rebellious streak." Lin Fan said coldly, "They only compromised to save their lives. Once the one surnamed Xiao recovers, they'll flip their faces faster than turning a book. Keeping them by our side means having two time bombs."

He never turned his back to people he didn't trust; on this island, the cost of easily trusting others was death.

Hearing this, the corners of Xu Zhixia's mouth twitched. She reached her hand into her pocket and felt out a black pill.

The surface of the pill was rough, emitting a strange, bitter odor that made one's throat feel tight just from a sniff.

"Isn't it very simple?" Xu Zhixia held the pill between two fingers.

Lin Fan stared at the pill, then looked at Xu Zhixia's cold and rational face.

He was somewhat surprised.

When he had first met her before, she was still earnestly talking about a doctor's professional ethics.

Now, she actually proactively proposed using such a method to control others.

"Since when did you become so bad?" Lin Fan stared into her eyes.

Xu Zhixia met his gaze without yielding an inch, "I learned it from you."

Xu Zhixia turned around, "Let's go, go incorporate your new coaches."

He stepped forward and followed behind.

Inside the Karst Cave.

Wu Hui was still sitting on that rock, clutching her belly with one hand, looking around alertly.

Xiao Qian lay on the hay-covered ground, her eyes tightly closed and her breathing weak.

Xu Zhixia walked straight to Xiao Qian and squatted down.

Wu Hui immediately became alert. She forced herself to stand up and took a step forward.

"What are you going to do?" Wu Hui stared at Xu Zhixia's hands.

Xu Zhixia ignored her.

With her left hand, she pinched Xiao Qian's chin, pressing firmly with her thumb and index finger, precisely locking onto the joint.

Xiao Qian's mouth was forced open.

Xu Zhixia opened her right hand, and the black pill was tossed directly into Xiao Qian's mouth.

Next, she lifted Xiao Qian's chin and gently stroked her throat.

Gulp.

The pill slid down along her esophagus.

Wu Hui walked closer, "What did you feed her?!"

"Poison." Xu Zhixia answered neatly and decisively, making even Lin Fan somewhat surprised.

"Poison?"

"Mhm."

Wu Hui pounced over like a madwoman, shoved Xu Zhixia aside, and knelt beside Xiao Qian.

She reached out to gouge Xiao Qian's throat, attempting to induce vomiting of that thing.

Xu Zhixia was pushed half a step back. Lin Fan reached out from behind to support her shoulder, steadying her posture.

"Don't waste your effort." Xu Zhixia looked down at Wu Hui from above, "The medicine has already dissolved."

Wu Hui dug for a long time and vomited nothing out.

She raised her head, her eyes full of bloodshot veins, "We told you everything! Why are you still doing this?!"

Xu Zhixia didn't answer her question, but instead said: "Only I know the ingredients of that pill. Starting today, every three days, she must take an antidote I prepare."

"If she doesn't eat it." Xu Zhixia paused for a moment, "The toxins will invade her nerves, she will convulse all over, her internal organs will hurt as if burning in a fire, and she will finally die in agonizing pain. That kind of pain is a hundred times stronger than the kick you took."

Wu Hui's body trembled. Having just left the tiger's den only to enter the wolf's lair—it was she who had harmed Xiao Qian.

"What do you need us to do..." Wu Hui gritted her teeth as she looked at Xu Zhixia.

She wasn't stupid; the other party went through so much trouble to poison them precisely because they wanted to control them into doing things.